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EP. REVIEW: Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash [2016-01-18]


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DuskyPredator



Joined: 10 Mar 2009
Posts: 15433
Location: Brisbane, Australia
PostPosted: Mon Feb 08, 2016 7:28 pm Reply with quote
I really took the misunderstanding part to have significance that although Yume did not get it quickly, she really was not that bothered by it. Yume was already saying in an earlier episode that she would not have been as bothered by if it was Haruhiro that had gone to see her than it was Ranta who tried to sneak in for a peek, which she as usual got frustrated because she is not good at expressing herself. But Regardless it is pretty clear that to some extent Yume likes him, only she is no good at communicating herself. Haruhiro on the other may also have "feelings", it feels pretty common that we might see Yume in more sensual poses when the two of them are alone together, you could take it as fanservice, or as a representation of his attraction. Only Haruhiro does not want to cause problems, so he does nothing, and that really is the same thing that happened here with mourning. Yume is bad at communication so she is reliant on him to make steps, but he does not know what to do and is probably afraid of making things worse, so he does nothing.
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sunflower



Joined: 04 Sep 2005
Posts: 1080
PostPosted: Tue Feb 09, 2016 12:03 pm Reply with quote
Great content, poor animation. I was constantly distracted by how off the characters looked, and by how awkwardly they were moving compared to other weeks. But what they were saying and how they were mourning went straight to my heart.
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PostPosted: Sun Feb 14, 2016 3:44 pm Reply with quote
Really enjoyed watching the moral/social ambiguity of Mary's recalcitrance play out this episode. All the little instances where Yume was like "Yeah but from her perspective..." felt very natural and uncomfortable. Continue to be impressed by how distinct each party member's personality is and how it's being emphasized by Mary's presence and the emergence from Manato's death. Mary's severity is well-explained as a combination of self-hatred and a defense mechanism against emotional investment, and I think this episode did a good job of making her an empathetic character.
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killjoy_the



Joined: 30 May 2015
Posts: 2457
PostPosted: Sun Feb 14, 2016 4:05 pm Reply with quote
Only thing I really disliked in this episode (I mean, aside from Ranta being Ranta right at the beginning) was the noticeable drop in animation quality. That walking scene was embarrassing, and the fight scene lacked all of the oomph that this series had so much of.
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stilldemented



Joined: 16 May 2015
Posts: 232
PostPosted: Sun Feb 14, 2016 5:21 pm Reply with quote
It has come to my attention that I now know more about Mary than I do about our main cast of characters. Laughing

Teasing aside, I enjoyed this episode immensely. We are beginning to see a story take shape. There is a lot more action driving the character's motivations in this episode.

In many ways, Manato's death is setting the story in motion. Haruhiro's new-found responsibilities force him to take action instead of go with the flow.

They aren't even big steps. It's little things such as his awareness for the party's needs. They need to get Moguzo a helmet, because it benefits everyone. They need to get more information on Mary, because it benefits the team dynamic to come to an understanding about her.

Haruhiro isn't really convinced that he's leader material, but for someone that has no clue what he's doing...I got to give him some credit.

The aesthetics drew me to the show. The character introspection is keeping me around. But it's starting to pick up ever so slowly.

The show has been a little too slow-paced for its own good, but it still manages to keep you hooked. These last three episodes have showcased that the first three episodes were something of a prologue. Manato's death is the spark that sets the show in motion.

The new opening is alright, but it reveals very little about what we can expect from the series. At least with the first opening, in retrospect, we can give the benefit of the doubt that they don't want to reveal anything about the Manato plot twist. Now though? There's no real excuse except maintaining aesthetic purposes.

I like the aesthetics, but I'm used to it by now. The sensuality of the artwork isn't as captivating to my attention as the story moving forward. I kind of wish the opening would have reflected that.

Those were my odd thoughts for this episode. All minor fusses aside, I feel like we're finally beginning to go somewhere. That satisfies me.


Last edited by stilldemented on Sun Feb 14, 2016 8:23 pm; edited 1 time in total
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zrnzle500



Joined: 04 Oct 2014
Posts: 3767
PostPosted: Sun Feb 14, 2016 5:34 pm Reply with quote
DuskyPredator wrote:
Haruhiro on the other may also have "feelings", it feels pretty common that we might see Yume in more sensual poses when the two of them are alone together, you could take it as fanservice, or as a representation of his attraction.


You could definitely see this in episode six, when they go to the tavern and Ranta does his usual thing with Yume, repeatedly calling her flat chested (though the word Ranta uses, chippai, usually means small breasts, though the line between the two can be fine), and Haruhiro, along with the camera, looks and remarks how she doesn't seem that small in that regard. I for one appreciate a little push back on calling female characters with average sized busts flat chested or small breasted, something all too common especially in fanservice focused anime. Just because they are smaller than some of the ridiculously large breasts in some anime, doesn't mean they are small by any reasonable standard. I mean once you get to the middle of the alphabet in bra sizes it gets ridiculous, and I wish I was joking.

meiam wrote:
I do find it annoying how Haru is simply handed the leadership role with no discussion, seems like both the tank and the archer are better fit. Both character wise but also gameplay wise (it's hard to effectively sneak when your barking order).


Sorry to comment on this so late, but I think Haruhiro is the best leader. Ranta, yeah no, I don't think I need to say why he isn't fit. Shihoru is a bit too shy. Moguzo is more a follower than a leader, being a bit timid as well. Yume is a bit childish, and I don't mean physically, and as even she has admitted, she isn't the best communicator. Haruhiro isn't the best either and he is by no means a perfect leader, but he seems to me to be the best of them. Now player wise, you are probably correct in that a thief isn't the best type to be the leader. The tank may not be the best either though, as you probably don't want the leader to be right on the front lines and drawing aggro, so the party isn't leaderless if the tank goes down.
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Gina Szanboti



Joined: 03 Aug 2008
Posts: 11306
PostPosted: Sun Feb 14, 2016 6:15 pm Reply with quote
Episode 6

I really hate the new OP. I've never thought the song fit the mood of this series, but the leering camera pans over all the spandex-clad (??) characters' bodies really left a bad taste in my mouth. Oh well, because I dislike the song, I skip over it anyway.

I could see where they were going with Mary's backstory, but it felt awfully cliche somehow. It also feels too...I don't know, artificially repressed somehow? Like when they keep talking about how Manato used to do it, which is exactly the way she used to do it, you'd think she'd serve up a sharp, "Yeah, and how did that work out for you?" or something to indicate that she has reason to not do it that way, instead of just, "No." I think her unwillingness to even tell them why that's the wrong way to go about things is what made me expect there would be a more original type of problem she was dealing with.

The main thing I liked about this episode was Ranta's rant in the teaser. I may be in the minority, but I really like him, and enjoy watching him chew up the scenery, even when I'm not liking some of his attitude. He wears his heart on his sleeve (though he thinks he's got it well hidden beneath all his bluster), which is kind of a breath of fresh air when all the other characters are so subdued.
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zrnzle500



Joined: 04 Oct 2014
Posts: 3767
PostPosted: Sun Feb 14, 2016 6:23 pm Reply with quote
Gina Szanboti wrote:
Episode 6
I could see where they were going with Mary's backstory, but it felt awfully cliche somehow. It also feels too...I don't know, artificially repressed somehow? Like when they keep talking about how Manato used to do it, which is exactly the way she used to do it, you'd think she'd serve up a sharp, "Yeah, and how did that work out for you?" or something to indicate that she has reason to not do it that way, instead of just, "No." I think her unwillingness to even tell them why that's the wrong way to go about things is what made me expect there would be a more original type of problem she was dealing with.


While Mary may not have the best social skills any more, I imagine she realizes that harping on the failures of the recently deceased former leader may not endear her to her new party. She doesn't want to repeat her party's mistakes, which are not too different from their mistakes under Manato, but she doesn't want to directly antagonize them too much. Now would her concerns been better conveyed through more communication, yes. That doesn't mean talking bad about the dead would be better.
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Gina Szanboti



Joined: 03 Aug 2008
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PostPosted: Sun Feb 14, 2016 6:55 pm Reply with quote
I didn't say anything about "harping" on their failures. Explaining once would have been sufficient. And I just offered an example, but the point was that I wanted her to say "something to indicate that she has reason to not do it that way, instead of just, 'No.'" Cause that ain't helping either. And she doesn't seem to give a damn if she antagonizes them, being quite willing to have them oust her altogether, which she apparently finds preferable to revisiting her past or forming attachments.
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PostPosted: Sun Feb 14, 2016 7:11 pm Reply with quote
I think her past was meant to imply that part of the reason for Mary's anti-social behaviour is a cynicism, but it's more fundamentally a trauma-induced fear of getting too attached combined with a damaged sense of self-worth. Her communicating anything to increase the functionality of her relationship with the rest of the party would run contrary to all of those hangups. When Haruhiro invites her to a meal, it's pretty clear in retrospect (and Haruhiro kind of says it outright) that she wanted to accept the offer but was too insecure to do so.

Last edited by 鏡 on Sun Feb 14, 2016 7:16 pm; edited 1 time in total
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jojothepunisher



Joined: 04 Sep 2007
Posts: 799
PostPosted: Sun Feb 14, 2016 7:15 pm Reply with quote
Gina Szanboti wrote:

I really hate the new OP. I've never thought the song fit the mood of this series, but the leering camera pans over all the spandex-clad (??) characters' bodies really left a bad taste in my mouth. Oh well, because I dislike the song, I skip over it anyway.


I am at a loss for why they would change the OP. It adds nothing new other than Mary's image and some body shot fanservice that completely undermines the mood of the show. I seriously hope they change it eventually, because I actually quite like the opening song.
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stilldemented



Joined: 16 May 2015
Posts: 232
PostPosted: Sun Feb 14, 2016 8:04 pm Reply with quote
In regards to Mary:

As a character, Mary's background presents a compare/contrast relationship between her original party and Haruhiro's party. She survived and lives with the ramifications of the very mistakes that ended Manato's life.

Which paints her as the perfect replacement for Manato in Haruhiro's party.

As for why she doesn't express herself? Probably some form of PTSD.

In other words, the source of her abrasive and aloof demeanor is all intertwined with her personal history. Thinking along those lines, it's easy to determine why she resents and avoids most forms of questioning in regards to her role as a Priest. It hits too close to home.

Mary wants to keep her distance. Haruhiro&Co. wants to know more about her. Mary uses defense mechanism. It's super effective!

All that jazz. Wink
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zrnzle500



Joined: 04 Oct 2014
Posts: 3767
PostPosted: Sun Feb 14, 2016 8:20 pm Reply with quote
Gina Szanboti wrote:
I didn't say anything about "harping" on their failures. Explaining once would have been sufficient. And I just offered an example, but the point was that I wanted her to say "something to indicate that she has reason to not do it that way, instead of just, 'No.'" Cause that ain't helping either. And she doesn't seem to give a damn if she antagonizes them, being quite willing to have them oust her altogether, which she apparently finds preferable to revisiting her past or forming attachments.


The wording of the example, while not necessarily intended, may have sounded a bit cavalier and mocking about the recent death of their comrade. And as he was the leader, picking apart their strategy especially while talking like that could come off as criticism of him, which I doubt they would have taken that lightly. While she may have been frustrating them and said she could leave, she never did anything that would force them to tell her to leave.

As others have said, contributing would have fostered a closeness that she wants to avoid. So instead of either complying with their mistaken tactics, she refuses to do it, but doesn't want to connect enough to fix them, so she just says no. Saying anything else would imply she cares, both to them and to herself, which she doesn't want to do again.
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Gina Szanboti



Joined: 03 Aug 2008
Posts: 11306
PostPosted: Sun Feb 14, 2016 9:29 pm Reply with quote
I don't know why you're so fixated on my quick throw-away example line as the definitive thing I was proposing she utter. oO Just pretend I never typed it, ok? Shoving that line aside and burying it 6 miles deep, I understand quite well what the anime is trying to show us about Mary and her behavior and the underlying roots of her actions and attitude. I just disagree with how they went about it, which I've seen in a hundred other series. Saying I wanted them to do it differently isn't the same as saying I didn't understand what they were doing.
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meiam



Joined: 23 Jun 2013
Posts: 3442
PostPosted: Sun Feb 14, 2016 11:28 pm Reply with quote
Ahhh the dreaded "oom", remember as a leader it's your job to keep an eye on your healer mana (although it's also there job to keep you up to date). Triage is a really fun concept as a healer in mmo, but it seems like it's pretty un popular and more and more there going for a model where healer have infinite mana and are expected to just spam heal.

Otherwise, do we know if this will get a second season, I enjoy the passing but it's clear there's not going to be much in terms of conclusion at this pace.
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