Forum - View topicEP. REVIEW: The Eccentric Family 2
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Merida
 Posts: 1945 |
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They actually managed to wrap up pretty much everything in the final, though some things more satisfactory than others.
Soun's "death" wasn't really explained for example and i'm still very confused about the entire tengu business...it may have been a struggle for power/succession on the surface, but there seemed so much more going on beneath. Like, who was that woman Nidaime fell in love with and in what way is she connected to Benten? And why did Akadama disapprove of this relationship so much, he disowned his own son? What really happened in London that caused them to hate each other so much? And why was Benten able to fight evenly with Nidaime all of a sudden when she was beaten so easily the first time around? Tengu business aside, this ep. had a lot of great moments with Yaichirou's wedding, Yasaburou's and Benten's moment together and of course, Yasaburou and Kaisei's scene with fluffy grandma. Overall i loved s2 as much as the first one, it was definitely one of the shows i was most looking forward to every week. Here's hoping for a s3 sometime in the hopefully not so distant future! |
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algoshuffler
Posts: 10 |
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In a series adapted from a book titled "The return of Nidaime", I certainly expected the eccentric family to focus more on the return of Nidaime. Instead, it focused on what happened to Yasaburo, the rest of the Shimogamo brothers (particularly Yaichiro), Kaisei, Soun/Kureichiro, Kinkaku/Ginkaku, and Benten. In the end, I still know little to nothing about Nidaime and his relationship with Benten. In spite of this problem, The Eccentric Family 2 was full of beautiful scenes that made it a very rewarding viewing experience.
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Blood-
 Bargain Hunter Posts: 23873 |
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I really loved the finale. Primarily because it really drove home that Yasaburo and Kaisei are officially an item and I've been shipping them like crazy this season. Yasaburo has finally realized that he and Benten just ain't gonna happen (not that he didn't sort of realize this before, but based on his conversation with her at her bedside, he seems to recognize that Nidaime will be the one).
Good ole Yaichiro finally got confirmed as the Trick Magister, yay! Soun and Tenmaya both ended up in Hades where both belong, yay! Sadly, we know that descent to Hades is not necessarily permanent, so if there is a season three (which I very much hope there will be), we may be seeing those two again. As for the deal with Nidaime/Benten/Akadama - the best I can piece together is this: When Nidaime was Akadama's disciple, he fell in love with a woman (a woman who he says is just like Benten). Akadama clearly thought this love would be a hindrance to his tengu studies and interfered. It seems like Nidaime was supposed to meet her. Having to fight Akadama delayed him and by the time he got to the meeting spot, she'd already left, but not before leaving an X in a note which, I assume means, "You blew it." Nidaime, frustrated in love, takes off for England. At some point, Akadama kidnaps a school girl by the name of Satomi Suzuki and makes her his new disciple. She becomes known as Benten. The show has been maddeningly oblique about the circumstances surrounding Benten's "kidnapping," but I have to assume the origins of her tengu study have contributed to her capricious and ambivalent attitude in general. The following really is just wild supposition on my part: I think Benten is in love with Nidaime but feels she can't "claim" him until she has defeated him in battle, which she has not done yet. Benten clearly reminds Nidaime of his lost love, but he is also resisting her. It was cool how close it came to looking like he was going to kiss Benten during their battle... only to be revealed that was a fake out and what he was really doing was leaning in to set her hair on fire. The guy definitely needs some tips on how to treat women. Anyway, according to Wikipedia, a third novel is planned. There was an eight year gap between the first (2007) and the second (2015) but let's hope we don't have to wait as long this time. Let's hope, too, that if there is a third novel that the first two seasons did well enough to induce a third. Anyway, a great franchise and one of the Spring season highlights for me. |
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mangamuscle
Posts: 2658 Location: Mexico |
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My guess is that woman at the hotel when Nidaime and Akadame sensei fought was Benten, she is no longer human so she probably ages differently (that would also explain why she has no bonds to her human family, anyone she knew has already died and she has no connection to their offspring). As for Benten's enhanced strength in the latest battle, I suppose it had to do with her drinking the dragon stone water, whether is was a temporary or permanent enhancement is anybodies guess. But heck, if they continue to get stronger I expect this series to get into Dragonball territory in a third season
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Blood-
Bargain Hunter Posts: 23873 |
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No, I really don't think Benten and the woman in the hotel room (?) are the same person. If they were then I don't think Nidaime would have said to Benten, "You are just like her."
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Zhou-BR
Posts: 1428 |
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Even if the third novel takes too long to get written and we don't get a third season, I'm very satisfied with how this season ended for every character. I just want to own this on Blu-ray now, but since NIS America appears to be no longer interested in licensing anime, I guess I'll have to hope for another company to acquire season two. If only the Japanese BD release had English subs, I could just import it.
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mangamuscle
Posts: 2658 Location: Mexico |
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If you mean what nidaime says at about 4:32, my ears clearly hear あなたは本当にそっくりだ which google translates as "You are really alike". Even ignoring that translation, the original statement clearly lacks a her, Nidaime might be saying Benten and Akadama sensei think or act very similar. Japanese is more vague than english, so don't blame the translator, I think this educated guess makes sense. |
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Gina Szanboti
Posts: 11419 |
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Jeez, who's piloting all these flying trains and buses, Harrison Ford?
I don't see how Benten could be Nidaime's lost love. In an earlier flashback, we see him meeting her in a park near the banks of the Thames in the rain, and it's pretty obvious it's a first meeting, from when Benten went to London. If I'm not mistaken, the battle between Nidaime and Akadame took place a long time ago, definitely before Yasaburo got involved with the tengu, since Akadame was still young and could fly. By the time Yasaburo became his apprentice, the Cedar Tree incident had already happened and Benten was just taking her first flight. The fight seemed to be because of Akadame's disapproval of Nidaime getting involved with a human woman, which then becomes supremely ironic later on. It occurs to me though, that perhaps that's why he kidnapped Benten. He wanted to understand his son better by seeing for himself what a lowly human had to offer that could interest a top-of-the-food-chain tengu at all. One of the most hilarious visuals this episode was that all the furballs piled on Nidaime for protection. He set her hair on fire. oo He set her hair on fire. OO I guess the more I think it over, the more I can come to terms with Soun's not-demise. I still think it undermines that moment and wish they hadn't done it, but I suppose if a tanuki can appear to be a daruma or a mountain or an oni or a human, they could also appear to be a corpse. Since no one would be watching the body 24/7 until his funeral, he could find a time to slip in a dummy to cremate. However, it still bugs me that no one sniffed him out, given the emphasis on scent = identity, and that Kureichro also called them all out on that. I'm quite disappointed to have it nearly confirmed that Jurojin is not a tengu. I guess I'll have to accept that he's deliberately adopted that look since he fancies himself the ruler of the skies. Yay! Grammy's back! I could watch her fur waft in the breeze all day. She's such a treat. I guess they knew she was coming, since they set up a hammock to catch her as she rolled in. 
I feel blessed to get Natsume and Eccentric Family both in one season, especially since neither was expected, but sad that there probably won't be more of either for at least a couple more years. |
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Blood-
Bargain Hunter Posts: 23873 |
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Hmm, interesting. Still don't think the woman was Benten, however. Hopefully, we get a season three that settles the question!
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algoshuffler
Posts: 10 |
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Does anyone actually know how much money they made from The Eccentric Family 2? (Not an exact number or anything. Just if it was successful or if it broke even or if it was a big flop). I hear that the bulk of revenue in anime comes from merchandising, something they're doing pretty well with this series.
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GhostOfShowsPast
Posts: 29 |
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Decent series but one I will forgot about about, they left too many things unanswered and got confusing in the last couple of episodes. Also doesn't help I was shipping Yasaburo with Benten not Kaisei.
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KuroiEr
Posts: 24 |
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I'd be willing to bet that the "mystery woman" is Benten's mother. |
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Agent355
 Posts: 5113 Location: Crackberry in hand, thumbs at the ready... |
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I'm going to echo some commenters here: I don't think the finale of season 2 answered all the questions it proposed at the start of the season. Mostly, I was really unsatisfied with the Nidaime/Benten conflict overall, I feel like there must have been more to it than a quasi-sibling spat, and they left most of the details to viewers' imaginations, or perhaps in the source novels.
Also confusing: how did Soun fake his death without Kasei's knowledge when she was the last one to see his body before his cremation? Did he have outside help? I'm glad the theorists were wrong about her being a co-conspirator, in any case, though. That said, it was mostly a great episode--Nidaime and Benten's fight didn't explain much, but it was spectacular to watch. Yaichiro & Gyakuran got married in a nice ceremony with everyone in formal wear!  Benten allowed herself to be vulnerable, even pitied, and Akadama acknowledged his son's frustration. Soun & Jurojin are running a ramen shop in Hell (which means they'll almost certainly find their way back to be antagonists once again in the 3rd novel/season 3). Yasaburo & Kasei were open and honest with one another (she was the reason behind the mushrooms that grew out of Yasaburo's butt as a kid, *that's* why he loses his transformation around her! Oh! A childish prank on her part that led to lingering trauma on his--it all makes sense, and can be worked out!), re-established their engagement, and got a heart-to-heart and the official approval of Grammy Tanuki. A little more clarification on the above matters would have been nice, but otherwise, who could ask for more?
Really hope the third novel will be released soon, and that it will lead to an even more satisfying 3rd season of the anime!
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algoshuffler
Posts: 10 |
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Yeah, the Benten vs. Nidaime was really hard to understand.
Benten vs. Nidaime Ice vs. fire Dispassion vs. Passion "civilized" tengu (or refined "English gentleman") fighting like barbarians Nidaime cries later because he realizes that he is just as much of a "fool" as tengu, humans, and tanuki. He admires Yasaburo because he is able to freely navigate through the social ladder to solve problems without losing control of himself. If there's anyone in The Eccentric Family that lives in harmony with the contradictions in the world, it's Yasaburo. |
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Merida
Posts: 1945 |
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Hmm, interesting. But is there any proof for this theory, other than their similar looks? I could probably buy Nidaime being a lot older than he looks because of tengu maturing at a different pace than humans or something like that, but who's supposed to be Benten's father (not Nidaime, i hope...)? And did Akadama kidnap Benten, knowing she's the daughter of the woman his son loved?! That would be kind of...disconcerting, to say the least. |
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