Forum - View topicREVIEW: Chaika - The Coffin Princess season 1
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Cyclone1993
 Posts: 947 |
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I have to disagree as well. The final 3 episodes were some of the most compelling of the bunch. If it sagged anywhere, it would have to be in the middle with that filler episode.
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njprogfan
 Collector Extraordinaire Posts: 1160 Location: A River Named Toms |
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New Jersey??? Ha, you have to explain where in the state....(and don't give me a Turnpike exit, that's the cheap way out). |
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dtm42
Posts: 14084 Location: currently stalking my waifu |
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If by "compelling" you actually mean "notable in how badly written they were, both in and of themselves and compared to the previous nine", then sure. All the characters had been given lobotomies, the villains were lamer than a second-term American president, the plot was simplistic and ill-thought-out, and the plot holes were big enough to send a flying fortress through. That whole arc was decidedly weak (at best), and the one good thing that happened in it was chibi Fredrica. As good as that scene was it can't even begin to make up for all the rest.
I'm assuming you are talking about episode eight? Not only was it funny, it also raised important questions about who Gaz was while highlighting how little his own subjects knew of him. The episode was not the strongest of the series but it wasn't a total wash either.
I find your lack of |
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unitmikey
 Posts: 286 |
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@ChibiKangaroo Yeah, TWISB was definitely a bust (or perhaps a trainwreck). Chaika beat that one.
The thing is, Chaika is the type of show that I'm usually allergic too because it lacks originality in so many areas, but somehow it managed to be entertaining and well made enough that I gave it a rare pass. I actually thought the character designs were pretty darn good overall too tbh. |
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Cyclone1993
Posts: 947 |
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I didn't dislike the filler episode either, it just took a long time to establish the fact that no one knew anything about Gaz. It could have been shown in a much more condensed way that would have given them another episode to develop some of the other arcs. I did enjoy the "magician scene" though! As for the final arc, I don't know what you're talking about. I have seen most of the first half twice and read the novels, and I don't find anything in the last arc that was out of character for anyone. Except maybe Akari since she was spoiler[brainwashed] Also, what are some of the plotholes you are talking about? What made it so compelling was how it revealed some of the mysteries around Chaika, and did so in a way that still leaves a lot of questions. Ricardo wasn't the best villain, but I thought it was interesting because it sort of contrasted with Toru and his "declaration" in episode 2. They both want the same thing but they were going about it in different ways. He served as a foil for Toru in that regard. spoiler[Layla on the other hand was pretty interesting, but she didn't get a whole lot of development. Her reasons for fighting against her "programing" were interesting, but her methods were a little weak.] |
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TG72
 Posts: 334 |
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I've been really entertained by the action, mystery and Chaika's personality. The bonus has been hearing Chiwa Saito (one of my favorite seiyu) as Frederica. Ready for more...
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MaxSouth
Posts: 1363 |
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Does this anime have plot events that look like a stretch, where you can see patchy work of authors to move the story forward?
Or, on the contrary, the story flows naturally, consistently, and you do not get pulled off of the world authors create by lame, artificial developments? I am asking because I do not like anime where authors think that they can do anything with the story, supposing that viewers will not notice or will not care. To me, personally, this is a capital crime, an insult to my intelligence, however limited it is. |
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Cyclone1993
Posts: 947 |
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I don't think that anything like that happens in this series. Nearly every development makes sense in the world that the characters are occupying. |
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Key
Moderator
 Posts: 18185 Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley) |
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If the story had substantial problems with flow and logical consistency then I would have specifically mentioned that in the review, as (unfortunately) that has been a common problem this season. I wouldn't think you'd have a problem with this one, as the whole story seems pretty carefully plotted out so far. And while I might disagree on what titles are and are not busts, I will agree that the Spring 2014 season is one of the weaker ones in recent memory in terms of producing quality series. And that despite such a flood of titles coming out. . . |
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meiam
Posts: 3442 |
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You've just described Frederica in a nutshell. She's the "get out of a tough situation" card for the author, she come and goes at random, is insanely powerful and far too versatile and her personality do a complete 180 for absolutely no reason. I'd say the show is more a B- but would easily be a B+ if she wasn't in it. I'm not too surprised to hear the last episodes were a train wreck, episode 10 trigger all my "stop watching or the ending will ruin this show" warning. I know there was another season so nothing was going to get resolve, the villain was so cartoonish it was hard to take seriously yet the show insisted on the situation being a serious one and one of the big "draw" was thatspoiler[ Frederica might have died which A) I would consider a huge improvement and B) we all know that wasn't happening.] Another show saved by skipping the ending. |
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DangerMouse
Posts: 3983 |
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Yeah, I really enjoyed this (and Knights of Sidonia), I can't wait for more.
Agreed, thanks to the VA it really came across as endearing (the facial expressions and body language helped too, especially during the funny ones) and relatively natural in addition to being cute ofcourse (also, the fansubs did a really good job with it) |
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MaxSouth
Posts: 1363 |
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Thanks for replies. Even though, obviously, nothing is perfect all around, it looks like I can give it a try.
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Cyclone1993
Posts: 947 |
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And here I was thinking that this was one of the best anime season I've ever seen xD Although I don't know exactly what they will be doing with Fredrica. I'm sure she has a role to play, but she does feel very overpowered. But they try not to rely on her too much. |
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leatherhead333
 Posts: 1187 Location: Kansas |
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You know the longer i watch anime the more I find myself enjoying the more simple less convoluted stuff. The show never really tries to be bigger than it should and the plot is relatively simple to follow. There is a good amount of mystery that keeps you guessing on how thing will turn out. All in all it leads to some decent entertainment. I think Chaika and NGNL are prime examples of not making your adaptation not look rushed (I believe Chaika did the 1 novel in 2 episodes approuch). The flow of events is consistent and you could never tell that the rushing was apparent. Sure they probably cut a lot of important dialogue but as long as the REALLY important stuff comes up in the second season I don't mind. I just hope we don't get horrible info dump episodes though.
I did like this series but there were a couple things that kept it from getting to quite the potentially awesome peak it could have. 1. Toru and Akari could have used a bit more development. Especially Akari. I don’t know how people can still find this “I want to bang the MC and I’ll make jokes about him being a pervert” character type funny anymore. I guess she helps with comedic relief but other than being crazy about Toru i didn’t see any depth in her character. She might as well just be a cardboard cutout that can fight. Toru being the MC got it a little better but as of now he’s really just helping Chaika to make him feel useful. I don’t really buy into their love. The almost kiss (after the first kiss) seemed like it was thrown in just to make the shippers scream. But it felt randomly placed to me. Toru: I'm a tool Chaika: Toru not tool! Toru: Thanks lets kiss. Me: 
Plus since it's spoiler[anime original] that would explain why it didn't fit. 2. A large part of me really wants Chaika's speak pattern to be normal. It’s really hard to take Chaika seriously when she’s trying to say meaningful things. I’m pretty sure it was added in to add to her moe appeal so i really don’t approve. I constantly keep rewinding Toru’s dream of being together with her talking like a normal person. I think it would have made her character a bit more bearable for me but eh whatever. 3. If it was up to me Fredica would not have joined the main cast. Why? Well there is an obvious reason for that. She’ way to powerful. She’s basically a walking deus ex. If everyone is in danger she can just bust in and save them (and she does so many times in the series). But of course she is given that “I won’t help unless it’s necessary” personality so she comes at the last minute. I think even the writer noticed he made her to powerful. Take note how she wasspoiler[ taken out TWICE when they invaded the castle and was gone for very long periods of time.] Why would that need to happen hmmm? Oh but of course if she’s walking around there isn’t any tension. Toru, Akari and her working together would probably take out any enemy they’ve faced easily. They really ought to have made her a bit weaker so to not have to force the issue of making her conveniently gone during dangerous situations. This is one of the things that made the last arc weaker because that's some extremely noticeable convenient writing if you ask me. Other than those things I enjoy enjoyed the show for the most part. There are some notable dips in the quality of animation but they aren't particularly frequent. The battles have some really good animation too. The music isn't really that orchestral since it's actually only done by two people. You could probably produce the same thing FL Studio if you tried hard enough but it still works most of the time for the show. Last edited by leatherhead333 on Wed Jul 02, 2014 6:24 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Cyclone1993
Posts: 947 |
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I've read the first two novels, and that is how Chaika speaks. She is a native speaker of Laake which is the language of the Gaz Empire. Since the 6 nations united against the Gaz empire, most of them have their own unique languages, and Chaika isn't fluent in the language that the majority of the characters speak. The same goes for spoiler[Bohdan] and its different for spoiler[Layla because she had some different circumstances, including being a Chaika for a lot longer] The fan translation of the manga went with the full speech pattern because they didn't know how Chaika was supposed to speak. |
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