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Plastic Memories (TV).


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Blood-
Bargain Hunter



Joined: 07 Mar 2009
Posts: 23669
PostPosted: Sun May 17, 2015 7:15 am Reply with quote
I'd be happier if they simply did stuff as friends without calling it a date. I'd be especially happy if they laid off the lame "humour" of things like, "don't wash my underwear!"
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DuskyPredator



Joined: 10 Mar 2009
Posts: 15433
Location: Brisbane, Australia
PostPosted: Sun May 17, 2015 9:49 am Reply with quote
AI dating is fine, I would not be totally okay with it if there was some sort of effect of a guy using programed protocols to orchestrate the situation, but Isla is happy to do things with him. I am a total Joker and EDI shipper, that is in regards to a game. Although the topic of games makes me think of this video by a YouTube star by the name of Gaijin Goomba who talked about dating sims, that synthetic relationships can be a problem.

But at the same time I am also actually really supporting Michiru, one more month and then she can move in on the grief stricken main character.
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Sunny milk



Joined: 22 Jan 2014
Posts: 695
PostPosted: Sun May 17, 2015 11:18 am Reply with quote
Isla isn't even physically much younger looking than the guy, yet I knew people will throw a hissyfit over the perceived age when it's nothing extraordinary, it's not like Isla looks like a child.
Yet I'm sure some of the same people were praising Grisaia when the sister basically raped her younger brother in that bath scene.
Double standards, how do you work indeed?
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Blood-
Bargain Hunter



Joined: 07 Mar 2009
Posts: 23669
PostPosted: Wed May 20, 2015 2:30 pm Reply with quote
JekoJeko wrote:
But I'm not overly critical of this. Their saving grace, for me, is that these malfunctions in the shows design correlate well to or malfunctioning central character, almost like the two are intertwined. I'm getting more tragedy from these slice-of-life interactions than comedy, but that won't last as entertaining. The show now needs to surround such a sense of deterioration with other things that remain enjoyable. If it doesn't, all I can do is think of these episodes as flawed attempts at something really great.


You expounded on this theory in the episode review thread in the Talkback forum. I find it an interesting idea even though I am unpersuaded by its validity. First, just on a conceptual level, I'm not sure I buy the notion that a writer would deliberately write malfunctioning comedy as a parallel to a character who is malfunctioning. But let's grant your hypothesis just to see how it stacks up conceptually.

Even if you are right, the idea doesn't really mesh with what the show is presenting. Isla is not malfunctioning as a result of winding down her operative "lifespan." From what we've been shown so far, a Giftia will continue to function perfectly normally right up to almost the end. If it is reclaimed properly, there will be no issues.

Isla, on the other hand, it has been suggested, has had some sort of "malfunction" for a while - dating back at least three years when her partner was seriously injured. That's why Isla has been basically a glorified tea server for the last three years. We have not yet been given any insight into what is making Isla not perform optimally, but no doubt it is coming.

So yeah, even if the idea of having deliberately misfiring comedy is supposed to somehow relate to a machine that's breaking down, it's not really lining up conceptually, I don't think.
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HaruhiToy



Joined: 15 Apr 2008
Posts: 4118
PostPosted: Wed May 20, 2015 3:01 pm Reply with quote
Blood- wrote:
Even if you are right, the idea doesn't really mesh with what the show is presenting. Isla is not malfunctioning as a result of winding down her operative "lifespan." From what we've been shown so far, a Giftia will continue to function perfectly normally right up to almost the end. If it is reclaimed properly, there will be no issues.

Right. Isla is "special" in some way that we have not been told yet. The pre-expire-date malfunctions are just one more indication of that.

That "special" attribute will make her ending different. Bet money on it.
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Blood-
Bargain Hunter



Joined: 07 Mar 2009
Posts: 23669
PostPosted: Wed May 20, 2015 3:05 pm Reply with quote
@ JekoJeko - Well, as I say, I'm unpersuaded, but if any entertainment form is likely to do something like that, it is definitely anime. This is the same entertainment form that had the sack to broadcast the same episode (with minor variations) over the course of eight straight weeks (The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya's Season 2 "Endless Eight"). Balls of steel, I tells ya.

@ HT - my outlier theory is that Tsukasa dies very shortly before Isla terminates. The "feel good" part comes from the fact that they achieve a wonderful relationship before that happens. I can also imagine a scenario where Tsukasa dies and Isla somehow "lives" to defy expectations.

However, if Tsukasa lives then my feeling it is more likely Isla does terminate as opposed to the show finding a way to save her. There might be a bone along the lines of a new Giftia who bears a shocking resemblance to Isla or something.
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Blood-
Bargain Hunter



Joined: 07 Mar 2009
Posts: 23669
PostPosted: Wed May 20, 2015 3:45 pm Reply with quote
I can't recall any indication that Tsukasa may be a Giftia (I'm assuming that's what you are asking because to answer your question literally, there have been a lot of indications that he is not a Giftia). That would be a cool reveal if the show can justify it.
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ookamigirl



Joined: 15 Jul 2012
Posts: 2274
Location: Croatia
PostPosted: Sat May 23, 2015 1:24 pm Reply with quote
#8

spoiler[That old lady was interesting with her choice.
It made Tsukasa think..
He was practically obsessed with Isla somehow keeping her memories after the wipe.
The festival time was supposed to be fun but Isla was acting all weird again.
The fact that Isla as he knows her will be gone soon is making him frustrated.
Their little budding romance is going nowhere.. such a bitter-sweet episode end.]
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Stark700



Joined: 30 Jan 2012
Posts: 11762
Location: Earth
PostPosted: Sat May 23, 2015 1:36 pm Reply with quote
Episode 8:

Well that got emotional except for the very ending (after credit song). I mean, a confession but then a rejection from Isla? Maybe it was a moment of the mood thing. I still found her reaction to be priceless to watch though.

Still, found the episode funny and emotional at the same time. Hope they can develop Isla and Tsukasa's relationship further.
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TRNielson



Joined: 25 Jan 2015
Posts: 182
PostPosted: Sat May 23, 2015 2:45 pm Reply with quote
Episode 8

This really felt like one of the better episodes, for me. Right off the bat, we see the retrieval with the old lady that really starts making Tsukasa question whether memories can still linger after an OS swap. Not too surprising to see him pursue it with such determination, especially with Isla's time running out.

Isla continues to be one of my favorite characters in any show this season. She's such a dunce and I absolutely love her for it. When Tsukasa tells her about the fireworks, and she starts demonstrating how to cover her ears, I may have woken my neighbors up with how loud I was laughing.

Another great Isla moment during the carnival and Tsukasa asks if she wants her picture taken. Her constant "Error. Error. Error." moment seemed like a such a human thing to do when we get upset with someone for ignoring us.

Of course, the big moment came towards the end with them during the fireworks. Watching Isla try to run off and then Tsukasa admit his love for her was an absolute tear jerker. Of course, her reaction quickly gave way to tears of laughter. We'll see how Tsukasa handles this rejection next episode, though.

On another note, it was nice to see this episode place a lot of emphasis on Tsukasa's struggle with Isla's impending shutdown. Last episode we saw the external struggle he was going through as he threw himself so hard into his work that he wound up passing out from exhaustion. This time, we see more of his internal struggle and how he's desperately finding any way he can to keep the Isla he knows from disappearing. I wouldn't be surprised if this series ends with his co-workers chasing him down after abducting Isla.

All I know is that the impending series finale is gonna be an emotional one.

EDIT: Also upset that Isla didn't get her balloon at the carnival. Damn you, Tsukasa!
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Vaisaga



Joined: 07 Oct 2011
Posts: 13224
PostPosted: Sat May 23, 2015 11:24 pm Reply with quote
So if we made a betting pool on whether they'll actually 'retrieve' Isla or there'll be some miracle way to save her, what would you put your money on?
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HaruhiToy



Joined: 15 Apr 2008
Posts: 4118
PostPosted: Sat May 23, 2015 11:53 pm Reply with quote
Vaisaga wrote:
So if we made a betting pool on whether they'll actually 'retrieve' Isla or there'll be some miracle way to save her, what would you put your money on?

Just like there can be death flags there can also be "last minute rescue" flags. I say all the markers are there for Isla to be "rescued" in some way.

As for her spoiler[rejection] at the end there, that was clearly set up as a spoiler[cliffhanger misunderstanding which will be reconciled next episode]. It is the typical sort of discord this show makes routinely.
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Gina Szanboti



Joined: 03 Aug 2008
Posts: 11306
PostPosted: Sun May 24, 2015 12:07 am Reply with quote
I think episode 8 is the first one I've really enjoyed since the initial one. But it was in spite of some really heavy-handed storytelling.

I mean it was nice to get back to focusing on their work and how it affects them and all, but every single scene and bit of dialog had "For Isla & Tsukasa" stamped all over it. But then subtlety has never been a signature trait of this series.

Still, if they can keep things at at least this level from here on out, it won't be a complete wash, and they could even rise above what's come before.
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kinghumanity



Joined: 03 Nov 2014
Posts: 365
PostPosted: Sun May 24, 2015 2:15 am Reply with quote
Vaisaga wrote:
So if we made a betting pool on whether they'll actually 'retrieve' Isla or there'll be some miracle way to save her, what would you put your money on?


Given that they spent a whole episode explaining how memories cannot be saved, I would bet on the former.
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TRNielson



Joined: 25 Jan 2015
Posts: 182
PostPosted: Sun May 24, 2015 3:20 am Reply with quote
Vaisaga wrote:
So if we made a betting pool on whether they'll actually 'retrieve' Isla or there'll be some miracle way to save her, what would you put your money on?


As much as I want to hope for a miracle, this show has also been relatively reasonable. My guess is one of two things:

1. Tsukasa abducts Isla and runs off with her, rather than have her deactivated, forcing all their coworkers to go running after them until they nab Isla. (This is the less realistic one. As much as Tsukasa cares for Isla, he also knows what will happen if he runs with her. It won't end well.)

2. The more likely ending is Isla get's her OS replaced and the two start their relationship again from scratch. This will be the tear-bending finale right here.

Although, yet another completely unlikely ending, is Isla gets deactivated and Tsukasa tries to hook up with Sherry. He gonna get himself a real woman...Giftia.
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