Forum - View topicEP. REVIEW: Saekano: How to Raise a Boring Girlfriend Flat
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zrnzle500
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A very good episode to say the least. The scene where Eriri decides to take the offer (and subsequently not work with Aki) was especially poignant to me. They really made me feel that refusing the offer and working on Aki's next game may not be the right choice for Eriri especially, even on a personal level.
Is it bad that even with how on point the writing was (and has been) that the development I was most excited by was the return of short haired Kato? I liked her with a ponytail and down (a bit) longer but ultimately I prefer her with the bob. That is far from the only reason she has been my favorite from the beginning, but I can't say that it hasn't affected me whatsoever. |
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Punch Drunk Marc
Posts: 1742 |
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I feel like Eriri's "slump" was her own fault. She claims Tomoya can't push her to draw, but in reality she put this on herself by asking him if she was his number one. The moment she got that validation her willingness to draw faded and she fell into the slump. She wasn't willing to put any effort into it anymore. It took Akane basically calling her trash to find a new reason to draw. She's not doing this for herself anymore, she's doing this to prove a point to other people. First to prove her value to Tomoya and now to prove Akane wrong.
Then there is the fact that she and Utaha are apparently going to punish Akane for looking down on them...by doing exactly what she wants. If they perform their absolute best on this game then all that does is show Akane that she was right and she'll be even worse on them next time. It's just a stupid cycle that could have been avoided.
I don't think so. I mean yes Utaha cares about Eriri's well being and all that, but the real meat of the problem is that if Eriri doesn't do it than Utaha can't as per Akane's mandate. According to Akane, Utaha is essentially trash without Eriri's illustrations. It's irritating that Utaha basically lowers herself to play into Akane's game. She's there as a root for Eriri's growth, but she gets nothing out of it. I feel they could have "showed" Akane if they just told her to stuff her offer up her ass and go work on Aki's next project or better yet start their own LN. I'm pretty sure Utaha could juggle two series at a time (works for the author of the RailDex universe). This is just a bad situation that they put themselves in. |
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Yttrbio
 Posts: 3652 |
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I don't know that their situation is particularly bad, though. It's a huge career boost for both of them, and an artistic advancement. The whole show is about putting aside the personal, short-term goals (work with Aki, tell Akane to get bent) and prioritize their craft and careers. It's stressful and sometimes heart-breaking, but they're better off stepping up and making painful choices than just sticking with what works for them now.
Iori, for instance, does tell Akane to get bent because that more relaxed future is what he wants for himself. Neither decision is wrong, they just have to do what's best for each of themselves. |
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Punch Drunk Marc
Posts: 1742 |
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Just because its a professional boost that doesnt always mean its the best decsion for them. Not every supposed good opportunity is the best one. They get to work with Akane but at what cost? Its clear she doesnt care about them as people and only values the work, and they both had to sacrifice their integrity and pride to do it, especially Utaha. She essentially accepts Akane's words and just goes along with it. Its fine to want to be pushed, but there are limits. The harder decision would have actually been to refuse Akanes offer and prove her wrong by doing their own thing and challenging her. Whether that be with Akis new game or something else. |
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zrnzle500
Posts: 3767 |
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For Eriri at least, she realized she couldn't push herself working with Aki and he wasn't going to push her. Even if she wouldn't feel guilty, she wouldn't be able to make art the way she wanted and at best would just stagnate. It may be more emotionally comforting, but she needs to be uncomfortable to push herself.
As for Utaha, she is swallowing her pride in order to prove herself to Akane. Akane isn't expecting much as she is just an add-on. But if her work is at the same caliber and importance to the success of the story as Eriri's, she can't very well be so dismissive then. Granted she would be wise to be pleased with such a development, but it is not a bad thing to not put everything into zero-sum, antagonistic terms. And like Theron was saying, having them refuse and keep on with Aki would be the easy way out of this plotline, and I'd rather they take a more interesting route than that. |
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Yttrbio
Posts: 3652 |
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DuskyPredator
 Posts: 15462 Location: Brisbane, Australia |
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Did anyone catch the Akashic Records poster? I wonder what that does for the timeline?
 Wow, take a look at your priorities.
Did you catch how excited Eriri was when she started to consider that they get to work on such a series? Working with Akane is kind of the cost, the expected hard working conditions. That is at least on the emotional level along with what they would be doing to Aki, but in actuality it is somewhat exactly what they need as it would be a huge boon to their art of what they love, an art that is being hindered by Aki. You are treating this like this is simply a selfish act, but here is the thing, sometimes what is best is actually do something that is selfish, to care about what is best for them and act on it. Lets say for comparison a women is being beat up and abused by her boyfriend, the non-selfish act may be to stay with man, while the selfish and better choice would be to leave him and find something better for herself. The boyfriend may even see the act as a betrayal, that he says he really loves her, and you hear of cliché where such people will try to convince them later to return by saying they forgive the woman. Staying with the man might often give them emotional support in the way of dependence, that they might fear losing that, but it is actually quite unhealthy, and there might be more importance for things that they love than just that man. Like say they have a child they should protect from him. Aki is not literally abusing them, he is generally a nice guy who cares about. He tends to act in ways that will be best for them in an emotional way where he does not to upset them as people. But the thing is that him acting as the driving force for their art while acting that way, could actually be an abuse of their art, in a sort of reverse of the example his being nice has them stay, but at the same time he is hurting their artistic drive. Not on purpose, mind you. But with staying with him they are letting the "love" of one man take precedence of something that they might be more important, the thing they feel gives their life meaning. Sure he might have helped them before, but that should not be the only decider in where they should stay with him, because this series has had a bone to pick from the very beginning. Harems. They are the staple of this medium of light novels, graphic novels, manga, and anime. For the audience they can act as a piece of candy entertainment where the audience can be give a range of choices of which flavour they like best. But for the element of a story in giving characters proper resolution, they are total bullshit. Harems are all about romance, but the "harem end" almost never has itself commit to a proper romance, it just becomes a string of nice words and interactions where nothing happens. In the end polygamy rarely a realistic is not the choice, especially in how it devalues the female characters, but stories and people are afraid of change or some sort of finality, where the possible happy endings are cut away for others. I like harem series, but on the flipside harems are horrible for the characters within as it puts those characters in a stagnant position where multiple characters cannot make steps to a future that would be better for them, perhaps missing a number of opportunities. The way this show is moving towards going against the grain of this genre is a great chance to actually to do something interesting, where all of the characters could work towards being the best them. And yet there is the blowback of those who want their candy, who feel like these girls should sacrifice their careers for the convenience of the main character. But that would be the worst thing this show could finish on, and is how it could ruin the artistic goodwill it has started to build up. |
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getchman
 Space CowboyPosts: 9120 Location: Bedford, NH |
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well, since the Light Novel with the protagonists mom joining the adventure is right next to it, I'd say that puts the timeline at our current time |
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John Thacker
Posts: 1006 |
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I think it's just an association with, e.g., B♭ being adjacent to B and thus has a meaning "next." I'm pretty used to all kinds of cutesy ways to indicate sequel seasons going in and out of fashion. Also note that Ojamajo Doremi had a sequel season called Ojamajo Doremi # (or Ojamajo Doremi ♯.) Same thing, though a little more appropriate because Do Re Mi is already a musical reference. (And there are characters called the FLAT 4.) |
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SpaceTheGamer
Posts: 271 |
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Um... what about the fact that UTAHA KISSED TOMOYA!??!?!?! That was a pretty big thng wasn't it?!?!?! How can you not mention this in the review!??!!?
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青白
Posts: 184 |
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Dude my jaw dropped to the floor the entire time they had that so called "romantic hijinks" at the end. I sure as hell was not expecting that ending.
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Sploradorali
Posts: 13 |
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Probably one of the double meanings, but the so-called "stretch" is actually spot on. Megumi has been referred to by other characters as "flat/furatto" (in Japanese, synonymous with a boring, deadpan personality). This is why all of her character songs include the flat symbol in the title. The title of the season is a nod to Megumi. |
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