Forum - View topicREVIEW: So-Ra-No-Wo-To episodes 1-4
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JohnnySake
 Posts: 582 Location: Auburn Hills, MI |
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There already is a forum following So-Ra-No-Wo-To, but I want to reiterate here that this really is an interesting show, probably my favorite of the winter 2009 releases. Yes, you have your standard moe girls, but in a very nonstandard environment. I think every episode raises more questions that what it answers. Like Theron mentioned, the backgrounds are beautiful at times and adds a very nostalgic feel to what you are watching. Hopefully the level of story and treatment of characters continues on to what we have been experiencing so far.
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Megiddo
 Posts: 8360 Location: IL |
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I would dare say that if you cross Haibane Renmei with K-ON! you would have something that comes close to Sora no Woto. That said, I'm highly enjoying this series, and the certain foreshadowing that things aren't always sunshine keeps my interest piqued.
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21stcenturydigitalboy
 Posts: 103 Location: Virginia Beach, Virginia |
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>>voice work and characterizations are generic.
I would retort, but there is nothing I could say to this that would make it past this site's censor. |
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Key
Moderator
 Posts: 18187 Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley) |
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Then please explain in what way you feel these characters are at all fresh versions - or even new variations - on characters we've seen countless times before. |
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usagidoshi
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In addition to the Haibane Renmei connection, I see Aria too (Felicia=Alicia, Kanata=Akari, Rio=Akira, Kureha=Aika) -- assuming it keeps the ladies out of serious danger. So far it's been mellow, and the town festival in ep1 felt a lot like Aria. |
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BenBrown
 Posts: 46 |
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I don't really know about being unsure where the show is going. The backing story behind the festival in the first episode, as well as the opener inserting the girls into the myth give the series a telegraphed direction.
spoiler[ Maidens with golden horns (trumpets) call upon a powerful spider (the tank) to save the village from a fire breathing demon (some other piece of tech from pre-war). ] All in all, I'm enjoying this show second behind Durarara this season. |
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Ggultra2764
 Subscriber Posts: 3876 Location: New York state. |
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And these were the major components that led me to drop this show after seeing the first four episodes. I'll admit that it was at least a little more enjoyable than K-ON thanks to more emphasis on story and fleshing out characters, despite the similar character designs and the same old character archetypes of moe. Still the blending of moe with the developments in the series was giving me fits. I wanted more emphasis on character and plot building, not mixing it with moe pandering. If it were more subdued, I probably would have been willing to watch this series longer. |
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Banken
Posts: 1280 |
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Felcia isn't a captain, she's a Second Lieutenant (meaning a brand new officer, since she's only 18). They call her 'squad leader' though, which was mistranslated as "Captain" by the fansubbers.
Also, Rio is WAY, WAY, WAY too young (meaning eaisly 2X her age) to be a Sargeant Major/Master Sargeant (JSDF rank versus USMC rank). This is a senior NCO rank that generally carries far more weight than a butterbar (2LT), even if the Lieutenant is still technically the one in charge. ...yes, it's a moe show but if you're going to base it on the military at least make it slightly realistic. I'm pretty sure the bones underwater were intended to be the fire-breathing dragon... then again, maybe not. |
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DavidShallcross
 Posts: 1008 |
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I just went through the first four episodes on Crunchyroll. This review was spot-on. Good background art design, some nice music in the soundtrack, characters which seem generic so far, and hints at potential for something more, which it could easily squander. If it were by Gainax, I would know to expect several layers of complications to develop. As it is, and since I won't read spoilers, I'll just have to see how things go.
The military ranks may be unrealistic, but (1) this is not a first world army, and has already shown that it will recruit young teenagers, and (2) there seems to be some particular reason why this fort is staffed by young women. I wonder what it signifies, if anything, that this army writes things in French, but the previous users of the building wrote in Japanese? |
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Megiddo
Posts: 8360 Location: IL |
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Why would the JSDF still be around? Who knows what the Helvetian military rank system is like. |
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tuxedocat
 Posts: 2183 |
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After watching the fifth episode, I would probably give it a C+ overall at this point. There was an encounter involving Rio where they could have inserted a little bit of complex animation, but instead opted for showing the not so spectacular results:
spoiler[at a hot spring, no less] --not only is this more of the same pandering that the review was speaking of, the story elements introduced in the first episode weren't advanced at all. I'm wondering if they plan to only address this within the last few episodes. I've seen anime that do this and it bothers me. It always feels like a cop-out IMO. The background art continues to be quite lovely. There is one scene involving butterflies that signals a scene of surprising beauty. Nice to look at, sure, but it is just not enough for me. I need a story to make it worth my while. I'll probably give this two more episodes, and if I don't see more plot development, I'll probably just drop it. |
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Kaioshin_Sama
Posts: 1215 |
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Ditto on the having no idea where this show is going thing. I put it on the backburner with episode 3 when I realized that if this show is going to go anywhere then it's going to be taking it's damn time in doing it. I'm still keeping pace with it a little bit by following it on some blogs, but nothing has encouraged me to actually want to sit down and watch any of it again yet. It's slightly irksome when series sit on the fence with their premise and tone like this leaving you to guess whether it's worth it to continue to spend your time watching it or if your just going to end up feeling like you've been had in the end.
Of course for people that adore the "slice of life" series formula and feel the less that actually happens and the more familiar the characters feel the better it's probably working out just fine. However I completely disagree that K-On was where innovation started to happen in terms of the moe boom. If anything that was where we saw the idea of moe taken to it's absolute extreme and where it pretty much burst on the Western side of the anime fandom equation. Ask anybody to name a show they think of when they hear the word "moeblob" and you can almost be certain that K-On will come up if it's not their very first example. If moe had it's anti crowd before then Yui Hirasawa may very well become known as the proverbial face that launched a thousand protesters against the very concept of moe. |
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Blood-
 Bargain Hunter Posts: 23769 |
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I'm enjoying the hell out of this series...it may just be my favourite of the Winter season. Which is really kind of strange because I - after only two episodes of K-ON! - come to loathe that series. I didn't like the character design and the attempts at humour fell flat for me. With So Ra No Wo To, I don't mind the character designs at all even though they are virtual carbon copies of the K-ON! style and the gentle humour is working much better for me. I may even have to go back and give K-ON! a second chance. *shudders*
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DavidShallcross
Posts: 1008 |
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We still seem to be in the "introduce the characters one-by-one" phase, and can't tell if the "fight off army of dragons arriving from No-Man's-Land by the power of love, music, and a robotic tank" phase will actually arrive this season or ever. |
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Banken
Posts: 1280 |
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Because the people who made the show aren't creative enough to make a whole new rank system based on pre-existing Japanese rank names. But "SOUCHOU" is about three ranks higher than she should be (which is GUNSOU, or Sargeant). |
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