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EP. REVIEW: Tales of Zestiria the X


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CheezcakeMe





PostPosted: Tue Jul 19, 2016 6:28 am Reply with quote
Hm, while this show isn't bad it just doesn't seem to be doing it for me. I played like a thousand of these Japanese RPGs (though I don't think this specific franchise) in my teens and it just feels like I've seen this story too many times already. Light fluffy black and white good vs evil story, main dude from small town is chosen one save the princess etc etc.
Nothing wrong with this just at this point in my life I prefer something with a bit more bite to it.
Damn it looks nice though.
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leatherhead333



Joined: 15 Aug 2013
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Location: Kansas
PostPosted: Tue Jul 19, 2016 6:42 am Reply with quote
I'd say my main problem with the series is the sheer amount of exposition being thrown at the beginning. The game was somewhat guilty of that but I feel it's a bit more prevalent here. I just don't like it being thrown in my face all that the beginning. It's better when it's spread out naturally throughout the series.

Plus we have fights that are there for absolutely no reason or don't make sense from a progression stand point. Lunarre is literally the first boss in the game and isn't even that powerful honestly. Yet they seem to have ramped up his power (and Sorey's) just to make things more flashy. Like I've said before the fight in the OVA made more sense and actually felt natural. I just don't want things to get into the DBZ zone so fast lol.

Other than that the changes made so far to things like Alisha's character are good. Hoping that they can find a balance between changes and keeping things the same when it ain't broken.
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wolf10



Joined: 23 Jan 2016
Posts: 898
PostPosted: Tue Jul 19, 2016 7:18 am Reply with quote
While a certain party not dying in Episode 2 is an interesting change, I imagine they did it not just to apologize for a certain meme, but because, in the game, he played a crucial role in Sorey and Mikleo's backstory that was only apparent in hindsight. The director probably figured, "Oh, well if he actually did all that, we definitely shouldn't have taken his death that lightly." So rather than having them not really given time mourn this person who was actually really important in their lives, they just didn't kill him.

I think they're trying to contrast Sorey's optimism with the grimness of the setting. If they stick to the mood of the game, we'll get small children dying by the dozen and entire villages wiped off the map, just not this early on. The false sense of security will only last until the big bad rears its ugly head. It goes from "Sorey can save everyone!" to "Sorey can't save anyone," pretty quickly.
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Vaisaga



Joined: 07 Oct 2011
Posts: 13224
PostPosted: Tue Jul 19, 2016 8:11 am Reply with quote
Dessa wrote:


I've been trying to figure it out, and while I do think that [spoilers]the shrines[/spoiler] will be shorter, they should be able to include them, and likely this cour.


See, and this is why you should avoid unprompted spoiler talk. Nothing major was given away this time but who knows when you'll screw up the tags again.
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Cam0



Joined: 13 Dec 2009
Posts: 4884
PostPosted: Tue Jul 19, 2016 8:55 am Reply with quote
leatherhead333 wrote:
I'd say my main problem with the series is the sheer amount of exposition being thrown at the beginning. The game was somewhat guilty of that but I feel it's a bit more prevalent here. I just don't like it being thrown in my face all that the beginning. It's better when it's spread out naturally throughout the series.


I find the exposition to be kind of interesting so I don't mind it here. Learning about the seraphim, the sword, the shephard etc. is all important to the story. And it doesn't feel like I'm being forced to sit through history class. It feels more like two people learning from each other. So it's more like natural conversation between characters.
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leatherhead333



Joined: 15 Aug 2013
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PostPosted: Tue Jul 19, 2016 9:09 am Reply with quote
Cam0 wrote:
leatherhead333 wrote:
I'd say my main problem with the series is the sheer amount of exposition being thrown at the beginning. The game was somewhat guilty of that but I feel it's a bit more prevalent here. I just don't like it being thrown in my face all that the beginning. It's better when it's spread out naturally throughout the series.


I find the exposition to be kind of interesting so I don't mind it here. Learning about the seraphim, the sword, the shephard etc. is all important to the story. And it doesn't feel like I'm being forced to sit through history class. It feels more like two people learning from each other. So it's more like natural conversation between characters.


Exposition isn't natural when two characters know about something but still feel the need to explain it to each other anyways. That's called "Hey I already know all of what your talking about but in case someone is listening to this conversation (winks to the camera) I'm going to explain it to you anyways!". Sorey and Mikelo when they are discovering things for the first time have natural conversations but there are times when they unnaturally explain things to each other that they likely already know just for the audience. This is something a lot of anime/movies do and I hate it Evil or Very Mad.
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Vaisaga



Joined: 07 Oct 2011
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PostPosted: Tue Jul 19, 2016 10:43 am Reply with quote
leatherhead333 wrote:
Exposition isn't natural when two characters know about something but still feel the need to explain it to each other anyways. That's called "Hey I already know all of what your talking about but in case someone is listening to this conversation (winks to the camera) I'm going to explain it to you anyways!".


... You mean exactly like how you game players make lengthy spoiler posts going into detail explaining stuff you already know to each other?

Sorry, left yourself wide open for that one Laughing
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Cam0



Joined: 13 Dec 2009
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PostPosted: Tue Jul 19, 2016 11:29 am Reply with quote
leatherhead333 wrote:
Exposition isn't natural when two characters know about something but still feel the need to explain it to each other anyways. That's called "Hey I already know all of what your talking about but in case someone is listening to this conversation (winks to the camera) I'm going to explain it to you anyways!".


If something like that is there then it isn't obvious enough for me to notice it.
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Key
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Joined: 03 Nov 2003
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Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley)
PostPosted: Tue Jul 19, 2016 11:58 am Reply with quote
Put me also in the "exposition wasn't really a problem" group. They may have pushed it just a little, but the series is not even remotely close to being in league with major offenders on that point.

And while I am a little impatient to get into the meat of the story (in part because I've seen the OVA), I have been pretty satisfied with the pacing so far. I also like how they tweaked the content shown in the OVA by giving more elaboration to how Alisha got there and not needing to be as blunt about Alisha not being able to see the Seraphim.
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Gina Szanboti



Joined: 03 Aug 2008
Posts: 11306
PostPosted: Wed Jul 20, 2016 4:40 am Reply with quote
I didn't notice that she couldn't see them until the review. Embarassed When he went to introduce everyone to her, I just thought she was asking for any Seraphim among them to raise their hands, and was sad when no one did.

It might've been clearer to me if the subtitles hadn't screwed up the simple line, "I really don't think she seems me." Seems what? Seems mean? Seems to like me? Rolling Eyes

I also missed the pov shot of only Sorey on the steps, because I'm finding her armpit armor extremely distracting. I keep thinking they're breastplates and they've taken the concept of push-up bra to ridiculous extremes. It might help if I could even figure out what they're for. Why are her armpits so precious that they're the only part of her body that needs protection?
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PostPosted: Wed Jul 20, 2016 7:34 am Reply with quote
Gina, right after Alisha implores the Seraphim to speak out when she first arrives in Elysium, there's a shot from her perspective where only Sorey is present, whereas shots from other angles clearly showed the villagers present. That was the other big visual tip-off.

And I don't know what to tell you about the armor choice. I hadn't noticed it, but it does seem odd.
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Gina Szanboti



Joined: 03 Aug 2008
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PostPosted: Wed Jul 20, 2016 8:01 am Reply with quote
Yep, right after a shot of her and her pit armor. Just like the other one. I told you they were distracting! Smile
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One-Eye



Joined: 08 Mar 2011
Posts: 2260
PostPosted: Wed Jul 20, 2016 12:55 pm Reply with quote
Overall I'm still on board after 3 episodes. Some thoughts:

I'm digging the background art.

Quote:
A few scenes have a very “taken from the game” feel, but having not played it, that may be me looking to see signs that this is a game adaptation.
It does have that feeling, but it hasn't been overdone in the episodes especially if we skip the game-like previews (?) at the end. I've been skipping those because the first one was kinda annoying.

Sorey's been a little too chipper for me, so far.

Gina Szanboti wrote:
Yep, right after a shot of her and her pit armor. Just like the other one. I told you they were distracting! Smile

I don't know, sounds to me like you got a pit fetish and that's why you got distracted. Laughing Wink
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Gina Szanboti



Joined: 03 Aug 2008
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PostPosted: Wed Jul 20, 2016 8:41 pm Reply with quote
One-Eye wrote:
I don't know, sounds to me like you got a pit fetish and that's why you got distracted. Laughing Wink

Nah, it's because my eyes go first to the subtitles and that armor looks like boobs gone wild in my peripheral vision (probably because of those attachment points at the tip of the triangles look like the pasties female armor is often embellished with), which makes my lizard brain go "gah! wtf is up with her boobs???" and then I have to process it as "Oh yeah, just pit armor again," followed by my mind wandering off on random musing about why they designed her outfit like that, and by the time my full attention comes back to the screen, the next shot is already nearly over with.

My slow reading speed doesn't help either. With subbed anime I probably only directly see about 60% of what's actually happening, with the other 35% viewed peripherally, and 5% missed entirely. Because of her stupid armor, the reveal scenes went into the missed bucket. Smile
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leatherhead333



Joined: 15 Aug 2013
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Location: Kansas
PostPosted: Thu Jul 21, 2016 10:27 pm Reply with quote
Cam0 wrote:
leatherhead333 wrote:
Exposition isn't natural when two characters know about something but still feel the need to explain it to each other anyways. That's called "Hey I already know all of what your talking about but in case someone is listening to this conversation (winks to the camera) I'm going to explain it to you anyways!".


If something like that is there then it isn't obvious enough for me to notice it.


Watch enough movies and you'll start to notice it. I saw it in Interstellar and Gravity (American movies). I couldn't help but wonder why these intelligent astronauts felt the need to give each other refresher courses on how spaceship/space stuff works lol Laughing. It personally just takes me right out of the movie.

Vaisaga wrote:
leatherhead333 wrote:
Exposition isn't natural when two characters know about something but still feel the need to explain it to each other anyways. That's called "Hey I already know all of what your talking about but in case someone is listening to this conversation (winks to the camera) I'm going to explain it to you anyways!".


... You mean exactly like how you game players make lengthy spoiler posts going into detail explaining stuff you already know to each other?

Sorry, left yourself wide open for that one Laughing


Leave me alone Crying or Very sad
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