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EP. REVIEW: IRODUKU: The World in Colors


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Yttrbio
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Joined: 09 Jun 2011
Posts: 3649
PostPosted: Sun Nov 18, 2018 5:42 pm Reply with quote
I don't think they were trying to get on the ferry, they were supposed to take pictures of it from the bridge. They'd still need to take their cameras, though.
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Aquasakura



Joined: 01 Jan 2014
Posts: 700
Location: Chesterfield, Virginia, U.S.A
PostPosted: Sun Nov 18, 2018 7:03 pm Reply with quote
Quote:
Trust isn't something that appears to come easily to Hitomi, either. In large part we can read that as her inability to trust (and believe in) herself. She's felt incompetent for so long, and her black-and-white vision is just one symptom of it. While we don't know the direct cause (or, more likely, sequence of small events that caused it), we can see that she's more comfortable in the past than she ever felt in her present.


Reminds me of how I feel at times given how I mess up with certain things in the past and feeling ashamed by it. It leads to dealing with less self-confidence which ends holding one back. Hitomi certainly must be going through something like that, and I am now wondering if at some point we are going to get a flashback episode in which explains the events that have led to Hitomi losing her confidence and in turn her color vision.

Quote:
Whether that's just buying something from a vending machine or having to look up at the teacher and the chalkboard during class instead of at an interactive desktop, Hitomi is being forced to spend more time doing the little things that she got to avoid in her original time period. Each of those tiny details marks one more occasion where she interacts with someone, becoming more comfortable with them, both personally and in a broader human interaction sense. Episode one Hitomi would never have dropped her things and run after her friends. Episode seven Hitomi barely hesitates.

She's getting braver about trying to talk with and help her new friends as well, as we see this time when she attempts to cheer up Kurumi, who is busy beating herself up for not knowing precisely what she wants to do with her life at age eighteen. (And, if we cast a romantic eye on things, is having trouble with the fact that she may have a crush on a first year.) Hitomi may not fully succeed, but Kurumi recognizes that she's the least likely person to have tried, and that makes a world of difference.


Yes she is getting braver when I think about it. In fact one thing I notice in this episode was Hitomi laughing at Kurumu and Chigusa arguing, which is turn led to everyone else laughing. Before Hitomi would most likely have not laugh in this situation. She is certinaly becoming more expressive as the story progresses. Anime smile

Quote:

There could be plenty of reasons for that, chief among them that here in the past she has the support of someone her own age in Kohaku


Well this is a good time to bring up something I forgot to mention in my last post, and that is how mature Kohaku seems like for her age. Yes we learn from others that she uses magic irresponsibly occasionally and there is that one time she let Hitomi use a resource that is apparently hard or expensive to come by and tries to shrug it off, but she seems to always know the right things to say to others. It’s like she has a high level of wisdom, and I find that is one of the reason I love this character. Also as I came to that realization I realize that in terms of story theory (for lack of a better term. Are you familiar with dramatic?) Kohaku basically plays the role of mentor for Hitomi.
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NormanS wrote:

is the series being targeted by downvotes or something. Most of the time when i check out the weekly review about this series its already at a low score. [image]


Gina Szanboti wrote:
Usually scores tend to drop over time. But since you say it always starts out low, maybe someone hates it so much they just can't wait to give it 0 stars right away. Smile Whether the 5-star or 0-star raters get there first, once more votes start accumulating, the average will shift more toward consensus. The previous episodes have ended up averaging around 4 - 4.3, so if it doesn't get back up into that vicinity, then I'd say something might be up.


When I visited the page to read the latest review the score was 2.3, so it getting there. Even though I should not care that much, I hope the worst case scenario does not happen. It shows how much I am liking this story.

By the way, would it be alright if I ask where you got the picture use are using as an avatar from, Norman? It looks really good.

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Gina Szanboti wrote:

I thought the scene about running for the ferry was weird. What was the plan here (I know there wasn't one)? For some to stay behind with all their gear to be, what picked up the next day? That sucks. Just leave their gear (we're talking cameras and computers in those bags, right?) in the middle of the sidewalk and hope it's still there when they all come back the next day to get it? Hold the ferry while the stragglers drag all their gear to the dock, causing everyone on the ferry trouble? That's so non-Japanese it doesn't seem likely.

From a literary standpoint, I get what the scene was about, but as a viewer, it just irritated me.


I can see it would have been a good idea if one of them had stay behind to look after the stuff while everyone else rush towards the location of the ferry, but otherwise I thought was alright. Plus as Yttrbio mentions the plan was not to get on the ferry, but to take a picture of it passing by a bridge (ideally with a women staring beyond both the bridge and the scenery).
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NormanS



Joined: 15 Aug 2014
Posts: 167
PostPosted: Sun Nov 18, 2018 10:47 pm Reply with quote
Aquasakura wrote:


NormanS wrote:

is the series being targeted by downvotes or something. Most of the time when i check out the weekly review about this series its already at a low score. [image]



When I visited the page to read the latest review the score was 2.3, so it getting there. Even though I should not care that much, I hope the worst case scenario does not happen. It shows how much I am liking this story.

By the way, would it be alright if I ask where you got the picture use are using as an avatar from, Norman? It looks really good.


Glad its score is going up. This is one of the few series im enjoying this season.

On the picture, the character is Ganaha Hibiki from The idolmaster series. I found the picture from danbooru. here it is
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Aquasakura



Joined: 01 Jan 2014
Posts: 700
Location: Chesterfield, Virginia, U.S.A
PostPosted: Sun Nov 18, 2018 11:12 pm Reply with quote
^ I see. By your statement it seems that this is one of the few anime you could find that you can enjoy in this season. Irodoku is proving to be an excellent series so far, and it looks like it might make it to be one of my top favorite anime I have seen of this season if it keep it up. It's already looking to be one of the best animated show of this season (even though I do not have much of an eye when it comes to animation quality I feel Anime smile + sweatdrop ).

Also thanks for providing the link for the picture. Anime smile I am familiar with the character, but I have yet to try out the series she is from.
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Fred Lougee



Joined: 01 Oct 2018
Posts: 127
PostPosted: Sun Nov 25, 2018 4:11 am Reply with quote
In regards ep. 8...

I think most of us viewers have been watching under the assumption that Hitomi does go back to 2077 eventually. But why would she? In 2017 she has found friends for the first time in her life.

In the first episode, right before Kohaku sent her back in time she remarked that it had taken her decades to get everything needed for the spell, so it's a safe assumption that it won't be anything the 2017 Kohaku learns which will send Hitomi back but rather it will require Hitomi's own power and thus her own willingness to go. Finding both of them is going to be a chore, I think.
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Gina Szanboti



Joined: 03 Aug 2008
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PostPosted: Sun Nov 25, 2018 1:32 pm Reply with quote
Aquasakura on 11/18 wrote:
Gina Szanboti wrote:
The previous episodes have ended up averaging around 4 - 4.3, so if it doesn't get back up into that vicinity, then I'd say something might be up.

When I visited the page to read the latest review the score was 2.3, so it getting there.

It's at 4.1 today, so it looks like the people still watching who don't much like it are just getting there first.

Thanks you guys for the clarification about the ferry. It makes more sense, but not much more, since they had no hope to outrun it and still have time to set up to photograph it from the bridge.
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Aquasakura



Joined: 01 Jan 2014
Posts: 700
Location: Chesterfield, Virginia, U.S.A
PostPosted: Fri Nov 30, 2018 6:16 pm Reply with quote
Gina Szanboti wrote:

It's at 4.1 today, so it looks like the people still watching who don't much like it are just getting there first.


That's good! Smile However I am curious as to why there would be people who would still continue to watch this show despite not liking it from the get go. I can understand if they are watching this because they are reviewing this story on their blogs, videos, or simple the fact it's their job, but if it's not one of those reasons why not just drop the show and focus on the series that they really care about? That's what I have done with one show so far this season as from watching the first episode it felt average and given what it was aiming for I was not it's target audience.

Gina Szanboti wrote:

Thanks you guys for the clarification about the ferry. It makes more sense, but not much more, since they had no hope to outrun it and still have time to set up to photograph it from the bridge.


No problem! Anime smile It's true they had less of a chance to make it in time for Chigusa to take his shot, but I guess that does stop them from trying. Laughing I felt I might had done something similar before, or maybe if I was there.

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Quote:
The baseline for this exploration is Kohaku's desire to make people happy via magic, a long-held wish, and the fact that Hitomi is the person most obviously in her path who she could help. She takes it upon herself to try to figure out two specific things on that front: how to help Hitomi see colors again and how to send her back to the future.


With this life goal Kohaku has she reminds me of Akko from TRIGGER's Little Witch Academia who also has the same life goal of bringing joy to people with magic. In fact throughout this story Kohaku has reminded be of Akko given her behavior and how she gets in trouble using magic. She's seems similar to Akko except more capable and discipline when it comes to studying and using magic as well as being more mature; though I said this despite you mentioning her approach to helping her granddaughter is not that mature. I guess is how Kohaku carries herself compare to Akko or more like she seems more tamed compared to her.

Quote:
In a classic case of overthinking, Kohaku determines that there's a literal magic spell here, and she sets out to try and recreate the potentially emotionally heightened circumstances that she thinks may have triggered Hitomi's color vision. She fails, because having your teenage grandmother try to engineer heart-pounding situations with the boy you like works about as well as having your not-teenage grandma do it, but she does get Hitomi to divulge what I suspect is a key piece of information.


Reminds me with what I am going through with writing my fanfic. I keep overthinking things, and for my case that is due to my habit of being a perfectionist. Anyway, I felt a bit bad for her that she is in a stumped, but I understand that is how things go. After all it is not easy to reach one's life goals as she comes to realizes. However I would say while she's probably going about helping her granddaughter the wrong way, I do love and admire that she is approaching this in a way similar to how a scientist would approach solving problems, or just how they go about gathering information in general (due to having an interest in science and working to be one).

Quote:
As Kohaku is having Hitomi look at pictures similar to Yuito's art, Hitomi comments that there was one picture book she remembers seeing in color as a child, but she doesn't remember the title or author. What if that book was one created by a future Yuito? And what it, remembering not only that it was her granddaughter's one chance to see color but also that she went to high school with Yuito, that prompted Kohaku to send Hitomi back through time in the first place?


I had the same thought to, but I did not think it further than what you did. If this does turn out to be the case I would wonder why Kohaku could not have simply just taken Hitomi to meet Yuito in her time, but then there is the possibility that he might not be around anymore. Plus it might had only fix one of the two problems Hitomi is going through.

Quote:
But the more important piece of the puzzle here is that Kohaku has very likely already done what she's determined to do: make Hitomi happy with magic. That there are two interpretations of the term “magic” that can be applied to Hitomi's circumstances makes things even more interesting – there's of course the literal magic being cast with spells in the story, but also the cornier but no less important theme of the “magic” of love and human relationships. In the future, Hitomi is alone. In the past, she's got friends and a boy she likes who may like her back. That, rather than a spell with components and a chant, may be the true magic that allows Hitomi to see in colors.


Quote:
Hitomi's comment to Kohaku that she'd rather stay is almost certain to throw everyone, especially Kohaku, for a loop. Kohaku's not in a place where she could understand wanting to live sixty years away from the people she grew up with, and in some ways, that could be the biggest growing experience of them all in this story as it begins to pick up emotional speed in its second half.


While the second interpretation of magic might be cheesy the way you prhase it resonates with me. Anime smile Also, I can see that being a reason why Kohaku was surprise by Hitomi answer. After all unlike her granddaughter it seems that Kohaku (at least from what we know) has never experience loneliness and has a high level of social skills that she is able to make friends easily. As for Sho and Yuito, they are certainly going to be happy to learn that Hitomi wants to stay. Everyone else would like the idea I guess. I would find out when I watch the latest episode.

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Fred Lougee wrote:
In regards ep. 8...

I think most of us viewers have been watching under the assumption that Hitomi does go back to 2077 eventually. But why would she? In 2017 she has found friends for the first time in her life.

In the first episode, right before Kohaku sent her back in time she remarked that it had taken her decades to get everything needed for the spell, so it's a safe assumption that it won't be anything the 2017 Kohaku learns which will send Hitomi back but rather it will require Hitomi's own power and thus her own willingness to go. Finding both of them is going to be a chore, I think.


You mean "2018," but anyway I can see where you are coming from. I was assuming that Hitomi was going to go back to the past (and I am still thinking she would), but I was thinking Kohaku would be the one to do it. However I can now see it being Hitomi who figures out a way to send her self back to her own time period when the time comes.
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Fred Lougee



Joined: 01 Oct 2018
Posts: 127
PostPosted: Mon Dec 03, 2018 7:39 am Reply with quote
Right Aquasakura. 2018. Used to be the only way I knew what year it was was by what I wrote on checks, but now...wait...did I just date myself? If I ever switch from using my right name to an actual account here I think I'll go with "Old Fart Online".

On to Ep. 9... Was rather put off by it because it seemed a trite, standard "relationship confusion" episode which a lot of school romance writers toss in. As the song "Love Stinks" by the J. Geils Band starts out, You love her, and she loves him, and he loves somebody else, you just can't win.... But at the same time it did make sense by the characters. Sho is somewhat cast as the oblivious lunkhead, Hitomi is so intent on hiding her interest in Yuito from him that Sho can't sense it either, and Sho is grasping at the ephemeral Hitomi by rushing to ask her out before he leaves school and/or she goes back to her own time. I am thinking this is going to set up strong emotional play down the last few episodes for all of the characters.

Oh...the reviewer didn't mention the "wait just one second now" moment as Chigusa and Kurumi noted Sho and Hitomi out on their photography expedition. What exactly were those two doing off alone together?
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Fred Lougee



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PostPosted: Mon Dec 03, 2018 7:39 am Reply with quote
Right Aquasakura. 2018. Used to be the only way I knew what year it was was by what I wrote on checks, but now...wait...did I just date myself? If I ever switch from using my right name to an actual account here I think I'll go with "Old Fart Online".

On to Ep. 9... Was rather put off by it because it seemed a trite, standard "relationship confusion" episode which a lot of school romance writers toss in. As the song "Love Stinks" by the J. Geils Band starts out, You love her, and she loves him, and he loves somebody else, you just can't win.... But at the same time it did make sense by the characters. Sho is somewhat cast as the oblivious lunkhead, Hitomi is so intent on hiding her interest in Yuito from him that Sho can't sense it either, and Sho is grasping at the ephemeral Hitomi by rushing to ask her out before he leaves school and/or she goes back to her own time. I am thinking this is going to set up strong emotional play down the last few episodes for all of the characters.

Oh...the reviewer didn't mention the "wait just one second now" moment as Chigusa and Kurumi noted Sho and Hitomi out on their photography expedition. What exactly were those two doing off alone together?
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Gina Szanboti



Joined: 03 Aug 2008
Posts: 11306
PostPosted: Mon Dec 03, 2018 8:51 pm Reply with quote
I think I would've liked this episode a lot better if they hadn't fallen back on the old running away trope. She says she doesn't want to hurt him, but girl, how would you feel if you confessed to someone and they literally ran screaming into the night the moment you got the words out, and then avoided you like the plague for days after? That's quite a bit different from "Let me take some time to think about it before I answer."

As for Sho, if he had the sense of any normal person, he'd just take her reaction as a "no" and move on. Maybe put a note in her locker saying sorry for putting her on the spot and hoping they can still be friends, since he doesn't want her to quit the club to avoid him.

This sort of thing is why romances tend to always fall apart for me. I've never seen anyone behave this way in real life.
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Aquasakura



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PostPosted: Fri Dec 07, 2018 12:07 am Reply with quote
^ To be fair I can understand that Hitomi not knowing what to do in a situation like that given that up until recent times she was alone and more so this was the very first time someone confess to her, so I can imagine this being so new to her to the point she did not know how to handle being confessed. This is further added by the fact she thinks she does not deserve to be love like that (for whatever reason).

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Quote:
She likes Sho so much that she quickly assumes that Hitomi is going to end up accepting Sho's confession, although her use of the past tense and mad dash away from Hitomi at the end of the episode could just as easily be interpreted as her recognizing that Sho doesn't like her that way and she should move on.


At the moment I was thinking Asagi has a misunderstanding that could be easily clear up if Hitmoi tells her that she turn him down. However as you mention there is a possibility that she would still be sadden as she knows that Sho does not romantically love her.

I am concern about this is as I wonder if the time stream is going to be affected in some way because of this. What happen if in the original time line Sho and Asagi did get together? This could potentially be serious, but that would depend how the story goes.

Quote:
I am a big believer in being able to love yourself before you can truly love others, and that seems to have been Hitomi's journey thus far.


So am I and Hitomi has come far so far. She probably is going to need that one push though before it leads to her solution with being color blind.

Also I would like to give a shout out to Yuito mom. She is so laid back when it comes to Yutio relationship with Hitomi. Anime smile
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Aquasakura



Joined: 01 Jan 2014
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PostPosted: Wed Dec 12, 2018 8:48 am Reply with quote
Quote:
In terms of the positive, Hitomi's refusal to let the awkwardness of Sho's confession to her ruin her friendship with Asagi is not only a wonderful statement of how much her friends mean to her, but also a very nice change in the way such things are typically handled by most forms of entertainment, which are more likely to have us screaming Why won't you just talk to each other, damnit!? than to show actual cathartic conversation.


I am glad the story went in this direction as well. It was nice to see Hitomi and Asagi actually getting their misunderstandings clear. It was something I was a bit both surprise and proud of for them to do so. Anime smile

Quote:
We're in the home stretch of the show


Yeah we are, as well as with some of the other anime shows of this season, and was feeling slightly sad by this. I get use to seeing these shows weekly and a small part of me does not want to say goodbye to them.

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The next episode is titled “Waning Moon” I believe. I had a thought if there was a hidden meaning behind the name of the episode so I look into it. The meaning I kept coming across was “letting go” and “reflection”. It’s a time to reflect on old habits and/or relationships and letting go of the habits/relationships that no longer you or have proven to be toxic. It has to with during the time of the waning moon, the moon appears smaller then it usually does and therefore decreases the amount of energy it lets out then usually (as opposed to the time of the waxing moon which is the complete opposite). It’s also a time of “recharging” and “preparation” as one gets ready receive something good that would be coming into one’s life, or at least to start out fresh.

I wonder if the meaning behind this lunar phase is going to be at play in the coming episode; particularly with Hitomi given last week’s episode plus how far she has come in terms of herpersonal growth (especially or more particularly the social aspect of her personal growth). Moon phase wise she has already pass the waxing phase which is all about “gaining” and “developing” (in this case friends and her growth) as well as the full moon phase which is “reflecting on how far she has come”.
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Fred Lougee



Joined: 01 Oct 2018
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PostPosted: Mon Dec 17, 2018 12:24 am Reply with quote
Full thanks to our reviewer, Rebecca, for filling in the things we all didn't have time to look up ourselves. For the record, no, I did not remember the clerk reading A Traveler in Time. However, I do think of another literary reference when you mention the trio of moon goddesses, to whit the Lancre Witches from Terry Pratchett's Discworld series. Someone says "The Maiden, the Mother, and..." to be sharply cut off by Esme Weatherwax with "Don't finish that sentence if you wish to live."
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Princess_Irene
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Joined: 16 Dec 2008
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PostPosted: Mon Dec 17, 2018 8:02 am Reply with quote
It's a great chance to put my ridiculous and random store of obscure literary knowledge to good use. Very Happy

You're right, Terry Pratchett's witches books all use the moon trinity as their base, along with the fact that Macbeth had three witches. (Weird Sisters, the second book in their sub-series, really goes all in there.) Maskerade is in part about Granny and Nanny needing a new Maiden for their trio after Magrat gets married, because there have to be three of them. (And part awesome parody of The Phantom of the Opera, of course. Long live Lord Gribeaux!) The Greek trinity is the best known of many cultures' own moon triads, which is in part why I referenced it here. Plus I've always had a thing for Hecate, although Granny Weatherwax is my favorite Pratchett character on her own merits.
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jenthehen



Joined: 23 Dec 2008
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PostPosted: Mon Dec 17, 2018 10:26 am Reply with quote
I've really been enjoying this series and this episode had a lot of good emotional payoff. I'm so curious to see how it ends. It would be amazing if they really pull through and make it a "must see" sleeper hit of the season ... I'd be disappointed if it peters out to be forgettable or dumb.
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