Forum - View topicEP. REVIEW: The Eccentric Family 2
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bemused Bohemian
Posts: 404 Location: central Mizzou (Moral Oralville) |
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I believe this series is my favorite this season. I have the BD of Season 1 which I have re-watched more than other series (excepting Cowboy Bebop) in my collection. Season 2 has not disappointed at all.
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Gina Szanboti
Posts: 11431 |
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Benten's revenge was in perfect measure to the sins committed against her. Not too much, not too little.
I just couldn't stop smiling during the whole bit at the zoo. All I could think about was Panda's gig at the zoo in Polar Bear Cafe (and how appropriate to be listening to Takahiro Sakurai). I'm sure it was in the novel, but it still felt kinda like a tip of the hat. 
And then I couldn't stop laughing during the whole shogi tournament. Ginkaku: "Ow...or not." Since the twins have clearly allied themselves (likely without knowledge or permission) with Nidaime, and Yasaburo is of course in Benten's camp, I expect the flying regatta to be even more epic than the last one. And mother and son having lunch in the tree...awww, hidden agendas aside.
So I suppose it's Tenmaya who's kidnapped Gyokuro? Can't wait till next episode! |
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Merida
 Posts: 1945 |
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I dunno, stepping on Nidaime's neatly ironed shirts probably comes close to a capital offense in his book...can't wait for the next round in that battle. 
Yasaburo seems to be more in the "let's try not to get killed in the crossfire" camp to me. Sure, his hormones might make him support Benten if push cames to shove, on the other hand, Nidaime hasn't given him any reason to dislike him, yet. But yeah, this is most likely gonna be a very...explosive regatta again. Loved this ep., though i'd have liked to see more of my frog prince playing shogi. But having a Yaichiro-centric episode was also very nice. |
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Desa
 Posts: 285 |
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I often see shogi mentioned in anime over the years, but this episode finally made me want to learn how to play, so off to youtube I went. About an hour later I got the basics down and could even follow the commentary on some famous games (always nice to see how the pros play). The whole reusing taken pieces thing wasn't as hard as I thought it would be, it was just an additional thing to watch out for when considering your options, or what your opponent might do.
Truly the most difficult part was just learning the different characters written on the pieces (if you're not using an "international" set) when you're a total gaijin. I think chess spread more readily simply because distinct shapes for pieces are more "international" than written characters. There's technically nothing stopping someone from making shogi pieces into distinct shapes like in chess and it would certainly help foreigners "visualize" the game's state more readily, but it's also possible that it's just me who grasps the state of a board more quickly with shapes rather than words, even if those words were in English. |
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Gina Szanboti
Posts: 11431 |
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I do agree about the crossfire part, but he's ended up on the wrong side of Nidaime twice already (the furniture and Akadama), although Nidaime doesn't seem to hold it against him, as if he's not worth bothering with a grudge. So if push comes to shove, and I'm sure it will, his choice is obvious - unless he finds a way to avoid choosing out of self-preservation.
No, I'm with you on that. Even pictures on the tiles like the international sets have would be easier than words. I think shogi has more different pieces than chess too, doesn't it? As another example of a picture worth a thousand words, while I've had no trouble differentiating the twins (by their bangs, clothing color choices and belly/face markings), I still have to stop and think whether Ginkaku is the elder or the younger, despite having Gintama as a guide for kin/gin : gold/silver. That is, is Ginkaku the one with the straight bangs, red pants and the double diamonds, or is that Kinkaku (it's Kinkaku). I think the fact that gin and gold both start with a g is why it seems backwards to my silly brain. 
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Peebs
Posts: 420 |
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From episode one I wondered who the fighting tigers were in the OP. Now I know and I can't wait to watch them bicker so much that they turn into tigers. You know that's cat foreplay, too.
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John Thacker
Posts: 1006 |
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They are slightly different in size, but I agree that isn't too much help for many people. The biggest technical problem with different shapes is that it would make it a bit harder to turn pieces around when dropping captured pieces. Chess you can have elaborate shapes because with the distinct colors you don't have to worry about the orientation of the pieces, but the particular shape is helpful in shogi. |
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Merida
Posts: 1945 |
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Nick wrote:
That's quite an...interesting interpretation. From what we've seen (without knowing whatever it was that happened in London, yet), the one doing pretty much all of the "antagonizing" so far has been Benten by invading Nidaime's home, stealing his chaise and acting like a general bitch in his presence...and to me it seemed more like she wanted to fight Nidaime in order to protect her pride not Yasaburo. I also find the twins pretty amusing, but that might just be me. |
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meiam
Posts: 3442 |
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I kinda wish they'd show more of the fight since it'll probably be an important element of the story moving forward, was the matchup close? Did they actually fight or did he just he just throw Benten overboard?
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Agent355
 Posts: 5113 Location: Crackberry in hand, thumbs at the ready... |
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The lack of detail there annoyed me the most. Why couldn't we see it? She was charging at him one minute, they were searching for her on the riverbank the next, and Yasaburo *told* us that she lost. Show, don't tell, show! 
Otherwise it was a great episode, twins obnoxious baiting aside. You'd think they'd learn to ignore it by now. Loved Akadama cutting through all that lack of communication romantic drama BS. That guy can be useful afterall, and do something good once in a while! He's not just a creepy old fart. Nidaime wasn't crashing the party, he was getting his chaise back! I read people speculating that this is a territorial fight--Nidaime gave up his title as heir, and Akadama gave the honor to Benten. So it's up to her to protect Akadama's territory from his prodigal son, thus the barging into his home and stealing his chaise. Nidaime's fighting back--but why? Why'd Nidaime come back to begin with? He rejected his inheritance, so what is he trying to prove by establishing himself back in his father's territory? Does he just want to get rid of Benten--and if so, is it because he's against her personally? Or if he can't have his inheritance, no one can? And now that we know that there's history between them, what exactly happened when they met in London? There's a lot of juicy drama right underneath the surface of this show, and it's almost frustrating that Yasaburo's our viewpoint character in that regard, because I want to get into Nidaime's head--he's the most interesting addition to the show. |
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MarshalBanana
 Posts: 5406 |
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What was the thing about them being English Gentleman, is it a joke, were they taunting them, were they serious?
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killjoy_the
 Posts: 2463 |
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They're copying Nidaime's thing because they're wannabes.
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bemused Bohemian
Posts: 404 Location: central Mizzou (Moral Oralville) |
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I like the twins also, annoying as they are, and do hope they get more air time meddling.
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Gina Szanboti
Posts: 11431 |
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You've got them backwards. Yajiro is our resident frog/streetcar, while Yashiro is the youngest. Unlike Nick, I enjoyed every second of episode 5, from the delightful resolution to last week's mystery (loved the shot of the sky, and the callback in the well) and Yasaburo's Gyokuran impersonation, to the epic sky battle (the head-on view of the oarship reminded me of Re:Zero's mystical White Whale) and the denouement (we already know how that wraps up from the end credits - who knew Akadama and his bad back was still in good enough shape to carry a grown woman? I suppose she could levitate enough to help him out, unless she can't fly at all now.). The twins have become amusing to me as well, since I can never guess what idiotic thing they'll come up with next. I think it's funny how terrified they are of Gyokuran, even though Yaichiro has handed them their asses in his tiger form too. I totally did a spit take when I saw what Benten was sitting on on the roof. But I'm glad she did it, since Akadama managed to climb up there after all and got to spend some quality time with her. I think the idea behind the fight was that it was over so instantly there wasn't really anything to see but a white flash of light. But I'm curious about what Yasaburo saw in her expression that upset him so. Nope, not disappointed in this episode one bit. |
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killjoy_the
Posts: 2463 |
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Yeah, even if the twins' confrontations weren't the best written or a retread into the same material (though it's been how many years now? I have zero recollection of how this went on the first season so), I still like their stuff in the anime just because of the soundtrack. Their theme is just too good.
This was my favorite episode so far. |
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