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Kyousogiga (TV).


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leatherhead333



Joined: 15 Aug 2013
Posts: 1187
Location: Kansas
PostPosted: Sat Dec 21, 2013 7:32 am Reply with quote
I have never looked forward to a .5 recap episode as i have with this show lol.
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Niello



Joined: 22 Dec 2013
Posts: 302
PostPosted: Sun Dec 22, 2013 12:18 pm Reply with quote
Now that the series have ended except for the final commentary episode I can say that I love it, a lot. I was never really confused by this series, until the last episode caught me off guard with its, well, weirdness. Still, it was a satisfying conclusion.

My favourite episodes are 1, 2, 5, and 8, so I think it's fair to say that I enjoyed the show throughout. It certainly got a lot of things done right, CG being one of them.

...And there is a something I still haven't figured out yet. It would be nice if someone can enlighten me on why this show doesn't seem to get much attention. Since this have been bugging me from the beginning. Kyousougiga looked like a sort of show that would attract attentions with the visuals and energy it has. I mean, it would have been one thing if viewers had dropped the series if they did not enjoy it, but I was surprised by the way that it didn't even attract much viewers during its first episodes. Is it due to marketing, bad luck, or something else?
Sorry, just curious.
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Gina Szanboti



Joined: 03 Aug 2008
Posts: 11306
PostPosted: Sun Dec 22, 2013 6:28 pm Reply with quote
Who knows? Maybe people watched episode 0 and ran for the hills.

I gave up halfway through because I couldn't make heads or tails of what was going on (and even the wiki didn't help), not because I didn't think it was interesting or worthwhile. I intend to go back and try again from the beginning so I can watch it all at once, which often helps me and my goldfish memory (names seem to be critical in this, and remembering them is my lifelong weakness (Magi is becoming a nightmare on that front)), but I find I'm dragging my feet on that, due to how frustrating it was for me the first time.
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Blood-
Bargain Hunter



Joined: 07 Mar 2009
Posts: 23669
PostPosted: Sun Dec 22, 2013 6:56 pm Reply with quote
Yeah, Kyousogiga's lack of popularity isn't that surprising. It doesn't have an obvious hook and it's a bit hard to describe to someone who hasn't seen it. Hell, I suspect it's a bit hard to describe to someone who HAS seen it.

You really had to commit your attention span during the first four or five episodes. In a crowded fall season, I can easily imagine someone saying, "Pass."
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Niello



Joined: 22 Dec 2013
Posts: 302
PostPosted: Sun Dec 22, 2013 11:09 pm Reply with quote
Right, I thought that might have been the reason but I wasn't sure. On my scale, I never got confused by Kyousougiga as much as I did with my first watching of Summer Wars or FLCL. I'd even say that apart from episode 0, the rest of the series is pretty much straightforward with its storytelling. You know, 5 episodes to focus on each characters then 5 episodes with normal storytelling. So, from my point of view that reason wasn't so valid, but that's me.

Also, thanks for the reminder that the season is crowded, somehow that put senses to more things than should. Hopefully it will draws more people in with the disc release, definitely don't want the thing to flop. Very Happy
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Spastic Minnow
Bargain Hunter
Exempt from Grammar Rules


Joined: 02 May 2006
Posts: 4595
Location: Gainesville, FL
PostPosted: Sun Dec 22, 2013 11:28 pm Reply with quote
I'm usually all for a show like this, but I ended up just sort of ended up forgetting about it. The lack of a hook is what did it in for me. Even Sasami-san@Ganbaranai had more forward momentum than this show. At the point I left off (ep. 4 or so?) I was finding the art to be interesting, the world interesting, but the characters coming off as very impersonal subjects and the point of the show remained obscured.

Nothing to latch on to grab a hold of to.

Now that it's done and I'm on vacation time I think I'll end up watching the rest. Hopefully it eventually comes together.
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Niello



Joined: 22 Dec 2013
Posts: 302
PostPosted: Sun Dec 22, 2013 11:43 pm Reply with quote
I can't say much about the hook. Personally, with the way the show present itself and the massive amount of symbolisms and references, I just want to grab and hug it.
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Spotlesseden



Joined: 09 Sep 2004
Posts: 3514
Location: earth
PostPosted: Sun Dec 22, 2013 11:51 pm Reply with quote
my top 3 series this season. It will probably never come to US, so I hope it sells well in Japan.
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Agent355



Joined: 12 Dec 2008
Posts: 5113
Location: Crackberry in hand, thumbs at the ready...
PostPosted: Mon Dec 23, 2013 6:21 pm Reply with quote
I want to list some of the themes this show explored:
-family and familial love
-passing the torch to the next generation/parental expectations
-world building in fiction and poetry
-responsibility and avoidance
-creation
-destruction
-life
-suicide/death
-despair and hope

Did I miss anything? Wink This series covered a lot, is what I'm saying.

I loved the character dynamics, especially between Koto and Myoue/Yakushimaru. Familial relationships are rarely explored in anime (The Eccentric Family excepted), and this series did it with aplomb. The characters were explored in an unique way: they developed, but no one had any life changing sudden revelations and I'd argue that they all kept their initial attitudes, just slightly changed for the better. The visuals, both art and direction were very interesting, and the soundtrack is absolutely amazing. I still have a question or two (what is the relationship between the Head of the Shrine and scientist girl's assistant?) But just about every question was dealt with well.

And, hey symbolism! We finally know what the frog, rabbit and monkey were! It might be fun to go back and see where we spot 'em!

As for popularity: given that it wasn't based on a manga, video game or light novel and it didn't stream legally when it began (and when it did it was three days late every week), it's understandable that it didn't get the attention it deserved.
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phia_one



Joined: 15 Jan 2012
Posts: 1654
Location: Pennsylvania
PostPosted: Tue Dec 24, 2013 11:41 am Reply with quote
I really enjoyed this show, but in all honesty, the main things that kept me watching were the interactions between Yakushimaru and young Koto and the two characters themselves.
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sailorsarah



Joined: 01 Sep 2006
Posts: 189
Location: Texas
PostPosted: Sun Dec 29, 2013 12:18 pm Reply with quote
Agent355 wrote:
I want to list some of the themes this show explored:
-family and familial love
-passing the torch to the next generation/parental expectations
-world building in fiction and poetry
-responsibility and avoidance
-creation
-destruction
-life
-suicide/death
-despair and hope


Great list! This was definitely my favorite show of the year, followed very closely by The Eccentric Family. I guess I just love shows about family. I'm sorry that Kyousogiga isn't more popular because I would really like a Blu Ray of it, and I doubt the Japanese ones will have subtitles. My husband is one of those people who thought it was too confusing to even watch it, so I guess that could have contributed to its lack of popularity.

I felt like I understood the show, but it would be hard to explain why I love it so much. I had a very strong emotional reaction to it. I just think it's a beautiful show in so many ways. I also love when animation is used to its full extent and does things that can't be done in live action. I felt like there was so much love in this show both between the characters and by the creators for the show itself.
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Surrender Artist



Joined: 01 May 2011
Posts: 3264
Location: Pennsylvania, USA
PostPosted: Sun Dec 29, 2013 5:46 pm Reply with quote
I didn't entirely understand this show, yet I felt that it was great. It helped that it was one of the best-looking and most joyfully animated things that I saw this year. For some reason, I just couldn't get a good hold on what it was really about. I'm a little disappointed in myself, but I still enjoyed the ride, confused as I was. That's a kind of complement, because even though I was a little baffled, I don't think that it was because the show was a nonsense, rather I think that it didn't spoon-feed or hold your hand, which is too rare and ultimately more satisfying.

I expect that it didn't sell well, but hope that we see more from Rie Matsuomoto in the future, because this clearly suggests that she's got great potential.

I imagine that it's a real longshot for a North American license, but I'll have to hope for that or for it to stay on Crunchyroll so that I can get around to watching it again more carefully.
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Generic #757858



Joined: 03 Nov 2008
Posts: 1354
PostPosted: Tue Jan 07, 2014 4:58 am Reply with quote
Finished the show a while ago and while there were a few problems it was Excellent. I've seen a few people argue that the ending was too sappy and sugary because it went with the usual "love saves all" BS, but I don't care. I thought it was nice and heartwarming and would've have been royally pissed if had went the spoiler["everyone except Yakushimaru and Koto dies/fades away" way like it seemed for a while.]

Still, I think the show would've been better if it had been two cours. Better pacing, more episodes dedicated characters and world building as well spreading the plot stuff a little better instead of info dumping in the last few episodes would've made this a Masterpiece.
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