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EP. REVIEW: Saekano: How to Raise a Boring Girlfriend


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Key
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Joined: 03 Nov 2003
Posts: 18137
Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley)
PostPosted: Sat Feb 21, 2015 5:17 am Reply with quote
Animegomaniac wrote:
Oh right, episode 6 is episode 7, I forgot about the zero bs. Anyway, I'm skipping past episodes - up to episode- this episode.

This whole post is a classic illustration of exactly why someone who wants to lambaste a show should not skip four utterly relevant episodes loaded with character development before being critical of the episode and series.

Seriously, the next time you pull this stunt in any thread, I won't even bother to read the rest of the post, as a viewpoint rendered under these circumstances isn't worth heeding.
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HaruhiToy



Joined: 15 Apr 2008
Posts: 4118
PostPosted: Sat Feb 21, 2015 12:01 pm Reply with quote
Key wrote:
Seriously, the next time you pull this stunt in any thread, I won't even bother to read the rest of the post, as a viewpoint rendered under these circumstances isn't worth heeding.

In other words, How to Write a Boring Posting. Thanks for giving voice to those of us who are driven nuts by people who do this. This is hardly the only one.
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Via_01



Joined: 24 Aug 2014
Posts: 551
PostPosted: Sat Feb 21, 2015 4:54 pm Reply with quote
Animegomaniac wrote:
[Everything Animegomaniac said]


You know, there are many, many, but MANY things I'd like to say regarding your post, going from the fact that you're actually trying to criticize this show only after watching episodes 0, 1 and 6, to how little you understand about the things you're talking about. I'll just say that this particular part of your post,

Animegomaniac wrote:
This show is depressing from a creative standpoint


...made me want to hit my head against a brick wall. Try to guess the reason.

Anyway, episode 6 is certainly a high point in the series. This show is one I eagerly wait for every week, which is a pleasant surprise, since I wasn't expecting something too good out of it.
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Saku-dono



Joined: 14 Feb 2014
Posts: 801
PostPosted: Thu Feb 26, 2015 7:44 pm Reply with quote
Pacing is too cautious to the point it's slow...
What the heck are the makers thinking? This series is scheduled for just 11 episodes and yet, still nothing of the other significant factors like revealing the other girls or the part where they are starting to truly make their planned game...

It's all stuck to writing scenarios and flirting antics... If the next episode is still stuck in this form, there might be no salvation... Evil or Very Mad
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Yttrbio
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Joined: 09 Jun 2011
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PostPosted: Thu Feb 26, 2015 7:45 pm Reply with quote
Episode 7

Quote:
For a series which practically prides itself on being metafictional, that scene plays remarkably straight.
I hate to keep second-guessing you, but I found the discussion to be very closely-tied to the later themes.

Throughout the role-play, Eriri is constantly reminding Aki about how she's boxed in by industry forces. She had to include sex or it wouldn't sell, and she had to get to the sex quickly, because she only had so many pages.

Aki and Iori see themselves as the opposite visions of success. Aki is the "work hard with vision and gain recognition through quality" type of idealistic dreamer who buries himself in fictional relationships. Iori does the kinds of things that actual successful people do, and establish real relationships that he can use to pull himself up. Of course, Aki's doing the same thing, now, which he rightly gets called out on.

The connection, though, is that now Iori gives Eriri an invite to career success. She has to choose between the idealistic "make a vision come to life" approach with Aki or the practical "work with the best" approach with Iori. That is, Iori is offering a path to career success (sex scene) quickly (with few pages), as opposed to Aki's go-it-slow-and-never-get-there fantasy.

The typical rival that shows up in these shows is a romantic rival that has nothing to offer. He'll be super-attractive, but the girl won't be interested in that, or he'll be arrogant, and the girl isn't into that, or he'll be a good choice for her family, despite the girl never really wanting to throw away anything for her family. I love that the rival here presents an opportunity that Eriri has already shown herself to actually value, which makes the conflict more meaningful than the typical insecurities floating around in the main characters' head. Success in the industry is important to her, and the choice she's given seems like an actual choice (between pragmatic career relationships and emotional personal relationships) for a change.


I find it fascinating that even though Yurikuma Arashi is the "thinking" show this season, this is the show I actually feel motivated to spend brain-power chewing on.
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Gewürtztraminer



Joined: 14 Nov 2007
Posts: 1028
Location: Texas - Its like whole other country.
PostPosted: Fri Feb 27, 2015 4:11 pm Reply with quote
After watching this episode early this morning, I came away wishing I had paid better attention to the spoiler[ponytail ] conversation.
So I re watched the episode.
I am pretty sure that whole conversation had something to do with Haruhi Suzumiya. Compare what Tomoya was saying vs what (after her class introduction) Kyon noticed about Haruhi and what their first conversation was about. And of course the ending to the main story arc.
Loved Megumi's response of well I guess you are paying attention. We may not be giving her enough credit at how effectively she manipulates Tomoya.

In the opening sequence what is the big glass box that looks like a phone booth behind Eri?
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Broly The Saiyan



Joined: 03 Jul 2014
Posts: 111
PostPosted: Sat Feb 28, 2015 3:56 am Reply with quote
Kaioshin_Sama wrote:
As a non-harem fan the first couple of episodes did absolutely nothing to convince me that there was anything particularly special about this series that was going to win me over at any point so what the author of this article suggests isn't really working at least in my case. If anything the series seems to have this inflated sense of self worth that comes with a lot of A-1 Pictures shows where they seem to think they're on the cusp of some bleeding edge clever witty take down or re-imagining of a genre when really it's like...nothing.

I'm also not all that big on droning dialogue about otaku related stuff shows either. If that's supposed to win non-fans of the harem genre over than I guess it's aimed at a different sort of non-fan than me. A shame cause this writer did like literally the only romance anime I've ever liked let alone been able to tolerate in White Album 2 which succeeded by giving a genuine feeling to the characters and their interactions that made them feel like actual characters as opposed to archetypal "waifus" which is incredibly rare bordering on a non-existent sight to see and thus made the obligatory drama near the end actually have weight as a result of whereas this is building up nothing of the sort and actually just kind of feels like one of those typical cynical LN style takes on the genre if anything.

Honestly I don't even find the whole sort of self-awareness thing that try to have their cake and eat it too, which isn't all that out there to see these days nor do I see how it helps the show or elevates it in any particular area. It's just an aspect that's sort of there.


Well this anime target audience is harem fans and this anime is a harem one as well so you probably wont enjoy it as much as much as others
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BassKuroi





PostPosted: Fri Mar 06, 2015 11:23 am Reply with quote
The analysis' premise is totally wrong, but thank to that I finally understand the series: Aki is friendzoning everybody!

That's it, so simple. Goodbye.
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chito895



Joined: 22 Jan 2015
Posts: 512
Location: Lima, Peru
PostPosted: Fri Mar 06, 2015 11:42 am Reply with quote
Yeah, at this rate, there are two options: rush everything until they get to the winter comiket (last episode), which would be bad, or announce a second season in that last episode. I really find kind of weird to announce a character that won't appear until the later episodes, and I started to think that she won't appear at all.
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HaruhiToy



Joined: 15 Apr 2008
Posts: 4118
PostPosted: Fri Mar 06, 2015 12:40 pm Reply with quote
Ep 8 review wrote:
favor one even a little (even if unintentionally) and you risk either angering or driving off others.

With each iteration of this exercise across an uncountable number of anime I find myself with less and less sympathy for the players -- particularly the girls.

It hasn't happened so much in Saekano but so often the victims spend months or years denigrating their so-called love interest in ways that make it absolutely clear that a pairing would be the most disgusting thing that can possibly happen and then they get mad when he doesn't choose her.

In this case Eriri is being clearly unfair. She is an established and pursued artist one step from being pro and she has been doing it a while. Aki has always complimented her work and if I am not mistaken he has promoted it in his blog, even during times they were not talking to each other. In contrast Izumi never had a following, clearly needed feedback and encouragement, and yes what Aki did was definitely beneficial to her. (That spontaneous applause she got for selling all her stock I think is a charming bit of the culture.)

So Eriri wanted Aki to be "excited" by her work and doesn't think anything she has done in their relationship so far should have any effect on that. It also doesn't matter to her that he isn't pursuing sex with anyone (3D) because he has been conditioned to think of that as unacceptable. Par for the course I guess.

Great episode regardless. Megumi rocks.
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Key
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PostPosted: Fri Mar 06, 2015 2:24 pm Reply with quote
Oh, I'm definitely not saying that Eriri is in the right here. She's known Aki plenty long enough to know what he's like, and that this really is all about him respecting the discovery of a quality work and not anything romantic. And she definitely hasn't given Aki anything more than vague signals, either. That Aki is getting blindsided by this is her own fault, and I suspect that she will eventually realize that.
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Via_01



Joined: 24 Aug 2014
Posts: 551
PostPosted: Sat Mar 07, 2015 8:48 pm Reply with quote
Indeed, Eriri is being really unclear about her feelings. When watching a harem show, I always ask whether I would notice that this girl is in love with me or not, and most of the time, the answer is "well, I'd have to be an idiot to not notice". However, at the very least, I can say that Tomoya's case is pretty understandable.

And gotta say, that page he printed did look interesting, and I could totally relate to how hyped he felt. It reminded me of the times when I'd go search for a manga or book to read, and suddenly find a gem in the most unexpected corner of the store, usually leading me to buy it and immediately do some research about the author.
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FD2Raptor



Joined: 21 Dec 2011
Posts: 100
Location: Viet Nam
PostPosted: Sun Mar 08, 2015 9:10 am Reply with quote
chito895 wrote:
Yeah, at this rate, there are two options: rush everything until they get to the winter comiket (last episode), which would be bad, or announce a second season in that last episode. I really find kind of weird to announce a character that won't appear until the later episodes, and I started to think that she won't appear at all.


At the current point, the anime is covering the content from LN3. It would be another 3 LNs (Michiru showed up in LN4) and another hair style change for Katou before we get to Winter Comiket.
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HaruhiToy



Joined: 15 Apr 2008
Posts: 4118
PostPosted: Thu Mar 12, 2015 10:48 pm Reply with quote
Episode 9.

I really want to see how this comes out in the review.

That was some fight. Neither side tried to sugarcoat anything and 8 years of unresolvedness came to the surface all at once.

After all that I still think Eriri was clearly in the wrong but at least she seems willing to make up for it than just disappear in a huff.

What kind of parents personally sell pornography drawn by their underage daughter? I can't say I have every seen anything like that anywhere let alone in anime. But they seem to have a decent relationship with her so I guess it works for them.
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maximilianjenus



Joined: 29 Apr 2013
Posts: 2858
PostPosted: Fri Mar 13, 2015 11:12 am Reply with quote
as far as the last point goes, I wonder if it's a commentary on unresponsible parents in anime.
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