×
  • remind me tomorrow
  • remind me next week
  • never remind me
Subscribe to the ANN Newsletter • Wake up every Sunday to a curated list of ANN's most interesting posts of the week. read more

Forum - View topic
Akashic Records of Bastard Magical Instructor (TV).


Goto page Previous  1, 2, 3, 4, 5  Next

Anime News Network Forum Index -> General -> Series Discussion
View previous topic :: View next topic  
Author Message
DuskyPredator



Joined: 10 Mar 2009
Posts: 15433
Location: Brisbane, Australia
PostPosted: Wed May 10, 2017 3:27 am Reply with quote
Gina Szanboti wrote:
Is there some rule in anime that says you're never allowed to enjoy the rewards of your labors? After watching Youkai no Rin-ne and Bebop, et al, I could see that ending coming last episode away, and it's a constant trope unless you're a villain - then you get to revel in your ill-gotten gains, at least for awhile.

Other karma usually comes in, but I seem to remember that Kazuma from Konosuba happening to win quite a bit off of things and enjoying rich spoils. The second season especially seemed to be making a point though about how things could get boring if they go too well.

Well hopefully the class will really respect and like Glenn now, especially that he treated them an exorbitant amount, more ways they could show kindness to him when in need. Would it be so bad now if he bummed off them a bit? And hopefully some favours to stop him from starving since he saved the queen.

I liked the episode, I found it quite fun. Picked it when Albert shot out the spell that it would it hit RieL, for her dopey methods. But I felt silly that it took to seeing Albert encourage the girl for the transformation that it spoiler[was actually Glenn], and even then I was not sure that spoiler[RieL was Rumia], although it should have been obvious in the way she was acting. I was thinking that it made no sense that she would be so happy over the results.

I am really fun with this show.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message My Anime My Manga
Gina Szanboti



Joined: 03 Aug 2008
Posts: 11306
PostPosted: Wed May 10, 2017 4:42 am Reply with quote
Yeah, I guess Kazuma & Co. did get to enjoy a short period of leisure before spoiler[it was all taken away and he was put on trial for treason.] Smile But that was definitely an exception to their rule of always owing more after all the damages were tallied. I think the applicable tropes are Yank the Dog's Chain and Perpetual Poverty. I'm just tired of it, I guess, at least when a small windfall wouldn't harm the plot.

I think I realized about Glenn when he was leaping over the rooftops with Rumia. Btw, I'm a month late to the topic, but his last name seems to be Radars, rather than Radar. Not that that makes it any better. Smile
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
DuskyPredator



Joined: 10 Mar 2009
Posts: 15433
Location: Brisbane, Australia
PostPosted: Wed May 10, 2017 5:55 am Reply with quote
I do think that it is out of the idea the thought process that a character cannot be relatable unless they are poor, like it is a part of stopping a character have too much of a fantastical Mary/Gary Sue/Stu like writing, but I actually think of it as a bit lazy.

Because it being a topic I have been into lately I think that I might connect it to something I heard about being a good DM in something Dungeons &Dragons. There was this topic on someone wondering how they could keep people interested in keep playing the story after they have received some level of awards after completing a big quest, like why should a character keep going into danger if they have more money than they would probably need to live comfortably. One of the answers these people gave was to try and keep them poor by introducing some expense that drains them of their money so they are no longer rich, but I personally rejected that answer. That it appeared like a cheap trick to weasel awards out of a character who earned it, and maybe an amount they put thought into amassing resources to save. My opinion is that it is actually weak writing to think resources(money) equals an end game, that at least in table top it should be the responsibility of the one controlling/writing the character to find a use of that reward and a reason why they should continue to aim for more.

In terms of this show, it would be stronger writing to find some use of money, lifestyle or not, on which if it is preferred that he not live as luxuriously as he might, and having it blown straight away is not quite it. To use Konosuba as an example again, I think that there was even a point to Kazuma seeming to have a handle on his fortune, especially compared to his co-lead who every bit deserved her misfortune with money. Logically a generally smart person should be better with money, that they can plan for and prepare for things. That show even kind of raised the point and questioned the point of and relationships with other characters having so much money would create a safety net it would not be as interesting any more.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message My Anime My Manga
Tuor_of_Gondolin



Joined: 20 Apr 2009
Posts: 3524
Location: Bellevue, WA
PostPosted: Wed May 10, 2017 10:38 am Reply with quote
Ep 6,

During the into, I at first thought that the Imperial Mage duo were going to test Glenn, so I didn't expect that the guy was actually aiming at his companion, though in retrospect I should have. Razz I did expect them all to work together. When the duo first showed up to lead Class 2, I first thought they were themselves and were acting exceptionally nice for some reason. Then I noticed how Cat Girl was looking at Riel, and I thought, "wait a minute". But at that point, I only thought that Rumia had been swapped. Then with the scene with the transmutation girl, I realized that both of them had swapped, and was like, "Well, duh." From that point on, I knew what the plan was, and that Glenn was going to nullify the necklace.

I think the problem with this episode is that once you caught on to the illusion (which was lampshaded for us in the previous episode), the episode lost most of its dramatic tension. It basically became a matter not of if, but of when they were going to pull it off, and whether the guard commander was in the know. I think that overall this show oscillates too much in tone: a series like Legend of the Legendary Heroes can pull it off, but this series... not so much. It's still pretty enjoyable to watch, but I rarely feel a strong sense of tension while watching it.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail My Anime My Manga
Cam0



Joined: 13 Dec 2009
Posts: 4884
PostPosted: Wed May 10, 2017 2:16 pm Reply with quote
I caught up with this show and it's pretty cool in my opinion. Crunchyroll's subs has Re-L (Riel?!) as "Re=L". What kind of name has an equality sign in it (R=L would have been funny)? Why isn't it just Re-L? It looks so silly. I like her though. She's kind of funny. In the previous episode I thought it was funny when Re-L tried to get moving and Albert kept pulling her from her ponytail. Or in this episode when she told her plan... which was just to charge head on but it was funny how she was telling everyone individually what to do but she just told them to do the same thing as her. Also am I the only one who thinks Sistine's cat ears don't look like cat ears? They look like some other animal's ears like cow's or sheep's or horse's.

I thought it was weird when Re-L (Re=L? How am I supposed to write her name) grabbed Sistine's hand and Sistine acted like she noticed something. But I only figured out that they had cast illusions on themselves when Albert (Glenn) was telling that glasses wearing illusionist girl the same thing Glenn had told her before.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message My Anime My Manga
Beltane70



Joined: 07 May 2007
Posts: 3868
PostPosted: Wed May 10, 2017 4:00 pm Reply with quote
Re=L is also how her name is romanized on the official Japanese website for the series.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message My Anime My Manga
Gina Szanboti



Joined: 03 Aug 2008
Posts: 11306
PostPosted: Wed May 10, 2017 7:33 pm Reply with quote
I never thought I'd see another character named Re-L, but at least Re-L in Ergo Proxy had a reason for it. Maybe Re=L does too, but it wouldn't surprise me if the author just thought it was cool.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Cam0



Joined: 13 Dec 2009
Posts: 4884
PostPosted: Thu May 11, 2017 3:34 am Reply with quote
The name just really sticks out everytime I see it. It looks more like an online alias of a cyberhacker, not someone's real name in a fantasy setting.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message My Anime My Manga
Cam0



Joined: 13 Dec 2009
Posts: 4884
PostPosted: Tue May 16, 2017 3:08 pm Reply with quote
Episode 7

Re=L cracks me up. I have a sweet tooth so I'd want those tasty tarts all for myself too. Her outburst at the end of the episode was interesting, I like that there's more to her character than just kuudere weirdness. Re=L is quickly becoming my favourite character in the show. Sistine's crush on Glenn is cute and it was cute how she was wary of Re=L at first because she noticed how close Re=L and Glenn were. Rumia remains as inoffensive but kinda dull.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message My Anime My Manga
DuskyPredator



Joined: 10 Mar 2009
Posts: 15433
Location: Brisbane, Australia
PostPosted: Wed May 17, 2017 2:33 am Reply with quote
It feels like she was being as if some weapon and was close to her brother. Glenn saved her which had her join the military, and she moved her strong feeling onto Glenn as if a replacement for her brother. Indeed it looks like she might actually try something reckless if she thinks people are getting between her and Glenn, she still considers herself somewhat of a weapon.

The episode was funny, Re=L/Riel is pretty fun in her dopey manner. I am sure there would be some to take Glenn's talking up of seeing the girls in swimsuits as evidence of him being a pervert. But the real thing indeed seems to be him just having fun along with the guys by playing it up, but him in general wanting them to have a good time at the beach, and taking his role as teacher seriously in stopping the boys from perving on the girls, despite him providing an alternative plan they could have put in place. Rather than being funny in the often fail main character trying to do things to perve on the female characters, it was just him kind of having fun, that he would not admit he was being that kind of helpful. Not too dissimilar to Koro-sensei. Rumia is pretty observant of he actually thinks

Also, funny episode preview. I admit that I was confused by the sudden serious scene with the characters in swimsuits. They had to stop her from spoiling by reading the script. Kind of made me wonder how it was with the cast.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message My Anime My Manga
Dessa



Joined: 14 Jul 2004
Posts: 4438
PostPosted: Sun May 21, 2017 11:27 pm Reply with quote
The girls' uniforms look MUCH better without the cape on.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message My Anime
Cam0



Joined: 13 Dec 2009
Posts: 4884
PostPosted: Tue May 23, 2017 3:53 pm Reply with quote
Episode 8

Holy crap. This is like FUBAR level situation here. Re=L being one of the main female characters so she'll be probably get away with this scot-free but I hope that the show does something unexpected like maybe even a trial where the cast will have to work their arses off to save her.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message My Anime My Manga
DuskyPredator



Joined: 10 Mar 2009
Posts: 15433
Location: Brisbane, Australia
PostPosted: Wed May 24, 2017 4:02 am Reply with quote
Well, I think the important thing we now have a better idea of what the evil organisation is really involved in and why they want Rumia. Rumia could be the final piece that essentially allows them to bring someone back from the dead through essentially creating a copy, and we also find out that the female villain is specifically a necromancer, so it points that they want to bring someone back to life, and or tricks in immortality. The healing factor of the villain was hinted at by Albert to be something evil, which is probably that she has sacrificed people to kind of ensure a safety net.

The supposed Re=L brother would most likely be an imperfect copy that they can do so far of her brother, they probably did what they could to make him appear as such, but not the same person. Glenn's comments earlier seem to hint that such creations are evil because it sacrifices people as ingredients before trying to make the copy. Comments might have even hinted that perhaps Re=L is such a creation, something designed by her original "brother", that he despite in the organisation did not have evil intentions over, but they tried to use as a weapon and they killed him over. Rather than calling Re=L out on being bad, I think she can't be entirely blamed on it because it is kind of like a programing to her, something that even makes her feel human. Something she had moved onto Glenn, that I think he has essentially said he is not her replacement brother just to be around her. Getting her to kill him is pretty rough, although as bad as the wound is, I would not be surprised to learn a part of her had her purposely not kill him out right.

And I think good work on the part of Sistine's character at how emotionally turbulent it was with the situation, of her friends in that situation, of fears of someone being killed, and her being shocked by Glenn. Some nice acting I think.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message My Anime My Manga
DuskyPredator



Joined: 10 Mar 2009
Posts: 15433
Location: Brisbane, Australia
PostPosted: Wed May 31, 2017 5:18 am Reply with quote
Episode 9

A nice episode. One of the kind of implied kind of horrors was that Re=L had to kill her sisters because there was no possibility of being reasoned with, which made it all the more frustrating towards the guy who caused it.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message My Anime My Manga
EmbraceMe



Joined: 17 Dec 2010
Posts: 2013
Location: Growing old and jaded.
PostPosted: Wed May 31, 2017 7:46 am Reply with quote
Am I the only person bothered by the students who enter the room not questioning why there was bloodstains everywhere?
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message My Anime
Display posts from previous:   
Reply to topic    Anime News Network Forum Index -> General -> Series Discussion All times are GMT - 5 Hours
Goto page Previous  1, 2, 3, 4, 5  Next
Page 4 of 5

 


Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group