×
  • 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
EP. REVIEW: Jūni Taisen: Zodiac War


Goto page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7  Next

Note: this is the discussion thread for this article

Anime News Network Forum Index -> Site-related -> Talkback
View previous topic :: View next topic  
Author Message
Animechic420



Joined: 25 Sep 2012
Posts: 1724
Location: A Cave Filled With Riches
PostPosted: Wed Oct 18, 2017 10:04 am Reply with quote
This is one of those anime where I don't care how dies. I'm not totally invested in their characters, so when they die, I won't feel sorry for them. Guess that's the point of the series. I'm just glad spoiler[Boar] died early, though. Smile
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Blood-
Bargain Hunter



Joined: 07 Mar 2009
Posts: 23668
PostPosted: Wed Oct 18, 2017 10:22 am Reply with quote
I really hope the show doesn't persist in its pattern of who dies because if it does, there is a way to learn the order of every character's death, which, of course let's you know who will "win" the contest. I have a feeling that NisiOisin structured it this way on purpose; his way of saying that its the journey that's important, not the destination. It's too bad because I would find the show considerably more tense if I didn't know who was going to die at the end of each episode.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message My Anime My Manga
Felicity dash





PostPosted: Wed Oct 18, 2017 1:06 pm Reply with quote
Blood- wrote:
I really hope the show doesn't persist in its pattern of who dies because if it does, there is a way to learn the order of every character's death, which, of course let's you know who will "win" the contest. I have a feeling that NisiOisin structured it this way on purpose; his way of saying that its the journey that's important, not the destination. It's too bad because I would find the show considerably more tense if I didn't know who was going to die at the end of each episode.


Well if you haven’t quite figured it out by now, they are killing off members of the Chinese Zodiac from last to first. Not that hard to figure out.
Back to top
Parsifal24





PostPosted: Wed Oct 18, 2017 1:06 pm Reply with quote
I had this spoiled for me on 4chan so I'm more watching this to see if I got trolled or this how legitimately ended that and Tiger has not gotten her back story yet. That being said I find the amount of dialogue in it insufferable and it feels like after three episode who ever has the inner monologue in the episode is the charcter that is going to die. So no real investment in any of the characters can be had.

Last edited by Parsifal24 on Wed Oct 18, 2017 3:28 pm; edited 1 time in total
Back to top
Blood-
Bargain Hunter



Joined: 07 Mar 2009
Posts: 23668
PostPosted: Wed Oct 18, 2017 1:37 pm Reply with quote
Felicity dash wrote:
Blood- wrote:
I really hope the show doesn't persist in its pattern of who dies because if it does, there is a way to learn the order of every character's death, which, of course let's you know who will "win" the contest. I have a feeling that NisiOisin structured it this way on purpose; his way of saying that its the journey that's important, not the destination. It's too bad because I would find the show considerably more tense if I didn't know who was going to die at the end of each episode.


Well if you haven’t quite figured it out by now, they are killing off members of the Chinese Zodiac from last to first. Not that hard to figure out.


It should have been obvious from my post that I knew what the pattern was, I simply chose not to specify it for the benefit of those who perhaps didn't know. Westerners are generally not aware of the order of the Chinese zodiac so unless you are aware of it, it's not necessarily easy to figure out. I wouldn't have know except I was told in a different thread.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message My Anime My Manga
Adrian Robotnik



Joined: 13 Sep 2017
Posts: 31
PostPosted: Wed Oct 18, 2017 3:46 pm Reply with quote
Felicity dash wrote:


Well if you haven’t quite figured it out by now, they are killing off members of the Chinese Zodiac from last to first. Not that hard to figure out.


Damn you I didn't notice! Very Happy
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
ChibiKangaroo



Joined: 01 Feb 2010
Posts: 2941
PostPosted: Wed Oct 18, 2017 3:51 pm Reply with quote
I think I have to say at the outset that this show is bad. That being said, there is some entertainment for those who enjoy the concept of death matches. But let's be honest, that is all we are getting here. These characters are receiving minimal development and the overarching story and world building are basically non existent. As I said before, I don't think this even makes any sense. If the winner gets a wish that is able to bring people back from the dead (and thus you have to assume this is a very powerful wish with few if any limitations) why not just wish yourself ruler of the world or wish enough money and power to be able to live comfortably indefinitely? There doesn't seem to be any logic or reasoning behind this concept. It's just "let's have some criminally insane people based on the zodiac animals viciously murder each other, with style." I suppose that's enough to have some entertainment, but this show is basically comparable to the most fleeting of sugar highs, like maybe that very first sip of a fresh can of soda before it starts to go stale from there on out.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
wyntre_rose



Joined: 16 Aug 2009
Posts: 111
PostPosted: Wed Oct 18, 2017 6:17 pm Reply with quote
Felicity dash wrote:

Well if you haven’t quite figured it out by now, they are killing off members of the Chinese Zodiac from last to first. Not that hard to figure out.


Doesn't the Snake already being dead mess with that, though?
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
JacobC
ANN Contributor


Joined: 15 Jan 2008
Posts: 3728
Location: SoCal
PostPosted: Wed Oct 18, 2017 6:33 pm Reply with quote
wyntre_rose wrote:
Felicity dash wrote:

Well if you haven’t quite figured it out by now, they are killing off members of the Chinese Zodiac from last to first. Not that hard to figure out.


Doesn't the Snake already being dead mess with that, though?


Here's my prediction. Snake has a quality where he regrows from any segment that's split off from him, and in order to actually destroy him, you have to crush either his heart or brain. So one version of him is wandering around like a zombie, the other version is just fine. That or the zombie version is the only version and he's just faking it for whatever reason. Either way, his head is interestingly still attached, while Boar's chest cavity didn't seem to heal back after being necromanced.

Just a guess, but if it's really just going the reverse order route, that would be an easy late-stage reveal.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website My Anime
FilthyCasual



Joined: 01 Jun 2015
Posts: 2165
PostPosted: Wed Oct 18, 2017 7:14 pm Reply with quote
Judging by the zodiac and the episode preview, Monkey dies next, which is great because pacifists always drag down battle royales and this role is definitely Hayamin at her most annoying. Also she got Rooster killed, so she needs to die anyways. I got spoiled on her power by the ANN spotlight, spoiler[but that probably translates to brainwashing somehow anyways through a hefty helping of pseudo-science. ]

Most importantly, hopefully the formula shakes up at some point and the viewpoint character waits an episode or two to die. Not only has the viewpoint character always dying made things predictable, but the story itself rapidly takes its pieces out of play. Boar getting owned by Rabbit was a good twist, but Rooster getting Boar devoured without Rabbit ever actually using her for anything is a waste.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
青白



Joined: 30 May 2012
Posts: 184
PostPosted: Wed Oct 18, 2017 7:30 pm Reply with quote
The boar had the strongest characterization out of all the characters that died so far, and by a really long shot, to the point that the second and the third episode feels significantly inferior to the first. I am also dying to hear more of Go Shiina's epic battle soundtrack that we briefly heard in the first episode.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
wyntre_rose



Joined: 16 Aug 2009
Posts: 111
PostPosted: Wed Oct 18, 2017 8:48 pm Reply with quote
JacobC wrote:

Here's my prediction. Snake has a quality where he regrows from any segment that's split off from him, and in order to actually destroy him, you have to crush either his heart or brain. So one version of him is wandering around like a zombie, the other version is just fine. That or the zombie version is the only version and he's just faking it for whatever reason. Either way, his head is interestingly still attached, while Boar's chest cavity didn't seem to heal back after being necromanced.

Just a guess, but if it's really just going the reverse order route, that would be an easy late-stage reveal.


Oh, that could work!

Wait, his head is still attached!? Huh. I'll have to rewatch this, I guess. I thought the last time I saw him, he didn't have a head, but I could be wrong.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
SleepySkull



Joined: 03 Jun 2017
Posts: 36
PostPosted: Wed Oct 18, 2017 9:17 pm Reply with quote
While this isn't normally my kind of show, I'm glad I gave it a chance as I'm enjoying the ride so far.

Felicity dash wrote:
Well if you haven’t quite figured it out by now, they are killing off members of the Chinese Zodiac from last to first. Not that hard to figure out.

Or perhaps the order indicates which character gets the bulk of the narrative focus in that episode. A 12 episode cour that kills 11 contestants before the final episode would seem to lack tension in the climax, no?

wyntre_rose wrote:
Wait, his head is still attached!? Huh. I'll have to rewatch this, I guess. I thought the last time I saw him, he didn't have a head, but I could be wrong.

Your memory is fine. The Slithering Dead is still headless, as you can see at 14:07 of the second episode. And the other Snake twin is still alive and scheming as well. If they keep following the zodiac order, a Snake vs Snake showdown could be in the offing for the seventh episode. If so, it would imply Rabbit survives until at least the ninth episode as well.

James Beckett wrote:
At one point, Chicken's inner monologue chimes in to remind the audience that she was planning on betraying Monkey's pack of pacifists, despite the entire episode being devoted to showing how easily she betrays people.

Perhaps it's my limited anime experience, but the interior monologues haven't bugged me so far. In particular, I interpreted the Chicken monologue you highlighted not as repetivitve exposition but rather a reflection of her deteriorating mental state. I've been smiling as I've heard the pattern of homicidal characters internally dwelling on their cleverness and plans for the endgame ... just before they die. But then maybe I'm just easily amused.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Gina Szanboti



Joined: 03 Aug 2008
Posts: 11306
PostPosted: Thu Oct 19, 2017 7:34 am Reply with quote
Didn't Horse get killed before Rooster? Or did he run away? I know we twice didn't see him die, but Ox walked away from that battle.

Count me as one who hopes the series isn't as trite as knocking them off in reverse order. I'm thinking Monkey ought not to buy it yet, since she hasn't revealed her plan to anyone, and it seems unlikely that she would (unless it's in one of the interminable inner monologues) to anyone about to kill her.

Digressing a bit, I clicked the link in the review back to the Preview Guide and found I somehow missed reading the reviews for this. They were illuminating. I was surprised to find that Theron thinks boars have horns, and now I better understand Nick's antipathy towards March Comes in Like a Lion - it's animated by Shaft, but not written by NisiOisin (which seems to be more important, going by his grade for the first episode of this series), so it can never measure up.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Blood-
Bargain Hunter



Joined: 07 Mar 2009
Posts: 23668
PostPosted: Thu Oct 19, 2017 8:09 am Reply with quote
Laughing Yeah, I figured at least 4 out of the 4.5 points that Nick awarded to Juni Taisen's first eppie were a result of NisiOisin's involvement.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message My Anime My Manga
Display posts from previous:   
Reply to topic    Anime News Network Forum Index -> Site-related -> Talkback All times are GMT - 5 Hours
Goto page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7  Next
Page 1 of 7

 


Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group