Forum - View topicEP. REVIEW: After the Rain
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yuzumei
Posts: 53 |
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I truly loved this last episode.
I enjoyed the little sequences at the beginning: Akira turning on the chronometer by mistake, Kondo finding "holes" in his writing, Kondo sitting down Akira stading up, Akira looking from far at the school field and not throwing the paper plane. The ending sequence really moved me. I know is open for interpretation but I believe it really happened. Akira and Kondo stand there looking at each other for a few seconds suppressing emotions. Then when Kondo started to break the ice the phone call arrived and Akira decided to leave. Kondo was seeing the same blue sky Akira was seeing. Kondo watched as Akira was moving slowly further and further away into the sky. I think he realized their relationship is not going to be the same anymore and before she get lost in that sky he needs to tell her his feelings. I gasp at that instant that Akira spins around and starts running toward Kondo. So many suppressed emotions just exploding in that instant. That final hug was a love/happiness/gratitude/thankyou/seeyousoon/goodbye combination. This run/hug was real. Even the moment she crashes against Kondo was shown two times. When she run/kiss Kondo at the train station that was a dream of a confused girl with a crush. This time her run/hug is toward a guy who help her overcome her troubles and that was real. Anyway I really enjoyed this show. I loved it's mundane simplicity, it's BGM and imagery. It's was a breath of fresh air and an escape from super soldiers typing love letters and kids using butt-handles shows. |
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#Verso.Sciolto
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Open door. Writers build a world and if that world is to resemble ours they have to populate this world they create with characters who resemble people. Unless they want to create something like “I am Legend” but that is not the case here. Even fewer black people in this story, for one. This story does not start in Frankfurt am Main and neither does it end in Amsterdam either. It is also a story shaped by middle aged men who influence the lives of teenage girls and other people around them - one in particular- after their artistic career takes a turn for the worst. In this story one of the central characters, a teenage girl, keeps a running diary. This story is set in the urban landscapes of modern day Japan. This setting requires lots of extras. People without speaking roles whose presence is nevertheless required as our protagonists move freely through town and among them. It also has -what someone previously called- ancillary characters. Some of whom have no speaking roles either. One of whom is now a middle aged woman who used to be a student of the same class as the male lead. The male lead now works in a family restaurant, a work place where a cook is indispensable.The female character central to the narrative starts working in the family restaurant as a waitress. This next sentence may be a spoiler for the final episode but, late in this series we get to see her revisit her diary. A diary she kept when she was slightly younger but appears to have discontinued. It is not clear if she’ll start writing in her diary again but we do know that she could if she wanted to. At age seventeen she could visit Amsterdam -there is a cracked mirror in that town, imperfectly reflecting the sky of the world we now inhabit. She could also go to Bergen Belsen, if she wants to. She does have that choice. Not everyone who starts a diary as a teenage girl is that fortunate to have such options in the early 21st century. Are you with us so far? The cook, I would personally say, is indispensable to this story and so is the person in charge of ordering ingredients, dispensing the food prepared. People in such roles as portrayed have profound influence on the life of the teenage girl. Influence on how she behaves in the brief period we get to know her and on her prospective career as she matures into a woman. The cook can't be removed from the story without changing this story significantly. He is reflected in the acts of the teenage girl and that will be reflected upon in commentary on the events as depicted towards the end of the story. In my opinion. Please let me know what you think. |
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Crisha
Moderator
 Posts: 4290 |
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@#Verso.Sciolto - I honestly have no idea what you're trying to say with the cook, mirror, open door, "I am Legend", and Amsterdam. Are you trying to be oblique so as not to spoiler me? I appreciate the thought, but there is no need for that. Spoilers don't bother me. In fact, I'm already familiar with the spoilers for this show, because I've been reading this thread and some of the episode summaries. If you want to make a point or an argument, it is best to be clear about what you're speaking about.
I agree that this story is more complex than the words I used to describe it, which is a "modern day, low key drama/romance." But rather than go into too many details as to why I consider the premise boring, I just decided to be simple with my wording. Based on what I've read for this series, I would describe it as somewhere between a light-hearted slice-of-life and character drama. I've enjoyed both, but I've seen so many that nowadays they need some sort of uncommon hook or appealing conflict to interest me. And, personally, while I can appreciate the story that After the Rain tells, I don't really consider much about it compelling enough to spend 3.5 - 4 hours watching. |
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Slashman
 Posts: 253 |
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It really isn't that complex. In fact, I'd say its refusal to deal with the presented topic make it much more simplistic than people are letting on. It boils down to two people who are prevented from doing the things they love most finding the urge to move forward and resume those treasure activities. The romance aspect is peripheral after the passing of a few episodes and is hand waved away. The show is beautifully animated and rendered and the characters are decently done but it boils down to slice of life more than anything. Say whatever you like about Koi Kaze, but it dealt directly with the uncomfortable topic at hand. |
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Slashman
Posts: 253 |
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It's not forced. A blanket statement was made which is in itself non-sensical. There is no absolute either way. Stories are written more often than not about the irregular. Or are you seriously telling me you want to watch a show that accurately portrays a 45 - 50 year old dude who works at a hardware store, is married with one kid and repeats the same routine daily? Where is the story in that? Stories are written most often about "regular" people pulled into extraordinary situations. Whether that's a 17 year old kid with no life experience or a 45 year old man with 2 marriages under his belt is irrelevant if the story is good and the character presented in an interesting way. There are more than a few boring as hell 45 year olds in the world. There are some amazing teenagers and kids. There are some amazing 45 year olds and there are plain old normal teenagers. Being older does not automatically make you better, more interesting or even wiser. I can name more than a few 45+ year olds who act like kids and have seemingly learned nothing from their life experiences I'm fine with people liking the show, but it makes me wonder if you really think that way, why you would even choose anime or manga as a hobby. It's FULL of kids as main characters. |
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#Verso.Sciolto
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People who, through prose and poetry, turn the mundane into something readable, thought provoking and conversation sparking. The story is in the details they choose to include and in the manner they adopt to describe them. In the details of the text on the page creating images in the imagination of readers. Create images in the minds of animators who create the visuals of an adaptation with their re-interpretations. If a story is based on or laced with other -literary- works explicitly mentioned or alluded to, then the story these authors and animators create can be found in those referenced works as well. |
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Panino Manino
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Btw, the autor deleted her blog due to "threats" (some say) after the ending: http://mayuzukijun.seesaa.net/
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#Verso.Sciolto
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