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EP. REVIEW: Sarazanmai


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JacobC
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Joined: 15 Jan 2008
Posts: 3728
Location: SoCal
PostPosted: Tue Apr 30, 2019 7:19 pm Reply with quote
Oggers wrote:
Dragonsandphoenix wrote:
Creator intent or no, we should all agree that YuriKuma belongs to the gays. We all know what happened last time an Ikuhara show was ripped off by straight people (Darling in the Franxx).


Did Ikuhara ever direct anything with mecha in it? I'm not sure what he would have made that Franxx ripped off.


This is in reference to episode 12 (I think? it's the flashback one) of Darling in the Franxx, which rips off visual gimmicks and framing devices from Yurikuma wholesale. (I mean, early episodes of Franxx ripped EVA imagery off wholesale, so at least they stole from multiple sources?)
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Ethe





PostPosted: Tue Apr 30, 2019 8:00 pm Reply with quote
I want to like this show but there's a couple of things here and there that prevent me from liking its characters. Mainly their flaws, which are supposed to make them compelling but end up making them unlikeable instead.

For example, we find out Kazuki stole a family's pet and gave it to his brother to make him happy. Okay, cool, that shows us he's willing to do some horrible things as long as long as Haruka's happy. But then the issue that he kidnapped a cat is never addressed, and it looks like it never will? Or at least that's what I assume judging by the fact that Enta comically got the shit kicked out of him when he was reprimanding Kazuki for his actions. I hope the show proves me wrong, though.

Then we have Enta himself, who was more worried about retrieving Kazuki's miçanga than her sister turning into fish. Like Jacob said in his review, what we're supposed to take out from this is that Enta is so blinded by his crush that he only has eyes for Kazuki and he doesn't appreciate the people around him. But this is not a matter of not appreciating those around him anymore. His sister is about to die, for crying out loud. There's no way I can find his disregard for others sympathetic when it's taken to that extent.

I'm gonna keep watching this show since I like the messages it's trying to convey, and I'm looking forward to Toi's time in the spotlight.
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AliceTheHare



Joined: 17 Jul 2015
Posts: 69
Location: Los Angeles
PostPosted: Tue Apr 30, 2019 9:24 pm Reply with quote
JacobC wrote:
This is in reference to episode 12 (I think? it's the flashback one) of Darling in the Franxx, which rips off visual gimmicks and framing devices from Yurikuma wholesale. (I mean, early episodes of Franxx ripped EVA imagery off wholesale, so at least they stole from multiple sources?)


I hate to be that person and bring up this dreaded discourse again, but Franxx had staff who had worked with both gainax and Ikuhara before, so them utilizing similar visual techniques there isn't that outrageous. It's just people using skills they learned over the years on another project. Is it uninspired? Maybe. But full on theft that's a bit much. Though I do understand the reaction do to your hatred for that show.
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JacobC
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Joined: 15 Jan 2008
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Location: SoCal
PostPosted: Tue Apr 30, 2019 10:12 pm Reply with quote
AliceTheHare wrote:
JacobC wrote:
This is in reference to episode 12 (I think? it's the flashback one) of Darling in the Franxx, which rips off visual gimmicks and framing devices from Yurikuma wholesale. (I mean, early episodes of Franxx ripped EVA imagery off wholesale, so at least they stole from multiple sources?)


I hate to be that person and bring up this dreaded discourse again, but Franxx had staff who had worked with both gainax and Ikuhara before, so them utilizing similar visual techniques there isn't that outrageous. It's just people using skills they learned over the years on another project. Is it uninspired? Maybe. But full on theft that's a bit much. Though I do understand the reaction do to your hatred for that show.


Oh, theft isn't meant to be an insult. As the old showbiz saying goes, "amateurs borrow, experts steal." The fact that I don't like Darling in the Franxx is incidental; someone else brought it up in this case.
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Dragonsandphoenix



Joined: 21 Jan 2015
Posts: 82
Location: Malaysia
PostPosted: Tue Apr 30, 2019 10:36 pm Reply with quote
AliceTheHare wrote:
JacobC wrote:
This is in reference to episode 12 (I think? it's the flashback one) of Darling in the Franxx, which rips off visual gimmicks and framing devices from Yurikuma wholesale. (I mean, early episodes of Franxx ripped EVA imagery off wholesale, so at least they stole from multiple sources?)


I hate to be that person and bring up this dreaded discourse again, but Franxx had staff who had worked with both gainax and Ikuhara before, so them utilizing similar visual techniques there isn't that outrageous. It's just people using skills they learned over the years on another project. Is it uninspired? Maybe. But full on theft that's a bit much. Though I do understand the reaction do to your hatred for that show.


For the record I have no problem with reusing imagery and homages, that's just the nature of art and hey, at least you're reminding me of something good. The problem with Franxx specifically is that it keeps reminding me of more thought provoking, challenging shows that are thematically opposed to what Franxx is trying to say? Franxx references a show about the unique struggles queer women have in loving each other and then Franxx tells me my womb is the thing that gives me emotions and if you don't have reproductive organs you're an emotionless monster. That's one hell of a cognitive whiplash.

I just watched the preview of the next episode and I am already vibrating with excitement. Toi backstory, striking visuals, ReoMabu taking 'gay people can't sit properly' to a whole new level. It's gonna be good.
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Zeino



Joined: 19 May 2017
Posts: 1098
PostPosted: Tue Apr 30, 2019 10:38 pm Reply with quote
The pattern for these episodes is feeling stable now, so everything went by fast. It's a good look at Enta's point of view - even giving him center position in the battle - and it sure doesn't shy away from his gayness.

His view of a kiss as something to be shared with only one special person was certainly better than the zombie's obsession, but I do wonder if the show is going to challenge it at some point. Yuri Kuma Arashi was already flirting with poly stuff pretty hard, even if it shied away at the last moment.

Enta's secret was already known to the audience, so the episode had a different surprise waiting at the end. It's a deft reveal. There were earlier hints that I've seen people pointing out now (like handrails in the bathroom), but I didn't suspect it at all until I saw the wheelchair. That sign crashing down next to Kazuki way back at the very beginning might symbolize what happened to Haruka, perhaps?

So much of what's going on in this show seems to revolve around Haruka in some way...
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AliceTheHare



Joined: 17 Jul 2015
Posts: 69
Location: Los Angeles
PostPosted: Tue Apr 30, 2019 10:55 pm Reply with quote
JacobC wrote:
Oh, theft isn't meant to be an insult. As the old showbiz saying goes, "amateurs borrow, experts steal." The fact that I don't like Darling in the Franxx is incidental; someone else brought it up in this case.


Ah, gotcha. Sorry I didn't get your intent initially, I have trouble parsing that with folks sometimes. No harm, no foul.
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Merida



Joined: 21 Feb 2012
Posts: 1945
PostPosted: Wed May 01, 2019 3:19 am Reply with quote
Enta is the only one without a brother, so he had to project his brocon feelings onto Kazuki...it helps that he's flamingly gay, of course. Seriously, i wonder if there's any deeper meaning to him being the only one with a sister. I blame Ikuhara for putting me in endless over-analyzing mode.

There's a lot of pressure on our otter cops now, i wonder how long before they'll finally clash with the main trio...
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treeofjessie



Joined: 27 Oct 2014
Posts: 31
PostPosted: Thu May 02, 2019 2:06 pm Reply with quote
wolf10 wrote:

On the spoiler end of things: the reveals that spoiler[Haruka is wheelchair-bound and also way more into his big brother than he is Sara]


just a friendly note for talking/writing about spoiler[ disability: assistive devices like wheelchairs are actually helpful, not harmful for the people who use them. so folks who use a wheelchair are able to ambulate more with it than without, thus are not bound by/to the device, but are rather a user of it. this is a little like calling an able-bodied person stairwell-bound or sidewalk-bound haha. those things are positive and helpful, not burdensome. so Haruka is a wheelchair user, not wheelchair-bound.]

it's fairly common for spoiler[abled] people to not be aware of the difference, so this is fine, i just thought i'd try and help y'all out. Very Happy
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laddy-chan



Joined: 02 Oct 2018
Posts: 10
PostPosted: Thu May 02, 2019 4:51 pm Reply with quote
it seems to me this show has set a strangely high standard for itself. it needs to follow a lot of formating, with the songs and episode structures, and use all the space it has remaining to cram character exposition. the result is often bordering on sloppy, especially relating to contextual details, and the episodes (even if expertly directed) feel lacking in narrative focus, somehow episodic. I could almost relate the show so far to a sitcome where the reset button is pressed every episode and new characters/relationships are explored, but I know that so far it has just been groundwork so I instead hold some high expectations for where things will go

however now.. if the show takes its humor seriously, I wish I could appreciate it more.. instead I'm torn with reading Sara's secret messages and waiting for the progress to lead somewhere (which so far, at least in these solo episodes, it hasn't) very little resolution. at least the ED is a banger

pss
hope ep5 is a clean continuation that deviates from the set format
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Aperispomen



Joined: 03 May 2019
Posts: 1
Location: Canada
PostPosted: Fri May 03, 2019 12:20 pm Reply with quote
It's probably not important, but the 「㋐」 dishes/symbols are very similar to the symbol for the Asakusa Line, just with Katakana instead of Latin.



The connection (heh) to Asaskusa is pretty obvious, but the Asakusa line is arguably the most "connected" subway line in Tokyo. According to Wikipedia, the Asakusa Line has the most through services to private railway lines of any Tokyo subway line. It's also the only railway line with connections to both Narita and Haneda airports. Obviously, these are some pretty strained (and likely coincidental) connections.

Again, it's probably not that important, but I'd be surprised if the symbol didn't inform the design of the ㋐ at least a little.

Also, I don't know if this was in earlier episodes, but the "Kawauso Kōban" (Otter Police Box) has "Kawauso" written as 「川嘘」 (river lie/liar) instead of the usual 「川獺」 ([river] otter) or even just 「獺」 (otter). So it's not just an obvious pun; it's right there in the name of their station.

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KitKat1721



Joined: 03 Feb 2015
Posts: 952
PostPosted: Thu May 09, 2019 8:33 pm Reply with quote
Not sure if anyone is planning to check out the English dub (Ikuhara shows have been pretty hit or miss in my experience - really didn't like Utena or Penguindrum's, but Yuri Kuma Arashi's was definitely the best effort of the bunch), but I thought they did a pretty good job. The script is pretty faithful to the material without sounding really stilted, and they incorporate certain words like "dish/plate/etc..." throughout Sara's lines (instead of ignoring them or just tacking them on at the end of sentences).

I was mostly impressed they chose to adapt the song(s), since that's almost never done for a simuldub due to time/lack of available materials (Space Dandy might be the last one I know of, and that was under different circumstances). Still going to watch week to week in Japanese, and will probably hear more of the dub afterwards, but I'm just glad it seems to be getting a good english adaptation.
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SheRrIs





PostPosted: Sat May 11, 2019 7:03 am Reply with quote
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HandofBobb



Joined: 06 Jan 2010
Posts: 80
PostPosted: Fri May 17, 2019 6:10 pm Reply with quote
Soo- what happened to the reviews? I notice Sarazanmai has been taken off the list on the side of the weekly review page...
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JacobC
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Joined: 15 Jan 2008
Posts: 3728
Location: SoCal
PostPosted: Fri May 17, 2019 6:25 pm Reply with quote
HandofBobb wrote:
Soo- what happened to the reviews? I notice Sarazanmai has been taken off the list on the side of the weekly review page...


This season got off to an unexpectedly rough start with my life schedule, so I had to prioritize one of my shows (Fruits Basket) over the other in catching up. Episode reviews 4-6 will be going up some time over the next 24 hours, as I finish writing them. After that, there shouldn't be any more serious delays for either show's reviews.
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