Forum - View topicThis Week in Anime - Is Talentless Nana Worth Watching?
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kotomikun
Posts: 1205 |
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The show itself certainly plays it that way... I vaguely remember hearing about it, but thought it was just another highschool comedy or something. The official summary makes it sound like super-kids-fight-monsters. Haven't seen any of it, but whoever told Nana to kill all these kids is definitely sus as hell. Even assuming all the murder is justified, the kid with power-nullifying abilities would surely be a better choice than someone with (I guess?) no powers at all. |
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DRosencraft
Posts: 665 |
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Part of me can't help but feel that the story is beign viewed in an overly simplistic way. At the same time, part of me also recognizes that it will most likely head in an overly simplistic direction.
I am liking Nana's process thus far. A lot of failings these "mystery" shows tend to revel in is building up their MC to just being "so much smarter" than everyone else, but falling flat on its face from a meta perspective when it turns out the explanation of the mystery requires the rest of the cast to be dumb as rocks. I don't know for sure if the authors here are being facetious or actually believe what they wrote, but I actually find it kind of hard to imagine that there aren't some significant bits of gimmickry going on with those potential kill counts. Two bratty frenemies? Their powers alone certainly have terrible implications, but there is little so show that they'd use them against anyone for any reason. We don't even know the range of teleporter's power, and poison girl aligns with just about any female assassin in any story ever. Necromancy girl was probably the worst, but she was consumed with her stalking target. The contrivances that would lead to her killing hundreds of thousands of people is a bit daunting given her power, its limits, and her personality. Was she a "good" person, no. But was she a mass murderer? Not likely. Psychometry guy was also pretty terrible, but until targeted by Nana seemed to be just a loner. His power alone didn't even have any real offensive capacity since he couldn't even control what it showed him. It's hard to see how he could build much of a body count with that power at all outside the normal stuff any normal human could do. As someone else mentioned, most if not all of the kids on this island are presented as more or less average teenagers, just with super powers, some of which lack any real capacity to cause actual harm. Kid growing up to be a monster because when he was 8 he lied to his dad about sharing food with a hungry kid ranks up there with the second episode of AoT's final season with the "monster" eating a potato during the ceremony; it's comic dissociation with reality. Seeing Nana's backstory, it feels too easy for the story to head down the road that these super powered kids are nothing but regular kids with super powers, and the real threat is from them being used as weapons by others. The kill count is likely not that the kids themselves have nefarious designs, but that organizations/governments/etc. can use them in the future. Either that or it ends up in "X-Men" territory where these kids end up split between fighting against humans that try to control them and fighting espers out for revenge/freedom against humanity. |
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Cryten
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I dont expect the story to wittle down to the last of the class (at least not anymore). I just expect there to be new ways for very complicated murders to be commited. Probably from a position of looking down on the people involved, what I termed spite killing. IE killing the monsters, killing the people who do horrible things, killing the dangerous threats. Killing those who come to manipulate and kill the survivors if any do. How the story will change circumstances, I dont know, will it introduce new enemies or change in locations? I just expect the narrative to seek out ways to continue its style. I just surmise and expect. Im always willing to be proven wrong if a show earns it. Unless the series actually does progress to something different in the way that promised neverland does or FMA. Both exceptionally good at evolving its story. Its rare to have epic flowing stories like that. Now I would be impressed if this series could step into that range of story telling. *edit* You know all of a sudden im reminded of an episode of Dr Who where he confronts a surviving Slitheen. Where she claims she has become good by sparing someone but the Dr retorts that "Hunters occasionally let one go, to reassure themselves that they are indeed good people while continue to justify their slaughter" Paraphrased. Just the Idea that Michiru is how Nana maintains her conscience even while killing. Last edited by Cryten on Fri Dec 18, 2020 8:11 am; edited 2 times in total |
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Violet Park
Posts: 115 |
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I think you guys are reaching too much to justify Nana's killings spoiler[though so does the manga to be fair]. Nanao isn't even that much of a potato and he has some compelling flaws (and no, that doesn't make him a serial killer). Except for Yuka and Tsunekichi, the kids are just shitty teens. Yes, their powers could cause a lot of problems if misused but 1) the answer is therapy and education, not genocide, 2) the numbers are clearly bullshit, and 3) they've been told they are humanity's only hope against monsters.
Speaking of which, I think the show doesn't do anything with that. Kyoya never counts the monsters in his theories, does he believe they exist or not? There are many ways the situation would look to the other students from the outside but instead, they are cardboard cutouts or absent until it's time for some pink is sus action.
MHA and TN take place in completely different worlds. In MHA superpowers are completely normal, children get quirk counseling, and people who want to be heroes go through grueling, humbling education. And even the strongest powers require training. In TN, talented people are a minority (government's fault) and talented are deliberately given god complexes (government's fault). TN world is probably what MHA world was in the past. |
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Anneyuno1
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I'm not the only one who has thought about it. Maybe not make a better anime, but it is definitely more enjoyable this way, if mirai nikki didn't have a cowardly and irritating protagonist, she could enjoy more of Yuno's madness which character would also benefit from having a goal of your own instead being the slave wife whose only joy and purpose in life is to serve him. I know that many of these potato characters have a development and this initial personality is for later to subvert expectations when they become a better character and thus impress more, but in the first chapters is unbearable and very boring, what I hate is that the series forces me to like these characters.
Subaru is exactly version of pathetic character anime protagonist, but at an exaggerated level. He just suffers and whines about how much he's suffering because of the unfair world and never bothers to even try to change his fate screaming teary eyed about how helpless he is, having continued to try absolutely nothing to help anybody while still forgetting he can and has in the past reset everything to get another go round. Until till the plot feels like letting him progres and give eventual 'moment of triumph' where it rewards him with more girls and cool stuffs for doing something right, even when it doesn't feel earned by the narrative, before starting the loop all over again (its just masochistic cycle). Basically it's a standard MC character it is no deconstruction It's just masturbatory angst. Anyway Re:zero its such a flawed premise that requires the main character to be selectively stupid and selectively clever. Subaru exist for feeling sorry for himself is basically a powerless side character from a fantasy adventure plot put into the main character slot. The only really sad is the reason he is still alive is because of his "magical powers" of going back in time to a convenient moment for the plot. |
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Hellsoldier
 Posts: 754 Location: Porto,Portugal,Europe,Earth,Sol |
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Make that three Babylon 5 fans, as well as a Shin Sekai Yori/From the New World fan. With that said, the end result should never be Genocide. There's evidence of coexistence between Homo Sapiens Sapiens and Homo Neanderthalis. Homo Neanderthalis was possibly exterminated via Genocide, but that was just pure ill will. |
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ThatGuyWhoLikesThings
Posts: 1008 |
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"Subaru suffers through serious hardship and reacts to it like a teenager with his complicated psychological issues would, and only overcomes them through undergoing meaningful change and growth and with the help of his friends and loved ones." I dunno, sounds like a winning formula to me. If it were the kind of show to extensively wallow in it's misery, I'd be inclined to agree. But it doesn't. Lots of bad things happen, but it doesn't relish in that like other shows might. There's always a bit of light so that the darkness doesn't become suffocating. |
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dm
 Subscriber Posts: 1359 |
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At the start, I found myself wondering if Talentless Nana is kind-of telling the story that led to From the new world.
With recent developments in the anime, spoiler[and more so in the manga], I think the case for that interpretation is even stronger. (From the new world spoiler: spoiler[it's not hard to imagine the heirs of Nana's trainer imposing Squealer's punishment.] Well, except that in From the new world, the powerful/enhanced are the ones who end up running things, I guess. |
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Gina Szanboti
Posts: 11354 |
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Uh...where did this quote come from? oO I went so far as to look up the poster and afsics they have not posted anything anywhere in the forum for over two weeks. |
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Calsolum
 Posts: 898 |
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Damn poor Nanao, don't get me wrong I'm glad he died as a bait and switch but that doesn't mean that he deserved it. Sure he lied about something to his dad but if every kid deserved to be pushed off a cliff for lying to their parents about something they were clearly ashamed of doing... would any kids grow up at all?
Out of all her kills felt like he deserved it the least, time traveller kid was annoying but just that, annoying. Photography kid... alright he didn't deserve death but he deserved something bad. Same with necromancy girl. I hope that in the future Nana finds out that her kill count app thingy is a complete lie and she's been murdering innocent kids, hopefully Inukai is the catalyst for this. If it turns out that she's got a dark past I'll be disappointed, be such a lost opportunity. Regardless I'm loving the series so far. I do however have the theory that Kyoya is Nana's older brother. So far if we assume Nana's backstory to be true she said she had a 'much older brother' and Kyoya said that his sister was sent to the island. He also has a ton of old games in his room and Nana had alot of strategy(old) games. Coincidence? Probably but that's my crazy theory. |
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Kirki
Posts: 296 |
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About this show, I would say that what makes it so endearing is the way that it's wearing its storytelling heart on its sleeve. By that, I mean that whoever made this truly had fun with it, believed in it and paid it the proper attention. As this first season currently stands, the fun part of Talentless Nana is seeing someone with no powers overcoming individuals who are far greater than her in their abilities. The reasons don't matter, and cheering for the underdog is something that has an immediate appeal. This is more like watching a chess game unfold.
As for people complaining about Nana's character, I still adamantly believe that the main reasons those complaints are made (and I speak generally, not specifically, and honestly with no ill intent) is because Nana is a female. And more precisely, a female who betrayed a "good boy", usurped his position as the protagonist of the show and dared to have a dark side to her, making morally unhinged choices. All of those things together spell the most deaf-sounding NO - NO in the way female characters are usually portrayed in anime and manga. Girls usually take the role of "great fighter but stills needs the main character to come and save her" at best, and the passive cheerleader at worst. The dark side can be forgiven if she has crazy sexual reasons behind it, e.g. Yuno. But a girl who doesn't have the hots for the main guy? Who is not unconditionally in love with him? Who can overcome adversity by her own and doesn't need the guy to be her hero? Who is smart enough to equally compete with the clever guy of the show? Who takes up the stage in a non-shoujo romantic comedy? Who doesn't have a crush on a guy she constantly thinks about? Take all that and combine it with morally ambiguous choices that show she is not a pitch perfect special snowflake with only good inside of her and you have most of the audience's greatest fear: Women are not magical perfect creatures who will solve all your problems, make you their first priority and make it their life purpose to unconditionally love you just because you exist. That's not what you came to see anime for, right? Right. And no, I don't blame you. I blame the industry for conditioning you to expect things like this as the norm. Disclaimer: I am NOT talking specifically. Anybody can have their own reasons for liking or disliking a character, Nana as well, that doesn't have to do with any of the above. I just think that this is the perfect time to address a very problematic side of the industry and about what women are expected to be portrayed like in it. Nana, at least currently, presses all the wrong buttons for this. This is not like men don't have unhealthy portrayals, but they are generally allowed waaaaay more room in character exploration - and, in margin of mistakes that will be made and will be forgiven. If you hate Nana but adore Light, Lelouch, Kaneki, Eren, whelp. That probably speaks for something. And if the only reason you can write and present a female character with the above traits and have people accept it and not whine about it is to say "but she's actually a man inside", (hello Tanya) that probably speaks for something too. |
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Cryten
Posts: 987 |
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^ I feel that there is some push back yes but I dont agree. I disliked Light in the first few episodes of death note and only really enjoyed it during his big conflict with L. That featured many clever and enjoyable mind game puzzles between the two. Once *cough* happened I didn't watch more. I didn't like breaking bad either. During the spite phase of shield hero I despised the character. So I would reiterate that I dropped the series because I dont tend to like this type of killing. And I am more then happy for people to enjoy it when I dont.
I dislike dismissing commentry based on the character being female. But I do recognise that I can afford female characters more latitude. I would note that I gave the series a try well after the first episode. |
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a_Bear_in_Bearcave
Posts: 511 Location: Poland |
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You know, I would classify kids that are secretly sentenced to death by shadowy cabal on isolated island as the true underdogs in this situation. I also hate Light and think worse of anyone who think he's not a villain, but I also see no reason why people who love Light wouldn't also love Nana (as long as she keeps murdering in the name of greater good at least), so unless you have quotes to show otherwise I think you are just trying to insert anti-woman angle where it mostly doesn't belong. People can dislike child murdering heroine without being misogynists. If you see Light fan complaining about Nana though, I'm with you. Nana's at least far better human being, low bar as it is. Jean-Karlo' comment about Re: Zero was also nonsense, though I get used to it unfortunately (see Begonia TWIA). Disliking Re: Zero and it's protagonist is one thing, but a) replacing Subaru with someone better would remove the point of the show, b) Rem as the replacement? Seriously? I like her but she's much more blank character then Subaru is. spoiler[She even is out of commission for recent arc and show doesn't seem to suffer for it] It sounds like Jean-Karlo quoted random popular isekai animes with male protagonist to try to make a point, since there actually are quite a few series where male protagonist actually is kind of pointless, if one bothered to look. EDIT: I also want to agree with people who point out that most of the kids are no worse than your average teenagers, so agreeing even partially with secret cabal that murders them hiding that from public opinion for having being born with powers while not being a perfect kids and for potential crimes is a weird take. |
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MiloTheFirst
Posts: 429 |
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Personally i am enjoying this series quite as bit, after every episode it effectively keeps me looking forward to next week. That been said, i think TWIA is over praising it, the "quality of the writing" as they put it, is nowhere near as good as they make it out to be. To be frank the show just relies too much on the students being unbelievable dumb for most of Nana's schemes to work. As much as the show tell us that they are teens and highly egotistical, the level of indifference and neglect the display as the corpses and disappearances pile up just demands too much suspension of disbelief from the viewers. Also the degree at which most of them trust Nana more often than not feels like lazy plot armour. Don't get me wrong, i do find this show enjoyable but let's not pretend it is more polished than it really is
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a_Bear_in_Bearcave
Posts: 511 Location: Poland |
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One of the surprising thing is how much better the anime format fits the manga source, at least to me, manga reader that dropped the manga I think during the necromancer arc? The faults you point out were somehow much harder to ignore in the manga releases. |
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