Forum

Last edited by Harleyquin on Sun May 23, 2021 7:03 am; edited 1 time in total

#7

This episode and the preceding one have so many reasons why I look forward to each episode every week. It's so fun, and it's great to see how Emilico defies expectations and overcomes the tasks set before her with others more than willing to help her.

Kate's ability to manipulate soot isn't unique to her; this week establishes most Shadows have some kind of special power related to soot. Begging the question, why does Edward have a human face when it's clear he's one of the Shadows (he dismisses their messages as inane, which you couldn't say if you were a doll and have to respect your masters)?

Besides the main five pairings, there's interpersonal rivalry between the other shadow groupings as well. One can tell some of the Shadows have nasty personalities like Sara, while others are more impartial. It's worth nothing the higher-ups are aware that Shaun, Rum and Emilico are good friends, which is surprising since they wouldn't have realised it just reading the report regarding the phantom incident.

Although Ricky and Lou are slowly making their way through the maze, it's clear the trio of Emilico, Rum and Shaun have already surpassed them. Teamwork really makes a huge difference, since the puzzles set for the dolls were easily solved by a combination of luck, experimentation and Emilico's spontaneous sense of adventure. Her choice of a wheelbarrow was literally to gather as much as she could so that she could give her mistress Kate presents, which she ended up giving partly to Patrick.

The accidental discovery of the map's hidden properties was again thanks to Emilico's blind luck, but she's so nice that she always thanks those who have supported her throughout the way. How can one not find her likable after working with her? Rum's ability to memorise anything she's seen and do non-elementary mental calculations without pen and paper make her much more formidable than her initial clumsiness makes her. However, her mistress Shirley appears to be in difficulty not less than Kate's.

I'm guessing Kate and Emilico will reunite next week, but not without some difficulty. Shaun and John will most likely finish the labyrinth first since they have Rum's map and a clear idea of how to reach the exit, but they need to resolve the problem with John's clothes.

Gotta say that I loved Emilico's general positivity, and the interactions with other characters including the shadows. Like how she was so friendly and wanting to help Patrick, only stopping when he explained it would hurt the pride of Patrick and Ricky, but she was able to leave some presents for him. Giving oranges to everyone, like when they met with Shaun and how he thought he figured out the puzzle, and then with John, when he admitted to an embarrassment over how he acted around Kate.

The puzzle stuff really made me think of some video game stuff, although I was just recently playing a Zelda game, which make maze like dungeons part of the parcel of figuring out puzzles.

#8

Emilico uses everything she has learned since she started service in the house. She couldn't read to begin with, but Kate's lessons helped her acquire enough vocabulary to read the message on the pillar to allow them to escape the maze. The wheelbarrow was used to house all of the useful items she would require on this task, which despite its weight proved its worth entirely. Probably have to thank Kate for instilling the obligation of attention to detail.

Lou and Ricky didn't really feature last week, so it's this week that we see their progression. By the looks of it, only Emilico figured out the gimmick for the lines so the pair of them wandered around looking for Masters depending on the map spots. Turns out Louise was found first, since she had the highest placing in the debut it was easy to get her out from her prison (rope ladder materials were all provided and the faces have enough knowledge to easily make one). Despite Patrick and Ricky's arrogance, they have been shown up on multiple occasions as less than close to being the perfect pair. I don't think Ricky will get the chance to sabotage them either, since Louise and Lou together won't be so easy to push over.

There are a lot of developments in this episode, especially towards the later half. Who knew Rum and Shirley never spoke (it seemed strange for their names to be so detached like Emilico and Kate, now we know why). Also, it appears Edward has made up his mind to relegate Rum and Shirley regardless of whether they pass the test on time. As for Edward and his peers, it is not a surprise that they are Shadows based on how they speak about themselves and the occupants of the Grandfather wing. I'd dearly like to know how he acquired a face of his own, and why two of his peers are supporting him in his efforts to climb the Shadow social hierarchy despite technically being competitors.

Next episode will be Emilico rescuing Kate, but she has little time. Kate has her powers, but she'll be forced to use them somehow if the cage gives way. As the last-placed pair, it's an even harder obstacle to overcome compared to Shirley (those threads are her clothes?!). Both Emilico and Rum have their work cut out of them if they want to pass the test on time.

The creators are really going all out on this series. The ED piano melody is specifically composed for this series, while the montage with Edward features a lot of material which is impossible to interpret for now based on what has been seen. Those familiar with the source material will probably read more into that montage, but I'm impressed with the effort put in and as always look forward to seeing how this all ends.

I loved Lou's The Town that Dreaded Sundown cosplay but it's so out of place that I'm guessing the show was referencing something that referenced Friday the 13th Part 2 that stole its look from that movie. Let me think... the Friday the 13th online game had Jason 5/ Roy wield the hedge clippers of the type seen here but had baghead Jason use a pickaxe.

Start running, Ricky, 'cause you're clearly a Chad. But Lou/"Rou" using Roy's weapon... if it's not an intentional shoutout then it's weirdest case of serendipity that I've ever seen.

But in regard's of Edward's true nature, wouldn't the more reasonable conclusion be that the face and the shadow combine at some point? The shadow's Id, the face is Ego and that finally explains why all the separate Shadows speak in third person.

And I just realize that as I draw out this metaphor more, it explains far too much of the series. Example: Hey, what happens if your Ego gets taken over by someone else's stronger Id? You become a mindless zombie.

Faces are what we show to the world, Shadows stay locked up until we learn self control. I knew the story was an allegory, I didn't expect a dissertation.

#9

If the debut is going to end next week, I have no idea how the final episodes are going to close out this quarter. Nonetheless, the entertainment value is still as high as ever.

ALL of the Shadows have human faces which they can show at will. We are not told how the union between face and shadow occurs, but that it happens after the end of a long process. I have a feeling that brief scene way back in episode 1 is a clue, but too little was shown to reveal enough details.

It's revealed in the credits: the new Shadow in this episode is unsurprisingly the Grandfather. He seems pleased with the way the debut is going and the methods used, so at the very least Edward has credit even though some of the other high-ranking Shadows disapprove of the encouragement of independent thought in the Faces.

Interesting tidbit: The debuts must feature at least one set of failed candidates. If the debut is so difficult that all participants fail, the organiser takes the rap as some candidates have to pass. A very corporate exercise of headcount reduction.

John's powers are of great interest to the higher-ups. It's probably listed in his spec sheet, but they'll want to develop them further despite how air-headed John is. Not sure if Louise has a soot-power, unless it's something more subtle and less flashy. No idea if Patrick has anything, since all he has is an ego but nothing to back it up. As for Shirley, she hasn't spoken at all since making her appearance and has done absolutely nothing.

Unsurprisingly the Louise and John pairings have passed the debut without incident. The Patrick pair are slightly behind but should make it, so the "last pair" refers to either Kate or Shirley. As it stands, Kate's pair is probably further away so they have a disadvantage. However, this story would end if Kate's pair were to fail now and it wouldn't be interesting if they did so something has to happen to allow them to pass. I thought Kate's powers would be used to effect an escape from the cage, turn out the escape was a lot more dramatic than anticipated and it completely made a mockery of Edward's attempts to sabotage them (the wheelbarrow turned out to be the best choice in the end to cushion the fall). The scene with the two of them chatting just before the rescue is the most surreal I've seen this series given the circumstances; however it probably did enough to calm Kate down and stop her from emitting soot.

#10

A very entertaining end to the debut. I'd seen the preview pics and knew the Kate pairing had passed, but the manner in which the pair of them overcame the odds was especially sweet as it completely confounded Edward's best laid plans and left him completely dumbfounded. Edward didn't come out of it too badly; he gets a promotion to be caretaker of the Children's Tower. However the two unforeseen circumstances (Shirley's fate and Kate's soot powers) might be trouble for him in the future.

Emilico never gives up. If there's anything to remember from the whole series, it's her indomitable trait. The nearby river was a stroke of luck as it allowed Kate to make the connection and take the gamble, which could only work because she could manipulate soot. Of course, the scheme was only possible because Emilico chose the wheelbarrow right at the start, the one tool which allowed her to pass despite Edward's original intentions.

It's what happens after the debut that contains the hard hitting revelations. The scene at the very beginning of the series now makes sense; the only thing we are not told is how the shadows and faces merge with each other. As the series has not ended with the pair passing, the remaining episodes will be devoted to Kate trying to undo the brainwashing of Emilico (greedy girl drank two cups of coffee so it'll need more effort than if she had drunk just one).

Kate is definitely the rebel firebrand Edward feared she would be, but Patrick and John don't appear to be too enamoured with the way the congregation celebrated the failure of Shirley and Rum. John appeared to give Kate a handkerchief during that short scene, I wonder what that's about?

The Shirley and Rum pair were doomed to fail, but it was small solace for Rum to finally hear her Mistress speak to her and accept her name. She's going to be one of the faceless dolls now, but is this the end of her in this work? Given how prominently they feature in both the OP and ED, it would be a shame to see them disappear.

It looks like my theory from a bit back looks most accurate, that the Shadows are made of soot and formed to resemble the dolls (human). The intention also seems to be that they are meant to form a personality by interacting with their face (Doll, Human), but the idea does not really seem all too reflective of Kate, who perhaps had her own personality from the start. Kind of thinking that it is not Emilico's fault, but what the deal is with Kate, perhaps along the lines of why she had that black doll that she is so protective of, like someone gave it to her and she formed a personality then. With Maybe Kate is trying to stop the whole brainwashing thing that is being done to human, that she might be aware of the nature of dolls are while only the shadows that get highest manage to get that information. When Shadows can completely control their face and become one.

Trying not to read spoilers for me as I scroll- Im only at the 3rd episode. Picked at random, but I must say I quite enjoy it. It's a bit pecuciar, not too sure what to make of the premises, but it's quite fun so far!

#11

Everything from the very first part of this airing has now been explained. Shadows visit the villages with their human faces on, they pick a few children and get them to drink soot-addled coffee, bring them back unconscious to the mansion and then get the morphs to assemble and pick a model to work with to create a Shadow. The train is powered by the coal formed from soot gathered by the Shadows, which in itself has minor brainwashing effects if burned over a long term for humans. The visit is due since Emilico's batch finished their debut so another batch has to take their place.

Although Kate's mistreatment of Emilico at the start is very similar to Sarah way back in episode 2-3 (visiting room without permission, looking at her diary without permission, handling her personal items without permission or knowledge, force-feeding water akin to the waterboarding of previous years etc.), Kate did it with very different intentions at heart. I didn't realise Shadows could cry or bleed, but they showed they can do both in this episode. Emilico's reaction to being told she's human instead of a living doll is typical Emilico, but her trust in Kate doesn't waver even after being told her beloved Mistress is really a copy of her and destined to merge if the House has its way.

As for Shaun and John, it appears performing actions contrary to what the Shadow House expects of a doll and its liege breaks the brainwashing. In John and Kate's case, the doll has to be put through some form of physical suffering to achieve its aim. If there's another coffee-drinking session in the future, those two will need to find a way to stop the faces from drinking it without being spotted.

It's a small surprise to learn John met Kate much earlier than was revealed. Emilico's fall from the window has had ramifications further reaching than initially expected. He's persistent, which probably won't endear Kate to him romantically.

Turns out Louise has a power of her own. Not sure when she realised she could manipulate Lou's expressions through her own soot, but her narcissistic tendencies reflect her soot power. I'm not sure she's right about Edward being the kidnapper, if he was he would be brewing coffee to brainwash Emilico again instead of tea. Also, the voice is different from Edward's.

Two episodes to go. The batch of Shadows has learnt about Emilico's disappearance and have agreed to help (more to spite Edward than anything else). Will they get Emilico back (apparently from the grown-up's tower at that)?

I knew John is a great character, this episode again proved it. Reading into elements, I wonder if there can be elements of imprinting when the Shadows are young, which is why they try to isolate them onto the Shadows that can be brainwashed, they want to keep them only loyal to the top.

Reading into general themes of the series, I am thinking of something along the lines of the aristocracy, about people within systems of power and how they seek to perpetuate the cycles. With that, it is not like the children born into those systems are something like automatically monsters, that is that even the shadow kids are not evil. But the system wishes to control them by feeding a sense of superiority over their servant, pitting them against each other as rivals, and a blind loyalty to the top. It is classic analogies about systems of power, having examples to make them happy they are not bellow, and make them turn on each other so that they don't question what the people at the top are doing.

I think repeating, I really like that the Shadows are not automatically evil, they are victims in this too, although Louise probably totally at risk of betraying them for her own glory and satisfaction. Also, Emilico is still just so her when excited to see a human's face in a mirror, despite it being her own face and just told there are no such thing as dolls.

Who the mysterious person is, no clue yet. Current theory without really any evidence is maybe who they thought it was would be replacing as in charge of the children ward. Basing that on nothing though.

DuskyPredator wrote:

I knew John is a great character, this episode again proved it. Reading into elements, I wonder if there can be elements of imprinting when the Shadows are young, which is why they try to isolate them onto the Shadows that can be brainwashed, they want to keep them only loyal to the top.

I wonder though to what extent they are brainwashed, and to what extent Shadows who show certain characteristics, like being gentle and kind, are simply disposed of one way or another, at an expense of Shadows who are egoistic and manipulative naturally and they are allowed to develop these traits- and some are sort of stuck in between, without progressing to the third floor, and only the most 'promising' ones get to experience it.

#12

I had thought it wasn't Edward because of the female voice used by the kidnapper, turns out Edward's soot power is a voice-changer in his shadow form. It's extreme for him to actually kidnap someone else's doll for interrogation; if anyone besides his peers found out on the adult's wing he might well get into trouble.

Kate gets a lot of help from her peers (and their dolls) for her quest, but for self-preservation they can go no further than their wing and Kate is left to her own devices when she crosses over. The motives vary (I thought Louise was doing it to spite Edward, turns out she just wanted to show off her powers) but they've done everything they can. It's probably unrelated, but Ricky and Lou's brainwashing appears to have worn off. Is the coffee time-limited? Or did something the masters say trigger a reaction?

The morph with the ribbon is shown more prominently this episode. She actually featured briefly last week but it wasn't highlighted. No surprises who it should be, but that raises another interesting set of questions which unfortunately probably won't be answered because next week is the last episode of this season. That one should be quite the cliffhanger, since the pair have to make their escape without getting caught or their presence being made known to any of the adults in this wing.

spoiler[ I've read elsewhere that the last three episodes of this season are not tied to the source material and will bridge the work it's based on only in the final episode. That would explain some inconsistencies; for those not versed with the source material last week's episode onwards marks the point where the two media diverge. ]

Harleyquin wrote:

The morph with the ribbon is shown more prominently this episode. She actually featured briefly last week but it wasn't highlighted. No surprises who it should be, but that raises another interesting set of questions which unfortunately probably won't be answered because next week is the last episode of this season.

So it is Shirley? They incorrectly presumed that she died when she fell to pieces, but a piece of her remains.

Was totally fooled by Edward's female voice too.

#13 End

A nice finale with the main pair escaping Edward's clutches with help from both expected and unexpected sources. John as expected decided to go it alone to save Kate, which was just as well as she could not have reached the children's wing without the initial tailwind. It's really contrived how he managed to cling on to the big raven and get away with it with Edward's companions in such close proximity, but this is an anime-original arc so the animators needed some leeway to get the happy ending. Author confirmed over Twitter that he gave the director carte blanche on the series finish, but he seems happy enough with the result and the series as a whole. He also confirms the last arc links with the source material.

This episode confirms what the morph with the ribbon really is. The true identity wasn't a surprise, but unless there's a continuation viewers will never know how and why the morph came to be. There's also a brief glimpse into the quarters of the veiled dolls, and those are much more spartan and more securely held than the dolls of the Shadow lieges. One more reason to read the source material for interested viewers though.

In the end, it's self-interest which motivates Louise rather than the sense of camaraderie motivating the male pairings. For as long as her interests align with her peers, Louise will not hinder Kate and Emilico on their future endeavours, although it makes her more fickle than the male pairs who have risked their necks in more ways than one over the original arc.

All in all, this has been an entertaining series with the promise of more adaptations to come. All will depend on how well the home release videos sell in Japan, since there's no immediate announcement of a second season. I'm not sure if the decision to include anime-original arcs and possibly alter some of the source material during the airing will impact commercial success, but if the fans of the source material buy enough to warrant another season then the chances are decent. ReoNa's ED song is memorable enough to feature in the Aniplex Summer Fest, which won't hurt that artiste's career path and give the series continued exposure long after its original run.

I thought the series high point was the debut and the garden challenge, the last arc was entertaining but not quite as impactful. No regrets seeing this through from the start; the visuals are great, the story is engaging, the setting memorable and the characters a diverse cast of both relatable and detestable individuals. More of the same gothic-inspired music if there's ever a second season would be great too.

If they ever do something like a second season, god hope that they don't do something like The Promised Neverland, as far as I am aware that did not do well for the reputation of CloverWorks. I say that as Shadows House has a similar feel with its mystery around a bunch of kids in a situation that can require mind games. I probably don't know what I am talking about, but I could see some movies.

Anyway a nice finale, I do think that there was some climactic element to see all Shadows and their faces catching Edward. Also as a more solid peak at all the other characters from the children wing, which certainly be where the story would continue. In regards to who else Kate might be able to trust to reveal the secrets. Also seeing more of Patrick and Ricky as good guys despite earlier happenings. Does make me wonder if Emilico's friendship mindset really does rub off on others. And some Shirley.

I really enjoyed this show, it was right up my alley from the start with its atmosphere, love the gothic stuff. The OP and ED are pretty much perfect, they are the ones I keep on re-watching, masterwork of tone. I might say that it started off a bit slow, really keeping its cards close, which is the more jarring when after the debut they pretty much explain everything. I might wish that there was a better way, although I don't want to be too harsh.

My rating, I am really hovering over two, like I really want to give it an excellent, but it makes me wonder if I am being too generous since I don't think it was perfect in everything. Screw it, I am giving Excellent (9/10), that alone is deserved in its signature aesthetic style, it is such a curious choice which I think that it had full confidence in, that I think it earned its place as being close to mandatory for those into anime. One thing, if there is anymore, please don't muck it up. Following this I don't think there would have to be a need for a sequel to rush towards a conclusion, following whatever political games exist would probably be plenty enjoyable. And I think that this was a series that made me really curious over its source material.

Forum - View topic
Shadows House (TV) (all seasons).

This Week in Games - Games Are Our Business... And Business Is Restructuring

My Happy Marriage Director Takehiro Kubota and Creating a New Fairytale

This Week in Anime - When A New Studio Takes Over Your Favorite Series

You and I Are Polar Opposites Volume 1 Manga Review

Voice Actor Kenichi Suzumura to Take Break Due to Poor Health

1st 2 The Quintessential Quintuplets Visual Novels Get English Release on May 23 (Updated)

Hisaya Nakajo's Hana-Kimi Shōjo Manga Gets Anime

The ANN Aftershow - Could There Be More Evangelion on the Horizon?

In the Shadow of the Beast: The Kaiju Genre & Kaiju No. 8

Before You Discard Me, I Shall Have My Way With You Volume 1 Manga Review

Kadokawa Co-Produces Anime for Garena Free Fire Battle Royale Shooter

Healer for the Shadow Hero Volume 1 Manga Review

This Week in Anime - The Anatomy of an Anime Waifu

Your Anime Rankings - Best of Spring 2024, Apr 29-May 5

Pop Star Crystal Kay on Singing Anime Songs and Growing Up Mixed-Race in Japan

The Dangerous Convenience Store Manhwa Volume 1 Review

	Anime News Network Forum Index -> General -> Series Discussion	All times are GMT - 5 Hours Goto page Previous 1, 2, 3, 4 Next
Page 2 of 4

Forum - View topicShadows House (TV) (all seasons).

Forum

Forum - View topic
Shadows House (TV) (all seasons).