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EP. REVIEW: Shadows House


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Princess_Irene
ANN Reviewer


Joined: 16 Dec 2008
Posts: 2599
Location: The castle beyond the Goblin City
PostPosted: Sun Jun 06, 2021 5:42 am Reply with quote
Yuvelir wrote:

And here it is, the infamous JOHN PUNCH (isn't he a great boy?)


Yes! I kind of expected to like him, but he's even better than I'd been led to believe. What surprises me more is how attached I'm getting to Patrick and Ricky - there's a real sweetness there that I didn't expect.
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Maidenoftheredhand



Joined: 21 Jun 2007
Posts: 2632
PostPosted: Sun Jun 06, 2021 5:49 pm Reply with quote
Princess_Irene wrote:
Yuvelir wrote:

And here it is, the infamous JOHN PUNCH (isn't he a great boy?)


Yes! I kind of expected to like him, but he's even better than I'd been led to believe. What surprises me more is how attached I'm getting to Patrick and Ricky - there's a real sweetness there that I didn't expect.


I think Kate said it best she was expecting them to be enemies but Emilio made them friends. Our expectations are the same as Kate’s and Emilico changes our perspective as well.
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harminia



Joined: 24 Aug 2015
Posts: 1987
Location: australia
PostPosted: Mon Jun 07, 2021 1:21 am Reply with quote
Yuvelir wrote:
And here it is, the infamous JOHN PUNCH (isn't he a great boy?) and the confirmation of what adults are (and they keep getting goofier).


I've been waiting all season for this! It was every bit as good as in the manga.
Looking forward to next episode for that one particular Kate scene.


I'm really wondering where they'll finish the series seeing as the debut has gone for like 6 episodes. Better re-read the manga again to refresh my memory Laughing
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gsilver



Joined: 04 Nov 2007
Posts: 611
PostPosted: Mon Jun 07, 2021 11:40 am Reply with quote
I kinda worry that the Patrick and Ricky stuff is heading into death flag category. They have become far too likeable in a short amount of time in an arc where it is presumed that there will be a "loser" and the loser will die.
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Animegomaniac



Joined: 16 Feb 2012
Posts: 4070
PostPosted: Mon Jun 07, 2021 3:51 pm Reply with quote
I'm going to have to say it, Shadows House officially hit the point where it became about a story the majority of the adaptation shouldn't be. It's not the worse example I can cite... Tenjho Tenge fell into a ten plus episode flash back that it never pulled out of... but this Debut Debacle has all the rewatchability as a tedious tournament arc and the saddest part is I think the producers know it too.

Look, the show itself thinks the people watching the thing are more entertaining that the event. Were they stalling for time, is there an upcoming event that they want the season to end on?

Ah, the Heaven's Lost Property condition. That show ruined its own adaptation in order to end the series on a series changing event- and in order to end on that event, they ruined the series by adapting stories that occur after the event but stories that depend on that event occurring.

Shadows House isn't that bad but I do get the sense they are stretching things out way too much. Repeating things. Stretching and repeating. After making a point, they continue to hammer it...
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gsilver



Joined: 04 Nov 2007
Posts: 611
PostPosted: Mon Jun 07, 2021 8:38 pm Reply with quote
Animegomaniac wrote:
I'm going to have to say it, Shadows House officially hit the point where it became about a story the majority of the adaptation shouldn't be. It's not the worse example I can cite... Tenjho Tenge fell into a ten plus episode flash back that it never pulled out of... but this Debut Debacle has all the rewatchability as a tedious tournament arc and the saddest part is I think the producers know it too.

Look, the show itself thinks the people watching the thing are more entertaining that the event. Were they stalling for time, is there an upcoming event that they want the season to end on?

Ah, the Heaven's Lost Property condition. That show ruined its own adaptation in order to end the series on a series changing event- and in order to end on that event, they ruined the series by adapting stories that occur after the event but stories that depend on that event occurring.

Shadows House isn't that bad but I do get the sense they are stretching things out way too much. Repeating things. Stretching and repeating. After making a point, they continue to hammer it...

We're averaging about 4 manga chapters an episode, so the manga is pretty slow in this arc, too.
But, yeah, I agree that the debut basically being a shounen tournament arc is not really what I wanted from the show.
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Yuvelir



Joined: 06 Jan 2015
Posts: 1529
PostPosted: Mon Jun 07, 2021 8:42 pm Reply with quote
As someone who despises battle shounen tournament arcs I love this! But maybe because it's more like Takeshi's Castle than, well, a battle tournament.
Although it is indeed completely unlike anything before or after... and a good excuse to quickly develop several characters and their relationships by putting them in weird and varied situations. With how slow the manga is, this arc catalyzing so much was almost necesary.
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harminia



Joined: 24 Aug 2015
Posts: 1987
Location: australia
PostPosted: Mon Jun 07, 2021 9:14 pm Reply with quote
To be honest, I don't feel like the anime has particularly slowed down this arc. Although the chapters in the manga are short, the arc is still pretty long and there's lots to cover. Also considering the fact everything is now animated, that in turn drags it out more. As far as I recall they haven't added anything, beyond like expanding on Edward's piano performance.

I don't mind the length, because I enjoy this arc (and seeing John) anyway, but I can understand people comparing it to a battle tournament arc (which I normally find tiring and dull).
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simona.com



Joined: 20 Apr 2007
Posts: 330
Location: Tokyo
PostPosted: Tue Jun 08, 2021 2:48 am Reply with quote
I really didn't need the mother of al spoilers slammed right in my face on ANN News' index page. You should really edit it out from the intro, ANN staff.
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JadeDahlia



Joined: 14 May 2015
Posts: 70
Location: New York, NY
PostPosted: Wed Jun 09, 2021 3:27 am Reply with quote
simona.com wrote:
I really didn't need the mother of al spoilers slammed right in my face on ANN News' index page. You should really edit it out from the intro, ANN staff.


Completely agreed. I'm caught up on the show, but I was still shocked to see such a major plot twist/spoiler included there with no warning. It should definitely be changed for the sake of people who haven't gotten to that part yet.
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Hiroki not Takuya



Joined: 17 Apr 2012
Posts: 2501
PostPosted: Sat Jun 12, 2021 9:30 pm Reply with quote
What a lot of reveals! Though, relative to the concept that shadows develop their personalities over time and interactions, I wonder why Shirley didn't seem to but Kate had lots of personality from the very start?....And I would never have drunk that "coffee" when it seems to be "dirty" with soot (yuck!). Now we know why that was not only a bad idea but why Emilico shouldn't have had that second cup. That wasn't Yuban (for those old enough to catch the reference)...
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Yttrbio
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Joined: 09 Jun 2011
Posts: 3649
PostPosted: Sat Jun 12, 2021 9:40 pm Reply with quote
I don't know if "reveal" is the right word. As expository infodumps go, that was about as inelegant as it gets.
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blahmoomoo



Joined: 27 Jan 2020
Posts: 457
PostPosted: Sat Jun 12, 2021 11:54 pm Reply with quote
Hiroki not Takuya wrote:
Though, relative to the concept that shadows develop their personalities over time and interactions, I wonder why Shirley didn't seem to but Kate had lots of personality from the very start?


Something tells me this isn't the whole story, because Kate started with defiant thoughts about the system, something that doesn't match Emilico's personality.

The explanation makes sense for Shirley, considering Rum's personality was very quiet before she started to grow through her interactions with Emilico and the others. It also makes sense for Lou, since her personality revolves around her face. The explanation we are given doesn't match up for situations where the shadow and face personalities differ. Maybe the fairies/morphs have a latent personality that can clash with the personality that they mimic. Or it could be something else.
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Hiroki not Takuya



Joined: 17 Apr 2012
Posts: 2501
PostPosted: Sun Jun 13, 2021 1:14 am Reply with quote
Yttrbio wrote:
I don't know if "reveal" is the right word. As expository infodumps go, that was about as inelegant as it gets.
Yeah, it was that. While uncharacteristic for this show so far it did have the upside that now we don't have to keep waiting and wondering about the bunch of pesky Unnecessary Questions that have been lingering. And all in one spot too, sort of puts SAO to shame...

With the info from the last couple of episodes, I think one thing the writing did well was to make people like me care about the "dolls" and shadows and dread what is supposed to happen so it makes one want to see that plan thwarted by the canny Kate and maybe John (sowwy Lou, you's are to be raped, the ED says so...)
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DuskyPredator



Joined: 10 Mar 2009
Posts: 15433
Location: Brisbane, Australia
PostPosted: Sun Jun 13, 2021 4:39 am Reply with quote
I feel a bit cheated, because I was saying the theory that the Shadows are made of soot several weeks ago, and I was told that it could not be the case. Them being "fairy" like spirits made of soot seems like a technicality.

I will kind of agree that it was a bit too much exposition, while I am also very happy to have answers, I somewhat wonder if there is a purpose to have all of this knowledge at this point, after Emilico has faced some further more direct brainwashing.

The way it kind of seems set up is that the Shadows control the Doll (human), who in turn has some influence over the Shadow themselves, and can be controlled by the Grandfather. So the goal is to birth the Shadows, while still controlling them by having them think they are the ones in control. The dolls absorb personality from the human. And kind of points that Kate may be the one who is a particularly odd duck, her personality was more fully formed from the start, and Kate might be independent from the expected influences from Emilico if the grandfather can influence her.

Current wild theory without really anything to base it on, perhaps Kate already met someone in the past, and already formed the part of a person, that black doll might have been a gift from that person and is thus very important to who she is as an individual. Kate might then be aware that what Shadows do is not right in stripping freedom away or something, and thus wants to bring it down, as she treasures Emilico as an individual.
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