Forum - View topicWhen is the best time to drop Kare Kano?
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dtm42
Posts: 14084 Location: currently stalking my waifu |
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Since we're between seasons I am currently slogging through my backlog, and one of the shows I'm watching is Kare Kano. I've heard it falls to pieces and I don't feel like sitting through numerous recap episodes and barely-animated filler. But I'm also worried that before my patience runs out I'll continue past a good stopping point (or two), or else drop it too early when there are still worthy episodes left to watch. So my question is simple: what is the best episode at which to drop the show? I've heard eighteen is the last good episode, but others say thirteen since that way you can avoid all the recaps.
Your thoughts? [EDIT: My OCD took over, and I fixed your title. -TK] |
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nobahn
 Subscriber Posts: 5226 |
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Much as I adore the series, a very, VERY serious argument can be made that it is nothing more than an extended commercial for the manga (which does make for good reading, by the way). It doesn't have an ending, so -- in my opinion -- it doesn't matter where you drop it.
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Errinundra
Moderator
 Posts: 6692 Location: Melbourne, Oz |
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His and Her Circumstances falls in heap after episode 18. Hideaki Anno is director to that point and, never an admirer of his until watching this, it's my favourite thing he has ever done. Once Kazuya Tsurumaki takes over from episode 19 the fun and sharpness evaporates. I explain further here.
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dtm42
Posts: 14084 Location: currently stalking my waifu |
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Firstly I don't read manga, and so there is no way I will ever experience the end of the story first-hand. I'll grant you in that I'm a tad unusual in this respect so the many people who do read manga will be able to finish the story. Secondly, the anime does go downhill, and there's no point in watching crap when you could just drop the bad episodes or - if you collect manga - be reading the manga instead.
Thanks. I guess this means that the payoff in episode eighteen is worth sticking around through one-and-a-half episodes of recap. That's good to know. I might have dropped the series when the recaps started if I hadn't known this. Or I might have continued past eighteen and regretted it. Thanks once again. |
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Redbeard 101
Oscar the Grouch
Forums Superstar  Posts: 16983 |
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While I would agree it falls downwards at a steep angle once Anno is no longer directing, I feel the show was already declining before then. I'd say at least from episode 16. I felt by that point the show was on a downward arc. I felt the romance was beginning to feel a bit forced for lack of better term. It simply didn't flow and progress as smoothly as up to that point. Don't wanna say anything specific and ruin it for anyone else who might read the thread. I agree it was still very good up to the director switch but I personally didn't see it as THAT huge of a sudden drop. Though I suppose that's like comparing jumping off the top of the Empire State Building as opposed to Khalifa Tower. Either way you're gonna have a bad day. |
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Spastic Minnow
 Bargain HunterExempt from Grammar Rules  Posts: 4644 Location: Gainesville, FL |
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I agree that it can be dropped after 18, unless you decide to pick up the manga afterwards. Episode 25 is also a self-contained anime original story about the sisters. I think it's cute- although these days it'd just be an OAD or some sort of extra, sparsely animated and pointless, but cute.
BTW, I just checked wikipedia's episode listings to confirm the numbers- If you haven't seen the show- don't go there. It spoils the ending of episode 18... actually, I'm going to edit the page to make it vaguer, but still, no need to go there. Even though you say you don't want to read the manga I'd still recommend it if at all possible. It was only the second series I ever read after being anime-only and apart from telling a very complete and interesting story I found it really informs you on the shojou format that it deals with. Read Kare Kano and you'll probably start to see the same type of pattern in other similar stories. |
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Kruszer
 Posts: 8015 Location: Minnesota, USA |
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Whereever you are now, and just read the manga, it doesn't have the anime's problems. You'll save yourself a headache.
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justsomeaccount
 Posts: 529 |
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Yes, episode 18 is the best to drop it if you don't want to see more.
Also, if you want some kind of half-forced-but-well-it's-something conclusion, you can watch the first half of episode 24, and don't worry because you don't need any extra context, it's already a weird open ending but at least it has some conclusion about their relationship (I don't think it's even canon because future episodes ignore that, but it serves as some kind of alternative conclusion). Ignore the second half, it's just more annoying recap. |
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Spastic Minnow
Bargain Hunter Exempt from Grammar Rules Posts: 4644 Location: Gainesville, FL |
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You mean the second half, the first half is *sigh* a recap.
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Beltane70
 Posts: 4183 |
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If you get as far as episode 18, why even bother dropping the series at all. At that point, you just might as well suffer through the remaining 7 episodes.
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Crisha
Moderator
 Posts: 4290 |
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If you want, dtm42, you could always drop it off at my place. I'm always up for free anime. Even though I already own this series, I could always make a few bucks on it. Thanks for the consideration, you're a generous pal.
When I eventually get to watching this series, my plan is to play it with the VLC media player so that I can watch those episodes at 2X speed... on half screen... while I do shit on the internet in the other half screen. Cheating? Perhaps, but I'll count that as a "Completed" on my MAL page, which is all I really want. Or I may just drop the series before then and accept that it'll be "Dropped" for good reasons. |
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Spastic Minnow
Bargain Hunter Exempt from Grammar Rules Posts: 4644 Location: Gainesville, FL |
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19+ is basically a second season that only frustratingly gets a portion of the way through before stopping in the middle of the story, never to pick up. It's a little like watching Kimi ni Todoke S1 plus that episode 0 recap, and the first 2 episodes of S2, an extra episode about the little old men that Pin sees when he gets drunk, a rerun of episode 0, and then the 3rd episode of S2 (right around where Kazehaya tells here to "forget about what I said"). And then nothing... ever. You read the novels/manga to get the rest of the story or get stuck wondering why they even bothered. That said, I have watched it all multiple times and am planning buying a new copy whenever Right Stuff has their next Nozomi sale. But then I do read the manga. As for reading the manga instead... well, it's true that the manga doesn't have the anime's negative problems, but it also doesn't have nearly the same comedic energy either, it's worth watching for the alternate way it's told, IMO. |
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Animegomaniac
Posts: 4286 |
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This reminds me- I stopped before the recap episodes myself but still haven't watched any more of it since. Since...
2013? Happy New Year! Years. I planned on watching the rest more for the Calvello bumpers {shame. Wait, no, I mean...} but it's a pain getting everything synced from the menu. Plus, I never even knew they were on the set until I fiddled around with the options on the 2nd DVD. Reason I'm happy with the show: Lisa Ortiz in anything always makes me smile. Oh, the show, right. In Japanese. It borders from no budget to low budget and that's on the good episodes? The opener and closer, right, those are good. And the fact that the ending is just some live action footage is by no means an indication of how cheap the animation is. That's what the opener's for. |
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Spastic Minnow
Bargain Hunter Exempt from Grammar Rules Posts: 4644 Location: Gainesville, FL |
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I always figured the live action stuff and Popsicle stick figure puppet (STICK PUPPETS!) segments to be more an indication that Gainax were absolutely horrendous at budgeting their time.
It's like the situation in Shirobako, except no one heroically showed up to "animate the horse sequence"... or anything else... and instead of the director taking too long to storyboard the end of the last episode, he quit and everyone else just had to throw things against the wall to see what stuck. |
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HaruhiToy
 Posts: 4118 |
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I think you have to watch all of it. It is so rare to see a decent female lead end up spoiler[having sex] with a decent male lead that you have to go through and watch it all just for that.
There was so much they did right with this anime that you have to forgive what they did wrong. I wish a decent shop would pick it up where it left off but I definitely wouldn't want to see a remake of what they have already. |
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