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Edjwald
 Posts: 1143 |
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I'll third the sentiment that Yor's brother is the least entertaining character. There was one segment in season 1 where he began chowing down Yor's cooking with every semblance of delight while simultaneously vomiting, and that amused me because it became clear how she'd managed to stay such a poisonous cook without any improvement over the years. But other than that, I share Anya's reaction: Blech!
As to Fiona...I take it that's Nightfall? I thought she was way more entertaining than Yuri. The way she acted one way on the outside and the opposite on the inside had some comic value as opposed to Yuri' who's got his siscon on 24/7. There's even something at least a little poignant about Nightfall even if she is a ruthless byatch. That said, I'm enjoying this season a lot. I grant that it feels a little bit like that Horimaya missing pieces experiment last season, at least thus far, but I don't mind. I don't know that I'd want the strange comic strip format mini segments to become a regular thing, but it was cool and novel as a break in pace. |
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zfunk
Posts: 252 |
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The English dub of the new season is out.
Well I agree that Yuri is not a character that should be the center of an episode, but he is not alone, there is another character that fits the bill, that I cringe when he is the prospective of an episode, and that Damian, he is just as unfunny and unentertaining as Yuri, if not worse. If Yuri is one joke character, that is more than Damian. They need one of our main characters to play off of. And we got the last two episodes is a double dose of Damian and Yuri. With little of the characters we want to see. |
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Harleyquin
Posts: 2856 |
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S2 #3
Unlike everyone else, I actually preferred the Yuri segment rather than the second half Bondman original. Not because of Yuri the character per se, but for the (sanitized) reimagining of what the Stasi used to do before the country reunified. Yuri's sister complex makes him a liability if Ibarahime (and by extension Tasogare) is involved, but he's actually competent at doing what he does and for all his comic exaggerations he does understand the importance of family even for the culprits he's directly involved in apprehending. That same complex of his means Tasogare will always have the one up on him, provided he doesn't let family dull his edge too excessively. I wasn't sure what I was watching for the Bondman original, although it's a change of pace from the usual fare. Unfortunately it was so short they had to throw in two extras featuring Anya to make up the airtime, which I didn't really like as I would have preferred a different short story which covered the airtime completely (and with the main cast featured) rather than a Bondman skit which was too short. Next episode looks like another interesting one-off, this time featuring Anya and schoolmate. Those tend to be entertaining because of what the kids can get up to. |
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DuskyPredator
 Posts: 15480 Location: Brisbane, Australia |
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I was kind of thinking. Based on the prominence of government control, you would have thought that Bondman would probably be something state propaganda. The segment in the episode more of just played into him building a harem of all enemy women by seducing them. I can't tell if there is an intention of doing something like making fun of the elements of casual sexism that would bee part of a cartoon from at era. Whether it would be good for kids like Anya to idolise the character.
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smurky turkey
Posts: 1951 |
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A nice fluffy episode this week. Be it getting the elusive pastry or finding a lost cat, both missions were succesful, though the end result was a disappointment in both cases. I do like seeing that Anya is slowly getting better at her tests though, as for Franky..... good luck.
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Lizuka
 Posts: 259 |
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This one was kind of another in the, "Fun but slight," column, but was good getting to see more focus on the leads this week. Am glad that next week looks to be kicking off a story arc.
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Edjwald
Posts: 1143 |
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Yah. Don't get me wrong, I love this show, and I'd rather have what we're getting than nothing. And the first 3 episodes of these kind of filler arcs was a break in pace. But today, it started to feel a little bit like instead of a season, I was watching a series of OVAs. That said, I really enjoyed the Franky sketch. |
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Harleyquin
Posts: 2856 |
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S2 #4
The last of a month's worth of short stories, as the next arc is so major it even has its own news article on this website highlighting the change. That said, I liked this last pair of short one-offs compared to the week preceding it. Both episodes had one thing in common: viewers could see the developments a mile off because they were so predictable. Anyone who has watched the show from the very start would have expected this anyway. Nonetheless, it's still funny seeing the kids' reactions as well as Franky's. Tasogare reads too much into Anya's tests. She probably is improving even though she started from practically zero for a base, but she's still well behind the standard required to be an imperial scholar. The placebo effect was visually striking, but nothing more than that. If anything, I reckon she just got (un)lucky with the ancient language exam. If pastries could generate intelligence artificially, one would think Anya could mind-read her fill of them with the right manipulation. The Franky arc had two snippets which might be important later on: the first is Franky knows about Ibarahime's organization and how formidable it is. The second is Ibarahime gets "client" calls at her workplace as well in addition to her former residence with her younger brother. That suggests her front at City Hall was arranged by the Garden, which is why Tasogare's end couldn't find anything untoward with her as she's backed up by just as strong an intelligence network as Tasogare's is. |
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smurky turkey
Posts: 1951 |
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As fun as the past few episodes were with short stories, there is nothing like the start of a brand new arc. New interesting characters, including more information on a very deadly gardener/garden. A new setting, a boat filled with most of the family and tons of assassins and celebrities, chaos will surely follow. We also have a storyline with not just the protection of the mother and child, but also Yor wondering if she should stay an assassin or not.
Again, nothing against short stories, but I am really looking forward to this arc. |
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Beltane70
 Posts: 3892 |
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I think that the outfit that Yor borrowed from the woman that she was protecting was probably the most adorable thing that I saw Yor wear!
The coolest thing that I thought about the episode is the fact that the cruise ship, Princess Lorelei, is based on the real life cruise ship, the Queen Elizabeth 2. I'm only familiar with the QE2 is because my parents when on a cruise on her back when I was 9-years old. While the QE2 is no longer in service as a cruise ship, it is now serving as a floating hotel in Dubai. |
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Harleyquin
Posts: 2856 |
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S2 #5
The long-awaited long story arc of this season finally debuts. And it's focused on Ibarahime this time instead of Tasogare or Anya. Given both of them are on the ship as a result of Anya's mind reading, Ibarahime's mission isn't going to be as straightforward as she hopes. No wonder Ibarahime's organization is the "Garden", it's a literal garden being tended by the mysterious shopkeeper whom audiences finally get to see in the flesh. Taking into account how he handles shears, it looks like he's a dangerous one if backed into a corner. Ibarahime's not very complicated so she's easy to manage, but I'm not going to think too much about what's fertilising the soil. Unlike the short stories, this long arc has serious undertone as the protection mission involves a mother and child who have quite literally lost all of their loved ones. I wonder how much empathy Ibarahime will have for their plight, and how she will sort out how she feels about her cover family when confronted with a real one that is banking everything on this escape. There are at least four assassins and the entire ship has been wiretapped. It won't be long before they make a move and Ibarahime has to fend them off without blowing her cover to Tasogare. Anya as always is the wild card, so how useful will her mind reading prove in a crowded ship with too many targets to focus on? |
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Edjwald
Posts: 1143 |
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Welp, I wasn't expecting Yor to embark on some serious soul searching as well as a mission, but it's a pretty involving development. I have to say,I like Lloyd's boss better than Yor's...that gardener character was creepy as @#$%! Given how he didn't seem to hold back when he thrust those shears at Yor - after trying to distract her no less - I have a feeling his big picture doesn't end at killing "evil doers." Somehow, I think former operatives who are no longer useful and know too much might also be considered necessary sacrifices for his beautiful design.
Of course, I've always thought that the logical endgame for a series like this would be for Lloyd and Yor's loyalties to be tested by having their countries pit them against each other. On the one hand, I I hope that scenario's still a long way off, but on the other, I like seeing Lloyd and Yor's relationship progress. Their relationship with Anya too. Loved it. |
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smurky turkey
Posts: 1951 |
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Nice bit of chaos and action this week. Yor and Matthew have a difficult time keeping their targets alive. It is interesting to note that there is a difference between the individual assassins and how they go about things. Most want to dispose of the target in a stealthy way to avoid a panic/collateral while others do not mind just killing random people until they find the right one. As for the sickle/chain dude at the end, he is a wild one.
Also kudos for Loid spotting the bugs and suspicious people, he might be more suited for protection duty than Garden members are skillset wise. |
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Edjwald
Posts: 1143 |
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I think Lloyd is more of an all rounder, and Yor is usually a heat seeking missile with knives, Is Yor's partner the gardner himself, or another operative? I wasn't expecting him to be so effective. I also wasn't expecting Yor to be sensing killing intent. Felt like I was reading a wuxia novel for a moment, Good stuff. |
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Harleyquin
Posts: 2856 |
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S2 #6
Fans who have been deprived of action scenes involving Ibarahime are in for a treat, there's more in this week than the average over all the episodes aired to date. Unfortunately for Garden and the protection target, the number of assassins runs into double digits and they have no way of escape until they eliminate enough pursuers and/or find a place which isn't bugged where they can hide until the rendezvous. For the first time (ever? this season?), Tasogare is relegated to a minor comedy role for this entire arc. His skillset allows him to spot the wiretaps and assassins before they reveal their cover, but he's off duty so cannot intervene. As mentioned by others, he's much better at escort duty because of his skills and mindset but this story isn't about him and he really should be on vacation. As for Anya, her delusions are not totally off the mark. If Tasogare does witness Ibarahime in combat it might well imperil the relationship balance built up to date. Not sure how she can assist her "mother" as the scythe assassin looks strong and won't be tripped up by child's play, but Anya has little room and time to manoeuvre. Even if Tasogare doesn't witness Ibarahime in combat, if he does learn about Garden's existence in this trip and confirms they're real it will complicate matters moving forward. This is something even Anya cannot control, so as a wild card it makes this arc more interesting than it first appears. It doesn't look like it's ending next week either, so more to look forward to. |
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