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「灰染めのチェスにチェックメイトを告げる」 (Hai-zome no Chesu ni Chekkumeito o Tsugeru)
“Call Checkmate on an Ash-Colored Chessboard”
Wow. That was rushed.
Well, ok, it wasn’t that bad until near the end. But they went from Albert finally taking action by throwing down Roget from power, then having Victorique explain his true plans, then having him actually gather his minions and present a speech, then get revolted and killed. Yeah, we saw the rise and fall of a soon-to-be dictator, all in one episode! How’s that for a quick career? Clearly something to behold. I guess I’m satisfied to see him die so quickly after seeing him bite Victorique’s ear like that, which just further shows how much of a sick fuck he is, but where’s the sympathy in his character? Where’s the gray area for this dude? He’s just going to be evil, creating homunculus, gaining power, because he got fooled by Leviathan for a bit? At least Roget had a legitimate reason, something I can get behind, and at least he was trying to avoid the war. I’m a pacifist. I support Roget. Albert dying so easily and quickly like this… may be a little anticlimactic if nothing bigger happens next episode.
Speaking of which, it’s still 1924. Well, 1925 after Christmas, but only the beginning of it. What the hell are these people doing preparing for a war that doesn’t start until 1939? I mean, I thought it was those Bunnies vs Saubure, but that’s not even close. In fact, I had it completely the opposite. Those bunnies actually support Victorique, who kind of got turned into a symbol of propaganda (which is kind of cool). I did not see the switcheroo coming, but I also didn’t see Cordelia being the one duking it out with Albert. I mean, seeing Cordelia whip out dual mini-swords and fight with some delicious BONES animation is great and all, but really? Cordelia was such a veteran at dual wielding swords all this time? I was laughing the entire scene seeing her little frame going against a broadsword like a cat playing with yarn.
The angst of the twin Roscoes is starting to annoy me. Seriously, just get over yourselves. They’re terribly immature to hate on an innocent girl (you can’t choose who you’re born as for the doubters), and what good is killing her going to do for you? Cordelia will just hate you afterwards. I do like the good brother/bad brother dynamic though, and how they decided their roles. The good Roscoe got stabbed by a freaking granny though. Why were there so many ridiculous things going in the final moments? And by the way, am I just supposed to accept that Roscoe had a twin brother all this time now? Like that’s just how we’re going to roll is it GOSICK? That surprise no-explanation introduction from two episodes ago was all you had to show for it? Bollocks. Looks like Cordelia and Good Roscoe die though.
Oh, and Kujou as a soldier trainee? Laughed my ass off seeing him without his hair. Almost unrecognizable without the ‘do. Sure says something about the character designs huh? Sigh, this is shaping up to be one ridiculous finale. Way too many ridiculous things occuring, and not enough time to explain them. I have doubts that even with explanation I would agree with it. The Kujou/Victorique romantic dynamic is getting stale too. It’s stayed way too one-dimensional. I also read the finale to GOSICK was kind of off-putting. I’ve completely killed any expectations after this episode anyway.
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The thing I didn’t like was that Cordelia left her daughter’s protection to the brother that hates her? What was she thinking? When Victorique was in that room and someone came in and they didn’t show who it was I knew it was her mother and they were gonna do a switch.
As for the brothers its quite common over the years for magic acts to use twins where one is always hidden (at least they do that in movies, books, and now animes too).
After all that that bastard as done (topped off by biting his own daughter’s ear) I think he got away with too quick a death. I wanted to see him suffer alot! I was also hoping the drill would nut up and realize that his dad was a psycho and help his sister.
You know as well as I do that the reasoning behind Roscoe having a twin isn’t the problem here. It’s how they nonchalantly introduced him like, “hey, this dude looks like him, and now he’s going to do things like he was always there since the beginning.”
I dont think that is true. I mean we have seen him but never picked up on it. Like couple of episode back in 16 How was it possible to be in two places and episode 21 again the same question. Yes I do agree that they should explain themsleves but GOSICK is great because of the clues we fail to get. Remind me of Batman Arkham Asylum the Game, you really have to think to find the riddlers clues and you wonder how in the hell BUT WHEN YOU FIND IT WELL YOU KNOW YOU FOUND IT.
When I saw Kujo with that haircut there’s no way he could look any worse. But I was wrong after seeing his face getting beaten up.
I could not tell that that was Kujo at all. I actually had to watch the scene twice just to find him after I figured it out. lol
This episode is such a mess. The build-up for the finale could’ve been great if they have taken more time with it. Not sure if it was bad writing from the novel or just horrendous direction.
Like Kiiragi, my expectations for the finale is killed after this episode. The series started off great with the Queen Berry’s voyage but has gone downhill since then. At this point, I just want to get the series done and over with. Gosick is probably one of Bones’ weaker series and hopefully they can redeem themselves with No.6. Dantalian no Shoka which is replacing Gosick’s time slot looks great too.
XD It took me rewinding 2 or 3 times to hear his voice before I realized it was him, wow are the designs generic. At least for the younger characters.
Agreed about how rushed it felt. I’m feeling excited that it’s all coming to a close, but that doesn’t blind me from how shallow this episode was. Too much happened and nothing sank in. Albert suddenly became prime minister and I was thinking “Wow, how will they deal with- oh, Cordelia killed him.” And Roscoe getting killed by the granny was completely pointless, a major character killed by a nobody.
Overall, it felt as if they just wanted it to be over and done with. Sadly I just don’t see what can follow this that would even matter very much now. Victorique and Kujo get together again? That’s pretty meh in the grand scheme of things, what with alternate-history WWII going on and Saubure in turmoil.
I was hoping to see Victorique’s brother saving her out, the “but” part when he left out in the car made me think he was going to do something against his father. Maybe in the last episode, where Victorique was about to get killed?
Great text but you know Kiiragi, a simple “HOLY SHIT” would have been quite enough xD
no offense but aren’t all soldiers supposed to LOOK generic? Though i do feel that this episodes was a bit rush i actually liked it. seeing Cordelia fight like Yoda was a awesome treat. I can’t wait to see the last episodes.
I just want to see it end. At this point, I don’t care how ridiculously rushed it is, I’m still pumped for the finale and hopefully I’ll get my hands on some of the books in the future.
I blame Bones for this adaption. When you’re cramming ONE ENTIRE light novel into 20 minutes (the train episode), red flags should go up. But nope, Bones feels it’s a-okay to make a series like that for some absolutely bizarre reason.
Still, I’ve definitely enjoyed GOSICK, just not this adaption.
Oh and as for the timing issues, don’t forget that Victorique sports a Victorian era wardrobe in the twenties. This is just what GOSICK does, rewrites history.
To be perfectly honest, I didn’t find it “rushed” at all (at least not in a bad way). It felt more like a penultimate episode that knew how to build to a great climax. Obviously, Cordelia wouldn’t have left Victorique with that brother if she honestly knew that he was likely to kill her. I had no problem with the emotions of the twins either. Misplaced aggression isn’t a bad device by default, and I didn’t find it to be such here. Furthermore, I still enjoy the Kujou/Victorique dynamic, which seems to be the focus for the finale.
Finally, why must a villain always have a gray area? Why must a villain always have sympathy? A villain doesn’t have to have that in order to be a great villain. He can just as easily be a man with high ambitions, no compassion, and hard-to-justify views that make him the guy you want to see lose.
Also, forgot to mention that I don’t find it a bad thing that the finale looks to focus on Kujou and Victorique. That is what this entire series has been about, after all. Regardless of whatever mystery was present, their relationship was always there, not to mention the episodes devoted entirely to it.
I agree 100% with that.
Meh… i just want to point out that BONES has become a bit notorious for their adaptions of print material: usually awesome for the first half, starts dropping it in the middle third, blows it at the end with original illogical (and overdramatic) plot twists.
If they’re staying true to GOSICK’s print material all the way, I’ll be impressed even if the timing and direction turns it into a messy mush.
It´s clear that it was rush a little, but the main issue from this lat arc is reunite Virtorique and Kazuya, so Ithink Ican overlook all the rushing if those two get a decent happy, I mean, they sure have suffer enough.
It´s true that tehe preparations for World War II seen early, but you have Kiiragi that Adolf Hitler was plannig the domination of continental since the very ending of World War I. Everyone in the continent knew it, but uderestimate the capicity of recovery of the German Army after the hit it took from the Treaty of Versalles.
Even when everything feels rush right now, I still have hopes for the ending, just get them together, after that I can rage all I want against BONES for taking this rabit out of thin air.
Many Germans wanted revenge for the entire between-wars period. It is not wothout reasons some historians call the period 1914-1945 Great War with 20 years of armistice…
What happens at the ending though in the light novel? Spoiler tag please 🙂 Much appreciated?
AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! MORE characters in anime should be killed off so easily. what a TREAT!!! all i need now is for kujo to get with aviril instead of victorique, a perfect circle.
I absolutely loved this episode. The plot was intense and the animation was gorgeous.
First of all, GOSICK probably takes place in an alternate timeline where WWII occurs much earlier. Second, is there really any need for a gray area? Plenty of people have been utterly corrupted by power, and I don’t see why Albert has to be any different.
As for Cordelia having mastery in sword fighting – she was kidnapped and raped, it’s only natural that she would pursue some sort of means of self defense after that, and she had the entire time between escaping from the asylum up to now to develop her fighting skills. Plus, she has the agile body of a dancer and her body is small so she would be pretty fast. It’s a little unnatural, but explainable if you think about.
For the two Roscoes hating on Victorique – humans are irrational creatures. I’d imagine you’d be pretty angry too if the person you loved decided to sacrifice themself for the child of a person who raped them. The twins aspect was pretty sudden, but all of his tricks and sudden appearances can be explained with this.
Having little gray area makes Albert too simple to me, and I felt like there should’ve been more to him instead of a one minute explanation that basically summed up what we already know. He was the prime villain of the series, but his drive is so boring.
The problem aren’t the reasons behind these developments, such as Cordelia’s sword fighting, and trust me, these reasons are more than obvious in my head. It’s the lack of exposition. I couldn’t help but laugh at Cordelia suddenly being a pro.
Same with the Roscoes. It’s not like I don’t know and understand the reason that they’re angry. Again, likely a problem of not fleshing it out. Roscoe’s just tunnel-visioned on Victorique being an evil sin, and that’s how it’s been since he was introduced. It’s like, “okay, what else is new?”
I’m tired of grey area in anime. It’s so overdone, especially in Bleach or Naruto… bad guy always have a reason for being bad and tries to get us to understand his reasoning. Sometimes, people are just evil. I see Albert in the same light as Hitler… I wouldn’t call his drive to get power boring since that happens in real life all the time.
I was totally blown away by this episode, cant wait for the final now. This series has proved the sleeper hit of the past 2 seasons for me and I cant wait to see how they end it.
But its been a while (well since Madoka magica :P) that ive actually stopped for a second after an episode of an anime and just sat there finding myself saying “That was awesome.”
I say, dont think too much and just enjoy the story. It was pretty epic. I got to say. and exciting. The victoria and Kujou love is still sweet, like a classical novel where two lovers are seperated by the flames of war.
All in all, I loved it. A great change for a anime that started small scaled.
” this is shaping up to be one ridiculous finale” – i agree
” Way too many ridiculous things occuring, and not enough time to explain them. I have doubts that even with explanation I would agree with it” – i agree too
” I’ve completely killed any expectations after this episode anyway” i still hope 🙂
1. I think it’s funny how Albert thinks his little shit country can make a difference.
2. I’m
1. I think it’s funny how Albert thinks his little shit country can make a difference.
2. I’m quite non-hyped and already underwhelmed about the final episode as well.
3. I almost hope everyone dies, only downside with that is that I have wasted about 12 hours on this crap. 🙂
I am surprised by all the negative reactions here, I thought the episode was great!
Albert finally exploited his intelligence to expose Roget and get the Prime Minister’s seat. His motivation has always been to revive the occult, no surprises here. It’s good to have a pure evil antagonist sometimes.
I felt the heaviness of the separation between Victorique (trapped in her father’s machinations) and Kujo (training as a soldier for the Japanese Empire). It was also sad to see the empty classroom.
I absolutely loved the showdown between Albert and Cordelia and I don’t think her swordmanship is unrealistic. After all they always said that the Gray Wolves have exceptional abilities. It’s karmic justice that Cordelia gets to kill the man that raped her and ruined her life. Shame for Good Brian, at least he died alongside his beloved Cordelia.
Lastly, I can understand Evil Brian’s hatred for Vicky, although he is inexcusable for trying to kill an innocent girl. I hope it will be Grevil to save her, thus redeeming himself. Then she can go meet Kujo for their deserved reunion.
The last novel of Gosick takes places after a ~ten years timeskip, the anime doesn’t.
So much for the “years from now” prophecy.
My only guess is that they made the prophecy like how it was in the earlier volumes, but when they got details about the last novel, they decided to say “fuck it” and skipped the timeskip.
Also, lol at Cordelia jumping around like Yoda
The episode was fine to me though i struggled to realised at first that the soldier was Kujo. The fact that “good” Brian took a stab but seemed fine after that was the major problem i had with the episode. Cordelia being an expert dagger fighter is acceptable simply because we know so little about her during the period from when she was rescued to current.
As for Albert, some people simply are greedy for something to the point of obession. To Albert, it is simply power though his entire idea is idiotic. His country would be stomped into nothing once war started. His so called homunculi are not worth much since they are simply untrained people (who drop like flies to bullets). If he had a few golems that were invulnerable then sure, he could make a go for it. So far his plan is just suicide.
Is it just me, or did the last 3 minutes of this episode seem like a huge WTF moment? Anyone kind enough to explain (in spoiler tags of course), because I still have no idea what the heck happened 🙁
Show Spoiler ▼
I’m really going to miss you around here Kii. You tell it like it is.
Props to the people who still have faith in a strong ending to this and have loved the ride (and this ep). I really tried, but to no avail. I’ll try to stay open-minded for a pleasant surprise though.
It’s kind of starting to remind me of the other bones’ series Darker than Black. Their endings were all over the place as well weren’t they?
Gosick 24 is out and it was great. Good way to finish the series.
Lol whats up with having Victorique in a nun outfit? Not complaining though ^^
I agree with Karmafan, last episode was good…though Show Spoiler ▼
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