First Impressions / Kyoukai no Kanata

「橙」 (Daidai)
“Bitter Orange”

This is what everyone’s been waiting for and I can concur that it did not disappoint. Kyoukai no Kanata has exceeded my expectations and then some with this episode and it definitely doesn’t fall within the 3-episode rule. This episode proves that the story has a ton of potential and opportunities for growth; not to mention that I think it’s been adapted wonderfully. Even though I never reached this far into the light novel, the anime keeps the story intact without confusing the audience or lacking key points. It’s a well told story with a rich setting and cast of characters and I can’t express how it captivates my attention in the best way. I look forward to hump days now!

A common theme that I’ve noticed in this series so far (aside from Akihito’s obsession with glasses) is how it emphasizes the fact that Mirai is “different” or rather, Mirai deliberately isolates herself because she feels like she’s different (in a bad way). All this time, the show focuses on her and her unique abilities and what she’s done in the past – but Kyoukai no Kanata is so much more than that. Akihito’s been subtly hinting his differences as well and it’s not until this episode that it all explodes. He can sound and act like your average run-of-the-mill guy, but the creators actually put some backbone to his half youmu origins. Akihito isn’t just another guy because he too, is different and he also feels like he can’t fully connects to everyone else because of what he is. The moment that Mirai finally sees who Akihito is and why he’s dangerous, I think she realizes that he’s also suffering the same things she was. She was making all the wrong assumptions (probably the same ones I had) about this guy that she knew nothing about – when in reality, he’s going through the same thing she is. Akihito even admits that he doesn’t have the vast number of friends and company that Mirai assumes he does – his only company is other youmu, Spirit Warriors and his mom (not even). The moment that Mirai runs up to embrace Akihito signifies to me that she empathizes with him and feels remorse for what he’s going through. She probably also feels a need to stop him because she feels responsible for putting him in that state. Although I still continue to favor the Mitsuki x Akihito pairing, I can see why Mirai and Akihito make such a complementary pair. They both have hardships which the other can understand and there’s nothing like stabbing a guy to prove your trust in each other. I think I’m sold on this couple.

A lot of people were also trying to guess who Inami Sakura (Toyota Moe) was… well she’s the younger sister of Yui. Her appearance in this episode was just as random and confusing as the last. As soon as she’s there, she’s gone. I feel like she’s the only missing link that’s untied to the rest of the story – not to mention that she’s not meant to be gifted like her older sister. So what’s her purpose and why is she here? Potential spoiler…Show Spoiler ▼

The rest of the story ties in very well and what I love about it, is that there’s always answers but even more questions. I was expecting the Hollow Shadow to consume Akihito, but I wasn’t expecting him to react (let alone, destroy the forest). I always thought he could regenerate, but that would be too predictable and obviously there has to be some side effects to being half youmu. Although he hasn’t openly admitted it, Akihito has probably killed more individuals than Mirai and by the looks of episode 2; he has some bad blood on his hands. On a plus side though, Akihito happens to be surrounded by people that care enough to try and protect him (and the city) from himself. While I think their top priority is to protect the town, they also do so by caging him in rather than killing him outright. Izumi seems to be the only character with an alternate agenda. I didn’t even notice it, but she swaps the Hollow Shadow’s ultramarine with another youmu’s to save it for herself. The scene post-credits shows that she’s stalling the Society for some reason and the old man in the chair… is her father? This leads us straight into another arc… but it also leaves Mirai with nothing for her efforts. Poor girl.

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TL;DR – @RCCherrie: I can see why it’s labelled as a dark fantasy now… Nicely done #kyo_kai! Never fails to surprise me one way or another.

 

Preview

82 Comments

  2. I hope it only goes uphill from here on. But on the romance part, as much as I like Mirai-Akihito pairing and is pretty much canon, I’d love to see Akihito-Mitsuki pairing as well. I never felt like this before since AnoHana where Menma-Jinta were pretty much cannon but I was rooting for Tsuruko as well.

    Great review and awesome screen caps. I’ve never been a fan of moe but I think Mio Mitsuki is cute.

    The Story You Don't Know
    Reply

  5. All of that for 200 yen. Really crappy job, especially when there are jerks like Izumi who take the fruits of other people’s labour.

    And I think Akihito’s mum must be an insanely strong spirit hunter, either that or she was lucky enough that Akihito didn’t lose control of himself when he was young.

    Arthuria
    Reply

  6. Very enjoyable episode. First thought is that, since Mitsuki and her family seem to be keeping such a powerful being like Akihito under surveillance rather than taking him out, I’d say Show Spoiler ▼

    . On a side note, Mitsuki wasn’t at the center of the action, but she did see that ‘alternate dimension'(?) start to develop and it looked similar to the background at the end. I think Mitsuki Show Spoiler ▼

    and I’ll be watching her behavior to see if it looks like she knows something. On a final note, as Akihito was headed to the loo, the quick side glance by Mirai was cute.

    SmithCB
    Reply

  7. Bespectacled Beauty and the Beast. I loved how the show sprung upon me te surprise of the price of “immortality” that Akihito has to pay. I also loved how Mirai immediately reflected upon her insistence on her being “monster”. And the theme that seems to arise is that we sometimes need our friends to protect us from ourselves. Akihito needs friends and thats why he insist on being (possibly more than…) friend to Mirai.

    ewok40k
    Reply

  8. That scene of the escalator labyrinth drew me into this episode.
    Not to mention the youmu rampage and all those feelings of despair.
    For a moment, I thought Gen Urobuchi was involved in the storytelling.

    Techim
    Reply

    2. I hope your not joking.

      Because seriously, Mirai’s blood was the main cause of him returning back to normal. Her body is covered by her blood and you should probably know by now how it affects a Youmu.

      Vaan
      Reply

      1. Don’t think he is joking though. Yes we get that part about “blood over her body” but hugging IS one of the most overused tropes that anyone can use…which Kyoani went for.

        The moment he started transforming into Youmu form, I was already thinking, “he’s going to be cured by a hug by the female lead, isn’t he? Yup…thought so…”

        Yuzu
        Reply

      4. Typical KyoAni to put love inserted in there.

        It maybe cliche but it doesn’t mean its bad. And speaking of love, Mitsuki would probably be jealous now that these two are going to get closer and closer since she shows some concern about Akihito.

        Vaan
        Reply

  10. best episode so far, demonstrated how much KNK is indeed not only enjoyable but a good one. despite the criticism so far (which is justified relatively).

    this episode feels a bit different. there wasn’t a moment to rest. from one battle to another in good-pace. moreover, the dark-fantasy element was finally felt. not only that, the characters and the relationship between them felt more real and close to the audience. it’s a bit late. but it better be late than never.

    Although it was great episode and best so far, there are still problems.
    something is still missing. there isn’t a “core” in that matter, despite those final moments this episode. while I enjoy the “everyday-fantasy-life” I’d like to feel where this show is aiming for.
    speaking of it, let’s not forget KNK is 1cour and we have been through third of the series, so…we need a real plotline.

    not only plot is missing. I said the characters and the relationships between them were conveyed better this episode. but it’s not enough.
    first I have a problem with Akihito. he just…doesn’t feel right. he can’t fulfil the role of the a true MC. we’ve seen that in the first 3eps where he was inconsistent. and..it still there. even the VA doesn’t feel right. it’s not that I hate/blame him or something. it’s just..he contributes to Akihito’s inconsistent, which is also prevent Akihito to be the MC he is supposed to be.

    having said that, we see significant improvement in all features, things simply going smoother. it’s a bit late, it’d have been better to be like that in ep 2-3 or something. but never mind.
    after that episode, it’s again look promising, even though…maybe it’s not the “hype” everyone expected, but it’s back.
    I wonder what KyoAni will do next episodes, I am really looking forward to that!

    p.s (random thoughts?)
    1. too bad at the Sakura’s apperances was unnecessary.
    2. Mirai managed somehow to beat the hollow shadow, which was said that even a swarm of “pro youmu-hunters” couldn’t do that. can’t be helped..it happenes all the time in anime.
    3. I wish the labyrinth and the stuff with Yui were more developed. something that should’ve happened in the previous episode. cant be helped either.

    thedarktower
    Reply

  11. annnnnnd this is was what I was waiting for: i really dont have a favorite anime this season; just a select bunch that i watch that i think are good, but i felt that Kyokai no Kanata would be one of those anime that i selected that would continuously be good and so far it has not let me down. The direction of the series could be a little tighter and the characters need to get fleshed out more (which I know is going to happen really soon so im not worried) but other than that, the series is falling together quite nicely. Subtle things like akihito’s reply upon asking mirai if he looked human and mirai throwing him a quick glance (almost flirty-like even) when he left to use the bathroom are good signs for future developments. While not my favorite series this season (nothing has truly grabbed me this fall..weird), I thought this series would be pretty good and so far it has.

    Now i noticed there was some confusion by some viewers in certain scenes, two of the ones ive encountered are why mirai hesistated to stab akihito and the hug towards the end: Mirai hesistated to stab akihito not because of some contrived drama, but because of her trauma when she killed someone possessed by the hollow shade (as seen by the flashback). The last time mirai attacked someone possessed by the hollow shade, she killed them and didnt want to have her hands stained with murder again. Despite being immortal, mirai wasnt sure if akihito would live. And two: mirai brought akihito back to his senses by burning the crap out of him with her blood. The hug was partly due to the remorse she felt and partly because she was trying to restrain him while using the blood covering her body to subdue him.

    From the looks of the OP it seems like Akihito might have a transformation past what we saw; look at the fire-beast’s mouth in the op; does it not look similar to akihito’s transformed start…plus akihito was launching fire all around in attempt to pretty much burn everything like we see in the op. I could be wrong but it seems possible.

    sonicsenryaku
    Reply

    1. Hmm good comment, yet something still feels off about that scene. Like I know that he’s partially immortal, but doesn’t that power come from the Youmu side of him? Why then did her blood only effect the Youmu side and not do anything to him? Why didn’t her blood work that way before when she stabbed him all those times in the past? Something just doesn’t quite add up here, but I’ll let it go for now and give the show a chance to try to clear some of this stuff up in coming episodes, but not really holding my breath. It still feels like they’re just bending the rules so that they can have a cliche hugging scene at the end of the climactic arc and get the fans talking and drawing fanart somehow.

      Not me
      Reply

      1. Hahaha you can never stop the fans from drawing fanart no matter what you do.. FANART IS POWER!!!…but to answer some of your lingering thoughts: when mirai was stabbing akihito for “practice”, her powers were always sealed so its not like he ever got the brunt of her full power. 2. her blood didnt effect a specific side of akihito’s self: mirai spraying her blood in him put his whole body in a critically unstable state which is a part of the reason why he lost control. Also, the influence of the hollow shade made it easier for akihito’s youmu side to appear. Those arent the specific factors needed to make akihito lose control as its hinted that he himself doesnt know what brings it forward, which is why he is so closely watched to make sure he doesnt do anything to agitate his youmu side.

        sonicsenryaku
        Reply

  12. Ok, this is COMPLETELY off topic but I just to had to share it somewhere! I had the weirdest dream last night.

    In my dream, I was Asobi (!). For some reason I have no idea why, me and Cherrie had to convince Kairi that we were dating! I don’t know/remember why but it was a matter of life and death. So, me (as Asobi) picked Cherrie up with my car and went to pick Kairi up together. When she entered the car – because you know, in my dreamworld, all the important talks happen in the car! – , Kairi insisted that we kiss, so we can prove that we are dating. So, we exchange a slight kiss on the lips with Cherrie and Kairi is all “Wow, you are really dating!”, and we are like “Phew, we made it!”. After that, Kairi looks at me and points something at my teeth, telling me that I have to wear braces again (lol). And then my alarm clock went off…

    Don’t take funny looks at me, I DON’T KNOW why I saw that! I don’t know why in my dream, I was Asobi in particular; I know nothing! I consider myself a pretty normal person who goes to work, watches anime and plays videogames in his free time. I am innocent! I just felt I had to share my dream with you guys. That’s all!

    Guest
    Reply

      1. Haha, glad you didn’t think I am a total creep or something. Even more glad that it made your day! I was actually thinking about it during the day laughing my ass off at how preposterous it was. I was like “What the hell are you dreaming of, brain? Get your shit together!” 😛

        Guest
        Reply

  14. Does no one think it strange that we don’t see the youmu appraiser become suspicious that the Hollow Shadow’s stone apparently disappears after the incident? Seems like either a plot hole or the appraiser is in on the conspiracy.

    WW
    Reply

    1. First thing I thought after the Hollow Shadow was “defeated” the first time (i.e. before it tried to possess Akihito) was “Where is the ultramarine/stone and how much is that worth?” Given how troublesome the H.S. was (no one was able to defeat it), I thought there might even be some bounty/reward on top of what the stone was worth. Mirai (and Akihito though he probably would give his share to Mirai) got screwed over big time. :<

      On point to your comment – yes, I would have thought that given that we saw a 20k yen reward for some other, lesser yuomu stone, 200 yen should have raised some warning flags. Doesn't make sense.

      daikama
      Reply

      1. If the appraisers keep low-balling the youma stones (100 yen, 200 yen), then the Spirit Fighters are just going to give up. It’s not worth the cost of several hours of chasing and fighting and risking their lives for the price of a candy bar or a single beef bowl. They can make more at a part-time civilian job.

        jhpace1
        Reply

      2. @jhpace1: I don’t think they’re purposely low-balling the price of the ultramarine – I think the one that Mirai gave in, was in fact that low. It was likely the same youmu that Izumi destroyed last week when it came into her house.

        About the price of the youmu – yes it should’ve raised some flags. I would’ve been like WTF?! All that work is worth at least 20k yen.

        Cherrie
        Reply

    2. From what I saw in the episode, if you watch until post credit, you see the REAL stone held by Izumi who handed the stone to this unknown (possibly her father?) old man, so she swapped the stone out for a fake one, so it’s only natural that it was worth 200 yen (I think) 😛

      TrapMaster
      Reply

  15. This was a really well done episode and kept me glued to the screen the entire time. I was not expecting Akihito to be half youmu and now, in hindsight, his past efforts to connect with Mirai are even more poignant. He’s just a lonely guy, trying to connect with an equally lonely girl. Beautiful. The parts in which Sakura were involve were a bit too confusing for my tastes, but that’ll most likely change over the course of the series.

    Cenosored
    Reply

  16. Izumi, stealing Mirai’s epic loot drop and replacing it with something worthless is really low. If you really need the shadow’s core for some reason, at least pay Mirai what it’s worth. She doesn’t need the core, but she does need the money.

    Wanderer
    Reply

    1. Agree with Izumi being scum – even if you disregard the theft, clearly she’s playing some double-agent role against the Spirit Warrior Society (and I would think by extension other members of her family as well).

      However, I think it would raise a lot of questions if she suddenly offered to buy Mirai’s loot out of nowhere. Why would she do that? It would (should at least) be very expensive so why is Izumi willing to spend so much money for it? What does she need it for/plan to do?

      The whole thing reminds me of the youmu “trapped in the painting” (barrier). That struck me as odd and dangerous yet no one seems to give it much attention.

      daikama
      Reply

  17. Poor Mirai got her loot ninjad. That’s why you always need to grab the drops when you beat the boss, there’s always some jerk ready to grab it. The entire labyrinth part had some serious Madoka vibes, especially since both shows have similar tone. At least, KyoAni knows how to make it look great visually.

    On hindsight, Akihito might be the most terrifying being in this show so far. Consider the fact that (a)He’s uncontrollable youmu side is far more powerful than any of the hunters combined and (b)HE’S F***ING IMMORTAL. He’s a ticking time-bomb of disaster and I’m actually surprised he’s allowed to walk free and live a normal life instead of being imprisoned. Unless, nobody could even if they tried.

    fragb85
    Reply

  18. wonderful episode 🙂 I like things with the action animated, and you don’t just see images of it.. that put, I didn’t think that when Akihito said ‘you’re the one that doesn’t know anything’ he meant this, awesome suprise, even though I knew he was half a demon. I think I’m in love with scarf-kun. Thanks for your review :D…..

    Mi-Chan
    Reply

  23. Disappointing. This show, so far, has been a huge pile of inconsistent mess for in terms of just about everything ranging from character development, to pacing, to establishing the setting and the rules and politics of the spirit world to even things such as how Mirai’s blood works and what it can and cannot do. Side characters appear and disappear from the framework of the story like it’s nothing and get little to no development or exposition where it counts and where it would make things more interesting. Like anybody know what exactly happened to that Sakura girl, she literally just disappeared after the trippy train sequence fight and the whole thing with Mirai’s dead friend and why the hollow shadow took her form is just kind of dropped for bad melodramatic scenes of Akihito raging out since apparently now being a half Youmu means you suddenly go berserk and the only thing that can stop you is a hug.

    What’s wrong KyoAni!? Having trouble dealing with plot-driven, substantial show? Are your talents and potentials as animators only limited to plotless, shallow stuffs?

    Not me
    Reply

      1. The show isn’t over, but that doesn’t mean that current plot holes should be given a free pass either. Leaving a myriad of background questions and apparent in-setting inconsistencies to be (possibly) resolved at “some later point” isn’t the best/right way to go about telling a story.

        While my overall impression isn’t as negative as “not me’s” appears to be, that person does raise some valid points IMO. I fail to see how Sakura (anime only) was a necessary, let alone beneficial, addition to the underlying story. Clearly there are viewers who thought her introduction and exit were sudden/”out of nowhere”. Random is a good word for it. OTOH, I was full expecting the H.S. to assume Yui’s form so I have no issue with that happening.

        Akihito’s transformation is also something I thought wasn’t very consistent. My understanding is that it occurs when he’s severely wounded. So why didn’t it happen at least once during all the times Mirai tried to kill him? In EP 01 it looked like she stabbed right through his heart. That’s not “just a flesh wound.” For him to transform only now strikes me as simply for the sake of plot convenience. If there’s a reason why it’s a different situation now, why not spend 20 seconds explaining it rather than leave some viewers puzzled over one more matter?

        Regardless of how one views the show overall, I think it is fair to say that there are at least a few unresolved background questions for the setting/world and even some characters. Personally, I think the show would benefit greatly from spending some time to resolve most of these issues rather than brush them aside while moving from arc to arc. Spend a few moments here and there to give the viewers enough information so that their focus steadfastly remains on the story rather than be distracted trying to figure out WTH is going on.

        daikama
        Reply

      2. @starss : It’s pretty clear that you didn’t even bother refuting my statements and simply resorted to the most convenient way to undermine my credibility. Thanks for contributing nothing.
        @daikama : Yeah, i basically agree with most of your points, with respect to things that aren’t being explained and some characters have not been elegantly introduced or dealt with, but 4 episodes are not a short time, they could have been able to flesh things out a bit more rather than, say, focusing too much time with our duo lead characters who weren’t really interesting to begin with. Almost all of their interactions have been of the exchanging cheesy one liner barbs about glasses fetishes or ham-fisted melodramatic sob story variety while bad stuff happens to them and there has yet to be even one scene that has made me feel any sort of genuine attraction they might have towards each other be it romantically or otherwise.

        And big thanks for the people who downrepped me without even bother refuting my points like simpleton

        Not me
        Reply

    2. @not me

      I understand where you are coming from with your opinion of this series; but in MY opinion, i think you are being a little too harsh on a series that really hasnt done anything so wrong to warrant this much dislike (again, just my opinion; i mean that statement in the most genuine and non-antagonistic way possible and unlike others, i will tackle the points you brought up). My one (or two) hang-ups with this series is that the directing is not as tight as it could, but this is the part where my opinion begins to differ from yours: the directing isnt terrible, it doesnt even reach the “not good” territory because in all honesty, it’s pretty competent. Since ep 1 to ep 4, i think things have moved in a fashion that is generally reasonable and consistent.

      Let me start off by saying that i think many people as of late (in the real world and on the net) throw around the word “bad directing” without truly understanding what that implies. Bad directing is when a director pretty much loses track of important plot points and character interactions, resulting in scenes that are jarring, make no sense, lack any type of cohesion, go against character development that may have happened in previous episodes or scenes, or lack any build-up whatsoever. That last point i made is tricky, because build-up can happen in various ways (either through foreshadowing before finally making the big reveal or by making a big reveal and then elaborating on why the reveal is important and why we should care bout it (there are other ways as well but for the sake of not making this post 100 pages, lets just focus on what i have said so far and let’s just have a civilized disagreement like most people on the internet should learn how to do).

      Kyokai no kanata does not suffer from any of these things to a veritable degree and so far we are actually being paced through the story quite well. Mirai meets akihito; after a couple days of shenanigans, he sits her down to figure out her deal is, and upon learning that she is struggling to make ends meat, helps her take down a youmu. From there, he learns that she likes to distance herself from people, and upon mirai seeing all of akihito’s acquaintances (pretty much the point of ep 2) falsely makes an assumption that she is different from him and that they should not interact because her life is difficult.

      Those plot points covered by the first two eps were handled in a solid, competent fashion. There wasnt anything that didnt make any sense, or handled inappropriately; It was pretty straighforward actually, which is a strength and a weakness. It’s a strength because things are laid out pretty clear-cut but a weakness because there isnt too much depth to it, which i think goes back to your comment about the characters, In my opinion, i think that you’re so offput by the “kyoani moe” (which is apparently becoming a thing people like to rage about) and the hit and miss comedy to take what has happened for face value so far.

      In my opinion, ep 3 and 4 is where things actually start improving; the first half has the slice-of-life bits that polarize viewers but the second-half got into the nitty gritty, and when it did, its not as if it was handled poorly. Akihito’s and Mirai’s confrontation was fairly-well executed: it was not drenched with any type of melodrama and actually got the point across that in the end, akihito doesnt want her to beat herself up about her past and risk her life. What weakened the ep a little was how it slightly rushed through mirai and sakura’s confrontation, and here’s what i mean when i say the direction could be tighter.

      In the third ep, we see clips of sakura watching mirai as well as her looking at the hollow-shade from a hilltop but we dont know who she is yet, which was fine. And that’s the other thing; characters dont always have to be foreshadowed with a background as a way of being introduced into the narrative framework. You can bring a character into a narrative in various ways; in this case, the series chose to take the “mysterious character who we saw in two clips that we shouldnt know a lot about yet” route and while brilliant live action movies have taken this approach and made it work like the movie Inception Show Spoiler ▼

      why that scene in inception worked is because the director and screenwriter were experienced enough to realize that when you pull off a move like that, there should at least be some tight-dialogue between the two characters upon their meeting, even if we dont know who they are right away so as to build up the nature of their relationship and so that the viewer can at least extrapolate what their deal is (which is how cobb and mal’s introduction was handled). In Kyokai no Kanata’s case, sakura is introduced and there isnt enough dialogue between them for the viewer to extrapolate much about their relationship or to assess the depth of it in general to invoke interest. Sakura does ask “why are you still alive..is it for atonement…i wont accept it” but that is not enough dialogue to incite an engaging introduction and so the mysterious entry the director was going for ends up loosing a bit of its punch. Still, her overall insert into the story wasnt a sign of poor direction. it was just not handled with the strength it should have.

      To wrap things up, the fourth ep takes things up a notch, because while we dont get more information on yui, it is made obvious that we will get more of that back story later and so it’s not that jarring that we dont get to learn more about her, especially since this series is far from over (this is actually one of the reasons why i like to save judgement of developments in a series until it is over; it helps me be able to fully evaluate it). Another point id like to make is that not everything in a show or book or movie, needs to be explained right there and then. Ive noticed that we are entering a generation were people want things explained to them all the time and to me that’s boring(but hey, lain is my favorite anime of all time so maybe its a matter of taste). A narrative should be able to not have to explain everything to the audience right away, instead, allowing them to put two and two together without them thinking something is wrong with the story; KNK may not be masterful at this, but it definitely gives enough hints for the audience to draw conclusions if they pay attention rather than just leaving holes in their stories (again its competent). If something has not been explained yet, people should allow the narrative to get there first before screaming “PLOTHOLE” to which at times i also think people confuse what that is.

      Akihito’s secret was handled pretty well, and it was implied that the effects of the hollow-shade (it makes dreamghast go berserk) and mirai’s blood making akihito’s body unstable (a regular stab is nothing compared to having his cellular make up in a critical state) brought forth his transformation. All that culminates in mirai realizing how wrongly she misjudged akihito, and in her sorrow desperately embraces him and burns him back to his senses with her blood. If anything, the last scene between those two is actually well-placed because it brought back the question of “do i look like a normal human being” full-circle, also emphasizing that they are both outcasts that need each other in a subtle way, and that is a sign of competent direction.

      Again, the only negative i have with this series is that the direction could be tighter in some areas (in ep 1, a youmu just flies into the window out of nowhere and we are quickly introudced to nino just like that; that scene could have used some work. Towards the end of ep 1, we see a bunch of random scenes that could have been edited together a little better even if it was meant to be random foreshadowing; but i get what they were trying to go for and so i let it go) and that the characters need a little bit more depth, which as of this ep, is actually starting to happen. We are starting to see that this series is going to tackle the theme of loneliness and isolation, something that to some degree, all these characters suffer. It is from here that the characters should be getting the depth and attention they so rightfully deserve. Right now, this is only a good series, but if this series succeeds in pulling of the loneliness theme adequately, this will end up being a great series. and judging from the ending of pv 2 of KNK, that theme is going to go to some dark places.

      So far i have faith this series will deliver, and in my opinion, this is a solid series so far; nothing more, nothing less. it has the potential to evolve in the way some great series’ have and i feel it strongly with this one: especially with the tone and art direction shift i have seen in the preview for ep 5 ( i just hope it does end up evolving rahter than just staying good). I think your impatience for certain kyoani troupes and the hit or miss high school hijinks (which arent even that bad and are far more subdued compared to other shows) are preventing you from seeing how solid this series actually is. It’s nice to see people express their opinions and i hope you enjoy reading this long post to which i apologize for. Hopefully it helps you see this series and any other series you will watch in the future, in a different light.

      sonicsenryaku
      Reply

      1. Bad directing is when a director pretty much loses track of important plot points and character interactions, resulting in scenes that are jarring, make no sense, lack any type of cohesion, go against character development that may have happened in previous episodes or scenes, or lack any build-up whatsoever.

        What about just a general lack of impact? I wouldn’t call Kyoukai no Kanata’s directing bad, but the fight with the Void shadow didn’t have quite as much tension as it should. The moment when Mirai kills the Void Shadow’s a bit weird too: you can’t tell whether it’s supposed to be a serious moment or an epic one, because on one hand there’s no music and on the other there’s too much action for it to be solemn and character-building.

        But I suppose we both agree on the point that this show could’ve been better directed anyway.

        Mocha
        Reply

      2. I guess it’s just been so long since KyoAni has done a serious action scene that they’ve lost the sense of how to properly frame such a scene to come off as gripping and intense.

        It’s like coming to watch a war, but you get fireworks instead. Sure, the fireworks are pretty and all, but it doesn’t engage quite like a great action scene.

        Not me
        Reply

    1. PS. This ep changes some preconceptions of mine,because until now I thought some characters were just being discriminatory against Akihito’s half-shade heritage.

      But if Shade-Akihito is that uncontrollably powerful, then by relation his father… (ﾟДﾟ)

      zztop
      Reply

  28. I’m more concerned about “people stealing other people’s kills” this episode. You just don’t do that to a financially-challenged, glasses bishoujo! D: WTF!?!

    Also KyoAni’s style is starting to evolve: first time I see them do a scene I’d attribute more to Samurai x than to an anime KyoAni did(that, or I probably missed an episode of Full Metal Panic, one where someone is weilding a katana or something).

    TheMoondoggie
    Reply

  29. I think the introduction of Sakura in the previous episode was king of confusing, but I think this episode redeemed itself, with the new plot twists and exciting action, it was a great episode.

    Dualash
    Reply

  32. So far the most solid series airing this season. The studio really showed us that they are extremely capable to dealing with a variety of genres. Looking forward to this every week 😀

    Flappy
    Reply

  34. Eh. This episode worked, and didn’t work.

    What didn’t work: the entire first half. Directorial weaknesses again, I suppose, but there was no feeling of tension throughout that entire chase scene. Great scenery – technically competent – but lacking the emotive factor. Probably because of the slight mood whiplash from the humour not being woven in well enough, and how weirdly Sakura’s appearances were timed. Other technical aspects – the initial bit in the fake school hallway caused suspension of disbelief to take a hike, because there’s no way for that much rubble to come down from one ceiling’s worth of damage. And finally, while it was very obviously supposed to be a highly climatic scene (and again, I can see the boxes being checked from a technical standpoint), the giant fake Yui utterly failed to be in the least bit threatening, imposing, or even disturbing. This is probably the first and only time I’m going to give the studio flak for their character designs – they basically just took their standard girl design and made it a giant, with no modifications whatsoever. And their standard girl design is about as intimidating as a mouse. Non-giant variety.

    What worked: the latter half. For once, I felt the pacing of the revelations was actually good. They worked the plot twists in organically, gave context where context was needed, and let the rest flow. Berserk Akihito was everything Giant Yui wasn’t – otherworldly, imposing, threatening, with the right mix of understatement and flashiness. Perhaps what could have clearer was how Mirai actually managed to revert Akihito – was it the cliche, was it her blood, was it simply that he recovers after a while and the three managed to stall him for almost long enough – but otherwise, this was probably the first fight which was actually riveting, and in which I would actually call Akihito’s voice acting good.

    Corin
    Reply

  35. If it keeps up this pace a momentum, then this will probably be my favorite of this season. It might even be more than that, but only time can tell. Still, after these couple of episodes, I’m completely sold on following it. Can’t wait till next week’s episode.

    bakakubi
    Reply

  37. Omg, this Show Spoiler ▼

    character Sakura…She was by far the worst element in this episode (Mirai was ok this time), I was just waiting for her to disappear already.
    Honestly, anime-script-writers appearantly have some kind of manual where they take their ideas from, if they need to fill time or make up an animme-original ending. Show Spoiler ▼

    This Sakura character is sooooooooo cliché. Cant they go for something else please?

    Libélula
    Reply

  39. they are changing the story way too much (for ex akihito in youmu mode isn’t supposed to be that strong, he and hiroomi fight on par and come to a draw when he joins the school and it’s not fighting akihito that hiroomi gets his scars ) and it’s not to the best, it feels disjointed, like they are just patching things together, without creating any emotional depth. the hollow youmu storyline was so much better in the novel.
    sakura is the worst element in this episode indeed, and the fact that she is anime original is an indication of how bad all the changes they are doing are

    selma
    Reply

  40. Like I said,I’m going to enjoy this no matter what!And that’s why I’m enjoying it!
    (Animation,Design and the story starting to go well.Holy crap,I can’t have enough,please gimme more!)

    NothingLess
    Reply

  42. I didn’t notice that the crystal was swapped at first either even though I knew what the thing looked like after seeing it LOL. Izumi-neesama could’ve at least pulled a secret santa and gave Mirai some extra cash. 200 yen is worth what in US dollars? It doesn’t seem like a lot.

    The very visual definition of the word Hax and this should be Youmu Akihito’s theme song

    KyoAni is just so innovative in the way they make things look cute. That has to be the cutest tackle in anime history.

    Magoiichi
    Reply

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