First Impressions / Kyoukai no Kanata

「銀竹」 (Shiroganetake)
“Silver Bamboo”

I’ve been feeling very conflicted about Kyoukai no Kanata lately and it’s probably because I love the premise of the show but not how it’s being executed. The first half of the show was definitely top notch when it came to delivering the key plot points and creating a setting for the rest of the story. This second half is kind of lagging behind that because it doesn’t match the anticipation level I had for it. It’s not because the plot isn’t developing like I thought, but it’s more so how the story being told. And right now, it looks like it’s being told from the perspective of 4 different people – there’s Mirai’s internal struggle with Akihito; there’s Miroku and his unknown motives; Izumi also has a hidden agenda; and Hiroomi who is kind of stuck in the middle trying to balance all these revelations. I think this would’ve been better told if there was an episode dedicated to each of them, explaining what was going on through their heads (but not giving away too much) and slowly incorporating the events of the The Calm into it. That way, each character is given their own personality trait and the audience might actually empathize or appreciate them more.

There are some aspects of the show that I don’t have a gripe with. These include the transformation of Akihito and Mirai’s internal conflict over killing her friend. I felt that this progresses the story rather naturally and although it feels like a repeat of episode 4, there’s a stronger intention to kill Akihito this time around. Further to the development from last week, you can really see that Mirai struggles to come to terms with her fate and Akihito’s. It’s a shame that all we get to see a bit of sulking and some hugging from Sakura; I think it’d mean a lot more if Mirai actually talked to Hiroomi about it or something. Yes, she has a lot of burden on her shoulders, but that doesn’t mean that Mitsuki and Hiroomi have nothing to say about it. They’ve been friends with Akihito for so long and they’ve been trying to save him every time he transformed – before Mirai came into the picture. When they searched through Akihito’s apartment, I was half expecting to see some sappy photo of him and his friends… but I never expected him to horde glasses. Let alone, have catalogues of Mirai’s photos… that’s kind of creepy now that I think about it. Regardless I think this is all the more reason that he won’t end up dead, it’s just all about how they change him back.

Miroku has never felt more out of place than now. While everyone else is running around trying to find/kill Akihito and Izumi is off plotting something, he kind of just waltzes in, absorbs the Hollow Shadow and runs away. Where did he come from? Where is he going with that? Or rather… why did Izumi steal it in the first place? Miroku doesn’t truly have a role in the story yet and someone mentioned before that he feels like an anime original character, which he’s not. He only feels like an outsider because his motives are unexplained – which I’m hoping will be revealed soon. On the other hand, I’m glad that Hiroomi has finally gotten to the big question – is Izumi good or bad? Right now, it looks like she’s plotting to kill Akihito in order to get rid of the “Kyoukai no Kanata” that resides in him (and at the same time, it kills Akihito as well). It also explains that Izumi is the one that purposely put Akihito to sleep last episode on the train and it feels like she’s forcing it out of him. Definitely sending off “antagonist” vibes in my mind, but I’m sure if Hiroomi is involved, he won’t let Akihito die. Show Spoiler ▼

This explains the strong bond between the two.

With everything that’s going on, it’s hard to keep track of what’s going to happen next week. It looks like the speed slows down and the tone is more happy-go-lucky. There’s a few shots of girls sunbathing, but we all know that what appears in the previews aren’t always representative of the actual episode. I expect them to show more Hiroomi and possibly explain the disappearance of the Hollow Shadow stone. Now that The Calm is over though… I wonder what’s going to happen in our final arc.

 

Preview

59 Comments

    1. Same here. Aside from obviously evil guy I am not sure who I am supposed to be rooting for, who the main character is and what exactly anyone is trying to accomplish. Enjoy watching and hope they right this ship.

      SortedeVaras
      Reply

      1. Sometimes when you read funny subtitles like that, it makes you question whether or not that’s “really” what was said. I usually have to listen to it a few times to be able to translate it myself (or have someone else to bounce translations off of =P). But you’re right, I don’t like how Horriblesubs said he “kicked the can”. It’s an odd way to say it o_O

        Cherrie
        Reply

    1. This is where I get to rant all I want. You guys are right, the premise is chock-full of potential. I keep returning to this show because I have all these questions swirling in my head: What exactly happened to Mira’s clan? How is Mirai dealing with the fact that her foster family tried to kill her? What happened to Akihito’s parents? Why does he need to die? And what’s so frigging important about the Nase family?

      The problem is the show never addresses these questions. Before, I was mildly bored with KnK’s storyline, but now I’m just downright alienated from it. I have no idea what’s going on in Mirai’s head, so when she leaps, sobbing, to kill Akihito, I’m not even that sad–I’m stupefied. Why do you even have to kill him? I mean, sure Akkey has some anger management issues, but hasn’t the show consistently established that there are high-functioning youmas who fit into society just swell, like the fox, cat, and (presumably) his dad?

      Which brings us to the biggest question of all: How the heck did Akkey’s parents get it on?

      titus
      Reply

      1. I blame the director Taichi Ishidate. It’s clear that the show is too ambitious for his first time directing. They should have gotten someone a bit more experienced like Yasahiro Takemoto from FMP and Hyouka fame.

        anontop
        Reply

    2. As a newbie illustrator though a long time anime fan, I still love KyoAni’s animation. It’s still top-notch. I somehow get Guilty Crown vibes from it plot-wise, it feels like the story is somewhat disjointed. It’s not that bad yet, but things are starting to go downhill little by little. I agree that they should have probably went with a veteran Director.

      As I did with Guilty Crown, I intend finish Kyokai no Kanata ’til the end no matter what.

      The Story You Don't Know
      Reply

      1. I have to concur. It’s pretty obvious that the original plot has been hacked to bits. Even for the casual viewer like me that has no intention on looking into the source, the story seems random. It jumps in & out of scenarios too often. It cuts off during certain scenes then pick up after something really important happens just to leave the viewer in the dark.

        It’s using the ‘leave the viewer out of the loop’ approach to build mystery & suspense (if you can call it that) but it just seems like a REALLY CHEAP way of doing it. I say ‘loop’ but the ‘loop’ isn’t really being created in the first place. It introduces too many factors at any given time & then cuts them off, leaving tons of questions. You can’t keep up with all of them.

        The director is just trying too hard to get pack too much content in the time they have to work with it – which seems to be the case more way too often these days. I just wonder when these guys are going to open their eyes.

        Megas
        Reply

      2. “It cuts off during certain scenes then pick up after something really important happens just to leave the viewer in the dark.”

        So that’s why they call it dark fantasy… I guess.

        Yakuman
        Reply

  6. About your spoiler cherrie, you’re good; its not a spoiler as that tidbit of information was revealed by Mitsuki in ep 5. What we havent seen is the events that lead up to that and how Hiroomi handled the situation.

    I know this series has been a little shifty putting things together but its actually all starting to work…kind of (execution needs a bit more work but this week’s climax was a definite improvement in my book and the most tense kyokai no kanata has ever been). There were some things that werent made super crystal clear like why Mirai decided to kill akihito but pretty much she is a youkai hunter and since she felt that she understood akihito the most, as a spirit world hunter, she decided to take the responsibility of putting akihito down and preventing any calamity he might cause, unto herself. I just kinda wish we got more development out of the inner turmoil she felt when she was deciding all this as it would have made the emotions that much stronger but i guess what we got will have to suffice. That fight scene in the end was an epic display of mirai’s fighting prowess (again, to me she’s the MC of this series..when did she learn how to fly???). I also liked Hiroomi’s determination to want to safe aki, and like cherrie said, it just goes to show how much he truly cares for his friend. If anything, i find hiroomi to be one of the solid members in the cast…we need more of this side of him. Speaking of which, his relationship with his older sister most likely explains why he has such a sister complex with Mitsuki.

    sonicsenryaku
    Reply

  7. How many eps of Beyond the Boundary are supposed to air on TV?

    Some forums say 13 eps will air. Others say only 12 will air(with the 13th unaired) because of upcoming Christmas/New Year TV specials on Japanese TV.

    Can anyone confirm this?

    zztop
    Reply

  10. What many people above said. Agree.

    I am the biggest KyoAni fan, and i like that they are going outside their comfort zone with this show, (eerily like how P.A. works did that same thing with Red Data Girl. Badly.) but this is being executed poorly.

    I am afraid that trying to do this in 13 episodes is just not working, i do not know why Japan is switching to almost every non main stream Shonen show being 13 episodes only and this show is suffering the same fate about half a dozen shows i have seen recently suffered.
    We have half a dozen characters, lots of plots, tons of sub plots, and deceits all with no time to do it right.
    This would be better if they got rid of half of the plot as i have no idea what is happening at the moment.

    I agree that the Spirit World warrior agent guy is the weakest character, murky, muddled reason to be involved in this, and asinine personality that does not match the writing style of the rest of the show.

    With that all said, unlike Red Data Girl, i am watching and basically enjoying this, but boy do i have reservations.

    Mike
    Reply

    1. exactly….13 eps is not enough..and why they decided to go for the 13-ep format beats me because its apparent the content in this series needs more than 13 eps. Its almost as if kyo ani was afraid that this series would fail because they decided to step a bit out of their comfort zone and because of that feeling of trepidation and lack of full commitment, this series is suffering despite what it ends up doing right. Contrary to what some say about kyo ani, this isnt one of their series that’s lacking because it does not have soul; i dont believe that to be true. It’s flaws lies with its director and story-boarders not pacing the series well-enough to give it the emotional punch it deserves.

      This is clearly suppose to be an emotional tale of two forsaken people; a tale of a group of friends who try to keep the integrity of their friendship while dealing with the involatile entity that is akihito. They all clearly love him, something he doesnt seem to see because he is so wrapped in guilt of who he is. The nase’s (well Hiroomi and Mitsuki) treasure their friend akihito and want to spend their days chumming it up with him, which is what the comedy bits of the series tries to portray; a nonchalant yet emotionally important passing of days that they wish to treasure (even if it doesnt do it too well), yet as spirit hunters, they know that if Akihito loses it and becomes a danger to himself and others, they have no choice but to put him down if they cannot revert him back to normal. Mirai’s introduction into this group was suppose to be the person who is looking on the outside, the protagonist who is unaware of just what exactly someone like hiroomi goes through when he has to fight akihito or what mitsuki feels knowing that she has to keep watching aki in the hopes that he never loses control and possibly kills someone. Mirai learning all this finally pulls her into the dark world that is the under-layer of aki’s, hiroomi, and mitsuki’s relationship and what they go through periodically. Mirai is also meant to be the game changer who can finally change Aki’s fate, either by killing him or being the only one powerful enough to stop him when he transforms. She is meant to be the one who can subdue akihito, and reach out to him and he loses it. This is what i truly believe was suppose to be the core of Kyokai no Kanata, and honestly…it would have made for a gripping, character-driven tale of loniliness, hard choices, and a story of a group of teens trying to maintain a delicate relationship. This is what Kyokai no Kanata is trying to be, and while i see the pieces there, its length as well as what the directors efforts impeded any of this dark and emotionally gripping tale from coming to fruition. This ep was a good start in that direction and hopefully, the last four eps can give us a glimpse into the themes this series was trying to tackle before its all over. i quite liked this ep despite some pacing issues and improper delivery of certain poignant scenes.

      sonicsenryaku
      Reply

      1. It’s flaws lies with its director and story-boarders not pacing the series well-enough to give it the emotional punch it deserves.

        I disagree. The storyboarders for me seems to be fine. The problem lies within the core writing. If by standards, the script goes first before the storyboard. The dialogues are lackluster and the pacing is not that good.

        KyoAni’s storyboarders are usually the episode directors. IIRC one of the episode director’s job is only to depict the script to the screen. To fit the written material in. They’d have limited creative freedom when it comes to how the story progresses.

        megalith
        Reply

      2. @Megalith

        I see where ur coming from n why you would say that; but I would have to kindly disagree if only for the fact that 1. This is the director’s first time actually helming an entire series and it definetly shows and 2. If the storyboardong was.actually top notch…it would have caught a good amount of the flaws of the script as that’s mostly the purpose of storyboarding to begin with: to visualize the narrative.to see.of it it truly has a cohesive flow. One of the main issues with the series is the.cohesion…it plays a big part as to why the series has had its troubles hitting its emotional highs. Now don’t misunderstand; im not saying its completely the storyboarding fault as I was just listing weaknesses in the series overall but the storyboarding plays a factor, at least in my opinion based on what I know about storytelling Unlike you, I don’t truly see the.script as the problem; the dialogue is fairly competent when.it.needs.to.be aside from one or two missteps iin dialogue…if anything its the screenplay that’s lacking because.of how it.stages the events…that’s what I truly believe is KNK’s downfall (that, the directing, and the pacing)

        sonicsenryaku
        Reply

      3. If the storyboardong was.actually top notch…it would have caught a good amount of the flaws of the script as that’s mostly the purpose of storyboarding to begin with: to visualize the narrative.to see.of it it truly has a cohesive flow.

        First and foremost I didn’t say it was top notch, but I said it was fine.

        It’s true that the supervisor holds the biggest responsibility but to my understanding I believe you have a wrong concept of when storyboards come in(at least in KyoAni).

        Storyboarding is probably watched over by the supervisor as evident of Ishihara’s work in Kanon. By that time I assume that the script has already been approved by the production committee(Directors and Producers). As we can see there it doesn’t seem like the place for revisions as he’s in a discussion with the storyboarder and the unit director(?). Now I don’t know if they can ask for revisions for the script or just plainly deviate but that’s another story. Still, it proves that script in the initial phases were not that good right from the start which I take you are agreeing to.

        Also competent script? At times, borderline yes. Highly inconsistent? Very much.

        You know you have a problem when the humor was reused over and over and some of the characters barely even got proper lines.

        Bottom line for me. Ishidate, the Producers and Jukki Hanada failed to work in tandem.
        Ishidate fed Hanada ideas.
        Hanada writes a lackluster script.
        Production Committee(including Ishidate) approves the script.
        Then it gets a storyboard.

        If you find something wrong with my concept of how the production goes feel free to prove me wrong with some proper links to read.

        megalith
        Reply

      4. @megalith

        I agree with you as im pretty aware how production usually takes place when it comes to animation (kyoani included) but while you’re talking about the process.of production n how the script played a big.factor in the flaws of this series…im saying that had the storyboarding been a little better…they could have paced the story better. Storyboarding gives u an idea of how certain scenes are being paced; obviously someone looked at the storyboard n thought the visual representation of scenes had good fluidity with the screenplay n script.when it didn’t. Im not concerned about kyoani’s production process, all im saying is that the storyboarding was not particularly fine; its ok..but it has its aapparent.flaws which are evident by this series..to which you have already clarified so I think we are both on the same page.

        Either way I thought this ep was actually good despite my ramblings as I can finally feel something for.the.conflict even if its only something small. Here’s hoping the rest of this arc ends on a high note because it is this arc to which I will decide whether this.series was just solid or good. I personally have been enjoying this series and I’d like.to.see it succeed in the ideas its trying to present in this last arc.

        sonicsenryaku
        Reply

  12. Izumi feels more like a proper antagonist than Miroku, who I feel like a crappy version of Aizen ‘I’ve planned this’ Souseke.
    He’s so random and appears out of nowhere with that ‘tentacle’ spell of his and that packet drink he has. And then he goes ‘lolol u can’t get me’ at Izumi.
    I’m half expecting that Izumi and Miroku will just kill off each other at the end. That will be a great ending. And the Nase siblings abandon their family or something.

    Andros
    Reply

  13. I think this is the best episode so far(disregarding the happy meal surprise of ep 6).

    Miroku is still a full blown wildcard though, that much is very true. But what I did like is that everything ties up now(For Mirai at least). The whole inconsistency I’ve been ranting right from the start finally becomes more understandable now. Now for me this paints Izumi so much in a bad light. She sets free Mirai to get her to try and kill Aki. Knowing well that Aki is immortal I doubt she really expected any results. I’m assuming that she used her as a means to gather data, judging by how the notes went.

    Now the interesting part is why she didn’t kill Aki herself? I believe she is pretty much more capable than Mirai with all her experience in the line of work.

    Speculations:
    Show Spoiler ▼

    There’s still a lot of questions.

    Who’s the old man?
    What does Nase clan have in plan?
    What does Miroku aim for?
    What are they gonna do with the stones?

    It’s already confusing that the Hollow Shadow’s stone was not touched at all until Miroku stole it. Miroku’s weapon absorbs Youmu stones for power. If the same can be applied to the Nase clan, why haven’t they used up the Hollow Shadow’s stone?

    Overall, great episode. KyoAni ramping it up animation wise. That’s two episodes in a row where the fights looked so much better than ep 1 and 2. Totally a surprise. I didn’t really expect a well done serious fight scene.

    megalith
    Reply

      1. I’m not really worried that the final objective for both sides hasn’t been revealed yet. The grand scheme doesn’t seem to be that deep. What matters for me though is that both Miroku and Izumi had objectives. For now the target was not to let the other side obtain such power. The conflict is gradually turning political rather than just simply problems within the 2(or 4) main characters themselves. We still have 3 more episodes.

        Future episode titles taken from ultimatemegax’s post in animesuki:
        Show Spoiler ▼

        My speculations are:
        Show Spoiler ▼

        megalith
        Reply

  14. This show needed the 22-25 episode treatment Hyouka received, there’s clearly too much to tell with so little time. Shame, because there’s definitely moments where potential was shown, this climax scene being the biggest one, I actually felt the intensity and weight of the whole situation, without context, the black and white atmosphere contrasting with the vibrancy of powers somehow had an enormous effect on me. The placement of tone and atmosphere was BRILLIANT. But it’s all sadly the BEAUTIFUL visual aspects what carry the show. Despite kyoani’s brilliance in their animation (hoooly freeholies, them FIGHT SCENES), they lack in plot. As said in the most recent podcast, we’re being given a product of this formula [something AMAZING (animation) + something average (plot) = confusion/disappointment/indifference]

    Right now it’s a pretty good show, it’s not a masterpiece, seeing pacing issues and underdeveloped characters, but it’s certainly brought parts out of this show that could’ve been (that special preview use of the ED song before the episode ends never fail to MAKE ME WANT MORE. This episode was no exception, I’ve felt that it’s gotta be the best one, action and atmospheric-wise. I somehow actually felt for both mirai and akihito). I guess we’ll never truly know until the end, there’s still questions, here’s to hoping kyoani will deliver (with 3 episodes left? ahh i’m closing my eyes for this one, or maybe not. I still need to watch the HECK out of those fight scenes).

    We have great pieces in place: great animation, badass (rather quirky) interesting characters (Izumi steals the show with her sheer powers of seduction(lol) and dragonball Z-like strength), and an interesting premise (a “The Godfather” plotline with magical girls and boys and spirits). But it’s like kyoani can’t really bake, we have a cake containing delicious ingredients, too bad it’s rather undercooked by our baker.

    The Amateur Alchemist
    Reply

    1. I agree! That ED song is like… OMG! So many feels ~ it’s the perfect tie-in for the ED sequence and especially since this week was a sad cliffhanger. It’s such a disappointment to hear that people are watching this more so for the animation than anything else. The show is definitely a let down from my high expectations, but definitely not so much so that it’s terrible. I’d still say it’s worth the watch and hoping the ending makes up for it.

      I’m really hating how most shows these days are one-cour. When I started watching anime years (like a decade) ago… I remember I wouldn’t watch anything less than 26 episodes LOL! Meaning I watched a lot of shows that took their time, lots of development and you really fall in love with characters because it’s like you grew up with them. Nowadays, I don’t find many stand out pieces because I never feel invested in characters or shows. A lot of KyoAni shows deserve longer runs because it has a great story and I think KnK is an example of that… but the trend now is just one season shows.

      Cherrie
      Reply

      1. that is indeed a problem.
        once upon a time, anime series were longer than 50 or even 100 eps. a decade ago it was still in between 26-50 and more.
        little by little the number of eps is decreasing. the average today is in between 1cour and 2cour. you get to see some exceptions like HxH, space brothers..or the established shonen like Naruto, bleach and OP..but beside them?there are hardly animes that keeps going for the long run.
        sometimes it’s for the best. Madoka Magica being focused to only 12 eps was good thing. longer than that wouldn’t be necessary good for Madoka (THO some will argue and it’s OK). and it’s working with other shows of 1cour or 2cour..but for others?the fixation is not doing any good. simple example from previous season – dangan ronpa.
        it makes problems to fully develop the world and characters as necessary.
        besides, why to be fixated about the numbers of eps? studios, channel and so should let the number of eps be as it is supposed to be.namely, don’t be fixated to a number or something, it is better to create a fully developed anime. look at death note. imagine what will happen if by any chance it would had to be compressed into 2 cour only?that would be shame.

        fixating number of eps limiting and “ruin” the freedom of creation. something is definitely lost in that matter over the years…

        thedarktower
        Reply

    2. I agree about the ed…the meloncholic tone of the music fits each eps ending so perfectly. If anything, I always anticipate the ending of each ep just to see how the instrumentals will segueway the final scene into the ed. The song as this somber tone n I find myself humming it all da rime. I gotta say though, Rosa taneda has got pipes….her desperate scream in the end as the ed started playing shows why she’s one of the best rising seiyuu’s that have come out recently

      sonicsenryaku
      Reply

  16. Pretty much agreeing with everyone here… something seemed awkward, and I originally thought, “Pacing?” but finally seeing this post made me realize it was just… what is going on with everyone? There’s so many questions coming in…
    It makes me wonder why didn’t they use the previous “fanservice” episode to expand the main plot? Even though I did enjoy those cute episodes, I would rather have it used to continue the actual story.

    rochichan
    Reply

  18. I am kinda mixed about what’s going on.
    on one hand, twisting the plot(partly expected, partly not) isn’t that bad, it makes KNK getting into pace and it gives us more in terms of plot and characters too. on the other hand, it doesn’t feel good and truly genuine. the twisting feels too much manipulative, namely it’s forcing itself upon the characters and the plot in order to get into the script of the final act.

    the plot is moving-on in 2 level, dragging the characters conflicts with.
    One, the external, is about the Nase family and all things around. clearly Izumi is plotting something with her father (I guess), is she good or bad?good question, but let’s think about her objective, I think she wants to keep the status of the Nase family (it was implied a few times earlier). maybe the whole point isn’t necessary killing Akihito (or yes), but it’s to show who-know-who (some organization or thw world I guess?) that the Nase family is strong and keeps its status and independence in their area. what’s with the father?I don’t know…maybe his situation is also part of the plan…
    here comes the Agent, Miroku, which pulling some strings. what is his true objective? it still blurry, but obviously it’s connected. I am surprised how he was able so easily to break into Nase’s place and he knew exactly where the “hollow shadow” is..it was weird. almost too easily.

    the second level is the inner conflict of the MC around Akihito. after they all having their time trying to kill the stinky youmu with their idol powers (didn’t work haha), now they must face their friend, and not being so much friendly. especially Mirai, whom Akihito helped and cheered so much, now must bring him down. unfortunate, yet forced a bit as I said above.
    and there is Hiromi, confused about what’s going-on he starts digging and finding out a few things. he and Akihito somehow serves as a bridge between the external level and the internal level. yet it don’t feel they expressed this issue around both of them enough. part of it is the plot. it’s taking the screentime of them.

    what about Mitsuki? she is kinda an outside of the loop. and it’s unfortunate.
    remember how she was in the first episodes? she interacted with Akihito and all, and she was much more lovely than now. don’t think it’s a spoiler but:
    Show Spoiler ▼

    it’s like, after the ep about her, she is more like an outsider, 2 eps in a row cheering for onii-chan..that’s not the best-girl she was in the beginning…. 🙁

    thedarktower
    Reply

      2. yeah, but that…room/basement is inside the house (I assume).
        a mission like that seemed too easily to be done somehow…
        isn’t it too dangerous for him to infiltrate into the house of the “district chief”?
        more than that, how did he knew that the hollow shadow will be there?
        besides, he can’t possibly know when Hiromi will open the seal..right?

        speaking of which, it’s the second time Hiromi faced Miroku. this time it was more of coincidence than last time..but clearly it’s not for nothing.
        I think say Miroku pulled those strings for some purpose. maybe to seed doubt in Hiromi’s mind (and Mitsuki too) about his sister and family true objective, in order to break the..”unity” of the Nase family. yet I don’t think he could possibly know the time and place in order to pull operation like that.

        my point is that the whole issue here seems too “light-minded” and not detailed enough.

        thedarktower
        Reply

      3. It just felt like Miroku was setting Hiromi up the entire time after feeding him the info and was outside waiting for Izumi to leave. Miroku probably just *guessed* that Hiromi would sneak into the Nase room to investigate afterwards by intuition or some kind of hidden ability to spy. Even if it didn’t work out there was really nothing that’s going to stop him from escaping since Izumi has already left or else she would wipe the floor with him. It’s just my take and speculation, don’t take it too seriously.

        Pen3
        Reply

  19. In my opinion, this show should have ended on the 3rd episode.

    Or rather, I should have stopped watching it after the 3rd episode.

    I saw a great potential coming into this series.

    Disappointed by how it is being executed.

    RaiseUrDongers
    Reply

  20. …think this would’ve been better told if there was an episode dedicated to each of them, explaining what was going on through their heads (but not giving away too much)…

    If you did that, the story’s pacing will become slow due to having to explain one set of events in 4 different perspectives.

    Also Mirai and Hiroomi’s thoughts are what’s important. Miroku and Izumi’s are simply plot: it could be that one or both of them are the real antagonists of the show. None of which will matter after this arc anyway.

    TheMoondoggie
    Reply

    1. I think it would’ve been very nice to see at least 2 of the 4 people I’ve mentioned with their own episode focus. It doesn’t have to be a slow progression going through their heads or anything, but it can follow their POV as they face The Calm. Right now the story jumps back and forth between too many groups of people and focuses too little time on each. I think someone mentioned above that the way they cut scenes is so awkward and transition feels off. It would be much more fluid if they showed the events of The Calm following one person.

      Cherrie
      Reply

  21. Let alone, have catalogues of Mirai’s photos… that’s kind of creepy now that I think about it.

    I think it’s kinda sweet. The guy is openly and outwardly into megane and she’s clearly been perking up his passions. He’s Mirai’s number one fan!!

    launcelot
    Reply

  23. No no,Akihito isn’t dead yet.Why do I say that?Cauz he’s the MC.All MC are Invincibles,we should know that.MC don’t die unless the story is finished,and if it’s the end of this Anime(or near the end),then goodbye my glassmate.But it’s not the end yet(I hope).Anyway,let’s hope he won’t die like crap here(and so on).

    NothingLess
    Reply

  25. Sigh, it seems too many people are complaining about character “motivations” and pacing, i don’t see what’s the problem really guys, we have plenty of motivations for the characters to be doing what they are doing so far even if none of those motivations is 100% explained (then there would be no intrigue or mystery), and too many obvious questions to answer … for example.

    why did Izumi steal Hollow Shadow in the first place?
    The question should be why would she leave the remains of such a powerful spirit for someone else when she knows very well she is in a power strife with the Hunters Association, anyone in her place would have picked that powerful artifact and stashed it so that no one else would get their hands on it.

    Miroku kind of just waltzes in, absorbs the Hollow Shadow and runs away. Where did he come from?
    Miroku’s plan is pretty obvious at this point, he didn’t just waltz in or anything, he was feeding the siblings Mitsuki and Hiroomi information and filling their heads with doubts towards their older sister and family (the scene in the car and on the beach) hoping one of them will lead him to the “Hollow Shadow” remains, and eventually to “Beyond the Horizon”, so no he doesn’t feel out of place nor does he come out of nowhere.

    Miroku doesn’t truly have a role in the story yet
    What !!? it has already been established that there is a big power struggle between Izumi’s family and the World Spirit Hunters Association whom Miroku represents, that very same power struggle that drove Izumi to weaken Akihito’s human-half to awaken his spirit half and force Mirai into killing him when he is weakened becasue of the lull/calm (either to obtain Beyond the Horizon for her family or prevent the World Spirit Hunters Association -represented by non other than Miroku- from obtaining it for themselves), so pretty much Miroku’s presence is the catalyst from most of the events happening now, “no role in the story” .. are you kidding me XD

    It looks like it’s being told from the perspective of 4 different people
    No it’s not, we only get to peek into the mind of is Mirai, just because we get to see what other characters are doing from time to time it doesn’t mean the story is being told from their perspective .. it’s just an omnipresent storyteller moving from location to location to show us more of what’s happening, but to know what they are thinking that’s a whole different story, we have no clear idea about the inner-thought of any of the other characters .. except Mirai, we know most of what’s on her mind directly or indirectly through her monologues and dialogs with other characters.

    It feels like a repeat of episode 4
    I’m sorry but it isn’t, in ep4 the main goal was to suppress Akihito not kill him, and we had no idea he had such powerful evil spirit inside him (so important to name the whole series after it), we just thought he had some regular but strong spirit within him, but this time with the lull removing his ability to regen, with the new information about him and Beyond the Horizon everything is different and the stakes are higher than ever.
    So yeah, cut the show some slack, Kyoto Animation are treading new grounds here with this show and we should see it in a more positive line not whine and complain pointlessly about technicality and obvious stuff, these are my 2 cents.

    I must also salute the writer/director on the last scene, it really hit all the right buttons, Mirai having to kill yet another possessed friend (when she barely recovered from the repercussions of the first time), putting away the glasses before charging at Akihito screaming holds a lot of symbolism (because we all know how much Akihito likes glasses and girls with glasses, so removing them at this point shows she is trying to shut him away and remove the thing he liked the most about her), playing the ending music was the final great touch that sealed the deal.

    Overall fantastic episode and fantastic series so far (though i hope it is longer than 13 eps).

    HunterWulf
    Reply

  26. The story has become so smashed and muddy that all I really care about is knowing where is father is in all of this? Shouldn’t he be more powerful than Akihito, and why didn’t he show up to control him? And his mother should have known something might go down, why is she abroad?

    Madeline
    Reply

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