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「敬礼」 (Keirei)
“Salute”
In the realm of human nature, there are few things that are certain. You could probably spend multiple life times arguing about what it means to be human and not agree, and it’s just a representation of both the tangible and intangible elements we possess. Inevitably though, there are things even the most stalwart of radicals could agree on, and some of those things are the notion of death and the impact it has on us, as well as the notion of time and the fact that things can change in the blink of an eye. In this way, humanity (and life in general) is a kind of fickle thing, and this episode of Sidonia really highlights this notion.
In the span of just one episode, Tanikaze goes from hero to zero, and it’s a meteoric rise followed by an equally swift fall from grace. It all goes to show how quickly things can change when it comes to the opinions we can have of one another—especially when there’s a death involved—and really, you just can’t help but feel for Tanikaze. One moment he’s on top of the world, and the next moment he’s stuck in a hospital with his “friends” glaring at him and the revelation—from a TV report no less—that he might’ve played a big part in the death of someone he obviously cared for. Needless to say, it’s an extreme example of how fickle life can be, and it’s doubtless that things won’t get any easier from here.
With that in mind, there’s a growing sense of darkness coming from the Sidonia itself, and there’s a lot that could be said about the elements running it from the shadows. To some degree, the anti-military demonstrators are definitely on to something—after all, even the wildest stories typically have some real-life basis—and it could very well turn out that some of the leadership may actually not care for anything aside from prolonging their own lives. Combine that with the Captain seemingly having some plans of her own, the threat of a full blown riot in the Sidonia, and the feeling that Kunato was probably involved in Hoshijiro’s death (and Tanikaze’s “failure” by extension), and there’s a lot that can be said about how the greatest threat to humanity may not even be the external threat posed by the Gauna.
Ultimately though, even that’s just another representation of how fickle human nature is. You’d think with the end of humanity at hand, everyone would be able to put aside their petty differences and fight as one, but the fact is that it’s rarely ever that simple—I’m not saying that can’t ever happen given the right circumstances, just that it’s quite slim chance wise—and I really wouldn’t be surprised if this ended up being the case on the Sidonia. That said, if Kunato really was involved… phew* That’s one easy way to make my “most hated characters”/”deserve to die a brutal death” lists.
Overall, it must be said that this episode was just another in a long line of superbly executed ones. It feels like they’ve definitely cut things out or moved some events in sequence to get it to fit the animation’s time/episode constraints, but it’s clear there’s a lot of greatness in the source material, and it’s something that shines through even if we may not be receiving the entire picture with this adaptation. Indeed, the fact that they didn’t actually show the fight with the hive-type Gauna is just one example of this, and there aren’t enough accolades I can give to the author (I’m assuming this was written this way originally, if not I applaud the director for changing this) for making this choice. It was something that really emphasized the sense of foreboding that came with Tanikaze’s whole “what the hell is going on” moment near the end, and the contrast it made with the first half of the episode really came together to produce a superb range of emotional reactions.
All things considered, there really is nothing else to say here. I’m really excited to see what else is in store for us here, and even though it’s initial run is likely to end with many questions still unanswered, there’s no question in my mind that Sidonia no Kishi’s easily one of the better shows of the year so far.
Until next week! Let us depart, my knights!
Author’s Note: As usual, please refrain from spoilers, especially if they’re not in response to a query of some sort. If you must, please remember to use spoiler tags.
Preview
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Should of photosynthesized with her when they were stuck…
cockblocked by helmet
should have*
or should’ve*
There was stark contrast between most of episode and the ending. First we have almost “Infinite Stratos” level harem antics, with Hoshijiro in the lead, and then…
When she gave that salute, I was like, “whoa! that’s a damn big death flag!” – and next moment, WHAM! she’s dead, Tanikaze is waking from the coma, and one Gauna that has escaped is sure to bring more friends next time…
And if Kunato really did something to make that happen he will be most hated character of the season, probably. Job well done on being next Joffrey…
It’s sure been hinted at that he did so it wouldn’t be surprising. Although personally I suspect that it’s not so much Kunato deliberately tampering with Tanikaze as Kunato taking advantage of the situation and twisting the story while Tanikaze was knocked out. Either way we should find out next week if the previews are an indication.
Didn’t they replace the arm on Nagate’s mech with one for a different type? Maybe it malfunctioned or something.
I know, right? First it seems like a typical harem setting: the good first girl, the friend who wants to be something more, and now the clingy girl with initiative. As another typical anime story, the first girl wins the first round…
…and then dies. SnK works that way. The rollercoaster has just begun. I’m just afraid that the anime will be able to cover just a few chapters more.
Interestingly, depending on what actually goes wrong on the Operation, it can may be viewed that not even the newest Guardians of Sidonia are immune to emotional acts – the same thing that killed the previous Elite Four.
Looks like next episode will cover the missing battle and its results as alluded to here. Otherwise another well executed episode that ends literally as things start to get good again. Interesting to note the focus the Captain and the Elders have on Tanikaze due to who his grandfather was, there’s something missing here and it likely has to do with his healing capabilities that he so brazenly asked the Captain about.
Although it’s been mentioned already, it’s astounding how well the CG is working now, you almost don’t even notice its presence compared to the rigid, jittery nature of episode one. Combine that with the amazing sound samples being used and I’d say that this is the dark horse of the season. A real shame many even refuse to look at Sidonia just because it’s animated using CG.
This show is ugly, and getting used to that doesn’t change the fact itself. What’s surprising, I opened a random chapter of the manga, and it’s even uglier, so nothing’s lost in translation. Which also means that it was picked for getting animated not for the pretty art, but other things it has to offer.
For reference, Attack on Titan also has quite an ugly manga, the story there, as with here is why the stories are engaging. Personally I don’t find the manga or AOT that bad though compared to some Korean and Chinese manga.
Well, seems like you lack an Important skill, to enjoy Mangas to the fullest. Your own imagination or Fantasy.
If you cannot fill the caps between the scenarios, with your own fantasy, you will not enjoy Mangas or Animes
Example: In my youth time the 8Bit Games chars, in today they would be ugly. But in my youth this was awesome graphics. Of course the most happen inside my head, thats called imagination or Fantasy..
Simple question:
what you prefer, a H-Picture where she is full naked, or a nearly naked Picture that our mind imagine what’s hidden?
You’re just used to huge tits and kawai face on every girl. That’s not good art, that’s just bland.
I don’t mind the art at all, but goddamn, you guys are fucking stupid.
He doesn’t have to like the art, and more importantly, he brought up the point of the manga having more than its art to offer.
James gets the message. Another SnK serves as a good reference: while personally I liked that manga’s art way more than the one in this SnK, it was still not quite mainstream. There were/are many people who complained about the art, yet kept following and enjoying the series despite that. Most likely, the anime would have been a commercial success even if they didn’t give an overhaul to the art department, in fact, pretty versions of some characters looked outright weird to manga readers at first. At the same time, there were clear production issues, particularly when they had to animate battle scenes without dropping the ball.
I don’t know if the producers of this SnK learned anything from the example of the other one, but they did a smart thing. By keeping the original character designs and using CGI they can probably keep the budget low despite all the action scenes, and if the manga was sufficiently popular, they will still sell their 5k-or-whatever-number’s-required boxes.
All that said, the complaints about the art are legitimate. I find it hard to believe that a lot of people are going to get excited (in a good way) about the looks of the original manga, and while the stills in the anime look better, they don’t look way better. CG makes action scenes affordable, but doesn’t help the things outside of those scenes. Whether you find the art tolerable or not, it’s definitely not the selling point of the show.
Still, ugly doesn’t equate not worth watching, at least for the people who don’t put the looks first and center. It just means that the show has to deliver more in the other departments, and do that right from the start. If, say, Captain Earth had SnK looks, how many people would be watching it by now?
While I’m watching the show despite disliking the art, I sure hope the use of CG doesn’t become a mainstream thing any time soon. There are examples like both SnK’s, where you have a lot of action scenes, the core audience that doesn’t mind the art that’s hardly an eye candy, and the emphasis is put on other elements. In the cases like that, you can make a commercially successful show on a low budget using the CG and pretty much giving up on the looks. Mainstream anime, on the other hand, depends on the looks, hence the use of CG is hardly welcomed there.
You need to read One Punch Man by Murata and then the original by One. That combo will cure any discrimination against alternative manga art style. Computer games is the cure against 3D. Pick a good story driven one like Mass Effect.
Sidonia is the most main steam series from Nihei. See Blame! or Biomega for his normal style. Nihei’s mangas are for people who enjoy a good sci-fi story with interesting world setting, story and characters. Even fan service is delivered in a unique way.
If you want normal fan service, you should watch Kenzen Robo Daimidaler instead.
And why exactly should I try to get used to the art/animation style I don’t initially like? If I want to play video games, I’ll play video games, and, trust me, I’ve been enjoying games with all kinds of graphics. If I want the best story, some food for thoughts, and free reign of the imagination, I’ll read the books. If I want lighter entertainment with the visuals to enjoy, there are movies/manga/anime. That said, even if the show doesn’t hit all the nails with me, it might still be worth watching, I just don’t see the point in pretending I like the things I don’t.
As far as the CG is concerned, there’s a bigger issue. Anime industry is a harsh business, and using the CG is one of the few remaining ways to increase margins. If producers see that they can switch to the CG and get away with it, they will sure do so, whether it’s warranted or not. Being vocal about disliking the looks of CG shows might help to ensure that producers will stop and think before starting to use it everywhere.
@GermanGuy – sometimes you surprise me (meant as a compliment)…
Nihei is all about deformed creatures and architecture porn. I think that he intentionally makes his human characters bland as a point of comparison. Like so.
The artwork may not be breaking any molds, but it’s not ugly. If you think this is ugly then it begs the question why you’re watching anime in the first place when almost all of it looks pretty much the same.
Sorry – but it is ugly. CG has come a long way but it still sucks for characters, period. The main question is whether the story is good enough and just how jarring the graphics are. In Sidonia’s case the graphics are poor but tolerable and the story is good which I believe it’s fairly popular. But it goes both ways just look at Aku no Hana or Aoki Hagane no Arpeggio which had good stories but were absolutely gutted by awful graphics.
No one denies that it still sucks, but it can be argued whether it’s passable or not. For me personally the character animation in Sidonia is tolerable, it does the job and that’s about all you need. Ugly IMO is when you cannot bear to look at it, and since we are still here after six episodes it means it must have made the grade in terms of (grudging) acceptance.
I don’t think Arpeggio did that badly @Spike, and people did like the graphics. In fact its arguable Arpeggio had superior CGI to Sidonia and high quality CGI in general. Some people just don’t like CGI, even if it is only flawed periodically, but generally good overall.
The thing with the art style is…you like it or you don’t
Whether or not you can see past that and judge the show for it’s other, more important merits is more important imo. Which is why I don’t understand why people got upset about Conrad’s comment.
Also, I find it interesting that such a discussion as come up on RandomC where PING PONG, one of the best animes out right now, is not covered here (Enzo is covering it, why is it not being posted here?). That show got some flack on the MAL forums for being “ugly” but I don’t see the same positive feedback for that here.
Just to clarify if that was in reference to me Germanguy, I don’t mind artwork of Sidonia, I have first two volumes and am attempting to buy other two legitly. I do agree with your statements though.
yes, i mean you
sry, i mean @conrad
worst. anime. ever.
Worst. Comment. Ever.
Out of curiosity, why do you believe it is the worst anime ever?
well, to give an example. for me it is (only this season), these wrestler men Anime. His first episode let me feel like “ehhhk, thats disgusting!” (and i am above 40years old). So episode 1, hit me hard with “No that disgusting thing, is not worth of watching ever!”
Go watch SD Gundam Force and tell me that Sidonia no Kishi is worse than that.
Tanikaze = Second coming of Jesus
you not know Jesus, arnt you? It is not the Jesus from Southpark.
Jesus was a Pacifist
It’s probably a Gundam Seed reference.
This is probably a noob question but, how can one actually differentiate the CGI from other types of animation? I knew by sight that there was something different with SnK’s animation, but I can’t put a finger on it.
Hard to describe, it’s more of a “you know when you see it” thing as CG rendering is getting to the point where unless you’re really paying attention you will not be able to tell the difference. Most CG anime though often has choppy movements or static expressions that are harder to render than through traditional means.
In a lot of cases, 3DCG can have higher frame rates compared to what you’re getting with limited animation in normal anime. But the problem is that it’s harder to make movements look smooth when you’ve got more frames going through, but the same limited animation, especially with the time constraints anime has. Not to mention unlike anime, 3DCG looks odd when nothing’s moving (perhaps uncanny valley effect?). So 3D usually looks really nice for action scenes (see the Code Geass spin-off or Black Rock Shooter), but not much else. In Sidonia’s case, looks like they lowered the frame rate, which made things look even jerkier than usual.
*correction not necessarily higher frame rates, but more consistent frame rates.
The CGI here, needs more “Keyframes”. But then these Keyframes need more time for drawing. If you would just do it from hand, you only change the parts that need redrawing. But Keyframes, need every time a full redrawing, because they need to render the light and Shadows. In a Hand drawing Anime, the shadows are not so exactly drawn. Thar speed up this part. But on a CGI?
so if you go there, and increase the FPS, then the Budget will increase
Just compare Idolmaster with other shows of its own, and you see the difference. I bet Idolmaster had more Budget in background
i hope i could bring some light in your question
example:
This scene
https://randomc.net/image/Sidonia%20no%20Kishi/Sidonia%20no%20Kishi%20-%2006%20-%20Large%2010.jpg
Just pay attention to Izana’s ID Sign. The shadow and light are correct render, when she was moving
so in short. The rendering of the light and the shadows (you need to position the models in the right place and so on. Like a 3D Animation), are perhaps here the breaker. even outside in space they want to draw accurate
If you need to save time, just mess bit with this Light and Shadow thing. If you not doing it to much, the fans will understand. Not that they are looking this Anime from frame to frame on errors…
Take an example on your name brother.. SnK (yes this Titan thing anime :))
Thanks for the replies. Like I said, I noticed something different, I just can’t really tell what it is, so I guess it applies to others as well. I suppose I’m not really that much affected by it in terms of enjoyability.
PS: I really chose to abbreviate it as SnK even though I know most attribute it to Shingeki no Kyojin (and I haven’t even watched Titan yet) because well, this is Sidonia’s page.
for one, I was surprised with the extra scene with Hoshijiro’s decontamination/medical exam. For another, that surprise cut (and move, apparently)of the battle with that “chained” Gauna.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
https://randomc.net/image/Sidonia%20no%20Kishi/Sidonia%20no%20Kishi%20-%2006%20-%20Large%2008.jpg
caption: Izana: Congratz on winning the competition (and those bags of rice)!
I would like to point out about the little speech the Captain did in the middle of the episode about how the ‘rabble’ looks for a hero, how she’ll have to correct that. This seemed to hint more to the fact that the Captain was more responsible for whatever happened than Kunato. Kunato maybe a lonely jerk that broods on all his slights that he has ever suffered, but would he actually have the ability to spin it to make it Negato’s fault? I have a hard time believing that, and find it much more likely it’s the Captain doing, especially considering the conversation the Captain had with the council.
Keep in mind Kunato has the leadership entitlement complex, so he won’t miss an opportunity to reinforce he’s the leader and claim “I ordered what happened and take responsibility”
No doubt that any answers given to the press are rehearsed and given beforehand by his military command, which is ultimately approved by the captain– but not necessarily by her specifically.
Hoshijiro, nooooooooo! There goes my favorite ship of the season… At least, I still have Ei-chan and Takasaki.
Look on the bright side, no ponytails were hurt in the making of this episode.
Take the lessons that Miss Hoshijiro has taught us….
never… ever…. EVER upstage the main heroine.
I cant tell who the main heroine is right now but Hoshijiro sure hell wasnt it, and she paid the price in full…. sad…. I kinda liked her
The Captain XP
well, Main heroine?…
I would say that is Izana. Yes, even if she/he is gender neutral. She said, that they can change their sex. She is there when he need a friend. She became a close friend. Not far away of being a Nakama for him
So, she/he had the bonus that she/he missing here from the start.. Yes, sexual attraction. This friendship is not about gender likeness, it is truly friendship
Well, Kunato’s plus points here, is that he took responsibility as Squad leader, and not put the blame all onto Tanikase. But what happen exactly? We will see next week
*PR Lip Service*
to the Fan that have a Oculus Rift or Morpheus VR Helm:
If it possible to build a “Guardian Mecha” cockpit for these Helms and put it into Open Source, for other fans that are not so skilled, but have these helms?
Thats another way of “fan merchandising”… There are Games made of a Film. This would bring the Fan in the middle of the “Anime/Game”…
@Sony
If you play your Home “fan merchandising” Fan card right. Your Morpheus will rise into the clouds
@Gamecompany:
a Spinoff Game, that play the prequel of Sidonia. Perhaps with Guardians Type 15 or older. And through cloning and some Anime Magic, you will be the Pilot that save Sidonia until you die in battle.. or take the “agarest generations of war” (game) way
Dont overdoing it, and use the helm only for Battles. So “Please prepare for Battle sortie!”, the Player has to mount the Helm, for the 3D Fight (Eve Online: Valkyrie!). And after the battle is over your dock on Sidona, and take of your “flight/battle helm”, and do your Nippon “date sims” Magic, like always.
I hope, we here in EU would get a change to get some of these Games
WHYYYYYYY I WAS JUST BEGINNING TO LIKE HOSHIJIRO WHHHYYYYYYYYYY
T_T
Can’t say I didn’t see this coming but the execution, the wtf moment and that infinitely stretched excrutiating shot of Nagate’s horrified face. Never before has left me a character’s death utterly speechless.
Yeah, it was ingenious to cut out the battle completely and jump to Nagate recovering because now it feels like the situation is truly from his perspective(like when getting knocked out in battle, when you recover, you forget what actually happened). The dread of finding out what happened upon recovery is far more gripping than just watching the battle unfold and knowing the results beforehand. An excellent way to keep the viewer wanting to see what happened next, even though the end wasn’t a cliffhanger at all. Very clever =03.
indeed
and also, budget saver
Didn’t care for it personally. Disrupted the flow of things.
Now when we see the battle we’ll know way too much about the other details – no one else died besides her, etc.
I suppose many of us who have read the manga were expecting this episode like those who read A Song Of Ice And Fire were expecting the “Red Wedding”. If this follows the manga, more answers will be unveiled in the next episode, so don’t worry, no one is missing anything.
In fact, I’m amazed at how well the anime is doing to translate the story. The changes are minimal. I had to check again the manga, and yes, I had forgotten many details, like those from the graduation ceremony. Ok, Midorikawa wore a maid uniform in the manga, but I think this looks more realistic, doesn’t it?
But, but, no, just very noooo! Meido Yuhata was the best bit in that scene.
Is it me or does she give more fan service than the other women? Yuhata fan service spoiler Show Spoiler ▼
In that scene it was suggested Midorikawa was undergoing a change in order to get over her brother’s death. In fact, Midorikawa had long hair before, and she cut it after her brother died. The uniform might have been another quirk. However, since she was introduced earlier in the anime with short hair, I think it would be difficult to justify the maid dress.
Yeah, I like that Yuhata’s capability are shown earlier, but she should’ve been shown with long hair, which she then cut in mourning for her brother.
I mean, Imagine…
Yuhata, Ponytailed.
@kittyraider
I imagine all female characters with ponytails. Sometimes for hours on end…
We could have enjoyed this: http://danbooru.donmai.us/posts/1669720?tags=midorikawa_yuhata
I admit, I drooled over these episodes like Jibril drooled over the tablet in No Game No Life.
They killed the girl from the previous episode? Well. There goes any reason I might have had to watch this series.
B-B-B-Bu-But, What about Cap’n’ Ponytail? Samari’s Ponytail? Sasaki’s Ponytail? and The Greatest Mystery of all, What is actually inside Izana’s Shorts?
Uhmm… a urethra?
Another one of those who drop a series just because his favorite character just died.
Show Spoiler ▼
I didn’t drop it, I just didn’t start watching it in the first place. The review of the previous episode almost made me choose to start watching this series. Then this episode reveiw came up and told me she died, and I said “Well nevermind then!“
There is 11 of the Honokas? I wanna see them play Football as a Team.
If they had one more they could make two volleyball teams.
This sounds like a confusing game of volleyball.
Depends on what you pay attention to, the match or the lithe, athletic girls jumping around vigorously and… sorry, what were we talking about?
Or should’ve*
The Guardian Corps performance as a whole seems to have improved than before. Sure there are some casualties, but 36 Guardians (as seen on the preview) managed to repel 29 Hive Type Chained Gauna, and only One of the Gauna escaped. That is a much better Kill:Death Ratio if compared to the previous engagement.
even thought it was just one, kind of makes you wonder why they didn’t send that many against the first one.
After the captain’s dialogue with the immortal committee, you sorta come to think she sent the elite 4 to die as a warning/message to the population in Sidonia.
Because she’s confident that the 4 would succeed. She’s human, you know. She can still make mistakes.
Also, having to gather all the pilots, refuel all the Guardians and retrieve them in a seed ship that is in constant motion is a logistical nightmare.
should realize by now that the bathysphere thing = death flag
If the captain has any sense she will close the bathysphere permanently. It is the main cause of death of Guardian pilots, I swear.
That long shot at the end showing Tanikaze’s shock was pretty awesome direction, especially since it served as the last shot to end the episode.
Another Excellent episode. The final, prolonged shot, of Tanikaze was a great touch.
main char is Izana huehue no one see that coming eh?! i wonder what happen, but i am sure the white hair guys purposely put hochijiro in bad spot and since nagate is clearly in love with her , he kinda fly out and get himself almost dead like Akai …
“main char is Izana”
Without wanting to spoil too much. Izana is a main character like aShow Spoiler ▼
To the Show itself.
Sidonia deserves more than 12 episodes.
Well, the viewers and perhaps the dvd sales, are here the wings for a 2nd season. Are you ready to help knights of sidonia to fly?
Well, I buy every show that I like and Sidonia is one of them.
Plot twist:
https://randomc.net/image/Sidonia%20no%20Kishi/Sidonia%20no%20Kishi%20-%2006%20-%20Large%2030.jpg
Kunato was actually plotting to keep Tanikaze all to himself. He was jealous of Hoshijiro.