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“Crying Doesn’t Mean You’re Weak. Enduring Doesn’t Mean You’re Strong.”Aftermath – Tears, Cuddles, and Alcohol: This week on Grimgar we focus on the three things needed to grieve after losing a loved one: tears, cuddles, and alcohol. Last week’s episode provided the much needed shake up to keep things fresh, and as expected, this week was about the rest of the party dealing with the aftermath of losing their priest and their leader. Manato was the glue that held everyone together, and without him our trainees are right back to level 1 all over again – they couldn’t even kill a single goblin this time around. It’s pathetic to watch, but I love it! As much as I enjoy a badass action show from time to time, I’m sick and tired of focusing on elites, prodigies, or destined heroes; Haruhiro and his gang are pure fodder, and seeing them struggle and fail is more satisfying than bearing witness to convenient power-ups and plot armour. As this episode focused almost entirely on the characters reacting to Manato’s loss, not that much actually happened. This may allow for people to once again complain about the pacing, but that’s another quality I appreciate. The only down side is that this is a 1-cour show, so we’re likely to end just when the juicy stuff begins. It happens all too often, but perhaps not as often as LN adaptations that blitz through multiple volumes to the point where the already weak prose and characterisation feels ever more stilted and condensed. Here, there’s breathing room for our characters to go the local tavern and mope around. In fact, the most action packed sequence this week was probably Haruhiro and Ranta’s argument that resulted in Mogzo’s rage. Now they know not to anger the gentle giant. The best parts of the episode has to be the moments shared between Haruhiro and Yume. They’ve not interacted all that much (as was pointed out in this episode), but watching them both shout in each other’s faces and break down into tears was pretty powerful. It took Haruhiro all this time to finally shed tears over losing Manato – perhaps this was the moment when he realised he was truly gone and there wasn’t a quick fix to this problem. Better yet, they shared an innocent hug that felt completely natural and devoid of dodgy intentions; for once in anime, a boy and a girl hugged each other out of kindness and grief. Of course, Shihoru had to take a peak at them and freak out over it, but prior to that it was just a simple embrace that both of them needed. But in saying that, I also ship them now. I kind of did before, but now I definitely do. The New Priest – Mary: Perhaps the most important development in this episode is the introduction of Mary (Anzai Chika) – the replacement priest who isn’t going down too well. She’s the emotionless sort, delivering deadpan lines that don’t sit well with the rest of the party (at least she’s intimidating enough to make Ranta squirm and apologise for his behaviour). I’ve heard that she’s one of the most popular characters among LN readers, and first impressions are pretty solid. If anything, she seems way smarter than the others. They consider her refusal to play the vanguard and heal minor wounds as her being rude and incompetent, when in fact she’s right – priests are a priority target and should be away from the action, only healing when needed. It’s those mistakes that caused Manato’s downfall, but they don’t see that just yet. I’m sure the moment will come when Mary will save the team when it matters most, but for the time being she’s clearly the odd one out. Overview – What’s Next?: A simpler, slower, and more sombre episode than last week’s game changer. I knew we’d be getting introduced to our new healer and expected to spend most of the episode dealing with the aftermath of Manato’s death, so there was no major surprises. That being said, it’s painful to know that the cost of one’s life in the world of Grimgar is but a silver piece. Speaking of coinage, I do wish Haruhiro would have swallowed his pride and accepted Renji’s gold coin; perhaps that’s just because I’m not the sort to refuse the generosity of others (Renji appeared genuine in his intent), but I suppose it would have been too easy to take the gold and earn their badges the quick way. After all, if they’re going to survive in this world then they’re going to have to get over Manato’s death and improve, else they’ll be stuck fighting goblins for the rest of their sorry lives. Full-length images: 20, 28, 31.
Preview
End Card
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What they now need is someone teaching them to work as an party, as their classes should be
Warrior = Punchbag, Aggro holder. Get away the enemy’s from Mage and Cleric. all others can take care of themselves
Dark Knight = 2nd Punchbag, if our Warrior has his hand full and more Enemy’s are incoming. He must then jump between the fresh new Enemy’s and the group. Protecting Mage and Cleric
Thief and Archer = Supporter role. While the Archer can shoot from long distance, the thief must do with powerful attacks. The thief can not survive strong attacks of the enemy. he and the Archer must “dance” to avoid strong hits. in emercency they should be the meat shields for Mage and Cleric
Mage = stay in the 2nd but better in the 3rd line, Blow out the Big Magic Guns to kill the enemy’s very fast, to take the “workload” of the shoulders of their tank. So his hand get free for other enemy’s. or shoot the ones, that thief and Archer are keep busy to reach the group
Cleric = is the center. She should decide in how to heal first, to keep the Party alive, not unnecessary mana wasting. in a battle every piece of mana is precious
Well, this is my RPG Party class understanding. But this Anime here, is living in a World where the enemy’s do not behave like NPC Enemys.. they are also living beings
But i think, we will not see this animated. I do not see that much budget in this Show for that. Action sequences cost to much money
also i can see in the preview they are gone into the background story of the new party member, even when we still not know our MC party that well, too… this is in my eyes false. before they focus on the new one, they should tell our “MC”‘s first
What the group need right now, is an Battle Leader (it can be the New Priest) that only has the authority in Battles, when offbattle our Thief can take back this position. Until they become one
Perhaps she has more battle experience then all of them together… i would do that
example?
Hardbreak Ridge (i think) With Clint Eastwood being in the Army as an Instructor, where even his Upper Officer said to the group “nonofficial” that in battle the Instructor has the word, because he has more battle experience.
Yeah, i saw to many Movies in my lifetime.. put this is also my treasure
I’m just glad that they’re focusing on characters rather than game mechanics. You can choreograph how this world works, and the strategies to deal with it, without going through droll dialogue. The awkward situations with Mary hit the right notes in that regard – she was meant to be out of sync with the rest of the group, and they’ll learn from it.
Party mechanics with a tank and a dedicated healer might work in an Video Game RPG, but the Grimgar world is more like Pen & Paper.
And like in all games with an GM who’s deciding what monsters do and how they react, any kind of “aggro managment” is simply not possible.
You want to protect a dadicated healer? Have him stand in a corner so the warrior can block him with his body or even better, leave him at home!
As soon he’s out in the field, he’s a target, and no big dude in plate armor can do anything against it.
On the contray… if I were a Goblin, I would not go near that guy and only jump at the weaker looking party members.
I liked this episode very much… I liked how they handled their grief and emotions from Manato’s death.
On the other hand I seriously hope they start getting their acts together and get their party started with Mary. Sure she’s got some attitude but she really does have a point!
I counted no fewer than 4 Yume flags in the latter part of the episode. The hugs, the crying, the cuddles, and Yume belatedly realizing the implications after Shihoru’s freakout. The HaruxYume ship is now accepting all passengers.
https://randomc.net/image/Hai%20to%20Gensou%20no%20Grimgar/Hai%20to%20Gensou%20no%20Grimgar%20-%2005%20-%20Large%2028.jpg
The subtraction of Manato, and the addition of Mary, means that there are now 3 possible and contemporaneous pairings (one male for every female).
So if Haru x Yume is one pairing…
What about the other 2 pairings? I think:
1) Ranta x Mary – because Ranta’s personality is destined to perpetually intimidate Shihoru. May, on the other hand, would provide each the perfect foil in contrasts (and comedy).
2) That leaves Mogzu x Shihoru which seems perfectly reasonable, given their matching personalities.
NOTE: Do not spoil it for us. If you know, use spoiler tags.
in all honesty tho… i’d be just as happy if they didn’t all pair off…
Frankly relationships in a team environment can cause huge rifts and impair decision making in emotional situations…
the idea of them all pairing off is the sort of canon reserved for generic slice of life stuff.. i don;t feel like it has a place in grimgar.. (i know no-one here is really suggesting that… but I’m interested to know whether people agree?)
the plot has gone to lengths to distance the characters from anyone but their immediate buddies… but i thought they were built up to be more like a family… (i am expecting at least one ship to sail..)
but i think i would be more accepting if once they gain a bit of confidence they start interacting more with the social aspect of their new world.. ie.. making some civilian friends…?
No doubt that’s true of the work environment we all live in.
Imagine the insidious effect of our wives and girlfriends amidst our professional peers; sensibilities, personal agendas, jealousies, real or imagined.
But this anime and a storyboard we’re talking about; the logic of life does not apply. Not that I would mind a more (or less?) prosaic approach to the genre. But 3 x 3 is simple arithmetic, so you have to wonder if a writer decided to knock off Manato from the beginning with this in mind.
Even if there isn’t a strictly “romantic” pairing off the bat, the dynamics certainly look natural – Shihoru helping Mohzu with the cooking and seemingly with a sibling/platonic atmosphere. And then there’s the heated dynamic between Ranta and Mary bouncing off each other which has some developmental potential.
Show Spoiler ▼
Haru/Yume and Ranta/Mary definitely makes the most sense, but I don’t think they’ll actually be real couples. As others have pointed out, I don’t know if the romance would work well here. If anything, it would just raise their death flags. That being said, Haru/Yume is very cute together and I’m rooting for them!
what Pairs i see?
Our Thief with Archer
Warrior with Mage
Dark Knight with the New Cleric
Thats the pair i see now
Well, 3 and 3 may be simple arithmetic but that doesn’t necessarily mean the author stopped his subtraction at Manato. There could be more deaths, possibly integration with other parties (Renji’s, Kikkawa’s, etc) and various other events that’d alter the party comp permanently.
If the author’s going to mostly keep to LN tropes and cliches, I’d be more likely to think that implies plot armor for the girls more than anything else. Ranta and Moguzo… well, good luck guys.
I actually would kind of like Haru not to end up with Yume, but for them to actually be emotionally supportive friends to the point of physical contact. As was mentioned in the review, part of the beauty of their scene in this episode was how they connected emotionally and with actual physical contact, without it being about romance or fanservice. I’d love that to stay a thing. It’s so rare in anime.
That said, they’re adorable together and I certainly wouldn’t COMPLAIN if they got together.
What i would had done with this Gold piece?
I would buy better Armors or Weapons for the party, and give back the money that be left, and would said “thank you for your help. With this fresh new items you gave us, we will repay back every last coin to you!”..
so… i would shallow my pride in take the party first, but not my entire pride. i also would think about the Party pride, too… But Pride do not make you survive battles..
I think it was more a combination of not thinking they deserved it and not wanting to profit from a friend’s death. Sure, maybe a little pride was present, but Haru wants to prove Manato was right and they really can do it on their own.
the scene, when he let go the coin and it was falling to the ground. let me hold my breath. i was fearing he trow the coin to the ground… it would be an big disrespect and an slap into the face of this Guy.. But when i saw he catch the coin “All save!” came into my mind
Problem is they kept starving before. Try to kill goblins with an empty stomach.
Pride is a problem if it risks your whole group.
This is a response to the other comment below –
What are you on about? There is this saying “respect begets respect”. I don’t know about you but Renji was very DISRESPECTFUL. It’s one thing if he invited Haru over and had a conversation with Haru alone, then offered the gold coin or going on over to their table has he did then proceeded to having a conversation FIRST before dropping the coin.
Just going off the show (I haven’t read the LNs), I don’t think he was trying to be mean, but I do think he’s a stoic/jerk. I think giving that coin really was meant as a gift as he said it, but I get the implication that Renji does NOT get the implications of that sort of charity in that situation.
I get where you are coming KaleRylan. My response comment was not directed at the intention of Renji from giving Haru the gold coin being obvious it was intended as a gift. Though I doubt he is stoic/jerk given his mannerism in the first episode. What I was referring to was HOW he went about giving it. Heck, he did not finish talking to Haru and gang face to face before walking off.
If the latter exchange of the coin, led to it dropping on the floor, Haru would not have been at fault. I would only see Haru’s reaction as simply a repeat of what was done to him, hence the phrase, respect begets respect.
Agreed, Samucchi—the Yume & Haru hug was initially done out of grief rather than romantic love (though there was certainly love of other sorts—for Manato, and for all their friends), and was all the better for it. Also, I ship the hell out of them now. They’ve been my favorite since the beginning, so all aboard that train. If either of them survives long enough to even consider more cuddles, that is.
if they only did Shiroe’s formation and startegies. the lack of megane makes them vunerable form their oblivion
Shiore from Log Horizon? There everybody know how to play their Class. But here? Where even a Healer goes into fighting? Well Battle Clerics are not unusually in new groups. But they became to powerful enemys in short time. they success in short time, made them vulnerabel. They need to learn to combine their Class skills for the sake of teamplay
Took me a couple of episode to get used to the fact this may be themed as a realMMO world, but there is no “system” in place to guide the flow of battle. No aggro management like Anchor Howl, your opponent can make a bee line towards the most vulnerable member when ever possible.
As pointed out, it was really refreshing to see an ‘innocent’ hug in anime. I was a little concerned this episode would have the usual level of fan service, which would’ve been….tasteless. I’m glad they managed to keep it at an appropriate level.
Now, although I really liked the writing and am on board the HaruxYume ship, two things really bothered me while watching their scene:
1. The voice acting seemed subpar at the time. Sometimes the characters’ body movement / facial expressions and their voices were noticeably different in intensity, and sometimes the lip sync seemed off. (On a personal note: I still think Haru sounds 10 years older than he looks)
2. The animation felt like it was in slow motion at times. Might be because I didn’t watch it in 1080p 60fps, might be because all the budget went into majestic landscape shots and action scenes, might be I’m just imagining things.
I hope the pacing picks up juuust a little bit, so that enough things happen before the finale to leave me interested into adding the series’ original material to my ever-growing list of things to read(eventually).
1. thought the voice-acting was FANTASTIC.
2. I think the mild slow motion effect (which I think was actually just the characters holding an action in grief) was for dramatic effect, not animation failure.
LNs are not generally written great, so I’d say the pacing won’t help either way on that.
I really can’t make up my mind about this anime. Some parts are really good (like today’s Haru/Yume talk) and some other are really boring. Besides I still think that the female cast is rather poorly written and kinda brushed aside (with today’s episode kinda being an exception).
“I do wish Haruhiro would have swallowed his pride and accepted Renji’s gold coin”
I think that he knows that they need to lern how to survive in this world themselfs. If they will relay on others it will just buy them some time and nothing will change. They are not in such a bad situation that they can’t afford food so that gold coin would be just a luxury and luxury makes people lazy.
Yeah, mentioned that it’s better for them to learn the hard way, but characters refusing the generosity of others is something that always makes me roll my eyes. Still, it wasn’t too bad this time around.
At least Renji took the refusal in stride. He was pretty confrontational with Brit in episode 1, but this time he wasn’t bothered when Haruhiko refused his attempt at charity. I’ll admit I was kind of expecting him to be a jerk after episode 1, but I have hopes now that he can subvert those expectations.
The gift was in poor taste, that said I don’t think Renji meant it to be condescending.
I have two thoughts though, which occurred while watching:
1. Getting badges without earning them seems like a recipe for disaster since you might get pulled into conflicts you’re not prepared for.
2. Why not take the money and not use it for badges? Use it for food, clothes, and other necessities?
The HaruXYuma part was also my favorite. I do wish they survive all the way through.
As for Mary, she brought the ugly reality of the party’s incompetence onto their minds, so I appreciate that about her, but it didn’t necessarily make me like her as that was something the party would have to figure out anyway. If anything made me like her right off the bat, it’s that she was able to intimidate Ranta. I like anyone who can do that XD
But anyway, she’s an interesting character that I can’t wait to know more of.
I just noticed something interesting about Mary.
I re-watched the first episode and she wasn’t there among the new people who got swept into this world. Could it be that she was swept into this world before them? If that’s the case, then that makes her a lot more experienced in this world than our party is right now. They can really benefit a lot from her.
Show Spoiler ▼
I think part of what we’re ‘learning’ is that basically they couldn’t really learn about their incompetence on their own (at least not quickly) because they were too nice too each other (yes, even Ranta). They needed someone who was not a friend who was willing to point out that their tactics sucked and they needed to get their crap together if they didn’t want to die.
Yume’s such a lovable airhead, that “I see” when she finally figured out what Haruhiro and Shiroru were freaking out about was funny.
I’m starting to think Grimgar may be better binged than watched weekly. Grimgar’s pacing and (current) lack of centralized plot are starting to irk me. While all the components are handled well, there is nothing present yet to properly tie them together. This episode’s carryover of the grief and fallout for example was well done, and the misunderstanding at the end improved tremendously upon the earlier peeking trope scene. It’s just there’s nothing else. We have no multi-episode arc, no sense of suspense or tension. We get the SoL and the well executed catharsis, but no “proper” story arc to ground these concepts behind something, no major character development. As Samu alludes to, the single cour run is likely to be Grimgar’s biggest downfall. If things end just as SHTF, then all we get for our troubles here is the worst case of “
purchaseread the LN to see how it all ends!” possible.As mentioned last week, Grimgar has all the right (well constructed) pieces but has yet to assemble them into an well rounded and enticing package. I really hope the show can do this because it would be a huge waste abandoning the potential its writing has shown. Just get the characters to do something, give their existence a tangible purpose, and most the issues will be righted. As Mogzo mentions the goal has seemingly been lost. Focus on the goal and Grimgar is very likely to go out with a bang.
Definitely better as a marathon. Most of the point of Vol 1 is actually the the group figuring out what the point is. What are they trying to do? Are they even trying to do anything besides survive? Does there need to be more yet?
The death of Manato gives them a possible revenge-angle, but aside from that and breaking through to Mary, there really isn’t much to work at. Becoming full guild-members doesn’t really seem like a big goal anymore, just something that’ll happen along the way. For now I guess we can expect more training before they inevitably run into that goblin pack again. They aren’t really aiming for that, though. They’re just kinda going to probably end up there. Like you said, this episode did a good job of showing how aimless they are at the moment, and I think the hook is supposed to be wanting to see how they turn that around.
Of coure the big question is still why are they there, but there’s certainly no sign that they(or anyone, really) will be investigating that soon.
I say do whatever you think would let you enjoy it more. As for the 1-cour problem, I just hope we’ll have a split cour or 2nd season announced, but I have a feeling that won’t be the case…
I never get why people can’t accept the realities of creator intention and just adjust accordingly. While there will presumably be battles and whatnot as this story continues, it’s very obvious by now that the pacing is an active choice by the creator. It is not going away and it is not changing. If you don’t like it fine, but complaining about how the slow-paced drama has way too much slow-paced drama every week is silly. Maybe it’s just not your thing?
I really liked Mary. She seems to know what she is doing and won’t take shit from anyone. They really need to find someone to guide them in their class role.
Don’t think she’s all that interested in guiding, but if they can get her interested she’ll probably be good for them. In a drill-instructor kinda way.
I don’t think she needs to be ‘interested.’ She just needs to be willing to yell at them when they’re being stupid (which she is) and they need to be able to realize the merits of her complaints and refusals (which they weren’t, but I’d guess they will be soon).
Am I the only one who thinks the new priest’s boobs are even more perfect than Shihoru’s?
I think thats simply because she has a better posture in contrast to Shihoru, who is seemingly always actively trying to hide her breasts.
A wise man once said that the secret for big breasts lies as much in the back as in the front.
I dont know but I just cant see Haruhiro and Yume as a couple.
Ever since the beginning there has been almost zero romantic/sexual tension between them (save for the few times Haruhiro checked her out, but then thats something men do automatically so I dont count that as any indication of anything). Actually the hug scene sort of sealed the deal for me and sank the ship completely, they look like just good friends.
As far as I remember Haruhiro has only really shown active interest in Shihoru. Also her mild mannered, shy character simply screams “main girl”.
If I had to bet I would go with YumexRanta. Theres plenty of tension between then and Ranta actually displayed quite a bit of sensibility (given his character) for her back in episode 3 when he noted she would like the wooden goblin Moguzo carved.
I think RantaXMary would be more epic. Have you seen the way she intimidated him? More of that please. Someone as brash and annoying as Ranta deserves someone like her >:)
And while Haruhiro and Yume maybe good friends, love beautifully starts from friendship. So who knows? Maybe they’ll grow to love each other somewhere along the way.
Yea I can definitely see Mary and Ranta happening since this sort of pairing itself is a stereotype of sorts, but Im still not sold on Haru and Yume but then I hope Im wrong since I find her leagues more interesting than Shihoru.
I don’t think Shihoru is the main heroine. I thought she was in the first episode, but she’s been VERY firmly secondary ever since then. She’s had little screen time and less dialogue. In harem anime terms (which this is not, but the stereotype applies) she’s the shy busty friend that never wins.
As for Rantaxanyone, you’re bath basically arguing for slap slap/kiss kiss relationships it’s just the difference between Ranta being the domineering one or the dominated one. That can certainly happen in plots and is common but one, fighting is not automatically romantic tension anymore than Haru and Yume hugging is automatically romantic and two, they’re both also stereotypical (not a reason they can’t happen, just saying). Sometimes fighting is just fighting.
Hmm, I think the shy, busty friend is more of a LN action/battle sci-fi/fantasy clichê, as in the likes of Gakusen Toshi Asterisk (Kirin is precisely this stereotype).
When you think about straight up harem romcom shows (not being a subgenre of action), as a rule the (usually mild) girl who is most dependent on the protagonist ends up with him (this girl also being the one he always meets first). This is kind of a father complex of sorts that I never really understood about harem shows.
But then between one and the other Grimgar is closer to the first and you are right about Shihoru only barely being there.
The thing about tension is that towards Yume Haru only displays the absolute normal for a boy and Yume seemingly only barely (if at all) sees Haru as a sexual being. She even lagged for a few seconds until she understood why Shihoru was surprised at their hug. Back in episode 3 as well she was barely fazed when musing on whether Haru catching a glimpse of her would be ok or not.
With this apparent lack of sexual tension mostly from Yume’s part, but also taking into consideration Haru’s pretty average behavior, I find it difficult to find a solid foothold upon which to ship their romance.
Something may start from now on but at this point in time it could go anywhere I think.
I find it more likely that Yume got more development first precisely because Shihoru is the main girl. With Yume’s and Haru’s relationship more or less solved (As I see it) the author then switches focus to the main heroine, something like that.
This is a mildly strange response. I never said that Yume and Haru were going to be a thing, because I agree, there’s nothing in that scene that shows any necessary romance. If they do go that direction, then yes this scene will be included (along with the fact that they were the first two to get over the peeping incident) as part of their relationship development, but there’s nothing here that requires this scene to be romantic, and as I said above I actually like the idea that they might be just friends.
That said, you’re really bent on this idea that Shihoru is the main girl despite tons of evidence to the contrary and your own earlier argument that Shihoru fits the LN harem stereotype of the shy, busty friend who is not the main girl (which I don’t think is terribly different from non-LN harems, but it doesn’t really matter). Quite frankly, I’d put a fair amount of money on Mary being the main girl, but if the question is between Shihoru and Yume, then Yume all the way.
But anyway, if you look at my response, this whole thing was minor, I was just saying that suggesting Ranta has sexual tension with either Yume or Mary simply because he fights with them is just as weird as assuming that Haruhiro has sexual tension with Yume because they hugged. There’s nothing anymore inherently romantic about the fight than the hug.
TL:DR, at this point the sky’s the limit on everything, there has been no actual UST with any of the characters except Shihoru and Manato, and that’s clearly not going anywhere.
Only mildly strange? Hahah.
The things is that its been ages since I last wrote anything in English so Im struggling a lot to get ideas across.
What I was trying to say is that I consider Shihoru being the main heroine and Ranta and Yume becoming a couple as a natural consequence of Haru and Yume being only friends (something that Im fairly certain they are). Thats why I focused on them so much.
By this logic, after you discard Haru, Ranta is the only male character Yume has something going on with. I consider their tension to be somewhat romantic because while they do fight a lot it seems clear they dont dislike each other at all (the wooden goblin scene, Yume preventing Ranta from leaving after Manato’s death).
So constant friction all the while retaining affection for one another = romance. Well at least as far as tropes go.
When Yoloalchemist suggested Mary and Ranta I think both him and I acknowledged the possibility because it is an obvious stereotype (and would be fun!), not because there was any sign of romantic tension between them (and you are right, there is not). A different case from how I particularly see Yume and Ranta’s.
So I agree with you on that Mary and Ranta’s fights are no more a romantic sign than the hug, but disagree about Yume and Ranta’s fights.
As for Shihoru I mostly picked her for main heroine because going by the assumption that Yume is only a friend, there was no option left. I never for a second considered Mary here, which might have been a mistake but on the other hand also seems like a super wild guess.
I like the idea though.
ok.. yume next to die. or last if they actually become an item!
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE, I DON’T WANT SOME GEORGE RR MARTIN KILLING THEM JUST AFTER THIS !!!
i see manato’s death as a focal point to develop the characters…. but i don’t want to see an akame ga kill 2 D:
This is the episode that attached me to the show. Now I can say that I LIKE the characters.
Success! (I agree that this episode made me care for Haru and Yume more than before – hopefully that continues with the rest of the cast)
Now, that said the party needs a reality check.
As Mary gently explained in this post found on 4chan.
“Who is the party leader?
Who is the main tank?
Who will scout ahead?
Who is responsible for crowd control?
What is our itinerary?
What will be our objective at the location?
What party formation will we be using?
Why isn’t the main tank in front aggroing the mobs?
Why is a rogue telling me how to play my class?
Why is dps telling me to go in front and melee?
Why is our only ranged dps in melee?
Why don’t you man up and get your pussy ass out of here with that papercut flesh wound instead of bitching me out for every single heal?
Do any of you even know what the fuck you’re doing?
Why aren’t any of you answering my questions in clear concise responses?
Where the fuck did you newbies graduate?
Why am I even here?
Oh, because your last priest died doing this exact same bullshit you’re asking me to do?
I understand now.
I understand all of you have no fucking clue what you’re doing.
Go fuck yourselves.
I’m leaving.”
If anyone EVER talked to me like that I would punch them so hard.
They need to learn, don’t try and make Mary into an arrogant, selfish prick. That’s not the solution.
“This week on Grimgar we focus on the three things needed to grieve over losing a loved one: tears, cuddles, and alcohol.”
I will take the alcohol.
Alcohol often results in tears and cuddles, so there’s no escaping the inevitable~
but next day, you do not remember anything…
I lost my older brother in a motorcycle accident a few years ago.
I’m not the type of person who likes to “cuddle” so I just got myself drunk for a few days and slept.
I couldn’t contain myself after episode 4 and hit the LN. I’ve read through the first volume and spoilers follow:
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This show is really great so far.
Pretty much spot on, sir. 🙂
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Yume wasn’t mad that Haru said that; her line at the end was her REALIZING that them holding each other could be taken romantically (understanding the Japanese helps, but the translation was fairly clear). Basically (at least in the anime, I haven’t read the LNs) she’s an idiot.
Also, I’m sorry, but LNs are almost never written well. I tried reading these a bit and they were no better than any others I’ve read. There’s a reason they’re LNs and not just novels.
I remembered that last scene in the anime wrong, about how Yume replies. Technical LN spoilers follow:
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As for the LN’s level of quality: compared to other fan-translated LNs I’ve tried reading, this one was pretty good. It might be the level of the translation or the level of the content, but it’s just so much fun reading.
i was utterly disappointed with the “comedy bit” placed after what was an actually well-directed and sweet moment. Sigh…Ive seen some of the comments and while this also happen in the ln, i actually think the anime could have elevated itself a bit by leaving that bit out. Not everything has to follow the source material verbatim
Really loved it when Yume finally realized the situation at the end. It ended the episode in a high note. A nice contrast to the mood of the rest of the episode.
Can’t wait for next episode to see what strategy they come up with. Considering what Haruhiro said about Manato’s roles, the defensive “tank” role would fall entirely on Moguzo now, Mary is the healer and Haruhiro seem to have taken the role of leader. That leaves strategist. Betting on Mary to fill that role since she seems to know better, or at least has enough observation skills to know that there group is a mess.
Speaking of Mary, is her staff really just a decoration? I’d expect it to at least be for self-defense, not just a fashion accessory. Kinda hard to tell if she actually meant it or just messing with Ranta. Really like how she handles Ranta by the way.
The guys did what all guys do – try to drown the loss of their friend in alcohol. It’s as much Japanese as American as Russian. It’s a guy thing. It wasn’t until the guys realized that they had left the girls out of the grieving process that they realized how much they screwed up as a party.
As for the gold coin, if the guys are drinking they can’t be scraping the bottom of the purse, beer costs money. But I agree in giving back the gold coin – they have to earn their badges, or else they’ll die in the first upped encounter.
What really stinks is the differences in the post-Earth human parties and their levels. Haruhiro is what, 16? But the age differences in the first episode appeared to be from 12 to 18, and a street-hardened 18 is more like 25 or 28 compared to a 16-year-old high school student.
Somebody needs to get high enough level to start questioning this world’s premises. Something is seriously wrong if we’re seeing 16-year-olds fighting goblins after a single week’s training in individual guilds, no military training, no support. And to place the entire burden on the recruits, even to cremating and burying their comrades if they fall in battle – that’s heartless.
these kids be drinking tho….are we sure their 16?…seems like some of them my be twenty or older
https://randomc.net/image/Hai%20to%20Gensou%20no%20Grimgar/Hai%20to%20Gensou%20no%20Grimgar%20-%2005%20-%20Large%2025.jpg
Archer, what you doing over here!
High hopes that Mary won’t be a Sue. 🙂
I really like Mary’s role in this party. It was really awkward at first, but what she says is knowledge the party needs to take in. The episode also solidified that it made sense nobody knew what the correct actions were for each class since they were all newbies and have no previous memories, so I can’t blame them for simply accepting priest as the vanguard since it’s how Manato operated.
I can see Haru not accepting the gold coin to be pretty stupid, but in the grand scheme of things, they have to reflect on their mistakes and improve themselves in order to thrive in the world, the gold wouldn’t of done anything in that regard.
That last scene was indeed well done. They didn’t hug each other because they were romantically interested (although they probably do have some feelings for each other), but simply because they both desperately needed to grieve. I hope next episode the party starts making an active effort to improving themselves, at least Haru and Yume can start.
This anime seems to be more about character dynamics and relationships that’s set in an MMO world, so anyone expecting the pacing to pick up or for this to be more action driven will probably be sorely disappointed. I for one am tired of the regular tropey MMO anime of Kirito-type MC + girl(s) + action = rinse and repeat. Bring on the character development!
Grimgar, stop trying to pull me back to the show after a disappointing episode. It has been the same case with ep.1-2.
Overall, ep. 3 was horribly overextended (basically overextended with stills), while this ep is almost perfectly paced. That was quite a good episode of griefing and bittersweet-heartwarming moments, so I hope the show could keep the quality more consistent forward.
Bit late to comment, but just got around to watching. Overall a pretty solid episode IMO. Time was needed to sort out the fallout from Manato dying. Would have been poor storytelling for them to just gloss over it. Whether the entire episode was required is perhaps debatable, but as noted above, I thought the slower pacing this time around was fine. One thing I did find odd is that Shihoru (mage girl) got a lot less screen time than I expected. Wasn’t there a hint of “romance” between her and Manato? Even if there wasn’t I think they could have given her a bit more spotlight – especially how she’s not exactly the strongest person emotionally. Compared to the rest of the cast, to me she kind of disappeared until popping up for the “comedic misunderstanding” at the end. (Meh on that)
I really liked how Ranta mentioned WHY do they have to do this (be adventurers/forced to “volunteer”) – a question I and others had asked before. Can’t be a waiter/waitress, bartender, shop help, etc.? The non-answer given was “because” which was disappointing. :< Guess I'll have to just let that one go. There was (IMO) some other good attention to detail such as why the hell anyone would want to join the group. OK, maybe Mary's people skills could use a bit of work (then again, not like Ranta is exactly easiest person to get along with). She does, however, seem pretty competent, experienced – understands how the whole "RPG" survival thing works, etc. So WHY join (and also WHY is she even available given how the importance of healers was pointed out)? From the preview, the answer seems to be "see next episode" which is fine by me. Mary's probably at the top of my character list right now so looking forward to some info/depth on her. Still, it struck me as a bit convenient the way she joined the party via random guy from Ep. 01. Plausible? Sure, but still awfully convenient.
I think accepting Renji's gold coin can go either way. Lot of money for them and could be very useful IF spent wisely (what ARE the benefits of "full membership"?). On the other hand, perhaps a bit of leadership from Haru. He's making a statement that the group CAN succeed on its own without charity. That being said, "charity" does not include some good advice from others. THAT this group needs in spades. Manato’s gone and the rest need to step up. Now.
Manato was IMO the only one who was any bit proactive about their situation to a meaningful degree. Yeah, he couldn’t have done it on it’s own, but then again, they sure struggled without him this Ep. DO SOMETHING. For starters, I suggest Yume actually learn to use her freaking bow. Right now it’s nothing more than a big accessory. >_>
When I watched the first episode, it didn’t really strike me as odd that they had to join volunteer army. Or more like I didn’t really pay attention to that. Blame the standards of the genre clouding my judgement there.
Anyways after that I started reading the LN, and it turns out it’s actually touched there. Kind of. Basically they do have other options, but those are jobs that are either much harder, involve loss of freedom or don’t pay enough to live. I imagine most mundane jobs they could do fall under that last condition (on topic of money for living, the money they started with came with the condition that they join volunteer army).
The options aren’t explored much (it’s a quick exchange that’s more about need for money to survive than the actual options), but the explanation was enough for me since I wasn’t expecting to get one in the first place.
Somewhat related, Haruhiro pointed out in this episode Ranta can’t quit his current guild. This is continuation to one of ranta’s rants from a previous scene that was removed from this adaptation;
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On why Mary was free and willing to join the party, Kikkawa’s talk about her was longer in the LN. Details might or might not be touched in future episodes, but in summary Show Spoiler ▼
Some of these things I feel the adaptation could have mentioned better instead of, say, long montages (though I don’t dislike those).
@Erimaki: Appreciate the info though gonna have to pass on the spoilers (trying NOT to be spoiled for a change :D). My guess is that they will address Mary’s situation in the next episode based upon the previews.
I did pick up on what was said about the Death Knights which was fine (and consistent with the whole death knight thing if you ask me). However, I do think it’s better to have such details included. From your comment it seems it’s an adaptation issue. Not uncommon with adaptations by any means. :/ Regardless, kudos to the LN for answering that stuff/attention to detail. Apart from maybe last episode, I would have preferred more detail than montages.
I understand wanting to avoid spoilers and that’s how it should be. I would want to too if I hadn’t read the LN after first episode. Incidentally that’s why I try to only post LN comparisons, even in spoiler tags (I say “try” since sometimes adaptations move things around and that can cause some confusion).
And yeah, while I like Grimgar’s montages (they are pretty to look at, and I’ve liked the scenes in them), I think they could have been shorter in favor of some details that needed dialogue to convey. Though on the other hand, I much prefer what we get here to the heavy-handed exposition explosions a lot of LN adaptations like to do.
Grimgar’s adaptation issues, in my opinion, are far less worse than what we usually get, though I’m also biased to adaptations that have deliberate pacing instead of trying to fit 4-5 volumes to 12 episodes.
@Erimaki: That’s fine and the extra info is appreciated from my end. I’ve done the same before – read the source and tried to clarify some things with an adaptation. Plus it’s more “fair” to the source since issues in the anime may not be in the source as well. Not uncommon at all – especially when it comes to a dearth of information. A friend picked up the LN after the first couple of episodes and his comment was that the LN fills in a number of details – including some questions I’ve had.
Personally, I’m of the opinion less is more when it comes to montages. They have their place/use, but it can be overdone. JMO, but I think the show could have omitted at least one of them so far. The one last episode was good though.
As for any adaptation issues, with the large caveat of not having read the LN/source, my impression is that this isn’t a bad adaptation, but it’s not great either. I do however, get a sense that the adaptation is perhaps “pretty good” or even “good” (again haven’t read the source) – and I’m not factoring the nice visual quality/pretty backgrounds.
There’s always a balance between too much and insufficient exposition. Just given the different media types, LN/books lend themselves more easily to exposition. That being said, I do think it’s a “necessary evil” for anime – especially with complex details/issues. Can’t “show” everything (dialog exists for a reason).
Lastly, pacing is kind of weird IMO. It reminds me of Rokka no Yuusha early on. I do think it’s been on the slow side, but it’s not terribly slow either. Frankly, I’m not sure how much faster it could be without becoming detrimental. You can’t rush some things – especially emotional scenes. Still, I get a sense that it’s not as efficient as it could be. At any rate, I do agree that it’s much better than the hyper fast pacing which has been prevalent recently.
ep 06:
I like this Anime progress, and growing
i say it, at the beginning it was to Slow for me. But when you get used to it, and open your heart. then this Anime’s fire warm your heart. To understand this show, you must feel it with your heart
btw, there is a new OP
If I were to sum up the episode’s last few scenes, it would be a line from the song The Story of Morning and Night, which is as follows: “All while crying, we come along the way, embracing the same sadness”.