Posted by OP Sequence
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OP: 「スモルワールドロップ」 (Sumoru Waarudoroppu) “Small Worldrop” by Annabel
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「はじめての転校生」 (Hajimete no Tenkousei)
“The First Transfer Student”
Without further ado, I present the first episode of RDG: Red Data Girl! Finally… 2 weeks after its original stream on Niconico. For those that will be following along, I do plan to keep up with the Wednesday releases on Tokyo MX so you can expect my posts to be consistent with that schedule.
Red Data Girl starts off with the introduction of Suzuhara Izumiko (Hayami Saori) cutting her hair – which we find out later in the episode, is linked back to this mysterious power that she holds. Needless to say, Izumiko isn’t your average passive introvert, although I’m sure a lot of people can relate. She’ll be attending high school soon so I can imagine that she’s your average adolescent who’s coming-of-age and trying to find out who she is or why she’s so special. It’s obvious that she’s different from all the other students though (whether or not they realize it) and she’s given special treatment (like helicopter rides and a personal chauffeur). It’s not blatantly stated in the episode, but Izumiko destroys all electronic devices that she touches and hence why the power goes out in the computer lab. The only difference is – this time she contacted her father (Inoue Kazuhiko) through the monitor before cutting it off. This is what Sagara Yukimasa (Fukuyama Jun) said resulted from her hair style change (the source of her power).
Sagara Yukimasa is apparently the “father” of Sagara Miyuki (Uchiyama Kouki) whom plays the manservent to Izumiko. Although he is reluctant, this seems to be his role that’s engrained in his character (as stated by Yukimasa) and they’re to attend high school together. Miyuki calls Izumiko a “Himegami” (which loosely translates to Princess God) and he’s meant to be her protector. Unfortunately, he seems to be more annoyed at her than anything else and this is evident even in their early childhood together. I can’t say much more about their characters, but it’s clear that their relationship will develop throughout the series.
As far as potential goes, I think RDG has a great start and it’s definitely a show that’s piqued my interests. I’m not someone who goes into deep depths to research every show that I plan to watch/blog and I’m often pleasantly surprised with what I got myself into. I’d have to say that RDG is one that’s definitely eye-catching, different and touches on a lot of areas that I love to see in anime. I don’t mind the historical references and Shinto legends, but I think what catches my attention the most is the mystery (behind Izumiko) and the not-so-average cast of characters. I love a touch of romance but character development is very important too and I’d love to see how Izumiko and Miyuki grow as individuals and together. Not to mention there’s a whole slew of characters that seem to have their own issues (Izumiko and her father, and Miyuki and Yukimasa). I’m always captivated by characters at first glance and they really make or break an anime for me (I have to like them!).
I don’t usually mention animation studios, but I feel that for P.A. Works is one that never ceases to amaze me. I love the eye-candy and the way the characters are drawn. I’ve been watching Robotics;Notes for half a year so you’ll have to excuse me for wanting to watch something with more fluid animation (or more animation, period). I’m also enjoying the OP and ED; more so the OP than ED. The intro is a good indication that the show will probably lean more towards happy-go-lucky than dark and mysterious (although I don’t want to speak too soon, you never know!).
Overall, I would definitely say that RDG is a great watch this season and there’s a lot of potential to be explored. I don’t want to judge too soon, but from first glance, I don’t doubt that it’ll be a good adaptation. I won’t speak for everyone, but it’s been a while since the first episode of an anime totally hooked me in (Shin Sekai Yori was probably the last one from Fall 2012) and RDG has set itself up very well. I’m excited to blog this one and I’m glad that I’ll be going in with no expectations – I like surprises so I hope this one doesn’t let me down.
Full-length images: OP, 14, 26.
Side Note: It’s been a full year since I’ve been blogging at RC and I want to jump up and shout like it’s a huge accomplishment… but when I do the math – I realized that I’ve spent a total of approx. 222 hours blogging. That’s a whole lot of time that I could’ve spent *coughwatchingmoreanime. Anyway, aside from myself; Zephyr, Zanibas, Asobi, Stereoman, Moomba and Mochi have also been on this long journey with me, so take the time to congratulate them too! =)
ED Sequence
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ED: 「予感」 (Yokan) “Premonition” by 伊藤 真澄 (Masumi Itou)
Preview
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Gotta say, there was a lot going on in the background here. Definitely looks like it has the potential to pick up as it goes along~
It’s P.A. after all, Zephyr.
It’s always background sexy.
Lol, I meant the background of the series/story wise. 😛 But yes, the physical backgrounds were nice too.
LOL! HAHAHAHAHA! Omg that made my morning =P and I don’t know if Croos was being sarcastic or not XD
Don’t forget that P.A. Works also did Angel Beats! and Hanasaku Iroha so might be wary of how the show ends.
Needless to say, I think the premise of this show has grabbed me into wanting to follow it intently this season.
Congrats on your year here, hope to see you for many more.
Thank you =) I can’t believe it’s been a full year… time seriously flies by when I look back.
Haven’t seen it yet (not subbed yet. Probably tomorrow), but from the summary and images, it definitely looks intriguing. The good ole P.A. Works artwork also makes it very nice to look at. Heh, the twin-tail braid look Izumiko has immediately reminds me of Nako from Hanasaku Iroha (though twice as long).
Subs are out. Either head to Commie or any anime site. They should have it.
This chicks needs a new hair-do and she needs to lose the glasses ASAP.
I liked the episode though.
So far, the animation and story has somehow captivated me. Picking it up fully!
I already watched the first first three episodes. It just keeps getting more interesting! Can’t wait until you catch up. ^^
Same here! I was only going to watch the first one to test the waters, and I ended up watching the next two right after. This has definitely caught my interest, I expect good things.
It’s moving a bit too fast for my taste though. I mean
Show Spoiler ▼
Show Spoiler ▼
First new show of the season and so far so good. Certainly no reason not to continue watching at this point. I agree that P.A. Works had done a fine job with the animation and I also thought the voice acting was well done.
It’s an intriguing show. For some reason, I get a slight sense of a dark undercurrent – something I didn’t expect. Definitely looking forward to episode two.
Who wants to bet that Miyuki did not fall down the cliff?
(more notes after I actually finish the episode…)
I expected nothing less from this series when the “video chat” phenomenon happened. Yet I felt that the strange incidents got overshadowed by the character building during the latter half of the episode (yes, the raw sequences of events did not move me much).
…that or the incident here was also for character building…
I don’t think he fell off the cliff accidentally either. He was probably beaten up because of his disrespect for Izumiko. It doesn’t really change the fact that he still very much dislikes her though >_<
Well, I got interrupted watching the episode so I dropped that comment before finishing the episode…
It’s pretty obvious that Miyuki had a few close encounters with Yukimasa’s fist (and maybe a knife was involved, too, going by the cut on his face). Miyuki even all but admits to Izumiko that Yukimasa was responsible.
Looks like Miyuki’s learned his lesson about not doing what Sagara says. Damn.
Call me interested. Not fully committed but willing to watch where this goes. PA animation is always a joy to watch.
If you’ve only seen the first episode so far, what ever you do, don’t drop it after the second one. A lot of people seemed to be disappointed by that, but I thought the third episode was stunning so stick with it.
Thanks for the heads up on that! I appreciate it!
Do you know if Niconico will continue to broadcast RDG (episode 4 in a couple days) together with the television broadcast (episode 2 next Wednesday) or will Niconico stop and only the television broadcast will air?
Niconico is going to keep airing as Tokyo MX does. As a result, Niconico will constantly be 3 weeks ahead.
Translation: 3 weeks worth of content for spoilage.
I really don’t like the fact that they will continue streaming it, since the stream is in rather low quality. This is far more problematic for fans than it is helpful.
Damn it, its hard not to watch even its low qual.
*¬*
Congrats to you, Cherrie, and all the other writers on RC who have so wonderfully dedicated your time to sharing your thoughts on anime with us. Hopefully you’ll continue to celebrate anniversaries with the readers and with RC! :3
And hopefully this series will continue to be as good as the first episode (I saw up to episode 3 and it’s moving pretty quickly), although the characters here don’t compare to the main characters in R:N… xD
Thank you! I haven’t seen the remaining episodes yet but I’m anxious to see how things develop =X Are you comparing them to R;N in a good or bad way? lol… I can’t say that the ending of R;N was my cup of tea so I’m hoping that RDG doesn’t let me down either.
🙂 I, too, thought the ending was a bit anti-climactic, but I was so invested in the characters that the mystery part of the story took a backseat…I think the Kai x Aki moment in the second to last episode was everything I needed, haha.
I guess the character comparison I make between R:N and RDG is both good and bad–I really loved the characters in Robotics:Notes, especially Kai, who was just an outstanding lead, plus Aki who was a strong female lead, along with Frau! Duhuhu. I really liked Subaru too, who could forget Mr. Pleides and that ridiculous twirl! The characters in RDG are not as…memorable or extraordinary, but I’ve got to admit that I get more of a mysterious atmosphere from RDG than I ever got with R:N (except maybe when Kagome Kagome started playing).
I’m looking forward to your thoughts and posts! 🙂 I’m also following Guardian Enzo’s posts on RDG over at LiA, so I’m excited to see if your opinions will differ or be the same (I did this with R:N as well, it was quite enlightening).
Thanks for following! I read Enzo’s blog as well but I’m more intrigued by his time in Japan rather than anime posts =X maybe because I rather just watch the episodes myself.
I think R;N had a very carefree feel and that’s why even though “the world was doomed”, the audience never really felt that urgency. Suddenly building a giant robot seemed like a logical way to stop the evil. Looking back, I do think the characters were enjoyable (I loved Aki in the beginning and got a little sick of her and Misa at the end =S) and Subaru was hilarious as Mr. Pleides. It just fell super short in the end.
I don’t think RDG will be the same in that sense. It is a one-cour show but I do expect it to end properly (hopefully?) since the novel is finished. At least there’s a direction for the show and it’s not just up the air; the only thing I’d worry about then is pacing.
Hm. Got me a bit interested there. Would love to see how it plays out. Might be what fills the void that Shin Sekai Yori left 😀
for some reason i feel this one different from ssy
I hate it when shows introduce characters like Miyuki. He really hates the main character, for seemingly no reason whatsoever. That extremity is often done so that the character can “grow” from that as the show progresses. But I often feel that when a show does this, it still doesn’t give any substantial reasoning to the character’s original behavior.
I’ll be watching to see if that is handled effectively.
But he does have reasons. He was forced to come during his holiday and suddenly he must transfer to her school and become her servant. In miyuki’s eyes Izumiko is a spoiled little girl who gets everything done for her without actually doing anything.
As for his attitude in future, I will just say that story is moving really fast (due to being only one cour).
No amount of character development will excuse Miyuki for being an asshole at the age of 5-7 years (as he looked in that flashback) as he clearly states that there was no servitude back then and he only wanted to “teach an ugly girl” some skills. What this character needs now is the help of a Deus Ex Machina to redeem himself.
Of course he has but see now,are we supposed to symphatize with him with barely knowing anything from the 1st episode?
He was forced to come during his holiday and suddenly he must transfer to her school and become her servant.
Miyuki has a right to be angry about his forced life-long servitude. If Izumiko wasn’t around, Miyuki would be free from all this. In that sense, he does have a reason, but the problem I have with him the way he treats Izumiko. In reality she isn’t to blame. IIRC, she even says once she doesn’t want Miyuki as her servant (with good reason). Yukimasa’s the one forcing Miyuki into this situation (maybe Izumiko’s dad as well). Miyuki is unable to go against Yukimasa so he takes his frustration/hatred out on someone he can easily bully. That’s pathetic IMO.
In miyuki’s eyes Izumiko is a spoiled little girl who gets everything done for her without actually doing anything.
Perhaps, but for me that doesn’t excuse his behavior in the least. Blackraven makes a good point. We can only be glad he didn’t “teach” her how to bat. >_<. Miyuki may think she's spoiled, but I doubt he would trade places with her. How utterly frustrating it must be in this day and age to be unable to use any electronics. Furthermore, Izumiko's life seems to me one that's regulated as much as spoiled or anything else. Whatever sympathy I might have for his situation is completely undone by his bullying of Izumiko.
Actually I found Yukimasa’s treatment of Miyuki to be much worse than Miyuki’s treatment towards Izumiko.We don’t know their back-stories yet but maybe Miyuki’s attitude toward Izumiko or rather his general attitude is the result of having to put up with Yukimasa constantly.Kids of 5-7 years tend to know only things they learned from their surroundings I think Miyuki is a more sympathetic character.
The parallels between Izumiko and Miyuki are pretty intriguing, both having serious issues in regards to their own parents.
dunno about you guys, but i’m not too fond of the female lead, seems so cliched with the long twintail hairdo and crybaby drama queen with the ‘I JUST WANNA BE NORMAL’ bs, sheltered? no shit…miyuki just being a teenager, nothing to see there…the rest of the cast better be more interesting than this bunch…
Miyuki is such a douche but as far has episode goes I enjoyed it.
How would you follow it on MXTV its in Japanese. Do you know Japanese?
I guess that’s why your screenshots never have an insignia(?) every time I take one I have an anime44.com in the left corner of the screen >.>
Did my ears deceive me, or is that ED done by the same singer who did Jinrui wa Suitai Shimashita ED!?
Anyways I’m hooked; any work by P.A. I have liked and I highly doubt this will leave me down. The animation quality is gorgeous. The plot and concept may not be completely original and not many may find it that appealing, yet, but it proves to be an enjoyable watch.
About viewers being 3 weeks ahead because of Nico, that will actually ruin the fun for me and confuse many of us on commenting. Not to mention I’ll be extremely cautious about what I do read in comments due to lack of spoiler tags. I like high quality episodes, and I’m used to catching them a week at a time, and I’m assuming Cherrie will be following the better quality broadcast right? As far as I”m concern, the Spring Schedule stated that the episode of RDG came out today, April 4, and that’s the day this blog came out, we’re keeping this schedule right? Cause many are in episode 4 right now and I’m all like “WTFZZZZZZ” @__@
Yes, Niconico will be consistently 3 weeks ahead but I’ll be following it on TV on a weekly basis (I will try hard and resist reading spoilers and cheating >_< ... in case anyone does accidentally post spoilers though, I will just spoiler tag them). Higher quality FTW! Every since I've experienced 720p, I can never go back o_o You're also right about the ED! The same artist that sang Jinrui's =)
FUCK YEAH. I knew it!!!! -COUGHSandrecollectsself- >___>
I really liked the ED and now even more cause of it! It has such a unique sound and voice that I quickly adapt to it. I think that if you had stated that it wasn’t it would had actual drove me insane each time that ED would roll. I would had started to flip tables and state how uncanny it is to the other one!
I agree after watching 720, and sometimes 1080 (slight minor difference), I can’t go back to anything lower. I just hope for your sake that many will respect that spoiler tag option right away and not wait for you to come to the rescue. Many avid readers, such as myself, don’t realize what was stated until AFTER reading it. Do you have any idea how many times I accidentally read spoiler tags that weren’t tagged at all? Ahh, it ruined so many shows for me. D8 Naturally the respective writers fixed them after the fact. Maybe you should make a note of it in the next episode, since I can see it easily happening. Many like to spoil the fun to us loyal 720p viewers. o~o;;
Reminds me of when clannad was on and many people watched the fullscreen version because it was 2 weeks ahead, it was hard avoiding spoilers when watching the widescreen. Glad you are following the TV broadcast.
I’ll definitely put a heading on my next post about spoilers. I know the novel is finished as well though so I’m sure there’s also people that already know the ending far in advance. The only promise I can make is… I’ll try and keep up with comments to hide any spoilers =X But no one is perfect and there might be some slips T_T
I’m glad there’s also people that enjoy the 720p version! I don’t think it’s a bad idea to wait considering the animation is so beautiful at HQ. I used to watch anime on 480p and I thought THAT was great at the time… but then again, that was all that was available =(
Wait till you get into 1080p anime with superior HD sound. You won’t be able to go back to SD sound lol and will look even better on sets that are 50″or bigger.
I just don’t like that a series used to be 4-7 gigs for 26 series now a series is 20-50gigs for 26 ep. I just downloaded 200+gigs for entire macross series (older ones remastered into 1080p and amazing sound). It’s worth it though so it looks good on the new Tv’s or monitors.future proofing old favs.
@Sherylfan
I have tried 1080p, and the imagery is Godly on my TV set. It is true that the higher quality files are now very large by comparison to the old, but that’s the price that we pay for getting the best quality possible. Which I have no regets on.
@Cherrie
I can understand that, and that is all we’re asking for. [
My first reaction after seeing the OP was ‘Potential to be an otome game, this one.’ The premise remains intriguing to me, and it’s P.A. , so might just be following this as well as Cherrie’s writings here.
I’m actually looking forward to some character development too. Interesting characters with lots of potential for that.
Actually Miyuki was a jerk who didn’t want to confess he will need Izumiko help. I watch this anime it’s because I wanted to know origin of Miko similar to Inuyasha but a twist where a Himegami using Izumiko as a vessel and Miyuki work as Yamabushi to protect Himegami.
Been waitingg for this!! <3
So what’s up with her? I can’t really say if she’s divine, or just have the power to mess with electronics and use her mind on them.
And all those guys? What is this? Another otome game?
As usual for a PAW work, the visuals are stunning and the character design is beautiful. I am also curious of the people’s back-story and what future development holds for them. I sure hope you will be right that this show will go toward “happy-go-lucky”, I had grown kinda tired of grimdark stories.
I hope Izumiko will get stronger quickly. The “timid girl vs bastard boyfriend” shtick is not really my thing (yes, I get that there may be more than meets the eye, but Miyuki’s characterization bothers me if he’s gonna keep at it for the whole series)
damn Im weak with tsundere guy
Although P.A.Works is on par with KyoAni when it comes to backgrounds, I think this story needs to flesh it out more. It’s confusing at the moment, after watching Ep. 3 in Nico-Nico Douga.
I have never seen an anime where I already have a character that I hate just from watching the first episode.
I bet all of you reading this thinks I’m talking about Miyuki right? WRONG, it’s that psychotic Yukimasa.
Fell off a cliff my ass, Yukimasa is a psycho and needs to die asap.Don’t get me wrong, Miyuki is an asshole, but he still didn’t deserve what happened to him.
Besides the psychotic “father” and the douchebag son, a red flag popped up when Wayima (correct me if I spelled it wrong) showed up, that kid seems creepy, creepy as in something isn’t right with him.
The electric spiritual powers are interesting (Psychic powers?) and I like the Op/Ed (ED is better than the Op ;p).
Good first episode, just like Date A Live.
This anime – my progress through show “hmmm seems interesting”
“Woah that happend with that water effect teleconference”
“heh – I see”
“He has a helicopter and he’s using it like a car?”
“Wow that kid is a douche”
“Maybe he’s just a douche coz of this manservant shtick”
“haha his dad beat him coz he’s a douche”
“Wow she’s trying to be helpful and he’s still a douche”
“Okay it isn’t the man servant thing, he’s just a horrible human being with no redeaming qualities. The kind that picks on little girls and throws balls at them. I hope he gets killed.”
“Oh episodes over.”
“Hmmm. Next series.”
I probably wont be giving it another episode.
don’t you want to see if thiss dude get killed or not?
The real happening is started Episode 4. Don’t just drop the possible development for this anime.
Miyuki Sagara Yukimasa Sagara
Mayura Soda Masumi Soda
Tabi Uma Manatsu Soda
Satoru Wamiya GOD Karasu
Ichijō Takayanagi Inu
Jean Honoka Kisaragi Hodaka Murakami
Ichijō Takayanagi protected Ichijō Takayanagi from a shadow fire element wanting to hurt her. Mayura Soda later got injured from shattered glass. Manatsu Soda scolded Mayura Soda because he was concern about him.