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「ボディ・アンド・ソウル」 (Bodi Ando Souru)
“Body and Soul”
Alright, I feel much better now. The pacing has been restored and developments are now fully rolling. Though a few of the pacing hiccups last episode seeped into today’s episode, the episode slowed the story down and–most importantly–gave way to more focused meaningful character development on Banri.
First off: Koko. She’s definitely still pretty unstable, yet surprisingly upbeat after the lashing she got from Mitsuo. Well, she’s upbeat until performing the robot at the Festival Club. Though it’s still a struggle to look at her situation with sympathy, my perception of her is slowly changing. Her minor mistakes are easier to forgive (stepping on Chinami’s toes is no good)–they come more off as missteps in her self-improvement rather than leaping backwards. This consequently makes her constant self-reflection and post-awareness much more comfortable to accept as an indicator of growth. She’s really pulling her best to try and distance herself from the emotional ties that she’s fostered for around a decade–she’s trying to live her life as a college student, rather than as an annoying part of Mitsuo’s life. Oh, it’ll take Banri to be her crutches (reluctant to accept as he is), but I can finally start to cheer her on towards her new path in college.
Wit her recovery though comes with it the simultaneous discontent of Banri. In bringing Banri’s ghost (or soul, your pick) into the fray, Banri’s past is developing in a strangely unique way. While we didn’t get much information out of old Banri this week, he does drop hints at his future role in exposing the story. Banri’s ghost is full aware of Linda and Banri’s true relationship (which I highly suspect was that of former romance), yet he cannot possibly explain such a past to the new Banri. Thus, any flashbacks or reflections of the past will not be a simple flashback of convenience, but rather from either Linda herself, or from the reflections of Banri’s ghost as he assesses the current state of his former body. It’s an interesting implication–the Banri that exists now is a completely different entity than the Banri before, and as such will hold very different views of the plot as it progresses. This suggestion of Banri being reborn is a topic that the show has been exploring before, but I believe it’ll be central to Banri’s development as a character, as he now shares the same path as Koko as well.
Both Kaga and Tada (see, their names are MADE for each other!) have in a sense, lost their former selves. Where Koko has lost the goal she’d been striving for a decade, Banri has lost everything. However, it is not a simple matter of magnitude that makes them different–each reacts to their situation in very different ways. Banri is haunted by a past he can’t fully let go and struggles to form his new life independent of the past, but is thwarted as clues from the past guide him to face his former life. Koko on the other hand already fully knows the past that she’s escaping, but is at the same time afraid of the new life that she must accept to move forward in life. She instead is faced with navigating the clues of the present to seek out the new life that she must embrace, all of which is actually hidden from her due to her constant narrow focus before. Both of them are haunted by an inability to reconcile past and present, by a desire for a new life, but are actually polarized in their predicaments. It makes sense now why these two are eventually bound for one another–as they form their new lives with success, undoubtedly they will each have a part in the other’s formation, thus cementing each other’s presence into fresh new experience and life.
On realizing this, I regained my appreciation for this show and all the maturity it has to offer. To cover another instance of maturity, it’s nice that the show doesn’t go overboard with the tsundere or denial attitudes. All of the characters have an open realization of their character to at least one other character in the show. Mitsuo often accepts Banri’s observations without much of a fight, and Koko liberally opens herself to Banri when she can’t hold her feelings in anymore. There isn’t this, “No I don’t actually care about her! Really I don’t…” bull, but a simple and refreshing, “Yeah…I’m concerned for her.” These characters are complex and do hide some facets from the other characters as well as the audience, but when it comes to admitting the obvious, the characters don’t mess around. Besides the obvious with Linda, Koko herself may be hiding some things from Banri that she isn’t ready to express yet, just as Banri reluctantly hides his troubles from everyone else in order to avoid bothering them. Their actions feel so real that it’s almost scary how much this hits home.
Next week, here’s to hoping that Linda sheds some light on her end, assuming of course that Banri has the guts to ask Linda about it at an appropriate time. It is interesting how Koko is holding up that ‘no’ sign in the preview–maybe Banri is going to be aggressive and confess his feelings again! Commenters, let me ask you, how did you like today’s pacing, as well as the introduction of Banri’s ghost/soul? Do you think that it’s an appropriate plot device for revealing Banri’s past, or does it feel like it’s too mystical for this show? Heck, do you guys even think that Banri’s ghost is even a thing, or is it perhaps a symbolic representation that doesn’t actually exist within the story’s world? Let me know down below!
Thank you everyone last week who commented on whether the pacing or character development was favorable or not in your perspective. I do appreciate both sides and it has helped me view the show in a more stable manner. Please continue your long discussions this week–I enjoy reading long comments!
Preview
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Banri is now different from the Past Banri or at least he feels that way. Would he want to go back to the old Banri and gain back the memories and personality that he had and lose the person he is now? His friends and family would want that, but would he? There’s an implication that Linda may have caused the accident too (notice the scooter she’s riding). Is that why she won’t admit she knows him? Obviously, even at this point in the story, we know that they were close, if not romantically involved, just from the pictures.
Somehow I don’t think Koko has changed that much (and maybe she won’t). There still seems to still be a desire to control others. It’s just shifted from Mitsou to Banri. Even though she rejected his confession, she’s still trying to boss him around like she did Mitsou. Mitsou, now that Koko is not being overbearing with him, is also reacting differently towards her. They had been very close. She just was too bossy. I know she’s the FL, but I wish it was Linda instead. Her relationship with Banri and how it could be resolved would have made a better story IMO.
Last week’s pacing wasn’t that bad, and this week’s pacing is better.
I think they’re trying to be picky with the parts that they will expound on, just like in this episode where Banri’s past comes into play. I’m not saying that other parts are not just as important as others, it’s just that maybe once the show reaches its end, we’ll come to realize why these parts were the ones that were explained, and understand their overall importance to the storytelling.
I think old Banri is just for symbolism.
Love Koko’s robot dance.
Oh, and also this thing going on with the friendzone — Banri my man, I feel you!
I would love to see how Banri would break out of that zone and reach his happy ending.
A moment of silence for our brother in the friend zone.
If the OP is any indication, he’s not going to stay there.
But yeah, I raise a glass for our friends in the friendzone(those of us who got sent there, those others who got and will be sent there, as well as those who we sent there). May they find(a better) true love someday.
*drinks*
For in the realm of reality, once in that zone, always in that zone….
Well, at least, the OP hinted us lovey dovey scenes, so like in Toradora, maybe she will change her mind later.
Watching Banri get totally friendzoned was fun – if only because we know he wont languish there forever…
The ‘ghost’ of Banri has been present every since the first volume of the novel. Every beginning of a chapter of the LN, the narration and perspective shifts to him/it observing the current Banri. I would say it’s more of a different style of storytelling rather than the show having a slight supernatural thing. The narration of pre-amnesia Banri actually gives more characterization to Banri in the novels as it really highlights the disconnect of the past and present Banri.
And they removed Kouko’s story about getting bitten by a snake after they’d met up with Linda. It kind of highlights her big change of character due to the events of the past few episodes. She was pretty energetic in retelling it that Banri was relieved she was taking things well. It also kind of explains why she’s wearing those black tights as the weather is pretty hot then(middle of May I believe).
They also placed Kouko’s crying a bit earlier as it should have happened after they got those ‘No’ fans in the preview.
And that flashback with Linda in the hospital is probably from a future volume as it’s definitely not in volume 2. At this point in the story, we should have already known Banri and Linda’s relationship from the prologue(which is in the next episode) and why Banri was in that bridge but it wasn’t clear who the rider was. Seems like it’s Linda from that flashback. I always thought that detail wasn’t a big deal. That kind of explains a lot really.
Seems like they’ll finish volume 2 in about 2 more episodes since we have that drinking session and Kouko holding the fan. The rumor that they plan to cover all of the available volumes like in Toradora is possible. Incidentally, volume 8 of the LN will come out a little before the show ends though it’s not clear if that’s the last volume. We’ll see I guess.
Since Koko surely win Banri in the end.I feel sad for Linda who not tried anything,anyway,any method to approach Banri before this time.It’s bad decision.Yes,she may had 1,000,000 good reasons not to approach him.But soon she will be broken hearted girl.It’s sad in advance.
Is any Linda shippers secretly hoping that this anime will shift from Koko to Linda at the second half? I mean the OP just crushed all our hopes from the very beginning, but there may be a silver lining for us Linda shippers.
Logically there shouldn’t be any Banri x Linda shippers. Celebrinen x Linda shippers, well there’s one here…
The ship might be sunk but there just needs to be more focus on Linda, period. Most interesting character in the show to me.
I think Banri´s memories are like a ghost to him, because everybody is waiting for “the old Banri”. He can´t feel complete because he is missing his other half, but he forgets that when he is with Koko, because she doesn´t know “the old Banri”. Koko smiles and feels good when she is with Banri, that´s the firt step of being in love. Golden Time is a great anime, I like it because nothing is simple: there are many conflicts between all the characters.
No C-3PO reference 🙁
http://i.imgur.com/gJrhK3Y.jpg
Show Spoiler ▼
I think that may come next episode.
exactly! this show is not high-school. it is much more mature and we see the awareness of the characters on themselves. they are a bit more direct with each other, yet not entirely, it reflects the maturity of age.
this episode was paced OK. much better than EP04. yet I could feel it was “jumping” a bit in between scenes too quickly. not giving us enough time to digest everything that happen because it immediately passed on to another scene.
but it’s OK for now. as I said above, it reflects the maturity of age and awareness. the fact that they don’t need too much episodes to think about themselves how they really feel. so it is genuine in that matter.
in the flashback where Banri met Linda for the first time after the accident (aka the escape scene), he acted so much different than the Banri we know. and he said last time that people around him think he is not like the old-Banri. so something is in contrast there…how is that New-Banri is so different than New-New Banri (the regular one we know)?
so something feels different in Banri. he suddenly reflect on himself a lot more. it’s a new aspect of him.
and there is the ghost, came in suddenly, probably due to Banri’s insecurity about himself.
I don’t believe the old-Banri will return, but if he can pass some of itself and reconnect with the new Banri..it would be interesting in terms of romance complex. because old-banari loves Linda, and the new-Banri loves Kouko.
speaking of Kouko, she was a different this EP, but what’s more concerns me is how she was indifference toward Banri’s feeling. it seems like she has forgotten about it. and it was only…2 days?!?!
she still hasn’t a change of heart about Mitsuo, but we can see implications in that matter on her. but she repress her feelings. so I wonder if she’ll burst up soon (and she somehow did cry in that episode…but that’s not what I was thinking in mind).
I am still hoping to get more of the things going on with Mitsuo, Chinami (<3) and 2d-kun.
and there is the stuff about Linda which is far from over (what was she really doing in the hospital that late night?or everynight?waiting for Banri?then why hiding it?she thought he was different?I think after 2 months of worries and the separation between them, she should have been happy to see him…)
well I am much more relaxed after the episode, because things are settling down a bit, they still need a bit more working about the pace, but it's OK for now.
When something makes you uneasy tat you avoid dealing with it haunts the back of your mind. That’s how I see the ghost at this point. Unless he starts talking to it I probably won’t see it differently. Although if he did I might think Banri was losing his marbles. haha I was kind of shocked Kokobot had a mini sobfest in the street. Makes me wonder if she’ll relapse into stalking Mitsuo or simply is in a weak place having to rebuild herself. It’s like a stepford wife after a divorce. “Who am I”, keep looking Koko!
Lets get to the most important thing about this episode: Nana’s ponytail. She had a magnificent ponytail and after meeting amnesiac Banri she cut it off. There is a special circle of hell reserved for men who’s actions result in the loss of a ponytail. Someone just booked an express ticket to the fiery pit.
Why Linda plays the game of not knowing him? Easy, She was the one that Ride this Bike, that thrown him off the bridge. So in short she is the Culprit of his “nearly dead” experience. Perhaps a Attack of Envy
This Show is so easy to read.
Even a simple comparison between the bikes would net you a solid enough answer. So no, you ‘read’ the show wrong.
Dat face I would be making it too 😛 http://imgur.com/bYhGZ1V
The ending creeped the shit out of me, the whole soul out of the body thing gives me the chills.
I pity you who must watch anime in 240p 🙁
Oh shit, the overly attached girl has found a new target! Run, Banri, run!
Seriously though, it’s less of being Banri’s “ghost”. It’s more of him being a personification of pre-accident Banri. Unless he has two souls.
Koko needs a friend more than a love interest right now so the friendzoning was okay.She’s got a ton of problems and sorting out her feelings is just one of them.Taking it nice & slow is definitely for the best,as well as refreshing for us viewers.But there’s a lot of work to be done here and I do hope that Banri won’t let her do as she pleases all the time,such as when she oversteps her boundaries,just because he likes her – this show can do better than that.
For those who saw KoiChoco,remember the winning girl(Chisato I believe) was also a character with some serious problems that the show just brushed off like it was nothing and went for that god-awful rushed ending as she & the MC just decided to be in a relationship.I feel that I’d be insulting Golden Time just by comparing it to that though,and Golden Time would be insulting it’s viewers who have high hopes for it(such as myself) if it’s gonna go down that path.
This was definitely better than last week. But there are still issues with the show to my mind, nearly none of them to do with the writing and mostly instead with screenboarding and directorial choices. The choice to insert the whole past-Banri-observer interlude at the beginning felt rather random – it’s not like it actually went anywhere. And most jarring for me this episode was the bit with Kouko’s breakdown in a public street (which should really have gotten a few background stares). The BGM during that segment was totally unsuited to drama, and instead was the kind of BGM you’d normally get for something comic. As such, I was subconsciously waiting for the punchline – only for the scene transition to occur and to realize that was supposed to be a serious scene. I’m not entirely certain the director gets that this isn’t primarily a comedy.
Don’t get me wrong – I like this show. Quite a bit, really. But that’s so far entirely due to the source material and writing. It’s not a complete hack job like Coppelion, but I’m still of the opinion it’s detracting from the original story.
(I finally put my finger on why the OP is so bad. It tells me literally nothing. Nothing about the characters and their subtleties, nothing about the story. It’s… empty.)
I agree with a lot of what you’re saying.
First off, I was *really* looking forward to this anime. I really wanted it to be awesome, like ToraDora! was. It’s not. It’s not terrible, but it’s still very mediocre, and I’m disappointed.
I’m a fan of the LNs, and I feel like the anime really doesn’t do the novels justice. It feels almost like the writers/director didn’t read the source material, or if they did, they didn’t like it, because they keep cutting out the good stuff I wanted to see animated in the first place. 😐 (C3P0/Snake.)
This week was slightly better than last week, but with so much good stuff cut out, and with the sudden appearance of “Ghost Banri,” when he should have been there from the beginning… ugh. (Then again, I have a problem with Hocchan as Koko. I love Hocchan as a seiyuu, but I just don’t see her as Koko. Koko needs someone more… Koko-like. Yeah, I don’t know either.)
I’ll keep watching GT in the hopes that it gets better, but I’m not a Kon Chiaki fan, and I don’t like where this is going. -_-
I thought the pacing was pretty weak in the first half of the episode, but it picked up in the second half. I feel like it’s been like that for both this show and White Album 2.
That aside, I like the observation on Banri and Kouko’s similarities (also the Kaga and Tada mention–didn’t think about that seeing as it’s lost intranslation when it’s in romaji). I was thinking after this episode that the interesting dynamic was Banri trying to struggle with finding his old self while Kouko was struggling with trying to leave hers behind. Although Banri can’t really help but leave his old past behind, Kouko doesn’t have anything like amnesia to give her a clean slate. So it’s pretty fitting that she looks to Banri as a source of support while they both discover their new selves.
Toradora is better than this crap.