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「射界10センチ」 (Shakai Jū Senchi)
“10 Centimetre Field of Fire”
Recently in Australia, a madman with a shotgun held a bunch of civilians hostage in a cafe in the heart of the Sydney. Not everyone survived that incident. I hope you will understand if I say that this episode of Grisaia no Kajitsu was a sensitive one for me, in various ways. I’ll still give my final impressions on the series, but please allow me to go on a bit of a tangent for a spell.
After the 1972 hostage crisis at the Munich Olympics, in which, after a disastrous rescue attempt, all hostages were killed, the German police decided they had to revamp their response protocols. To that end, they reinvented the standard practice and trained response teams that still carry a reputation as some of the best in the field, in the world. Their philosophy is that no one should have to die in one of these encounters, and they take it very seriously. Hostage situations are always very volatile, and the Germans have always been very good at taking things seriously.
In comparison, I found the treatment in this episode rather… frivolous.
Yes, I know it’s just anime, it’s just entertainment. But entertainment can still be well researched, or well thought out, or at the very least well presented to the extent that it doesn’t invite viewers to look for plot holes. Frankly speaking, the rescue plan in this week’s Grisaia no Kajitsu was incredibly flawed. Sakashita was obviously unhinged to some degree; handing Amane over to him was markedly unwise. What if he did just shoot her? What if he roughed her up more than he already did? Hell, what if the sexual assault angle went just a bit further? There’s so many unpleasant possibilities. Don’t allow the madman with a vendetta to feed his vendetta, folks. Hell, why would you give a hostage-taker more hostages? There must be a rule against that in a handbook somewhere.
The actual plan to rescue the girls (which surrendering Amane played no part in other than delivering water) also relied on everything working out exactly and coincidentally. If I were to list everything that could possibly have easily gone wrong I’d be here all day, so let’s just say that at times it really did strain. I’m glad that it worked, because I like our heroines much more than I like the creepy Sakashita, but I would have preferred it to have worked because of meticulous planning, not, ‘thank goodness Michiru has a hard head and no coordination’.
Speaking of Sakashita being a creep, I should mention that in the original visual novel, he was not an attempted rapist. He was still an altogether wretched human being, but not condemned straight to hell like he is in the anime. It makes me wonder why they went to the effort to make him even less sympathetic. No longer is Sakashita Keiji just a delusional father driven mad by the death of his daughter and the collapse of his life. Instead, he is more or less a strawman villain. When an anime tries so hard to make a character despicable it always makes me wary. It’s like they’re trying to manipulate us. ‘Hate this character!’ Grisaia roars, ‘hate him!’. Well, okay… but I’m not going to feel very good about it. And unlike Makina’s mother, Yuuji doesn’t even kill Sakashita. Bah, standards.
If I’m going to comment on changes, I guess I should also note that the entire hostage scenario is new to the anime. I can understand why they did it. Since this is not just the last episode of the Amane route, but Grisaia no Kajitsu as a whole, they needed to let all the girls shine one last time. I can appreciate that. This stuff is fairly obligatory, so rewrite away, even if it’s just to have Michiru melt down or Sakaki get indignant about her daddy issues. Nobody’s going to tell her father that his school’s under siege again, are they? Poor sap.
Also written into this episode: Urinetown (and more besides), but without the social commentary. I’m glad Sakashita at least had the good graces to zip up while he was writhing in pain. I didn’t need my anime to end with that.
Full-length images: 04, 06, 08, 32, 33.
ED4 Sequence
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ED4: 「創世のタナスト」 (Sōsei no Tanasuto) by 飛蘭 (Faylan)
Preview
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Final thoughts
Perhaps Grisaia no Kajitsu would have been better served ending last week. The climax of Angelic Howl felt stronger than what we got this week, and somewhat overshadows the conflict this episode. The opening scene with Amane and Yuuji visiting the memorial and having Kazuki speak from beyond Reichenbach Falls would actually have made for a fairly neat ending to the entire affair. Sure, it wouldn’t have let the rest of the harem have their one last hurrah, but considering the relative focus on Amane’s story anyway we might as well let her send us off. Maybe the extra episode to be gained from that would have allowed one or more of the other routes to have been fleshed out a bit more.
For a show that didn’t really have time to even tell it’s own story, it’s emblematic that the last episode ends, instead, with a sequel hook. We are already rushing on to the next titles in the series, with March 2015 being the air-date. Should you watch it? Hard to say. Grisaia no Kajitsu was not exactly a bad series, but it suffer its share of problem. The pacing issue is already a dead horse by now, and the budget didn’t even manage to hold for the entirety of the short run. Admittedly, these last two episodes have looked a bit better (trading some stilted animation and awkward art for continuity errors), but overall the show looked like it was spread a bit thin. The biggest problem, though, is that Grisaia no Kajitsu lacked what one might call self-awareness. Have I gone into a huff about the Kasuki pantyshot last week yet? That was perhaps the most baleful symptom. And let’s not forget we’ve had these black bars since the very beginning, and I’m not sure what they achieved other than making my screencapping more tortuous. Was Grisaia no Kajitsu all that… cinematic? Artsy? Avant-garde? There certainly were a lot of shots where they pushed for style for the sake of style, but otherwise the squashed resolution just made them pan a lot.
All that said, for an anime intended mostly to promote a visual novel, Kajitsu did its job. All the routes were covered, and at least one (i.e. Angelic Howl) was done to more or less completion. That’s a good sell; give us just enough to hint at quality, to spice the larger product. Indeed, one can see where all the places for potential are, even if it was not always utilised to the fullest. When it was strong, Grisaia no Kajitsu managed prodigious strength, but it only came in flashes of brilliance instead of a continuous efforts. And commendations should still be given to the staff for daring to rewrite as much as they did to try and fit their vision of an adaptation. It’s not easy stuff, but often necessary.
Of course, Kajitsu not only has to sell the VN, but also sell its sequel anime. Should you watch it? I’m afraid I’d have to wait and see before passing that judgment. I went into Kajitsu with a fair bit of hype, but became somewhat deflated, so I’m more cautious now. But there’s still more to learn about Yuuji, about I think I’ll let my feelings for Kajitsu simmer until March, and then see again. Until then, thank you all for following me here on Random Curiosity every week. Whether you enjoyed Grisaia no Kajitsu or not, I hope you enjoyed the coverage, whether you agree with it or not. May we see each other again in Winter 2015.
End Card
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On another note, they could have put just a bit more effort if they wanted to use a different language for the titles. Accurate translation for Grisaia no Rakuen in french would be L’Eden de La Grisaia, instead of:
https://randomc.net/image/Grisaia%20no%20Kajitsu/Grisaia%20no%20Kajitsu%20-%2013%20-%20Large%20Preview%2003.jpg
I’m confused with your argument… “Le Eden” and “L’Eden” are the same thing, it’s like “you’re” and “you are”…
No, that’s incorrect.
It doesn’t work like in english. In french grammar, in front of a word starting with a vowel, singular definite articles le or la always become l’. It’s not an alternative. It’s a very basic and easy rule, hence my previous point.
I lol’d at Sakashita’s erection. Also very glad to see that not one but two sequels are in the works.
Here’s one thing that the VN also sucked at: having Oslo as a “final boss” or villain in general for Amane’s route. This guy came off as nothing less than laughable, something that ain’t so bad in a laughable adaptation, but it was seriously annoying to have him in what has been an overall really good route in the VN.
Michiru head smashed a urinal…
We all knew she was thick.
That…that was a painfully awful hostage scenario handling.
Soooo much room for things to go wrong.
Yeah, as mentioned, one can think it’s “just anime” and all, but considering this is one of those types of series that tries to be a little more realistic with things beyond some more obvious things, then, depending on the person, one can only suspend their disbelief for so long before it becomes just too much. The success of the rescue just felt too perfect to ignore, especially since a chunk of it depended on essentially Yuuji’s gut that everything would work out.
Since the main storyline of the latter two VNs in the trilogy are linear, I actually have hope for the sequel anime. The two VNs are also considerably shorter, so it’s possible to adapt them in a single cour without the pacing problems. Still, I’d also keep my expectations low, given how stupid some of the anime staff’s decisions were when it came to the anime-original parts of the adaptation…
My god Chizuru is cute…
Overall, a decently enjoyable anime for me but there were tons of bumps along the way. 😀
PS: So with the ending, can I consider that the remaining 2 of the trilogy will be adapted?
I’m glad Kazuki is among the ones in the dialogue during the sequel announcements and some of their conversations.. that means she is bound to reemerge. I’m excited to know what’s her current appearance after six years. I’m anticpating the sequel while I enjoy the special of Le Fruit de la Grisaia featuring Yumiko.
That special is really something, the fan service is high on that one :p it even involves a carrot :v
That infiltration squad definitely lacked some brains. Too many variables in that plan. It’d be more believable to drug the water.
could someone explain what are the differences between the anime and amane route?
Spoilers for the VN, obviously.
Show Spoiler ▼
I’ll still continue watching the franchise
It’s going to have a sequel, or maybe even two????
They almost destroyed the Grisaia no Kajitsu original story because of the rushing and freely adaptated stories (Sakaki’s route, i’m still fuming about that poorly resolution with the fake suicide) and now they are gonna go for a sequel? :O
Well i’ll be watching it, but i’ll hope for better :p
https://randomc.net/image/Grisaia%20no%20Kajitsu/Grisaia%20no%20Kajitsu%20-%2013%20-%20Large%2010.jpg
Dat rape face.
Ok not going to lie the absurdity of this episode surpassed anything the series has done up until this point. I very much agree with you Passerby. How the flying fuck am I supposed to believe that Yuuji’s plan was in any way logically sound? Did he factor in how the guy could have ended up just killing Aname as soon as he tied her up in the classroom? What would he have done then? Did he really somehow predict the guy was going to eventually go to the bathroom with her? How would someone’s thought process even conclude to that happening?
He was leaving the entire situation up to chance and he’s lucky that the idiot fell right into his plan because the writer made him do it. I can tolerate Tatsuya’s over the top OPness since he isn’t a normal human at ALL but Yuuji’s plans usually just hinge on him accomplishing literally impossible odds or coming up with convoluted/contrived plans that somehow work out.
What’s worse is that this arc really overshadowed Aname and Yuuji’s relationship development due to the silly flashback. Sure, backstory is nice. But how am I supposed to root for a couple when their moments together have been inconsistent and improperly shown? To be honest this whole hostage situation didn’t really serve any purpose in terms of character development either. We know Aname still regrets what happened to her. Why is bringing some crazy old pervert into the story (who the anime wants me to feel sorry for) necessary? Aside from that one small moment with Yumiko it really only served to further show how cool the MC is supposed to be.
Summary:
Sadly this going down as another adaptation that just makes you want to play/read the source material. The main points of each arc are probably shown but the extra detail/development that was left out made me completely indifferent to this anime. The first episode teases you that the series could have been an interesting psychological thriller but was largely overshadowed by harem/ecchi antics that didn’t lead to anything fulfilling. I’ve seen this whole “cute girls put in a dark story” done before done a million times better in other shows namely “Higurashi”.
Yuuji is an interesting character with a great sense of humor but the vagueness of his past made it hard to relate to him. I suppose that will be solved in the next season. He very much earns every girl in his harem which is always something I like to see. I could tolerate his stoic nature since unlike Tatsuya he’s still actually interested in girls and teases them just as much as they tease him. I’d say he’s a perfectly ideal male lead in a harem actually. A real shame the rest of the cast never seemed like a proper match for him.
Sacchi’s backstory doesn’t even make sense to me. First of all it would have been nice if we were even privy to her condition of doing whatever she’s told but i guess this one episode per girl thing is just more signs that there is tons of content being cut out. Though now that i think about it perhaps the maid outfit was subtle foreshadowing that she had this issue in which case I suppose I could give the anime a little credit there.
Secondly why would that accident make her deluded enough to believe she must do whatever she’s told? Maybe it would make sense for family but why the hell does she suddenly believe she should listen to EVERYONE? Again there is something being lost in the anime transition most likely because I simply could not relate to how she changed into this crazy girl #4. Transformation scenarios are what truly make a characters backstory hit home for the audience but I feel like this anime really just glosses over everyone’s sad tales only giving us the gist of what happened. It’s rather frustrating =(.
The dead parents thing just kind of made me groan a bit. I mean it’s one thing to have them dead but to conveniently kill them RIGHT after they have a fight with their daughter is cliche as hell. Especially since they just kind of stood in the street and didn’t hear that giant truck coming by. Next you’ll tell that she’s secretly batman right?
Michiru making a comment that she very well KNOWS she shouldn’t be making also made no sense to me. Even if Michiru is somewhat of an airhead she isn’t totally retarded. If Sacchi has had this condition for a while now I just don’t buy her saying something like that.
The fireworks thing was funny though. Ground shaking and we heard a noise that sounds nothing like a firework? Guess that wasn’t an explosion after all!
Yumiko’s arc seemed rather butchered to me as well since the show wants us to think the father actually cared about his daughter when all he does is spout how she’s nothing but a tool to him and even threatens to psychologically torture her before that absurd standoff scene. I don’t think the writers knows how to create a sympathetic villain. You can’t just shoehorn their change in 2 seconds and expect us to care.
Also her stabbing antics being used for comedic effect seemed to undermine her story. The whole boxcutter thing was supposed to a big deal in her arc but the anime treated as a joke the majority of the series so again I don’t see why I should have been bothered to care. Heck they even gave her the classic “tsundere being afraid of lighting so she’ll cling to the MC” cliche. Classssssssssy 😉
Everyone one else was passable but still lacked in overall detail. I’ve been told that the plotholes in Aname’s backstory were properly explained in the novel but i still don’t see how not just simply making fire would still be out of the question.
Bleh whatever. Overall the series was a giant disappointment especially considering all the hype that was surrounding it. I’ll probably watch the second season though only because it focused on Yuuji who despite how stupidly OP he is was the only character I actually liked in the end.
IIT: I watch Grisaia for the plot.
>And unlike Makina’s mother, Yuuji doesn’t even kill Sakashita. Bah, standards.
He didn’t kill Makina’s mother though. Sorry to disappoint you.
https://archive.moe/a/thread/117773325/
What am I supposed to make of Yuuji putting a bullet in her thigh, firing three more shots at her to silence her protestations, followed immediately by a new report of her murder? Looks dead to me.
Also, the Cheshire Cat metaphor is crock. The Cheshire Cat acted completely independently of the Duchess in Alice in Wonderland, and indeed eventually abandons her. It sounded more like JB referring to her and Yuuji’s relationship, anyway.
While the hostage situation was full of idiocy, I’d say it was par for the course of this show, really. Just think of the Michiru situation. At this point I’ve just accepted this show runs with its own source of logic and I just roll with it. Not a sign of good writing, of course, but I can’t be as irked with it as I do with some other show. Maybe it’s because I came into this with no expectations whatsoever, makes everything easier to swallow.
Overall, Grisaia had a rushed, messy run…but an entertaining one, I have to admit that. It’s certainly quite different (and more racy and grotesque, too) than your average VN adaptation (like Daitoshokan) and I don’t regret watching it. It was never boring, and Amane’s story was actually pretty damn interesting. I suppose it did its job in getting me interested in the source material as well, which just got an english release greenlit. As such, I might as well watch the sequels.
I still can’t get over episode 12 X__X
Exactly the reason they should have ended it with that. It left a bigger impact.
I just educated myself on the 1972 hostage crisis and that was a horrible ride, jesus christ. Left a quite a nasty impression over my feelings on this hostage scenario as well.
I was going to write something here on Grisaia as a whole, but my feelings are too scrambled to do that now.
Guys, can anyone please tell me what exactly happened to Kazuki after Amane had left her in the woods? The only explanation I got from the anime is that the “cannibal girls” died just because of hepatitis after eating infected meat. But who dismembered their bodies? And how happened that Kazuki stayed alive?
I don’t have much time to play VN and this story really got into me! ^__^
Thanks for reply=))
Well, there is an implication that Kazuki is alive. Her fate is intended to be mysterious at this point. The sequels should uncover it, at some point.