Posted by OP1.5 Sequence
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OP: 「Knew day」 by (K)NoW_NAME
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“Her Circumstances”Mary and the Story of Losing Friends: Slow, mellow, and sombre. Grimgar continues to be as the name suggests: grim. This episode was all about Mary, the new priest on the block with an attitude problem. Much like before, she comes off stiff and unhelpful, but it quickly became obvious that she knew more than she was letting on. I suspected that we’d find out why she wears such a rigid expression and refuses to cooperate with the group, and I also managed to guess the reasons why that is. It always seemed to me that Mary was a girl who had witnessed the horrors of this world more than the rest of the cast, who are still in the very early days of Grimgar. Here, we learn about her tragic past and why she has no party at the present time, which all boils down to her failing to save her teammates in one unfortunate mine raid. As it turns out, Mary used to be all smiles, and – like Manato – healed up her teammates whenever they got so much as a scratch. I brought it up before that healing all damage isn’t a successful strategy, and that is confirmed once again when Mary was unable to heal her teammates after using up all her magic. Although we never knew any of these characters until now, you feel the effects of their loss in the two surviving members. With this, we now know that Mary made the same mistakes as Manato, but rather than losing her own life, she was unable to help her friends when they needed her most, making her current icy disposition much more believable, and helps make her an all round likeable character. The Beginnings of a New Party: The rest of this episode showed how Mary was fitting into the party. Manato’s expertise and confidence may be missing, but Mary clearly knows what she’s talking about, and occasionally shows hints of her true self. Despite the mask she’s put on since her tragic accident with her previous party, it’s clear that she’s a caring, honest girl. The little moments – like her replying to Haru’s “good morning”, apologising for not healing Moguzo’s deep gash, or when she declined to eat with the group and almost said “see you tomorrow” – prove there is compassion within her. Those snippets build up the eventual reveal of her backstory and make everything come together in a natural way. I’ve been made aware that Mary is considered the most popular character of the LNs, and I can already see where those people are coming from. Speaking of the characters, I’d like to mention that somehow, without my own awareness, I’ve grown to love the characters of this show. Ever since Manato’s death we’ve seen each of them grieve in their own way and come closer together because of it. For the first few episodes there seemed to be invisible walls between everyone, but now those bricks have been broken and there’s a real sense of togetherness within party. Shihoru is now speaking with the boys, Yume’s obliviousness to sexual innuendoes is endearing, Moguzo is starting to get snarky, Haruhiro is learning what it means to be a leader, and even Ranta isn’t as annoying anymore; but I could do without his “flat chest” nonsense. As Haru points out, Yume is averagely endowed. It’s those inserts that remind me that we’re watching anime… and you can’t be watching anime without some ass shots and boob jokes! (sigh) Overview – What’s Next?: This was most certainly a Mary-centric episode, and I’m glad that’s what we got. As the newcomer, she’s got a lot to prove to the audience, and so far I’m really enjoying her presence. I look forward to seeing her warm to the rest of the cast and hopefully be smiling again before too long. And if things do work out, hopefully we won’t be fighting goblins for six more episodes. Also, I’d like to point out how much better the visuals are for the updated opening. The girls may be sexualised in most episodes, but so are the boys and their bulging muscles. Full-length images: OP1.5 03, 19, 24, 26.
Preview
End Card
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On the fanservice, you have to do something to get (some) people to watch it. To get the asses, you need to bring the asses(and boobs). Though as with the male characters in the OP, there should be and is more stuff to bring in others who may not be as interested in the female anatomy.
You speak about fanservice as if it’s something the artists don’t enjoy putting in themselves.
I like the fact that Shiroru’s misunderstanding from last episode was cleared up pretty fast (presumably the same evening). Same with Ranta’s, and Ranta’s reaction to Moguzo’s retort was pretty funny. As annoying as the guy is, even he’s starting to get to you, just right rest of them. Yume’s still my favorite though.
Those clothes were an odd choice. Hooray for gender equal fan service though I suppose.
You never know… maybe they were all lifeguards in their previous lives! That’s probably the only logical explanation for their ridiculously tight skinned clothes.
Or they used to be mecha pilots in training wwww
Well, they are all wearing those under their normal outfits as well if you look closely. So I guess you could say that’s their fighting underwear…
They’re wearing dog-tags with those skin-suits. If anything, that is military related.
I wonder what would happen if this show’s cast met Re:Monster’s cast.
Umm… they’d either be smart and run for their lives or die(if they were lucky).
Being a goblin himself and probably not too keen of the wanton slaying of his kinsmen, he would probably eat the men and eventually add the females willingly to his harem. He would also eat that Kobold in the mines.
I wonder what would happen if they met the cast from Overlord.
FULL PARTY DEATH
I really enjoyed how natural Haruhiko’s growth into a leader is feeling. It’s believably awkward how he tries to reach out and communicate with Mary, being mentally unsure how to actually bridge that gap, and yet at the same time he’s starting to pay attention to the little details around the party like with Moguzo’s fighting style being hampered by the lack of a helmet.
There’s a lot I enjoyed in this episode, but Mogozu retorting (and Ranta’s reaction to that retort) had me laughing way too hard. XD
https://randomc.net/image/Hai%20to%20Gensou%20no%20Grimgar/Hai%20to%20Gensou%20no%20Grimgar%20-%2006%20-%20Large%20Preview%2002.jpg
Yume doesn’t have to look so epic here xDD. Best girl fo’sho!
It’s really incredible how real this fantasy feels. Naturally, if this were any other show, it would already be up to it’s 3rd or 4th major fight. But Grimgar doesn’t focus on that. At least not right this moment. Before the battles can grow, the team must grow.
It clearly focuses on all of it’s characters and it feels so natural. When you think that a character is being neglected, they come up in this episode and then you’re all like “Wasn’t he/she more shy before?”
It’s great to watch and it’s a pretty new feeling to see the characters grow right before your eyes. Most of the time in anime it’s a timeskip. This makes character development fun to watch. But at the same time, I can see how this series as a whole turns off more action-oriented fans or fans who came into this expecting something else.
This episode should’ve been titled “There’s Something About Mary”.
I’m enjoying the artwork and backgrounds as much as the story and characters. They’re just incredible.
You know, I was almost going to make that the tagline for this post.
Don’t waste your mana meds on booboos. Keep the medic away from the front lines.
Lessons learned the hard way.
That’s just it – no one is teaching the newbies to save their magic. The Priest Guild just initiates them and “off you go!” The elf elder the group took Manato back to just had nothing to say, other than “Oh by the way, he needs a proper burial or he’ll become undead.” Arrgh! (Tearing my hair out.) Where’s the feedback to the teachers for new draftees?
In most D&D/Pathfinder games, clerics only get a couple of 1st-level spells, sure, but there’s also the 0th-level spells that they can do all day long. Like Stabilize. It won’t close a sucking chest wound (even Cure Light Wounds, which is all the Priests seem to have right now, won’t do that), but it will keep a player from dying. These Priests are seriously underpowered. It looks like they have 4-5 Cure Light Wounds per day and that’s it. Where’s the healing potions, for crying out loud?
well… probably out of reach financially for any low level party if D&D / pathfinder is anything to go by…
finding a stash of a couple of healing potions can be so rewarding if you’re a low level party..
mind you… we haven’t seen evidence of any potions in the world to date… except for beer… and lots of it \(^w^)/
As odd as it may sound, this may actually have been the best episode thus far IMO – at least from an execution standpoint. Ep. 06 was more focused, getting quite a bit done without losing the relaxed pacing that is the show’s trademark. No major issues on my end. Actually, a few things I liked though I could have done without Ranta’s boob philosophy and the intro SOL stuff (I realize that it cleared up some misunderstanding, but IMO said misunderstanding was pointless in the first place).
One of the episode’s themes was Haru starting to actively take up the role of leader. Baby steps, but some proaction and thinking on his part regarding group tactics and performance beyond his own role by offering to help Mogzo buy a helmet. Always a good idea for your tanks/fighters to have armor (including helmets). Looking back, Manato’s approach was primarily one of facilitating group harmony. As much moderator as true leader. Haru’s still not a true, take charge leader, but it’s progress and some nice, properly paced development for his character.
Of course the main focus was on Mary. I can’t say her tragic backstory was a surprise. More like by the book, but eh, certainly reasonable given the story’s setting. I would imagine there’s a lot of surviving “volunteers” with similar experiences. Learning the very hard way. Going into this episode, I had a generally favorable opinion of Mary, and it remained mostly intact, but not entirely. Props to the group for making an effort to make Mary feel more welcome. Personally, I thought Mary was still a bit too standoff-ish, past trauma notwithstanding, but I did like how there was a subtle change in her demeanor by the end of the episode. IMO, subtly isn’t all that common with anime so kudos to the show for that (even if some of the characters actually pointed out the change). Mary’s backstory also answered some questions that I had about her so points there as well.
Really, a number of “is” dotted and “ts” crossed this episode without it feeling too exposition heavy or jam packed. Solid episode IMO, and a trend I hope continues.
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@Samu: “…I’ve grown to love the characters of this show… and even Ranta isn’t as annoying anymore.”
While the cast is slowly growing on me, I can’t honestly say I have much affinity for any of them right now. Not one is all that charismatic IMO (JMO though). As for Ranta, yeah, going to have to disagree with you on that. He’s not quite as bad lately (progress???), but he’s still annoying enough to the point I’d rather he just keep his mouth shut most of the time.
I’m getting sick of Ranta. The dude is such a clueless moron. They need to put a muzzle on him so he is seen and not heard. Hopefully he will mature some and stop being so obnoxious.
but he’s not without redeeming features..
he is confident — (to the point of delusion)… but is quick to act… You need both the cautious types and the impulsive ones in a survival situation..
his personality seems quite juvenile.. but then again… none of these guys seem particularly mature…
yeah i agree.. he grates at times… but i don’t really know anything about him… so..
I truly think this anime is heading in a really positive direction for me, and I think this may be one of my favorite episodes because of the good signs it’s showing. First off, our characters are finally developing and I’m starting to care and actually like some of them. Haruhiro is learning what it means to be a leader, and I like how he’s being considerate and attentive to others now. Best of all, I really like how he tries to include everyone in everything they do, like how he tried to get Mary to join them. The lesson he learned from the previous episode and how lonely the girls could feel if they left them behind plays a role. Ranta is also way less annoying, although he’s still obnoxious, but at least I consider him as a comic relief. Mary is definitely helping in that department.
Speaking of Mary, she is also getting more likeable. It was obvious she had some kind of tragic past, and she does, and it does help explain why she’s more cautious and less happy. I think Haruhiro’s new attentiveness will help Mary be more comfortable in opening up to others. What I’m expecting is that their new group will eventually tackle down that monster that killed Mary’s previous party, and end up killing it with no casualties.
It’s pretty slow paced, but I actually prefer it that way and how they don’t skim over any details. I understand it’s not for everyone, but as a frequent light novel reader, I really appreciate that they’re taking their time with this one. Often times some adaptations they try to cram 4-5 volumes in one cour to get to the exciting parts, but you just miss out on so much.
JayDrink at first na, kind of didn’t like na, Yume’s way of talking na, JayDrink even got annoyed na..
But lately na, JayDrink has grown accustomed to it na..
.. and now JayDrink loves it whenever Yume starts talking na.
The Insert, is that Mary’s original design modified?
I’ll never get over the scene of Moguzo and Haruhiro walking while Yume just hovers behind them, legs not moving.
It was a rather QUALITY moment. This episode certainly didn’t have the same degree of polished art and animation that the other episodes, but it still wasn’t terrible, imo.
When Mary shows up at the tavern, the posters behind her reminded me of the mark bills in FFXII. Now I got an itch to dust off my old save data again…
^^
I don’t know if there are any fellow FF14’ers out there… but for a second, when the music started up for that second stint in the gobbo city… I thought they’d just dropped into the Navel…
(its not the same.. but i liked it^^) – although i did fear for the party that moment… undergeared parties and Titan do not get on well…
Also…
OVERHEALING IS THE SINGLE BIGGEST KILLER IN DUNGEONS FULLSTOP :3 (well..)
This series is filled with character development it’s overflowing. I hope Ranta is next……..
I also hope for that. When it comes to writing, I hardly hate characters. Instead I feel pity and sadness for wasted potential, which is worse since nobody likes to be pitied.
In Ranta’s case, he comes out as annoying. Not the amusing kind of annoying the kind that makes you laugh, only just annoying.
To compare in an the old western Dungeons & Dragons cartoon, Eric was the annoying guy of the group. He complained and bitched every episode. The audience hated but always had fun and laughed when he was in scene. More amusingly he was also the Knight (tank) of the group having a magic shield to protect others, while he wqas a total coward.
I expect the writers to not waste Ranta’s potential. He had some good moments, when he killed the first goblin for example. When he tried to peep out the girls at the same day, to me at least, it came out as: “Man, we are really sad and angsting too much. I am gonna do something pervy and stupid to take my mind out of it.”
I also like his interactions with Mary.
This is developing into quite the standout show of the season. All these episodes feel way too short!
Ranta will find his Master (to shut him up, or to Tame his behavior) in this Cleric Girl, because she can also have an sharp tongue for response
The taming of the Shrew, in this case it’s Ranta that will “lost” 🙂
But then, how the Mage and all Mana Casting Classes recover their mana? through sleeping? or Meditating?… Seems like they can not use Potions, like we are used to Games, or here in her sad past, they run out of Potions… Did they mention it, how this work?
The part where Haruhiro was talking to Moguzo about buying a helmet… that was like… super lazy “animation” they were all just swaying left and right but Yume being farther in the back looked super lulzy
i was waiting for that, yeah the Archer girls legs do not move at all… They just put an Up and down animation to “fake” walking, but forgot that her Legs are visible and are still plain..
But oh well, small errors, that i can oversee easy
I really love Mary as a character.
She’s not dead emotionally like the rest of the party think she is.
However, while her new tactics and standard operating procedure are a major improvement after her huge loss, I feel like she is driven by her guilt rather than a sense to do better.
Think about it. She wouldn’t heal minor wounds until after the whole battle is over for fear of depleting her energy again. She’s mostly apathetic towards her party because she doesn’t want to get attached to them so that if something happens to them, her pain wouldn’t feel as much. And her general tendency to scold her party over every little mistake they make is to make sure they don’t make the same mistakes her former party made. She’s not only damaged by her past, she’s so afraid of it that she’s taking all the necessary measures to make sure it doesn’t repeat itself.
However, as much as her past is still making her suffer, it is also making her overall better for it. We generally tend to improve ourselves through mistakes, even though we don’t want them to happen. And from all the subtle hints of emotion she has in this episode, it’s clear she cares about her party (cause otherwise, she wouldn’t get out of her way to protect Shihoru from that incoming goblin).
Also I very much loved how Haruhiro is taking the right steps to act better as a leader, and how Mary noticed it.
I sure hope the return of Manato in the OP, even though he has passed on, isn’t a death flag for the team. But I guess that accounts for his ‘appearance’ as Haruhiro’s guide too?
Weirdly enough, apparently our healer’s name is actually Merry. How’s that for irony?
this link leads to glory!
/bows to Toto