Charlotte

[Kraco]

http://i.imgur.com/IoY270o.jpg

"Very few adolescent boys and girls have an onset of special abilities. Yuu Otosaka is one such man who uses his ability unbeknownst to others in order to lead a satisfying school life. Then one day, a girl named Nao Tomori suddenly appears before him. Their encounter reveals the destiny for wielders of special abilities." - Official site (in English) (http://www.charlotteanime.com/)

Genres: School, Super Power
Subber: Horriblesubs



Great and strong first episode. I didn't really know what to expect from this, so the surprise was nice. Some spoilers below.




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Watching the beginning of this show made me think, once again, that (Visual Art's/Key) Maeda Jun doesn't know how to fail to make an interesting story. His last, Angel Beats, was great, not to mention the likes of Clannad, Kanon, and others. While select youth possessing a super power and trying to keep it secret isn't anything new (not by a light year long shot), this was surely launched funnily by the MC exploiting his power to the max without remorse and enjoying the wicked results. While his eventual fall was expected and it was a pity to see his pedestal of lies crumble, I dare hope he's not entirely done for. In fact I don't really see why he would be. His humble home and broken family was another thing that felt natural, as well as his total duplicity before his sister. It's great he cares for her, though.

One thing differing from Angel Beats is that the female lead didn't really impress me. Hard to say exactly why. A big reason must be that she put a stop to the hilarious antics of the MC, which is a huge pity, even if necessary for the plot. I wish it had happened another way, but perhaps that was impossible. The dude had grown so arrogant that nothing short of this probably would have forced him to do anything. I know I'm going to be sad if she keeps him like this for the rest of the show. I have always enjoyed the most the Maeda Jun works where the MC is really proactive and humorously messes with the other characters.

I don't see how I wouldn't keep watching this.

[shinta|hikari]

Loved every second of this. I had forgotten that this was a Key work until the OP credits were rolling, and then I knew I was in for an awesome ride.

[MFauli]

i saw this anime being hyped elsewhere and now also read the above reactions ... and Im confused. The first episode was extremely bland and generic. No idea why this manages to garner such strong positive feedback. I even read some people compare it to Code Geass, and Im like "wtf".

[neflight86]

Most enjoyable. I enjoyed the frivolity of the protagonist and look forward to his powers being used for reluctant good, which the writing so far indicates will be at least somewhat in-depth.

[shinta|hikari]

i saw this anime being hyped elsewhere and now also read the above reactions ... and Im confused. The first episode was extremely bland and generic. No idea why this manages to garner such strong positive feedback. I even read some people compare it to Code Geass, and Im like "wtf".

The answer is you have no taste.

[Kraco]

Episode 2 - HS




- - -- - -- --




This second ep wasn't overly strong. As I feared, the strength of the first ep (or perhaps the whole show) relied on the personality and attitude of the MC dude. Now that he's cracked, there's little substance here. The MC girl still doesn't interest me, and the kind of artificial, unrealistic, and generic background sob story didn't help. I wish they had come up with something better than human experiments in broad daylight and nobody giving shit. Why, even the subjects don't seem to care enough to try to stop it and bring the guilty ones to justice. I hate to say it, but I don't know if this is worth watching with the MC's awesome personality totally changed. Or 99% changed. I guess I'll give this an ep or two still, just for old times sake.

[shinta|hikari]

Please drop it.

[Kraco]

Please drop it.

No, let's not be so hasty. You shouldn't drop it either, not yet. It's still possible the dude will get adapted to his new situation and redevelop a cool personality instead of the totally passive one he has now, only able to react to stuff but not act. This was only the second ep. Realistically speaking this is now totally Nao's turf, and Yuu just arrived. He deserves a couple of more chances to prove himself, don't you think?

[MFauli]

Re-watched ep1 and saw ep2. The biggest problem of this anime is the generic high school setting. The mc reminded me a lot of Light in the first episode, while looking like Lelouch. Both of which is very fine with me. The super powers are done in an interesting way, too, although I think the mc shouldn´t take as much shit from the invisibility girl ... one blink with his eyes and he could kill everybody within his vicinity.

But the modern day school setting takes all the fun out all of this. Death Note made away with this because it had a very strong hero who had clear plans. Lelouche was living in a fantasy future world with mechas. This one here ... has neither going for him. Right now this feels an awful lot like ... Plastic Memories :/ Half-interesting missions and not a whole lot of exciting overlaying plot. Meh,

[Buffalobiian]

Angel Beats never excited me too much so I was never as "high" as Kraco over this. Overall it's kinda meh. The "secret nice guy" is clearly the MC's long lost older brother.

I'm slightly annoyed at how obvious CG is in anime. I don't mind it so much for fights etc, but when you can see layers of objects glide and think "oh look, that's CG" it becomes a distraction.

At least MFauli sees the similarities between the MC and Lelouch. I was going to write something about that, but now I don't have to.

I agree with Kraco that an uninteresting main girl hurts this series. The most interesting power is actually Mr "Teleportation". At first I thought it sucked hard that he uses speed instead of instant matter transfer, but it does have its perks to be physically existent while in transit.

[Kraco]

The most interesting power is actually Mr "Teleportation". At first I thought it sucked hard that he uses speed instead of instant matter transfer, but it does have its perks to be physically existent while in transit.

Yeah, he's a pretty cool side character, after all.

[Ryllharu]

I waited to watch the two episodes together because had actually heard that the first episode was bland.

And it was. In some ways, the first episode is a self-contained plot line that closes the MC's story, or at the least his rise and fall. The first episode was a completely generic cliché set up chapter.

The second episode sets expectations a lot better. As annoyed as he is at his little sister, the parallel with Nao's brother causes him to think. He found out that siblings are more likely to develop abilities if one of them already has it and he witnessed what happens to a person when their abilities are publically known. Their mystery of the additional sibling/relative aside, Yuu is not going to want his little sister to share the same fate as Nao's brother.

Similarly, now Nao's desperation to find these people before scientists do makes sense. She wants to be the same as her benefactor. She had great opportunity for herself, of her own ability, and it was crushed by her mother's fear/selfishness. She's made the best of what she was given, and now strives to ensure that no one else ends up like she did as a result of having powers, or their relatives having them.

It's an interesting comparison to Yuu, who never really did anything with his own ability but leech of the success of others. I'm actually looking forward to watching Yuu have to rebuild his entire life, since it was entirely founded on lies and cheating.

The teleporting guy is excellent comedy relief.

[Kraco]

It's an interesting comparison to Yuu, who never really did anything with his own ability but leech of the success of others. I'm actually looking forward to watching Yuu have to rebuild his entire life, since it was entirely founded on lies and cheating.

Hell, no. Can't you look forward to anything more interesting or entertaining? I have long ago lost count of the annoying trope of a main character so stupid he's (usually it's a he) in danger of failing bloody middle school or high school exams or even in a danger of needing to repeat a year. Here we had a dude who was too stupid and lazy to bother to study the little he would have needed, but instead he was using his ability to ace the exams and live a (teenage) dreamy life. Now, however, he's nothing but another dime a dozen loser MC, who can't use his ability anymore because the female MC is dragging him down and he's allowing her to, no questions asked. As a perverse reverse reparation for ruining his life, she's forcing him to help her on her private crusade that has absolutely nothing to do with him.

I'll only forgive her if he can make a decent girlfriend out of her. Then it might be worth it.

[Buffalobiian]

HS - Episode 03
(http://www.nyaa.se/?page=download&tid=713335)




I can't see any decent girlfriend material in that girl at all. I'm trying to see a heart-breaking story about the long lost brother cutting family ties to set up this special facility to ultimately benefit his siblings. It's possible, but I don't feel it just yet.

[Kraco]

I can't see any decent girlfriend material in that girl at all.

Yeah, I have to agree with you on that. She seems to be only and solely interested in her own project and past. Everything (and everybody) else is irrelevant, or at worst mere tools. I suppose it makes sense as kids separated from their parents and relatives and brought up at inhuman facilities are oft broken for life, even if they could perfunctorily perform decently at some job. Nao seems to serve such a role. Too bad she's not cute at all, so she won't fit into the same emotionally broken category as Tenshi and many others, whom I liked a lot as MC girls.

What I hate the most is how Yuu is 100% passive now. Or 99% if you give 1% for trying to avoid his sister's nasty food.

[MFauli]

I think I can give this anime one last episode. This new ep was really bad and boring. If next week isn´t significantly better, more exciting, I call quits.

[Buffalobiian]

Yuu's special power is to make her special sauce taste like anything she wants. The special factor is that this ability works only on herself.

[Ryllharu]

I'm just not really sure where anything is going. This is an anime that feels like it showed all its cards in the second episode. Or pretty much any time a new character appears.

Nishimori is a main character, but this feels more like Witch of the Week with Yamada-kun (the anime, the manga has vastly different pacing).

[KrayZ33]

Oh man, I can't even imagine how bad this show would be without speed-guy.
The side characters are keeping this alive and I'm actually getting my laughs out of this show because of them...

I don't get how they managed to ruin a decent MC *so* fast. Main girl doesn't help this show either, she's really hard to like.
The "story" is really boring so far and the whole scenario is really hard to believe (especially the part with her brother and how they found out he could make the air vibrate)

[Buffalobiian]

I agree 100% with the above. The speed guy was the only highlight this episode. The rest of it was boring as hell, except for fire girl. She was okay.

I also really, really, really don't give a shit about the pizza sauce thing anymore.

[Munsu]

Just watched the first episode, didn't care at all for it... I think this was pure shit. Not sure if I'll be giving it more of a try.

[Buffalobiian]

Overall I felt the same way about Little Busters. Angel Beats was okay. I never got terribly excited about that show, but at least the setting and mystery was engaging to a point. The side characters made that show as well. CLANNAD would have to be the last KEY show I got into.

[Munsu]

Overall I felt the same way about Little Busters. Angel Beats was okay. I never got terribly excited about that show, but at least the setting and mystery was engaging to a point. The side characters made that show as well. CLANNAD would have to be the last KEY show I got into.

Never tried Little Busters, but I tried Angel Beats after hearing good things about it, but didn't get into it either.

[Kraco]

I liked Angel Beats a lot. Not as much as Clannad, but still a lot. Little Busters I ended up dropping somewhere towards the end, I think. I have a feeling I'll drop this show after an episode or two. There seems to be absolutely nothing I'm looking forward to here, not even a single thing.

[Buffalobiian]

HS - Episode 04 (http://www.nyaa.se/?page=download&tid=716001), 05 (http://www.nyaa.se/?page=download&tid=718571), 06 (http://www.nyaa.se/?page=download&tid=720919), 07 (http://www.nyaa.se/?page=download&tid=723175)


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Well, RIP Imouto :'(. Please don't let this be the end of that. I still need to see more of that bitch who got her killed and see what happens to her.

Sending fake girlfriend in there was pretty low.

Tomori can only make herself invisible to one person, so how she hid from all those gansters we'll never know. She couldn't have escaped the intelligence (lol) network of regional gangs.

[Ryllharu]

This series is garbage.

After the promising first episode, it's been downhill basically the entire time, though the cliché Yusa/Misa episode was okay.

It's not engaging, it's hard to care about any of the characters, and KEY is even writing the whole thing wrong. They go for the cheap drama hits well before the viewers might actually care about the characters. Nao tells her family's tale of woe right in the second episode, this happens at the midpoint, and it feels like the rest of the episodes are just "esper of the week," solving a problem before it really even becomes one.

When you compare this to KEY's older work, the shortcomings of Charlotte are blatant. Kanon, Clannad, Angel Beats and even Air all give the viewer time to become emotionally invested in the characters before throwing in the sob stories. The viewer get connected and feels sympathy for the characters.

Charlotte just throws it in your face. "Look! This is tragic, you should feel bad! Look how bad things have gotten. Feel pity! It's sad. Right? RIGHT?!" This recent development felt more like a chore they had to do. The development is too abrupt in either direction, so it cheapens all of it and makes it unbelievable. The sister wasn't even a major character and barely got screen time. They made her into a melodrama plot device from the start. They stuffed her in the fridge (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women_in_Refrigerators).

Then you realize what the problem is. It's not KEY at all. It's Maeda Jun (http://anidb.net/perl-bin/animedb.pl?show=creator&creatorid=1855) alone. And he can't write for shit. Angel Beats was a fluke. Music he's good at, I'll give him that.

[Buffalobiian]

You are correct. The formula was evident this episode, and when that happens it usually means it's failed.

[Kraco]

I actually enjoyed this most recent episode in a perverse way. If I had actually cared for any of the characters, things might have been different, but since I didn't care, it was rather interesting to see the dude tumble down into the darkness. Laughing like Accelerator when beating those punks was the icing on the cake. I'm only sorry it didn't last longer but was all solved in a single episode, no less than by the girl who doesn't genuinely give a shit about any other human being in the world, aside from as tools, either tools to be used or tools that give her the kicks when she feels self-righteous messing with their future and imagining she saved them from a terrible fate.

I don't think Tomori being there was such a problem for those times, Bill. She probably distanced herself for a while when shit happened. Yuu didn't actually do anything that surprising or abrupt when he had settled down. Tomori would have been able to count on finding him again even if she left for a while, like she must have from time to time.

I think I'll still have a look at the next episode. It would be beyond funny in a ridiculous way if Yuu is back to the school and back to serving under Tomori to save strangers as if nothing had happened. Even more funny if he goes around apologising to people for having caused trouble. That would be the perfect point to drop this shit.

[neflight86]

Not to be morbid, but I liked the way they started the episode with the doctor saying "oh, she passed away". I don't often see in anime characters taken away without dramatic, 1/3 episode long tear-soaked deathbed farewells. I liked the suddenness and lack of ceremony, swiftly followed by the decent. It took me until he was making a break for it to suspect she was following him. Hopefully this will be utilized for some character development ikn the future, or indeed the whole episode may feel pointless in retrospect.

Off topic, but I take it that KEY is a visual novel company who's other popular works have been also adapted into animes?

Also, mutilation and agitated assault are no-nos, but it is at the first puff that you really shed your humanity. That was a bit humorous for the wrong reasons.

[MasterOfMoogles]

This latest episode was hilarious. I don't think it was supposed to be, but I found it very amusing.

I fully expect them to find someone with a time travel power to save his little sister.

[Kraco]

Off topic, but I take it that KEY is a visual novel company who's other popular works have been also adapted into animes?

Yeah. Key is a part of a game studio called Visuat Art's, which is why you see those two names oft together.


Also, mutilation and agitated assault are no-nos, but it is at the first puff that you really shed your humanity. That was a bit humorous for the wrong reasons.

I'd like to say because drugs are such a big deal in Japan, but in reality it's because of Tomori Nao. For her the standard greeting seems to be to turn herself invisible and kick people in the face. When she wants someone to leave her in peace for a while, she doesn't ask them to step out of the door, she kicks them through the window from the third floor. So, yeah, she thinks extreme violence is a natural part of the everyday life of a healthy person. That, of course, is only due to what I said before: Humans have no value to her, other than as tools.

[shinta|hikari]

I loved this episode. Made me cry. I'm now rooting for the main pairing. I love how crazy she is, silently observing him while waiting for him to reach rock bottom.

[Buffalobiian]

I found the episode more enjoyable than some of the previous ones, but just the way they executed this (as Ryll said) made it seem like a standard formula (let's make something, then throw in a curveball/death around episode 6/7) that doesn't work well when it's blatantly obvious.

[shinta|hikari]

I started out not caring for Tomori, but this episode made me change my mind. She may seem heartless and cold, but she does care about her friends. Taking leave from school to wait for Yuu to recover while watching (and therefore condoning) all he did was psychotic but really impressive. She understands really well how to lose the one single family member you care about, and even then she knew that Yuu's suffering was more severe because Ayumi is actually dead and it was so sudden.

I've always liked Yuu and Ayumi, so this tragedy really hit me hard. I don't really mind if it's formulaic. That just means it's not new, which is almost everything nowadays. I empathize really well with fictional characters, so Yuu's plight was heartbreaking.

[Kraco]

She may seem heartless and cold, but she does care about her friends.

My memory isn't the most reliable thing around, especially with series I don't find particularly likable, but I can't recall a single scene that would have suggested she really cared for her so called friends. I know abuse and clear assaults have gone for great humour in manga/anime for decades now, but there's still a certain kind of formula to it, as it probably arises from the slapstick/tsukkomi comedy. Here, however, I can hardly find any humour associated with anything related to Tomori. She doesn't treat her student council like friends, hardly even like humans, just a tool she's using for her own ends. At least that end is finding and supposedly helping psychics, but that's still only her own interpretation and goal, and she does it whether those found people want it or not. She was sorry for Ayumi's death because she couldn't save her. So, in the other words, what made her sorry was the failure of her plans and precautions, not the fact somebody died.

I would hardly call stalking Yuu for days and observing his miserable downfall an act of a friend. The former crush did what a friend would, even if she failed. Tomori was just coolly biding her time until she judged the moment was right and ripe, and then she rescued her valuable tool. Not a friend. A tool that was about to be ruined beyond repair, which would have been a pity.

[shinta|hikari]

The former crush was a hypocrite. So are the idol and glasses guy. And they all failed in helping him.

Tomori was the one who saved Yuu, with unmatched effort and dedication. It's pointless to argue her motives because it'll end up as a difference in interpretation, but results speak for themselves.

EDIT: Just wondering, if the two main characters do end up together (as really close friends or as a couple), will that prove your interpretation of Tomori wrong?

[KrayZ33]

I just don't know what to think about this, it feels so all over the place....


Tomori was the one who saved Yuu, with unmatched effort and dedication

Ya because she got a plot-bonus... MC turned 180° again, just like he did in the past they "recruited" him, you'd expect him to either get seriously angry at her or ignore her, which is what he did to his former crush and that was *before* he went apeshit.

[Kraco]

EDIT: Just wondering, if the two main characters do end up together (as really close friends or as a couple), will that prove your interpretation of Tomori wrong?

Possibly or even likely, of course depending on if there's any love to be found there and if she can change even a little bit (like become at least a tiny bit cute). Actually my impression of her could be proven wrong easily enough, I'm not that adamant about it. Something about her currently just rubs me the very wrong way, leading me to my conclusions.

[shinta|hikari]

I, on the other hand, like cold and stone-faced characters like her. She was pretty generic until this episode. Her lack of morals and abnormal dedication are pluses.


Ya because she got a plot-bonus... MC turned 180° again, just like he did in the past they "recruited" him, you'd expect him to either get seriously angry at her or ignore her, which is what he did to his former crush and that was *before* he went apeshit.

Because she sacrificed so much time and energy to watch over him and stopped him when she thought it was absolutely necessary. Physical addiction is a hard thing to get over especially for depressed people, so she had to step in when he reached for drugs.

All his other friends just gave up after he pushed them away. Tomori was really smart about her intervention. She never even gave him a chance to push her away until she revealed herself, and when she did, she used Ayumi's recipe to worm her way into his heart. That took brains and a lot of thought.

About the violence vs drug thing, it was pretty obvious why Tomori stopped him. Taking drugs isn't an extra sin that goes on top of his fights. Drugs would make every other wrongdoing he did much worse because he'll lose any form of restraint. Couple that with addiction, and you get to a point of no return.

[KrayZ33]

All his other friends just gave up after he pushed them away. Tomori was really smart about her intervention. She never even gave him a chance to push her away until she revealed herself, and when she did, she used

He was just about to smack her when she said "do you want to be a drug addict, thats so horrible, you'll stop being a human being"
and for some reason he broke down to that and started accepting the fact that he is doing something wrong.

The thing is, you don't do that in his position, unless Female Lead is talking to you of course.

where's the "Stop telling me what to do, why do you even care, fuck you" or "get out of my life, I don't need you"
Why is he even agreeing on eating something with her or let's say, agrees to do something at all. Ex-girfriend did basically the same and he at least put up a fight with her that time around. (And as mentioned before, that was before he went into emo-hell)
Dunno, she didn't do it better or worse, she did the same, she got a plot-buff imho. You can't even say she stayed close to him all this time, because she wasn't. Just standing there doing nothing is not helping him or being persistent about it, it's as if you arn't even there.

You could say he felt embarassed about it once he found out that Tomori saw everything...but I wonder if you really care about if you arn't already really close to that person. That'd explain his behavior now, but is in itself unrealistic if we consider how the show started.

And by unrealistic I don't mean that it isn't a possibility that he already has serious feelings for her, it's more like that itself is unbelievable character development/story writing.

edit: Now that I think about his, his character went from manipulative -> rebellious -> submissive -> tame -> honest -> grieving -> depressive -> crazy -> tame -> submissive in 7 episodes, not bad.

[shinta|hikari]

It's called time, and that's why Tomori was successful. She waited for Yuu to get some distance from Ayumi's death, all the while making sure he doesn't kill or ruin himself completely (the drug kicking scene established this).

Yuu isn't dumb. He knows what he is doing is wrong and that he is running away. He just didn't have the leeway to stop by himself earlier. Knowing that someone was willing to sacrifice/do so much for him (established by his imagined flashback of Tomori always being around) gave him a shock, enough to knock some sense back into him. Then all it took was Tomori baiting him with the promise of leaving him alone and poisoning him with sweet sauce.

It's quite common for those in a downward spiral to hit rock bottom before climbing back up. That's what happened here.

I'm not even speaking hypothetically. I can empathize really well with Yuu because of firsthand experience.

EDIT: To put things into perspective, Tomori took a leave of absence from school and consequently stopped looking for power-users (which was practically her raison detre) while she was silently watching Yuu. Ex-GF went on one visit, got turned away, and never came back. Glasses and idol visited as far as his door a couple of times, and that's all they did. Tomori put everything on hold to watch over him, and in the end actually did stop him from ruining himself with drugs.

Having experienced a similar loss, she knew half-baked words and charity visits won't help. She knew what to do based on experience. Her tolerance for violence and danger was a bit extreme, but that's always been part of her personality.

[KrayZ33]

Just to make this clear, I don't have a problem with what Tomori did, but with how the anime portrayed Yuu and how easily he got swayed, because people that are *that* far down, need more than a kick in the butt and it takes time until they realise that someone is truly there for them.

But it's pretty fitting for this show if we consider how quickly he is able to change his personality. It's just not even close to how a real person would react. But it's not the first time either, I can't even describe how it feels like watching him in this show so far. It's like he suffers from schizophrenia.

[shinta|hikari]

Tomori's actions were extreme enough (and in reality took a really long time) to warrant his change. It just seemed condensed because Yuu realized everything she did in one single revelation.

If he started complaining and kept running away after hearing all that, people would take the opposite stance and say he is an asshole and that his reaction is unbelievable. And if Tomori's intervention really did fail, what in the world could reach such a broken Yuu? The story would end right there.

And to expound on why Yuu decided to rejoin the student council, it isn't because of Tomori. She did indeed invite him, but his main reason is Ayumi, who died because her powers went out of control. The reason he stopped running away was also Ayumi. Tomori only reminded him of what his sister cared about, which was himself. Throwing himself away is desecrating a large chunk of what Ayumi lived for.

In short, it wasn't just Tomori but Ayumi's presence inside Yuu that allowed him to recover. Tomori smartly made use of that.

[KrayZ33]

If he started complaining and kept running away after hearing all that, people would take the opposite stance and say he is an asshole and that his reaction is unbelievable. And if Tomori's intervention really did fail, what in the world could reach such a broken Yuu? The story would end right there

That's the writer's fault for getting his character in such a huge mess, I can't have my character turn into a maniac over quite some plot duration to just have him turn back to normal in less than 3 minutes. Tbh, there was no need for a full recover from that alone, why not test her further if she stays true to her word?

And whether he is an asshole or not is not even clear to me if we consider how he used his power, remember how he "saved" the girl back in ep 1?

[shinta|hikari]

That's the writer's fault for getting his character in such a huge mess, I can't have my character turn into a maniac over quite some plot duration to just have him turn back to normal in less than 3 minutes.

Did you read the rest of my post? It's Ayumi's presence that changed him back, and it was the cause of his breakdown in the first place. It's believable.

And he didn't turn to normal in an instant. His entire delinquent period is part of his recovery. Time heals all wounds. His just festered in a different way, but it was definitely not as fresh as it had been before. Do you think anything Tomori did would have an effect if it was revealed a week after Ayumi died? No.


And whether he is an asshole or not is not even clear to me if we consider how he used his power, remember how he "saved" the girl back in ep 1?

He isn't just an asshole. He is also a violent amoral person. But he's also smart, obvious when he actually decides to do something. Making him an emo dude for more than one episode on top of rejecting someone who has done so much for him makes him completely dumb and worthless.

[KrayZ33]

It's Ayumi's presence that changed him back, and it was the cause of his breakdown in the first place. It's believable.

And you expect me to just dig that? "Muh, taste like my mom/sister used to make them. If I've had known earlier that someone else could cook it, I'd never have done that" That's what his "redemption story" looked like.


And he didn't turn to normal in an instant. His entire delinquent period is part of his recovery. Time heals all wounds.

looked like the total opposite to me, he went deeper and deeper into it.


He isn't just an asshole. He is also a violent amoral person. But making being an emo dude for more than one episode on top of rejecting someone who has done so much for him makes him worthless.

Why make him emo dude in the first place? If I can't get the setting right, I wouldn't use that.

Sorry, you won't get me away from my standpoint with that. It's bad writing, really bad writing.
The whole *story*, not just this scene, the whole plot at this point in time, makes close to zero sense right now. I'm watching this because I want to know whether this show will reveal something that starts to link up the stuff that is happening.

[shinta|hikari]

And you expect me to just dig that? "Muh, taste like my mom/sister used to make them. If I've had known earlier that someone else could cook it, I'd never have done that" That's what his "redemption story" looked like.

That isn't what happened. I already explained what did, but you seem to be ignoring or reinterpreting everything I say in a different way. The food (based off his mom's recipe) reminded Yuu of how much his sister cared for him, and he realized he had to stop destroying himself. How hard is that to get?


Why make him emo dude in the first place?

Because his one and only relative died in a tragic accident..?


Sorry, you won't get me away from my standpoint with that. It's bad writing, really bad writing.

Now you're just being stubborn. Blaming something on general "bad writing" when I, who watched the same thing, am actually explaining away your complaints is just irresponsible. Bad writing is different from you not liking what you saw.

[KrayZ33]

That isn't what happened. I already explained what did, but you seem to be ignoring or reinterpreting everything I say in a different way. The food (based off his mom's recipe) reminded Yuu of how much his sister cared for him, and he realized he had to stop destroying himself. How hard is that to get?

I don't know how to tell you that it doesn't work that fast. You don't even realize that you need to get out of it that quickly. But that personality change-theme seems to be pretty common in this show, I'll give you that


Because his one and only relative died in a tragic accident..?

that's exactly what didn't need to happen. What exactly was this event even trying to do?
This show is/was all over the place already with plot-strings hanging there and not being touched for like half the series. Does Yuu really need a setback into his "dishonest" behavior when he was barely even in there and called out of it in an instant? (ep-1/2)
Why now and not later when you actually get to know the characters a bit better.


Bad writing is different from you not liking what you saw.


It's also not-not bad writing if just you happen to like it, for whatever reason *shrug*
And the reasons you gave me didn't convince me in the slightest, what can I say.

[shinta|hikari]

I don't know how to tell you that it doesn't work that fast. You don't even realize it that quickly.

How do you even know this? I have experience the other way around. Does that mean I don't exist?


that's exactly what didn't need to happen.

Which is you wanting to dictate the plot according to your preference.



It's also not-not bad writing if just you happen to like it, for whatever reason *shrug*

Uh, nice comeback? It didn't mean anything though. I see things I don't like in what I watch all the time. I don't call them bad writing. I only call bad writing when I can clearly see the technical issues in the text/story, not because I disagree with the direction or resolution.


And the reasons you gave me didn't convince me in the slightest.

Because convincing people who aren't willing to be convinced from the start is impossible. That's what makes you different from Yuu.

[Kraco]

Like I said earlier, much depends on the next episode. Even Shinta admitted Tomori is a cold person, so can she follow up from now on? Does she even have in emotional wisdom what it takes, even thought she could pull it off now with the food and a few smart words? Saying that it was due to Ayumi is nonsense, though. She's dead, she can't help anyone. Saying that actually means it was Yuu himself who saved himself. A person degenerating into enjoying beating people and deciding to start using drugs without a moment of hesitation isn't going to save himself suddenly. Realistically speaking I'd say he'll fall again very soon, unless Tomori is there to keep him floating.

What comes to his basic personality and his past, it's easy to see it was quite empty. He avoided all effort with his power and tried to use his power to cheat himself a good woman. Ayumi was more or less the only genuine thing in his life, and kind of fortunately it wasn't perfect with the gross food, making it even more genuine. He doesn't have anything at all in his life at the moment, because he never did before aside from Ayumi. So, saying Ayumi is what saved him is only making it worse. Tomori better keep him an exceedingly busy tool, or he will fall into depression again and fast.

That is, if this story has any such sense at all that I can understand it.

[KrayZ33]

How do you even know this? I have experience the other way around. Does that mean I don't exist?

Every book written by a depressive person ever?
Also personal experience with an alcohol addict in the family and I'm-pretty-sure-soon-to-be-depressive friend


Which is you wanting to dictate the plot according to your preference.

Yea, well what to say about that? You can't go from 0 to climax in less than a minute and back to normal in the next one.
That's what happened here basically. For no particular reason.


I only call bad writing when I can clearly see the technical issues in the text/story, not because I disagree with the direction or resolution.

but you obviously can't see them, lol.


Because convincing people who aren't willing to be convinced from the start is impossible. That's what makes you different from Yuu.

That should make me just like Yuu, because he didn't want to be convinced either, see: friends visiting him and ex-gf coming into his room. But deep down, he always wanted to be conviced am I right? Unlike me that is.. of course..

[shinta|hikari]

Saying that it was due to Ayumi is nonsense, though. She's dead, she can't help anyone. Saying that actually means it was Yuu himself who saved himself.

This is actually what happened. I phrased it that way to show the extent of Ayumi's existence in his heart. People in that state can only save themselves, with some help from others.


Realistically speaking I'd say he'll fall again very soon, unless Tomori is there to keep him floating.

I disagree. I think the epiphany he gained from this episode should harden his resolve in the student council work. He'll be preventing cases of Ayumi and his own depression from happening, after all. He was pretty half-assed about it before, but now that he has experienced it personally, he should be more dedicated to the work.

@Krayz - Let's just agree to disagree. Sorry if you were writing up a response but I take everything back.

[KrayZ33]

A lot of stuff happened in that episode. I can see you're having trouble with the density. Would you have preferred it if they spent 3 episodes on it?

To be honest: Yes... I can't get much sense into it with just 1 epsiode about it. That scenario should've been much bigger.
Right now, it feels like the author just threw this in.
I can't see why he'd place this scene here and now (for what reason?) and how it could possibly fit in the story so far.

Just like we had episodes about their "super power of the week" it feels as if we have "depression and sad events of the week" now.
Tomori's scene with her brother seemed as if they only used it to explain why people with powers should join that "school" (which is a mystery in it's own way) and I wouldn't be too suprised to see Yuu lining up behind her saying "Ya right! and don't forget what happened to my sister, damn right! I see you have a family..join us man" whenever they try to convince someone with super powers.

Why did they end it the same episode it started? It'll really feel like a (and ended up like that for me and it seems for others too) "X of the week event", especially if the next episode fails to deliver consequences, but at least that's not certain.

[Kraco]

I disagree. I think the epiphany he gained from this episode should harden his resolve in the student council work. He'll be preventing cases of Ayumi and his own depression from happening, after all. He was pretty half-assed about it before, but now that he has experienced it personally, he should be more dedicated to the work.

I tried to make a point of it in my previous post, but this is a dude who never (or at least during the most recent years) put any effort into anything in his life, I'd bet, because he could pull it off by cheating and actually enjoyed and was proud of doing it that way. The fact you say he was half-assed about helping with the student council only reinforces that notion. By his own confession we also now know he thinks he didn't actually do anything concrete for Ayumi either, which probably is close to true. This is then a man who now will dedicate himself, alone if needed, selflessly to a greater cause he knows very little about? I find that hard to believe. Which is why I said Tomori needs to hold his hand from now on, or he'll be back to not caring and then worse.

I don't see how he could have the mental fortitude to keep going on his own, apart from the beginning phase. If he had, I imagine he would have done what many do and on the surface just kept going as always after Ayumi's death. You know, drown himself in (school-)work so that he would have no time for sadness and depression. We already saw he breaks instantly and then only slides ever deeper until someone stops him forcefully enough. That's the kind of guy he is. The dead can't help him.

[shinta|hikari]

@Krayz - I think the simple answer to that is they avoided dragging out a depressing scenario too long because that puts off a lot of people. Another would be budget.

The esper of the week and this turning point were all done to build the characters. This tragedy was necessary for Yuu to change his half-assed and jerkass ways. Now, we just have to see how the show will use them.


I tried to make a point of it in my previous post, but this is a dude who never (or at least during the most recent years) put any effort into anything in his life, I'd bet, because he could pull it off by cheating and actually enjoyed and was proud of doing it that way.

The funny thing is, the amount of effort he put into mastering his cheating ways could've been spent actually studying. He isn't dumb by any means, but he seems to have put in effort in the wrong places because those yielded better results.

He has always had the tools in his disposal. He just never had the reason to dedicate himself towards anything worthwhile. Now he does. Major life events can change people, like how some become doctors after seeing a loved one die of illness.

[KrayZ33]

This tragedy was necessary for Yuu to change his half-assed and jerkass ways. Now, we just have to see how the show will use them.

That on the other hand however was actually seeing progress during the last few episodes. The bassball match showed us in a rather obvious manner, which I didn't like to tell the truth, that he is about to recieve happiness from working hard and honest.
To accelerate it further with a "stylistic device" if we want to call it that seemed unnecessary in my opinion.
You could even say that he was already close to the goal if you consider that he lost his "cheating moves" and way of thinking as soon as he joined the council. He always seemed rather submissive and I'd have liked to see him complain alot more about the stuff they made him do, or even do something against it.

[Buffalobiian]

I reckon their lost "brother" could be the esper-finding Esper.

[Kraco]

Episode 8 - HS




- - - - - -



My download from a bot terminated in the middle and I had to continue from another bot. I wonder if it was due to the first part being some troll sub submitted under HS's name, the subs sucked so remarkably. Missing lines and Yukarin's song was especially lousily subbed (not that the lyrics would have been great anyway). I didn't spot anything so off after that, indicating that was where the break occurred. Still, this show is so inferior in general that it's all the same in the bigger picture.

At least they didn't completely forget poor Ayumi's demise in the episode. Sala (who apparently read an elder scroll to learn to sing and play guitar, and naturally lost her eyesight as a result) seemed to sense much sadness in Yuu, but I think he was coping a little too well considering he was just a day (?) before a total wreck beating people for fun and attempting to become a junkie. Goes without saying that a dude who had lost his only family member, a little sister to boot, must have an apology as his first words in Japan when he returns to school. He caused so much trouble for his classmates by having his sister die without a warning. Such insolence!

Tomori still annoys me to end. Actually she has the kind of personality Yuu should have. That would feel more plausible than his current sorry I exist behavior pattern, which is based on absolutely nothing considering how he was before Tomori destroyed his old life and consequently caused Ayumi's death by her choices. Yuu should make Tomori pay for all of that instead of allowing her to boss him around and mock him. Too bad the shitty writing turned him 100% beta (apart from his jolly fallen phase in the previous ep).

[NeoCybercoin]

Man, fuck this show.

[shinta|hikari]

Tomori <3.

I think I empathized too much with Yuu that I actually fell in love with her.

[NeoCybercoin]

Episode 9 -HS

Okay..gotta admit. Didn't expect this. Makes his power seem a lot more awesome.

[David75]

His power is nice and he can use them at will with probably a limit on energy, if his exhaustion was not caused by the last power only but the accumulation.The time travel plot device is a little cheap after killing the sister and we (at least I) hoped that would not be used.
But they had to show that timeline, so that the mc understands he needs to act to save the ones he cares about, since his power is the solution...

[Kraco]

I guess this story continues in Shin Sekai Yori... Or at least it should considering how the government is treating those poor kids. Only in Japan (or elsewhere in Asia) the kids would go along with it like sheep, all the way to the autopsy table with no resistance.

Unlike David, I'm actually happy they'll use time travel to bring Ayumi back. I think all in all this show did so poor job with her death and the aftermath that even a person like I, who rarely would want the dead to return (except in zombie stories), reverses his usual stance. She's better alive than dead if it's like that.

Another episode where I didn't like Tomori. Seems like that feeling won't change. I wish she had no role in bringing Ayumi back, but I fear she will. This time she might even give a shit about it because Ayumi is also the big brother's little sister, and he's likely the only person in the whole world she respects at all, aside from herself. Naturally this doesn't mean she would respect Yuu any more than a random bug by the roadside.

[shinta|hikari]

Tomori waki <3

I didn't expect the sudden twist at this point, but it's all very interesting. The way this reuses voices from Angel Beats and Little Busters is also very nostalgic. Even the roles are the same.

So Yuu needs to steal his brother's power and go back in time to save Ayumi. Overusing time travel makes you blind, but it's not that hard to prevent Ayumi from getting provoked by cutter girl.

What I'm most curious about is how Yuu will steal Tomori from his brother's charms. He fell for her for saving him, just like how Tomori fell for his brother for saving her. I've always thought Tomori just didn't show her emotions on her face, which is still partially true, but her blush when in front of her savior contradicts that.

[Buffalobiian]

"I don't know if this is good writing, but I'm interested." That's what I'm thinking right now.

@Kraco: This is X-men, now with imouto and waki.

[KrayZ33]

So, he's going to plunder his brothers power because he can't use it anymore after turning blind from using it?

I'm interested in hearing how he managed to get money/change the world as a blind man, or how his power works.
I hope they manage to explain it properly and that it'll make at least some sense..... but I doubt it.

[David75]

It's possible he knew he'd lose his time travel powers and eyesight, so he used some knowledge from his travels to amass money and start to create a counterpower that makes the protected environnement at school possible for example.We're probably in the last timeline he can test and now our mc has to solbe everything at first try...

[shinta|hikari]

Why can't Yuu do it over and over again after he steals the power?

[David75]

I supposed his brother lost his power. It's also possible Yuu can't steal powers from someone blind.

[Buffalobiian]

I supposed his brother lost his power. It's also possible Yuu can't steal powers from someone blind.

But he'll kind of have to here, since that's the whole idea behind saving Ayumi.

My impression was that this aggregation of money came about from multiple time-leaps and changes, with each timeline the "mutants" were better off than the previous.

edit: what you said here:

It's possible he knew he'd lose his time travel powers and eyesight, so he used some knowledge from his travels to amass money and start to create a counterpower that makes the protected environnement at school possible for example.We're probably in the last timeline he can test and now our mc has to solbe everything at first try...

--------------------

Why can't Yuu do it over and over again after he steals the power?

Consequences of powers are carried over, including blindness. It'll catch up to him someday.

[shinta|hikari]

I know, I was the first person who mentioned the blindness as the price of power. I was responding to David, who said that Yuu only gets one chance.

[David75]

It's true that I forgot Ayumi. I can be cheap and say we already jumped when Yuu was unconscious and Ayumi is still safe in that timeline, but close to the disaster.

[KrayZ33]

There is also the possibility that his brother doesn't have his power anymore.

Tomori: "Last time I saw him was ages ago" -> They lose their powers ~aprox. end of hight school, they look more than 1 year apart, but that's just a guess.
Maybe him losing his powers and being blind are connected somehow... I mean, maybe it's not because he overused his powers, but more like when he lost his powers from getting older, his eyesight was gone too, since he had to use his eyes for his power in the first place.

[David75]

Do not forget Ayumi, we have to be in a timeline where she's alive.

[Buffalobiian]

When would this end though? If Yuu obtains time-travelling powers and he gets horny with Tomori, he's pretty much obliged to save her brother as well.

I'd want to hear how memory is kept between time-lines. Yuu didn't suddenly remember something he wasn't supposed to, but rather had his memory erased by someone prior to the start of this series. That means keeping your memory is the default state after time travel. That applies to him at least, if to no one else.

[David75]

Or for some reason, Yuu is special like Okarin (Steins Gate)

[shinta|hikari]

Or Yuu already stole (copied?) his brother's power and jumped back in time too.

[David75]

In fact I was about to post that too... It would be a nice move to plunder his brother's powers right before he becomes unable to use them.

[KrayZ33]

When would this end though? If Yuu obtains time-travelling powers and he gets horny with Tomori, he's pretty much obliged to save her brother as well.

Maybe he can't because traveling back in time means he can't use his plundered abilities. In the new timeline, he didn't aquire them "yet", which would of course mean that he'll lose his time travel ability the moment he uses it.

And without powers, I don't see a middle-school kid (I'm guessing he'll switch into his old self with a "new mind", see: butterfly effect) achieving it just like that, which is why I wonder how his brother made things possible in the new timeline, as a kid. Probably won the jackpot a few times.

[David75]

If he can have someone he trust invest in the right firms when they start, it becomes easier to collect huge sums of money later in the timeline...

[KrayZ33]

EP10

So, I wonder if he'll remember to help Tomori's brother too... or if that lead singer even comes with him now.

[Kraco]

He really shouldn't jump around too much in time. His brother seemed to be of the intellectual type, Yuu is of the lazy, cheating, and reckless type. I guess the brother was somewhat reckless as well, but I also think he knew what he was doing and made progress along the way, even if little by little. I certainly wouldn't count on Yuu being able to do that. He either succeeds fully or fails terribly. Consider the whole truck accident stunt he pulled off only to win the favour of a girl immediately, instead of doing it more normally (even if cheating a little). A hundred things could have gone tragically wrong, leading to death. You really wouldn't want that kind of a guy to tamper with the timeline too much, and they would have to to save Tomori's brother all those years ago.

Besides, he would eventually go blind and then that would be it. They would be much better off sticking to this timeline with the motivational little sister alive again.

Edit: Right, the order was the other way around. A good point, Krayz.

[Buffalobiian]

If Yuu was to save Tomori's brother, he'd have to jump to a time before even his own blind brother jumped (because the brother was too late to save Tomori's). If that was to happen (jump before his brother arrived from the future).. would his brother still arrive from the future?

[shinta|hikari]

He is talking about the hospital saving scene.

[KrayZ33]

EP11

wow... they were totally "safe" all the time.... right?
No wonder they were able to survive with a genius brother like him leading the organisation... /irony
Nice planning.

[shinta|hikari]

It took him enough tries to go blind. He is stupid.

[neflight86]

This one has been slowly, steadily, downhill since episode one with some highlights here and there.

[shinta|hikari]

I actually loved this until the X-Men revelation. There's been too little Tomori and Yuu interaction in the past few episodes. The only thing I liked about the most recent episode was Tomoriwaki, yes, even if she is strung up and tortured.

If I were the brother, I'd have sacrificed the driver guy's family. The explanation about the gang knowing that they jumped back in time was bogus anyway, but even if they could somehow "sense" that such a thing happened, the only casualty would be some unnamed family.

Now one of the most important power users they have is gone. Friggin dumbass.

[KrayZ33]

I'm more amazed about the fact that a small group was able to outplay them like the children they are.
What exactly is protecting them? Their whole "organisation" was completely useless here.

If a goverment wants some powerusers (for whatever awkward military reasons), they'll go in and grab them just like that. Pretty easy to find them now, since they are all gathered in one place and they have all the necessary data saved somewhere.

I was okay with seeing MC being useless here, because they sent him in there without a backup, or plan in general.
This is a joke. They were totally not up to the challenge, really makes me wonder how they managed to survive thus far.

[neflight86]

After seeing the final episode, the only thing that will likely stick with me is how the music that played during the rehab montage sounded like it came from the PixelJunk Monsters games.

I'll give it credit for trying to tie up loose ends, though.

[shinta|hikari]

I really liked the final episode because of the confession. That was an excellent scene, and Tomori is awesome.

[MasterOfMoogles]

There's still one more episode, right?
The whole confrontation in the warehouse was really ridiculous. Those 2 badguys had no backup? Their only plan was some little girl running out and ninja'ing him? He could have used any number of powers to kill them instantly.
The MC is also pretty stupid for not plundering all of the powers before time leaping.

The hospital scene was pretty weird with no doctors or nurses anywhere. Like, you're really gonna do PT alone in a dark room with your bum leg?

Hope he remembers to help Tomori's brother...

Overall, I've been pretty disappointed with this show. I feel like the tone is all over the place, and it just makes me laugh when they try to be serious.

[NeoCybercoin]

Episode 13 Horrible Subs (https://www.nyaa.eu/?page=download&tid=737947)

Last one guys!

[shinta|hikari]

This story would've been 100x better as a visual novel. That way, all the abrupt things wouldn't have felt so abrupt.

That said, I still loved this. I just wish the last 5 minutes got an entire episode. Yuu needed to be rewarded for his achievement. A kiss, a hug, something more than a hand rub.

Tears.

[KrayZ33]

This was not a good show...

As for EP13: Don't know whether it was a translation error or not, but he clearly said "I got a power that makes it so that I don't need sleep"
And during the next minutes we saw him being tired.

*shrug* Don't know what kind of power makes you say you can skip sleep but does basically nothing (you still feel tired and your muscles can't relax?) It didn't even allow him to stay sane.

[Buffalobiian]

As for EP13: Don't know whether it was a translation error or not, but he clearly said "I got a power that makes it so that I don't need sleep"
And during the next minutes we saw him being tired.

*shrug* Don't know what kind of power makes you say you can skip sleep but does basically nothing (you still feel tired and your muscles can't relax?) It didn't even allow him to stay sane.

Hmm, I see where you're coming from. It's almost like he got a power that meant he couldn't sleep. I guess there's simply a limit to it or whatever.

The idea for this show isn't bad. It just wasn't executed in a way that made me care particularly much. It was interesting enough to pass time with, but I can't recommend it.

[neflight86]

After seeing the final episode, the only thing that will likely stick with me is how the music that played during the rehab montage sounded like it came from the PixelJunk Monsters games.

I'll give it credit for trying to tie up loose ends, though.

Let me try this again... My last statement still pretty much represents how this show felt for me. Actually, the previous episode served as a much better final episode to me. Imagining him trying to plunder all of the abilities was more entertaining than all of the contrivances that came with seeing him do it in a single episode. This did actually feel like a rushed adaptation of a visual novel... so much that I figured one already existed.

[MasterOfMoogles]

Seriously disappointed with this show. Felt like a massive waste of the art talent.

[Buffalobiian]

... art talent?

I've noticed that many recent "Maeda Jun" shows that use the Key visual style have a washed out colour palate, and I don't like that particularly much.

[MasterOfMoogles]

I'm usually pretty happy with PA Works when it comes to the animation. I think they do a pretty decent, consistent job.

[Buffalobiian]

In general I do like PA works as well.

[KrayZ33]

After replaying this series in my head again I can't help but think that they started a storystring when they introduced the lead singer of that Ziend group and totally forgot about it.

Lot of things felt useless and unimportant.... even if it built up his chracter somehow, it's still somewhat strange.

Ah man, I should just let this rest and delete it from my harddrive.
Liked the 2 sidekicks of the studen council though.
That baseball game was glorious, especially the slow-motion replay when he touched first base. (well, pretty much the only thing that was fun about it.)