I didn't realise who the bigshot was until I saw the flashback :P
People call it Goldfish memory here too.
I didn't realise who the bigshot was until I saw the flashback :P
People call it Goldfish memory here too.
If it's not Isuzu-chan Mii~
If it's not Isuzu-chan Mii~
... Togame's hair is gone
/drops anime
... Nanami is gone
/drops anime
for one month.
Peace.
Yeah, the loss of Nanami impacted way more than the loss of Togame's hair. (Which isn't too much).Originally Posted by shinta|hikari
She turned out so much less evil than the last preview suggested, it was slightly sad.
The entire "weakness" thing didn't add up though.
Firstly, was she saying that the Evil Blade was using her vital energy to rejuvinate her body, and so she was using her "skill reading" less effectively? She evaded everything previously, and only go caught when the lights went out. Unless her bare eyes give her night vision, I don't see how that one would have worked out.
(There was a scene that suggests the blade does have its side effects though, unless Nanami was simply being impatient)
Second "weakness" issue was when she said she's learning other people's techniques to make herself weaker. If other people's techniques are all she ever used, then that "might" be the case, since it may not be the most efficient move to counter with.
But learning other people's moves also opens up probabilities, like extending her range (mantis nails) or attacking someone's weakness in the air (anti-gravity move). Weaknesses or not, it just depends on when and how you use the moves.
Straight, genius-reliant counters rely entirely on your existing physical capabilities. As Shichika said, there was no way she could have thrown him into the air.
If it's not Isuzu-chan Mii~
The video game parts put a smirk on my face. First a text-based adventure game when Shichika and Togame landed on the island, using preset poses for various reactions (made even better thanks to the subtitles) and followed by Nanami's assault on the temple that looked like Pocky and Rocky. (KiKi KaiKai)
As much as I liked Togame's hair, I think the short cut really suits her. Like Shichika said, Nanami knows how to cut hair. It's different, but it still looks really good on Togame.
I thought Nanami's outfit also suited her a lot more than her usual yukata.The blade wasn't using her energy, it was forcing her body to rejuvenate. Remember that Nanami's body can take a great deal of punishment and comes back while she suffers in constant pain. The blade thrust into her chest forced her to be in a constant state of regeneration, which effectively put her body on permanent healing mode. It weakened her overall (tying into your second question), but it gave her more stamina.
The other part is just that Kyotouryu practitioners are never meant to use a sword or learn other techniques. Togame'stric...scheme was like the pirate eyepatch technique. She had the candles fizzle the moment Shichika used his refined ultimate skill. Nanami could not be allowed to see which order he was using the moves in. If she couldn't see them, she couldn't counter them. Shichika's one eye was closed most of the time preceding that, and was used to the coming darkness.
Kyotouryu is strong enough on its own, and like you said, other skills make her weaker because she becomes less focused on using Kyotoryu and more focused on thinking about other skills.
What a convenient way to kill off a freaking powerful character. Makes you wonder whether Nanami could have reacted if she wasnt bend on trying to get killed.
It still isn't quite right. Nanami hasn't been shown to be able to take a great deal of damage. The only time I remember her taking any was against the Bee Ninja's projectiles - which had no effect overall because Nanami's body is constantly putting up with way more punishment anyway. (That punishment was the pain from whatever illness/poison was in her body - and her body for some reason just won't die from it).The blade wasn't using her energy, it was forcing her body to rejuvenate. Remember that Nanami's body can take a great deal of punishment and comes back while she suffers in constant pain. The blade thrust into her chest forced her to be in a constant state of regeneration, which effectively put her body on permanent healing mode. It weakened her overall (tying into your second question), but it gave her more stamina
Back on track a bit, her stamina runs out because she has "a weak body" (exhaustion?). The forced rejuvination means she's constantly healing.. but that simply means she's healing faster than normal (the body constantly rejuvinates anyway). I don't see why there'd be a trade-off.
I agree about the outfit. It looked really good.
If it's not Isuzu-chan Mii~
Short-haired adventures:
Episode 8 - Mazui
Holy shit. The new OP is terrible. I've been fairly ambivalent toward ALI Project so far, but this was easily the worst OP they've ever done. It doesn't fit the atmosphere of the series or the animation at all. It comes off like they just matched a random song to the new animation. Not to mention that the song itself is just...bland. It doesn't even have the nice discordant they are sometimes able to pull off. It is just random. I'll be skipping the OP from here on out, that's for sure.
That aside, I think that Togame's new haircut really suits her. It was nice to look through the space between her hair and shoulders to the backgrounds. It matches her personality in some ways, short and perky.
The interaction between Togame and Hitei-hime is rather interesting too. There is really only one person in the series who would be able to talk to Hitei that way, and it is Togame. She is a princess in her own right after all, even if she is deposed. Moreover, it also seems that Hitei's origins are as clouded as Togame's appear to be. One no longer has the position and power she deserves, and the other probably doesn't deserve what she has. So it is interesting that Hitei-hime tolerates that kind of insolence from one of her underlings. Togame is certainly the only one who can do it without getting her head removed from her shoulders by Emonzaemon. They both seem to enjoy it after all. We know why Togame starts the verbal battle, but I wonder if Hitei participates because she has something to prove against Togame.
One thing that stood out is why Hitei has the gun Deviant "blades," and why she is hiding that knowledge. She is by no means announcing that there are only 11 blades out there (including the ones already obtained by Togame). It makes me curious if Hitei-hime is their particular wielder. Last boss perhaps?
I have hated ALI Project for a long time. I know it's their trademark to make every single song sound the same despite the words being different, but that's working against them in my case. I can't stand to listen to them anymore when I feel like I've heard the same thing for a thousand times (and didn't particularly like it to begin with, back in Rozen Maiden, although it sounded kind of fresh back then). So, I'll be skipping this OP without a question. In fact I skipped it as soon as I heard which band is playing...
If what you said is true and Togame is the only one speaking like that to Hitei, then why it's allowed is answered by itself. In a sense Togame is a nobody, at least until she's gathered all the deviant blades, and so Hitei loses no grace by allowing it. However, considering Hitei's own wits and the sharpness of her tongue, surely she would feel like her talents go to waste if she had no sparring partners.
I also approve of Shichika admitting he has a soul. It certainly allows better character development (including development of the relationship between those two) and it also means Shichika can't escape responsibility for his own deeds by saying he's just a sword doing his master's bidding. Now it's more like those two either rise together or fall together.
Togame's new hair style does suit her style and personality but I'd be lying if I said I'm not missing the scenes of Shichika playing with the long hair... But perhaps it compensates he's now playing with the rest of her body...
I used to like ALI project, but since they show no change after so long, even I have grown tired of their music. I found it ironic how they sing the OP for an episode that shows so much change in the main characters.
Shichika has really gone a long way, and it was emphasized (perhaps a little too much) this episode. The way he jokes around and how touches Togame have become much more normal. The way he reacts to people talking to him have become less robotic as well. While I know this shows his growth, I have to say I like him better when he was a lot more eccentric.
I liked Togame's hair much better when it was long, but that has always been a bias of mine. I don't see anything wrong with the current short style.
I actually hope that there is no last boss in this show. Katanagatari parodies a lot of the cliches in a shounen fighting show while actually being one, so I hope they do something unexpected with the climax.
Peace.
I'm such a rebel seeing as i enjoyed the new OP. I do agree with what Kraco said, it's almost exactly like the Code Geass ED with a couple variations
Anyway fuck short hair, had to get that out of the way.
The rivalry between the 2 princesses is very entertaining, it's also hilarious how both of them seem oblivious to how much they resemble each other.
I thought the way they paraded Shichika's evolution as a person in this episode sort of ruined it, they should have gradually increased it per episode so his realization didn't feel so forced. What i do like is how they seem to be doing just that with his design, just as Togame commented upon a while back it seems he's getting more buff with each passing month.
Togame has certainly grown more useful in battle hasn't she? Maybe it's from her newfound battle experience, but i still found it a little hard to believe when she yelled out for Shichika to dodge. Since when does she have those kinds of reflexes?
I totally disagree with Shinta's point, having no final boss is like enjoying a gourmet meal only to find out they're out of deserts. Yeah sure you had a fantastic time but that low note in the end is what you're gonna bitch about on the way home ( i could have done a sexual metaphor instead, be glad i didn't )
Togame's skill was a special case here. The two of them had been following the doll around for days, and Togame was learning how it worked, and the limited set of movements it could achieve. She worked out what responses it would produce when by the way it appeared and functioned. This is much of the reason it had four arms and four legs I imagine. An extra set of limbs to overcome its shortcomings in terms of movement and flexibility.
Togame had studied it so extensively that she drew a set of schematics. If not for her inherent klutziness, she might even have been able to defeat it herself.
In some ways I almost feel as if we've already passed the mid-boss and the last boss. One we never got to even see thanks to the "last boss" stealing the episode. Nanami served a purpose of being a monster that Shichika could never have been able to defeat without Togame's aid in addition to Nanami herself wanting to be killed. If she truly embraced Kyotouryu, with her eyes seeing every weakness in the skills of others, she would have been unstoppable.
However, if you don't look at it that way, we likely already know who the two last bosses are. Shichika and Togame both have their own. Shichika will eventually need to defeat Maniwa Houou (one-armed bird ninja) when he betrays Togame once again, and Togame will have to defeat Hitei-hime. The question remains whether or not it will be a final battle of swords or of words. Houou is enough of a monster himself that a victory through combat may not be possible for Shichika. For Togame, while we might think that she would defeat Hitei-hime through words and schemes, with Hitei having the Pistol Deviant Blade, it may come down to a physical battle.
@Arch - I'm not saying the climax should be bland. I'm just saying that they should be creative with it, and not just tack on some super powerful boss that must be defeated.
I agree with you about the drastic changes in Shichika's character. They should have divided it into two episodes at least, or lessened it a little bit in this one. He was almost like a different character.
I agree with Ryll about Togame's warning. It wasn't Togame's reflexes but her knowledge of the doll that allowed her to warn Shichika.
Peace.
The best Togame could do was make a list of all of the dolls possible moves and then extrapolate cause and effect from Shichika's own attacks, i still find it hard to believe she would be quick enough to respond to a high speed battle involving the bladeless style
That moment would have been a slower point in the battle though. Shichika feinted, and tried to follow up with a move that would have used the newly created opening. The doll didn't create this opening, and instead read Shichika's slower, possibly more powerful move, and attacked his opening instead.
I liked only 1 or 2 of their songs, but the rest were just very... argh. This one was even worse in that it had no ups and downs, like Ryll said. I was smiling during the OP at how bad it was.
Togame's new hair is nice. It really highlights how small she is (as well as making her look young, like Hitei said), which makes her matchup with Shichika all the more entertaining. (Particularly all those piggyback and lap scenes).
She also looked a lot cuter and more evil during various moments this episode.
The doll "crying" hit the right chord for me. I felt a tad sad for it.
Note of interest: Houou has two arms again. Phoenix rebirth?
If it's not Isuzu-chan Mii~
Bad animation?
Just sayin... it's happened before.
What has?
1) Bad animation in anime in general, or
2) Bad animation in Katanagatari in general, or
3) Bad animation in this episode of Katanagatari, or
4) Bad animation in reference to Houou's limb?
If it's not Isuzu-chan Mii~
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