Short Synopsis: Um… yeah. To put it without spoilers: Ouri and Minai become friends.
Highlights: Not going to put that here for spoilers’ sake.
Overall Enjoyment Value: 7,5/10 (Good)
At times like this, I really feel out of touch with the rest of the anime blogging community. What really is so boring about this series? When I read posts like this one, I keep wondering why nearly everyone finds this series so boring. Annoying I can understand. Even though he’s got a bigger role and purpose than your average male lead, I can see Ouri getting on people’s nerves. But boring?
In any case, this episode was… unpredictable to say the least. Here I thought that the previous episode was busy introducing a new important couple for this series, and then this episode kills them off, for goodness’ sake. It also was a pretty pathetic and unorthodox death: the monk dies after he gets too carried away in a fight against a bunch of punks he upset a few episodes ago, which makes Minai turn into an ordinary Shikabane, needing to be killed.
Ouri was of course a bit annoying and gave me some Senkawa-flashbacks. But just like his counterpart, this all remains within acceptable boundaries. The two of them have enough other traits and purposes. The thing I hate about typical male leads is not their archetypes, but rather that most of them are simple, pointless and uninspired stereotypes. As long as they’re fleshed out sufficiently and the show around them provides enough interesting other material, they’re fine by me. Either that, or I’ve just gotten tired of complaining about them. ^^;
In any case, this episode was definitely meant to show that this is an Anyone Can Die-series. Combine that with the fact that this is Gainax, coupled with the foreshadowing of the previous episodes and yes, I think we should fear for Keisei’s life here. Could it be that Gainax choose such a show with a Kamina-like-character to adapt on purpose? It’d really be something I’d imagine them do.
Although do me one favour and introduce some more guys in this series. They’re really starting to run out this way, and this is the criticism I agree with: a lot of anime somehow feature way more girls then guys. But then again, as soon as more guys start getting introduced, people start screaming “YAOI! DO NOT WANT!”, et cetera, so that also isn’t the optimal solution.
I’m one of those people who finds this series boring. I don’t know why, there are guns, there are girls, there are monsters/zombies, but somehow I just can’t stay focused all the way through it. There are couple shows that don’t get me hooked at first, so I try watching them when I’m in a different mood, it’s not the case with this show; the characters and plot leave me completely indifferent no matter how many times i have made myself watch it.
I’ve been loving this show but can’t follow the raws so I’m further behind and don’t get as much chance to praise the series. I personally, even loving Gurren Lagann to death, wanted something different from Gainax this time and I got it so I’m happy about it.
I don’t find this series boring at all. I think the whole “it’s boring” thing is people simply getting dissapointed that it’s not some cheesy hyperactive Gainaxy action anime that they wanted.
I love the atmosphere, the characters are great, and some of the action has been far from boring.
Well, I just think the main problem with Shikabane Hime is the lack of a particularly inspired premise, and the fact that none of the characters particularly make you want to be interested in them is a side-effect of that fact. I’d like to say otherwise, but this series just isn’t any fun compared to, say, Xam’d, nor does it possess the novelty of series like Ergo Proxy or Noein.
In fact, the lack of novelty in a lot of series airing right now (not including Mouryo no Hako, which is an adaption and Casshern) kinda pisses me off. Michiko e Hachin gets points for its setting, but Samurai Champloo’s first six episodes were far better than what we have here. Give me a break!
Christ, what we really need is a reboot on Berserk. Or better yet, a second season. But what are the chances that’s ever gonna happen… 🙁
I really like Ouri and I must say he is my favorite character so far in the show. He never tries too hard and never complain to anyone. People say he is too mundane, but I find him as a quite rare type of main character.
I’m also one of those that enjoys this series. However, this may be because I am one who takes things as a whole and has no particular necessities from his anime. This series does a very good job of providing a dark, eerie atmosphere. I wish the plot was a bit more sound, and that this seemed less episodic, but it’s been enjoyable to this point. It could’ve been a masterpiece with a sound, underlying story… at least the character development is coming along, albeit slowly.
Most viewers nowadays need either copious, tasteless fanservice, relentless action, or an overabundance of lolis to enjoy anime, and this one really doesn’t provide any of them.
You don’t say “yaoi”, you say “freudian homoerotism”.
If it was just the action and all the episodic plots, I would have been bored by Shikabane Hime pretty fast. But the overall plot that’s going on in the background and the emotional predicament that the shikabane hime or even the shikabane are in has me looking forward to each episode.
This might explain why I identify most with Ouri, who hasn’t really done anything in the series so far …
I’m not sure if there really is a gender imbalance, though. The monks by their very nature look pretty much the same, while the shikabane hime can be as distinct from each other as they want to be. ^_^;; Although I wonder why there aren’t any male shikabane hime (shikabane ouji?)
Oh, and I just wanted to throw out that it’s pretty likely the Keisei die before the end of the season… the very end of the opening strongly implies it.
Gainax took one of the characters with the most developed personality & history so far and gave her a screwjob ending. I wonder if they were trying to imitate Ga-Rei Zero. Having said that though, I wouldn’t mind if Keisei kicked it; I don’t think there’s enough room for him to remain in the picture if Ouri’s relationship with Makina is going to develop further significantly.
Oh may as well add – I loved this episode.
And I think i’m in the same sitatuation with Ouri – yes he’s the angsty teenage boy protagonist, but he’s shown lots of qualities and characteristics that make him far from generic. He’s an interesting character, and most of his actions, although typically obstructing the work of Shikabane Hime, usually do make sense and are justified.
So yeah, as far as male leads go, he’s a good part of the cast. My only thing is whether he’s going to remain “random bystander with importance” or something is going to happen that forces him further into the important events happening around him.
While Samurai Champloo and Michiko e Hatchin are fairly off-topic here, I’d like to say I don’t see how the first six episodes of former are “far better” than those of the latter. If you prefer one over the other, it’s rather a question of taste and style than about quality. Personally I find the hip-hop got more in the way than it supported Samurai Champloo and it felt out of place even if that was obvious deliberate. Cowboy Bebop wasn’t just Jazz either, the music varied quite a bit in style and genre. Also why I do not particularly like much of CB’s music on its own, it worked quite well in the scenes it was used. In Michiko e Hatchin the music isn’t as noticable as in either of the two but it’s quite fitting for the setting and again despite it’s not my kind of music, it works well the way its used. In this regard I’d say Samurai Champloo was stretching the formula and overdoing it. Not to mention that I consider the music in Samurai Champloo rather lacking in quality. Even from a European perspective the rap sounds quite wanna-be. Regarding the plot, both provided truly funny comedy and believable seriousness so far. That’s at least a draw for me. That said, mixing Samurais with modern music and style has been done before in Samurai Fiction. At the end of the day, I simply prefer looking at good looking women over looking at cool men. Yes, I’m cheap like that.