Short Synopsis: Manji faces off against the masked guy.
Highlights: Those writers are… messed up…
Overall Enjoyment Value: 8,5/10
I’m curious here: is there any fan of the manga who did enjoy the animated version? I don’t think I’ve seen anyone who liked both the manga and the anime. 😛 I’ve never understood why people would want to watch the same story twice anyway. I mean, take the big plot twist in this episode for example: one of the reasons why this episode was so awesome was because that plot twist where the masked guy had the heads of his loved ones sewed on his shoulders. That’s just bloody sick, but just like Death Note, it’s not going to make the same impact if you’ve already watched this plot twist.
In any case, this episode confirmed that Bee-Train’s slow pacing is perfect for Japanese styled horror. The entire episode had me on the edge of my seat. What caught my attention is that the background music is either vivid and wild, or totally gone during the quiet parts, which does make for a great contrast. The animation was simple as usual, but then again, you don’t want to watch this series just for the fight scenes (are people still watching this series for the action? Hah!).
I really liked how this episode focused both at horror and characterizations, and it did a great job of establishing Asano’s character. She didn’t do much in this episode (but after all, she stood before a screwed up old guy who put her mother’s head on one of his shoulders, of course she’d be incredibly intimidated), but I can see that she’s going to grow a lot in this series. She really wants to have her revenge, she just can’t. The other bad guys also got their share of attention (including a flashback of when the old guy replaced his first shoulder), and with Bee-Train, we can be sure of some great character-growth.
I do. The anime will never live up to the manga, in any way, shape, or form, but I knew that going in. My expectations were very low and because of that, they’ve been surpassed.
It’s true there are lots of changes with the timeline and character & plot introductions, but I think the changes made thus far make lots of sense in the manga-to-anime translation. The pacing of the original manga wouldn’t work too well in this medium, given that the major story arc doesn’t lift off until several volumes in.
I usually don’t watch anime adaptations of manga myself for the reasons you mentioned, but in this case it’s been interesting to see the changes Bee-Train has made. There are enough differences that I don’t feel like I’m watching an exact clone, if that makes sense, and that’s enough to hold my attention.
I marathoned reading the manga after watching just the first episode of the anime. And while I think that the anime does not come up to the same level as the art of the manga (I picked it up after hearing that the mangaka has some serious skillz), I do enjoy both. I usually don’t read the manga if I’ve already seen the anime and vice versa, for roughly the same reasons as you pointed out, but there are a few exceptions. Blade of the Immortal is one of those.
Also, I agree when you say that the anime has some great tracks. While some people consider them distracting, I think they’re appropriate and adds something to the anime that the manga can never accomplish no matter how fantabulous the mangaka’s drawing skills may be.
I don’t put too much emphasis on plot twists. It’s not like I watch a show simply because I want to get surprised. So long as the story holds, I’m down with it. From what I read so far of the manga, Blade of the Immortal offers, at the very least, a fascinating cast of characters that make for an absorbing read.
If I like a manga, then I watch the anime because it’s just different. Different mediums to tell the same thing. Lots of scenes are more dramatic with music in the background and voice acting and good animation. Music and colour sets the mood and voice acting can bring across great emotions if the scenes are done correctly.
Manga for me, are nearly always better (though obviously with exceptions) in terms of plot, character, and pacing and there is very rarely changes due to censorship (Bokurano anyone? Yeah, let’s turn a heartless rapist who sells out children into a repenting man who didn’t mean what he did and completely change the message and point of that arc) which irk me greatly. Also, the art plays both a bigger role and a lesser one in manga in which the art carries the story and it is the only thing carrying the story appart from the words, BUT it will always be constant and some that span large amounts of time (CLAMP’s X, Angel Sanctuary, Gravitation, etc.) will actually improve as the series goes on, which is also interesting from an artistic point of view. Besides, with the manga (assuming that in these cases, the manga came first) you see the characters drawn and portrayed as the author intended with little changes made whereas with anime that has some/lots of changes, stories shift and characters shift as well (eg. Fullmetal Alchemist in which Al is reduced to almost a side character who does little in the anime near the end where as in the manga, his personality is still strong, and plays a critical role that never lets you forget that FMA is about BOTH brothers, not just one).
Also, like jute stated, I don’t read stories purely for the plot twists. In fact, aside from Harry Potter which was my childhood, I really didn’t give a damn if I was spoiled for anything or not. Hell, for Death Note, I knew that he was going to die way before I even started reading it – I’m in multiple fandoms, DN’s pretty big even before the anime – but that didn’t hurt my enjoyment at all. Different people, different tastes, but for me, it’s always HOW a story is told that matters the most, not WHAT is being told. For example, it’s simple to say what Romeo and Juliet is about, but it is the way the language is used and the beautiful way it is strung together that makes it a classic, far beyond it’s plot. Knowing that they both die at the end didn’t ruin my enjoyment of it at all.
Yeah, I like the manga as well, I think some of the pacing and storytelling in this early section is much better in the anime. The main chaacters seem somewhat more reflective too, which i don’t like so much.
Some plot twist are almost as fun when you know exactly what’s coming.
The only thing that really bugs me about the anime is how they pictured Manji so far…he appears quite a bit emo, instead of the funny and comfortable ruffian he is in the manga. But well, I guess he does fit the anime somehow.
“The only thing that really bugs me about the anime is how they pictured Manji so far…he appears quite a bit emo, instead of the funny and comfortable ruffian he is in the manga.” Yeeeesh! I agree with you, so agree x(
I also like the manga and the anime. But nothing compares to the manga, wich is just amazing! But somethings I would like to know just how they are going to put in the anime… For instance the arc of the medicine, wich is really disturbing… And all the details and everything, I can´t see if all going into just a 13 episode anime… But that´s what we get, so…
About the soundtrack I liked it the moment I heard it and watched the opening 3 times… The ending, tought, just doesn´t feet the anime and its atmosphere.