After this episode, I’m certain: this series is brilliant!
Seriously, what an awesome episode, and we’re only six episodes in! This show just keeps getting better and better. The seemingly endless wit of this episode and the incredibly fresh pacing shined in this episode beyond belief. The narrator of this episode is Kadota Kyohei, as he again runs into the strange kidnappers of the first two episodes. A modest premise at first sight, but this episode added so many nice touches and details.
This episode really showed the difference between strange people and over-exaggerated stereotypes. The foreigner in this episode was just beyond weird in his antics, and yet the way that this episode characterized him gave him his own identity, and showed that he’s not just a paper bag but a real person. This show always manages to surprise me in characterization by the way. It always finds these brilliant things to flesh its characters out. The Nessun Dorma? Talk about awesomeness.
And that dog! I’ve become a fan of that animal after this episode, even though he only appears in one or two scenes or so, he’s so adorable: he first appeared in front of Shizuo and in this episode serves as a very subtle bloodhound. And ZOMG: Celty’s head appeared. Seriously, after only six episodes?
You also have to love the use of music in this series. It’s bold, creative and varied. Especially the background tune when the kidnappers accidentally numbed themselves was just surreal.
As for the pessimists this season who claim that there are only one or two great series this season: I’m not sure what you’re talking about. There are at least three Top Notch series that are just as awesome as the best shows from any other average season: Durarara, Full Metal Alchemist and the Armed Librarians are all wonderfully written and produced. The problem with this season is indeed quantity, but that doesn’t mean that there’s nothing that’s worth watching.
Rating: *** (Awesome)
Though I think that when people refer to a season,they talk about shows that STARTED that season,so FMA and Armed Librarians don’t count when talking about the winter season.
But still, what really matters is that you’ve got stuff to watch, right? I watch Durarara, FMA and Armed Librarians and I’m satisfied. 😛 I also check out Ookami Kakushi and Kimi ni todoke when I haven’t got much else to do… but yeah, I don’t think it’s too bad. 😀 But anyway; I’m really looking forward to this episode. I’m in school atm, so I can’t watch it until later (that’s why I’m spoiling myself reading blogs… smart, huh?) Thanks for blogging! 😀
psgels, they’re just action based series, shows for teenagers, only a little better made than your average shonen like bleach etc. If it continues like this, Anime will be nowhere near to be a mature form of entertainement. At least in the last season they tried to do something original like Trapeze or Blue Literature, which provoked a bit the wit of the viewer.
Durarara is good because it’s stylish, ultrafast paced, with exaggerated characters and a decent soundtrack, but for me it isn’t Top Notch. It’s good, not particularly original but still good.
Im probably really stupid, but I completly missed the part with Celty’s head xP Where was it?
What’s this nessun dorma part?? And how the hell are those guys members of the scariest color gang?? the torture scene was just too funny
“And how the hell are those guys members of the scariest color gang??”
It’s not really meant to be the ‘scariest’ gang. Considering it’s internet-based it’s pretty easy to see that invites would go out to people capable of getting things done (as the four showed this episode) rather than simply being made up of delinquents/those with nothing better to do (like a typical gang). ‘Outstanding Individuals’ would probably get invited too but who knows whether they’d join.
“Im probably really stupid, but I completly missed the part with Celty’s head xP Where was it?”
If you didn’t know what her head looks like it’s likely you wouldn’t notice it during the episode. Check 1:49 of ep 6 to see it during the OP and you should remember seeing it.
OH!
Thank you Kanao, as soon as I saw that was Celty’s head I instantly knew where it had been.
Yeah, the manga (so I’m guessing the novel as well) part of this had them being MUCH creepier when it came to the torture part, but I guess because of time issues, they didn’t put it into this episode.
this is really a great series.
i think there will be some really suprising revealings at the ending and i also think that some of the characters don’t be what you think they are (e.g.: how about mikado is the leader of the Dollars or similar weird stuff).
Concerning ‘Celty’s head’:
Who tells us it’s actually hers?!
If I remember correctly there is another character with the wrong face on her shoulders…isn’t there?
I agreed with you chounokoe. I thought the same thing when I saw the head.
Btw, did anyone notice the “baccano” psw for Dollars website 🙂
3 series…isn’t much more than 1-2 good series, but i definitely agree with your choices! I can’t wait to watch this episode!
agreeing with other comments i originally thought the head belonged to the girl seiji was eloping with? cause the hairstyle was the same.
jigoku shoujo was on the poster at the end hahah (:
In the manga, both Erika and Walker are seriously creepy. Like they’re a bit touched in the head. Lolz
For the torture part, it’s more like the studio can’t use other titles – the right to use those names are from Dengeki Bunko, but not for Brainbase to use. That’s why they can use Spice & Wolf image, and Baccano characters, or even Nyanko-sensei, since they’re from the same studio.
For some reason Durara hasn’t been that special to me. My current top tier is Bantorra & FMA. Durara is part of the 2nd tier.
This episode was good, but I think it’s closer to excellent than awesome (one of the few times I wasn’t awed at an episode you ranked awesome).
Maybe it’s because I’m spoiled by Baccano. So far I’m still waiting for Durara to hit that next gear..
andrea, just because these are action shows doesn’t mean they aren’t intelligent or mature. Sure, they don’t touch aoi bungaku…I mean, aoi bungaku was based on the best of the best in contemporary japanese literary fiction, so that’s kind of to-be-expected. But your average episode of Armed Librarians has more depth, character development, maturity, emotional truth, etc. than the entire season of Trapeze put together. Action is a popular genre, across the board, novels, film, television, from adults to children, and it has always been the mainstay of anime, so it is no surprise that these three series are action oriented. That doesn’t mean it’s television for teenagers, though. In fact, it takes a subtle, emotionally mature mind to appreciate everything a series like armed librarians or durarara! has to offer. Armed Librarians moreso than durarara! because of its dark themes, complex, layered plots (that hang together, unlike a show like code geas where they fall apart), and complex characters faced with difficult decisions in the face of complicated and subtle motives. And while I haven’t seen FMA yet, I can say that neither of these has anything in common with a shonen like bleach beyond the fact that they do have fights. There are no formulaic battles with stronger and stronger bosses each episode, characters don’t call out the names of their moves in the middle of their fights, and the characters aren’t on a constant and seemingly never-ending quest to learn the next even-more-ultimate-move-to-become-the-most-powerful-character-ever. I mean, most shonens are essentially Tekken with a weak storyline to string the episodes together, and these two shows simply don’t fit that formula…in fact, they don’t fit any formula, because they are each quite original in their own way. Sure, Armed Librarians has some basic fantasy elements and archetypes in its structure…but to call that unoriginal is like saying that because a writer uses some basic component like dialogue they are being unoriginal. Some of these elements are conventions of the genre that are re-used because they allow the writer to focus on other elements…the difference between a derrivative work and an original one is whether the writer DOES indeed focus on those other elements, such as Armed Librarians creative premise, intricate, layered and well-oiled plot, and its fascinating character study of a woman with ultimate power and the moral corruption said power brings with it. A derrivative work simply re-uses those old elements without offering anything new so that neither the writer nor audience have to do the hard-work of thinking. That clearly isn’t the case with either of these shows. Admittedly, Durarara! shares some basic stylistic elements with Baccano! (same writer, same director, so duh…) and is on the lighter side as entertainment, but, it still brings so much unique and engaging to the table. Yes, these characters do resemble certain stereotypes at first glance, but it is ONLY at first glance. On closer inspection we realize each character is acting from motives wholly their own, and unlike a typical shonen stereotype, instead of being lazily written, with one or two “personality traits” to distinguish them from the other characters, they each feel like people made entirely of their own quirks, eccentricities, and personal histories. Further, how can you call it unoriginal, when the plot simply resembles nothing else that has ever been done before…I mean, yeah, if you want to boil down all the particularities of the show, then you have a quest in which the main character (Celty) leaves her homeland in search of an important item… except that those particulars are what make any story original, and these particulars are pretty original…for starters, Celty is a Fairie of the Unseely Court, and the important object is her head. And that is just one character/storyline. If you want, you can say that all stories boil down to one of two types, man vs. other, or man vs. self, and essentially, everything is derrivative. Crime and Punishment and Macbeth (both man vs. self) are basically just knock-offs of each other. No, neither of the series I’m defending here are as deep as Dostoyevsky or Shakespeare, not even in the same playing field, but what anime is? That doesn’t mean they are only “a little better made than your average shonen like bleach” because I would say that as far apart as these shows are from shakespeare and dostoyevsky, that is exactly how far Bleach is from either of these shows. Now, they may not really be your cuppa, and that’s fine. But don’t sell them short either. Some of you are so jaded, and if a show isn’t as weird or dark and twisted as possible, it obviously can’t have anything original to it, and I’m really tired of hearing that, because that isn’t fair to shows that clearly have more going on than they are getting credit for. And it certainly isn’t spelling the end of anime as we know it either. Anime will be just fine, and while there probably will be more and more commercially “safe” shows, with little risk-taking going on into the foreseeable future, there will also always be plenty of thoughtful, original and even experimental shows for those with a bit more sophisticated taste.
Whats wilth the novella pl :P. Touchy topic perhaps 😀
PL, with my post I wasn’t meaning I measure the level of matureness of an anime by its wierdness, darkness or even worse violence. I measure the matureness of an anime by the level of wit it shows, by considering what it tries to accomplish, and finally thinking of how large is the age range the show manages to satisfy.
Let’s make an example: Future Boy Conan, a tv series directed by Miyazaki, a show adressed to kids. It’s a simple, beautiful adventure which contains most of the messages of the other Ghibli movies (anti-war, anti-pollution messages and so on). I’m quite sure a 50 years old man would appreciate Future Boy Conan. And as I said, it’s a show perfectly watchable by 8 year old kid. Other examples of anime an adult person would appreciate for various reasons (imho)are Millennium Actress, Le maison en Petits Cubes or, if we want to take an action series, Cowboy Bebop.
Now let’s take Bantorra:there’s no way, no way in hell a 50 year old man would appreciate it. And a 14+ teenager is more then enough to appreciate an anime like Bantorra.
As far as the main story goes, I still couldn’t tell this would be good or not, but you did. just me or I feel you exaggerate this episode to much.
I thought this episode showed Brains Base pure craftmanship when it comes to making a fun episode – i’m just hoping it does go up a notch soon. I am absolutely happy with its current pace as long as I know it wont amble on like this all the way through.
SPOILERS FOR EP. 6
Is Celty’s head attached to Yagiri Seiji’s girlfriend? O__o Or is Celty’s head the head in that glass container?
Also, Seiji seems to be a bit obsessed with the girl. I wonder if he was always like that or maybe he’s under some other influence…?
Ugh. There are too many questions! I wish the episodes came out faster
or that I read the novels ahead of time. DXLialia, I just finished watching the episode and that was the conclusion I came too. For some reason I started to feel sick after coming to this conclusion about the head on the missing schoolgirls body. Maybe because the fact they reveled such a disturbing plot twist with the uplifting music :/
I just saw the episode, and I have to admit, knowing some spoilers *Spoilers ahoy, watch out!* I would not have guessed about the whole head incident.
But I’m a bit confused. Who’s head is Seiji’s girlfriend? At first I thought it was her trying to commit suicide or something but I guess it makes sense. But after seeing “Selty”‘s head in the container, which I presume to be Selty’s head since it appears in the OP, then are you saying that the human experimentation has to do with ‘gluing’ the missing girl’s head on Seiji’s girlfriend? After all, she does bear an uncanny resemblance to the missing girl…*shivers* this is getting interesting, but so confusing! Who’s head is whose?
And did not expect Mikado to be the leader of the Dollars. Wow. That’s….it doesn’t seem right, but that’s what the novel read. We’ll have to see how it comes out like that. I’m just loving how everything is coming together in this show, it’s great, I’m absolutely loving it.
and LOL at the password for the Dollars being Baccano. XDDDD
@lialiakicks:
the answer to your first questions is: no!
second questions: yes
third questions: no, he is just in love with a certain face