The more I watch this show, the more I’m baffled by one thing: why?
Seriously, within these first three episodes, the creators have yet to explain a single thing. This doesn’t include the big questions, like why the bad guys are challenging the world’s best puzzlers to puzzles, or why the main character is blackmailed to solve them. It’s also still a mystery of what the entire side cast is doing here. Why is there suddenly an inventor kid showing up? Why did he dislike puzzles, even though mathematic equations are just another version of puzzles? Why does the red hired guy follow the male lead everywhere where there’s a puzzle? Why did he bother to give him a bracelet that gave him headaches while he was thinking, even though you NEED to think when you’re inventing something or solving a math problem? Why didn’t the male lead just get a large pair of scissors to get that thing off? Why did the puzzle maker of this episode want to blow up the city he planned out like he was playing SimCity? Why is every of those puzzle makers a sore loser? Phi Brain, I will be seriously impressed if you actually manage to answer all of this.
I am beginning to see the intentions of the creators, though. The key of this episode was that the red haired guy somehow joined in. Last episode I found this really random, but now that I’m thinking about it: the creators are aiming to create a cast of six characters who all together try to solve the puzzles that get thrown at the main character at the same time. That explains their outrageous and the really weird and childish banter: when this gets developed, it can lead to some really fun and interesting scenarios. This episode was rather weird, in particular the kid’s development, but at the same time, it was surprisingly fun when they started to actually solve the puzzle.
What also makes this show weird is the way in which it allows its audience to solve the puzzles first: by assuming that there’s a pause button somewhere. It’s a bit weird to rely on that, but they always provide everything you need to know to solve the puzzle, only they don’t allow the viewer to solve things unless you’re a really fast thinker. I can understand why: with so many people who think at different speeds, this indeed is the more solid approach without making the fast ones wait and cutting the slow ones off.
Rating: * (Good)]]>
Phi Brain – 03
This episode was better then the last. The puzzle was very creative too. I agree with every point your talking about. The episode was good, but not awesome or great. I’m really enjoying the female lead, it’s a good take on the normal people who aren’t puzzle geniuses but who aren’t totally stupid either.
Huh, this sucks, another episode of this and Im dropping it… Like you said it doesnt answer anything, stuff just happens randomly, and every episode follows the formula of “main character gets put into unfair situation, then at last moment bracelet triggers and he solves puzzle instantly”.
Wow some creativity huh? And lets not forget the fact despite what you say we get no chance to solve the puzzles at all… I didnt even understand what the puzzle was about to begin with, numbers in the park? What? Where were they? How did he know them? Nothing makes any sense… Right now this isnt any better than Bleach, constantly pulling deus ex machina aka bracelet to make the main character win
Frost: I actually disagree that the way the puzzle should be solved made no sense. If you looked at the map you could pretty much guess by trial and error what he was referring to, and bit by bit you could get to the solution if you were offered more time than this show has. This isn’t a case where you can just say “I don’t understand it so it makes no sense”.
Another thing is that the music in this show is great.
This is a fun show. It obviously is aimed at a younger audience, and is intended to play off of their love for puzzles. Showing that there is a relationship between math and puzzles not an incompatibility is the point — the principal makes this explicit at the end. This show is supposed to encourage kids to try out puzzles (not walk them through solving them, just show them a Sudoku, Magic Square, etc.). It encourages kids to use their brains to have fun, and I am in favor of that.
I’m surprised you are still defending, or struggling to defend based on what you wrote, this show, for whatever reasons. Your first paragraph basically explains why the writers have no idea what they are doing, yet you continue to guess the “intentions of the writers”. They have no intentions, this is a stupid show, period.
I really want to make something clear here: that first paragraph was not straight 100% criticism!
When an episode decides to leave questions unanswered, they don’t automatically become plotholes. Who are you to say that they won’t be answered in due time? It just caught my attention that this show had so many of them. If you want to criticize this show for being dull, then I understand it. But criticizing it for being a mystery misses the entire point of the series.
“Why” is correct..I also thought this ep was average in my book
psgels, I think you’re taking this show too seriously. This is just a show for kids to make them interested in puzzles. It has the usual shounen cast, the usual shounen setting where everything weird and illogical is handwaved away. It’s not something that meant to be analyzed, or enjoyed for its deep story, intricate setting and complex characters.
Well its a shame then.. If I knew this was a kids show from the start I wouldnt have bothered, as I said in the last episode, I was hoping from some smart character with inner monologue stuff a la Akagi or Hikaru no Go etc, so you can see how this was a huge disappointment
This might be the worst Sunrise year ever since I started watching anime… everything theyve been putting out blows
I’m with kuromitsu here,expecting answers to psgels questions is like expecting yu gi oh to explain why someone would set up a huge card game tournement just to steal something from a kid.
this airs daytime on nhk-e.
Now sure sometimes nhk e will air stuff like dennou coil but that’s the exception rather than the rule.
the rule is stuff like “element hunters”.
You have to watch it on TV to fully enjoy it. When you watch it on TV, you can interact with the screen (with TV commande paddle). I don’t know how are the fansubs, but on TV they display a lot of information to the watchers to help them to try to solve the games.
@Frost: If you can’t enjoy the anime for what it is that’s your problem not the show’s, I think… It was obvious from the first episode that this was a kids’ anime that aims at presenting puzzles as “cool” and fun. (It’s actually coupled with a live-action show “Puzzle no oujisama” where pretty boys solve puzzles presented by the anime’s characters, so I assume this is part of a larger effort by NHK.) It’s no Akagi or Hikaru no go, but it doesn’t want to be.
And I think Sunrise would disagree with you about this being the worst year for them… (How many Tiger&Bunny DVDs and BDs have they sold so far?)
I cannot answer for Phi Brain, but here’s what I think/assume that might be an answer to those questions:
Why is there suddenly an inventor kid showing up?
= The audience like genius shotas
Why did he dislike puzzles, even though mathematic equations are just another version of puzzles?
= I suppose we’ll know if we learn his backstory
Why does the red hired guy follow the male lead everywhere where there’s a puzzle?
= To be the show’s official a$$hole? Haha. I think he knows about the POG thing, and going to puzzles by POG means there’s money
Why did he bother to give him a bracelet that gave him headaches while he was thinking, even though you NEED to think when you’re inventing something or solving a math problem?
= He thinks he can make Kaito join him if Kaito gives up on puzzles first
Why didn’t the male lead just get a large pair of scissors to get that thing off?
= He’s stupid
Why did the puzzle maker of this episode want to blow up the city he planned out like he was playing SimCity?
= ‘Coz he’s some psycho who thinks that having the city blow up will give him the hallucination that he still won
Why is every of those puzzle makers a sore loser?
= only two so far, I’ll start complaining if it will reach strike three. But I suppose
I have to agree on kuromitsu about this being a shounen show for a younger audience… that won’t need much analyzing. Things don’t have to make sense, what’s important is for it to be entertaining. And since I was entertained, I’m satisfied and I love it xD
Why did I watch the first episode, why did I watch the second episode despite alarm bells going off halfway through the first, and why am I finally dropping this show? Why, indeed.
@Anon because you are an idiot.