This season is delightful in how many long series there are, and it really shows in the progression of the series: lots of shows are still in their building up stage. There are so many shows who actually have the time to set things up correctly. And the thing is that the build-up of these series is really good. Tempest is probably the purest in build-up, having the slowest pacing so far in terms of stuff happening, but this episode delivered one heck of a cliff-hanger.
There were the hints: that skeleton should have come from somewhere. It’s still a bit hard to believe that a body would decay entirely within just two years, but nevertheless, I love this time travel twist when it appears that not only has Hakaze spoken to the future, she will die shortly as well. On top of that, it’s looking more and more like the main characters in this series are the villains, set up by the Tree of Genesis who is really hinted to have orchestrated Aika’s murder. It also makes this quite an impressive series in which half the main cast is already dead at the start of the series. You don’t see that often.
Meanwhile the background of this series is getting more and more interesting, combining a lot of fiction together. Destroying the world in order to recreate it without flaws is turning into a cliche right now, but this show uses it well with its back-story. After the incredibly fast-paced Eureka Seven Ao and Un-Go, it’s also interesting to see Bones do another really slow-paced series again and making it work.
Rating: 5/8 (Great)
Never…EVER…introduce a concept like time travel without prior foreshadowing. Whats more don’t let the explanation for said time travel boil down to…well it’s magic and shit.
Yeah, I wasn’t impressed. But whats worse is that I see how this could be used to make another Bones world reset ending.
@Aidan:If they stop at the point I know they will in the manga prepare to be furtherly annoyed.
Of course there was foreshadowing. How else can you talk to someone who is dead unless you are talking to them in the past? Also it’s not really time travel. They wrapped the island in a time bubble.
I do kind of prefer the anime for this over the manga though, reading it volume to volume felt kind of like there was no breather or was alot to take in in one go, felt hurried.
Agreed. I like how they have brought forward the flashback chapters in the later part of the manga. It breaks up the story nicely.
@Scruffy, Logic error. Bad guy claiming random skeleton is dead body of girl does not equal time traveling telephone to girl in past.
That isn’t even close to foreshadowing time travel. Or if you need me to be more specific, time travel elements.
There were 2 options. A) he was lying and she was not dead, or b) he wasnt. If B was true then she was either A) a ghost or B) alive in the past.
Pretty simple logic really.
I’m thinking lying though. Or leaving something important out. It was discussed in an earlier episode that he would need Hakaze alive to save the world if Samon failed to control the revived Tree of Zetsuen. So it doesn’t quite make sense that he would kill her off just like that. There’s something about the way he kept tapping his sword and the way he smiled at Hakaze’s shock. It’s as if he was trying to trick them somehow and he was happy it worked. He probably has a way to bring her back from the past or possibly, the reverse, if we’re looking at a “the tempest” parallel. If pressed, he may have had to submit to their duress but he may have tricked them into giving up.
Also, not really sure if those bones are Hakaze’s. If there’s a two year time gap, I’m not sure if Hakaze could have arranged for a skeleton double…>.>;
@meow:
All very good points there. Unfortunately I spoiled myself as I had been reading the manga before the show started, but yes.
You have issues with time travel in general I take it?
Agreed on “world reset”
However, I don’t think Zetsuen is an original work/going in that direction? probably.
I have issues with introducing elements which do not fit the setting. Time travel should only be introduced in stories which has a plot directly related to it. It is a far too complex thing to chuck into a story haphazardly.
Not really, because time travel is only a theory, the ‘reality’ is not complex at all. Something like “because of magic” is more convincing than some backwards trickery the writer calls a story. Furthermore, time travel is compelling most because it is unexplainable. Unfortunatley, it’s such an overwhelming, outrageous power to have that using it makes a mockery of the structure.
Why are you so sure it’s time travel? Samon could be lying, you know. When I was reading the manga, these chapters intrigued me because I did not know the truth of the matter. The entire point of this episode and the next few is confusion. It is difficult to distinguish between a theory, a guess, a lie, and the truth if you don’t know the latter, and Zetsuen no Tempest makes good use of this to create my favorite mind game scene in anime. Though since you already know the facts from the spoilers these comment sections are abundant with, that factor will probably be reduced.
I’m very impressed with Zetsuen and what started off as average and not leaving much of an impression became a show I really look forward too. I especially like the explanation of the dead body.
I actually didn’t expect the twist as it did come very unexpected. Although, like others have mentioned, I hope that they will explain things further as it is right now just considered to be “magic.”
I’m surprised that people didn’t come to this conclusion, or something close to it, when speculating the purpose of the barrel. I didn’t put a lot of thought into it, per se, and it came fairly quick to me that the augment of time may have an affect on the story. As soon as first twist; re. dead princess – was introduced, the simplest explanation for her death seemed time augmentation.
That being said, this story and anime are falling apart, imo.
Slow pacing? What? This seems like the climax in some senses – and yet it isn’t only because we ‘know’ how many episodes there are. Let’s just say that there are pacing problems.
Meh .. wait for the show to finish before you cry pacing problems. Personally I think people cry this way too much. BTW they have almost reached the midpoint climax of the manga so that is probably what you are noticing.
I find problem in pacing if from week to week I feel either confused or detached from the plot, as if I haven’t been following diligently week on end. However, I do watch other shows as well and it’s totally possible that I’ve missed things / mixed things that positively affect the pacing (in this case). Also, when one person (psgels, in this case) says slow pacing, and another person (myself – wo) thinks ‘no way, it’s the opposite,’ I feel as that’s the beginning of an apparent problem in pacing.
But you’re right, alas, I am crying too early. I really shouldn’t judge this deeply until it’s finished. Even when it’s finished, I should go with a more positive; ‘in my opinion’ tone. Good call.
@Billish, however the only proof that she was dead was a skeleton the bad guy claimed was hers and some weird guys word that it was. Looking at that the easier conclusions would be that it was a fake. However in the case that she was dead I was thinking more along the lines of her talking from purgatory which I find to be the simpler and better explanation than time augmentation.
I didn’t think of purglatory, but really, is the existence of life after death more or less crazy than time travel? (in connection with your earlier post)
And I meant the same as you say: “However, in the case that she was dead…” that time augmentation may have played a part, considering her physical detachment from the main story. It’s kind of backwards praise for the story, or so I meant for it – and failed – that one twist or instance of the plot follows from hints and exposition of earlier instances of the plot; that time travel makes some sense.
The afterlife is commonly associated with the supernatural where as time travel is more associated with Sci-fi. It wouldn’t be such a slap to the face. What more the afterlife doesn’t make the plot more complex just by being there. Where as time travel can get iffy with alternative timelines and paradoxes and etc.
The afterlife implies that death isn’t as final or important as it seems, therefore Aika’s death and the entire development of the two mains is meaningless. I just disagree with the conclusions you’re coming to in general here; when magic is involved and attempts to be explained it’s more sci-fi than supernatural imo.
Wait and see how it will turn out… but for the moment it does look like a giant ash-pull…
By the way the excuse “It’s magic and shit” pervades the whole series. And this episode too. No military strategy so to speak : “Sir, they have a magic protection”…
Hmm… and here I thought Aika was going to be the body-double for the Hakaze skeleton…
“It’s still a bit hard to believe that a body would decay entirely within just two years”
Body decays within just a month at most. Never watched CSI?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skeletonization