It was the moment we were all waiting for.
I was one of those weird people who thought that the rotoscoping in Flowers of Evil was a cool visual choice. I also thought that the long, brooding silences while the characters walked over a static background were great at establishing dread and the sense of inner turmoil that we all experience as preteens. Remember when everything was so damn important yet in retrospect our problems could've been easily resolved and were also most likely pretty stupid? This is a show about that.
...And then the last episode happened, informing me that the series was really about unhinged teens. Oh well.
In any case, there is one scene from this show that does not deserve to be ignored: the destruction of the classroom. It's what the slow build pays off in a big way, and it's amazing to watch. Kasuga finally lets out his inner demons, throwing chalk and covering the room with ink while Sawa spun in the center of it all. Not to mention the creepy ending theme playing over it...
I don't care that some people think that this show wasn't "anime" enough. A compelling scene is a compelling scene.
Images from Crunchyroll.com.
That classroom scene absolutely made the series for me. It was one of the most emotionally powerful and visually stunning things I have ever watched. The slow "hana ga saita yo" playing in the background with the clipped, broken percussion was also the perfect music they could have accompanied that scene with. And oh god, the close-ups of Nakamura's flushed face.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful. All of it.
I agree that the plot was very slow, but I loved that the rotoscoping added to the uncomfortableness of the whole thing. I don't think I would've taken it nearly as seriously if it had been in "anime style," as the detractors wanted it to look.
ReplyDeleteBut yeah, I heard that it sold approximately zero copies, so no chance of seeing this again!
Valvrave: I guess letting him in on it wasn't dramatic enough.
Beyond the Boundary: I haven't seen the final episode yet, but the main relationship between Akihito and Mirai really made the show for me. The rest of it I'm kinda of two minds about. Hopefully I can get the review out in a timely manner once I finish it. *looks at review backlog from Spring of this year*
While I was writing this post, I realized that I couldn't really explain what made this scene so fantastic. It's really something that begs to be seen.
ReplyDeleteI liked the rotoscoping too, it gave the show a very artistic avant-garde look. The plot could be quite slow at times though.
ReplyDeleteSadly the Japanese fanbase completely hated it, and even the director admits they will NOT make a Season 2('it would be a waste of money to make something the target fanbase refuses to endorse.')
Re Valvrave: Unsurprisingly, the Karlstein boys didn't trust Q-4 enough to let him in on their defection/expose Magius plans. Shame Raizo had to pay the price.
Also, new Preserved Roses+Kakumei Dualism medley for Japan's annual singing contest.
http://www.animenewsnetwork.com.au/interest/2013-12-19/nana-mizuki-t.m-revolution-to-unite-across-gender-lines-on-new-year
Re Beyond the Boundary: What did you think of the final ep and series overall?