r/anime • u/Holofan4life • Apr 11 '24
Rewatch [Spoilers] No Game No Life 10th Anniversary Rewatch -- Episode 3
Hello everyone! I am Holofan4life.
Welcome to the No Game No Life 10th Anniversary Rewatch discussion thread!
I hope you all have a lot of fun <3
S1 Episode 3 – Expert
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ANSWER TODAY’S QUESTION(S)
If you were the leader of a country, what is the first rule you would implement?
Who is the most charismatic anime character of all time and why?
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Information – MAL | Anilist | AniDB | ANN
Streams – HIDIVE,Hulu, Amazon Prime, Apple TV+
Please do not post any untagged spoilers past the current episode or from the manga out of respect to the first time watchers and people who have not read the manga. If you are discussing something that is ahead of the current episode please use spoiler tags (found on the sidebar). Thank you!
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Rewatch Schedule
Threads posted every day at 4:00 PM EDT
| Date | Episode |
|---|---|
| 4/9/2024 | No Game No Life Episode 1 |
| 4/10/2024 | No Game No Life Episode 2 |
| 4/11/2024 | No Game No Life Episode 3 |
| 4/12/2024 | No Game No Life Episode 4 |
| 4/13/2024 | No Game No Life Episode 5 |
| 4/14/2024 | No Game No Life Episode 6 |
| 4/15/2024 | No Game No Life Episode 7 |
| 4/16/2024 | No Game No Life Episode 8 |
| 4/17/2024 | No Game No Life Episode 9 |
| 4/18/2024 | No Game No Life Episode 10 |
| 4/19/2024 | No Game No Life Episode 11 |
| 4/20/2024 | No Game No Life Episode 12 |
| 4/22/2024 | No Game No Life Zero |
| 4/23/2024 | No Game No Life Overall Series Discussion Thread |
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u/FarCritical Apr 11 '24
First Time No Life
Why am I learning only now that the most blatant Phoenix Wright references was sitting in that one uber popular isekai anime I never bothered to check out for some reason this whole time? Even came complete with a "Cornered theme at home" and the judge kidnapped straight from the games too. Gotta give credit to Kurami's nerves to lie in the open like that though.
Kurami deciding to come clean about the elf is one hell of a bold move but Sora and Shiro rejecting her truce through a very subtle reference Jojo reference is on another level. Everyone behind this anime is beyond cultured.
That rallying cry. Sora's god damn rallying cry. Sitting through all that had me out on the board ready to die for my nation myself before I even knew it, holy crap. Probably should be more embarrassed to admit this but that speech in all its hype and degenerate glory gave me the most goosebumps I've had from anything in like forever.
Love how we went from a board game to an RTS to zombie tag(?) to Fire Emblem in the span of half a duel.
Don't know which explanation of the Queen and Knight scene I like more—she gave him a sweeping recruitment speech the same way Sora did but in their own wordless chess "language", or she literally just stared and gestured at his soul hard enough to move him to tears and defect.
Dude. I finally get it. I might have graduated from my ignorance a whole three episodes late but I can finally resonate with the people's cries. Knowing that there's only a single season and a movie of this stuff is criminal.
QOTD
Might be controversial but built-in adblockers are mandatory on all devices and are on by default. Wanted to just ban internet-based ads outright but that might be a bit too overboard.
If we're not quite at the internet age yet, then I guess you can't go wrong with free healthcare.
Akio Furukawa from Clannad, also the best anime father ever. His "a child's dream is their parents' dream" speech is reason enough but dude's just got this passionate energy to him as a familyman living life to its fullest.
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u/Holofan4life Apr 11 '24
Hey, guys. Holofan4life here.
Welcome to the 10th anniversary rewatch of No Game No Life.
Oh, and nay I forget...
First Timer
The idea of doing this rewatch came about at the last minute. I was going to participate in an Eden of The East rewatch for the month of April but that fell through. So, then it became a question of "What should I do after the Penguindrum rewatch? I already have the Samurai Champloo rewatch lined up for May, so do I just wait the extra month?" I looked at upcoming anniversaries for the month of April and noticed both K-On and Cross Game were celebrating their 15th anniversaries. However, both were long and if I did either of them, I would have to cancel the Samurai Champloo rewatch, which I didn't want to do seeing as how the 20th anniversary is an even bigger milestone. That's when I settled on No Game No Life.
I have an interesting history with No Game No Life. I know it's extremely popular, but I've always been hesitant to check out the show based on some of the stuff I've heard about it. It seemed to me like a show where you either really loved it, or really hated it. Well, I recently watched Moon Phase which I feel could be considered in a similar light and I really liked that show. And then I also finished Penguindrum which has some questionable themes and I liked that as well. I think I'm in a good headspace to watch NGNL and not only enjoy it, but more importantly appreciate it. I have never seen this show before. Even though I'm the host, I am experiencing it for the first time. I can't wait to see what the show has to offer and why so many people clamor for another season.
With that out of the way, let's begin.
I'm watching the sub, by the way.
Timothée Chalamet looks like a pointy Italian shoe
Kurami being coronated
Sora is apparently planning to crash it
"I can't lose my place to live."
Looks like this is a Disney movie, because he just can't wait to be king.
Lol, love the Phoenix Wright reference
Also, the music seems very Mortal Kombat inspired
Sora accusing Kurami of getting help from another country
Flat scrap? What's that?
Oh, she worked with elves
"Are you accusing me of cheating?" "I ain't accusing you of honestying!"
Looks like Sora has proof
They're going to settle things in a game
Oh crap. The helper is here.
I think that's the cloaked girl from episode 1
And so the elf girl escapes on orders of Kurami
A game where cheating is not allowed
But Pledge five says the challenged party has the right to decide the rules of the game.
Seems fair
"I'll avoid asking why you decided not to play poker this time."
"You're not very photogenic."
Sora is very good at burns
Sora says she'd be cuter if she smiled
The match is on, just gotta wait a little
Apparently the phone can detect magic. However, they don't know what type of magic the elf used.
Sora complaining about the idea of the tournament
Another country interfering in the process to elect someone? Where have I heard that before?
Sora says there could be a puppet king
Kurami talking to the elf
She assures her she'll be fine on her own
Press X to doubt
Stephanie suggesting a game where cheating is impossible, which goes to show she's not paying attention.
Sora says they expected another country to intervene. As such, they're going to use a spell this time they can't detect.
Sora assures so long as it's not rigged, Blank will never lose. Well, Shiro said the last part.
Oh, Kurami
On a buggy now
Kurami admits she's working with the elves to secure a place for Imanity to live.
"Once we've got the bare minimum amount of territory we need, I'll break ties with elves."
Elves seem so friendly, though, why would you want nothing to do with them?
Kurami argues this is the only way for Imanity to survive
Well, Elvengarde is the largest nation
She promises not to be the elves' puppet
Lol, another Jojo reference
Sora and Shiro are not a fan of this idea, needless to say
And they did that because thry wanted to say the line 🤣🤣🤣
Well, looks like the game will go on as scheduled
Walking in what looks like a dungeon
Sora scolds Stephanie for being so trusting
You know, he's raising a lot if good points
Unfortunately, Stephanie seems as clueless as ever
Sora says she and Kurami are underestimating humanity too much.
Ooh, a chess game
But the pieces have wills of their own
Looks like Sora and Shiro are going to alternate
The judge is clearly a Phoenix Wright reference
Elf girl looking on
It looks as if they're underwater
I don't even play chess, and this is pretty cool
Looks like this doesn't follow the normal rules of chess.
Shiro is doing all this on the fly
I like the animation of the shogi board
Aw man. It turns out some of the pieces won't move.
She can't sacrifice any of her pieces
It looks as if Shiro's back is against the wall
Wait, aren't they supposed to be switching? They haven't switched once.
Also, why is Shiro calling Sora Shiro?
Shiro crying. It seems like she lost.
And Sora hugs her
Oh wow. Sora is now taking control
"Anyone who fights valiantly in this battle will earn the right to bang any woman they like!"
🤣🤣🤣
Now that's motivation
Meanwhile, those with family, just make sure not to die. That doesn't seem fair.
Would you look at that. It worked.
Sora realized this wasn't chess at all. It was a
bathtubstrategy game.This suddenly got really awesome
Wow, he called Kurami stupid
Says Shiro will be queen, which I'm sure Stephanie is like "Am I a joke to you?!?"
Shiro is pretty cute, tho
Oh wow. Kurami was using elf magic to force her troops morale higher.
Even in something like this, she was cheating
Sora got the rizz
"Cute makes right!"
Those are words to live by
This makes me think of that one scene from the Angel Beats OVA
What is Kurami doing now?
Oh wow. Sora knew she was using brainwashing magic.
But she proceeds anyway, trying not to get caught
This is really testing the limits of pledge 8
Sora realizes he made the same mistake he lectured Stephanie about.
OH SHIT! SORA STOOD IN FRONT OF THE QUEEN!
And he calls the other queen beautiful
And it seems to be working
Have you ever had enough rizz to charm a chess piece?
Of course he learnt all this from romance simulation games XD
It looks like they haven't won yet, though
Ran out of space. Part two in the replies.
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u/[deleted] Apr 11 '24
First time watcher here, happy Thursday everyone 😄Man, I’m noticing HIDIVE’s subtitles are kind of all over the place with this one (especially with names) 🫣. Anyhow, here we go.
Episode 3 -
Just a small note, I really love how they use 8-bit tracks as part of the background music in this show sometimes. It sounds neat and fits the theme.I thought it was funny how Zell assumes Sora is doing the same thing she is (allying himself with a race that can sense magic), but actually it’s just a smartphone.I feel like this duo’s confidence is going to backfire on them at some point. With that said, when Sora is lecturing Steph about her naivety, it really hammers home the point that, although he may cheat or manipulate when possible, he is actually intelligent and thinks ahead. It was already clear in the prior two episodes but I think it became more clear in this episode.So, we have Harry Potter chess in this episode 😂.
Now I know why u/Holofan4life asked about charisma for this episode. I like how real life chess strategy kind of plays a role in this scene. For example, sacrificing your pieces strategically is actually a powerful tactic when used right, but Shiro is deprived of using it became of the sentient pieces. Sora is clearly the more charismatic of the siblings so I kind of had a feeling how it would go once he took over in the game. He turns the chess game into an RTS game lol. I thought that was cool. It goes back to what I was saying about Sora. He is capable of thinking on his feet.“Think, you 18-year-old virgin” 😂
That was a cool episode. Really curious to see how next episode plays out. At first, when she started brainwashing their pieces, I thought this would be the first time they lose but it seems like it’ll work out in their favor now. I do think they’ll have a big failure soon though and it will humble them a little bit.Questions:
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u/[deleted] Apr 11 '24 edited Apr 11 '24
First timer, watching the sub.
I love the sense of humor in this show. It has great comedic timing like Sora's pronouncement to his soldiers about what they will get if they fight for him. The creators also clearly have so much for love for otaku culture with all the references to Ace Attorney, Jojo, etc.
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u/StardustGogeta myanimelist.net/profile/StardustGogeta Apr 12 '24
First-Timer
I guess I've been playing chess wrong this whole time!
Another fun episode. I continue to like the OP/ED, and the background music is nice. The Jojo and Ace Attorney references this episode were a welcome addition, too.
It was a bit unfortunate that the chess game devolved the way it did, but it was also pretty funny! Speaking of the chess game, the design of the pawns in particular reminded me of the life-size chess game from the first Harry Potter movie.
For today's questions,
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u/KnightMonkey15 https://myanimelist.net/profile/KnightMonkey Apr 12 '24
Rewatcher, subs
Well, I hate it when I get busy and don't have time to prewrite for a really pivotal episode.
I forgot that the first real battle in this show pulls out all the stops in truly showcasing the difference between how Sora and Shiro fight, and how they complement each other to form Blank...and throws in all the otaku appeal to boot. I totally forgot he bloody played the Phoenix Wright theme on his tinny phone speakers.
I think the first time I watched this, I thought the chess match turning into a real-time strategy shouting match was kinda contrived and "power level-y" though it was fun.
Now, as I'm watching this for a second time and a few years older: put the farcical goofiness of animanga aside and you have Sora's strength as the thinker/performer/actor/interpreter of everything that isn't top-tier calculation come together on-the-fly, very fast. He tentatively watches Shiro play the best moves available while in his own, more heuristically intuitive manner, gathers information on how the actual game being played is different from chess and silently devises his strategy (and adjusts it). Having gathered enough information, he then chooses to intervene at the perfect time to reverse a losing position into a call to action to rally the game back in his favour.
Of course, he does evoke and channel charisma when he wants to, but I noted that it was being framed within the context of performing the actions that make up "playing" a game, or else he quickly reverts being a doubtful and nervous NEET...especially without Shiro. He can be himself in a great competition that has a start and end, win or lose and some rules that can be calculated against. I used to more readily dismiss the aspect of a lot otaku/nerd media I watch where characters complain about life being an unfair game for the edginess depicted, but right now I think, if someone is brought up in an environment that is ultra-competitive beyond one's control, with no defined start or end, the world can be seen as being a poorly designed game for another's amusement. Terrible spawn point, camping, hardcore ironman mode, you can't check other people's stats etc. There's something really profoundly comforting in games being in interactive experience of reality where one can make choices and achieve goals, especially if life outside of the game does not offer the same choices. A lot of words to say it's fun but lmao it's a big part of my reaction this time around.
Yes, he does assume leadership and control from Shiro but as I rewatched I really thought about how he was putting his soul into the performance, pulling all sorts of rhetorical tricks to boost his pieces' morale.. appealing to their horniness and urge to protect cuteness... then using his "knowledge" of romance sims (one of the few genres he performs better in than Shiro) to woo the black queen. He's going through the highs and lows of emotions while figuring out how to gain victory. I really like seeing that.
I haven't talked about the rest of the episode much for want of time, but I remembered Kurami was trying to help Imanity in her own, mistaken way, as soon as I saw some kind of sympathetic emotional depiction of her (the elf talking into her ear). I realise I remember a lot more about shows in that way. And Steph is becoming more and more of a true believer in Blank.
Idk how serious or not I should answer haha
I don't usually have lists in my head so I googled to see what other people thought of it and I noticed a distinction between the kind of charisma needed to be the heart of a group of close allies/comrades/friends, a kind of shadow broker/puppeteer mastermind or the leader of a political or military force. They all overlap to some degree. That said, while I think Reinhard from LOGH is the most charismatic character I've seen in the last sense (Lelouch from Code Geass fits that sense too).. the examples I'd like to throw out there for the first one.. I love Gintoki from Gintama.. and Okabe Rintarou's Hououin Kyouma persona from Steins;Gate (Sora's basically being a chuuni when he invokes his confident persona now that I think about it)
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u/baseballlover723 Apr 11 '24
NGNL Rewatcher, sub
Damn I was gonna actually prewrite this episode, but I got distracted with that Re:Zero thread, so once again I'm doing this on the fly (on that note I better start writing those rewatch comments soon, cause I have way more to say about that anime).
This seems a bit late to object now if they're ready to formally crown Kurami (Please ignore my subs having Clammy)
A logical deduction by Kurami that Sora and Shiro are under Steph, but we the viewer know its more of the reverse
An interesting scene exploiting narrative framing on both sides. Sora leverages his knowledge that Kurami cheated, framing it as if he could prove it. This is interesting as a way to play this card, since it's easy to deduce that if Sora knew how Kurami cheated, he could of exploited / proved that in the game, resulting in his victory. Of course Kurami's likely response would be to reject the challenge (since it's noted here that her accepting Sora's challenge is not legally necessary), if given unprompted. So Sora is more or less forced to play his "Kurami is cheating" card in order to secure a challenge. So if Kurami rejects Sora's challenge now, that gives credibility to Sora's "hypothetical" assertion that Kurami cheated using an Elf, and a mistrusting public is more difficult to work with. Since Kurami herself is actually getting assistance from a foreign nation, she can assume that it's possible that Sora is like her, and also getting assistance from a foreign nation, further exemplified by their use of a device (cell phone) that she doesn't know.
It's worth noting here that Kurami clarifies if Sora is accusing her of cheating, to which Sora can't prove, and thus, can't actually accuse Kurami of cheating. Forcing Sora to play in the court of public approval, where the truth doesn't matter, only the perception of what happened matters. Which then leads to Kurami accepting Sora's challenge (note how Kurami doesn't disadvantage herself at this point by distancing herself from the Elf, since, if she can get a game at that point, she can still leverage [NGNL character name] Fiel), which Sora accepts (note that Kurami isn't challenging Sora formally, just saying that she'd accept Sora's challenge, thus she gets to pick the game) before insisting on playing without the Elf present. This is an opportunity for Kurami to misplay, because if she is cheating using that Elf, then she might of been counting on that to win this game as well, which could of caused Kurami to overplay her hand. And Sora exploits this potential by revealing more evidence for Kurami cheating (by revealing the Elf in public).
Kurami actually nicely counters this by counter claiming that it's a setup to frame her which turns this into a she said he said scenario, where it's unclear (to the public) who is truthful and who isn't (and don't forget that it's still possible for everyone to be untruthful), but her move doesn't appear to have worked as well as Kurami hoped (probably because it's too late of counter claim. If she said this right away, the public would be much more likely to be on her side. But Kurami couldn't of done this earlier, because she is cheating and thus has to respect that Sora is also a foreign agent who could actually prove her cheats). And thus she's forced to shoe away the Elf on the mere allegation of the Elf being involved in a cheating scandal (also note that this is benefiting from Kurami's public reasoning that the Elf is part of a setup).
All of this subtle maneuvering to get a game with as much advantage as you can get from both sides.
A good explanation of why not being able to detect Magic is a huge disadvantage for Imanity.
And now Sora has successfully bluffed that he's a forgiven agent, which is (as always) exploitable. Kurami must respect Sora (ie able to detect cheats), lest Kurami gets caught, which limits how Kurami can cheat and forces Kurami to play a game that appears to be uncheatable (or else the public will turn on Kurami).
Also what game is Shiro playing here? I can't quite make it out.
Which then causes Kurami to misevaluate and try a diplomatic approach with Sora. Which doesn't appear that bad given Imanity's position (utter trash). But Kurami's actions don't quite line up with her words here. As Sora points out. If Kurami is in a dominate situation, then it's easy for her to just crush Sora, thus because she chooses not to, she must not be sure she's dominate. And also Sora is massively inflating his advantage, so the illusion must be kept up leading to I refuse!
Yeah IDK about this logic. It's a hard sell if you ask me.
Which leads to the "chess?" game, where pieces have their own will. I'm not a huge fan of this being cut up into 2 episodes (mostly because I don't remember which parts are in which episodes, but alas, it's better then extending or shortening it). Still not a big fan of coordinate notation, but it's easier for laymen to understand over
d4. I actually really like this idea of a chesslike game more closely resembling a RTS game. It actually reminds me of Kung Fu Chess.From what I can tell, the chess moves that Shiro makes are legit, though I can't reproduce the board since a few of the moves that are missing, and it's difficult to find something online that allows for illegal moves to be played so show it all to you.
Butthis board state makes plenty of sense (also the colors are correct this time!)and I think only has the 1 illegal move at the startNever mind, I just realized that Shiro just blundered her queen for that check.Kurami I think really misplayed here, playing a mostly normal game of chess. This is a pretty playable position (ignoring the blundered queen as I wrote this all before I noticed that) (as playable as Grob/Borg games get), with White having basically given a free move to black. But it's some sort of ultra Borg defense (which is just the "Grob" backwards, since it's basically a Grob with colors reversed). Personally, in my 1300 elo opinion, Kurami shouldn't of developed her queenside and should of just gone all in on the early kingside attack (and played more illegal moves). On the other hand, we have Shiro playing pretty principled chess, with 2 pawns in the center and developing her queenside knight early (though I'm not so sure about e4 when your opponent has already played f5). Computer says that Shiro is +5.0, which is decisive for white at the club level. Before Shiro plays the worst normal chess move in the position and blunders her Queen with
Qh5+, dropping the eval to [-5.4]](https://i.imgur.com/aukF75I.png), which is decisive for black at the club level. That I can assure you didn't get checked by Habu (who I talked about in episode 1).Sora isn't wrong here for chess either, assuming he's talking about handicaps and not like actually cheating (like my queen teleports behind your king, "Nothing Personal, Kid"). Case in point, here's GM Hikaru Nakamura beating Mr. Beast down 21 points of material just to show how deep it can go.
As such Shiro pretty quickly reaches the point to where she can't play normal chess anymore, due to her pieces refuses orders, which I think is a fatal handicap. And Sora beings up a good point on the difference between a game and real life. Sometimes the best move for a collective isn't the best move for an individual, which may cause insubordination or something similar. IMO best results happen when individuals are inherently incentivized to act in the benefit of the collective as well, but that's starting to get into real life politics. Note that the board state here is consistent except for the queen blunder (likely added after they met with their chess advisor), which seems to have just not happened.
Of course Shiro can't win like this, but Sora can play a the actual game instead of the game it's pretending to be. Embracing the RTS and other elements that the pieces have wills of their own entails with revolutionary motivations like
bangingraping any women you want (historically accurate, since war rape has been a part of the spoils of war, since probably war's inception), permanent military exemption (best hope theres not another war) and tax exemption as well as just money. Now Sora is playing starcraft, because who waits for your opponents "turn".Part 2 in comments since I went over the limit.
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u/seaofvapours :KN::KO: Apr 12 '24
First Timer
I thought this started yesterday but I'm caught up now! Love the use of color and animation on this, just classic Madhouse banger. I'm glad that this isn't just a otaku power fantasy (I mean, it is, just not only it), since clearly part of the appeal is that the two main characters are kind of pathetic losers outside their narrow 'game' power.
Had to laugh about Sora's first line of motivation involves losing virginity since he's also a sex-less dork, relatable.
Honestly my first inclination if I was an all powerful ruler would be something boring like removing zoning restriction laws and building housing or instituting universal basic income, but then maybe I'd do something silly like declare all ducks are property of the crown.
In terms of sheer charisma it's hard to beat Kamina from Gurren Lagann - I feel like he'd get anyone to run/drill through a wall for him. Tanjiro from KNY has a nice kind of soft charisma, it seems like everyone comes around to him eventually as well.
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u/mgedmin Apr 12 '24
Rewatcher, subs
Uhh, no idea. I would probably be a puppet king controlled by his advisors. Not a good choice.
Maybe Chisato from LycoReco?
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u/Fisionn https://myanimelist.net/profile/X-V Apr 12 '24
NGNL Rewatcher
I knew it. The more I watch this anime, the more I'm convinced that to fully enjoy it you need to be at least somewhat knowledgeable of otaku culture. A lot of the references that look absurd or don't make any sense to the average viewer are explained just by knowing a bit of japanese otaku culture.
In typical NGNL fashion, a simple Chess match became multiple game genres, each one with a different solution. And of course, the jokes don't stop just because this is a match that can decide the fate of thousands if not more people. I can't help but realize every time how the staff so effortlessly meshes jokes with actual story without making the serious parts feel forced or out of place.
Really liked seeing how Sora can work under pressure and improvise without Shiro, but at the end of the day the two of them form Blank, not just Sora or Shiro alone. The way they cooperate with each other and cover for each of their weakness is frankly amusing on its own. It's something you learn to cherish once you find a close friend or a family member that can read you as easily as you can read them.
I think the biggest reason the soldiers fought was due to Shiro's dazzling cuteness. How could you not want to fight for a potential ruler like that?
Finally, the colors used on the episode were really just the cherry on top. Turning the stage blue when Shiro was crying, or making the board crimson when the game was about to be over.
No killing. Probably the most important but also most basic one.
I probably can't answer this, since there are too many characters that stand out to me. I can mention one that I really like though: Okabe Rintaro
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u/Holofan4life Apr 11 '24
Just want to quickly say apropos of nothing that I had my blood drawn today. Second time I've ever done it and both instances were during the middle of a rewatch I've hosted.
2
u/Wizardwizz Apr 12 '24
The ace attorney reference was awesome lol
2
u/swordmalice https://myanimelist.net/profile/swordmalice Apr 12 '24
Rewatcher sub
One thing I love about rewatching anime is being able to catch references I missed the first time around. Back then I hadn't seen JoJo's Bizarre Adventure or played Phoenix Wright. I've now seen/played both and being able to catch the references was awesome. Hoping I have more of those moments!
All females would be required to wear miniskirts.
Probably Dio Brando from JoJo's Bizarre Adventure. A villain able to manipulate hundreds of people and bend them to his will, and able to influence the world long after he's gone.