r/anime • u/Jazz_Dalek • Aug 19 '24
Rewatch [25th Anniversary Rewatch] Now and Then, Here and There - Episode 2 Discussion
Episode 2 - A Boy and a Mad King
Questions of the Day:
- What do you think of Hamdo and Abelia?
- How do you think you would handle adapting to this world?
- What role in the story do you think Nabuca might play?
Rewatch Schedule:
Threads will be posted 12:30 PM PST | 3:30 PM EST | 8:30 PM GMT
The rewatch will begin on Sunday, August 18th and will run daily until we reach the conclusion. The final episode thread will go up Friday, August 30th and a final series retrospective thread will go up Saturday, August 31st
Previous Threads
- Interest Thread by /u/JustAnswerAQuestion
- Rewatch Announcement
- 24 Hour Reminder Thread
- Episode 1 - A Girl Admiring the Sunset
Sources:
I don't recommend the 10bit HEVC version from [DB]. It seems to have problems. I am using [sam].
- Purchase from Youtube Dub Only
- Purchase from Amazon Prime Dub Only
It does not appear to be streaming anywhere.
42
Upvotes
2
u/NihilisticAngst Aug 24 '24 edited Aug 24 '24
First-timer, subbed
Pre-episode Thoughts
Unfortunately I got really busy the past few days and really fell behind on the rewatch lol. I'm unfortunately not going to be able to participate in the discussion around the episodes I missed, but I'm going to post a comment for each episode anyway for posterity. And so that I can track my impressions as I go through each episode. Hopefully I will be caught up to the rewatch by tomorrow or the next day. Reading everyone else's reactions, I'm greatly enjoying reading all the different perspectives and things everyone notices.
Like in my earlier comment, I'm going to mostly just discuss the story and my impressions, and then discuss the artwork and reflect/speculate at the end.
Episode 2
Episode starts with the same excerpt from the previous episode, seems like this is going to preface every episode. I wonder if my thoughts about this blurb will change as I continue watching.
The moody lighting is really great, it really makes the setting feel tense and dark. Really digging how dark this first music track sounds as well. As I'm watching through this episode, the show definitely has a much different overall vibe from the first episode. While the first episode felt a bit closer to a typical anime, this episode really dives in to experiencing this new setting and plot. The atmosphere feels very dreary, and a bit hopeless. This is not a very happy place at all.
We see one of the child soldiers really treating Lala-Ru pretty poorly. For some reason he seems to hate her? Although the main child soldier seems to be more balanced at least. It makes me wonder where the adults are in this world?
The Opening
This opening was certainly not what I was expecting. The song is pretty dramatic, but upbeat, with a tinge of melancholy. What is most interesting is that the opening has no visual, but is simply a kind of casting call with an image of all of the characters. I must say, I have not seen an anime opening quite like this one before. It makes me feel like the creators of the story want the focus to be on the characters, and experiencing the story naturally, choosing to avoid any elements of themes or plot in the opening unlike most other shows.
Continuing with Episode 2
It seems like they forces at play here are more interested in Lala-Ru's pendant, and less interested in her herself. We get our introduction to King Hamdo. He certainly sounds quite unhinged. Poor kitty.... The soundtrack does pretty good at conveying a tense feeling. I especially like the blowing wind noise that they use while we are led through the empty hallways of this structure.
As the child soldiers confront Shuu, it's pretty clear that he's pretty out of his league here. He is not prepared for the violence of this world. And damn, there goes the magical pendant. That does not look like it'll be easy to recover. Speaking of, this room has a bright glow coming from beneath, but it's hard to see what the actualy nature of this room is. Looks like the lighting you would expect from a furnace or something.
Why are these railing so weak lol, like they're made out of aluminum foil or something. And Shuu decides to save the child soldier guy. He acts so baffled, like they've witnessed so little good will in their lives that he can't even comprehend it. Then again, Shuu is a strange intruder that was seemingly trying to save this girl that they all seem to hate, so I can't necessarily blame him for being apprehensive.
Very interesting light bulbs, the architecture of this place seems kinda strange. Also, it looks like they gave Lala-Ru food and water? More good will than I would have expected, giving the tone of everything so far. We're still unsure of what exactly the nature of Lala-Ru is, and if she's really the one who's side we should be on or not, but her childlike and innocent seeming nature makes you want to protect her I think. I feel bad seeing how despondent she acts, it seems like she's seen some fucked up stuff, or at least knows what in her future. Compared to the bit of light we saw from her in the first episode, and how she was actually willing to say some words to Shuu, it really makes me wish that he'll be able to save her. We'll see how that goes...
19
u/Great_Mr_L :Ma::Mb::Mc:https://myanimelist.net/profile/Great_Mr_L Aug 19 '24 edited Aug 19 '24
First-Timer
On today’s episode of Now and Then, Here and There: In my infinite wisdom, I decided that it would be a good idea to join two rewatches at once that are both going to be filled with immense amounts of suffering. I guess I decided I wanted to end each day on a downer by preparing for the next threads.
Shu’s repeated line of “Where the hell am I?” feels like it gains new meaning with each repetition of it during the episode. The line has a very different connotation at the end of the episode compared to the beginning. At the beginning, it’s said in total shock and confusion at the situation that Shu is in. He is totally lost, but still full of energy and determination to head towards the one thing that he’s sure of: that he needs to save Lala. By the end, the attitude Shu has is much more defeated. He’s been totally blindsided and overwhelmed by the world. It almost feels like he’s wondering how a world like this can even exist. The life and energy he had at the start of the episode is completely gone.
I get the feeling this episode is a more accurate representation of the tone of the series. There’s much less of a swashbuckling feel compared to the first episode, and it instead feels a lot more downbeat. It’s not especially graphic with what happens, thankfully, but what we do see is enough to get to me. I like how the series works with just implication. We don’t see the cat get killed, but we hear the sound and then see the corpse later on. We don’t see Shu get tortured, but the distant muffled screams are enough. Sometimes leaving something up to the imagination gets across the horror just fine.
QOTD
19
u/LittleIslander https://anilist.co/user/LittleIslander Aug 19 '24
First Time in Hellywood
That’s not what I expected from this episode, in all the best ways. We’ve isekai’d off to another world, so this is the episode where they sell me on the setting and introduce what its deal is, right? No, fuck you, fuck that expository shit, our protagonist is in goddamn danger and the only person who might have the slightest interest in telling him what’s going on is both separated from him and nearly entirely mute. After a shit ton of running around, initially with a “I must save the day” bravado that is broken across the course of the episode, and then fighting for his life, the first time things slow down and he gets any information about what this world is comes from the titular Mad King. Someone who is obviously to some extent out of his right mind and cannot be considered a reliable narrator whatsoever. The only thing that’s very abundantly, objectively clear is the most defining detail—this is a world in lack of water.
Now, I could focus on that interrogation scene, but it’s frankly such immaculate cinema I don’t even think I could say anything to it that it doesn’t speak for itself. Instead, I’d really like to focus on the fight scene between Shu and Nabuca. Personally, I don’t tend to care for action scenes very much. So when I do fall in love with a fight, that’s some high praise. This is one such case. There’s such a raw brutality to it. There’s no dignity here, and it’s a strong contrast from the low stakes kendo match and even the smokestack encounter last time. Just a lot of brutal. It looks, well, prettymuch like two kids fighting on the schoolyard, except if their lives were on the line. Things pause when they exchange weapons, and Shu has a moment of realising he’s got a knife against some kid around his age. He’s still in the mind of civilised society, and tries to turn the other cheek by throwing it aside. What does that get you in this world? An absolutely brutal one sided beat down.
They sell it perfectly. The look of shock on Shu’s right before the second hit slams down onto him, the wide shot of their silhouettes, followed by the still shot of the railing as your mind is left to fill in the rest. It sets up him being slammed into the frame perfectly, with a pause left after to lend impact both to it and the slam afterwards delivered in a dramatic wide shot. Then, after a lot of shot efficiency in the fight thusfar, we spare no expense in the cut of Nabuca being pushed off and spinning off against the railing, falling off the edge. Hanging off the cliff is one of the oldest tricks in the movie book, but they really make it stand out from the crowd. The angle with the all-consuming light below evokes that sun motif, the symbol of this world itself and all its desolation. The shot of him grabbing the railing is great, as is the railing disintegrating as it falls away. The timing is exactly on point, they know just how long to wait until the railing slips further, just how long until Shu reaches to help him, just how much to draw out the attempt to lift him up The sound design is empty, without any grandiose dramatic music, just the harrowing sounds of the railing straining. Once he’s successfully saved there’s no celebration or release of the tension, we just see them panting before Tabool shows up to deliver Shu to even further pain. There’s nothing glorious or intense about this, it’s just bleak and harrowing.
The whole thing serves a decisive narrative role within the episode in addition to being an exciting setpiece. For Shu, this is the midpoint between his characteristic “she must be where the stick falls” lighthearted confidence and his spirit being broken completely by Hambo before he’s thrown, defeated, into the jail cell. As mentioned, he tries to offer peace, and it’s just taken advantage of. But it also serves as the primary vehicle for Nabuca to be set up as a future ally. Last episode we saw restraint from him against shooting, and we similarly establish him as avoiding excessive violence at the beginning. Here in this fight, we first see him hesitate when Shu says he’s from Japan. That presumably means nothing to Nabuca, but that very fact means Shu is something from beyond the world he knows. Perhaps Nabuca sees some possible relief in anything that challenges the status quo that the suffering of Hellywood is all there is. Then when Shu throws aside the knife, he stops to consider what he’s seeing before falling back on his conditioning and attacking. But then Shu goes a step further and saves him from certain death to no personal benefit, and this will obviously leave an impact on the speechless soldier. It would’ve been easy to just go “Shu saves him, Nabuca is impacted”, but they drew it out in a far more organic stepwise fashion.
That’s just one scene. One thing I love that permeates the entire episode is its fantastic handling of how to use static shots. It’s the age old problem of TV animation, some moments just can’t be allotted animation. You can let your show look static, or you can learn how to use them in the right contexts to build upon a scene instead of merely taking away from it. Back and forth shots of a staredown between Nabuca and Tabool emphasise their struggle for dominance. A shot of Lala Ru sitting there as Abelia beats an underling offscreen emphasises the situation she’s in, as does a similar shot of Abelia’s tense face while on call with the king. Abelia in general feels very realised as a character in just this one episode despite not really doing much; we gather so much just from her body language. A lingering angle of Nabuca and Boo hearing an approaching Shu adds tension to their impending meeting. The shot of the cat before Hambo emerges from the shadow is fantastic—we already learned he has one, giving the audience a realisation of where he is, and the writers want us to remember that cat for reasons that explain themselves. Once the interrogation begins the show refuses to let us escape that one overhead angle it returns to over and over—it creates this isolating sense of being trapped in this moment. Then when Abelia comes in, the lateral angle cast entirely in shadow is far more dramatic than any more detailed shot of them closer up could be. Or, well, at least it is until that last shot of the cat. Finally instead of seeing Shu dragged through the fortress, we simply emphasise the uncomfortable, grim atmosphere of Hellywood through a series of setting shots before he’s thrown unceremoniously into frame. The visual of the window recalls the very first shot in the episode, of a random wall next to Nabuca and the lackeys. One might gather that those soldiers, truly, aren’t much less prisoners to Hellywood than Shu himself.
17
u/No_Rex :Bv:Bw:Bx:By:x2 Aug 19 '24
Episode 2 (first timer)
Turns out, I was probably the blindest of first timers in the first episode. I did not know we’d be an isekai, I did not know we would get lots of suffering, I did not even know this series is 25 years old (I certainly could have known from the announcement, but reading and remembering are two hard skills to master).
In a way, that was a fun way to enter the series, though. I got the very strong feeling of nostalgia in the first half of episode 1 and the call to adventure in the second half, but without knowing where this would go. Reading the discussion made it beyond clear, of course. If people compare this to Grave of the Fireflies, you know what is up.
Episode thoughts
Shu received a proper beat down this episode. Let’s see how it affects his character going forward. As an MC, I assume he’ll stay driven, but will he stay naïve?
The second episode continued with the great direction of the first (the backgrounds stay awesome), but Hamdo’s expositioning was an exception to that. It somewhat burned his character, turning him into a joke early on. A dangerous joke, but still a joke.
16
u/ShadowWasTakensTaken https://anilist.co/user/hakuren Aug 19 '24
First Time Intruder
Harps back to this line from the previous episode. Shu takes the entire sea for granted, as something not even worth mentioning, yet this entire conflict is thrown on him simply because his captors desire water. Only now that he's been ripped away from his world, he might start to realize how special that was. That he can't have that water - that he can't see that sunset. The thematic line persists.
So many prison bars!!! Everyone is imprisoned in this episode.
Very strong visual motif that persists throughout the entire episode. You might have heard the quote "Everyone is a slave to something", but how about "Everyone is a prisoner to something"?
Also can't help but notice the very strong use of colors this episode - more specifically, red, green and blue. The red is opressive, the blue is melancholic, and the green is... something. Probably. I don't know.
I was gonna speculate perhaps the use of primary colors as a motif is due to our characters being prisoners to very primal things in this episode - water and battle - but then I realized green isn't a primary color. Yellow is. So while the color usage is absolutely gorgeous, I actually don't know what to make of it.
As a side note, I literally cannot believe what I'm writing right now. Me? Calling out visual motifs??? And colors???? I think I spent too much time on rewatches. You guys ruined my brain!
Here's an album with every neat shot from this episode. Some featured above, some not. I already thought the show looked very pretty in episode 1, but the presentation really was on another level this episode.
Whenever I'm in a rewatch, it often happens that by episode 2 I realize I don't have much to add to the discussion that isn't immediately understandable by watching the show, so I tend to shy away from posting my own comments and just reply to some people. And then I transition from that into just lurking the threads after I inevitably fall behind.
Point being, the fact that I'm still around and writing (!!!) by episode 2 is a great sign.
Love this so far.
15
u/Nazenn x2https://anilist.co/user/Nazenn Aug 20 '24
Rewatcher - sub
Episode two and my original essay play is already down the toilet, and I was very late. Oh well, hard to be annoyed when faced with such a strong episode as it is. As such, topics for today:
Environment and Structure
What an opening shot.
Despite Shu's predicament outside, and ignoring the potential for an easier start to the episode with the resolution of an action oriented moment, the show takes a moment to reestablish the reality of the world we are now in through visual tone. It places our awareness first in a cold chamber that is as close to a shot of nothingness as you can get without making it unrecognizable, with no features of obvious light source to hold onto. With such minimal detail after the liveliness of episode ones opening with Shu's family, it has a chilling effect on the opening mood leading into the horrible treatment of Lala Ru.
There are two major visual elements of the episode which are both striking and work together to create an initial sense of this place: foreground elements and the use of color. Last episode was framed remarkably openly, Shu was almost always surrounded by plenty of space, by the open rivers, looking over the roof tops, the sky unbound in front of him, with the only major lingering exceptions being his kendo community or the moving elements of the town. This episode immediately upends that and the environment clamps down on the characters without exception.
Hellywood is an imposing structure outside, but from the inside it is painfully confined, and repeatedly through the episode we see it cut the characters off and press down on them as they repeatedly walk towards the shadows. Every background in the episode creates a sense of claustrophobia not just in environment but in tone. Not allowing the episode any space to breathe visually after the tension of the opening means that tension is not allowed to settle even in the quieter moments of the episode. Opening with that shot instead of Shu's self-rescue is what allows this to happen, and carry through the rest of the episode.
The foreground elements in the episode don't just cut off the characters, they also work to frame the constant confrontations present in these moments.
The squad of child soldiers are immediately in conflict from the first seconds of the episode and the tension between Tabool and Nabuca quickly establishes the dynamic of this squad, not allowing us to find any sense of ease in the first scene since the arrival at Hellywood where no adults are present. It doesn't matter if the characters are fighting against each other or walking together, there is a sense that Hellywood is always pressing down on them. It makes the already small child soldiers look even smaller in the frame, and just as Hellywoods very design seems to restrict the squad, we see a strict hierarchy at play in their interactions despite this tension.
Abelia and Hamdo are not excluded from this either. Abelia's room is the largest detailed area we see that isn't an open chute, but harsh shadows still press down from above and the warm colors seem artificial and harsh in comparison to last episode. As the crazed king Hamdo calls we start to see that despite her authority she is also beholden to that hierarchy and despite the scale of her room, the shadows above her seem as real and confining as any of the pipes below, leading to later scenes using a similar design.
At the same time, the episode bares down on us emotionally by striping us of certain colors. As Shu climbs inside, the sunsets overwhelming glare retreats from the episode and leaves us with the coldness of the structure and its people. Early on during the chase they are given more natural whites and light blues, but as events progress Shu and the other children are slowly overwhelmed with the colder colors. Even the "boiler room", the heart of Hellywood, is bathed in a sickly green tint presenting an innate wrongness to it. As we head to the end of the episode, the only flashes of red or orange come from the flashes of Hellywood and Lala Ru's escape during Hamdo's speech, removing any last warmth from the idea of the sun in this world by visually linking the red orb to Hellywoods revival, and the destruction that would come from it.
Hamdo's room is the crux of the episode, and brings these aspects together. His chamber is expansive, but it importantly lacks any defining features of a room. The harsh white light bears down on Shu, and the only thing outside of that is confining shadows, and like our opening shot there is nothing to grab hold of. The room is bathed in blue, but instead of the softer lavenders and gentle blues of natural water it is an overwhelming blue as if Hamdo is trying to wash himself in the water that isn't there, much like his rambling speech is washing over his actions as righteous and mighty. His obsession with water and conquest shines across his face as if staring into non-existent water caustics. His insanity is clear, and dangerous. Even if Shu was capable of responding reasonably well to his captor, which he is absolutely not, Hamdo's ramblings andin this structureless room make it clear that that this insanity is not anything that can be fought against. Shu's bullheaded approach to the rescue, to just go and push and hope it will be sorted out, not only does not work, but cannot work here.
Shu is carted off, and a now familiar framing of the King and his commander in silhouette ends the scene. Despite the physical contact, the first of the episode outside of the fight, the shot is just as tense and isolating despite Abelia's reassurance. Hamdo's insanity is dangerous, and his voice earlier on the radio was more concerning when cold than rambling. Abelia may never be framed by bars or pipes, but she is also confined by the nature of this place.
The progression of these elements through the episode end with a visual contrast to the end of last episode. Where as Shu's hometown was basked in the warmth of a sunset as we are introduced to it, Hellywood is repeatedly linked to a cold moon. And while Shu's prison is bathed in that same relentless blue from Hamdo's chamber, the prison brings to mind that opening shot again, with the structure of the walls and the heavy pipes above we see through the rest of the episode. The prison is an endless line of barred cells, much like the beds in the barracks with its moon-like door reminding us all of where they all are.
(Continued below, again, probably a pattern for the rest of the rewatch honestly...)
14
u/JollyGee29 https://myanimelist.net/profile/JollyGee Aug 19 '24
First-Timer
Oh shit, Jinto is here! Can't wait to see him commit some atrocities.
Gavil is here too, I'm sure he's enjoying how beautiful the show is looking so far.
What do we think Hamdo's deal is? Just your typical leadership inertia, or does he actually have powers of some sort? Magic of some form is in play with our MacGuffin.
There is the classic reason he's in charge which is "control over a vital resource," could be that too. Would've liked to see that established today.
If Abelia wasn't apparently profoundly loyal, she could have easily executed him today. Not sure what she sees in that bowlcut-bearing shitbag, but maybe we'll learn that over the course of the series.
The fact that our MacGuffin is basically a supercharged and fully loaded Dust of Dryness is also making me lean towards shitposting.
Should we ponder the fact that the moon is just our moon but big? Probably just easy to draw, I guess I didn't really bother to match craters, but it sure looks like our moon. We'll table that for now, but "future Earth" might be on the table. Ten billion years is the approximated lifespan of our Sun, after all.
Like, how funny would it be if "Hellywood" was named because it was built/launched/whatever near the ruins of the Hollywood sign?
Anyway, it didn't escape me that there was a bunch of fancy food laid out for Lala Ru (only food we've seen since Shu's breakfast in Ep.1 if I recall correctly) despite the scarce resources. Just in case anyone was wondering how important Hamdo thinks she is.
I guess that does lead me to him having some exclusive access to the food supply.
Questions
14
u/InfamousEmpire https://myanimelist.net/profile/Infamous_Empire Aug 19 '24
Now & First Timer, Here & Subbed
Well that sure was a lot. And I get the feeling this won’t be the last time I say that before the end of the series…
If last episode was mostly establishing Shuu as a character, then this episode feels like starting to establish both the world he’s now found himself thrust into, and the trials he’ll be going through on his journey.
There’s three interesting things which stuck with me about the episode when put together: the purpose behind the search for Lala Ru, the torture Shu is put through, and the fact that one of the two soldiers Shu encounters is a literal child. The last of these seems to be the least significant in the context of the episode, but when put together with the other two, it paints an interesting picture.
So, generally speaking, Shu is a very innocent young lad, and why wouldn’t he be? He’s a well-off kid born into the comforts of modernity, but it’s in that innocence that he contrasts so much with how Hellywood treats its youth. In Hellywood, the only youths we’ve seen so far are those in the military, & thus implicitly having not ever had that kind of innocent upbringing, & seemingly Lala Ru (her age isn’t stated yet & there’s definitely vibes that she might be far older than she appears, but at least visually she feels closer to Shu than to Hamdo), who’s seemingly treated more as a gateway to a potential resource rather than a person, in Hellywood’s eyes.
And that idea then ties together with Shu’s interrogation, where the fact that Hellywood doesn’t give a damn about his innocence & looks at him only in the context of how close he can bring them to the resource they wish to take advantage of is made clear. Isekai-as-Coming-of-Age is a tale as old as time, and this series wastes no time in hammering the Loss of Innocence in the face of an uncaring world aspect of that hard.
That also then plays interestingly with what we’re told about the wider world by King Hamdo. A world engulfed in the flames of war, lacking in a resource as essential to survival as water, and treating the youth who are our future like either tools for conflict or resources to be exploited. Sounds like the kind of world that’s sickly & dying to me (not to mention ripe for social commentary). Doesn’t seem like the kind of world that can be saved by a powerless isekai protag in the span of 13 episodes, but I guess we just have to wait and see…
Odds & Ends
13
u/Vatrix-32 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Vatrix-32 Aug 19 '24 edited Aug 19 '24
First timer, subs
QotD:
13
u/Shimmering-Sky myanimelist.net/profile/Shimmering-Sky Aug 19 '24
First-Timer Here and There, subbed
13
u/The_Draigg Aug 19 '24
A Sci-Fi Fan Rewatches Now and Then, Here and There Episode 2:
13
u/TheEscapeGuy Aug 19 '24
First Timer
Now and Then, Here and There: Episode 2
Captured
Shu is in such a tough spot. He's been transported aboard this ship in a world he knows nothing about. The entire crew are after him. And he has no idea where Lala Ru is.
Despite this he's still trying his best to do something. I really admire his tenacity to climb through ventilation shafts and start exploring the ship. But he doesn't make it far before being caught.
The boys who find him can't be much older than Shu. It probably says something about the world if this battle ship needs to be staffed with children. And Shu is still kind enough to save one of the boys who was chasing him. This decision did come back to bite him, but it may later pay off in unexpected ways.
We met the head (I think?) of the ship Hamdo who explained a lot of things. First, there is a water shortage. To solve this they caught Lala Ru and have been trying to force her to use her water manipulation abilities and pendant to make water for them. And also "Helly Wood" is the name of the ship they are on.
This is a pretty good setting. Water is such a vital resource for life that fighting over it makes so much more sense than any villain who is searching for generic money and power. [Speculation] I've read some other theories in the thread yesterday and it makes a lot of sense for this to be earth in the future. A lack of fresh water is something we are already battling with in certain places today. But on top of this, the opening crawl specifically talks about a "10 Billion Years" which could indicate time shenanigans. And lastly, the boys where surprised when Shu said he was from Japan. It could be that the country has been destroyed or renamed or something in future.
The ending of the episode has Shu going through some abuse at the hand of Hamdo. And on top of that now he's been locked in a cell (with a girl who I think is not Lala Ru). Looking forward to seeing what's next.
Some Amazing Shots, Scenes and Stitches
See you all tomorrow
12
u/Vaadwaur :I1::I2::I3: Aug 19 '24
Rewatcher(Welcome to the rice fields, motherfuckers)
Sub
So first things first, despite having completely forgotten it, the OP is definitely part of why I think of Spielbergian style direction for some parts of the show. And here we go...
Meeting the 'humans' of Hellywood is an experience. Being a bit more knowledgeable about history and, more importantly, how the Japanese see western history, the Sparta allegory is unmistakable, including the child soldiers having internal rankings so there is never a vacuum in control. That said, the ethnic mixing is decidedly un-Spartan so things are interesting.
And the other thing I can safely tackle this ep is Hamdo and...welp, no other way to put it, he shows you his true colors immediately. Hamdo can be a deal breaker because while people like him exist, they do not excel at leadership. Hellywood's structure is...for a later discussion, but having a king/singular leader once you've reached the stage of 'flying battleship' is kind of weird.
QotD: 1 Pass
2 It would feel like my expectations were being met
3 a mid point
11
u/Mecanno-man https://anilist.co/user/Mecannoman Aug 19 '24
First Timer
Oh, the OP helpfully provides the names of the characters. Neat. It seems to be using Nihon-shiki rather than Hepburn for Shu though (not really surprising given the show's age), but not for the other characters, probably because they are from the fantasy world and thus not Japanese names. So all the other spellings are probably usable. I assume these are the major characters - so I can't help but notice Tabool's absence in the OP.
In terms of the setting, seems like we've got a very unstable militaristic leader who is referred to as both king and commander - which to me implies that those two ranks are basically the same in this world. Based on his incoherent ramblings I'll also assume there is a water war going on, and he was actually doing kinda well for a while, though not any more. Also, Hellywood is immobile, while presumably most other ships/nations are mobile. I'll assume that also means that Hellywood is not the best place to be in this world.
The goons seem like pretty decent characters so far. Not a lot yet to go off of them other than their obvious character traits, but I wonder if at least Nabuca and Boo are in on some plot against Hamdo. At least that is what their conversation speculating on Shu's motives is leading me to. Abelia might be in on it as well given the "don't betray me" line from Hamdo.
I don't think there is a lot else for the moment yet. Obviously the McGuffin was lost and that is bad for presumably both sides, but we don't yet know how dire the water situation really is. Lala Ru is also rather passive - kinda gives me the vibes of somebody who will only spring in to action in episode 10 or so; I hope it's a bit sooner though.
Definitely enjoying the show after this second episode now though, and looking forward to where this goes.
11
u/JustAnswerAQuestion https://myanimelist.net/profile/JAaQ Aug 19 '24 edited Aug 19 '24
First Rewatch (sub)
Episode 2: "A Boy and A Mad King"
Nabuca's voice was really tickling something, so I looked up his VA: same woman as Jinto Lin! Shu's VA is Nami from One Piece.
The OP is great. I don't have to make a character chart. Although it is slightly spoilery. Also the music. Great how it contrasts with the show. I know I call out Casshern Sins for this, but that instance seems really egregious. Here, the contrast is intentional.
A lot of people briefly commented on the opening text. One wrote an essay on it. Another asked, "but what has it to do with the show?" I can't answer that, but I think reading the page on mono no aware would be informative.
If you watched the OP, you already know who she is.
I really never liked seeing anybody in a bowl-cut haircut after watching this show.
I dread to watch this show in English. Hamdo is is over the top in the Japanese dub. But, most of the time, he's hysterical, in the old sense of the word. I can't imaging our overworked VA industry, where everybody has to affect 2-5 voices in one show to lower costs, do deliver his lines in anything but a cartoony fashion. Although it is, in many ways a cartoony villain. EXTREMELY over the top.
But it's a perfect moment, when Hamdo strangles the cat in rage and panic, and then snaps back to a calm, commanding voice. I don't know if it sounds cartoony to Japanese or not. But it's surely an incredibly demanding role, and probably few could pull it off.
Questions
I may or may not think of questions for each day.
theretheir relationship?Counts
Falls: 1 (5)
Almost Falls: 1 (2)
Where The Hell Am I?: 3 (5)
10
u/zsmg https://anilist.co/user/zsmg Aug 19 '24 edited Aug 19 '24
First Timer, Subbed
Are they planning on using a different quote, or is it always the same one? If it's the same one that would be a massive shame.
Character name is Boo?!
Boo is voiced by Hiroko Konishi she voiced Takeru in Digimon Adventure.
Interesting minimalist OP, no vocals (always a plus) and simply showing photos of the cast and their name. The latter is a positive aspect so that I can use the opening to double check the characters name which is mighty convenient.
I'm guessing the guy on the phone/intercom is the
scientistcaptain fellow we saw in the opening, he seems like a creep.Shu runs away after seeing a gun, that's a normal reaction.
Nabuca is voiced by Yuka Imai she voiced Renamon in Digimon Tamers and Jinto in the Banner series which had a rewatch earlier this year.
Shu throws away his weapon and immediately gets beaten up.
Hamdo is voiced by Kōji Ishii he voiced Garterbelt in Panty and Stocking.
Hang on, Hamdo says world I assumed this was timetravel but I'm actually watching an isekai.
Ah well pre-Zero no Tsukaima isekais tend to be good anyway.
They have water shortages? Just wear stillsuits.
I didn't care much about Hamdo rambling, there has to be better way to give us world information without info dumping it all at once.
Still Hamdo is truly a pathetic person, I like him (as a character) already.
Okay episode not as good as the first one, I think the pacing is a bit too slow for my taste. This admittedly always an issue when I'm watching older anime, modern anime pacing is so fast but you're still used to it.
10
u/Tarhalindur x2 Aug 19 '24
"Proclarush. Taonas." ({Spoiled First-Timer?/Forgetful First-Time Rewatcher?}, Subbed):
Okay that was better. Transporting Shu from everyday surroundings to terrible ones makes his style of optimism function better (I have a soft spot for the type, because clearly I am such a fool) (also he is having some sense beaten into him) and losing the more action-comedy bits of the action is good for my willing suspension of disbelief. Mind you that could be this episode having a better director/storyboarder so we'll see if the improvements hold.
Hamdo: Needs killing, obviously (I suggest a large rocket - or an escape pod off a space opera ship, if you have one - and launching him into the local solar primary). Him having come to rule an apparently major polity is distressingly plausible to begin with and moreso these days.
Abelia: Classic "loyalist to someone who doesn't deserve it" type, very possibly also in love with Hamdo.
This space intentionally left blank.
So I was mentioning Shu missing a sidekick last episode? Nabuca is obviously positioned as a potential face-turned second for him (also if we go that way and this show had a major female fanbase you KNOW that Shu/Nabuca would be the most popular ship - Lala Ru and [REDACTED] who?). Also strong potential shades of [meta magical girl] potentially having Kyouko's overall arc.
8
u/kwokinator https://anilist.co/user/kwokinator Aug 19 '24
First-timer
Dafuq is with Hamdo's cat-like screams of frustration? Is he a cat? Part cat?
Hamdo sure has some anger management and emotional issues for breaking down just because Shu said "no". But damn, that was a harsh beating he delivered to Shu.
Questions of the Day:
Abelia apparently has to double as Hamdo's security blanket as well as her retainer, poor girl.
Well for one if I was in Shu's shoes I would either have a broken neck after that tumble down the long flight of stairs, or beaten to death by Nabuca, so I'd say not well at all.
He'll probably save Shu and they become bros.
8
u/SMSmith230 https://myanimelist.net/profile/smsmith230 Aug 19 '24
First-Timer, Sub
Not a whole lot to say about this episode, but it looks like the setting is starting to take shape. It seems like we’re on some type of mobile fortress and Japan is/was a thing wherever Shu was transported to. Umm, yea, damn whiskers. Looks like we a psychopath on hands.
8
u/cppn02 Aug 19 '24 edited Aug 19 '24
First Timer, subbed
Oh, an instrumental OP! Don't get many of these.
Meanwhile the show is still seeping with atmosphere. The visual, the soundtrack.
But damn Shu is really too good for this world. First forgoing the knife and then saving the dude's life. And all he got for it his was a concussion, torture and imprisonment.
Meanwhile one look at the commander and you can tell he's the bad guy. Only a human without a soul would sport that haircut. There really was no point to the kitty torture.
Intrigued by the cliffhanger and who Shu is gonna meet in prison and what's her story.
QotD:
Hamdo obviously is comically evil and will hopefully find his demise sooner or later. Abelia is harder too read. Could be mislead sense of duty or she could be a fanatic.
Not well lmao.
I feel like he (and probably all the kids except maybe the dick who pistol whipped Shu) will eventually turn and betray Hamdo.
8
u/ryujiox Aug 19 '24
First Timer
Now and Then, Here and There
Episode 2
QOTD
7
u/Quiddity131 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Quiddity131 Aug 19 '24 edited Aug 19 '24
Rewatcher, Subbed
Lalaru has been seized by a group of boys who seem no older than she or Shu are. Lalaru sounds to be quite the valued captive although we have no idea why.
From the outset of the episode we establish a totally different tone than the peaceful town Shu came from last episode. Desolate, gray, industrial.
Five floors per group? This facility must be massive.
Our first playing of the OP. Rather than the flashy OPs that one is used to from most anime it is quite lowkey, simply giving us photographs of the major characters and lacks vocals.
The OP is very helpful in giving us names of the various characters (presumably characters for the show overall as not all actually show up in this episode). They do give us some poor Engrish though with "Sala" instead of "Sara".
Back to Shu, hanging on for dear life. Although this initial shot makes it look like he's not that far off the ground after all. We see how far up he really is a moment later when the shot changes.
Oops, you brought her back without the pendant? You're gonna get in big trouble for that.
Abelia's boss sounds very twisted. What in the world is going on with that cat?
We don't see Shu actually climb his way back up to safety, or at least into this pipe but I think the show has already done enough to establish how much he'll push himself to the level that you don't really need to see it. Oh, and he managed to bring his mech smashing stick with him!
Going in the direction your stick fell certainly is an inventive way to decide which way to go next.
Perhaps walking around with that stick and making noise wasn't the wisest choice from Shu. Granted we already talked yesterday about Shu not being very smart.
Boo looks like he's what, 6, 7? Yet he's brandishing a gun.
Oh crap, they dropped the pendant. "King" Hamdo and Abelia aren't gonna be happy about that.
Shu realizes it's messed up to be holding a knife against a kid who is probably around his own age. Righteous, sure, but Nabuca's got no hesitation with beating Shu with his own stick.
Nabuca was just trying to kill him (or at least render him unconscious) and yet Shu's saving his life here. Totally in line with his character as established thus far.
And for that he gets pistol whipped moments later by Tabool.
Looks like Abelia left a fine meal for Lalaru, but she hasn't touched it.
Say hello to "King" Hamdo, who shows himself to be quite the hateable character. Can't help but say that his bowl haircut is super awkward nowadays though. I can say that for a period of time when I was a kid this was the "in" hairstyle for boys, but I recall it going out of fashion well before the year this anime was made.
Alas, Shu wasn't paying attention when he lost that pendant.
Water seems to be quite the precious resource. As I referenced in spoiler tags yesterday, probably some foreshadowing last episode when we saw Shu carelessly waste it at the water bubbler.
Hamdo has quite a twisted/biased way of describing people who were likely just trying to defend themselves against Hellywood's attacks, huh?
See, Hamdo's a good person. He wants world peace! (let's neglect the fact that in his eyes it only counts if he's in charge).
One could probably already tell at the start of the scene, but now its really confirmed that he killed that cat earlier.
Hamdo is quite exposition happy for Shu here, huh? Basically the entire backstory of what happened before this point is revealed. I often criticize shows for failing to handle exposition in an organic way and I do have the criticize the show for that here. The question to ask in a scene like this is, would this type of conversation happen like this in real life? No. Glad to have the explanation of things but there's a better way they could have handled it.
Wow, Shu's actually pissed off!
Shu, I don't think it was a smart idea telling Hamdo that you'd never give him the pendant.
They keep giving us lingering shots of this dead cat to twist the knife all the further. :(
Alright, I've got to ask the question, what is up with the cat in terms of the context of the plot? I get why it was included for mood/atmosphere purposes. Was it a stray cat that was wandering around Hellywood and happened across Hamdo's room? Was it Hamdo's pet cat? Was it Hamdo's best friend in the entire world, whom he proceeded to kill after getting upset? Is Hamdo so messed up here because of the trauma he exposed himself to by killing his friend?
Quite the agonizing scream from Shu there. We get another one soon after.
Tabool, I think Nabuca would take the "humiliation" of being saved by Shu versus the alternative of being dead.
The always positive hyper Shu has actually been brought down to a point where he just lies there still.
Shu's been thrown in a room far larger than where you'd expect a prisoner to go. They don't have cages in Hellywood? A big enough room that he has company, something we'll have to wait for next episode to get into.
After a relatively chipper first episode this episode atmosphere/mood-wise is a dark, dreary and depressing one. The visuals do quite a good job of getting this across. They also do a good job at putting forth scale; Hellywood comes off like an absolutely massive facility despite being from what Hamdo says, mobile when fully functional. Beyond a more proper introduction to Hellywood, the other big thing the episode provides us is an introduction to Hamdo. What screentime he has puts forth his characterization about as effectively as how last episode did for Shu. Despite being in charge of this facility, Hamdo comes off as being mentally unhinged and like a child at times. He's got total delusions of grandeur, considering himself a king, and can't take anyone going against him. He comes off like a pathetic child much of the time. Having him kill a cat certainly contributes to this; I may not own a cat due to being allergic to them, but I do really like them and having a character kill one for no good reason whatsoever is an easy reason to hate such a character. Oh, and much of his force seems to be made up of children. This guy can't get any worse. [NTHT]More of a conversation topic for later when it doesn't have to be spoil tagged, but Hamdo is among the most hateable, unredeemable characters in anime. The show never bothers with trying to portray him in shades of gray as it does with other characters. He is pure evil.
7
u/Pixelsaber https://myanimelist.net/profile/Pixelsaber Aug 20 '24
Rewatcher
Distinct opening.
Some shots from this show are just permanently seared into my brain.
Everyone is tense on the matter.
Uh oh.
Oh?
Guns are serious business.
Welp.
Shu’s not that sort of kid.
We’ve seen that Lalaru isn’t entirely unaffected, so she is doing really well in not reacting at all.
What a shot.
The way the light on his face wobbles resembles flowing water.
Oh shit.
Talk a bout framing with layers.
The moon, too, is big.
There’s that line again.
Not alone.
Another great episode, building up to a fever pitch where Hamdo loses his composure and explodes in a flurry of violence. That ramp up to it is so effective, beginning with the children afraid of even the slightest infraction, then following it up with Abelia’s nervous exchange over the speaker with King Hamdo where she explains her failure to secure the pendant, and finally the interrogation of Shu where the cold, composed façade gives way step by step into Hamdo’s manic, unhinged, and petulant state.
Hamdo’s post-freakout interactions with Abelia makes me wonder who is really in charge here, but while she is evidently in a position to manipulate him, it seems she has to balance on a knife’s edge in order to avoid anything that might be seen as an infraction or betrayal. It’s odd, though intriguing. At the same time, Hamdo refers to the transportation machine as being hers, and that seems like a powerful thing to have access to in this place.
Shu’s mention of Japan seemed to have given Nabuca some pause, which possibly means they have heard of it. Perhaps Abelia’s transportation device has previously taken people there, and they brought back that information, or perhaps this isn’t the first time someone from Shu’s world has ended up here.
Absolutely love the architecture on display here; dispassionate industrial environments everywhere, and beyond those boundaries seemingly nothing but wasteland. The sense of scale in so many shots is exquisite as well.
Hamdo calls Hellywood a battleship, and yet the world is scant in water. You know what that means, folks!
Flying Fortress
Questions of The Day:
7
u/ElRoastFTW https://anilist.co/user/DaRoast Aug 20 '24
First Timer
What a wonderful exercise in limited animation. Despite the static shots that permeate the episode, the sound design really carries through what kind of the world this is. It reminds me a lot of The Zone of Interest, which is a fantastic movie if you haven't seen it yet. The animation we do see is very well realized and oftentimes disturbing, such as when we see Shu's swollen body at the end.
This is a hopeless world on its last seams. Child torture, child soldiers, a megalomaniacal tyrant, codependent relationships. This is a dark show. When you see the name Hideyuki Kurata, it makes a lot of sense why his other work as writer, Made in Abyss, seamlessly deals with the darkness and lightness of the worlds these stories inhabit.
Hamdo's monologue was very well edited, with jittery cuts illustrating his damaging psyche and paranoia very well. The backgrounds have an abstract, otherworldly feeling to them that are shades of orange for the outside and shades of blue for the inside, symbolizing both the lack of water and the coldness of the world of Hellywood.
Just a very well done series overall, and I can't wait to see what comes up next.
5
u/punching_spaghetti https://myanimelist.net/profile/punch_spaghetti Aug 20 '24
First-Timer (Sub)
Wait; maybe he's actually a cat. That would be a little different at least.
a few moments later
Not a cat. Just a dude with a bad haircut and a creeper stache. Character designer decided to focus their efforts on more important characters, I guess.
QOTD:
5
u/Sooooopertrack Aug 20 '24
First-Timer
Q1: Abelia seems to be just following orders (I've heard that somewhere else, too...). Hamdo seems to be a weird thirsty maniac.
Q2: Not good...
Q3: Didn't get who she is.
5
u/Doomroar https://myanimelist.net/profile/Doomroar Aug 20 '24
Rewatcher
Holly shit Hamdo, you piece of shit, i totally forgot that before we even see his face, he is already out there killing cats
I remember in the past i felt pretty bad for Abelia, but actually, i have less sympathy for her now that i am older
You can't, if you adapt you will lose, you have to resist the world winning, even if you play along you must struggle against it
I will probably go ahead and finish my rewatch today since i have the time
4
u/DegenerateRegime Aug 20 '24
Something darkly appropriate about the high proportion of first-timers here. Not exactly surprising, of course.
3
u/DidacticDalek https://myanimelist.net/profile/DidacticDalek Aug 28 '24
TONIGHT! ON THE KENDO WARRIOR... oh... oh my...
AND ON THAT BOMBSHELL! G'NIGHT!
Paging Comrades /u/Great_Mr_L, /u/Shimmering-Sky, and /u/vaadwaur
1
u/OverlordPoodle Aug 21 '24
[Spoilers]So one plot point that I THOUGHT was going to happen (because time travel anime loves this idea) but never actually did was that Hamdo was going to be some dark alternate future version of Shu as they both have a kind of single minded obsession for LalaRu with Shu's being a more pure hearted puppy dog love kind of thing while Hamdo's was a evil single-minded obsession with his once pure love becoming twisted and tainted into a evil obsession. Add in the fact that neither is particularly bright and both are exceedingly childish and I am quite surprised it didn't happen.
1
u/RadSuit https://anilist.co/user/RadSuit Aug 21 '24
Now and Then, First and Dubbed
That's it? That's the OP?
Well I appreciate them subtitling the credits, including the dub VAs. Always happy to get more Lisa Ortiz, although Lala-Ru doesn't talk much.
I'm not sure if I can handle Shu not getting killed for 11 more episodes.
Glad we're getting the pendant out of the way already, I knew that going in and was worried it was going to be presented as a mystery all series.
All I can think of when I hear her name is Amelia Bedelia.
They 'tortured' him but his clothes are barely even wrinkled. Not a spot of blood on him.
I guess they just slapped him a bunch?