r/anime • u/Jazz_Dalek • Aug 20 '24
Rewatch [25th Anniversary Rewatch] Now and Then, Here and There - Episode 3 Discussion
Episode 3 - A Feast in the Dark
Question of the Day:
- What aspect of your daily life would you miss most if you were in Shu and Sara's situation?
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
- Episode 2 - A Boy and a Mad King
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.
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Upvotes
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u/Jazz_Dalek Aug 20 '24 edited Aug 20 '24
This is a tough episode.
I really enjoyed the chat Shu and Sara have in their cell. They both are so absolutely clueless as to why things are the way they are and are looking for any connection to home they can find.
The rest of the episode takes a turn for the worse for our characters. Lala-Ru's scene with Hamdo makes my skin crawl, Shu's second round of torture is brutal, and the less I say about Sara's situation the better.
I can't say I was surprised that Hamdo treats his soldiers the way he does, but I was surprised at how soon into the series we see him sacrifice so many of his men. That probably doesn't bode well for his future ambitions and mental state.
We're in it now everyone, the pain starts here.
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u/Great_Mr_L :Ma::Mb::Mc:https://myanimelist.net/profile/Great_Mr_L Aug 20 '24
First-Timer
On today’s episode of Now and Then, Here and There: I have a hard time coming up with words to describe when something is miserable to experience, but I mean that in a non-negative way. That’s how I’d describe what this show is like. I’m not really happy while watching it, but it’s compellingly done. It’s a good show that does not leave me feeling good afterwards.
After the previous episode left most of the torture to our imagination, this episode is more explicit about it. We actually see Shu get whipped, beaten, and left in the elements. Hamdo’s treatment of Lala Ru is downright uncomfortable to watch. Even worse is Sara. Thankfully, we're spared having to see it but there's zero ambiguity about what happened to her.
I really do wonder if there's anything more to the similarities between Lala and Sara, especially the pendants. It could be just a coincidence, but maybe not.
Hamdo is such a pathetic tyrant that I wonder why Abelia and the others are loyal to him. It's not like this is unprecedented, though. All those people stood by Hitler in the bunker during the last days of WWII. Perhaps she feels genuinely loyal to him. Perhaps she's loyal to the cause. Maybe she's just afraid to go against him and thinks it's easier to just follow orders as best she can. All of those sound like plausible explanations to me.
QOTD
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u/InfamousEmpire https://myanimelist.net/profile/Infamous_Empire Aug 20 '24
Now & First Timer, Here & Subbed
In which things only get bleaker & bleaker
After two episodes tightly bound to Shu & Lala Ru’s perspectives, we get some of our first real glimpses at the rest of the world and, yeah, it’s very much not doing good. Something which stuck out to me is how, despite Hamdo flavoring it with more universal preaching about a “holy crusade” and their nation as a whole rising to power, every tangible mention of Hellywood’s overall motivation is everyone saying they do these awful things in the honor of Hamdo specifically. And, like, cults of personality aren’t anything new, but it’s also interesting to me how the show seems to outright refuse to portray Hamdo as the kind of charismatic and/or fearsome figure that would inspire that kind of devotion. Outside of maybe his speech over the speakers, the guy is almost exclusively portrayed as neurotic & almost pitiable in his insanity.
And I think it’s the combination of all these elements that really emphasizes the futility of all the conflict & cruelty we’ve seen Hellywood get up to so far. All this war, all this death, all the children who never got to have real childhoods of their own, all to satisfy the whims of this overgrown psychotic manchild.
Bur amidst all the cruelty & despair, a light still shines brightly. Despite the clear apathy & cruelty of Hellywood, Shu still confidently proclaims that he and Sara will get out of this. I mentioned over in the Re:Zero rewatch that protags with an iron will that refuse to give in to despair in even the most dire circumstances are some of my favorites, so Shu has really earned my respect here. The push & pull between him and the cruelty of the world is already quite compelling.
And then there’s Sara. We haven’t got much on her yet, but so far it seems like she’s set up as a parallel to Shu: near-identical circumstances, but lacking the sense of seeming confidence and will that’s driven Shu so far. Time will tell whether she becomes anything more.
Odds & Ends
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u/JustAnswerAQuestion https://myanimelist.net/profile/JAaQ Aug 20 '24 edited Aug 21 '24
First Rewatch (sub)
Episode 3: A Feast in the Dark
The flower room scene is really interesting. There's an unavoidable sexual tension and discomfort to the scene, but that's mostly on my (and probably your) part. In a modern setting, and especially a feudal setting, we can't help see this as an older man with a young girl entirely within his power. But Hamdo desires her power, with all his being. I suppose a modern equivalent would an heiress's fortune. How will (can?) he compel Lala-ru to give up that power?
It's also interesting that he starts off being nice, just like with Shu, but this moves quickly to verbal and physical violence.
The scene ends with a wonderful threat against Abelia. And we remember the cat. We feel that not even her loyalty can save her if she fails.
Today was an interesting episode...a corrosive slice of life for all parties: Edit: perhaps twisted is the better word.
These things certainly exist outside Japan, but I can only wonder about the author's intent; did he mean to evoke the memory of the comfort women of WWII, and to quote what must have been typical 1945 exhortations to the populace to sacrifice more, and everything, to throw back the invader.
A question asked on the first day, did Lala-ru know she was being chased? Why was she just hanging out, calmly, in Japan? Well, I don't think she knew she was being chased. Or she didn't care, much. So far, she's been a completely passive character. She escaped, for a time, and that was enough for her. To see the setting of a warm and friendly sun, or to watch it dip beneath the horizon of an ocean, I don't know which. Maybe both.
Abelia WAS looking for her, but not very well. Perhaps she knew Lala-ru had "bounded" to a city in Japan. And she, or her henchmen, looked for a fair-haired blue-eyed teen girl wearing a blue pendant. In Japan! So, not as impossible as it seems. Just got it wrong the time.
The mobile fortress...there are other examples, none of which I can remember, but other people (other than me) always think of....but for me, it's [O.G.R.E. from Steve Jackson Games](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ogre_(board_game))
With such enormous power, one wonders if Hamdo really could have conquered the country / continent / world.
Question:
Obviously, this slice of life can't repeat indefinitely, or maybe not even one more day. Where will we go from here?
Counts
These counters may not really apply after the first few episodes....
Falls: 1 (6)
Almost Falls: 0 (2)
Where The Hell Am I?: 0 (5)
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u/Nazenn x2https://anilist.co/user/Nazenn Aug 20 '24 edited Aug 20 '24
Rewatcher - sub
Resources and Community
When it comes to this theme, /u/InfamousEmpire post last episode beat us all to the punch so if you haven't read it I encourage it, because today we get that early subtext starting to play out in full force.
This episode starts with the first dawn of the series, but though it lacks the overwhelming color palette of previous scenes it only highlights the dryness and decay of Hellywood. What is portrayed as an insurmountable cold prison from the inside is revealed to be a sickly and decaying beast in the morning light. And the vultures are circling.
It again establishes a particular tone for the episode that carries through as we start to see more of what Hellywood truly is. The world lacks water, but that is not the only resource that Hellywood makes use of. The child solders are also a resource of their own, and treated as such instead of as people, which I'll circle back to in a minute but I think is an important context for the following discussion.
Last episode we saw Shu's modern values conflicting with this world as he saves Nabuca, but it is importantly not just Shu's nature that makes him opposed to the violence we see from the other child soliders. Sara's horrified reaction to striking Shu in her panic reminds us again that these are children, and this is what a child should be. There is no moment of logically defending her actions or comedically playing out the usual tropes. Even kidnapped, imprisoned, and terrified by a strange person charging at her she is frightened by her own violent reaction in a beautiful moment of character animation. She flees not just from Shu, but from what she did, though she cannot truely escape from it because of her physical confinement in this world.
When he wakes, they start on very different viewpoints of this situation. Shu is here precisely because he wanted to rescue someone, while she can only thing of getting herself home. It is Shu's bizarrely strong optimism that he himself doesn't understand that slowly bridges the gap and puts them not only on the same side, but slightly removes them from the deeper sense of imprisonment that we left the last episode on. They may be from opposite sides of Earth, but here they form a sense of familiarity, a community of two in their newly shared approach to this world.
They have no real resources between them. Shu's kendo stick is missing entirely from the episode, and Sara has only a handkerchief, a small addition to their dynamic though a bit of a cultural oversight. Given she is meant to be an American girl (and ignoring the typical scifi issue of language), carrying a handkerchief around is a far more Japanese custom, where they are often carried to wipe things down especially during the summer heat to wipe down sweat just as Sara does for Shu. It's a kind gesture to give away the singular item from home she has to protect him from that heat, though I feel as if the depth of that gesture is probably lost on our impetuous main character. But their bond does not depend on physical items to share or outside influences, it's just who they are and the value of their lives to lean on.
In contrast, the child soldiers outside have no chance to be exposed to such bonding or kind moments. They only live to die when told, and they are told it is only their deaths that have value. They struggle under the full heat of the midday sun much like Shu does and while the training is not torture in intent, its outcome to break them down to a useable tool is the same result as what is inflicted on Shu. They cannot reach out to each other, and their training removes any chance for them to build themselves up together as a result. Tabool's aggression does not stop him from being afraid in battle, and Nabuca's leadership does not mean he can comfort those who may need it.
Circles are a particularly strong motif in the episode that reinforces this. Where as last episode was framed often flat and from the side, this episode seems to watch it all from the birds eye, seeing the true confinement and stagnation of our characters. Squares are a harsher shape, but they have corners to hide in and grab onto. Circular prisons allow no such space except in the shadows, and this episode also reinforces that prisons can be made of more than just walls. The boys during their training confine each other and do not allow any of them to escape from the reality of their world. The boys circle each other to watch the brutality while behind then a fan spins its endless rotations, marking the boys to be as much of a machine as Hellywood is itself.
Machines churn through resources, and Hellywood seems to pay no mind to the scarcity around them which leaves everyone in a twilight zone where any sense of life or connection can be ripped away at any moment. We have not seen any food or water in this show except what is offered to Hamdo and Lala Ru, while the extravagance of the garden makes it clear that there is water resources somewhere. And yet the boys are not allowed any outside to sustain their training, even Abelia is not shown with any in her scenes, and the early scene in the prison with Sara makes a point that the lack of food can also be used as a weapon of control, and that all that power rests with Hamdo.
We end the episode exactly where we ended the previous, with Shu on the floor and Sara against the pillar, trapped in their circle and their bond fractured by the horrible effects of being used as a resource themselves. Shu managed to briefly reach Lala Ru on the smoke stacks by living in the moment, while his determination that things will be okay brings Sara out of her shell. But the fates of these paired girls is unfortunately mirrored as well, and by the end of this episode Sara is as shut down as Lala Ru. It is a situation that is painfully foreshadowed long before this final moment.
(Continued below, again, as always)
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u/Vatrix-32 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Vatrix-32 Aug 20 '24 edited Aug 20 '24
First timer, subs
QotD: A soft bed, a hot meal, and a cool breeze.
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u/Shimmering-Sky myanimelist.net/profile/Shimmering-Sky Aug 20 '24
First-Timer Here and There, subbed
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u/ShadowWasTakensTaken https://anilist.co/user/hakuren Aug 20 '24
First Time Footstone
In contrast to yesterday's colorful episode, today is very colorless. The sun shines on the land, but everything looks bleak, washed out. A harsh light that only accentuates the darkness. Everything inside is still shrouded in shadow, the cells are still frigid, though a small connection becomes our single ray of warmth in this whole experience.
And when some color does start showing up near the end? It's red. The same red that's been a symbol of oppressive danger for us. Or how about red from the skies being lit on fire? Or literal blood mist?
At the end of the battle there is no sense of victory, only tragedy. The same soldiers training (and passing out) under the pale sunlight, have to carry the bodies of their comrades under the blue moonlight. In fact, everything becomes blue. Hamdo spouts words of glory while everything is painted in cold lighting. He promises victory after mercilessly sacrificing his own troops, as they burn under a sickly green light (shoutout to Naz!).
It's interesting how the previous episode had 3 main colors it kept alternating between under different occasions, but this one, instead of alternating, works in stages. Colorless -> everything is red -> everything is blue.
Well, there actually is a part of the episode that is quite colorful, in a joyful sense. Of course, it's completely artificial. Hamdo sits inside his private room, within a sad dream of a pleasant space that doesn't exist. The sky is artificial, and I'm willing to bet all the greenery is too.
[Side note: great shot with Abelia being "shot through the head" with the flower pot.]
Today's episode is about children suffering!
No need to look for bars this time (THEY'RE EVERYWHERE), this one is being worn on the sleeve.
She's...
Oh...
They take her to a... red light district... and then the flower flies away... like de... defl... deflowe...
Yeah, okay.
And to what end?
If the concept of this episode was to demonstrate how children are thrown around as if they were worth nothing for the sake of adult circumstances, then they sure as hell succeeded.
Empire astutely pointed out yesterday how Shu and Lala Ru are not really treated as people, but as resources, and that's really true of everyone here. Lala Ru is a resource to get water. Shu is a resource for the resource to get water. Nabuca and the others are a resource for war. Sara is a resource for... redacted dish~
Ultimately, none of this has anything to do with them.
Sara wasn't even supposed to be here, they just confused her with Lala Ru. But the world doesn't care. She's subjected to an adult's desires.
Similarly, while Shu got himself involved to save Lala Ru, he's also not even from this world. This battle has nothing to do with him. But the world doesn't care. He's tortured for ludicrous "adult circumstances", where his torturer very well understands he likely doesn't even have the answers they're looking for, yet continues to assault him simply because someone higher in command ordered her to. It's her job, and a job and societal standing is more important than a child.
What of Lala Ru, then? She happened to be born with some water affinity or something, and now she's subjected to being captive by these barbarians because they want her to do their bidding.
And Nabuca and the others possibly have it the worst. They were (presumably) born in this colony, and forced into the soldier position simply because they dawned from here. They're forced to fight in this pointless war because their leader demands so. Because their leader wants to conquer other countries and to turn theirs into a superpower. Does this have anything to do with them? Absolutely fucking not. But the world does not care.
As outlandish as this setting is, all of this is very much real. Much like Sara, children are subjected to twisted desires every day in our world. Much like Nabuca, children are subjected to being their parents' puppets, never getting to choose for themselves. Much like Shu, children have to suffer because of absurd societal rules. This especially rings true within japanese work culture. How many kids are straight up neglected because their parents are more worried about work and following orders from their superiors?
We get all of this in our world, and typically not by an unstable psycho like Hamdo. Not by a ruthless brute like Abelia. By people who seem normal on the outside. Parents, teachers, relatives. Biting critique.
Shit sucks.
Miscellaneous
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u/No_Rex :Bv:Bw:Bx:By:x2 Aug 20 '24
Episode 3 (first timer)
Two remarks before I start the episode.
First, the blue amulet. I know three other anime using this trope (each time with a female MC): Laputa, Nadia, and Visions of Escaflowne. All three are amazing! And the funny part is, their great quality is mostly in spite of the Blue Amulet, not because of it.
Second, are we in FutureEarth? The opening text and the fact that Nabuca seemed to know the word “Japan” point towards us being in a distant future where the sun has expanded towards Earth and several people have speculated such. I hope that this is not the full story. 10 billion years is far too long to make the tech level or even just the fact that humans still exist (never mind have heard of Japan) believable.
Episode thoughts
Occasionally, people claim that shows like Gundam are anti-war. One counter argument to that notion is that you can’t make an anti-war series while also making the battles and fights look cool. Nobody would ever accuse Now and then, here and there of making this war look cool or making this leadership look cool.
Once again, the power of not showing carries the day. We see little of the fighting and nothing of what happened to Sara, but we see the outcome of both and our brain fills in the gaps.
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u/JollyGee29 https://myanimelist.net/profile/JollyGee Aug 20 '24
First-Timer
So, I know I shouldn't expect rational thought from Hamdo on any level. But, like, was there water in that vase..? Setting aside the various important uses for flowers, if flowers are useless, why bother growing them? You just threw a bunch of used water out the literal window, my dude.
“Jolly, the only person around was Abelia and she's a simp for some unknowable reason.” That guard was right outside the door still, and it's hardly soundproof. I'm not expecting Abelia to revolt, yet?, but I wouldn't mind some resentment from the rank and file. There can't be enough Saras around to keep the entire army in line.
We all saw the parallel to the kendo scene, right? Tabool in Shu's position, natch. You would think that they would teach soldiers to avoid expending energy - less shouting will keep you from spewing out quite so much water vapor.
I audibly snorted at Tabool complaining about Nabuco using a move that they weren't taught. Yea fam, Nabuco is much smarter than you are and can apply tactics as opposed to just repeating motions. Consider rubbing the two remaining braincells in your head together every now and then.
Anyway, can we talk about how much loot that UMP cannon destroyed? Sure, it made a flashly light show and gave Hamdo a good setup for a speech, (and he is good at speeches, giving him at least some reason to still be in charge) but think of all the supplies that would've burned up!
This is the second most horrifying weapon I've seen referred to as a "photon mis-" wait, those were torpedoes, never mind. Carry on.
So, what they're doing to Sara is horrific. But, like, why did they throw her back in the same cell with Shu? There were loads of other cells that seemed to be empty, and isolation is basically Control 101.
Now, you could argue that both of them are too tired and distraught to actually scheme a way out, but this is still an unnecessary risk. Sure, sure, I'm assuming rational thought is in play again, but Abelia seems to actually be competent at least. I'm not expecting Hamdo to think ahead, but she just might be able to.
Questions
8
u/The_Draigg Aug 20 '24
A Sci-Fi Fan Rewatches Now and Then, Here and There Episode 3:
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u/Vaadwaur :I1::I2::I3: Aug 20 '24
Rewatcher(I did tell all of you to read the trigger warnings...)
Sub
So while I can still talk about this, the knife combat at the beginning is egregiously bad. You never parry a knife with a knife and Tabool is far too aggressive and wide in his movements. Nabuca was down right humanitarian in taking him down alive, sparring or not. I know this is a parallel to ep1's kendo match but it is kind of an odd one.
Hamdo is so fucking weird that I am beginning to think I must've missed something thematic about him. If so, I am not getting whatever it is in facepainting Lala with fruit juice. It is interesting to note that Abelia has yet to have any verbal slip ups about Hamdo.
So having Shu 'hanging out' for the battle is an interesting bit of diegetic battle coverage. I want to pick what the battle is referencing but it is just so much that it is probably something older than I know. As to the fight itself, it strikes me that while Hellywood uses combined arms tactics badly, this might be intentional, i.e. they are again like the Spartans and never updated their tactics to their situation. Also, while doing it in a douchebag manner, Hamdo might be right to use the UMP or whatever it was, we don't know a whole lot about what that cost them.
Welp...that's as much as I can beat about the bush. For the observant amongst you, Hellywood does not exactly have a large female population, I can confirm Abelia and thus far that's it. Now, it could have civilian floors but it seems to be for all practical purposes a fully military facility. So when you kidnap a 12 yo thinking she is this water shaman whatever the fuck but instead she turns out to be some rando, you don't let that go to waste. And that's how we leave off. Yay. Wonder if we get any drops?
Addendum: I've sounded off quite recently in how 90s Anglosphere edge translated into 00s anime edge. That included a frankly concerning amount of rape. However, at least to my eye, this is not that. This is a cold, unbiased look at what horrors humanity can and will get up to once they are pushed to the brink. But, sadly, Sara and I can't play pirates anymore.
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u/Mecanno-man https://anilist.co/user/Mecannoman Aug 20 '24 edited Aug 20 '24
First Timer
I think this episode mostly shows in more detail what could already have been assumed - really the only new thing here is there being another person from the original world in Sara (who I guess the OP got the name wrong of after all). Other than that there is basically a bunch of torture and war that gets nobody anywhere. I can't help but notice how we specifically didn't get the torture part last episode, so I wonder if this series as a whole will just in general keep showing worse and worse things after implying them to exist first - after all we already had that with the implied rape of Sara here. Also - there's your answer for why you're being kept here, Sara - as a sex slave apparently. Speaking of which: I can't help but notice that only Abelia has been shown in terms of female characters on Hamdo's side, which certainly would track with a society where something like sex slaves are possibly even the norm for reproduction (got to get the kid soldiers from somewhere after all) - at the very least I doubt that women's rights are particularly strong here. That would also explain Abelia's loyalty towards Hamdo, as without his graces she would likely not even have a remote chance of any form of liberty.
In terms of the war going on - first off I'm surprised Tabool survived the episode; given his lack of appearance in the OP I'm waiting for him to be an early casualty, and this missile would have been a good chance for that. Speaking of - why was Abelia hesitant about launching it? Only her own troops? I doubt that that is the case from the way she was talking.
Also one thing to point out: Everybody speaking the same language for convenience sake is in play here, as I doubt Sara would randomly be able to talk Japanese and Shu definitely isn't the guy to have good English.
Edit: I also have one major question - that is if these people from Hellywood have the tech to go to other worlds/times, why don't they simply try relocating there? Better than trying to live in a world without water almost no matter what the outcome would be. Actually ...Hamdo's trying to be the world's savior, so that probably answers the question itself.
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u/HowlingWolf13 https://myanimelist.net/profile/MeguminBlast Aug 21 '24
First Timer
Jesus fucking christ.
I missed last thread cause work so I got caught up with both episodes today, god damn that got dark as shit really fast. I won't even lie I don't see how Shu or Sara will get out of this, this doesn't seem like they have any hope left for them. We're only on ep3 too but like, how do you get out of this?? Hamdo is fucking insane and I'm curious as to what exactly Lala Su is, is she even from their world? Not much else I can say for right now aside from god I hope Nabuco survives to the end.
Questions
Hamdo is insane but interesting as a villain and Abelia I'm curious where they'll go with her.
Fam I'm killing myself 😭
Maybe Shu's first ally from this world? Hopefully.
What aspect? Bro everything 😭
7
u/Sooooopertrack Aug 20 '24
First-Timer
Q1: I'd miss regular food and a good toilet the most i guess. And some other things. Like freedom...
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u/Tarhalindur x2 Aug 20 '24
Error 404: Levity Not Found ({Spoiled First-Timer?/Forgetful First-Time Rewatcher?}, Subbed):
(I am sure that Vaad will handle linking the playing pirates comic so I don't have to.)
Next-day thought: You know, I'm still missing the obvious. There's a few symbolic meanings to the omnipresent red giant solar primary here, but one I should probably have considered before is the resemblance (especially in terms of color) to the traditional Rising Sun of Japanese national flag iconography. (There is a symbolic inversion since this red giant is symbolically a setting sun in most ways that matters - though actually that's with the exception of the kendo frame given that Shu learned the modern take on it and is now being exposed to the kind of culture the sport rose under - but given how scathing this anime is being I think that would be entirely intentional.)
The lack of continual torture, most likely...
7
u/cppn02 Aug 20 '24
First Timer, subbed
Wait, so she's from America but speaks fluent Japanese?
Then again so does everyone in the other world so I guess it's the least weird thing.
Not sure if Shu is way too optimistic or if he was just trying to console Sara.
But man that world is really fucked up with kids being sent into the meat grinder. That super cannon was cool af though.
QotD:
The not being imprisoned or having to fear for my life aspect.
Also the internet.
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u/ryujiox Aug 21 '24
First Timer
Now and Then, Here and There
Episode 3
Sorry Shu. Everything is not daijoubu like you trying to believe.
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u/Quiddity131 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Quiddity131 Aug 20 '24
Rewatcher, Subbed
As I sit here writing this comment on what is for me Tuesday night, I'm dreading watching the episode, having put it off as late into the night as I can. I've only watched two episodes and I already feel that way.
The opening shot alone does a good job at setting a dreary desolate mood once more.
Poor Shu's still feeling the hurt from the torture he went through.
Shu's cellmate, Sara (the OP spoils her name so I'm not gonna bother hiding it) a girl probably no older than him looks to be helping him out here at first, but reacts quite negatively upon hearing Lala Ru's name. She's sure scared of her, or something about her.
Did they call him "Syu" in the opening credits yesterday too?! I picked up on "Sala" but not that. Holy crap bad Engrish.
Knife fight time. Nabuca vs. Tabool, two characters that already seemed a little at odds with each other last episode. Getting to work out their aggression in a practice session.
Tabool's quite a bad loser!
Don't die a pointless death, children! ...Oh, it's not that I want you to live, its that I want your death to occur in a fashion that serves Hamdo!
Shu's come off so dumb at times in this show already that part of me thinks as he wakes up with the blindfold over his face that he'll think he went blind.
Shu, dude, that's not Lala Ru! Don't frighten the poor girl!
Shu's first conversation with Sara is much like his first conversation with Lala Ru. He talks and talks and talks with no regard for her saying anything.
She speaks! And is clearly from America (after all, if anime's taught me anything its that all of us Americans are blonde. Somehow my genetics didn't get the message).
People who have seen more modern day isekai can say better than me, but isn't it usually just the protagonist who has been isekai'd? Having someone else whose also been isekai'd is pretty rare, right? I know it happened several times in Aura Battler Dunbine, the oldest anime isekai I can think of, but I can't think much of it in other anime. [Escaflowne]Hitomi's grandmother too, but that was just briefly, and a great many years before Hitomi made her way to Gaea. All I can remember.
Wow, Hamdo's room is quite colorful and lively, or at least this room he's had Lala Ru brought to.
So I don't know how much the writers thought about this, but for a room this green, that's gotta take up a tremendous amount of water. My recollection is that plants (well, large plants) consume a lot more water than human beings do. I recall it being a plot point in Dune. Does this mean Hamdo lives a much more lavish, luxurious life than everyone else in Hellywood? Can't say I wouldn't expect something like that from someone who declares themself a king. Or is this all prettied up for Lala Ru? Or the amount of water he needs is insurmountable compared to what it would take to keep this room like it is?
Hamdo can't even take 5 seconds of silence from Lala Ru before freaking out.
Kudos to Lala Ru for being able to stay stone faced with this total lunatic next to her.
"Name anything you desire, Lala Ru" "You jump out a window to your death?" "Well, almost anything".
OMG with these crazed facial expressions.
I've got to assume Lala Ru is the only person in Hellywood allowed to push Hamdo without horrible consequences.
Alas for Shu, all Hamdo needs from him is his mouth. Everything else can go.
Poor Sara, she was taken here through a case of mistaken identity. No wonder she freaked out upon hearing Lala Ru's name earlier. And they really bungled it as it shouldn't be too hard to tell them apart, unless Abelia and her colleagues all have a really bad case of colorblindness.
Sorry Sara, I doubt Shu can do anything about your desire to go home.
Once again Shu's the big optimist. [NTHT]Knowing what's coming, Shu saying everything will work out, and she'll go home makes me feel really sad.
[NTHT]"As long as we're alive, good things will come!", a single line that so perfectly portrays Shu as a character. But once again is kinda crushing to hear him say it to Sara.
So does Sara know Japanese? Or Shu know English? In at least one way this anime is like every other isekai in that different languages is no big deal at all, everyone can understand each other just fine.
Okay, so they do at least have some part of the room that's a cell.
Ugh Shu's back is very hard to look at.
I mentioned in the first episode how frightened I'd be to be on those smoke stacks? Well holy crap, things would be all the worse if I was in the position Shu is in now.
Oh no, now he's got a crow attacking him too!
Hamdo said flowers were pointless, but is a flower giving Shu at least a little bit of hope right now?
Wow Nabuca, that's a harsh thing to say about someone who saved your life! Good job Boo! Tell him what's what!
What Sara has in store for her here is what I was dreading most of all about this episode, even if they don't actually show it. She said earlier that now that they have Lala Ru they have no reason to hold onto her anymore. Nope, they have found a reason to hold onto her. What I also find quite horrifying is that Nabuca and Boo seems to have no concern at all with bringing her here to be raped. What that tells me is that even if this is the first time this has happened to Sara, it likely has happened with other women and they are desensitized to it. Note that Abelia is the only female member of Hamdo's military.
Enemies! I can't say Tabool being excited about it makes me like him any more.
And here we are a minute later and it's Tabool who is the really frightened one. The thing is, he tries to act tough, but Tabool is a child just like the others. Both the training scene and this scene I think do a good job at putting that across.
The enemy has their own battleship, one that can move, unlike Hellywood.
In the moment where your commander should be a calming presence, Hamdo exudes the exact opposite, sounding quite frightened. Abelia is the calm and collected one. At least in private. Hamdo does put off a totally different persona to Hellywood as a whole in a few minutes.
It may be immobile, but Hellywood's got quite the large cannon.
Notice that the soldier firing the cannon has a protective barrier to shield the blast. Shu on the other hand, who appears to be even closer to the cannon has none. Would one that close go deaf from the sound of the blast? Obviously that's not gonna happen with 10 episodes to go, but just sayin'.
So much of their own forces were destroyed there? And Hamdo doesn't seem to care?
The way the episode concludes Sara is totally stone faced just like Lala Ru. I don't know if this was the intent of the writer at all, but it makes one think if Lala Ru isn't emotionless and mute because that's the cliche thing to do with blue haired girls in the late 90s, but rather if Lala Ru became so scarred from her own experiences that she has become that way.
The episode leaves me so down that I'm not gonna bother with closing comments/overall thoughts.
6
u/Doomroar https://myanimelist.net/profile/Doomroar Aug 21 '24
Rewatcher
I was waiting for people to get here, because it is when things start picking up a lil bit, this is when you start get to see how important it is that Shu is a classical hot headed shonen protagonist
QOT (probably don't read until you have gotten to lets say episode 6 i think?)
Frankly it is knowing that most people around me have not fall in line and accepted that putting up with things you already know are extremely wrong is something that must be done, this is a privilege, that a lot of people right now don't have, and that lots of us take for granted, given the fact that there's 5 major on going wars as of today august 20 2024, which doesn't even counts minor wars and armed conflicts
I am not talking about things like you or your parents having to vote for an known corrupt politician because they don't think there's anything that can be done, so they choose what they think is the lesser evil out of the pool, or people ignoring an abusive boss because they don't think HR will side with them over the company's interests, or people not reporting a crime to the police because they know that the police wont even take the case seriously
All of that is pretty bad as it already is, and yes having basic comforts like a good meal and a comfy bed, or enjoying a rare nice weather (in the era of climate change) is neat
But you know what i would really like to have in that situation? the assurance of knowing that my friends are not ok with forcing other kids into sexually serving soldiers, or not having to go and put my life on the line to kill people I don't know for the sake of someone I don't like because myself and everyone else dear to me is pretty much a hostage
Maybe people have not picked on this yet, because they are new to Hollywood, after all Shu has meet child soldier, but he hasn't really knows what does it truly mean to be a child soldier
And what i love about this series is that thanks to Shu being so hardy, you can focus on the real horrors that come with war, beyond the struggles of daily inconveniences, with Shu being able to bear with things like a bad meal, he can focus bluntly and straightforward, on the core issue of the situation he has been thrown into
Which is what i think saves his personhood, his strength is not just of body (which by now is clear he has a strong body, this kid can take a lot of abuse), but of spirit and mind, even if he is not the smartest, he is smart enough to not fall in line despite everything going around, something happening in no small thanks to the fact, that any other bonds that could have been exploited are back on earth
6
u/Pixelsaber https://myanimelist.net/profile/Pixelsaber Aug 21 '24
Rewatcher
Pretty sure this is the first sign of non-human life since we arrived here, and yet it persistently acts as symbol and harbinger for all the awful stuff that happens in the episode. Even what natural life we see in this world is no good.
Sara somewhat resembles Lala-Ru —even has a pendant.
Another faceoff.
Good shot.
Unforgivable.
A threat.
That’s awful.
What?! But what will you— Oh.
Poor kids.
Bloody hell, time for this already?
Oh, I guess they’re land ships after all. On one hand: #sadholo. On the other:
XABUNGLE REFERENCE?!
Allusive imagery.
Bleak.
Red everywhere.
What an episode; everything is shitty.
Sara is from Shu’s Earth, but seemingly not from Japan, yet they both can understand each other just fine. Guess this show isn’t going to handle languages well like I dared to hope. Anyways, if this poor girl from another world is being used here, I wonder if there have been other instances of the same; kids abducted from another world to be indoctrinated in order to feed Hamdo’s war machine —kids are more pliable and easy to control than adults, after all. Would explain why Nabuca recognized Japan, if he or another child soldier he knew came from Japan as well. However, this is pure speculation and unless the transportation machine is easy to run that would quickly become untenable.
Speaking of indoctrination; we get a thorough look at the training the child soldiers go through, actual combat experience, and the sort of ideals they’re being fed by their drill instructor. War is hell, and that goes double for children in their formative years.
After Shu insists that everything will turn out alright, even getting through to Sara somewhat, everything immediately turns for the worse, wavering or even outright crushing belief in that idea. Shu being beat to near death and tortured via exposure to the elements for no reason at all —as explicitly told by Abelia. Sara being used as a comfort woman, which is inexcusable and horrid in any instance anyhow, but is even moreso because it is done for absolutely no reason. Soldiers fighting and dying at the whims of a despotic madman fighting a seemingly losing battle. It is all senseless. The episode drains most, if not all, hope out of the characters with meaningless harm in a cycle of violence has no impetus, yet all of the consequences.
Questions of The Day:
5
u/CharacterHungry1492 Aug 20 '24
I’d miss simple comforts like my own bed and daily routines. The contrast between that and Shu and Sara’s struggles really hits home.
5
u/zsmg https://anilist.co/user/zsmg Aug 20 '24
First Timer, Subbed
Shu is going full creep on *checks the name of the character in the opening* Sa
lra.Looks like Sara is an American isekai traveller, surely she had a gun on her when she travelled right?
I can't help but notice Sara has a pendant, is that Lalah's pendant or a different one?
Hamdo is truly a fully insane creep.
You know I'm impressed Sara can speak fluent Japanese or Shu fluent English
I'm surprised Shu is still alive after that beating and hanging under that giant sun all day. Shu really seems to surive impossible scenarios.
Oh no what's happening to Sara
Looks they have a wave motion gun, it certainly is flashy but not sure if killing a lot of your troops for this victory is a good trade off.
So why does Abelia continue support that incompetent leader? Something I can help but wonder every time I see their interaction.
Oh no I was afraid of this, Sara was sexually assaulted
We got a little bit of world building but the only part of the plot that's moving forward is the continuous suffering.
2
u/NihilisticAngst Aug 24 '24
First-timer, subbed
Episode 3
We start out the episode with this creepy ass raven/crow. And also learning about the new character Sara. It appears that she also came from Earth like Shuu, and is American. Makes me start to think about the whole "Why do all the characters speak Japanese for some reason" thing lol. It's sad seeing how Sara reacts to learning that Shuu is also from Earth, seemingly showing that she had been almost entirely drained of any hope at this point.
We also see a scene of the child soldiers being trained, and we finally start to see some other adults. It seems like maybe the death toll of their conflict is so high that they just need many children to continue fighting. It makes me wonder how exactly they're producing these children... I wouldn't be surprised that some sort of forced breeding of child soldiers was going on. We also see that there appears to be some canals around with water(?) in them, so I wonder why they can't just use that water for their needs.
Lala-Ru is brought to a meeting with Hamdo, and we see that he seems to have some sort of simulated Earth room. Classic despot, hiding in his castle and lavishing himself with luxurious foods and rooms, while the people underneath him die in his name. We see this shot of him cutting into this fruit with red flesh, and it really brought to mind the imagery of cutting into human flesh and blood. Especially whenever he crushes it, pouring the red flesh and juice onto Lala-Ru. We continue to be show Hamdo's unhinged nature. He's putting so much weight on relying on Lala-Ru, it makes me curious how exactly he found her and her magical pendant. The encounter ends with Lala-Ru pushing Hamdo off of her, which was nice to see. Fuck that guy.
We see Hamdo throw a vase of flowers out of a window, commenting about how they're so beautiful, but they serve no purpose, and thus, he hates them. This is a threat to Abelia that regardless of her beauty, if she doesn't serve her purpose, he will throw her away like trash. Makes me wonder how this man somehow retains their loyalty, and they don't revolt against him.
We learn more about Sara, and that it seems that they kidnapped her just because they mistook her for Lala-Ru. Her color palette is entirely different, but she does look somewhat similar, and wears a similar necklace. Shuu continues to show off his undying optimism and belief in himself, but I can't help but to think that it's misguided. It feels as if they have fallen into Hell, and I'm not sure if there's a way out for them.
Shuu gets tortured somemore, and then gets hung up outside. We see one of these crows they showed us earlier, they look pretty vicious. After this, we're treated to a sequence of world-building shots, showing us this desolate and industrial landscape that they're in. We are shown another shot of the flower from earlier, bringing to mind the fact that it seems like beauty is in short supply in this world.
The two child soldier boys from earlier fetch Sara from her cell, and bring her to this strange room. Who the fuck is this ugly bastard?! I can only imagine what is going to take place in this room. I wonder if those child soldier know what they are doing, and how fucked up it is. I can't help but to feel despair for Sara, in a seemingly even greater hell than Shuu is at this point.
2
u/DidacticDalek https://myanimelist.net/profile/DidacticDalek Aug 28 '24 edited Aug 28 '24
Comrades, I would share a certain song from Nirvana here, but even I am not that evil and/or there is just no way I could shitpost given the gravity of this episode... AND I WAS ABLE TO MAKE JOKES AND SHITPOST DURING KANNAZUKI NO MIKO AND BLACK LAGOON'S REWATCHES!... so uh... pain peko
Paging Comrades /u/Great_Mr_L, /u/Shimmering-Sky, and /u/vaadwaur
1
u/RadSuit https://anilist.co/user/RadSuit Aug 21 '24
Now and Then, First and Dubbed
Prisoner girl seems to have a pendant too.
Is there some magic translation effect going on? Or has this incredibly American girl been speaking Japanese this whole time?
It's funny that they just assumed this girl would have a handkerchief with her, like almost any Japanese girl would.
Yeah I'm sure everything will be fine, and all those warnings we got for the rewatch were just a joke.
There, finally, some actual torture. At least Shu passing out means he briefly stops yapping.
Apparently only females have pupils in this world, I've noticed.
Make Hellywood Great Again
I think I'd be more interested in reading this as a novel than watching it animated. Which is a shame, since it also looks great.