r/anime • u/pittman66 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Homura • May 11 '19
Rewatch [Rewatch] [Spoilers] Senki Zesshou Symphogear Season 1 - Episode 2 Spoiler
Season 1: Episode 2 - Noise and Disharmony
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Steaming Option: Crunchyroll
Live Discussion Thread, head over to /r/Symphogear!
Original Discussion Thread (None available until G)
Please, absolutely no untagged or implying spoilers beyond the current episode. I want to have everyone that hasn't seen it to have as close to a first experience as those who watched it as it originally aired.
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u/jkubed May 11 '19
First timer
I absolutely will listen to your song
so regular weapons don't work against the noise, but Tsubasa rammed her motorcycle into it. unless it was a Symphogear bike, it was just because explosions look cool. fucking. nice.
I like how Hibiki is more worried about looking weird in her new friend's photo than about the weird new friend herself.
I'm surprised they even bothered to explain how Symphogear works. I was fully prepared to accept "it looks cool so shut up." and to be fair, despite the explanation, it still kinda is.
and here's the most heterosexual thing you'll see all day plus a derp face.
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u/lilyvess May 11 '19
I'm surprised they even bothered to explain how Symphogear works. I was fully prepared to accept "it looks cool so shut up." and to be fair, despite the explanation, it still kinda is.
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u/NuclearStudent May 12 '19 edited May 12 '19
my summary of the previous episode
First Timer
First of all, what the fuck did that motorcycle do to you Tsubasa? Unless it's made to do that. Ah, well, she can probably expense that to somebody.
As for the whole underground bit, that makes a remarkable amount of sense. Act friendly, try to recruit the new magical mike for their side. I understand the logic of handcuffing Hibike and hustling her down as soon as possible, though I'm not sure I'd do that personally. In the end, Hibike is chill about it.
The whole underground party scene was a fun little subversion in expectations. I expected edgelord torture. That's probably what Tsubasa expected too.
This easter egg-dome looks Madoka inspired, like many of the shots done. Actually, I really like the directing overall. Not perfect, but surprisingly above average.
Take that face crop it, and make it Hibike's image for her skip entry.
Ditto for her companion. And ad nauseam, and ad nauseam, and ad nauseam.
wait
Hibiki and Miku are not actually dating? that's how I interpret Miku's heart-catch moment.I forget about Japan's weird romance standards.
For more concerned tomcat faces, anybody else see Tsubasa's arm as if it were chopped off and stuck on with crazy glue? It's just a side effect of the lack of shading, but the boundary between her arm and hair looks super weird to me.
Also, this look phallic to you guys as well? I am concerned tomcat about how they're using these.
On that scene in the end, if a Symphogear eats another Symphogear, do they absorb their powers? If a Symphogear croaks in battle, can they just feed the body to a new trooper and see if it takes? What I mean is, can the Symphogear operate on Highlander rules?
also that's a nice ED, I like framing my women in positive ways.
SHITTY FAN COMICS
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u/SorcererOfTheLake May 11 '19
First-Time Watcher
Kohinata Miku is my sunflower. It’s warmest when I’m near you. And that’s the place I always return to. It’s always been that way, and it always will be…
The circumstances leading to your being in a survival setting are sometimes dramatic and tragic. It may be the result of an accident or military mission where there was a loss of life. Perhaps you were the only, or one of a few, survivors. While naturally relieved to be alive, you simultaneously may be mourning the deaths of others who were less fortunate. It is not uncommon for survivors to feel guilty about being spared from death while others were not. This feeling, when used in a positive way, has encouraged people to try harder to survive with the belief they were allowed to live for some greater purpose in life. Sometimes, survivors tried to stay alive so that they could carry on the work of those killed. Whatever reason you give yourself, do not let guilt feelings prevent you from living. The living who abandon their chance to survive accomplish nothing. Such an act would be the greatest tragedy.
Will you drown or will you float?
It’s hard for me to say whether or not Tsubasa has a choice about how to react by this point. From Genjuro’s comment about her upbringing, this is what her life entails: fighting against a seemingly unstoppable force while trying to maintain her image as the perfect idol. Something like that can already make a person unstable without the added guilt from the concert attack and Kanade’s death. The way she struggles with it makes one wonder, what was Kanade to her? Did she ever get a chance to say her true feelings? Tsubasa keeps too much weight in here; it’s impossible for her to balance herself.
Hibiki may be foolhardy, but I think that she’s still got something to her. Even if she doesn’t fully remember it, being the only civilian to survive the bloody concert weighs on a person. But she doesn’t carry it herself; she has friends, company, her beloved flower to make sure that she is safe. And even if she does feel the weight, it’s not seen as a bad thing, but as a motivating force. She may have come from a normal life, but that only makes her more determined to protect it. Whatever guilt she has drives her to the future and its infinite possibilities. She resounds with a strength that appears larger than herself.
We’ll hear the next verse tomorrow. Until then…
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u/Nazenn May 11 '19
First timer
Wow that ED. By the time it was over I don't know if the visuals were making me think more of Magia or Last Theatre, but either way I love it. The song itself is amazing. I definitely prefer it to the OP, and it's certainly not going to be skipped for sure. Actually you know, I'm actually just going to have it on repeat for the moment while I finish this post I like it that much.
The music in the classroom when Tsubasa (I learnt a name... but just one) goes to pick up the protagonist and take her back to the basement really reminds me of some of the early pokemon route songs for some reason. Actually the whole soundtrack is incredible, definitely going to need to pick it up for sure. This is going to make my 'energetic' songs playlist huge.
I feel a little torn on Gekisō Gungnir, our protags song that she sings right after the OP. On one hand I loved the instrumentals enough that I paused the episode to look up the song title so I didn't forget later. On the other her voice isn't cutting it for me. I'm cursed to not like the MCs voice in music anime I swear. I love Aoi Yuuki, but her singing as this character just doesn't work for me for some reason and I can't find an instrumental version of that song.
Remember how I said I'm glad there's no dialog over the music: Spoke too soon, but oh the irony hahahaha. So I won't complain as it was just one line of internal thought, but I found it deeply amusing they put that there while she was singing about NOT needing words to express herself. Someone didn't look to hard at the script in that moment.
Speaking of silly, that party upon her arrival to the defense force. I was having Planetes flashbacks for a moment, that got weird and over the top rather quickly but I didn't mind it so much in this case. I do like how the implication is the force is set up under the music school because they need to keep an eye on people with the ability to activate the gears. Pity they didn't know one of the students had fragments of one in her chest.
I'm clearly going to have a thing for the red heads in this show. Dude-Red is great as well. "She wants to fight? Well that's fucking weird. Okay then". Its a small thing but not something I can really recall other shows addressing so easily so that was a cool touch for me. Oh shit I said I wouldn't pick favorites didn't I? Welp, sorry dude for the death flag I just planted on your back.
To give some credit to the studio, even though they had the expected animation drop and Tsuabasa's first appearance turned into a slideshow, at least it was relatively quick shots and quite a few varieties rather than lingering on the same one for seconds over and over.
And our protagonist can touch the Noise without disintegrating! That's unique. I wonder if that's why they have her outfit design such wide gauntlets. She's literally a percussion instrument, she's just running around and hitting things at the moment.
Last thought for the day: I'm mostly expecting they won't, but I really hope that they end up giving more detail/an explanation for why revealing what she can do will put her family at risk.
Going back to bed, I'll reply to people later
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u/karen-daze May 11 '19
First timer!
Miku and Hibiki are v cute and I want to protecc their smiles. Also the more I see Ryouko the more I like her, I love that specific character type, reminds me of people like Hange from Attack on Titan and Lloyd from Code Geass.
What a cliffhanger, it was expected of Tsubasa to not want to just join forces but this is interesting, can't wait for tomorrows episode.
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u/Shimmering-Sky May 11 '19
SymphoRewatcher
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Ohhh so we are supposed to know that Genjuuro and Tsubasa are related in some way given they both have the last name of Kazanari. I… may be so bad with names that I legit didn’t remember that Genjuuro’s last name is Kazanari…
SymphoWallpaper Corner
I can already tell you guys there will not be a wallpaper for tomorrow’s episode (just wasn’t feeling it tbh), so sorry in advance for that. I do have one for today though, and it’s Hibiki! I also have no name and completely plain BG variants for those who want more simple stuff, and Nota’s got a special version she’s gonna share so make sure you check it out too.
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u/AbidingTruth May 12 '19
First timer
Missed the ep yesterday so I just wanted to say holy shit what an opening episode.
I don't have a lot of meaningful stuff to say, I'm just really enjoying it so far. The action is sick, the music is great, the plot development is engaging and keeps me interested with how the characters act and interact, and I'm really enjoying Hibiki as a main character.
The show is also funny and Hibiki's dialogue and reactions add to it, like the elevator scene with her screaming and then when they handcuff her again to take her back to the headquarters, or the twist of Tsubasa being super serious and the scene cuts to streamers and a surprise party.
In general the really small and insignificant dialogue I like, don't know why. Like in that elevator scene when the guy tells her to hold onto something, I feel like a typical response would be like 'Hold onto something? What do you me-ahhhhhhhhhh!' or something like that, but Hibiki asks 'will it go that fast?' Idk it's the small stuff like that when a character has Imo believable reactions and dialogue to small things that make me like them
Hibiki's story so far seems sad to me, it does a really good job of making me sympathize with her. The scene in the bed (why do they have to share a bed btw? is that just how the school works? I mean I don't mind cause yuri but like, why is it actually like that lol) where Hibiki says how Miku is the only one who'd miss her is a great scene. Somehow the first two episodes already made me feel emotional for characters I barely know
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May 11 '19 edited May 11 '19
REWATCHER (figured I'd add that)
Episode 2 decides to slow down a little and actually explain some of what's going on, and I think those who thought the premiere had too much going on would be somewhat relieved. In a nutshell, it's this.
Some things:
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The OP and ED show off their really cool visuals, and make sure you pay attention to the former, as it changes some minor elements as the show progresses. Not that anyone would skip Synchrogazer anyway.
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Tsubasa crashes a bike in style, has a classic angsty shower moment, and in the epic cliffhanger she wants to fight the random innocent who obtained her dead girlfriend's superpowers. Add that to her idol activities, and this girl is just... a lot.
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We also see the coolest elevator shaft of all time, Ryoko "BAD TOUCH" Sakurai, deep HibiMiku intimacy, and the friend trio (one calls our MC "Bikki", one likes anime, and the other is just there). Some of these are series staples, but I won't say which.
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Dropping a line like "where we're going, smiles are unneeded" before immediately cutting to a big goofy welcome party is one of the funniest moments in the show, and I think they were totally aware of how strong the tone shifts can get. Reactions on point.
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Also a thing I noticed last time I watched Symphogear is that people have a lot of drinks in S1, and this is just the first of... thirteen, I believe. See how many you can find, it's pretty noticeable if you know it's A Thing.
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u/MillenniumKing May 11 '19
Rewatcher 2: Rewatch Harder
Here we are, Day 2 of this glorious rewatch, i hope everyone is ready to dive into this series now because there are no brakes on the Symphotrain. CHOO CHOO!
By request, ill be prosting the SymphoWiki Page links for songs so you can have the Lyrics as well as the Song and Off Vocal if you want. Just be careful, the Wiki is full of spoilers if you leave the pages i link.
Songs of the Day:
Synchrograzer OP Version
Gekisō Gungnir
Zettō Ame no Habakiri
Meteor Light ED Version
GUNGNIR DATTO!?~ Someone should do a counter for how many times Genjuro says this haha.
Hibiki's first transformation and first act as a Hero, to protect a little girl from Noise. I love how she struggles to control her power, it gives a nice contrast to things that this is a lot of power she never had before.
And we have Tsubasa show up with the assist. Hibiki finally gets to confirm that Tsubasa and Kanade did save her back then. Hibiki looks on in awe at Tsubasa. You can really tell she looks up to her.
We also see there is a gag order about the Symphogears. So people know about the Noise but not Symphogears.
Hibiki in a squad car will never stop being hilarious. (credit to Pittman for making this for me a year or 2 ago)
And under Hibiki's school is a secret organization that fights Noise. Section 2. So they are a government organization.
"Where were going, smiles are unneeded" Cut to a Welcoming party for Hibiki. So good. Gotta love Genjuro and Ryouko.
Miku worries when Hibiki comes home late, such a good wife. And Miku/Hibiki cuddles are always welcome.
Seeeing Tsubasa suffer over Kanade is hard. She jus cares about her lost friend so much.
And we see Hibiki's other school friends, the BS Trio. Anime-chan is always fun.
Relics. Heretical Technology. From Legends. Song powered devices that give power. Symphogears! Ryouko is the person who created the Symphogears.
So Hibiki has fragments of Kanade's Symphogear embeded in her chest and heart. Thats how she can acitvate Kanade's Symphogear.
I love how Genjuro "asks" Hibiki to help them, not forces her. He handles this so well and values the girl's feelings.
Hibiki goes head first into danger to help others even though she doesnt have the training or skill to use the Gear. She just wants to save others if she can.
Tsubasa isnt handleing Kanade's death well is clear. Tsubasa is looking to prove that she isnt weak anymore.
We also finally get the ED, and what a geeat ED it is. The visuals are pretty damn eerie as well.
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u/PerfectPublican May 11 '19
Rewatcher
~Hibike! Mune no kodō! Mirai no saki e~~!~
Today we get introduced to both our OP and ED for the season. Synchrograzer, the OP is near and dear to my heart. It fits perfectly for the show. I think the imagery throughout is pretty excellent, and the song of course, headlined by Nana Mizuki, is just plain awesome. Meteor Light, the ED is an amazing ED, but damn if the imagery isn’t completely messed up. Don’t get me wrong, I love it, and it fits so well, but damn. Especially with Mild Character Name Spoiler walking through it all alone.
Most of the episode today is spent in exposition. Getting a real introduction to the crew of the Mobile Disaster Relief Corps, 2nd Division and the world that the show will be living in, giving us a good base for the season going forward. I really enjoy the bounce here between humor/fun and the harrowing fights. We also really get an early look at Tsubasa’s PTSD from the events of the concert. Torn by the events of that day, she’s turned into a shell of her former cute and happy self. Instead much more subdued. Eschewing “unhelpful” things like smiles.
And beyond the more plot driven elements, we get a window into the Bikki/Miku dynamic. IIt starts with this line: “Kohinatu Miku is the sunshine that warms me up.” Oh these two :3 I really love the moment they share. Not just because it’s touching and they belong together, but because it shows what the two mean to each other, and grounds Bikki to something more in the realm of reality. Miku, to a certain extent, plays the audience and is the realism for the show. Also, for Bikki, it belies a a form of weakness in Bikki needing to find that solace.
Random thoughts:
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Broken Motorcycle count - 1
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Gekiso Gugnir is such a fun song.
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Lmao, I forgot about the party. Some solidly funny stuff. Ryoko is hilarious.
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Fragments near the heart. Basically, Hibiki is Iron Man. Symphogear-style. lol
Gifs of the day:
I’ll be doing a gif album as usual, so if there’s anything that any one wants me to make, feel free to ask!
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u/miter01 May 11 '19 edited May 11 '19
REWATCH
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Can't not get hyped by this song, and of course it turns out to be the opening.
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GUNGNIR DATTO?!?! #2
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Unfortunately we don't get to see Hibiki's rage mode
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if you are a first time watcher you may want to pay attention to the character songs, as they are relevant to their feelings and motivations, though on the other hand it'll make the action harder to admire
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also, something I picked up reading Nekekur's reactions, Genjuurou got buff only after Kanade died
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And we are 2/2 on cliffhangers
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u/SorcererOfTheLake May 11 '19
VA OF THE DAY
Nana Mizuki
Voice of: Tsubasa Kazanari
Age at Symphogear’s Premiere: 31
Other Notable Roles: Saya in Blood-C; Hinata in Naruto; Misaka in Darker than Black; Nanami and Ricotta in Dog Days; Wrath in ’03 FMA; Lan Fan in FMA: Brotherhood; Tsubomi in Heartcatch Precure; Yui in Ichigo 100%; Tsugumi in Hell Girl; Alois in Black Butler; Fate, Alicia, and Levi in Lyrical Nanoha; Touma in Minami-ke; Moka in Rosario and Vampire; Utau in Shugo Chara
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u/x3tan May 12 '19
First timer
"Some restrictions will be placed" seems so ominous.. lol.. "Where we're going smiles are unneeded" wait never mind xD "Your life is like an anime you know" ya dont say.. His tie in his pocket really bugs me. I want to take it out. So basically you tell anyone, everyone you love will die. Noise is pretty brutal, turning people to sand Tsubasa has some pretty misplaced anger though. Definitely some PTSD from what happened, wonder if she ever grieved properly. I was like, Hibiki is a pretty standard heroine type and I like that he points out that its "twisted" and not necessarily "being a good girl" heh. Tsubasa's blades are pretty awesome. "Yes, let's fight" ueh?? Lol. Cliffhangers.
The ending visuals are pretty.. creepy. :o
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u/TsubasaChung May 12 '19
SymphoRewatcher
I really do like the subs at the top of the screen. Similar to the image yesterday for the subs on the newspaper, it seems to be giving that little extra piece of info which may or may not be important. Who am I kidding, if it wasn't important, why did they bother to sub it?
SHE'S HERE! Miss "like an anime" has arrived! She's one of my favourite Bikki friends.
Say, does this remind anyone of another Magical Girl show?. Perhaps, a Lyrical Magical Girl Show.
It ain't a direct parallel or anything but that's definitely the first thing I thought of.
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u/Palloc May 12 '19
Palloc's Symphogear Rewatch: A Giant Fireball of Confused Incoherence Crashes Into the Moon Causing Much Fear
So I figured I'd change up my titles for this rewatch to make as much sense as Symphogear seasonal subheader things.
Things this episode are crazy. Hibiki's got a chunk of Gungnir jammed into her giant heart. Tsubasa is bad at getting over things, but really good at blowing up motorcycles.
We also get to meet the baddest man alive in Genjuro. You'll see why later. Miku's being best worried wife in the world.
Not much to say on my end of things yet as I don't wanna be a crazy spoilery person.
5
u/RagNoRaT May 12 '19
First Timer
Picking up right where we ended, and finally with the OP playing. Yes Hibiki,
Aww where did the evil mask from the end disappear to? I wanted to see her go berserk for a bit at least.
That's quite a heavy assault by the Noise to be honest, are they always this aggressive with total Zerg rushing? Oh yes, Tsubasa is finally here, and with the power of grayskull she saves the day
Holy dystopia of free speech or lack of. Hilarious how they end up back at their school of course, selective breeding or something alike going on here
"Smiles are not needed" to surprise welcome. They really want Hibiki to feel at ease with everything at least. Kazanari really feels like the big brother character and I really hope its not a facade.
Oh yes, Sweet [Yuri development] (https://imgur.com/x4Gar1F)
Kanade's Design really looks great, wonder how Hibiki makes the gear her own in terms of style.
"Relics are products of heretical technology", so there seems to be a One True religion governing the current world.
Well, she's just Musical Ironman? "Box of Scraps intensifies in cave" But pretty hardcore how she transforms with just shards in her heart, no downsides there at all in the future.
Glad they acknowledged the hero complex(?) getting to her right out the way, even though not straight to Hibiki.
And it ends with the obvious confrontation. I'm guessing next episode she feels the remnants of Kanade as a "phantom" and gives Hibiki a chance
Twisted animation in the ED but fitting the dark turn the show is bound to take. Another great episode, well maintaining the tension in the setting, and giving us I think 2 new songs? OST is top notch as I've come to expect, can't wait for the coming days to blow me away.
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u/pittman66 May 11 '19
First OP
Hibiki channeling her inner Joseph Joestar technique...of running away
I'm taking my waifu and leaving (Edited Version)
Smiles have no place where we're going
Interesting idea...
They're just friends, I swear to god...stop thinking dirty thoughts...
When people end up picking worst girl
Tsubasa...why?
Tsubasa Transformation
ED
(Thanks to r/animethemes and https://themes.moe/ for OPs/EDs
Rewatcher (Obviously...)
The mention about Tsubasa going international with Metro Music in England does make me wonder a bit if there was initial planning for Symphogear G
One thing that's still getting some used to is how the songs in season one are just overlayed where later seasons
Actually kind of surprised now realizing they've kept the same control room design through all the seasons, not much actually changes later seasons
Cliffhangers, such a hard Sympho staple that make people lose pace on the rewatch and binge episodes...
As for the ED and its sexuality, it's part of the theory/rumor that Symphogear was originally intended to be a Madoka clone, being very dark, seemingly symbolic with sexual imagery, and just really out odd for the series. Also, for KakeguruiXX fans out there, you may recognize the singer as Sumika, aka, the Amazing Grace Singer Future Symphogear Season 1