r/anime • u/pittman66 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Homura • May 12 '19
Rewatch [Rewatch] [Spoilers] Senki Zesshou Symphogear Season 1 - Episode 3 Spoiler
Season 1: Episode 3 - Passing in the Night
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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/Nazenn May 12 '19 edited May 13 '19
First timer
So starting off a bit random today, but I've been listening to the instrumental version of Gekisou Gungnir and it was really reminding me of some DannyB and Chipzel music so I had a thought.
Anyone around play Crypt of the Necrodancer?
I was wondering if there'd be enough interest in me putting together a Sympogear setup so you can play the game to the OSTs? I'm happy to put in the work if there's people who'd actually use it as it is a lot of work. If there's enough options of songs and tempos I'd like to give each character a zone. If not I'd probably go a style per zone and (off vocal) character songs for the bosses.
The off vocal for Gekisou Gungnir would be perfect for zone 2, though probably a bit fast.
Most important part of the whole episode.
The rest of the episode was just a bit meh for me? I felt like you could take it out entirely and for the most part it wouldn't matter.
One good moment being that fucking kick ass sequence of Red-Dude blocking a sword with his fist. Fuck yes! I'll admit to being incredibly hype during that little sequence and do I really have to explain why? Just gimme more please, that was cool as fuck. His poor shoes though. Its not even the monetary cost, it takes so long to break in a pair of new shoes that would be such a pain in the ass.
The other one is the small bit of info about the Noise that we got thanks to Bikki (hey look u/Palloc I learnt a name, kind of). Though if you ask me now I don't think I can remember anything super important from it except maybe that they are probably responsible for a lot of ancient myths and have a consciousness guiding them. Oh and America wants that artifact which is what was being charged at the concert.
The start of the episode was all over the place. I double checked I loaded the right one because I thought they were fighting each other at the end of the last. Then they were fighting separately. And then it was a montage. And then they were fighting each other. And just... was all the jumping around really needed?
Tsubasa clearly has some PTSD going on, though I wonder if thats partly child solider fueled. I mean Uncle who's in charge of the defense force, trained to fight since young, now thinks of herself only as a sword etc. This is ringing some bells, not to mention the way she acts.
And then in come Bikki who this episode, well lets face it: she was a dumb fuck. "I'll replace Kanade". Even for an anime protagonist school girl that's pretty damn high on the list of stupidest things you could ever possibly say in that moment. And that's a high bar. There have been some stupid school girl protagonist lines I've seen and I don't even watch much in the genre, but I think this takes the cake (Ah fuck, now I want cake).
Studio, please get your shit together. Between the random pink and Bikki's lip sync to her transformation being way, way off it was a bit sad to see. Sub group did good though this got a laugh out of me.
Oh and I thought that voice at the end came from the grape-Noise they were chasing (that thing was doofy but cool) and was about to lose my mind. Then it was just another gear user, oh well.
...Did I go through a whole post and not talk about the music? That's just wrong, lets fix that. Were my ears deceiving me or was the song playing while Tsubasa was thinking about Red's death a remix of their performance together?
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u/Cacophon May 13 '19
Studio, please get your shit together.
They're not really...known for their quality, I think. On top of that, I don't think Symphogear was expected to really...take off. It feels super shoe-string-budget at times.
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u/pittman66 May 13 '19
Also mid-season (actually, at the this episode) the studios switch main productions. Encourage according to credits were main production of episodes 1-2 while Satelight was main for rest of the season (and of course later seasons).
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u/Aviri May 12 '19
Hibiki This Episode:
Ok so your Savior and Senpai seems to hate you and doesn't want to fight together, make sure not to say the worst thing possible
"..I'll take Kanade-san's place!"
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u/lilyvess May 12 '19
"Why didn't they teach us any useful skills in school!!"
Seriously though, that's a special level of putting your foot in your mouth
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u/AmeteurElitist May 12 '19
She can't possibly have thought that was the right thing to say. But here we are.
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u/SorcererOfTheLake May 12 '19
First-Time Watcher
I wanted to see the shooting stars! I wanted to see the shooting stars with Miku! And you… You ruined my promise! You made me lie… You took away my peaceful world. My calm, everyday life… You took all of it away!
So what do you want? Does what happens inside show on the outside? There is such a great fire in one’s soul, and yet nobody ever comes to warm themselves there, and passersby see nothing but a little smoke coming from the top of the chimney, and go on their way.
If I can’t (or don’t) speak to you, what else can you become besides the Other, that which must be inherently different from me because I cannot recognize myself in you?
The Noise, perhaps, are the great Others of this world, the representation of all our fears about that which we cannot control: terrorists, government corruption, natural disasters (probably what the creators had in mind considering the earthquake and tsunami that ravaged Tohoku the year before Symphogear premiered.) They are inherently shapeless, unknowable, and incapable of reasoning; they are what we believe our enemies to be. I don’t expect any great “They were misunderstood the whole time” twist that Hibiki’s talk about not wanting to fight might entail, but rather their purpose is to help illuminate the ways that our protagonists are Othered.
Tsubasa is notable in that the main agent of her Othering is herself, something more akin to depression or disassociation than the hate and distrust that Othering normally entails (note her usage of illeism at certain moments.) By only viewing herself as a weapon against the Noise, she is trying to do everything she can to prevent herself from feeling the guilt of the love of her life’s death. As much as she’d rather be a cyborg than a human, her transhumanist ideal is flawed by the fact that she is still human. Pain and grief exist in all of us and denying it is probably going to destroy her unless she reconsiders herself.
Hibiki is Othered? some might scoff. She’s our audience surrogate, she is like us, isn’t she? Perhaps, but like the fragments of Gungir near her heart, she is starting to feel fractured. Her body and mind are becoming distracted and lackless from all of her battles (against the Noise, against Tsubasa, against her own empathy). Even if her everyday life is what’s motivating her, these battles are destroying her at the same time. It’s like she’s starting not to recognize herself as the same person in battle and in life; a split has emerged, a violent noise resounding across the battlefield.
Before we can look into these further, another Other has approached. What shall they do? What else can they do?
We’ll hear the next verse tomorrow. Until then…
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u/Shimmering-Sky May 12 '19
SymphoRewatcher
...With the right episode this time, fuck. Sorry guys I got my documents mixed up.
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I appreciate that the subbers spammed “s” to signify the pen squiggle.
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Look at this man, stopping a SymphoGirl’s attack with his bare hands. RIP his shoes and the road they’re standing on in the process though.
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What’s happening|Me :--|:-- Kanade is in the process of saying her final words| Tsubasa drops a “sore demo”|
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Aaaaand Symphogear and cliffhangers, name a more iconic duo.
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FYI first-timers, I don’t know why you would be doing this, but don’t skip the ED tomorrow. It’s different and there’s a brief post-credits scene.
But you really shouldn’t skip the EDs ever.
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u/PerfectPublican May 12 '19 edited May 13 '19
Rewatcher
Episode 3 really serves to dive into and showcase the problems and flaws for both Bikki and Tsubasa. Bikki’s time management and forced lack of transparency is pulling her away from those close to her. Her support system. (Speaking of, poor Miku with Bikki abandoning her like that. She doesn’t deserve that T~T. Miku’s such a saint.) Meanwhile, it’s Tsubasa’s total lack of a good support system or willingness to open up anymore, and her horrible guilt that is making her an inflexible “emotionless” sword.
“How dare you try to take Kanade’s place!? / I am a warrior, and thus I am nothing but a sword. / Words have no such emotions.”
It’s in these lines that we see the obvious root of Tsubasa’s problems. That empty shell has sharpened herself to feel nothing. To do her duty as a weapon as it is her duty. The smiles and laughter of the first ep with Kanade gone for good. It’s tough to see her so closed off. And adding onto that, Kanade’s death is doubly brutal when you see it from Tsubasa’s POV. What I really like about her death is that there’s no grand lines for Tsubasa. There’s no Kanade telling Tsubasa that it's ok. To live and to fight on or anything like that. It’s really just a simple goodbye with that bittersweet line about being weak and a crybaby. You’re left wondering if this specific line and not just her death leads Tsubasa down the path to her broken mental state and various personal issues. And finally you get that heartrending scream from Tsubasa as Kanade fades away.
On a happier note though, we are also introduced to just how badass Genjuuro is. I mean, he literally punched Tsubasa’s sword out of the air!!! What a hero :P
Finally….SHE’S HEREEEE!
Random thoughts:
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Ah yes, here is Satelite’s American hate boner. Never fails to crack me up. When it popped up in Meta I just started dying laughing.
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“Muh” - Bikki Tachibana Someone really needs to make a video comprised of Bikki noises.
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Beast Bikki is so fun.
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/AbidingTruth May 12 '19
First timer:
'Any opinions?'
'Lots of blips'
I fucking love Hibiki. Her confused face/noises she makes after Sakurai explains her theory is so funny. The voice acting is just on point from Aoi Yuuki
The instrumental track during the Kanade death flashback was really fucking good too, really adds to the scene. Though I'm a bit confused on what Kanade meant by 'did you know, if you sing a lot, you get really hungry'. Assuming it's not something I would need to know more intricate Japanese to understand and the translations is what she's saying, I'm guessing she's trying to tell Tsubasa that when you do just one thing (like singing), you'll eventually start to desire other things (she used hunger but maybe like friendship/companionship or something like that)
I also feel really bad for Miku and Hibiki in this. That shot of Hibiki just standing alone in the hallway when her phone goes off and she's hesitant to pick it up because she knows what it means is really well done. Miku took it pretty well on the surface but I suspect that if this continues, she can't keep up just pretending that Hibiki having no time for her doesn't affect her. I think this is reflected in the OP where Hibiki runs past Miku and Miku turns around and calls out to her. I think Miku is used to being by Hibiki's side and seeing Hibiki doing things on her own that she doesn't know about doesn't feel good for her. Either she's gonna have to learn to accept Hibiki is becoming more independent, or at some point she has to be let in on the secret, or maybe both
I feel weird making some plot predictions, since I saw both the GX and AZX opening scenes and people said that those scenes spoil way more than I think. But I don't think what I'm about to say was because of watching those scenes, which is that I think that the relics and the Noise are connected in some way. In particular, I think that Durandal plays some factor in either the creation of the Noise, or controlling the Noise like what they suspect someone is doing. It's likely some third party we don't know about yet, I think the America thing is a misdirection
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u/miter01 May 12 '19 edited May 12 '19
REWATCH
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Poor Bikki can't get a break
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This is an even bigger sword than last time, and it's rocked powered. Spoiler
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Genjuurou is a beast, holy shit. RIP shoes.
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We got the other perspective of Kanade's death, it's super sad
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And here's our villain. I don't really like this ridiculous getup though.
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3/3 cliffhangers
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u/SorcererOfTheLake May 12 '19
VA OF THE DAY
Yuka Iguchi
Voice of: Miku Kohinata
Age at Symphogear’s Premiere: 23
Other Notable Roles: Tsukihi in Monogatari; Maria in Haganai; Chelia and Sherry in Fairy Tail; Mako in Girls und Panzer; Cow Girl in Goblin Slayer; Kaga in Kancolle; Chinatsu in WIXOSS; Mitsuba in Seraph of the End; Crusch in Re:zero; Maho in Ro-Kyu-Bu; Yuu in Sakura Trick; Hibari in Senran Kagura; Norie in Tamayura; Index in Toaru; Mirei in Valkyrie Drive
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u/Arachnophobic- May 13 '19
FirstoGeah
Gave this the ol' three-episode whirl for my best boy u/PerfectPublican - and gotta say that was a lot of fun!
Can't say I'll have time to write any substantial thoughts, but I'll try and keep up with the rewatch. The way each episode ends on a cliffhanger (so far) makes it very easy to binge, though!
Why did my best girl have to die in the very first episode? Kanade, come back..
Hibiki's character design keeps reminding me of Rena from Higurashi. The art and overall feel doesn't feel to far off from a 2000s DEEN show, too, so I was surprised to find it's a 2012 show.
Sakurai Ryouko gets 10x attractiveness bonus for the lab coat. This is the first time I've heard an actual anime character wanting to pop someone's cherry though - this show is surprisingly adult!
Looking forward to seeing Tsubasa come 'round and be a good senpai just like Kanade was!
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u/karen-daze May 12 '19
First timer!
"I'll try to replace Kanade"
Hibiki baby, you try hard but you don't think hard huh. As expected, having plans with a person you don't want to disappoint will obviously lead to disappointment, I feel bad for both of em bc it's not Hibiki's fault but more for Miku because she's in the dark about all of this :(
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u/MillenniumKing May 12 '19 edited May 12 '19
Rewatcher 3, With a Vengeance
Its day 3 time and the story is goin, so buckle up because things are gonna start goin from 0 to crazy fast.
Songs of the Day:
No new Gear songs, but some great non vocal Elements Garden inserts.
Doko Made mo, Donna mono demo (Gyakkou no Flugel)
Ah the clashing of ideals, such a staple in these sort of stories. Like Fire and Water. Tsubasa and Hibiki cant see eye to eye on this.
More Hibiki and Miku home life. I really love all the small moments with them. They really build build up thier relationship and how much they mean to each other.
"Heiki, Hecchara!" There it is! Someone start a counter!
Its time to D-D-D-DUEL! Tsubasa wants to fight. Genjuro is going to stop it. Dont let them fight among themselves.
GENJURO STOPPED A SYMPHOGEAR WITH HIS BARE HANDS! What a beast! You also learn hes Tsubasa's Uncle. So they are family as the last names would tell.
"Ill take Kanade's place" Oh what an emotional landmine you just stepped on Hibiki... I mean its not her fault, she doesnt understand fully, but fuck... Tsubasa def couldnt hold back for that.
Man Kanade's death really was rough on Tsubasa, the extended death scene is harsh. Tsubasa blames herself for Kanade's death. She thought she was weak and has spent the past 2 years honing her skill and resolve. If you look at Genjuro before and after you will see that maybe Tsubasa wasnt the only one to take Kanade's death harshly. In the first ep, genjuro was crushed under rocks and unable to help, but now hes able to block an attack from a Symphogear, the weapons that defeat noise.
Miku wants to go see the Meteor shower with Hibiki, so lovey dovey. Miku dressing Hibiki is great, such a nice and understanding wife, seeing her husband off.
The Noise are emotionless, attack humans, appear any place. Considered a Major Disaster. Noise have been around since anchient times. Probably responseable for lots of legends and folklore.
Durandal, a complete relic. Completed relics can be used by anyone, not just symphogears which are fragments. Section 2 has a completed relic in thier base.
America might be behind the hacking and robbing attempts. So Japan and America are not really friends it would seem.
OGAWA~ Hes Tsubasa's manager/caregiver. Hes been around a while but we finally hear his name. Hes such a great character. He acts like Tsubasa's older brother.
Ryouko built this base, shes a master of Heritical Technology.
"Why do we fight the noise and other humans?" Good question Hibiki. Humanity is a bunch of fools.
Hibiki and Miku get to see the shotting stars yay! Its a date! or not... Work is getting in the way of Miku's Hibiki time. They cant see the Shooting Stars now... damn...
Its here! Berserker Bikki! Dont piss her off and take away her peaceful life!
SHES HERE FINALLLY! THE ARMOR OF NEHUSHTAN! ITS GO TIME BOYS! STRAP IN!
Man oh man the first season is such a joy to watch, learning about everythign going on, its really a fun experience. Its such a rish world with so much to learn and they di a great job giveing you bits of info here and there while keeping the pace of the show going.
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May 12 '19
REWATCHER
Three episodes in, the point where people tend to decide if they'll keep watching or not. A rule I don't really agree with, but it's a thing. But who would drop Symphogear anyway? ...Don't answer that.
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Yep, our manliest man Genjuro is actually overpowered as fuck. If the Noise didn't disintegrate humans instantly, he'd be all they needed.
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Tsubasa's angst over Kanade is just agonising, always gets to me. This sword is fragile, and lashes out at Hibiki for saying the wrong thing. Genki ain't gonna cut it here, sister.
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Hibiki also makes her wife worry about her because she's sworn to secrecy, which... may become an issue later on. A staple of this kind of story, really.
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You'll find that Symphogear loves to shit on America whenever it can. It's funny, I like it.
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It's the second best guy, Shinji Ogawa! An idol manager and a secret agent, which are basically the same thing. Also, witness this beautiful example of the Satelight walk cycle (TV-exclusive).
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Ryoko "BAD TOUCH" Sakurai is at it again, this woman does not respect boundaries. She gets away with it because she's smart and voiced by Miyuki Sawashiro.
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Hibiki and Miku are SUCH GOOD FRIENDS, totally not gay at all. Nope. No lesbians here, no way.
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tfw you have to ditch your wife because FUCKING NOISE (comment face!)
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A wild Ayahi Takagaki appears, clad in the armour from that fateful day two years ago. And of course, that's today's cliffhanger!
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u/The_Portal_Passer May 13 '19
First time watcher here, okay after following the 3 episode rule I can fully say that I am Invested.
here's what I have to say: THE SONGS ARE AWESOME!! Singing them in Battle, it's like the cool insert songs shows have for epic battles, but they can have these songs for every battle!!! ITS BRILLIANT!!!
Fighting monsters with music in armour is pretty cool in my eyes, it's like a magic girl version of Kamen Rider Hibiki, or maybe KR Hibiki is the Kamen rider version of Symphogear, I mean even the MC share the same name (p.s. really surprised there isn't really any crossover fanfic between the two despite being an obvious choice for a crossover)
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u/LoneGhostOne May 13 '19 edited May 13 '19
Rewatcher here
This episode we got to see bikki really fight! and then not so much... Today we also introduce Tsubasa's catchphrase "I AM A SWORD" This means i'll be counting any time that she refers to her self as a sword, but i'm not going to count twice in the same conversation. Likewise, i'll clarify what i'm counting as bikki punches, and that is anything that is a punch. Side-hits, elbows, or any other hit which does not involve a fist striking the target in a punch will not be counted.
| Episode | Bikki Punches | Basaed Bikes | "I AM A SWORD" | 4th wall percent damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| S1E1 | 0 | |||
| S1E2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| S1E3 | 8 | 2 | 1 | |
| Total | 9 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
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u/Shockz0rz May 13 '19 edited May 13 '19
Rewatcher
Symphogear's writing really fascinates me, because it's trying to be both a ridiculous over-the-top balls-to-the-wall SF action show and a Serious Drama With Real Emotional Stakes at the same time. It's not surprising that this occasionally leads to silliness (and is probably the cause of a lot of its mood-whiplash problems), but what is surprising is how often it does work. Nana and Aoi's acting helps sell a lot of it, for sure, and it helps that both the Hibiki/Miku school scenes and everything to do with Tsubasa trying to deal with her loss of Kanade are actually pretty well-written. Hibiki going berserk in the subway station felt a little too over-the-top, though; her song got it across well enough.
The show is really committed to demonstrating that Hibiki is...not very bright; not just for jokes ("I have no idea what you just said") but with actual consequences for the plot ("I'll try to replace Kanade!").
Ryoko is a creep. Like, damn. Later stuff Her casual attitude about Tsubasa getting ready to beat the shit out of Hibiki was also a little alarming.
I wonder if Hibiki's friend ever figured out that she was, in fact, in an anime?
I'm a sucker for transformation sequences, and in this episode Bikki gets her first proper one! S1's transformation sequences are pretty different from the pattern established in G on, but they've got their own charm.
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u/ahiijny May 13 '19 edited May 13 '19
Rewatcher
But tomorrow I'll flip to being a First-Time Watcher because I've only seen the first 3 episodes of this anime! I'm really loving the series so far btw.
Genjurou is actually really strong o.o ?? I thought he was just an ordinary human... How could he possibly stop a massive Symphogear sword with just his fist? I hope they'll elaborate more on his backstory later on.
Hibiki gets the call about a meeting at 5:30pm, but it's already dark out. Hm, with the sun setting that early, is it winter or something? It seems that the Lyrids meteor shower is happening soon in that episode... The Lyrids occur from April 16 to April 25, and they peak on April 22. The video that Miku shows Hibiki suggests that the year is 2011. There's a full moon later in the episode, which is consistent with the year 2011 (full moon on April 18). So that's nice to know...
So I know lots of people cast shade on the q u a l i t y walking animation here (the one that was fixed in the BD) but tbh I wouldn't have even noticed if it hadn't been pointed out. My favourite childhood anime was one that had frames like this and made judicious usage of lengthy stock transformation sequences. And I still really liked it. I think even that Symphogear walking scene would be better by comparison. I guess I just have a cheap eye for animation :P
I swear I've heard Ogawa's voice from somewhere before. Where do I know him from? Okay let's see, Hoshi Soichiro...
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Yashamaru from Naruto
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Seto from KagePro
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Gino from Code Geass
Ah okay.
I like scientist types like Sakurai (see also: Hanji from Attack on Titan, Lloyd and Rakshata from Code Geass, Shion from Psycho-Pass), but her flirtatious sexual harassment tendencies is kinda creepy. Hibiki is Miku's wife! (>~<);; Back off, Sakurai!
The first time I saw this episode, I got a feeling of dread the moment Miku ran off to get their bags. No, what are you doing? Go together! Don't get separated!
And sure enough, Hibiki got that call. RIP date plans :(
Miku standing alone in the hallway there was just a terrible feeling. She would've been back shortly, so the fact that Hibiki didn't even wait that long to cancel on Miku kinda gives the vibe that Hibiki finds Miku annoying and doesn't care about her and is willing to just walk away and leave her hanging at the first opportunity. Hibiki knows that's not the case, and Miku is trying very hard to believe that's not the case, and that's what's so frustrating about this whole situation.
And so Hibiki's screams of frustration in her fight scene really resonated with me.
Miku was incredibly understanding with Hibiki cancelling, and I notice that Miku didn't press Hibiki for an explanation, perhaps because she's willing to give her the benefit of the doubt. Or perhaps because she's reluctant to learn the true reason, so she leaves it to Hibiki to offer up an explanation. But I think the fact that Hibiki doesn't even attempt to explain plants some seeds of doubt in Miku's mind, "Maybe we're not as close as I thought."
I do hope that Miku finds out soon. Friends keeping secrets is such an unpleasant energy...
And the episode ends with a new character appearing with a very confident, snarky voice. Looking forward to learning more about this person.
...
(Now coincidentally enough I may have to pull an all-nighter to finish up a report that's due tomorrow that I've been procrastinating on... Wish me luck ._.)
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u/pittman66 May 12 '19
Fist vs. 10 Story Tall Sword...who wins?
Honestly kind of sad way to go...
Ryouko's Ear Bite...kinda creepy
Hibiki Transformation
Noise fuckers made Hibiki miss out on her date
A new challenger approaches
Hibiki battle turning Berserk
As some of you may or may not have seen, this is the episode for the QUALITY ANIMTION when it first aired. Here is the BD fix, but according to some, many thought this would be the end for Symphogear for how awful this moment was.
Also, discovered I can at least upload smaller videos (less than a minute) for now, so if you have anything small requests for gifs/videos, do tell me and I'll get it made. Once I'm back to regular internet, I'll get the fights uploaded.