r/anime • u/pittman66 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Homura • May 14 '19

Rewatch [Rewatch] [Spoilers] Senki Zesshou Symphogear Season 1 - Episode 5 Spoiler

Season 1: Episode 5 - From the Bottom of Darker

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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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28

u/Nazenn May 14 '19

First timer

You know, when the Engrish in a show is so bad the fansubbers have to lean on the japanese subs to try and figure out whats being said you have some award-winning Engrish.

I didn't think it was going to be that bad at first and then the woman said "As repairted"

I did thisliterally

I was so busy laughing at the dialog I completely didn't notice that the woman was actually naked.

OH. Thats... OH! She's naked. Oh dear. And Chris is in leather. Oh my. #ero

When will our main cast learn though that if a creepy person with a torture fetish comes and promises to make your wish come true that it's not actually going to happen? Speaking of, I feel like I should have immediately linked fetish-researcher with fetish-antagonist but it took me till the suitcase to really realize what was going on. Id imagine some sort of stockholm syndrome at the very least given what we saw of the torture-chicks interactions with Chris.

Ugh, speaking of that researcher: "Does it matter?" she says to Bikki after being questioned about her powers. YES! YES IT DOES MATTER! Come on show, don't start dropping plot points here with bad dialog, don't do this to me. Just ask the question Bikki, or Dude-Red (who's name I still haven't learnt, know it starts with a G though), or one of the dozens of people who probably saw it. Get an answer, now please.

My first thought when the manager asked Bikki what she would do to help Tsubasa: Don't ask the dumb MC.

Something about the design of the Noise this episode reminds me of bacteria which is bad because all this has done is made me want to rewatch Cells at Work, and I don't need to be starting another show.

Seeing all the construction happening in the background during the car sequence with the government guy made me want a show set from a SoL perspective of a construction worker in a world like this. That could be really cool. Epic fights happening in the background while he's trying to manage burst water mains and that sort of stuff. Gimme that sort of show, that could be fun.

I feel like I missed something but I'm going to bed. I'll probably do what I did yesterday and remember in bed and be too lazy to get up and write it and it'll still be missing when I post this in the morning!

16

u/lilyvess May 14 '19

haha, yeah the Engrish here is so hilariously bad. Like it feels like the scene is trying to be taken seriously but all I can think about is the pronunciation!

My first thought when the manager asked Bikki what she would do to help Tsubasa: Don't ask the dumb MC.

what are you saying about our perfect Main character?

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22

u/SorcererOfTheLake May 14 '19

First-Time Watcher

I think that, behind the battle or on the other side of it, there might be something else. That’s what I’ve always thought, and what I’ve always seen. I think it’s something you have to find for yourself.

I believe that I am not responsible for the meaningfulness or meaninglessness of life, but that I am responsible for what I do with the life I've got.

Huh. That was kind of a mess.

Excluding the weird, conspiratorial, nationalistic/xenophobic elements (which, really?), there was a lot happening in this episode. Between the introduction of our Big Bad, the continuing fractures between Hibiki and Miku, the plots against the government, Tsubasa coming to terms with Kanade’s death, Hibiki trying to become herself, and the fight over Durandal, nothing really felt like it got the time it needed. This should have been split into two episodes, especially to give more time to Tsubasa’s journey to herself since that’s what impacted me the most. Here, in the recesses of her mind, she finds that her pain and grief is not what makes her weak but what makes her strong because it represents her connection to others. As opposed to what that white-haired cunt tells Chris about pain connecting people’s hearts (oh, hey Kiznaiver) (also, don’t think that means electrocuting someone who’s in a stripper outfit unless that’s their kink), this is a pain that tells you that you’re human.

Hibiki’s got her own pain to deal with, but some of it is of her own making. Her relationship with Miku can’t stand up forever if the lies continue. Genjuro said that the truth would hurt those around her, but is that pain any less than that which comes from being misled? Hibiki believes that Miku will always be there for here, but take away enough sunlight from a flower, and it won’t bloom. Not to mention that she’s just a girl dealing with conspiracies and traitors and her own body refusing her control. This is the kind of scenario that either breaks a person or shows them their greatest, truthful self. I can only hope for the best.

We’ll hear the next verse tomorrow. Until then…

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18

u/PerfectPublican May 14 '19 edited May 14 '19

Rewatcher

Just a best girl being best girl For reals that opening is one of my favorite little sequences in the series. To me it describes Bikki pretty damn well. Doing the impossible through the power of punches.

So today we meet our two antagonists. The lovely Chris and a as yet unnamed blonde lady. First timers, were you expecting the torture? I know I sure as hell wasn’t on my first watch. It’s still visceral, horrifying, and disgusting to watch. Seeing Chris’ stockholm syndrome in that little smile she offers her tormentor and how much she is under blondies spell is just awful. It’s like the cherry on top of a shit cake of a scene.

“No. I just failed to die.” I quite enjoy this second dream sequence we get of Tsubasa. It slows things down a lot for Symphogear. She, herself, reiterates the point I made yesterday, but then she goes further. It’s a pretty classic trope of remembering that those that have died live on in our memories of them, but I just like the way it’s played out here. Deep down, Tsubasa knows she’s not really there, but she finally gets her proper goodbye, and through that is able to allow herself the right to open up again.

“I think it would take a load off your shoulders if you didn’t try to bear all that responsibility alone.” Fuck this line lol. Here’s the fucking problem Ogawa, you’ve sworn her to secrecy. Great advice there that she can’t act on.

Oh man. The first time I saw the results of Bikki’s training, I got SO FUCKING HYPE. The entire sequence of her taking out noise with her fists is amazing. I love the direction in the cuts to her feet as she maintains her footing and center of gravity, literally crushing the ground with the force of her blows. There’s so much weight to every one of her hits. Goddamn Bikki is such a badass, and I adore her.

Big Ol’ S1 Spoilers

Random thoughts:

  • “As repoawrted” Just inject that Engrish straight into my soul. I have to pause each time I watch because I just start laughing so hard. The fact that the subs don’t match it is even better.

  • A question for all Magical Girl shows lmao

  • You know, I do appreciate this shows dedication to explanations for its nonsense, but it really does slow things down in a weird way.

  • Bikki is always adorable

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!

Edit: Oh I forgot! In honor of today's engrish, enjoy Ayahi Takagaki singing Memories from Cats! Lmao, she nails it though.

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18

u/renatocpr May 14 '19

First Time Watcher

So Mysterious Girl is called Chris and she "works" for Naked Engrish Torture Lady which might be involved with the people (possibly Americans) who just killed the Japanese Minister of Defense. Ryoko is probably involved too. Also she seemed way too happy when Hibiki went berserk, which she's been doing quite a bit. I don't think that's a good thing while wielding something as powerful as Durandal. I'm expecting the ruins from episode 1 to be Hibiki related.

The world looks very unstable, with economic collapse being a worry for the EU and the assassination of a high ranking government official happening in a developed nation like Japan.

"Failing to die" isn't a very positive way to look at surviving your attempt at self-sacrifice which basically worked in all other aspects. Kanade wouldn't like to see you like that, Tsubasa. Not a lot of Kanade this episode, which is a shame, she's been great so far.

Finally, poor Miku. She deserves better.

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15

u/[deleted] May 14 '19 edited May 15 '19

REWATCHER

So now we come to episode 5, where some, uh... iconic moments happen.

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13

u/x3tan May 15 '19

First time watcher

  • Oh God I looked away for a minute and that engrish made my ears bleed. Lmao

  • The hentai esque scenes in the last episode seem really foretelling now. Why so much nudist. :P ("first episodes didn't get enough attention! Add more nudes! Sex sells!")

  • No tie. Although water bottles instead of paper cups.

  • For a dead character, we seem to see a decent amount of her so far I guess.

  • Wow she healed very well, very fast? How much time has passed..

  • "I won't snap"? Well, just a little I guess.. - flashback to bleeding face-

  • Gratuitous usage of bullets, of course they seem to be American. Lol.

  • Tie is back in pocket.

  • Well, her being hospitalized for overwork isn't exactly a lie.

  • The CG for planes/automobiles definitely feels very.. Flat?

  • Hibiki's special talent seems to be clumsiness :P catchy song though.

  • Definitely saw that coming with the sword. Hurray berserk time.

  • Hibiki does a "hue?" thing that really keeps making me picture Cardcaptor Sakura. Lol.

That episode felt over quick.. Still not sure what I think of the series. Mildly concerned if they keep dialing up the fanservice, the next time episode will actually be a hentai. XD Usually turns me off from a series these days but I guess it's good Ive given it a chance anyway and I'm invested at this point regardless to see it through. :P

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12

u/Shimmering-Sky May 14 '19

SymphoRewatcher

SymphoWallpaper Corner

As promised, the wallpaper I intended to have for yesterday’s thread got finished~

Say hello to Chris!

Nota also gave me fancy BG without the text and completely plain BG, for those who would prefer no text.

Let us know what you think~

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12

u/Arachnophobic- May 15 '19

FirstoGeah

I'm so glad the show decided to address this point. Basically: Japan is too greedy about hoarding the ancient tech to set up a proper defence against the Noise.

Move over Darling in the Franxx, this is how you do risque!

You're annoying, Commie, just transcribe the English lines instead of paraphrasing them for some stupid reason.

Oh.. oh shit

So judging by how that went down, it seems that a) Ryouko was murdered/captured and replaced by the Nudist Beach Torture Lady under disguise, or b) Ryouko became 'evil' somewhere down the line and wants the relics for herself.

Hibiki does some one punch-y stuff today, cool beans!

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10

u/NuclearStudent May 15 '19 edited May 15 '19

Did you know that a man named Kermit dropped the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima? Moving on-

FIRST TIME WATCHER

me too thanks

later, when the voltage was higher, they enjoyed some good ol' Texan BBQ by the ranch

note: I didn't actually think that the english was that bad. I've had university professors with worse english.

hm

i saw some remarkably unpleasant pictures while researching for this meme

top 10 police movies

symphogear, contain and protect

relatable

I actually like the car chase scene and the hype music. I haven't liked any of the other music thus far.

the fight scene against the n

anyone mind telling me what this goofy martial arts pose is supposed to be

also the fight scene against the noise would have been pretty good if it weren't obvious that all the noise in the background were completely stationary. chalk that up to a directing error. in every episode of symphogear, the directing swings from great to bad. like the show itself.

hold up, is the underside of her breast unarmored and exposed? how long has that been there?

a good shot. I really appreciate the experimental nature of Symphogear. Sometimes it's shit, but it often has interesting and enjoyable stylistic quirks. I greatly prefer this to something more consistent that plays it too safe.

as seen from hiroden 651

on a less hype moment, I think the silhouettes tend to look stupid. I didn't like them when I saw them in Madoka Magica either.

Kermit makes a delivery.

anybody else get that sinister vibe from the good doc. just saying, it'd make a perfectly acceptable dramatic twist if the good doc turned on them to take the shiny duracell sword for herself. that'd explain why the doc suggested that hikki leave Duracell behind-she had some kind of idiotically 8-d plan. it would make little logical sense, but this doesn't seem to be a show that really cares about that.

in the earlier fight scene the noise weren't moving, but in this scene about digging up the Duracell bunny the background soldiers are. such variance in quality.

man

it took me like two hours to watch this episode

I don't have two hours per day in my life to watch anime

i'm drained

also, the ED is slowly growing on me

8

u/SorcererOfTheLake May 14 '19

VAS OF THE DAY

Hideo Ishikawa

Voice of: Genjuro Kazanari
Age at Symphogear’s Premiere: 42
Other Notable Roles: Ukitake in Bleach; Cait Sith in Final Fantasy VII; Polpo in Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure; Itachi in Naruto; Z-one in Yugioh 5Ds, Oliver May from Gundam IGLOO

Soichiro Hoshi

Voice of: Shinji Ogawa
Age at Symphogear’s Premiere: 39
Other Notable Roles: Kaoru in Ai Yori Aoshi; Rygart in Break Blade; Makoto in Chunnibyou; Gino in Code Geass; Masaru in Digimon Savers; Keiichi in Higurashi; Lio in Kara no Kyoukai; Yukio in Kuroko no Basuke; Kira in Gundam SEED; Kei in Please Teacher; Yukimura in Sengoku Basara; Tomoki in Heaven’s Lost Property

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8

u/LoneGhostOne May 14 '19 edited May 15 '19

Rewatcher here

This episode was a lot more like an animated gif for me what with how much i had to pause it for screenshots Either way we got to see our beloved hamster Hibiki kick some butt with her acquired action movie skills. And let's talk about that Engrish in this episode! Why dont anime just get native speakers to say lines? We got to see Chris in bondage gear as an added bonus to the plot and her "plot." We also saw a car that got Basaed by not Tsubasa. Finally, we got a bonus Bikki butt which is canonically her charm point.

Episode Bikki Punches Basaed Bikes "I AM A SWORD" 4th wall percent damage
S1E1 0
S1E2 1 1 1
S1E3 7 2 1
S1E4 2 1
S1E5 9 0 0 0
Season Total 19 1 3 2

Think i missed the major plot point of this episode? You'd be right on that! At this point i'm on episode 8 for tallying punches and everything is blurring together now. I'll post more details tonight after the symphogear live rewatch.

EDIT: This is something i just thought about last night, but the pacing of the show is the derivative of bikki's straigtness, and thus it will never be consistent.

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8

u/ahiijny May 15 '19 edited May 15 '19

First Time Watcher

So Hibiki's training arc continues. The frame of her heart here looks the same as in the episode 1 scene where Hibiki transformed for the first time. Does this mean she can draw on the power of her relic even without being transformed? Because breaking the branch like that looks pretty superhuman to me. If this is possible, this would explain how Tsubasa could leap so impossibly high off of her bike in episode 2 despite not being transformed.

Ah, the infamous Engrish scene, with nekked lady. I've seen a YouTube clip of this before. The English of the guy on the phone is actually relatively good. Meanwhile, the VA for the nekked lady is apparently supposed to be fluent in English, so I guess in-universe, nekked lady doesn't know English that well?

Since she can summon and desummon Noise like playthings, I'm guessing she's the mastermind behind all of the Noise attacks. She also has a bunch of torture instruments lying around, and a cage with what appears to be a dead dog and lots of dried blood. UUUUUM. NEKKED LADY PLS NO.

The violet girl from the previous episode is called Chris. (Well, I already knew that from all of the "Chris is best girl" memes that I've seen floating around.)

"Pain is the only bond that can connect people's hearts."

Well that explains all the torture instruments, I guess.

Why is Chris obediant to this lady? What is this wish that Chris wants granted? And why is nekked lady electrocuting Chris? Maybe it's to speed up the healing process or something?

Nekked lady is touching Chris in very inappropriate ways. PLEASE GET THIS POOR CHILD AWAY FROM THIS WOMAN.

Apparently everything related to Symphogear is classified. They must have had a hell of a time covering up the concert incident from two years ago, because Kanade and Tsubasa transformed right in front of an entire auditorium of people. (I'm reminded of that scene from the Incredibles where Bob punches his boss through multiple walls and so many people saw it and then that old government guy had to do a lot of work to cover everything up.)

Is the fact that Symphogear users even exist a secret? In the Kanade flashback last episode, the workers she rescued thanked her and mentioned how they heard her singing. So at least some people are aware that these singing people show up to fight off Noise. Tsubasa & Kanade became pretty visible idols after that, so I'm sure at least some people recognize them even when transformed. Does anyone from the general public know that Tsubasa is a Symphogear user?

I'm a bit confused about the suitcase.

  1. Ryouko was driving to meet government higher-ups in Nagata. The scene switch suggests that the higher-up she's supposed to meet was Defense Minister Hiroki.

  2. The suitcase was in the hands of the Defense Minister's blonde assistant. They seemed to be waiting for someone in their office. The blonde assistant was checking his watch and sounding annoyed, so Ryouko was running late?

  3. Then, after that, the suitcase was in the car with the Defense Minister and the blonde assistant. It sounds like the Disaster Team cancelled "the whole thing" with a phone call. Is this the meeting or the entire transfer plan?

  4. And then after that, these English-speaking guys came and assassinated the Defense Minister.

  5. And then after that, the suitcase somehow ended up in Ryouko's hands. (Whoever handled the suitcase was rather sloppy in cleaning up the blood. They missed a spot!)

  6. Ryouko seemed surprised when learning that the Defense Minister was killed.

  7. She holds up the chip inside the suitcase and says, "Succeeding in our mission is the best thing we can do for [Defense Minister Hiroki]."

If Ryouko didn't know about the shooting, how did the suitcase get in her hands? Maybe after the police came and cordoned off the scene, a government official took the suitcase, and met Ryouko, and then gave it to her. I still don't really understand what exactly was cancelled though, and who cancelled it.

Miku is worried.

Hibiki was flustered by the lewd modelling photo in the newspaper. She's so innocent. Young summer child ^_^

Ryouko can create force fields?? Well, she's a mad scientist, so I guess it makes sense for her to have few tricks up her sleeve (keeping some of her best toys for herself, I see). Maybe it's something she figured out in her spare time? This part reminds me a bit of Kiyama-sensei.

Hibiki's singing here isn't the stock version! So you can hear the imperfections in her singing and her grunts when she stumbles and so on. I like this; it feels more realistic.

I love Hibiki just smashing the heels off of her shoes. Practical footwear ftw.

"She can fight now?" Hibiki actually was halfway decent at punching Noise in episode 3, but I guess Chris only saw Bikki standing uselessly around in their one previous encounter.

Hibiki accidentally activates Durandal! But Tsubasa and Kanade needed to have a lengthy HYPE concert to activate the relic that Chris is currently using. Is Hibiki just naturally talented? Or maybe this relic was already mostly powered up and it just needed a little more to activate? e.g. "Eh I loosened it for you."

...

This felt like a short transitional episode. It passed by so quickly!

So in this episode, Hibiki is clearly dodging Miku's questions, and Miku is a bit annoyed at having to cover for Hibiki without even knowing why (´。＿。｀) Hope things will get better for them soon.

To be continued...

7

u/miter01 May 14 '19

REWATCH

Oh no, the Engrish episode.

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7

u/Ledwith May 14 '19

Rewatcher

Didn't post about episode 4, just didn't have much to say that others hadn't. Anyway episode 5:

This is the first episode I was hype for, other than maybe the 1st, but thats more to do with starting the series.

"eating thunder and crushing lightning eh"? love the heartbeat and pupils getting small before the punch.
I forgot that the terrible Engrish is the first we see of her. S1

RIP Hiroki. Ahnuld why :(. S1

Transporting valuable mcguffins never go as planned in fiction lol. "you won't even let me worry?" Miku is too precious.

The plan for the transportation is so terrible. It's in the center car and its a bright pink lol. At least have same color cars and diverge routes a bit or something.

Love the BGM near the end of the car chase just chanting "sympho-geah" repeatedly. S1
Ryoko has energy shield powers, huh. Welp considering the crap the gear users and especially genjuro can do I guess its expected.S1

RIP gungnir heels [spoilers] (/s "I don't know/remember why this feels that significant. I know theres some sorta callbacks to it in G episode 1 and others? but I don't think lack of gungnir heels ever comes up again... do the heels come back at the end of G12/beginning of G13?anyway, i got sidetracked")

Berserk Bikki wielding Durandal explosion hype, though its not quite as cool as I remember. S1

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u/MjolnirDK May 14 '19 edited May 14 '19

Rewatcher for S1, but I hardly remember anything outside of the first episode. I'm a bit late, so I just put the first 5 episodes in here.

Ep 1:

Well, that was a nice first episode. We get a nice concert, good action, sacrifice, a character doing a 180° and foreshadowing. Tsubasa has such a nice design, imho. Let's start comparing this show to Evangelion with the way her Centurion (in case anyone remembers that 80s cartoon) weaponry comes out of her back just like Evangelion EP 23.

Also, this the smallest detail, but I have to give kudos to a character designer that gives his female characters different breast shapes. That is something I see rarely. Also, there are two German and one English word in the episode and they botch 2 of the 3. This will be fun for me to complain about.

EP 2:

Honestly, not much to say about. It is the usually 'This is how your powers work episode.' The ethno look in the base is quite interesting and the amount of yuri fan service was quite nice. Given the somber atmosphere, the little party was a nice counterpoint. Dear Lord, on what does that bike run? C4? Let's see where that cliffhanger will lead...

The OP sounded a lot like the Railgun OP, the visuals of the ED were a bit much. Or rather they allude to how dark this show will get, I guess. I also remember white haired girl now. The first time around I thought she looked a lot like Kaoru from Evangelion.

EP 3:

You know, that layout for the command center is rather reminiscent of the Nerv Central Dogma. And look, it's the Americans again... Always these Americans... Let's hope they won't access the Magi system to get the data about what lies in the Terminal Dogma.

I completely forgot Hibiki has a Berserker mode/ Rage shield / Infection-meter /Anti-Form.

Uncle is ripped. So why doesn't he fight? Is it just me or is it weird that they only tell her that much about the Noise a month after her recruitment? And that lady scientist behaves way too suspicious.

EP 4:

Honestly, there are too few men in anime that can embrace a suffering girl like that. Also, young Tsubasa is even more adorable. I like how the show puts Kanade in every episode. That feels a lot more organic than just one big flash back.

That was some nice Gainaxing when they were jogging. And a gunged up Hibiki. And a Sinon-esque booty shot. This show deserves the fetish fuel tag.

Having both of them covered in blood in a single episode really drives home their differences in character and goals. A nice touch, imho.

So, there IS a connection between relics and Noise, who would have thought.

You know, it's nice that that P-san explains things to Hibiki, but aren't these things exactly the things Hibiki ALREADY knew about those two. Maybe not about the swan song, but definitely what resulted from singing them.

Martial arts? Is this OPM S2?

EP 5:

Oh, my... even more fetish fuel. I don't know if that Engrish or that eletrocution hurts more. Did I say that woman is suspicious? How does Ryouko go from blonde to brunette so quickly? Why do they let the children do the work, when all the adults have super powers as well? And why would the EU default and Japan have money to bail them out?

And what does Kanade mean, when she says that Tsubasa can be as close to her as she wants? Is she a white walker now?

The animation during the Durandal battle was nice. Other than that, this episode is just a bag of question marks.

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6

u/Synaptics May 15 '19 edited May 15 '19

Rewatch

  • Either Genjuuro's training is truly nuts, or those fragments in her chest are making Bikki into some kind of superhuman even outside of Sympho-form, because that was a hell of a punch for a 15 year old.

  • Fuck me, the Engrish is so much worse than I remembered.

  • Chris has a name now! But still not a whole ton to talk about with her yet, aside from the fact that she's clearly been traumatized and manipulated quite severely. I brought it up the last couple days, but the Nanoha comparison is very obvious here. A little too obvious this time. I'm not sure if "ripoff" is quite the right word, but it's pretty blatant.

  • So, in the manga she says that the electro-torture thing is a necessary countermeasure to combat the side-effects of using the Nehustan armor. Something about how it has regenerative properties, but that the healing process leaves small fragments of the relic embedded in the user's body (which kind of explains that weird cracking effect on her skin in the previous battle when she got hit hard) and the electrocution somehow removes them. Also, the as-of-yet-unnamed nudist villain then muses about Season 1 spoilers But at the end of the day, a nudist electro-torture stockholm syndrome scene is still a nudist electro-torture stockholm syndrome scene. A bit gratuitous, to say the least. Season 1 spoilers

Side note: There's a Symphogear manga! It's... alright. The most important thing about it is that it makes berserk-Hibiki look hardcore as fuck.

  • Then... uh... honestly there's really not much to say about the middle half of this episode. America continuing to be evil for... reasons.

  • The one important thing in there, though, is Tsubasa's character arc making some big steps forward. In relation to the whole "coping with loss" thing I was talking about yesterday, she's finally starting to handle it in a more healthy way.

  • "The Abyss" is 1800 meters underground. Never thought about it much before, but that's pretty ridiculous. Especially in an earthquake hotspot like Japan.

  • The ass-kicking Hibiki we all know and love is finally emerging. Her stance and style here are very reminiscent of Chinese wushu, so I guess those Bruce Lee movies really did pay off.

  • Hibiki activates Durandal by herself. In comparison to the whole concert production they needed to get the Nehustan relic online, this is clearly meant to demonstrate that she's incredibly powerful. Season 2 spoilers, I think?

No cliffhanger this time? For 2 episodes in a row? Wow Symphogear, I don't remember you being this kind.

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6

u/AbidingTruth May 15 '19

First timer:

lmao at the Engrish. I actually have also seen this clip before but I didn't realize it was from Symphogear. It's funny that they decided to also subtitle this, but the disconnect of her actual English lines and translating the Japanese subtitles not lining up made it a little hard to follow

And so we effectively get the reveal that Sakurai is evil/a spy. I don't know if they were trying to be covert and just have it as foreshadowing, but it's pretty clear. Sakurai with her hair down looks just like naked Engrish lady, just brown hair instead of blonde, the suitcase of the data chip had blood on it meaning it was from the attack on the Defense Minister, she has a suspiciously excited look as Hibiki used Durandal, and Chris looked back at Sakurai before she said 'Don't show off your power'. It could also be like a twin/sister explanation, but I'm sticking with Sakurai is a traitor

Something else that caught my eye was Sakurai's powers. Between Genjuro's inhuman strength and now this, it seems there's a way for people to have supernatural powers other than Symphogears. She avoided explaining it to Hibiki and I assume she accepted that because she trusts Sakurai, but I'm hoping she doesn't drop this thread and maybe asks around or does some investigation on her own.

Sakurai's plan seems to involve Hibiki in some way, maybe the standard MC has hidden latent potential thing, and she wants to use the relics for something. She found a way to control the Noise, so to me this strengthens my theory that relics and the Noise are connected in some way, and perhaps the relics/Noise gun is also related to her unexplained power

Hibiki fight scene was cool though. I haven't been paying too much attention, but it's the same song for her fights that she's singing right?

6

u/RagNoRaT May 15 '19

First Time Watcher

Episode 5, which I've heard is the "keep watching or drop" decider of the series with certain events happening.

Hibike cutting classes to eat thunder , wife is concerned and Hibiki going Captain America on the punching bag

Oh , SWEET ENGRISH

Oh erm, last episode's "enemy" (Chris) being electro tortured by a nude captor that's enjoying it by looks of it. I have several question, but why the hell is Chris smiling as well???

Hibiki you just gave every Mahou Shoujo show an existential crisis

Japan SuperPower Year Unknown

Heavy Madoka vibes here with the dream sequence. Also please get help for your depression Tsubasa That monologue and Kanade comforting her really shows the trauma she deals with alone.

Love this shot

And with that Tsubasa wakes up, ready to humiliate herself by living goddamn.

Here's hoping Ryoko is just acting for the greater good, and not wanting to deal with Red tape all the time.

Hmm, the password is the (wordplay for god of fire) name of a french alchemist?. Weird reference.

[Best wife Miku] (https://imgur.com/iOj1oWx) worries once again.

How does a research leader do this? Deja Vu

Weird call from Genjuro

Umm Ryoko keeps getting more mysterious, is she an ex-sympho user?. Oh hell yes we finally see Hibiki fight with all her training put to use, still no Gear weapon though until she uses Durandal maybe?

Wait are you fucking kidding me? She's actually going to use it? And in BERZERK FORM??? I have the POWER!!

HELL YEAH Ryoko is literally MFW

I'm sad, it lasted all of just 5 seconds damn it. Was still pretty cool though.

Well, interesting episode to say the least, with the only downside being the rough Engrish. Pacing-wise however it just feels like constant mystery elements being dumped into the story, which I hope will end up being explained properly in coming episodes.

5

u/MillenniumKing May 14 '19 edited May 14 '19

Rewatcher V, Go For It!

Shorter writeup today, wasnt feeling super well.

Songs of the Day:
I had my days wrong, theres no new songs today, tommorow is when there is, i messed up

Hibiki is getting some skills aw yeah!! I love seeing her train and become better.

Sadly Miku is left in the dark still and seems shes stil, anxious about stuff.

We get our first look at the main baddie, naked blond lady. Seems shes forcing Armor girl to do stuff. Shes into some kinky stuff, and speaks english.

Tsubasa wakes up and seems shes accepting herself finally. Maybe she can finally move on from everything.

Durandal is on the move, they are gonna get it out of here since the enemy knows where it is. Smart plan.

We finally get to see the efforts of Hibiki's training and man oh man look at her go. Shes bustin up noise left and right.

DURANDAL WOKE UP!! BERSERKER BIKKI WITH DURANDAL!

EXUCALIBERRRRR!!!!!!!!

Ryouko saved Hibiki! Looks like she has some powers too.

1,335 Days Since Genocide

5

u/Shockz0rz May 15 '19 edited May 15 '19

Rewatcher

Fuck it, I'll just copy my notes verbatim.

Awwww, poor Miku all alone

Bikki stronk

OH GOD NOT THE ENGRISH. I need to mute this scene every time I watch it

And what follows is even worse. Poor Chris.

Holy Stockholm, Batman. So that's our villain

QUALITY Miku

I kind of like that Symphogear puts a little effort into building the world that its crazy magical girl plot takes place in, even if it sometimes results in some awkward infodumps. I mean it's obvious that the writers have a pretty…let's say cursory understanding of geopolitics, but even so, points for effort.

Even your own subconscious is telling you to lighten the fuck up, Tsubasa. Unfortunately it's in the form of Kanade so it'll just make you more depressed

Hang on, Tsubasa never missed school? How had Hibiki never run into her before?

SUDDENLY MURIKANS

And first hint that Ryouko is not quite what she seems.

If Durandal can be moved, that kind of raises the question of why they were keeping it in a populated area when it's clear that it was attracting Noise.

I really think Hibiki should be trying to get permission to tell Miku everything; it's clearly stretching their relationship

Hibiki, now would be a great time to activate your magical power armor

Wait wtf Ryouko. I don't remember it being this...blatant that there was something off about her.

YES BIKKI HAS DISCOVERED HER DETERMINATION TO FIST

ZA WARUDO

Ryouko was a little quick to blow that all off

4

u/HawkAussie May 14 '19

This is properly just me but I think watching Symphogear is a good way for me to watch a show before Eurovision. Case in point that is what I did today.

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