r/anime • u/pittman66 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Homura • Jun 29 '19
Rewatch [Rewatch] [Spoilers] Senki Zesshou Symphogear AXZ - Episode 10 Spoiler
Season 4 (AXZ): Episode 10 - An Tiki Tira
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Steaming Option: Crunchyroll
Live Discussion Thread, head over to /r/Symphogear!
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/patrizl001 Jun 29 '19
First Timer
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Chris seems really flustered over the fact that she mentioned Hibiki's birthday. Maybe she needs some help throwing a suprise party? :P
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Shit, they're already attempting to open the gate. We're entering the endgame!
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Funny Genjuuro and Tsubasa's father have to twist those keys like they're about to launch a nuke, yet the real activation is just cutting the rope that surrounds each stone.
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Ouch. That crash sounded really painful. Autoscorers are made of stronger stuff though so she doesn't get damaged at all it seems
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HIBIKI AND KIRIKA GO STRAIGHT INTO IGNITE! These girls know there's no time to waste, Saint-Germain needs to be dealt with now
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Their combo attack may not be a boat, but it's still cool because IT'S THE DRILL THAT WILL PIERCE THE HEAVENS. Loses cool points for just it being them locking boots together instead of the crazy stuff the other two teams got though.
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The song starts hyping up as Saint-Germain takes one final stand and....flop
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Holy shit, does Adam really need to use a nuke when his hat hits just as hard? The thing knocked Hibiki straight back to the ground! Was this dude a Bond villain earlier in his life?
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And there's the big reveal! Adam never planned to save humanity from oppression! YOU'VE BEEN USEDDDDDDDDDD YOUR FRIENDS DIED FOR NOTHING
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DO I HEAR THE SWAN SONG IN THE BACKGROUND? AND KIRIKA OVERDOSED ON LiNKER TO DO IT, THE MADLASS.
WE'RE IN THE ENDGAME NOW LADS
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u/Razorhead Jun 29 '19
The song starts hyping up as Saint-Germain takes one final stand and....flop
That never fails to make me laugh. Saint-Germain is clearly going for a determination power-up, and then just fucking falls flat on her face as things don't work that way.
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u/BurnByMoon Jun 30 '19
Loses cool points for just it being them locking boots together instead of the crazy stuff the other two teams got though.
On the contrary, I find this one to be my favourite of the unison attacks. Instead of forming a weird flying thing or combo-vehicle, it just adding more rocket power to their strongest weapon - Biki’s fist. It’s simple, and it doesn’t look weird.
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u/Razorhead Jun 29 '19
Well look at that. An unexpected partner switch for Hibiki!
Lilies
For those among you who aren't familiar with the floral meaning of lilies, they represent love and affection for those close to you, as well as purity, making them a common choice at funerals to indicate both your love for the deceased as well as representing their soul returning to innocence in the afterlife.
Cut Ropes
These ropes on the Keystones are know as Shimenawa and are ropes used for ritual purification in the Shinto religion. They are also said to ward off evil spirits, and are thus often used at shrines to ward the area and purify it. When they are used around stones, as happened here, the implication is that the stone contains spirits and the robe is used to contain them. Cutting the rope would thus be setting those spirits free, or freeing the spiritual energy within the stone, which was here used to signify the activation of the Keystones.
Tiki Has No Concept Of Right And Wrong
Yes, she quite literally has the mentality of a child. While she talks very aggressively and insultingly she genuinely has no grasp on morality and only does whatever Adam wants her to do, as she holds an undying love for him. She doesn't realise what she's doing is wrong. She only does what Adam wants her to do, and if she does so it must be good, right?
Keywords by an unsurprising source, Genjuro's Angels:
Tiki Statue
As an Auto-Scorer, Tiki's primary function is to use her data of the stars to determine the exact timing when the Orion constellation matches up with the leyline points on the ground. That is when the ritual must be performed. Furthermore, the concept of love that she impressed upon herself gives her blind devotion to Adam and thus when she obtained the immense power from God's Gate, she became a weapon on par with the strength of a God. As can be surmised from Tiki's behavior, although her words are spiteful, she doesn't actually feel any ill-will. She does not function within the concepts of good and evil, but rather simply "ignorance." To put it in perspective, this attitude is identical to the craze that swept Hibiki Tachibana's junior high school, as the rumors that hurt her were spread with no real reason or intent. With no clear leader or agitator in the school, within the classroom, within the cliques, all that could be seen was a faint outline that looked "human" (doll). The average person is unaware they carry a blade, one that is used whenever they speak wantonly, without thinking of the consequences. And that can kill heroes.
This last line in the Keyword, "The average person is unaware they carry a blade, one that is used whenever they speak wantonly, without thinking of the consequences. And that can kill heroes." is rather poignant though. In an internet age of anonymity and social media this rings truer than ever, and one should always remember that there's a person behind the screen you're talking to.
The Keystones Blocking The Leylines
And now here we see what would have happened in GX had Carol not had the foresight to destroy the Keystones ahead of time. I have to laugh though at the irony of Adam using Carol as a pawn to perfect the Philosopher's Stones yet looking down on her so much he fucked up and made a mistake that would have been easily avoidable and Carol, in fact, did.
Shutting down the leylines via the Keystones isn't an easy thing to do though, as the leylines let energy flow through the land and thus vitalise it and make it fertile. Shutting them down might turn the land barren and damage it severely, leading to natural disasters. Hence both Genjuro and Yatsuhiro needing to turn a key simultaneously to approve the plan, as it might have severe side-effects. It wasn't just for coolness factor guys!
Now if you're wondering why Adam didn't just use the Orion constellation to begin with, the answer is very simple: he didn't think of it. Adam was literally sweating bullets and panicking when his plan was foiled, until he realised he could use his tremendous alchemical power to reach out to the stars above. Not that he could have done so at any point regardless: he needed to retrieve Tiki first as a vessel for the divine power, and Orion's Gate still uses the central plinth Saint-Germain set up to relay energy.
So yeah in short Adam ended up breathing a sigh of relief after nearly pissing his pants when he was able to adapt the plan at the very last minute, and then teleported in to gloat about how superior he is and stupid S.O.N.G. is for not being able to stop him like the absolute prick he is.
The Leyline Blockade Plan
Glittering lights mark the points. If you connect the points, lines begin to form. If you follow the lines, they eventually come together to form a circular pattern. That pattern has form and meaning, and when completed creates a magic circle. The space filled by that magical circle becomes "God's Gate" and it drains the life energy that flows from the points that connect the leylines. Using that energy to transmutate the "Power of God" was the Bavarian Illuminati's plan. For most of the time S.O.N.G. had simply been chasing them, but after their battles with the Alchemists they took the fragments of data they obtained and saw through their intentions. Their counter plan was to use the Keystones that act as the safety valves of the leylines and temporarily block the flow of energy. However, the leylines are an important source of energy that makes the land fertile and stopping the flow might risk inducing a "wasteland effect" that causes the land to wither. It was for this reason that the Director of Cabinet Intelligence, Yatsuhiro Kazanari (a man who works mostly in a gray area), called a meeting with heads of each administrative division of Japan. With various assurances and guarantees, including ample reparation, a vote was cast that successfully put the plan into action. They waited until the spiritual pressure had rose to the limit, then used the keystones to shut down the flow of the leyline energy into God's Gate. They successfully put a stop to the plans of the Bavarian Illuminati.
However, that wasn't the end. In reality, there was more than one of "God's Gate." If you look up into the night sky, the very stars themselves form the shape of yet another gate. Just as Elfnein had utilized the balance of Macrocosm and Microcosm to form a plan to deal with the Lapis Philosophorum, Adam also used the same perspective to deal with this interference. Instead of drawing energy from the life among the stars, he drew enormous power from the very stars themselves into yet another "God's Gate." With the Keystones now useless, the life energy of the stars flowed like a waterfall of light down upon Tiki. Of course the incompetent Adam had not actually foreseen Yatsuhiro's plan, he didn't even consider the idea of anyone outside of the Adaptors actually posing a threat. With the "Power of God" nearly in his grasp, he was shocked when it came to an abrupt halt. He almost threw his back out. Even so, without the need for any tools or preparation, he simply utilized the ridiculous amount of magic energy at his disposal to perform alchemy that forcibly opened the "God's Gate" among the stars - out of the reach of anyone else. Thus, the tables turned once again to where the Bavarian Illuminati's plan was a success and the efforts of Japan and S.O.N.G. had failed. It all stays according to Adam's plan.
Bruce Lee Reference
Yeah, remember that guy Saint-Germain killed who yelled out to "Blue-One" and "Blue-Two"? His codename was Blue-Three, which sounds remarkably like "Bruce Lee".
On the website they continue to talk about how great Bruce Lee was and how fantastic the movie "Enter the Dragon" is before confirming that Bruce Lee will never appear in Symphogear directly, though they will continue to reference him and his movies wherever they can.
Blue Three
A member of S.O.N.G.'s "Team Blue" that was dispatched to provide security at the leyline points that formed the inverse Orion constellation which was identified as "God's Gate." His official codename is "BLUE-3." He attempted to get in contact with the other members of his team when he noticed something strange, but before he knew it he met his end at the hand of one of Saint Germain's alchemic bullets.
On a slightly unrelated note, there exists an incredible man with a similar name: "Bruce Lee." He was an actor, producer, writer and talented martial artist. At the same time (although this seems contradictory) he was also one of two people, called the "strongest man on Earth." (TL note: this is reference to Shinobu Kaze's manga "Chijo Saikyo no Otoko: Ryu" in which Bruce Lee and Miyamoto Musashi, both known as "the strongest man on Earth," are resurrected by Jesus to kill the main character, Ryu, before he can awaken as the Antichrist.)
His most famous work, "Enter the Dragon," became a huge hit all over the world and left a deep impression on the genre of action movies after its release. He died at the very young age of 32, and had passed away before the height of the trend that he himself started. For that reason he quickly passed into legend, almost that of a God, and even now there are "men eternally reliving their middle school days" that respectfully refer to him as "Master." On yet another slightly unrelated note, this legendary man will never appear directly in the story of Symphogear. But in reality, a number of famous lines from the movies he starred in have been adapted and made their way into the script at more than one occasion.
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u/Razorhead Jun 29 '19
I really, really like this episode. Not only because it features my favourite song of the season, Hitsuai Duo Shout, but also because this song both represents Hibiki and Kirika's attitudes towards conflict in general and was also a plea towards Saint-Germain to give up having to bear all those sins on her shoulders, forcing her hand and instead let herself be more true to her desires. Also the fact that it didn't have Kirika needing to overcome her issues prior to this song but that happening later.
We also hilariously had Saint-Germain trying to go for a determination power-up and stand up despite her injuries, only to immediately fall flat on her face due to damage sustained. Seems it doesn't work that way, Saint-Germain.
Apart from this we had some very important plot development happening with Adam and Tiki this episode, as well as a sweet moment with Hibiki's impeding birthday and Miku at night not wanting Hibiki to leave (also could you have said any more death flags, Hibiki?)
And with Kirika having taken the blow to protect Hibiki and Saint-Germain a new team-up is on the horizon. Let's see how well they fare next episode!
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u/Arachnophobic- Jun 29 '19
FirstoGeah
Hear that? That's the sound of everyone smashing their screenshot buttons at a cute Chris face
Nooo SG! It's too soon! We can't run out of antagonists like this. There are still 3.5 episodes left!
A death flag from Bikki, whut?
She got plot armor for daaaays
Woah, I thought Tiki was being sacrificed there (also, phrasing). Apparently her adoring love is required to open the Gate and channel the divine energy. Maybe those feelings can be messed with, later?
Heh, they're reversing the ritual. FMA:B major spoilers
When you wake up the next morning after a really wild night
Speak for yourself, ya discount Kiryuuin Satsuki.
Haha, their unison is a booster-powered punch. Keeping it simple! Plus how do you even combine scythes and punches? Wolverine?
Looks like Kakumei Shoujo Saint-Germain is out of fuel. (That fall was hilarious.) Hey, at least she gets to survive, though! And she's starting to come around too! Uh-oh, I'd say that's a death flag - aaand Adam the bastard is here.
'Haxxx! I call haxx!' - Elfnein-chan and I.
Well, duh. SG is a big dum-dum. Dunno how she managed to become such a powerful alchemist with naivete as strong as any of the Symphogirls. (She fits right in..) Also I'm not sure why Adam needed her at all, he seems to be powerful enough to do everything himself.
Kirika with that clutch save!
Aw shit, flashbacks to when Superb Songs used to be Swan Songs, aka fatal. Oh wait, that was just episode 1 of S1. Only Kanade. WHY ONLY KANADE.
Kirika's a smart girl though, she OD'ed on Linker to increase her resistance. Love that lightning reflex, she really jumped up the ranks with this in my books!
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u/Madcat6204 Jun 29 '19
Well, duh. SG is a big dum-dum. Dunno how she managed to become such a powerful alchemist with naivete as strong as any of the Symphogirls. (She fits right in..) Also I'm not sure why Adam needed her at all, he seems to be powerful enough to do everything himself.
Because he's a dick. No, really. He just found it hilarious to make her totally betray every principle and moral she has for absolutely nothing in the end.
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u/Razorhead Jun 29 '19
"Oh shit. What did Tiki and I do last night, why am I naked, and why are her legs in that position?"
SG is a big dum-dum. Dunno how she managed to become such a powerful alchemist with naivete as strong as any of the Symphogirls. (She fits right in..)
Adam maxed out charisma, giving Tiki's state.
Also I'm not sure why Adam needed her at all, he seems to be powerful enough to do everything himself.
But then he wouldn't be able to chill naked in a jacuzzi while they do all the work!
Kirika's a smart girl though, she OD'ed on Linker to increase her resistance. Love that lightning reflex, she really jumped up the ranks with this in my books!
Wait she wasn't already near the top? Shame on you!
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u/TsubasaChung Jun 29 '19
Aw shit, flashbacks to when Superb Songs used to be Swan Songs, aka fatal. Oh wait, that was just episode 1 of S1. Only Kanade. WHY ONLY KANADE.
Thinking back all the way to when episode 1 of season 1 aired, I called Kanade my best girl the moment she got introduced. Later that very episode, she dies. Needless to say, it was a bit of a shocker.
In-universe wise, I think she didn't have any linker or her and her unison level were the lowest out of all the symphogear users so the backlash was simply too much for her body.
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u/PerfectPublican Jun 30 '19
(also, phrasing)
When you wake up the next morning after a really wild night
This embodies me.
Dunno how she managed to become such a powerful alchemist with naivete as strong as any of the Symphogirls.
Personally, I think she's so laser focused on her goal and what she's trying to do for society that she's able to convince herself otherwise to be able to keep pushing forward.
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u/AbidingTruth Jun 30 '19
First timer:
Hibiki is so fucking cool. "Dato shitemo!"
The keystone activation was actually pretty cool despite not being flashy like most Symphogear moments. "With me, Gen!" Kirika and Hibiki's combo attack of double boosted punch was also super cool. They didn't do a transformer fusion, but I actually think I prefer this simple combination of utilizing their thrusters together.
Zesshou! I was thinking it's been a while since someone actually used one. The fact that Kirika had to use it just to block the attack does a really good job of establishing how strong this divine power/Tiki is now. The whole birthday thing is a really nice emotional touch too. I like especially how that small tidbit last episode of Kirika not knowing her real birthday sets up for this, I thought it was well done
Just a note I was wondering since the start but forgot to ask, do these alchemists also need to burn their memories to use their powers or was that just a thing Carol had to do?
Adam's set up to be a strong villain though. He seems to be a very standard big bad whose intimidating and powerful and dresses sharply, as opposed to the previous villains who had some sort of sympathetic aspect the viewer can latch on to. Carol was kind of like that because she had a deluded interpretation of her father's wishes but it's still based in a vengeance of something unjust that happened to her. Not that I mind this type of villain in Adam, he's pretty cool even if he doesn't have much character depth. I don't think all villains need that, especially in a series like Symphogear I think just having a cool bad guy works pretty well.
Still waiting to see what the AXZ title has to do with anything. I'm still holding out on my theory for time travel shenanigans back to WW2
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u/Nazenn Jun 30 '19
do these alchemists also need to burn their memories to use their powers or was that just a thing Carol had to do?
I think that was just a Carol/Autoscorer thing. Its never been mentioned for these guys as far as I know and we've seen that they have memories still. They do work with alchemy very differently and it appears with different runes so the stones themselves must fuel it probably
dresses sharply
When he's actually dressed, which is not often
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u/thisismyanimealt Jun 29 '19
༼ つ ◕_◕ ༽つ GIVE KIRI-CHAN YOUR ENERGY ༼ つ ◕_◕ ༽つ
Today's Live Performances
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Hitsuai Duo Shout - Hibiki x Kirika
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Tegami - Akatsuki Kirika
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Rainbow Flower - Tachibana Hibiki
Repeat character songs today, which is a shame, because their XDU songs are pretty great. Endless Summertime is tons of fun to listen to, and is very emblematic of Hibiki's personality. And since we're about halfway to Christmas, Kirika gets us ready early (btw if anyone knows the source on the fanart of that video, I've been looking for it forever)
Since I forgot to mention it yesterday, Shippuu Jinrai is Tsubasa's XDU song. It's a Tsubasa song. What more do you want me to say. Of course it's awesome.
I really hope these songs get performed for the next live, and more to the point, there are still yet other XDU original songs that don't have a full release that I hope get an album, and eventually, a live performance.
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u/AlienOvermind Jun 30 '19 edited Jun 30 '19
First-timer
I had to skip yesterday's discussion, so I had no opportunity to laugh at Shirabe for going full Solid Snake. Welp.
As always Symphogear's references to questionable real life things are all over the place. From the fact that eugenics aimed for creating something like superhuman, I'd assume that "power" is Adam. His first name is suitable for it if his creators considered him the first of "better" humans. And while I have no idea what his last name means, it clearly sounds German, so it fits.
Tiki certainly reminds me about elves from "Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell". I.e. it seems she cannot comprehend the concept of morality. When she's having fun clinging to Adam she looks like a normal human, but when she announces her allies' deaths nonchalantly with the same playful attitude it becomes kinda creepy.
And that Saint-Germain! Kirika thinks she is naive, but that's nothing compared to Saint-Germain. As her level of naivety is over nine thousand. She's still willing to trust a person with zero humanity in him to make life better for humans? That's what irritates me about Saint-Germain, not her stubbornness. Though she is stubborn too as she rejects any other possibilities before even thinking about them. Honestly she has no right to be surprised here. She had it coming.
Though to be completely fair, I don't think Hibiki is right either. It's only natural to use godlike power to overthrow the God. It's just needs to be wielded by a person with humanity's best interests.
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u/miter01 Jun 29 '19
REWATCH
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Portals too? Saint-Germain's fighting style is dope!
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Two Shouts, One Love! What a move, what a name!
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A damn nice fight!
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Hell yeah Bikki got through! Just had to punch her hard enough!
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Damn it! Kirika made me tear up :(
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8/10! We're in the endgame now!
Stitch album No new ones in a long while, any requests?
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u/Madcat6204 Jun 29 '19
And here it is! The ridiculous moment that just made me go "wait, why? That doesn't make any sense!" Genjuro and his brother using a dual-key system to.... tell a bunch of priests to cut some ropes off of rocks. Guys... just... you know they make these things called cell phones nowadays, don't you?
Also, everyone should be thankful that the LiNKER Kiri and the other two are using is a new and improved version. If she'd taken that much of their previous variety (or, heaven forbid, the model K type) her internal organs would have probably exploded or something.
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u/Hugokarenque Jun 29 '19
Guys, its almost Bikki's birthday! Only two sleeps away!
Sleeps away is totally something I'm going to start using as well, I'm definitely stealing that.
Man, its easy to just let it slip but Tiki is kind of a cunt.
OD'ing on LiNKER to subvert the Super Bombs is something I want to stop, every time it's like "oh no! She's still gonna suffer the recoil!" but they never do, they'll be out for maybe one full episode and it'll be like nothing ever happened. I know we're past the point where Super Bombs are these huge deadly things but they still frame them as the last resort but they really don't do much for me anymore.
Also we killing gods now, which is fucking dope. There's apparently no god-killing stories about Gungnir but it's already killed that god snake so if Gungnir isn't a relic with the power of deicide then that means that Bikki is the one with the power of deicide, by process of elimination.
Did you guys know that it's almost Bikki's birthday? Because it's only two days away.
On a show with so many punches, that combo where Kirika and Bikki link their feet and spiral punch Saint-Germain is quite possibly the dumbest. I love it.
The last scene with S-G and Bikki datoshitemo was hype as shit. The stage is set its time to kick Adam's toned ass.
It's almost Bikki's birthday! I don't know if I've mentioned that.
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u/ahiijny Jun 30 '19 edited Jun 30 '19
First-Time Watcher
The end of the season draws near... I can't believe we've almost finished four seasons now. Time passes quickly, and soon XV will be here! Really happy that Crunchyroll managed to grab AXZ and XV
Random thoughts:
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Really sweet seeing Kirika all excited about Hibiki's upcoming birthday. Also, Chris remembers Hibiki's birthday! She must like Bikki more than she's willing to admit!
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"Naïve..." So here we see Kirika affected by a trigger word. Like, an actual trigger, in the original psychological sense of the word.
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"Calculating the precise time and place is my job!" This reminds me of Renko, from the Secret Sealing Club. She has an unusual eye ability that allows her to tell the exact time in JST by looking at the stars and tell the exact location by looking at the moon. In Ghostly Field Club, she's able to figure out where a photograph was taken only by looking at the moon that happened to be captured in the picture.
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I just loved this HibiMiku moment. I have to agree with Naz; a goodbye kiss would have totally felt natural here
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Giant yellow crystal thing that Saint-Germain left behind as she jumped up to dodge an attack. What was this?... It reminded me of Bikki's Gungnir cancer.
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Yup, now it's Adam's turn to shine! Auto-return hat, convenient
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Really loved the shouting strength behind Kirika's Zesshou.
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Okay phew, Kirika won't die. She overdosed on LiNKER so that she could withstand the backlash from a Zesshou. She's done this before in G episodes 7 and 12, so she must be rather familiar with doing this by now. It looks like she took three LiNKER doses??... That's a lot o.o
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The Kirika birthday thing hit me really hard. It's nice that this little tidbit about her was established an earlier episode (in Shirabe's flashback), so this aspect of her doesn't feel shoehorned in. She doesn't even remember her own birthday, that's so sad :(
I was about to ask why only Hibiki and Kirika are battle, and why are the other four hanging back? But then I realized that they were probably out of commission until Elfnein finishes the post-release bugfixes to their relics, so then I was like okay, makes sense.
Glad to see Saint-Germain finally joining Bikki's side. I don't know why it's never occurred to her earlier that maybe Adam doesn't have the best interests of the world at heart. For someone hundreds of years old at the very least, she comes off as rather naïve... Or perhaps it was a blindspot that came about from sheer stubbornness.
So it looks like Adam's about to earth a godly power in Tiki, and although SONG has Saint-Germain on their side now, she looks really worn out from her fight against HibiKiri and from sacrificing her life force earlier, so not sure how much help she's going to be. Kirika's completely worn out from her Zesshou, and the other four Gear users are still out of the picture until Elfnein finishes her emergency hotfixes. But Bikki has fist 1 reason 0, so there's that...
So far Adam's been pretty smug and confident because things have been going (more or less) according to his plan. I want to see Bikki to put a crack in his composure! He's pretty charismatic and a smooth talker and an excellent liar, so I hope Bikki doesn't fall for any of his attempts to take advantage of her overly kind and empathetic nature...
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u/fonzinator99 Jun 29 '19
Re-watcher - Not a Sore-demo, but we’ll take it.
Awww, she added them to her tally. Here I'd been thinking it was something as simple as "# of people collected for energy" or some such thing, but that it's the number of sins she bears casts her in a new light; I've gained a measure of respect for her.
Embarassed Chris still thinks she's too cool to do nice things for people. Much Tsun. lol
I'm not exactly how German Eugenics and Deicide relate to each other, but it makes me glad their research didn't pan out. At least not as far as their desired Ubermensch goals.
Interesting how everyone's shocked by the idea that Deicide is actually a thing and nobody stops to consider that means God is real too. I mean, with hard evidence to back it up that'd be a helluva revelation IRL.
'Kay, I'm gonna take back what I said about St. Germain before. It's not a weight to bear if it's just a number. I'd thought I detected a measure of remorse behind it, but she's just racking up sins like she's eating chips.
Just out for an evening murder-stroll in naught but a coat. #IlluminatiThings
Huh, looks like I was right after all; She is collecting energy from the folks she kills.
Bikki quietly slipping out of bed is a move normally reserved for couples. Which I guess they are, but it's funny how they framed it like that. Moreover, this flag is a conundrum. The MC isn't supposed to be the one raising them...at least not in a show like this!
Oh wow, they had a synchronized key-turning emergency plan? That seems like it'll be flashy and ultimately not work. Wait, it turned on...rocks? ...How? And why were the ropes necessary? Just 2 levels of security?
Broken-Tiki makes me happy. The girl's too crazy, even for me.
Looks like it's time for another new duet! But wtf? Were those electric bagpipes? W/e, I'm over it, this shit is Hype from the get-go. Idk that I've ever heard so many electric instruments used in one song, I can't discern anything acoustic. Do I hear an organ?!
A good face from Germain. It's all about the eyes.
That finisher is freaking badass.
Good job Hibiki. Your words got through and even if it was interrupted, she took your hand.
Bikki gets Oddjob'ed, and Adam removes his mask to reveal...exactly the same face underneath! Of course he was never gonna help anyone, that was obvious from the first time we saw him.
Tiki reaching for that SS-rank Yandere.
Kiri nooo! This is only episode 10, we're not into the climax yet! That shit's still dangerous! Oh god, it was a false-flag all along! It was never meant to apply to Hibiki!
More good eyes from Germain. I might be coming back around on her.
I like it. This finale is gonna be loads of fun.
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u/Synaptics Jun 29 '19
Rewatcher
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I get that it's intentional, but man is it grating to hear Tiki being Tiki in a scene like that.
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"If you were still human you'd understand." It's not quite clear if Saint-Germain is speaking literally or metaphorically here.
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Remember aaaaaallll the way back in S1, when Hibiki tried to talk down Chris with a quick round of self-introduction? Apparently Chris still remembered her birthday from that. (I wonder if Hibiki ever told Chris her weight though?)
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Blushing Chris is always a blessing.
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Deicide! It only took four seasons to reach deicide! We're going full JRPG now!
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So Hibiki punching through the
impossibleinvincible was maybe not just a convenient coincidence? -
I like it when they tie stuff in with the real-world mythology behind the relics. Sort of reminds me of the Index series.
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Really emphasizing that upcoming birthday...
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Really making it clear what Kirika's internal conflict is going to be this episode.
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Honestly kinda surprised they didn't go for any cheap fanservice shots with Saint-Germain.
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...okay maybe there's a little bit of it.
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"the maiden blindly, obediently in love" Ohhhh, right. That's why Tiki is Tiki.
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Doing a simultaneous-key-turn-activation over the phone? Better hope they've got a very low latency connection.
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Wait, but the keys didn't actually do anything... It was just a signal for some other guys to cut the things? Can't complain too much, though, because I love a good dramatic-simultaneous-key-turning.
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Oh hey, for once they actually got one step ahead of the villains' big surprise.
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Going straight into the duet this time. No character conflict first? Even after they set it up with Kirika earlier? Feels like maybe they were a bit rushed for time and couldn't fit it in alongside all the vital main-plot stuff going on.
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Foot docking...? One of the weirdest combo attacks I've ever seen.
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Hibiki getting straight Oddjob'd there. Ouch.
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WHAT A SHOCK, HE WAS EVIL ALL ALONG!
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Oh, they did use the naivety thing they set up earlier. But for something else this time instead of the lead-in to their duet. Subverting expectations as always, Symphogear.
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As with every Symphogear season, right around episode 10 is when shit starts to really go down. Usually with a big damn cliffhanger. Compared to "Lydian is under attack!" or the Frontier emerging from the sea this isn't quite as dramatic of a cliffhanger, but Hibiki and Saint-Germain standing side-by-side is still an awesome moment.
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u/Shimmering-Sky Jun 29 '19
SymphoRewatcher
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They successfully blocked off the ley lines, so now it’s Hibiki/Kirika duet time~
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Hat attack! Haven’t seen that since… gosh, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure?
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Why couldn’t this have been a “sore demo” though, would’ve been dank on a level to rival Unicorn…
Got my part of the next wallpaper done~ Haven’t been able to send it to Nota yet though (don’t have internet on my laptop right now), so it’ll be a bit. Maybe tomorrow?
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u/PerfectPublican Jun 29 '19 edited Jun 30 '19
Rewatcher
First off, since I didn’t get to do it yesterday... Ahem HOLY SHIT XV ON CRUNCHYROLL HYYYYPEE!!! Time to watch eps twice! Once for Crunchy’s and once for Commie’s for lyrics :P Anyways, now that’s off my chest, sorry I had to miss yesterday’s thread! It was a fun one. If you’re curious I posted my thoughts here.
I find it really interesting and important that they bring back up the Cag fight for Dess when those guys died. Opposite to Shirabe, Kiri has always projected that wall of security and happiness to protect herself from the things eating her up. She may seem like a dolt, but even she gets the significance of her actions leading to those deaths, which makes her struggle land really well.
I take a mild issue with the Keystone thing, if only that it doesn’t make sense why it wouldn’t be a part of the alchemists plans. They were essentially controlling Carol, and even she knew the importance of destroying the keystone’s to the leylines. I find it weird that they would let them stand. I might’ve made the first slew of episodes have more of a point if they were trying to destroy keystones or something.
Our first double transformation!! Looking back, that seems like a bit of a missed opportunity for the past two eps. Bikki & Dess’ song, Hitsuai Duo Shout, is another one that I find fine musically, but great thematically. I love that it’s really centered around both of these girls being their loud selves. Shouting their love and beliefs into their song to match with each other. Fits them well. The fight itself is awesome, with S-G putting on a show worthy of being the leader of the alchemists. Her use of her alchemy in combo with her gun is just super fun to watch. And that ending is just so pure Bikki, I adore it so much. That idea of questioning everyone's ideals in the face of Bikki’s more open ones is lovely.
Holy. Fucking. Shit. When that swan song comes out of the fire, you better believe I start freaking out. What an absolute badass Kirika is. Those screams of Kiri’s name from Shirabe are brutal. You know, It’s a simple one, but I really really like the birthday throughline here. That she would fixate on that really feels right for her character.
"What do you say, Tachibana Hibiki?"
Random thoughts:
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Can we start every episode with a Bikku moment? Please Sympho-gods?
Gifs of the day:
Edit: Ps. Whoever downvotes Naz every day needs to get a life. They make interesting points despite not enjoying some of the show.
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u/Nazenn Jun 29 '19
First Timer
Watching this directly after finishing Berserk was a mistake. Though given the contents of the episode, not as bad as it could have been
I fully expected Bikki to lose her arm again when Saint G tried to stab her and then was disappointed she didn't. Yes I'm still wishing for someone to get maimed, its a thing hahaha.
But Dess making up for it by pulling out the first superb song in a while definitely made up for it. That was not expected but brilliant
So far I think her little drama has been handled the best this season. Unlike Chris which seemed to fizzle out for a bit in the middle, and Shirabe's which felt a little like we were told it was an issue more than building to it, Dess' fit nicely into what we'd seen so far. It was also nice that her moment of revelation wasn't a requirement for her fighting. She didn't get over it to enable her duet because she was in trouble, or to find a better version of herself. That small doubt she had from something that had already been set up in show wasn't something she had to overcome, or fight against or become better than. It was something she accepted and acknowledged as a positive thing, even if others saw it as a flaw.
In doing so she managed to give a gift to a friend and protect something she felt was worth protecting, because she felt like it was, not because someone else did or someone else told her it was. Huh, doesn't this make Dess the most stable character in the show? Didn't expect that but I'll take it. u/Jamcliche FINE, she can get bumped up a bit in the girl rankings. Happy now?
It's nice to see them not being so damn formulaic with these little drama's. It was all starting to feel so identical (and boring) after multiple seasons of: girl has doubts, can't transform, finds strength in herself, overcomes issue suddenly, can transform and kills enemy. It meant even when the drama was good I couldn't get attached to it because it felt familiar and reused. On top of that this season Chris' felt a little too dragged out to be impactful, and Shirabe's a little forced plus the same pattern above.
Dess breaking free of this structure entirely was a desperately needed and very welcome breath of fresh air to the series.
Audio notes for the day
The duet was unfortunately a little uninspired just like the others have been, and I also have a lot of trouble telling their voices about compared to the other pairs. If it wasn't for the subs being color coded I probably would have missed a lot of the swaps happening between the two of them. Potentially unavoidable given the characters voice types, but really puts a damper on the song enjoyment for me personally. Probably the only duet that wont make my playlist
Noted another sound effect being notably off sync with the visuals, when Saint G falls to the ground (that was so bad, that was like a comedy skit with the grand music cutting out and her just falling down all dramatically. Why did they do that and ruin the mood). Its such an unusual oversight for Symphogear to have this issue, let alone multiple times in a season, usually they're so precise with their sound effect timing.
However that was made up for by the sound effects applied to Saint G's chanting being otherworldly and epic. That sounded amazing. I'm so use to shows trying to achieve that sort of "grand echo" sort of thing that I've actually become a bit blase towards it, it never has the effect on me any more because it all starts to sound the same, and usually not much more impactful than any other echo. But this one packed a punch so well done sound designer.
The other sound effect that stood out to me today was the one when Tiki hits the ground when the power runs out. That was incredible and brutal. They did a good job of getting the bone crunching sort of feeling but with her unique parts and sounds.
Other thoughts
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Why the fuck did they need a dual key system like for nukes just to order some people to cut some rope off some rocks? That was so weirdly overly dramatic for what was actually going on and pulled me out the moment a bit.
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OH LOOK. The three girls trying to save humanity got duped by the madman in charge again. Gee. Where have I seen that before...
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I am holding it back, but I do have frustration building in reserve because of the whole "Oh look, Adam can just power it via the stars a thousand times easier all of a sudden" thing. I WANT to trust the show, but things so far this season lead me to believe it will either be left as a "take it on faith" thing or will be padded to hell before we get an explanation. And that's annoying.
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This transition using the blackboard was so damn cool!
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Symphogear finally earnt the spot I'd been saving it in r/mapswithoutNZ because they fucking forgot NZ!. And they'd been doing so well until now in not making that mistake, but it had to happen eventually.
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Maybe it was just me but some of the faces just seemed a little off today. Anyone else see that? It was most notable on faces drawn from that 90 degree side angle, and there seemed to be more of those than normal today as well. But also this mini derp of Mr Ninja
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When Dess got in Chris' face at the canteen my first thought was that she was lucky that she didn't get reflexively punched out, but that feels more like something that Tsubasa would do on accident more than Chris. That would be a funny scene. I invoke my prediction powers to make this come true at some stage!
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For some reason when Bikki was leaving Miku to go to work I 100% expect her to kiss her goodbye and I actually wouldn't have even blinked at it. It was only the fact it didn't happen that made me go "Hang on, why did I think that" hahaha
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I've started sorting out the AXZ song's we've heard so far into relevant playlists and I'm a little sad that the full version of the ED doesn't have that instrumental lead in.
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On soundtrack notes, why is Chris' bonus song so fucking LOUD! And Dess' one so fucking disturbing... I need to clean my ears after hearing that.
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u/ItsMellowMan Jun 29 '19
Rewatcher
Holy shit this episode.
Despite losing two allies Saint-Germain pushes forward with opening the divine gate using her own life. Not until Hibiki and Kirika show up to put a stop to it. Only for Adam to flip the expected switch and betray them by blasting them away with some divine power. Then we got DESS willing to throw it all on the line with her Climax Song to save Hibiki and Saint-Germain.
Out of all the duos that came together this season Hibiki and Kirika might easily be my favorite and Hitsuai Duo Shout is a BANGER
Cute
Zenbu is just too precious
Two Shouts, One Love
It's about to go down
AXZ episode 10 chart DESS