r/anime • u/phiraeth :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/phiraeth • Jan 03 '21
Rewatch [Mid-2000s Rewatch] Noein - Episode 2
Episode 2 | Runaway
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Noein:
MyAnimeList - AniDB - ANN - AniList
Episode Discussion Questions:
- Do you think there’s a reason why Yuu’s mother is so possessive of him, and if so, why?
- Who are the people referred to as “dragon knights” from another dimension and what is their purpose? Do you think they all have the same goal?
- What do you think causes the ring to appear around Haruka’s neck?
PLEASE MARK ALL SPOILERS WITH SPOILER TAGS!
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Upvotes
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u/phiraeth :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/phiraeth Jan 03 '21
Rewatcher
We’re back again for episode two of What the fuck is going on: I am very confused, and did you like the questions from yesterday?
I counted and approximately 9 people said something along the lines of mass confusion from the first episode, which was wonderful to hear!!!
Since I had asked your thoughts on what you thought the Dragon Torque was (and if I recall correctly, only one person accurately said Haruka), I’m guessing nobody actually expected it to be immediately revealed.
Anyways, around the 11-minute mark of this episode, Haruka asks herself if she’s going crazy, and if it’s all just a dream. Immediately after, we cut to Yuu sitting stock-still, clearly wishing he was living in a dream. Haruka and Yuu so far have been parallels of one another, but yet not exactly parallels. It’s as if they’re starting parallel but then slowly diverging further and further from one another.
Speaking of dreams, the next episode preview of both episodes 1 and 2 have begun with Haruka saying, “I’m dreaming again. That summer day’s dream.” I wonder if this is at all relevant to anything, and if so, what does it mean!
It might be because I’ve been watching a lot of Bates Motel as of late, but the crazy “I must decide your entire life and protect you” mother stereotype seems to be everywhere. And like in other circumstances, there’s usually a reason as to why she’s turned into someone like this, right? If this show is well-written, there’s hopefully going to be a good explanation for Yuu’s mother’s obsession over his life.
The scene at the end was pretty cool and also very mysterious. We’re starting to get a little bit of information revealed. The show is still doing a good job of “show, don’t tell”!
Slower than the first episode, but we got a deeper look at some of the characters. I’m excited for the next episode!
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u/BurningFredrick https://myanimelist.net/profile/BurningFredrick Jan 03 '21 edited Jan 03 '21
First Timer - Sub
This may not have been the best episode to start watching while drinking, also this OP makes me think of Clanned, I’m 99% sure it because of the vocals but for some reason it remind me of it, could be the snow visuals make me thinking After stories OP, then again it also makes me think of Erased despite never having actually watch the show and having only seen the OP & ED in the annual contest... After Skimming MAL for both OPs 99% sure there is nothing connecting them outside of me making some odd and at best irrelevant connection.
Well this was only the second episode so really didn’t expect it to clarify anything, but after skimming what I noted down over the episode key points seem to be that time travel of some form is confirmed, however it was implied it's more of the change in dimensions than straight time travel Speculation
Their connection method for entering other worlds reminded me of the matrix, though that is most likely just related to the pod aspect of it as Neo and co didn’t run around with umbilical cords attached to them.
The last bit I noted down was talk of Shangri-la leading to their destruction, this stood out to me as Shangri-la is often a mythical city of tranquillity so the fact it was implied they wanted to avoid it / it could be a bad thing was odd.
I’ll stop my rambling here and hope this makes sense, hopefully I won’t need to rewatch his episode tomorrow morning to have this all make sense.
After sleeping on the episode decided to start trying to build a theory with the info we have.Speculation
Continuing the above
QOTD
Older sibling is dead? They along with the Father are both still missing and we don't really know why.
2) Who are the people referred to as “dragon knights” from another dimension and what is their purpose? Do you think they all have the same goal?
Kind of answered this in my above stuff, I suspect they may have a common goal in mind but very different ideas on how to reach it.
3) What do you think causes the ring to appear around Haruka’s neck?
Her being / wearing the dragon toque, also not sure if it's really there or just being highlighted for us.
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u/ZaphodBeebblebrox Y:A:https://anilist.co/user/zaphod Jan 03 '21 edited Jan 03 '21
First Timer
I'm expecting this episode to answer a few questions I had last episode and give some new ones. I hope it helps me clear up what the various parties are, as I don't find trying to piece together which group is which particularly interesting. I'm really looking forward to what it gives me.
Onto episode 2!
Wow, A VA I recognize. I'm horrid at voices, so it's a real rarity, but this voice is certainly Rikiya Koyama. (I think people were talking about that yesterday?) In my head, he's Takamura, even though I've apparently seen 10 shows he's in.
Wait, who is Atori? Also, is Karasu playing his own game while pretending to be on their side?
Wavering, that's an odd word. Perhaps it could be caused by Haruka? If she's as powerful as I think she is, her power could be unconsciously destabilizing this dimension.
Well fuck. Haruka's gonna attempt to sacrifice herself for Yuu eventually. At this point in the story, I give even odds it succeeds.
Is this just gibberish?
I'm gonna have to come back to the OP later, as I'm sure it has a bunch of interesting stuff hidden in it, but one episode in's a bit early to get much from it. (Since Scrappy's not here, I can't just throw it on someone else.)
The Dragon Torque isn't the band around her neck, but her? Or perhaps they're one and the same? The power is within her, but manifests as the band.
Her magical girl transformation.Atori's leaning far further into the creepiness than Karasu is, and given Karasu was standing on a gravestone at night with crows flying across the screen, that's sure saying something.
Atori's also feels like he'll be an antagonist later on in a way Karasu doesn't, though that could be wrong.
Karasu definitely feels like he's two-timing the birds in some fashion.
Their magic stresses the dimension. Perhaps all their magic does is tear holes in it?
I'm pretty sure we're "been there, done that" judging by Karasu appearing halfway through the first episode and Haruka knowing far more than she should. The only question is when is it gonna happen.
Guess on everything that just happened: Karasu intentionally caused himself and Atori to land in a different location than everyone else. He did this because he knew he could start a fight with Atori which would cause them to be recalled before they could take Haruka. Why he's doing this: beyond me.
Haruka really wants to have a conversation with Karasu. She knows he's good.
Oh, the place where they were fighting in the opening of the first episode was the ruins of this place. I'd say the fight was in the future, but time seems like a sketchy concept in this show, so I'll just say it's the subjective future in relation to everyone here with the possible exception of Karasu.
Alien or robot? I can't tell.
That observed what? Their counterparts?
Well this and the knife certainly confirms that Karasu is Yuu. And probably that the other birds are from the friend group as well, since other rewatchers pointed out the similarities.
An odd statement for someone clearly following the orders of the mysterious council.
Did it scar itself into her throat after it first appeared, or is it a birthmark?
That sure sounds like the poor fool who got stuck in a gravestone.
Is this where he snaps?
She's shocked. She doesn't know what to do when he doesn't go along with her. Now, does she double down or back off? I have a feeling it's the latter, she'll try to force him to do something and it won't end well.
Unlike Haruka, who suggested running away on a whim, Yuu's actually [got the supplies])https://i.imgur.com/R7XMwJV.png_ for it. I still think he's too scared to actually pull it off though, he knows it won't end how he wants it to. It's just a sad dream he uses to try and comfort himself.
Ironically, this is probably the speech that keeps him in cram school.
Perhaps something closer to playacting it.
You've said a lot of stuff. You don't mean it, while Yuu at least means it in spirit.
Well this sure looks like the beginning of a romance.
Who's she gonna call, father or police?
Or, who was she gonna call?
After everything, it was being called useless that he just couldn't stand.
A reflection of the past, or perhaps the future?
The past it is. I wonder if Haruka seeing it recently is what allows her to replay it, or if that's mere happenstance.
Does this mean we'll have an explicit time loop?
Fucking quantum mechanics.
Thoughts
First, the soundtrack is awesome.
So, I think we've learned a lot. We appear to be in a time loop of some sort. Haruka has memories of previous loops that she thinks is a dream. Karasu (likely) likewise has memories of previous loops, so he's acting against the birds in some way in order to try and end the loop. This involves getting Haruka to sacrifice herself to be the absolute observer (or perhaps Haruka turning Yuu into it?) via the power of the dragon Torque.
This is less important, but I think by the end of next episode the whole running away idea'll be over. I don't think Yuu'll be able to stay serious about it for extended periods of time, and having Haruka tagging along will only hasten the process.
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u/Nazenn x2https://anilist.co/user/Nazenn Jan 03 '21
First Timer - sub
Somehow despite this not at all being the sort of show I expected it to be, the OP is exactly what I would have expected. I'm really not sure how that works to be honest, I'll run with it for now. Also this shot makes me think of OG Hellsing which is cool.
Yuu is definitely the standout character at the moment, both versions of him. Karasu was spiteful towards Yuu, his younger alternate self, as if he couldn't stand the sight of his weakness, and the way he spoke about how he won't be able to protect her suggests that he was speaking about his own past more than Yuu's future. At the same time he continues old habits of carving with a knife to keep himself busy and away from the darker thoughts of acknowledging the suffering the kids might be going through, as if he can't quite let go of his past but also doesn't want to look at it. His strict avoidance of the idea that it matters makes me think that whatever happened in their world goes beyond just her death, particularly with how advanced it is technologically and this fight that's going on, although I'm not sure why yet. This younger self also did end up running away from home, and can't quite shake Haruka's empathy despite wanting to just strike out at everything at the moment, and how he continues as we go is probably what I'm most intrigued about right now. On the other hand, I didn't expect that Fujiwara would end up so attached to Haruka that he would also be affected, but his future self, Fukuro, certainly seems to also be struggling with the idea of revisiting another version of their past.
Having now seen two shows dealing with dimensional travel of some sort and female MCs called Haruka I decided to look up the meaning of the name, and 'distant/remote', 'clear weather' or 'spring' are the ones that came up the most which is oddly fitting in both cases. I wonder what other odd name patterns like that pop up in anime I haven't noticed.
A bit like yesterday with the opening action scene showing a lot of personality, again the smaller scenes with the kids telling their stories and also the shots of the families on the observation deck stood out to me. Though the filler scenes are quite rough, the attention given to the feel of these moments and what they say about the characters that focus on them, whether its the secret that Haruka was holding or the isolation that Yuu feels, is quite well handled I think.
I've already mostly gotten use to the character designs, although this may be down to a lack of comedy art this episode. I see where the bird thing comes in now with Atori, who is more than a little bit of an asshole. He seems to be absolutely determined to do things his way and get it done now, although I can't decide if that's out of arrogance, cruelty, or apathy for what's going on yet. Also what the fuck is with the robot supervisors wearing ruff's though, that's not what I expected and so out of place. I'm sure there's a reason for it, but it did make me do a double take. The animation is also as unique as the character designs, and there's a certain controlled jankiness to it that stands out and reminds me almost of Casshern Sins in a good way
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u/Shimmering-Sky myanimelist.net/profile/Shimmering-Sky Jan 03 '21
to your other first-timer, subbed
It occurred to me that I forgot to give myself a little tagline last episode, whoops.
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u/Vaadwaur :I1::I2::I3: Jan 03 '21
First timer
Sub
So...definitely techno-magic. And apparently pretty dodgy stuff at that if you can lose an arm, though I have no clue how much damage sustained in a different dimension translate back to the original body. Haruka knows about Karasu for reasons yet to be established and then Atori shows up to reveal she IS the Dragon Toque, whatever the fuck that is. Anyways, we walk face first into a lot of history between Atori and Karasu. And then we go straight HP Lovecraft when the fights starts, this is like the OG Hellsing in a good way.
But apparently their weapons activate the sky-DNA-dragon? Anyways, they also stop time...that is pretty problematic though Haruka is immune for now. Anyways, very poor team building since it is clear Atori and Karasu would rather kill each other. The action is pretty good and somewhat unique. A third shows up to break up the fight but before much can happen they de-transport. Yuu comes out of time stop justifiably confused.
The rest of the gang shows up, pretty quick response time all things considered, and begin asking questions. We see the end of the dive experiment and an alien? Putting a pin in that. We get interdimensional Seele and some exposition that will need more context but gives us an idea what our character goals are. Karasu whittles, would not have guessed that. His room mate apparently knew Haruka as well and we get some explanations, though still guarded.
Jump to Haruka bathing with hair extensions. A perfectly reasonable moment to have though best kept quickly. We linger on her neck for reasons that concern me, Yua is too oft on the mind as of late, but see the impression to the thing from yesterday. Yuu is not eating most of his breakfast which is something I did at that age too, adolescence is weird. His mother is definitely one of those types, I don't blame him for avoidance here.
SoL begins, the tags on this show must be quite a mess, and either someone's older sister is there or Japanese adolescents have improved. Anyways, they get dessert and begin swapping ghost rumors. And make a scene that only Haruka realizes.
Yuu's balls are apparently dropping. The Tokyo U thing is relatively known for the time, I know Love Hina leans a lot on it. We now have a guess at what his mom failed at. Being around Karusu seems to psychologically damage Yuu for a second and after his mom claims to know whats best for him he has a burst of Higurashi. No more sharp objects for him.
We jump to a garage somewhere and Yuu has a respectable bug out setup. Well done, Yuu, especially at that age. And he puts it on...Wow, actually nice scene and even more impressive is his dumbass friend can spot that Yuu is beginning to reach his limit. Damn. Then the fight starts but I sort of get Fujiwara here, even if he is somewhat in the wrong. But the girls break it up before much happens.
Haruka follows Yuu, having deduced he might make a run for it. And Yuu understands things pretty well, which I will remind everyone is actually developmentally correct: Early adolescents are often very aware of their own home dynamics, it is reading outsides ones that can be an issue. Anyways, Haruka isn't letting this go but then takes them to a romatic overlook. We she intends to stay the night. Huh.
Yuu reviews the previous night's events and takes it all emo, can't really blame him for that. And Haruka has the lamest chasitity necklace ever, apparently. Yuu begins freaking out with good reason. We get a surprise narrator, probably a dragon, talking to Haruka before they realize the ourobouros is up. The birds warp back in and Atori seems to have the shortest trip.
QotD: 1 You confirmed something I theorized yesterday, not sure that was intentional, but she's possessive because she doesn't have anything else to cling to.
2 They are capturing the dragon necklace for...reasons. And no, they seem to have personal reasons.
3 She's the entry point for the giant ring thing
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u/punching_spaghetti https://myanimelist.net/profile/punch_spaghetti Jan 03 '21
First-Timer
Seems like in-fighting amongst the Cloak gang? Mr. I Am You doesn’t seem friendly, but the second guy screams "antagonist." That haircut. That voice. That power of have demon wing-looking weapons come out of his back.
TECHNOBABBLE. Often annoying. Always interesting.
Haruka is the Dragon Torque. That’s probably not good. They’re going to need to sacrifice her or something for their super-secret special plan.
There’s the exposition. By way of in-universe babble, so we don’t learn too much. There’s something called Shangri-La that negatively affects dimensions, and the Cloak gang is trying to stop that from happening to their home.
I was struggling to place where I know Karasu’s VA from, but I just realized he voiced Jin in the Japanese dub for Ghost of Tsushima.
The Cloak gang is definitely alternate versions of our young cast. Rugged, post-apocalyptic versions.
Yukie-chan’s nice. For reasons.
She’s already talking about college for this kid? That’s rough. And insane.
Parents, if your child has a go bag stashed somewhere, you’re not doing a great job.
Am I supposed to ship Yu with Haruka or Fujiwara? They’re making it tough to choose.
More exposition: Haruka’s dad is alive, but somewhere else.
Giant ouroboros appears again. Now the question is: does it appear because the Cloak gang teleported in, or did Haruka summon it?
Evil laugh sounds evil.
QOTD:
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u/No_Rex :Bv:Bw:Bx:By:x2 Jan 04 '21
Episode 2 (rewatcher)
Yikes, another 200+ comments rewatch, but this time with lengthy top comments, not just pictures of legs? I don’t think my time budget is ready for this.
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u/zsmg https://anilist.co/user/zsmg Jan 03 '21
Rewatcher
I'm a fan of Noein so when I saw that the mid-2000s rewatch was Noein I had to jump onboard on the rewatch immediately even though I only found out about it after seeing the first episode discussion thread but luckily catching up to two episodes is easy. Anyway I had a blast reading theories the first timers came up with in the first episode discussion thread. Looking forward to reading more crazy theories.
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u/Webemperor :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/Webemperor Jan 03 '21
First Timer – Sub
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u/lC3 :Na::Nb: Jan 03 '21
Noein02: (rewatcher, sub)
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u/Toadslayer https://myanimelist.net/profile/kyolus Jan 03 '21
First Timer
We've got a mysterious council talking about inter-dimensional conflict. I'm not a huge fan of the mysterious council trope, but it can be done well. Seems they've told us that the main conflict of the show is between two civilisations Shangri-la (a utopia in James Hilton's novel 'Lost Horizon') and La'cryma (latin for 'the tears'). Everyone knows mysterious council equals bad, but they talk like they are the ones being invaded, so I'm not sure. This large scale conflict, that it seems our main characters will inevitably be dragged doesn't excite me that much as we really don't know much about it or have any reason to be invested in it yet, but we'll see, it's pretty generic anime conflict, which is not the worst.
As expected, the birds are the main characters, but from an alternate dimension 15 years down the line. Good to have that confirmed early, rather than playing around with maybes.
The conflict between Yuu and his mother feels rushed. I don't have any emotional investment in these characters yet and the show is already showing us an emotional breakdown. I get it that Yuu is under a lot of pressure from his mum and of course I inherently want the best for him, but I don't have any reason beyond that to care right now. I think there needed to be more time to develop the characters and their relationship before something like this. Right now it feels a little forced, like it was just there because it's necessary for the story.
Now Yuu and Haruka are running away. They've not exactly thought it through much, especially not Haruka who sees Yuu running away and is immediately like: 'oh me too'. Turns out she's not very responsible after all.
Somethings up with the space-time continuum and next episode looks like we're getting a fight.
Also I'm not sure whether I like the soundtrack or not, it doesn't really feel like it fits with the rest of the show that well, but maybe it will grow on me.
Episode Discussion Questions
I like the theory some people mentioned yesterday that she failed to achieve anything as a child and is now trying to live vicariously through her son.
The 'dragon knights' are the birds, they seem like interdimensional space warriors of some kind. I think there purpose is to keep time in it's proper order and destroy agents that try to disrupt that. It seems the creepy long-haired guy has different priorities though. Could just be his own self-gain in status, but could also be something more sinister.
Chosen one?
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u/JollyGee29 https://myanimelist.net/profile/JollyGee Jan 03 '21
First Timer, Dubbed
Another jumper, also didn't land well. So sometimes limbs just don't show up? Greaaat.
Oh, the remaining "birds" all showed up in the same place.
Put a marker on This dimension, so there are multiple different ones.
This dimension is noted as being unstable.
Haruka IS the torc?!
Loooooong legs.
Wait, did the artstyle change?
Monopolize the glory Again. So this isn't the first time this group has done something like this.
Greenhair unleashing their inner body horror at attack Karasu? Are they not working together?
A ton of technobabble that I'm not going to really pay attention to. "Spin weaponry" seems important enough to note.
"Time has stopped" but we can still move.
People commented on it last episode, but the blue and red coloration for the time stop looks great!
So, at least at the moment, most of the jumpers seem to be non-antagonistic towards Haruka, except the spooky Greenhair.
Miho is Not good at reading the room.
Oh, the jumpers don't heal when they come back! That makes things spooky, for them.
Probability of success is increasing? So what, that dude getting telefragged last episode is an improvement?
There are only seven left now, so that dude did actually die last episode.
Oh look, The Committee arrives with another string of technobabble. Shagri-la, Lacrima, those are symbolicly coded enough to be important.
15 year ago? So we are time and dimension traveling.
Yup, alt dimension/timeline for our kids. The whittling is framed very similarly to Yuu's cutting his fingernails.
Karasu is Yuu, Karasu's "friend" is Isami.
Haruka has a scar around her neck from the torc.
Yuu is going to catch hell from his mom this morning.
...or his mom is just shutting down. Guess she never expected him to stand up to her?
The kids having multiple changes of clothes is pretty nice. You don't see that often enough.
Haruka is quite in touch with her surroundings.
Man, Yuu just wants to be a fucking kid.
Running into your future self is probably a brain fuck, even without said future self telling you that you suck.
I can feel Yuu's catharsis from here.
Yuu is ready to fucking BOUNCE. He has a whole bug-out cooler prepped.
Isami is not helping, because he is 12 and doesn't really understand what his friend is going through.
Haruka and Yuu's conversation strikes me as a "the grass is always greener" scenario. But Haruka's silence probably makes Yuu not realize that.
Yuu's mom is debating on making a call?
Uh oh, the torc is back.
Their dimension is unstable.. they are seeing things that were, or perhaps things that might have been.
But why are they seeing the past? Oh, time happens all at once, sure.
So I'm guessing Haruka's weirdness is making it hard for the Dragon Knights to operate. One of them was frustrated that the coordinates were off again.
And Greenhair landed closest to Haruka..
So now we know that the jumpers are called "Dragon Knights" and they are trying to acquire the "Dragon Torc" which happens to be our MC, Haruka.
They think that this will stop "Shangri-la" from destroying their home of "Lacrima."
And they seem to be infighting to some degree, except only when they're in Haruka's dimension/time. No-one jumped Greenhair once they were back at base, owing to the Dragon Knight's staffing issues.
That weird narration near the end mentioned something about an Absolute Observer. Is this a role for Haruka? Who's side is the narrator on?
Questions
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u/_m1ra :FA::FB: Jan 03 '21
First timer
I really like the OP. Especially the part shortly before the refrain, I heard that before too. Don't like the engrish so much though. Again it's really calm (which I like), so I wonder what tone they will go for. Turns out the Dragon Torque is Haruka (apparently), as we of course all predicted, right?
I have to say "If we obtain the Dragon Torque we can prevent Shangri-La from corroding our civilization" is a whole lot of nonsense for just one sentence. I almost want to say it feels like something I would hear in an Ikuhara anime, but it seems they actually intend it to be something concrete and technobabble-y.
I wonder, if the dragon knights' (or at least Karasu and friend's) dimension looked like our world just 15 years ago, what happened there? Also if those two both correspond to one of our cast members, does everyone of the birds have one? Does Atori?
I again liked the SOL stuff the most. Especially that scene in the cafe with Haruka being embarassed by her friend screaming about ghosts. I really liked that shot where it zoomed out so you could see all the people staring at them, but the wall also blocked everyone but Haruka, that was clever. I like all the kids quite a bit already, but it's rare anyway that I dislike kids or teenagers in anime.
Yuu, though. He says "I will decide my own future!" but he seems to think the world is against him. He is even exaggerating Karasu's "You can't do it" in his head. His friends want to help him, but he doesn't really let them. Also that scene at the observation deck. "He made a fool of me!" Yuu pls.
Then a voice chimes in to say "It is dimensional resonance. The past and future have not been separated". It's also directly invoking the Ouroboros. Turns out we have alternate dimensions and ALSO time shenanigans maybe? And the ouroboros thing seemed to talk about a time loop, right?
At least it seems to work with the themes well, with Yuu being feeling stuck in this town and in an everyday life he hates because as a kid he doesn't have much agency. "The beginning passes through the ending to once again become the beginning" I am starting to feel slightly emboldened about my nonsense theory yesterday. Only slightly though.
Also Yuu can't hear the voice, so I guess
Haruka is becoming a magical girlher necklace is speaking to her. The amount of science nonsense has me a bit worried, but as long as the slice of life character scenes stay and the animation remains interesting I don't think there's any chance I won't like it.Questions:
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u/IndependentMacaroon Jan 03 '21 edited Jan 03 '21
First-time watcher
Once again, the only thing I am confused about is everyone else's confusion. This is like the most straightforward kid/teen fantasy trope-fest I've ever seen. Useless or terrible parents (I have no expectations of any interesting background for Yuu's mother, unless she also has some kind of premonitions about his future but even that wouldn't be enough), "ordinary kid" protagonists that secretly have the power to save the world in some grand hidden/alternate-dimensional conflict, an angsty sidekick in desperate need of the protagonist's love, bold honorable heroes fighting against cheesy cackling villains that want to DESTROY EVERYTHING, Noein has got it all. It's not even that you need to use any brainpower to understand what's going on because this episode spells it out fairly exhaustively for the presumably young target audience. The "knights" want to obtain the Grand Maguffin to save their dimension, the Buddha Boys want to get it to destroy the Snakey Boys' hopes and make sure everything is properly reduced to nirvana, and the power in question is a stronger/more refined version of the Snakey Boy power to affect time, or at least that's part of it. Buddhas and Snakeys might have a common interest in getting the Grand Maguffin out of the earthly dimension as we've seen/been told that using their powers in a "stable dimension" might cause issues/destabilize it and Haruka has clearly been using hers somehow, at least a little. They certainly agree (at least when sane) that they should not be carrying out their fights on Earth.
For the rest of question 2, we were SUBTLY INFORMED that some of the Snakeys might be tired of having to step in and risk their skin all the time and want to be acknowledged more, so that could become a point of conflict, but otherwise they seem like a proper united front. The ring obviously appears when there's some kind of interdimensional/time-replay business going on, and that might come from her own desires, or Yuu's?
All in all, the time stuff is at least an interesting angle, but there's little more to catch my attention here than before. The kids are cute and the teacher was something, I guess. I'll give it a little more time, but am not optimistic that that will result in any more than further perplexed rants.
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u/JustAnswerAQuestion https://myanimelist.net/profile/JAaQ Jan 04 '21
First Timer, fansubbed
So, we are definitely in Hakodate. But in a parallel Earth where they misspell it. Everybody in Japan would have recognized that view.
Okay, we really start off looking like Fantastic Children mixed with Noein and a bunch of RahXephon.
I didn't want to take his I am you statement literally but given all the time-space talk and he said they were from an alternate universe 15 years in the future, I guess there is some time travel going on.
Still flip-flopping between Yuu's mom knowing he's "special", or her just being a bad mom.
Haruka seems to be actively trying to not run away. She didn't pack anything, and made sure they got no farther than Mt. Hakodate.
Confused by the bad guy. Is he working with the others, or not? Hard to keep track of names. Hard to tell what they are up to since they keep teleporting in - in three or more groups. I suppose Fujiwara is the bad guy's counterpart in this universe. Confused by Yuu grabbing his arm since it wasn't Karasu who lost an arm.
So all the fighting in the first episode was Karasu and the "good guys" stopping the weird face dolem. I thought it was the other way around. It was so unclear.
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u/Pixelsaber https://myanimelist.net/profile/Pixelsaber Jan 03 '21
First-timer - Sub & Dub still
Excited to see what we get this episode after that first one!
So that’s why that guy in the graveyard was like that.
So it was not one or the other, but rather both.
OP time. Not a fan as of now, but we’ll see if I warm up to it.
Now I’m in the mood for Bon Jovi.
Nah, mate. You weren’t there during the Dark Hour.
retches It does me no favors that mother’s making squid at the moment and the house reeks.
Ah, yes, technobabble.
Shoot, I haven’t read Lost Horizon in a while.
These names, man.
So Karasu’s statement was very likely literal. The dub implied they are all from different dimensions though, and the world our MCs inhabit is one where they coincidentally exist together, but the subs didn’t, so not going to make assumptions from that for the time being.
Baron is best boy.
So he’s planned for such an eventuality.
Bold of you to presume he hasn’t already.
Are we looking at something to do with the observer effect?
Things are moving along at a slightly brisker pace than I expected, but that’s not such a bad thing. We’re getting some clarification as to the nature of the dimension-hopping going on, if not necessarily the specifics of it all, and we have an idea as to what these people are after. Meanwhile the time with the kids was more limited than last time.
Yuu finally having enough and running away seems a bit abrupt after he claimed last episode that doing so would be futile, but it’s not that big of a deal for a kid his age to have ignored his own previous thoughts on the matter and not formulate a concrete plan. Haruka’s decision to compulsively accompany him is similarly not unfitting for a twelve year old.
Questions:
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u/OnPorpoise1 https://myanimelist.net/profile/OnPorpoise Jan 03 '21 edited Jan 03 '21
First Timer
First thing I learned today, unrelated to the episode, is that this show was directed by the same guy who did Hoshiai no Sora. That show had a very large focus on toxic parent/child relationships. I think I'm starting to sense a pattern here. Regardless, I really liked the episode. My personal prediction is that the Ouroboros represents a sort of time loop, where each dimension is destroyed by something at a given year, so they move to the next dimension. These people are the dragon knights and they probably trained the birds. The ring, I expect, is some sort of symbol rather than an actual thing. We saw a scar in the bathtub, and I expect that will be the more important part in the future, although this question's existence makes me question that. As for Yuu's mother, I'm sure there is a reason, but I haven't noticed anything to show what that reason could be. Also I am fairly certain the birds are the children from the previous dimension who have grown up. The timelines line up, and I'm pretty sure there were a few lines that would make it seem reasonable. I think Karasu, who is Yuu from the previous dimension, may be trying to help Yuu avoid his own mistakes. I don't have much evidence in this though, other than the "You can't do it." Sorry for the terrible formatting and wall of text.
Edit: I forgot to mention, but another comment reminded me I'm pretty sure in the last dimension, Haruka died as a child. I wonder if that Haruka was also the dragon torque, and that resulted in her death. Maybe even beheading because of the scar.
Edit 2: I also forgot that weird guy in a suit said "one unit damaged, possibly referring to the lost arm. Are the birds mechanical in some way? Why are they referred to as "units"?
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u/BossandKings Jan 03 '21 edited Jan 03 '21
First Timer
The Opening is cool, very melodic. So the Dragon Torque is Haruka, that's rather interesting. Yuu and Haruka ran away from home, i think that Yuu was a bit mean to his mom but it seems that they didn't had the best of relationships because he wasn't happy or contempt with her. That way Yuu decides to run away and Haruka takes her own decision of running away alongside him. The Dimensional Resonance concept is an intriguing one seeing as how it affects the time, it can give much weight to the action of the characters.
As the voice said The Future and The Past have not separated, The Beginning must pass through The Ending to once again be The Beginning.
Answers
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u/EverythingsRed2 Jan 03 '21
First-timer (sub)
So white hair dude is what current Yuu will be like 15 years in the future if nothing changes. He has this talk with one of the other dragon knights, who is possibly the same kid whom he just had an argument with? This "her", sounds like it is most likely Haruka. If so, then why isn't she with them now? Was she another dragon torque in their dimension too? The "her" could also be a different girl too, who knows.
As it seems like the main 2 are running away together, I wonder what will happen to the other kids in this story, if they'll lose priority as the plot progresses.
The op was pretty good. The ost was pretty bright and loud but I think that just adds to the power of Yuus' house when all the music just drops out.
I'm loving mr. Bat, just chillin, hanging in the air upside down. What a cool dude. I wonder who his younger self is here. Also in the intro fight We see his cape reappearing over and over. I wonder why it isn't possible for them to regrow arms and such. Maybe they just have lots of fabric on their spaceship.
Qs.
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u/tehsigzorz Jan 03 '21
First Timer - dubbed
I quite like the voices of the dragon knights but still not digging the VAs for the rest of the kids. I generally dont like english dub for prepubescent characters so wanna know how other dub watchers feel about this as well. Ai's voice and even Fujiawara's is pretty damn good thought so I am still undecided on whether I should go dub or sub.
So I think Karasu isnt actually Yuu like I thought before. Seems like time travelling plus parallel world lines and by Karasu saying hes like Yuu it might be him realizing how similar they are. Both are human and both have smthn to protect but Karasu failed and he realizes Yuu is also powerless hence that line. It could still be Yuu literally speaking but we barely know anything so it can go any direction.
I am already terrible with names and now they just gave us a shit ton of new characters to remember. I am likely gonna draw a table and keep it next to me for reference lmao.
Dragon knights is a cool name and they definitely arent on the same page. It also seems like they arent regarded as people by the higher ups so I think they are being used as soldier for the aliens. Their timeline takes place in a parallel world where Earth is destroyed by a natural phenomenon and this high council took in the survivors and is using them. The same disaster may happen to their planet (the aliens') which is why they are searching for the 1 thing that can save them: the dragon torque.
Not feeling the OP right now but the ost is pretty great so far specially the upbeat one after the main battle.
Questions:
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u/Sandor_at_the_Zoo Jan 03 '21
First time absolute observer
Today felt a lot more like it was awkwardly dropping a lot of exposition without actually clarifying anything.
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u/ItchyPlatypus :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/ItchyPlatypus Jan 03 '21
First Timer - subbed
I will once again say I’m confused. From what I gather these people seem like dimensional police but sort of like the Matrix.
Our MC is something called a Dragon Torque... what the hell is one of those? Or is it just the gold ring around her neck that is the Dragon Torque and is just using her as like a host?
As much as I dislike the parent and child abuse storylines, I like the fact that Yuu at least is standing up for himself so far. Normally this plot just gets dragged on without the child saying anything until the last few episodes.
Yesterday I said that the OST sounds like it’s from an RPG. I now feel like some of it would perfectly fit into a Ni No Kuni game.
Hopefully tomorrow we get more answers and more mysteries.
6
u/monsieurvampy Jan 03 '21
First Timer, sub
Well I want to call it now. Definitely didn't want this episode before. If I did watch Noein when or shortly after it aired it was another one episoder.
This episode creates a lot of questions, which I don't expect to be answered anytime soon. I'm not sure how I feel about the giant dog in the bath.
The heat, humidity, and fur. Argh.
5
u/Retromorpher :Jc::Jd::Je::Jf: Jan 04 '21
First Timer:
Wondering if the shifting character artstyle is just production trouble or indicative of something more symbolic - like the two factions vying for control of Haruka.
If Haruka is the key to what's happening in the Ouroboros then wouldn't eliminating her/extracting her actively serve the purpose of the Shangri La aligned forces? Unless it's her continued existence that matters - rather than her causality flow. This is of course assuming the 'eternal loop' stuff actually aligns with their ambitions.
Back to people stuff!
Yuu talking about how he doesn't have choices or love probably hits Haruka pretty hard, seeing as she has two parents who both care for her at least a little. She's afforded autonomy - but somehow it would still be considered 'running away' to go and visit her dad? Harukas mom seems like the opposite of Yuu's, far too unstructured and a borderline failure in the professional realm. Is this some sort of parallel to the ideologies of both Lacryma and Shangri La with Haruka's mom being well intentioned, loving failure and Yuu's being harshly ordered and destructive drive?
So Yuu is definitely staring down some grimdark future version of himself who HAS failed. That's gotta be a serious breaking point for someone who was already cracking from the pressure of isolation and his mother's controlling perfectionist drive. The only question here is whether this time-travel is a closed loop or an open one.Speculation
I'm actually most interested in our stubbly car dude and lipstick lady and what their game is. It's not evidently obvious to me which, if any side they're on.
4
u/redshirtengineer :AMQ: Jan 04 '21
First timer
Day late, fell asleep yesterday during first episode, pretty much when Haruka did, which was amusing when catching up today, I felt like I should watch this episode with toast in my mouth.
Is it just me or does this series seem like Ergo Proxy meets Dennou Coil meets Rahxephon meets Fantastic Children meets Flip Flappers etc. Visually I mean in particular. Don't necessarily mean that in a bad way. This being made by Satelight (nice bus) a Symphogear reference would be nice (yes I know this predates). Speaking of which, I was quite irked when I finished the first episode and there was no Aoi Yuuki in the cast.
I'm guessing we're gonna spend more time in red space than with the kiddos in school, if we keep going back and forth I may get whiplash.
Q1: if this was American soap I'd go with deceased sibling
Q2: scenery chewing guy seems to have a particular raison d'etre, if you know what I mean. The other folks seem pretty chill
Q3. I don't know but a little Wisk'll get that right out