I'm pretty sure that they didn't say a thing about causalities after the episode 2 bomb but logically there should be some deaths.
Terror in Resonance 4
this episode was really good, probably the best one so far. as usual great direction and visuals and especially great was the music during some of those scenes. I think they did a very good job with that.
finally something is actually happening with Lisa, could have been better if the character was more present in the previous episodes but whatever. I also liked that little change in the riddle thing and I suppose that in the next episode we're going see something different and probably "bigger".
I think the quiz format is getting a little stale here. Shibazaki has a strong enough presence to keep many of the scenes compelling even at their weakest, but it can't go on forever. This is about the point where I feel the narrative needs to get moving before it really overstays its welcome. Character-wise things are also moving far slower than they could otherwise be, but the music does a good job of maintaining a solid mood. Ultimately, I think this episode is a good example of how the direction and music is carrying a show which hasn't really done anything that interesting in two weeks now.
One thing I actually do find compelling in the show is Twelve's strange attraction to Lisa. The way it's portrayed is pretty interesting, because instead of romance on his part, it comes off as curiosity. Like a person who doesn't generally socialize much finally finding someone to be interested in, and starts doing it in a somewhat creepy way. Lisa clearly sees it as something more idealized, and she is hoping for an escape from her existence. I really liked the bike scene because I really felt that their expressions there indicated that while they were both happy, they were getting different things out of the experience.
I have no idea how this show slipped under my radar, but I'm only just getting around to these 4 eps. The story + characters aren't blowing me away, but the presentation is off the charts. Watanabe is still in top form in that respect, as well as Yoko Kanno on the soundtrack. The tone and subject matter is way more to my liking than Kids On The Slope as well (aside from those fantastic performance sequences). I just hope the story gets going, or rather, gets more interesting.
Episode 4, though. The build and release from the end of the countdown to the info bomb to the motorcycle sequence was so excellently done. The editing, the music, the visuals- all perfection.
Speaking of, that the motorcycle ride reminded me of the end of Fallen Angels. A little bit anyway.
As others have noted the direction is strong and the music fantastic. The writing is the weak link here but it's still enjoyable. Things are starting to get interesting and this was definitely a good episode.
The only problem I have with this episode is that the little riddles are getting boring to me. The interactions between 9&12 during those videos are fun, but ehh it's already gotten old. Other than that fantastic episode with amazing musical direction. The soundtrack of this show is just so good! Glad I bought it, and I listen to it everyday.
I think the part I like the most about this show is the accurate portrayals of technology, Windows, OS X, WMP, Youtube, UStream, even Tor. It's something that's not necessarily important to reproduce but it's just so different from most other shows that have weird made up UIs. Great attention to detail.
I'm in love with this show. I watched the first 3 episodes and fell in love. Loving the story, the music, and the production values.
I'm not a big character person (I usually just want people to do what they're supposed to do to further the plot in a sensical fashion), but Shibazaki is great.
I'm a big fan of cat & mouse storylines, so this really RESONATES with me. See what I did there?
I think the part I like the most about this show is the accurate portrayals of technology, Windows, OS X, WMP, Youtube, UStream, even Tor. It's something that's not necessarily important to reproduce but it's just so different from most other shows that have weird made up UIs. Great attention to detail.
The show's attention to detail in general has been really fantastic. Even simple things like phone UIs are amazingly detailed. No one had to put an "HDR オフ" piece of text at the top of the phone, but they did, and I appreciate that.
This is a series that is getting mostly better and better with each episode. Indeed, this time around the formula is shaken before it can get stale and
I am most interested in Five, and evil chessmaster who has outflanked Nine and Twelve so very effortlessly. That was really intense and dramatic and Five clearly has less scruples then her counterparts. Sadly, Shibuzaki kind of got sidelined this episode after solving the riddle and while he is clearly making new moments in new directions, he was kind of reduced to the 1980s movie cop on the edge and little else. Anyway, it has become increasingly clear that Lisa is the albatross around the neck of Terror in Resonance, they have no fucking clue what to do with her even in the company of Nine and Twelve. Seriously, if you cut her out of this episode you would lose nothing except for stale high school slice of tropes that don't fit here.
Before you panic, no fast forwarding was involved this week, but damn if I was not tempted, Lisa is just useless and she is awful and I hate her.
Those of you who wanted more character development will probably continue to be a little disappointed. Those of you who wanted the plot to get off its formulaic riddle rails will be pleased. Playtime is over.
If Watanabe started this pitch trying to look at the consequences of a modern terror attack in Japan, he clearly got sidetracked somewhere along the way. I don't think this is necessarily a bad thing, but if there were any doubts about what this show is, those doubts should be gone with this episode. It's every bit the convoluted crime thriller. The terror attack stuff just works to add a sense of verisimilitude, which can be seen in the show's attention to detail in the way of modern computer interfaces and technologies, or in aspects of the public response.
I don't feel like this episode quite hit the peaks the previous one reached in terms of editing and direction, but that's an enormously high bar. It still served to make otherwise predictable reveals and events much more thrilling than they'd otherwise be. And by finally
putting Sphinx on the defensive
, it left me with real uncertainty over just what the outcome would be.
I'd love to unpack this episode in more depth later. Even though very little is explicitly stated, I feel like it tells us more about who Nine actually is than any other episode to date.
Shibazaki to investigate politicians and high ranking police officials like I thought, but I'm not sure what the plan was if Shibazaki had never come along. They seem to be working toward embarrassing the government, but they've done so in such a way that the organization that runs the facility was sure to realize who they were and counterattack them. I guess it wasn't the greatest plan.
It was a good episode overall, even if the Lisa bits weren't the kind of character development that I think they needed to do for her. We didn't really learn anything about her other than the fact that she can't
Terror In Resonance Episode 5:
Before you panic, no fast forwarding was involved this week, but damn if I was not tempted, Lisa is just useless and she is awful and I hate her.
Five has no possible way of knowing about. Five knows them well enough to see their next moves, so someone that she can't account for is helpful in that sense. Having said that, she's the kind of dunce that burns food to the point of smoking up an entire apartment, so I don't know if she'll ultimately help them or hurt them.
Hey finally, a episode I have something positive to say!
The difference here, more than a radical depart of the previous style, seems to be that they have finished in the "introductory arc" and now they are starting the middle arc of the story, the one more meaty and where the true plot reveals and there can be interesting twists.
-We learn their objectives weren't random, they are tied by important officials and politicians. I suppose they were behind the "secret installation with children"?
-And the detective is also behind that clue
-They never wanted victims in first place. Which is a bit lol (there has to be better ways to call attention from the public and police than in that way) but whatever.
-Five appears but it's an antagonist. Precisely because they failed to escape with her and had to be left in the installation, she went formed and brainwashed (?) for more years and now it's part of the enemy.
-The triangle between Nine/Twelve, Five and Shibazaki is promising.
-The surprise with the problem deactivating the bomb and all that scene was good.
Those of you who wanted more character development will probably continue to be a little disappointed. Those of you who wanted the plot to get off its formulaic riddle rails will be pleased. Playtime is over.
Yes, finally, is what I thought. Though I can't shake the feeling that it'll go back to being rather predictable fairly soon especially with Lisa around.
That was pretty interesting. I'm glad Tachikawa delivered an episode which doesn't feel as bogged down as the last two. I can't say I love the direction the show is going in now, but it's still better than the stationary vehicle it was for a while there. It's becoming increasingly clear that this won't be a pure character drama about the psychology of actual terrorism, but instead the protagonists are portrayed as being more heroic than they deserve while using the concept of terrorism as a tool for their (probably noble) ends. That makes the overall work less interesting to me, but at least the intent is being communicated clearly now.
Moving forward the show will probably be even more of a genre vehicle than it already is - three different factions of "geniuses" trying to outsmart each other, all having something to prove, mind games with cat and mouse chases both metaphorical and physical, etc. It's certainly entertaining and very polished in execution, so that's a plus!
I liked how things finally started to change and that this "new" character appeared, I don't mind the cliched train since it has always been like this but this episode just felt so stupid.
now you understand that they don't want to be mass murderers? After 2 bombs like that? I don't even. he even tried to save a woman when the bomb exploded, if I'm not mistaken.
also, the fucking bomb. it exploded right before him and he's just fine? What. he even said that it wasn't a small bomb.
I liked how things finally started to change and that this "new" character appeared, I don't mind the cliched train since it has always been like this but this episode just felt so stupid.
now you understand that they don't want to be mass murderers? After 2 bombs like that? I don't even. he even tried to save a woman when the bomb exploded, if I'm not mistaken.
also, the fucking bomb. it exploded right before him and he's just fine? What. he even said that it wasn't a small bomb.
I think they made it pretty clear in previous episodes that were trying not to harm anyone. You can see that they go to great efforts to ensure no-one is harmed (e.g. strapping the camera to the fire extinguisher in the police station to ensure that no-one is near by). This is completely consistent with what we've seen earlier.
I think they made it pretty clear in previous episodes that were trying not to harm anyone. You can see that they go to great efforts to ensure no-one is harmed (e.g. strapping the camera to the fire extinguisher in the police station to ensure that no-one is near by). This is completely consistent with what we've seen earlier.
first bomb - it's true that they cut the electricity and everyone left the building (which to me it didn't seem like "let's do this in order to save everyone" at all but more like "let's do this in order to place the bombs without no one noticing us") but they also blew up half of that huge building, you do expect casualities after that especially since there were still people around the bulding itself and in the streets nearby. (>people screaming when the building was collapsing) then they say 0 deaths after showing some sort of post-apocalyptic scenes, believable? Not much.
second bomb - I thought that he placed those cams just to check if someone went there and find out about the package containing the bomb or something. in any case, they never talked of casualities so it's wasn't very clear but the whole room exploded and probably the whole floor was damage or even destroyed. you would think that people could have died there very easily, even if most of the people working there went to the presumed bomb location, he couldn't have been sure that no one was there with just those 3 cams placed in the corridor.
not as big as the first bomb of course but I would have expected a couple of deaths there.
you can say that thanks to sort of extreme luck no one was killed during those first 2 bombs but still I didn't see at all the intent of not harming anyone.
and then in this episode you see him while he tries to cover and save a woman just before the explosion. come on now
That was pretty interesting. I'm glad Tachikawa delivered an episode which doesn't feel as bogged down as the last two. I can't say I love the direction the show is going in now, but it's still better than the stationary vehicle it was for a while there. It's becoming increasingly clear that this won't be a pure character drama about the psychology of actual terrorism, but instead the protagonists are portrayed as being more heroic than they deserve while using the concept of terrorism as a tool for their (probably noble) ends. That makes the overall work less interesting to me, but at least the intent is being communicated clearly now.
Moving forward the show will probably be even more of a genre vehicle than it already is - three different factions of "geniuses" trying to outsmart each other, all having something to prove, mind games with cat and mouse chases both metaphorical and physical, etc. It's certainly entertaining and very polished in execution, so that's a plus!
Right, I officially hate Lisa any scene she is in drags this entire anime down several notches, she is so unnaturally crowbarred into this story then even the characters can't stop remarking about it.
Obviously her purpose is being unfurled as she is going to be the X Factor that spoils Five's little game somehow.
Anyway, I really like Five and she has quickly set herself up to be the chessmaster's chessmaster within the confines in the world. Shibuzaki shines in spite of getting sidelined for this arc for the moment.
I did like the fact that this anime subverted the lone rouge detective act.
We are also getting a fair pit of political manoeuvrings with the arrival of the new players, which probably has deeper underpinnings. Anyway, another thing I am getting tired of is the mincing of the morality of Twelve and Nine. I have no idea where this streak of nobility is coming from, or really much of anything when it comes to their morality. Anyway, this was overall a alright episode, clearly all setup to next week.
With how typical some of these characters are turning out to be by the 6th episode I'm not sure I want to continue watching this. I'll probably wait until I hear peoples reactions to the second to last episode on 9/11. If that turns out well I may catch back up.
Lisa is still a non-person that just kind of exists to throw a wrench in Five's plans. I don't care about her at all, and that's getting to be a real problem.
Five has brought an interesting new element to the show so I don't have any complaints there. Hopefully Shibazaki is secretly looking into the organization that runs the facility/ that all the previous incidents were pointing to, but we didn't see any of that this episode.
I'm more excited for the next episode than I have been at the conclusion to any previous episode for sure.
After it was made completely clear in the last episode what to expect from the rest of the series, it actually made it much easier to enjoy this episode as it is. Over the top, filled with "dramatic" mind games. Five is clearly an entertaining character, and once Shibazaki catches on and joins the fray it should be pretty damn fun all the way to the end.
What drags this episode down substantially is the awful engrish crap in the scenes towards the end. It's just awful. Considering how much attention to detail is paid for a lot of stuff in the production of the show, it's just a waste to ruin all those scenes with completely unauthentic language. They could just say the entire support team is Japanese and roll with it in Japanese. If they wanted it in English they should have cast people who could actually speak English. Having a team supposedly from America speak in completely broken English in a deadpan pace with incorrect diction all over takes me completely out of it. Ruined.
Ugh, unfortunately it doesn't seem like the stupid pointless games will ever stop with this show. Does anyone even enjoy any of this crap? Feels like it's written by some teenager impressing only himself.
What drags this episode down substantially is the awful engrish crap in the scenes towards the end. It's just awful. Considering how much attention to detail is paid for a lot of stuff in the production of the show, it's just a waste to ruin all those scenes with completely unauthentic language. They could just say the entire support team is Japanese and roll with it in Japanese. If they wanted it in English they should have cast people who could actually speak English. Having a team supposedly from America speak in completely broken English in a deadpan pace with incorrect diction all over takes me completely out of it. Ruined.
I thought the show picked up in the last couple of episodes, and I'm still pumped about what's to come, but there is some stuff annoying me, such as:
1. That chess thing reminds me more than I'd like of No Game No Life
2. Shibazaki and Nine/Twelve taking literally no time to solve the week's riddle makes the whole riddle thing pretty much pointless.
3. Oh god that english.
4. Lisa. Stop it. You're tearing me apart!
Your right, there's a very high chance of one of the episodes coming out on 9/ll. It just seems coincidental to me because it's the 2nd to last episode (a normal ramp up for finale).
Episode 6
What drags this episode down substantially is the awful engrish crap in the scenes towards the end. It's just awful. Considering how much attention to detail is paid for a lot of stuff in the production of the show, it's just a waste to ruin all those scenes with completely unauthentic language. They could just say the entire support team is Japanese and roll with it in Japanese. If they wanted it in English they should have cast people who could actually speak English. Having a team supposedly from America speak in completely broken English in a deadpan pace with incorrect diction all over takes me completely out of it. Ruined.
Your right, there's a very high chance of one of the episodes coming out on 9/ll. It just seems coincidental to me because it's the 2nd to last episode (a normal ramp up for finale).
That was actually pretty bad. It's not a good sign at all when a show constantly swings between "this seems poorly written but the direction is great" and "even the direction can't really save this from feeling like dreck". It's unfortunate because the show does seem to show interest in tackling some interesting topics, but not interested enough to actually deal with them seriously. Instead it falls into the trap of trying too hard to be exciting to a more general audience, without really succeeding at that either.
It's pretty clear what the intention of this episode was - to feel like a suspense thriller where the lines between the good guys and bad guys are blurred, with a race against time and wits.It doesn't actually feel like that though. Instead it feels like a rather lazy over-dramatized challenge between a team of not-really-bad-guys who the audience doesn't care about, and a crazy insane woman who the audience doesn't really know, with the cool cop character being nothing more than a narrative tool who gets forced into specific situations so he can give predictable reactions to events to highlight how "shocked" the audience is supposed to feel. Really... lazy storytelling. :/
---
The good news:
The official site has confirmed that the second soundtrack for the show will be released on Oct 22 2014. More Yoko Kanno goodness!
I actually like this more than the last episode. Still lots of cliches
Chess game and playing a recording on the security cam
.
Still there were parts that I liked.
The engrish was a bit better, at least it's not another riddle, and the situation has gotten a lot more complex for all the good guys.
Still don't like 5 though... She looks cool, but I just don't dig that typical crazy.
I'm hoping the show becomes more clever in the future though.
Just enough to keep me watching.
