Don't go to pieces! Land of the Lustrous simulwatch (completed)
- Thread starter Dai
- Start date
Birdie Num Num
Straw Hat Pirate
Yeah, I can confirm it has a Spanish dub
WMD
Guild Member
Well I'll defo check it tomorrow!Time to crack out the Secondary School Spanish then, methinks!
RadFemHedonist
Mad Scientist
I am actually massively into animation generally and enjoy CGI movies such as Pixar, Dreamworks, and things like the beautiful French animated feature Jack and the Cuckoo-Clock Heart along with TV series like Trollhunters, Spirit Riding Free and so on. I would agree that LOTL (and Beastars) stand out among CGI anime in terms of quality of execution (also that new Lupin CGI movie looks extraordinarily awesome to me and I can't wait to see it!) If anyone needed any more confirmation that there's a Spanish dub on the UK BD yes I noticed that when selecting languages too XD I thought one of ADV's two main Evangelion TV releases (original 8 volumes + Director's Cuts and Platinum) had Spanish dubs on it as well, and vaguely recall some other older anime DVD releases with other language options than English dub and original Japanese with English subs I'm disabled and mentally ill and have never been employed apart from some volunteer work which I know I wasn't very good at, and I often feel varying degrees of alienated by shows that emphasise careers/life meaning through work/jobs and rather questionably excessive, abled definitions of "working hard" so I do appreciate that this show does at least some things that subvert that, though I feel like we're meant to somewhat dislike Phos for being the scatty undisciplined one who prob. has ADHD (I have ADHD) and that upsets me a bit, though I hope I'm just reading something into the show that isn't there. It's a fascinating series though, and does have an Evangelion vibe in that it's a lot to do with existential questions (even at this early stage). I think maybe I've had my fill of anime that seem practically designed to induce depressive states tbh. But I'll watch along anyway and try and form my own perspective rather than necessarily agreeing with the show's attitude. Also I have seen most of Steven Universe (the western series that arguably invites the closest thematic comparisons, all I haven't seen is the movie and SU: Future, and I did really like the series), i won't be discussing that in depth here as that would spoil it for those who haven't seen it and wish to, but it is certainly interesting to compare and contrast
I'm disabled and mentally ill and have never been employed apart from some volunteer work which I know I wasn't very good at, and I often feel varying degrees of alienated by shows that emphasise careers/life meaning through work/jobs and rather questionably excessive, abled definitions of "working hard" so I do appreciate that this show does at least some things that subvert that, though I feel like we're meant to somewhat dislike Phos for being the scatty undisciplined one who prob. has ADHD (I have ADHD) and that upsets me a bit, though I hope I'm just reading something into the show that isn't there. It's a fascinating series though, and does have an Evangelion vibe in that it's a lot to do with existential questions (even at this early stage). I think maybe I've had my fill of anime that seem practically designed to induce depressive states tbh. But I'll watch along anyway and try and form my own perspective rather than necessarily agreeing with the show's attitude. Also I have seen most of Steven Universe (the western series that arguably invites the closest thematic comparisons, all I haven't seen is the movie and SU: Future, and I did really like the series), i won't be discussing that in depth here as that would spoil it for those who haven't seen it and wish to, but it is certainly interesting to compare and contrast 
ManiacB
Kiznaiver
This is a re-watch for me. MVM BDs with Japanese Dub and Subtitles. I think this will be something like my 4th or 5th watch as I've also watched this with a few of my friends too (all of who loved it).
There's something about this show that just clicks with me. The mood, storytelling, world building, it all just works. Seeing the first episode again reminds me of how charming (and annoying but in a kinda charming way) Phos is. Also reminds me how vibrant and colourful it is to look at, truly a feast for the eyes.
Really enjoying seeing other people's thoughts on it so far too, especially those who haven't seen it yet. I absolutely couldn't get enough of it after finishing the anime and had to go and read all of the manga, and now I'm stuck waiting for more (unfortunately I think the manga is on a hiatus at the moment?).
I may have seen the 2D trailer before but I obviously forgot about it so thanks a lot for reminding me of it. Based on that, I think I could happily watch a 2D version of the series without too much trouble, but that's not to detract from the 3D direction they went in at all, as I still think it's one of the best uses of 3DCG I've seen in anime TV series (which admittely isn't a high bar...). Interestingly I think the 2D animation does allow the characters to slightly more closely resemble their manga counterparts too.
There's something about this show that just clicks with me. The mood, storytelling, world building, it all just works. Seeing the first episode again reminds me of how charming (and annoying but in a kinda charming way) Phos is. Also reminds me how vibrant and colourful it is to look at, truly a feast for the eyes.
Really enjoying seeing other people's thoughts on it so far too, especially those who haven't seen it yet. I absolutely couldn't get enough of it after finishing the anime and had to go and read all of the manga, and now I'm stuck waiting for more (unfortunately I think the manga is on a hiatus at the moment?
).I may have seen the 2D trailer before but I obviously forgot about it so thanks a lot for reminding me of it. Based on that, I think I could happily watch a 2D version of the series without too much trouble, but that's not to detract from the 3D direction they went in at all, as I still think it's one of the best uses of 3DCG I've seen in anime TV series (which admittely isn't a high bar...). Interestingly I think the 2D animation does allow the characters to slightly more closely resemble their manga counterparts too.
Episode 1
Wow, great to see so many people taking part!
Most of what I would have said has already been covered, but I'll just chime in to say that it's rare for me to be so completely won over by a series, more or less from the get-go. I'd heard good things about the CGI in this one and it does seem like it's been used very intelligently. Comparing the finished show to the video Neil posted, I do think the characters' faces were more expressive in the 2D, but the reflections in their hair seems to shine much more intensely with the 3D modelling, and I imagine keeping up with all the shine effects would have been a major time sink if it were all being done by hand.
I'm also quite intrigued by the use of Buddhist imagery, with the statues being used for the invaders from the moon (anyone else think the music sounded like Tetsuo's theme from Akira when they first appeared?) and their guardian looking very much like a monk with his shaven head.
I think that's a really good description. I was vaguely aware before seeing the show that the characters weren't strictly defined in terms of their gender, but it does seem like the show leans more towards having them present as female, albeit in an ambiguous fashion. I suppose it's an equally good description of Kino in Kino's Journey, who never explicitly identies their gender, but also doesn't correct anyone who addresses them as either male or female.
Wow, great to see so many people taking part!
Most of what I would have said has already been covered, but I'll just chime in to say that it's rare for me to be so completely won over by a series, more or less from the get-go. I'd heard good things about the CGI in this one and it does seem like it's been used very intelligently. Comparing the finished show to the video Neil posted, I do think the characters' faces were more expressive in the 2D, but the reflections in their hair seems to shine much more intensely with the 3D modelling, and I imagine keeping up with all the shine effects would have been a major time sink if it were all being done by hand.
I'm also quite intrigued by the use of Buddhist imagery, with the statues being used for the invaders from the moon (anyone else think the music sounded like Tetsuo's theme from Akira when they first appeared?) and their guardian looking very much like a monk with his shaven head.
I think that's a really good description. I was vaguely aware before seeing the show that the characters weren't strictly defined in terms of their gender, but it does seem like the show leans more towards having them present as female, albeit in an ambiguous fashion. I suppose it's an equally good description of Kino in Kino's Journey, who never explicitly identies their gender, but also doesn't correct anyone who addresses them as either male or female.
Vincentdante
Time-Traveller
Episode Two - Attack of the Snail
Well where to start. This episode introduced us better to Diamond and Bort. Bort? What is a Bort? I immediately googled this and learned a lot more about diamonds than I ever did. So turns out I was wrong above in regards to diamond, while diamonds are very hard minerals they are also incredibly brittle as a result of this hardness. So to put simply a diamond will shatter like glass if stuck by a hammer, but if you scrape it accross a sheet of steel it won't even scratch, but the steel will. A bort on the other hand is a diamond that lacks gem like qualities but is instead used in tool manufacturing.
Who say's Anime isn't educational.
Anyway this episode see's Phos working on her encyclopedia with the addition of trying to find Cinnabar a new job and seeks inspiration from the titular character. Kind of like as I mentioned above, Diamond is brittle and needs to be careful but has a lot of luster, while bort is sturdy and no nonsense with personalities which match. It's kind of like the creators have taken common anime charcter tropes and assigned them to a gemstone which suits.
The big twist to the episode is the introduction of Snail-kun. Snail-kun's body is made up some some highly corrosive acid it appears which can melt any of the gemstones including Bort. This is bad news for Phos which see's her enitre body dissolved after Snail-kun eats her whole. In my episode 1 analysis I asked the question what would happen to a gemstone entirely corrupted by Cinnabar. This is actually a fairly similar fate so perhapes that question might get answered in the next episode.
But my new question is why would the Lunarians keep a creature which feeds off and dissolves the gems they are hard at work trying to collect. Are they hunting them not for jewelery but for food? Also the introduction mentions there are 5 moons, is that significant to the Lunarian culture as well? There is a lot of questions raised around this hunter type enemy.
There was a lot of analysis yesterday around the theme off satisfaction in work, to be honest I have a different interpretation of the job that Phos has been fostered with but feel free to ignore this rambling. The whole job/life satisfaction is the most Japanese trait since rice as we all know. But rather based on the master's dialogues with Phos, to me this seems like he has given her a springboard to start thinking about herself and the things around her. An encylopedia can be on any subject or many subjects for that matter, so being asked to create an ecyclopedia without a subject matter is one of the most vague jobs you could give to a person. Could the Master be a low key genius? And of course Phos wants to also help Cinnabar still which seems to be on the foremost of her mind but I don't think it's unrelated. But I could be proven wrong.
Anyway looking forward to seeing if Phos will escape from Snail-kun (most likely, we see her in the next epsiode preview).
Well where to start. This episode introduced us better to Diamond and Bort. Bort? What is a Bort? I immediately googled this and learned a lot more about diamonds than I ever did. So turns out I was wrong above in regards to diamond, while diamonds are very hard minerals they are also incredibly brittle as a result of this hardness. So to put simply a diamond will shatter like glass if stuck by a hammer, but if you scrape it accross a sheet of steel it won't even scratch, but the steel will. A bort on the other hand is a diamond that lacks gem like qualities but is instead used in tool manufacturing.
Who say's Anime isn't educational.
Anyway this episode see's Phos working on her encyclopedia with the addition of trying to find Cinnabar a new job and seeks inspiration from the titular character. Kind of like as I mentioned above, Diamond is brittle and needs to be careful but has a lot of luster, while bort is sturdy and no nonsense with personalities which match. It's kind of like the creators have taken common anime charcter tropes and assigned them to a gemstone which suits.
The big twist to the episode is the introduction of Snail-kun. Snail-kun's body is made up some some highly corrosive acid it appears which can melt any of the gemstones including Bort. This is bad news for Phos which see's her enitre body dissolved after Snail-kun eats her whole. In my episode 1 analysis I asked the question what would happen to a gemstone entirely corrupted by Cinnabar. This is actually a fairly similar fate so perhapes that question might get answered in the next episode.
But my new question is why would the Lunarians keep a creature which feeds off and dissolves the gems they are hard at work trying to collect. Are they hunting them not for jewelery but for food? Also the introduction mentions there are 5 moons, is that significant to the Lunarian culture as well? There is a lot of questions raised around this hunter type enemy.
There was a lot of analysis yesterday around the theme off satisfaction in work, to be honest I have a different interpretation of the job that Phos has been fostered with but feel free to ignore this rambling. The whole job/life satisfaction is the most Japanese trait since rice as we all know. But rather based on the master's dialogues with Phos, to me this seems like he has given her a springboard to start thinking about herself and the things around her. An encylopedia can be on any subject or many subjects for that matter, so being asked to create an ecyclopedia without a subject matter is one of the most vague jobs you could give to a person. Could the Master be a low key genius? And of course Phos wants to also help Cinnabar still which seems to be on the foremost of her mind but I don't think it's unrelated. But I could be proven wrong.
Anyway looking forward to seeing if Phos will escape from Snail-kun (most likely, we see her in the next epsiode preview).
Dai
Death Scythe
Episode 2 - Diamond is (not) unbreakable
The opening minute of this episode bombards us with one of the most bizarre and confusing creation myths imaginable. Clearly this has some relevance to the world the gem girls live in, but it's delivered in such an oblique fashion at this point, and can only be considered part of the puzzle.
Onto the main story, we find Phos at a loss for ideas, and so she's left with a new question: where do ideas come from? In typical Phos fashion, her first course of action is to pout, and her second is to ask other people to come up with ideas for her. This doesn't help, unfortunately, and she gets no closer to finding a new job for Cinnabar. So if you can't just take the lazy option and ask other people for ideas, where do ideas come from? From my own writing, I find that ideas come from combining elements. An idea is never just one thing: it's two or more things that make you look at each component in a new way. An idea is therefore a shift in perspective. Frequently the new perspectives won't amount to anything: the key is to keep looking from different angles until one resonates.
Dismayed by her lack of ability, Phos wants to change. To her surprise, so does Diamond. In this episode, we get more of a sense of just how much the self-worth some of the gem girls have is ruled by their physical attributes. Diamond has an inferiority complex because she doesn't see herself as a perfect diamond, and she's tired of always being protected by Bort. In anime, especially anime with a battle component, the desire to become stronger is usually seen as a positive growth arc, but Diamond's complex about her perceived lack of strength seems unhealthy.
So Phos is left with a lot to think about during this episode. But then she's eaten by a giant snail and melts. The End.
Well, it was a short series, but a good one. Oh wait, there's a next episode preview. So now we have another question: what happens when a gem girl melts?
Thoughts for the day:
Where do ideas come from? (the question every writer hates to be asked)
Is the desire to change necessarily a good thing?
The opening minute of this episode bombards us with one of the most bizarre and confusing creation myths imaginable. Clearly this has some relevance to the world the gem girls live in, but it's delivered in such an oblique fashion at this point, and can only be considered part of the puzzle.
Onto the main story, we find Phos at a loss for ideas, and so she's left with a new question: where do ideas come from? In typical Phos fashion, her first course of action is to pout, and her second is to ask other people to come up with ideas for her. This doesn't help, unfortunately, and she gets no closer to finding a new job for Cinnabar. So if you can't just take the lazy option and ask other people for ideas, where do ideas come from? From my own writing, I find that ideas come from combining elements. An idea is never just one thing: it's two or more things that make you look at each component in a new way. An idea is therefore a shift in perspective. Frequently the new perspectives won't amount to anything: the key is to keep looking from different angles until one resonates.
Dismayed by her lack of ability, Phos wants to change. To her surprise, so does Diamond. In this episode, we get more of a sense of just how much the self-worth some of the gem girls have is ruled by their physical attributes. Diamond has an inferiority complex because she doesn't see herself as a perfect diamond, and she's tired of always being protected by Bort. In anime, especially anime with a battle component, the desire to become stronger is usually seen as a positive growth arc, but Diamond's complex about her perceived lack of strength seems unhealthy.
So Phos is left with a lot to think about during this episode. But then she's eaten by a giant snail and melts. The End.
Well, it was a short series, but a good one. Oh wait, there's a next episode preview. So now we have another question: what happens when a gem girl melts?
Thoughts for the day:
Where do ideas come from? (the question every writer hates to be asked)
Is the desire to change necessarily a good thing?
CommanderZx2
Magical Girl
I've been wondering something, the gem girls swords appear to be far harder than themselves, this makes me wonder where they come from. Does their hair grow like a regular persons? If so I was wondering if perhaps the swords are made from offcuts of Borts hair as they appear to look like made from the same material.
WMD
Guild Member
Episode 2
So I've watched today's episode in Spanish. I have to say this dub is really enjoyable. All the actors in this ep put in performances that really fit their character's personalities. The show is very technical though and having the subtitles locked so I cant have them up for assistance is a little annoying but by and large I was able to follow and I've seen the show before (though I dont remember all that much) so I think I'll continue in Spanish.
I really enjoy the way this episode takes what is, to humanity, the most desirable, seemingly perfect gemstone and gives them vulnerabilities and self doubt. Diamond and Bort have their places at the top but that by no means mean they are happy simply because of it. I liked that Phos was repeatedly shown looking up at them from the ground grabbing for Diamonds legs. It's a neat bit of visual representation of how Phos sees herself as inferior to them and sees Diamond as the height of desirability. Diamond however has her issues and in the combat arena (which is where she finds value) she is left on the ground looking up at Bort flying through the air and finding everything seemingly simple.
Another little bit of visual language I picked up in was that their home/temple/palace (whatever it is) is riddled with cracks in the stone work. It looks so perfect from afar but up close its riddled with imperfections and seems a little fragile much like the gems themselves. Just how easy would it be to bring them and their way of life down? Well Phos finds out its pretty easy if you encounter a giant acid snail!
So I've watched today's episode in Spanish. I have to say this dub is really enjoyable. All the actors in this ep put in performances that really fit their character's personalities. The show is very technical though and having the subtitles locked so I cant have them up for assistance is a little annoying but by and large I was able to follow and I've seen the show before (though I dont remember all that much) so I think I'll continue in Spanish.
I really enjoy the way this episode takes what is, to humanity, the most desirable, seemingly perfect gemstone and gives them vulnerabilities and self doubt. Diamond and Bort have their places at the top but that by no means mean they are happy simply because of it. I liked that Phos was repeatedly shown looking up at them from the ground grabbing for Diamonds legs. It's a neat bit of visual representation of how Phos sees herself as inferior to them and sees Diamond as the height of desirability. Diamond however has her issues and in the combat arena (which is where she finds value) she is left on the ground looking up at Bort flying through the air and finding everything seemingly simple.
Another little bit of visual language I picked up in was that their home/temple/palace (whatever it is) is riddled with cracks in the stone work. It looks so perfect from afar but up close its riddled with imperfections and seems a little fragile much like the gems themselves. Just how easy would it be to bring them and their way of life down? Well Phos finds out its pretty easy if you encounter a giant acid snail!
Geriatric hedgehog
Pokémon Master
Useful research summary on gemstones from Vincentdante, thanks dude - it's certainly great when you can learn new stuff whilst being entertained. And Snail-kun heheh, great touch.
Diamond's character is a great addition, her (using "her" as the character comes across very feminine to me) iridescent lustre in the visuals I thought was fantastic (this show is really making me like CGI in anime), and her character is interesting. I was half expecting a "mean girl" take but rather we got a character riddled with self doubt despite being the type who would be normally expect to be put up on a pedestal. Certainly interesting question raised on their swords - apart from Diamond's, I too wondered what everyone else's were sourced from.
The whole job/role/purpose and its relation to satisfaction for me remains being hinted as a way of distraction from existential crises. Probably be an odd way of looking at it but work may be akin in that respect to a drug habit, by helping escape from such thought processes that would result from having time to be alone with one's own thoughts, as is the case for Phos & Cinnabar maybe. Superficially this makes one compare & question their value in the setting of a society - Diamond looking up to Bort, Phos looking for a new role to change the reclusive Cinnabar, whereas neither necessarily needs to change but rather needs to reach a level of acceptance and contentment with one's self. Normally I would add to realise everyone's relative insignificance in the vast universe, but the relative immortality changes that perspective for me somewhat. On that, do their appearances change with time? I thought the blu ray has an image of an older looking Phos (or maybe that's post snail-kun reanimation... Let's see).
Agreeing with everyone's suspicions on the Sensei with the resemblances to Buddhist culture for him and the lunarians. Is there a relation with the lunarian/snail-kun appearance whilst he is meditating in that he is manifesting them? Could that be the power behind his ability to equally banish them in episode 1 with a wave of his hand? Or is he in fact just a regular gem that got frisky with Cinnabar with his hair paying the ultimate price and Cinnabar extricating themselves from society?
Anyhoo, enough rambling rubbish from me for now.
Diamond's character is a great addition, her (using "her" as the character comes across very feminine to me) iridescent lustre in the visuals I thought was fantastic (this show is really making me like CGI in anime), and her character is interesting. I was half expecting a "mean girl" take but rather we got a character riddled with self doubt despite being the type who would be normally expect to be put up on a pedestal. Certainly interesting question raised on their swords - apart from Diamond's, I too wondered what everyone else's were sourced from.
The whole job/role/purpose and its relation to satisfaction for me remains being hinted as a way of distraction from existential crises. Probably be an odd way of looking at it but work may be akin in that respect to a drug habit, by helping escape from such thought processes that would result from having time to be alone with one's own thoughts, as is the case for Phos & Cinnabar maybe. Superficially this makes one compare & question their value in the setting of a society - Diamond looking up to Bort, Phos looking for a new role to change the reclusive Cinnabar, whereas neither necessarily needs to change but rather needs to reach a level of acceptance and contentment with one's self. Normally I would add to realise everyone's relative insignificance in the vast universe, but the relative immortality changes that perspective for me somewhat. On that, do their appearances change with time? I thought the blu ray has an image of an older looking Phos (or maybe that's post snail-kun reanimation... Let's see).
Agreeing with everyone's suspicions on the Sensei with the resemblances to Buddhist culture for him and the lunarians. Is there a relation with the lunarian/snail-kun appearance whilst he is meditating in that he is manifesting them? Could that be the power behind his ability to equally banish them in episode 1 with a wave of his hand? Or is he in fact just a regular gem that got frisky with Cinnabar with his hair paying the ultimate price and Cinnabar extricating themselves from society?
Anyhoo, enough rambling rubbish from me for now.
IdiomaticLynx
Student Council President
Episode 2
Quite the nautical theme to this episode. We also get a glimpse at the world's history as well as the origin of the stones. Life forms that went into the ocean ended up being consumed by microorganisms and turned into inorganic material. From the last episode we've learned that there are also microorganisms inside of them. I think it's safe to assume that these refer to the same(?). Which raises the question what gave them life: is it the consumed life forms (rebirth), the microorganisms (collective), developed over time while rising to the surface ("evolution" kind of...) or is there a creator?
One piece of information that I found really insightful is that they perform a durability test every 100 years, as this gives some clue to their lifespans. In general I would assume this leads to a pretty stable status quo, but the story seems to hint at a lot of "recent" changes instead. While I don't recall if it was explicitly stated how long ago, but the kidnapping of Helio seemed quite recent and Phos just gained a job. Bort has also gotten a lot stronger "lately", leaving Diamond feeling useless.
My favourite part of the episode is actually Diamond asking Phos to come up with a word for this dichotomy. Creating new words in order to better communicate an idea is a powerful tool. To illustrate, while Diamond managed to put it in words quite well already, it would be hard for Diamond to describe changes over time. If the balance of the two feelings or the nature of either of them changes (e.g. becoming literal hatred towards Bort), the new word can be used as reference point. There are some studies that even suggest having additional words can even improve the capability of humans to classify and specify things. In some cases even "improving" ones senses. Now this is all a bit debatable, but I think there's some truth to it. For example, if I would ask you guys what the distinction between cute, moe and kawaii is, I'm sure there will be plenty of answers. While there might not be a single definition that everyone agrees on, each community likely has some "average" for each of these terms. We can thus use them to convey slightly different things. Before learning these words it was difficult, if not impossible, to express these subtle differences (not that we needed to, probably
).
Anyway, this also ties nicely into Phos' role of writing an encyclopedia. Phos would need to categorize the things that are out there and this will at times involve naming things. Then it hit me, there are a lot of unnamed things, it seems. In the previous episode there were a lot of plants left unnamed. Logically they don't have names, since the rocks don't need any names for them. But wouldn't that make Phos endeavour meaningless in and of itself? Is anyone going to reference that encyclopedia at all, especially if it might be filled with things that never needed a name? As @Vincentdante also remarked, it could be that the Master has an alternative goal for Phos and writing an encyclopedia is just a guise.
In the broader scheme of things, their master must have some goal in mind, but it's hard to guess what it is. Most "jobs" seem to be in some way related to defending against the Lunarians. Thus far we have seen no preparations for counter attacking. In fact, we don't really see any construction towards anything taking place. If defending was the primary goal, wouldn't it make more sense to have a slightly less open and prominent building (perhaps even multiple buildings). They could be partially recessed into the ground as to still allow direct sunlight, but otherwise providing protection. This, coupled with the fact that they refer to the building as "school", makes me feel this is more an experiment of sorts. Though, as already stated in this thread, the master doesn't seem particularly trustworthy. While at this point I don't think he is evil, I also don't think he necessarily has their best interest in mind. Let's say this would all be an experiment he devised, I wouldn't be surprised if he discarded them as soon as the experiment was concluded.
Plenty of questions left and some new ones added. Were the Lunarians aware of the Master's meditation or was it just coincidence? What did Bort intend to do to Phos when she was about to "obliterate your worries"? Breaking Phos in piece wouldn't have been nice, but as far as we've seen, not irreversible. Unless... this doesn't apply equally to all parts of the body? In the first episode everyone seemed slightly concerned when the blade was about to land on Phos' head and this episode we saw the eyes floating. Could it be that the head and/or eyes are still something special, perhaps even containing the most memories or something?
The end of the episode did take me by surprise a bit. Still not sure what the sea creature represents nor how it was able to melt through all the rocks with ease, but it does serve as an interesting cliffhanger. What made this a bit weak though, is that Phos was the one that got "eaten" by it. I could be wrong, but given that this is only the second episode, Phos is the main character and we just learned that they the gems were created from small inorganic material drifting in the ocean... this didn't really feel like a real threat and can likely be reverted (next episode?).
Unless I completely misread it, there were two bright lights visible from within the creature (timestamp 20:40). These seemed to match with both Bort and Diamond, and at 21:51 we see a single light gradually becoming brighter right before the episode ends. My guess, is that this represents one of the gems rescuing Phos. Seeing as she still seems conscious and having (some) memories of Cinnabar in this state, hope is definitely not lost.
Quite the nautical theme to this episode. We also get a glimpse at the world's history as well as the origin of the stones. Life forms that went into the ocean ended up being consumed by microorganisms and turned into inorganic material. From the last episode we've learned that there are also microorganisms inside of them. I think it's safe to assume that these refer to the same(?). Which raises the question what gave them life: is it the consumed life forms (rebirth), the microorganisms (collective), developed over time while rising to the surface ("evolution" kind of...) or is there a creator?
One piece of information that I found really insightful is that they perform a durability test every 100 years, as this gives some clue to their lifespans. In general I would assume this leads to a pretty stable status quo, but the story seems to hint at a lot of "recent" changes instead. While I don't recall if it was explicitly stated how long ago, but the kidnapping of Helio seemed quite recent and Phos just gained a job. Bort has also gotten a lot stronger "lately", leaving Diamond feeling useless.
My favourite part of the episode is actually Diamond asking Phos to come up with a word for this dichotomy. Creating new words in order to better communicate an idea is a powerful tool. To illustrate, while Diamond managed to put it in words quite well already, it would be hard for Diamond to describe changes over time. If the balance of the two feelings or the nature of either of them changes (e.g. becoming literal hatred towards Bort), the new word can be used as reference point. There are some studies that even suggest having additional words can even improve the capability of humans to classify and specify things. In some cases even "improving" ones senses. Now this is all a bit debatable, but I think there's some truth to it. For example, if I would ask you guys what the distinction between cute, moe and kawaii is, I'm sure there will be plenty of answers. While there might not be a single definition that everyone agrees on, each community likely has some "average" for each of these terms. We can thus use them to convey slightly different things. Before learning these words it was difficult, if not impossible, to express these subtle differences (not that we needed to, probably
).Anyway, this also ties nicely into Phos' role of writing an encyclopedia. Phos would need to categorize the things that are out there and this will at times involve naming things. Then it hit me, there are a lot of unnamed things, it seems. In the previous episode there were a lot of plants left unnamed. Logically they don't have names, since the rocks don't need any names for them. But wouldn't that make Phos endeavour meaningless in and of itself? Is anyone going to reference that encyclopedia at all, especially if it might be filled with things that never needed a name? As @Vincentdante also remarked, it could be that the Master has an alternative goal for Phos and writing an encyclopedia is just a guise.
In the broader scheme of things, their master must have some goal in mind, but it's hard to guess what it is. Most "jobs" seem to be in some way related to defending against the Lunarians. Thus far we have seen no preparations for counter attacking. In fact, we don't really see any construction towards anything taking place. If defending was the primary goal, wouldn't it make more sense to have a slightly less open and prominent building (perhaps even multiple buildings). They could be partially recessed into the ground as to still allow direct sunlight, but otherwise providing protection. This, coupled with the fact that they refer to the building as "school", makes me feel this is more an experiment of sorts. Though, as already stated in this thread, the master doesn't seem particularly trustworthy. While at this point I don't think he is evil, I also don't think he necessarily has their best interest in mind. Let's say this would all be an experiment he devised, I wouldn't be surprised if he discarded them as soon as the experiment was concluded.
Plenty of questions left and some new ones added. Were the Lunarians aware of the Master's meditation or was it just coincidence? What did Bort intend to do to Phos when she was about to "obliterate your worries"? Breaking Phos in piece wouldn't have been nice, but as far as we've seen, not irreversible. Unless... this doesn't apply equally to all parts of the body? In the first episode everyone seemed slightly concerned when the blade was about to land on Phos' head and this episode we saw the eyes floating. Could it be that the head and/or eyes are still something special, perhaps even containing the most memories or something?
The end of the episode did take me by surprise a bit. Still not sure what the sea creature represents nor how it was able to melt through all the rocks with ease, but it does serve as an interesting cliffhanger. What made this a bit weak though, is that Phos was the one that got "eaten" by it. I could be wrong, but given that this is only the second episode, Phos is the main character and we just learned that they the gems were created from small inorganic material drifting in the ocean... this didn't really feel like a real threat and can likely be reverted (next episode?).
Unless I completely misread it, there were two bright lights visible from within the creature (timestamp 20:40). These seemed to match with both Bort and Diamond, and at 21:51 we see a single light gradually becoming brighter right before the episode ends. My guess, is that this represents one of the gems rescuing Phos. Seeing as she still seems conscious and having (some) memories of Cinnabar in this state, hope is definitely not lost.
Loris
Kiznaiver
Interesting episode.
Both the OP and ED are quite good. Sticking on the soundtrack, I quite like the soundtrack... It's quite minimalist. It sort of reminds me of Breath of the Wild's soundtrack in some places, with the long violin notes and piano accompaniment. The CG animation is growing on me, I do sort of like how the facial expressions look, especially their fluidity. It's not really something you see in many other places.
As for what actually happened in the episode, It was interesting that it showed Diamond was not as strong as their their name implied. The old person that that would not awaken (whose mind has just escaped me) definitely seems a bit weird.. They've got a strange aura, that's for sure. I didn't see that ending coming, that's for sure. It'll be interesting to see where this story leads..
Definitely enjoying it so far
)
Both the OP and ED are quite good. Sticking on the soundtrack, I quite like the soundtrack... It's quite minimalist. It sort of reminds me of Breath of the Wild's soundtrack in some places, with the long violin notes and piano accompaniment. The CG animation is growing on me, I do sort of like how the facial expressions look, especially their fluidity. It's not really something you see in many other places.
As for what actually happened in the episode, It was interesting that it showed Diamond was not as strong as their their name implied. The old person that that would not awaken (whose mind has just escaped me) definitely seems a bit weird.. They've got a strange aura, that's for sure. I didn't see that ending coming, that's for sure. It'll be interesting to see where this story leads..
Definitely enjoying it so far
(Also good to hear that the Spanish Dub is good, maybe one to put on for a re-watch
)
Lordhippos
Death Scythe
First time viewer! Episode 2!
A lot going on this episode even though we don't see more than a handful of the gem people here.
Firstly we have the reveal of new info, there are 6 moons not the normal 1 we expect on earth, and presumably the earth is fractured/smaller than it might otherwise be by virtue of being hit by 6 stars causing the 6 moons.
Secondarily we also learn that the gem people came about by sea creatures eating remnants of the previous denizens of the planet.
Normally that detail might be overlooked somewhat, but I personally felt that the sea creatures played a big part in this episode, between the snail type enemy and the focus on the water at times. The snail was remarked as not being from the moon.
One of my questions from episode 1 was answered. Yes it seems to be possible to have 2 of the same gem type, in this case diamonds, but also the two diamonds don't seem to be of equal toughness. Dia being the one considered weaker (potentially why they were trying to find a new style? to have value).
More questions popped up:
A lot going on this episode even though we don't see more than a handful of the gem people here.
Firstly we have the reveal of new info, there are 6 moons not the normal 1 we expect on earth, and presumably the earth is fractured/smaller than it might otherwise be by virtue of being hit by 6 stars causing the 6 moons.
Secondarily we also learn that the gem people came about by sea creatures eating remnants of the previous denizens of the planet.
Normally that detail might be overlooked somewhat, but I personally felt that the sea creatures played a big part in this episode, between the snail type enemy and the focus on the water at times. The snail was remarked as not being from the moon.
One of my questions from episode 1 was answered. Yes it seems to be possible to have 2 of the same gem type, in this case diamonds, but also the two diamonds don't seem to be of equal toughness. Dia being the one considered weaker (potentially why they were trying to find a new style? to have value).
More questions popped up:
- Mentioned by someone else last episode but also on my mind, what do the gem people eat/drink if anything? not yet shown.
- What are the weapons made of that they use? I get the impression they don't use standard issue swords, but it's not been made clear how the weapons are made. Dia's weapon was being chipped away on each attack.
- Phos seemed to feel the heat but didn't seem in pain. I was querying how a melted gem can be put back together if at all, but then the question was vocalised in the episode.
- Master Adamant was conveniently "asleep/meditating" during this episode, which removed their defensive crutch.
- The Lunarians seem to have no real colour, which might be why they want the gems so badly. I also wonder if there are 6 factions of Lunarians, one for each of the moons.
Geriatric hedgehog
Pokémon Master
I believe Dia used her missing right forearm to make her particular sword as her new style? but correct me if I'm wrong.
Can't really add anything about episode 2 so just playing catch-up here.
I would say that the promo is kind of a "pilot" version, so there wouldn't have been the need to make high-quality animation for it. Obviously I don't know how the whole production came about or when the decision was made to go the CG route, but it got me thinking of the recent talk of Berserk 2016/17 in the thread "Rate the last anime you watched out of 10". There was this post in the discussion that links to an article and video that demonstrates where Berserk got things so badly wrong:
forums.animeuknews.net
Lustrous, on the other hand, clearly got things so very right.
It definitely improves the quality of the show, yeah. I agree.
I would say that the promo is kind of a "pilot" version, so there wouldn't have been the need to make high-quality animation for it. Obviously I don't know how the whole production came about or when the decision was made to go the CG route, but it got me thinking of the recent talk of Berserk 2016/17 in the thread "Rate the last anime you watched out of 10". There was this post in the discussion that links to an article and video that demonstrates where Berserk got things so badly wrong:
Rate the last anime you watched out of 10
Have you seen Panty and Stocking? . . . It's another where the English dub is definitely the way to watch it! I can vouch for that too. Just swearing in English might be hilarious to a Japanese audience, but it's not enough for us English speakers, so the dub has to reach a little further and...
forums.animeuknews.net
Lustrous, on the other hand, clearly got things so very right.
Oh, do tell, dude. I don't think I actually recognised any of the VAs in Hello World.
Geriatric hedgehog
Pokémon Master
Takehito Koyasu plays Rosawaal brilliantly in Re:zeroOh, do tell, dude. I don't think I actually recognised any of the VAs in Hello World.
and I thought I picked up his distinctive twang in the lead scientist in Hello World
Episode 2: Diamond.
Phos continues her task at hand compiling the encyclopaedia and ends up in a dire situation. Spoilers below on my rewatch musings:
Phos continues her task at hand compiling the encyclopaedia and ends up in a dire situation. Spoilers below on my rewatch musings:
This is just the start of poor Phos’ suffering however, and it’s interesting to see upon rewatch that even early on the narrative puts Phos in dangers which result in physical and eventually mental changes.
Of course.
What a short memory I have. I recognised his voice too.
I haven't seen Re:Zero yet, but I know him best as NERV operator Shigeru Aoba in Evangelion.
Good catch.
