Miscellaneous mecha discussion thread
- Thread starter Neil.T
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WMD
Guild Member
Just had a search and yeah you're right.
ayase
State Alchemist
Franxxly Mr. Shanxxly Episodes 2-6
Why do I have this horrible sense of foreboding? Why do I already feel like this series has the potential to destroy me emotionally? Anything which plunges the emotional depths of human relationships I usually manage to find both incredibly beautiful and hugely upsetting in equal measure. And everything is going much too well at the moment...
So Zero Two has come crashing in and is busy shaking up the sheltered, sexless little world of Hiro and pals, which already makes her great. While outside is all sci-fi, Space Pope future, the “parasites” are living a literal age of innocence in their idyllic Victorian surroundings. Despite their lives being full of sexual euphemisms, they seem to have little idea of human relationships beyond their apparent use as combat tools even as they're obviously feeling the associated emotions, mainly jealousy and possessiveness.
The Eva influences are readily apparent here with the pilot numbering, sync ratios and shadowy council running the show (plus Zero Two’s designation, strong sense of individuality and her predominant colour being red, and I’m pretty sure Hiro even said at some point he mustn’t run away) and while Trigger is obviously well know for being largely ex-Gainax staff, it’s interesting to note Franxx also credits Anno’s Khara for some of the work here, so I’m presuming this was all done entirely knowingly. While I’ve already said I’m pleasantly surprised by the show in some areas, I do sometimes wish anime writers had a bit more balls in going their own way, and with Franxx seemingly being a more serious show than I expected (although how the VAs delivered some of these lines with a straight face I’ll never know: “I can feel myself expanding inside of you”? Thank you, Carry on up the Franxx) some of the genre tropes are starting to feel a bit stale.
Given the uniformity of the other squad they’ve now met and how the (now named) Dr. Franxx appears to be taking an interest in them, I'd hazard a guess that Hiro's team of more individualistic oddballs has probably been assembled for a (possibly nefarious) reason. And his uh, wandering hands are the only indication so far that life outside is any less repressed than it is for the parasites. I am getting a little bit antsy to know more about that world - Is his nemesis Dr. Hell out there somewhere building the Klaxosaurs?
A goddamn beach episode next, really?
So Zero Two has come crashing in and is busy shaking up the sheltered, sexless little world of Hiro and pals, which already makes her great. While outside is all sci-fi, Space Pope future, the “parasites” are living a literal age of innocence in their idyllic Victorian surroundings. Despite their lives being full of sexual euphemisms, they seem to have little idea of human relationships beyond their apparent use as combat tools even as they're obviously feeling the associated emotions, mainly jealousy and possessiveness.
The Eva influences are readily apparent here with the pilot numbering, sync ratios and shadowy council running the show (plus Zero Two’s designation, strong sense of individuality and her predominant colour being red, and I’m pretty sure Hiro even said at some point he mustn’t run away) and while Trigger is obviously well know for being largely ex-Gainax staff, it’s interesting to note Franxx also credits Anno’s Khara for some of the work here, so I’m presuming this was all done entirely knowingly. While I’ve already said I’m pleasantly surprised by the show in some areas, I do sometimes wish anime writers had a bit more balls in going their own way, and with Franxx seemingly being a more serious show than I expected (although how the VAs delivered some of these lines with a straight face I’ll never know: “I can feel myself expanding inside of you”? Thank you, Carry on up the Franxx) some of the genre tropes are starting to feel a bit stale.
Given the uniformity of the other squad they’ve now met and how the (now named) Dr. Franxx appears to be taking an interest in them, I'd hazard a guess that Hiro's team of more individualistic oddballs has probably been assembled for a (possibly nefarious) reason. And his uh, wandering hands are the only indication so far that life outside is any less repressed than it is for the parasites. I am getting a little bit antsy to know more about that world - Is his nemesis Dr. Hell out there somewhere building the Klaxosaurs?
A goddamn beach episode next, really?
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João Gomes
Thousand Master
I can't read your post yet ayase, because I've only just watched the second one but but
But
But
[And this includes triggering content for ayase, stay away!!]
The girls, they
The boys, they
The controls come out of the girls' outfits and so
The boys are really
They're really riding the girls, really
That's really what it is and it's hilarious
On the other hand, still loving the mecha designs and the love geometric figures that are forming. Love me some horny teenagers, very embarrassing times, for sure!
This is seriously very enjoyable so far, I'm in!
Oh, this is a franxxpost, sorry.
But
But
[And this includes triggering content for ayase, stay away!!]
The girls, they
The boys, they
The controls come out of the girls' outfits and so
The boys are really
They're really riding the girls, really
That's really what it is and it's hilarious
On the other hand, still loving the mecha designs and the love geometric figures that are forming. Love me some horny teenagers, very embarrassing times, for sure!
This is seriously very enjoyable so far, I'm in!
Oh, this is a franxxpost, sorry.
ayase
State Alchemist
@João Gomes Ha! I’m kind of surprised (and delighted) you didn’t know that, it was one of the few things I DID know about Franxx, because it was seemingly so unavoidable at the time. Happily I’ve somehow managed to avoid any further spoilers though.
João Gomes
Thousand Master
I spoiled myself on something that annoyed me because I was looking for the name of the beast enemies in English (French subtitles have them named as "howlers" and I wasn't convinced) and I found out more than I wanted... But that's it!
I don't know if it's a particularly twisty series, but that's all I know that I shouldn't. Supposedly there's a bit of a noticeable change in the series after episode 6 or something, so I'm looking forward to see what that's about!
The first of two posts from me:
Just a suggestion, but you could PM me if you wanted to, and I could offer you some input on whether what you learned is particularly spoilery or not.
A bit of trivia about the name of the beast enemies: their original Japanese name is Kyoryū (叫竜), which means "Screaming dragon".
What a blast from the past.
On that note, actually, I'd like to contribute to you guys' joint FranXX viewing by dropping in quotes from my original posts on the series that I wrote when I first watched it during Crunchyroll's simulcast in early 2018. I'll clearly indicate which episodes each post covers and put them in spoiler tags. They're from viewing journal, so they're just brief impressions.
I'll post the ones up to and including episode 6 in a bit.
Glad you're enjoying the show, guys.
Ah, that's unlucky, man.
Just a suggestion, but you could PM me if you wanted to, and I could offer you some input on whether what you learned is particularly spoilery or not.
A bit of trivia about the name of the beast enemies: their original Japanese name is Kyoryū (叫竜), which means "Screaming dragon".
Hah, now there's a thread idea of mine that never caught on!
What a blast from the past.
It is, but this is what I wrote in the Your viewing journal thread back in the day:
On that note, actually, I'd like to contribute to you guys' joint FranXX viewing by dropping in quotes from my original posts on the series that I wrote when I first watched it during Crunchyroll's simulcast in early 2018. I'll clearly indicate which episodes each post covers and put them in spoiler tags. They're from viewing journal, so they're just brief impressions.
I'll post the ones up to and including episode 6 in a bit.
Glad you're enjoying the show, guys.
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Double-posting to make good on my above suggestion. These are my original impressions of episodes 1 to 6 of Darling in the FranXX, written when I first watched the series during its simulcast on Crunchyroll in early 2018:
ayase
State Alchemist
I thought it did rather well, My chart is now four times the size and catogorised in quadrants now...
D1tchd1gger
Shrine Maiden
I assume that it might be
that the Klaxosaurs are actually also Earthlings and that APE/VIRM are the aliens. IIRC
Which would be very spoilery!
Which would be very spoilery!
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ayase
State Alchemist
I'll do my best to finish it, there are still a few spare spaces. Plus I haven't decided if Zero Two deserves a spot yet.Wow, really?
You must drop the updated version into that thread sometime.
RadFemHedonist
Mad Scientist
(I wanna make a "best boy" thread on this forum but I want the input to be mostly from people who are actually sexually/romantically interested in men as it will make me sad inside if the best boy thread isn't full of a similar level of ribald bawdy perviness and hot guy appreciation as the best girl threads usually are for the subject gender thereof ;-; ).
I'm super excited that Rahxephon is coming out on BD in the west now, I hope it makes it over here as I really enjoyed it years ago. Curious about Franxx and will prob watch it eventually as people here seem to dig it
Also, I suddenly remembered this exists and felt the need to post it here
Who here has seen Eureka Seven? Renton is so sweet cries he and Eureka are just friggin adorable.
I'm super excited that Rahxephon is coming out on BD in the west now, I hope it makes it over here as I really enjoyed it years ago. Curious about Franxx and will prob watch it eventually as people here seem to dig it
Also, I suddenly remembered this exists and felt the need to post it here Who here has seen Eureka Seven? Renton is so sweet cries he and Eureka are just friggin adorable.
D1tchd1gger
Shrine Maiden
Go ahead there's a few ladies on here who might be willing to join in. You never know unless you try.
I don't believe I've posted my thoughts in the best girl thread, too many to choose from, but I could probably add my thoughts to a best boy thread, but not in the way you want though!
Just throwing it out there that a corrupt mod could also be persuaded to adjust the name if you need an equal-opportunity thread for thirsty character appreciation (a separate thread would also be fine). It's a good time for it as Fairy Ranmaru is offering plenty of screenshot chances. Now go back to watching mecha shows
R
R
That's genius! If you made a thread, RadFem, I'd definitely read it!
Or alternatively...
I like this idea, and I'd be more than willing to edit it. How about it, RadFem? Would you prefer separate threads for each or one big all-encompassing, equal-opportunities* discussion/disagreement?
I haven't yet, but I've got it on Blu-ray. It's stood the test of time as a series, so I'm keen to see it.
* @Rui pinched my phrasing as I was typing
ayase
State Alchemist
Franxx for the Memories Episodes 7-9
Ah yes, here they come, the emotional blows I have little defence against even as I know they’re coming. I was going to carry on, but I paused it on this very apt screen (apologies for the lack of visual material this time around, but since I'm experiencing it for the first time I don't really want to be interrupting the flow of the episodes too much by pausing all the time) and sat back to try to work out just what it is about particular depictions of loving relationships I find so affecting, because it doesn't happen with everything. I mean things like Only Yesterday and After the Rain are lovely, but don't make me feel like I need to down a bottle of vodka to wash the emotions away like Episode 9 of Franxx did. Kurau did though, even (bizarre as it might sound) WitchBlade, so perhaps it's selflessness in loving someone, being willing to give your absolute all for them? Maybe I find that utterly beautiful as a concept but at the same time endlessly depressing because not only is it not something I've ever experienced but also something I seriously doubt I ever will, from either side. No-one try and give me hope on this score, looking at you as a likely culprit here Neil, your optimism is admirable but please don't waste it on me.
Probably the twist of the knife here was that I was relating to Goro as the guy whose subject of his affections wasn't interested in him and was obviously, painfully in love with someone else to the point he knows there's nothing he can do about it (and he also has somewhat of a personality, which is still a bit of a problem where Hiro is concerned). But lo and behold, Ichigo came around on her own and he didn't even have to do anything to get (for now at least) a happy ending. Would that that were the way, romance writers.
That outpouring of the soul out of the way, I can perhaps see a bit more clearly now why Zero Two would rub some people the wrong way. Just as Ichigo is starting to accept the idea of her and Hiro being "partners" and maybe even decide it's a good thing, she does seem to go out of her way to rub it in (and I feel like the more worldly Zero Two is definitely aware of exactly what's going on there). Part of me wonders though if that isn't Zero Two challenging Ichigo to have the courage to go after what she wants, because she would admire that more than Ichigo's silent moping. And perhaps that even had the effect of making her brave enough to go get Goro, so I see that more as this show's more subtle version of Kamina giving Simon a smack.
I'm looking forward to seeing now if we might be getting focus episodes for all of the pairs, which could prove interesting, especially given that I have a fair suspicion at this point that Mitsuru is probably gay and possibly Ikuno as well, so I'm wondering how that all works.
Ah yes, here they come, the emotional blows I have little defence against even as I know they’re coming. I was going to carry on, but I paused it on this very apt screen (apologies for the lack of visual material this time around, but since I'm experiencing it for the first time I don't really want to be interrupting the flow of the episodes too much by pausing all the time) and sat back to try to work out just what it is about particular depictions of loving relationships I find so affecting, because it doesn't happen with everything. I mean things like Only Yesterday and After the Rain are lovely, but don't make me feel like I need to down a bottle of vodka to wash the emotions away like Episode 9 of Franxx did. Kurau did though, even (bizarre as it might sound) WitchBlade, so perhaps it's selflessness in loving someone, being willing to give your absolute all for them? Maybe I find that utterly beautiful as a concept but at the same time endlessly depressing because not only is it not something I've ever experienced but also something I seriously doubt I ever will, from either side. No-one try and give me hope on this score, looking at you as a likely culprit here Neil, your optimism is admirable but please don't waste it on me.
Probably the twist of the knife here was that I was relating to Goro as the guy whose subject of his affections wasn't interested in him and was obviously, painfully in love with someone else to the point he knows there's nothing he can do about it (and he also has somewhat of a personality, which is still a bit of a problem where Hiro is concerned). But lo and behold, Ichigo came around on her own and he didn't even have to do anything to get (for now at least) a happy ending. Would that that were the way, romance writers.
That outpouring of the soul out of the way, I can perhaps see a bit more clearly now why Zero Two would rub some people the wrong way. Just as Ichigo is starting to accept the idea of her and Hiro being "partners" and maybe even decide it's a good thing, she does seem to go out of her way to rub it in (and I feel like the more worldly Zero Two is definitely aware of exactly what's going on there). Part of me wonders though if that isn't Zero Two challenging Ichigo to have the courage to go after what she wants, because she would admire that more than Ichigo's silent moping. And perhaps that even had the effect of making her brave enough to go get Goro, so I see that more as this show's more subtle version of Kamina giving Simon a smack.
I'm looking forward to seeing now if we might be getting focus episodes for all of the pairs, which could prove interesting, especially given that I have a fair suspicion at this point that Mitsuru is probably gay and possibly Ikuno as well, so I'm wondering how that all works.
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Ah yes, episode 9 of FranXX...
It's a major highlight of the series. This is what I wrote about it when I first saw it:
I'm not going to preach any messages to you here, ayase; instead I'll just comment on why I found Gorō and Ichigo's episode so affecting.
First off, and put quite simply, Gorō's my man in this show. I admire his character, and as you rightly point out, he certainly has more character than Hiro, our lead. To link this back to something I wrote in the Gurren Lagann simulwatch thread, the most compelling stories are the ones that give us something of the creator's self and are relatable to the audience, and by god is that ever the case here. I watched FranXX again only earlier this year, and this episode still got me good and proper.
Back when I first watched it, though... well, it was all too relatable; put it that way. It's going to be like that when you haven't yet seen yourself make it out the other end of a situation like Gorō's; that's unavoidable. I wonder just how many FranXX viewers identified with him as a character just as we have. That's a mark of quality writing where the creator understood painfully well what it was that they were writing about. It's outstanding.
As for your predictions, they're fascinating to read because they're a real-time take on the story as it's unfolding. You can decide for yourself whether you want to read this feedback on them or not, but I'll tell you that you're on the mark with one of them, and very much wide of it with the other, but I won't say which is which, obviously.
You're also on the money about upcoming episodes focussing on other pairs of characters, but it's not even quite as simple as that.
Geriatric hedgehog
Death Scythe
Damn you @ayase & @João Gomes, my conflated & daunting watchlist is at serious risk of being derailed by an impromptu Franxx binge!! I'm going to try and resist, let's see how long I can hold out....
A very mature perspective that I don't honestly think that even until now I had really registered, let alone as a teen when I was an obnoxious arse to a friend over such a scenario.
And moving on to more fun things:
Erica Eureka Seven was really uplifted by the focus on the main protagonists' relationship. You looking forward to the final Hi-evolution movie? The teasers are looking good! And yeah you should totally have a best boys thread though you will likely need to kick out those not romantically attracted to the boys from polluting said thread heh.
Ah a fellow realist heheh. Unfortunately in reality few can be so saintly to give their all completely and magnanimously, with zero expectations of any return (probably an unfair ask even for the average person) as in the idealistic fiction, but that's what makes the latter a nice bit of escapism, for what could be and what we do have the potential for when at our very best.
This reminded me of a very poignant line from Horimiya, which I quite enjoyed recently. A character consoling his rejected friend and thinking:
A very mature perspective that I don't honestly think that even until now I had really registered, let alone as a teen when I was an obnoxious arse to a friend over such a scenario.
And moving on to more fun things:
Goodness, I have another fun-looking thread to explore now heh.Wow, really?
You must drop the updated version into that thread sometime.
I second that, they really are adorable and in a similar vein to Franxx, I found