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Edjwald
Joined: 03 Aug 2017
Posts: 1426
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Posted: Sun Aug 20, 2023 11:35 am
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Episode 19 (edited to tidy up a sentence that got out of sequence while adding stuff)
I'm sort of spitting into the void here with back to back posts two weeks apart, but that's okay. I'm used to talking to myself (sob). This show has gone from being one that I'm fond of to one that I can't wait to see every week.
Walter continued his journey of redemption from being such a dill hole. I thought it was telling that Walter was so competitive that he would find the most remote, cramped, dark place possible to hide and not move a muscle for hours, then get mad at his brother for taking so long to find him. Kind of says it all. Am I misremembering, or was Walter blonde in that first flashback where he was playing hide and seek with his brother? Is he dying his hair to be more like the brother he says he wants to distance himself from?
I don't know if I felt sorry for the mother or repulsed when she secretly followed Walter in the hallway. Did it prove that she was watching and waiting silently for Walter too, just like the Duke? It would have been nice if she'd said something.
And Daleth continues her journey of redemption from being an obsessed psycho willing to do evil things for what she considers a greater good. Well, she might still be willing to do those things, but at least she got an injection of self-esteem. My only complaint is that she went from collapsing in tears if anyone saw her to going bare faced nekkid in front of a crowd with no transition. From 0 to 60, without even wearing one of those half face masks like in Phantom of the Opera.
But it did go with the theme of underdog siblings that was the motif of this episode.
A few questions: Are they going to call back to that wooden box that Rob so obviously diverted Alice's attention away from last episode?
And was Alice really only able to use that magic stone because it had some of Cuff's essence in it from long use? Given that Alice can see ghosts and randomly pull people into her dreams, she seems to have some magical talent herself. It would be awesome if she turned out to be uber powerful.
Is it really a coincidence that the two people who got magically cursed by Daleth's sister happen to be the two people that Alice cares the most about?
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Gina Szanboti
Joined: 03 Aug 2008
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Posted: Mon Aug 21, 2023 3:50 pm
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Edjwald wrote: | Am I misremembering, or was Walter blonde in that first flashback where he was playing hide and seek with his brother? Is he dying his hair to be more like the brother he says he wants to distance himself from? |
I'm not sure who it was, but the blond wasn't Walter finding the Duke. What we were being shown was their playmate (whoever) finding the Duke, while little Walter was successfully hiding in his cubbyhole. Blondie looked quite a bit taller, i.e. older than the kids...is it possible that was Rob in his younger days?? oO
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Edjwald
Joined: 03 Aug 2017
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Posted: Mon Aug 21, 2023 6:47 pm
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Thanks Early on in the first season - first or second episode - some tall blonde guy who used to be the Duke's childhood friend showed up at the mansion, though it turned out that it was against his will. Didn't remember that until you mentioned it.
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Gina Szanboti
Joined: 03 Aug 2008
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Posted: Tue Aug 22, 2023 3:59 am
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I didn't remember him at all. Guess his name is Philip.
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Edjwald
Joined: 03 Aug 2017
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Posted: Mon Sep 11, 2023 3:52 pm
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Since they're introducing a new story arc, I guess this story isn't going to wrap up in two seasons. Now I'm going from loving this season to anticipating checking frequently to see if there's going to be a season 3.
Still, it's good to have a show worth missing.
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Gina Szanboti
Joined: 03 Aug 2008
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Posted: Mon Sep 11, 2023 4:27 pm
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Well, Nico was apparently lying about being turned into a child by Sade, unless it was only a temporary thing, since Ichi wanted him to go back to his original form. Wonder what else he's lying about?
Loved the leisurely cruising around the mansion on the broomstick built for two. Poor Rob, no pillow fight after all. And he was so looking forward to it.
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Edjwald
Joined: 03 Aug 2017
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Posted: Wed Sep 13, 2023 3:38 am
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I noticed the immortal wizard's comment too, and the water wizard's complaint that his disguise was making her feel age inappropriate. Not sure what the deception is about there, but I doubt it's too nefarious. I think this is probably the kind of series where nobody is going to wind up being too evil when all is said and done. Capable of doing incredibly selfish or destructive things because of trauma or obsession, yes, but not irredeemable.
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Edjwald
Joined: 03 Aug 2017
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Posted: Mon Sep 25, 2023 5:26 am
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The show got a season 3 announcement already! I don't know what's up - maybe the show is doing awesome in Japan?- but I'm not complaining. This season felt a bit different than the first - the first was about the two leads in (mostly) isolation, and this season introduced all kinds of new characters and plot developments, and there was some real progression. Quality wise, pacing wise, this was a solid show all the way through, which felt unusual this season, at least for me. This fall, I dropped an unusually high number of shows after staying with them until or past the halfway point. But I guess that that could be me. Maybe I'm in a fickle phase or something.
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smurky turkey
Joined: 30 Jan 2022
Posts: 2453
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Posted: Mon Sep 25, 2023 9:15 am
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Sigh, I am on episode 5 and will slowly try to crawl towards the end. If that attempt will be a success with the upcoming season though....no comment.
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smurky turkey
Joined: 30 Jan 2022
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Posted: Fri Dec 29, 2023 12:15 pm
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So, I decided to try and watch season 2 from the start today since I dropped it due to a lack of interest earlier this year. No idea why, but I finished the whole season in one go and ended up loving it a lot more than the first season. I am rather late to the party, but oh well, I really liked how more focused the second season was. A lot happened and I am now actually looking forward to the third season.
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Edjwald
Joined: 03 Aug 2017
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Posted: Sun Dec 31, 2023 6:16 am
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That happens sometimes. I avoided Chihayafuru for years after I didn't engage with the first two episodes, but then I got bored and tried it out later and bam! I found myself binging all 3 seasons. Same thing happened with Mix. I will say that I usually have a sense that there's something there and that it's just not the right time or I'm not in the right mind space. There are a few out there that I've earmarked for future reference.
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Edjwald
Joined: 03 Aug 2017
Posts: 1426
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Posted: Sun Apr 07, 2024 3:19 pm
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The tone of season 3's first episode was a bit different in the beginning. Rather than a dark fairy tale, it seemed like a nursery song mixed with a magic academy anime. Mother Goose in Hogwarts or something. Things were brighter, busier, and happier than the norm, but the anime still had it's own distinct feel.
That all settled down and changed a bit once they left the magic school, but Alice's mom also added a brighter, busier, more cheerful note. It feels like the characters and the anime are making progress, and I like that. As much as I liked season 1, if the Duke and Alice were still stuck in the castle alone, and each episode was a standalone story that didn't really move the narrative forward, I'd probably be getting impatient.
It was also cool seeing the Duke becoming a little more self-confident and Alice relinquishing some of the shameless teasing attitude that she adopted to keep him from sinking into apathy and despair. I liked the ending scene.
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smurky turkey
Joined: 30 Jan 2022
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Posted: Tue Apr 09, 2024 9:52 am
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Yeah, it still surprises me just how much difference there was between the first season and the second. The first was mostly slice of life stuff and introducing the characters while not really progressing the story. I assumed that the second season would continue that yet it sped up the pacing and at the end a lot of progress had been made.
As for the new season, judging by the completion of their magic school course (including a school theme and diploma) and Sharon joining the mix things are progressing even further. I doubt we will see the curse be cured, yet we might finally get a completely picture of the how and why.
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Edjwald
Joined: 03 Aug 2017
Posts: 1426
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Posted: Mon Apr 15, 2024 5:14 am
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Episode 2 continues to keep up the increased pace, to the point where this was almost a suspenseful battle anime comedy in some regards. Keeping track of an expanded cast of characters keeps the scenes brisk, but I liked it.
Walter and Daleth have actually become cool characters, which I wasn't expecting way back in Season 1. Now it seems like the Duchess/mom is going to become more sympathetic with Sharon's arrival. And the romantic leads' relationship has clearly deepened, which is nice to see.
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Gina Szanboti
Joined: 03 Aug 2008
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Posted: Mon Apr 15, 2024 11:15 pm
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I feel like I'm missing something. Is Viktor the Duke or his father or both? Anyway, I have a feeling that Sade's curse was aimed at Gerbera because she was jealous of her love for Sharon and her children (and or her husband?). So her curses attacked those Gerbera held dearest. As I type that, it seems obvious, but I feel like I have forgotten a detail that counters that.
Speaking of forgetting things, why does he wear gloves? If he can kill things through his clothes (see accidental dispatch of Rob II), it seems pointless. But then he goes into town and his clothes seem to protect innocent bystanders who brush against him in a crowd.
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