Forum - View topicREVIEW: Kannazuki no Miko DVD 3
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darkchibi07
 Posts: 5518 |
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And it's that ending of Kannazuki no Miko that made the yuri fans of today go completely gaga over spoiler[inspite the fact that Chikane and Himeko doesn't really get together in the end. But it does give a hopeful message.] They're really hoping the upcoming new series Kyoshiro to Towa no Sora which features Chikane and Himeko "look alikes" (though they're merely side characters) spoiler[get some better closure] (oh, and by the way, their names are Kaon and Himiko respectively).
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Richard J.
 Posts: 3367 Location: Sic Semper Tyrannis. |
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Looking forward to that new series from the makers of Kannazuki no Miko. My problem with the review is that I think the opening comment is a little offensive.
I think the dub cast did a better job than the reviewer, but that's a matter of personal taste and I'm biased due to my nearly fanboy love of Michelle Ruff's voice. Plus any dub that keeps any honorifics and proper Japanese name usage earns points in my book. (i.e. a character being referred to by their last name.) |
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HitokiriShadow
 Posts: 6251 |
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Let's be honest. If you were shown that list and told that an anime had all that in it and didn't know it was talking about Kannazuki no Miko (or hadn't seen it or known that you liked it), what would you think? You would probably laugh at it. That was the point. Most of those are not bad in and of themselves, but all of them together don't look like a recipe for anything other than appealing to as many fantasys/fetishes as possible. |
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EVA fiend
 Posts: 314 Location: Somewhere in the UK. |
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Actually, I think the opening line of the review was rather apt. When I first saw this series a couple of months ago, my first impression was "WTF is this series trying to be"? Was it a giant robot show with yuri thrown in for good measure, or a parody of all the generic anime themes you find in anime today? I've watched the series several times now (can't stand the dub I'm afraid), & to be honest, I'm still not sure why the damn robots are in it in the first place, as through my repeated viewings, I've come to realise that spoiler[this is a love story between two people (three, if you include Souma into the mix), re-born over & over again, to tread the same path repeatedly, until Chikane can bear Himeko's fate for no longer & decides to take her place as the sacrifice; it's about how far one person will go to change her beloved's fate.] The series would seem a lot less ridiculous without the mecha IMO, as I thought the character interactions between the three main principles were very well written, spoiler[especially when Chikane finally confessed her true feelings to Himeko in the last two episodes; it brought a tear to my eye.] 
And as Richard J. wrote, I'm rooting for the spoiler["We will fall in love again" happy ending too, despite the the horrible events that transpired in episode 8.] As for KAISHAKU's new series Kyoshiro to Towa no Sora, I've seen the manga, & even though it seems that Kaon & Himiko are only minor characters in this series, they don't half like making these two suffer; spoiler[I mean, they love each other very much, yet they can't even kiss each other without Kaon draining the life force out of Himiko.] That just sucks. 
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Richard J.
Posts: 3367 Location: Sic Semper Tyrannis. |
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My point was the phrasing seemed, at least to me, to indicate that the items in the list were themselves inherently indicative of an inferior product. Having all of those things in one series is pushing the limits and, personally, I would have enjoyed Kannazuki no Miko much more if it had just been about the interplay of Chikane, Himeko, and Soma. (None of the other characters, with the exception of Tsubasa, interested me.)
I just didn't like the implication that if a series has one of those elements or in this case all of them that it's somehow already inferior to anime that doesn't. The entire first paragraph is basically one long claim that anyone who likes anime with such characters and plot devices must not respect their own intelligence. Sure having all of those elements in one series is pushing it. Yes, some of those things sound a little silly, but then again a lot of plot lines and characters in classic literature are ridiculous if you look at them by themselves. |
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Himalayus
 Posts: 27 Location: Oregon |
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The first paragraph is essentially a description of my impression of the anime previous to watching it. As the review makes clear I quickly came around to liking the show very much. My issue isn’t with the elements listed themselves, but with shows that rely on such fanboy-pandering for their sole appeal. Any show that doesn’t take the time or effort to create any appeal of its own (instead relying on the pre-manufactured appeal of elements like those on the list) doesn’t respect the intelligence of its audience. In my book any show that doesn’t respect its audience, doesn’t deserve its audience’s respect. While shows that use some prefabricated appeal aren’t inherently inferior, it’s a fairly good rule of thumb that the more such elements that a show feels it needs to include, the lower its appeal is independent of them. (Note: Rule of thumb does not equal "absolute law") My initial impression (upon viewing the trailer and reading the synopsis on the back of volume 1) was that Kannazuki was, shall we say, at high risk of being one such show. This is the impression I am describing in the first paragraph. Kannazuki quickly proved, however, that it wasn’t. The rest of the review is an explanation of the appeal (for me) that the series forged of its own accord. |
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Richard J.
Posts: 3367 Location: Sic Semper Tyrannis. |
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I agree that if a series has nothing to offer beyond the base appeal of such elements, it's generally going to be a bad series. Although, I don't think it's actually possible to go wrong with suppressed lesbianism or any other yuri elements. 
To be honest, re-reading my previous posts, I think I was letting myself get worked up over nothing. I've been under a bit of pressure lately because I'm preparing to return to college as well as move out of my family home and into an apartment by myself. (Just moved a truck load of furniture today.) I think a lot of my posts lately have had an air of extreme irritability to them and for that I'm sorry. Thank you for taking the time to explain your thoughts to me and again, I'm sorry if I came across as a jerk. |
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ArielTsuki
Posts: 178 |
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I hafta sorely disagree with the reviewer's calling the KnM's music average. I rarely find a OP than it's actually better than "Re-sublimity". It's rare to find a techno song infused with so much emotion, especially when that emotion is sorrow. The ED song, "Agony" is great but not as good, and "Suppuration~core~" is pretty good in its own right but nowhere good as the OP and ED songs. I loved "Re-sublimity" from when it first came out and it's STILL on my heavy rotation on my iPod. As a KOTOKO fan, this is pretty much her best work so far.
As for the mecha, I think they represent the real threat of doom for the villagers. I mean, if some massive mecha came down on your village and said that it'll destroy humankind and take over the world afterwards, would you piss in your pants? Their presence really drive the point home. Plus, it also supposed to represent the majesty of the gods. It's seems so much more impressive to have huge, bulky mecha than have the Seven Necks by themselves (I'm not counting Orochi, the Eighth Neck, because it didn't show up until the end). I don't think KnM was melodramatic mostly because there was always a sorrowful tone to it and when the tragedy finally stuck, the pain between Chikane and Himeko felt so geninue that I actually cried alot. spoiler[For Himeko finally realized that she loved Chikane more than Souma and it was too late to further their relationship, you felt their sorrow and pain that they have to seperate and then Chikane's existence being erased from everyone. ]I think without that buildup, those final scenes wouldn't be as powerful and easily dismissable. |
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Olin of Xephon
Posts: 2 |
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As far as 'elitest' goes, that's anime news network all over.
The reviews on this sight take more of a 'masterpiece theater' approach in their writing, and generally look down on the more run of the mill type anime. Not that I'm exactly saying that's a bad thing. Let me give you a for instance: In your typical list of 100 greatest movies of all time you'll see classics like Citizen Kain or Gone with the Wind, influential films like Star Wars or 2001, or controversial films like A Clockwork Orange. You will most likely NOT see movies you recently enjoyed like X-men, Sin City, Corpse Bride, or Lord of the Rings. Similarly, Anime News Network gives high marks (and glowing remarks) to classic anime like Ghost in The Shell, Akira, or a studio Ghibli film, or influential works like Evangelion or Full Metal Alchemist. You see what I'm saying? If you get a very positive review on Anime News Network, your reading about the best of the best. The 'Elite' If you will. But fans of the more run of the mill, middle of the way type anime, the ones that typically star a set of mecha, a girl with cat ears, a overly angsty lesbian romance etc. Tend to get lower marks or be looked down upon when put up to the standards the before mentioned classics are. I Have not yet seen Kannazuki no Miko, so I have no real opinion on its own merits, but it's pretty much taken as a foregone conclusion that shows of the type mentioned as negative at the start of the review are the trash, junk food, and/or mindless fun of anime and as such not to be viewed as superior. (or in somcases even redeemable) As to wether or not Kannazuki no Miko proves to be more than the sum of its part or merely 'a fun ride' matters little to a fan of the show. A Anime, book, or movie, does not have to be literary genuis to be enjoed or even loved. It is merely reviewed as such. |
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EVA fiend
Posts: 314 Location: Somewhere in the UK. |
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I really liked the OP theme too. I'm not a big fan of techno/dance music to be honest, so when I first heard the beginnings of the OP theme in episode 2, I actually got the remote ready to press fast forward. But the addition of KOTOKO's vocals over the techno/dance track completely changed the mood of the song for me; I imported the CD single, & it's currently my favourite anime OP theme.
I personally feel that the presence of the mecha dumbed down the series as a whole. On one hand, the relationship between Himeko & Chikane is beautifully played out; Chikane's devotion to Himeko is heartbreaking, especially since Himeko seems completely oblivious to it until the last couple of episodes & I enjoyed the bizarre love triangle with Souma too. But, on the other hand, having giant mecha stomp onto the scene in every episode kinda killed any emotional build up for me really - the mecha battles were so formulaic & uninspired, so why include them at all? I think I would have enjoyed the series a lot more if the Orochi were actually monsters/devils rather than the gaudily coloured robots. |
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Nagisa
Moderator
 Posts: 6128 Location: Atlanta-ish, Jawjuh |
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Well, the problem is that the background music for the show is extremely lackluster, and the amount of that the viewer is exposed to in the series far outweighs the three rather stellar vocal pieces that we hear as the opening, ending, and midpoint climax themes of the series. "Re-Sublimity" is fantastic; I would even argue that it's one of the best anime theme songs I've ever heard. And "Agony" & "Suppuration ~core~" are nothing to sneeze at, either. But when averaged together with the actual score that's used in the show, it is pretty safe to say that Kannaduki no Miko's music is overall average with one or two shining exceptions.
I agree 110%. And what's saddest of all about it is that apparently the mechs were not in the original manga at all. They were only tacked onto the series for its anime incarnation. Why, I have no idea, but unfortunately that's how it went. |
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EVA fiend
Posts: 314 Location: Somewhere in the UK. |
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Umm, the original Kannazuki no Miko manga series by KAISHAKU, does have robots in I'm afraid, there's even a couple of pages of design sketches of them in the back of the first volume. As with the anime, they do play a part in the manga series, though they don't seem to dominate/overwhelm the manga as much as they do in the anime series. 
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Wakaiba
 Posts: 62 |
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I am suprised that KNM got such a good review - I've seen it and I didn't think that it would get even close to the review that it got (by the abundance of stereotypes, not by personal opinion). The emotion in some of the final scenes felt strained to me - I think the show would have fared better with 24 eps.
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Animefreak6969
 Posts: 587 |
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As for me, this became on of my fav. songs before i actually saw Kannazuki no Miko, i found it on some site and fell in love, BUT then i heard Suppuration~core~ and fell in love with it EVEN more, both songs are beautiful in the dance/trance way and have me dancing and ALMOST (almost) want to work out.....but IN the actual show, i liked Agony the best, every episode felt like it flowed right into that song and i loved it.......After seeing this i always thought that all animes should have a beautiful, slower, sadder ED theme to it, because for shows that have happy ending themes when it ends with some super Dramatic sceneand it hits the ED theme, it almost feels likeit cuts out of the drama, while even if an epissode ended happily, a slower song could still fit and not mess with my brain all that much. |
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Toneloak
Posts: 20 Location: US, NJ, JC |
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^I completely agree and thought the same thing. BTW, if there are really good opening and ending themes shouldn't that put the soundtrack just above average? As for the mechas in the series I thought they're more there to play off non-mecha lovers or people who who can easily see them as imposing monsters. Thinking back i could see fault in having mechas but in the mythos of the show I completely bought it. However, for me I loved the mech designs. I ate up every second of there screen time.LOL |
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