Forum - View topicEP. REVIEW: Killing Bites
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shadowmaksim
Posts: 32 |
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The Zaibatsu isn't a singular hive-mind. There are four main factions, each with their own motives and methods. Things get even messier if you look at each Therianthrope individually as they mostly run on contracts, loyalty, or for personal satisfaction. It's a contest. Some will be noble and follow the rules (Taiga, Yoko, Ichinosuke, etc) for one reason or another, others will be underhanded with their approaches. Take Episode 3 for example, if it was so sacrosanct, then why were assassins sent to interfere with another Zaibatsu's ability to even qualify? Yes, there are rules in place to prevent some stuff from happening but that doesn't mean they will be absolutely followed. Especially if they can get away with breaking them, which is something even Hitomi did.
Well, to start, he didn't know Ui was a contestant and didn't seem to try raping her after finding out. Though given his character, he'd probably would have tried anyway but that's besides the point. Even then, it'd be expected that she'd defend herself until the confrontation was broken up somehow, either by someone with proper authority or another Therianthrope stepping in. If she failed just like that, the hosts and audience probably wouldn't have cared to see her in the Destroyal anyway. At that point, either the Ishida would get disqualified or allowed to continue anyway as it wouldn't be seen as much of a handicap. As for the waitress, we're talking about an underground-ish organization that no doubt views many as disposables and hosts life-on-the-line battles. If anything, they'd probably willingly sacrifice some people if it meant keeping their contestants feeling sated and ready. But okay, let's say they did try to prevent this kind of situation from happening. What could they possibly do given what the Therianthropes have been shown to be capable of? All it'd take is one disobedient Therianthrope and something would happen regardless. Sure, there'd be measures no doubt but nothing for something that'd be deemed relatively minor to such an organization.
See, if you didn't like how it played out and think another way would have been better, fine. In some ways, I agree with you. Kind of tired of seeing males constantly put in the rapist role. But that was the method that was chosen for whatever reason. Just because it doesn't suit your sensibilities doesn't mean it should never be allowed to happen in fiction. Edit: Sorry for the long post for something pretty meaningless. I'm a little too verbose when I get going. |
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Mojave
 Posts: 178 |
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No, the rules are sacrosanct to every zaibatsu. The Sumitomo horned lizards went only after brutes who hadn't officially joined Hitomi's team. Even they respected the rule that they couldn't attack another team's official contestants. They only attacked Ui before she had officially joined. So the "no attacking other team's contestant's in the destroyal before it happens" rule has been shown to be pretty much absolute. Meaning that on the ship, the therianthropes would either be under the watch of death squads to prevent them from attacking other contestants or place technology on them to prevent it, such as the collars used in the destroyal. Even before my objections to the gratuitous rape, my first thought at seeing the scene was "this makes literally no sense in the show's world."
So if it makes no sense, the sole reason for having that scene was to present rape as titillation. Which is crossing a line that can't be crossed outside of hardcore porn. Depicting rape is fine, if it makes sense. If it's shown solely to titillate, it's not okay by nearly any standard. That's not my particular sensibilities, it's a universal rule pretty much. So them presenting this rape in a manner that made no sense in the show's own world crosses that line. It was pointless, a self-inflicted wound that any rookie writer should have been able to spot way before they made that mistake. |
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shadowmaksim
Posts: 32 |
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Except for the fact that they also attacked Hitomi after she stepped in to defend Ui...and Hitomi definitely was protected under those rules at that time. As for the everything else, like the "present rape as titillation" claim, I'm willingly backing off on the grounds of differentiating interpretations, as there's not much else to it. I just don't see what you're seeing at all. Let's just agree to disagree as this kind of discussion tends to go nowhere. I apologize for sounding rude with what I'm going to say but if the series has been getting you this cross already, just be warned that it will be getting worse and probably will continue to upset you, if not even more so. I've been reading the manga and even I think some of the upcoming stuff is a bit much. |
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SHD
Posts: 1759 |
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And while Eruza originally intended to just mess with Hitomi they very nearly crossed into an actual fight, would have without the bear guy's interference. I also don't understand Mojave's interpretation but I guess this is way more thinking about this than anyone ever intended. Personally I'm not one who enjoys the rapey aspect of this show, in fact this show is like an amalgamation of things I normally don't enjoy but somehow don't mind here. I guess it's simply because the show is blatantly honest about what it is, doesn't take itself seriously at all, and I quite like the characters. So even when the show gets ultraviolent or crass or rapey, it's so over-the-top that for me it simply crosses the line into hilarious. I probably wouldn't react to it like that if it was mascarading as a serious story with characters I'm expected to take seriously, or even if the character designs and the characters themselves were less appealing to me. But as it is, I'm enjoying it a lot. |
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Kendra Kirai
Posts: 187 |
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For the record, RE Announcer Lady, she's in the manga and acts EXACTLY the same way, flipping her switch the instant there's a fight, and in fact the manga makes a point of commenting about the personality change as a point of comedy.
That said, a lot about the anime is changed from the manga. It's been a while since I read the eight chapters that were translated, but from what I recall, we didn't have the hippo guy or Ui meeting Hitomi beyond telling her and Yuya about the Destroyal. |
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TarsTarkas
 Posts: 5925 Location: Virginia, United States |
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I agree with you, but the sad fact is many men are rapists (even probably more than we will care to admit). This was true long before Harvey Weinstein, and it will be true far into the future. If you really want to be authentic or realistic, any major ensemble of anime characters should have one or two rapists types in it (dependent of the number of males in the cast). |
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#844391
Posts: 517 |
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Ep 5,
Considering how much emphasis they have put on the most dangerous animals having the advantage (tiger, lion, crocodile etc) it seems odd for a gecko to be so strong, with Hitomi going down quickly when she was able to tak hits from strong fighters like the lion guy pretty well. Although that seems to be due more to the gecko woman's personal skill at fighting rather than her animal abilities. Also, considering that the tournament hosts know where all the pieces are at all times due to them only moving as they players direct them, you would think they would have camera crews ready and waiting at pretty much every location the moment players direct their pieces to those areas. Since half the reason they're doing this whole thing is to entertain the crowd I would assume they would want maximum camera time. And I hope Nomoto starts making some smart calls in the future, I don't want him to be just a naive onlooker for the rest of the series, needs some character development to make him an actual partner with Hitomi rather than just his pieces's piece. |
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pluvia33
 Posts: 196 Location: Dayton, OH, USA |
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THE COBRA IS HERE!!! And the Honey Badger is about to fight him!! The jokes were made from the first episode in the Preview Guide, but it's now official: There is no damn way that the original manga-ka wasn't inspired by the Randall Honey Badget video when he created this! Can't wait to see how well that fight can be synced Randall's commentary!
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#844391
Posts: 517 |
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btw, the reviewer mentioned how the gorilla guy was disproportional, with his arms being so big compared to the rest of him. I'm almost certain he had only done a partial transformation as most of the characters we have seen have transformed their limbs, head and body to some extent, whereas he was still normal except for his arms. I'm guessing he grows extra large when fully transformed.
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Hiroki not Takuya
 Posts: 2658 |
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Seems Ep5 is a counterpoint to last week in showing that while some "brutes" act exactly like animals, mirroring the crowd, Hitomi and Eruza may win by being more human in that they should be enemies but are actually becoming friends who help each other. That Yuya naively appreciates this may set him up to teach the other players that therianthropes' humanity may be as important as their animal abilities in winning fights. I also expect Tiaga to figure in helping team Ishida later because of his familial ties outweighing his organizational loyalty.
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#844391
Posts: 517 |
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somehow I don't think this is the kind of series that ends up with everyone learning the value of friendship and happiness, given the murders, rapes and acts of brutality we've seen so far. While I agree that Hitomi and Eruza will probably end up partnering up at least temporarily they're still on different teams so they'll have to face off eventually even if they are the last two standing at the end. I doubt the people running it are going to just let them win together. Granted there could be a plot twist of the whole tournament being interrupted or destroyed or something but we'll have to see.
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Spike Terra
 Subscriber Posts: 361 Location: Maryland |
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I don't think enough of this discussion is dedicated to how goofy the gorilla man looks like. His transformed form looks so idiotic that it makes Ui look intimidating by comparison. It's no surprise that he gets taken out in like 10 seconds (granted he could be feigning death like the crocodile guy). If Killing Bites didn't want me to treat him the same way I treat Oshie, they probably should have given a full gorilla transformation or at least gorilla legs, so he doesn't like an accountant using the world's most impractical pair of stilts.
Shifting gears a bit, I can understand why Theron can't stand the announcer lady. He well articulated his reasons for doing so and I respect that. However, I for one really like her as a goofy side character. |
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#844391
Posts: 517 |
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Ep 6,
I don't know if it was just me but I started cracking up when the snake guy yelled "Here are my Cobra Cannons!" followed by the special move text flashing on screen. Whipping out your deck is now officially a super move. Oh, and today I learned that cobras have two dicks, thanks anime for furthering my education. By the way, Hitomi is using her catch phrase way too much, I could see her using it maybe at the climax of a major fight but she's just throwing it out there multiple times in the same episode which kills the impact. |
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SHD
Posts: 1759 |
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I don't quite understand this - what makes you think the show won't end with the Destroyal? What kind of plot do you think this show has, other than hot (and some less hot) people in flimsy clothing beating each other up? |
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zrnzle500
 Posts: 3768 |
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Yeah, I could have done without his cobra “cannons” bearing down on Hitomi, but them promptly being removed mitigates that. The show may not be above rape threats on the protagonists but at least those doing so meet a timely demise.
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