Forum - View topicEP. REVIEW: After the Rain
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pip25
Posts: 171 |
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Without wanting to go into whether those scenes actually expressed what you think they expressed, perhaps you'd agree that at the very least, Kondo's dreams and wishes were presented and talked about in a lot more explicit manner than Akira's ever were. |
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#Verso.Sciolto
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This particular series is, in no small part, about literature and those who create it. Do you enjoy reading? If so, how do you approach a story you haven't read yet? Do you go to the last page of the final book in a series before you read what it says on page one, and go from there? Do you remember seeing Midori in any of the flashbacks showing moments when the members of the university literary circle gathered? Were they ever in the same room together or did Midori and Masami meet through correspondence, perhaps solely through letters, before they married at some unspecified point in time? One more episode, apparently. Do you think we'll found out about such matters in the anime? |
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Panino Manino
Posts: 748 |
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@#Verso.Sciolto
Midori still writes. She publishes erotic novels about sexually frustrated housewives. She discovers about Akira and becomes her friend, totally TeamAkira. She encourages Kondo and plays with him suggesting that she teached Akira what he likes in bed (and also suggesting that this time he tries harder to also please the woman). She cashes in writhing a novel highbout a prohibited romance between a old man and a high schooler. Akira's mother discuss and fights with her, they can't be friends. Akira's mother stabs her with a knife, is jailed. Akira becomes Yuto's mother. Kondo commit's seppuku. Akira raises Yuto, he grows into a stud and start lusting her. He just looks so much like his dead father... Akira is tempted. Now you continue.
I'm sure that someone already pointed that Akira is different from Kondo in the way that she is not wordy about what she feels and wants, those informations are conveyed for us visually. This difference is consistent since episode 1. Both her outbursts and passiveness are the development, this last episode had examples of both. Her isolation comes from running away from the team, and Haruka is not just any friend, she is the friend with who Akira made plans for her dream. I think I understand your complain, but it's there, it just wasn't satisfactory for you. |
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#Verso.Sciolto
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(find > found) ... and adding that I can't help but wonder if there was ever anyone else present from their circle, in moments like these: Last edited by #Verso.Sciolto on Sat Mar 24, 2018 7:39 pm; edited 2 times in total |
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Terrible90sDub
Posts: 168 |
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Akira's emotions are often shown through the current weather conditions or her feet. The second one sounds a little funny, but I imagine it's because it also allows us to see a reminder of her injury, which is normally visible in such shots. This doesn't always make it 100% clear what exactly she's thinking (if anything, as she may sometimes be emoting without thinking too much about it), but I honestly find a bit refreshing since there's so many anime characters who instead go around yelling their dreams to anyone within earshot. That said, I would probably find it hilarious if it ends with her declaring, in true anime fashion, "I am Akira, and no matter what happens, I WILL BE THE BEST RUNNER IN THE WORLD! KAMAAAAABAHHH" I think it's Akira who made that returning to track requirement instead of Haruka. Haruka did try to hang out with her outside of track, but then it was Akira who ran off (er, ironically) saying that things can't go back to the way they were. The idea that Akira is fighting against a fear of anything related to track would play very well into that behavior. |
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bemused Bohemian
Posts: 404 Location: central Mizzou (Moral Oralville) |
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Happens in Vegas stays in Vegas scenario....nah, lol, very unlikely this scenario will play out. Haven't read the manga so I have zero background ideas or expectations toward the ancillary characters. Akira is quite direct when her mind is set on a goal. This aspect of her self has been brought out periodically throughout the series. To me, it looks like platonic at best between Kondo and Akira if it's revolving around "relationship". However, they could become real friends for life if the foundation is set right. And so far, that appears to be the direction this story is trending toward.
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pip25
Posts: 171 |
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The exact opposite happened, as far as I'm aware. It was Akira who invited Haruka to the summer festival, and then Haruka flipped because Akira wasn't immediately forthcoming about her crush on a guy several decades older than her. Oh, and what was the subject Haruka's been going on and on about during their time there? You guessed it, track. This is another thing that frustrates me, because despite Haruka's claims to the contrary, there seems to be nothing to hold their friendship together right now other than track and some common childhood memories. It's as if they simply have no other topic. If this doesn't change, they will quickly grow apart after graduation regardless of whether Akira actually rejoins the club or not. |
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Terrible90sDub
Posts: 168 |
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What I meant was Haruka is the one who took the initial steps to repair their relationship, through seeking Akira out and exchanging those gatcha keychains. Akira is the one who invited her there, yes, which was a step in a positive direction, but then Akira runs off towards Kondo (thus abandoning her when she could've ignored him since she invited Haruka, not him), and in the aftermath, pushes Haruka away instead of trying to explain the situation or build bridges. There are a great number of alternative actions Akira could've taken there, and Haruka's initial reaction ("... but he's so old!") is rather expected. Haruka only seemed to get as upset as she eventually did because of Akira's reaction afterward, where she explicitly said something along the lines of things not being able to go back to how they were. To be fair, Akira doesn't really have... much of anything, besides their lost passions, in common with Kondo, but finds a way anyway. Kondo's relationship with Chihiro also revolves around past memories and primarily one topic, writing. I personally would love to see both the Akira + Haruka and Kondo + Chihiro groups talk about more, and just... more screen time with both of them in general, as I find myself liking those scenes the best, but... they're both "in repair" at the moment, so baby steps. Sometimes, relationships can also just be hanging out rather than talking about anything specifically. |
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#Verso.Sciolto
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What would Seiichi Ota or Yasuo Fukuda have to say about a character like Masami Kondo, we may well wonder. Vegas. Always interesting, cultural references. |
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Gina Szanboti
Posts: 11543 |
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fanfiction.net is thataway.
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#Verso.Sciolto
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In one episode she is briefly visible when she delivers tea to his writing desk and she is partially shown in photos with their child, during his school entrance ceremony. Her writing is briefly mentioned in the university circle's doujinshi. Feminism is about equality, it was stated a few pages back. Does Midori's writing career or role within the Waseda University literary circle of friends seem equally represented, to you? Natsume Soseki was mentioned a few times. Any thoughts on the education and life of Kyoko Nakane? Spot any mentions of Ichiyo Higuchi in this series sprinkled with literary references? Botchan? Sorekara? |
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Ryutai
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pip25
Posts: 171 |
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The anime's presentation might be largely at fault here, but most of Akira's time in school is portrayed as being spent in almost complete isolation. On one hand, this is because Akira does not really associate with anyone (which is a problem), but on the other hand, it's also because her supposed friends don't actually seek her out. To say that Haruka made a large effort because (by chance!) she came across Akira trying to get a special keychain is not all that convincing in comparison. Akira's decision to invite her to the festival feels a lot more like a meaningful and conscious choice, especially since she's the one with psychological problems in the first place. As for Akira "abandoning" her during the festival, I think this is being blown out of proportion. She excused herself, greeted him, then came back. The whole exchange took at most 15 seconds. It did show to Haruka that Akira considers Kondo to be an important person to her, because she did go out of her way to greet him, but not much beyond that. (Akira's reaction to her follow-up question of course did betray everything else.) And also let's not mix up cause and effect: Haruka flipped out first, saying that Akira "doesn't tell her anything anymore", after which they got into an argument, which ended with Haruka running away after Akira's aforementioned "things can't go back to the way they were" line. Which, by the way, from her point of view, seemed absolutely true - the whole story between them so far seems to be about Akira changing (for better or worse), and Haruka refusing to accept it. I completely agree that simply hanging out is really what both of them should be doing. That is what's working out so much better for Kondo and Chihiro: sure, they will talk about literature a lot (Kondo still enjoys the subject despite claiming to have abandoned it, unlike Akira), but they also spent a whole night at their favorite restaurant/bar/whatever drinking and just chilling out. If Haruka really wants to help Akira, she would do well to ban the track topic for at least a day, and talk about something else. Anything, really, even the weather if all else fails. If there's something to learn about Akira's and Kondo's relationship, it's that even very different people may find that they have things in common, things to talk about - if an effort is made. |
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#Verso.Sciolto
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Perhaps another picture to illustrate ...
https://i.imgur.com/TlScTYi.png Yuto and a headless woman at his school entrance ceremony in another flashback from this episode (at approx. 15:50min). The two men pictured in the first image seem to resent her. If they have any fond memories of her they sure don't show up in their visualised thoughts. We have no idea what kind of stories she wrote when she was with them in the same circle at Waseda. Personally I find that curious. |
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Ryutai
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Yeah, I agree with you. Haruka should avoid the track topic with Akira, to get close to her slowly again, and LATER try to touch that problem. The reason why Akira found her comfort zone around Kondo, is because with him she could avoid that topic. But we saw how violent her reaction has been also towards him, in this latest episode, when he implied she could have something better to do rather than to work so much. |
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