Forum - View topicAnime aberrations.
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Key
Moderator
 Posts: 18435 Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley) |
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Let's try something just a bit different here for discussion.
What are some examples of single episodes or short (2-3 eps) story arcs which stand out as being vastly better or worse than the norm for their host anime series? In other words, where are the stinkers in an otherwise-great series or the shining moments in an otherwise-mediocre series? Please note I am NOT looking for cases where a series starts weak but peaks strong, or vice versa. I am looking for cases that, in statistical terms, would be called outliers. Please also note that I am not talking about cases where there's only a minor increase or decrease; I want cases where there is a big difference. I'll give two examples to start it off: Negima! episode 19 - Although I watched the series out, this surprisingly heartfelt story focusing on the ghost Sayo was one of only two episodes (ep 24 being the other) that actually impressed me in a writing sense. It is, by far, the series' best episode. Ghost Stories episode 12, English dub - I loved ADV's parody dub of this series about traditional Japanese ghosts, with the gross exception of this episode focusing on Satsuki and Keiichiro's mother. ADV blew it badly here by trying to be funny through the one episode they should have taken seriously, resulting in an enormously crass-sounding effort in an otherwise terribly funny interpretation. |
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trackstar1013
 Posts: 179 Location: Canada |
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Hmm the only one that really comes to mind right away as far as an outlier goes would be the original ending to Neon Genesis Evangelion episode 25-26. Compared to the rest of the series this was just so out there. Well I hate to say it but it was really bad, at least the first time I watched it. The second time through it made more sense. The thing is if you followed the story it makes sense, but even then it's still terrible. Essentially an hour of a guy saying I hate myself and everyone else hates me.
Btw I know I'm over simplifying the ending, but I just think it really stands out. |
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GreatTeacherKen
Posts: 59 |
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I believe it was episodes 5 and 6 of Girl's High. Basically it was the only two episodes in the series that were serious, and well it din't work out very well largely because it seems so out of character with the rest of the show. The show is too silly to take seriously. I also have a similar problem with the serious Galaxy Angel episodes. Character development is nice, but it's possible to develop characters while still remaining funny, and these episodes clashed too much with their respective shows.
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riccardo
 Posts: 136 Location: Melbourne, Australia |
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The last 3 episodes of Beserk has the series jump from one genre to another with absolutely no warning. The arc wasn't awful per se, and I know it was in the manga, but a bit of warning might have been nice.
The 4 recap eps of Wolfs Rain were a real minus, because why did they need four? They made up for this with the absolutely magnificant last episode, though. Not ashamed to say I cried like a baby! 
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ace52387
 Posts: 61 |
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The 2nd Episode of Windy Tales. Most of the series after is not only episodic, but also wordy and blunt with what it tries to get across. The first two episodes look better than the others, and they also combine to form a film like plot with a clear beginning, climax, and ending. The 2nd episode has an interesting little twist from the first, and it brings out the joys and woes of a 12 year old nicely.
In Ergo Proxy, I don't remember the episode number but it's when spoiler[The ship gets stranded on their journey to mosque dome] At that point, the series seemed to be drifting all over the place in terms of atmosphere, but of all the strange changes of pace it took, this little slice of life break was my favorite. The episode follows Real like as if it were a first person story, and what seems like every one of her thoughts are monologued for you. She is as always, peeved at something. Since she can do nothing but meander with Vincent and Pino, the tiniest things start bothering her, until she starts sounding borderline insane. It's probably the only real comic break in the series, and it ends with a lightly touching spoiler["opening up" or "loosening up" of Real.] Last edited by ace52387 on Wed Feb 06, 2008 4:20 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Mylene
 Posts: 2792 Location: Indiana |
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It's interesting how things are perceived. Yes, those serious episodes are an aberration of sorts, but I found that they were a stellar edition to the series rather than a detraction. I was very annoyed when Galaxy Angel A didn't have a serious Forte episode to speak of (at least not that I'm recalling--maybe it was part of the AA group that I haven't finished). I don't think these episodes are any better (and certainly not any worse) than the standard comedy episodes, but they most certainly stand out as different, and elevated my opinion of the series overall. |
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selenta
 Subscriber Posts: 1774 Location: Seattle, WA |
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As for the Wolf's Rain recap episodes, those have a story behind them actually. If I remember correctly, there was a SARS outbreak when they were supposed to be working, but most of the staff didn't come in so they made the recap episodes so they'd have something to air. They might qualify as an "aberration", but I don't think that's the kind of thing Key is looking for (in light of the explanation anyway).
Please read the OP more carefully people, this is specifically what he was trying to avoid ace. He's not looking for an "interesting little twist", he's looking for something so radically different in quality that it doesn't even seem like it belongs in the show. Personally, the only one that really comes to my mind is the first arc of Black Lagoon: The Second Barrage. The rest of the arcs in the show (both seasons) were interesting and fun to watch, but the twins arc really had me engaged on every level. It was a little terrifying, the action felt genuine and dangerous, a background story that is genuinely disturbing, and an unforeseen ending. I can't put my finger on what I didn't like nearly as much about the last arc, but it probably had to do with Revy killing a couple dozen people at the same time and bullets being cut in half by a sword. 
Honestly, that's the only one I can think of that's a short arc. A few other ones come to mind, like the Teresa arc in Claymore, episode 9 of Saikano (the episode where spoiler[Akemi dies, whichever one that is]), and Ouran High School Host Club's episode 26 probably also fits the bill to some degree... but it's pretty rare that an arc seems so much different in quality from the rest of the series it's in. Most of the time, it's something that's been built up for a long time (like episode 39 of Twelve Kingdoms), is a filler episode that almost seems like it's designed to be terrible, or is simply the best executed arc in the show by an order or magnitude or two (like the second and third to last arcs in Ghost Hunt). |
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rti9
 Posts: 1241 |
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Naruto episodes 30 (Sasuke vs. Orochimaru) and 133 (Naruto vs. Sasuke) when they call in Norio Matsumoto. 48 and 71 also stand out but 30 and 133 are monstrous. The contrast between these two episodes and the rest of the series is of gargantuan level. A below-the-average level animation, which is standard on these +100 episode TV series, gains movie quality for these brief but pivotal moments in the story.
Last edited by rti9 on Thu Feb 07, 2008 4:10 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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DragonsRevenge
 Posts: 1150 |
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Not included in the series per se, but something that ties in to the overall story- The extra ep. of Elfen Lied might count. It basically played out like one long deleted scene.
It's been a while since I've seen any anime, so I can't remember small arcs that are better or worse than the whole series. I know there was that one "Central Military" episode and the Flame Alchemist episode that aired before the final stretch of the series. Those were classic and would've made a fun OVA on their own. And then to me there were the individual arcs and standalone episodes in Get Backers. To me the best episodes were the ones that had nothing to do with the main plot- the Whole Limitless fortress deal. I don't remember any episodes in particular (sorry). It's been a couple years since I watched the series. |
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Boomerang Flash
 Posts: 1021 |
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Episode 16 of Romeo x Juliet comes to mind. The artwork of the episode looks quite different from all previous and subsequent ones. The profiles of the characters, particularly Juliet, look squashed (much narrower), and the angles to some of the smoother faces are more pronounced, making them look like some sort of pentagons with facial features. I'm not quite sure if the animation quality or consistency of the artwork went down, but it definitely looked like an entirely different animation team did that episode. I didn't care to find out for certain, but I would be shocked if they were the same.
And, of course, there's the intentionally bad first episode of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, done in a completely different style compared to the rest due to the fact that spoiler[it's a home video made by and starring the characters of the show]. It's not quite what you asked for, but it's a related matter that falls under a similar area of interest. Episodes 5 and 6 of Mobile Police Patlabor OVA are quite different from the rest of the series. There's nothing objective like inconsistent or unintentionally badly proportioned artwork of a change in animation quality. Nor is there even semi-objective differences than quality of storytelling. It's just that these 2 episodes (out of 7, unfortunately, so it skirts your requirements again) comprise a mini-arc with a vastly different style than the rest. These two tell the story of a serious, tension-filled conspiracy that threatens a large population. The rest are light-hearted, episodic police comedies mixed with some mecha action. Episode 8 of Bubblegum Crisis is in a similar boat with Patlabor, except that it's a bit of light-hearted action and mystery solving mixed with a generally dark, suspenseful, and serious show.
I don't see why your interpretation of what Key wanted should be the only correct one. What ace described, if all true, certainly falls under the classification of episodes that are statistical outliers. In fact, it seems to answer Key's question perfectly, as he was describing two episodes of not only vastly different quality than the rest but also look like they could be a complete standalone series. It's more like using Rurouni Kenshin: Tsuioku Hen as the first 4 episodes of Rurouni Kenshin TV than a series that's described as "starts strong and ends weak" like Claymore and a lot of Gonzo debacles. Why should we not take what Key wrote to mean that she does not want examples of a show that starts/ends strong/weak then tends towards the other extreme at the other side in some more gradual fashion than the sharp change ace described? Last edited by Boomerang Flash on Wed Feb 06, 2008 8:30 pm; edited 3 times in total |
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Jih2
 Posts: 403 Location: East coast |
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This is borderline but I would say Here is Greenwood's last one or two episodes definitely redeemed the entire OVA for me. It took a different, albeit not unexpected direction but what an excellent little romantic arc for the end of the series which I personally didn't think was all that stellar.
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Randall Miyashiro
 Posts: 2451 Location: A block away from Golden Gate Park |
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For me it is easily Gundam ZZ. I've seen the episode (36?) with the Psyco Gundam MKII so many times although I really don't care for the rest of the series. This is one of the only episodes that has absolutely no humor. The animation for this episode is amazing. The ending of the episode is very dismal and feels much like the better Zeta episodes. I only wish that the rest of the series continued this apocalyptic tone instead of the high energy teenagers atmosphere.
Second place probably goes to Moonphase. The episode where spoiler[the house burns down and the main characters need to leave the city] shines much higher than the rest of the series. I really believed that spoiler[Elfried and the old man died] at that point and was actually looking forward to the next DVD which I thought was going to be intense. Instead the next episode reverted back to the series norm, but in a different setting. |
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Greennunu
Posts: 145 |
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Mai-Hime - I thought the Series had a good mix, that is until the end whenspoiler[ All the people who died got revived,] it would have been saddening but at least it wouldn't screw the ending over just to try and make it a "happy ending".
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Zalis116
Moderator
 Posts: 6900 Location: Kazune City |
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I'd have to say episodes 7-9 of Maze: The Mega-Burst Space (TV). Most of this series is mediocre mid-90s fantasy, with lackluster animation, a bunch of filler episodes that don't accomplish anything, and a lot of Ranma-ripoff gender-bending comedy. But in those three episodes, Maze's group spoiler[goes to a country that has a protective shield against "Phantom Light Power". Over the course of the mini-arc, agents of Jaina infiltrate the country, assassinate the young prince, disable the shield and proceed with an invasion. By the time episode 9 ends, we feel some sympathy for the ill-tempered queen, see the tragic fall of a nation, Solude's noble knightly spirit, and the king's royal (if fatalist) dedication to "going down with the kingdom" rather than escaping.] For me, those "sidestory" episodes had the finest drama and most compelling situations of the whole series, much more so than the later section when the main plot was revealed.
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Murasakisuishou
 Posts: 1469 Location: NE Ohio |
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Gonna hafta point squarely in the direction of episodes 10-12 of Shaman King for being generally worse than the rest of the series. It's a small arc dealing mostly with Bokuto no Ryu, and it's both boring and feels like filler (even though it's really not.) Although the series is still getting itself revved up during these early episodes and gets consistently better later on, I though that, of all the especially hit-or-miss episodes at this stage, this group was just dull. I tend to skip it when I rewatch.
Although it's kind of hard to beat the Horo episode that comes right before it. The Horo episode is gold. By the way, I agree with Mylene about the serious episodes in Galaxy Angel; they add a completely new dimension to an otherwise rather flat and silly anime, and I think the added depth helps the impact of the series. I feel more for the characters when I see them in serious situations (not only the serious Forte episodes, but the Bamboo Baby episode, the Wish Granting Button episode, etc.) After all, what good is a comedy show in which you just watch lifeless characters beat each other up and represent fetish stereotypes? |
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