Forum - View topicMalevolent Spirits: Mononogatari (TV) (w/ index).
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Blood-
 Bargain Hunter Posts: 24157 |
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Episode 13
Ah, nice to see this one back, the continuation of one of my favourites from the Winter season. Man, that's a cool laundry folding trick that Haori has there... I'd love to be able to do that in real life. Looks like Hyouma and Botan's romance is going to heat up, egged on by her gaggle of female friends. Tsubaki might have something to say about that, not that Hyouma will actually notice. |
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Harleyquin
Posts: 2968 |
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#13
New OP and ED animations actually tell a lot about what's to come. I'm not sold on the new OP song, but the new ED is comparable to the 1st season's ED so it's not all bad. Just like the first season, the website's reviewers don't rate this series at all even though users on this thread and elsewhere enjoy the show. As for the episode, I'm actually surprised the animators included the one-off involving the pipe. A very short one in the source material, and they squeezed it in for roughly 7 minutes of airtime. It's a reminder to the audience of what the Nagatsuki Six are capable of, and how devoted they are to Botan and pleased when she exceeds their expectations. The main story doesn't let up; as expected the animators are moving forward in sequence and bringing in the third of Kyoto's Great Tsukumogami (Nagatsuki Six count as one, the other is Kai). Viewers who watched the first season may remember they were actually shown in silhouette when Oogi reported his investigative findings to Suzuri midway through season one, now we see what they look like in the flesh. Despite their approachable manner in dealing with Hyouma, viewers might want to rewatch that particular episode from season one to refresh their memory on what they think of his lodging with the Nagatsuki. As for the trio, their names again reflect the objects they embody: 爪弾: Tsumabiki. She's a Shamisen, and playing it requires using the fingernails to manipulate its strings to produce sound. She uses her strings in a similar way to Walter from Hellsing. 吹枝: Fukie: He's a flute, no surprise his name has the words for "blow" in it. His special ability is very useful for damage control. This is the first time all series where Tsukumogami actually made their presence known in public with harmful intent (a bugbear of certain hate-watchers), and without his intervention there would have been hell to pay for the Kadomoris. 鼓: His name literally is what he embodies: the Japanese drum. Even their group name 雅楽寮 indicates their position as integral instruments in traditional Japanese music. The final character usually translating to "Lodge" or "Dormitory". The episode packs a lot of content, as the other main story thread involving Hyouma, his older siblings and his quest for revenge is explored. Viewers only remember the siblings being impaled on umbrellas at the start of the first season, now we see how they ended up like that. The scene is huge in more ways than one, but whether or not the series is adapted far enough to reveal the full significance to anime-only viewers is an open question. Suffice to say Hyouma isn't anywhere near as talented as his older siblings despite his accomplishments to date, and both he and Tsubaki are well aware of this. Had the trap not been set and the pair caught off-guard, it might not have been so easy to defeat them as matters stood. Trailer is following the Umbrella thread, so more to look forward to for the fans. Not really recommended for casual viewers to drop in without seeing the first season though, since this is continuing on without any reminders and not seeing the first season means a lot of context is lost. |
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DuskyPredator
 Posts: 15576 Location: Brisbane, Australia |
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I thought there was finally an answer about whether the general public are aware of tsukumogami, because some character did something that made the public unaware that a giant monster appear at a parade and put things back. They wouldn't do that unless they need things to stay hidden. But the more I think about it, it kind of makes less sense as people could be recording video or pictures like one does at a parade, and nothing about the hypnotism would stop that. One person in the crowd literally had their phone in their hand. Presumably most defenders wouldn't have the hypnotism power, so this thing could not always be covered up.
I did like that old lady character though, as you don't tend to see older female characters fill that more fighter role. I even liked how creepy she looked. |
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Tony K.
 SubscriberModerator  Posts: 11443 Location: Frisco, TX |
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Original discussion started here.
---------------------------------- Episode 13 (S02E01): Entrance ---------------------------------- Summary: Botan is planning to attend the Aoi Festival, which includes a parade. But Hyouma is wary of the problems that might occur, as a lot of the floats are made to look like mythical creatures, with the potential of rogue Tsukumogami possessing them. As he's running guard duty during the parade, a Tsukumogami does indeed possess a float, but is subdued by the Bureau of Traditional Music. ---------------------------------- Comments: Some lighthearted romance-poking from Botan's friend during the parade. I think that particular element of the story (the implied romance) is what gives the show a lot of its charm. Personally, I'd also be down if they focused more on Hyouma's revenge, but then you wouldn't have as much of the nuanced character development we've been seeing in him. The BTM seem like a cool and quirky bunch. We get to see another faction added in this growing cast of characters. I'm sure most of the focus will still surround Hyouma, Botan, and the Nagatsuki family, but I'm liking it, so far. Every character, even for what little screentime they get, seems to have a purpose, no matter how small the contribution feels. We also get to see Umbrella Girl, again. And who knows how many other characters are on the villainous side of things. One thing that stuck out to me was the training Hyouma was doing with Tsubaki. As talented as Hyouma is, she remarked how easy it was to predict him because of his emotions. I think this will be a key component in his growth, later, as learns to be more open, and thus, hopefully become harder to read. He's been so closed up and focused on training himself since the incident with his siblings, it should be interesting to see how some of his other repressed emotions come to surface and some of those can positively or negatively affect him. ---------------------------------- Screen Caps:  
 
 
 
 
Last edited by Tony K. on Wed Aug 23, 2023 4:02 pm; edited 5 times in total |
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Edjwald
 Posts: 1586 |
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Edited because I reread it and couldn't stand the typos
I won't talk about how I enjoy these light, romantic comedy interludes since I've already mentioned it several times on these threads. So a few observations that I haven't made: - I was happy to hear (though it was said by her friends, so there might be some bias) that people are now attracted to college student Botan's aura. Considering how elementary school student Botan used to repel people with her ghostly aura, it seems like she's gotten much better at dealing. - also thought the show did a good job of adding some texture to how Hyouma and Botan are gradually gelling. Little touches, from how the usually dense Hyouma nailed it when describing Botan's essential character, to how the Traditional Music Bureau crone described Hyouma's essential character, so that we got to see how they fit from two different perspectives. - Hyouma also seemed more human (one of the ironies of the show is that he and his death yard stare always seem much less life-like than the Tsukumogami), and rather than chalk it up to inconsistent writing or a slight change to his hair style, I think it's pretty obvious that it's because he's been forming real ties with people (*GASP* and Tsukumogami at that) for the first time since his brother and sister were killed. - and did anyone else see how Hyouma wasted a cup of coffee when taken off guard by Kagami? (More proof, as if any were needed, that this show could use a Tsukumogami who used to be a coffee mak(Koff), I mean, French Press...) Last edited by Edjwald on Tue Jul 11, 2023 11:50 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Blood-
Bargain Hunter Posts: 24157 |
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Episode 14
Very enjoyable episode. I, too, enjoy the light, romantic comedy stuff. Although, honestly, Hyouma has GOT to do something about that murderous glare. I mean, I know some chicks are into that serial killer vibe, but come on. Also, looks like we'll finally get to see some of Paper Umbrella in action. |
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Harleyquin
Posts: 2968 |
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#14
The animators are surprisingly including chapters which I thought wouldn't be adapted because they're pleasant one-offs but contribute little to the main plot. The date with Kagami being another example: just like last week with the pipe this is mainly an excuse to showcase Kagami messing around with Hyouma and seeing where he stands in his relationship with Botan. Although she doesn't get the answer she was hoping for, she's seen and heard enough to continue supporting the pair's glacial approach to improving their relationship with each other. Then again, looking at the episode in another way it's actually concentrating on the other selling point of this series: the romance between Hyouma and Botan. There's little to no action this week because it's all about the ensemble cast talking about their relationship in one way or another. Whether it's Botan's fellow university mates or powerful Tsukumogami, everyone wants to know where the pair stand in their relationship. The former for the typical gossip between females of that age, while the latter are following up on the commission they set the Aogi pair up for back in season one. Tsumabiki in particular throws out a lot of information which won't be familiar at all with unacquainted viewers as it was only hinted at in season one. Haori's reaction to her theory said a lot more than her lack of a formal response, which suited the Gagakuryou just fine. Noisy as they are, as musical instruments they love a good show whether it's one they put up for an audience to hear or what others have to provide which draws an audience towards (like a good love story). This episode is where the fun and games stop though, since the Umbrella that has been the object of Hyouma's focus all these years (to the point where he forgot how to have fun and what it meant) has approached Botan and her friends. With that pivot, action is once again back on the table. |
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smurky turkey
Posts: 2667 |
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Episode 14 was a nice and chill slice of life episode. We got some more details on how the relationship of the mc's is going and it became painfully obvious that Hyouma has not had a very fun life with his extreme focus on training. I am a bit confused about how the previous episode started and this one began however. We have now had two episodes with the umbrella lady appearing and smirking.
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Edjwald
Posts: 1586 |
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Episode 15. For my money, paper umbrella lady is one of the best villains of the year. I'm glad the show is developing this plotline, and I found the episode genuinely chilling.
I still don't get exactly how her powers work (1) She can mess with shadows and create barriers just like an umbrella creates a protective area of shade. (2) She can create appendages kind of like an umbrella's ribs, and they can end in sharpened metal blades. (3) And she can morph a lot, expanding or retracting her form, I guess the way an umbrella can keep unfolding from small and portable to bigger, or folding back in on themselves. And then there's stuff I don't understand, like the human hands that she controls in the darkness, but season 1 said that powerful Tsukumogami can go beyond the limits of their soul/object nature, and based on that side conversation, paper umbrella has been around for a while. Looking forward to next week. |
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Tony K.
Subscriber Moderator Posts: 11443 Location: Frisco, TX |
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Original discussion started here.
---------------------------------- Episode 14 (S02E02): Dance Performance ---------------------------------- Summary: Pending ---------------------------------- Comments: Pending ---------------------------------- Screen Caps:  
 
 
 
 
Last edited by Tony K. on Wed Aug 23, 2023 4:03 pm; edited 7 times in total |
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Blood-
Bargain Hunter Posts: 24157 |
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Yep, poop got real, folks. I've grown fond of the interfering, man-hungry lasses of the Hyakunin Isshu Society and don't want to see any harm come to them, so that was a pretty tense scene for me. Botan may have plot armor but her friends don't necessarily share it. Big props to Hyouma for his kickass entry scene. Geez, I may have fallen a little in love with him, myself. Anyway, looking forward to watching this battle continue.
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Harleyquin
Posts: 2968 |
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#15
This episode is actually enjoyable because the vast majority of it is an anime-original adaptation. Other fans might disagree with the approach taken, but I didn't mind the antics with Botan's club members. For starters, it was already hinted at in previous episodes that most of them are "thirsty", for lack of a better description. It also serves as a useful bridge as it explains why Hyouma ended up in the university as that was quite sudden in the source material. In addition, the contrast between the first half of the episode and the latter half is a big change from the last two episodes. No more fun and games; now that the Umbrella Tsukumogami has made its move the pacing is ramped up and it's back to action. The others have already suspected the Umbrella is the Kunado Slayer, which is a big thing considering who the scalps were. If they are right, Hyouma's chance for revenge is within reach and he's certainly up for it. The animators certainly dialled up the horror angle as well: the part with Botan's friends being inches away from a gruesome fate is also original and certainly did its part in contributing to the general atmosphere of the second half. As for the Yorimashi comment from the Umbrella, well that's for later in this season. There are already a few hints from episodes aired to date about what the Umbrella is referring to, but the full details will require more episodes. It is next episode in particular which I'm looking at, as it's not just the upcoming battle that I'm looking forward to but also one screenshot in particular. I'm curious to see how that is handled, since the animators have shown they're not afraid to put their own spin on the source material this week and if future episodes take up the approach done this week the series will be the better for it. |
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Edjwald
Posts: 1586 |
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Yah, that was one hell of an entrance. Makes me wonder if Hyouma's ability to slice through barriers is the reason his siblings were originally targeted. And it is cool that Botan's friends aren't just one joke caricatures. The way they kept looking out for each other even though they were terrified was really touching. |
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b-dragon
Posts: 497 |
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I was going to say something like "forget the Paper Umbrella, the girls of Hyakunin Isshu are the really terrifying force in the show." Then the PU attacks, and its been a bit since a scene felt that tense to me. Between the grasping hands and the consistent ocular threats, the scene did its job wonderfully.
And man...the wait for next week's gonna feel longer than usual. |
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smurky turkey
Posts: 2667 |
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I have to echo the sentiment of the umbrella lady being a good villain (so far). She is overpowered in a good way with pretty varied abilities and is downright terrifying to face off against. I do wonder why she is targeting certain people and what her goal is, I doubt it is as simple as killing for fun.
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