Forum - View topicJellyfish Can't Swim in the Night (TV).
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Tony K.
 SubscriberModerator  Posts: 11446 Location: Frisco, TX |
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Jellyfish Can't Swim in the Night (TV) Source: Original Demographic: Animation Studio: Doga Kobo Genres: comedy, drama, slice of life Themes: art, CGDGT (Cute Girls Doing Cute Things), music, performing arts, social media Plot Summary: The young artist Yoru Kurage has been on hiatus ever since a certain incident. In reality, her name is Mahiru Kōzuki. She became traumatized by the pressure of being "special" and instead decided to live a normal, standard high school life. However, things change when she meets former idol Kano Yamanōchi. The strong-minded Kano "graduated" from center position in the Sunflower Dolls idol group, where she was known as Nonoka Tachibana. Along with VTuber Kiwi Watase, and talented musician Mei Kim Anouk Takanashi, the girls come together. Air Date & Platform: April 6, 2024 (Saturday) Available on: HIDIVE Episode Count / Runtime: Pending ---------------------------------- Total guess on the genres and themes. But Doga Kobo is usually slice of life material, so I will try watching a few episodes, then update accordingly. Last edited by Tony K. on Mon Apr 08, 2024 9:45 am; edited 1 time in total |
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smurky turkey
Posts: 2683 |
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The first episode is probably one of the least subtle anime experiences I have seen in a while, it feels like the show is hitting you in the face with a brick while screaming if you get its metaphors yet. The characters are charming and I love how it looks, there is nothing wrong with the premise of trying to find yourself, just make it a tad more subtle please.
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DuskyPredator
 Posts: 15576 Location: Brisbane, Australia |
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Maybe it was that it was so unsubtle that I read other things as subtle elements. Such being that I was thinking that it was being super queer on the emphasis on the need of masking who you are, and how close the girls got. The elements of her wanting to have lipstick as a sort of mark as a movement into adulthood. What could be read into the whole angel/devil thing, which was first introduced in the episode in a picture that looks sort of romantic, and then kind of feels sexy and alluring, noting that she put on the lipstick. Said lipstick is then used in the big collaborative moment that she draws on her jellyfish that was rejected by her peers in the past.
I am seeing the comments saying it is being obvious with its message. But that loudness with extra detail has me thinking that there is some point beyond more broad ideas, which based on history of baiting makes me think is accidental. |
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Blood-
 Bargain Hunter Posts: 24171 |
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Epiosde 1
Yep, there ain't no subtext in this show so far: just text. DP has already slipped their yuri goggles on which is always a good sign.  Anyway, I like the visuals and the characters so I guess I can go along with the sledgehammer message approach.
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Edjwald
 Posts: 1597 |
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As far as visual storytelling goes, this anime is killing it IMHO. The main thing that makes the characters seem likeable and real to me is the way they’re drawn and animated. The loud, neon colors standing out in dark backgrounds are particularly appropriate to an anime about taking risks and standing out amid fears of being obscured, and maybe I'm reading too much into it, but I don’t think that’s an accident. I’ll watch at least a few more episodes just because I liked looking at this anime so much.
As far as the rest of the storytelling goes, I have to agree that it’s overcooked. As noted, we get a lot of convenient info packaging that could have been left out or drawn out to provide some mystery. I think Tachibana would have worked well as an enigma for another episode or two, for example. As it is, the whole plot’s been laid out in a paint by numbers fashion. Even their personality traits have convenient origin stories provided. The voice acting isn’t bad, and the background music isn’t bad, but they didn’t stand out to the point where I can recall them much. I remember thinking things like “That piano’s not bad…wait, why is becoming electronic? Huh? Why is that music so loud so fast? That isn…it’s gone already? Where’s the build up? Where’s the fadeout?” And Dusky – that scene where she’s picturing her nightmare life, and she’s in an office surrounded by men who are all animals, literally, probably fits in with your idea. It’s like she’s in a reverse zoo. |
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Animegomaniac
Posts: 4159 |
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I loved it but I'm confused by the comments about subtlety. There's no time for subtlety as the premise of this show would be the formation of a virtual artist... OK, it's anime Gorillaz except made by Japanese high school girls who both have different social anxiety issues. Since the material said they will be teaming up with another musician and a V tuber... so I'm guessing virtual band more than virtual idol.
The physical artist needs to work on her drawing and the musical artist needs to work on her songwriting, and then gain attention while remaining anonymous and seeing how three members of the main cast already have dual identities... How can this be a show about being who you are if they were already who they weren't and they all want to try again at being what they're not? So the show's not that... so much for "no subtlety!" then. I think it'd more about doing what you want by your rules as the leads feel protective about their protective layers... Yoru crossed out her artist's name on her painting, it wasn't even hers. Kano dyed her hair and wears a mask because her idol look was her own face. Hmm.... |
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Blood-
Bargain Hunter Posts: 24171 |
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@ Animegomaniac - even though it's only been a couple of days since I've seen the episode, my horrible memory means I've already forgotten a lot of details but I remember there were several instances in the script where the show literally say, "you will be receiving a message right now." The most obvious one was when a character gives you the theme of the show by explaining the title: she just flat out tells us that jellyfish can't swim at night because they require some source of light to move. Gosh, I wonder what the overarching theme of the show will be??? The two girls meeting as MC is trying to choose between a Devil or Angel costume, etc, etc. I'd have to rewatch to point out more examples but there were many.
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smurky turkey
Posts: 2683 |
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A few others include the name of the song that Kano wrote, protecting the squid art while saying/shouting it should not be muddled, how the characters picked their Halloween costume or literally pointing to an online avatar while stating that said figure shows who they really are. I am not saying it is bad btw, it is just really on the nose.
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DuskyPredator
Posts: 15576 Location: Brisbane, Australia |
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Episode 2
I think that I am more interested now, I think that it might be because it is clearer now that we are looking at a group of four, but unlike most similar idol shows only one is the singer while the other three do different important things. One an illustrator, another a music composer and based what seen so far the last, Kiwi, will be an editor and or net expert. I think that I like it because it feels more up to date to at least what I can see content creators. I am pretty sure that on the regular consume content focusing personalities that do those things. |
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smurky turkey
Posts: 2683 |
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I have also become more interested after the second episode (yes, I am late). Things were a little less on the nose and the big selling point is that the banter between the characters is fun and lively. Maybe too lively even, it will be up to Yoru to keep things grounded since the former idol and hardcore fan (no sniffing please) are both a bit too enthusiastic at times.
Despite it not being a typical idol show it reminds me a lot of Love Live Superstar feel wise. |
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Panino Manino
 Posts: 752 |
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#3
This is Doga Kobo's Wonder Egg Priority. No only they chose the cheap path of showing us character "dramas" first and foremost instead of trying the hard parth of developing the characters while they interact with each other, they also showed the characters being... not "nice" actually, definitively not "right", and wants us to agree and root for them because of those reasons. I'm sorry, but no, this Kiui is completely delusional, she has nothing to prove against the world because the world has nothing against her. |
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DuskyPredator
Posts: 15576 Location: Brisbane, Australia |
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Are you saying that there was nothing against her because we didn't actively see bullying of her for being/acting differently? I think that it is pretty easy to infer the isolation she felt from not being able to connect with her peers. It really looked like no one even tried to even talk to her, straight up ignoring when she tried to talk about her interests. maybe a bit of a case of needing to experience that sort of thing to understand, and worse in a Japanese all girls school where fitting in is a big thing. A particular moment I am kind of interested in the third episode was when Kiui was running in the street she ran into some random guy, first he was angry but then changed his tune seeing her and saying she was cute (being a creep). I am a little curious in the thematic importance of the scene, whether regarding her otherwise disconnect from other girls her age in feminine things, being much more into the cool hero thing. |
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Animegomaniac
Posts: 4159 |
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I loved episode 3 but sadly it flew right over this guy's head. Kiui was in an all girls prep school and she hasn't talked to Yoru in person for two years. Kiui's drama has to come first in order to just get her character arc started. DP, I think there's a lot more going on than that. Kiui's V-Tuber identity is male and I'm 90% sure she's binding her breasts. And because this series can't spend time being subtle... and it really shouldn't: Two strangers talking as they walk past Kiui "A girl calling herself a guy? Wow, that's painful." "That's too funny!" And Kiui reacts hard to that one. "I never changed anything about me. If anything changed... it's everyone else!" It's Japanese fiction so who can say but if they were a real person, I think an all girls school is the last place they should be. |
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DuskyPredator
Posts: 15576 Location: Brisbane, Australia |
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I did catch that bit too, and thought whether it was meant to be a surface thing about gender when Kiui doesn't fit neatly in, or if it is meant to be some sort of transmasc thing going on. At least at this point I can't find many people discussing the idea, and it does seem like something unlikely this show that seems cgdct related. At risk of Blood calling me out again, there are some queer elements, such as earlier in the episode when Kano said that she 'loved' her two friends, the second one because she was jealous. I am a little afraid of reading too much in for queerness, because chances are that it would just disappoint me. |
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Panino Manino
Posts: 752 |
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Yes, I noticed her "masculine interests and behavior" and imagine they have some implications, but I can't and refuse to dive deep for treasures without exploring the surface. The episode also showed that Kiui is a huge attention seeking that was even more on edge than usual because she was bothered by her decreasing views. This episode also remembers me something that bothered from the first episode, characters criticizing others at the same time not being aware that their own behavior is worth criticism (the way both Kano and Mahiru treated that street performer). Yes, Kiui's classmates "ignored" her because no one was interested on the circus show she was selling, but you can't really criticize them hard while not criticizing Kiui, is not that her classmates weren't interested in her. And Kiui didn't made any effort (that was shown) in getting to know her classmates, the episode also didn't show her having any interest in them, she just wanted their attention. This is a problem that she has, it's not about "not caring about other's opinion and being yourself". She needs attention and admiration, she seeks it, and would do her good to work on changed that aspect of her personality. |
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