Forum - View topicWind Breaker (TV).
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Gina Szanboti
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I thought we did. Choji just wasn't up to Umemiya's level. If not for the talk no jutsu, the fight would've been over in five minutes, and it wouldn't have been very satisfying. They showed the non-stop rain outside so many times, I was totally expecting that after the fight, they'd all have to team up to save the city from flooding. 
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smurky turkey
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I suppose so, I just would have liked to see a fight with two top dogs both having to go all out. In the case of Umemiya it was mostly him brushing off blows (plus a nasty bite) and only really needing a few attacks of his own to settle the fight. That made for a good story and character development moment yet it keeps me curious about what the guy can really do.
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ACｘS
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9:
That was expectedly (but aptly) cathartic. I have absolutely no issues with the climactic fight between Umemiya and Choji but I will admit: it was shorter than I anticipated. I wasn't expecting an extensive fight like what we got for Sakura-Togame because, like Umemiya blatantly said, a fight is a conversation. The mechanics of a fight, though exhilarating to watch, are just the bells and whistles. The core is and always has been the conversation between the fighters. This was clearly exemplified from Suou's fight onwards (Sugishita's fight was just the opener; there wasn't much conversation in it). I thought the use of allegories was incredible here. Choji's walk in the dry desert (and the glass breaking below him) is a throwback to Sakura's vision of walking the tightrope, and they both share the same message: how they would lose everything in a single moment. That was KyoAni-level production brilliance right there; CloverWorks was flexing for real. The only minor issue I had was Choji's root problem. I was wrong when I thought it would have something to do with past trauma. It wasn't. Simply put, it was just that Choji realized that becoming a leader turned out to be way more anticlimactic than he thought, and that... made him turn brutal? Doesn't quite add up for me. He was happier in the past because he had friends, but where did they go? I know he just became lonely and in denial about his feelings, but it was quite a leap of logic to lash out at everyone. Togame felt responsible for his suffering (understandably) but of course, he didn't cause it in the first place (he did make it worse by avoiding and not addressing it, I guess). If it were deep-rooted trauma, it would make for a more compelling story, but I can understand why the show decided to take this route instead. Seems more appropriate, I guess. I wondered what made Umemiya so respected as a leader. I guess I can why after this fight. He's certainly charismatic and benevolent, and has empathy for everyone. Him letting Choji have at him was a trope, but the act of laying down his arms is an effective message that he's not an enemy, so he backs up what he says. He has a heart and guts. That's a good leader. The whole tournament happened inside a theater, but I never realized something. All the fights happened on a stage. Don't all the fights feel more like a play, if you think about it? Especially with the "a fight is a conversation" message, it feels like all the fights are one big play being acted out and dramatized for the audience to see. See, that's another level of narrative, right there. Now that's brilliant. A great ending to this arc (if it is one). |
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smurky turkey
Posts: 2486 |
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Nope, this week's episode was the true end of the first big arc. A good ending too with some decently well done character development to wrap a bow around the whole thing. I especially liked the discussion about what it means to be the top dog and how to reach said position. Sure, you can beat everyone up because you are the strongest, yet that is very different from getting there because others support you.
I do wonder what the final 3 episodes will offer, another big arc is not possible in that timeframe. |
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Edjwald
 Posts: 1459 |
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Choji? (I keep thinking of him as Mikey-lite) is the example of what happens when somebody becomes top dog through sheer force in this show. He and Umemiya are polar opposites, and the two methods get laid out for Haruka like road signs, which is why he's so freaked out. The path he was pursuing seems to lead to nowhere good.
I have to say, Haruka's tsundere act is still pretty precious. If I had to guess, next week's episode is going to be about Haruka and mad dog having a conversation, and Kotoha Tachibana will be getting some key screen time again in the closing episodes no matter what happens after that. This anime has been a consistent pleasure so far. It's silly but crazily well choreographed and entertaining. |
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Gina Szanboti
Posts: 11553 |
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I was getting pretty frustrated at them wasting valuable screen time rehashing material we'd already been told, shown, and soaked in. It felt like, "In case you missed it the first three times we went over it, here's what Choji's damage is." But it picked up once they went to the cafe. And when they look at me with those big, droopy eyes, all is forgiven.
Last edited by Gina Szanboti on Sat Jun 08, 2024 3:06 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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ACｘS
Posts: 953 |
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10:
Epilogue to the "tournament". The show didn't even hide how it felt like one big theatrical play, with the whole stage setup and drama in each fight and everything. Did the show even hinted at this when Togame kept calling Sakura "Othello" in the beginning? As an episode aptly named "Dialogue", there were actually two. One was between Bofurin and Shishitoren. Nothing revealing was shown during this dialogue; they were all clearly illustrated during the fight. If anything, it reinforces my thoughts in my previous post. Choji turned tyrannical because he was lonely and in denial. Togame turned a blind eye and let that worsen over time. Frankly, I (still) think the motive in Choji's story was weak. Why did Choji get into that lonely situation in the first place? What happened to the people whom he enjoyed time with? How he became the leader of Shishitoren wasn't clearly shown; whether it was through brute force or not, I couldn't confirm. It felt like he was ostracized by Shishitoren's top brass. Was that what really happened? If so, why? If Choji was indeed ostracized, that would have made loneliness more pronounced but it wasn't discussed clearly, and that gap made the story a bit questionable. See, this is why I was hoping it was something deeper than that. Maybe trauma: physically abused at a young age by his own family, parental neglect, anything. If that were the cause, then his vision for attaining freedom through power would make a whole lot more sense (just think about it). But like I said, I get why the show didn't take this route. Reason: there's no way it can get resolved so quickly. Trauma is no light matter, so it just makes to choose loneliness over trauma as Choji's motive. Things would have been a lot messier otherwise. I'll let this one slide for this show. The second dialogue was between Sakura and Umemiya. Now this one, I really like. It was nothing groundbreaking per se, but it set a clear perspective on Sakura's reflections on the tournament and it changed his views on what it means to be "the strongest". It was a watershed moment for him, even if his tsundere tendencies would make it less obvious. Even he had to admit (to himself internally) that maybe he was wrong with his perspectives. Still a great episode overall. I wonder what the final three episodes will be about. |
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smurky turkey
Posts: 2486 |
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Oh right, I kind of forgot that shit went down during their very first day of school (make that first hour even). We barely know any of the people in class nor how said class and school actually function. The two now fully introduced classmates are rather quirky and how else to get to know one another then to bash in a few skulls. We also got plenty of Sakura blushing this week with him making more friends and seems like the end of this season is going to be about a class president thing of sorts?
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Gina Szanboti
Posts: 11553 |
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Musclehead sure is annoying, isn't he? I can see why Sugishita beat a hasty retreat when he stuck his head in the door. I guess his heart's in the right place at least.
I felt bad for Sakura having no contacts besides the weather on his phone. At first I was kind of irked that they made fun of him for it, but I guess he'd prefer that over them pitying him. And their joke about knowing who to ask about the weather was pretty gentle ribbing considering what they could have said. As someone who has no mobile phone and would also have zero contacts if I did, I can definitely relate to this, as well as his "why are you texting about this when we're going to see each other in ten minutes?" attitude, as well as his difficulty following the conversation while laboriously trying to type out his question. 
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ACｘS
Posts: 953 |
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11:
Quite a low-key episode, I must say. I mean, come to think of it, I shouldn't be too surprised. There are only two more episodes left in this show, so I don't think it will introduce any big plot or arc whatsoever. We have the two remaining characters finally explored now, as I have mentioned before. Meathead and Ladies' Man... eh, they are what they are. I feel like they don't have any compelling story to tell, unlike the final three Bofurin members in the Shishitoren fight-off. More like, the two characters are stepping boards to what's going to happen now: the nomination of the Grade Captain. That's the actual point of this episode and the remaining two as well. Man, I gotta ask: why do they go to class when there are apparently no lessons going on? Or even teachers, for that matter. Kotoha saying "you'll be late" to Sakura? Late for what? |
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Edjwald
Posts: 1459 |
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But at least he's loud. Who would have thought that the squirrelly fan boy with a notebook of fun facts wouldn't be the annoying one? Of all the emerging first years, I'd say eyepatch is my favorite, followed by mad dog. I'm guessing that watching Haruka of zero social skills becoming a class den mother is going to provide some comedy fodder. Although given the structure of this high school, maybe the job is a combination of den mother and den monster. Edited to add an "is" |
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Edjwald
Posts: 1459 |
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Y'know, when this show first came on, I was expecting it to have lots of well choreographed action and was just hoping the MC wouldn't be too big of an asshat. Now, with only one episode left in the chamber, I'm amazed at how chock full of the feels this show is. As in, sentiment fortified. I also don't know if Kotaha is a romantic lead or just playing the role of wise bartender, but as far as I'm concerned, she's pretty awesome either way.
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Gina Szanboti
Posts: 11553 |
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If you don't know what to do, just do what you can do. That's good advice, but I got it the first time (in this show, not counting the dozens of other series it's been said). Didn't need to hear it rephrased four more times.
Did anyone think for even a second that Risa was not a lost cat? I'm holding my breath to see how they'll deal with the cross-dressing or trans character in the Four Kings. Not sure anymore how much I trust them not to step on some land mines. Fingers crossed... I'm also curious about the kid with the gas mask, hood, and overlong sleeves - is he hyper allergic to everything? And we've got a set of twins too. This is definitely going to need another season. I so sympathize with Sakura's inability to remember names and faces. |
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Edjwald
Posts: 1459 |
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I thought everyone was just humoring the old woman, that she was Risa and that her delusional ramblings were her crying about her lost youth.
Well, okay, no I didn't, but I thought that sounded impressive for a second.... I agree that the show did hit us over the head with its themes here and there, and not for the first time. I forgive it, maybe because I've seen a couple of shows that have done that this season, most of them to greater degrees and with less charm. |
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Gina Szanboti
Posts: 11553 |
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See, now that would've been a cool twist, and if Sakura was the only one who didn't know, they could still have worked in the cool acrobatics he displayed.
But, as I've beaten y'all over the head several times already, the character designs put me in a forgiving mood. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ If you're rich or pretty you can get away with anything.
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