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REVIEW: Nabari no Ou DVD [2010-01-16]




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pachy_boy



Joined: 09 Mar 2006
Posts: 1336
PostPosted: Sat Jan 16, 2010 8:04 am Reply with quote
Maybe the overall story ending was weak; I may be wrong but I heard it's a different conclusion from the manga, so that may have had something to do with it. But if anything at all, I really liked where it ended with the two characters, Miharu and Yoite. It was a great closure that left off with a bittersweet, sentimental feeling.
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TheTheory



Joined: 23 Mar 2008
Posts: 1029
Location: Central PA
PostPosted: Sat Jan 16, 2010 9:28 am Reply with quote
I personally loved the ending. I thought it was much more realistic than most anime, which would have found some hollow "trick" to prevent spoiler[Yoite's death]. Actually, I think it was the ending that really solidified this series for me as being quite well done.
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Gewürtztraminer



Joined: 14 Nov 2007
Posts: 1028
Location: Texas - Its like whole other country.
PostPosted: Sat Jan 16, 2010 10:42 am Reply with quote
Timely, I finished off the last disc of this series last night and mailed it back to Netflix.
Now, ten hours later, all the details of the last few episodes and most of the series escape me. I remember the end, but I can not recall the activation of the Shinrabanshou. I also had no clue what Banten's forbidden technique did (until I saw on Wikipedia while looking up some character names and spellings for this post). Exactly what it did was not explained well enough.
There was a whole string of episodes where Tobari went into hiding and the others were looking for him that just did not work for me.

The whole Miharu and Yoite thing seemed a little contrived, that too did not work for me.
I think I rated the first half 4 stars on Netflix, I was really enjoying it. The second half overall I gave 3, though by the end I was probably at a 2 star rating.

I have no desire to rewatch this series, thus it was a decent rental.

Edit: I did like the ending, just not the last 4 or so episodes leading to it.
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Julia-the-Great



Joined: 14 May 2005
Posts: 328
PostPosted: Sat Jan 16, 2010 11:22 am Reply with quote
pachy_boy wrote:
Maybe the overall story ending was weak; I may be wrong but I heard it's a different conclusion from the manga, so that may have had something to do with it. But if anything at all, I really liked where it ended with the two characters, Miharu and Yoite. It was a great closure that left off with a bittersweet, sentimental feeling.

The manga is not finished, which may be the biggest contributing factor to the reason the anime had such a terrible ending where next to nothing was resolved.

I saw the anime first and felt very disappointed with the ending. Miharu spoiler[not using the Shinrabanshou at all, either to save Yoite or erase him,] didn't sit well with me. I didn't like the whole spoiler["let's watch this character wither and die!"] and while watching it, I kept thinking "Wow, you know, it doesn't have to end like this. Here he has this amazing power where he could do anything in the world he wants to with it and spoiler[he does nothing.]" I felt the manga dealt with the situation better spoiler[in which Miharu does use the Shinrabanshou to erase Yoite. Pretty much the same outcome, Yoite is gone, but at least it's more proactive.]
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rabrek



Joined: 06 Apr 2009
Posts: 188
PostPosted: Sat Jan 16, 2010 2:40 pm Reply with quote
Quote:
a key scene in which a samurai makes it clear that he wishes to commit seppuku but changes his mind after losing respect for his master…at which point his second violently tries to enforce the ritual. The dub oversimplifies this cultural element by implying that the second is more of an assassin and severely downplaying the allusion to ritual suicide.

I remember this scene, and that's how it played out in the fansub - the so-called "second" cared nothing for the niceties of seppuku and preferred not to waste time on the ritual observances. From the sounds of it, the dub is actually pretty accurate in its interpretation of this particular event.
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mufurc



Joined: 09 Jun 2003
Posts: 612
PostPosted: Sat Jan 16, 2010 4:47 pm Reply with quote
Quote:
it just isn't fulfilling on any level save for Miharu and Yoite's relationship. This was once the series' greatest point of intrigue, but at the cost of every other plot development, it's hard to make us care about it anymore.

Oh yes, I completely agree. This is why I dropped the anime and later dropped the manga as well. There's a fun and interesting manga and then it suddenly turns into a "Miharu and Yoite Love Story," focusing exclusively on the two of them angsting their hearts out. I suppose Miharu and/or Yoite (and Miharu/Yoite) fans loved it, but I never cared about Yoite, and stopped caring about Miharu when he effectively betrayed his team for Yoite... so for me it just turned into a very pretty but very boring and often annoying hurt-comfort fest.

(The manga seems to have gotten better in a good number of chapters after spoiler[Yoite died], in that other characters and plotlines have become the focus again... but I can just see that in the end it will all lead up to somehowspoiler[ bringing Yoite back. :/] The mangaka is obviously in love with him.)
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TheTheory



Joined: 23 Mar 2008
Posts: 1029
Location: Central PA
PostPosted: Sun Jan 17, 2010 1:17 pm Reply with quote
mufurc wrote:
I never cared about Yoite, and stopped caring about Miharu when he effectively betrayed his team for Yoite...

I've only seen the anime, so I can't speak for the manga story... but I wouldn't say Miharu betrayed his team. He saw that every "side" who was after his power was after it for selfish reasons. Miharo didn't care about "sides" or helping one political viewpoint or anything like that. He never asked for his "team" to band around him (and pointedly asked them to leave him alone). Yoite was the one thing he found in life that he wanted to care for.
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Otaking09



Joined: 24 Feb 2009
Posts: 637
PostPosted: Sun Jan 17, 2010 2:28 pm Reply with quote
The thing with me is: I'm all for a great story. And I don't personally mind if the ending is imperfect, for lack of a better word.

What I can't tolerate is when a series' best aspect isn't the main aspect.

Mind you, I haven't seen a SINGLE ep of this series, and probably won't because I usually don't watch incomplete versions of adaptions, unless they have their own uniqueness about them (Welcome to the NHK, FMA, Gankutsuou), but from what I can gather from this review, is that when you focus on something that will never be properly exploited, you can't help but feel that it's utterly pointless to continue...

Hey, I appreciate Funi, JC Staff, and all that, but stories that can't keep all elements of enjoyment on level footing, often never get the honor of my eyes glancing upon them... Smile

Great review, and also I'm not a "SUPER" big fan of ninja anime... Naruto pretty much tired me out.
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MaxSouth



Joined: 11 Oct 2008
Posts: 1363
PostPosted: Sun Jan 17, 2010 2:38 pm Reply with quote
Otaking09 wrote:
I usually don't watch incomplete versions of adaptions, unless they have their own uniqueness about them (Welcome to the NHK, FMA, Gankutsuou)


Monte Cristo story was completed hundreds years ago, so it does not really count.
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RestLessone



Joined: 02 Aug 2009
Posts: 1426
Location: New York
PostPosted: Sun Jan 17, 2010 2:50 pm Reply with quote
I have to agree. Now, I haven't actually seen the entire series, just jumped around on Funi's streams, but did appreciate episodes from the first half more than the latter. While we get more insights into Yoite's past, the episodes could be very slow...And not slow as in easy-going and entertaining, but to the point where it becomes boring. Characters had a tendency to go on tangents about stuff we already knew/figured out.

And, maybe I'm missing something that was in an episode I didn't watch, but I still can't figure out why spoiler[Yukimi refused to see Yoite. I mean, I get what they said, but in both the manga and earlier episodes of the anime, they're shown to be pretty close.] I just don't understand why he wouldn't. It's his last real appearance in the series, and it comes off as kind of cruel to Yoite.

I did, however, enjoy the developments with Yoite and Miharu. And Yoite's past was pretty interesting.
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vashfanatic



Joined: 16 Jun 2005
Posts: 3495
Location: Back stateside
PostPosted: Sun Jan 17, 2010 6:39 pm Reply with quote
MaxSouth wrote:
Otaking09 wrote:
I usually don't watch incomplete versions of adaptions, unless they have their own uniqueness about them (Welcome to the NHK, FMA, Gankutsuou)


Monte Cristo story was completed hundreds years ago, so it does not really count.


Maybe he meant "incomplete adaptation" as "not a complete adaptation, i.e. not 100% faithful to the original," rather than "an adaptation of something uncompleted"? After all, Welcome to the NHK was based on a completed manga based on a completed book as well. Sometimes I suspect English is not Otaking09's first language, so I cut him (her?) some slack.

I have to ask Otaking09 though: how do you know whether or not something has its "own uniqueness" without seeing it? How will you know if it's a good incomplete adaptation until you try it? I'm not recommending Nabari necessarily, since the first half was only intermittently more than mediocre, and I've heard nothing about the second half to make me want to finish it. But don't limit yourself just for that reason alone. The Ouran High School Host Club anime is a different animal altogether from its unfinished manga source (the former is a fourth-wall-breaking parody, while the latter is more of a genre-savvy romantic comedy), but you'd be missing a great show if you skipped it just for that.
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Otaking09



Joined: 24 Feb 2009
Posts: 637
PostPosted: Sun Jan 17, 2010 9:37 pm Reply with quote
Quote:
After all, Welcome to the NHK was based on a completed manga based on a completed book as well. Sometimes I suspect English is not Otaking09's first language, so I cut him (her?) some slack.


First of all, I'm 100% American and English, so excuse me if I'm a tad askew with my details. Second, NHK had NONE of the style that the manga had (Thank GOD!), not to mention the manga went WAAAAY further than the anime did (again Thank GOD!), yes the novel was closer, but the anime itself had much more "soul" than the "craziness" the other adaptions had.

Quote:
I have to ask Otaking09 though: how do you know whether or not something has its "own uniqueness" without seeing it? How will you know if it's a good incomplete adaptation until you try it? I'm not recommending Nabari necessarily, since the first half was only intermittently more than mediocre, and I've heard nothing about the second half to make me want to finish it. But don't limit yourself just for that reason alone. The Ouran High School Host Club anime is a different animal altogether from its unfinished manga source (the former is a fourth-wall-breaking parody, while the latter is more of a genre-savvy romantic comedy), but you'd be missing a great show if you skipped it just for that.


It's ironic you say that, because for a while, I've been considering Ouran. What makes it difficult is, yes, the fact that it's incomplete. But, I LOVED School Rumble and it, too, was incomplete, so Ouran may be watched soon...
How I know if something is unique when I haven't even tried it, is and easy one: I don't!

I listen/read each particular review written by their own respective critic. Some critics think how i do, and I'm able to guesstimate whether It'd be worth it or not. I don't have a lot of time on my hands, and if I'm gonna pick a new project, I want it too be good, or at least enjoyable (Kaze no Stigma clicked with me very well!. Of course, you are right that I can't know 100% unless I actually see the show, but time is a factor for me, and if it looks/sounds safe, then I'll take it.

Oh, and I'm a guy. And you are REALLY funny sometimes with your inquiries. Very Happy
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