Forum - View topicEP. REVIEW: Engage Kiss
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borderliner
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I also find this show super entertaining with all its fucked-up relationships. There are better made shows for sure, but this is one of my firm favourites each week. |
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Thesarum
Posts: 426 |
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Fair. She did say that. Presumably we're talking a literal gate such that large numbers of demons could manifest without the need for possession (I guess I'm not clear if that's a current limitation). The world building has been sketchy enough that we don't really have any idea why the demons do any of the stuff they do. The possessed retain some fragment, however twisted, of their original desire. What do the demons get out of it? Kisara is different in this respect - it's established she's got her own desires and agency (even if we might question her choice in target). Is "demons want to invade the mortal realm" just a given? "They're demons right, what else would they want?" It's a little thin... but I guess it's not the only thing that is. |
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09jcg
Posts: 529 |
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Dnautics
Posts: 81 |
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The author of the episode 10 article cracks me up. Did he really think this was a well written anime from the first few episodes? Engage kiss has a few good ideas but ultimately it's another seasonal everyone will forget in a few months. The kissing power ups and the 3 way love triangle is the only thing I feel is notable about this show.
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Thesarum
Posts: 426 |
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That's me told. 
Though didn't Sharon (The Chaste, ha! That stupid joke remains hilarious somehow) say what Asomodeus wanted was a world where humans and demons live in harmony? Shu this episode is a sad and pitiable thing. Not that he hasn't always been I suppose. It's not clear (and hasn't been for some time) he even really remembers why he's doing this. He knows what he's doing, but his sense of motivation seems to have been reduced to the sense that this is the path his previous self set him on and he must see it through. He seems to show more genuine affection for Kisara now than at the beginning, which is hard for Ayano (she continues to put in far more effort than the guy deserves, he must have been real good when they were going out). But that might be as much because she's the only thing that remains clear in his mind and memories, a point of stability and refuge from what has become a very confusing world. In a sense, she's got exactly what she wanted. But she finds little pleasure in it now. The sister is free! Kinda... she seems a little messed up though. I'm not sure Shu "Swiss Cheese for Brains" is really in any kinda state to fix that. |
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MFrontier
Posts: 11933 |
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Sharon still continues to own every scene and room she's in. Also she's probably the one girl who isn't really defined by her feelings for Shu.
Shu struggling to remember Ayano's name was heartbreaking. I guess losing all his memories of Miles basically sapped most of his memories of Ayano and his emotional connection to his parents since they were so tied together. All he has left is Kisara and his mission. Can't this poor girl catch a break? Linfa is a great friend. Ayano kidnaps her, holds her at gunpoint, and doubts their friendship but Linfa's the one who tries to cover for her and still gives her the information she needs. She was a much better best friend than Ayano was in this instance. I guess at least she knows now that Ayano would choose Shu over her. So is Akino under arrest and AAA completely shut down? Ayano and Shu are fugitives now? I wonder if Mikhail will forgive and forget because Asmodeus is too important to not bring in everybody. I love how Mikhail somehow got a satellite weapon from the Mafia. So Asmodeus wants to create harmony between humanity and demons? Are we going to get more into Asmodeus' motivations? Kisara's guilt over Shu's state is now more obvious than ever, but it looks like they'll have to deal with Kanna first. But Shu is already willing to give away all his remaining memories to fight Asmodeus, so it's probably inevitable at this point. |
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FilthyCasual
Posts: 2244 |
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Shu's barely there at this point and it's rough to see. Especially for poor Ayano. It's funny how the other Demon Exterminators show up in the OP despite being bit character props. Kisara's breakdown really got me. Hopefully she walks off getting stabbed, if only to have the fated showdown between girlfriend and little sister. I really hope Kanna talks a bunch next episode.
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b-dragon
Posts: 475 |
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I'm definitely of two minds about this episode. Structurally, fundamentally, the back half seems like bad plotting- of the sort that the show has used many times before. Trying to backload the emotional impact of events for after they've happened...eh. Doesn't seem as effective as doing it more traditionally ("this is why you should care" should generally come before "something happens"). And I'm almost always against exposition dumps this late into a narrative.
That said, there is some compelling stuff. Kisara getting mad at Kanna's voyeurism is very easy to read as projected self-hatred. Kisara's "twist" at the end is hardly surprising, but I found emotionally resonant- because in contrast to what I was talking about before (and what they did with Miles' betrayal) the legwork had already been done. And some of the scenes are great. |
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FilthyCasual
Posts: 2244 |
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It's nice knowing that Shu had a plan to maintain himself even after he made a literal devil deal and that he really did care about not worrying Ayano too much. Shame he forgot it lol. Ayano improving at housework over the past three years to address her perceived flaw is cute. I feel for Kisara, though. She had Shu, let him go, and lobotomized herself in the process. Where does she go from here? Did she leave herself some reason to not recontract with Shu for his own safety? And I'm still hoping that Kanna talks next episode.
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MFrontier
Posts: 11933 |
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I wonder if Kanna is going to turn out to be a demonic brocon and that's why she absorbed the memories of Shu having sex with other women and looked so mad at Kisara.
Also I wonder if the fact that we've never explicitly had a sex scene with Kisara is because they finally establish in this episode that she and Shu are technically related, however distant? The Ogata's really love romancing demons. Speaking of though...Ayano cuddling Shu in bed while both are naked was surprisingly sweet. And Sharon undressing in front of Shu...damn. So, like...are the cast not wanted fugitives now? They were able to check Kisara into the hospital without getting arrested. Mikhail helped them because he cares about Bayron City citizens and feels it is his right to arrest them or protect them when needed, but will he let bygones be bygones since they'll probably need Kisara to really stop Kanna? Kisara finally proves her true love for Shu where even though she had "won" since Shu was left with nothing but his devotion to her at the expense of everything else, she still gave that up to restore him to himself even at the cost of her own memories. Shu should be lucky Kisara didn't alter the deal to include sex on the regular. I don't know what sums up Shu more...the fact that he named Kisara after the girl he had his first kiss with or "Shu, you betrayed me!" I still feel really bad for Ayano though. She was blaming herself for Shu leaving her because she was bad at domestic stuff and was just paying for everything and then Shu comes back with another girl who becomes the partner for him that she wanted to be and who was draining his memories/feelings for her. I guess the silver lining is it really does seem like, despite the fact that he's been with so man women (women he's used for his own purposes) Ayano was special in terms of being the one he's been with the longest who he didn't use and whom he wanted to reassure he was going to be okay (the way he touched her hands was very telling). It'll be interesting to see what direction they go in now that Shu has his memories back, meaning he remembers his love for Ayano, but he also probably has genuine affection and loyalty to Kisara now because of everything she did for him. |
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Thesarum
Posts: 426 |
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This scene is really an inversion of the guy you think Shu is in the first episode. He's the domestic one, reliable, reassuring, mindful of Ayano's feelings. (Though, it must be said: not enough to stop him leaving and sleeping with Sharon "The Chaste" in order to get what he wanted). And I agree, these few flashbacks sold the real nature of their relationship surprisingly well. It's certainly an unusual narrative choice to deliberately establish a set of perceptions and then slowly walk them back over an entire season. I guess people's milage may vary on whether this undoes the damage done by the first half of the season in terms of our sympathy and attitude towards Shu. |
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FilthyCasual
Posts: 2244 |
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The final antagonist is the MC's jealous little sister lashing out against his love interests. Maruto truly is a man in tune with anime culture. Hopefully she gets a happy ending instead of just getting stabbed by Kisara's sword. I was really hoping that Shu would try hugging her, but nope. He deserved that punch lmao.
Kisara best girl by a mile. I cheered when she pulled the hand trick just like Shu. Who knows how the show'll wrap up the remaining plot threads, though. I guess Kanna gets saved, the other Demon Hunters make a cameo helping out with that, and Asmodeus lurks in hell for the phone game. |
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MFrontier
Posts: 11933 |
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It's nice that they released Akino from jail even if it's kind of ridiculous they even locked her up to begin with for a crime her daughter committed independently, but I'm also glad she isn't willing to destroy Kanna. She's practically a second daughter to her.
So Kisara had been sacrificing her own memories rather than just Shu's the whole time? She really did want to do right by Shu. I'm kind of curious about that flashback to her and her mother though. Shu being caring and affectionate towards her amnesiac self was cute though. I have to admit I've been low-key supporting Ayano and Shu pretty early on...but more and more it seems like Shu was kind of terrible to her. I mean, coupled with everything else he's done to her, here he straight up admits he banged some random chick while drunk and paid for the hotel room with Ayano's credit card. Like, what did Ayano do to deserve this? And yeah it seems like he's finally cleaning up his act and apologizing for it, but he's doing it for Kisara's sake and not the girl who seems to have been dedicated to him since they were kids. I imagine an apology can go a long way with a woman, but I wonder what else Shu promised to sell Sharon on the idea of helping. It was nice to see Shu save Ayano with a random hoverboard (on Mikhail's dime) but it feels like there's a lot left unsaid between the two of them now that Shu has his memories back. Well, beyond the fact that Ayano seduced him. I'm glad Ayano and Sharon seem to be genuinely growing closer and commiserating over being Shu's exes (and Kanna's targets). I would totally watch a spinoff that's just them dealing with demons or hijinks together. Sharon would probably treat Ayano better than Shu ever did. The final boss being a demonic brocon who is that way because she's been emotionally stunted at three years old and forcibly subjected to her older brother being a degenerate with women is...a twist fitting for this show. Poor Kanna. Well, good news that Shu isn't willing to throw anything away any more. But bad news...it seems like the only solution he can think of to save Kanna is to seal her up again. But maybe Kisara, driven by her prior self's last message to help Shu, might be able to make the difference. The title for the next episode definitely doesn't paint the picture of a finale that resolves everything...I mean, they haven't addressed Asmodeus at all and even if Shu has his memories back and feels dedicated to Kisara, I'm not sure if we'll get a proper romantic resolution either. I just wonder if it's going to leave off on a "go play the mobile game" note or tease the rumored 2nd cour. |
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b-dragon
Posts: 475 |
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Kisara regurgitating Shu's memories for him- with the reveal that she only actually consumed her own- cheapens a lot of the drama and tragedy in previous episodes. I gave episode 3 credit for enriching what had come before with a new understanding: this reversed that course, and undercut every sacrifice beforehand.
Shu having cheated on Ayano with some unnamed character was really unneeded. It came across, to me at least, as a meanspirited attempt to ensure Shu x Kisara is seen as the "correct" ending. I'm amused by our central 4 characters- Shu and his sex friends, that is. But I really have no particular investment in the secondary cast. Ayano's mother comes close, but I don't even recall her name, which...isn't a great sign. But the other contractors? Bayron City personnel? The fate of Bayron city in general? I don't really care-I don't know these people or that place, and its a little late to be fixing that.. "Kanna's" motivations are the best kind of ludicrous. As was Shu billing his hoverboard to Mikhail. This is the kind of petty, nasty energy the show thrives on. |
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MFrontier
Posts: 11933 |
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I guess "correct" in the sense that it depicts Shu as being terrible to Ayano and everybody would be better off with him and Kisara I guess.
Ayano's mom is named Akino. I only remember it because Miles called her that multiple times.
To be honest Mikhail kind of had it coming. |
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