Forum - View topicKiddy Grade: What's with the title?
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Kikyo98
Posts: 4 |
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Does anyone know why it's got that title? I've been kinda thinking it's because that Eclair and Lumiere are both C class agents, that's pretty low.. Maybe that's why?
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hentai4me
 Posts: 1313 Location: England. Robin is so Cute! |
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The title makes me somewhat reluctant to buy it...as well as the fact it's doesn't seem overly interesting. But if I did find it interesting I'd still question wether I'd want to go into a shop and have all the clerks (who one and all seem to despise anime fans where I am anyway) and buy 'Kiddy' titles...especially when the anime section is right next to the porn section in most stores.
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EVA fiend
 Posts: 314 Location: Somewhere in the UK. |
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I've seen the series several times, & I still can't figure out how the title bears any relation to the series itself, though spoiler[perhaps it refers to the 'child-like' state the ES agents go back to every time they are re-incarnated maybe?]
The series is not that bad, an enjoyable romp for the most part, I just didn't like the way it was all wrapped up at the end. |
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daxomni
 Posts: 2650 Location: Somewhere else. |
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"Kiddy Grade" and even "Kitty Media" don't exactly have a nice ring to them, do they? I wonder what they were thinking when they decided to go with names like that. It's rarely an issue as far as what I'll rent or purchase, but it still seems like they could have gone with something a bit less provocative doesn't it? |
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fighterholic
Posts: 9193 |
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In my mind, even when I first bought it, it had the term 'moe' written on the title. The characters on the boxes give even more support to this term. Course that's the fad in Japanese anime right now, isn't it?
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Key
Moderator
 Posts: 18536 Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley) |
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At first glance Kiddy Grade looks like a straight-up super-powered action series featuring cutesy characters who, in most cases, look too young for the kind of work they are doing (they are basically troubleshooters for a galactic trade federation) and seem to behave older than they appear. (An 11-year-old character who really appreciates her wine?) That impression remains through the first several episodes. Beginning with the ninth episode its real plot starts to show, though, as Eclair starts to regain the memories she's lost and eventually discovers that there's a good reason why she lost them.
As the plot and true set-up is revealed over the middle run of episodes it gradually becomes clear that a lot more is going on in this series than was initially apparent, that the core cast of characters are much more than what they appear to be, and that the series' actual basic themes are something entirely different than what is initially suggested: it's all about the critical importance of long-term familial and friendship bonds and the pitfalls of spoiler[living forever]. The ending gets kinda dorky, but for the run of episodes 9-22 it's quite a good (if occasionally perplexing) series. And it is a Gonzo production, so naturally it looks good. My guess on the title is that it has everything to do with the apparent age of many of the GOTT ES members involved in the series. Oh, and if you do decide to watch it, pay careful attention to the lyrics of the opener, in either English or Japanese. They speak to the true nature of the show much moreso than opening themes normally do, although that may not be apparent during the first few episodes. |
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Epinephrine
 Posts: 31 Location: Missouri, USA |
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I have been watching it since it started again on COLours TV ( episode 18 was on last night) and Im lost. Im normally a wiz at figuring things out (I helped write the wikipedia work for Eva and Elfen Lied) but Im stumped on this show. I guess it has to do with the fact I haven't finished it yet but where they are at now in the series spoiler[with multiple Elcairs and Lumiars] seems disjointed. The plot seems to jump around in Kiddy Grade.
As for the title, I agree with most of you. Even though spoiler[they are immortal and have been around for many years, they appear to be 11 and 17-18.] Is the entire opener to Kiddy Grade played on the COLours TV block? It seems cut down by about a minute and 20 seconds over a "traditional" 1 minute, 30 second opener. I have listened to the lyrics and I agree, it does seem to delve into the psyche of the show itself more so than most themes. |
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P€|\||§_|\/|ast@
 Posts: 3498 Location: IN your nightmares |
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The "Kiddy" part of the title as implied by Key indicates that almost all of the ES members are children. Lumiere is 11 and I believe Eclair is 15, so yes that does make them both "Kids".
The reasoning that I can come up with for the "Grade" part of the title is that each of the ES members are given a letter to signify their experience class, kind of like a grade on a test in junior high school. I think it goes further than that. If you watch in the beginning of the series you realize that there is alot of corruption in and around the GOTT because it is a large private corporation. And as corporations go their product is something who's only purpose is to make money and achieve a goal. GOTT's product are their ES members, even if they are human they are simply regarded as a commodity. Often consumer products like guns, eggs, jewelry are valued by their grade. And it's the same with ES members as far as GOTT's higher ups are concerned. |
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frentymon
Forums Superstar
 Posts: 2362 Location: San Francisco |
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The title is either a nod to the "young" ages of the two main protagonists or just a random English title conceived by the producers in order to sound hip and trendy (because you know, random English words thrown together are just unfathomably awesome).
I was really surprised when I found out that Aya Hirano did Lumiere's voice (after all, few people even knew she existed before the Haruhi craze), but her involvement in the series is my only lasting impression of it. Kiddy Grade got pretty good toward the middle (albeit a slow start), but the middle arc ended abruptly and the last four episodes were just about the worst episodes of any anime I'd ever seen. Overall, a decent series, with a dull fillerish first 10 episodes, a strong middle arc, and a really awful ending. Aya Hirano is amazing though; Lumiere sounds way different from Haruhi, and her actual voice is significantly higher than both of the two characters. |
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Epinephrine
Posts: 31 Location: Missouri, USA |
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I forgot talk about the grading scale they use in my last post.
Yes, how they asign grades does make sense for the title. |
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Kruszer
 Posts: 7994 Location: Minnesota, USA |
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That's one good reason to buy everything online you don't have deal with the uninformed masses. The other of course is because it's cheaper. Kiddy Grade is actually a very good series and by no means childish, by the way. Anyhow Kiddy Grade is no stranger than Gonzo's latest Pumpkin Scissors. |
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Key
Moderator
Posts: 18536 Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley) |
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The plot actually isn't jumping around. You just haven't seen the full picture of what's going on yet. It should become quite a bit more clear over the next couple of episodes. And I think you'll find it very interesting when they finally reveal who that Noble who keeps popping up really is. 
And I agree, the show takes a really questionable turn in its final stages which almost ruins the rest of the series. But at least it does have a conclusion of sorts. |
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Zalis116
Moderator
 Posts: 6902 Location: Kazune City |
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I'd stayed away from Kiddy Grade because of all the talk about its ending, but the season 2 announcement happened to come before the Funimation sale at Rightstuf, so it's waiting to be watched now. I'll just have to go into it prepared for a not-so-great ending, like I was with Berserk and His & Hers. |
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Wolverine Princess
 Posts: 1100 |
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Kitty Media specializes in hentai, so it's no surprise that the people in charge chose to give it a somewhat provocative name. |
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NGE1113
 Posts: 1081 Location: Alexandria, VA. |
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I've been watching the show on the FUNimation Channel itself, and it seems that both the OP and ED have been cut down to about a minute. As per the title, one could compare the various rankings to increasing levels of maturation. spoiler[This could be possibly seen first on Aure (spelling?), where Eclair (C-class) just lashes out uncontrollably at the soldiers, who really aren't the ones that are trying to keep a leash on the working class. There isn't much focus to her anger, and she doesn't know what to do with it. Compare this to her and Lumiere's attack on GOTT headquarters (G-class), where she has finally learned to focus her anger and use it towards achieving her goals.] Just a thought. My impressions of the show can be wrapped up by Armbrust's/Armblast's musings over the ES members: immortality, if achieved, can be possibly a far greater curse than a blessing. And, as Key notes, one needs the support of friends and family around you. Without it, one could end up being twisted by immortality spoiler[(look at Alv, who just went plain bonkers with her need for vengeance)]. |
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