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Forum - View topicEP. REVIEW: Full Dive
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TheWaywardSpiral
Posts: 1 |
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I created an account just to type this out. Bad review. While people are out there ignoring all the convenient plot device in popular Isekai Anime, you're nitpicking every little thing about this show? Why? Is it because this show wasn't hyped up by the community or is it that it's simply not getting enough attention? This Anime is a fresh take on an oversaturated subgenre. Instead of info-dumping, we catch glimpse of the main casts' personality and their standing in this fictional world. Now with just a little patience, I promise you the protagonist will find purpose that's meaningful like a regular teenager. Talking about patience, that's probably why this review is so bad. Different people have different level of patience. I for one prefer slower paced shows that let you experience with the characters as each individual events unfold and how it made them the way they are. Now imagine if the first half of the first episode was skipped, we wouldn't even be able to tell if the main character is born in a fantasy world, transported to another world or he's just playing an extremely realistic video game. I couldn't stand the season 1 Anime adaptation of Tokyo Ghoul, the way it practically told the audience "hey! this arc happened here and that thing happened right after!", it was rushed! An adaptation that butchered the source material. Besides, it's not obligatory for a comedy Anime to be deep anyway! Was it funny? Hell yes to me! As a gamer, episode 1 of Full Dive was completely relatable and hilarious to me. Like accidentally or intentionally murdering essential or non-essential NPCs in a game like Fallout 3. I came into the show expecting yet another awful Isekai where the protagonist is a "Gary Stu" overly rewarded with power, glory and women after completing something that's somehow extremely easy to them. If you ever step foot outside your home or studio, you'd realize how difficult everything is. Hardwork doesn't pay off unless certain criteria is met. If you're strong or skilled, there's millions of people that are much better than you. You need favors just to survive and get by etc... This Anime exceeded my expectations and so far is staying true to it's theme which is self-explanatory in it's title. It just started and I'm already hoping for a second season.
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DRosencraft
Posts: 671 |
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I suspect this is deliberate, a reflection of the base premise that this game sucks as much as real life if you aren't willing to step up and take charge. I'm somewhat amazed because many times I see this criticism show up regarding anime, it's when said anime is trying to depict how "mundane" and ultimately unextraordinary a character is relative to the story they find themselves connected to. In reality, this is how most folks live their lives. Even in the most outstanding, extraordinary, real-life tales are mainly about how an ordinary person found themselves caught up in something much bigger than themselves, with minimal ability to do or change anything about it, even when others look at it from arm's length and wonder why they don't just take different actions. In Ep 3 we see him try to log out, hear how he rationalized waiting longer than what would be considered reasonable, before attempting to log out, only for that logout attempt to fail. Given what little we've seen of MC's personality, it's exceptionally easy to envision without being explicitly told that he has a very dependent personality. It doesn't take much for him to cave to pressure or be forced into situations without that much prompting. It is said, after all, that despite this being a terrible game that's a decade old, there are people who willingly still play it. Ironically, it seems the attempts at presenting how terrible a truly realistic fantasy game would be, they've shown the perils of presenting an overly realistic MC in an anime. |
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njprogfan
 Collector Extraordinaire Posts: 1218 Location: A River Named Toms |
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I agree with every point you make. I'm about invested in our main character as I am in JC Penney stock. If the animation was half way decent or if the humor wasn't crippled by some awful directing or if the music would fit the scene I'd give this series a chance, but unless the next episode remedies any of the above, I'm thinking along the lines of Yuki at the end of Ep 3, outta here!
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Covnam
 Posts: 3816 |
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Based on what's been happening, I'm surprised he didn't quit sooner.
While it's interesting to see this world and how realistic it is, it's going beyond what a game could be to even be sold. A player can't log out for over an hour or longer (it seems like these games take place in real time) would be a health issue. Not to mention getting tortured of course (though it could be that always gets interrupted like it did here as a safety measure). I'm curious to see how the NPCs react to Yuki logging out / disappearing right in front of them. Presumably the world is going to keep going since this is an MMO, so that should be quite a shock to them. Some of the dark humor here is amusing, but it's also beginning to break my suspension of disbelief a bit to say that this was ever a product that would or could be sold. At this point, I think it would work better if he was working as a game tester and had to play through this, while Reona was a developer seeing how it goes. At least then you have a clear motivation for the two main characters to continue coming back to the game. |
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pikrodafni
Posts: 131 |
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I was really surprised by this one,I was expecting Combatants to be my comedy of this season but it seemed to me like it took KonoSuba and cranked up its worst qualities.I found this hilarious but granted you have to like "mean" type of comedy in order to be in on the jokes(To be fair I like mean type of comedy more if it affects morally bad protagonists instead of a good kid like Hiro, but he has nice reactions so I'm fine with it even if I also feel bad for him while I'm laughing).Also it seemed weird to me that it was put in question why he didn't just quit when he was repeatedly trying to quit all the time but couldn't.Also ofc Hiro is a passive mc,the game has the odds against him so even if he tries something it will inevitably turn the tables on him.As for his past I'm sure we will find out more in the next few episodes,if not the next given how episode 3 and I'm assuming it will directly tie into his reasons for coming back.
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harminia
 Posts: 2045 Location: australia |
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I haven't really been watching this show, just kinda skimming bits but I can see what people mean about it being a bit mean spirited. The main character seems like a nice enough kid, so it is a bit bad seeing so much awful shit happening to him. It's different to, like, Konosuba or whatever where the MC is a bit of an asshole so seeing him getting in bad situations feels justified.
That said I did find bits of it amusing. The voice actor for MC does a great job. His high pitch screams when he's calling for help in the jail cell was really great (though the animation did not fit the voice's emotions). The childhood friend's (Alicia?) VA also does a great job with the sweet to absolutely insane transitions. For some reason I found Martin Time really funny. I think it's just the repeated use of the vague terminology of "Martin Time". "What's Martin Time?!" And the brief mention of it later in a traumatised voice... Something about all that was very amusing to me. I also liked how blatantly it parodied some other series, like how the background story for Martin and MC was suspiciously similar to SAO Alicization. |
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Cryten
 Posts: 1131 |
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I still dont know if I am meant to hate the main character or not. He is pathetic, but normally pathetic people you watch for entertainment are either pratfalls or trying to make something better of themselves (Rimmer vs Kryten from Red Dwarf). But after 3 episodes Im growing impatient and starting to genuinely dislike him. He is not funny enough to enjoy being put apon, IE he is no Kazuma from Konosuba. Instead his only motivation seems to be his sunk cost of money. I mean come on either try and adapt to your environment or move on. Listening to him whine for 3 episodes got old.
Why could he not just unplug? What was shown I would rather force my way out then put up with it. I found myself skipping through the torture and second half of the ghost scene in the 3rd episode because I felt like it was just meaner versions of what we had already seen for 2 and a half episodes. My main interest in the series has been why would he be motivated to stick around such a chore of a game and if anyone would be endearing. I sincerely hope we move beyond his current only motivation of having been suckered into it by a triangler breasted shop-keep worthy of Marilyn Munroe. Im starting to wonder if this is a trap series like Jim Carreys Man on the Moon where the jokes of the series is played on the audience. Please for the sake of my sanity give me a reason to get along with someone in the show or waiting on the story will not be worth hanging around. |
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tophg
Posts: 22 |
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I have to agree with this, so far I've loved every beat of the story and I can't quite grasp why the reviewer hasn't connected with it - but different strokes, I guess. The MC's backstory of failure has been pretty heavily telegraphed, and if anything (for me) the interventions of best friend at school and sister at home were a bit too heavy-handed (and predictable) for these early eps. I also thought the narrative structure did a good job of justifying how he could be sucked into playing the game in the first place and then be compelled to at least try to follow through on his mistakes while he figures out the mechanics and the snowballing consequences. As a comedy of absurd escalation - but still rooted in the 'logical' rules of the game - this worked very nicely for me. The demonic transformation of the childhood friend had me in stitches - his blunder with Martin was such a Mr Bean moment, but turns into comedy horror so quickly ... His 'Hell, no!' moment at the end of Ep 3 seemed the right point for him to jump off the rollercoaster of craziness, what will be interesting to see now is why he chooses to go back to the game against all rational evidence to the contrary, as he obviously must - I hope they don't fluff this bit. Anyway, it's on my must-watch list for now. |
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GhostOfShowsPast
Posts: 30 |
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A game tester is such a great idea it would make sense why he doesn't quit, why the game is so bad and why he hasn't looked up any guides or anything. |
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Key
Moderator
 Posts: 18426 Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley) |
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This is the only reason that I am still watching at this point; in fact, if it wasn't the only Wednesday show on my viewing list for the season, I probably would have dropped it already. The concept of the show isn't bad at all, but this is not the way to do it and make it entertaining. Every single one of Chris's criticisms is also one of my own. |
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MiloTheFirst
Posts: 429 |
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Personally, I am starting to think this Series is way more intellectual that people are giving it credit for. it is understandable since it was mainly marketed as a comedy and everyone calls it a parody of the "trapped in a video game" genre, and don't get me wrong there is plenty of scenes so far that are clearly intended to be humorous. however, to me it seems like this story is meant to be first and fore most a tale about mustering the courage to try again, while also having some subtle and not-really-subtle commentary on the vices and dangers of gaming culture and escapism in general.
I can see why Christopher would feel that the characters and their motivations were not presented yet, but while the backstories have not been given to us I believe the direction has done a splendid job at showcasing hiro's personality and state of mind through the screenplay and framing of the shot The very first shot we get in this series is one of Hiro from the back running on a track into a pitch black background then it switches to a shot of him from the side and the background is a bright light, this might symbolise how in life the future is uncertain but the present can be filled with optimism if one keeps themselves working and moving forward , then we are back to the shot of hiro running into the dark background and it blends with the intro exposition of the full dive VR technology mixed with some shots of hiro playing his fantasy video game, then the prelude finished with a shot of hiro laying on a chair in a dark room. I think that's a very strong presentation of not only the premise of the series but also of its themes, I am sad that most people seems to have missed this later part then, right after the intro the first scene we get is the chat with the teacher about his career plans. this spells out the real plot of the story, our protagonist is on the brink of settling for letting his life waste away without any ambition. It also showcases his personality flaws, the guy is evasive and prone to self justification, Hiro looked down on the teacher for parroting a self help book but the fact is that as mediocre as the guy might be at his job he did go out of his way to buy a book and read it in order to try to become better at it, which hero doesn't want to see. the part when the teacher says the phrase backwards was seen by hiro as the man not being sincere but it actually might not have been a mistake, first "turn the pain into strength" obviously mean to turn one's frustration into motivation, then "turn your strength into pain" could mean to turn that will into action, after all working is painful tiring and boring. throughout the first two episodes we can observe how everyone irl seems to be on hiro's case but this is intended (by the director) as a reflection of his perception of the world, he is ignoring his own concience weighting on him and that's making him feel like the whole world is persecuting him. The main commentary in this series is that he is not even playing video games because he likes them, he is seeking them as a vehicle to let his life wither away without facing conflict, but as we can see conflict eventually finds its way into everyone's life even if they attempt to ignore it. This might be a stretch but I am willing to say the best friend and childhood friend characters are meant to be a metaphor for a person's passion and dreams respectively, hero killed his drive and thus his dreams and illusions are haunting him in a corner of his mind, this might also be while martin also comes back as a ghost occasionally to haunt him. Ginji killed both so he became a true deadbeat. even the chat Hiro had with the teacher at the beginning of the series felt too much as the chat one would have with themselves inside their mind while confronting their issues then avoiding taking action dismissing any argument as platitudes The way the series is going I think it is going to develop in a way where Hiro will re-discover the joy of working towards something and muster the courage to try again at life. I think there is also some meat to unveil in Mizariza's dialogue and I would love to analyse scene by scene and write an essay but this is already a wall of text and people won't want to read it if it gets too long Last edited by MiloTheFirst on Fri Apr 23, 2021 7:28 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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MiloTheFirst
Posts: 429 |
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Regarding Reona, it has been hinted that she didn't attend highschool (by asking Hiro at what time school was over) and I think her deal might be that she just really wanted someone to play with her this game she really likes. regardless of that, her actions so far has been self centred and in disregard of Hiro's feelings, whether she is just meant to portrait fake "friendships" (people who only wants to hang out and have a good time instead of being there for you when you need it) and contrast with Hiro's school mate who is constantly checking up on him, or she will have her own character arc instead of just being a supporting cast in Hiro's story remains to be seen. the scene when she is stalling Alicia while telling him to run away leads me to believe she is going to lean towards a representation of a "bad influence" friend
Regarding the comedy, I love how they dissed both Final fantasy and Dragon quest at the same time, I find it fun how Alicia's design and personality are inspired a bit too much by Roon from Azur lane, likewise Mizarisa's dominatrix outfit is clearly a mix of Etna from disgaea and Mordred's from Fate, this might be a jab at how irl it would be a disaster to date a Psychopath for the former or a literal demon for the later |
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a_Bear_in_Bearcave
Posts: 549 Location: Poland |
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I have to agree with the review, outside of few good jokes it was just not very funny and slow paced. There's too little to know about main characters (those that are human anyway) to care much about them, and they don'h have personalities to bounce from each other. Unlike Combatants... MC is not asshole enough to laugh at his suffering, but - if he ends up in the game again - too stupid to have me care what happens to him.
I had also trouble - and after browsing Reddit thread I see I was not alone - to imagine how could VR game have block-able logout option. The only realistic explanation someone proposed was that the game would make player use different menu for force-quitting, and interface from 10 years ago was different enough - and force-quitting was rarely necessary - that MC could forget about that option. Hopefully if it won't get better it can at least be funny to read people dunk on it. |
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Animegomaniac
Posts: 4157 |
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As a gamer myself, that's one of the show's points I don't question. It's not how much money you put into, it's more a deal of getting at least something out of it, not because you bought it but because otherwise it's there, mocking you.
And all the while scoring achievements/titles for things that shouldn't be achievements. And I think it's those achievements that are the heart of the story, the modern equivalent of arcade high scores though sadly mean nothing at all. Rarely a measure of skill but more "I put X hours in the game" or " I did something stupid lucky". But, or maybe however, I don't know, here they are a lot more malicious. They are permanent, they are etched on your hard drive just a surely they're etched upon your heart. These titles show that all paths have thought behind them so if not logic then there's at least preconceived pathing. It's a bad game, maybe, but it's not a bad game design. The SaGa game from "I don't have many friends" is both a bad game and a bad game design but here I think they were trying make a gaming experience that's as memorable as life- so one that's subject to bad times, boredom, and most predominately pain. I think it would be highly addictive for the right sort of people. Not many but, honestly, a Full Dive game of positive reinforcement would be TOO addictive.... and this is the perfect spot to namedrop Red Dwarf's Full Dive game "Better Than Life", a total VR game that was written long before computers were powerful enough to compile the script for the TV show. Do I like the show, a show that I will not be calling call "Full Dive"? Eh, it's a torturous experience but one that I find myself compelled to come back to. Not to see if it gets better but to see how it will get worse. |
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Cryten
Posts: 1131 |
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It hasn't really presented any of those motivations in the first 3 episodes though. The getting something out of it seems to have been supplanted to meeting back up with shopkeeper lady. He has shown no desire for achievement hunting (or unlocking titles as this show presents no achievements). All he has shown is being impressed about how involved the game is followed by very much not being impressed how involved the game is for another 2 and half episodes.
About the only subtleties coming through from the show at the moment is hints of his fallen apart real life where he smiles at peoples bullying him, avoids conflict and gets looked down on by his sister. Which Im sure will return based on the op but probably just to humiliate and spurn the main character. |
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