Mouse2010 wrote:Maybe it is too early to ask this, but I'll ask anyway: if you (y'all, the different posters) had to name ONE show that was the must-watch of this season, what would it be, and why?
You asked…
Prepare yourselves for a long post about Concrete Revolutio (which has been coming anyhow, but still).
This is definitely my must watch. But I have no how or even if I should try to get other people to watch. I don’t know how many people would even be interested in it. It’s so weird, the first episode is something of a punch in the gut or a slap to the face. After that it gets better, but still.
Its interesting that you mentioned Lost, because I’ve been comparing Concrete Revolutio to Lost in my head (along with Inception). I think Revolutio is more complicated, though it spills on the secrets quicker.
Revolutio isn’t told in a linear fashion. Each episode has a ‘present’ and ‘future’ settings that it switches back and forth between. Here’s the problem: Say you have episode A and episode B… The ‘present’ setting in A might take place after the present in B; and the ‘future’ setting of A might take place after all both of them, but B’s ‘future’ setting might take place
in the middle of the two episode's 'present' settings, and/or after A's 'future.'* Also, a
SPOILER: Highlight text to read: time traveler shows up, and then lol. Putting it together is like a jigsaw puzzle. But that’s the point. That's
why it's interesting. The reason why it still maintains a certain amount of sense is that each episode focuses on a particular character or a particular plot. Therefore... it's almost neither serial nor procedural.
*Be honest: you had to read that at least twice to understand. Imagine how long it took to write and make sure I wasn’t contradicting myself.
The show has mechs, magical girls, aliens, and just about everything they can think of to throw in… but really it’s about Japan trying to find its identity in the 60’s/70’s. The show is one big, giant, colorful, lovely mess. Which is exactly why the subtitle is Superhuman Phantasmagoria.
My only negatives for the show is fanservice (though mostly blink and miss) and that it leans a little heavily on postmodernism. I think. Or rather that’s what everyone else thinks about it. I have some doubts, but I’m not sure. At the very least, it like to show that morals/ideals/justice can be ambiguous and tricky.
Ultimately though, I’m ready to give this 9 or 10 already. (And Earth-chan hasn’t even appeared this season yet!)
And to my episode updates:
Twin Star Exorcists Episode 3: I regret to do this, but alas, dropped. I wouldn't it’s a bad show, but definitely lacking originality. This is probably the highest quality show I’ve dropped. The fact that I’m watching this along side Concrete Revolutio is the final nail on the coffin.
I might replace this with Kiznaiver or flying witch to justify my premium Crunchyroll.
Assassination Classroom S2E14: I thought that was clever on Nagisa’s part. The mere shock of it should have had the intended affect while it also further proved his refusal to believe that
SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Kayano was merely acting the whole time. Of course, as per my endless complaint about the show, rather than taking it throw seriously, they turned it into an unfunny joke.
SPOILER: Highlight text to read: (Also, it proved that Irina’s lessons actually actually have applicative value!)
SPOILER: Highlight text to read: I’m happy someone took a shot at Korosensei during the fallout of a failed assassination. I’m unhappy that it wasn’t one of the students.
I didn’t see that Korosensei was the reaper. Everything else was as expected. I’m thinking that the whole ‘his weakness is in his center, his heart,’ has a double meaning here. Korosensei may have had had a loveless past, but I expect that the next episode will prove that he does have a ‘heart,’ in caring for Kayano’s sister. Will he find himself able to go through with his promise, knowingly killing his students in the process?And back to Concrete Revolutio...
S2E2: I watched the episode twice again. Which was good, because this series is so crammed packed that I always notice something important the second time. Most notably, that
SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Aki may have been on a random alien killing spree, but in the process actually saved at least two lives, as both aliens were about to murder someone before she intervened. This means that Kikko’s statement, ‘since their in hiding, they’re evil,’ is not a sound argument, still has a correct conclusion. And hey, a reference I actually recognize: Parasyte! This is me seriously just spilling the plot of the episode because I had to write it down in order to fully process it all:
SPOILER: Highlight text to read: So Jiro protected Aki from the Bureau, even though he knew she was hunting the fumers, and had a good change of turning on him. Also, of the five pop stars, one is dead, three are on the run, and the lead singer is now dangerously close to supervillain territory (if not already there).
So Rainbow Knight wasn’t a superhuman by the technical standards, but he became a superhuman by his ability to inspire others. Awesome.“Jiro, you’re obsolete.”
I love that line. I’m really just trying to wrap my head around the difference between how Americans and Japanese would interpret that entire conversation.
No Earth-chan, but we got to see Judas, who looks forty years older and sixty percent cooler.
SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Even if all of their interactions revolve around Jiro, I enjoyed seeing Emi and Kikko working together. They need more scenes where they actually talk… about something other than Jiro.Holy Toledo, I just realized that Emi and Kikko are supposed to represent traditional and modern Japan… or at least, those definitions from the 60’s/70’s. Which is why one is a
SPOILER: Highlight text to read: yokai, and other a magical girl. Or maybe not. I don't know.
Okay, after thinking about this revelation for a few more minutes, this changes my entire perception of the series, and I have to go rewatch season one.
S2E3: I think this is only the second episode not to include flashbacks and flashforwards, and is definitely the simplest episode yet. Also, by mere chance, I knew everything being referenced because I had previously been reading about Hokkaido and the Olympics.
Okay, those flowers… was that supposed to be satire of some kind? Or just teasing?
SPOILER: Highlight text to read: They remind me of pikmin. I find it interesting that they won't even say the word “Ainu.”
Favorite line of this episode: ‘The god that lives under Tokyo is troublesome.’ Definitely a reference to the Olympics coming there in 2020.
This post took
way too long to type. I'm confident I scared everyone away from Concrete Revolutio, even though that wasn't my intention.