Sorry, Index, I don’t mean to stop blogging about you. I don’t.
Some of you might have wondered at the non-existence of a Ga-rei Zero in THAT. That is because I am simmering with the anger due to the extremely mediocre 4th episode. I wonder if my quipped expectation has resulted in a warped view when they start to act up like the typical shounen fare that I am particularly turned off.
Some of the things that I mentioned might be the exact same things that turn people ON for a shounen show. However, I expected better. There are a few spoilers after the break. In addition, I might blog Kuroshitsuji instead rather than To Aru Majutsu no Index since it interests me much more. It’s also a strain on my time to blog Index as it lands on one of my few free days during the week. I am likely to do a short post on it every Wednesday if it’s all right with those who are following it.
Ga-Rei Zero Episode 4
Episode 4 develops the relationship between Yomi and Kagura in terms of bonding and trust. During one of the missions, Kagura wondered when she would be thrust into the main action, but Yomi told her to be patient. While the spirit was destroyed, there was also a civilian who was loitering around the area. She was able to see the spirit, and Kagura saved her from being attacked by the monster. Yomi noted that women with spiritual powers were more likely to attract attacks. Yomi also told the woman subtly to value her life.
After the mission, the weapon smith in charge of their weapons decided to maintain the squad’s weapons. Ayame hence decided to give Kagura her first actual mission. This is a mission in the subway. We see that the civilian has committed suicide and turned into a mindless level D spirit. Kagura was unable to draw her weapon, and was saved by her father. Kagura was reprimanded by her father sternly, yet her father muttered “grow stronger” to her before he left.
What went wrong
In an episode, you usually try to look at the reason for the episode to exist. Episode 1 is meant to shock and confuse the audience. It is also done to make the viewers anticipate the eventual appearance of Yomi in Episode 2. Of course, Episode 2 is done to set up the main characters for the series. Episode 3 slows down the pace by introducing each person. WHAT DID EPISODE 4 DO? Nothing, absolutely nothing. I already know from episode 3 that the two are friendly with each other. There is absolutely nothing new or fresh that I didn’t know. Is this what they call a “pointless filler?”
I am getting more ticked off by the actions of Kagura. I probably have a very short attention span but I am getting a major issue with Kagura. She is a clear dependent, one that I really HATE in a shounen show. They always make the women so mentally weak that she is unable to do anything in any critical situation. I know she can cut monsters with ease, but what is with the “they are formerly humans” when they are going to fricking cut you up? I admit that I am just the type of anime viewer that will STOP watching a series when the main girl turns me off, and Kagura is really straining my patience.
Another thing that turned me off are the blatant attempts to squeeze some fanservice into this series. Can someone tell me if there is any other explicit and logical reason for this screenshot other than the fact to entice people to buy the DVD so that they can show the nipples of the two? I don’t find fanservice in shounen shows because it is sometimes necessary. However, I cannot accept any obvious case of fanservice that makes no sense. Sure, it makes the desperate ecchi-loving fanboy happy, but I am not that typical group. I want my character development, good action and great fun in general. Not this pathetic attempt to insert random yuri fanservice.
Talking about fanservice, what is with the amazing tentacle erotic scene. I am not sure if it is supposed to be erotic or scary, but it did not evoke any of those two emotions in me. I mean… why is there such “subtle” ero content in a series that started off so darn well?
The only redeeming factor in Ga-Rei Zero is Yomi. Yomi is the type of character that always make a shounen show watchable, and I probably cannot stand the time where Kagura starts to be a total emo wreck when Yomi transforms into the devilish spirit three years later. Of course, I am not dropping this seriesas because I believe that the potential for it is very strong.
For those who found Episode 4 to be great, please give me a concrete reason behind the excellence of this episode.
22 Comments
You know, I never thought this series was going to be particularly spectacular when they started slaughtering the advertised cast.
Disregard!!!
You know, when I first saw Ga-Rei Zero, I thought it was a GONZO anime due to all the crappy CG going on. As much as I love lesbians, this doesn’t seem worth the effort to watch.
Also, I agree with IMPS, the damsel in distress lead almost always turns me off in media.
Can someone tell me if there is any other explicit and logical reason for this screenshot other than the fact to entice people to buy the DVD so that they can show the nipples of the two?
Who needs DVDs when you can watch AT-X for free?
Impz, it’s great because we all know the change is coming. Personally, I think the first 4 episodes could have been condensed to probably 2.5 episodes, mostly because the first two felt redundant for the amount of real detail that came out of them, and 3 because it was quite slow.
I didn’t mind the service, because it was rather sporadic, but examining the situation, it all stems from Yomi’s persona, which is no more devious than Horo’s excessive flirting in Wolf and Spice.
Yomi is fun, playful, and strong, so I’m dying to know what happen? Episode 3 only raised the proposition of the backstory, this episode punctuates my desire to know.
Anyway, we should be out of the woods soon, if not, lingering in the backstory too long will likely degrade my perspective of the series…. at least it isn’t TenTen, where the backstory was the story, and the serivce was the action.
well Mr impz, before the anime ruins kagura character in your eyes i recomend to read the manga, i don’t think it will damper the enjoyment or not of the anime though, since both the anime and the manga looks like different kind of beasts it hasn’t for me at least, so why not you are about to drop it don’t you. it kind of pains me a little what you think of kagura now since she is my favorite character in the manga she rocks, when i see her in the anime is like i am waching two different characters with the same name sadly, people call the manga generic shonnen, a bleach clone but i like to call it an action shoujo i think is a more fitting term lol, you would love the author she/he is completly bonkers her/his omakes are pure lulz >:D.
Index is adorable. Shocker girl, chain smoking loli teacher and the Sam Fischer girl are interesting too. They really need to cut the speaking lines of the main male character. He’s existence is pointless and takes away from enjoyment of the show.
Fanservice after a very solid start (the main cast getting slaughtered was basically the only reason I picked up this series in the first place) may seem unusual, but it should not be unexpected, Impzie. Frankly, Ga-rei manga actually has ludicrous amounts of ecchi and random naked scenes, even if the action strings everything together nicely.
As for the purpose of Episode 4 – even if it is hard to see past the not-so-subtle pocky and bath scenes (and god, Iwahata commenting on Sakuraba’s ass was a choker) – I’d say we got a slight insight into Noriyuki’s relationship with Yomi and we saw Byakuei in action. And since Byakuei is the main star of the show that will someday be passed down to Kagura, we did get something.
Therefore, I urge you not to lose faith in Ga-rei just yet! And maybe we’ll live to see the day of our beloved psychopathic maiden, Yomi, murdering everyone in sight.
(Eugh, the Category B mob was an eyesore.)
@Skoll: Really? That was when I found the whole series to be absolutely spectacular. As said in episode 3 of my review, I am a big fan in the film style “In Media Ras.” Hence, I felt that episode 4 is too much of a drag and mainly a filler episode.
@Lubczyk: Hah, I don’t have anything against CG as long as it is all right. I think that hating CG on anime is part of a visual resistance and I am strangely open to the idea of CG CONSIDERING how much of a superficial anime viewer I am. I don’t think that they are really lesbians, but they somehow try to pull off the fanservice.
Heh, glad to know that not everyone finds that type of character moe.
@It: LOL. for extra features?
@Ryan & Lucky: I know. However, I felt that the first two episodes are necessary while this one is just off. I don’t know. I think I lack patience in terms of waiting for something to happen. I am not your typical shounen viewer. I like action of course, but I am looking into deeper character development and a character that is not wafer thin. Kagura is not doing that well enough.
Yomi, on the other hand, is somewhat common but possesses different qualities in her that makes her a much more attractive central character to focus on. The key important fact is that you know that she is going to change to an evil spirit, which makes you anticipate that transformation. Maybe it is just me but Kagura seemed to be not at all different in the start and past. That is what irks me.
For Lucky, manga is generally problematic for me because I get very lazy to read it online. I have tried to find the manga in my local shop and have found resistance in it. I will be taking my time to explore it more but I am not too keen on picking up more manga. I got quite a lot of real life work piling on me.
@Myu: Ya, that is by the way very minor. I am angry but it does not blind the facts that the slight insights could have been squeezed into episode 3 WITHOUT even hurting the flow of the story then. That is what irks me because I really hate series who deliberately squeeze time just to throw in some fanservice. I might sound biased but I see that your argument is quite flawed. The progress and knowledge gained did not warrant 1 whole episode.
I am not losing faith as yet for the series though. I will be blogging it, but I will take my time.
what the? 180 degrees genre change from the first two episodes.
I wouldn’t say it’s good, but it’s definitely more enjoyable this way
love the anti-demon boiler XD
…
The spider demon reminds me of “war of the worlds”
Yes, there was the bad censor (that’s one straight line of steam)
then there was the tentacle rape, which was uncalled for..
recalling my comment from the Ga-rei episode 2 blog post, I am now sure that that scene (yomi cutting kagura’s shirt open) was suppose to be fanservice XD
Most certainly. In no way am I trying to prove that this episode had any significant value beyond a couple a vague hints (that, yes, could have been nicely fitted into the scenes from the previous episode). What I meant was that fanservice is something that is quite common in Ga-rei and albeit time-consuming and having nothing to do with the actual plot, it is definitely going to be there.
Ga-rei -Zero- is supposed to be a prequel to the manga. Since Kagura and pantsu flashes occur almost regularly in the manga, I think it is safe to assume that there are going to be similar happenings in the anime. And while that doesn’t necessarily mean a decline in the quality of the storyline, there will be standstills.
The fanservice was out of place and pointless, and all we have to take away from this episode is that Kagura is too kind for her own good. I think the reason you’re so pissed off is because there’s such a jarring difference between the tone of this episode compared to that of the first and second; we’ve gone from dark, disturbing to light and fluffy (as shown by the more comedic parts of the episode) and it’s not really a good thing.
You kind of make it sound like Shounen = Lower Quality. It’s not so much the shounen-ness as it is the randomness of the change that’s kind of bugging me.
If the first ep was it’s own/ a separate series I’d watch it over the other three any day. Kagura annoys me.
I didn’t think this episode was horrible simply because I’m not offended that the director chose to poke fun of the sexuality of Japanese people, what with the incest scene, the pursuant comment by the Gay-san about Pervert-san’s ass. I thought it was mildly amusing. I didn’t think it was pointless either because there was a good bit of character development going on, showing how Yomi begins to compete with Kagura and how Kagura begins to enjoy her normal life as well as her abnormal life. I thought it showed how Kagura integrates with her environment and all the things that she’s likely to lose in the future. True, she’s meek, but I don’t think all girls bearing weapons should be overly aggressive, because the conflict between Kagura and Yomi couldn’t be explored as much. There was also the bit about the problems Fox-san is having with his arranged marriage to Yomi.
The only parts that were stupid for me were when Kagura meets Michael and when she freezes up in front of Zombies. I don’t agree with the popular stereotype that something that appears a certain way should be treated differently than something else that’s far less human looking. Yomi is awesome.
yea thats about it.
Oh, and what’s with the plot whoring?
@Vin-nii: Ya, I don’t mind a genre change but I don’t like how it is changed into the stereotypical pitfalls of a shounen show. It annoys me badly and the bad attempts at blatant fanservice is an immediate turn off for me.
For episode 2, that “fanservice” was somewhat in a tasteful manner so I do not mind that at all. However, you are right to say that it is still fanservice, just subtle.
@Myu: It is common? Bah, I hate fanservice when it’s plain blatant. This is something that is likely to be a minus point for me. It is strange that a guy actually hates fanservice, but I do. I don’t need to watch a regular show for fanservice. If I need it, I can watch porn or hentai for that, not in my typical anime series.
I seriously feel that any attempt for blatant panty shots or boob shots detract from a viewing experience.
@Omi: I am a typical shoujo viewer so I find shounen shows generally suffering from various stereotypes that turn me off. Some of these include mentally weak leads, unneeded fanservice and countless fillers to drag the action. Those are things that many shounen series tend to do, and it drags on for ages. That is why I have a very bad bias toward shounen shows at times. Nonetheless, there is still so much potential in this series that I am not willing to give it up as yet.
@Char: I don’t think I will agree with that. The first three episodes are great. The fourth, you know my opinion. I have explained my rationale for my process of thought in my entry.
@Pidgin: I do not really see it as poking fun. I find it pandering to the typical shounen fan who likes a bit of fanservice on the part of the girl. Tell me one shounen series that did not aim to show some blatant fanservice of the female lead, and I will be shocked to my knees.
Your argument about the competition between Kagura and Yomi is compelling, and I have missed that part in my analysis. I thank you for that. However, it is so short and non-existent that it can also be squeezed into a 1 minute sequence in Episode 3. That is what irks me a lot.
well, I personally thought that a serious adaption of ga-rei was a bad approach to such a comedical manga. The anti-demon iron (Yomi’s weapon) bit this episode didn’t leave as much of an impact as the manga counter-part
Really Impz, I don’t think I can fully describe how much I agree with you. I felt like crying after this episode because I thought the story had so much potential to it and it was… ruined. Just ruined. I’m sticking to it because I’m still hopeful but I really don’t expect the awesomeness from the first few episodes to return.
LOL! Using the steam for censorship. That was damn funny! Not to mention the weird anti-demon weapons.
Wonder what happens when you have an anti-demon computer, automobile and motorcycle weapons? XP
[ID Sojourner]
Simple Impz. They were naked. Hence, the episode was excellent.
Hrm I just watched the episode today and I have mixed feelings about it. I didn’t really hate this episode, or feel tremendously let down by it, but I was kind of confused by the different vibes I was getting, especially from that naked foreigner Michael who spoke in very bad Japanese (or just with a strong accent). I don’t really mind the fact that nothing crucial really happens in the action portion of the episode, since I’m a big fan of the slice of life genre – in fact I kinda wish they’d given us more details on Kagura’s school life and her domestic relationships with Yomi rather than jumping to spirit purging and whatnot, and I did like the play between Kagura and Yomi even though it was nothing new. But I could have done without Michael, the tentacle scene, and Kagura’s dad beating her hands with his scabbard after randomly showing up to save the day.
Well we did learn a bit more about the fiancee and the details of his relationship to Yomi. He may later play a more important role i.e. why the heck doesn’t he show up when Yomi kills his pet mouse and then attacks Kagura. But I think that’s about the only bit of plot I got out of this episode ::shrug::
I thought ep 4 was great in developing the characters/plot. First we see that Kagura is really easing into school life and opening up because of her relationship with Yomi. Next, we see how Yomi is the central figure in their exorcism missions (this would surely be important to the future dynamics as Kagura gains prominence and when Yomi betrays.) We also see that Kagura is \ ready skillwise for these missions but mentally lacking in dealing with the true horrors of the job. We also see that Yomi’s razor-sharp intuition, Kagura’s tough upbringing, further skinship btw Kagura/Yomi and the maker behind the weapons which I’m sure are all plot elements seeded to bear fruit further down the tale.
So I guess youre not gonna blog ga rei anymore eh? such a pity, its just starting to get good to, oh well guess I gotta go find another blog now. . .
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