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sennetariWatched Seven X 7 and Mebius 16 back to back so I'll just put them in one post. Besides, I don't seem to have much to say, and what little I can find to write about don't seem too sensible (I'm not even sorry that that I laughed in all inappropriate places for both episodes). Also saw Ultra Galaxy 1 last week, and I seem to be in the minority in not enjoying it much.
UltraSeven X 7 - Your Song
I'm probably the last person (who watches both series) to find out the guest star (whom I said might be familiar) is none other than Saaya Ishikawa, the actress who plays Misaki in Mebius. It is a little sad that she was way underutilized in Mebius, so it sort of took me a little by surprise to see how totally cool she looks fighting off enemies (her own species, but since she betrayed them...)
Just find it somewhat strange (or maybe it is deliberate?) that Saaya Ishikawa always gets to play a character who holds the hero's secret and, apart from a little curiosity, simply shrugs it off. I guess I mean to say she is not impressed (or at least doesn't show it) and just orders the poor guy to do his job or whatever it is he is supposed to do. That reminds me, I like that Jin sort of complains about that (don't remember his exact words, but I believe he says something along the line of "that's easy for you to say.")
I think the alien calling Jin red giant-kun is just so cute (I prefer the sound in Japanese, actually). Whether the name fits Jin or not is another matter entirely.
And ah, I don't think they even name the alien (the name of the species is Viro, I think, which reminds me of the word "truth" for some strange reason; either that or I've mixed up my non-existence Latin(?)), but she doesn't really need a name anyway.
This is probably related to something I'd brought up before in previous posts, that the people in this society don't seem to care much for anything not directly affecting them: I got the feeling that the agents just go through the motion of doing their jobs and not seem to question them. In this episode, however, K seems to act sensibly, and S less (but she isn't impartial because she'd worked with D, so perhaps I'm not being fair to her). I like it anyway that there are more suspicions around, rather than just blind acceptance. And considering the way D disappears, other agents should distrust his motive(s), even in the case when they don't believe he's an alien. I like that K has a one track mind, and is convinced that D must be an alien until D does something drastic. How to explain this? I guess I'm glad that he doesn't change his mind just because D and S tell him to. But I'm afraid this interesting occurrence (K's persistence) might be a one-shot deal.
Why oh why these people have to stand rooted to the spot and wait for that blast from the monster (alien?) that would surely take their lives? Is it because for some (unfathomable to me) reason they just can't run away? Or this happens much faster than shown so there is just no time to escape? My cynical mind says that if these people can save themselves and defeat the monster, what would be left for Seven X to do other than blowing away the aliens' UFO? (Granted, he didn't really do much more than that anyway, but I shudder at this non-fight/no defense.) Anyway, I'm at a loss as to why this thing bugs me lately, since it is by no means the first time I see something similar. Maybe humans-waiting-to-be-saved happens because it is a super hero show: the hero is supposed to do the saving, the show doesn't need to follow good set of real world logic, other hidden reasons I don't know about, etc., etc. and I think I give this subject too much importance when it's probably worth only a one line mention anyway.
And yay for the factory thing. So I'm not that off after all when I said this episode reminded me of episode 7 of Nexus as well as episode 7 of Mebius. I love seeing fights in factories or just the heroes chilling out in factories chasing after someone or something.
I like positive endings. We should all be happy co-existing with aliens one day. Seriously.
While I still haven't managed to catch up on Seven X, I did watch the first episode of Ultra Galaxy. Zap Spacy (the defense team) seems competent enough (though the Teppei wannabe slightly annoys me). And I like Rei. Personally hadn't seen a rebel-type protagonist in a while. I'm too detached to care too much about the monster fight, though. However, next episode might be more interesting, judging from the preview, and also hopefully I'll be more used to the format by then.
Ultraman Mebius 16 - Space Swordsmaster
(for a moment there, I thought Mebius had no episode name, when in fact it's always been right there before the OP. I was that much absent-minded.)
I really like this, humans getting to save themselves for once. They set aside their differences and work together to achieve a common goal: destroy the comet that threatens their safety. (Not saying that the Mebius people usually squabble (in fact this is one of the most peaceful Ultra series, where people usually get along), but them not agreeing on everything every time is all I mean.)
This is just a trivial thing that gets me every time I see this episode: the amount of coffee Sakomizu pours into the last coffee cup at the end of the episode makes it obvious that he hasn't done so for the other cups. Now, I'm sure the prop people pour coffee into those other cups, but at least if the amount in the last cup doesn't look so much less, I can still have my illusion. (Come to think of it, it's probably a little unnatural to have every coffee cup filled to the same amount anyway, unless you are a robot, or you measure the coffee precisely, so perhaps I should leave this one alone.)
Another thing that bugs me: I never understand why Konomi chooses that episode to wear contact lenses. Considering all the stuff that occur, wearing contacts is making her job harder/more uncomfortable. The reason is never given or even hinted at. Then again, I don't wear glasses or contacts, so I probably don't know what I'm talking about.
I usually favor characters with ambiguous morals (sometimes even more than the hero(es), sadly), so it's no surprise that I like Zamusha just fine. Even though I don't personally agree (am biased; I'm an earthling, after all) with his choices, I can respect them. He has a mission to be the greatest swordsman, so he eliminates everyone and everything in his way. That desire leads to him wanting to beat Tsurugi. When Tsurugi is nowhere to be found, he threatens to destroy the only means to save earth, so to speak. To him, earth's fate is not his concern. And why should it be? Not everyone is like the Ultras, who are actually outside of the norms to go around saving planets not of their own*.
(*I know they protect earth because they are kind, and not because they have any hidden agenda, but I can't help but wonder why humans don't usually resent the Ultras' interference in saving earth. Are they simply too grateful to complain? Or maybe that is a discussion more appropriate for another time...)
Sappy lesson of the day (episode): you have strength when you have something to protect. I'm not denying the truth of that statement, but to hear it stated simply like that just make me laugh. (Yup, this is one of those aforementioned inappropriate places I find funny.)
Was wondering why Teppei's parents had their names in the credits. Turned out I forgot that they appeared in the picture with him.
Apparently, Mirai is unable to lie convincingly. It seems if he wants to keep a secret, he's better off not opening his mouth at all than trying to come up with excuses. In general, I just think he is very honest, and deception is not a natural part of his character. This may explain what happens later in the series (that usually doesn't happen in other Ultra series).
Well, this post turns out to be so disjointed. I clearly need some sleep.
UltraSeven X 7 - Your Song
I'm probably the last person (who watches both series) to find out the guest star (whom I said might be familiar) is none other than Saaya Ishikawa, the actress who plays Misaki in Mebius. It is a little sad that she was way underutilized in Mebius, so it sort of took me a little by surprise to see how totally cool she looks fighting off enemies (her own species, but since she betrayed them...)
Just find it somewhat strange (or maybe it is deliberate?) that Saaya Ishikawa always gets to play a character who holds the hero's secret and, apart from a little curiosity, simply shrugs it off. I guess I mean to say she is not impressed (or at least doesn't show it) and just orders the poor guy to do his job or whatever it is he is supposed to do. That reminds me, I like that Jin sort of complains about that (don't remember his exact words, but I believe he says something along the line of "that's easy for you to say.")
I think the alien calling Jin red giant-kun is just so cute (I prefer the sound in Japanese, actually). Whether the name fits Jin or not is another matter entirely.
And ah, I don't think they even name the alien (the name of the species is Viro, I think, which reminds me of the word "truth" for some strange reason; either that or I've mixed up my non-existence Latin(?)), but she doesn't really need a name anyway.
This is probably related to something I'd brought up before in previous posts, that the people in this society don't seem to care much for anything not directly affecting them: I got the feeling that the agents just go through the motion of doing their jobs and not seem to question them. In this episode, however, K seems to act sensibly, and S less (but she isn't impartial because she'd worked with D, so perhaps I'm not being fair to her). I like it anyway that there are more suspicions around, rather than just blind acceptance. And considering the way D disappears, other agents should distrust his motive(s), even in the case when they don't believe he's an alien. I like that K has a one track mind, and is convinced that D must be an alien until D does something drastic. How to explain this? I guess I'm glad that he doesn't change his mind just because D and S tell him to. But I'm afraid this interesting occurrence (K's persistence) might be a one-shot deal.
Why oh why these people have to stand rooted to the spot and wait for that blast from the monster (alien?) that would surely take their lives? Is it because for some (unfathomable to me) reason they just can't run away? Or this happens much faster than shown so there is just no time to escape? My cynical mind says that if these people can save themselves and defeat the monster, what would be left for Seven X to do other than blowing away the aliens' UFO? (Granted, he didn't really do much more than that anyway, but I shudder at this non-fight/no defense.) Anyway, I'm at a loss as to why this thing bugs me lately, since it is by no means the first time I see something similar. Maybe humans-waiting-to-be-saved happens because it is a super hero show: the hero is supposed to do the saving, the show doesn't need to follow good set of real world logic, other hidden reasons I don't know about, etc., etc. and I think I give this subject too much importance when it's probably worth only a one line mention anyway.
And yay for the factory thing. So I'm not that off after all when I said this episode reminded me of episode 7 of Nexus as well as episode 7 of Mebius. I love seeing fights in factories or just the heroes chilling out in factories chasing after someone or something.
I like positive endings. We should all be happy co-existing with aliens one day. Seriously.
While I still haven't managed to catch up on Seven X, I did watch the first episode of Ultra Galaxy. Zap Spacy (the defense team) seems competent enough (though the Teppei wannabe slightly annoys me). And I like Rei. Personally hadn't seen a rebel-type protagonist in a while. I'm too detached to care too much about the monster fight, though. However, next episode might be more interesting, judging from the preview, and also hopefully I'll be more used to the format by then.
Ultraman Mebius 16 - Space Swordsmaster
(for a moment there, I thought Mebius had no episode name, when in fact it's always been right there before the OP. I was that much absent-minded.)
I really like this, humans getting to save themselves for once. They set aside their differences and work together to achieve a common goal: destroy the comet that threatens their safety. (Not saying that the Mebius people usually squabble (in fact this is one of the most peaceful Ultra series, where people usually get along), but them not agreeing on everything every time is all I mean.)
This is just a trivial thing that gets me every time I see this episode: the amount of coffee Sakomizu pours into the last coffee cup at the end of the episode makes it obvious that he hasn't done so for the other cups. Now, I'm sure the prop people pour coffee into those other cups, but at least if the amount in the last cup doesn't look so much less, I can still have my illusion. (Come to think of it, it's probably a little unnatural to have every coffee cup filled to the same amount anyway, unless you are a robot, or you measure the coffee precisely, so perhaps I should leave this one alone.)
Another thing that bugs me: I never understand why Konomi chooses that episode to wear contact lenses. Considering all the stuff that occur, wearing contacts is making her job harder/more uncomfortable. The reason is never given or even hinted at. Then again, I don't wear glasses or contacts, so I probably don't know what I'm talking about.
I usually favor characters with ambiguous morals (sometimes even more than the hero(es), sadly), so it's no surprise that I like Zamusha just fine. Even though I don't personally agree (am biased; I'm an earthling, after all) with his choices, I can respect them. He has a mission to be the greatest swordsman, so he eliminates everyone and everything in his way. That desire leads to him wanting to beat Tsurugi. When Tsurugi is nowhere to be found, he threatens to destroy the only means to save earth, so to speak. To him, earth's fate is not his concern. And why should it be? Not everyone is like the Ultras, who are actually outside of the norms to go around saving planets not of their own*.
(*I know they protect earth because they are kind, and not because they have any hidden agenda, but I can't help but wonder why humans don't usually resent the Ultras' interference in saving earth. Are they simply too grateful to complain? Or maybe that is a discussion more appropriate for another time...)
Sappy lesson of the day (episode): you have strength when you have something to protect. I'm not denying the truth of that statement, but to hear it stated simply like that just make me laugh. (Yup, this is one of those aforementioned inappropriate places I find funny.)
Was wondering why Teppei's parents had their names in the credits. Turned out I forgot that they appeared in the picture with him.
Apparently, Mirai is unable to lie convincingly. It seems if he wants to keep a secret, he's better off not opening his mouth at all than trying to come up with excuses. In general, I just think he is very honest, and deception is not a natural part of his character. This may explain what happens later in the series (that usually doesn't happen in other Ultra series).
Well, this post turns out to be so disjointed. I clearly need some sleep.
