Show of hands who likes filler episodes? (looks around the clasroom)
if any of you are raising your hands, i’m very disappointed.
And yes, just from that opening sentence i’m sure all you people can already tell this isn’t going to end well. And you’d be right.
Well, like ripping off a bandaid, let’s rip it off quick and get it over with.
The episode starts with Seiya letting us know that the park’s flat broke.
More than likely it’s a combination of not that many people coming and the fact that he’s only been charging people 30 yen for entrance. (with about 230 guests that’s like… 70 bucks a day the park is making)
So they all come up with ideas on how to make money, and the best idea that comes forth is from one of the mascot characters who says “hey, there’s treasure in a cave in a part of Amagi brilliant park no one ever goes to and we lost one of our friends there 10 years ago.”
Here’s where I was like “oh fuck really? are we really going to do this?” and to my chagrin. Yes. Yes they are.
So they arrive at the cave and begin to look around. Very quickly they’re set upon by traps and begin fighting for their lives. A few incredibly cliche traps later (they even lampshade this when the fucking indiana jones boulder comes at them) the sheep and Sento find themselves being separated from the group.
Team A consisting of moffle, the cat, and Seiya all end up fighting a bunch of pig guard…things,
while team B, (the sheep and sento) end up in a jail cell which they quickly break out of.
It’s then that team B hears a voice and comes across the dude that’s been missing all this time. Which..I assume is an otter?
It turns out that Dornell here has been down here for 10 years collecting anime and playing games staying out of the public eye. He’s been able not to disappear despite not feeding of people’s fun because he’s been playing MMO’s and apparently people online count too. So remember kids. The next time you think you’re MMO’ing with a hot chick, you’re probably role playing with a magical otter-weasel.
Team A on the other hand comes across a giant fucking dragon. Who Seiya has ask him a question as a test. I’m thinking to myself “How is Seiya going to know the answer?” Then he uses his power to read the dragon’s mind
And you know, I COMPLETELY forgot he had this power. It’s probably because being a sweet geass-y power, he’s only used it one other time in the beginning of episode 2. This is literally the first time he’s used it since then. Which is sad because um…IT MIGHT BE FUCKING HELPFUL.
Still though, props to the character for remembering a power that I as the audience totally forgot he had.
Anyway he gets it right and the dragon’s completely shocked.
And then we learn the pig guards are just these weird…puff..ball….mole things in costumes.
It seems that all this was part of an attraction that was long forgotten about. Which is WEIRD considering that it has Giant rolling stones, Blades that come out of the walls, and give molotov cocktails to the customers. Fuck this is like if Walt Disney made Deadman Wonderland more than anything. Not too sure they wouldn’t have a few lawsuits.
However, there being not treasure they’re still kind of screwed. So they decide to sell Dornell’s anime collection and make rent for one more month.
And that’s basically where the episode ends.
(Sigh) Like I said. Filler. FILLER FILLER FILLER. There was nothing necessary about this episode. It didn’t further anything, it didn’t add anything, all we know from this episode is that they don’t have money. Which, and I hope they don’t take this wrong way “I ALREADY FUCKING KNEW” I guess “Failing amusement park” or “30 yen per customer” wasn’t enough for me to go “hmm….i think they might be low on funds”
And really? We’re low on money so your IMMEDIATE answer is “Indiana Jonesing” it?
This episode was completely unnecessary. In fact, I take back what I said about last episode. At least that had SOME KIND OF RELEVANCE TO SOMETHING.
This just felt like a waste of my time. Come on guys. You don’t have that many episodes. You can’t dick around like this. Just tell me more ways he’s going to save the park.
(sigh) I don’t know. The past two episodes have just made me very irritable towards this show. I truly do hope it gets better again because as of right now, my interest has fallen quite a bit.
The only reason I’m enjoying this show is Seiiya’s fucking hilarious. There were a few times I laughed at him in this episode. He has a dry wit which actually makes for some good comedic foils.
Other than that, This episode is completely skippable. Trust me, you won’t miss a damn thing.
Oh well though, I guess it’s still better than Kingdom of the Crystal Skull…..
Episode 4/10
-Hideki
Gotta disagree with you on this one. This isn’t exactly considered filler if the entire series is centered around episodic adventures of wacky park mascots….I think the entire series revolves around said ‘filler’ episodes, or as I see them, wacky slapstick comedy with an episodic structure. can’t expect them to give you a straightforward story if that was never the series’ intention to begin with I think.
I agree with you.
Well, Amaburi is from the same author of Fumoffu!, so this is the kind of show it is. The LN currently has 5 volumes and they haven’t managed to save the park. The fact is that they are going to save it, but the fun thing is how they are going to do it, and how the whole cast will begin to grow as a group. So expect Amaburi being a serious show about managing the park is a mistake.
I found this episode really funny, the stupid snow sports movements from Sylphy, the reaction of Seiya from their accident with the traps, and he fact that Sento can not even translate her emotions consistently in a text message was interesting enough for me.
Yeah, though last week’s more serious tone could have thrown some people off regarding the nature of this show for a bit. I actually picked this series up BECAUSE it’s written by Gatoh. The guy’s the best writer on the Kyoani team BY FAR (he’s in charge of Hyouka’s script as well) and Fumoffu is…well….the greatest slapstick anime there is.
I squealed when I first saw Moffle in the promotional images, I think this is the closest we’re ever going to get re: a FMP sequel, unfortunately. At least Amaburi is good! 😀
Sigh, let me put it to you this way: If you are a writer, and you are trying to establish a story with a nonchalante theme, pick one:
Set up a story where there is a lighthearted issue. OR
Set up a story where there is a serious plot but the issues are slowly solved.
Saying ‘well this writer writes that way’ is a terrible, awful, garbage excuse. A story is a story. It is a narrative. It is a legitimate complaint to say that something is not good because it establishes a serious plot, something this anime does, and simply ignores it. Until the stories problems are solved it is COMPLETELY legitimate to say “Well, I don’t like that people are on a time limit to their deaths and it’s about hijinks” These characters will die if this park closes, that is NOT humor, and it is poor writing to set that up. The hijinks would be perfect and amusing. . .in a different story. Notice Hideki covers Denki-Gai and loves it, it’s set up to be that way. This is set up poorly.
^ Not to say your opinion is a bad one, I’m saying the reasoning you have for it fails to hold up. You’re completely able to like it and that doesn’t bother me, it’s the basis for your argument I don’t really understand.
I disagree. When you have a dilemma, a genuine dilemma, in a show- subverting it, ignoring it, and making it about hijinks is bad writing. Period. You can’t justify ignoring a problem the show itself sets up by saying ‘well the show isn’t serious’. It makes no sense. It is a bad writing point. Period.
I think you’re misunderstanding my point about Gatoh. I’m not exactly implying that Amagi is funny because he’s worked on good slapstick before. I’m just saying Amagi is good because Gatoh is a good writer.
Thing is, (and you’re free to disagree with me on this of course) the entire setup is clearly NOT meant to be entirely serious. If they wanted to establish a ‘serious drama’ as you have mentioned, why would there be so much comedy even in episode 1? Which is why I mentioned how episode 3 kind of threw some people off. I will admit that that was probably inconsistent with the tone of the rest of the series, but that’s about it.
I see Amagi as dealing with this ‘dilemma’ through comedy. The entire series is about how cruel business can be, and it chooses to portray this through the humor which is dry, bleak stuff; the mascots’ lives are at stake, and money is running out, sure. The series knows this, and presents it through comedy (which is totally different from subverting/ignoring it). It is making hijinks about it because that’s the /point/. It’s supposed to be depressingly funny. That’s what makes it good. If the series got even more morbid with its jokes I’d go so far as to call it a black comedy (but it hasn’t yet so yeah). So what if it doesn’t follow the usual conventions of dealing with a conflict it has set up? It doesn’t need to.
The comedy has a point. Hell, it IS the point. That isn’t bad writing. Your comment seems to imply that there are only 2 ways to tell a story…? And you seem to be implying that comedy with plot = bad writing because it’s funny when it’s ‘not supposed to be’. Which I highly doubt to be the case.
This would be a valid argument if it was presented as such. The show is NOT showing a dilemma through comedy. There is no peril. There is no legitimate moments of peril, and no one feels as if they feel they’ll rightfully die. Simply put, it is not handling what you are depicting in the way you claim it is done.
Take Sayanara Zetsubou Sensei, a dark comedy wherein the protagonist is constantly wishing to die. He is constantly lampshading his own death and self hatred to the point it is funny, even if depressingly so. Then you have binbou gami ga which is a light hearted comedy that half the time, ignores that to be happy the main girl is literally ripping happiness from others. What does it do? It takes a moment to analyze that. It never forgets. These are only two examples of dark comedy done right, and this is not done right.
Let me be even more clear: You have an episode where the characters realize they are in trouble and the park is out of money. To address this they go on a hijinks quest…laugh, play, and never once have a damper moment in what is a serious thing. They are literally playing around instead of addressing it. There is no comedy to deal with pain or sorrow. That has been done in anime. Are you watching gugure!! Kokkuri-san? The entire point is a sad little girl is surrounded by spirits in a sense she rejects or denies she wants around, even makes fun of, but the truth is she is unbearably lonely. Even when they ignore issues or there is a problem, we know the truth about Kohina feels because there is superior writing.
Hideki, and myself, both see that this show does not have that. Your argument is that the humor is fine, because it is dealing with a dilemma. But where in this episode was that? Nothing Hideki entails or what I saw, or have seen, shows that to be the case. They are literally ignoring the problem. This episode in particular is a problem whereas the others have been good, because it tries to address a problem but instead ignores it. It’s like you were reading the final harry potter book, only there was no sentence where Voldemort was defeated. Instead it skipped right to a scene where Harry was talking to his friends about fun while the Death Eaters invaded.
IN ESSENCE; No, humor does not have to be done only two ways. But the way this anime is doing it THIS EPISODE IN PARTICULAR, was not good. There was nothing clever, insightful, or funny about it the way the other episodes presented. The humor was there as if we were watching Denki-Gai, thus my comparison, yet this show completely undermined the central theme it, itself opened up in the first few minutes. If the show itself did not do this, it would be different, but it ACTUALLY ADDRESSED A SERIOUS PROBLEM IN A SERIOUS TONE, only to COMPLETELY IGNORE THAT TONE.
Yes, it is bad writing to do that. Because the comedy was not the point of this episode. You cannot say something is the point when the point, the genuine topic, was established and then discarded until the end, where it was given no moments of serious reflection. I am criticizing this show because the tone is contradicting itself. It is representing itself as something it isn’t, then drastically changing, THIS EPISODE IN PARTICULAR. You want an example of a serious topic, such as this, being done right? Take Haganai, or I have no friends. You have the main character and Sena engaging in hilarious, funny, amusing content the whole episode. Meanwhile in the background you have the central plot of the story: social anxiety in a group of people who are trying to overcome it.
How does that episode handle a serious topic, while still being about humor? Perfectly. Everyone is having a good time until they realize, no they kind of aren’t. Things are kind of bad. It doesn’t belittle the humor, the show is very funny and the point was the absence of one type of humor was almost essentially perfect to realize: they feel wrong in the world, anxious, and they didn’t need to be there to fit in. People were everywhere, and they didn’t want that. Yet the show is still a comedy, a slice of life, and a harem! Yet it tackled a very serious issue.
My point is, this episode did a shitty job of representing the serious issue IT brought up. If it didn’t, if it had just had the cutesy stuff, it’d be a fine episode. But it set up a theme, did not address it enough, and didn’t draw it together. None of the dry humor you claim to be there is, everyone is happy go lucky and just. . . no. This episode was a weak one. There is nothing I can say to say about the ‘anime’. The show itself so far is one I like. But the episode did a crappy job of representing it’s theme, and it doesn’t need to be serious to actually address the theme. Themes can be addressed in humor everywhere! This one didn’t do it right.
You said that Amagi ‘ACTUALLY ADDRESSED A SERIOUS PROBLEM IN A SERIOUS TONE, only to COMPLETELY IGNORE THAT TONE’, what exactly do you mean by that?
My understanding of the setup thus far, is that the issue itself is serious, but the entire narrative is set up such that it deals with the serious issue in a playful tone (yet also not so subtly reminding us that the park is in complete shambles and that if they don’t get their shit together they’re all going to lose their livelihood). It’s not ignoring the issue, I think. Rather it’s using the issue to further explore, flesh out the setting and characters and even establish the changing relationships between the them (Kanye and Fiddy in particular, but also Kanye and the mascots).
This has been the setup for the past 3 episodes too. The comedy is also there as a contrast between this stupid fun adventure with mascots and the nasty underbelly of the park and its eventual doom should they not do anything about it. Sure, the money issues are resolved in the end, but its only temporary, and now the park has another group of idiots to deal with and an attraction that is so dangerous that it probably would just make the whole situation even worse. They’ve dug an even deeper grave for themselves. I don’t see how it’s unnecessary. But perhaps this is also an issue of different perspectives.
But yeah, I don’t think the comedy is bad, not just because I thought it was funny (humor is subjective anyways), but because I believe that’s just the way it addresses issues. By having characters fucking around and making things worse. Though if you think its not relevant, then OK. There probably isn’t a definitive line for this anyways, since I don’t exactly agree with you.