r/anime • u/AutoLovepon https://anilist.co/user/AutoLovepon • 8h ago
Episode The Ghost in the Shell • Koukaku Kidoutai (TV) - Episode 9 discussion
Koukaku Kidoutai (TV), episode 9
Alternative names: Koukaku Kidoutai, Koukaku Kidoutai (2026)
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| 9 | Link |
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u/AAA_BATT 6h ago
i low-key might too dumb for this show
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u/SirVixofthePooSea 1h ago
Ghorantl (a thin rebranding for Israel based on the Golan Heights used in the adaptation script) basically set up a huge "Heads, I win. Tails, you lose." play and Section 9 is in the middle of it.
They armed the terrorists, they also had the boat under surveillance and leaked the video to the media. The point was that either the kids would succeed, or they'd be killed and the footage could be used to stir public opinion against the government shooting children. Motoko was supposed to arrest the boy, but she had that cyberpsycho moment and shot him instead, walking right into Ghorantl's trap.
This episode deals with the fallout. Motoko is being used as a sacrifice to appease the masses and Ghorantl is also manipulating things to help themselves out more. They bombed their own spy HQ in Japan to ride the wave and attempt to wipe out Motoko too - but for that one agent tipping her off because the Russians owe Section 9 a few favors. The issue is that just because Section 9 knows that Ghorantl is behind it all, doesn't mean that anyone else cares.
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u/another_mouse 5h ago
There is a lot of historical cyberpunk context you need to know to understand it.
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u/cyberscythe 3h ago
i think there's also a lot of politics and names of important-sounding figures/countries being tossed around, each with their own agendas, so you kind of have to pay attention if you want a clear understanding of who's doing what and why
i think it's enjoyable enough if you gloss over some details and just settle with "Motoko's gone rogue because of some political bullshit", but i prefer to know why and it's not exactly spoon-feeding it to me (which i think is a credit to them for assuming the audience is smart enough can follow along without having everything spelled out)
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u/tripleaamin https://myanimelist.net/profile/tripleaamin 3h ago edited 1h ago
Imo it's better to not be too obsessive about knowing every little detail. I think for this show it's better to understand the general idea of what the story is trying to show you.
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u/cyberscythe 2h ago
yeah i think there's a balance and i don't think they expect the audience to absorb absolutely everything (including the little blurry text inserts that flash for a few seconds)
i think the overall effect is to at least present the appearance of depth (like you could map out all the political details if you wanted), but i have a certain degree of faith that they'll reiterate it if it becomes super important, but at the same time i think it is a story that rewards you with more depth if you pay more attention but that's on an opt-in sort of level
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u/MirNaSveta 2h ago
Too bad it's lore is made up with mainly nonexistent countries and constant throwing of names at us every 2 minutes
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u/BladeDancer03 1h ago
You may want to read the first comment in the source material corner for this episode (I didn't know about it either)
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u/MirNaSveta 1h ago
Well I'm not rewatching the last 2 episodes. I will have the new info in mind for the last episode but considering how much I'm lost i would probably just watch it so i can finish it in Myanimelist
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u/BladeDancer03 1h ago
Me neither, maybe one day I'll pick up the manga, that would probably be an easier way to understand anything
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u/MirNaSveta 1h ago
There's one thing - i really don't enjoy reading manga. So maybe i will rewatch the show after few years (probably won't). Too bad this adaptation isn't very popular compared to mainstream anime and there isn't much content about it in YT.
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u/SerJoseph 4h ago
Like what? I feel I understand most of it but maybe its a you dont know what you dont know kind of thing
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u/MirNaSveta 2h ago
The whole political talk the first 7+ minutes was either too difficult to understand or just very badly translated and worded.
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u/tripleaamin https://myanimelist.net/profile/tripleaamin 3h ago
Gives me a reason to rewatch it dubbed.
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u/MegaAltarianite 1h ago
Nah, it's just terribly written. It assumes you know every person they mention, every scifi term used, and probably needing a PHD in chemistry for some reason. SO much so they need on-screen text often to explain things that shouldn't have to be explained that way.
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u/za_shiki-warashi 7h ago
The more somber and melancholic mood for this episode, coupled with the pans across the nightscape, you can see the blueprint for the Oshii movies and SAC series right there.
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u/Frontier246 6h ago
Especially seeing Motoko get more somber/contemplative even if she still has her sass streak intact.
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u/Ree_For_Thee 6h ago edited 5h ago
Pacing is still absolute crap though. I'm looking down trying to read everything more than I'm watching the fricken show. I wanted to enjoy this show more than I have. /rant
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u/SirVixofthePooSea 1h ago
Dialog heavy shows are always like this. GITS is a fairly complicated story sometimes and this episode was a classic spy thriller type where there's a lot of talking. No way around it other than watching a dub.
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u/SoldierHawk https://anilist.co/user/SoldierHawk 5h ago
I loathe the captions too.
I have decided to completely ignore them tbh. If they wanted me to read them, they would keep them on the screen for more than half a second.
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u/FarCritical 6h ago
Lmao at the Fuchikoma with the dialup sounds.
The chief's objection getting sustained made me audibly go "hell yeah".
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u/Trati 5h ago
I was at first surprised to see this goofy version of Motoko that I was unfamiliar with in the beginning of the show. But she has now evolved into this serious Motoko that we know from every other iteration of GitS. And honestly goofy Motoko was growing on me and now I kinda miss her.
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u/AGENTRomeo007 5h ago
I felt the emptiness this episode
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u/Trati 4h ago
Well, there's one big decision ahead of her. And this feeling of emptiness will drive her to make a certain choice. In the 1995 movie you feel this emptiness in her from the very beginning. In this version we only start feeling it in the last couple of episodes. Maybe that "goofy Motoko" was just a mask and now it's off.
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u/shad79 https://myanimelist.net/profile/shad79 6h ago edited 3h ago
Motoko looks great in a military uniform! I think it's a bit of a shame that we didn't see her in it more often.
Also, Motoko's speech during the trial in this episode was brilliant! The prosecutor's dumbfounded reaction to it, like he couldn't comprehend what she had just said, made me laugh out loud.
Now, with only one episode left, I wonder how this season will end and what will happen to Motoko.
Also, another really nice endcard.
Here my screenshot albums from the episode:
EDIT. I added my screenshot albums.
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u/Frontier246 5h ago
Also, Motoko's speech during the trial in this episode was brilliant! The prosecutor's dumbfounded reaction to it, like he couldn't comprehend what she had just said, made me laugh out loud.
He wanted her motivation and he got it in all it's cybernetic pragmatic existential glory.
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u/shad79 https://myanimelist.net/profile/shad79 5h ago
To be honest, I'd probably be just as dumbfounded as the prosecutor if I were in his place. Motoko answering his question in such a philosophical way was unexpected, but a welcome surprise.
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u/Ultramarinus https://anidb.net/user/kingsword 5h ago
He wanted but he couldn’t ‘handle the truth’.
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u/Ultramarinus https://anidb.net/user/kingsword 7h ago
Things have turned south rapidly. It made me wonder during the testimony how much of what she said was from the influence of Puppet Master. Though Aramaki at first surprised, seemed relieved by the end.
Just one episode left and I’m already feeling the effects of withdrawal in advance. It feels like it went by in a blink. I wonder if the sequels will be adapted later.
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u/za_shiki-warashi 7h ago
The blank eyes and monotone voice definitely seem to imply remnants of Puppet Master data.
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u/Frontier246 6h ago
Feels like Motoko is as much trying to make sense of herself and her identity as she's dealing with the current political situation.
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u/Ramongsh 2h ago
I agree. She was already questioning if she was really human or not in earlier episodes, before the Puppet Master, and the meeting with the Puppet Master probably elevated those thoughts.
She is having some serious existential crisis I feel
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u/Torque-A 7h ago edited 7h ago
Today’s endcard was drawn by Kazuchika Kise, who… well, I’ll just let his AniList bio do the talking:
He grew up admiring anime such as Space Battleship Yamato an during highschool he started animating with his friends. He enrolled into a professional animation school after graduating but quit quickly due to being disappointed in how the lessons were conducted.
He joined Anime R and later its subsidiary Studio Muu. His first work was as an in-betweener on Psycho Armor Govarian while his debut as a key animator was on Captain Tsubasa.
After working on Mamoru Oshii's Patlabor he permanently joined Production I.G. becoming known, together with Hiroyuki Okiura and Tetsuya Nishio, as "The Three Gods of I.G."
He's is one of the most prominent animators of the realist school, with emphasis on solid shapes and weighty character animation.
Ghost in the Shell-wise, he was animation director for the first two movies and did character design for Arise. Outside of GitS, he’s also known for doing the character designs for Made in Abyss and animation director for some IG titles.
One episode left. Usually for these kinds of endcards they reserve the finale for the original creator or someone of similar stature, and Shirow Masamune is still active…
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u/darkthought 7h ago
let's go porno Motoko to cap it off!
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u/za_shiki-warashi 7h ago edited 7h ago
And since it's modern Shirow, she's gonna be super shiny and oily. And maybe surrounded by big muscle bound humanoids.
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u/snarkamedes 7h ago
It'll be a beach pic with all his characters oiled up in shiny barely-there swimsuits: the Major, Batou, Briareios, Deunan, the Puma twins, Leona, etc
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u/za_shiki-warashi 7h ago
Did the Fuchikoma just make dial-up tones lol
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u/AGENTRomeo007 7h ago
yes guys, you got your philosophy coded motoko back
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u/thisisdropd https://myanimelist.net/profile/AsterZoro 7h ago
Aramaki & Motoko were certainly on the same wavelength! Playing solicitor only to not prepare any closing arguments knowing she'd escape the trial to clean up the mess. He's also not being helpful when the rest of the cops tried to bring her in. Having said that, when she started lecturing about existentialism, even he got unnerved.
Next week is the finale, and Motoko will spend it being a fugitive. Interested to see how things'll wrap up!
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u/cyberscythe 4h ago
Aramaki & Motoko were certainly on the same wavelength
i like in general how Aramaki seems to be a few steps ahead; silently cooperating with Motoko on her "surprise escape", letting the PubSec guy ride along because he knew he was going to get tailed anyways, sitting down in the car because he know negotiating isn't going to work in his favor, etc.
he seems like a good leader for the group without being overbearing
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u/pandorasfemboy 6h ago
I love the tiny crow gags in this show, this episode had one going bald cuz of the explosion 😭
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u/Aileos https://myanimelist.net/profile/Syleos 7h ago edited 7h ago
The speech from Kusanagi was deep. Exactly the kind of stuff you can find in GitS. It left me at a loss for words, like everyone else in the courtroom.
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u/Frontier246 6h ago
What is sentience if not programming that can be corrupted by outside sources? Are we human or just biological computers?
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u/Weak_Season_Of_Anime 7h ago
Motoko made a very convincing case, they should have just dropped her charges. Aramaki being a boss as usual, letting her go rogue.
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u/Frontier246 6h ago
The prosecutor was not expecting this case to involve debating digital existential sentience.
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u/exRocky009 6h ago
It really reminded me of Aramaki's line from SAC: "The only thing we have is teamwork that arises from individual play."
Section 9's actions in this episode were a perfect example of that—every single member was making all the right moves for the situation without needing any detailed explanations.
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u/a1oner_bvcksn6 7h ago
This episode had all the elements that honestly felt like I was watching a US serial espionage TV drama. I especially enjoyed the courtroom scene, where the judge even ruled in favor of Aramaki's objection while Motoko gives off the most unserious look/vibe ever for someone in her predicament. Needless to say seeing her in uniform is always a treat.
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u/Frontier246 6h ago
I don't feel like you get a lot of cyberpunk court scenes so that was really interesting.
Everyone loves a woman in uniform, whether it be military dress or skintight.
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u/SA090 https://anilist.co/user/SA090 6h ago edited 6h ago
That testimony was something else, makes me truly wonder where she might now begin and end vs when The Puppet Master does. Seeing Aramaki just as surprised at first was also interesting, before he seemingly came to terms with her being this now.
This contrast is insanely fascinating to me.
One more to go, and I’m very excited to see how she gets out of this mess.
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u/LeonKevlar x2https://myanimelist.net/profile/LeonKevlar 6h ago
So Motoko's name is out in public and is now being dragged through the mud; the Prime Minister refuses to comment, and it's pretty clear that this is all a ploy against Section 9 to limit their capacity. Things have certainly gone to shit this episode.
Wow, so the footage sent to the mass media was deliberately edited to hide the fact that the boy was reaching out for his gun or even the gun itself. They really wanted to make it look like an assassination and not self-defence.
After the explosion happened and we cut to the news, I was worried that they'd blame that one again on the Major since she was at the scene. Thank fuck it was just reporting on the group that claims responsibility for the bombing.
Man, the encounter with the Puppet Master has really changed Motoko. She was definitely more sombre, especially after surviving that bombing with Togusa. A big contrast to how Batou is very cheery despite all this shit that's happening to Section 9 and the Major.
Telling Motoko that she gets a reduced sentence witha guilty plea is laughable. With the number of enemies she's made, those people would definitely use that as an opportunity to get rid of her.
Motoko dropping some existentialism during the court care. The fact that she talks about how she just snapped the kid out of the nightmare of his programming- I think that's the Puppet Master talking.
Escaping the courtroom before she was given the verdict wasn't really a surprise. I'm sure Motoko and Aramaki already have a plan in mind. I'm just curious how [this entire hostage taking act][(https://i.imgur.com/L401ojv.jpeg) is a part of it.
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u/Frontier246 5h ago
I love how there's all this political and social drama, Motoko going through an existential crisis and becoming a wanted woman, and who knows what Section 9 is going to look like after this...and Batou is just having the time of his life lol.
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u/mastereluder6 4h ago
Let me get this straight , she went awol ( or rogue if you could say that ) to find the real culprit who framed her and bring the truth out while also making her not guilty?
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u/cyberscythe 3h ago
that's my understanding; under public pressure due to politically-influenced media attention the government and Section 9 could no longer protect her, so Aramaki and Motoko came to a silent agreement for her to "go rogue" and figure out a plan to expose the plot
reminds me a bit of Ghost Protocol (despite the name, no relation)
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u/SirVixofthePooSea 1h ago
That was some story they cocked up. Motoko and Aramaki knew that "totally not Israel" was behind it all, but also that no one really cared except for Section 9. Public opinion meant that Motoko was being sacrificed, and in prison and powerless she'd be wiped out instantly. So he makes up stories to delay for time as she sets up an escape scheme.
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u/AceSoldia zj:https://anilist.co/user/Acesoldia 7h ago edited 7h ago
Im invested but I'm not sure how much was planned or by the skin of her teeth...that testimony seemed to be a surprise.
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u/Frontier246 6h ago
I think the testimony is the real reason she did, more honesty than she was probably expecting to say, but considering how fast Batou mobilized I think it was always the plan to go rogue.
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u/Shadowmist909 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Magicmist 5h ago
Motoko taking a hostage and trying to fly her way to freedom via helicopter has the gears turning in my head!
One things clear with that decoy footprints stunt, and her using the news monitoring this situation to her advantage. This is why you don't want to get on the bad side of your most skilled agent.
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u/za_shiki-warashi 7h ago
Haha the Major is still feeling the bad trip from the puppet master psychedelics.
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u/Frontier246 6h ago
Motoko: "I digitally ascended/banged this sentient AI and it's made me truly question the meaning of existence and life."
Prosecutor: ....
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u/tripleaamin https://myanimelist.net/profile/tripleaamin 2h ago
One thing that was fascinating in this episode is to see the transition Motoko is in in this episode. Much colder than the Motoko that we have seen throughout the show so far. Her response in the courtroom even surprised Aramaki is quite telling.
Though it's amusing as she flees the country and how Aramaki is playing by it. "She ain't under me anymore".
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u/swat4516 7h ago
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u/Verdant_Moss 2h ago
I really can't get over how much I love this show's general look and feel but I feel like I haven't been able to follow along at all? I didn't have this issue with the films, which I had understood to be more complicated. I think this might warrant a full dub rewatch in one sitting because I really have no idea whats at stake or who is doing what to who where or what or why lmao
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u/Frontier246 7h ago
Section 9 is in their biggest crisis yet, caught in the middle of a political AND public outcry over Motoko's assassinating the would-be-terrorist. The very country that they serve has turned against her, her enemies have put her in a gigantic bind, what can she do?
Luckily she's got her team by her side doing all that they can...including Batou who just seems perpetually happy and like he's enjoying the show.
Did they really expect Togusa to be able to tail the Major without getting caught? But it's not like he would seriously tail her when he's trying to help. Also, thanks Sabiro for giving Motoko enough warning to save Togusa and prevent his wife from becoming a widow...even if she should probably just lose him now so she can get over it later (harsh!). Can't save him from getting roasted by Batou though.
Aramaki is caught in his own crisis. Support Motoko even if it means Section 9 gets regulated to obsolesces, or sacrifice her to preserve the teams' effectiveness?
In-between political conflict between two nations Japan is caught in the middle of, Motoko is back on uniform to go on trial. Why did she kill instead of apprehending the blue-haired kid? Because she's gone all existential about how the truth of existence is in ones' programming and her job is to clean up corrupted programming for the sake of the world and those she kills. That sure shut the prosecutor up!
It's not like Motoko can go to prison, that won't solve anything, so the verdict never mattered. Just saying her piece and going rogue so she can REALLY do what she has to do to clean up this mess. And it doesn't matter what they do, they'll never catch her...not unless she wants them to see her.
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u/AGENTRomeo007 6h ago
I loved the episode and the direction which was like watching something different ig. Can't explain it.
The talking scenes are the most important thing in this episode, but it was consistent mostly, otherwise its just mouth going 😮🙁😮🙁
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u/Joshawott27 1h ago
Aramaki closing the car door at the end to avoid being seen by the cameras letting The Major “slip”. I love how casually sly he is.
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u/Ok_Result118 4m ago
I really wish they stuck with original names of countries. It's a bit difficult to track who's doing what with these non sense names. Don't get me wrong, I'm loving the high concept science fiction but the political drama usually takes me an extra watch or rewinding to follow who's doing what country wise.
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u/Ponchorello7 6h ago
The pacing of this episode felt so borked.
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u/tripleaamin https://myanimelist.net/profile/tripleaamin 2h ago
People wanted a manga-accurate GitS and this is what it is. I think it's just cool to see how Shirow created the series. Some fascinating concepts and ideas.
I just think that both the movie and SAC just work better as a cohesive story. This feels more disjointed and can feel rough at times. I still think it is good and very interesting.
It is definitely not how I would recommend people to get into the series. I personally feel like SAC is the best entry point by far. Even if it were the furthest from the manga technically.
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u/Ree_For_Thee 5h ago
IKR, and there are threads on Facebook and MAL talking about this and how the show's actually flopping because of the bad pacing, bad setup and inconsistent art direction.
For some reason, "vote driven" sites like reddit that hide anything that doesn't "say 100% nice things" means that people who want nuance just get driven away from the site. sigh
I'm an adult, over 40 now. I honestly consider "just say nice things" to be immature. I can only speculate on the average age of the people on this sub.
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u/dawnwill 3h ago
Imagine caring about scores on the interwebz as an adult, otakus never grow up yo
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u/Ree_For_Thee 3h ago
I'm a human. Humans are social creatures. Reddit often has a monopoly on various niche discussions. shrug
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u/Ponchorello7 5h ago
I've noticed that particularly about this sub. Unless it's about something particularly shitty, criticism is scrutinized.
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u/cyberscythe 5h ago
that reminds me of the discussion threads in Lazarus; it was the most critical discussion thread i've seen on this subreddit
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u/Ponchorello7 4h ago
For what was honestly just a mediocre show.
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u/cyberscythe 3h ago
it felt polarized between "this is bullshit i'm so disappointed" and "c'mon it's not so bad"
the annoying part is that i don't remember much discussion of the actual episode, just people either complaining or counter-complaining
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u/MirNaSveta 3h ago
It seems i just watch it now just to finish it cause i didn't understand shit yet again but it's too late to give up now.
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