You'd think Claire might have mentioned that... but then again, it is Claire, so maybe not.
In any case, I am hoping we get a bit more variety in the matches from now on. I know the focus is more on the relationships, but the sports side is cool too - and it would be nice to get more strategy than just 'Haruka!' 'Kanata!' *pokey* every point.
It's been fun.
Gay just went full explicit, Zenith has no choice but to give up this week, I hope.
An interesting New Game animation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVLLUjedzTQ
Okay, I started this episode and thought I had accidentally opened episode 1 of Starlight Kageki Revue.
Also, someone needs to tell Akari that her character is a little over-engineered, what with the tech and the fairy and the volleyball.
Edited by RedSavant on Aug 17th 2018 at 11:27:11 AM
It's been fun.
Snow Ghost
She's over prepared for any story tropes...it only makes sense.
YO. Rules of the Internet 45. Rule 45 is a lie.
The Real Daigensui
![[up]](https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/smiles/arrow_up.png "[up]"){kind=icon}
Look, if you're so concerned about what one blogger is saying, then go drop them a complaint voicing your displeasure or something.
Back to the episode: Akari doesn't feel like she's suitable for this sort of show.
Edited by Person0123452 on Aug 17th 2018 at 9:00:21 AM
The only resource you need for tropes
Yeah, I don't really like Akari too much. It's fine if they relegate her to the team manager role, but in a show that's so focused on partner dynamics, it is weird to have a character whose base concept is 'I'm here to ride your coattails into fame, so one of you powerlevel me to #1 in the nationals'.
It's been fun.
Snow Ghost
But she made friends so she's immediately better now.
YO. Rules of the Internet 45. Rule 45 is a lie.
I can forgive that, mostly because it would be kind of tiresome to spend another whole episode on her.
It's been fun.
The Real Daigensui
Yep: with Marissa showing up, let real training begin. Also, strictly for Ryan028's enjoyment, I present this
. Kinda curious to see how he fares against Infinite Zenith in discussion.
Edited by Person0123452 on Aug 17th 2018 at 11:34:24 AM
The only resource you need for tropes
Snow Ghost
Didn't seem too bad.
Akari~n! No, wait. Wrong show about teenage gay girls.
The show would have my unending respect if that sequence at the start was revealed to be just Akari singing in the shower. Alas, 'twas not so. Still, they came close enough to that.
So, a "friendless idol" story, huh? Haven't seen that one anytime recently. Admittedly, I wasn't expecting it out of a sports anime, but still.
Seriously, that was a very played out episode. It felt a bit like filler to me. I didn't really like Akari all that much, to be honest. She feels annoying and arrogant, and I just don't see the point of her being in the show. She doesn't have a partner, doesn't have any skill, and generally just feels a bit tacked onto the cast to me. Maybe subsequent episodes will improve that a bit, but right now, I don't really like her that much.
Also, wow, the show just straight-up admitted about the relationships thing! No hesitation whatsoever!
And so, Marissa arrives. And Haruka fails to make a connection between the two blonde girls right beside her and the blonde woman with a volleybal in front of her.
Yeah, I didn't like this episode that much. It wasn't bad, just uninteresting.
The Real Daigensui
- "Pairing with a partner is like getting married, in a way."- Marissa
How about that?
Edited by Person0123452 on Aug 24th 2018 at 12:03:51 PM
The only resource you need for tropes
Snow Ghost
You could make that analogy for any kind of 2 pair teaming...
It's just really specific.
YO. Rules of the Internet 45. Rule 45 is a lie.
I love how even after experiencing Marissa's training, Claire's still "Oni Coach" and Masrissa becomes "Super Oni Coach".
The Real Daigensui
Sorry to disappoint those seeking other things from it, but the hidden gem of this post: working out the route that Kanata and the others take to the airport – it is indeed feasible for them to run all the way within the half an hour they had, and it shows both Kanata's determination to get through to Narumi and the others' determination to support Kanata.
Edited by Person0123452 on Aug 25th 2018 at 10:02:52 AM
The only resource you need for tropes
Snow Ghost
Realism at its finest.
YO. Rules of the Internet 45. Rule 45 is a lie.
Distant observer
Speaking of realism, I wonder where our experts went? With their ability to prompt discussions by asking questions on Jungian archetypes, climate and beach volleyball rules, I think that it'd be interesting to hear their thoughts on things.
Being cleverer than you look is better than looking cleverer than you are.
Wait, who was talking about Jung?
It's been fun.
The Real Daigensui
I think there was another poster in the Yuru Camp thread who brought Jungian psychology to the table when talking about introverts and extroverts. With the clear differences between Haruka and Kanata, or Claire and Emily, I think I can see why Clockwork was asking about it 
With that being said, I can't remember who it was off the top of my head, but I do remember their discussion as often involving a lot of questions about small details in various Manga Time Kirara shows.
The only resource you need for tropes
Well, that episode kind of... happened. I feel like that's been the case for a few weeks now; not much really goes on in each episode, and the things that do happen tend to drag.
Episode 9 keeps up the trend with a bit of a timeskip, an emotional moment for Akari, which doesn't really feel earned given that she hasn't been in many episodes, a twist that naturally sets up Eclair-Harukana in episode 10, probably a breather or tournament setup in 11, and Kanata and Narumi's rematch in 12, and a new team cropping up.
Unfortunately for the series, the characters aren't particularly strong, I feel like. The central four (fiiine, five) are well drawn, but they tend to feel fairly one-note, especially when there's five people in a scene who all have to get their word in and then be quiet so the scene doesn't last all day. This is a problem when you get teams like Aimai, who are Harukana if Kanata was a hyperaggro newbie, and the Aragakis, who are Eclair if Eclair was shorter and Japanese. It kind of feels like the show is bringing them in to pad time because Haruka and Kanata dealt with their only intra-team issue in episode 3.
It doesn't help that beach volleyball is at once a very fast sport (since ideally the point ends after serve-receive-set-spike) and one that lasts for a very long time given point thresholds. We kind of just end up montaging through the matches assuming that whatever the flavor-of-the-day trick spike is, is being used every time to more or less the same effect.
It's been fun.
Well, that was an episode that I have watched. The most interesting part was that the team that got skipped over was implicitly more of a walkover
The Real Daigensui
A hundred bucks says that Haruka and Kanata will beat Claire and Emily next episode.
Snow Ghost
Wow, I glazed over that first half of the episode. Yes, love, they're going to have to compete. It happens. It's almost like it's the point of the freaking sport. Geez.
I ask again, what's the point of Akari in this show? It's all about pairs and teamwork, yet there she is, almost a literal fifth wheel, adding almost nothing to the interactions except the occasional comedy bit and demonstration of how far Haruka has come by showing us how much Akari is still a newbie. And now a whole segment dedicated to her finding out her friends will be playing each other and having to learn about the concept of competition. Narumi says it better: they already planned to face each other either way. There was no point to this, and even less point to her. Akari feels like someone heard these kinds of shows normally have a fifth main character, but didn't grasp the reason why.
On the second half, we have the beginning of the tournament, which is skipped over, and then we are introduced to the Thomas Sisters Palette Swap, the Aragaki Sisters. They're basically brunette Claire and Emily, personalities and all. Their game is about as creative and inspired as their designs, as well. It's really just filler, which is a weird thing this late in the show. "We can't lose here!", says the unimportant palette swap character, 19 minutes into a 23-minute episode. Yeah, hon, go for it. It's amazing they got this far with a strategy of "If it isn't working, keep at it at the expense of the entire game".
Seriously, this episode was straight-up boring. I tabbed out while it played like three times to go and do something else. Quality was overall off. No decent comedy, animation felt stiff, camerawork was simplistic, even the sound design felt a bit more boxed in. I don't know what happened there, but this was a very weak episode to open the last quarter of the show.
Next week should be more interesting, although to be honest, I'm not feeling a lot of tension in this game. I mean, sure, it can still be well-executed, but as it stands, the only people with any real stakes on this are Harukana. For Éclair, this is just another tournament under their belt. It means quite a lot more for Haruka and Kanata, so the competition feels narratively unequal. I can see the victory going to either pair, since a match with Narumi and Ayasa is going to be on the cards either way, be it friendly or in an actual tournament, so there's still little tension there.
Edited by TheLovecraftian on Sep 1st 2018 at 5:32:48 AM
She didn't put force behind her blocks...
It seems like she wasn't used to it...blocking.
YO. Rules of the Internet 45. Rule 45 is a lie.