Zombieland Saga

The two aspects aren't necessarily mutually exclusive. You can contrast the genuine hard work and passion that go into idol shows with their more… exploitative aspects.

Edited by Lyendith on Nov 11th 2018 at 2:01:32 PM

I mean, all of the characters (with the possible exception of Saki) come from a background where they were selling themselves, sometimes literally (for Yugiri) but mostly in entertainment. I don't for a second believe that a show whose major character conflict so far centers on differences in how idols interact with fans is just playing things straight.

They're literally being held in a jail cell and have been since the very first episode. That's not subtle commentary, though you can debate on what that actually means.

I mean, while I hadn't exactly overlooked the stuff you guys are talking about, I remain unconvinced that it's intentional. At the moment I'm content to enjoy this show on surface-level entertainment value, but if I haven't been convinced that the commentary is intentional by the season's end, it'll leave a bad taste in my mouth.

@Gliphon We're on the same boat here. Although what some of the guys said is rather... Interesting at the same time and this is probably something new I learned everyday.

I mean, yeah. It's a bold tactic to take, since they're making an idol show that relies on critiquing the industry. It doesn't really seem like they're looking to lionize Junko's experiences, either - they're not saying that her idol experience was better, since she's still basically trying to make herself perfect.

I guess it depends on what they end up saying with their message.

I didn't really consider the actual argument of what they should be to their fans to be that important. It was just a convenient way to show off how they have different perspectives on their industry.

The thing I wonder about is Sakura's massive head scar. It could be from landing badly after being run over by a truck, but it also can be from her surviving from the event and dying later. Or more likely, Kotaro switching the original body's brain with a brain from another star.

Edited by haseo on Nov 14th 2018 at 2:56:04 AM

I'm not sure about that. It's true that Sakura doesn't have the scar when she's shown directly after being hit, but she's also not shown properly as a zombie until she looks into the roadside mirror - and if anything in the show so far would merit a Gory Discretion Shot, it's a girl with her head split open.

Haven't watched today's episode yet, so it might be proved/disproved there. But I've got a better theory: Sakura and Tae switched brains. First, Sakura has her massive head scar and Tae has convenient bandage over her forehead. Second, Sakura was the first to regain her humanity despite the fact that she wasn't the last to die (if we go by "first to die is the first to regain consciousness). It might be that Tae died right before the show (and was the cause for making the zombie idol group) but had to have another body for another reason (maybe have a way to start from a young pretty body). Third, it explains why Tae still hasn't regained consciousness. She has a rotting brain in the wrong body. Edit: Also why Sakura can't remember anything (wrong brain in the body). Edit: Fourth: Tae.... doesn't really look good compared to the others (I still think she's adorable). It's kinda weird of her to be that legendary in show biz and being included in the idol group. Her being included because Kotaro has connection to her is more likely.

I have a feeling that it's gonna be a tear jerker story how Tae died. Like her being bed ridden or hikikimori most of her life, wishing to become an idol, until she died. With Kotarou fullfiling her wish.

Edited by haseo on Nov 15th 2018 at 10:39:18 AM

Watched the new episode.

CG is still choppy and doesn't blend well, but it's better than the last time.

…It kinda baffled me actually, since the Iron Frill performance was hand-drawn and it looked perfect. Dunno why they didn't do the same for Franchouchou. Maybe to simulate the "stiffness" the audience was commenting on?

Sakura's starting to have flashes of memory it seems… I wouldn't even be surprised if Kotarou had run Junko over on purpose for that very reason… Meanwhile, Tae's showing more and more signs of consciousness.

And now, instant autotune.

(also, damn, it wasn't apparent in her rags, but Tae's pretty damn busty actually…)

I thought there was something weird about the animation of Iron Frill.

On the other hand, some of Franchouchou's dancing was nicely choregraphed.

@Haseo: I guess they could do that, but Sakura keeps getting flashes of the same performance she was watching before she died, and she has the same accent she did when she was alive too. Both could be explained - say, that Tae is from the same area and was also a fan of Iron Frill - but that would be pretty cheap, and feels like some violation of the standard rules of mystery fairness.

7. CG felt a little off, though that may have been intentional. Autotune was great at least. Nice wrap-up of that drama, but I'm starting to get annoyed at Kotaro jumping between serious manager and goofy zombie abuser at a moment's notice. Tae is up to something. Hope Lily and Yugiri start getting their limelight now.

Kuwabara Kuwabara

Alright, Episode 7:

Wow! Didn't expect that Kotaro/Mamoru Miyano's character have a serious side to him which is nice to see and he does try at his best to encourage Junko even if the situation is dire. But other than that, we now saw the performance of Franchouchou in the stage and they had done it pretty well which is nice and Iron Frill does gave them a nice competition. The CGI's a bit meh but I think I know what they're aiming for considered that I felt that the producers or the animators of the show felt that they were inhuman so that they could use CGI but ah well... Can't blame em. Also, at the end of the day, Franchouchou's voice turned into Vocaloid like after getting struck by Lightning.......

-sighs-

Japan.

Japan everybody.

We fucking love you. (Courtesy of Tyk 5919)

Awesome performance right there. Should be in Crowning Moment Of Awesome tbh . Also, another interesting thing I want to bring out is the scene where Junko got accidentally hit by a fan thanks to the manager. Wow, that sure triggers Sakura's flashbacks so...

And considered I've recently read an obscure manga from Satoshi Kon called OPUS and watched this. I need to give Japan more medal (Even though I still think it's faaaar from perfect country and still have its problem but I prefer not to talk about it in here)

Edited by ElfenLiedFan90 on Nov 17th 2018 at 12:30:43 AM

Man, this was a great episode. Always good to see serious Kotaro, in his very rare appearances. More Ai/Junko is also very good, and they seem to be pushing it more strongly now, which I'm absolutely fine with.

Junko's singing voice is so different I almost thought it was a different voice actress, but I don't think that's actually true? Not sure.

Nice seeing Tae getting further along there, too. She's working on it.

Also, the autotune was hilarious.

Tae was a legendary...cannibal before her demise.

Episode 8… was surprisingly heart-wrenching. Despite how ridiculous her dad looks and how seemingly ridiculous her death was, Lily sure hit me in the feels there.

Though that raises the question of what will happen if the girls become famous and people start to realize after a few years that Lily doesn't age… and also where the hell Kotarou got the info about her.

I also wonder why Lily dropped her Saga accent after dying…

Edited by Lyendith on Nov 22nd 2018 at 11:17:21 AM

Nice episode 8.

Man that death... bit too comical perhaps? Like, I can't really imagine the amount of piled up stress she had from the whole thing. Dad must be blaming himself for a lot of things.

Interesting reveal about Lily that I think the show handled pretty well. She is who she wants to be, and that should be enough for everyone. Her death itself was a bit too ridiculous for me, but other than that we've got a father reuniting with his kid in a touching way. Happy that they know when to go serious if needed.

Episode 8:

Today's episode now focuses on Lily and her father. Sure, her father seems like an asshole who cares about ratings at first but honestly, I feel very bad for him and in the end of the day, he does care about Lily. And Lily was revealed to be a trap named Masao Go and he died because of the mental shock regarding facial hair...

To quote Tyk's word:

-sighs-

Japan.

Japan everybody.

We fucking love you.

Anyways, in all seriousness though, I still feel bad for Lily's father and in the end of the day, both of them are making amends together with Lily made a special song just for him and Lily's father does atone for his actions during Lily was alive so yeah... A pretty interesting episode.

Uhh, 'trap' isn't exactly a word you wanna make use of. It draws on a really dark history.