Fractale Discussion Thread

[Suwako Moriya]

For some reason the title makes me think of fractions. Maybe it will be a math based anime. Probably not.:P Either way, this be the thread for the series that will start airing tomorrow.

ANN Entry (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=11796)

Official Site (http://fractale.noitamina.tv/)


Note
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3) Don't use the blue "Post Reply" button because it causes your reply not to correctly inherit the subject line of the post you're replying to. Just click "Quote" to the post you want to reply to.

[FUNiOP]

Ah, I was going to make this thread if no one else had yet. Less than 12 hours left until the first episode simulcasts from FUNimation. Definitely the show I'm most looking forward to this season. An anime original on the noitaminA block by A-1 Pictures, the director of Haruhi Suzumiya, and the writer of Black Butler. Sounds like a promising new series for noitamiNUF!

[FUNiOP]

Also, here's the link for the FUNimation stream. (http://www4.funimation.com/video/?page=show&b=344)

[FUNiOP]

And the first episode did not disappoint as I found it to be the most promising first episode of the season!

The OP and ED don't have much to them visually, with the OP being nothing but trippy kaleidoscope-esque imagery and fittingly wavy credits and the ED being nothing but the back of a character shown in the last few seconds of the episode sitting on a rock in a field as the wind blows. The songs are both nice but nothing that seems too great yet. Still, there's nothing wrong with them, and I don't wish I could skip them. There was also no preview, which is unfortunate, but I guess it just increases the suspense for one of the few series these days where you can't know what will happen next by the source material.

The setting is pretty fascinating. In the next century, the eponymous Fractale system has made it so people can live and earn money without every dealing with other people, as people can have "doppels" of themselves (which manifest as strange, inhuman but anthropomorphic... things) to be around the people they love, and can disappear at will or at the will of the real person, it seems. It's made very clear that there's something wrong with this situation, as perfect as it may seem. I guess that must be where the "attack on moe culture" idea might come from. Of course, as in often the case in anime which tries to portray this, the solution is the oh-so-likely event that a hot girl falls out of the sky into the guy's arms (well, not quite) and doesn't mind getting naked to let him put medicine on her back, then falling asleep just like that. Well oh well, this is a very fictional setting as it is. The girl is wearing the outfit of a priestess, and the Fractale system is associated with religion and prayers happen daily. She hints that she's from a different era, presumably the future, as she knows about this era already. She first appears being chased by the initial villains who, as it turns out, are comically incompetent. She has a pendant which she claims keeps her smiling and she hopes it will bring back the smile of the male lead (Clain) from when he was a baby and got to be with his real parents. When he falls asleep leaning on her, she leaves it with him and disappears, and when he... examines the data (?) on his computer, a magical sparkly light engulfs the area and out pops the cute girl seen the ED.

Yeah, not quite like anything I can think of right now, and I love it. I can't wait to see where it goes from here, and I have high hopes for the future.

[Chris Beveridge]

I took it as being much later than the 22nd century based on the video Clain was watching that talked about what was going on in the 22nd century and him thinking that the future it predicted has happened.

[FUNiOP]

I took it as being much later than the 22nd century based on the video Clain was watching that talked about what was going on in the 22nd century and him thinking that the future it predicted has happened.

Ah, you're totally right. The 22nd century broadcast proposed this idea for the future and he commented that the world had been the way this idea hoped it would for a while.

[EmperorBrandon]

Interesting start with the story and the interactions between Clain and Phryne. I will definitely be curious to find out more about them, Phryne in particularly (given she's left, I wonder how long it will be until we see her again, though). The trio of bumbling villains were hilarious.

[Suwako Moriya]

Seems like the hair colors of the characters in the anime are different from the artwork images that I've seen.

Enri is blond instead of a redhead (?). Phryne has brown hair instead of purple. Nessa has red hair instead of purple. Not sure what to make of this.

I can say however that all three girls interest me. Especially Nessa. Sure her time in the episode was limited, but entrances like that have a certain charm to them.

The setting of the world is actually a bit on the depressing side and you can't help but feel that deep down things are wrong.

[EmperorBrandon]

I can say however that all three girls interest me. Especially Nessa. Sure her time in the episode was limited, but entrances like that have a certain charm to them.

I'm so looking forward to seeing what she's like next episode. Most Hanazawa Kana-voiced characters are completely awesome, after all.

The setting of the world is actually a bit on the depressing side and you can't help but feel that deep down things are wrong.

Yeah, I kind of get that feeling, and that Phryne is trying to go against it somehow (the "somehow" being a mystery at this point, but it will be interesting finding out more).

[cress2000]

Freaking useless, out of date PS3 web browser! I want to see this. :(

[FUNiOP]

Yeah, it felt like Ghibli at times to me, maybe with a little bit of Bones or Gainax. I love that A-1 has a new original almost every season, although I haven't gotten the feel that they have a specific "style" yet. Not that it's a bad thing; I've enjoyed almost all of them. I'm surprised that this is the noitaminA show that isn't Aniplex though, considering A-1 is just a subsidiary of Aniplex in the first place.

[TAS]

the OP being nothing but trippy kaleidoscope-esque imagery
The kaleidoscope imagery is actually surprise! Fractal (https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Fractal) images.

[FUNiOP]

the OP being nothing but trippy kaleidoscope-esque imagery
The kaleidoscope imagery is actually surprise! Fractal (https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Fractal) images.

Oh wow, now I feel stupid.

[TAS]

Yeah, it felt like Ghibli at times to me,
Phryne's flying wing made me think that when I first saw it. Also the mix of old and new is something seen in some Ghibli work.

[FUNiOP]

Yeah, it felt like Ghibli at times to me,
Phryne's flying wing made me think that when I first saw it. Also the mix of old and new is something seen in some Ghibli work.

Yeah, those were a couple of the major reasons that it reminded me of Ghibli.

[EmperorBrandon]

Seems like the hair colors of the characters in the anime are different from the artwork images that I've seen.

Enri is blond instead of a redhead (?). Phryne has brown hair instead of purple. Nessa has red hair instead of purple. Not sure what to make of this.

Yeah, I wonder about the hair color thing, but it's really not a big deal to me. I noticed Nessa's hair looked a good bit different in color back when I saw the PV for the anime, so I expected it.

Speaking of which, I want to check around the official site again, but seem like I'm having a lot of trouble loading it up...

[Sly05]

I got Nadia vibes from this, especially due to the trio of bumbling thugs. I liked Phryne though the switch up of heroines at the end seems to indicate the focus won't be on her, at least for now. The episode didn't quite hook me on the series yet, but I'll stick around for another episode or two at least to see where it goes.

[einhorn303]

- Anime with real science fiction. This is something I love to see.
- The issue with dopplers and a virtual society reminds me of the stories "Piccadillly Circus" by Chris Beckett and "Nevermore" by Ian R. MacLeod. Both of which brilliantly tackle the same theme (though in a much more depressing way than Fractale so far).
- In such a technologically advanced society, you'd think the police would have better cars.
- At first I thought the voice Yu Kobayashi's using here was too feminine. But I'm getting used to it.
- This form of prayer is oddly similar to a retina scan. Oh, and I'm sure him blinking when Phryne appears is pregnant with symbolism.
- This show has some beautiful backgrounds. Like this (http://i727.photobucket.com/albums/ww278/einhorn303/fractale-ep1background.jpg).
- Despite it's reputation, this show is hitting lots of magical-girlfriend tropes.
- Clain is a data format otaku.
- Phryne has some very eccentric habits.
- And Enri is just downright cute. This whole sequence is a lot more...wacky, I guess?...than I expected the show to be. Also, her minions are totally the Blues Brothers.
- "From this era?" So Phryne is a time traveller...or maybe Clain's world is just one of many virtual reconstructions of past eras. Or who knows.

It's quite cruel that there's no preview, since I already can't wait for the next episode. This is likely to end up my favorite show of the season.

[Shiroi Hane]

The "prayer", where everyone at a particular time has to stare at a light in the sky without blinking, reminded me of the daily downloads to the earpieces in the first Cybermen episode of the new Doctor Who. I guess this is the uploading of life data to the server that was mentioned in the audio log.
Amused that his 22nd Century iPod looks just like a 20th century one, and even takes SD cards (only 64GB at that) - yet has a holographic interface. Also that not only does a projector still work when clearly long obsolete, but that he has a working lamp for it.

[FUNiOP]

Speaking of which, I want to check around the official site again, but seem like I'm having a lot of trouble loading it up...

It seems to have been replaced with its own (as in, not a dot-noitaminA) site here (http://fractale-anime.com/).

[EmperorBrandon]

It seems to have been replaced with its own (as in, not a dot-noitaminA) site here (http://fractale-anime.com/).

I know, but I was having trouble getting it to load even from that link earlier. Made me wonder if it was getting a lot of traffic.

[TAS]

Amused that his 22nd Century iPod looks just like a 20th century one, and even takes SD cards (only 64GB at that) - yet has a holographic interface.
It can't be an iPod since it has an SD card slot... that will never happen :P
From the junk in his room it could be an old iPod shell with new guts hacked into it.

[FUNiOP]

It seems to have been replaced with its own (as in, not a dot-noitaminA) site here (http://fractale-anime.com/).

I know, but I was having trouble getting it to load even from that link earlier. Made me wonder if it was getting a lot of traffic.

Oh, my bad.

[Fencedude]

WTF Who took Yamakan off his meds? And why did this suddenly turn into Ghibli?

Anyway, Kobayashi Yuu needs to work on sounding less like every other Kobayashi Yuu character ever. Its distracting, especially the "exasperation" effects.

Phryne's a one-night-stand Magical Girlfriend, but she leaves a magical loli-girlfiend behind. Fair trade? Who knows.

And lol at the bumbling thugs led by Iguchi Yuka. Good thing I'm not supposed to take them seriously.

[FUNiOP]

So it looks like the Ghibli/Miyazaki comparisons have become unanimous across the sites I've been checking out, and to a lesser extent the Gainax (specifically Nadia... in fact, probably nothing by Gainax except Nadia) ones. I guess they were even more obvious than I had first thought, and they seemed to be one of the reasons Zac didn't like it very much, giving it a 2.5/5. Not that I'm not used to him hating stuff I like, and Theron's review was more positive, but it seems pretty harsh.

[Fencedude]

So it looks like the Ghibli/Miyazaki comparisons have become unanimous across the sites I've been checking out, and to a lesser extent the Gainax (specifically Nadia... in fact, probably nothing by Gainax except Nadia) ones. I guess they were even more obvious than I had first thought, and they seemed to be one of the reasons Zac didn't like it very much, giving it a 2.5/5. Not that I'm not used to him hating stuff I like, and Theron's review was more positive, but it seems pretty harsh.

Oh how cute. Someone who thinks that Zac reviews have anything to do with objectivity.

[FUNiOP]

So it looks like the Ghibli/Miyazaki comparisons have become unanimous across the sites I've been checking out, and to a lesser extent the Gainax (specifically Nadia... in fact, probably nothing by Gainax except Nadia) ones. I guess they were even more obvious than I had first thought, and they seemed to be one of the reasons Zac didn't like it very much, giving it a 2.5/5. Not that I'm not used to him hating stuff I like, and Theron's review was more positive, but it seems pretty harsh.

Oh how cute. Someone who thinks that Zac reviews have anything to do with objectivity.

So I know that was targeted at Zac more than me, but I'm not sure you could sound any more condescending...

No, I don't agree with Zac most of the time, and more often than not his attitudes about certain things can piss me off quite a bit, but this felt like something he'd like a lot more than he did.

[Fencedude]

but this felt like something he'd like a lot more than he did.

Thus proving my point.

It really didn't matter what it was like, he wasn't going to give it a good review, thats why he reviewed it

I've been reading his reviews for years now, and the pattern is quite clear. I don't always agree with the other reviewers, but at least most of the time I feel like they've given the shows a fair shake, but not with Zac.

Anyway, this is enough about Zac, I really don't care what he thinks anymore, and I don't see why anyone else does either.

[FUNiOP]

It really didn't matter what it was like, he wasn't going to give it a good review, thats why he reviewed it

Except the show he reviewed before this got the only 5/5 of any show from any reviewer this season until Carl's review of Wandering Son today.

But yeah, almost all his preview guide reviews are complete jokes and I'm more surprised than anything that he's actually given so many of the shows actual number grades like his rules state.

[Fencedude]

Except the show he reviewed before this got the only 5/5 of any show from any reviewer this season until Carl's review of Wandering Son today.

*looks*

Oh, Level E. Yeah. This actually feeds into my point, but it involves a discussion about the bias given to "high concept" shows. This really isn't the time or the place for it.

Anyway, Most shows aren't 5/5 shows. The only show so far this season I'd give a 5/5 to is Madoka, though Horou Musukou is really close, I'd have to think on that.

Anyway, I find the idea of giving a firm rating to the first episode of a series kinda silly.

[HitokiriShadow]

Well, this show certainly has an interesting setting and I'm curious to see where the show goes with it.

Phryne was decent, but its unclear how big a role she'll have going forward. Initially, it looks like the guy will end up going on some sort of adventure with her for some reason or another... but then she leaves without him, instead leaving another girl behind. And its that other girl that gets all the ED attention. She appeared for a whole 3 seconds so its hard to get any idea what she's like, but she seems pretty fun.

Also, Phryne heavily resembled Nausicaa when she first appeared, and I'm pretty sure that was intentional.

Oh, and the blonde haired villain girl was pretty amusing.

[aku.chan]

Except the show he reviewed before this got the only 5/5 of any show from any reviewer this season until Carl's review of Wandering Son today.

*looks*

Oh, Level E. Yeah. This actually feeds into my point, but it involves a discussion about the bias given to "high concept" shows. This really isn't the time or the place for it.

Anyway, Most shows aren't 5/5 shows. The only show so far this season I'd give a 5/5 to is Madoka, though Horou Musukou is really close, I'd have to think on that.

Anyway, I find the idea of giving a firm rating to the first episode of a series kinda silly.

HA! I knew Wandering Son and Level E would be the only shows to get a good review over there. 'Does victory dance'

.... Anyway, more on-topic, a decent first episode. The Nadia and early Ghibli vibes it gives off makes it feel very Eighties, not that that's a bad thing or anything.

[William K]

Very solid start. The use of virtual surrogates was interesting and this has got to be the first anime to feature Mandelbrot sets in its OP :)

Nice art throughout and the use of Garda for police seems to set this in a future Ireland. Not sure why they chose Kobayashi Yuu as the lead though instead of a male voice...

Seeing Good Smile Company in the ED credits was highly amusing. They actually already have 2 nendroids for Nessa and Phyrne (with purple hair!?)
http://myfigurecollection.net/picture/143234&ref=figure%3A58789

[Buckeye]

I watched this last night and it got off to an interesting start. This show is set at a time where holograms can interact, iPods and 64GB SD cards are relics of the past, and where kids don't need real parents. Phryne, Nessa, and Enri are all awesome characters (though I have issues with Enri) and I will continue to watch this show because of them. The visuals are great, especially in the opening, and I liked the fact that a female was used for the voice of Clain. I hope that if Funi does end up licensing it (they have the streaming rights, so that is a good possibility) that Brina Palencia is cast as Clain.

[Shiroi Hane]

It can't be an iPod since it has an SD card slot... that will never happen :P
From the junk in his room it could be an old iPod shell with new guts hacked into it.
I was using iPod in the generic sense.

[Ashyukun]

Bah. FUNi's Hulu player STILL refuses to play nice with my hardware-accelerating version of Flash. Grrr.

Once I could finally actually watch the episode though... it's definitely a bit of an odd duck, and not in a bad way at all. Definitely had the same Nausicaa & Nadia vibes that everyone else did (I was mentally noting, "And the part of Grandis will now be played by a blond, twin-tailed loli..." and at least from what we saw of her, Phryne is less crabby/bitchy than Nadia at least was a first) with a touch of Summer Wars (with the avatars). I was expecting the Balloon-Gratan villians to be a lot more troublesome, but they ended up being absolutely hilarious and fun- I would be unsurprised if (like Nadia's initial antagonists) they end up not being so bad in the end.

The bait-and-switch with Phryne though was unexpected (well, it would have been had almost every description I've read of it not said that she disappeared... :sweat: ) or at least a bit different from what you'd expect to happen. Looking forward to the next episode and seeing where it goes from here. :)

[Shiroi Hane]

Have you tried the Flash 10.2 beta? It certainly improved youtube acceleration for me and the fullscreen on second window thing is a godsend.

[Ashyukun]

Have you tried the Flash 10.2 beta? It certainly improved youtube acceleration for me and the fullscreen on second window thing is a godsend.

I'll have to check what exactly I'm using... I know I was using the beta for a while since it was required for my ION GPU to be pulled in for hardware acceleration, but it auto-updated a little ways back so I'm not sure exactly what version it's using now. On FUNi's streams though (I had the same issue with Kuragehime...) when I fullscreen it with HW acceleration on it 'flickers' to black for a split second all the time- and if I turn the HW accel off, it plays like crap.

If they consistently post it up to YouTube as quickly as it seems they did with this episode, I may have to try watching it from there instead- FUNi/Hulu's player is the only one that I've had issues with- CR, YouTube, TAN, and even ANN's last season all behave just fine.

[Shiroi Hane]

The Flash 10.1 beta was the first to support hardware acceleration and has been out of beta for a while. There is a new 10.2 beta which improves on the hardware acceleration - while my machine is incapable of playing back even BDs perfectly, with the new beta 1080p sample videos on Youtube are watchable, where they weren't before.

[Orihimes_Boyfriend]

Watched the first one and not bad so far. The audio quality was for some reason not that good cause it sounded like it was in a wind tunnel most of the time but I could make out the dialogue just fine. Looking forward to see where the story goes from here cause the first episode set it up pretty good. The animation reminds me of Miyazaki's style.

[EmperorBrandon]

Not sure why they chose Kobayashi Yuu as the lead though instead of a male voice...

Kobayashi Yuu seems to be a staple of A-1 Pictures-original anime at this point. She had to be in there somewhere. :) Well, 3 out of 4 so far, since she wasn't in Night Raid (I'll be curious to see if she's in next season's Anohana).

Seeing Good Smile Company in the ED credits was highly amusing. They actually already have 2 nendroids for Nessa and Phyrne (with purple hair!?)
http://myfigurecollection.net/picture/143234&ref=figure%3A58789

For whatever reason, the characters in the anime have different hair colors from Hidari's illustrations of them. You can see that on official website (http://fractale-anime.com/) which uses his illustrations for the key visuals and character profiles.

[bear]

Yeah, it felt like Ghibli at times to me, maybe with a little bit of Bones or Gainax.
It felt like more than a little like Ghibil from the character and machinery designs to the bumbling bad guys. The dopels are creepy though.

The question I have is is this the real world or a virtual one (al a Matrix)?

The "Sally Gardens" ED threw me for a second. Thought I was hearing things. Loved the girl at the end with the "TADA!" and falling over at the end of the ED.

[einhorn303]

Anyway, Kobayashi Yuu needs to work on sounding less like every other Kobayashi Yuu character ever. Its distracting, especially the "exasperation" effects.

Speaking of Kobayashi Yuu, here's a Youtube compilation of her different anime roles (though it stops sometime before 2010): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rpb_wnVSrew


I was using iPod in the generic sense.

"Mp3 player"?


Seeing Good Smile Company in the ED credits was highly amusing. They actually already have 2 nendroids for Nessa and Phyrne (with purple hair!?)
http://myfigurecollection.net/picture/143234&ref=figure%3A58789

I can't wait until the dakimakura get solicited.

[FUNiOP]

Yeah, it felt like Ghibli at times to me, maybe with a little bit of Bones or Gainax.
It felt like more than a little like Ghibil from the character and machinery designs to the bumbling bad guys.

Well I was saying it was "a little like" the other studios, and more like Ghibli. But yeah, it's really, really like Ghibli.

And wow, A-1 has another original airing next season? I'm so glad this studio is around.

I also really hope FUNimation licenses this for DVD and Blu-ray and dubs it. I'll wait until it's over to make a fantasy cast.

[EmperorBrandon]

And wow, A-1 has another original airing next season? I'm so glad this studio is around.

Yeah, they are going to have another original anime on Noitamina next season called Anohana (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=12368) (shortened title) with the anime staff of Toradora behind it. I'm quite curious on it since I like a lot of stuff Nagai has worked on (Mahoraba, Toradora, and Railgun in particular).

[FUNiOP]

And wow, A-1 has another original airing next season? I'm so glad this studio is around.

Yeah, they are going to have another original anime on Noitamina next season called Anohana (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=12368) (shortened title) with the anime staff of Toradora behind it. I'm quite curious on it since I like a lot of stuff Nagai has worked on (Mahoraba, Toradora, and Railgun in particular).

Good to see. Hopefully this continues for even longer.

Oh look, ANN has more preview guide reviews. Another 3.5 and a 4.5. Wow, Carl is really liking this season, especially the noitaminA offerings. Also good to see.

[Fencedude]

For whatever reason, the characters in the anime have different hair colors from Hidari's illustrations of them. You can see that on official website (http://fractale-anime.com/) which uses his illustrations for the key visuals and character profiles.

The change in hair colors is weird.

Especially since in the original illustrations, Phryne and Nessa have the exact same color hair. Which I really doubt is a coincidence.

But now they don't. How bizarre.

Edit: And I note that the character "Moeran" also has hair that same shade of purple.

[TheGreenMan]

Very Miyazakiesque.
The loli and the blues brothers are pretty hilarious.
I have no idea what in the hell is going on. Who is the main girl, the one being chased, or the one that popped out of Clain's computer?

[Shiroi Hane]

I was using iPod in the generic sense.

"Mp3 player"?
In the generic sense of something clearly designed to look like an iPod.

[Gildor]

I was using iPod in the generic sense.

"Mp3 player"?
In the generic sense of something clearly designed to look like an iPod.
If you really want to be bland and generic, just call it a Portable Media Player. ;)

Of course, with this show being set in a virtual world, and based on the last scene, I suspect it may be more than that.

[strangefour]

-Hmm Fractale. I don't remember hearing or seeing anything about this. Oh well, time to find out.

-Bitter.
-WTF! Demonic object avatar monster parents?
-Okay... so everyone is some kind of in game avatar but the main character.
-Hello Robbie the Robot.
-A few other random human looking people. Be the vast majority of those world seems to be peopled by simple digital constructs. Kinda freaky, but in an amusing way. (Makes me miss Dennou Coil.)
-Worship the glowing orb. Worship it!

-Strange girl on a stranger flying machine. Plus sky pirates! Okay we have achieved full Ghibli.
-I'm only in so far as the Opening (which is neat by the way), but this is the best new show this season. Period.
-Hehe. I see Mandelbrot's butt.
-My how quickly she get's into only her underwear.
-GYA! Full frontal nunnity! At least she dresses like a nun. Dressed like a nun. Now a nude nun.
-This girl is crazy.

-Loli nurse sky pirate home delivery service.
-"Well they found you. They are dumber than I expected."
-Much, much dumber...
-Surprise twintails!
-Irish love song is a bit odd with a Japanese accent.

Wow. That was uh... wow. The most unique show this cour. Nice to see someone try something so, well Ghilbi on tv. I kinda hope that the sexy nun comes back, or that holographic data stored twintails is a real spitfire. Since my favorite thing about why I love Ghilbi movies is the strong female leads kicking butt and occasionally taking silly boys along for the ride. But Clain does look sorta like a silly girl himself. I eagerly await future frizzing hair moments!

[strangefour]

For whatever reason, the characters in the anime have different hair colors from Hidari's illustrations of them. You can see that on official website (http://fractale-anime.com/) which uses his illustrations for the key visuals and character profiles.

The change in hair colors is weird.

Especially since in the original illustrations, Phryne and Nessa have the exact same color hair. Which I really doubt is a coincidence.

But now they don't. How bizarre.

Edit: And I note that the character "Moeran" also has hair that same shade of purple.

Aww we're missing purple hair. Damn them! Could have left one of the girls with purple hair at least. *pout*

[Ashyukun]

Aww we're missing purple hair. Damn them! Could have left one of the girls with purple hair at least. *pout*
Perhaps if, as some have postulated, this actually IS taking place in a virtual world/construct, their hair colors are different in the 'real' world. ;)

I didn't get the impression that the world itself was virtual, just that they'd advance to the point of having 'solid holograms' as a result of the Fractale system that they could interact with physically, but I'd not completely rule the 'virtual world' theory out. Hell, there's not a lot at all I'd rule out after just one episode, about all I WOULD rule out would be my not enjoying the show.

[William K]

-GYA! Full frontal nunnity! At least she dresses like a nun. Dressed like a nun. Now a nude nun.

Her dress kinda reminds me of Erica Fontaine from Sakura Taisen 3

[Fencedude]

-GYA! Full frontal nunnity! At least she dresses like a nun. Dressed like a nun. Now a nude nun.

Her dress kinda reminds me of Erica Fontaine from Sakura Taisen 3

Hah! I thought the same thing.

Also, required link for every mention of Erica: OHAYO BONJOUR (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GVOHQbXD-Cg)

[William K]

-GYA! Full frontal nunnity! At least she dresses like a nun. Dressed like a nun. Now a nude nun.

Her dress kinda reminds me of Erica Fontaine from Sakura Taisen 3

Hah! I thought the same thing.

Also, required link for every mention of Erica: OHAYO BONJOUR (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GVOHQbXD-Cg)

The next time I get my hands on my friend's phone, I'm gonna set this as his alarm... hahahah

[Mafty Allegro]

Fractale is a bit strange in that I really liked the show itself, but felt letdown by the character designs (the human ones, the abstract ones looked neat). I already knew going in that the designs weren't going to look anything like the beautifully detailed and attractive ones used for the concept art and promotion after having seen the PV, so I was already "pre-disappointed". But even as I watched the first episode, I still couldn't help but feel more than a little so by their rendition, which seemed to get the least bit of care as they looked undistinguished and sloppy, even though their actual animated movement and expressions were rather good.

Everything else about the show, though, was excellent. The background art was superb and the characters and episode plot were amusing and endearing, even though you knew little about either. The introduction to the world was good and didn't drown in its own quirkiness, nor did it go info-dump crazy, keeping some its mystery and questions open. The dialouge was very nice and snappy, showcasing one of the best qualities in Yutaka Yamamoto's titles. And the score… :beatingheart:

Fractale is almost like an amalgam of Nausicaa, Nadia, Laputa, Dennou Coil, and few other family shows, but manages not to feel like a copout. If the staff had done a better job of the character rendering to match the high-quality everywhere else in the production, I would seriously be touting this as the first step in possibly one of the most special anime in some time. For now, I'll hold back that praise, but it is still a great(*) first episode to a potentially great show.

[formerroadie]

Too bad the Funi simulcasts have been halted.

[strangefour]

Too bad the Funi simulcasts have been halted.

Son of a... (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2011-01-19/fractale-production-committee-halts-n-american-simulcast) Oh well. I guess if there is no longer a simple legal official way for foreigners to watch an anime currently airing, then no one will watch it. Huh. Heh. AHAHAHAHAHAH! Keep on living the dream Japan.

[TheGreenMan]

Too bad the Funi simulcasts have been halted.

Son of a... (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2011-01-19/fractale-production-committee-halts-n-american-simulcast) Oh well. I guess if there is no longer a simple legal official way for foreigners to watch an anime currently airing, then no one will watch it. Huh. Heh. AHAHAHAHAHAH! Keep on living the dream Japan.

Eliminate all other streams and fansubs? Haahhahahahahahaha. *Sits back with popcorn*

[superdry]

Too bad the Funi simulcasts have been halted.

Son of a... (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2011-01-19/fractale-production-committee-halts-n-american-simulcast) Oh well. I guess if there is no longer a simple legal official way for foreigners to watch an anime currently airing, then no one will watch it. Huh. Heh. AHAHAHAHAHAH! Keep on living the dream Japan.

Eliminate all other streams and fansubs? Haahhahahahahahaha. *Sits back with popcorn*

Huh? Why does the whole burden have to fall on Funi? Something's not adding up....

Also...does Funi region block their streams like CR does?

[Sly05]

Son of a... (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2011-01-19/fractale-production-committee-halts-n-american-simulcast) Oh well. I guess if there is no longer a simple legal official way for foreigners to watch an anime currently airing, then no one will watch it. Huh. Heh. AHAHAHAHAHAH! Keep on living the dream Japan.

Eliminate all other streams and fansubs? Haahhahahahahahaha. *Sits back with popcorn*
Yeah... that doesn't sound like the most well thought out anti-piracy plan.

[TAS]

Too bad the Funi simulcasts have been halted.

Son of a... (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2011-01-19/fractale-production-committee-halts-n-american-simulcast) Oh well. I guess if there is no longer a simple legal official way for foreigners to watch an anime currently airing, then no one will watch it. Huh. Heh. AHAHAHAHAHAH! Keep on living the dream Japan.

Eliminate all other streams and fansubs? Haahhahahahahahaha. *Sits back with popcorn*

Huh? Why does the whole burden have to fall on Funi? Something's not adding up....
A few years ago I was setting up a promo page for a Japanese band that was appearing in Canada, the Japanese record company give me some images to use on the site but told me it had to be impossible for anyone to download the images... I told them that my content protection system was equal or better then the system used on their site (nothing, right-click save as) and they bought it. Since I put the images in a Flash slide show I did have more protection (not by much) then they had. Marketing people really have no clue.

I just had a quick look and there are copies around that are clearly from a different source then the crappy 360p version that they gave to Funimation. So they are just cutting off their nose to spite their face.

[Shiroi Hane]

Also...does Funi region block their streams like CR does?
More so. Their video portal is only accessible in North America and Hulu is only available in the US. Some of their Youtube streams are open to other regions (UK in particular, not sure about elsewhere) but their noitaminA simulcasts are always North America only.

[Senku]

-GYA! Full frontal nunnity! At least she dresses like a nun. Dressed like a nun. Now a nude nun.

Her dress kinda reminds me of Erica Fontaine from Sakura Taisen 3

Hah! I thought the same thing.

Also, required link for every mention of Erica: OHAYO BONJOUR (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GVOHQbXD-Cg)

Ha! That's the best thing I've seen in a while.

I really want to see where this show is headed; too bad it probably won't be from Funi's work now...

[Mafty Allegro]

…the heck?

Yeah, good luck on that front, guys. I know FUNimation has done C&Ds before, but they seem to think that doing such a thing will mean that no fansubber or uploader will touch the thing with a 39ft. pole from here on out.

:laugh:

Two things. One, logistically, it's a tall order to demand that the company actively--and successfully--halt all illegal practices that are out there, which would be time-consuming, let alone resource-consuming (having to baby-sit each coming episode?). And two, the activity still has shades of legal gray, so doing so will not be easy without viable questions of legality arising. I understand that they do not want their show floating out there with no revenue coming their way, but in the current environment, you sort of have to work with what you are given. Here right now, since you can't realistically stop every single bit of activity, at least be pro-active and have a good-quality legal form of digital distro to not only provide fans an outlet to view your show, but also benefit monetarily from it in some fashion (i.e. ad-supported, subscription-based). Yes, the fansubbers/uploaders will undercut you to some degree, but at least can fight fire with fire and still get something out of it in return.

On a (slight) side note, since it is the production committee issuing this statement, it makes me wonder if there has been any negativity from the first episode, be it critically or ratings-wise, that are causing them to buckle down and ensure they can recoup as much money out of the anime as possible. Purely light speculation (and not one I automatically believe is true), but the move so close to the second episode's premiere here is an odd one…

[Ashyukun]

On a (slight) side note, since it is the production committee issuing this statement, it makes me wonder if there has been any negativity from the first episode, be it critically or ratings-wise, that are causing them to buckle down and ensure they can recoup as much money out of the anime as possible. Purely light speculation (and not one I automatically believe is true), but the move so close to the second episode's premiere here is an odd one…
But... wouldn't FUNi presumably have a clause that would result in THEM not having to pay as much if they weren't allowed to do the simulcasts, thus reducing the amount of money up front that the production company would get out of the deal?

There's nothing really to do but laugh at this and how stupid it is. There is NO WAY anybody can truly ensure that it's impossible to copy something available on the internet. Even images that are locked so you can't right click and save or the likes can still be print-screen-captured. And hell, many groups don't actually use the streams themselves but use the timing and translations to speed up the process with different source (given the lousy resolution of FUNi's streams and the crap audio the first Fractale episode had, almost certainly higher-quality ones...).

If the ONLY unauthorized copies of shows out there were from FUNi's streaming? Then they might have a halfway understandable point. If there were only copies of shows that were actively being streamed? The companies might have a case that simulcast streaming was behind it. But that's definitely NOT the case- unauthorized copies of shows have been available online for close to a DECADE before they finally began to catch on that having a legal way to watch their shows online- and get paid a bit for it in the process- might be a good idea.

Furthermore- you'd think that if this were really about what they say that it was, that CrunchyRoll and TAN would be having the same issues- but nope, just the Fractale Production Committee and FUNimation. Sheesh, did someone from FUNi piss in the director's cornflakes during the negotiation process?

What are they going to do after the episode that airs today but will NOT be simulcast by FUNi ends up online almost as fast as it would have with the FUNi stream? I hope FUNi sends them a nice letter pointing this out and laughing at them (OK, so that would be bad business- but I'm sure they'd feel it more than justified...).

Were it a situation like what happened with the OreImo- where the episode was leaked and available before it was even aired in Japan- I'd understand, because there's a concern that they have issues with the broadcasters in Japan. I'll modify my previous statement about sending them a letter- after the next episode ends up online within minutes of it airing in Japan, FUNi should send a letter to the Fractale Production Committee requesting that they stop airing shows until they can stop the illegal distribution of the shows online.

All this means is a) anyone who enjoyed the first episode through the streaming will have no choice but to seek it out through illegal means if they want to continue watching it, likely including some who may not have been aware such means existed before and b) the production company won't see a red cent out of any of that.

Madness? No... This is JAPAN.

[General Hentai]

These idiots have just waved a red flag under the noses of every unauthorized download and streaming site around the world, and under the noses of every fansubber around the world.

The stupidity is mind-boggling.

[Buckeye]

Too bad the Funi simulcasts have been halted.

Son of a... (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2011-01-19/fractale-production-committee-halts-n-american-simulcast)Oh well. I guess if there is no longer a simple legal official way for foreigners to watch an anime currently airing, then no one will watch it. Huh. Heh. AHAHAHAHAHAH! Keep on living the dream Japan.

Eliminate all other streams and fansubs? Haahhahahahahahaha. *Sits back with popcorn*

Huh? Why does the whole burden have to fall on Funi? Something's not adding up....
Whatever it is, somebody screwed up on something and it's us viewers getting the short end of the stick (at least for now). I have that same feeling about this that.

[tadakichi]

If the ONLY unauthorized copies of shows out there were from FUNi's streaming? Then they might have a halfway understandable point. If there were only copies of shows that were actively being streamed? The companies might have a case that simulcast streaming was behind it. But that's definitely NOT the case- unauthorized copies of shows have been available online for close to a DECADE before they finally began to catch on that having a legal way to watch their shows online- and get paid a bit for it in the process- might be a good idea.

It might be the subtitles rather than the show itself that they're worried about. There would be fansubs even without Funi providing a translation to rip off, of course, but I wouldn't be surprised at all if some of the production company higher-ups believe that fansub translations are universally shoddy and inaccurate. That's in contrast to the R1 companies' translations, which are always paragons of accuracy and professionalism (yes, I can hear some of you snickering right now). If they believe that, then seeing HD fansubs that borrow Funi's translation could understandably throw them into a panic. "Fansubs will always be low grade," they might think, "but if the professional translation is ripped off then no one will buy R1 DVDs or Blu-rays!"

It's still misinformed and illogical, but it's at least understandable that they would think that way. It's true that Funimation has simulcasted plenty of shows before without this becoming an issue, but if there are members of the production committee that have never dealt with simulcasting before I could see them throwing a fit.

[Chris Beveridge]

I'm sure this has nothing to do with R1 sales. The Japanese have essentially written off the market for the most part.

[Shiroi Hane]

It might be the subtitles rather than the show itself that they're worried about. There would be fansubs even without Funi providing a translation to rip off, of course, but I wouldn't be surprised at all if some of the production company higher-ups believe that fansub translations are universally shoddy and inaccurate. That's in contrast to the R1 companies' translations, which are always paragons of accuracy and professionalism (yes, I can hear some of you snickering right now). If they believe that, then seeing HD fansubs that borrow Funi's translation could understandably throw them into a panic. "Fansubs will always be low grade," they might think, "but if the professional translation is ripped off then no one will buy R1 DVDs or Blu-rays!"
Unlike Crunchyroll, aren't FUNi's streams all hardsubbed making ripping the subtitle track along nigh on impossible without attempting to OCR it? People rip CRs softsubbed streams and upload them, then other people rip the subs out of these and attach them to high quality raws, but I don't think this happens with FUNimation's streams.

[something]

but I don't think this happens with FUNimation's streams.
Hm? Of course it does. :sd: It has for everything they've streamed.

As for the situation at large... really doesn't matter to me. I just need to stop working 11 hour days so I can find some time to even get this show started. And the other 5 or 6 I haven't had time to try yet.

[Ashyukun]

Unlike Crunchyroll, aren't FUNi's streams all hardsubbed making ripping the subtitle track along nigh on impossible without attempting to OCR it? People rip CRs softsubbed streams and upload them, then other people rip the subs out of these and attach them to high quality raws, but I don't think this happens with FUNimation's streams.
Of course, it's not THAT hard to just go through and type out the lines themselves- it's doubtless easier than translating the Japanese themselves. In discussions over on ANN about this, it's also been stated that FUNi/Hulu's (snickering to myself, I initially typed 'Horo'...) streams are better protected than CR's are and are harder to rip, but there are definitely groups that just capture the stream wholesale and redistribute it. I have no practical evidence of the stream protection though other than my computer not liking to play FUNi's streams.Though in some amount of cosmic irony, this is apparently no long a problem this season. :sweat:

The whole situation is just absurd. I still think that the production committee just wanted an excuse to pull the streams from FUNi and used this as an excuse, since apparently they didn't pull it from a French site streaming the show...

I do feel for FUNi on this. Hopefully there's something in the contract to allow some recourse for them for what looks like a generally dickish move toward them by the production committee.

[HitokiriShadow]

The whole situation is just absurd. I still think that the production committee just wanted an excuse to pull the streams from FUNi and used this as an excuse, since apparently they didn't pull it from a French site streaming the show...


Wasn't there something about Yamakan or someone involved wanting to include subtitles on the JP discs? If so, I wonder if that plays into this bizarre situation somehow. That would at least give some reason for the Japanese companies involved to see fansubs for this show as a much more direct threat. It doesn't begin to justify what they did or make it any less stupid, but it could at least explain why they are reacting so badly in this particular case. I guess we'll have to wait and see if the JP discs have subtitles on them, assuming this doesn't cause them to suddenly skip subtitles on the discs too after previously planning on doing them. And after this utterly insane decision, it wouldn't surprise me if they did that, but we would probably never know if that happened.

[FUNiOP]

*F5's the Fractale page on FUNimation Video for an hour*

*checks forums*

Oh. Cool...

Well one company in this committee is officially the stupidest company ever. I would have liked to continue supporting it legally, but now that I got hooked from seeing the first episode legally, I have no choice but to watch it other ways. Just as planned, right, guys? I'm just diappointed that this probably means it won't get licensed for DVD.

[something]

Wasn't there something about Yamakan or someone involved wanting to include subtitles on the JP discs?
As silly as it would be for this to be the reason, I'll take subs on the R2 over a legal stream any day (even if I actually watched Funi streams). And for this particular show I'm told that handling of honorifics and name ordering is a moot point (since they never come up) so the subs on the R2s might actually be watchable for me, provided it reads smoothly.

So yeah, fingers crossed that they do have subs - but will be finding it hilariously dumb if the two concepts were ever linked in the first place. Not that anything would shock me at this point.

[Fencedude]

Wasn't there something about Yamakan or someone involved wanting to include subtitles on the JP discs?
As silly as it would be for this to be the reason, I'll take subs on the R2 over a legal stream any day (even if I actually watched Funi streams). And for this particular show I'm told that handling of honorifics and name ordering is a moot point (since they never come up) so the subs on the R2s might actually be watchable for me, provided it reads smoothly.

So yeah, fingers crossed that they do have subs - but will be finding it hilariously dumb if the two concepts were ever linked in the first place. Not that anything would shock me at this point.

There has been a lot of dumb floating around Japan the last few days.

See also Nintendo on region coding for the 3DS.

[Shiroi Hane]

but I don't think this happens with FUNimation's streams.
Hm? Of course it does. :sd: It has for everything they've streamed.
So you're saying that FUNi's streams are soft subbed? Obviously I only have access to the ones on Youtube but I understood they were hardsubbed regardless.

[Fencedude]

but I don't think this happens with FUNimation's streams.
Hm? Of course it does. :sd: It has for everything they've streamed.
So you're saying that FUNi's streams are soft subbed? Obviously I only have access to the ones on Youtube but I understood they were hardsubbed regardless.

No, they're hard subbed, but OCR isn't that hard.

[Shiroi Hane]

I still don't believe you get the same flurry of re-encodes that you do with the more user-friendly rips from CR, although I've never actually researched it.

[something]

I still don't believe you get the same flurry of re-encodes that you do with the more user-friendly rips from CR, although I've never actually researched it.
Does it matter if there are 3 vs 4 encodes? Or 6 vs 3? Or even 5 vs 1? Shiki, Kuragehime, Saraiya etc were equally easy to find as anything else. It only needs to be OCR'd once, and then all further rips can just use that script. There's no real world difference among streaming sites on this point, so I have no idea why anyone could have expected Fractale to have more or less rips floating around than anything on CR or TAN or Youtube. Granted, the most likely answer is that they didn't and this whole thing has nothing to do with piracy at all. I think all of us are taking the public explanation with a huge grain of salt, to put it charitably.

[Ashyukun]

Granted, the most likely answer is that they didn't and this whole thing has nothing to do with piracy at all. I think all of us are taking the public explanation with a huge grain of salt, to put it charitably.
Especially since the French stream of it is still going. Though I'm at present hard pressed to determine which annoys me more... that the French stream was allowed to remain, or that THEY get it in 1080p while WE got it in 'What Is This, 1995?' 360p with audio that sounded like it was dubbed with two cans and a string...

[Ashyukun]

First off, a quick, "Up Yours!" to the production committee behind this.

Thankfully, while they may be dicks whoever is writing this show is still quite good- and it just got better with episode 2.

Nessa is AWESOME. She's an absolute riot and a force of nature not to be taken lightly- and she despite in theory being a Doppel can both touch people and physical objects as well as Doppels- and seems to have an interesting affect on a number of other things- like motor homes and... umbrellas? Amusingly, Hanazawa seems to be channeling Toyosaki Aki's Yui...

We also meet the 'boss' of the team out to get Phryne- as well as seeing where Phryne came from and learning that she apparently stole 'the key to the world'.

Still loving the retro vibe the show has- it does in many ways continue to remind me of what was so good and fun about Nadia. Hopefully the creative side of this continues to be great and stay far away from the production committee.

[Suwako Moriya]

In this episode, Nessa proves to be energetic, curious, and adorable. Also, I get the feeling "companionship" will be the major theme of the series. I love stating the obvious.

On a side note, I had already created a thread for episode 2. However to avoid confusion and redundancy, I decided to delete my post and let this be the thread for episode 2.

[strangefour]

-"She will be severely punished." "A spanking! A spanking!"
-Nessa talks in the third person. Nessa is adorable.
-Campers?
-So Nessa can touch holograms and turn on vehicles. She is a technomage!
-Abandoning Nessa? Clain you are cruel.
-Hello again sky pirate loli. 21. 24.
-Ooh treasure! Mean sneaky treasure.

Funness! Nessa is a a bundle of unstoppable curiosity and energy. She lives to bring about joy and understanding. Bridging the gap between humans and doppels. Hmm, is she more girl or more software? Is Clain a kidnapper or a digital pirate? Will they embark on a quest to free the world from electronic enslavement or just find out that the whole world is one giant simulation?

[TheGreenMan]

Nessa is love. Kana Hanazawa FTW!
I hope Phryne comes back soon.

[William K]

You know, it'll be extremely ironic if Nessa ends up being some form of new doppel that the authorities are trying to hide from the people, and the story is about whether technology should be controlled by a central body instead of being freely available...

Anyway, Nessa is truly, absolutely adorable. She gives a totally new meaning to the term hyperactive girl.

[bear]

You know, it'll be extremely ironic if Nessa ends up being some form of new doppel that the authorities are trying to hide from the people, and the story is about whether technology should be controlled by a central body instead of being freely available...

Anyway, Nessa is truly, absolutely adorable. She gives a totally new meaning to the term hyperactive girl.

Genkidopple?

If I understand the concept, dopple's are holographic representations of people. So when Claim is arguing with his parents those are his parents talking to him remotely and not a computer program representing them (except for the images)? Or are they actually total A.I. constructs based on the original people? I'm leaning towards the second interpretation but it's unclear.

Nessa doesn't seem to fit that, so is she an A.I. that is not based on a real human?

[HitokiriShadow]

Oh man, Nessa is all sorts of Hanazawa Kana awesomeness. She's like the Anti-Kuroneko, just a bundle of cute joyful energy. And presumably she's the Key to the World that the high priestess mentioned. She also apparently can't be touched by most people, which would explain her earlier attempt to get Claine to touch her and her reaction to it (at that point, I just assumed she was in some sort of situation where people chose not to touch her, either out of reverence or because she was locked up). The exact factor that determines it is unclear but its obviously related to their feelings toward her.

Enri continues to be highly amusing as well.

[Sly05]

This episode did a much better job of hooking me on the series than the first. A lot of that probably has to do with Nessa who is both super energetic and crushingly adorable.

[something]

Episode 1:

- Ah, Kobayashi Yuu playing a guy his time. And um, nice parents?
- I was starting to think he was the only normal human but looks like there's a few others at the market.
- Doppels... so, avatars being controlled by humans remotely, or something else?
- Oh the boredom of utopia. And it sounds like those are indeed remote controlled avatars. Or actually, visual manifestations of consciousnesses that have "uploaded' themselves into the Fractale system?
- Then shit happens.

- Well, yep, there are fractals. Boring OP though, oh well. Title is Harinezumi, or Hedgehog. Will the old "Hedgehog's Dilemma" be a theme here?

- Hah, what? So she did that confident-looking dive from her craft, making you think she had a plan but... uh no she just smashes into some rocks. GJ.
- So... did Clain create that family himself, as in there no "human" entity behind them? That's the feeling I'm getting.
- Topless girls already! You naughty show you, Fractale.
- Ah, a family. But the implication is that they're dead...? Or far away.
- Heh Phryne is great. She gets all worked up then ends up cracking herself up by giving Clain funny faces. And her seiyuu is a pretty new one, Tsuda Minami.

- Hahaha Iguchi Yuka. I can't take characters voiced by her seriously, even though I like them.
- ...Looks like nobody can take this one seriously. :sd:
- Phryne goes bye bye, but is replaced by a twintailed Hanazawa Kana girl! =D

Who falls off a rock.

It's a shame the character designs took such a severe downgrade from the original designs seen in the art. That said they're definitely not bad. Just emphatically... unremarkable.
The world-building it top notch though. I absolutely love how they've set things up in just one episode. The "bad" guys are a little too bumbling/cartoony for my tastes right now, but the girl is very cute. Everything else seems really awesome and quite interesting. On to ep 2.

[something]

Episode 2:

- Woah perspective. Either that's a giant laptop or Nessa's feet are tiny.
- But oh god she's awesome. Hanazawa Kanaaaa!
- NADE NADE! I demand that all Hanazawa Kana characters say that at least once because it always makes me so happy. Nade nade, nade nade~
- Love her outfit. Bare shoulders~~
- If someone who sounded like Hanazawa asked me to touch them, I'd touch them. But damn Nessa just has boundless energy. Looooove her.

- Now for more explicit focus on the themes of mobility and permanence, and the conflict between them.
- Bwhahahaa, Nessa is just wrecking everyone's shit. She's totally got to be the best character in this show. Nobody can top this.
- Holy crap that baby has a giant head.
- So everything Nessa touches goes haywire.

- Hmmm, when Clain stops accepting her, he's no longer able to touch her?
- And another magical girlfriend leaves Clain's life. For now.

- Shorts zettai ryouiki for twin braids Enri! And jeeze they completely disassembled his bike.
- Brother seems like a dick.
- Nice stalking >_>

- Doppel sex toys! Once again, so naughty.
- Okay so his parents are definitely still alive. I thought initially that he might have created the doppels to take the place of a dead family, but instead it's indeed just that they're far away. And nobody in this world sees the benefit of living together, physically.
- Though there's still the question of why he can turn their doppels off at will. Phryne seemed surprised by that too.

- Clain mopes. But Nessa is back! Nessa brings happiness! Nessa brings life! Nessa loooooooooove!
- Hahah, Nessa even enjoys falling into traps.
- And kind of a weird place to end the ep.

Goddamn Nessa is amazing. I liked episode one, but this was way way better thanks to her. <3

[strangefour]

- Okay so his parents are definitely still alive. I thought initially that he might have created the doppels to take the place of a dead family, but instead it's indeed just that they're far away. And nobody in this world sees the benefit of living together, physically.
- Though there's still the question of why he can turn their doppels off at will. Phryne seemed surprised by that too.


I think Phryne just wasn't used to doppels. She is a secluded nun or something after all. And yeah Clain's parents are alive, apparently. I mean they could have died and their uploaded every day conciousnesses are just going along after death, but them just living like migratory hermits seems most likely. Either way, stop uploading your info Clain! Be a pirate (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3y0-QjmAZ0&t=10s).

[Fencedude]

WTF? Are we sure that Nessa is Hanazawa Kana? Because she was very Toyosaki Aki this episode.

Anyway, much better than the first episode (which wasn't bad) because...NESSA IS LOVE

[EmperorBrandon]

There's genki Hanazawa at her absolute genki-est. I think she probably outdoes Kobato and Kozue combined as Nessa. I love how Nessa so happily causes chaos at the mobile home scene.

It was interesting seeing Kanbe Mamoru's (director of Sora no Woto) name in the credits for this episode.

[Ashyukun]

WTF? Are we sure that Nessa is Hanazawa Kana? Because she was very Toyosaki Aki this episode.
Oh good, I wasn't the only one who thought that... :sweat:

[Ashyukun]

Having rid the Internets of all illegal copies of Fractale, Funimation is allowed to resume streaming the show. (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2011-01-24/funimation/fractale-simulcast-returns-on-monday)

Yeaaaah. I still want to know exactly what this was all about, besides the obvious effect of dicking the viewers around a bit. The only reason there were less copies that I could tell of episode 2 to be found via less-than-legal means was that there wasn't an official stream to copy wholesale- I think MORE groups subbed the second episode on their own than the first as a result of all of this (and will likely continue to do so, I'd imagine...). Something about all of this stinks...

Glad to see they got it back and I can watch it legally again. Hopefully at least they got the audio issues fixed... really wish FUNi would/could stream these shows at as high a resolution as the French get it in...

[Suwako Moriya]

Having rid the Internets of all illegal copies of Fractale, Funimation is allowed to resume streaming the show. (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2011-01-24/funimation/fractale-simulcast-returns-on-monday)

Yeaaaah. I still want to know exactly what this was all about, besides the obvious effect of dicking the viewers around a bit. The only reason there were less copies that I could tell of episode 2 to be found via less-than-legal means was that there wasn't an official stream to copy wholesale- I think MORE groups subbed the second episode on their own than the first as a result of all of this (and will likely continue to do so, I'd imagine...).

All I know is that the main thing to pay attention to is what happens after they post episode 2. Will the obvious happen again? Will they react the same way or differently?

[Ashyukun]

All I know is that the main thing to pay attention to is what happens after they post episode 2. Will the obvious happen again? Will they react the same way or differently?
Well, 'the obvious' being 'it'll get redistributed by speedsubbers' (I consider that a misnomer... ripping a stream and putting it up on BT shouldn't be considered 'subbing'...), of course that'll happen. Hopefully the powers-that-be will not react in the 'obvious' manner and pull the stream yet again...

[FUNiOP]

Good to see it back after that stupid take-down. I hope that doesn't happen again, as I assume the reason for it being back is FPC realizing how stupid they were.

And is this a new FUNimation video player? Does that mean... No, it still has all the same problems. Of course...

So I actually didn't watch it until the legal stream came back. I didn't get to it right off since I didn't expect it to be back so soon, but I just finished it now.

Honestly my internet seems to be having quite a few problems playing this right now. It was pretty jarring. I'm hoping it was just that the weather really sucks these past few days. I may wait until it gets onto YouTube and Hulu to watch it without so many pauses. I assume it will be better by Thursday.

And if there's anything good to come from this delay, it's that we only have to wait another 3 days (well, less than 3 days since I watched it late and still haven't watched it with a proper viewing experience) for episode 3.

I really hope nothing goes wrong between now and then and episode 3 is here just as perfectly as episode 1 was.

So like I said, the stream was pretty screwed up, but it's confirmed that Nessa is adorable. I look forward to seeing how her encounter with the comical villains goes and what gets revealed.

[EmperorBrandon]

In FUNi's simulcast, it seems like Nessa refers to herself in third person a few more times in the subtitles than she does in the actual dialogue. Kind of amusing, as I'd never really expect to see that. Localizers tend do the opposite (removing mention of characters referring to themselves by their own name). It does make sense when it's implied she's referring to herself in the dialogue (even if she's not actually saying her name) to keep it consistent with the rest of the subtitles, so that's nice, though.

[Asrialys]

I literally LOL'd when Nessa and Clain fell for the trap. I immediately thought of Team Rocket from Pokemon.

Glad to see the stream back and can't wait for more.

[Gildor]

I literally LOL'd when Nessa and Clain fell for the trap. I immediately thought of Team Rocket from Pokemon.

It struck me at the time that Clain actually tried to stop Nessa from approaching the treasure chest, but was caught anyway since he was going after her.

[einhorn303]

This show has a very timely theme: alienation in a technology-saturated age. When I saw Nessa asking the trailer guy if playing his media was more fun than being patted on the head, it reminded me of people zoning out from reality with their mp3 players, or families watching TV in the same room without talking.

- Clain is like a lightning rod for eccentric girls.
- "Ding, dong, ding, dong, ding, dong..." Ok, now I love Nessa.
- She's the digital Christ or something. But really, is anyone else reminded of Neo in the Matrix suddenly getting the power to control the machines?
- In the concept art Enri and her brother had the same hair color. Now it's different...I wonder if they're actually biologically related?
- That's a really nice song playing in the Clain running scene.
- Once again, the lack of a next episode preview is totally cruel!


It was interesting seeing Kanbe Mamoru's (director of Sora no Woto) name in the credits for this episode.

When I was looking forward to this show I thought of it as "the new Sora no Woto." In many respects so far it hasn't disappointed me.

[einhorn303]

- Though there's still the question of why he can turn their doppels off at will. Phryne seemed surprised by that too.


I can see it being that doppels need some sort of field/network to materialize on. The town is covered perfectly, but in Clain's remote house the only network is a local network that he keeps running. So he can deny excess to it if he wants. And Phryne just doesn't have worldly experience.

[TAS]

And is this a new FUNimation video player? Does that mean... No, it still has all the same problems. Of course...

Went to have a look and got the normal Hulu piss off Canada message... Checked youtube and it seems only ep. 1 is there, so far anyway.

[Mafty Allegro]

Glad to see Fractale back up after the ridiculousness from late last week…

That said, another really good episode. The character rendering looked noticibly better than last time, although it sagged a bit in the middle and still has that nice-but-inferior look to them. But since they are the animation character designs, I don't expect them to change, either, unless they go to some other/real world and they look more like Left side's style there--interesting idea, but unlikely. However, the rest of the episode was so enjoyable with the bundle-of-energy that is Nessa (the camp scene… :sweat: ) and introspective look at Clain, that, like the first episode, its deficiencies were overshadowed.

One of the best things about Nessa (besides being voiced by Kana Hanazawa ;) ) is that she is energetic without being annoying and had a certain innocence and charm to her. And with Clain, I like how they have developed his character, especially with his admission to being lonely at the end (which speaks volumes not only with him personally, but also with the theme of technological alienation and their world). I also like how they are balancing out his interests in Phryne and Nessa, where he is unsure about his feelings about either but still is curious about them in some way, like someone in their adolescence would.

The animation character designs, eclectic retro setting, and general feel of the show remind me a lot of Turn A Gundam, which is both good and bad. Good, in that the latter was great and benefited from fine writing and characters, but bad, in that Fractale also looks like it was made in 1999. Not that Turn A looked poor by any means, but Fractale looks dated at times with its animation style and quality, which can be distracting when you consider other modern animation projects. It's hard to tell whether this is all by design, particularly with the high-quality concept pictures promoting the show. All-in-all, still, another great episode despite said flaws.

[FUNiOP]

Well FUNimation's new video player is officially even worse than the last one. I just barely got through the episode (not counting the ED) in a full half-hour.

But this sure was eventful. Clain and Nessa got kidnapped by the bad guys who... bring them to a nice, inviting village. It turns out they're... kind of the good guys. Kind of. Their "terrorist" way of doing things isn't one that Clain exactly agrees with. This is certainly where the series starts making its point known, in an almost heavy-handed way. Continue your Miyazaki comparisons here. The Fractale system (which has apparently been going on for... a thousand years now?) actually just brainwashes everyone to control them and keep them from living the way humans should. This group, called Lost Millennium, removes their Fractale terminals (which also makes it so they have to wear special eye wear to see doppels, including Nessa, lives the way people did before the Fractale system came along, and since they're the only ones doing this, it ends up being more like a commune. After Clain ponders this new way of thinking and Nessa invades Enri's privacy by going into the screen in her bathroom, Lost Millennium has a happy little party and then sets off to terrorize the holy Star Festival. Here, Clain learns the truth, and Lost Millennium starts killing people, and it ends up with a lot of guards, religious heads, and innocent-but-brainwashed civilians dying, along with even the fat guy, Butcher, although it's not clear that he actually died yet. It's revealed that one of the people conducting the ritual is a real-life version of Nessa, although the Nessa with Clain seems just as surprised. This is all interrupted by a much higher figure, who, as it was explained earlier, is a high priestess who will be the key to the world and left behind Nessa as important doppel data, Phryne. The episode ends with the reveal that she's the big sister of the real Nessa. So yeah, considering how much time they spent with not much going on in the happy little village, they sure got around to making this episode very revealing and eventful. Now that we know what we're dealing with in this show to a much greater extent, I am very much looking forward to seeing what happens from here.

[einhorn303]

Another great episode. The setting gets lots of development.

- They've encountered a Luddite commune. And we have one of the classic ironies of luddites in science fiction: Even though they say they've returned to a "natural" way of living free of impure technology, their level of technological advancement is probably higher than modern day.
- I want one of those Condition Check things too. It even analyzes the exact food you've eaten. It seems Enri had an apple and sea weed soup that day.
- Nessa surprises Enri in the toilet. It's not really a panty shot, but...the panties are in the frame.
- Dancing to express the taste. Ah ha ha ha.
- So the goons expect them to do naughty stuff, and then watch them all night from the bushes. Implications.
- Nanomachines!
- These Lost Millennium terrorists really don't mess around; they even shoot at the innocents standing around. Things take an extremely violent and grim turn.
- So why did they stop shooting when Phryne showed up?
- A twist has been introduced. It is possible that instead of being the "real" Nessa, there are just many doppel copies of Nessa and that's just another one. If it is a singular "real" Nessa, it's quite a coincidence that Lost Millennium picked the one Festival in which she showed up. With such a small crowd, they must do lots of these Festivals.

[einhorn303]

This is certainly where the series starts making its point known, in an almost heavy-handed way. Continue your Miyazaki comparisons here. The Fractale system (which has apparently been going on for... a thousand years now?) actually just brainwashes everyone to control them and keep them from living the way humans should.

I really don't think the show will end up with such a simple "right way vs. wrong way" message. There's lots of ways in which the Fractale System leads to a better life for people, irregardless of free will. The hospital scene was one part of showing this.

It reminds me of the Uglies YA series by Scott Westerfeld. Mind controlling people may rob them of true freedom, but deep down, the populace doesn't actually want true freedom.

[strangefour]

Well FUNimation's new video player is officially even worse than the last one. I just barely got through the episode (not counting the ED) in a full half-hour.

I physically can't watch the Fractale feed on Funimation. It seems to be playing the file twice at the same time. I can pause it, the video will stop, the audio will stop. But a SECOND audio keeps playing and laggily skipping. Somehow they managed to make it worse than when I was watching Kuragehime on their player. GRAAAAAH!

I'll try again later. Maybe it's just being hammered and playing like a dead horse because of it. I wish Funimation would just use whatever Crunchyroll uses.

[Chris Beveridge]

Well FUNimation's new video player is officially even worse than the last one. I just barely got through the episode (not counting the ED) in a full half-hour.

I physically can't watch the Fractale feed on Funimation. It seems to be playing the file twice at the same time. I can pause it, the video will stop, the audio will stop. But a SECOND audio keeps playing and laggily skipping. Somehow they managed to make it worse than when I was watching Kuragehime on their player. GRAAAAAH!

I'll try again later. Maybe it's just being hammered and playing like a dead horse because of it. I wish Funimation would just use whatever Crunchyroll uses.

If you're using adblock of some kind, disable it on that site. It completely monkeyed everything up on my part as well. Same exact issue.

[strangefour]

Well FUNimation's new video player is officially even worse than the last one. I just barely got through the episode (not counting the ED) in a full half-hour.

I physically can't watch the Fractale feed on Funimation. It seems to be playing the file twice at the same time. I can pause it, the video will stop, the audio will stop. But a SECOND audio keeps playing and laggily skipping. Somehow they managed to make it worse than when I was watching Kuragehime on their player. GRAAAAAH!

I'll try again later. Maybe it's just being hammered and playing like a dead horse because of it. I wish Funimation would just use whatever Crunchyroll uses.

If you're using adblock of some kind, disable it on that site. It completely monkeyed everything up on my part as well. Same exact issue.

Oh, I do use adblock and flashblock. Which for most sites works fine. Hey it does seem to work now. Well at least it lets me pause to allow it to buffer. I'll let it buffer until I've had dinner,.

[bear]

Talk about whipsawing the viewer. We go from a rather fun slapstick visit to a "commune" to an all out bloodbath. Or did we? I'm no longer sure that we can accept what we see or hear at face value.

Is then new girl the real Nessa? Is the Nessa we know really a doppel or something else? A.I.? What is Phryne's agenda? Are the nanomachines good, evil or neutral? Why are the Granites killing innocents?

[TAS]

Well FUNimation's new video player is officially even worse than the last one. I just barely got through the episode (not counting the ED) in a full half-hour.

I physically can't watch the Fractale feed on Funimation. It seems to be playing the file twice at the same time. I can pause it, the video will stop, the audio will stop. But a SECOND audio keeps playing and laggily skipping. Somehow they managed to make it worse than when I was watching Kuragehime on their player. GRAAAAAH!

I'll try again later. Maybe it's just being hammered and playing like a dead horse because of it. I wish Funimation would just use whatever Crunchyroll uses.

If you're using adblock of some kind, disable it on that site. It completely monkeyed everything up on my part as well. Same exact issue.

Oh, I do use adblock and flashblock. Which for most sites works fine. Hey it does seem to work now. Well at least it lets me pause to allow it to buffer. I'll let it buffer until I've had dinner,.
It's the hulu player, so I had to watch it on youtube. The sound quality seemed extra crappy this episode.

This episode seemed weaker then the first two, it felt like they didn't really know where they wanted to go and were making it up as they went along.

[Ashyukun]

It's the hulu player, so I had to watch it on youtube. The sound quality seemed extra crappy this episode.

This episode seemed weaker then the first two, it felt like they didn't really know where they wanted to go and were making it up as they went along.
Yeah, I had to go to YouTube as well- my Flash doesn't play well with the Hulu player when HW decoding is enabled, and without it the playback is jerky. YouTube works fine though, and even has the option to kick it up to 480p (though it may just be an upscale of the 360...). Audio sounded better than the first episode's, but still worse than I'm used to hearing.

Definitely was NOT expecting the turn that it took at the end... it seemed that the LM weren't hitting the civilians nearly as much as the priest guards firing back. Did seem odd that they'd all stop firing for Phryne...

[strangefour]

It's the hulu player, so I had to watch it on youtube. The sound quality seemed extra crappy this episode.

This episode seemed weaker then the first two, it felt like they didn't really know where they wanted to go and were making it up as they went along.
Yeah, I had to go to YouTube as well- my Flash doesn't play well with the Hulu player when HW decoding is enabled, and without it the playback is jerky. YouTube works fine though, and even has the option to kick it up to 480p (though it may just be an upscale of the 360...). Audio sounded better than the first episode's, but still worse than I'm used to hearing.

Wait they put it on Youtube too? Damn it! That would be low quality but atleast play right and buffer better. I' doing that next time.

[strangefour]

Okay let's try this again.

-My mouse cursor and "Press Esc to exit full screen mode" are not going away. You suck Funimation's Hulu player. Okay if I killOkay if I totally turn off flash and ad blocker this bitch will run, but I will have to reboot Firefox once I'm done.
-I guess Nessa is really a doppel. Damn you old tech people for ruining my dream that she was real!
-A pre-geodesic dome Buckminster Fuller house?
-Wait... how the hell did a net work on Nessa? Did the net like Nessa?
-Okay so Enri is Tron Bonne and her big brother is Teisel.
-Nessa will hack your toilet!
-Explain food to Nessa. Explain it! Dance it!
-Huh the ship is even whale shaped. This is the Bon family airship!
-Nessa MkII!
-Oh hey Phryne. Didn't expect to see you for another half dozen episodes.

Well except for the annoyance that is Hulu and getting side tracked in the middle of watching by a discussion about the quality of breasts I draw (long story), that was another good episode. A bit rougher than the last two purely fun ones. But that was all because of sky pirates and info dump and action and paradigm shift. Which I liked. Reminded me of the middle part of a Ghibli movie, just before our hero turns and goes on to affect change in a world gone mad.

God damn Funimation's streaming feed is a pain in the butt. Now I'm gonna go restart Firefox with Ad and Flack blocking back on.

[bored@lazy]

WTF? Are we sure that Nessa is Hanazawa Kana? Because she was very Toyosaki Aki this episode.

Anyway, much better than the first episode (which wasn't bad) because...NESSA IS LOVE

I thought Nessa sounded like Minorin from Toradora... Who according to Wikipedia is voiced by Yui Horie.

[Ashyukun]

WTF? Are we sure that Nessa is Hanazawa Kana? Because she was very Toyosaki Aki this episode.

Anyway, much better than the first episode (which wasn't bad) because...NESSA IS LOVE

I thought Nessa sounded like Minorin from Toradora... Who according to Wikipedia is voiced by Yui Horie.
To me she sounded a lot more like an excited Hirasawa Yui in a store full of delicious-looking food she'd never seen before...

[Suwako Moriya]

Enri will never escape the wrath of Nessa.

Gasp! The Fractale system is considered evil. Although the ones that are fighting against it aren't exactly saints either.

In any case if the system is really about brain washing, you have to wonder how many of the leads are brain washed as well. With perhaps only the system itself being in true control.

(Having both a doppel and real Nessa is going to be fun for avatar purposes)

[Suwako Moriya]

It reminds me of the Uglies YA series by Scott Westerfeld. Mind controlling people may rob them of true freedom, but deep down, the populace doesn't actually want true freedom.

Never mind the fact it's not possible. X's true freedom to kill Y would contradict Y's true freedom to not be killed by X.:sweat:

[njchobitsfan]

I thought 'Big Brother' was kidding when he said in the airship that some might get hurt or die. After the way the first two episodes were sort of laid back and goofy, episode 3 took me aback a bit, (in a good way). Very good series and unpredictable.

[Fencedude]

Huh, so Enri and company are part of LA RESISTANCE! Somehow I didn't expect that, though its obvious in hindsight. Also how long until they reveal that Enri can touch Nessa?

But WTF at the Star Festival. Not expecting that at all, and certainly didn't expect Phryne to show up again so soon.

[Asrialys]

Also how long until they reveal that Enri can touch Nessa?
What do you mean? It's not like Enri showed any real dislike for Nessa. That little girl when they arrived at Granite Village was able to touch Nessa...

[HitokiriShadow]

o_0 Oh wow. That scene at the end was.... not expected. I was not expecting this show to get bloody, much less for innocent (and unconscious) bystanders, children and old women to get mowed down.

Phryne makes an earlier reappearance than I was expecting, and there's another suprise with Nessa.... the "real" Nessa. The Nessa we knew is a doppel after all, which explains the issue with people not being able to touch her in the previous episode.

Awwwww, poor Ness can't eat food. ;_; There's some potential for some really interesting character development with her in the remainder of the series. The whole thing with her trying to get Clain to describe taste to her in a way she could understand was a good (and highly amusing) start.

Also, Enri and Nessa make a highly amusing pair. Especially Enri getting interrupted in the bathroom. Don't try to run from you're true love, Enri~!

Anyway, fantastic episode. This show keeps getting better and now its reached the import consideration level.... which is bad news for me, because its going to force some painful decisions. Edit: Well, the upside for Fractale, like Hourou Musuko, is that the first volume doesn't come out until April, so I'll be able to see a bit of next season before I have to make my decision.

[HitokiriShadow]

Also how long until they reveal that Enri can touch Nessa?
What do you mean? It's not like Enri showed any real dislike for Nessa. That little girl when they arrived at Granite Village was able to touch Nessa...

It's the tsundere thing. Enri claims and tries to act like she doesn't like Nessa, but her being able to touch her would be undeniable proof that she actually does like Nessa.

[TAS]

o_0 Oh wow. That scene at the end was.... not expected. I was not expecting this show to get bloody, much less for innocent (and unconscious) bystanders, children and old women to get mowed down.

There seems to be a pattern forming, something big happens right at the end of the episode.
1- Nessa appears
2- The trap/kidnapping
3- The firefight

Have to see if this continues in Episode 4. It would be kind of an interesting idea being a little different then using cliff hangers but it might also constrain what the writers can do with the story.

[ilmaestro]

WTF? Are we sure that Nessa is Hanazawa Kana? Because she was very Toyosaki Aki this episode.
Oh good, I wasn't the only one who thought that... :sweat:
Ahahahaha, I'm usually not the best at recognizing seiyuu quickly, but even I thought "nice, Toyosaki Aki in full on Yui mode", and then just put the mistake down to my goddam ears. Pleased I'm not going completely crazy.

[ilmaestro]

Bun Madoka, *this* is the HOLY SHI-! ep 3 of the season.

[something]

Episode 3:

- Heh, they actually put stuff in the treasure chest.
- Why isn't Enri wearing shoes?
- Okay now she is. Definitely wasn't when she jumped out of the airship though.
- Oh wait, boots? Looked like just thighhighs but it's thighhigh boots.

- Hmmmm! Nobody in this "primitive" place can see Nessa without the visor. I guess they're not part of the Fractale system. This opens up the possibility that our big moral dilemma will be something like "The Fractale system is evil and I need to destroy it but that would in effect 'kill' Nessa."
- Enri's brother went right through Nessa. But the girl could shake her hand. Still unclear what the conditions necessary for contact are.
- Drrr, she explains 2 seconds after I unpause. You can touch her if you like her!
- Enri's brother is a dork.

- I think the Nessa/Enri dynamic is going to be my favorite things in this show. NESSA WATCHES YOU PEE.
- "Wanna now what color Enri's panties are?" Hah.
- I wonder how hard they're gonna push the anti-technology message, or if they'll be a bit more subtle about mixing the costs and benefits of "disconnecting". It looks like they got started with the hospital scene at least.
- Dance the flavor of the soup! >_> I love Nessa.

- Bwhaha, as if you could leave Nessa behind. Nessa is everywhere! Nessa is god!
- And now we crash the party.
- Ooooh, hey. People are dying. This show has been borderline goofy thus far as regards "action" or "violence" so I wasn't sure how serious these "terrorists" were. then we get a bloodbath with... I count at last 12 bodies.
- And hello Phryne! =D
- Nessa is her sister? Well, remains to be seen in what sense that's meant.

Great stuff again. A whole lot of Nessa cuteness, plus some nice plot developments showing that they're not going to be afraid to have a bit of a body count to emphasize how serious the battle is.

[TAS]

Snowpocalypse – Day 3 here at FUNimation. Unfortunately due to the city-wide power outages and icy mayhem, the scheduled launch of Fractale – Episode 4 (http://www4.funimation.com/video/?page=show&b=344) today at 10:45a.m. will be delayed until everything is back in order.http://www4.funimation.com/video/images/shows/_thumbs/fractale.jpg

I know Texas is not know for snow, but Snowpocalypse?

[einhorn303]

Snowpocalypse – Day 3 here at FUNimation. Unfortunately due to the city-wide power outages and icy mayhem, the scheduled launch of Fractale – Episode 4 (http://www4.funimation.com/video/?page=show&b=344) today at 10:45a.m. will be delayed until everything is back in order.http://www4.funimation.com/video/images/shows/_thumbs/fractale.jpg

I know Texas is not know for snow, but Snowpocalypse?

It's for real!: http://holykaw.alltop.com/nasa-image-of-snowpocalypse-2011

And the term is actually being widely used in the media.

[bear]

I know Texas is not know for snow, but Snowpocalypse?
They're holding the Superbowl there tomorrow and the place was almost shut down due to a blizzard. Six people were hurt when snow and ice fell off the roof of the stadium in Dallas. Probably just a minor storm if you're from the north, but down there it was a major disaster.

[Suwako Moriya]

Perhaps I'm wrong and you watched an episode from the future, but I think you meant episode 4.

[Fencedude]

Fuck yeah Phryne! You are totally the most awesome character in the show. Clain wishes he was half as awesome as you are.

Nessa loves love, and Phryne hates love. Nessa hates Phryne, but what does Phryne think of Nessa?

Clain's kinda dumb, but Nessa was being a bit unreasonable as well.

This is totally not where I expected things to be right now.

[Fencedude]

Perhaps I'm wrong and you watched an episode from the future, but I think you meant episode 4.

I blame Yamakan.

(and the fact that Fractale is a week behind everything else)

[Suwako Moriya]

Perhaps I'm wrong and you watched an episode from the future, but I think you meant episode 4.

I blame Yamakan.

(and the fact that Fractale is a week behind everything else)

Yeah, being a week behind everything else can cause that problem. I should probably change the subtitle of that earlier post when I get the chance.

[Mafty Allegro]

Really enjoyed this episode for two separate reasons: the introduction of the anti-Fractale crowd and the total tonal shift at the end. The way Nessa's existence was depicted in the episode was very neat and really brings into question the concept of reality and illusion, especially in terms of artificial intelligence (which feels much fresher than the tired robot/android device). The Turn A-esque whimsy and charm of the show is one of its highlights and most unique qualities in this season's field, denoted by the hilarious, yet warm, interpretive dance scene with Clain and Nessa.

Breaking through all of the goofiness, though, was the shocking bloodbath towards the end. Its level of brutality was reminiscent of Eureka 7's bleakest moments (but probably short of TEXHNOLYZE-level stuff). However, it strangely didn't feel out-of-character for the show. Happening early in its run probably helps, but knowing that the resistance was armed beforehand and that there was a serious element to them also helped make sense of the turn of events. It was bizarre and out-of-left-field, but in a good way, as it demonstrated the underlying tension of Fractale's eccentric setting.

The dichotomy shown here also underscored the great job being done by the staff. Managing humorous moments and gory bloodshed in the same episode is not an easy task, but given how well Fractale has come along in just two episodes with the thoughtfulness and skill being put into it and its complexities, it all still works. The ending was very interesting with Phryne's surprise reappearance (thought that wouldn't happen until a ways from now) and the presence of a real Nessa(?!), so once again, who knows what will happen next? (and it feels so good to say that, nowadays…)

[strangefour]

-Phryne acquired! Mission complete. Return to home base.
-So is Nessa MkII a real girl or a doppel too?
--His name is Robert Paulson...
Damn nuns! Why you make Enri cry?
-"Why did you wake her up?" Because you left her with a boy who loves old technology, Phryne.
-Nessa, Nessa, Nessa, Nessa, Nessa, Nessa!
-That's a bright light. Oh Shii-- Daleks! Or Gadget drones. Some funky old RPG music playing as they attack.
-Clain you idiot!

Clain's kinda dumb, but Nessa was being a bit unreasonable as well.

I'm sorry, but Clain is an idiot.

[Fencedude]

I'm sorry, but Clain is an idiot.

Clain really, really wants to get into Phryne's habit.

[strangefour]

I'm sorry, but Clain is an idiot.

Clain really, really wants to get into Phryne's habit.

Hmm, yeah. He's stupid in love.

[Sly05]

Nessa hates Phryne which I guess means we can't have the two of them together at the same time for now. I hope it doesn't take long for Clain and Nessa to be reunited.

I can't be too hard on Clain right now as he was just trying not to get killed or have anyone else get killed. It's kind of hard to make good decisions when you don't know what the heck is going on and both sides haven't exactly presented themselves all that well.

[Suwako Moriya]

Clain is right. If you really didn't want a chance of the data being open, you shouldn't have left it with him.

Did Phryne take a course in "Having an attitude problem" while she was gone?

I suppose we'll find out her attitude can either be blamed on dramatic life changing event and/or the fractale system itself.

Nessa's selfishness is a flaw, but it's important for making it clear that she's capable of having negative feelings. Same goes for her not liking Phryne.

On a final note, I still don't trust the brother and I get the feeling I'll remain that way for awhile. There's just something about him that I don't like and it has nothing to do with being male, before anyone thinks that.

[Suwako Moriya]

Did Phryne take a course in "Having an attitude problem" while she was gone?

Seriously, the more I think about it the stranger it seems to me. In the first episode, she was somewhat friendly. She wanted to see him smile. She even laughed about it.

Yet in this episode, she's harsh. She has to put lightly an attitude. Now we find out she hates "love". You'd think such a person wouldn't care about things like smiles then.

Am I missing something? Was her episode 1 personality all an act? Is she lying to herself? All I know is that I have trouble thinking the two are the same person. They clash quite a bit.

Or maybe she's the type where the true personality doesn't activate until a certain event happens.

[Fencedude]

Am I missing something? Was her episode 1 personality all an act? Is she lying to herself? All I know is that I have trouble thinking the two are the same person. They clash quite a bit.

She still has the very distinctive "leap off of tall objects and hope something will catch you on the way down" trait. Which worked out much better for her this time.

[Suwako Moriya]

Am I missing something? Was her episode 1 personality all an act? Is she lying to herself? All I know is that I have trouble thinking the two are the same person. They clash quite a bit.

She still has the very distinctive "leap off of tall objects and hope something will catch you on the way down" trait. Which worked out much better for her this time.

Ah, it figures I'd over look the best method of confirming that she is indeed her. I guess it also means if she goes too long without doing it again, I'll have to grow suspicious.

[bear]

Did Phryne take a course in "Having an attitude problem" while she was gone?

Seriously, the more I think about it the stranger it seems to me. In the first episode, she was somewhat friendly. She wanted to see him smile. She even laughed about it.

Yet in this episode, she's harsh. She has to put lightly an attitude. Now we find out she hates "love". You'd think such a person wouldn't care about things like smiles then.

Am I missing something? Was her episode 1 personality all an act? Is she lying to herself? All I know is that I have trouble thinking the two are the same person. They clash quite a bit.

Or maybe she's the type where the true personality doesn't activate until a certain event happens.

And what was she doing going back to the sisterhood and performing the rite, then running away from them? She wants to see Fractale fail but she disdains the Lost Millennium group also. Almost like two personalities in the same body. Is there a dopple of her?

[HitokiriShadow]

Nessa loves love! And Phryne.... hates love? Surprisingly, Phryne and Nessa really don't like each other. I wasn't expecting that.

Anyway, Phryne is back, and she's pretty awesome this episode. Sadly, Nessa has left the party. :(

[HitokiriShadow]

And what was she doing going back to the sisterhood and performing the rite, then running away from them?

She was saving lives. If the fighting had continued without her intervention, even more mid-update bystanders would have been killed. By finishing up the ritual, the remaining people were returned to their normal state, allowing them to run away.

[bear]

And what was she doing going back to the sisterhood and performing the rite, then running away from them?

She was saving lives. If the fighting had continued without her intervention, even more mid-update bystanders would have been killed. By finishing up the ritual, the remaining people were returned to their normal state, allowing them to run away.
But why was she there in the first place? The priestesses were surprised at her appearance. It appears that she had run away given that she ran again when the priests ship came after her. Why go back?

[HitokiriShadow]

And what was she doing going back to the sisterhood and performing the rite, then running away from them?

She was saving lives. If the fighting had continued without her intervention, even more mid-update bystanders would have been killed. By finishing up the ritual, the remaining people were returned to their normal state, allowing them to run away.
But why was she there in the first place? The priestesses were surprised at her appearance. It appears that she had run away given that she ran again when the priests ship came after her. Why go back?

It's probably the same general area as Clain's house, so she just happened to be nearby and decided to intervene. She ran away once an those ladies were not a search party, so I would guess Phryne figured she could get away from them easily enough. Or she just decided that ending the slaughter was more important.

[FUNiOP]

Episode 4 is finally up, a week late. Fortunately, there's no noitaminA this week, so hopefully episode 5 will be on time. Of course, at this rate, I'm expecting episode 6 to be a week and a half or 2 weeks late.

[EmperorBrandon]

Seeing Enri cry over Butcher's death... :cry: Really sad to know the sweet little girl is marked as wanted just because she's in the Granite family, too.

Phryne doesn't really seem to be in the mood to explain anything. I'll be curious how the dynamic between Clain, Phryne, and Nessa plays out over the series.


(and the fact that Fractale is a week behind everything else)

Well, now it and Hourou Musuko are two weeks behinds everything else.

[einhorn303]

The underlying plot regarding Phryne, Nessa, etc is so incredibly opaque right now. I think Phryne's personality shift is most likely due to Nessa being around. Or "awakened." And I think Nessa demanding Clain's attention is just as much due to her disliking Phryne, and whatever she stands for, then jealousy. But I have no idea what the conflict between them is.

I think the best parts of this episode were the quieter ones, like with the villagers at Butcher's funeral. They felt very real. The action scenes seemed oddly paced.

Sunda's problem is that his philosophy has too much machismo. "Feeling pain is important because it makes you human"...that sort of thing.

[something]

I thought I was super behind on this show, then I realize I only had one ep to watch. Sheesh.

Episode 4:

- That's way more bodies than I remember seeing in ep 3.
- Oh, right. I was wondering why they weren't having Nessa grab a ladder too, but she has no need of such things.
- Man, Phryne does not look happy to see them - especially Nessa.
- And since Nessa's fists are going right though her... yeah that says a lot based on what we know. But man, what is her deal with Clain?

- Nessa sings at funerals. Nobody hears her but Clain. Well, and an old woman. And a really cute little girl.
- Ah, Sanko. And haha oh right, thats what I'm hearing. Konno Hiromi, and the voice that comes to mind is Kogami Akira... in cutesy mode anyway.
- They'll spare the village if you're gone? When does that ever work!?

- Hahah oh man, angry jealous Nessa! <3
- And an attack. That was fast.
- Nessa thinks the lights are pretty! =D

- And damn Nessa does not like Phryne at all. Clain, stick with Nessa. Nessa is superior!

[something]

Nessa's selfishness is a flaw
It's not a flaw, it's a charm point!

[Suwako Moriya]

Nessa's selfishness is a flaw
It's not a flaw, it's a charm point!

I feel ashamed of myself for not realizing this.

[EmperorBrandon]

Well, for the most part, this episode felt a little like things had calmed down a bit from the previous episodes, though who know for how long, since the Temple is totally on to them, as expected.

It seems Nessa and Phryne have got to get along by the end. I'm surprised it happened already, though hopefully it helps Phryne lighten up a bit (still doesn't want to explain much to Clain...)

And... we get to find out that Clain wears fundoshi. :sweat:

[FUNiOP]

This was a pretty slow episode considering how much has been put on the table when they're already halfway through the story. Hopefully they somehow work things out in a good way, but I have a feeling this isn't quite going to live up to my hopes.

[Suwako Moriya]

Yeah, this was definitely a case of a cool down episode or whatever you want to call it.

Nice to see Nessa again.

Thanks a lot, old ladies, because of your attempts to torment Clain, we've all been scarred for life!

[bear]

I noticed the ED song is a version of Sally Gardens sung in Japanese this time. Weird but works really well.

[Shiroi Hane]

Their airship is running a copy of the Fractal OS jailbroken using <s>Cydia</s> Cydery ^^;

The copyrights on Fractal date back to 2301, and we're in at least the late 26th century.
Fractal Network Operating System ver 4.29
Copyright 2791, 2796, 2600, 2301 by LC Technologies

[strangefour]

-Old women depants Clain. He wears anciant japanese underwear?
-Nessa is hiding. Nessa is not playing with Clain. Nessa is turning the ship into a sauna.
-Clain hacks into a toilet to stop Phryne from stripping even more.
-AHAHAH! Piles of old user manuals. Which I haven't seen in a while. Most things come with manuals on CD now.
-Dance Dance Nessa Summoning!
-Nessa likes hide and seek. Unfortunately Nessa teleports before she can be tagged.
-Nessa has caught a Phryne. Nessa receives 200 experience points.
-Red loincloth acquired. Equip red loincloth.
-Why are my sally gardens in japanese?

Nessa is back. Hurray! Kind of a slow episode.

[njchobitsfan]

I don't mind these type of episodes, you appreciate the characters more especially when something good/bad happens to them. Also, it lulls you into a false sense of security. We've already seen some dramatic action with a significant death when we didn't expect it considering the earlier episodes. Heck, it could be all action from now on, but without character building who cares what happens to them. This episode, for me, hit just the right emotional buttons.

[HitokiriShadow]

It's nice to see Nessa and Phryne on better terms now. Though it seems that Phryne never really hated Nessa to begin with, instead its something more complicated. Like she was trying to close her heart off to Nessa, trying not to care about her in order to protect herself from getting hurt when something bad happens to Nessa.

Anyway, yay for Nessa being back with the group. Even half an episode with her doing or saying anything was too much.

Could have done without learning about and getting a good long look at Clain's fundoshi though....

[Ashyukun]

Could have done without learning about and getting a good long look at Clain's fundoshi though....
I'd have been less annoyed if we'd gotten more of the women (esp. Phryne...) in their underwear...

[LKK]

Could have done without learning about and getting a good long look at Clain's fundoshi though....
My theory as to why we saw the fundoshi is to remind us that Clain has a long-standing curiosity about antiques. He didn't even know what it was, only that it came from the past and that made it interesting to him. Later on, it's Clain's knowledge of antiques that allows him to tap in and understand the airship's computer systems when things started going haywire. Other things could have been used to remind us of Clain's interest in antiques, but few would have had the comic impact that the fundoshi had. (I thought it was funny, at any rate.)

[einhorn303]

I don't mind these type of episodes, you appreciate the characters more especially when something good/bad happens to them. Also, it lulls you into a false sense of security. We've already seen some dramatic action with a significant death when we didn't expect it considering the earlier episodes. Heck, it could be all action from now on, but without character building who cares what happens to them. This episode, for me, hit just the right emotional buttons.

I dunno, I feel like Phryne and Nessa's reconciliation was too rushed, and too opaque. It doesn't really let me know the character's better if I don't understand their emotions.

The last two episodes have somewhat disappointed me compared to the show's great start. They're not bad, but they could be better.

[something]

Man I did not get nearly as much anime watched this long weekend as I'd planned. Oh well, I still have time to squeeze Fractale and Hourou in.

Episode 5:

- Clain is being stripped by two middle aged women. o_O
- And we get a lingering shot on his... fundoshi? Sans the cloth in front.

- Oooh, Nessa is hanging around! We better see her soon!
- But if Clain can't, then can we? It seems as if we're seeing her on his terms.
- Phryne finally opens up again, a bit. Which is good, but Nessa is better so this means no Nessa still. ;_;
- Enri, you have such a dirty mind. EVERYTHING IS SEX.
- Phryne's casual clothes look decent enough but just the white undershirt = best.

- Uh oh. Nessa is pissed and has some sabotage in mind.
- Hah, so the whole ship needs to woo Nessa.
- Ahahaa, Enri's dancing. <3
- Enri's thighhighs make me so happy.
- Nessa in the oven!
- Hahahah, the spiderbot turns around, and there's Nessa. =D

- Phryne is getting too mopey for my tastes, and with no attempt to explain why she's acting like this. I really hope that turns around soon.
- Well okay that was definitely "soon". Kinda weird though. I'm not sure I've fully bought into her progression of emotions regarding Nessa (I hate Nessa! -> I'm jealous of Nessa! -> WAI WAI NESSA RABU!), primarily because we still don't know much about her connection to Nessa.
- Anyway, the important part is that we get more Nessa again. Nessa loooooove. <3

Oh hey. New ED vocals/lyrics, but same melody.

Good episode, nice and slow and character-building. Even if I still think they need to work on Phryne more before I'll care about her as much as I should.

[something]

I dunno, I feel like Phryne and Nessa's reconciliation was too rushed, and too opaque. It doesn't really let me know the character's better if I don't understand their emotions.
That's really the main thing holding the show back, and it's primarily centered on Phryne. Nessa is allowed to make no sense, since she's just a super lovely happy-go-lucky doppel full of wide-eyed Hanazawa Kana adorableness. Phryne, though, it just being needlessly opaque, to use your term. What do we even know about her?

She's prone to mood swings.
She likes throwing herself off high places. she was trying for a third before Clain stopped her.
She escaped the temple and is a very important person there. But not, in her words, as important as Nessa. But which Nessa?

And yet without that last question answered it seems like she's reconciled with the immediate source of her angst.

Eh?

Not that I'm excessively bothered. I'm watching this show with the following priorities:
1) Nessa
2) Nessa
3) Nessa
4) Nessa
5) Plot
6) Nessa
7) Nessa
8) Nessa
9) Nessa
10) Nessa

[Fencedude]

I really didn't need to know about Clain's underwear situation.

And Clain was right that Nessa had forgotten she was mad, Phryne's little reverse psychology trick on her was nice, and it helped her cheer herself up a bit as well.

...but now what?

[something]

And Clain was right that Nessa had forgotten she was mad, Phryne's little reverse psychology trick on her was nice, and it helped her cheer herself up a bit as well.
Hmm, is that what it was? Phryne has been so darn gloomy (and those tears seemed real) that I could only interpret her at face value. She really was gonna jump out of the plane. Unless you just mean her making Nessa think Nessa was "it".

[Sly05]

She really was gonna jump out of the plane.

Jumping off of things seems to be Phryne's solution to pretty much everything. I guess it has worked out for her okay so far.

[einhorn303]

This episode lived up to my expectations much better. I loved it.

- Sunda's description of the refugees reminds me of when I lose internet connectivity.
- Alabaster...Granite...makes sense. Anyways, these Alabaster guys are clearly Bad News. You can tell from their theme music.
- Suspicious vaccinations.
- Phyrne still gets moody at random.
- I imagine that Alabaster purposely dug holes so that people with Terminals would fall to their deaths, weeding out those they'd missed through vaccination. Yeah, they're even more blatantly terrorist-ic than the Granites. These people don't want to fight against anything, they just want to live in peace.
- So what was the "truth" that Mr. Naughty hoped Clain would see in the town? What Alabaster are like?
- I'm not sure if the man has the same VA as Clain's father from episode 1, but if so it's quite a twist And it makes sense, too. Also, Phryne is totally rabu-rabu for Clain, taking those pictures of him.

I guess the only problem I have with the show is it's dropped the ball in making some characters sympathetic and interesting. Phryne is inscrutable and Enri does little besides repeating how naughty Clain is. In a rare turn, I think my favorite character in the show is male (Clain). So with some characters slightly lacking, I like it more when it focuses on the plot and SF setting.

[Ashyukun]

I didn't get the impression that the Alabaster crew was responsible for the cliff/holes- it just seemed that the area wasn't the same as it had been when the town had existed. Doesn't make them any less assholish though. I figured Phyrne realized just what they were doing with the 'vaccinations' and was annoyed at Clain for being so naive. She doesn't seem to be one to explain things though, which is definitely annoying. I get the impression they're intentionally not explaining things about her and Nessa to try and drag it out until the very end, but I agree they're not doing as much as they could to better characterize and flesh out everyone (beyond Phyrne happily stripping at the drop of a hat).

The man at the tower being Clain's Dad would be an interesting twist, since his doppel had a very different reaction to things it seemed. I got the impression that people's doppels were supposed to sync up with them, so he would have recognized Phyrne (and Clain, for that matter...)... guess I could be wrong there.

[Sly05]

It's all Phryne can do to keep her clothes on.

Yeah, I guess we're supposed to be disgusted with the Alabaster guys, but as the Granites had no problems machine gunning dozens of random civilians who happened to get in the way a couple of episodes ago, the Alabasters tricking people and killed a few who tried to run away didn't seem particularly worse.


- I'm not sure if the man has the same VA as Clain's father from episode 1, but if so it's quite a twist And it makes sense, too. Also, Phryne is totally rabu-rabu for Clain, taking those pictures of him..
Him being Clain's dad is what I got from it. There isn't really any other reason for him to have a family photo with Clain while he was a baby. How he knew Clain was on the airship is another question.

[Suwako Moriya]

Well, I'm not going to complain about Phryne getting naked.

Sheesh, with the exception of select people, it's like all sides are jerks.

[Suwako Moriya]

Yeah, I guess we're supposed to be disgusted with the Alabaster guys, but as the Granites had no problems machine gunning dozens of random civilians who happened to get in the way a couple of episodes ago, the Alabasters tricking people and killed a few who tried to run away didn't seem particularly worse.

Ah, but the leader of Alabaster looks "evil" and the leader of Granite is one of the mains. So that totally makes anything Granite does less evil by default does it not?:P

Yeah, screw that. I don't get it either. I prefer to think of them both as problematic. In general, it seems we either have people who want to use Fractale to control others or people willing to sacrifice anyone to stand against it.

[maehara]

Yeah, I guess we're supposed to be disgusted with the Alabaster guys, but as the Granites had no problems machine gunning dozens of random civilians who happened to get in the way a couple of episodes ago, the Alabasters tricking people and killed a few who tried to run away didn't seem particularly worse.
The Granites at least aren't telling anyone to "fight with us or die", or (so far as we've seen, anyway) surreptitiously removing their terminals. They still believe in a certain freedom of choice, the Alabaster clearly don't.

[Ashyukun]

It's all Phryne can do to keep her clothes on.

Yeah, I guess we're supposed to be disgusted with the Alabaster guys, but as the Granites had no problems machine gunning dozens of random civilians who happened to get in the way a couple of episodes ago, the Alabasters tricking people and killed a few who tried to run away didn't seem particularly worse.

I'll have to go back and re-watch it, but I thought that by and large the Granites weren't gunning down the bystanders but they were mostly getting hit by the return fire from the Temple troops. They (Granite) obviously weren't being all that concerned about collateral damage to said bystanders, but they seemed to be pretty solidly concentrating their fire on the Temple people.

Also, it kind of surprised me that they actually gave Clain a gun and put him on guard duty. While they're tacitly part of the crew, that seems like quite a stretch. Do they actually think he'd shoot somebody who attacked them? Or perhaps just make enough noise to alert everyone else...

[bear]

One little aside makes for some interesting conjectures. They noticed that Nessa still exists even though they are out of range of Fractale. So she appears to be a dopple and they need to use goggles to see her but she is independent of Fractale?

Maybe the answer they're going to arrive at isn't to reject technology but to integrate data into reality in a reasonable way rather than through Fractale.

[Sly05]

The Granites at least aren't telling anyone to "fight with us or die", or (so far as we've seen, anyway) surreptitiously removing their terminals. They still believe in a certain freedom of choice, the Alabaster clearly don't.

The people who died in their attack on the priestesses didn't get much choice about it. Even if the civilian casualties were unintended collateral damage, the Granites still chose to attack when there were tons of civilians in the way and we never saw them even mention the civilian casualties let alone show remorse for them.

[maehara]

The people who died in their attack on the priestesses didn't get much choice about it.
Sure they did. Their choice was to "worship" (or whatever word you want to use for it) Fractale, and by doing that they found themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time when the Granites launched their raid.

The refugees in this episode, the Granites left alone - if they wanted to go in search of a Fractale signal and return to the collective, they were free to do so. The Granites didn't lure them in with the promise of free food and vaccinations and then pull the fight-or-die "choice" on them.

It's a question of degree - I'm not saying the Granites are sweetness and light, there's a lot about them that's morally repugnant. But that's what you get when people feel pushed to form a resistance, and the Alabaster - based on what you see of them this episode - are clearly a much more militant, forceful group.

[Sly05]

Sure they did. Their choice was to "worship" (or whatever word you want to use for it) Fractale, and by doing that they found themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time when the Granites launched their raid.
That's not really much of a choice. The Granites could have at least attacked from an angle where they weren't firing and being fired on through a crowd of people.


It's a question of degree - I'm not saying the Granites are sweetness and light, there's a lot about them that's morally repugnant. But that's what you get when people feel pushed to form a resistance, and the Alabaster - based on what you see of them this episode - are clearly a much more militant, forceful group.
Yeah, both groups don't particularly come across all that great. What the Alabaster are doing is definitely terrible, but its not like any of the other factions can claim a moral high ground despite how nice the non-combatant members of the Granites are. I guess my problem with how it was portrayed in the episode was that its largely ignored the consequences of the Granites actions.

[TheGreenMan]

Phryne nekked! She's such a tomboy.
So, we get to see Clain's dad. Question is, why was is exiled and Clain remained?
What is the truth that he was trying to show Clain?

[HitokiriShadow]

Phryne wants to swim! Phryne goes from fully clothed to completely naked in 0.7 seconds!

Bwahaha, I love Phryne's argument for going to the old man's house. "Before I'm a girl, I'm an existence known as Phryne! He didn't say Phryne couldn't come, did he?" Though I was really hoping she would punch him, Clain was really pissing me off this episode.

And, uh, Clain? You weren't seeing anything from going up under her on the ladder that you couldn't see normally (well, okay, he couldn't get quite that view of her ass, but its the same piece of clothing he can see when she's walking around normally). That was nothing to get all blushy over.

So.... I guess the guy is supposed to be Clain's father. That's certainly what the picture seemed to heavily imply, though it doesn't much sense. Unless the doppels from Clain's house weren't actually his parents' doppels, and were just AIs created by the system. And possibly memory alterations on Clain. Maybe Fractale removes all children from their parents at a certain age and then has them raised by the doppels which aren't actually their parents at all.

[something]

Episode 6:

- Sanko slides <3
- I really wonder what Nessa would look like in other clothes. But the bare shoulders look is seriously fantastic on her.
- And she can touche Phryne, yay~! Plus Clain seems to be totally into maintaining the airship's systems now.

- !!! Yeah so Phyrne clearly wears no underwear of any sort. In one swift motion, COMPLETELY NAKED!
- ECCHI RADAR!
- I love how Nessa just kinda phases through the water without disturbing it or getting wet.

- Dead zone refugees. So is Clain just special in some way, or what? Being outside the Fractale area doesn't seem to bother him one bit.
- And more Lost Millienium factions. This one run by someone who is totally not a bastard at all, I'm sure!
- Yeah, definitely quite the bastard. "Haha just kidding, I actually took away your connection to Fractale!" While Fractale may turn out to be bad, he sure doesn't come off as a hero. Forced conscription into his army and cold blooded murder kind of ruin his humanitarian credentials.
- So... this guy is Clain's dad. He has the same seiyuu, and he was taking pictures of Clain, and the kid in the picture is apparently Clain, so, interesting place to meet him.

Not enough Nessa in this episode, but Phryne was better than usual. Being naked obviously scores points.

[FUNiOP]

Well this episode was better than the previous one, since stuff actually happened and we got to meet some new characters and see some new developments, and it still managed to have its fun moments. Still, it doesn't seem like the series is covering enough ground with each episode to already be the majority of the way through.

[something]

- I imagine that Alabaster purposely dug holes so that people with Terminals would fall to their deaths, weeding out those they'd missed through vaccination.
No, that was just a natural feature of the landscape. Besides, they clearly intended to vaccinate the rest, because the more people they can enslave, the stronger they are.

They're assholes, but Clain's dad's radio waves (or whatever) weren't their plan. He's totally pro-Fractale, dias clearly is not.

I guess the only problem I have with the show is it's dropped the ball in making some characters sympathetic and interesting. Phryne is inscrutable and Enri does little besides repeating how naughty Clain is. In a rare turn, I think my favorite character in the show is male (Clain). So with some characters slightly lacking, I like it more when it focuses on the plot and SF setting.
Clain is... meh. I don't hate him but he doesn't do much to improve the show for me. Nessa trashes and thrashes absoluetly everyone else in this show to a ridiculous degree. If I were to apportion 100 points among all the characters in proportion to their awesomeness, she would account for at minimum 80 of those points with everyone else scrambling for the scraps. I'm not sure who I'd pick next... Phryne was annoying me for a while but she got nak-- I mean, she got better in this episode. I wish she would hurry up and tell us something about herself but at least she's not moping as much, and she's being nice to Nessa now. Enri is a one-note character, yeah, but she's consistently amusing at least. I have a feeling they're not going to go much of anywhere with her though. Sanko is awesome.

I would agree that the plot and setting are what make or break this show, though. That's often not the case, but with Fractale it is. Nessa goes a long, long, long way toward solidifying my enjoyment (basically, without her I doubt I'd be importing this) but in the end whether it's a success will have a lot to do with the story. Certainly it's not one of the many shows where plot is more an obstacle than anything else.

[Fencedude]

Phryne's such an odd girl. She's got a minimal sense of self-preservation and absolutely no modesty issues at all. Very strange.

Anyway, good episode, odd place to run into Clain's father.

I do want to mention that in that pile of photos, one towards the bottom clearly had a lot of water in it, so I'm guessing he wasn't solely focused on Clain *cough*

But seriously, Clain blushing over Phryne's pants...bloomers...things was silly. You've seen her naked already! Get over it!.

[Suwako Moriya]

Not enough Nessa in this episode, but Phryne was better than usual. Being naked obviously scores points.

I would like to suggest that Phryne try to score more points in the future.:P

[Suwako Moriya]

Nessa trashes and thrashes absoluetly everyone else in this show to a ridiculous degree.

Seriously, for me she definitely surpasses everyone else.


Phryne was annoying me for a while but she got nak-- I mean, she got better in this episode.

My issue with Phryne was her mood swings and her episode 4 personality being inconsistent with her episode 1 personality. Almost like she and some polar opposite twin switched places.


Enri is a one-note character, yeah, but she's consistently amusing at least. I have a feeling they're not going to go much of anywhere with her though.

Enri is amusing, but her one tracked mind does detract from her value sometimes....

Sanko is awesome.

This can not be denied.

[einhorn303]

- I imagine that Alabaster purposely dug holes so that people with Terminals would fall to their deaths, weeding out those they'd missed through vaccination.
No, that was just a natural feature of the landscape. Besides, they clearly intended to vaccinate the rest, because the more people they can enslave, the stronger they are.

They're assholes, but Clain's dad's radio waves (or whatever) weren't their plan. He's totally pro-Fractale, dias clearly is not.

I don't think their in cahoots. I would just imagine that the holographic town appeared, then Alabaster took advantage of it.

Another question is whether that holographic town was what originally existed there, or is meant to be overlayed on different scenery. Or if it's just really old, and the scenery has just changed since then. Since if it's meant to be in that place, and was up to date just before the balloons started falling, such a hole couldn't have naturally appeared fast enough.


Enri is a one-note character, yeah, but she's consistently amusing at least. I have a feeling they're not going to go much of anywhere with her though.


Such a waste of a great character design.

[something]

Since if it's meant to be in that place, and was up to date just before the balloons started falling, such a hole couldn't have naturally appeared fast enough.
I can virtually guarantee that nobody on the production team was thinking about that, and the point was simply to go "woah he fell through the ground that was trippy". :sd:

[Fencedude]

Enri is a one-note character, yeah, but she's consistently amusing at least. I have a feeling they're not going to go much of anywhere with her though.


Such a waste of a great character design.

I'm still hoping that Nessa manages to save her life, and prove that yes, Enri likes Nessa.

Not holding my breath though.

[Suwako Moriya]

Since if it's meant to be in that place, and was up to date just before the balloons started falling, such a hole couldn't have naturally appeared fast enough.
I can virtually guarantee that nobody on the production team was thinking about that, and the point was simply to go "woah he fell through the ground that was trippy". :sd:

More or less I just figured it was supposed to be one of those suddenly shocking moments. I'm walking, I'm walking, crap I'm falling! Not that I gave much thought about the validity of the scene.

[einhorn303]

Since if it's meant to be in that place, and was up to date just before the balloons started falling, such a hole couldn't have naturally appeared fast enough.
I can virtually guarantee that nobody on the production team was thinking about that, and the point was simply to go "woah he fell through the ground that was trippy". :sd:

I dunno, with shows like this sometimes the staff can have things remarkably well thought out. Like the distinction between donay and monay; I'm sure they've created an entire functional Fractale-based currency system.

[TAS]

I dunno, with shows like this sometimes the staff can have things remarkably well thought out. Like the distinction between donay and monay; I'm sure they've created an entire functional Fractale-based currency system.Then someone from the production management comes in as says it needs more action/guns/boobs... and it all goes to hell.

At times it feels like they are making things up as they go along, or there is no one in charge with an over all view of where they want to go with this.

[Ashyukun]

- Dead zone refugees. So is Clain just special in some way, or what? Being outside the Fractale area doesn't seem to bother him one bit.

Clain was already much more enamored with 'Lost Technology' than with the Fractale culture, and he's also got all the 'modern' conveniences onboard the airship with the Lost Millennium. Presumably when the balloons fell and the Fractale signal to the area was lost, the people there were completely dependent on Fractale for EVERYTHING and don't know any other way of living. Without the Lost Millenium around, Clain would likely be in much the same boat, though he's much more quick on the uptake on 'older' non-Fracale tech...

[FUNiOP]

Episode 7 felt a lot better than the past few episodes, since a lot of important things happened. Nessa appears to be sick, and the ship that only her and Clain are on crash lands. Clain wakes up next to the fanservice of the series condensed into one doppel in Xanadu, the "perfect city" of Fractale. Of course, Fractale isn't portrayed very positively, so it's not surprising that it soon shows its dark side. The people who have been friendly to Clain reveals they were only out to get him for the reward, and the real body of the fanservice chick, who is of course an ugly guy (Xanadu = internet), tries to complete their group of captives by physically attacking Phryne, who appears rather submissive after she sees him as some sort of demon. She is soon saved by a good pot-to-the-head, but in the city of illusions, it takes Nessa showing off the power that everyone seems to need her for: she can completely destroy everything that came from the Fractale system in the whole giant city. That seems like a quick fix to a potentially really bad situation, but then the last man standing uses physical force in the form of a gun to shoot Clain and seemingly fatally wound him. And to top it all off, the temple goons arrive in their ship just as Phryne and the others reach the nearly-dead Clain and Nessa, making the trio they've been looking for conveniently gathered in one place and thoroughly distraught. This looks like a good place to go full-on plot from here, and with only 4 episodes left, I wouldn't have a problem with that.

[EmperorBrandon]

Not enough Nessa in this episode, but Phryne was better than usual. Being naked obviously scores points.

I would like to suggest that Phryne try to score more points in the future.:P

After her bothering me for some reason the past few episodes, I really thought her attitude this episode was pretty cute. Getting naked at one point is a nice (very nice) bonus, but not the only thing scoring her points this episode. :)

Interesting to see some stuff on Clain's dad and different factions in Lost Millennium.

[EmperorBrandon]

Whoa, I never realized it was Toyosaki Aki voicing Megan. Guess this may be another example I can point out to the people who say she doesn't have any range. The scene where she was introduced was extremely amusing, particularly with how out of the blue it was and seeing Clain's reactions.

Clain is so cute in that outfit. :) Xanadu really seems to reflect the dark side of Fractale. The bad guy this episode certainly has his reasons, but he's quite the bastard. Definitely wonder what's going to happen with that cliffhanger... Lots of Nessa goodness this episode, and finally got to see a lot of her power in action.

[einhorn303]

That was an amazing episode. The show had slipped in my estimation, but if it keeps going like this till the finale it may end up my favorite show of the year. So much SFnal awesomeness.

- As a fan of straight shotacon/older women, I approve of this fanservice.
- When I first heard Yuu Kobayashi's voice, I thought, "So feminine! Well, I can just pretend Clain is a girl. And all the pairings become yuri pairings, ha ha." But now...I'm considering that even more seriously.
- It sure would be fitting if Megan was voiced by Aya Hirano.
- When Clain isn't around, Enri is allowed to be an interesting character.
- Oh god what Enri is super moe all of a sudden. She's really just tsundere for naughty things.
- I love how the reveal of Megan's real world identity completely overturns the peaceful Miyazaki-ish vibe from earlier. And how it plays with the gap between appearances and reality in so many other ways throughout the episode. You really should, thought, consider from his first appearance that "What sort of peaceful nature-loving nomad carries around a toy-breed dog in his arms while riding on a camel not in a desert?"
- So if the guard android is running stand-alone, Nessa's power can't work on it because it's not connected to the ambient network of the Fractale System? Sort of like if you disconnected your computer from the Internet to avoid viruses?

[einhorn303]

Xanadu really seems to reflect the dark side of Fractale. The bad guy this episode certainly has his reasons, but he's quite the bastard. Definitely wonder what's going to happen with that cliffhanger... Lots of Nessa goodness this episode, and finally got to see a lot of her power in action.

"I want money"? I guess that lifestyle would be rather dehumanizing.

Now that we know Nessa really is that powerful, I guess the question about the show's ending is "Will she save, destroy, or do something in the middle (saving the system but altering it in some meaningful way)." I'd bet on the latter.

[Ashyukun]

"I want money"? I guess that lifestyle would be rather dehumanizing.

Now that we know Nessa really is that powerful, I guess the question about the show's ending is "Will she save, destroy, or do something in the middle (saving the system but altering it in some meaningful way)." I'd bet on the latter.
No... I think he means that the guy left standing (the blonde guy, not the 'artist') is either in a coma or otherwise not capable of truly 'living' in the real world and can only truly function in Fractale. He's fighting for his ability to live a halfway normal life vs. being (from what it looks like) completely paralyzed and unable to interact with anyone.

[EmperorBrandon]

No... I think he means that the guy left standing (the blonde guy, not the 'artist') is either in a coma or otherwise not capable of truly 'living' in the real world and can only truly function in Fractale. He's fighting for his ability to live a halfway normal life vs. being (from what it looks like) completely paralyzed and unable to interact with anyone.

Yeah, that's exactly what I was referring to when I mentioned his "reasons".

[Sly05]

Never believe anyone claiming to be a girl on the internet (especially when their avatars are hyper-sexualized) holds true for Fractale too, I guess. The flashback that Phryne experienced when "Megan" attacked her seems to suggest that someone may have tried to assault her previously though I might be reading too much into it. However, with the way the creepy priest guy that's chasing them talks about her, I wouldn't put it past him having attempting something like that in the past.

I'm not really sure how what I assume is a Fractale created gun would work on Clain as I thought Nessa was special in being able to have limited physical interaction with real things. I guess the Fractale ports in people work sort of like how people die in the Matrix?

[Ashyukun]

I'm not really sure how what I assume is a Fractale created gun would work on Clain as I thought Nessa was special in being able to have limited physical interaction with real things. I guess the Fractale ports in people work sort of like how people die in the Matrix?
Given that Clain was afraid of the sentries, I got the impression that they were actually real, physical objects like robots and not just Fractale-generated images.

The one chasing Clain & Nessa broke the stone doorway it forced its way through, messing up the Fractale imagery around it. Remember how when Clain first woke up, only the base bed and the sheet were real and he went through everything else? The room itself (which the Phyrne & co. saw from the air near the end) and the buildings were real, just very basic and spartan vs. what it looked like in Fractale-space. So it's not wholly surprising there would be some real sentries, and guns, as well...

[Shiroi Hane]

"the key that can destroy the world or save it" gave me .hack flashbacks.

[HitokiriShadow]

Yay, Nessa gets a decent role in an episode again. For like the first time since episode 3. Then at the end she essentially data-nukes a Fractale city.

Very interesting episode. Nice twist with who the real person behind Meegan was. And I wander what was up with the guy suddenly looking like an evil shadow and saying some mystery words.... that obviously wasn't something he did himself. It was more likely a memory of Phryne's than something that she was actually seeing to begin with.

Then the episode ends with Clain getting a very real bullet in his torso, and the Temple guy that's been chasing Phryne finding them, and its pretty apparent they're about to be captured. There's only a few of them there, and they have no way to fight back or even just run off quickly due to Clain's condition.

[bear]

Then the episode ends with Clain getting a very real bullet in his torso, and the Temple guy that's been chasing Phryne finding them, and its pretty apparent they're about to be captured. There's only a few of them there, and they have no way to fight back or even just run off quickly due to Clain's condition.
I think it creates a situation where if they don't give up Clain dies, but if they surrender Fractale can save him since he's still has a transponder.

But why was Nessa sick and what was that comment earlier about Clain not knowing what she was really thinking?

[LKK]

But why was Nessa sick and what was that comment earlier about Clain not knowing what she was really thinking?
I'm not sure what Clain meant with his not knowing what she was really thinking statement. Maybe he was referrring to not knowing how deeply she feels things like her friendship for him? She destroyed a city for him. That's feeling pretty deeply if you ask me.

As for why Nessa was sick, it was most likely from the Temple's search for her. On the ship, they were doing some ritual that may have been sending out search waves or something that could have caused the (computer) virus that was affecting her.

[HitokiriShadow]

But why was Nessa sick and what was that comment earlier about Clain not knowing what she was really thinking?

It was mentioned that Nessa could be sick because someone was hacking her, and that seems to be what happened. The Temple guys were up to something and I don't remember what they said but it seemed to fit with doing something to Nessa. Remember all those people in a circle that seemed to be performing some sort of ritual? And remember how when Nessa did her data-nuke, some of them got shocked or something? I'm pretty sure that was her forcing them out of her system.

As for not knowing what she was thinking... do you mean his line near the very beginning of the episode, when the others are washing clothes? Errrr... "other" translations of that line say something along the line of "not knowing the true feelings hidden by her smile".

[bear]

As for not knowing what she was thinking... do you mean his line near the very beginning of the episode, when the others are washing clothes? Errrr... "other" translations of that line say something along the line of "not knowing the true feelings hidden by her smile".
Yes, that was what I meant. I forgot the actual words in the translation. The context implies Clain is talking from a future perspective where he's found out something important about Nessa, which is why it stood out to me.

[TAS]

It was mentioned that Nessa could be sick because someone was hacking her, and that seems to be what happened. The Temple guys were up to something and I don't remember what they said but it seemed to fit with doing something to Nessa. Remember all those people in a circle that seemed to be performing some sort of ritual? And remember how when Nessa did her data-nuke, some of them got shocked or something? I'm pretty sure that was her forcing them out of her system.
And the aircraft lost it's control systems at the same time she got sick, so I expect they were also hacking that.

[LKK]

The context implies Clain is talking from a future perspective where he's found out something important about Nessa, which is why it stood out to me.
I had forgotten about the future perspective of the comment, but I agree, it did seem like he was commenting from the future. That implies Clain survives his wound. (Not that I think that he won't. :bigsmile:)

[strangefour]

-Nessa is omnipresent in all situations reguarless of WiFi connectivity.
-Phyrne can get naked in 3.5 seconds... That's an impressive skill.
-Enri was right. Clain does have ecchi radar.
-Fangirls are shipping Dais and Sunda aren't they.
-Clain is sneaking off at midnight, shirking his guard duty, to go visit a voyeuristic old man and see "something special." Clain is such an easy mark.
-Fuuuuuuuck. Mister pervert was Clain's dad. *sniffle*

That episode needed more Nessa.

[strangefour]

-Clain wakes up in the bed of a busty friendly woman. I have no idea why and I don't care. *dives in*
-<3 Meegan.
-Nessa can catch a cold?
-Xanadu is like Summer Wars and Dominion had a bouncing baby city.
-Gah! Bad pop up ads. Clain turn on your Adblocker.
-Meegan is the best tour guide ever!
-Sorry Meegan. But Clain likes flat girls.
-Enri & Phryne have a nice chat with Ghengis Khan and his dog.

-Meegan is really a dude isn't she.
--Silly Phyrne. Never insult an artist's work in his studio. That's like poking a sleeping bear in a cave.
Oh another bad idea. Making Nessa mad in an entirely Fractale based environment. Bye Meegan.
-Damn it. Everything just went to hell.

WTF IS IT WITH NAMES LATELY! First I name a character Nessa (http://strangefour.deviantart.com/art/Venus-Diary-09-197616020) a few months ago. Then there's Nessa is in Fractale. Last night I finally gave a name to a character, Megan (http://strangefour.deviantart.com/art/Library-Fairy-199841041) a meganeko library fairy. And now Meegan shows up! Her hair is almost the same too. My Nessa looks nothing like Fractale Nessa at least.

Good episode though. However it was seeming like from previous episodes that going put technology or pure nature was the right path in Fractale. But this episode has a town mixing tech and nature in seeming balance that turns out even worse than either side individually. So I'm not sure what the ultimate messege of Fractale is going to be. Damned if you do, damned if you don't damned if you try for a happy medium? *shrug*

[Fencedude]

Man, the character designs were wonky this episode. Everyone's faces look scrunched.

And we see what Nessa's power is, and Clain gets shot.

And holy crap, Meegan was Toyosaki Aki? Seriously?

[TheGreenMan]

Holy Shiiiiiiiiiiiiitttttttttttt. Between Nessa's nuke-blob and Clain being shot...wow...just wow.
Why did Clain all of sudden lose his ability to touch Nessa? When he falls after being shot, he falls through her.

[LKK]

Why did Clain all of sudden lose his ability to touch Nessa? When he falls after being shot, he falls through her.
Wouldn't he need to be conscious to touch her??

[TheGreenMan]

Why did Clain all of sudden lose his ability to touch Nessa? When he falls after being shot, he falls through her.
Wouldn't he need to be conscious to touch her??

I guess you're right. I thought he could touch her all the time, even though she's a doppel. I thought it was pretty significant when I saw it. Guess not.

[LKK]

Why did Clain all of sudden lose his ability to touch Nessa? When he falls after being shot, he falls through her.
Wouldn't he need to be conscious to touch her??

I guess you're right. I thought he could touch her all the time, even though she's a doppel. I thought it was pretty significant when I saw it. Guess not.
I could be very wrong, but my impression is that being able to touch Nessa has to do with how the human feels or thinks of Nessa. While I believe it works on a subconscious level, I still think it's tied to conscious thought ultimately. Maybe like a subliminal thought??

[TAS]

Why did Clain all of sudden lose his ability to touch Nessa? When he falls after being shot, he falls through her.
Wouldn't he need to be conscious to touch her??

I guess you're right. I thought he could touch her all the time, even though she's a doppel. I thought it was pretty significant when I saw it. Guess not.I don't think Nessa can exert an actual force, when she touches Clain he feels it by way of feedback through the fractale system to his nerves and muscles. If so she would not be able to catch him.

[Ashyukun]

I don't think Nessa can exert an actual force, when she touches Clain he feels it by way of feedback through the fractale system to his nerves and muscles. If so she would not be able to catch him.
No- but if things were working properly, if that's the case you would think HE would have knocked HER over when he fell if it was still functioning. I think that it requiring him to be conscious isn't an unreasonable assumption

[something]

Episode 7:

- Harinezumi is growing on me more and more.
- Bleh, yeah, the character art in this episode is pretty bad. Damn they better totally redo this episode for the BDs.

- ...And suddenly... what? Nessa is way cuter than Meegan. But I love hearing Toyosaki Aki in a role like this.
- Nessa isn't feeling well! ;_;
- Clain has thighhighs on. NO. UNACCEPTABLE.
- Ewww, Meegan's breast physics are disturbing.

- Don't you hack my Nessa! Bastards!
- Colin is Kamiya Hiroshi. I guess that means he's a jerk.
- And yeah, they both plan to sell Clain and Nessa out. Evil.

- Heh, Enri was very cute trying to ask about Phryne and Clain. But would have been cuter if the character animation weren't shot to hell this episode.
- Jeeze, talk about a touchy (no pun intended) artist.
- Hah, so these "villagers" are actually super-rich people playing peasant for fun.

- Woah. Nessa sure did a thing.
- Clain got shot and I don't really care. =D I'm just glad he's not in those absurd thighhighs anymore.

Alright, so very interesting episode from a plot standpoint, but a bit rushed. And hey Yamakan, self-appointed anime jesus, think you can deliver unto us some fucking decent animation next time? Thx!

[strangefour]

- Bleh, yeah, the character art in this episode is pretty bad. Damn they better totally redo this episode for the BDs.

Nice to know I wasn't the only one notice the art quality going down the last two episodes. I was afraid I was being a picky artist. It's really sad since this show started out with such wonderful movie quality animation.

- Ewww, Meegan's breast physics are disturbing.

You're a looney.

[something]

Nice to know I wasn't the only one notice the art quality going down the last two episodes. I was afraid I was being a picky artist. It's really sad since this show started out with such wonderful movie quality animation.
Fence mentioned it as well. It was such an obvious case of the rushies. Very inconsistent with what came before. If this isn't a one-off slip-up I'll have to reconsider the import.

I'd argue that Fractale has been nowhere near "movie" quality at any point in its run, though. It's competently animated, with better than competent backgrounds, but it's definitely not going to be a contender for best animated show in 2011. It's certainly been a lot better than this episode though, ugh.

- Ewww, Meegan's breast physics are disturbing.You're a looney.
It's something they could have pulled off if the art weren't shit this ep, maybe. But instead she just looked ridiculous.

[Fencedude]

Alright, so very interesting episode from a plot standpoint, but a bit rushed. And hey Yamakan, self-appointed anime jesus, think you can deliver unto us some fucking decent animation next time? Thx!

Yamakan chose a very bad season to air his oeuvre, Shinbo's busy making him look like an amateur.

[something]

Yamakan chose a very bad season to air his oeuvre, Shinbo's busy making him look like an amateur.
Hell, don't even need to go outside noitaminA this season to find a much better show in every respect.

Fractale is still top 4 of the season for me and I've still got the BDs ordered, but it nonetheless manages to irk me in various ways. There's this really loud voice in my head saying this show could and should be so much better, or at least tighter.

[Ashyukun]

Yamakan chose a very bad season to air his oeuvre, Shinbo's busy making him look like an amateur.
Even worse, so far SHAFT has done a pretty solid job of actually finishing episodes on time for once, while this one...

[strangefour]

Yamakan chose a very bad season to air his oeuvre, Shinbo's busy making him look like an amateur.
Even worse, so far SHAFT has done a pretty solid job of actually finishing episodes on time for once, while this one...

THAT is the wackiest part. SHAFT on time with finished art! Unpossible!

I mainly compaired Fractales first few episodes to movie quality because of it's smoothness. The designs aren't very detailed. But everything was so fluidly animated at the start. I guess the almost Ghibli like feel didn't hurt any.

But uh yeah. It's dipped a lot in quality. Madoka is probably the best most consistently beautiful art. Wandering Son is close but it always takes me a few seconds to adjust to watching it. I love the show but the shading always throws me off until I get pulled back into the story. Even Rio, the throw away meaningless fanservice show stays on model more than Fractale. WTF!

[Suwako Moriya]

So the main thing of importance is Nessa shows off her abilities and Clain gets shot.

[Suwako Moriya]

And hey Yamakan, self-appointed anime jesus, think you can deliver unto us some fucking decent animation next time? Thx!

Have you not realized this is a trial to test your faith? For shame, my child.

Seriously speaking, animation quality drops can definitely be annoying. Especially since you never know if they'll ever be fixed.

I also have a personally annoyance since I avatar-ize the show. Kind of weakens motivation and such when the amount of usable images gets reduced.

[Suwako Moriya]

Even worse, so far SHAFT has done a pretty solid job of actually finishing episodes on time for once, while this one...

Also, note that Madoka is at least 12 episodes and never took a break. This is 11 episodes, started later and ended up taking a break.

[something]

Even worse, so far SHAFT has done a pretty solid job of actually finishing episodes on time for once, while this one...Also, note that Madoka is at least 12 episodes and never took a break. This is 11 episodes, started later and ended up taking a break.
All that said, I'd be shocked if Madoka's budget wasn't much higher than Fractale's. And we can never rest too easy with Shaft... they still have 3 more chances to screw up. >_>

[Suwako Moriya]

This episode contains Nessa, Nessa, Nessa, Nessa, Nessa, and even Nessa!

Only three episodes left. Let's see if they can use their time wisely or not....

*Rewatches episodes* So the Nessa(s) are Phrynes. WTF?

[EmperorBrandon]

*Rewatches episodes* So the Nessa(s) are Phrynes. WTF?

Yeah, she says they're all Phryne. Getting to know a lot more about her this episode - her "father" sure is even creepier than the last time we met. I hoped that "Phryne with the bandage on her arm" would survive, but things don't look good there :(

[Suwako Moriya]

*Rewatches episodes* So the Nessa(s) are Phrynes. WTF?

Yeah, she says they're all Phryne. Getting to know a lot more about her this episode

That and it now makes me wonder about one thing. Remember how Nessa and Phryne both had purple hair in those artwork images. Makes me wonder if having the same hair color was supposed to be related to this reveal.


I hoped that "Phryne with the bandage on her arm" would survive, but things don't look good there :(

It's all Clain's fault for giving her a potential death flag. Seriously, you're right about it not looking good. Wait, why are we marking this? It's still part of the same episode.

[EmperorBrandon]

Wait, why are we marking this? It's still part of the same episode.

I guess it's just a habit of mine to always spoiler-mark things like that, even when it's nestled safely in the correct episode subthread...

[einhorn303]

I'll have to closely rewatch the animation from last week's episode, but this episode had lots of beautiful and life-like moments.

- So being the "key" requires keeping one's virginity intact? ...What?
- I wonder if there are any other Phryne's at other stages of development.
- So I guess the thing that makes Nessa unique from the other Phryne's is that she's digital, not biological.
- I laughed hard when Clain exited the vent. I love how its silliness is mixed into such a serious moment.
- Seeing Clain give his speech about how all the Phryne's could be special makes me wonder how he feels about the morality of contraceptives.
- Dias acts like a dick, but I have to admit...that fragmenting missile Alabaster used was really, really cool.


That and it now makes me wonder about one thing. Remember how Nessa and Phryne both had purple hair in those artwork images. Makes me wonder if having the same hair color was supposed to be related to this reveal.


I could see Phryne's hair color being what Nessa's becomes with age, though (with the anime designs).

[EmperorBrandon]

- I laughed hard when Clain exited the vent. I love how its silliness is mixed into such a serious moment.

Same here. That moment was so impeccably timed, with Nessa demanding to see Clain so much before it and Phryne trying to keep Nessa patient, then all of the sudden he's there. :)

[Sly05]

So Phryne's "father" did turn out to be a creep. I'm glad he got what was coming to him.

Nessa storming the base and wrecking all the electronics was cool. I love that electrical effect.

The Nessas being younger clone versions of Phryne is an interesting twist on things, especially as einhorn pointed out, there seems to be different versions of them. Of course, we still know only a little bit about their purpose (and how their purity seems to factor into it).

Poor bandage Phryne.

[Shiroi Hane]

I could see Phryne's hair color being what Nessa's becomes with age, though (with the anime designs).
The other Phryne/Nessa's all look around the same age as Nessa but have the same hair colour as Phryne.

[something]

Episode 8:

- I'll be honest. I'd already forgotten Clain got shot. Hah.
- So that jerk is Phryne's dad? I'm not sure it's meant literally though.
- And it's weird seeing Enri subdued for once.

- Whelp, I guess we know where Phryne got that traumatized reaction to the near rape from.
- Haha oh wow that look. The look on her face is just utterly drenched in disgust and contempt.
- Oh wonderful. A "purity check".

- The art seems to be more or less back to normal. One or two awkward bits but generally fine.
- NESSA IS MAD! YOU CAN'T STOP NESSA WHEN SHE'S MAD!
- And now there's another Nessa! But it's not the fun Nessa. It's the Gloomy Nessa.
- Gloomy Nessa is Phryne! But I can't call her Gloomy Phryne. That wouldn't help disambiguate much.

- Dias will help. Somehow I don't think that's a great idea.

- Nessryne (Phrynessa?) is helping Clain find Often-Naked Phryne? Why?
- !!! SO MANY NESSAS! I mean Phryne's. I mean Phrynessas. If they were all like Fun Nessa and you let them out into the world the world would be overwhelmed with fun and love and yay!
- I wonder if Phryne is what the Phrynessas look like if they get the chance to can grow up. They must be clones of Phryne, attempts to recreate this key thing. Which one is Phrynessa #10032? I wonder if someone already beat me to that joke. Will find out after I post.
- Well that was an awkward fall.
- Yeah I'm definitely going to refer to her as Phrynessa #10032 from now on. She seems to be very rapidly changing due to being around Clain.

- Yep, purity check. You are now watching To Aru Majutsu no Vampire Bund.
- OH SHIT! BADASS NESSA! Fuck that was awesome.
- Whelp, they found Clain. :sd:
- Awkward moment. Nessa just strolls on by. Never change, Nessa.
- They totally should have brought Phrynessa #10032 with them.

- Awww, Phrynessa #8861 is gone. And yep, they're younger Phryne.
- Oh no, don't vaporize Phrynessa #10032. ;_;
- Yes! Nessa is wrecking shit! And Phrynessa #10032 is alive! For now.
- That didn't last long. Poor Phrynessa #10032.

Not really a fitting ED this time. :sd:

Great episode. This really helps make up for the the issues with episode 7.

[Fencedude]

Gah.

Just...gah.

Good episode, but...goddamn.

Phryne, there's a fairly obvious solution to your problem.

[HitokiriShadow]

The asshat that's been chasing Phryne around is her father?!* ...Oh god, he is once incredibly creepy little fucker. I mean, that just screamed sexual abuse. If it wasn't for the fact that Phryne's virginity is requirement (to the point that they were damn close to checking), I would be certain he had raped her in the past. Hell, maybe he did, since there are.... other options, if that one part is what they're concerned about.

And the "real" Nessa that we saw in episode 3 and 4 gets explained. She's... Phryne. And there are god knows how many of them, and the temple people are all too happy to just kill them off. In fact, they slaughter them systemically. Literally. They have a system that seems to exist for no purpose but to eliminate dozens of Phryne clones every hour.

On the upside, pissed off Nessa was awesome. "CLAIN!!!!!" *things start going boom*


*(Well, she calls him that, but its implied he may not be her biological father, but rather just a "laboratory father". See SRWOG:TI for something similar in Dr. Setme.

[strangefour]

-Sad Enri. Damn you for making Enri sad! Try not to get shot at next time Clain.
-Papa?
-Creepy touchy feely papa. Bad touch!
-These religious folk don't seem to understand how much of an emergency a gunshot wound is.
-Nessa's angry dance is adorable.
-Nessa Mk II has no personality.
-Nessa Mk II is a spare Phyrne. What daddy wasn't very good with names?

-Phryne farm!? Okay who's been playing Dr Venture arround here?
-Gynecology exam chair. WTF is this place? Temple of the lunatic lolicons?
-Nice timing Nessa!
-Well that was a fast reunion.
-Nessa's body flips around very oddly when Clain is dragging her away.
-DIAS!!! You hurt Nessa Mk II. :(

*Rewatches episodes* So the Nessa(s) are Phrynes. WTF?

Only Nessa is Nessa. But some Phrynes are Nessa. Or rather Phryne used to be a Nessa. Who was really a Phryne. Because Phrynes are Nessas. Only the Phrynes came first so they are not Nessas. . . . Nessa is Nessa!

That was a more messed up episode than I expected. Well messed up in different ways than I expected. I was thinking this would be a "Clain is dying and hallucinating, while everyone is sad" episode. Nope it was a crazy evil messed up "Phryne: the Clonus Horror."