Kaleido Star New Wings Question

[vtr9kvictor]

Am I wrong in wishing a horrible, violent, painful, bloody death on Leon and May? Does the fact that I can't enjoy an episode once either one of them appears in it speak to a fault in me? Did the preview for episode 9 (which showed May getting injured) fill anyone else with a sense of satisfaction? Or am I not alone, and these two characters could quite possibly be the most self-centered, egotistical, rude, bastards in all of anime?

Does anyone share my opinion of Utter Hatred for them?

[populuxe]

I don't know if I'd call it utter hatred, but they are two of the most unsympathetic characters in anime. I am really wondering if the writers went too far with them. I know that this show is a lot less enjoyable with those two in it.

At least May's barking at Sora is fun.

Yes, May and especially Leon are quite detestable. The way they run amok also makes Kalos look like a smug moron. You'd think any decent person would show a little appreciation to the performers who saved his company and bailed his ass out of a hole dug by his own stupidity. Since Layla seems to be the only character in the show with an actual spine, I can only hope she returns to California and crushes a few more Yuris underfoot. or maybe move Sora and company to New York, start a rival company and leave Kalos to sell tickets to people who want to watch Leon admiring himself in a mirror.

Chip

[michaelwb]

[ QUOTE ]
Mike Dungan said:
I don't know if I'd call it utter hatred, but they are two of the most unsympathetic characters in anime. I am really wondering if the writers went too far with them. I know that this show is a lot less enjoyable with those two in it.

[/ QUOTE ]

Those two are a large part of the reason I'm not rushing to buy this season. The way Sora is treated resets the first season too much IMO.

Much lower priority in my buying queue.

And in many ways I'm much happier with the ending of the first season.

[VanG]

Leon I could somewhat tolerate (not that I like him at all) because at least he has the mad skillz and it really shows he's better than Sora, so it'll just make me feel better when Sora does surpass him.

May on the other hand... /images/graemlins/relief.gif Well I guess the only positive thing about her now is her special move names /images/graemlins/tongue.gif

[chotto]

I'm not too sure. I've seen the first 2 volumes, but they're not ruining the series for me. I'm really going to have to wait until the end because they were clearly brought into the storyline for a reason and depending on how their roles are incorporated into the series and affect it we may see them quite differently near the end. When we first met Layla in the first season and she denied Sora a chance to audition and treated her with disdain for a while after that she wasn't the most lovable character, but by the end I'm sure she was a favorite for many. I will say that so far it seems a little of the magic was lost from the first season.

[Nork22]

Leon I truly detest. I can't wait for the day when Sora's skills surpasses him and make him eat a big humble pie.

May on the other hand, I can tolerate her and her funny barks. She'll soften up later.

[ndm]

May will get better soon enough. She's very proud, but she really does have the skills to back her attitude up. Leon, though, is indeed a pain, and I constantly hoped Sora would partner up with May and leave Leon out in the cold. /images/graemlins/tongue.gif He has reasons for being the way he is, but it's up to you whether you'll find them a sufficient excuse for his bad personality. But there's no problem with hating Leon - everyone in the Kaleido Star world hates him too.

[Fencedude]

After finishing volume 2, I don't hate May like I did at first.

Yes, she's a bitch, but look at it from her perspective. The way she sees it, Sora STOLE her dream from her, and EVERYONE at Kaleidostage is going to automatically take Sora's side on things, because May's the new girl.

Just like how it seemed early in the first season that no one was really htere for Sora, May is in much the same position. But her more...abrasive personality is preventing her from opening people up like Sora did.

I really liked it in episode 8 when Sora started yelling back at May. They need one really, REALLY good catfight before they can finally get over this.

Oh, and Leon's a bastard. I hope Layla smacks him.

[populuxe]

The one thing I hate about Kalos (and this is common in a lot of anime with a student/teacher relationship) is the way he won't ever tell Sora what she needs to know. "You'll have to figure it out for yourself." Well then, what's the point of having a teacher/mentor/authority figure if they're not going to do their job?

[lawson]

May's a fun character once you warm up to her. I actually felt she was a bit underused in the latter half of the second season.

Leon, on the other hand, is tough to like. His general demeanor improves a LOT over the course of the series, but it might not be enough for some fans. I doubt you'll hate him in the end... but, chances are, you'll never come to love him.

Compared to the first season, the second season is really quite serious - and not merely because of the presence of Leon and May. Sora's still the main character, after all. I don't want to spoil anything, however, so I won't elaborate further on that point.

[vtr9kvictor]

Agreed. Imagine if Yoda or Ben Kenobi had told Luke "you must figure out the Force for yourself".

I also thought Kahlos's behavior towards Rosetta in volume 2 to be DRAMATICALLY out of character to his previous actions. And of course there is the point that someone else made: he is IN CHARGE of Kaliedo Stage. Why does he let Leon call the shots? Even when Leon's decisions are obviously bad for Kaliedo Stage (as in the children's show episode)? Is he waiting for his troupe to collectively tell Leon to shove it where the Sun doesn't shine? Cause frankly, I think he'll be waiting on that one A LONG TIME.

[michaelwb]

[ QUOTE ]
Mike Dungan said:
Well then, what's the point of having a teacher/mentor/authority figure if they're not going to do their job?

[/ QUOTE ]

Working at an university, I can say with some confidence that having a job where you are paid to teach but you don't actually teach is somewhat of a divine mission for many academics...

[golthin]

[ QUOTE ]
vtr9kvictor said:
Agreed. Imagine if Yoda or Ben Kenobi had told Luke "you must figure out the Force for yourself".

I also thought Kahlos's behavior towards Rosetta in volume 2 to be DRAMATICALLY out of character to his previous actions. And of course there is the point that someone else made: he is IN CHARGE of Kaliedo Stage. Why does he let Leon call the shots? Even when Leon's decisions are obviously bad for Kaliedo Stage (as in the children's show episode)? Is he waiting for his troupe to collectively tell Leon to shove it where the Sun doesn't shine? Cause frankly, I think he'll be waiting on that one A LONG TIME.

[/ QUOTE ]lol! You guys are analizing too much. It is rare that anime characters will use common sense. That is what makes us come for more, watch unrealistic people make real stupid mistakes. If Kahlos had opposed leon, we would not have all the things that happened in the show and leon couldn't be such a good villain. Maybe there is also something in whatever contract leon has that let him do whatever he wants.

[The Pirate Queen]

[ QUOTE ]
Mike Dungan said:
Well then, what's the point of having a teacher/mentor/authority figure if they're not going to do their job?

[/ QUOTE ]

Kalos is the one character I truly can't stand in the show. Could he be any more useless?

[Nyanyaan]

The character that remains an enigma to me is Ken, yes he seems (and likely is) nothing more than a smitten boy. Yet, in every one of the major meetings in the show where things happen, he is always right there in the background and I remember the 'hints' from the first season that he may have been the one who saw Fool before Sora.

[Kris Z]

I don't know what will happen next because unlike many people I refused to get the fansubs of it until ADV released the 2nd season in the USA.

To my surprize, the second DVD is much better at first because it is the first instance that Leon loses his cool. It is also much better because he is starting to notice that Sora "has something" but he can't figure it out. May is starting to become a better character also because she is starting to show that she is a better person. After getting rosetta really sick, her face looks like she actually had SYMPATHY for her. Not to mention that May overall is getting less annoying because we do know that she is far more talented than Sora in many aspects and it makes Sora the underdog (yet again). Yet she caught up to May in ice skating and could perform almost on the same level as May, that is not only quite an accomplisment, but I am sure it has May running scared because it is the first time that she met someone that could also be far superior than her.

Overall, after the 2nd DVD I take back many critcism I had with the first one because it is starting to bring back the magic that made season one so awesome. Sora and May's relationship is just like Sora and Layla from season 1. The only difference is that there is no one from the top that they are chasing after. Sora still has the pure heart and soul that I know will eventually change Leon and May. May nowhere near as cool as Layla, nor does she have her presence. May is a catalyst that will make Sora the Kaliedo Star; she is essentially pushing Sora closer to Layla than Layla could ever do. I could also imagine that Sora will become good friends with May because we all know that the most bitter rivalries lead to the best friendships, I know that from personal experience.