something
11-19-2006, 12:20 AM
Spoilers for everything, discussion includes ending, blah blah etc etc you know the dril.
I finished this a little while ago after a huge hiatus. Has anyone else seen it all as well? I probably should have written this right after I finished it so it would be fresher in my mind, but maybe this way I won't ramble as much if I forget stuff =P
The show was pretty much a constant up, though there were a few small downs. Sure Samatarou's family was mostly a collection of gags, but they were good gags, and didn't get stale during the short run of the show. Meme was my favorite of them of course, because smartass little girls who know far more than they should are always awesome.
Some highlights:
Great OP song and animation.
When Samatarou decides to renounce his divinity and live as a normal boy so he can woo Kumiko without divine interference, the whole episode where he meets Tenko again was great stuff. I was impressed all around at how they handled the transformation. A pity everyone but Samatarou (and god, his father) forgot everything about it afterwards. It was also a bit confusing on first watch, trying to figure out if "Onee-san" knew who Samatarou was, or if Samatarou knew who Onee-san was, or when which found out... but it all came together in the end.
Everyone in the family putting money in the talking archangel piggy bank, totally not taking notice that it flys. Tenko's reaction the whole time was priceless.
How they handled the Kumiko thing. When she was revealed to be a demon, I did have to wonder how it was going to go. I won't say that everything with the ending arc went perfectly. Fumiko the devil was a bit unnecessarily over the top, and the actual final "fight" sequence was kind of dumb. But Kumiko's own struggle was what interested me. She had more depth as a character than I expected from her.
Overall I enjoyed the ending, even if some pieces of it weren't great. It didn't bring full closure in the romantic side of things, although Tenko and Samatarou are pretty clearly in love with each other, and they both know it. However, with Kumiko living with them now, some doubt lingers. Not much though, so as far as I'm concerned, Samatarou and Tenko are a pair.
I always find the very last moments on screen of any show to be among the most important. The last 60 seconds of a show can literally make or break an ending, or at least dictate how well it sticks in my mind and how fondly I remember it. Kamisama Kazoku was doing pretty well with the house being restored, and the picture being taken. Cute stuff. But then the ED started playing. !? Why? They were doing a great job with the OP playing in the background and if the final moment had been with the closing book, I would have been left with a great feeling. Just nonchalantly tossing the same old ED (which I don't really like all that much anyway) at the end just cheapens it. I quickly stopped the episode when it started, but a little damage had been done. It doesn't make it a bad ending, but rather one that just missed its full potential.
The ideal ending is one that has my emotions in a death grip until the last second, and then it ends, the screen goes black, and I simply sit back, take a breath, close my eyes, and let darkness and silence and the atmosphere of the show surround me.
I know it seems like a petty thing, but I really do put a lot of stock in those last seconds. So much can be gained by proper use, and so much can be lost by not planning it out. Tip to studios: Never play your same old ED at the end of the last episode. Run the song if you want (if appropriate to the mood, and this was not), but incorporate the credits into the ending itself and maybe change things up, like play an acoustic version or the extended version or something. And use your final seconds wisely!
Aaaaaaanyways, I liked the show a lot. Now, you comment.
I finished this a little while ago after a huge hiatus. Has anyone else seen it all as well? I probably should have written this right after I finished it so it would be fresher in my mind, but maybe this way I won't ramble as much if I forget stuff =P
The show was pretty much a constant up, though there were a few small downs. Sure Samatarou's family was mostly a collection of gags, but they were good gags, and didn't get stale during the short run of the show. Meme was my favorite of them of course, because smartass little girls who know far more than they should are always awesome.
Some highlights:
Great OP song and animation.
When Samatarou decides to renounce his divinity and live as a normal boy so he can woo Kumiko without divine interference, the whole episode where he meets Tenko again was great stuff. I was impressed all around at how they handled the transformation. A pity everyone but Samatarou (and god, his father) forgot everything about it afterwards. It was also a bit confusing on first watch, trying to figure out if "Onee-san" knew who Samatarou was, or if Samatarou knew who Onee-san was, or when which found out... but it all came together in the end.
Everyone in the family putting money in the talking archangel piggy bank, totally not taking notice that it flys. Tenko's reaction the whole time was priceless.
How they handled the Kumiko thing. When she was revealed to be a demon, I did have to wonder how it was going to go. I won't say that everything with the ending arc went perfectly. Fumiko the devil was a bit unnecessarily over the top, and the actual final "fight" sequence was kind of dumb. But Kumiko's own struggle was what interested me. She had more depth as a character than I expected from her.
Overall I enjoyed the ending, even if some pieces of it weren't great. It didn't bring full closure in the romantic side of things, although Tenko and Samatarou are pretty clearly in love with each other, and they both know it. However, with Kumiko living with them now, some doubt lingers. Not much though, so as far as I'm concerned, Samatarou and Tenko are a pair.
I always find the very last moments on screen of any show to be among the most important. The last 60 seconds of a show can literally make or break an ending, or at least dictate how well it sticks in my mind and how fondly I remember it. Kamisama Kazoku was doing pretty well with the house being restored, and the picture being taken. Cute stuff. But then the ED started playing. !? Why? They were doing a great job with the OP playing in the background and if the final moment had been with the closing book, I would have been left with a great feeling. Just nonchalantly tossing the same old ED (which I don't really like all that much anyway) at the end just cheapens it. I quickly stopped the episode when it started, but a little damage had been done. It doesn't make it a bad ending, but rather one that just missed its full potential.
The ideal ending is one that has my emotions in a death grip until the last second, and then it ends, the screen goes black, and I simply sit back, take a breath, close my eyes, and let darkness and silence and the atmosphere of the show surround me.
I know it seems like a petty thing, but I really do put a lot of stock in those last seconds. So much can be gained by proper use, and so much can be lost by not planning it out. Tip to studios: Never play your same old ED at the end of the last episode. Run the song if you want (if appropriate to the mood, and this was not), but incorporate the credits into the ending itself and maybe change things up, like play an acoustic version or the extended version or something. And use your final seconds wisely!
Aaaaaaanyways, I liked the show a lot. Now, you comment.