Natsu no Arashi 2 Discussion Thread [Archive]

something

10-08-2009, 07:01 PM

Episode 1:

- Still some jerkiness, but at least the video quality is really good. Animation is quite nice as well.
- Interesting animation for the OP but I'm not feeling the song at all.
- Oh no, salt man is still waiting...
- Geh, things were going so well until the player decided to freeze firefox for two minutes then take another two minuted to start playing again.
- Yayoi and Kanako <3
- Ahahahah! The spinning around and making more album covers was topped off perfectly with salt guy =D
- Heh! Yayoi attacks Kanako with the power of cute.
- Haha, Sayaka shows once again that she does not understand time travel. All she's doing is putting herself in place of the rotten milk. ...An apt metaphor, perhaps. :sd:
- Oh shit! Beach means swimsuits which means... how you gonna get out of this one, Jun? Hurry up with the girls' clothes!
- Hmm... close enough for now!
- "I thought you could pull it off." Heh, harsh. Also, school swimsuit <3
- The translation and all has been just fine so far, but then we get two awkward sentences/typos in 30 seconds. Well, not the end of the world, still good overall.
- Haha, hair-loose glasses-on Kanako is a completely different person!
- I think I'd rate the girls Arashi > Yayoi > Jun in girl mode = Kaya > Kanako > Sayaka. Yayoi is just too darn cute.
- Kanako transforms again!
- Bikini Jun!!
- Oh god, Arashi has been watching too much Ranma. But finally someone else finds out! One step closer to her going freely as a girl... but I bet it'll never happen. They'll tease us forever.
- Fuuuuuuuck, Jun with her hair down (wet and down, not her usual strange hairstyle) is awesome.

That was a great first episode. Arashi is back!

something

10-08-2009, 07:02 PM

On another note, salt continues to be a rare commodity...
He should have come along to the beach and gotten his own.

Fencedude

10-08-2009, 07:05 PM

Episode 1:
- Oh no, salt man is still waiting...
- Ahahahah! The spinning around and making more album covers was topped off perfectly with salt guy =D

I don't really know why, but the Salt Guy is one of those running gags that will never, ever get old.

Kinda like "You were there?" "Yes, always"

Consignia

10-11-2009, 02:05 PM

Awesome, another good episode. I liked the School Rumble cameos. It's also good to see the salt guy on a pilgrimage for salt.

I can't believe that Hajime hasn't worked out Jun's secret yet. Not only has he stripped her, this episode also showed her looking her girliest yet. I suppose after being in her body and not knowing, there's nothing that would actually prove it to him.

Fencedude

10-11-2009, 04:52 PM

lol Yayoi's scared of ghosts.

Lots of wonderful Jun-chan this episode.

Draneor

10-11-2009, 10:47 PM

This show would be so much better without Hajime. I don't think he's contributed much so far this season.

Oh, and I loved the School Rumble cameos.

something

10-14-2009, 08:01 AM

Episode 2:

- Onsennnn~
- Ahaah, she threw her clothes out the window.
- Damn Ayashi and Kaya are hot.
- Haha oh god, salt man never catches a break.
- "We don't sweat." "We're ghosts." XD
- Hey, Murata actually says good things once in awhile.
- You know, Jun is very much in the wrong here. Hajime is an insensitive annoying clod, sure, but Jun isn't really helping matters by hiding everything.
- Suddenly, Tenma and Eri and Mikoto and Sara and Harima and Akira and Yakumo! And that dude I don't care about.
- NAKED JUN! ...glowing. And jeeze, there's more to a female body than just tits. Hajime is pretty damn dense not to notice her.
- ...They left in the present giveaway advertisement thing? Heh. Just seems like another way to censor >_>
- Hrm I wonder if they really are setting Hajime up with Jun? They've been pushing it pretty hard recently. And if Arashi really does have to disappear, well...
- Yayoi wins! She should hang out with the Saki girls.
- BTW, Arashi in that yukata is faaaaaaaantastic.
- The ghost is scared of ghosts! <3 Nonaka Ai.
- Very nice scene between Arashi and Jun. It's definitely looking like Jun has a very good chance, if she ever reveals her gender.

And WTF Crunchyroll? It cuts out in the middle of the ED. The video has been up for three days, and they didn't fix it? They're missing a whole minute and a half. Thankfully I can finish through other means, but c'mon guys. ::sends a video problem report in::

DiGiKerot

10-14-2009, 11:49 AM

- NAKED JUN! ...glowing. And jeeze, there's more to a female body than just tits. Hajime is pretty damn dense not to notice her.

I think it's supposed to be less glowing than it is Magic Anime Steam exaggerated in the typical Shaft fashion:sweat:

Consignia

10-18-2009, 01:31 PM

Awesome the return of the Yayoi segment and it's a subversion, in the usual style. That whole segement had me laughing like a goon. Pity the rest of the episode was a bit dry this time, even with Hajime's scientific explanations and the Yayoi's linking up with a dog.

Did someone say salt?

Fencedude

10-20-2009, 02:01 AM

Hah...that was amusing, if expected for both segments.

Arashi really needs to wear her school uniform more.

Consignia

10-25-2009, 02:26 PM

Ah, a brill episode. Much better than last week. It reminded me of a Mitchell and Webb sketch about a pair of farce writers. I liked the reference to Eureka 7, as well.

I guess that the Yayoi segements this series are a combination of messing up food orders, and anime series. It looks the animes are easier to guess though: I actually worked out it was Sailor Moon from the description, which better than any of the previous ones.

something

10-26-2009, 09:21 PM

Episode 3:

- ...A Rubick's Cube? Fantastic.
- A new energy host for Yayoi? But Kanako is her one and only!
- Heh, Sayaka's idol poses are strangely amusing.
- Oh Takeshi, you're so stereotypical "nice guy". And so Kyon.
- Haha oh man, is she... HAHAHHA YES! PERFECT! XD She contracted with the dog! Also, schoolgirl Yayoi!
- SALT.
- Heh that's great. Arashi has no idea what Hajime is alluding to.
- I love Yayoi's >< face. I can totally imagine Nonaka Ai somehow doing that in real life.
- Oh, duh. The thing Hajime experienced is going to be what Arashi is going back and doing now. :sd:
- Very nice.

Oh man, fantastic Kishida Mel ending image.

something

10-26-2009, 09:49 PM

Episode 4:

- Huh, I hadn't really thought about Jun's living arrangements. Forgot (or we weren't told?) that Jun's sister was aware of Kaya.
- Wedding dress Jun! How do you accidentally put one of those on? :sd:
- I really like the effect with all the different pieces of the background moving independently.
- Daaaaamn Hajime is dense. :sd:
- Oh good, the Kanako and Yayoi prepare a meal thing will be recurring.
- DO NOT EAT KAYA'S CREAMPUFF.
- A fridge full of panties...
- Oh wow, Arashi, you're terrible. :sd:
- Haha, and we find out why Jun hates wedding dresses.
- An iron >_>

something

11-07-2009, 06:22 PM

Episode 5 (or 18 as it were):

- I don't think salt guy has ever been that close to salt. But it gets dropped all over the floor. =(
- So Arashi puts a pair of glasses on her and... Bishoujo Maid Senshi Yamazaki Kanako!! Oh god, I can't comprehend seeing that kind of look on her face.
- Hah, the transformation is real. Yayoi wants her to do it again!
- "Look, she's completely naked!" Hah, henshin that occurs in real time and can be commented on.
- And so Sayaka has everyone in Hakobune cosplaying!
- Sayaka is Cure Mint from PreCure. :sd: Arashi is something I've seen many times but the name escapes me. Jun seems to be Tuxedo Mask. Yayoi as Fate in the eyecatch o_O And just one of Sailor Moon's forms for Kaya, I guess.
- ...Kanako has a pickle fetish.
- Heh, so Kanako went back in time to destroy Hajime's glasses so they can't put them on her in the present, not realizing that that was his spare pair, and Arashi picked up the original pair (which got carried away by a crow). :sd:

Decent episode.

Fencedude

11-08-2009, 03:03 AM

Oh god, poor Jun. Just tell him already!

Kaya was also hilarious this episode. And Jun's sister is terrific.

Fencedude

11-08-2009, 04:01 AM

Kanako is required to wear glasses from now on.

something

11-11-2009, 06:53 PM

Episode 6:

- Kaya becomes Kanako and Arashi becomes Yayoi! And they're talking about some sentai show or sports show or something else I wouldn't have watched.
- Sayaka tells the Hakobune crew that their summer is still missing something important. Also, she's really stuck on striking various idol poses this season, isn't she?
- The missing element is hiyashi chuuka, or chilled noodles. Sayaka names it Arashi chuuka in honor of Arashi, who is excited at the prospect of making some. Unfortunately nobody there is well versed in making it.
- Hah! When trying to get Arashi to remember what kind of dish it is, we get another Kanako-Yayoi segment, except with Arashi, and in the middle of the episode. :sd:
- This is kinda annoying. They keep replacing the sign on the door with something new, but CR isn't frickin translating it. When Jun replaces the sign and Hajime chides her that it'll worry the customers, the point is lost if we don't know what she put up. It seems to say "hajimetai to omotteimasu" which would be a sorta wishywashy way of saying they're hoping to start serving the hayashi chuuka - not really confidence-inspiring. The signs seems to have gone from an enthusiastic "Hayashi chuuka hajimezo!" down down to this, and presumably it'll get worse before it gets better... :sd:
- Kaya doesn't actually know how to make hayashi chuuka, but now that she's said she did she's going to keep trying to save face.
- ...Somehow, Kanako and Yayoi end up with bonsai. :sd:
- Kanako and Yayoi fail at the Sa Shi Su Se So of spices.
- Sayaka is no better. And Kaya, well... hah. I love her reaction after spilling the sugar.
- To correct all this time travel gets involved, but like usual, well, it doesn't work out.

Decent episode overall.

nakimushi

11-12-2009, 06:26 AM

Episode 6:

- This is kinda annoying. They keep replacing the sign on the door with something new, but CR isn't frickin translating it.

Speaking of translation annoyances. On the Yayoi & Kanako routines, I'm guessing this season's translator is different from the first season's, since he/she keeps translating "katsudou shashin" 活動写真 as "action shot" in all these routines. Ugh.

I guess he/she doesn't realize that it is an outdated term for "movie". The first season's translator got it - and translated it correctly in the episode where Arashi is asked to be in that movie (she used the same term).

"Action shot" makes no sense at all.

What was that link to report translation problems to CR again? Is it just "subtitle problem" in the "Report a Bug" form, or is there a more specific one for translation issues?

something

11-12-2009, 07:42 AM

Speaking of translation annoyances. On the Yayoi & Kanako routines, I'm guessing this season's translator is different from the first season's, since he/she keeps translating "katsudou shashin" 活動写真 as "action shot" in all these routines. Ugh.
I had a feeling that was a bit strange. "I saw an interesting action shot" is something you might say about a photograph taken at a football game, not as a way of telling someone you watched a movie.

What was that link to report translation problems to CR again? Is it just "subtitle problem" in the "Report a Bug" form, or is there a more specific one for translation issues?
It's the one in the bottom right below the video, that says something like "Report Video Problem". One of the dropdown choices is "Subtitle Problem" and "The translation is incorrect". I put in the link ot the video and the timestamp of the main issue I'm reporting (though I usually am reporting several). In my comments I just give a list with timestamps for each.

I sent them one about the bewildering "yandele" mistake (and yet again getting Ryouko's name wrong) in Nogizaka, but didn't get a chance to send one on the Arashi signs. I need to remember to do that when I get home.

nakimushi

11-13-2009, 06:17 AM

What was that link to report translation problems to CR again? Is it just "subtitle problem" in the "Report a Bug" form, or is there a more specific one for translation issues?It's the one in the bottom right below the video, that says something like "Report Video Problem". One of the dropdown choices is "Subtitle Problem" and "The translation is incorrect". I put in the link ot the video and the timestamp of the main issue I'm reporting (though I usually am reporting several). In my comments I just give a list with timestamps for each.

Thanks, I just submitted it.

From the WWWJDIC (http://www.csse.monash.edu.au/~jwb/cgi-bin/wwwjdic.cgi?1C):

活動写真【かつどうしゃしん】 (n) (obs) moving picture (i.e. a movie; term esp. used during the silent movie period)

something

11-22-2009, 01:03 AM

Episode 7:

- Hah, Salt man was so close...
- I love the way they're playing around with the Kanako and Yayoi segments. This time, it's during a shopping trip!
- So basically, Sayaka was in possession of a teacup worth ten million yen three days ago, but doesn't know where it is now. Naturally, this calls for sending our time travelers back. Arashi and Hajime, go! Kanako and Glasses, go! Kaya and Jun, go! Mikuru-chan, go!
- Sayaka is all about the boobs today.
- Heh, the teams return empty-handed, because past-Sayaka wouldn't give them the cup. :sd:
- And she was going naked apron. >_>
- Sayaka said she gave Yayoi the teacup to put away but Yayoi doesn't remember. So Sayaka grabs her hand telling her to go back with Josephine and... they jump! So what exactly is it that Yayoi jumps with? :sd: Anything?
- Hah, this is a great episode so far. I love how serious Kaya gets about her sweets.
- And we see that Yayoi can't remember being told to put the cup away, because she hadn't been yet. :sd: But now she has!
- Hah. Because Sayaka keeps jumping back and creating so many versions of herself, there's like three of her there now. It's getting increasingly dangerous. :sd: A minefield of time variants!

Hah. The Kobayashi cup ends up getting a cucumber planted in it.

One neat part about this episode is that they never once show what goes on in the past. It's all based on descriptions in the present and it's done really well. This was one of the better episodes of the season for me.

ilmaestro

11-22-2009, 01:45 AM

- This is kinda annoying. They keep replacing the sign on the door with something new, but CR isn't frickin translating it. When Jun replaces the sign and Hajime chides her that it'll worry the customers, the point is lost if we don't know what she put up. It seems to say "hajimetai to omotteimasu" which would be a sorta wishywashy way of saying they're hoping to start serving the hayashi chuuka - not really confidence-inspiring. The signs seems to have gone from an enthusiastic "Hayashi chuuka hajimezo!" down down to this, and presumably it'll get worse before it gets better... :sd:
You're spot on with what the sign says, but I believe the implication is that it makes it sound like they're going to be *trying to make* hiyashi chuuka for the first time (obviously not what you want if you go to order food somewhere, but as Jun says, it's the truth!), rather than simply serving it for the first time in the shop.

Fencedude

11-26-2009, 01:07 AM

Apparently Cold Noodles are difficult.

...not much else to say, really.

something

12-05-2009, 03:30 AM

Adding the continuous numbering as well because I keep getting confused on what ep is what.

Episode 8/21:

- Kanako/Yayoi segment for take out.
- Mother reference. o_O
- The OP has been growing on me.
- It's hot as hell out. And Arashi is a human thermometer! Yayoi and Kanako talk about how it seems like their existence has gotten stronger lately but right now it looks like the opposite for Arashi. This seems like it's actually going to play into a farily serious storyline, maybe not right now but perhaps soon. Arashi seems to be slipping back into her days as a living person... interesting. She's starting to fade?
- So they find a lot of remotes looking for the AC remote. And try them one by one...
- HAH. One drops a wash basin. XD
- o_O Arashi is broken. I can't tell if they're trying to play this off completely as a joke or if there's something serious in here. :sd:
- The last remote... sends them spelunking. Kanako is Lara Croft and Yayoi is Indiana Jones?
- Kaya is really playing this up. :sd:
- Jun uppercut!
- Arashi does not wear a bra. Also, she exploded. So she's signing and dancing.

...o_O Not sure what to say about the rest of the episode. :sd: Stop-motion animation, anyone?

I... I think that was one of the best eps. But it was so weird I'm not sure. =P

something

12-05-2009, 04:05 AM

Episode 9/22:

- I can't make any connection between the Kanako/Yayoi segments and what they actually deliver to Glasses anymore. :sd:
- Animation glitch. =P Hajime is holding a bag in his right hand, and his left is clenched as if there's a bag there, but there isn't. Then in the next shot there is one.
- Oh god, Sayaka can't get her head around the problems with the rotten milk scenario.
- Sayaka needs booze snacks. Yayoi get a good idea about pickling foods instantly using time travel! It works.
- There seems to be a bit more of the ghosts floating around ghost-like in this ep.
- They're getting back to pushing the Jun/Hajime angle a bit.
- And Jun is concerned about Hajime and Arashi's relationship and if Hajime understands what's going on as well as he thinks he does.
- Then Yamashiro asks Arashi out to a date... Hajime isn't concerned because of his strong connection to Arashi.
- But Jun totally drops *the* bomb on him.
- There was a 50/50 chance Hajime would react with some pseudo-manly "I knew that and I love her anyway!" kinda thing but he definitely didn't know. And definitely isn't taking it well. His confidence from earlier is turning to jealousy.
- Hmm more typos and missed words in this ep than usual.
- So Hajime gathers his courage and confronts Arashi. And she tells him that this summer will be the end. Even if he sees her next year, the feeling won't be there. Their meeting is so unreal, so unnatural, so intense that it'll disappear as quickly as it happened. He objects, but she's heard it before. She has to push him away. Personally, I feel like the music choice here wasn't the best (maybe it just should have been quieter) but the scene was quite good. And it got the single biggest point of conflict in the series out in the open finally.
- We get Arashi's side of it next. She can't allow herself to fall in love because it will always go away. And this will repeat, over and over...
- The next day they try to put up a facade of cheer but the cracks are there, is really nicely done, subtle ways. They fake it for awhile until they try to connect and the connection is rejected.

Oooh, and it ends there.

Going into the final stretch now, it looks like! I'm looking forward to seeing how well they handle the serious parts. They've done well in the few times they've attempted it so far, so I have high hopes.

Ume-sensei ending illustration of Kaya and Jun.

ilmaestro

12-08-2009, 07:03 PM

I also thought this ep was possibly the best of the season. I love when they mess about with time travel gags. "Master, you still don't understand time travel, do you?" "Shhh... that's the joke!"

Nice side story with Sayaka and Yamashiro, too.

ilmaestro

12-09-2009, 10:52 PM

;_;

This ep made me sad.

- I can't make any connection between the Kanako/Yayoi segments and what they actually deliver to Glasses anymore. :sd:
lol, this is too true. I do wonder just how insane you would have to be to have got precisely every joke in this series, though.

ilmaestro

12-10-2009, 12:08 AM

Young Arashi was just too much. :~

Really enjoyed this episode, although I feel the season as a whole has maybe been weaker than the first.

Sayaka was awesome, in her own way, too.

ilmaestro

12-14-2009, 04:29 PM

:nosebleed:

This was an episode sent down from the Natsu no Arashi gods. Jun has been my favorite character for a while now, and this was great from the fanservice-y and character study-y angles. I was also bizarrely laughing when they actually covered her in who knows how many pies.

The pebbles on the ground when "Ryoko" and Yasaka are sprinkling water outside spell out "shio" - salt.

something

12-18-2009, 10:43 PM

Episode 10/23:

- Wow, they come down hard on Hajime. I expect it from Kanako but Kaya slightly surprises. Interestingly, they've pretty much written themselves in a corner on a Hajime x Jun ending, because they've kepy her gender hidden so long. There's not enough time to go anywhere on it, despite all they;ve been leaning in that direction. Although, since the series started with what sounded like an adult Hajime reminiscing on his youth, they could very easily just jump ahead to it.
- And Salt-man was soooo close.
- Hmm, in the arcade Hajime is Renton (seiyuu joke) and Yayoi is... kinda hard to make the name out. Kazama Asuka? There aren't any roles with that name for Nonaka Ai on ANN.
- I love Yayoi's dress. What a strange thing to wear out to an arcade.
- Adorable young Arashi riding a white horse! Heh.
- Hajime gets a chance to be pretty badass, and gets a nice connection to Arashi in the past too.
- Hah, Arashi's brother is awesome.
- Unusual number of weird typos and such this episode. Subs seem rushed.
- "We didn't feel like coloring the background here, or even animating their mouths moving." :sd:
- So like... we were meant to be together because you went back into the past and did something that would mean we were meant to be together! Argh, the time travel logic in this show is so circular!

Very enjoyable episode though. So will the power of love overcome Arashi's usual end-of-summer disappearances? Again, based on the series opening narration I'm thinking no. Although no doubt they'll both leave fond memories behind.

ilmaestro

12-18-2009, 11:09 PM

Asuka is a character from Tekken, an actual fighting game, but I would agree that that's probably not the full extent of that side of the pun.

something

12-18-2009, 11:14 PM

Episode 11/24:

- JUN LEVELED UP! What the hell are you up to, Kaya? :sd:
- Oh god, boobalicious Jun is breaking my mind. This is so wrong. But oh so right because finally it lets us see her in girly clothes for an extended time! Her Hakobune uniform sucks. This is just damn sexy.
- Need more Jun shower scenes! And hah, Kaya is so enjoying this.
- ...No, wait. She might just be dumb too. XD
- Maaaan. Seriously bad typos in this ep too. What the heck happened?
- Seeing Jun in the Haokbune girls' uniform is nice, but while she's in that body it'd be even nicer to stick to more revealing stuff awhile longer. =P
- And no explanation for the body change. :sd:

Nice ep, mostly for JUNBOOBS. I guess the last two will address the coming end of summer?

And damn CR is not cooperating tonight. I let episodes sit for awhile before watching and this one still couldn't quite keep up at the end, so I hit some buffering.

something

12-24-2009, 04:49 PM

Episode 12/25:

- !! We start with a Kobayashi Yuu-voiced character trying to kiss Yayoi. This has to be a good episde.
- She almost kisses Arashi too! So close.
- Yadda yadda stuff happens ARASHI AND KAYA ARE GOING TO KISS!
- Unfortnately Kaya ate gyoza and Arashi can't go through with it with that smell.
- Yadda yadda stuff happens ARASHI AND YAYOI ARE GOING TO KISS! I like this one even more. (Hahah, the editor is teasing salt man.)
- Unfortunately Kanako interferes.
- Yadda yadda stuff happens ARASHI AND KANAKO ARE GOING TO KISS! I dunno, I can't see Kanako with anyone other than Yayoi.
- Unfortunately Sayaka notices that Kanako seems experienced (she puts her hands on Arashi's ass!) and points this out, which shocks Yayoi and takes Kanako out of the running.
- Sayaka won't try - she's too experienced and might overwhelm Arashi. :sd:
- Yadda yadda stuff happens ARASHI AND JUN ARE GOING TO KISS! If only it were "grown" Jun or at least Jun in girl clothes.
- Unfortunately she objects that the height and all is off.
- Yadda yadda stuff happens HAJIME AND JUN ARE GOING TO... >_> Wat.
- Fortunately, a jealous Arashi stops them. Well, part jealousy, part trying to protect Jun I guess.
- So it's Glasses dude's turn, and he thinks he's going to get Sayaka but... it's whatshisnameguy! Poor whatshisnameguy.
- Kobayashi-sensei isn't into two guys. But she's all about two girls! You know, I should check if I've seen any Kobayashi roles where she *hasn't* played at least a bisexual character.
- Man, Arashi and Jun are being really stubborn in this ep.
- And the mangaka is... the old man! Heh.
- On the roof after everything settles down, Arashi gives Hajime a kiss on he forehead.

I still want to see Arashi and Yayoi making out.

ilmaestro

12-27-2009, 04:32 PM

I really enjoyed this ep. Although I always felt there were some pretty specific parodies that were slipping by me, there were so many funny split-second moments or reactions and the like it was all good. The editor using the salt cellar during her chess game with Salt guy was excellent. Reveal of who the mangaka really was was funny, but also somewhat distressing. ^^;

I think the series deals with "high concept" things like an episode just repeating the same comedic set-up a few times pretty well, all told. I'll definitely be checking out the manga, too. Bit of a shame that not more people seem to be watching it.

The DVD release will feature a "sexier" opening, as well as apparently a general upping of the fanservice as is so common these days, but more entertainingly will also put in Yayoi and Kanako segments for the first three eps that were "missing" from the TV broadcast.

ilmaestro

12-27-2009, 06:01 PM

;_; It's somehow quite sad to see Salt guy finally achieve the dream.

XD Sunglasses finds out exactly what goes on after he makes those orders... with a nice twist or three.

Takakura Ken is actually there! :D

And a very nice Yayoi/Kanako segment to finish off the main bit of the ep.

And, well, yeah. I guess "low key" would be one way to describe the ending. It was cleanly done in one sense, but not entirely satisfying.

Natsu no Arashi has constantly entertained me over the course of 26 episodes, and I would be perfectly happy to spend some more time in the company of its characters in the future.

something

12-29-2009, 02:30 PM

Episode 26/13:

- Hmm, the Hajime-like opening narration from Arashi's point of view. Maybe she'll stick around after all? I'm still thinking no, but...
- The subtitles are definitely smaller, but still readable. But there a lot of mistakes where instead of a line break for different speakers, it just shows up as a "\".
- Heh so far this isn't very last-episode-like but I suppose that's not a surprise. They're definitelly mashing together various jokes from the series in this one. Best part so far is Kanako and Yayoi doing their thing with Sunglasses right there trying to stop them.
- Oh, and salt guy got his salt! What the hell!
- Poor Sunglasses, finally gets his order right and well... :sd: That's just how this show is.
- Hah it was wasabi.

...Uh, hey, that can't be the last episode. What? I guess they're continuing? o_O

Post-ED:
- Hah, I wonder what show they were talking about. =P "Here's this phrase they always say..." XD
- A little epilogue for Arashi and Hajime but clearly the story isn't done.

Season three? I'd certainly watch, but to be honest I'd rather Shaft focus their energies on something else if possible. They stretch themselves too thin as it is, and while I like this franchise it isn't their best.

Glorian

01-03-2010, 11:48 PM

I'm a bit disappointed in how the second season turned out in the end. It felt like the show was treading water most of the time, without advancing the story very much (with the exception of a couple episodes in the middle). That would have been fine with a solid conclusion, but we didn't really get one, and this is a show that really feels like it should have a well developed ending.

I actually at least moderately enjoyed most of the episodes in this season, but it seems odd that the show shifted from a strong arc-based story in the first season to mainly episodic comedy in the second season (with the previously mentioned exceptions), and I guess I was expecting something with a plot structure closer to the first season.

something

01-04-2010, 09:10 AM

I'm a bit disappointed in how the second season turned out in the end. It felt like the show was treading water most of the time, without advancing the story very much (with the exception of a couple episodes in the middle).
I agree to a point, although it tread water much better than, say, Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu Purezza. It kept everyone in-character and managed not to do anything particularly annoying in the name of stretching things out. The ending was certainly weak, so I assume they're planning a third season. That or the original is probably ongoing and they didn't want to write an anime-original ending yet.

So it could have been better story-wise but the time travel gags were still done well so I'm happy enough I guess. I'd watch a third season, but I'd prefer it be the one to close it out and focus more on story. Otherwise, well, there are other things I'd prefer Shaft expend resources on. I'd hate for them to continue to overstretch themselves for the sake of Arashi and wind up short-changing, say, more Bakemonogatari (or I guess it'd be Nisemonogatari or one of the other novels) or Hidamari. Or something entirely new.

ilmaestro

01-06-2010, 08:01 PM

I was a bit disappointed that they didn't make more of the war-time theme they had going on in the very early episodes.

pianocello

01-22-2010, 11:40 PM

Overall while it was okay, the 2nd season was weaker than the 1st season. The 1st season occasionally felt like Grave of the Fireflies and it had more of a plot. The 2nd season went for more gags which was initially okay but after 8 episodes of random gags, started to fill empty. The Kanako x Yayoi segments started to wear out their welcome after a while. And the Jun gender issue should have been resolved one season ago.
There was at least some focus on romance which was sort-of resolved with the two leads coming clear with their feelings. And the fanservicey OP was nice. So any updates on the DVD upgrades on the OP? Do we get more detailed animation? :devil: I also like the yuri gags in ep 12. And episode 8 clearly shows that Arashi has some serious boobage. :nosebleed:

I'm a little confused about ep 12 though - is the mangaka the old man's true identity or is the mangaka's true identity the old man? Also this didn't seem clear - so does that mean Arashi and the gang disappear after each summer and return the next summer?

I doubt they are going to make a 3rd season but I wouldn't mind one.