Little Busters Discussion Thread

[something]

Episode 25:

- Oh hey time for them to actually play a game.
- Alrght so I get that going against sport club captains coudl be tough, but only one of them has any baseball experience. So they won't be pros or anything.
- Heh the look of disgust on Rin's face.

- So I don't really care abotu Kengo or his love life, but the girl is pretty cute. And man Masato is an idiot. I'd say he's a jerk but he doesn't think things through enough to intentionally be one.
- Then she falls off a roof and uh, how exactly did Kengo save her? I guess convenient tree is convenient.
- Oh Koshiki, don't despair. You have a good life ahead of you as an anime protagonist with that eyepatch.
- Then Kengo baseball. It's not a bad scene, but Kengo has been such a non-person all this time that it's a little hard to jump right in to being super interested in him. Also what the heck defensive position is he going to play?
- And there's some hinting at stuff going on with Kyousuke.

My favorite bit of the episode was just watching all of Rin's facial expressions, especially when she's struggling with whether to keep pitching to Kengo. I love Rin. <3

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Episode 26:

- ...Holy what the fuck Kengo. Talk about a dramatic change in personality. He's clearly wanted to be part of the Little Busters all along.
- Well that was an eclectic roll call.
- "You look nothing like a leader." I love how Rin doesn't pull her punches. Ever.

- Oh that loving look on Kyousuke's face as he gazes at Riki. Come on, Refrain can't possibly go with any of the girls. Kyousuke is obviously the only one for Riki.
- Sudden flash of previously-unseen images when Kyousuke is watching Riki. Yuiko, Rin, Kengo, Masato. Refrain stuff presumably. And further drives home that Kyousuke has seen the future, or gone through this before. Likely the latter with a title like "Refrain".
- Haru-chin and Mio come to cheer Riki up.
- Then Kud and Komari go fishing for Rikis.
- They catch one and haul him up to the roof for a party with Yuiko.

- Batting order set. And only a few minutes left in the episode. I had assumed this episode would be 80% baseball game, but instead it's character focused. And that's just fine with me.
- Then the game happens... while the full OP plays. And while it's handled rather briefly like that, I really, really, really liked it. Especially Kud's cuteness randering the first baseman immobile haha. Also teleporting Yuiko, and Kanata cheering on Haruka.
- After that, a group photo.
- And finally, the Refrain announcement.

Very good final episode. All in all, an enjoyable show, a worthwhile import, and I'm glad I watched it. But it's clearly just not on the same level as other Key visual novel adaptations. The art just wasn't on the same level, and some of the arcs just weren't very good. I give this one a strong 8, while the others are 10/10s and among my favorite shows ever.

By far my favorite arc is Haruka's. After that is Mio's. Kud's ended very well, though it had some very weak moments leading up to that. Komari's was rather bad which sucks because I really like her. As far as the non-arc episodes, those were generally quite good. I liked the show's sense of humor, so the lighter material was probably the best material outside of Haruka's arc.

But everyone has said all along that Refrain is where it really starts, and I'm willing to believe in that. I'm definitely excited to get more, and assume it'll be coming in the Fall. It better be two cour.

[FUNiOP]

Originally Posted by something

But everyone has said all along that Refrain is where it really starts, and I'm willing to believe in that. I'm definitely excited to get more, and assume it'll be coming in the Fall. It better be two cour.

It pretty much has to be both where it really starts and two cour. The apparent main heroine hasn't gotten any focus or even appeared to be anything of a romantic interest. And they've been setting up the main plot far more overtly than Clannad ever set up anything for After Story, even with all the Illusionary World stuff. Refrain has a lot to take care of.

[Fencedude]

Komari! Don't you know that giving your ribbons to another girl is the same as a marriage proposal?!

Not that I mind in the least.

Anyway, decent end, though the show was hilariously uneven overall. 6/10 at best, if I were to rank it.

[stardf29]

Uh oh, Kengo broke.

Anyways, I thought this was a great ending. It had some good moments between Riki and Kyousuke, between Riki and the girls, and finally with Riki taking up the mantle of leader of the Little Busters!. What we see of the baseball game was pretty cool, too.

Final Thoughts

I know many would disagree with me, but I really liked Little Busters!. I haven't played the original game, so I guess I can't say anything about it as an adaptation, but as a show, it worked. Sure, it wasn't quite as good as KyoAni's Key adaptations (including the first season of Clannad), and the lower production values and some fairly weak arcs are part of that reason. But this show also had an amazing Haruka arc, some great non-arc material, and was just overall very enjoyable. I think one other factor that made me like this show so much, is the sense of friendship between all the Little Busters.

And, of course, this is only the beginning, after all. There's still Refrain, which seems to be more the heart of this show, and I can't wait for that.

Final Score: 9.9/11.0 - Excellent, very nearly outstanding. J.C. Staff may not be Kyoto Animation in animation budget or directional quality, but in the end, I say they did well with Little Busters!.

[Damius]

- It’s time for the first Little Busters Game.
- She said it. “It will be interesting.” Riki you can’t win in this conversation.
- Masato… why did you have to say that…
- Well… he saved her… thanks to the three I guess. But, well I feel like something like that was not necessary...

And I do agree, watching Rin’s facial expressions was the best part of the episode. Love you Rin!

[Damius]

Well, it was a nice episode to end Little Busters!. Overall, the show didn't meet my expectations. I would give it a 7.5. Now, I hope Refrain will be great and it will meet my expectations.