Kokoro Connect Discussion Thread

[something]

Originally Posted by Draneor

Was that her brother? I couldn't tell if it was her father or brother.

Dunno, he's definitely older, but didn't seem old enough to be her father to me. Maybe a brother in college.

[strangefour]

-So this is basically skipping right into the second episode of a plot. I can dig it.
-I'm not into seiyuu stalking like many of you, but I really like the voices in this show.

-Helloooo lesbian.
-Undertaker poster has been on screen long enough to be considered a minor character.

Uh okay. Not sure if I can stand a show that's just a string of sitcom cliched mind swapping even if the base characters are interesting. Well their voices are interesting.

[HitokiriShadow]

I decided to re-watch epsiode 1. Mostly because I just really, really wanted to see it again for some reason. Starting a few hours after I saw it the first time. The only reason I held off this long was to watch all of my other shows for the first time first. I almost never re-watch shows and I haven't even gotten around to re-watching some of my absolute favorites like OreImo and Madoka Magica yet (though the I plan to get around to the latter soon). So the fact that I'm re-watching this before the second episode even airs says a lot.

I also felt like I missed some things, like important tidbits didn't register, in my first viewing. I saw comments about things (mainly the family details) I didn't really remember. Probably because it was in the first moments of the show when I had not yet separated everyone out in my head and was just trying to get names down.

Hmmm, Yui has one hand covering her crotch when she wakes up. I'm not quite sure if she's just sitting that way for no particular reason.... or if she's checking to see if she still has a package down there. I'm guessing its the former and it doesn't really look like she's feeling for anything, but considering the situation, I can't help but wonder.

I like the chalkboard comments behind the characters in the OP.
Taichi: class 1-3, Wrestling fanboy, stuff about having fun and laughing more... Rice? Bread? likes imouto
Iori: class 1-3, won't do anything dirty, number 1 beauty, best smile, [s]please go out with me[/s], wants to eat curry
Himeko: class 1-3, scary, sorry, you need to drink more milk, Curry Nabe
Yui: class 1-1, selfish, "the entire world", let's get married, let's go out, bad idea!!, lots of variations of "I love you"
Aoki: class 1-1, I want to eat curry, don't give up, stuff about homework and not giving up

So Taichi, Inori and Himeko are in one class and Yui and Aoki are in another. The board comments are clearly a mix of comments by them, about them, and said about them or to them by other people. They all have something about food they want to eat.

I'm watching the Doki-Chihiro version this time, just to see what interesting differences there might be. The line about Iori choosing her club is one. The first part about too many clubs is essentially the same. But the second part, instead of something like "it would be more interesting to leave it to chance", its "won't it bring me surprises and touching encounters if I just leave it to fate?"

Why do I feel like I'm seeing Taichi talk about his ideas and Himeko telling him to shut it for the first time?

"I'll charge you 120 yen for a peak." I like CR's shorter, to the point version a bit better. Iori is awesome either way.

Keeheeheehee. Oh god, that giggle. *dies*

We have a lack of dangerous and erotic topics! Then Iori tells Himeko why she's such a better choice for the one to strip. This is one of the greatest scenes ever made. Not just because the dialogue itself is amusing, but because of how Toyosaki Aki says them.

"I would strip you both." That's a little different. I thought maybe this version worded it better to go with the title Iori suggests for the article to incriminate him.... but this version titles it "asks two female club members to strip." I'm pretty sure CR had him just say something about wanting to see both of them but had the article title make it sound like he actually stripped them himself, and then Doki-Chihiro does the exact opposite.

Love Iori's face when Himeko karate chops Aoki.

Just remembered I wanted to get a bunch of screencaps of Iori in this viewing. Which means I need to rewatch that Iori-Inaba-Sensual scene again. Poor me. *cough*


"Iori, that pervert keeps saying disgusting things to me. *throws self on Iori*" Yep, straight out of K-On! I've seen that show's Yui do exactly the same thing (for different reasons, obviously) to Azusa, and Azunyan looked *exactly* like Iori does here. More importantly, Iori sure enjoys comforting girls as they run fleeing from potential heterosexuality....

I'm really impressed at how they did the body-switch scene. That slow pan-around, the look on Not!Iori's face, the music.... and then the change in music as Taichi realizes the.... benefits of this strange situation.

Then Lesbian arrives. Worth noting that she's the first character to appear after the main group on the character page. Looks like she should be a decently significant character.

Iori sure knows how to handle Fujishima. And is not the least bit concerned at Fujishima's blatantly sexual interest in her body.

Iori's sad-looking face when Taichi is in her body at the table amuses me greatly. And then a very un-Iori-like smirk when Himeko says his name.

Poor Taichi, he's getting that "you're a really pathetic little boy" look from his own body.

I must know what Himeko said to Iori. ;_;

Taichi's imouto reminds me of Mikan.


This certainly isn't a KyoAni level show visually, but the show does a great job with the characters little motions and quirks. Its especially important for the body-swapping but the characters just seem.... more alive than average.

[Buckeye]

- A three-way swap! This will get ugly.
- Something looks wrong with Mr. Goto.
- Hey "Yui", you're in the wrong restroom.
- Taichi is a real perv taking advantage of occupying two girls like that.
- So Mr. Goto has switched out, too.
- This club was chosen by "Goto" for the Heartseed it seems.
- "Goto" is pretty good with karate to take out Yui like that.
- Time to lay some rules about using restrooms while switched up.
- "Yoshifumi" sure has some strong words about humans. Of course Iori is the one saying it.
- "Iori" and "Taichi" are cleaning up, and a declaration of love. Maybe.

This episode was great, and it seems like Mr. Goto is behind this in some way (and I'm thinking that the person who swapped with Goto is the culprit behind all this body-swapping craziness). The reactions of the girls after having a guy's soul take over their body is just funny. The next episodes should be really something as the club adjusts to their life knowing that a switch can happen at anytime with anybody.

[nakimushi]

Hmm, I'm still not sure what to think about this show. I thought that this episode's tone was jarringly uneven.

It appears that the writers want it to be more than just a wacky body-swapping comedy, but the transition between wacky and serious situations was awkwardly done IMO.

The portrayal of the being behind the swapping as both lackadaisical and potentially menacing (if pushed) didn't help. I wasn't sure if the lackadaisical portion was because it was speaking through the rather unmotivated Gotou sensei or not, but if so, it did not fit very well with how the body swapping has gone so far.

In all the other cases, the person's personality has appeared to remain completely intact despite existing in another body - the "guest" does not take on any of the non-physical characteristics of the "host" body.

The philosophical musing by Iori in Aoki's body while waiting for the train with Taichi, just did not seem like something that Iori would say. Granted, it could imply that there is more to Iori's personality than she has so far revealed, but it seemed like just a not very well done attempt at direct exposition of their situation by the writers.

If the show is meant to be more than just a comedy, I'm hoping that the writers get better at mixing both the comedic and serious aspects as well as managing the transitions between them.

[FUNiOP]

If nothing else, at least I get to hear eufonius every week. I really love riya's voice. I really want to like how this series is going, but there's just something that's lacking to me, and I can only hope it doesn't continue to decline. There are some series that are really good at going from fun school-based situational comedy to focusing on the serious supernatural issues the characters have to deal with, but I think this series needs to work on that at this point.

[EnigmaticWarrior]

I wasn't expecting an explanation for the whole body-swapping thing two episodes in, but lo and behold. Wonder who Heartseed is really supposed to be.

Like nakimushi and FUNiOP mentioned before, the series needs to focus in juggling the comedy and drama a little better. Hopefully, it improves as the series goes on. I'll keep watching regardless since I find the concept interesting.

[ookamigirl]

This body switching is getting a bit ridicules.
Taichi seems to be in the center of the whole thing, but I just can't figure out why this is happening all the time.
Well, it does get him in some serious troubles with various girls.
Heartseed, a mysterious new entity, offered a explanation of the situation which didn't help much at all.
That whole thing sure gave them something to think about.

[HitokiriShadow]

This episode was a bit more serious and not quite as funny as the first episode, but I'm still loving it.

Yui turns out to be a karate champion. After her talk about the dangers of Iori being alone and her reaction to Iori almost touching her in Aoki's body, I wonder if there's more to it than her just not liking Aoki.

Iori is still the best. Alas, it seems she just didn't realize what was going on with Fujishima last time. She's pissed when she finds out and she makes it clear she's really not interested in Fujishima's advances. Expected, but disappointing. I was amused by the Taichi/Himeko stuff at the end though. Taichi accidentally volunteering Himeko (while Iori thinks the whole thing is just hilarious) and then Himeko declaring that Iori belongs to "her" in Taichi's body.

Oh yeah, and there was a plot, with some.... thing showing up in a teacher's body and telling the group that he's the one doing it. And then there was an interesting little conversation between Iori and Taichi while Iori was stuck in Aoki's body. It sure didn't seem like Iori was the one asking that question and what, exactly, was it that she screwed up? Was it letting the others find out about her home situation? Or was it the reaction it got from Yui? I'm assuming the former, if only because it doesn't seem like Iori and Yui are particularly intimate friends. And I'm probably reading too much or making too big a jump about the Yui/Aoki stuff.

[HitokiriShadow]

Originally Posted by nakimushi

The portrayal of the being behind the swapping as both lackadaisical and potentially menacing (if pushed) didn't help. I wasn't sure if the lackadaisical portion was because it was speaking through the rather unmotivated Gotou sensei or not, but if so, it did not fit very well with how the body swapping has gone so far.

In all the other cases, the person's personality has appeared to remain completely intact despite existing in another body - the "guest" does not take on any of the non-physical characteristics of the "host" body.

I don't think you can assume that it works exactly the same for "Heartseed", a mysterious, seemingly alien being, as it does for the humans being played around with. I don't think it would be unreasonable for it work slightly differently, since its clearly not human and may not have a "personality" to begin with. Also, its not "swapping", its just flat out possessing a host. It doesn't seem unreasonable for it to be taking on personality characteristics of its host body when it possesses them.

The philosophical musing by Iori in Aoki's body while waiting for the train with Taichi, just did not seem like something that Iori would say. Granted, it could imply that there is more to Iori's personality than she has so far revealed, but it seemed like just a not very well done attempt at direct exposition of their situation by the writers.

I thought it was pretty obvious that it was supposed to be Heartseed talking there. There was an awkward pause (and I think a sound effect), the same kind we've seen in the body swaps, right before "she" went off on that tangent that had nothing to do with what she had just said moments before.