#analysis and commentary

[carnelianwings]

Tales of Zestiria the X Episode 18 Reaction Post

Oh right, where did we leave off last week?  Oh yeah, Rose, revenge, didn’t see the body, riding through the forest, Rose having a break down.  Right.

tl;dr: What the ever-loving . . . you know what, just to keep the swearing out of the actual blurb: What is this pile of Gooey Stuff I got served this morning?  And also, the “minimize Mikleo’s role” train continues.

This week, we open with the game’s loading screen theme.  I’m glad we’re at least getting more of the game’s music worked back into the anime.

Konan?  Dead?  But Rose, you never even saw the body!

Hmmmm . . . Sorey using “san” with an emperor?  Seems . . . off, somehow to me.  Maybe someone more familiar with the finer points of Japanese can correct me . . . but somehow it seems a bit impolite on Sorey’s part?  Somehow I would have thought Sorey might have been more the kind to use -sama instead?

Oh, Magilou while we’re talking about Mayvin?  Interesting.  And is that why Artorius did what he did?  Okay, so I get the feeling Berseria is going to be the something along the lines of, “feelings can be both good or bad but that doesn’t mean one person/being can strip it away from everyone and have them feel nothing at all”.  It would make sense.  It’s a very . . . anime/manga/JRPG idea.

And yet you’d go fight Hyland.  Oh, and why the hell would the king of Rolance care/know about Alisha being a traitor?

Okay, Rose’s having a major crisis of beliefs.  Why is she treating this like she’s making a deal with a Kyuubey?  Also . . . why are we taking Mikleo’s moment away from him?  One of the best moments in Act 2 of the game was Mikleo’s speech to Rose about why he wanted her to join the party as Sorey’s squire.  Why he thought that was necessary.  And it was through that speech that he finally got Rose to start believing in the Seraphim (who she didn’t believe in despite having a high enough resonance to match Sorey’s) and to start being able to interact with them.

Okay, so Lailah pops out, Rose’s like who’s there, and Sorey’s not going to introduce her?  And Lailah’s not going to introduce herself?  WTF characterization department?

Wow, you know, I’m so glad we told Alisha this piece of Not So Important Information before we made her Sorey’s squire.  I mean, oh, if Sorey dies his squire(s) do too?  Um, sounded like that was a piece of fine print that should have been mentioned to Alisha.

Oh, we’ll just retcon that Alisha knew.  At least Sorey was properly horrified for his friend.

Oh sure, we’ll also mention that it’ll add stress to Sorey, but hey, no big deal now.

Sorey, stop.  Stop wanting to take the entire burden yourself.  Just.  Stop.  But then game-Sorey learned this lesson by this point.

Well, at least we’ve reached Pendrago.

Oh sure.  Just let Rose join if she really insists, but if Mikleo asks - oh wait.  Anime-Mikleo didn’t actually fight him for it.

Um . . . Dezel wtf impatience?  Just start wrecking shit and scaring the Normals why don’t you?  Also I do like the theme - it’s the Symonne battle theme.

. . . what the fuck?  A dead dragon?  A.  Dead.  Dragon.  We’re just going to take out all the awesome moments aren’t we?  We’re also just going to take out Sorey’s struggle with Mercy Kills?  Or just taking a life in general?  JUST WTF.  THAT WAS ONE OF SOREY’S BIGGEST STRUGGLES IN THE GAME.  Learning that he can’t purify everyone to save them.  That he can’t save everyone, and that sometimes, the only thing he can do is to kill them and put them out of their misery, and let them rest.  That that was the only way he could “save” Cardinal Forton, that that was the only way he could “save” Eizen, that was the only way he could “save” Tiamat, and that was the only way he could “save” Heldalf.  THIS EVENT MATTERED.

Gaaaaaaaaaaaah.  Rose job as the squire is to take life, Sorey’s job as the Shepherd is to give it.  Don’t twist that quote!

Also, Sorey giving Rose’s true name for her makes no sense.  In the original it was both lulzy and awesome.  Sorey gives her the name Wilkis Wilk meaning “Rose is Rose” after spending some time with her but because they were in the middle of the fight at the time, it’s the best he could come up with while under pressure.  Here, it makes no sense and it really does come off as favoring Alisha as his squire, because his True Name for Alisha “Melphis Amekia” means “Alisha the Smiling” and it comes off as something meaningful for her.  Rose’s . . . yeah.

You know, I’m sure this moment is supposed to be awesome, but damn it, because of how they twisted the entire scene beforehand, I couldn’t get into it.  Also, Sorey calling for Rose before Mikleo makes no sense to me.  None.  Also if that was supposed to be funny, it fell flat anime writer.

Oh so with Rose joining, Sorey’s telepathic phone conference extends from Pendrago to Ladylake.  And this scene tears me in two different directions - like yeah, I get that he’s happy to hear from Alisha because she is a friend and yes that makes sense.  And yet a part of me can’t help but see this as yet another Sorey and Alisha Moment when this was hardly his most important relationship in the game.  Also, everyone rushing to Ladylake to Save Alisha (especially with Rose’s declaration that the princess is waiting) reeks entirely too much of Damsel In Distressing her, and that really bothers me - Alisha is strong enough in the game to stand on her own to feet and fight for her dream and her desires.  And while she admired Sorey and what he could do, that didn’t stop her from pushing forward and making her vision of Hyland a reality.  But she is not some weak-ass princess who needs a knight in shining armor to sweep in and save her.  She knows how to use a spear, damn it, and she’ll save herself.

Not even the next episode preview skit is enough to take me out of my saltier than the Dead Sea bath at this point.  Yeah, I have some Major Problems with this episode.  I might even get a proper meta post on it up in a day or two.

[carnelianwings]

Tales of Zestiria the X Ep 17 Reaction Post

Another week, another episode!  Let’s see what this week’s episode has in store for us!

TL;DR: Another Rose episode, but not necessarily for the worse.  Sorey and Rose really are total opposites in terms of their beliefs and how they view the world and how to solve the world’s problems, so it’s good that we’re getting some time spent on that here.  I just wish they hadn’t wasted the previous few episodes getting us to this point, so we could have more time for the rest of the plot.  That said, in terms of what’s “mandatory” to keep the story going, we only really have Cardinal Forton, Sorey coming around to the idea of a Mercy Kill, the Camlann Iris Gem, and his answer.  I’m certain we’re skipping the 4 trial shrines at this point (there’s just no time to fit it in), and maybe even Glaivend Basin 2.  Heldalf 2 at Aifread’s Hunting Ground might also be up on the chopping block, but then they’ll have to find some other way of introducing Maotelus and purifying him as that’s the end game for Zestiria - that said, the opportunity does exist at Pendrago Shrinechurch, as that’s where we first hear about Maotelus in the first place.

Right, last week ended on a cliffhanger, with Rose maybe probably definitely killing Prince Konan in revenge.

Stiiiiiiiill not digging this new OP.  But I’m convinced at this point it’s because it plays Sorey up so much as Lonely Shounen Protagonist, when he isn’t.

Oh look, he’s still a hellion in the end.  Maybe one of the undead ones, given how he’s been stabbed more than a few times and is still Not Dead Yet.  Oh nice, Artorius Throne bgm rearrange.  I’m all for that.

So, there’s still no body of Prince Konan, so I assume he’s Not Dead Yet.  And we get the reverse, I guess, of the Tintagel Ruins moment where Rose saves Sorey.  Thanks Lailah, for telling us that he could still be dead.  But still, no body, no confirmed death.  I’m with Rose on this.

You know, I’m really thinking they’re going for Tainted AU in this, just because Rose really wasn’t going to assassinate Konan out of any sort of sense of justice, but really out of revenge.  I mean, for all that we joke Rose’s answer to everything is just Stab It Some More, I’m with her here - especially since she didn’t keep her mask on while fighting Konan.

I am liking that we’re getting a quiet moment for Sorey and Rose to work past their philosophical differences.  Because they really are on opposite sides of the spectrum as far as kill-don’t-kill is concerned, and the game really really glossed over this point.  Sorey spends more time struggling with the necessity of taking a life more than any other Tales Protagonist I’ve encountered (and I’ve played damned near every game), and even at the end, when he has no choice, he sees to it he’s exhausted all other options first, and all of his confirmed on screen kills are Mercy Kills.  Rose, on the other hand, has killed where, in an ideal world at least (that is to say, basically not what we’ve seen in Zestiria in all versions), her target would be arrested and left to rot in jail.  I’m not saying they can’t work together, but I am saying there’s actually a lot of potential there in expansion where their differences are concerned.

And I swear, every time Sorey brings up everyone has malevolence inside them, I’m reminded of Phantasia’s opening quote about darkness reside in the hearts of men.  Appropriate, given how Zestiria’s the 20th anniversary game and all that.

Okay, not gonna lie, part of me was actually a little disappointed Mikleo wasn’t cuddled up with Sorey under the covers.

Oh.  We’re going there with the “Dezel uses Rose’s body as a vessel without her consent” thing again.  Aaaaaaaaand we’re going to gloss it over again.  And honestly, Dezel is coming across as even more callous than before.  And Edna, bringing back some of that bite she had in the game - at least she’s the one to push the issue like she did in Tintagel Ruins in the game.  Although this entire thing with Dezel being okay that Rose’s being used as a puppet to be Brad’s successor . . . it just feels even colder than it did in the game, like he really does see her as a means to an end even moreso than he did in the game.

MIkleo, why is your ass still parked on Rose’s cart?  Why aren’t you like, hopping into Sorey to make sure he doesn’t get fucking backstabbed?  Mikleo, why the fuck are you sleeping on the job . . . again?

Oh good, he didn’t.  For a moment, I thought we were going to pull another Split the Party and have Sorey go with the knights while Mikleo follows Dezel and Rose again.  And I guess Rose really is Dezel’s vessel . . . and she’s okay with it . . . um, what?  Did Dezel ever explain this to her?

Good on Sorey for taking Mikleo, Lailah, and Edna’s advice to keep moving instead of staying to fight and purify the ghost hellions.  I mean, this was roughly the same point in the game where Sorey really did learn to take the advice and council of his friends seriously instead of rushing headlong into everything.

Honestly, I’m not too sure about this reason for Rose to join Sorey as his squire.  I mean, this entire sequence does a nice job of portraying Rose as the slightly broken girl we don’t really get a feel for in the game, and Rose questioning her ideals after realizing she really didn’t live for much more than vengeance does make sense here.  I can’t imagine she could have failed in all that many assassination attempts - even if Alisha could count as a notable failure, lol.

Oh good, more reminders that Zestiria is really a Crapsack World setting with how little Rose encounters Brad.  As if all the dead kids in the side quests weren’t enough of a reminder.

At the same time, this scene also shows that Rose didn’t really have much of a choice in terms of how she grew up what she came to be as Rose the Pure Assassin/Rose the Merchant.  This was what she was indoctrinated into the moment Brad adopted her.  Killing in the name of easily obtainable justice, of small goals, was all that she ever knew and had.  And here’s Sorey, literally living his life in the entirely opposite way - Sorey’s reaching for that unobtainable dream, the long reaching goal that Brad has taught her to forget.

Y’know, for all that I hate on the OP, I really love this ED.  Must be all those SoreMiku Battle Couple moments along with that one shot where they’re basically looking into each other’s eyes.  Oh, and those 4 amazingly gorgeous shots of Sorey, Mikleo, Alisha, and Rose right at the start too.  I’m actually really happy this ED not only gives us that freeze frame of Mikleo, but also puts his right after Sorey’s.

Pearloats Pasture bgm, and Dezel reading the wind. Um, oh my god, Blushyleo skit pic/overenthusiastic Sorey for Dezel’s “Cool” moment?!  While they both chime on how “cool” Dezel is?  And while Edna’s giving her “Ugh, not interested, so bored, like, how overdramatic can you possibly be?” skit face, and Lailah’s giving her thoughtful one?  Like how obviously Sorey And Mikleo Are Not Straight can we get here?  Well now I know why Mikleo wanted to learn Windstepping from Dezel - it’s for the cool factor.  (I actually did get Mikleo to learn this talent from Dezel before he left the party on my first play through since Windstepping was so handy to have in dungeons and towns, lol.)

[carnelianwings]

My thoughts on ToZ X Ep 13

Okay, so now that I’ve had a little bit of time to think about it a bit more . . . I’ve come to the conclusion I have some really really mixed feelings about this episode.  I’m not salty, per se, just conflicted, especially since both the game and the manga had such great storytelling while focusing on different aspects of the story.  Cutting because you know with an opening like that this is going to get long.

TL;DR: Despite all the good, there’s still some things they could be doing better.  The Good Things are Good, but the Bad Thing really irritates me, and I’m overall super cautious about how this season will turn out writing wise.

Let’s start with the good, because the episode is still fresh, and I want to acknowledge the Good Things that are being done.  One of the things I’ve noticed about the anime is how the focus has been shifted.  Yes, it’s still Sorey and his journey, but it’s not the story as told from Sorey’s perspective - which is how the game is written - it’s the story as told from a third person perspective.  I’m not saying I agree with it necessarily, but it may explain a bit more about how the story is going (and why the Seraphim keep getting shoved into a corner - but more on that later).

So to start, I liked that we’re getting more exposition on Rose.  One of the weaker points in storytelling as far as the game goes is Rose the Pure Assassin.  You’d expect more conflict between her and Sorey, as the game more or less has Sorey going, “Oh, you kill people.  Be my squire!” and that’s about it.  There’s the whole bit with Cardinal Forton, and how Rose is the one to deliver the actual killing blow while Sorey is hesitating, even though the Cardinal can’t be purified and saved at that point because even though she’s not actively generating malevolence.  Sorey still feels guilty over that at the end - not enough to become tainted, but in the sense that he regrets not being able to save her because that was his goal.  And while Rose the Pure Assassin serves as something of a counterpoint to Cardinal Forton and Sorey himself, it’s not fully realized and as fleshed out in the game as it could be.  So to see more of the different sides of her, to see how she relates to her clients, to see more of her family relationship with the rest of her crew is really nice.  Since we ended the episode with Rose assassinating someone, I’m really hoping that we’ll get a decent resolution on the fundamental difference in mindset between Rose and Sorey.

I also like that we’re getting a few scenes on Sorey training to become a better Shepherd, and that it’s Lailah and Mikleo helping him.  They’ve cut out a lot of the fighting in Zestiria in favor of story and exposition, so it’s one way for them to show him getting stronger without actually spending time showing him fighting random hellions.  In the game, they don’t need to do this - we get that by exploring caves and quelling hellions in ruins.  More importantly, I like how we’re getting a mixture of scenes from Sorey with and without his Shepherd’s cloak.  It’s a great way to show when he’s Shepherd Sorey and just Sorey, and while the game used ruin exploration and optional dungeons as a way to show him having “down time” (like in Tintagel Ruins, for example), here just using the visual cue is a nice easy way of doing it that doesn’t require them to spend time showing the extra ruin exploration, just animating him differently.  Having Lailah help him makes sense - she’s his Prime Lord.  Mikleo, while it’s an excuse for them to sound all deep and philosophical, feels a bit more personal - he’s always there to help Sorey in any capacity that he can.

I also like that we’re getting hints of Lailah’s journey with Michael.  Michael is . . . an interesting character, to put it mildly.  And I mean interesting in the sense there’s a lot about him to discuss, a lot that we didn’t necessarily get in the game, but we definitely got in the manga.  Like how he was 12-ish when he became the Shepherd.  Like how he once told Lailah he wanted to write a book about his journey when everything is said and done.  Like how in every panel all we ever see is of the Shepherd Michael is of him and Lailah.  Michael’s not like Sorey - the game and the manga (and even the anime here) suggests he traveled on his own, he didn’t have someone looking out for him specifically the way Sorey has Mikleo, he didn’t have someone to share his emotional burdens with the way Mikleo does for Sorey (remember Mikleo’s “I won’t let you take on this burden by yourself!” during phase 1 of the final fight against Heldalf?).  And the closest he ever got to that was Lailah, and while she’s a great motherly figure, it’s hard to say how much Michael confided in her and how well she was able to help him with his emotional burdens as Shepherd.  I actually think part of the reason Lailah was so on board with Mikleo joining them on their journey in the first place is that she sees that he could for Sorey what she couldn’t do for Michael - be the emotional support that’s needed to carry the burden of being a Shepherd.  So I’m actually hoping we get more of Michael’s journey woven into here, both to better flesh out Lailah and to get to know more of him.

Now that that’s out of the way, here’s the Big Thing I didn’t like.

Why are the Seraphim in the back room and Demoted to Extra?  It really bugs me that that’s what we’ve gotten so far.  Lailah and Mikleo got some good screen time and exposition in S1 since Lailah’s the Prime Lord and Mikleo’s the Childhood Friend and (super super super low-key) Love Interest, but Edna got hit with the Demoted to Extra stick pretty hard after her introductory episode.  I get that there’s only so much they can do when the world’s mechanics say that Seraphim are all but non-existent to humans without resonance (and much of this episode was with Normal Humans) but I also feel like they could do more with the Seraphim.  Especially since Sorey’s dream is coexistence between Seraphim and humans, and it seems to be taking away from that dream when we have Sorey talking to normal people but not doing anything to really facilitate communication and relationships between humans and Seraphim.  Yes, we had Alisha and Lailah talking while using Sorey as an intermediary in Season 1, but I feel like there is more they could do with Sorey here, especially since it’s clear he’s spending time on the road with Rose and her caravan.  Even something like showing everyone work together to set up camp would be a way to do it - Lailah could help with starting the camp fire, and the others share warm drinks/food with her as thanks.  Or something similar with Mikleo and him helping them get clean drinking water.  Or Edna . . . wait, scratch that.  Edna would be more likely to play tricks on them . . . but hey, you know, tricks and jokes are another way to make friends, so I guess that would be okay too, haha.  But I feel like with the Seraphim In The Backroom/Peanut Gallery is really taking away from Sorey’s motivation to be a Shepherd in the first place.  Like, if this is his motivation, then wouldn’t he want to be actively working towards it?

Also, and not just because Mikleo’s my favorite character, it really hurts to see Mikleo so heavily Demoted to Extra.  He’s the Deuteragonist, for Maotelus’s sake, let the boy have the spotlight more often.  I mean, if you haven’t finished the game, it’s not obvious, but the game very subtly starts shifting perspective characters to Mikleo right at the end, and everything from the credits and on is basically from Mikleo’s perspective.  It’s actually a writing style that puts Zestiria very similar to another anime I love - Puella Magi Madoka Magica.  Homura comes out from the shadows in episode 10 and takes her rightful place as the Deuteragonist.  Mikleo does the same in the final hours of Zestiria.  But the difference between the Madoka anime and the Zesty X anime is that Homura was always there as a supporting cast member, not an Extra.  Here, Mikleo feels so Demoted to Extra that the impact won’t be there - even though they do love slapping his face on all the merch.

That said, the next episode is looking to be Dezel-centric, so at least we have that.  Somehow, I get the feeling that while it’ll flesh out more of the Rose and Dezel backstory, it might not mean we’ll get a lot of development for Dezel.  I don’t expect him to hang around for long - through the middle of the season at most, since we do have to make way for Zaveid.

I’m hoping this isn’t going to be a permanent trend - Lailah, Edna, Mikleo, Dezel, and Zaveid were part of the core cast, part of the found family dynamic that made me love Zestiria’s party so much in the first place.

Will I keep watching?  Yes.  Because even if the script is complete garbage, ufotable knows how to do some absolutely gorgeous animation, and I am here for that.  Especially Mikleo.