Impressions of Episode 2! Spoilers not just for the episode, but for the game--including parts towards the end of the game. Screenshot-heavy
Also, NTWEWY Release Date Trailer reference at one point.
First up! Love the proper intro! Shame about what happened with the original intro being swapped out, there’s some spots where this version of Twister doesn’t quite fit. But it fits better than the use of Calling they used as as a last-second sub in the first episode.
(For those who don’t know, one of the band members for the group that did the original song was involved in a criminal scandal so the music was pulled, apparently that’s not uncommon. I feel more bad for the poor bandmates who’ve had their reputation tarnished by association, y’know?)
so! first up on visuals! New Noise!! Wonder if these will show up in NTWEWY? They don’t look as much like Noise as most others, missing that tattoo component, but they remind me of the Bats and the Sprogs. Curious to see if that happens
FORESHADOWING with MR. PRODUCER HIMSELF.
So, we get some interaction between Neku and Shiki right off the bat when the episode starts, which involves Neku’s whole “I don’t like people” thing, and we see Beat and Rhyme join ‘em and they have a discussion. Get some of the talk of everyone’s values colliding, which IIRC is a W2 sort of convo w/ Asshole Jesus? Can’t quite remember... Either way, get some more insight into the characters.
RHYME IS TOO CUTE HERE THIS IS SO PRECIOUS
Ahaha... This sequence hurts. The framing makes it so clear what they’re getting at with these two being siblings. Also this entire bit is good, helps establish details about the characters both overtly through conversation and subtly, like the framing of this shot.
This part also hurts, Shiki getting so excited she forgets, just for a moment, what’s going on.
Honestly the entire sequence with the Prince is funny, and helps give some good insight into the characters.
Also. Same, Neku, Same. That’s exactly my face when people start losing their minds over some RL celeb that’s apparently sexy or something lol. But also starts to work in the importance of fashion and trends in this sequence.
The description is different but ultimatley the idea seems roughly the same for Imprinting--though Shiki knows what it is rather than Rhyme explaining memes.
(shame we couldn’t get “what’s a meme?” animated lol, but that’s probably just a funny thing in the ENG fandom and it IS based of the JP original ver)
Interesting way they handled Eri here, with her wearing a different outfit.
Dude talking to Makoto’s a Reaper, I’m betting--since he’s lacking that sort of washed out look the RG folks have. Specifically planted here to give the Players the idea for what their mission is, if they’re paying attention to their surroundings and/or in the right area at the start of the day.
Nao and Sota make another appearance after their Ep 1 cameo! Good way to introduce them before W2!
[knee-jerk reaction of screeching because THE FUCKING MOST ANNOYING FUCKING PINS EVER]
Also the fact that the dude in Red who was talking to Makoto says his boss is pressuring him to spread them around makes me pretty confident, aside from the “lacking the washed out RG look” that he’s a Reaper.
This was very interesting--the Support Reaper let them through because Shiki was holding a Keypin. Setting the precedent for “this pin caused a wall to be cleared for us” but at the same time... Not opening the wall itself. And I wonder why the Reaper didn’t seem to care that a Player was holding onto a Keypin? I mean, the Reaper addressed it with “take care of that pin”, so I suppose they’ve acknowledged it but still feels odd. Then again, might be a case of “Player with a Keypin? Higher ups didn’t say anything about that. Welp, not my problem then.” and just not wanting to deal with it lol
also look at the Support Reaper (guy in red w/ the facemask)’s outfit. Compare it to what “Neku” in the end of the latest (as of this posting) NTWEWY trailer was wearing--it’s pretty much identical except “Neku” is wearing black instead of Read (Harrier Reapers wear Black), is this “Neku” in NTWEWY a Reaper now? Or trying to blend in and appear similar to a Reaper for some reason? Or is it just coincidence?
see how similar they look? (I know it looks purple here but the boxart it’s black so I assume it’s just lighting)
Then again, since the art seems the same between game and anime (or very similar, the eyes are handled looking the same it seems to me) it could be something else... (Of course, who even knows if this is the real Neku?)
Anyway...
AHAHAHAHAHAHA Oh shiki, if only you knew that the second player pin is because of the bullet that wasn’t stopped XD
Working trends in somewhat, interesting to see that. Makes total sense they’d do it this way since the “trends change based on what Players use in battle” is a game mechanic that I can’t see being easily worked into the story in another format, so this swap makes plenty of sense. Using Imprinting on the Prince to get him to plug the advert makes sense.
LMAO. SAME NEKU, SAME. THAT IS SUCH A RELATABLE FACE.
I gotta wonder, though--using the Prince this way instead of the Players making it work, seems like that might not make Makoto get a big head about “his” success which would alter things in... W2, right? The ramen shop stuff’s W2.
So. We have a few interesting massive deviations here.
First up, a look at the influence of the Red Skull pin on people.
And second...
A Familiar Looking Noise Symbol, found on the Shibuya River... Megumi’s Noise Symbol.
Obviously a massive deviation as Players start getting Erased--despite the Mission being cleared. Neku and Shiki are on the chopping block when...
A familiar bit of hair reveals their savior who’s not about to let Megumi end their little Game early using some underhanded tactics like “Earsing Players after the Mission is cleared”
I’m very not sure how I feel on a personal level about this decision, but on a narrative level I fully get where they were going with this.
It establishes a very powerful Noise, and if they remain true to the game later it’s foreshadowing that Megumi’s involved heavily. AND it establishes (through subtle implication you’d not necessarily get if this was your first time watching and didn’t catch the hair) that Joshua is a very powerful person. Before being in the Game.
Shiki comments on the unsualness of it, too!
I do, however, think they did real justice to the Eri and Shiki revelation. I still wanna know what that “accident” is that killed Shiki, though.
And here we see a person having his ENTIRE WORLD rocked by the revelation that he’s dead.
Also we got a slight flashback to the incident that killed him, too blurry to see much but a little bit of one. We saw a little of that in Ep 1, too, IIRC.
AND THAT’S IT FOR THE EPISODE
Well. Except for the title card for Episode 3
WHO’S READY TO HAVE THEIR HEARST SHATTERED LIKE GLASS OVER THAT SCENE?!
