[Silencer]

I agree regarding the switch in focus and I actually think that follows from the first season: aside from what we had to be told, basically all the secondary characters from the first season were treated like the mains are being treated now: they were already established, did their own thing in the background and every now and then popped in to the main plot. Not including necessary background info scenes or the occasional side story.

That being said I do still expect to see more from Saika who's already been noted to have changed a bit recently. But I think that will be the only real hold-over "main" character, so to speak.
Iirc even Izaya doesn't quite get as directly involved this time around...maybe?

Pretty sure I'm only like half a volume ahead plot-wise, as I didn't really end up with enough time to read the LNs for this and Baccano; it's also really slow going when the translation is bad/hasn't done much to aid readability but just directly translated the sentences. XD

[D'rek]

Silencer, on 26 January 2015 - 01:04 AM, said:

I agree regarding the switch in focus and I actually think that follows from the first season: aside from what we had to be told, basically all the secondary characters from the first season were treated like the mains are being treated now: they were already established, did their own thing in the background and every now and then popped in to the main plot. Not including necessary background info scenes or the occasional side story.

That being said I do still expect to see more from Saika who's already been noted to have changed a bit recently. But I think that will be the only real hold-over "main" character, so to speak.
Iirc even Izaya doesn't quite get as directly involved this time around...maybe?

Pretty sure I'm only like half a volume ahead plot-wise, as I didn't really end up with enough time to read the LNs for this and Baccano; it's also really slow going when the translation is bad/hasn't done much to aid readability but just directly translated the sentences. XD

spoilers up to the end of season 1 and first episode of x2 Shou:

Spoiler

I think Izaya directly said he wasn't getting too involved right now? He also said in the between-season special that he was heading out of Ikebukuro for a while, and episode 1 of x2 Shou connected some parts of the special with being pretty close time-wise with the start of x2 Shou.

Masaomi and Saki are still out of the city, too.

And there doesn't seem any reason for Seiji, Namie, Mika or Shingen - who were all important characters for a little bit of season 1 - to become important again.

I suspect the three different cours of season 2 will each have 1 main revelation-laden plot-line and the main characters will orbit around that to different degrees.

x2 Shou looks like it'll be a lot about the Hollywood serial killer. I am guessing the whole of season 2 might be broken up something like this:


vague novel spoilers:

Spoiler

x2 Shou - Hollywood arc - Ruri, Yuhei, Shinra and Celty most involved with the Hollywood business as main characters, and Shingen, Simon/Dennis, Shizuo, Yuhei's president, Igor, etc as secondary characters who get involved in that, too.

x2 Ten - Akane arc - Akane, Igor, Shizuo, Vorona, Celty, Shiki, Shinra, Izaya, Sion as main and secondary characters in the main plotline.


I expect both Mairu/Kururi and Aoba will be pseudo-main characters doing a lot of their own things not too related to the Hollywood/Akane plots during these two cours because they need proper introductions and lead up to the third cour.


x2 Ketsu - Blue Squares Revival arc - Aoba, Mairu/Kururi, Mikado, Anri, Kyohei, Izaya... basically all the high school characters and anyone involved with the colour gangs as main characters. Everyone else minor characters that only get much screen-time as they intersect the main plots.


I don't think we'll see Masaomi/Saki come back to Ikebukuro this season. After the first cour I don't think Yuhei or Ruri will be seen much, either.

So a lot of the main characters both from season 1 and the new ones - specifically Anri, Mikado, Shizuo, Izaya, Yuhei, Ruri, Aoba I think will only be main characters for one of the 3 cours of season 2 and appear a lot less in the other 2 cours. Shizuo, Simon, Kinnosuke, etc will all be sort of landmarks that people keep bumping into all throughout, of course!

[D'rek]

Eugh, and that's not even mentioning Rokujo/Toromaru, or Ran, or Yodogiri...

...this is going to be a big season, okay? No wonder it'll take 3 cours! (Of course, they could have just done 2 arcs in 2 cours and saved the 3rd arc for a season 3 later down the line.) And there's going to be a lot of random bits early on that don't mean anything until much later.

Maybe I'll do up a quick character chart for reference, if that would help? I know I find it a lot easier to keep track of who some of the characters are once I have a name to pin them to (ie you may not have realized the guy Anri overheard Shingen talking to in episode 1 is Igor, the same guy Mairu/Kururi found?)

[Silencer]

I'm pretty up to speed with all the characters, they're nicely distinct in Durarara. I was mainly talking primarily about the current arc, rather than looking ahead; it really does get confusing when you've got multiple arcs over three cours when those arcs are inter-related and share background events and cast. XD

I wish they'd just call them individual seasons sometimes...XD

[LinearPhilosopher]

Durarara was phenomenal this week. I love the pulp fiction style of layering different story lines together, but this show does it on a whole new level. Highly enjoyed

Aldnoah zero was solid, with some interesting developments. Im looking forward to how this shapes out.

Also i think i have a crush on the girl from death parade.

This post has been edited by BalrogLord: 26 January 2015 - 04:12 AM

[D'rek]

Silencer, on 26 January 2015 - 02:54 AM, said:

I'm pretty up to speed with all the characters, they're nicely distinct in Durarara. I was mainly talking primarily about the current arc, rather than looking ahead; it really does get confusing when you've got multiple arcs over three cours when those arcs are inter-related and share background events and cast. XD

I wish they'd just call them individual seasons sometimes...XD

I mostly find the characters pretty distinguished, but around novel 5 it starts to get a bit muddy between Igor, Slon, Rokujo, Akayabashi, Aozaki, Mikiya, Dougen, Kazamoto... all these tough older guys introduced sort of at once and can be hard to keep track of who has what scars and what weapons, etc. Probably once we get to that point in the anime they will be pretty easy to tell apart with different colours and depictions, so I needn't worry.


That being said, for anyone who is interested and would find it easier to keep track with knowing the names (because sometimes we don't actually learn a character's name after seeing them in 4 episodes!) I'll do a quick run-down. Just doing this is helping me to keep better track, too!

The video version I am watching of Durarara!! x2 Shou doesn't translate the names in the OP. Not sure if anyone else's source does. This is everyone named in the OP, in order:

Mikado
Anri
Aoba
Mairu/Kururi
Masaomi/Saki
Kyohei
Saburo
Erika
Walker
Celty
Shizuo
Izaya
Vorona
Rokujo
Yuhei
Ruri
Akane
Akabayashi*
Shinra


*not 100% sure on this, could *maybe* be Aozaki but I think this is right



New significant characters not named in the OP that have shown up so far in season 2:

Max Sandshield (Yuhei's producer):
 Durarara-X2-Episode-001-Max-Sandsheild.png (89.85K)
Number of downloads: 0

I love this guy.

Igor:
 Igor_Anime_Apperance.png (116.99K)
Number of downloads: 0

We saw him catching Anri by surprised in x2 Shou episode 2, and having a secret meeting with Shingen (but quick eyes will note the card Shingen gave Anri says 'Nebula' on it).

Emilia (Shingen's new wife):
 Emilia.png (175.04K)
Number of downloads: 0


Shiki:
 Durarara!!_-_15_-_Large_07.jpg (40.2K)
Number of downloads: 0

IIRC, Shiki actually might have showed up very briefly in season 1. In any case, we've already seem him show up at the end of x2 Shou episode 2.



Finally, there's one more character in the OP - at the very start when a bunch of characters pop-up and flash past, there's this guy:

 Untitled.png (131.19K)
Number of downloads: 0


I have no idea who that is, and unlike the rest he doesn't show again in the OP or get named. Weird. I am guessing maybe he is Slon, though I don't think he really matches the description. Silencer, any idea?

[Silencer]

Yah, it's Sloan/Slon/spell my name with an s trope.

I had to double check via the official website though. XD

[D'rek]

About 2 or 3 weeks ago I watched the first half of Kill la Kill (dub) since I'd heard/read so many people talking about it. Managed to overcome a lot of impulses to close it in the first handful of episodes... probably would have if there wasn't that big Trigger logo on the OP.

There's lots to like about it, but also just so much... squeamy things. I don't know. I'm 14 episodes in at this point, so I'll finish it off, but not sure my end opinion is going to be more than mixed. By this point in TTGL there was a strong, established, unifying theme for all the totally zany over-the-top semi-parody-ness and that is sort of missing here.

Protagonist and main antagonist both are kind of flat and annoying. But the elite 4 make up for it (and the logo jokes).

This is on pause until the rest of the dub becomes available, though (weirdly only episodes 1 to 14 dub are commonly available right now).


Then I started Accel World and for some incomprehensible reason watched the whole thing even though I think it was pretty bad. Props to them for having the exact opposite of the usual tropey tall, dark-haired, friendless protagonist, but they didn't really do anything with that idea except use it as an excuse for him to have self-confidence issues (which they do all the time with tall, dark-haired friendless protagonists anyways). Really poor choices and explanations of most of the characters' beliefs/motivations and some outright ludicrously stupid and misogynist character relationships, too (which makes the couple bits of harem-hinting fanservice sprinkled in reeealllly weird because there is no lead up or reasoning to them happening).

Which is too bad, because the combined real-virtual world and the way they use it is quite well done (I especially like the virus that subtly changes imagery idea) (other than ignoring the idea that if one piece of software finds a way to do something as amazing as slow down perceived time there would immediately be a ton of other programs coming out that do it, too, and wouldn't need you to play an exclusive video game to do it).

One of those shows that I think had a lot of little elements that if used better could have made it into a much better show... but they didn't.


After that I needed something completely different to watch and wound up watching Trigun. About 75% through it so far. It's okay, but not that great. The characters are not given much depth, and the plot and setting are pretty repetitive so overall most of the episodes are very same-y.

I get the sense that this might be one of those shows that was unconventional and unexpected when it originally came out and perhaps does not fit as well into the anime scene of today - sort of how Cowboy Bebop's setting, soundtrack and high quality english dub made it a huge deal when it first came out but its not as exciting to watch now.

[D'rek]

Silencer, on 26 January 2015 - 06:55 AM, said:

Yah, it's Sloan/Slon/spell my name with an s trope.

I had to double check via the official website though. XD

I don't think it's an S trope thing.

"Slon" is (supposedly) how you pronounce the Russian word слон meaning elephant.

"voron" is (supposedly) how you pronounce the Russian word ворон meaning crow (maybe ворона is Vorona and means female crow?).

[D'rek]

Cajun King, on 28 January 2015 - 03:55 AM, said:

.hack any good? I watched epi 1 on Netflix but was lost for the most part. I got a Tad Williams Otherland vib.

I think at some point I watched the first episode...? Don't remember much specifics, generally felt it was poor and didn't watch any more. I guess could be interesting watching it now since Sword Art Online, Log Horizon and No Game No Life have all come out since then.

[Silencer]

D, on 27 January 2015 - 05:42 PM, said:

Silencer, on 26 January 2015 - 06:55 AM, said:

Yah, it's Sloan/Slon/spell my name with an s trope.

I had to double check via the official website though. XD

I don't think it's an S trope thing.

"Slon" is (supposedly) how you pronounce the Russian word слон meaning elephant.

"voron" is (supposedly) how you pronounce the Russian word ворон meaning crow (maybe ворона is Vorona and means female crow?).

Really?

Because I think it fits the trope almost to a...'T'. >.>

http://tvtropes.org/...llMyNameWithAnS

Even the official site page spells his name Sloan, despite the more-appropriate translation of Slon; thus a Class-A example of adding a vowel being controversial and transliteration resulting in multiple spellings of a given name.



On an unrelated note: I am impressed you got 14 episodes through Kill la Kill. I was dubious about the premise from the outset and I think I *might* have managed to get to episode 2 before giving up. I keep seeing people piling praise on it and I just can't bring myself to sit through that. And this is the version of me that is now thoroughly inured to fanservice and has, can and will sit through trashy harem love comedies or variations thereupon given sufficient world building, plot, or premise. I mean, I still tend to drop most of them after a few episodes when I reach my limit, but...



IIRC I mentioned my reasons for starting and dropping Accel World. It was vastly better adapted than SAO season 1, and the background idea was really, really interesting (up to a certain point where the plotholes start to become apparent regarding the technology itself - SAO, at least initially, had pretty good suspension of disbelief if you could get past the "how'd this ever get on the market" hurdle) but the execution of that idea wasn't brilliant from a story perspective and everything else important to a story was pretty terribad. Kind of like Mahouka but with the protagonist replaced with his own polar opposite. Or at least I think that was my opinion after a (half-?)dozen or so episodes.
Given the same author as SAO but a later work, the difference in approach is surprising - it's pretty obvious that Accel World had pretty much the base premise and one or two 'cool ideas' thrown in and that was all, whereas SAO was a much more full-bodied story, harem-esque side-story characters notwithstanding - until you consider that SAO was disqualified from the writing competition that Accel World later won because SAO went over the word limit and was thus published online instead. No comparison when it comes to SAO S2, of course.

But yeah, another one of those things I'd really like to have seen explored with a more interesting cast and plot. Given the base premise of gems like Baccano (immortal gangsters) or Durarara (Dullahan in Ikebukuro), Madoka (magical girls...played absolutely straight and realistically) and some other top-shelf anime are similarly predicated on a single, very interesting concept but really shine through because of the rest of the world/characters/plot/details, I can really see the potential in something like Accel World, or even Mahouka, if their respective authors had that extra level of skill/imagination. They aren't really works like Fate, or the rest of the Nasuverse, which are much more methodical, in-depth universes that happen to serve a given plot, but I feel like they really hit that "what if we take this concept and run with it to its logical conclusion" sweet spot.
...for a given definition of "logical", of course. >.>
Though I may be oversimplifying Durarara - it's gone quite a way from its routes (oops, too much VN talk) roots - but I'm pretty sure that's how it started out.
Unfortunately Kawahara and Tsutomu really were 'amateurs'/just starting out when they penned these. Kawahara at least has improved heaps since SAO, or at least become incredibly comfortable fleshing out that world and trying new things with it; it'll be interesting to see if he keeps going and branches out over the next few years.


....that became a bit more of a small essay than I had planned. And it's 2am again. Great. XD

[D'rek]

Hmm, I agree and disagree in parts. You can't take the plot and characters of Baccano out of the 1930s America setting, nor can you tell the Madoka story without their trippy school and netherworld, nor Sword Art Online without Aincraid.

But I don't find Accel World is *that* connected to its world-building. While it is cool and engaging, the internet-overlaying-real-life technology and the 'accelerating' skill are mostly just used for a few little interactions and cheating at dodgeball. The only important aspect of it to the story is the virtual fighting game, which you could pretty easily break off from the rest of the world premise (ie if it was something they had to log into like SAO).

[LinearPhilosopher]

The only reason i watched Kill la Kill is because satsuki is the Overman. Only reason it was worth watching. Aside from that the hype came from the fact that the last few seasons of anime were quite dry.

[Silencer]

D, on 28 January 2015 - 03:38 PM, said:

Hmm, I agree and disagree in parts. You can't take the plot and characters of Baccano out of the 1930s America setting, nor can you tell the Madoka story without their trippy school and netherworld, nor Sword Art Online without Aincraid.

But I don't find Accel World is *that* connected to its world-building. While it is cool and engaging, the internet-overlaying-real-life technology and the 'accelerating' skill are mostly just used for a few little interactions and cheating at dodgeball. The only important aspect of it to the story is the virtual fighting game, which you could pretty easily break off from the rest of the world premise (ie if it was something they had to log into like SAO).

...well, incidentally, Baccano does go on into the future. >.>
That cameo by Isaac and Miria in Durarara was not just a joke. The novels continue the story into the modern day, I believe...

And I think the basic concept of Madoka is completely independent of its setting - see every magical girl anime ever.

SAO's basic premise is 'virtual reality game that kills you in real life' - I don't think Aincrad is specifically necessary for that to work. GGO would have been just as viable. Or any other virtual space that has a viable goal you can force people to fight (monsters or players) to get to. The only necessary parts are the 'virtual death kills you' and 'can't log out until you clear the game' bits, I think.

Granted, they wouldn't be the *same* - but that's kinda my point. They work because the central premise is contained in the better world building. Without it they end up like Accel World - one 'cool idea' and then nothing else to go with it.

[Dolmen 2.0]

Cajun King, on 28 January 2015 - 11:45 PM, said:

When is Attack of Titans S2? Netflix has a ton of Anime I'm going to have to splurge. I ll probably watch more of that .hack I just hope it doesn't get to Bakugan/Pokemon/Yu ghi oh talking about HP and using this or that attack/defense/strategy etc.

the .hack series is tricky as there are several. in general kinda tropey and generic.

linky

that's a chart of how they all relate to each other unilaterally. I have not watched much tbh maybe a bit of /sign and a bit more of /roots. Alot of the SAO and Log Horizon elements we watch today have echoes in the .Hack series but are far more developed in these more popular shows. I did enjoy some of the dubbed episodes of /roots series on animax back in the day but not so much that I followed up and got the whole batch.

In retrospect it would be fun to watch them all in order and figure out whats really going on.

[D'rek]

Silencer, on 28 January 2015 - 11:17 PM, said:

D, on 28 January 2015 - 03:38 PM, said:

Hmm, I agree and disagree in parts. You can't take the plot and characters of Baccano out of the 1930s America setting, nor can you tell the Madoka story without their trippy school and netherworld, nor Sword Art Online without Aincraid.

But I don't find Accel World is *that* connected to its world-building. While it is cool and engaging, the internet-overlaying-real-life technology and the 'accelerating' skill are mostly just used for a few little interactions and cheating at dodgeball. The only important aspect of it to the story is the virtual fighting game, which you could pretty easily break off from the rest of the world premise (ie if it was something they had to log into like SAO).

...well, incidentally, Baccano does go on into the future. >.>
That cameo by Isaac and Miria in Durarara was not just a joke. The novels continue the story into the modern day, I believe...

And I think the basic concept of Madoka is completely independent of its setting - see every magical girl anime ever.

SAO's basic premise is 'virtual reality game that kills you in real life' - I don't think Aincrad is specifically necessary for that to work. GGO would have been just as viable. Or any other virtual space that has a viable goal you can force people to fight (monsters or players) to get to. The only necessary parts are the 'virtual death kills you' and 'can't log out until you clear the game' bits, I think.

Granted, they wouldn't be the *same* - but that's kinda my point. They work because the central premise is contained in the better world building. Without it they end up like Accel World - one 'cool idea' and then nothing else to go with it.

Nah, you can't take Madoka out of its tropey setting because it wouldn't have the safe, familiar schoolgirl environment that makes you feel all safe and cuddly because it's just like every classic magic girl anime, and then contrast that with... everything else.

re Baccano: I'm just talking about the first arcs here, how it started. Yeah I know they eventually reach the modern era in the LNs, but the situations they get into there are different than the 1930s ones anyways. Baccano could vaguely be re-told elsewhere, but so much of the character sensibilities and interactions are rooted in old-timey ideas it'd be quite a stretch. Baccano told in modern-day Japan would need a lot of changes - the 21st century Yakuza wouldn't have a prohibition-era alcohol trade, jumping off of high-speed commuter subway trains wouldn't be nearly as safe, security cameras would pinpoint Isaac and Miria, internet and cell phones would remove any communication and knowledge barriers, etc.

re SAO: My point with SAO was that a virtual-reality video game that players are trapped in is both the setting and the central premise. Aincraid or Alfheim, doesn't matter (GGO I'm not so sure about since it there's no player-vs-environment or way to "win the game and escape", but it could be modified to fit). If Kirito and Asuna were not trapped in the game and could leave at any time, the story would have to be very different in order to make sense and have most of the same elements.

Accel World, in contrast, could have almost the exact same plot without any of the "accelerating" and "overlay internet" aspects of its world. You could get rid of all the accelerating and virtual link stuff, and make the fighting game just a game that you log into with your NerveGear helmet at home or in coffee shops (a lot like SAO past the first arc). Main character dude can still catch president girl's attention by being good at virtual games, can still learn to fly in the fighting game, can still make a team with his friends, can still get beaten up in the real world between games, can still get framed and blackmailed by the antagonist in the real world and still fight the antagonist in the fighting game world, etc. So that's why I find the cool world-building ideas didn't really have any importance in Accel World and you could easily make an entirely different show with those concepts, if that makes more sense.

[D'rek]

Cajun King, on 28 January 2015 - 11:45 PM, said:

When is Attack of Titans S2?

2016

Dolmen 2.0, on 29 January 2015 - 03:42 AM, said:

the .hack series is tricky as there are several. in general kinda tropey and generic.

linky

that's a chart of how they all relate to each other unilaterally. I have not watched much tbh maybe a bit of /sign and a bit more of /roots. Alot of the SAO and Log Horizon elements we watch today have echoes in the .Hack series but are far more developed in these more popular shows. I did enjoy some of the dubbed episodes of /roots series on animax back in the day but not so much that I followed up and got the whole batch.

In retrospect it would be fun to watch them all in order and figure out whats really going on.

Interesting, I had hardly heard of this before beyond the one episode of the one show I watched. I think it was .hack//Sign. Something about a teleporting guy and a catgirl... but that's like every anime ever right?

[D'rek]

Triple post!!! Yaaaaaaaay! I love this thread, I feel just like Erika.

Silencer, on 28 January 2015 - 12:58 PM, said:

D, on 27 January 2015 - 05:42 PM, said:

Silencer, on 26 January 2015 - 06:55 AM, said:

Yah, it's Sloan/Slon/spell my name with an s trope.

I had to double check via the official website though. XD

I don't think it's an S trope thing.

"Slon" is (supposedly) how you pronounce the Russian word слон meaning elephant.

"voron" is (supposedly) how you pronounce the Russian word ворон meaning crow (maybe ворона is Vorona and means female crow?).

Really?

Because I think it fits the trope almost to a...'T'. >.>

http://tvtropes.org/...llMyNameWithAnS

Even the official site page spells his name Sloan, despite the more-appropriate translation of Slon; thus a Class-A example of adding a vowel being controversial and transliteration resulting in multiple spellings of a given name.

Ah, you're right. I didn't understand what the "spell my name with an s" trope was, took the name of the trope at face value.

Silencer, on 28 January 2015 - 12:58 PM, said:

On an unrelated note: I am impressed you got 14 episodes through Kill la Kill. I was dubious about the premise from the outset and I think I *might* have managed to get to episode 2 before giving up. I keep seeing people piling praise on it and I just can't bring myself to sit through that. And this is the version of me that is now thoroughly inured to fanservice and has, can and will sit through trashy harem love comedies or variations thereupon given sufficient world building, plot, or premise. I mean, I still tend to drop most of them after a few episodes when I reach my limit, but...

Well, I seem to have a pretty high tolerance for continuing to watch shows that have things I actively dislike... maybe I'm just bad at letting go*. I mean, I got through all of Accel World and am still watching Log Horizon even though I complain about it here every week! (My compromise is that I make sure I watch it *first* on the weekends now. There's no way I am going to watch something like Death Parade and then follow it up with LH!)

With Kill la Kill, it's a big mix of things I do like and things I don't like. I'll keep watching for the good parts, even if it means having to sit through the bad parts. That's still more engaging to me than a show that is just boring and doesn't have anything really good or bad either way. Since it's Trigger, the good parts are really, really awesome, but unfortunately some of the bad parts are just awful, because Trigger is a hyperactive bipolar kangaroo on crack jumping around an animation studio. At the end of it I expect that I won't regret watching the show because it did thoroughly entertain semi-consistently but on the other hand I will think there's a lot of places it could have been much better/had more of a point to itself.


*[sings Frozen song]

[The Hust Legion]

reading the comments on kill la kill. i think the fanservice of it was a bit OTT. i mean the first time her damn suit was revealed i was sorely tempted to stop, but the person who suggested it advised i carryon. it took a while to get into gear, but in the latter half of the series i found the special something that made TTGL great. granted its nowhere near TTGL level. but just that theme of " its completely illogical but we do it cause we can". i love it. i can see why its not that good. but eventually i kinda got used to seeing all the suits and that shit. dear god the main woman villain was FRICKING WEIRD, some of the scenes jeez...
as a sidenote im kinda liking assassin classroom. its not great but its nice.

[QuickTidal]

D, on 29 January 2015 - 03:35 PM, said:

With Kill la Kill, it's a big mix of things I do like and things I don't like. I'll keep watching for the good parts, even if it means having to sit through the bad parts. That's still more engaging to me than a show that is just boring and doesn't have anything really good or bad either way. Since it's Trigger, the good parts are really, really awesome, but unfortunately some of the bad parts are just awful, because Trigger is a hyperactive bipolar kangaroo on crack jumping around an animation studio. At the end of it I expect that I won't regret watching the show because it did thoroughly entertain semi-consistently but on the other hand I will think there's a lot of places it could have been much better/had more of a point to itself.

This is me too. The bad parts/aspects are intermingled with such great stuff that I persevere. Each episode I watch I can actually pick out the best stuff, and what I feel could be discarded. The lines are clear.

Example: I love the whole sentient outfits/fabric thing...but the fact that it's applied with such T&A is a REALLY big hurdle to me.

I like when creators reference ridiculous fan service (Asuka in the Rebuild Eva film putting on her new plugsuit and shouting "?What pervert designs these?!")...but when it gets to the KILL LA KILL level of "explanation" I find it hard to quantify.

And Drek, I love your description of Trigger. LOL!