[Maark Abbott]

I am pleasantly surprised. I expected you to have the fan out and to be smacking me about the chops with it by now.

I continue watching purely because it's legitimately funny, i.e. "Well, fuck off then, you Piccolo wannabe". Howled.

[D'rek]

Maark Abbott, on 07 February 2020 - 08:12 AM, said:

I am pleasantly surprised. I expected you to have the fan out and to be smacking me about the chops with it by now.

I continue watching purely because it's legitimately funny, i.e. "Well, fuck off then, you Piccolo wannabe". Howled.

That and only that reason, of course

[Maark Abbott]

D, on 07 February 2020 - 05:18 PM, said:

Maark Abbott, on 07 February 2020 - 08:12 AM, said:

I am pleasantly surprised. I expected you to have the fan out and to be smacking me about the chops with it by now.

I continue watching purely because it's legitimately funny, i.e. "Well, fuck off then, you Piccolo wannabe". Howled.

That and only that reason, of course

I was actually a bit sceptical of the subject matter overall but... It's somehow even funnier when the OP and ED songs have subtitles and you see Stunk open the show with "I LOVE BEIN' A HORNY BASTARD!".

[Maark Abbott]

ID Invaded:

Spoiler

So Hanaloli is seemingly a much more astute detective than the MC... However John Walker didn't appear in his id well. And then the director of the project is arrested on suspicion of being John Walker. But why was the MC so bothered about the notion of John appearing in his well? Is HE John Walker?!

[D'rek]

Maark Abbott, on 10 February 2020 - 08:06 AM, said:

D, on 07 February 2020 - 05:18 PM, said:

Maark Abbott, on 07 February 2020 - 08:12 AM, said:

I am pleasantly surprised. I expected you to have the fan out and to be smacking me about the chops with it by now.

I continue watching purely because it's legitimately funny, i.e. "Well, fuck off then, you Piccolo wannabe". Howled.

That and only that reason, of course

I was actually a bit sceptical of the subject matter overall but... It's somehow even funnier when the OP and ED songs have subtitles and you see Stunk open the show with "I LOVE BEIN' A HORNY BASTARD!".

I forgot to mention in my points list but I really like the OP song. It's catchy. It's like YMCA for ecchi.

Maark Abbott, on 10 February 2020 - 08:52 AM, said:

ID Invaded:

Spoiler

So Hanaloli is seemingly a much more astute detective than the MC... However John Walker didn't appear in his id well. And then the director of the project is arrested on suspicion of being John Walker. But why was the MC so bothered about the notion of John appearing in his well? Is HE John Walker?!

Spoiler

What makes you think she's more astute? Figuring out the timing of the lightning and not striking the same place twice doesn't sound any harder than him figuring out the rotating sniper tower.

Her Sherlock hat and cape over short shorts, crop top and tights outfit is hilarious.

They noticed her acting "cold" to the people, but I wonder if that might be pretty normal for well diver detectives. Sakaido is just more compassionate because he's haunted by Muku's death.

If John Walker is a real person that's been meeting or even just secretly influencing the people that became serial killers, then I guess Sakaido-guy is worried that he was manipulated by Walker into doing what he did and more. Walker not showing up in his id well means he made his own choices. That's a relief, I guess.

Director being Walker is soooo definitely a frame, but dang is it an elaborate one. Someone even snuck in and buried the scientist on his property, jeez.

[Maark Abbott]

D, on 10 February 2020 - 02:40 PM, said:

Maark Abbott, on 10 February 2020 - 08:06 AM, said:

D, on 07 February 2020 - 05:18 PM, said:

Maark Abbott, on 07 February 2020 - 08:12 AM, said:

I am pleasantly surprised. I expected you to have the fan out and to be smacking me about the chops with it by now.

I continue watching purely because it's legitimately funny, i.e. "Well, fuck off then, you Piccolo wannabe". Howled.

That and only that reason, of course

I was actually a bit sceptical of the subject matter overall but... It's somehow even funnier when the OP and ED songs have subtitles and you see Stunk open the show with "I LOVE BEIN' A HORNY BASTARD!".

I forgot to mention in my points list but I really like the OP song. It's catchy. It's like YMCA for ecchi.

Maark Abbott, on 10 February 2020 - 08:52 AM, said:

ID Invaded:

Spoiler

So Hanaloli is seemingly a much more astute detective than the MC... However John Walker didn't appear in his id well. And then the director of the project is arrested on suspicion of being John Walker. But why was the MC so bothered about the notion of John appearing in his well? Is HE John Walker?!

Spoiler

What makes you think she's more astute? Figuring out the timing of the lightning and not striking the same place twice doesn't sound any harder than him figuring out the rotating sniper tower.

Her Sherlock hat and cape over short shorts, crop top and tights outfit is hilarious.

They noticed her acting "cold" to the people, but I wonder if that might be pretty normal for well diver detectives. Sakaido is just more compassionate because he's haunted by Muku's death.

If John Walker is a real person that's been meeting or even just secretly influencing the people that became serial killers, then I guess Sakaido-guy is worried that he was manipulated by Walker into doing what he did and more. Walker not showing up in his id well means he made his own choices. That's a relief, I guess.

Director being Walker is soooo definitely a frame, but dang is it an elaborate one. Someone even snuck in and buried the scientist on his property, jeez.

Let's go to paradiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiise~

[Maark Abbott]

Re Hanamori:

Spoiler

It took Sakaido several deaths to work it out and usually does in every other well. Hanaloli seemed to figure it out first go.

[D'rek]

Ya but this wasn't a well where if you stay still thinking about things you die.

[Maark Abbott]

D, on 11 February 2020 - 02:01 PM, said:

Ya but this wasn't a well where if you stay still thinking about things you die.

You also have to wonder about JW. Is the idea of someone in a well actually their presence? If not, I have a hunch as to who JW might be.

[D'rek]

If it is there's gotta be some additional technology we don't know about like another chair or the chair itself has secret functions or something

[Maark Abbott]

Another consideration and correct me if I am wrong but did JW appear in the well when Drillface dived? Could Sakaido have a split personality that manifests as JW?

Elsewhere, Shield Loli continues at a slow pace, but still enjoying it a whole bunch.

[Cause]

I am excited for castlevania 3. Very excited

[D'rek]

Cause, on 15 February 2020 - 03:57 AM, said:

I am excited for castlevania 3. Very excited

Booooooooo this is an anime thread

[Maark Abbott]

Re:Zero S2 in April.

[Maark Abbott]

Hold up. What in sam fuck just happened D'rek?

Spoiler

So he is inside the well within the well, but he is no longer Sakaido, he is himself again, and he is effectively in an alternate world version of the waking world but with full memories and the ability to change the course of events. And now he's met Kaeru who has seen a non-fuzzy John Walker, and who dreams of being serially murdered every night in various horrible ways... And the murderers vanish when they 'wake up', and she projects her own mind into anything nearby.

Camellia has a song that sums this up quite well, it's called NANI THE FUCK.

[D'rek]

Maark Abbott, on 24 February 2020 - 08:14 AM, said:

Hold up. What in sam fuck just happened D'rek?

Spoiler

So he is inside the well within the well, but he is no longer Sakaido, he is himself again, and he is effectively in an alternate world version of the waking world but with full memories and the ability to change the course of events. And now he's met Kaeru who has seen a non-fuzzy John Walker, and who dreams of being serially murdered every night in various horrible ways... And the murderers vanish when they 'wake up', and she projects her own mind into anything nearby.

Camellia has a song that sums this up quite well, it's called NANI THE FUCK.

Spoiler

Momoki did shout it was a trap. And when we get a glimpse of John Walker in Kiku/Kaeru's memories he looks a LOT like the Director.

So we're at 4 layers now?

Real World
vv
Momoki's Well - desert world (except this is just cognition particles found at Momoki's house - it might not be from him after all and could be planted)
vv
Kiku's World - a simulacrum of the real world many months prior. Narihisago saved Kiku (and his daughter) from The Challenger, unlike in real life.
vv
Kiku's Dreams - serial killers in Kiku's World can also enter these dreams and take turns murdering her


So, I would postulate that:

1) The Director is John Walker for sure now. He planted the cognition particles at Momoki's house, along with the other evidence there. The whole Desert World well is not made from Momoki's subconscious at all, and is indeed a trap of some sort for Narihisago to fall into. Unclear what the Director's motivation is... clearly he enjoys creating serial killers using the Mizuhanome, but if it's just a matter of wanting to sabotage the efforts to find him he has easier ways to do it as Director. So perhaps something more, like wanting to fully turn Narihisago.

2) After (or maybe even before?) Momoki rescued Kiku from The Challenger, the Director kidnapped her and is keeping her constantly hooked up to a Mizuhanome somewhere, then letting/coercing prospective serial dive into her well and kill her over and over again, which then drives them to want to do it in real life.

3) No idea why Sakaido reverts back to Narihisago in the 2nd layer of diving. I guess we'll see if Hondomachi does the same or not in her 2nd-layer-well next episode.

4) If Kaeru shows up in serial killers' wells because they were killing her over and over again in wells/over subconscious techniques previously, why does Kaeru show up in Narihisago's well?

5) Is Narihisago trapped in the 2nd layer because The Perforator was prepared for this situation by the Walker and he is not pushing the Eject after 10 minutes. Could he have been faking being a Great Detective entirely and actually has his memories in layer 1?

6) If Kiku's well is all the same one well rather than separate instances of the samel well, it means the Mizuhanome are all connected. Hence Hondomachi in Narihisago's well would have dived into the same Kiku well Narihisago is in now. But that also means the serial killers are "in" that well as NPCs separately from when they dove in themselves. The connection and feedback timings/mechanics are unclear.

7) FUCK

[Maark Abbott]

D, on 25 February 2020 - 05:53 PM, said:

Maark Abbott, on 24 February 2020 - 08:14 AM, said:

Hold up. What in sam fuck just happened D'rek?

Spoiler

So he is inside the well within the well, but he is no longer Sakaido, he is himself again, and he is effectively in an alternate world version of the waking world but with full memories and the ability to change the course of events. And now he's met Kaeru who has seen a non-fuzzy John Walker, and who dreams of being serially murdered every night in various horrible ways... And the murderers vanish when they 'wake up', and she projects her own mind into anything nearby.

Camellia has a song that sums this up quite well, it's called NANI THE FUCK.

Spoiler

Momoki did shout it was a trap. And when we get a glimpse of John Walker in Kiku/Kaeru's memories he looks a LOT like the Director.

So we're at 4 layers now?

Real World
vv
Momoki's Well - desert world (except this is just cognition particles found at Momoki's house - it might not be from him after all and could be planted)
vv
Kiku's World - a simulacrum of the real world many months prior. Narihisago saved Kiku (and his daughter) from The Challenger, unlike in real life.
vv
Kiku's Dreams - serial killers in Kiku's World can also enter these dreams and take turns murdering her


So, I would postulate that:

1) The Director is John Walker for sure now. He planted the cognition particles at Momoki's house, along with the other evidence there. The whole Desert World well is not made from Momoki's subconscious at all, and is indeed a trap of some sort for Narihisago to fall into. Unclear what the Director's motivation is... clearly he enjoys creating serial killers using the Mizuhanome, but if it's just a matter of wanting to sabotage the efforts to find him he has easier ways to do it as Director. So perhaps something more, like wanting to fully turn Narihisago.

2) After (or maybe even before?) Momoki rescued Kiku from The Challenger, the Director kidnapped her and is keeping her constantly hooked up to a Mizuhanome somewhere, then letting/coercing prospective serial dive into her well and kill her over and over again, which then drives them to want to do it in real life.

3) No idea why Sakaido reverts back to Narihisago in the 2nd layer of diving. I guess we'll see if Hondomachi does the same or not in her 2nd-layer-well next episode.

4) If Kaeru shows up in serial killers' wells because they were killing her over and over again in wells/over subconscious techniques previously, why does Kaeru show up in Narihisago's well?

5) Is Narihisago trapped in the 2nd layer because The Perforator was prepared for this situation by the Walker and he is not pushing the Eject after 10 minutes. Could he have been faking being a Great Detective entirely and actually has his memories in layer 1?

6) If Kiku's well is all the same one well rather than separate instances of the samel well, it means the Mizuhanome are all connected. Hence Hondomachi in Narihisago's well would have dived into the same Kiku well Narihisago is in now. But that also means the serial killers are "in" that well as NPCs separately from when they dove in themselves. The connection and feedback timings/mechanics are unclear.

7) FUCK

Point 7 about sums it up to be honest. I have never been this perplexed by an anime before and I am very much enjoying the amount of second guessing it is forcing me to do.

[QuickTidal]

Tried to watch NARUTO.

Not for me.

[D'rek]

QuickTidal, on 02 March 2020 - 02:35 PM, said:

Tried to watch NARUTO.

Not for me.

I've never actually watched any of it, but I gather most people regard it fondly more for childhood nostalgia than anything else. Go back and watch Dragon Ball Z or Inuyasha or whatever other popular gateway show got you into anime as a teenager and it'd probably be the same? (I will never rewatch Inuyasha for fear of exactly that happening!)

[QuickTidal]

D, on 02 March 2020 - 05:52 PM, said:

QuickTidal, on 02 March 2020 - 02:35 PM, said:

Tried to watch NARUTO.

Not for me.

I've never actually watched any of it, but I gather most people regard it fondly more for childhood nostalgia than anything else. Go back and watch Dragon Ball Z or Inuyasha or whatever other popular gateway show got you into anime as a teenager and it'd probably be the same? (I will never rewatch Inuyasha for fear of exactly that happening!)

I think you're absolutely right. I feel like I'd have loved this as a kid.

I think I was hoping that it might be as good as stuff like AIRBENDER and DRAGON PRINCE for the writing to be worthy...but this seems like the prototypical ninja-wish anime without anything to define it beyond that. Ah well. Worth a shot.