Thursday, May 2, 2013

Arata Kangatari episode 4

Rain. Rain all day! X___X Rain means deliveries which means rude people for some reason. Like oh it's pouring down rain, I need a pizza. But I only have enough money for the pizza. And when the doorbell rings it will take me 5 minutes to dress myself, put the dogs up, and find where the door is. And saying thank you is enough for any driver right? NOT! Haters being hatin...me XO
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Damn kids these days, crying over being kidnapped and stuff.
Putting aside all the rain...I guess it is anime time XO. XO faces indeed. What is up now? Arata Kangatari episode 4. Spoilers for...MORE TRUST! And me using the wrong name for Hinohara the entire post. In my defense...well not defense but Arata the magical one never shows up there shouldn't be any confusion. Well anymore than usual.
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Always thinking things are his fault that hero of ours.
Episode Summary: Arata continues to look very upset that people he has known for 5 seconds have been sucked up into tubes. Kotoha also looks upset so Arata promises to follow the pipes and save the kids. Oh and protect her at the same time. They run into Osome as they are climbing all over the place. She is happy that he found Kotoha but tells him not to go up against Tsutsuga. They decide to keep going so Osome returns the hair clip to Kotoha and basically implies the two are going out. Kanate and Ginchi wake up in a large room tired up by all the tubes. The voice of Tsutsuga has decided they are criminals and they must die. However if the boys fight to the death the winner will be declared innocent and the dead one the criminal. Ginchi has 125 different levels of freaking out. At first Kanate is upset but when given the choice starts the fight. Kanate starts to have flashbacks of when Ginchi was first kidnapped into the gang and how he was in charge of the kid. Kanate had promised to return the boy to his mother and now he is going to make good on that promise. Arata and Kotoha finally make it to this area and Arata assumes the fight is over not trusting each other and cries man tears. Arata goes down to help but Tsutsuga is unseen. Kanate starts talking crap and Ginchi finally fights back out of anger and lands the killing blow. It then becomes clear that Kanate started the fight so Ginchi could leave and it is all tears. The pipes then snatch up Ginchi saying the boy just committed a crime and it is time to die.
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Rather quick visit don't you think?
Arata has been touched by all of this trust and friendship stuff and he tries to save Ginchi. Things are not working too well for him so he begs his god sword to do something. Finally the sword starts to glow and with this sparkle Kanate is healed, a huge hole in the area is created, and all the pipes start to fall apart. Everyone watches as Arata reveals the true form of Tsutsuga. He is basically a stump person with pipes for limbs and his god sword stuck in him. Arata looks at him all pitiful like as Tsutsuga is like screw you. Arata tries to remove the sword but Tsutsuga says it is cursed. Arata is then shown Tsutsuga's past. He was the nice warden on the prison and his best friend accidentally killed a man. Tsutsuga tells the man to repent but he does not. He turns on Tsutsuga and betrays him, ending the battle with stabbing Tsutsuga with his own sword. Tsutsuga is overcome with mistrust and his sword transforms into what you see today. Arata gets really upset and decides it is not going to end this way. Everyone tells Arata to kill the man but instead he removes the sword despite being shown memories of all the mistrust in his life. Tsutsuga is shocked as Arata has removed all the evil from the sword. Kannagi, who was on his way to the island, is shocked to see all this sparkling light and realizes that Arata might be something special. Tsutsuga then recognizes Arata's god sword as the creator sword and submits to it. Tsutsuga becomes one with his sword and it is given to Arata. He welds it and changes the prison and brings back all of those who had been killed before, including Osome's boyfriend. Tsutsuga in spirit form says that Kannagi has arrived and it is time to leave. Kanate is like oh I got a boat let's leave. So....they leave and Kannagi is like is this real life?! THE END!
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Also where did this boat come from? X___X
TRUST! All over my face is trust, all over this show is trust. TRUST! It is like a Sesame Street episode this anime. Can it be next week already and we get a new word or something?
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Because you trust me.
While I can appreciate running after kids and making sure they are alive...how did anyone know that the pipes weren't alive? Anything is possible in this crazy world. Yeah the kids did get taken to Tsutsuga but they could have easily been teared apart in those pipes and that is what was in the food given to the prisoners. NOM NOM food.
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She is like magical X___X
Osome is everywhere in this prison! Like Arata needs help, she is over here. Arata and Kotoha are running and falling through walls, she is over there. I guess I was wrong about her being the important person Arata was talking to. I am guessing we aren't going to see her after this episode, especially with how things ended. But she got her happy ending and put the seeds of love in Kotoha's mind. Not Arata as he was like SAVE THE KIDS!
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Because these kids haven't suffered enough.
How hardcore was that asshole Tsutsuga? You are sent to this awful prison with a variety of people and live in fear that one day you will be sucked up in a pipe. And if you are chosen you can “live” if you kill the other person you get sucked up with. Like what the hell is your life. Obviously no one was going to make it out alive but the idea of it is pretty harsh. But I guess in Ginchi and Kanate's case it was beyond cruel. Maybe most of the people who get sucked up are strangers and always prove Tsutsuga's point. Like who cares about you, I am out of here!
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Everything is about Arata weeee!
I think it was pretty clear what Kanate had planned. Even without all the sad flashbacks. Which are sad. We aren't talking Fushigi Yuugi levels of sad yet (I mean did anyone have a family that didn't get destroyed one way or another?) but still poor kidnapped kids. Here you are older so you take care of this kid crying in the corner. But at least for Ginchi...there might be good news! He still has a mom out there. He just has to kill his best friend and hope the insane man lets him go and figure out how to get back home.....
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The evil man lied?! SHOCKED!
But yes Kanate wanted that little kid to live and had to push him into attacking. Like I have a heart of GOLD I always do the right things. The true villain is the pipe monster. I rescue girls and protect little kids and basically am misunderstood. Arata being Arata he has to stop and look at this nonsense and think back to his own trust issues instead of going to help right away. I really, really wish this bullying was shown better in the anime because I keep screaming GET OVER IT! Clearly something has gone down, why do you automatically have to put yourself in every situation?! XO Everyone is the same BOOHOO!
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Let me find you so I can kill you!
But then...but then....Arata is able to summon his sword god through the power of love. Because he realized what Kanate was doing for his friend...it touched his soul. Is that how Arata's power is going to work every time? He can't use his powers right away, he has a moment of doubt, and then he realizes...people can trust and be good and POOF he can use his god sword. Because his god sword is slightly more special than everyone else's so it needs more work.
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Finish stumpy off!
So after Arata is able to summon his sword (which apparently has magical powers in just being summoned, not even doing anything) he totally kicked Tsutsuga's awful ass. He chopped all the pipes up and found where the asshole was hiding and after a long drawn out battle Arata was able to defeat Tsutsuga which is no easy feat as Arata is a Sho of 5 seconds and Tsutsuga was a Sho of many years. Down with the awful man that is Tsutsuga who got his kicks out of torturing people for the hell of it.
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The saddest story ever told!
Or...or...or... Tsutsuga has a sad back story too. About trust. TRUST folks. Is that a drinking word for this show or anything? Like really is this going to be everyone's problems? Aren't people just assholes for being assholes? I am not big on people blaming the shit they do now on the things that happened in their past. My parents didn't hug me enough boohoo. Okay so maybe....I guess when a magic sword has a hold of you these things can happen. Like RARW my momentary vengeance turned me into a pipe monster and only the pure thoughts of this Arata can save me! Just not how I thought this episode was going to end. Like really we are going to give this guy some redeeming qualities? I don't think enough time was spent on this betrayal either. Like was this Tsutsuga's right hand man or someone already serving time in jail? I don't even know folks...
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I BELIEVE IN TRUST?!?!?
After Tsutsuga's story was revealed everything started to magically happen. Arata was able to conquer the god sword. To make it into a nice sword apparently. Good thing we have Tsutuga the not so baddie to tell us about Arata's sword. This god sword is the be all of god swords! It can house other swords and has been around since creation and what not. Why does Tsutsuga know all of this and not Kannagi? I like how this guy Kannagi sent Arata to the prison and 5 seconds later is coming to see how he is doing. Like that doesn't seem like a lot of time to get the low down on how Arata is doing. Kannagi should have been on the first ship and been spying the whole time.
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Are you saying he is more magical than me?!
The episode wraps up rather nicely. Osome...her man is back! Arata's new judgment sword brought back all the dead people BECAUSE IT CAN! Arata and gang are able to escape five seconds before Kannagi gets there...in Ginchi and Kanate's house boat. I mean...what is this craziness? I thought these kids were taken to prison. Now why the hell is their “house” there? I mean weren't they living with a gang before? I AM CONFUSED! Everyone seems happy....Arata is going to collect all the swords and make the world one trusting place to live in. TRUST!

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Agree w/ RandomC:
>It’s nice to see Arata step up and take the hero’s role, and I think it plays out pretty believably. What we see here is very important – a Kamui "submit" to another. Rather than exact revenge, Arata sees the pain in Tsutuga that turned into what he is ("there but for the grace…" he thinks) and decides to save him – and in doing so reconnects Tsutuga with the man he was. His Kamui is Saniwa, the Hayagami of justice, and he willingly turns it over to Arata – in doing so subverting his Kamui to the will of Arata’s. Tsutuga later informs the just-arrived Kannagi that Arata’s Hayami is the "Sword of Origins" – which seems to hit Kannagi rather hard.<

Consider this is Watase's 1st Shounen work (she normally write Shoujou), the nature of the story has been laid out quite clearly and understandably in these four episodes, and they’ve done a pretty solid job of establishing the main cast as well

Anonymous said...

I think the story works, like most of Watase’s material, it gets mature and dark at times, and also tries to balance that with hope and light moments.

Here are more terms you will need for the next ep.

Sho -- people who have a hayagami but no rank.

Zokusho -- the sort of second-in-commands for the Shinsho.

Shinsho -- the 12 top-rank Sho, fighting them (the 2 kinds above) and collecting their hayagami.

The reason for that will be explained later, and while it seems like it would be predictable, it’s not really. Each of the 12 Shinsho have a different story, a different power, and each rule over a different land, so you will get to experience each environment and different character one at a time.

Also, Hinohara and company meet more characters as they go along, though I don’t know how many we’ll get through with the time we have with this anime.

Arata ( the one who is in the real world) does have a secondary plot, but I don’t even know how much of that they will get to in these 12 episodes.

Anonymous said...

They skipped quite a lot on how Hinohara been throw around/butt-kicked by Tsutuga. He was forced to run around ON the pipes to avoid direct hits but fail OH-SO miserably, and end up out-off breath/bleeding/bruises all over his body. Yet, he still can Not use his Hyagami, because, like you saw, it is a RUSTY blade.

So while he is dangling up in the pipes, like you saw in this ep. (he know deep down he CAN NOT do anything, not to mention keep his promise to Kotoha)a lot flash back erupt in his thoughts:

IMPORTANT person: "You can Surely do it"

Hinohara: "It's ...(breathing hard for his life)....impossible"

Grandma: "You were chosen by this Hayagami, as a Shou"

The Princess: "I'll wait here........I believe in you."

Kotoha: "Let's succeeded together, Arata-sama!"

Important person: "Why did you make such a big promise?"

............Then this is the moment Hinohara realize and cried out " APPEAR!!" and unleashed the power, or in other word, "AWAKENING". He realize that it is not just about keep his promises, being a hero, save kids, have magical powers, etc. he just simply, yet truly, want to answer their pryer/heart/feelings.

As for Tsutsuga, the anime did not show it well, so here is what you missed,
(Flashback of him judge his friend)

Tsutsuga: "I see, so all of the mistaken people were killed, you are an old friend, but a sin is a sin. Repent for your sinds, work to impart justice on this island. Receive the light of this Saniwa Hayagami.........wehn you heart changes, naturally, you'll be able to leave the island."

Tsutsuga (thinking, while watch his friend been taken to jail) : "No one is born into this world as a sinner"

Years later...........

His 'friend': "What are you talking about? I beg you, Tsutsuga! Please let me escape to the outside. 10 years have already passed, but arn't we old friends!

Tsutsuga: "This talk again.....what's more painful than this to me is that you haven't changed. If you do that, you will certainly be able to return to your country.......until that time comes, believe in me and wait".

His 'friend': "I see......asking you that is no good, then YOU'LL HAVE TO DISAPPEAR!!"

As show in this ep, he cut/hurt Tsutsuga badly, push him down a lava-ish lake, which burn his 4 limbs, "Take your Hayagami w/ you!" which like you saw, impel him.

Tsutsuga (while in pain, both physically and mentally) cursed: "You Baster!! I continued to believe in you until you betrayed me!! (the rage change him into what you saw in this ep, and killed his 'friend' while his rage is out off control) After all, humans can't change, HUH ?! Then, I ..... this very minute will turn this Hayagami from a "god" into a "demon". With the power of this demon, I will enternally shut in the sinners!!"

(continue................)

Anonymous said...

They also did not mention Hinohara's bully during his "purification" of Tsutsuga; instead just 2 sentences, one from each of his 'friends, this is what he remembers;

He was trying to clean his school desk cover in dirty GLUES while quiver in fear facing Masato and any other bullies who were stepping on his desk laugh/calling him names, "........shall we hurt you more, Hinohara! (laugh)"

"........say, did't you over do it? Wearen't you guys friends...?"

"No way!!" suddenly image of Suguru appears, sneer while saying, "from the start, I wasn't friends w/ Hinohara."

"Sugura....!!!" cried Hinohara "Why? Why?" thought Hinohara.

Then thoughts like, "we weren't friends, we WEREN'T friends" keeps appear in his mind.

"I see" said Tsutsuga, who saw Hinohara's heart since they were connected though this negative feeling, "so you are the same as me. After all, we all become demons"

".....you're wrong," then Hinohara shouts it out loud, "Even so, to me!! He was an IMPORTANT FRIEEEEEND!! ........surely, even now.........."

After he pull Saniwa out of Tsutsuga, Tsutsuga asked why are you saving me?

Hinohara answered, "You were the same as me....you were betrayed by the people you truseted, it was mortifying, but, in truth, you still wanted to believe. Didn't you think you wanted to forgive them? That's why when someone is being tested, still in despair, yet you continue to test them. Because you still believe that that not all humans are like that. It must have always been painful."

.............and THAT my friend is how much the anime missed.

Also, while he submit to Hinohara, he did warn him, "Now, there are many foolish Hayagami out there, we spirits are one w/ the Great Hayabami. Our duty has ended, both me and the Hayagami, by giving it to you. From now on, the Hayagami will live inside you...."

About the boat, it is inside their (the kids) room but blocked by lots pipes, but since Tsutsuga submit, the pipes are gone and that's how the boat appears again.

As for Osome-san, she and her lover were sent here because they are sinned for tried to commit suicide together..........and you wonder why Tustsuga "kidnapped" only one of them, it so that they won't be together, so (he think) they will have no reason to kill themselves.^^

Anonymous said...

Ohhhhh~ I see, thank you Anony #3, so that's why no one is dead. Tsutsuga never killed any of his prisoner during the Reckoning. He just want someone to prove him wrong about human natures.

Oh, and in the manga, he did not say "the winner will be innocent and the dead one the criminal". It is stated that the winner will get to get out of here and the looser will dead/stuck in here for eternity.

Over all, this ep represents an important step for Hinohara’s development as a main character,(even though they skip an IMPORTANT character!!) because up to this point he’s been basically in the self-pity stage. What the manga does a better job of communicating (given more time to do so) than the anime is how being beaten-down by bullying has effectively made Arata believe all the things the bullies have said about him – his self-worth is basically zero. In Hinohara’s mind, no one is less deserving of another person’s trust than he is.

The nature of the story has been laid out quite clearly and understandably in these four episodes, and they’ve done a pretty solid job of establishing the main cast as well. There isn’t a tremendous amount of subtlety – I think this is true of the source material as well – but as a straight-ahead shounen fantasy with elements of darker psychological themes, Arata Kangatari is a compelling premise.

Anonymous said...

Hope this goes on more than 12 episode, you can't put all 18 volume and more into a 12 anime episode.

Christina said...

Again I apologize for the confusion I caused with the wrong named being used. Good thing that magical Arata is not seen at all in this episode.

Anonymous 1/5- I think most of the confusion on my part comes from all the new words being used at once. XD I am sure if I spoke/understood Japanese it would be easier to pick these things up. I just need to focus a little better.

I am not sure I am a fan of "someone having a bad past being forgiven". I mean what happened to Tsutsuga WAS awful. But for him to take out all that pain on people that didn't cause HIM the pain...I am not sure that he was worthy of being saved. If that makes sense. Sorta like someone running around hurting others because their parents were awful to them.

Anonymous 2- So these hayagami are like candy?! I thought there were only 12 of them all together and Arata's as the 13th one, the most powerful one. DAMN!

I am also doubting how much we can get through if each of the 12 are important PLUS there are other hayagami's out there. So much material to cover!

Anonymous 3/4- Is it safe to say that the important person is not going to show up in this anime? That they are going to rely on the plot of Arata needing to find the courage and TRUST in his own heart?

But yes the anime cut out a lot. It was more like 5 seconds, Arata gave up, and poof everything got better. I just hope it doesn't happen EVERY SINGLE TIME that way.

The details with Tsutsuga make much more sense. That it was up to the friend to change his fate. That Tsutsuga had nothing to do with whether or not that man got his freedom. Which makes the betrayal all the more harsh. Still not on board for hurting other people though even if that is a natural conclusion to such a situation.

But thank you about the boat!!! That made no sense at all given how the kids were kidnapped. Still....weird they built a boat there, maybe they thought they could escape one day.

Anonymous 6- 12 episodes seems WAY too short now that people are explaining things. Hopefully this is just season one of...many. I mean Ms. Potato Princess got two seasons yes?