Sunday, December 8, 2013

Little Busters Refrain episode 8

Hello there lovely readers! The last time I posted was on Thanksgiving. Since then I spent 7 hours at the husband's friends house for dinner, had 3 busy days at Disney, and worked 6 days at my lovely job while trying to get the entire house decorated for Christmas. X_____X
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A young Masato making lots of friends.
So yeah....busy week. Where are the anime posts? Right here, right now before I got to bed. Up first is Little Busters Refrain episode 8. Spoilers for Masato being too crazy to handle a busy week.
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Restart the timeline when things didn't go his way?
Episode Summary: Kengo and Masato do not join Rin and Riki as they play ball, tossing it around. Rin seems really happy and there is light in her eyes. She is even wearing her school uniform. Riki is optimistic that he can bring the Little Busters back together. He will be Kyousuke 2.0. Riki asks Rin how the Little Busters formed as he was the last member. Rin says that Masato was a neighborhood terror and Kyousuke brought him in. Riki decides to start with him first. Riki and Rin venture into the cafeteria where Masato is eating alone. Riki explains how he is going to start up the Little Busters again and he wants Masato on his side and let's play ball. Masato loses his temper, hits Riki (sorta), and starts jabbering on how he is the strongest. Everyone is basically X___X over this situation. Riki still thinks he can fix this despite the situation looking grim. Things get worse when Riki is alerted that Masato is running around the campus and punching people in the face. Teachers tell Riki to stay away but Riki is like no I can stop this. After like the 5th kid gets a broken face Riki, Rin, and the happy music come up with a cool plan to catch Masato. Rin makes stupid “come punch/fight me Masato” posters and hangs them around the school. Riki is like yay Rin is having fun again.
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I will be like Kyousuke and everything will be better weee.
Masato and his red zombie eye self finds the posters and follows them to the statue. Masato hits the post like he's supposed and that leads to him getting stuck/glued on said statue. Riki and Rin are like yay let's talk this out. So...Masato and his glued self uproot the statue and goes after Riki dragging along the structure. Riki sends Rin on ahead while Masato keeps on chasing. Eventually Riki leads Masato to a certain spot and Rin throws a net on him. Since this is a magical net it releases the glue and Masato is free to move. So Riki and his fist decide to take Masato out since all the running made Masato tired. Masato gets a few punches in but with Rin sorta helping Riki defeats Masato. Masato lays there and the scene flashes back to his childhood. He was an odd little kid with his dances so he was picked on. He started to train so when the bullies would pick on him he could fight back. This made the bullies run away and everyone else too. Masato was alone until Kyousuke challenged him. Much how Riki trapped Masato to the statue Kyousuke trapped Masato's hand in a mailbox. Still Masato tried to fight and win with a lot of punches being thrown. Kyousuke sorta wins and offers to be his friend and have fun. Masato is touched. Fast forward to this morning and Masato snapped in a daydream about lots of Masato's declaring to be the strongest. When Riki said his speech about the Little Busters it put Masato over the edge. All Masato could see were other Masato's and since he is the strongest he had to punch them leading up to Masato challenging him and setting him free like Kyousuke. Masato smiles and says he will be on Riki's side til the very end. Apparently all is well despite all those punches being thrown. Riki and Masato are bros again while Kengo looks on with angry face. THE END!
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Before everyone abandoned you, in the before times.
So....didn't like this episode. Not one bit. Worse one out of the lot. Just....not happy at all. Part of it is because it was confusing and the other part is how it was handled. Like haha just a joke. But it wasn't funny. It was borderline abusive yet all I heard was feel good music playing.
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Err good luck with that Riki.
The episode starts off with Riki and Rin throwing the ball around. Given how we saw “relics” from the other girls I am not sure if they are around to be recruited. They disappeared last time reset so...if they are in this timeline they haven't been seen yet. Maybe Kyousuke is just tired of trying since these girls are dead anyway. So when Riki said he was going to put the Little Busters back together I don't think he meant actually making a baseball team he has no idea existed. I think he means just Masato, Kengo, and Kyousuke.
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Be our friends again please! I am desperate!
Rin throwing a ball at Rin back and forth has opened her up a bit. Why she is wearing her school uniform again. Still no word on why she lost her little mind. I mean I assumed the resets all started after Kyousuke returned from Tokyo. This timeline seems to have rewritten the past. That being said....i guess I believe this is how Kyousuke gathered up friends. Sister tag along check. “Misunderstood” school bully check. I am not sure why Riki wants to be like Kyousuke and do things like him. Maybe in other time lines yes but now? Maybe Riki is clinging to the past. What would Kyousuke do?
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Back up there jerk!
Well I can tell you Kyousuke probably would not have accepted Masato's bitchassness attitude. Okay so Masato is pissed. Riki is going the Kyousuke route without Kyousuke directing him. I guess if I were trapped in a never ending loop before death I might be pissed too. This is probably all done under the guise of protecting Riki but since he doesn't know....well he doesn't know. So when Masato flipped out and was screaming he was the strongest....yeah he looked insane. Super insane. Strong because you haven't cracked up Kyousuke's timeline rules? Well you just did. I am not sure what the point is to this timeline or why everyone has left Rin and Riki. But after going through so many of the same time lines of course Riki is going to suggest similar things. Like um Masato why are you so angry and crazy? Do not like and do not want. Hitting Riki -___-.
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You are his friend Riki, you handle him OH WAIT.
Things just got worse from there. Because things can always get worse in animes. Riki and Rin are shocked at Masato's behavior towards them. A bit insane, I am the strongest? Not helpful no matter what the point to all of this is. So while Riki and Rin try to keep it together...Masato has done lost it all over the place. Yes Masato has fought before. But usually with Kengo and nothing too serious. Well except that broken arm.....No no, Masato was running around punching random kids in the face. Probably would have hurt them more had they fought back. So yeah....Best timeline ever Mr. Punching people in the face.
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And everything is repeating itself again wee. And Masato thought Riki just doing the baseball thing again was insane.
Was this treated seriously at all? No. Teachers are talking to Riki about it instead of doing something. A rather large student is running around and punching people in the face. Why the hell aren't the security guards on it? Why wasn't Masato stopped? And why was Riki treating it like a fun mission? Such irritating happy music I wanted to puke. What was that? Punched in the face!!! What do you mean get Masato back to normal? Hide! Call the cops!! Begone happy music this isn't going to be solved with a friendship hug. And if it is I will puke.
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Rin is so happy, who cares that Masato is punching people in the face!
So since there aren't any adults anywhere capable of doing anything in this universe Riki and Rin came up with a plan to stop Masato. The light is back in Rin's eyes people, all will be okay. So.....the plan was to make a creepy poster if vampire Masato and lead him to the school's statue and super glue him to it. Because....Masato was going to follow the signs and because Masato wasn't crazy enough to take off his clothes and get away. No no, this all makes sense and is good hearted fun even though Masato's eyes are glowing red...
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I will show you rampage!
So yeah. Masato got glued to the statue, Riki told him to calm down, and crazy face Masato dragged the statue all over school. I mean how is that damage going to get fixed? Going to find Lightening McQueen? At this point I would have assumed Masato was on drugs and run away, not lead Masato to Rin so we can throw a useless net on him and hope he has been weaken enough to punch. This plan was made by crazy people. The secret of the world does not lie behind a concussion. Just narcolepsy. So yeah there were punches which is sad because hello Little Busters forever. Riki ended up “winning” because....he was repeating events. Had this not been destiny there would be Riki bits all over that courtyard.
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We will be friends again even if I have to break all your ribs!
After Riki punched Masato it all went downhill. I mean this was very....not serious to being with. But now things took a strange turn. It started off innocent enough. Masato was having flashbacks of his childhood. Which given how long he might have been stuck in this timeloop/dream could have been forever ago. Masato was an odd little kid. Shocking I know. He randomly danced and kids picked on him. So Masato did the logical thing and worked out so he could beat the shit out of people talking crap about him duh. Totally correct response. This kept the bullies away but yeah...no one liked Masato after that.
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Kyousuke must like to fix people.
Enter the Kyousuke. Well and tag along Rin. Kyousuke was curious in Masato or wanted to save him so off he went. Because Masato is the victim turned bully he didn't let Kyousuke state what he wanted. It was punching time. Kyousuke and Masato's fight played out almost exactly how Riki and Masato's fight did. Which makes no sense at all. How does that work? This is some sort of magic/dream crap. I mean it was just super repetitive. How could Riki replicate something he wasn't there for? Add in the fact this is all happening n the same episode and I was like really, really now? By the way Kyousuke won the fight because Masato was too stupid to let go of his fist in the mailbox and Masato wasn't a giant back then.
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Masato is done being strong and has moved on to crazy.
Onward to the weird part of the episode. After Masato and Kengo broke Riki's heart with the just say no to baseball Masato had a nap. Which morphed into a dream. Then Leo Dicaprio Wife Stealer was like this is a dream within a dream within a dream. Anyway the dream was Masato was surrounded by lots of Masato's and since he is the strongest he has to punch them all in the face. Why? Why does anything happen in this anime. Nothing is adding up but I guess when dead people are trapped in repeating timelines anything is a go. So...what I think happened was Masato finally cracked. He didn't become a super powerful magical girl who could make a super wish/witch. He just cracked under the pressure. For so long he was the support in the group. The rock. The one who kept things together. Always there doing what Kyousuke wanted and being the person Riki needed. It never looked like he or Kengo did much. Especially Kengo. But who knows what kind of toll this took on Masato. He done just lost his mind and poof everyone is a Masato and he needs to punch them in the face. Because he is the strongest. The strongest for Riki.
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If the timeline restarts at this time frame why are they far apart now? Wouldn't that take a lot longer to get to that point?
Yeah it doesn't make much sense does it? Masato and Kengo aren't happy with how Riki is doing this timeline with no guidance. Like hello why not help him? Or Rin since apparently her personal growth has suffered since Kyousuke has thrown in the towel. I mean..if everyone but Riki and Rin are dead. If Kyousuke is trying to help them out yet has given up why has the last timeline even occurred? Or will it keep on occurring until the results are reached? Either way Kengo and Masato leaving him in a lurch because he is accidentally acting like Kyousuke is douchness. Everyone has gone crazy weee.
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Except for right now when I didn't....
So...Masato had his melt down and is better. Like okay I can do this 1,000 more times if Riki needs me to. I just need to have my moment. Thankfully Riki is so blinded by everything he doesn't even think to ask what the hell is going on. Like um Masato is better now cue the happy music. I won't question why this happened or act like all the punched people in the face matter. Masato's eyes are no longer red and Rin has some life in hers. Lets get these friends back together that grew apart and left Rin to rot. Woohoo!! Yeah I am sure this will all make sense at the end but for now I am side eying all these meanies. Up next....meanie Kengo who was the last one to join the baseball team anyway!

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