Kiddy Grade 2 – A tanuki's last stand
As kyrptonite is to Superman, so is bishoujo to Stripey. Zyl made a piercing observation years ago when he said "(Stripey) can only be killed by bishoujos". Very astute indeed. Except he failed to mention the death would be self-inflicted. Today, not heeding the Yoakena debacle, I'm gonna put my hide on the line (again) to pimp an upcoming series I'm almost certain would cost me the stripes on my tail (Be gentle k? Crusader?) - Kiddy Grade 2.
Kiddy Grade (2002) was a major source of my contempt for GONZO. The damage to my anime psyche was so bad, even the like of LastEXILE and Full Metal Panic could not soothe the pain. It was one of those GONZO Squandered GreatsTM; so much potential, so much wastage. (My thoughts on KG 4 yrs ago.) So when I first heard about KG2, I gagged. However, the anime gods have a way of impressing their sovereignty on mortals. So I stand humbled now, my barf and pride swallowed, to hype about KG-2 because my knees are bended and soul sold to the awesome moeliciousness of the new KG-2 leads, Asukuuru and Kifiiyu.
Not on your knees yet? No problem, here's the promo for KG-2. Do ensure sufficient space for prostration.
Right, stop trembling. You may rise now. As a veteran anime promo-viewer (chalking no less than a staggering 10 promos in my entire anime-watching career), I'd say we have a winner. No, I'm not merely carried away by the preview visuals and uplifting music, I have hard facts to substantiate such faith.
Asread has to be the anti-thesis of GONZO. Where GONZO mostly mangles great source material, Asread has an amazing 100% track record of adapting mediocre games into great TV series. (I just love statistics.) This could be Asread's big break. Excel in their 2nd full-fledged animation production and Asread could well be on their way to the giddy heights of KyoAnism in animedom. Man, can't wait for KG-2's debut.
PS: Hear me O Haruhi sama, pls let KG2 turned out well. Another Cabbagesque pimpage and your humble tanuki would be flayed and whipped with his very own tail. Worse, chair-strapped and forced to watch Cabbage Love... REPEATEDLY.
PPS: Special thanks to Shiroi Hane for the heads-up.
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May 7th, 2007 - 04:12
So… what did you find wrong with KG, again? Your thoughts back then were horribly vague, and all I see is a huge paragraph that tells me nothing. How was the storyline incoherent? How were the numerous plot twists ridiculous? For that matter, how can a twist be “unbelievable”? Maybe you could either
a) Watch it again and see if your opinion’s changed then write about it
or
b) Write a new opinion about it that isn’t vague
because that post you wrote in ‘03 was crap even by high school standards, to be honest, for your lack of elaboration on practically every point. You’re a much better writer now, though, and it’s been 4 years, so I hope you could shed some light on this.
May 7th, 2007 - 04:59
Oh? They changed companies for KG2? That kinda parallels the FMP! story really. ^^; Also, while the thought of Asread animating this IS intriguing, I have been too badly scarred by the first season to put this on my watchlist (unless you pay me in cold hard cash).
At best, I will marathon it at the end of its season if the reviews are good.
Cheers.
May 7th, 2007 - 06:35
Gimme a D!
D!
May 7th, 2007 - 07:01
FMP! was turned over from GONZO to KyoAni, Hellsing to Satelight and now KG2 to asread. Empirical question: Is this part of a wider trend of disappointing first seasons being handed over to different studios? Or is this particular to GONZO produced anime series?
Owen S, I believe my good bro was terribly vague because he had a very strict ‘no spoiler’ policy back in those days. And I don’t know if I’m being emo and thin-skinned but the tone of your criticism felt just a tad condescending.
May 7th, 2007 - 07:30
Lol I had downloaded the Jyunpaku Sanctuary single (OP or whatever it was in the promo) without knowing that it was gonna be an anime song. So there I was, sitting and watching the promo while scratching my head furiously thinking why the heck I have a Chihara Minori anime song that I don’t know the name to. ^^;
May 7th, 2007 - 08:47
That IS good news. The revenge arc in Kiddy Grade was so unexpectedly awesome that when the plot devolved to sentai body-switching madness, the disappointment really hurt.
Owen, I’m not sure if you are a Kiddy Grade fan, but if you’ve actually watched KG, you will probably agree that the ending does not get better with time (unless by “better” you mean “more enjoyable to mock”). As Zyl mentions, the plot twists are fairly spoilerific, and the way they were all crammed into the last few episodes contributed to the silliness of the ending. The other part that helped ruin it for me was how stupid the series started getting with the palette-swapped ships and the goofy, masked clones. A good plot twist has clues sprinkled throughout, whereas KG has a Scooby Doo ending where all the facts are introduced and mashed together at the end.
Stripey, be careful about promoting Kiddy Grade 2 based on the 2 leads. As we know, they could end up being all annoying and fugly in their next arc!!!!
Still, I know I will probably be suckered into watching the sequel as well orz.
May 7th, 2007 - 08:50
Owen S.: As my brother mentioned, I strived to be deliberately vague for my reviews so as not spoil those who still wanted to give it a shot. And since
an overpowering English-professor-aura (with a -20 saving throw against humility) stifles this discussionI’m not as articulate as I hoped to be, I point to you Kabitzin’s excellent review which conveys much of my displeasure of the series. Do check out the comments too.Skane: Heh, I understand your apprehension after all it’s touted as a direct sequel. But with GONZO out of the picture being half the battle won and Asread’s involvement securing another half victory, KG2 looks like 100% win. (I love me maths XD)
crimson: LOL! Actually I expecting AA, I mean an A for the series.
Zyl: This reminds me of a local political conspiracy we were musing over in our last Hontouni Staff conference. For all we know, GONZO animators were all under the payroll of the succeeding studios XD
ShadowrazoR: Thanks so much for the heads-up! I love the song and have the promo .asf on repeat just for the theme. Download… SEEEET-UP!
Kabitzin: LOL! I would commit seppuku if Asukuuru and Kifiiyu go Cabbage Love on me. XD
May 7th, 2007 - 10:37
Zyl: I think I need to add emoticons in next time so my tone of voice’s perceived differently, my apologies on that ;;^_^. Nope, didn’t mean to come off as condescending, just wanted more elaboration since I didn’t get where he was coming from — just disliking it tells me nothing like I said, telling me WHY you dislike it actually helps. I certainly don’t buy the “no spoilers” thing, although it’s Stripey’s choice to do so — never heard of film critics doing that, and I don’t see why we shouldn’t uphold our writing to those standards. Hence my question.
Stripey: I saw the post. I also saw your comment
>>Kiddy Grade, together with Hellsing and Saikano, constitute what I deemed to be GONZO
May 7th, 2007 - 11:13
One of the reasons why Stripey likes promoting potential disastrous series is that misery loves company. *won’t be fooled again!!
will wait and then marathon if feedback is good*
Conspiracy theory. Double agents 4TW.
Owen S, thanks for the clarification. Hope you don’t mind my prickliness either. I am Stripey’s evil (non-blood related) twin after all. BTW I agree completely that keeping reviews completely spoiler-free is less than ideal but that was also one of my areas of longstanding differences with Stripey.
May 7th, 2007 - 13:21
Haha, with the Zyl defense, my image of the Hontouni twins is forever cemented as the Aizen twins.
Moving on…
Owen: I haven’t seen Kanon (am I the only one?) so I don’t really know how to respond to that part of your criticism. However, here are some more specifics about Kiddy Grade. Before I begin, I don’t think KG is crap, I just think it could have been really good, but messed up along the way.
1) It really bugged me how we are following Lumiere and Eclair and then suddenly they look different and are fighting clones of themselves at the end. I felt like I got hijacked.
2) A whole lot of new plot devices got thrown in at the end. People being really old, clones, etc. were completely irrelevant in the first part of the series. Perhaps it is not right to criticize the “plot twists” (if we are arguing over semantics). Put another way, I feel a lot of elements were put into play in the final 1/3 of the series and those elements were important, but were not adequately explored and developed.
3) The whole “Hey let’s be friends now” aspect was cheesy. All the sudden everyone just loves Lumiere and Eclair so much? The clones were super cheesy. Some aspects of this were ok, but did they really have to get their own personalized palette-swapped spaceships? I stand by my comment that these aspects are cheesy. Cheese is ok by itself, but the middle section of KG was sharp and unrelenting. Watching all of Lumiere and Eclair’s coworkers/friends turn on the pair made for an exciting story. Watching everyone suddenly become friendly again and get a free spaceship was not in keeping with what made KG so enjoyable.
4) Dvergr and Alv had basically no screentime until the very end, but suddenly they are uber-villains. They had a loooong time to plan things, so why didn’t we get any kind of footage that showed them being suspicious or at least emo? I also felt that this portion of the story was rather confusing.
In some ways it is hard to define exactly what is silly or confusing about the end (because it is subjective), but I know that I felt confused and annoyed at a lot of what was thrown in the final third of the series. To me there were three main segments of KG with the first one being average and the second one being excellent. However, I did not like how the series went in the last part, and that is the part where the story got much more involved.
I think most of us can agree that the last third of KG was very different from the rest of the series. I have heard from a lot of people that they did not like this part of KG, so perhaps it would be easier to discuss if you would say why you did like this part of KG.
BTW, I hope it is ok that we have completely derailed this post =D. Also, I wanted to bring up the whole Aizen twin thing again.
May 7th, 2007 - 14:19
Kabitzin: Whoops, my bad @ the Kanon thing, I just assumed you’d have watched it. I’m referring to the ‘06 KyoAni remake, it had a whole ton of hints regarding one of the girls.
And now that you’ve replied to my query in an extremely thorough and concise manner (I appreciate the effort, thanks), I’m going to rewatch KG just to answer you about what part I liked. I know this is rather anti-climatic, but I watched KG when it first aired (Keep-ANBU’s subs look dated, DivX quality then was horrid, and it’s not in HD format, wow) and that was 5 years ago so I remember zilch about the specifics. I was 15. I don’t recall anything being particularly awful about the last part of KG, in any case. But then again, I was 15.
Let me get back to you after I finish watching it. Copying the files to hdd right now, and I’m heading off to bed.
Zyl: Nope, not at all. So ARE you related to Stripey IRL, or what? I’m clueless. Also, LOL @ Aizen twins.
May 7th, 2007 - 15:51
I really wish they would do one about the past lives of the Eclair, Lumi and rest of the ES members.
One of My Pre-Order:
http://www.hlj.com/product/ORC60008
PS. to all the other figure fanatics.
Please let me know if you guys know of a place that sells this:
http://www.hlj.com/product/ATS82015
places i try already but out of stock:
AnimeGamers
Animewild
AnimePalace
ToysLogic
CDjapan
Play-Asia
Ebay: too expensive and since it is in HK probably bootleg.
May 7th, 2007 - 17:11
You’d better be right about this…Don’t fail me again Admiral, err tanuki!
May 7th, 2007 - 19:03
Oh… I thought it was brilliant that GONZO took elements mentioned in the first two parts of the series (Body-swap, Chevalier, Nouvlesse, etc) and tied them into the final arc, while revealing a bit more stuff in between. It wasn’t like the last part was so disjointed from the first parts; GONZO just chose to continue adding new info. Admittedly, the ending wasn’t excellent and the paletted Wirbelwinds was a bit cheesy. Maybe because the audience would have preferred that GONZO just told us the leads swapped bodies before and not actually animated it, leading to an ending with characters much different from the start. But overall, I found the show highly enjoyable, pace- and plot-wise, along with the plethora of side characters and their powers.
Hope to see more of Viola/Cesario, Tweedledee/Tweedledum in K-G.2 =)
May 7th, 2007 - 23:23
Just one word: Welcome to the world of the lolicons.
May 8th, 2007 - 04:13
Kabitzin, in revenge for bringing up the Aizen thing again, I shall ask you, Ender and Kungfucius to fight over who gets to be Osaka (definitely you LOL – Tsundairy, Yo Yoma etc. orz OTL), Chiyo and Kaorin. Maybe someone should start a Yukari Team anime blog too.
Owen S, I am related to Stripey in the Water Margin sort of way (‘All men are brothers’).
Impz, most perceptive you are to bring up an important reason why my good bro was lured to Rori-pedo-fiend Grade and is going to give KG2 another shot!
May 8th, 2007 - 06:21
Haha, Zyl, if our trio had to be assigned, Kungfucius would be most like Osaka in real life, Ender would probably be our resident tensai, and I would be boring Kaorin.
=’(
May 8th, 2007 - 06:46
Ah, Water Margin. Wouldn’t that be like, “All men are GAR for each other” then? lol j/k. That’s kinda cool, actually. I always had the impression you guys were really related.
May 8th, 2007 - 11:44
Owen S.: No worries.
Thanks again for clearing the air and kind affirmation. Yeah it does appear we have somewhat differing taste in anime since I have written a not so flattering review of Saikano in those earlier years too. XD I much preferred Iriya no Sora over Saikano which I commend to you as well. The main reason for my writing in a non-spoilerific manner is because the reviews are targetted at folks who are spoiler-sensitive (like myself) and yet able to get a good feel of the strength/weakness of the series. Hence I sought to give such assessments w/o plot/character specifics. That was 4 years ago and heh, I don’t ahdere to it so staunchly nowadays.
Kabitzin: Thanks for a very thorough and insightful exposition on the (un)merits of KG.
And no worries, a rigorous discussion on KG hardly constitute a post derailment. Bringing up the Aizen twins on the other hand…. well as long as no one harps too much on “graphic bodily fluid exchange“… XD
Xellos-_^: Gratz on your Ignis order! I was really tempted to get it if not for the 1/7 scale. Looking fwd to pics when you received them. I have seen the Heroine set in my figure haunt months ago. Lemme see if they are still available. Keep those fingers crossed
Crusader: Trust me on this one Lord Va.. Crusader. There’s disturbance in the Force and I suspect its due to Asukuuru’s irresistible moeliciousness. A force powerful enough to implode Death Stars and turn Darth Vader from the Dark Side to the erm other Dark SideTM.
SheedyR: Heh, I’m actually looking fwd to more Lumiere and Eclair myself too in KG2. I actually miss her lipstick whip and put it on the same level of awesomeness as the Sharingan *prepares for Naruto fans lynching* XD
Impz: I worry that I seem so
transparentshallow to everyone XDZyl: LOL! Great analogy on the Water Margin bro. Beside the universal brotherhood thingy, we also thrive on the same blight (For Nerzhul/anime!) and spawned of the same crypt. Speaking of revenge, we could have our own revenge arc for our inhouse production “Hontou ni Seaslugs desu – The animation” where Zyl/Stripey (villains) takes over Kabitzin/Ender and infects Seaslugs with siscon. Yes, you get to play the loli XD
May 8th, 2007 - 12:13
> The whole
May 8th, 2007 - 16:39
The first season, for all its directional flaws, makes for a wonderful rewatch today. I mean, 14-year old Hirano Aya voicing an elegant loli complete with her textbook zettai ryouiki–that’s Kiddy Grade for you. Based on the first installment, though, the “director’s cut” theatrical adaptation will probably be entirely forgettable (just a means of pimping up the upcoming series).
Eagerly waiting for hints on the KG-2 voicecast, now.
May 9th, 2007 - 06:18
I don’t have much to comment on your post.. Except that I have watched that promo about 10-20 times now, and I still pause when I see Lumiere appear on that video. Really looking forward to KG2 ^_^
May 9th, 2007 - 16:59
Shuffle(anime)? SHUFFLE(anime)?!! Surely you jest, Stripey. How in the world is having Shuffle(anime) a great production record? Yes, Blade-Master Kaede was indeed great fun and laughs, but unfortunately, the rest of the story came out to be absolutely ridiculous (but not ridiculous enough to be considered “good” a la Mai Otome class).
Well, solely judging from the trailer, well animated hot-lolilicious girls piloting mecha which seemed to have been designed for the sole purpose of looking cool is looking pretty good… for now. We’ll really have to wait until we see how the story flows.
May 9th, 2007 - 18:21
>>I have seen the Heroine set in my figure haunt months ago. Lemme see if they are still available. Keep those fingers crossed
I will keep my tentacles cross
My Maid-Sabre and Saikas Farnese just came in today.
May 10th, 2007 - 00:45
flaskis: Heh, lumiere has great screen presence. Her gentleness comes through even in that short 3s window. But for myself, Asukuuru really stole the preview. The still of her combing her hair dealt heavy moe damage XD
Beowulf Lee: LOL! Like Zyl, I’m a great fan of SHUFFLE! Despite fairly divergent haremette stories (game). Asread did wonderful to tie them all up and even added Kaede embellishments which made the anime outstanding. SHUFFLE! ranks top 3 in my eroge-turned-anime list.:) As for KG2 trailer, there is a few signs of greatness. First, the animators sure now know to turn up the character charm. It’s not merely having moelicious character designs but also cinematography and feel. For example I thought the still of Kifiiyu pulling her leggings to be very sensous. The black/white scene of the dead man in a red pool of blood also artistic. Plus the animation was fantastic. The one scene that struck me was blue-haired girl keying in something on her key-pad. I believe Asread has IT. Hoping KG2 inherits that
Xellos-_^: Woah gratz! Be careful abt Saika though. Mine’s leaning so do watch yours
May 10th, 2007 - 01:06
>>But for myself, Asukuuru really stole the preview. The still of her combing her hair dealt heavy moe damage XD
Wait, that wasn’t Lumiere who was combing her hair in the promo? And who’s Asukuuru? I watched KG about 4 years ago, so my memory doesn’t serve me. But I don’t remember a character with that name
May 10th, 2007 - 18:04
You don’t remember a character with that name as Askuuru (or Ascule as she is named in Newtype USA) is one of the two new leads for the second series, the other being Ku Fiiyu (or Que Feuilles according to NTUSA). There was a double page spread featuring a large image of them in April’s NTUSA (Feburary’s NTJP) and they’re currently plastered on the front page of http://www.kiddygrade.com also.
May 11th, 2007 - 11:25
flaskis: Woot! another Asukuruu fan! As Shiroi Hane mentioned, she’s one of the new characters in KG2 and I’m already completely smitten w her
Lumiere does appear in the promo too though only for several sec.
Shiroi Hane: Ah thanks for highlighting the different names. The NTUSA ones seemed cooler.
May 11th, 2007 - 12:03
Ah, I’m completely out in the blue now. I thought that these two new leads were Eclaire and Lumiere in their “new shape”. That’s what I get for not reading everything
And yes, in that case I’m totally smitten with her too ^^
May 12th, 2007 - 14:15
Flaskis: it’s still possible that they are Eclair and Lumiere reborn.. there’s a clip of Eclair in the promo from 10 years before the start of the first series, so the later clip of Eclair and Lumiere may also be another flashback thrown in as red herring……
Stripey: The problem is, the names used by Newtype don’t actually seem to make much sense (if you don’t have that issue I’m quoted a few things on my blog for the 31st March) – they look like French but nothing sensible comes out of Babelfish (and I don’t have a French dictionary to look up more in-depth meanings).
Admittedly “Coup Fille” was the best I came up with for Ku Fiiyu and I was stumped on Asukuuru.
May 13th, 2007 - 22:37
flaskis: desou desou?? XD Asukuuru’s love. In that short clip even her personality comes through. In the first frame, she does the classic bashful “hands-on-lap” pose suggesting an introverted girl. Totally fits her character design esp that light colored hair. In another frame, she ignores danger and lunges forward much to the anxiety of Kifiiyu. Probably a caring type who cannot other’s distress at the expense of her own safety. I hope she doesn’t disappoint my hyper-active imagination!
Shiroi Hane: Oh an interesting postulate indeed.
Although I’d much prefer new chars for freshness to the series (grants more space for backstories and character development) As for the names, maybe it’ll be more apparent when the series starts. Will be looking to your blog for KG2 news meanwhile. 