The unraveling of Chrome Shelled Regios – Nina's arc
I'm not going to make any excuses for Chrome Shelled Regios. The concluding eps made a mess of what could have been ZEXCS comeback series. Do note that I still regard the series very highly mainly because it achieved astoundingly (in the first 20 eps), the 4Cs upon which I grade anime on - Consistent characters, coherent plot, compelling pace and the congruence of the first 3 elements.
The first 20 eps were very well knitted indeed. The character development was deeply rooted in the main story arc which in turn drew strength from the intriguing premise. All 3 key facets of the tale were developed steadily and symbiotically. Throw in ZEXCS's Midas touch on crafting endearing characters, it should have been a winner. But this tight integrated storytelling was also the instrument that engineered the unraveling of the plot, specifically with Nina's path which also concluded the show.
With Layfon and Felli, the character development paths were pretty much carved out. Felli's interaction with Fon-fon and Layfon's contact with Platoon 17 resolved pertinent character issues which was laid out at the beginning of the series. In fact, I thought ZEXCS did a great job melding their development with the story. Nina's tale, however, was deeply embedded in the complex premise which did not rear its head until late in the story. I'm sure it's a bind for the series composer. With such a complex worldview, she must have been fretting over how much to reveal to prop up Nina's tale. And it is my opinion that she chose to reveal too much, too fast in the resolution of Nina's arc and also the series. The concluding eps cluttered much the good that the series had so painstakingly built, making it indigestible.
I dare not hope for a 2nd season even though CSR is in dire need of one to win back some love. But at least I'm contented with the journey I had with marathoning the first 20 eps and absolutely ecstatic to learn that ZEXCS still has it when comes to harem and tsunderes. Felli is currently in my top 5 light-hair lolis list.
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June 29th, 2009 - 09:44
I think it suffered largely from trying to arbitrarily cut off an on-running series at 24 episodes. They were not able to create a successful break in the storyline that gave a good resolution of something ongoing. Something like the first season of Shana would be a good example of one that was done well, but something that solid is fairly rare. I love the characters on this show, so I hope they do more, but somehow I doubt it. Felli was definitely waifu material.
June 29th, 2009 - 11:01
Yep, I’d agree with what Calawain said. Because of the 24 episode length it was locked into, it had nowhere to go and they wanted to do something, but it flopped spectacularly. While I felt like there was a ton of random bullshit and loose plot threads laying all over the place, up until the showdown with Haia, things seemed steady and felt like eventually they’d get sorted out.
I’m almost certain they’ll make a sequel, as we still have no idea what those wolf mask guys are. They just kinda disappeared near the end. Not to mention the endless other loose threads.
I just recently switched my desktop background to a picture of the delicious Felli, as I mourn the loss of my Regios Saturdays :<
June 30th, 2009 - 12:22
Calawain : I attribute the great characters to ZEXCS’s touch. They have a way of bringing out bishoujo charm that few studios are capable of. Oinari-sama’s cast illustrates that. As for successful breaks, I like your example of Shana. Myself I hold Mahoromatic 1 as THE example of a good stopping point. As for Felli…. heh, I see her as mistress material. XD With her powers, we’d never be caught XD
Nazarielle : Personally, I think issue is not so much the 24 eps but the series composition. I’m not sure if they were constrained by having to be faithful to the light novels. But clearly because they chose to close with Nina’s arc, they had to expand on the premise for greater coherence. This opened a whole can of worms which chewed glaring plotholes in the concluding eps. And yes, I miss Felli already too. Sadly she doesn’t have as much screen time after Haia’s arc.