Listen to my song! part 2
Episode 9 - 災厄の舞台
In short, one of the best episodes yet. Not perfect, but still excellent. Animation was amazing, plenty of movement throughout the episode. The emotions and atmosphere were spot-on, which is something I haven't thought very often in this adaptation so far. I'd even say that the entire manhunt scene was even more intense than the novels described. They did have to cut out the torture/interrogation scene and have us fill in the blanks, but I wasn't expecting them to keep the entire thing anyway. It was just a question of which parts they'd keep and which parts they'd leave out. Somewhat disappointed that they changed Shion's 「ネズミ、ぼくはここで、夏を迎えたい」 line. I found it quite poignant in the original, but here it was like "I want to stay here till summer... oh, and let's bring my mom and Safu too!" Uh, Shion, Safu I can understand but even your mom...wwwww
After that, when Nezumi was talking to his manager right before the manhunt- his expression was spot-on. I love it when a scene I've created in my head turns out to be exactly what happens on screen as well. His whole "skipping work? oh, no, uh..." face was perfect lmao. ...And then the manager dies. That was left unknown in the novels, though Nezumi did say that chances of him surviving were slim.
Kind of surprised that they kept in the baby, though I guess it is a vital point of Inukashi's character development later on. I just thought they wouldn't be able to squeeze her 5 volumes of time with the baby into 1 episode, but... it'll work out I guess.
And then the singing. Ahahaaaaaah... Pretty much the same problems as last time, but this time it's a lot more clear. In this sort of scene, zero instrumentals would be best. Less is more. All we needed was Nezumi's raw vocals, nothing fancy, and that would have conveyed the beauty of the scene so much better. Terrible arrange aside, all the background instruments just felt unnecessary and overblown. But ignoring the music, this was another scene that completely matched the way I envisioned it. Nicely done, Bones.
Nezumi's 「おれは、あんたに紫苑のままでいてほしい」 was also inserted into this episode, though not in the same context as in the novels. He originally said it after seeing Shion start to go crazy. Here he said it before they even went into the facility, revealing that he knows what's about to happen and that he thinks Shion might change after experiencing it. It that really in character though? Can Nezumi predict that Shion's going to change into a Shion that he doesn't know? He says that he can't understand Shion. But does this line mean that he doesn't understand him or that he completely understands him? I suppose it's a little of both. And that works, since their relationship has always been treading that middle ground anyway.
And finally, the last scene. Oh man, that was definitely more intense than what the novels had. Rather than making the West Block residents get out of the trucks and walk, they outright dumped them, like garbage. It was horrifying to watch. This is a case of Bones both cutting out screentime and making a scene better because of it. They really managed to shine through here.
Safu end card. Ah, so pretty yet sad. ;_; Especially with Shion behind her. Safuuuuuuu...
Episode 10 preview:
-Looks like they'll be skimming over volume 5 and jumping into the meat of volume 7. I don't see any scenes from volume 8 in there, so in terms of pacing it should work. But that means the last episode will be both volumes 8 and 9...? It COULD work. They'd have to change the flow of events of volume 9, but with some creativity I think it can work out. There's a certain scene in volume 8 that I'm worried about, but I'll just trust in Bones and their ability to make endings (lol).
-That last part with Nezumi... OH COME ON BONES. No no no, why did you have to include that in the preview? That scene would have been perfect if no one knew the emotions going on beforehand, and yet you had to stick it in the preview. Dammit. Way to ruin your own surprise. Well, I'm glad that they're keeping it in at least.
In short, one of the best episodes yet. Not perfect, but still excellent. Animation was amazing, plenty of movement throughout the episode. The emotions and atmosphere were spot-on, which is something I haven't thought very often in this adaptation so far. I'd even say that the entire manhunt scene was even more intense than the novels described. They did have to cut out the torture/interrogation scene and have us fill in the blanks, but I wasn't expecting them to keep the entire thing anyway. It was just a question of which parts they'd keep and which parts they'd leave out. Somewhat disappointed that they changed Shion's 「ネズミ、ぼくはここで、夏を迎えたい」 line. I found it quite poignant in the original, but here it was like "I want to stay here till summer... oh, and let's bring my mom and Safu too!" Uh, Shion, Safu I can understand but even your mom...wwwww
After that, when Nezumi was talking to his manager right before the manhunt- his expression was spot-on. I love it when a scene I've created in my head turns out to be exactly what happens on screen as well. His whole "skipping work? oh, no, uh..." face was perfect lmao. ...And then the manager dies. That was left unknown in the novels, though Nezumi did say that chances of him surviving were slim.
Kind of surprised that they kept in the baby, though I guess it is a vital point of Inukashi's character development later on. I just thought they wouldn't be able to squeeze her 5 volumes of time with the baby into 1 episode, but... it'll work out I guess.
And then the singing. Ahahaaaaaah... Pretty much the same problems as last time, but this time it's a lot more clear. In this sort of scene, zero instrumentals would be best. Less is more. All we needed was Nezumi's raw vocals, nothing fancy, and that would have conveyed the beauty of the scene so much better. Terrible arrange aside, all the background instruments just felt unnecessary and overblown. But ignoring the music, this was another scene that completely matched the way I envisioned it. Nicely done, Bones.
Nezumi's 「おれは、あんたに紫苑のままでいてほしい」 was also inserted into this episode, though not in the same context as in the novels. He originally said it after seeing Shion start to go crazy. Here he said it before they even went into the facility, revealing that he knows what's about to happen and that he thinks Shion might change after experiencing it. It that really in character though? Can Nezumi predict that Shion's going to change into a Shion that he doesn't know? He says that he can't understand Shion. But does this line mean that he doesn't understand him or that he completely understands him? I suppose it's a little of both. And that works, since their relationship has always been treading that middle ground anyway.
And finally, the last scene. Oh man, that was definitely more intense than what the novels had. Rather than making the West Block residents get out of the trucks and walk, they outright dumped them, like garbage. It was horrifying to watch. This is a case of Bones both cutting out screentime and making a scene better because of it. They really managed to shine through here.
Safu end card. Ah, so pretty yet sad. ;_; Especially with Shion behind her. Safuuuuuuu...
Episode 10 preview:
-Looks like they'll be skimming over volume 5 and jumping into the meat of volume 7. I don't see any scenes from volume 8 in there, so in terms of pacing it should work. But that means the last episode will be both volumes 8 and 9...? It COULD work. They'd have to change the flow of events of volume 9, but with some creativity I think it can work out. There's a certain scene in volume 8 that I'm worried about, but I'll just trust in Bones and their ability to make endings (lol).
-That last part with Nezumi... OH COME ON BONES. No no no, why did you have to include that in the preview? That scene would have been perfect if no one knew the emotions going on beforehand, and yet you had to stick it in the preview. Dammit. Way to ruin your own surprise. Well, I'm glad that they're keeping it in at least.