Judge End Thoughts And Impressions Thread

[no_reply_at_all]

Okay, since no one else has done this yet...how did everyone feel about Judge End? I've had to catch up on things so I literally JUST finished it as of a few minutes ago. I'll put my thoughts under a cut for spoilers.

Comments

[no_reply_at_all]

I can definitely understand why some people ship MasaYuki, it's just not my thing, but I'm glad to hear from a MasaYuki fan that I wasn't imagining how utterly lacking/forced/strange their interactions seemed this season. Like normally their rivalry is, to a KoMasa fan like me, a strained but warm one, where they really respect each other as equals and give their all against each other, but this season felt pretty "meh" in that respect. Although I love SasuYuki so seeing Sasuke get a much meatier role (he's still mostly a second banana but compared to the last two seasons?? Damn!) was pretty awesome, and I liked how protective Sasuke was of Yukimura. But in that respect also, I feel a lot of their interactions lacked the feeling of the game. The tense scene where Masamune is ready to behead a sobbing and crying Yukimura is reduced to a freaking strange encounter that makes little sense. Even though it was definitely a "KoMasa" moment, with him going "Bontenmaru!", it still rang shallow to me, even though they're basically my OTP.

None of the usual relationships felt like they were "normal" if that makes sense. Like the bond between all of them within their respective places to each other just felt cold and distant. Sasuke was the only one who felt like he had any warmth or personality amongst them.

Ahah, I feel you on Kojuurou losing that "sexy" aspect, but then again, so did Sasuke, and Yukimura....the only ones who didn't really suffer too bad were Mitsunari, Ieyasu, and Masamune (probably because of how much of him is covered by his armour and helmet, we don't see much of his face).

Now, Otani I felt got a much better role this time, or...I guess a half-and-half better deal? He's so much more dramatic and important in the game, but I rather like the outcome of him being alive and there for Mitsunari if they weren't going to end up killing off Mitsunari anyway, if that makes sense. And to be honest I felt giving Mouri's speech to Kojuurou and twisting it to make it Kojuurou's own was a stroke of genius (one of the few). It was an interesting battle, and I like that Yoshitsugu's one weakness, Mitsunari, is exploited and beats him, in that sense becoming the same as his demise in-game, just done differently (and he survives of course XD).

(I can't believe I need to split this comment in two! OTL)

[no_reply_at_all]

"Well the fight sure were more epic but a lot shorter too and left less an impact I think." <---On this part I think I have to respectfully (of course!) disagree...or perhaps I should say I half agree and half disagree? Some battles were shorter, but I can't deny that they left more of an impact on me. Thinking back on episode one and seeing Mitsunari just brutally cutting down Masamune and Kojuurou surprised the hell out of me! The fact that they didn't shy away from showing a more brutal side to the battles definitely made them feel more real to me.

"For the music 4 (Only polaris made me feel like I was watching something Sengoku Basara related, seriously the main theme seemed like something out of a western.)" <----Okay honestly THANK YOU. The opening theme makes me want to scream. I hate it. Polaris, I adored, and the first time I got excited musically all season was the tense violin music going on in the background during the battle between Ieyasu and Mitsunari.

Do you mean subbed in French I take it? And while I think some of the dialogue was clumsy, all in all in each individual moment, I thought the dialogue fit. Again, the battle between Otani and Kojuurou stands out for me in that respect, especially Kojuurou's "Right now, Otani, you're the kindest man in the world.". I also particularly loved the dialogue after Mitsunari and Masamune fought, when Masamune was trying to acknowledge how much Kojuurou means to him without saying the words, and finally settling on "Kojuurou, I'm a lucky guy." It not only played Kojuurou and Masamune off one another well, it highlighted Mitsunari's crushing contrast to that. However I -DO- think that in general the dialogue suffered. While I can point to certain moments I found perfect and poignant, there was a general stagnation to the dialogue this season.

I have to admit that as one of the approximately 3 Kenshin/Kasuga shippers (XD I feel so underloved!) I really enjoyed her line "I only sleep in Lord Kenshin's embrace."

(Ahah, I liked the art enough to make a Mitsunari icon out of it, so I guess that says something for it right? I did enjoy some aspects of the art, the bold ink strokes, the vibrant colours and almost washed out look of some of the background soldiers when shown in groups, but I can't forgive the overall suffering in character design. And making Kojuurou less sexy should be illegal! XD)

[nami_la_folle]

Some of the fight really were something, but overall...I think, maybe they fought to much just to clash sword ? What I really did remember was Mitsunari and Ieyasu fight, I didn't knew witch side to pick, I wanted them so much to make up, I wanted to slap some sense into Ieyasu, but I also wanted to scream at Mitsunari.

Totally agree.

Yes french subbed. For me the dialogue wasn't the problem, it was more the way some things were said, Keiji wasn't speaking is usual way, or even Masamune, is engrish was sometimes misplaced for me. Or when Mitsunari discover that Otani used some ploy to kill Motochika men and made it look like it was Ieyasu...I don't know...Mitsunari was...too gentle ? When in the game something like betrayal and injustice had him raging.

That one made me smile too, Kasuga was really welcomed in the first part but in the end she was here just to be here right, only Sasuke seemed concerned by her capture, it saddened me.

The vibrant colour were pretty and I liked the landscapes and background to. The thing that I missed were the pretty highlight in the characters hair or armours, the reflects on metal and in their eyes, I love glowing eyes in the moonlight.

[nami_la_folle]

MasaYuki is my OTP but I love KoMasa too, their interaction in the game was sacred to me, I too felt like something was really wrong in the scene with Yukimura. the whole ordeal with Matsunaga in the first season had me drooling in a good way and...I didn't this time. Sasuke was good.

Mitsunari was a beauty didn't saw enough of his booty. Just joking.

Well maybe I expected something better for Otani like in the game, sure I was moved by his scene with Kojuuro because I didn't expect that, and for once it was so Kojuuro like to read in Otani heart and find a way to it.