it definitely is a lot to take in, but 'shoving too much in your face' is a legitimate directing strategy. take some time off and rewatch the episode, this is too densely packed with cool tonal shifts and little tricks to catch everything on a first watch, imo

but i also get it, S3 has taken a very different stylistic approach to the source material so far. I'm loving it tho

Warning: Yap-fest and comments on composition and storyboarding

TL;DR: some manga readers have a couple gripes with this ep. I honestly think they're salty that Goshozono is too artsy and gutsy, and too good of a director to just try and replicate the Mahoraga in Shibuya clusterfuck of beautiful hype and animation.

(Btw no shade on the Sukuna v Mahoraga fight, it's still midnblowingly fun to this day!).

His vision for the season was made clear enough in the first three episodes, so this being a tad bit more highbrow and artsy than the rest of jjk is no surprise.

So many people were expecting a "Mahoroga in Shibuya 2 - shonen hype strikes again" episode, but honestly I'm kinda glad they went in a different direction.

This really wasn't meant to be just another "cool" episode, it was an artistic exploration, really creative and bringing a lot of new colors and textures to JJK. If you expected anything else after watching the first three episodes, then that's honestly on you.

This episode shines the most in its frame, compisition and storyboarding, if you ask me. Of course the key animation was fantastic, (the VAs were so on point too) but they managed to create a sense of weight, depth and speed that just feels different to other anime. I'll definitely rewatch the episode to understand how they did that.

For instance, Naoya's running sequences feel legitimately fast, unlike Naobito in S2. Jjk in general has never really been the strongest at creating an immersive 3d illusion within a 2d space, with a few exceptions (Toji vs Fushiguro in S2, for example) — at least until now.

Maki's 'sliding in the blood' sequence was also phenomenal, a masterclass in subtle weight shifts and what a character should look like moving in a 3d space.

The music won't sit right with everybody, but then again we're watching this as manga readers, we've already projected a vision onto the story that isn't the most original, if we're being honest, lol. In terms of creative, unique and impactful direction, the music was honestly really good.

With all that said, I'm not gonna sit here and pretend to know better than anyone else. If having an artsy episode isn't the right vibe for jjk, then that's for the viewers to decide. If we were to look at this as a standalone episode tho, it's such a phenomenal masterclass that I won't be able to forget about it as long as I care about 2d animation.

While the character interactions are fun on their own, the directing feels so lackluster. Like, the pacing is weird, the editing is weird, the soundtrack is very uninspiring (especially the main theme, they use it all the goddamn time)... Honestly, what got me through some episodes was purely the character acting, since it's so full of life and personality, particularly with Subaru.

I hope they address Tomo's character flaw in the next episodes, because what we got this week is far from a satisfying conclusion. Her problem isn't speaking her mind, she just has to learn not to be an ass when giving her opinion.

I'm not saying this show is bad, but it could've been so, so, so much better up to this point. My main gripes with it likely won't be fixed until the end of the season, but I'm still here to see where it goes

you couldn't be further from untruth

@m4xx3d0ut probably a couple of them

@Ghidra definitely a hell yeah/10

I love the style, nice favorites, and I might genuinely steal the Yappinton idea (I usually talk too much, so lately I've been trying to be as concise as possible)

also, I love your username. no idea if it means anything, but it sounds cool when you say it :>

I don't think any other story has made me empathize more deeply with struggles I don't relate to at all

it touches the fundamental, barebone nature of emotions, and it somehow somehow translates them perfectly to me, thanks to amazing directing and scrip-writing

also, it does that through many different colors, tones and textures. it's a very unique experience to watch something with such a varied tonality between episodes

beyond that, I love the fact this tackles the everyday struggles of average women. besides niche josei manga, very few stories actually do that in a grounded, relatable way

@Adensty that's a long bio if I've ever seen one. have you thought about making it shorter? (not a suggestion, just genuinely asking)

also, you have 8 very recent shows favorited (2022 and later). do you think some sort of recency bias plays a role in that?

I'll step up to the role of hater and say that you @MaitetsuisFukami is wrong in multiple of your thoughts about the episode, and your comments about Reina are extremely gross.

I refuse to elaborate, like a proper hater. Everyone besides this person, have an amazing day!

That aside, the directing is strong as always, KyoAni still slays with those amazing backgrounds and overall I'm very satisfied with what they delivered

Nina walking out if more of a bit than something you should take seriously tbh. the story isn't even making a point to make these moments dramatic anyway, that much should be clear by now. also, from a comedy perspective, Nina walking back in was the payoff for the setup of her leaving multiple times. after the payoff, I doubt they'd repeat the gag that frequently from here on out

anyway, character acting is on point, super fun

@0lemon somewhat boring tbh. you don't seem to have any strong takes, your favorites are all pretty popular too... it's not like that's a bad thing, but there's just literally nothing for me to grab onto

@asphodelic how do you feel about the pacing in Yuri on Ice? considering it's in your favorites I'd assume you don't see much issue with it, but did the thought ever cross your mind?

asking this because, personally, I think the show would've benefited from a few more episodes

@pseudo
Shinsekai yori
I found this unbelievably flat and boring, and that never made sense. a lot of people seem to like it, so sometime in the future I'll give it a third shot but expectations are pretty low tbh

@gradoodle

Mushishi

don't answer Ginko lol, gimme something interesting

Nijika seems a blast to hang out with, but I wouldn't date a 17yo (I'm turning 20), so that also rules Ryo out. Plus, I bet Ryo is also emotionally unavailable and dating people like that sucks ass. She'd be a cool friend though.

Kita and Bocchi are way too young, even down to their personalities.

The only real choice is Big Dorito™ (plus I have a thing for dating older people but aaaghghgmfdh that's besides the point)

@Patefe
Grand Blue
if it's not one of the boys I'll cry myself to sleep

I am already rewatching episode 1 of rezero because I have no morals

(I will still watch it at some point because)

@Ninkigal

ReZero kara Hajimeru Isekai Seikatsu
couldn't get past episode 10, and if anyone tells me to invest more time into a piece of media that I already didn't enjoy, I'll freaking cry really aggressively

@TorpicalOtaku

I have this irrational distaste for the type of bio you have (external images instead of just anilist stuff). Again, it's irrational so don't worry about it, your bio looks pretty.

I'm more scared of hurting other people than scared of death so let me say it again just to make the point land: your bio does look pretty, I'm just weird