Rail Wars 06-07 [NSFW]
I think Naoto is pretty hosed
I kind of thought Rail Wars! was going to stick with the ‘police procedural plot of the week’ format for a while. But the last two episodes have really changed where that was going. What hasn’t changed is the great OP song, tho. (Again, the NSFW tag is maybe a bit conservative, but it’s your choice)
Haruka’s Helpfulness
Iida-san really likes the ladies
After saving the train from the exploded track, Naoto and Aoi are rewarded by… house arrest. Actually, everyone in D4, including Iida-san is confined to home. This honestly seemed like a hugely illegal punishment for a work breach of protocol. I could see “Don’t come to work” or “Don’t go near any National Rail facilities”, but “You have to stay in your house” seems not just a bit draconian. And of course, every single member of D4 (including Iwaizumi, even though he doesn’t matter a single iota) ignores this order. Haruka ends up with Naoto, running from the stupidest imagined threat ever.
She manages to have zero clothes by the end
This episode was just a huge pile of “WTF?” interspersed with rolling eyes and facepalms. If you take it on face value, it was somewhat exciting. If you take the merest second to think about it, man was it stupid. Naoto’s spooked by a letter threatening his life, and meets up with Haruka. I didn’t think she’d have such an imagination, but she gets the idea that there’s a sniper after them (truthfully, Aoi SHOT at them, another WTF), then assassin cats, tracking by phone, so by the time they actually break into a closed rail museum and encounter some actual bad guys, after Haruka’s shed all of her clothes, she’s ready to think they’ve set up a huge elaborate scheme to get Naoto.
She can do this, but can’t say “I love you”
But that’s not all that we find out. It was 8 years, 3 months, and 15 days ago that Haruka first met Naoto, at the railway museum, when he found her in a closet and saved her. Of course she remembers the exact duration, because she’s apparently been living solely to get close to Naoto ever since she was 8. So yes, Haruka’s been pining after him that whole time (congrats to Joojoobees for picking up on that) and just wanting to be close to him. Of course, the whole gang ends up facing the dreaded Mexican Wrestlers and beating them, and apparently there weren’t any further repercussions from breaking their home confinement. Everyone shares a big laugh at Naoto’s silliness at his ‘death threat’ life insurance solicitation, and we move on, while Haruka manages to not convey her love for Naoto. That has to wait for…
The Shit Hits the Fan
“Yeah yeah, whatevs”
Episode 7, when everyone gets shipped out to the special training location. Aoi’s excited because there’s more advanced defense courses there, so they can get a better assignment, while Naoto’s excited there’s a driver training course so that he can get out of stupid D4 (and boy does that make all the girls unhappy to hear about that). Somehow, Iwaizumi goes from being two-dimensional (athletic and hungry) to one-dimensional (just hungry). And Aoi’s getting the hots for Naoto, but is blocked at every turn by the much more affectionate Haruka. This puts her in a really crappy mood, especially when Naoto ascerbically asks if Aoi’s considering herself in the group of cute girls that surround him. So when she finds out that he wants a different goal than she does, one that would split them up, she just decides not to be even civil anymore.
Meanwhile, Haruka’s cozying up…
When they have their driver training (in the fancy simulator again), Aoi blows it, although it’s not clear whether she does it out of spite or just out of lack of coordination because she misunderstands Naoto’s signals. Whichever, it leads to Naoto wrecking the train, committing the biggest sin he can. It seemed kinda dumb that he could get on the phone with Haruka and Iwaizumi, but not Aoi. But if he could have just talked to her, then that wouldn’t have led to the second half of the episode, now would it?
Aoi’s going for the cuteness as well
Since they’re not getting along, they’re again banned from work, but this time told to go out and grow closer as a group. Whoops, that’s not what ends up happening. Aoi’s late, and Iida wants Naoto to run a special errand to a deserted chapel. So it’s natural for him to invite Aoi to the deserted chapel, cause he doesn’t know where Haruka’s group went. But everything just goes wrong from there, because he’s invited one girl to a place to be alone, and another girl follows along and finds him with the first girl… and then a third girl is already there expecting him to come alone! Yes, Noa returns in a special appearance as another harem member. I’m just surprised that Mari didn’t come along with Koumi to get all of them there at once. And even though Naoto said he was going to have Aoi meet him there if she called, Koumi says he lied about it, and Noa says he lied to her about it being just the two of them. I dunno where all these girls got this idea, but the plain fact is that Naoto’s way over his head now.
Uh oh, this is two girls too many
Haruka’s going for the “Nice Train” ending
I’m really surprised that they had the harem hijinx come to a head in episode 7. That seems to indicate that they might actually go for some sort of solution, although it’s a continuing series of light novels, so I really doubt that it will. But Naoto’s really in the soup, and it seemed that Haruka is the one who’s most affected by his apparent triple-timing. Maybe she really isn’t happy just being close to him and helpful to him. Honestly, I don’t know who I’d pick if I was him, but I’d probably have more of an idea than he does. All there is is downside: it’s hard to turn down the idol, but that would make it impossible to work with Haruka or Aoi. Ditto for picking either one of them, although Noa would get out of the picture after maybe telling him off. And Mari’s just staying out of it, even though she spends more one-on-one time with him than anyone. Whew, ganbatte, Naoto!
About Highway
Proving that you don't have to be young to love anime, I enjoy all genres and styles of shows. If it's not hurting anyone else, you should never be ashamed of what you like!
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
Sometimes, when watching anime, one must refrain from fridge visits. This is mostly because anime writers and directors want Insane Troll Logic to rule the day. This is episode six as thesis.
As for episode seven, you are right in that the Nice Train is becoming something of prophecy.
POWUH: 600-699 and LN Enthusiast with 623 comments
We Harem Wars now.
POWUH: Meta Team and Meta-Analyst with 3844 comments
Amen. Just rename the damn show into what it actually is instead of a misleading title.
Also, I suppose that there was supposed to be a “want” in between We and Harem?
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
Before I found out it was a LN series, I didn’t know that it would end up being Harem Wars! But now I’m not surprised.
While I think it’s probably too much to hope for DxD quality progression by Naoto (and the fact of a pre-existing hierarchy among the girls really helps DxD – NOBODY is going to outright challenge Rias for Issei) I’m hoping that this doesn’t fall to IS levels of insipid. It hasn’t so far, but if Naoto continues to not have a clue why all the girls are around him it will possibly get really bad really fast (although his response to Aoi about “if she includes herself in that group” would seem to indicate he at least has a clue about it).
Someday I’ll give the LN’s a try, suuuure.
POWUH: Meta Resident and LN Informant with 1529 comments
LN readers say the anime is completely changing scenarios and plotlines from the source novels while disregarding continuity. For example, a main terrorist character that was supposed to show up now has not even appeared yet.
Also, a studio animator has insulted the author via tweet on certain issues.
http://forums.animesuki.com/showpost.php?p=5220316&postcount=412
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
I don’t particularly mind divergence from source material, although I know a lot of people get worked up about it. I don’t think the show’s been too disjointed (with the caveat, of course, that it is what it is, a silly harem show) and I couldn’t really say that it would be better one way or another. Nor do I have too much problem moving things around in an adaptation.
This production hasn’t really been harmonious since the very beginning, so more discord isn’t surprising.
POWUH: Meta Resident and Werewolf Chaser with 1270 comments
Welp, will definitely get the LNs if translated into chinese then. LN art > anime IMO.
POWUH: Meta Resident with 1692 comments
Even for a show that’s turning into a harem Ep. 6 plumbed the depths of dumb. For the most part I like seeing a pretty girl nude in an anime, but it should occur in a reasonable manner like she’s taking a shower or bath or at an onsen. The way they got Haruka naked in this episode was totally idiotic and left me rolling my eyes and cringing at how stupid it was.
And what’s with the “assassin cats”? How stupid is Naoto to think anyone can train a bunch of cats to do something they don’t want to do in the first place? Attack dogs, sure, but cats? Only if you piss them off.
The threatening letter was another cringe-worthy piece of idiocy. Who would read just the first few words and panic and not read the rest? Or inform the regular police they’d received a death threat?
About the only thing that could turn this show around from the sheer stupidity it’s becoming is for Haruka to turn into a jealous, insane stalker of Naoto. Which could happen since she’s been obsessed with him since he saved her when she was eight. But then that’s another bit of idiocy. If she was as fixated on him as her hero as the show claims, she’d have gotten close to him long before this, like getting her parents to send her to the same middle school or something. Nope, instead right out of the blue not having seen him for eight years (or so they would have us believe) she remembers him and wants to latch onto him as if no time had passed since then.
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
Oh, I don’t think it’s out of the blue, and I doubt she hasn’t seen him for 8 years. But yeah, episode 6 was really dumb. And yet, it was still better than every episode of Momo Kyun Sword or Blade Dance this season.
I think the show did rebound a bit in episode 7, although Naoto needs to sharpen up.
POWUH: Meta Resident with 1692 comments
I can’t agree that Ep. 6 was better than every episode of Momo Kyun Sword or Blade Dance, but no argument that Rail Wars as a whole is better than them.
POWUH: Meta Resident with 1692 comments
Not that I’m saying that Momo Kyun or Blade Dance have a better episode than Ep. 6. It’s that Ep. 6 is as bad as an episode of those two.
POWUH: Meta Resident with 1692 comments
If she has seen him during those eight years it appears to be without his knowing it. Which just adds to the possibility she’ll turn out to be a crazed, obsessed stalker.
POWUH: Meta Resident and Werewolf Chaser with 1270 comments
Hey now, Blade Dance MC is the MC that I would like to see in more harem fantasy works over the likes of Itsuka Shidou/Ichika.
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
I can’t really argue with the idea that the MC of Blade Dance is better than Shidou or Ichika Orimura. And Naoto is getting awfully close to Shidou. Thinking of another MC, Kanada Amakusa, I think that he’s in a completely different category because he realized that all the girls liked him and that he really didn’t like any of them that way at the time.
We’ll have to see where Naoto goes from here. Will he get a clue, or will he blunder along.
POWUH: Meta Resident with 1692 comments
Oh, Spammy, why oh why?
POWUH: Metanorn Regular with 140 comments
So remind me, the original premise of this show was terrorists want to privatize the rail ways, no? Has that been addressed at all? Though more importantly, who thinks that is interesting?!? I knew from the first image this show was of the sexy girls- milquetoast guy variant. The idea of this harem falling apart is by far the most interesting part of this show.
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
I think that ‘story’ is something that’s just kind of “Hey, here’s a storyline that’s going on way in the background.” It’s much more likely that the light novels are “about” Naoto and a bunch of girls, and in between harem fights they’re stopping bad guys.
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
The ones actually responsible for the act getting confined to their home is one thing but the whole squad. This must be the higher-ups way of saying one’s actions affect everyone. Like you pointed out, the series is straying away from what it’s intended to present. Hopefully things will get back on track (no pun intended).
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
I dunno if it’s straying from what it *intended* to present. I would guess that everyone who knew about the LN’s (which didn’t include me before a few weeks ago) knew that it was a harem romance show, with a thin veneer of police procedural. I don’t think us not knowing that is the fault of the production.
Now, I would not be surprised if Masahi Suzuki and the rest of the writing staff has played up the harem stuff more than it is in the books, because it would take a lot in a book to get a harem to THIS level of conflict this quickly in a book. Plus, the terrorist plot thing gives them a bit of a way out of this current contretemps, since everyone will be distracted by actual work instead of worrying about how many other girls Naoto doesn’t realize are in love with him.