Netoge no Yome wa Onnanoko ja Nai to Omotta? – 04-05
…someone’s on the fence….
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Well, last week I had a pretty vicious time with allergies and the like and just didn’t have the energy/perspicacity to get to Netoge. Besides, these two episodes felt like they lent themselves to a two fer one post. |
I can’t leave people like this alone
I guess Sette/Nanako was the real mystery “chest”?
I thought, for the most part, that the fourth entry in the series served as a rather good bridge from the first arc to the next. I wouldn’t call it threadbare, but I would say they put just enough string in to connect what came before to what is to come. For the most part I think the show’s underlying theme, to challenge the people that lock themselves up in any game, and to compel them to question what the dividing line between real life and game is, is coming along very well.
Who hasn’t done this? I first did with Myst, only I twitched my mouse finger to open sewer access lids
I have to admire the writing that puts most of that front and center, and doesn’t try to water it down, Now having said that, Netoge isn’t the most complex of stories, but when showing it’s character engaging in the game world – in a manner that looks far richer and more rewarding than the real one – it runs the risk of skewing that theme and running it down with a +20 Lance of Eff The Structure, Give Us More Game. So by going back to the guild that Rusian tried to join in earlier days, they brought real life and game life a new lease. We may be hardcore, to paraphrase the guild leader, but we won’t be jerks to you if you need us; indicating that there is a time to say when to the game, and now to real life.
Goodbye Cruel World, It’s Over…..Walk On By
But the threads the really make the show come alive are bound between both Ako and Akane. We’ve seen how much effort both of them put into their personalities so far as the rest of their school life goes. Akane wants to build a wall as high as she can between her otakisms and the rest of the girls, Ako wants her barrier to be the strongest period – blocking out all comers. But it takes a sneaky Nanako to bring them both to their knees/evade the defenses. This really came up during the fifth episode when our pink haired supporting character claimed she was only interested in Nishimura’s game identity. She really just wanted to help her two friends. However, something tells me she likes the idea of net games, wants to play them, and can’t wait to exploit a good player like him to get ahead. I like her already, and that was the bonus for her. When she gets used to LA’s UI, she’s gonna own all the gold.
Go into Berserk mode, Ako!!!! Your AT is breaking up!!!!
That causes quite a bit of tension with Ako, assuming the worst she possibly can. This isn’t helped by some very bad context on her part, but then Reincarnation is one of those ideas which can raise a flag under most circumstances. But I think it pulls some dual purpose here well enough, and as an in-universe metaphor that actually buys off the seemingly pointed near-nude scene the show put her in; acting as a kind of “naked came I/rebirth” thing as well as being fanservice. Also, her “giving in” to his “advances” shows that she’s not entirely socially awkward. But I do want to give them both some credit for reading the situation. She really does think the world of him and was able to follow his queue. She can’t let him give up just like that. Good to see that their teacher could see it as well.
It takes one to know one Nishimura
Extra War Machine Stuff
There were all sorts of other fun little gewgaws and sights here and there. Ako’s new found skill as a sniper in the FPS game, Nanako’s playful personality, the mystery chest game that was all for naught like they usually are, Ako’s strong resemblance to her mother, and Akane’s breakdown at having her gaming life well and fully outed to her best friend. There are so many fun bits to the show here and there and you are more than welcome to mention the many I’ve left out. But that leaves me with being said to say that this is a pretty short post for two episodes. They’ve repeated a ton of information from the first three eps, most of the progress is slow. I wouldn’t call it a crawl over glass, not by a long shot. But it does seem like they do need to get on to the next story point sooner rather than later. It’s a good show in the end, but feels a bit stretched out.
About skylion
All around nerd that enjoys just about any anime genre. I love history, politics, public policy, the sciences, literature, arts...pretty much anything can make me geeky...except sports. Follow me @theskylion
POWUH: 500-599 with 540 comments
Yeah, I actually wanted to see more development for Schiwen and Master. I’m getting tired of Ako losing her marbles all the time and having every other character seem like a satellite character to her.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
I hope they can develop the characters without the need for any harem aspects. I like the fact that Akane may have a bit of a crush on him, that’s a neat idea that hardly ever sees enough daylight without fans seeing it as OTP or denying that it could be. “A bit of a crush” is a fine story. As for “Master”? She looks like episode 10+ development…
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
I gotta hand it to Project No. 9 again. They are getting the timing of this show almost exactly right. I agree that ep 4 felt like it was treading water, trying to get us from there to here, and I wonder if there’s just not a lot of story here for them to tell. But they’re doing a good job keeping it moving and interesting even if there’s not a lot of ground to cover.
And they can complain about Ako not really being different outside the game, but I know that when I’ve been into FPS games, I’ve done the same thing: look for sniper vantage spots, cover, think about taking some folks out. You just do it.
I thought that Ako’s mom’s attitude was rather interesting. She’s supportive of her daughter, but only to a point. She’s more than happy to push her off onto Rusian and you wonder if it’s one of those free-spirited parents who wants to get back to her own life. But there was also a lot of caring there, as if she realized that Rusian was really important to Ako, not just relief for mom.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
I was thinking about Ako’s mom as well. I didn’t want to assume the standard, “You don’t have adults in these stories cause adults solve problems the teens have to figure out for themselves”. But she really does fit that model to a T. Ako really isn’t that poorly off. I think mom has an eye on her, but is giving her the space to solve her problems. If she can rope a fella in, she really isn’t doing that bad at all…
POWUH: Meta Resident with 1692 comments
I’m another one who thinks Ako’s mother cares for her and has done what she can for her daughter. But when a boy cares enough for Ako to skip school and show up at their house because Ako skipped, Mom realizes he can do more for her daughter now than she can. Yes, it looks like Mom has a streak of free-spiritedness, but that’s not bad. Ako’s at an age where her mother can’t solve all her problems for her. She has to learn to work them out herself, hopefully with support from friends her own age. And she is gaining those friends.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
Yeah, at that age parents are pretty much at the boundaries making sure that the lessons they taught sunk in.