May 05, 2010
Chekhov's Tank
Over at TVtropes.org
(warning: not safe for those without a lot of time), there's an entry
entitled "Chekhov's
Gun." It gets its name from a famous law of playwriting by Anton
Chekhov, which states "If you say in the first chapter that there is a
rifle hanging on the wall, in the second or third chapter it absolutely
must go off. If it's not going to be fired, it shouldn't be hanging
there." This is an admonition against unnecessary things in a story, and works very, very well. So when we first see the giant spider tank in Sora no Woto, it's immediately clear that, even though it's in pieces, it WILL be used some time in the series.
...at which point, I closed ZoomPlayer and said "no thanks, no longer interested."
Until last weekend. Either caught up or bored with everything else I've been watching recently (K-On!!, Angel Beats, a few others), I restarted the show again... and wondered just what the hell was wrong with me the first time. I blitzed the 12-episode series in two days, enjoying myself the entire time. Okay, sure, it's a show about Japanese girls wearing German uniforms exploring a Japanese music school in a Spanish town full of French people celebrating Chinese New Years in Switzerland, shooting South African owls while piloting multi-legged, talking, demon slaying, Amazing Grace-singing, 500mm coil gun firing "son of the god of fire" supertanks from the future, but I'll be darned if it isn't really, really good.
It's NOT "K-On! Goes To War" as people described it when it first debuted. Music plays a small part in the show (the aforementioned Amazing Grace ties the characters together in a way the series explains quite well), other than the main character being a military bugler. It's certainly a better looking series than K-On!, without a doubt.
Which is amazing, considering that only a couple of years ago, Kyoto Animation (who does K-On!) was considered the preeminent studio for "pretty shows."
Having said all that, Sora no Woto isn't a great series, but it is good. It's entertaining, has a pretty good story behind it, and characters that you get interested in. The show's downfall is that it's too short. I think it needed another three or four episodes, as the final story arc changes the tone of the show abruptly from rather light-hearted to a dark war story. If that arc was extended it would have done the story a world of good... but I don't think it'd support a 24-episode series. And yes, Chekov's Tank does get used.
If you haven't seen the show, give it a look... you won't regret it.
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...at which point, I closed ZoomPlayer and said "no thanks, no longer interested."
Until last weekend. Either caught up or bored with everything else I've been watching recently (K-On!!, Angel Beats, a few others), I restarted the show again... and wondered just what the hell was wrong with me the first time. I blitzed the 12-episode series in two days, enjoying myself the entire time. Okay, sure, it's a show about Japanese girls wearing German uniforms exploring a Japanese music school in a Spanish town full of French people celebrating Chinese New Years in Switzerland, shooting South African owls while piloting multi-legged, talking, demon slaying, Amazing Grace-singing, 500mm coil gun firing "son of the god of fire" supertanks from the future, but I'll be darned if it isn't really, really good.
It's NOT "K-On! Goes To War" as people described it when it first debuted. Music plays a small part in the show (the aforementioned Amazing Grace ties the characters together in a way the series explains quite well), other than the main character being a military bugler. It's certainly a better looking series than K-On!, without a doubt.
Which is amazing, considering that only a couple of years ago, Kyoto Animation (who does K-On!) was considered the preeminent studio for "pretty shows."
Having said all that, Sora no Woto isn't a great series, but it is good. It's entertaining, has a pretty good story behind it, and characters that you get interested in. The show's downfall is that it's too short. I think it needed another three or four episodes, as the final story arc changes the tone of the show abruptly from rather light-hearted to a dark war story. If that arc was extended it would have done the story a world of good... but I don't think it'd support a 24-episode series. And yes, Chekov's Tank does get used.
If you haven't seen the show, give it a look... you won't regret it.
Posted by: Wonderduck at
10:35 PM
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1
I wholeheartedly second every sentiment expressed in this post. Great? No. Solidly good? Absolutely.
(I, too, did a marathon two-night viewing of the series just last month. Oddly enough.)
(I, too, did a marathon two-night viewing of the series just last month. Oddly enough.)
Posted by: GreyDuck at May 05, 2010 11:05 PM (7lMXI)
2
Like GreyDuck, I have to agree.
And I would have to say that the series is much better marathoned than watching one episode a week (like I did for its production run). Having a great episode like Felicia's backstory followed by "Kanata needs to pee but must wait for phone call first" was, well, annoying to say the least. Especially annoying when you're waiting a week between each episode! Still, I liked the series overall.
I did fall in love with the background music though. Very early 20th century orchestral; heard hints of George Gershwin and a few similarities to rich soundtracks from older movies. Ended picking up the soundtrack through CDJapan.
And I would have to say that the series is much better marathoned than watching one episode a week (like I did for its production run). Having a great episode like Felicia's backstory followed by "Kanata needs to pee but must wait for phone call first" was, well, annoying to say the least. Especially annoying when you're waiting a week between each episode! Still, I liked the series overall.
I did fall in love with the background music though. Very early 20th century orchestral; heard hints of George Gershwin and a few similarities to rich soundtracks from older movies. Ended picking up the soundtrack through CDJapan.
Posted by: Nick at May 06, 2010 09:25 AM (kw3Yp)
3
I watched it on the grounds that if it was K-On! goes to war, that was enough for me.
As it turns out, it is K-On! goes to war, (like K-On!, music is the unifying theme, while the majority of the story is just about daily life) - but it's also more than that.
And it's starting to look like K-On! is also more than that.
As it turns out, it is K-On! goes to war, (like K-On!, music is the unifying theme, while the majority of the story is just about daily life) - but it's also more than that.
And it's starting to look like K-On! is also more than that.
Posted by: Pixy Misa at May 06, 2010 11:01 AM (PiXy!)
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