Tokyo Ravens #03 — Proper Strangling Technique

October 22nd, 2013

 

Squeeze with your hands, not with your fingertips.

Impressions:

The first half of this episode could have been cool if the CGI didn’t all look so silly. I can enjoy flashy affairs like Clone Wars or Dead Fantasy just as well as anybody else, but those don’t have blobby characters clearly stretching the budget to its edges as they bounced around on blurry land and whatnot. And don’t generally give me the time to ponder the imponderables while the characters are going "Whoa! A magic sword!?" "I’m glad you asked! Let me explain." Repeat for dragon, bow, magic pieces of paper, erection digging into the girl’s back… it’s the vibration from the horse, okay!

I’m also less than thrilled about the dead girl not actually being dead, just dead in body spirit and living on in someone’s arm ribbon or subconscious or whatever, I guess. With luck, she’ll just never come up again ever, because even counting the silly CGI, she was easily the worst part of the show. Maybe there’ll be a real twist and it’s the bland guy friend instead. I also don’t pretend to be an expert on undead stranglers, despite rumors of me in the city’s French Quarter, but I’m pretty sure that most of your strength comes from the hands, not the fingertips. Luckily, he shifted his grip a little later to actually have his hands around her throat instead of just squeezing her tonsils.

Still probably a step up from the first couple episodes though. Maybe next arc they can have people actually fight instead of CGI pokemon running around.

Next Episode:

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Posted in Tokyo Ravens | 6 Comments »

6 Shouts From the Peanut Gallery

  • FlameStrike says:

    With how mediocre the CGI was I’m surprised you can stomach this. Well the designs themselves aren’t bad, but the CGI just clashes too much with the normal art. I did enjoy the fight though. Bad ass dragons eating shit is always lulz. I’m surprised how obvious they made the whole Hokuto thing though.

    • icymirage says:

      The clues in the episode 2 were subtle and well done. There were at least 3 big clues:
      1) Hokuto said she wanted to make Tora her familiar.
      2) Natsume keep looking at Tora’s lips during the dining conversation and was jealous of his kiss with the blondie.
      3) Nastume calls him “Baka Tora” in the shrine when he asks her to make him her familiar.
      I didn’t realize it until #3.

      This episode Natsume explains the Shikigami is a manipulation type, so basically Hokuto and her are the same person. It’s just easier for her to let loose as Hokuto.

      • The Phantom says:

        I also did not realize until the “bakatora” part /facepalm.

        • FlameStrike says:

          I was suspecting as soon as number 2, especially with the way she acted like she was there when he mentioned that Suzuka girl being cute. I agree the hints in ep 2 where pretty well done though. But at the end in ep 3 they pretty much bludgeon you with it using the ribbon XD. Still Tora sure is a baka for not realizing it… or maybe he actually did x.x but dense male lead being dense male lead I would’t count on it.

          Oh yeah, in hindsight the whole Hokuto going “I WIN!!!” and flipping out when Harutora called her cute in ep1 makes a lot more sense. After all Tora called her uncute to her face just earlier in the day. It also makes sense as to why Natsume rejected his offer to go to the festival with him. She was there as Hokuto instead.

  • The Phantom says:

    Natsume shooting that arrow reminded me of Kikyo, she even behaves like Kagome, and Bakatora is probably as mental handicapped as Inuyasha, heck the comparisons dont end there, the horse can be like that girl pet, and they even have a foxlike mascot!

  • luckyUs says:

    damn, they didn’t animate the scene when Harutora managed to grab Natsume’s ASS the moment she tried to throw the arrow (novel 1, page 267, line 1