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REVIEW: Kyo Kara Maoh! DVD 2.8-2.9




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posterior_praiser



Joined: 21 Oct 2007
Posts: 296
PostPosted: Sat Jan 03, 2009 12:24 am Reply with quote
I have to agree with this assessment. The best episodes by far in the series were from when they were following the novels in the first 30 eps or so. The last big chunk of the series diverts alot, and I found myself just wanting it to end. Although I did like the last 5 or so eps a fair bit.

KKM was just too long IMO. I think it should have been spread out more to accommodate for the novels and follow the novel story more. The third season hasn't been bad from what I've seen of it though. I should catch up on that some time :/
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Julia-the-Great



Joined: 14 May 2005
Posts: 328
PostPosted: Sat Jan 03, 2009 12:43 am Reply with quote
Hey, I really like the last episode... especially the last five minutes of it! But then, I'm a big Wolfram fangirl, and the ending is high on the Wolfram-cuteness factor. But yeah, the series does drag things out way too long...
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kakoishii



Joined: 16 Jul 2008
Posts: 741
PostPosted: Sat Jan 03, 2009 3:02 am Reply with quote
I couldn't help but facepalm at how the cast was so surprised that Murata spoiler[seemingly lied and "doublecrossed" them despite the fact the guy admitted to have been feeding them half truths all along] Rolling Eyes. It really got to the point where it was hard to watch because everyone was acting so dimwitted. I will say things did get rather interesting in those last couple of episodes, but it just happened to be my luck that the only dvd out of all 9 volumes the last one had to play defectively on my dvd player. Believe me being pissed at your hardware and the main characters at the same time is enough to make a girl scream "enough already! I just want to watch the last episode and be done with this!" Anime smallmouth + sweatdrop
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Rika-chama



Joined: 19 Feb 2008
Posts: 87
PostPosted: Sat Jan 03, 2009 3:09 am Reply with quote
I love KKM although I did get bored with the second season a bit. Luckily the third season isn't that bad even though Yuuri can be a complete idiot sometimes Rolling Eyes I wish the novels would be released but from what I've heard the manga follows them more clesely so I'll just pick that up. Looks like I'll be waiting for a box set before I buy this. Too many DVDs Razz
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sunflower



Joined: 04 Sep 2005
Posts: 1080
PostPosted: Sat Jan 03, 2009 10:59 am Reply with quote
I liked the second season the best when it focused on the individual characters and showed us a bit more of their backgrounds and motivations. I also like Shouri and Bob and the interactions with our world. But the overall it's my least favorite of the seasons. I'm enjoying season three more, especially the latest subbed episodes where some people finally start to grow up.
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Zippydsm
Exempt from Grammar Rules


Joined: 10 Jan 2006
Posts: 134
PostPosted: Sun Jan 04, 2009 11:53 am Reply with quote
Sometimes I wonder if I watched the same thing.... the end to season 2 was solid sure its not the best of stuff but KKM is a mix of comedy and serious story dev so looking at it from a serious perspective you are only going to dislike it more.

The dub for this one is about a B-/C+ unless they changed it from a few dvds ago, I was somewhat impressed they got most things right despite the Americanization of stuff.

Altho...I still ahte 90% of dubs with a passion >>
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CCSYueh



Joined: 03 Jul 2004
Posts: 2707
Location: San Diego, CA
PostPosted: Mon Jan 05, 2009 12:15 pm Reply with quote
Once more I wonder if we're watching the same series.

Quote:
It's heavy stuff with nary a boys-love gag in sight; anything less would have been anticlimactic. But it still isn't what Kyo kara Maoh! does best.


Really?
It seems to me what this title has done BEST (at least Geneon's releases) has been to end in a horrible spot & make us wait 2 months (or more) for the next dvd. This title has left us hanging more often than any other title I can think of.
Yes, it's fun.
Yes, we get to drool over pretty boys.
Yes, we laugh at all the jokes & off-the-wall differences between that world & the "real" world Yuri's from which is similar to (though not exactly) ours.

And I was really wondering about Wolfram naked. Yeah, the fangirls loved it, but then gals running around, even his daughter...

Quote:
As personable as the pretty-boy cast is, there isn't much to them outside of their central quirks.


You maybe.
I was worried about Conrart in his clifhanger stuff & I was worried about Wolfram in his. I care about the cast or I wouldn't be pre-buying every dvd to put into the book case they sold to collect the series in. I'd have waited for a box.
I wouldn't subscribe to Asuka if it weren't for KKM running in it, either.

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It's hard to care much what happens to them, and even harder to believe that the softhearted writers would actually do something irrevocably nasty to them.


Do they do
Quote:
irrevocably nasty
stuff in ANY harem title? Did they kill Ayeka in the latest Tenchi incarnation? Slice off the arm of one of the Negima gals? Harem fans aren't looking for THAT much excitement, but still one wonders how the writers are going to pull things out for the ending. And we DID get a typical alternate world there which was sort of sad, wasn't it?spoiler[ Yuri returning forever to his world, separated from his fiancee & his pink nightgown]

Quote:
It's a facsimile of a climax, going through all the right motions, but without the muscle to make them work. There is never any doubt as to the ultimate outcome of the conflict with the Originators, and consequently no tension or excitement as the climax unfolds.


I didn't think they'd do what they did with The Great One. Hey, it's Shinichiro Miki. He's played his share of semes.



Quote:
Nishimura wisely emphasizes Yuri's inner conflict—which unfolds largely in stills inside an eerily empty simulacrum of his home—over epic warfare that the budget is plainly incapable of supporting. He also makes the most of the continually inscrutable Murata, whose wild-card behavior not only drives the final act, but also provides the only genuine surprise these volumes have to offer.


Takahiro Sakurai. Kouki Miyata. Shinichiro Miki. All that kept running thru my mind was "evil uke picking his seme" although it was actually more of letting them duke it out. I mean, The Great One entering Yuri...no, not a yaoi moment in the least.

Quote:
It's heavy stuff with nary a boys-love gag in sight; anything less would have been anticlimactic


There's a reason they cast certain actors in BL & BL-ish stuff. KKM is filled with VA's that do BL & slash titles. The fangirls here as well as in Japan are well aware of these actors. Add Kazuhiko Inoue & Toshiyuki Morikawa to the VA's who are regulars to BL. As I said, that whole action between The Great One & Yuri was full of bits one could take more than one way.

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Kyo kara Maoh!'s English dub is far from the worst you'll hear.

It's actually one of the better dubs. At least I'm not annoyed every 10 minutes at some stupid accent or something similar.

Quote:
But neither is this one of the better dubs you're likely to hear. It isn't unusual for characters to get their inflections off or flatten their delivery, and for all the well-intentioned sprucing of the duller dialogue, the script is still too staid for it's own good.


I considered the inflections the characters' manner of speaking. I really enjoy this dub cast. I do not see any issue with it compared to stuff like Shonen Onmyoji or the wonderful old CPM titles.
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