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Feb 16, 7:12 AM
#1

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Nov 2011
129635
Ye, I don't think Natsuko was ever the type who knows about romance. Or rather, her lack of experience is evident.

Episode is alright imo. I kinda like the more change of vibe in the real world setting. And Natsuko got the chance to make a new friend, or sort of.
Feb 16, 9:30 AM
#2

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Dec 2021
3112
Aw man, for a second there I was actually enjoying an episode of this show for once. But alas, the ending ruined it, with us being back in this shitty fantasy world that I could care less of a fuck about.

Seriously, this episode showed me that what's holding back me from liking this series is the shitty fantasy world. Story aside as well, this is easily the best looking episode as well.

So, I'm struggling to see what the point of the fantasy aspect is anymore if an episode with no action looked better than episodes WITH action.


Feb 16, 9:49 AM
#3
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Jul 2024
258
Mappa decided to show off in this episode. I'm genuinely pleased on what I'm seeing. The nicest visuals I've seeing in a while (yeah, there might be better out there. Still, I'm enjoying these).

I also don't understand squee sounds 🤷🏻‍♂️
Feb 16, 9:56 AM
#4

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Sep 2007
137
There was some serious animation in this episode even in scenes that usually are tame. So she's probably going to fall in love in ToP before she can return to her world and finish her task.

Although it didn't have an animation sequence from her this time, there was plenty of her drawing.
And since there's a poster of a Dokaben knock-off, there's a high chance of that samurai also being the case.
Feb 16, 10:03 AM
#5

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Jan 2009
103261
passionate people like natsuko are very much love by the public but whats the difference between obsession and passion anyway

they made natsuko part of the autism spectrum

so the tale of perishing anime movie is the first love of natsuko nah im sure its luke
Feb 16, 10:04 AM
#6
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Mar 2020
156
Yes! They're finally going for it! We're finally gonna see the confrontation between Natsuko and Tsuruyama-bird.

I'm really starting to grok what this anime is about, and the inherent contradiction it embodies. Intentionally. I think it has a shot at sticking the landing.
Feb 16, 10:05 AM
#7

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Mar 2021
2186
Really nice episode
It was interesting to see how popular she was with other people during her school days but am not surprised that she wasn't interested in romance and more focused on her work.
Feb 16, 10:11 AM
#8
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Sep 2015
7188
Natsuko is already surrounded by "first loves" and she doesn't even realize it.

The legendary director reminds me of the legendary costume designer Edith Head

Natsuko tries to bring back the era when one animator does most of the work (My Neighbor Totoro made only by 8 animators in just 8 months) but she has to let that era rest in peace, we're now living in the outsource era.

I think tracing which character in Natsuko's world has the same voice as which character in Tale of Perishing will give a very big hint, but I don't want that, I want to be surprised.
Feb 16, 10:17 AM
#9

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Jun 2019
6758
We got to see the entire Natsuko life through her dream and it was so weird and fun. She's such a lovable weirdo. No wonder everybody kept falling in love with her. And, how she became obsessed with animation while everyone around her kept loving everything she put out and now for the final challenge, "First Love"

The next episode is called 'Confession'. Can't wait to see it. Will Luke finally express his feelings? Also, Natsuko is questioning whether this story should be this happy. And, the bird director is back again with a "No" answer.

The episode was a directional and SB genius and an incredible episode from start to finish. Tokio Igarashi. What a guy. Can't wait to see your debut, my good sir.
Feb 16, 10:39 AM

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Nov 2023
343
Hold the phone! I think they might be cooking...

Edit: My theory seems to be correct.
gorkthe134thFeb 16, 10:52 AM
Feb 16, 10:42 AM

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Feb 2019
10121
Natsuko backstory finally! MAPPA didn’t hold anything back wow, I had a feeling this episode was gonna go crazy because of the key visuals they kept posting on Twitter and it def lived up to the hype!!

We’ve had Natsuko tell her story, but letting others tell how you’ve made them feel gives a different perspective. We are just the sum total of our interactions with people, after-all. Enjoyed seeing 3 distinct stages of her life and the impact she had on people. Midori and the track star were my faves.

MAPPA going all out and it’s just a lesbian awakening 😂 that Midori first love scene was so good!!

Natsuko really had all these people head over heels for her and other than Midori, she really ain’t gaf about any of them. That habit of not seeing people as people has been an issue she’s had since childhood. Not even remembering the trackstar’s name after she pushed him to break the 100m record was craaaazy. That Adam’s Apple scene also went incredibly hard.

I like how the animation studio president saw that as Natsuko’s biggest weakness and gave her that romcom assignment to help her grow, technically it did, by having Natsuko go into the A tale of perishing world, but not in the way she expected lol.

Notice how the camera focuses on Luke when Natsuko wakes up after the president says she hasn’t found her first love yet… crumbs.. we will sail 🙏🏾

Nah that ending is too ominous please tell me this won’t have a tragic ending 😭 who tf is this bird
Marinate1016Feb 16, 12:18 PM
Feb 16, 10:43 AM
Offline
Dec 2022
33
Makes sense that the chain of creation ran of the sprockets when she got a task about a subject completely unknown to her .... And due to her stubbornness she dosen't reach out for help but tries to sort it out herself.
NestracFeb 16, 1:06 PM
Feb 16, 10:57 AM
Offline
Dec 2017
463
Reply to Pre_Yum
We got to see the entire Natsuko life through her dream and it was so weird and fun. She's such a lovable weirdo. No wonder everybody kept falling in love with her. And, how she became obsessed with animation while everyone around her kept loving everything she put out and now for the final challenge, "First Love"

The next episode is called 'Confession'. Can't wait to see it. Will Luke finally express his feelings? Also, Natsuko is questioning whether this story should be this happy. And, the bird director is back again with a "No" answer.

The episode was a directional and SB genius and an incredible episode from start to finish. Tokio Igarashi. What a guy. Can't wait to see your debut, my good sir.
Pre_Yum said:
The next episode is called 'Confession'.

The japanese word "Kokuhaku" has 4 meanings:
1. Confession of crime (as in police)
2. Confession of sins (as in catholic)
3. Confession of love (as in daisuki)
4. Buddy Holly by Weezer (which is sum of the above three)
Feb 16, 11:09 AM
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Dec 2017
463
Can anyone explain the giant blonde Mikudayo in animation clubroom? She holds a leek, so studio might have made her teal / turquoise, instead of a Sailor Moon hybrid?
Feb 16, 11:18 AM
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Feb 2021
206
Beautiful episode with tons of HEART!
Feb 16, 11:21 AM

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Jul 2024
788
"I need violence, carnage, and rage!"
Whereas I prefer fan service, romance and humor.

Adam's apple ecchi.
"I'm fine. This is fine."

"Natsuko Hirose is crazy."
Yep.

"Justa-Bunch"

"Of course it's wrong."
You are so screwed as well as screwed up now, Natsuko.
Lord Cruelty V
"But my Dreams they're not as empty, as my conscience seems to be"
Feb 16, 12:00 PM

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Nov 2011
558
i m not sure if i needed this backstory, i ve almost forgotten i was tricked to watch isekai
Feb 16, 12:43 PM

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Oct 2018
181
Easily the best episode so far. Seeing all the different kinds of first love that was around Natsuko but she never realized it was amazing. We also got to see Natsuko retreating into her animation shell with each time jump, giving us the context around her character. And Mappa went above and beyond making the real world more beautiful and exciting than any scene in the fantasy world.

The ending got me really hype since I feel the anime might touch on the difference between fan and creator intent. With how Natsuko has been changing the story of ToP, the current thing cannot be called anything other than a fanfiction. While she has helped all the characters she liked like a fan would want to, that has completely stripped the story of the director's original intentions. As happy as the story is now, it is nothing like the story Natsuko fell in love with when she was young and if the original story was what we are watching right now, there is a big possibility she would never have in the first place. ToP was always meant to be a bleak tragedy, and with messing with the story and characters like she has, can it even be called ToP anymore?

It really reminds me of those god-awful fanfictions people create whenever a big anime ends. Think of all the dogshit 'alternate endings' people create for AoT and JJK. All fans want is for their favorite characters to have a happy ever after at the end, and when that does not happen, they create their own endings and claim it to be better, not realizing that a happy ending for all the characters and the world spits in the face of the themes and messages the original creator wanted to express. Natsuko's condition is a bit different than these, but I still wonder if the anime will harken to these themes of original vs fan intent.

Also, the closer we get to the end, the more I feel like Natsuko isn't really dead and is just in a coma, dreaming about ToP. Maybe she already had an inkling that she needed to change and is speaking to her own subconscious self in the coma in this way to help her fully realize that. Its a long shot, but for some reason, I feel like the anime could go down this or a similar route.

Anyway, I'm so much more excited for the ending after this episode than I was before it. With the passion the team put in this episode, I feel like there is a high chance the anime lands the ending.
Feb 16, 1:08 PM
Offline
Oct 2022
892
Interesting episode. After all, Natsuko’s childhood was very different from others.

What I respect about her is that she knew from the start that she wants to be a VIRTUOSO. She got to be the best animator ever.
Feb 16, 1:22 PM

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Aug 2020
4588
hear me out, this was for me the best ep of the season

not only the animation was good but I really didn't see the time fly, we really learned a lot about her and it change or brings a lot of things to the story

even the end of the ep, so something bad will happen at the end, hummm
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Feb 16, 2:06 PM

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Apr 2015
1521
Pretty cool that we got to see the POV of 4 people whose first love was Natsuko, although I'd be lying if I said I wasn't disappointed that it wasn't centered on Natsuko and Luke, like I thought it would. Next episode maybe? Maybe we'll be able to see Natsuko having a "squeee" moment of her own.
But anyways, quite an entertaining episode overall. My favorite segment was probably the 2nd POV with the running dude. The animation sequences in this episode was crazy good.
The ending was very ominous. I'm still praying for this story to take a dark turn.


"As promised, all that you seek, all that we desire, is prepared up there. On top of the Tower."
Feb 16, 3:23 PM
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Nov 2015
26
Natsuko is that one autistic person that never realized all the people that were into them because they suck at reading social cues
Feb 16, 4:37 PM
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Dec 2021
45
I honestly think this might have been the best episode yet 😂 like it might have been the funniest episode of anime I've seen in a long time
Feb 16, 4:56 PM
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Jul 2021
188
Love the tie in with her having all these romantic moments that she blew right past and now has no idea how to express romance in a story. I’m hoping she has her “squee” moment with Luke?
Feb 16, 5:00 PM
fanservice<3

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Mar 2012
12821
lol at the very end
Feb 16, 5:16 PM

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Jul 2024
788
Xiao said:
The ending was very ominous. I'm still praying for this story to take a dark turn.

Like maybe Natsuko recognizing first love as Luke dies?
Lord Cruelty V
"But my Dreams they're not as empty, as my conscience seems to be"
Feb 16, 5:20 PM
Offline
Oct 2019
4
Reply to RodIshiCi
There was some serious animation in this episode even in scenes that usually are tame. So she's probably going to fall in love in ToP before she can return to her world and finish her task.

Although it didn't have an animation sequence from her this time, there was plenty of her drawing.
And since there's a poster of a Dokaben knock-off, there's a high chance of that samurai also being the case.
@RodIshiCi LMAO The screenshot you attached has two anime from Spring 2020 XD. I just find that funny. Love Kakushigoto!
Feb 16, 5:22 PM

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May 2015
2440
Natsuko was so busy following her passion that she missed all the first loves around her. Ironic how that ended up being the last thing she was looking for.

I appreciate this story having a real world flashback. It's pretty uncommon in the genre to focus much outside of the new land.
Feb 16, 5:24 PM
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Sep 2021
10
Good episode, i like how the anime shows Natsuko past and the relation with love for other people by her.
Feb 16, 6:28 PM

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Feb 2022
501
It's great that they show us the background of Natsuko, well at least we have a glimpse of her real life~

Natsuko's motivations transcends bros physical limit to 11 lmao...

Uhmm, those happy moments are always "The calm before the storm" vibes IINM... Well, I hope they go pass through it with the power of their teamwork (friendship)

Feb 16, 6:51 PM
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Jun 2019
87
Best episode so far with even more laugh out loud comedy and a hint at the nature of her isekai experience that I suspected early on. Tomokazu Sugita was a nice surprise!
Feb 16, 7:03 PM

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Apr 2015
1521
Reply to LordCrueltyV
Xiao said:
The ending was very ominous. I'm still praying for this story to take a dark turn.

Like maybe Natsuko recognizing first love as Luke dies?
@LordCrueltyV Oh lol sure, I wouldn't be opposed to that happening, although this show doesn't strike me as the kind that's willing to kill off the deuteragonist (a fakeout, at best)...unless this all turns out to be a fever dream. I was thinking more along the lines of at least one of the other warriors dying and Luke going into despair, like what happened in the original movie script.


"As promised, all that you seek, all that we desire, is prepared up there. On top of the Tower."
Feb 16, 7:05 PM
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Jan 2022
76
great episode. can't wait for more
Feb 16, 7:52 PM

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Nov 2010
1414
  • It looks like homage to Aoi Honoo.
  • and the big-eyed bird at the end resembles this real bird:

Feb 16, 7:53 PM
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Mar 2024
3
My gut told me that I didn't like this show. Pretty much what everyone has already said. However, I always felt like we weren't there yet.

Like why is the animation for her drawing the SAME ONE every episode? Something felt... intentional.

This whole episode: that Natsko is an animator because of ToP. That she emulated the creator (who I was wondering why she had no influence in her own world?).

And then this ending... I dont want to get my hopes up too far, but that's the kind of thing you dont do on accident. I think we're about to find out what this show is actually about.
Feb 16, 7:57 PM
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Feb 2025
30
what a weird episode and I love it
Feb 16, 7:58 PM
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Feb 2025
30
kuroneko99 said:
  • It looks like homage to Aoi Honoo.
  • and the big-eyed bird at the end resembles this real bird:


oh god lol that's not something you wanna see behind you
Feb 16, 8:10 PM
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Jul 2022
9
HOLY SHHHHH THIS ACTUALLY MOTIVATED ME SO MUCH IM GOING TO UHGHGHGHAAAAAAAA!!!!
Feb 16, 8:32 PM

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Sep 2007
137
Reply to JulieTogepi
@RodIshiCi LMAO The screenshot you attached has two anime from Spring 2020 XD. I just find that funny. Love Kakushigoto!
@JulieTogepi It's just that those type of signature used to update automatically and stopped working and was stuck on that.
But, yeah, Kakushigoto is great.
Feb 16, 8:38 PM
Offline
Oct 2019
4
Reply to RodIshiCi
@JulieTogepi It's just that those type of signature used to update automatically and stopped working and was stuck on that.
But, yeah, Kakushigoto is great.
@RodIshiCi Ah I see. Thanks for explaining it!
Feb 16, 9:18 PM

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Feb 2021
6957
Finally an episode about animation...

A Tale of Perishing was originally a very depressing story, with all of Luke's friends dying and he being unable to save the last town, so I wonder where the story goes now that she has basically changed everything.
Feb 16, 9:50 PM

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May 2015
1958
best episode of the season so far

like how others have expressed, I also believe the fantasy setting is what is holding this series back
Feb 16, 10:37 PM
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Oct 2017
183
this really is the anti-Look Back anime like bruh she got away with so many things, mary sue development.
Feb 17, 12:02 AM

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Aug 2015
27
I'm liking this 7 episode rule that's becoming a modern trend (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2i0wg7OdWls)

With more time they could have potentially turned an ok show into an amazing one. Like how time loop stories, such as Until Then and Astlibra, use their first go-around to establish the groundwork. Then they'll follow it up with real stakes and true character development.

However there's only 5 episodes left, and I don't see them turning things around by that much.
Feb 17, 12:02 AM
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Apr 2024
459
interesting backstories... we all know Natsuko is "special" but sometimes it can come off as creepy lol

Anyway, I think she will experient her first love pretty soon
Feb 17, 12:33 AM

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Jun 2019
6995
This Natsuko Hirose is really a beautiful individual, both inside and out.

Was already harboring that impression but this episode solidified it for me. Such an enigma of a person. Seeing how all-consuming the life and mindset of an auteur is or can be, and how they're like a vortex to everyone and everything in their path, has been a huge part of this series' appeal.

It could even have worked as not an actual fantasy and just have all the fantastical content - the scenes inside the world of the movie - be in her head, as daydreams, dream dreams, or even hallucinations. But having that exist as its own actual separate universe somewhere and having episodes set in both worlds is also an interesting decision. I don't dislike and am not against that decision either as this series does in some ways feel a little different than anything else I've seen, even just down to the way it is structured and that in and of itself is always interesting.

Like, for one, in most modern isekai the original world/our world/Earth - whatever you want to call it - doesn't have any importance at all anymore for the main character after they are isekai'd, outside of sometimes as a source of information or other resources to aid their new life in the new universe. Whereas you don't really get that impression here. It feels tangible that she actually could go back at some point. But it also feels like not doing so (whether physically not being able to do so or actively choosing not to) would make sense too. Neither would be the wrong decision (either for the character to make, or for the series' writer to have the character make).
WatchTillTandavaFeb 17, 12:46 AM
Feb 17, 6:35 AM

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Jul 2023
2009
This is the first time I love a Zenshu episode.

We get Natsuko's backstory, and she looked way lovely when she was younger and wore glasses.

Her hairstyle using the horn seems to imply some character growth.

The message to her at the end seems ominous.
Feb 17, 8:15 AM
Offline
Nov 2020
101
The story is about Natsuko finding her first love and I hate it. I hated it because I know where this is going. I know I'm going to hate the ending and I hope I was wrong about it. After all those special days of Natsuko in the world A Tale of Perishing I know it won't last forever. I hate this. I love fantasy so much. This is the only place where I can daydream and run away from reality. I love how Natsuko achieved it. In the end it's just a fantasy. Nothing that I can do to achieve it.
Feb 17, 8:28 AM

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Mar 2009
46
I had a feeling that this anime is just someone from MAPPA self inserting herself, and now it makes sense...
Script, Original Creator, Series Composition


So this anime is just some greenlit of personal project as reward.
Feb 17, 8:32 AM
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Mar 2015
13803
our gril has some strange admirers
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