| A lot of people seem to complain that they don't understand Pale Cocoon's ending. Don't feel too bad - I had to rewatch it to get everything. Of course, that's what you're *supposed* to do with this one if you don't understand it. At 12:40, Ura is climbing the stairs. He has already climbed a long ways. He doesn't want to go back down, but he wants to explain to Rikka what he's doing, so he drops the notebook onto the platform where she spends a lot of time lying. At 16:10, Ura realizes that there's something strange about the picture from the video when he considers the recovered pictures of what the earth looked like. Now the video starts, and we watch it at about the same time as Rikka does in the notebook, which is the same time that Ura has finished his climbing and has gotten into the elevator that goes to the top of the construction. We know that's the case at 17:50. At 17:52, the elevator floor starts breaking and Ura has to quickly hang on to the ceiling. At 19:30, the cable on the elevator, which hasn't been maintained in centuries, breaks. We see this at 19:48. We know it's been centuries because of the video of the sphere with the date superimposed on it we see twice, that shows the progress of the construction Ura sees soon. Ura looks up... Soon the second video starts. Yoko explains that she is on the moon, and immigrated from Earth because of a disaster that turned it red. She mentions "gravity maintenance equipment" and machinery we saw before is shown at the same time. She says everyone is waiting for a place on the immigration ships. Now remember the giant ship that is shown in the background behind Ura as he stands on the elevator. Now we see Ura, who is floating above the elevator because they're both in free fall. But he's not concerned with that. He's looking at the blue planet above him, through clear panes that surround the clouds. He knows he's going to die in a little bit, but he doesn't mind, because he got what he wanted - seeing that something of the world he saw in the archives existed. So, Ura and Rikka are on the moon. The towers, one of which Ura is on, exist to support the shell, which holds in the atmosphere - necessary because the moon has less gravity than the earth. (They would actually be pulling it in against air pressure rather than pushing it up against gravity.) That shell is what the diagram with the date was showing the construction of. Yoko was on the moon, which is why that record was there. She came on an immigration ship like the one we saw behind Ura, some centuries ago, to escape the disaster that happened to the Earth. She is a little bit of a celebrity, because of her music, and so she is sending a message to the people waiting to come to the moon. At that time, the systems on the moon are still being built. Now, centuries later, the Earth is once again blue, and presumably once again livable. However, people in Ura's complex on the moon have forgotten that they even are on the moon, possibly because the records they have are about Earth. In the meantime the infrastructure has been slowly degrading and they have to continually move downwards. Two things are left open at the end - the status of the Earth, and the status of the other areas on the moon. We don't know whether people managed to come back to the Earth, and we don't know if the people in the other complexes on the moon also forgot about the Earth, remembered the Earth but were still stuck in their complex, died when the machinery stopped, or managed to return. So, please, stop saying "the ending doesn't mean anything" or "it's pretty but it doesn't have any story" because that's exactly what has gotten us more Naruto or Inuyasha instead of brilliant things like this - per minute, the best anime ever made. |
| RAGE |
| well its an artsy anime.. theres alot of those i understood it the whole way through :P well playing japanese video games sorta help out with that since most of the time they never make any sense so you gotta come up with reasonable answers or think more deeply about it. |
  "What happens when we die?" I know that the ones who love us will miss us. |
| It's not so much that it doesn't make sense as that it's meanings are a little less obvious and straightforward. You have to do a bit of thinking to really get it, versus shows like the aforementioned Naruto that don't have much depth. I wouldn't go so far as to call this the best anime ever, but it was definitely awesome. |
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| Well, I said best per minute. 5 cm/s is some tough competition there though. |
| If you're talking about the first episode, perhaps, but I wasn't too impressed with the last one there. |
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| I thought it was fantastic. Shame they won't know about anything other than the moon. |
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ashura said: Pale Cocoon was big time fail :S extremly boring show tbh i want bk that 45mins ive spent watching it *slaps forehead* waterfalls said: At 12:40, Ura is climbing the stairs. He has already climbed a long ways. He doesn't want to go back down, but he wants to explain to Rikka what he's doing, so he drops the notebook onto the platform where she spends a lot of time lying. I am under the impression that he dropped the notebook by accident. IIRC, the exhaustion and fatigue cause him to lose balance and he drops it as he staggers. Besides, he knows that she spends a lot of time lying down there. What if the notebook landed on her rather than beside her? waterfalls said: A lot of people seem to complain that they don't understand Pale Cocoon's ending. Don't feel too bad - I had to rewatch it to get everything. Of course, that's what you're *supposed* to do with this one if you don't understand it. Haha. Confusing? Of course, the story hardly has any spoonfeeding but I wouldn't really consider it as confusing. 2 or 3 viewings plus a few moments of reflection should be enough to figure out what really happened in the story. Trying to interpret Yasuhiro Yoshiura's intended message (if any) though is another matter altogether. Unlike Anno who's talked about his work several times already, I don't think I've heard of anything from Yoshiura yet. |
YuunagiSep 29, 2007 3:35 AM
| I do have to agree with Neverender on this... Especially given the OVA was 23 not 45 mins and given my love for the sarcasm of his recent post. I liked Pale Cocoon at face value, then there is the different perceptions of the events that took place that perhaps require more detailed thought into the matter is not something I would classify as boring. Everyone is entitled to their own opinions, and it didn't interest you then fair enough but perhaps you should give more credibility to that claim when commenting on things such as the run length... ...Unless I'm missing 22 mins of it? |
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| *facepalm #2* @Neverender: Your off-topic retort was longer than your earlier post. There's no need to bite whenever others bait. @ashura: No offense meant but based on your grammar and the lack of explanations to support your opinion, I find it hard to take you seriously. Back on-topic: 1) How do you think will Riko be affected by the events that took place? 2) Will mankind eventually return to it's former home? |
| i don't think that's the kinda anime you need to fully understand to appreciate it. understanding is a very personal thing, i can come up with whatever story i think it happened on the ova and be 100% satisfied with it. this ova is great. |
逃げちゃ駄目だ。 |
| looks like you misunderstand why i came up with the "16 years old", maybe i should explain then... lets call it lack of respect for other ppl opinion which is typical for teenagers. i didnt mean to offended you in any way as i wont call you dumb or moron. i dont mind if you disagree with me. you do like this show but i dont, thats all. about the 45 or 23 mins i couldnt care less (its been more than year since ive seen pale cocoon) |
| Pale Cocoon was simply one of the best OVA's i've ever saw (they weren't many though). Its simply amazing :) It isn't hard to Understand (at least imho) if you watch it carefully. For me in its early minutes showed that it had to be seen with atention. I really enjoyed it :p (i admit it i watched it twice, in a row!) |
StaticMar 21, 2008 7:27 PM
waterfalls said: That shell is what the diagram with the date was showing the construction of. - per minute, the best anime ever made. - Cocoon, not shell. That’s where the name comes from right? It’s semi-transparent, pale. - Just what I was thinking after I figured it out. Also #1 epicnessPM among other things. Instead of re-watching it I just thought about it for 40 minutes, then I got it. Yoko Yamaguchi is Riko’s grandmother, maybe, or perhaps she had ralized it as well? Because they never mention Riko’s last name. I imagine had this story continued half an hour into the future we would see Riko running down the staircase after realizing everything. And then discovering Ura spread eagle right where her grandmother died with his "Insides all messed up". Another thing, the ending is supposed to be ironic, right? He is always mentioning “The green world” and it turns out to be blue. Since he had only heard rumours of something called the sea. After all that, he still leaves the world in question, in peace though. P.S. Can't wait for Eve no Jikan |
wtfyourface said: MistaCloudStrife said: OVER 9000!!!From 100-1000, how much do you love LWL? |
| I thought this was interesting. I like it when I have to think a little <(^-^)> Just like the rest of you, I didn't fully understand it until after I watched it. Props to waterfall to helping me understand it better. I also like how it leaves you to imagine what happens next. I watched this on a whim and I don't regret it at all. 8/10. I think they might have left it off like they did so that people would come up with their own "ending" and maby make up some faniction. |
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ashura said: Pale Cocoon was big time fail :S extremly boring show tbh i want bk that 45mins ive spent watching it How can say this was timewasting? this anime was so beautiful and thanks to waterfalls for explaining some stuff that left me wondering. |
waterfalls said: Now we see Ura, who is floating above the elevator because they're both in free fall. But he's not concerned with that. He's looking at the blue planet above him, through clear panes that surround the clouds. He knows he's going to die in a little bit, but he doesn't mind, because he got what he wanted - seeing that something of the world he saw in the archives existed. Just wanted to respond to this point. I was under the impression he wasn't in free fall, but had reached a point where the artificial gravity is not in effect (since the infrastructure is no longer functioning as you said at that level) so he was floating. I thought is was fabulous... up until the point where the music video began and I lost track of what was going on. But the rest of that summary was very helpful. |
nx6 said: Just wanted to respond to this point. I was under the impression he wasn't in free fall, but had reached a point where the artificial gravity is not in effect (since the infrastructure is no longer functioning as you said at that level) so he was floating. I almost thought that at first, but you can see the clouds or ice or whatever it is coming closer to him in a few of the shots, so he is falling, it's just not totally obvious. Also, might just be me, but I didn't really find this confusing at all. A few parts were a bit eh?, but overall it made sense to me...Nonetheless, thanks waterfall for the explanation, did help with a few minor things :D |
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| Fantastic OVA, especially when the MV started. |
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| Story is one thing, much to think about. But other thing is animation and drawing style... purely awesome and breath taking. Somehow resembles Shinkais style (more drawing than animation). I'm really impressed, I didn't expect something so good. I don't even know what to think and say about it ^^ |
Ii tenki desu ne... |
| Great explanation, that's basically how I understood it as well. Although you've filled me in on some things I didn't pick up on, like Yoko being a celebrity. So thank you for that. I also agree with your last sentence. Per minute, Pale Cocoon really is the best anime ever made. I've seen it about four times now, and it's even more amazing every time. I never thought an OVA as short as Pale Cocoon could be so good and in depth. |
LoveWifeLunch said: waterfalls said: That shell is what the diagram with the date was showing the construction of. - per minute, the best anime ever made. Instead of re-watching it I just thought about it for 40 minutes, then I got it. Yoko Yamaguchi is Riko’s grandmother, maybe, or perhaps she had ralized it as well? Because they never mention Riko’s last name. I imagine had this story continued half an hour into the future we would see Riko running down the staircase after realizing everything. And then discovering Ura spread eagle right where her grandmother died with his "Insides all messed up". Exactly what I was thinking. They resemble each other so I had assumed it was a distant relative. The reason I think it's probably a distant relative like a great great grandma or older is because they look alike and because of the dates. If it was her grandma then Riko would have known that they where on the moon. The date showed on the singing video was Y 001 and the talking video was Y 002 then the pic with the two kids together is Y 0024 and the beginning of the episode shows Y 0285 on a few of the bill boards. Thats 285 years worth of history, so that would make the women in the video Riko's great great grandma or possibly 3 greats. As for the book drop, I think it was pretty clear he accidentally dropped it because of lack of oxygen and fatigue. He had the book so he could see the video as he was climbing the steps. When he dropped it on accident it happened to land where Riko was laying thus allowing her to see the video he was just watching. As for the "fall", it wasn't a fall, yet. If you notice the spaceship, that's been presumably waiting for them to use to get back to earth for years, has smoke coming from it. In space theres no oxygen so shit stands still or continues to move forever. The "snow" falling is actually ash probably left over from the spaceship years before. So we can assume that he's stuck in that part of the dome where theres very little oxygen but just enough for him to stay conscious. This means he would continue to float probably for a few hours before re-entering the moons atmosphere where he would then start to free fall and die. So yes he was floating while looking at the earth. I'm taking a reach here but I think this is how Riko's grandmother died as well. She probably realized or remembered something her mother told her and went to see for her self. In any case I thought this was an amazing OVA. I really wasn't expecting them to be on the moon till the last second which made it equally enjoyable seeing the earth in the background. One thing that came to mind after finishing this was Ergo Proxy XD. |
^)^ DeathfireD ^)^ Anime Alliance P2P Network *OPEN FOR NEW MEMBERS* |
| great ova 8/10 |
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| great OVA!! 9/10 it was awesome to realize they were on the moon and not on earth, i wasnt expecting that! ^^ i like endings like this one, open ends (?) you know he's going to die, but you dont see him dying and you dont how she will react... |
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machirude said: great OVA!! 9/10 it was awesome to realize they were on the moon and not on earth, i wasnt expecting that! ^^ i like endings like this one, open ends (?) you know he's going to die, but you dont see him dying and you dont how she will react... ..*two thumbs up*.^____^ ..just recently finished watching this and i really had to agree with that! ..never liked sad endings..*sigh*..but this turned out to be not "that" sad at all 'coz you're not shown what the obvious outcomes would be..besides he got to see what he wanted to see.. ..really appreciate the explanation. (^_^)/ Thanks!! Now , i understood more. ..its been quite a while since i've watched animes like this, I have watched Ergo Proxy before and i had that same feeling while watching this..that eerie, dark and mysterious atmosphere that let's you want to watch for more. ..over-all, 9/10, its a great anime for those who want to dig into mysteries!! |
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| don't care what anyone says, i thought this was brilliant. |
| iLiked it but wished it had action.. |
| Watched this once, read through this entire thread, spent some time thinking and then watched it a second time a short while later. What the others posted on this thread really helped to make more sense of this show too. This show is definitely not for those typical mainstream anime watchers who don't bother to think or can't think at all. I'm giving this an 8/10. It's pretty good. |
| 8-8.5/10 - Hands down impressive OVA. I love short OVAs like this one! |
| "...our faces marked by toil, by deceptions, by success, by love; our weary eyes looking still, looking always, looking anxiously for something out of life, that while it is expected is already gone – has passed unseen, in a sigh, in a flash – together with the youth, with the strength, with the romance of illusions.” - Joseph Conrad ('Youth') |
| One of the best shorts I've seen. Can't really see how anyone could not understand the ending, it was pretty obvious to me. |
tehnominator said: Alas, the tragedy of peripheral persuasion .__.You forget that most anime fans don't like to think :( If you consider it, a large audience for anime consists of those who want action or romance shoved directly into their faces. The popcorn in their brain is heavily buttered and slightly stale. |
| Wow, this really was beautiful and amazing, especially after reading all these posts that made me think even more into it. So short yet such a gem. |
Drybananna said: Wow, this really was beautiful and amazing, especially after reading all these posts that made me think even more into it. So short yet such a gem. Exactly. Was quite beautifully animated too. How can people say they wasted time on this? |
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| It really took me a few minutes after it was over to grasp the ending of this short, but sweet OVA. That quick shot of earth, and the sadness that no one will ever see it or maybe even forget that it is there. The song was great too, it is a shame it is so short. It really added that "feel" at the end...hard to explain in words. |
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| I really liked this ova thanks to Waterfalls for explaining the bits i dident understand |
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| I have to agree that it was an artistic style of anime. I think it ended a bit in a tragic way, and they were living on the moon/shuttle the whole time. Either way, I loved it! |
| Really liked this, although the end is quite tragic if you think about it. Possibly the only person on the moon who knows that the Earth is once again habitable will probably die before he can tell anyone. The art was fantastic, and although short, the story was also very good considering the length. Also, being set in a sort of post-apocalyptic setting made it all the better for me. |
| This was an excellent story. Great art, original, beautiful music. And just enough plot to keep the viewer interested and leaving them thinking about the ending. More shows should be like this. |
| Beautiful and thoughtful anime, indeed a rare gem worthy of being wactched by anyone willing to try things a little more slow paced and much deeper than standard entertainment. Waterfall actually helped me understand and delve a little deeper into the meaning of this story when he said that so much time has passed that everyone forgot they were not on Earth anymore, while the Earth, with time, recovered from humanity's mistakes (probably pollution). I was not so sure he was on free falling, but after rewatching it it does seem like that, but he doesn't care bout that after witnessing what he wanted to see, a Blue Earth. The thing is, he is going to die with that knowledge =/ while the stupidity of men keeps hindering humanity with their stupid mistakes, like forgetting its history in this case, when it could be the knowledge of the past that could save their freaking future. |
VeethornNov 2, 2009 10:33 AM
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| What the hell is up with the low 'below 8' rating on this anime. It was bloody brilliant. Can't believe it was only 23 minutes long. |
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| this is the kind of anime that modern-day animation lacks. MY THOUGHTS ON THE ENDING: i think he was falling too. the "sky" he saw first was, i think, the smoke that came out of the spaceship-like thing on the background. as someone said here, in outer space, it probably won't move because there's nothing to blow it away. and, anyway, i don't think the ship is still working, considering how it looked. and there's probably no one left in those, if it's the "immigration ship" or something. if the video he recovered took so long to fix, it's okay to assume that the video is centuries old. remember, the woman he's working with also saw the video. so he's not the only person who knows the truth (that they're on the moon) at the end. i'm guessing she'll try to find a way to see "what's up there". hopefully she'll not fall the same way as ura and her grandmother fell. in the end, he saw what the earth looked like, although not green, as he expected. maybe he wasn't even sure it's the earth, because the earth he knew from the archives is green, not blue. his idea of a sea is something that "people came from", not that big vast patch of blue. he dropped the book with the video by accident. it's pretty safe to think that way. he's a little worried about what he might discover, fatigued because of the stairs, and the look on his face when it fell. there's little evidence that he meant to drop it. in the end, one thing really mattered: it's not how you percept its ending or what do you think happened after he said "blue". it's what the story showed us: what would probably become of us if we continue our ways today. population grows, environment can't cope up, industries eating up resources, ignorance of the social issues. one day, if this continues, we'd all see the stained earth. not really a good sight, eh? |
 I am a guy. Don't let my avatar, Yukishiro Tomoe, fool you. |
| I got most of it but I couldn't figure out that they were actually on the moon the whole time. Thanks for posting this. It was very original and that only already makes it awesome. |
| Thanks for the explanation, waterfalls. I could figure it out for the most part but it was nice to have every thing set out like that. |
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