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Jul 21, 2014
*Spoiler Warning*
This review contains spoilers. It is impossible to analyze this anime in detail without going into the details. Therefore, if you don't like spoilers, don't read this review.
I've been wanting to write a review of 5 Centimeters Per Second for sometime, and now I finally decided to revisit it. As excited as I was many years ago, after viewing it again, 5Cm a mixed bag in which parts are better than the whole. It claims to be a "chain of short stories", but it's a broken gold chain at best, although one that has plenty of worthwhile merits.
Visually, 5Cm is on par with the
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quality we've come to expect from Makoto Shinkai's other films. Shinkai is a pioneer and master of cinematic lighting effects in anime, a distinct trait that has come to define his style, and he continues the tradition with this film. Nobody does it better. Coupled with unrivaled, breathtaking scenery painted with candy-coated colors, every frame in 5Cm is worthy to be hung on a wall. The only drawback is the characters, which often lack properly drawn faces and attention to detail given to backdrops. Shinkai is clearly a landscape artist first and an character animator second, and looking at his past work, this is no surprise. Even if he worked with a team, they've done little to deviate from the simplistic approach to character drawing he debuted with. Nonetheless, this does little to hinder the narrative, as the you'll probably be gawking at the colors and background anyway, and the most powerful moments come from the combination of mise en scene, thoughtful framing, sharp editing, and convincing VAs.
The first episode is undoubtedly the best portion, and the only portion that can be considered a complete tale. There is buildup, there is tension, and there is lots and lots of rapid development leading to a conclusion that the later two episodes lack. Having experienced milestones in my life that are similar to those in 5Cm, the first episode touched me on a deeply personal level. This portion captures perfectly the fleeting moments of childhood friendship and school life we remember for one reason or another, the hope and despair of being in a long distance relationship, the unbearable anxiety of being late while someone who cares about you is eagerly waiting, the magical experience of first love, the defeating pain of "first loss" as a youth. After all that, the film could have ended and I would have seen one of the best anime shorts in my life. Instead, it went on for another two episodes that, sadly for me, were simply not as good nor added much to the initial story.
The second episode is a continuation of the first, but from the perspective of an outsider, or "third wheel", rather. This is where 5Cm sags and loses all its momentum. It is effectively a non-story, where potential developments of characters' lives go absolutely nowhere. The direction of part two is constrained by and in service of the relationship from the first episode, and therefore, what happens is understandable. However, understandable does not necessarily mean compelling; just because it happens in real life doesn't make it a good story. Kanae, the new female point of view, is deeply in love with Takaki, the boy from episode one, but his mind is fixed one his former love, Akari. As a notable exception to Shinkai's generally simple faces, Takaki's depression is worn heavily on his face. For the entire episode, neither the expression on his face nor the feelings in his heart ever wavers. Since he is unmoving in his conviction and responds to neither internal or external stimuli, Takaki in part two is a one dimensional, uninteresting character. This might be alleviated if Kanae was more wholly and independently developed. Yet she spends nearly every waking moment thinking about Takaki, but as we know he's a non-reactionary force; it's like poking a stone, and that's essentially all we're watching here. Her character might have been more accomplished if the subplots about her hobby, surfing, and decisions about her future were concluded in some form, but these elements vaporize when her plans of confessing to Takaki fail. Therefore, for all her screen time, Kanae did nothing of worth, romantic or otherwise. So what the hell was the point? Even if the guy had taken the slightest of interest, manipulated her, struggled a bit, or ANYTHING, there would at least be some level of meaningful interaction between the characters. Instead there is really no development whatsoever. Realistic? Perhaps. Riveting fiction? Nope. I don't know about you, but I don't enjoy non-stories about non-relationships between the central characters.
The last segment is similar to part two, although it manages to be more eventful and less contrived, concluding what began in the first chapter. A large amount of time has passed, and we are brought back in alignment with Takaki's perspective. Thanks to this, his struggle is explored once more. There are some peripheral characters involved, but their inclusion is purposeful. In between a fleeting moment where Takaki might have a once in a lifetime chance to reconnect with his lost love Akari, we are shown a cathartic montage of desperate longing from and for the past, miserable existence in the present. We glimpse Akari's current life. We examine Takaki's hopeless plight of living the miserable present while longing for the joyous past, and message of the film becomes clear. As an extension of part one, part three is concentrated and stirring, if not ham-handed, with its emotional highs borrowed from the first segment. There's a lot of obvious introspection, not much development, but at least the montage is beautifully edited to an emotionally wrenching score. Its impact would be far more reaching as well if not hampered by its connection to the limp second part, with repeated motifs that render part three a bit redundant. Nonetheless, it is an effective conclusion and a righting of the ship for the film.
All in all, 5 Centimeters per Second is two-fifths of a perfect film, two-fifths of a poor one, and one fifth of a pretty good one. If only part two didn't exist, or made better use of the screen time... As it stands, however, 5Cm will always be a memorable, but flawed work.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Jun 25, 2014
When I read the synopsis for Maou-sama, I sincerely hoped I was in for something special.
In some spectacularly fun ways, I was.
Above all else, Maou-sama is a sitcom, driven by bizarre satire and wacky situations made crazier by the clash of incompatible and fairly inflexible personalities. Right from the get go, I was entertained immensely, and you will be as well, though the more familiar you are with classic RPG tropes, the funnier. Given my longstanding love for the genre, seeing the old fantasy traditions turned upside down as "protagonist hero" and "antagonist overlord" alongside their companions are flung into sanitized modern Japanese society as
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fish out of water was a breath of fresh air. A superb first episode is dramatic, silly, and instantly engaging. The titular demon lord, Maou, in particular, is a beaming whiplash of a character, who never ceases to bring a smile to everyone's face (besides him or in the audience). Most of the primary characters are lovable goofs in one way or another, and it's hard not to laugh as they stumble all over themselves across disaster and daily routine. There's a backstory that crucial as well, and it kept me pondering when there weren't jokes tickling me.
Sadly, this anime--however loaded with potential--never quite steps up to its promise. Provided, there are laughs aplenty throughout, and the silly characters never stop being silly, but they fail to rise above a superficial interpretation of the tropes they set out to subvert, and development grinds to a halt. The first five episodes make bounding leaps of narrative progress, establishing the setting and maximizing its usage, introducing and exploring likable characters, punching my funny bone with fresh humor, defeating expectations, stirring up tension and resolving conflict... and ultimately coming to a conclusion for the narrative arc. So then I thought, Wow, so much in 5 episodes! If it keeps pace this will be one hell of a packed 13 episode series! Can't wait to see what's next!
As it turns out, not much, actually.
After episode 5, nothing noteworthy happens in terms of story development, character relationships, conflicts or humor as devious as before. Being a 2-volume adaptation of an ongoing light novel series that is 11 volumes and counting, I understand the limitations yet can't help but sense that the anime had simultaneously been held back by its source material. Had the back 8 episodes moved as nimbly on all fronts as the first 5, the story could easily have concluded in self-containment. It would have been one of the greats of recent times. Instead, we get more of the same humor as before (which is still funny but increasingly repetitive), less screentime and interaction devoted to the most compelling relationship of all--the one between demon lord and heroine (giving way to lesser characters), and dead-end situations that are hit or miss in terms of hilarity.
At points the show sinks to generic situations where I question whether or not I am watching YET ANOTHER tight-friends-group-slice-of-life-with-integrated-harem-plus-beach-episode-show. Primary characters will fire constant pot-shots at each other's tropes, and though novel at first, there is a strange disconnect between their awareness of their supposed roles and their actions. As much as the cast likes to reference their old traditions, they are surprisingly quick to adapt to the new surroundings and customs, making them too comfortable too soon, and thus less interesting. The two sides are quick to adapt to each other as well, fitting into new anime tropes, making me wonder if they view their previously life-defining alignments as no more than say, a grade-school feud. Perhaps they band together because they are all strangers in a strange land, but even within their own world they surely must come from vastly different backgrounds... yet so little culture shock and discovery of differing habits between them is happening. Are you telling me when the forces of darkness and the crusaders of the church sit together to eat, they interact exactly like high school students who grew up together? How... disappointing (incidentally, this exchange is something Gargantia did exceptionally well and should be followed). If I wanted to see that I could have watched many other anime out there.
What irks me as well is how little the demon lord and heroine interact over the course of the show, with Emilia (the heroine) eventually getting as much screen time as any other support character, or all of them just meshing into group activity. I understand that this is the Maou demon lord show --and boy does he put one up-- but the priorities shifted in the wrong direction. What is more potentially tantalizing than more interaction between role models of good and evil in the ol' fantasy sense flipped on their morally grey head with a hint of sexual tension thrown in? As much as the other characters can entertain (especially the two generals of Maou), they are stock anime characters who do not necessarily struggle or embody the epicenter of the ancient world turned upside down, and do not have backstories I am nearly as curious about. The writers seem to know this --that the plot and development between leads has been throttled by the novels-- and so the story ends in a teasing way that evokes how it began, while hinting at things to come.
If I seem overly negative towards this show, that's only because I had such high hopes, and for the first five episodes, those hopes were fulfilled and lead me to thirst for more. The premise is just so ripe, the characters so endearing, and so much fun was delivered, even now I wish to find out what happened and read all 11 of the untranslated novels. If you keep your expectations in check, you will find much to love here. Amusing at its worst, and brilliant at its best, Hataraku Maou-sama is definitely worth a watch.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Jun 7, 2014
Once upon a time, Shinkai Makoto made a name for himself overnight with a 25 minute independent short. Following his playful debut work "She and Her Cat, the poignantly existential "Voices of a Distant Star" cemented his place as a storyteller and opened the doors to the industry for the fresh young auteur.
Fast forward a decade or so, and now he has amusingly been hired to create a commercial for a cram school company. The result is surprisingly touching as a bite-size narrative, and reminds us why Shinkai Makoto is a master of the short form storytelling. The impact "Cross Road" achieves in two
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minutes is greater than what lesser anime reach in thirteen episodes.
Now don't get me wrong, Makoto's films, which have continually matured visually and thematically, continue to awe and inspire, but I can never shake the feeling that his longer, later works lack the fresh rhythm, and hard-hitting punch of his early masterpiece "Voices". His highly personal, contemplative themes emphasizing separation, chance and circumstance, alongside his lingering sentimentality over unresolved threads of life, are most effective in short bursts. When given the "freedom" of movie length run times, his pet themes can on occasion become overwrought and melodramatic. Hence, it is with this two minute commercial short that the defining elements of his unmistakable style shine through most powerfully.
When pushed to the limits with this constraining format, Makoto makes every single shot count down to millisecond duration, woven together with flawlessly timed editing over inspirational music. By condensing time and space to an extreme, Makoto is able to rapidly draw parallels that tightly entwine two characters who otherwise don't meet until the very end, as well as increase the weight of their every action. Such economy is epitomized by a brief moment in the story (that only lasts a second or two), perhaps to be considered the climax, where a shot of the school door opens, cuts to the female protagonist in thought, then cuts to a close-up twist of her pen, and to a wide shot of a classroom full of students, all to the high point in the accompanying vocals -- that culminates in the protagonists striving to fulfill their dream -- is absolutely uplifting and brilliant in a way that defines Makoto at his very best. The animation, the movement, the choice of shots, the timing from one shot to the next, the context leading up to and following this magical moment, it's all so indelibly appealing. More amazingly, every beat, every moment of these two minutes are nearly as breathlessly spirited.
Some seem to think this would be better as a movie or a series, but in my view, if it were prolonged any more than it was, it would lose so much of what makes it so potent as it exists: a refreshing two minute tale that eliminates the burden of a longer, mundane chronicle of life told so many times before and so many are familiar with. Our imagination fills in the gaps, the details, the happenings in between, and the ever after, and that makes it more than it could ever be in elaboration. Will they get into the U? Will they end up together? Does it really matter? Any extension would be the start of something else far beyond what this set out to be. "I sought to find something great, and while it may not have been what I expected, I found something... or rather, someone." As such this simple tale began and concluded. Like a classy, expensive dessert, "Cross Road" is a slice of life that comes in a small portion. And that's what this short really is -- a collection of perfect little images telling a perfect little story, which incidentally is a the perfect little commercial. Someone should remind this guy to make more short films.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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May 27, 2014
Considering the title, some poor souls might mistakenly step into this anime expecting a facsimile of GTO, or at least something similar. It isn't, and never attempts to be a moderately sophisticated, thoughtfully plotted dramady of Japanese school life portraying well-developed relationships between teacher and students. Far from it.
What it is, however, is a crass, loud, and unexpectedly delightful gut buster of a monkey dance. In its run time just shy of an hour, Ultimate Teacher whips up several mismatched genres with a bucket-load of bold gags into a potent concoction that, like saukraut or durian, may not be for everyone, or even most people
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today. Remember, this was the '80s, a time when political correctness was a low priority in entertainment. If you are the faint of heart, keep your distance.
However, if you can look past the rough and ready exterior and general disregard to please, there's a lot of fun to be had here. Unlike other, more typical '80s anime, you'll think you know what's coming, but you don't. Durex-thin character tropes exist to be deconstructed, embarrassed, and contorted. Cliches are earnestly presented, only to be shattered ruthlessly in the scene immediately following. Sight-gags are found in every other shot to tickle your funny bone. Music is sparse, but it always kicks in at just the right moment. The story, while textbook, moves forward at breathless velocity thanks to the maniacal comedy which drives it. Beneath its veneer of stupidity, Ultimate Teacher sharply and continuously subverts expectations. Admittedly, the tale pushes the boundaries of what's acceptable to it's presumably sane viewer, walking across a high wire of visual and situational insanity in glee over a boiling sea of perverse bad taste. It does a surprisingly stable job of maintaining balance without falling in, staying coherent in part thanks to its headstrong heroine, but it inevitably gets splashed now and again. Still, it's no mere feat, and this bizarre OVA should be applauded for its daring.
Ultimate Teacher is a lot of things, but do yourself a favor and don't take it seriously... at all. Keep an open mind, release your genre notions, and you might just reach the ending credits with a tear in your eyes, a grin on your face, and a hand clutching your side.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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May 27, 2014
First of all, for a film that uses such a controversial hook, I must state my inevitable bias, and that is I am a Christian who is somewhat knowledgeable (I dare not proclaim myself an expert) about my own faith with a bit of understanding of Buddhism and its teachings. Therefore, before you get heated and declare me unhelpful, know where I stand in relation to you on this subject, thus if you are not a person of faith and have no real interest in hearing what I might have to say, then just do us both a favor and skip my review. With
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that said, I am very disappointed in this movie, despite my initial curiosity and desire to enjoy it. The execution did not live up to the concept.
Before I jump to the criticisms, let's talk about the positives first. From the first shot to the very last, Saint Onii-san is a very colorful, eye-catching confection packed full of artistic sensibilities like a sketchy style, DOF shots, slow motion, hyper dynamic perspectives and attention to detail. On the surface, it seems to have captured the style of its source manga and breathed life into these larger than life figures. If nothing else, I thoroughly enjoyed absorbing the energetic visuals of this adaptation. The voice acting is lively and energetic (disregarding the actual interpretation of these figures), and a wide range of vivid emotion is on display in perfect sync with the animation to ensure the viewers will never be bored of listening. All in all, the presentation is almost flawless.
As more of an observation than a criticism, what became apparent to me very quickly is the portrayal of Buddha is a lot more thorough and developed than that of Jesus (and possibly more accurate), which makes sense considering the author and his intended audience are Japanese, hence their exposure and empathy to Buddhism would naturally be a lot higher than towards Christianity. We solely hear Buddha's internal thought process, more than likely positioning him as the protagonist. This I had no problem with, and I understand why it was such.
What I did have problems with, was just about everything else.
Saint Onii-san reminds me heavily of Tentai Senshi Sunred, in that what is often fixed or limited perceptions and interpretations of known figures and characters are subverted and extended beyond the source material for comedic effect. Now, there is nothing inherently wrong with that, provided the author is well-versed in his sources and maximizes what he has chosen to parody or deconstruct. In the case of Tentai Senshi Sunred, it worked well because the source itself, Super Sentai type shows, were often fairly shallow, silly, and populated by two dimensional characters who are flawed anyway -- an easy target that the author took full advantage of through wittily observed writing and situations. Now I understand some non-believers out there find religion to be shallow, silly and populated by two dimensional characters anyway, but the truth is much manpower and resources have been spent in human history, and continues to be spent today, towards the study and understanding of various religions, especially ones so storied and nebulous as Christianity and Buddhism. In other words, it is a sensitive and complex subject for many. Passing references and brief jabs in shows like the Simpsons and Family Guy are mostly innocuous, but when the entire premise is built around the topic and subject, the religious aspects should be handled with wit and subtlety. Unfortunately, Saint Onii-san fails to do this, as much as it sincerely tries to, and often times insults my intellect as an initiated viewer.
What could have been a very stimulating and thought provoking but humorous exercise in theology turned out to be a meandering, wanton, and hackneyed ultimatum of annoyance against my patience. Ancient deities, which the show acknowledges these figures to be off the bat, act like jumpy adolescents or frivolous teens in a manner in which they could be anybody. Perhaps the writer did this to make these usually perceived to be distant and unfathomable figures to be more empathetic and down to earth, but he overdid it. Not a shred of wisdom or wit is to be found in these two vacationing nincompoops, who have trouble dealing with the most minor of issues. It's not that the duo are unlikable -- far from it, because if they were not claimed to be two specific holy men they would be lovable buffoons. They just bear very little resemblance in action and personality to what one envisions of these two figures if knowledgeable beyond a superficial degree about either of their texts. If Jesus and Buddha were barely going retain what their respective texts imply about their personality and intelligence, why bother using them? By painting these two as such incompetent beings, the writer sets a very low bar; Without maximizing their potential, the presence of these two important characters I am watching interact on screen become an empty gimmick.
I waited and waited for more references to Jesus's and Buddha's respective texts, for their personas to exchange conversation intelligently on topics beyond groceries and floor mats, but they never came. When the occasional trickle of reference dropped onto my tongue, it was banal at best and offensive at worst. Some inaccurate interpretations made me shake my head, but I couldn't bring myself to be angry at this show. It was just too dumb to be malicious, too naive to be biting. It was as if someone who only knew these figures through a few children's books and from looking at their statues took a stab at paying tribute or making fun of them. So much inspiration from the New Testament could have been used to flesh out Jesus as a character, for fun or for otherwise, and while I am not anywhere close to being as familiar with Buddhist texts and sutras, I'm sure there's a lot of material there as well -- the author simply chose to flirt lightly with it all in a safe manner, over-humanize the duo in typical anime self-depreciating manner, and fill in the rest of the screen time with non-sequitur comedy. The worse part was the addition of the children, whose gag overstayed its welcome and detracted from the already thin dynamic of the duo. I thought they would somehow learn something about religious tolerance or there'd be there would be some commentary about children and religion, but alas, their story arc went nowhere. They took up so much screen time I felt like the writer ran out of material for the interaction between Jesus and Buddha, which is ridiculous because there is so much potential left unused.
Perhaps I was expecting too much. Perhaps all the creator of this story wanted to express was that people from drastically different backgrounds could get along just fine and his very intent was there wouldn't be any religious discussion to get in the way. But if that were the case he wouldn't have needed an hour and a half movie full of air to do it; a single 4-koma could have done just as well in promoting this well-intended but simplistic message. I don't believe this toothless approach was the only way to make a Jesus-Buddha roommate combo funny. For example, League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (the graphic novel) comes to mind, a brilliant story that took liberties with its serious characters to form a grand new tale while remaining true to their personalities. If only the writer of Saint Onii-san made Jesus and Buddha less dull-witted, and delved deeper into their respective lore while maintaining the absurd situations, this movie might have been orders of magnitudes funnier at a higher level. Instead, we have this insipid, unfaithful disappointment of a film. In my opinion, the mistake this movie made was having the guts to give top billing to two of the most respected figures at opposite ends of the religious spectrum in a single movie but not the writing and intellectual humor necessary to back up such an ambitious pairing. Hopefully someone else in the future will attempt this concept again with more respect.
Reviewer’s Rating: 4
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Apr 30, 2013
In the ongoing search for those profanely violent early 90s animes (specifically the extreme justice police action drama subgenre), I stumbled upon this gem that few have ever heard of. Having watched the guilty pleasures that were Angel Cop, Mad Bull 34, and Cyber City Oedo, this seem to fit in with that era and criteria so I knew I had to give it a try.
To my surprise, while I indulged in the aforementioned shows for their grindhouse-esque camp factor (loaded with grotesque outbursts of violence strung together by juvenile plot lines and bewildering dialogue), Wild 7 managed to transcended my low expectations and
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rise above its own limitations. Wild 7 doesn't have the striking visual imagery of Cyber City, the sheer brutality of Mad Bull, nor the constant unintentional hilarity of Angel Cop. But what it has makes it better than any of them: Wild 7 has actual focus, and a whole lot of heart.
All the other shows payed tribute to western police procedurals and action films only at face value without really adhering to the heart of those kinds of stories or even what they themselves originally set out to be (becoming increasingly outlandish until the stories ceased to bear any relation to police work any longer). However, for Wild 7, it's themes are at its heart and soul, and worn on its sleeve. This is a tale about a special police unit who wrangle with their designation of being "above the law". Over and over they face the trial of duty vs kinship, of conscience vs conformity, of identity vs free will. With its colorful characters over a series of entangling situations, Wild 7 never strays from its theme, ending on an inevitable but nonetheless powerful conclusion.
Being about cops, this anime takes elements from Dirty Harry, Robocop, and Hard Boiled and tosses them into a blender. While these films are known for their cool characters and blistering carnage, which this anime shares aplenty, they also chronicle the pressure faced by officers who have chosen to disrupt the binds of bureaucracy to get at the most evil injustice--the best thing Wild 7 could have borrowed. And admittedly while this is nothing we haven't seen before, Wild 7 paces through these kinds of intense conflicts briskly over the course of two hour long episodes. The story rarely sags and the action sequences never overstay their welcome; the relationships never devolve into unearned melodrama.
If I had to guess, the name Wild 7 is probably the Wild Bunch and the Magnificent Seven (which in turn was a variant of Seven Samurai) mashed together. Fitting, because these films also dealt with the interaction and conflicts of an ensemble cast of vigilantes enforcers. Although characters are unavoidably shallow due to the format and genre, they serve their roles well and have noticeably distinct personality and an overall sense of camaraderie as well as convincing chemistry. Much of the development is centered on the ever daring young leader of the 7 and their iron-willed bespectacled superior. The bond and strife between these individuals and what they represent, combined with the constant external forces that threaten to break them apart, is masterfully maintained and what makes Wild 7 so surprisingly memorable, not unlike those inspirational sports films which detail the ups and downs of a team, its captain, and the coach.
If there are any major flaws in Wild 7, they are despite all the big questions it raises, the 7 themselves don't seem to face enough consequence for all the collateral damage they cause. Yet this can be forgiven when considering Wild 7 to be action first, and drama second. A lot of minor issues regarding development are there of course if you look hard enough, but the fact that it is fairly consistent and persistent for its circumstances is already beyond reproach.
It is a shame that Wild 7 was probably never that well known to begin with, and now whatever legacy it had is lost to time (and VHS tapes). This anime is criminally underrated by this community, but none can be blamed as it is such an obscure piece with no fanfare or notable documentation. It's not notoriously bad, not gorgeously flawed, but it is far from bland. For what it does right it is a minor masterpiece of the form--and as such, deserves to be watched. Wild 7 is not "so bad it's good", like so many from that era, but "so good it's great".
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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