Yoru no Yatterman Episode 4 Discussion

Keten said:
I was just saying that so far they haven't given me any reason to think this show is "interesting" or anything. Also, I appreciate it when a series not only fleshes out the good guys but also the bad guys. I don't care how evil they are, I want to know more about them otherwise I feel the conflict is too simple and shallow. It's especially bad when a series wants me to take it seriously, though this series only has a serious tone half the time. A good villain is a villain that is enjoyable even if they do despicable things.

Keten said:
I do think that using an abundance of silly and cute stuff can appear creepy but it all depends on cinematography at that point, using unsettling angles, creepy visual effects, interesting settings, stuff like that. Unfortunately I don't think the series really stands out in the art department, at least for the most part. Everything looks fairly basic with the exception of the occasionally deadish looking areas and some of the robot designs which I like more for their sillyness and not for their creepiness. I feel like the series does it's comedy far better than it's drama, which is why it's hard for me to view it as anything more than a silly action adventure with super heroes.

deadoptimist said:

I love the design choices. But that's me, and I have a weak spot for journey through hell type of stories, especially if said hell is not entirely virtual or metaphorical, but is shown as a space with it's own laws and inhabitants. Even better if the one travelling is not completely detached from the setting.
I don't like when bad guys are simply a tool for the progression, but at the same time I feel that I start to tire from situation, when backstory is given, but it doesn't lead to anything. It should either work on plot level or conceptual level or be left out. Saazbaum's Orlaine story hasn't started to work so far, for example. I guess, it's a matter of balance and purpose, as usually.

deadoptimist said:

Hmm, I, on the contrary, don't like the comedy. I thought it was pretty creepy with the subdued colors, greenless forests, images of insects and toys of huge sizes. They even have a giant skull instead of a moon like it's a-ok, and the anime started with some sort of explosion, that killed a ton of people.
But I can't argue that the way they mix tones is strange and sometimes grating.

Anyway, we'll see how it develops.

Keten said:
Backdrops don't necessarily need to lead to anything, they are there to give you a bigger idea of who the character is and why the character is the way they are. It gives them depth(Depending on the execution of course, sometimes backdrops give next to nothing to a character). It's true that sometimes a series can give a backdrop to a totally pointless character that serves no purpose but if the series expects me to view a character with any sort of empathy or intrigue, it helps to know where they came from. Also, I love journey through hell stories as well, I just think the sillyness makes the "hell" appear not as brutal. It's hard to care about the horrible things when I barely know the characters involved besides Leopard and her group, which granted, would be enough if they just focused on them but in this episode in particular, it focused on the pregnant woman who as I said, wasn't given enough fleshing out or personality to make me invested enough. That's more a criticism on the episode though and not as much on the whole series.

Dark_Kain said:
My personal feeling is that this episode wasn't about the pregnant woman, it was entirely about Leopard.

Keten said:
Backdrops don't necessarily need to lead to anything, they are there to give you a bigger idea of who the character is and why the character is the way they are.

Dark_Kain said:
I think your reading of the episode probably isn't the one intended.

My personal feeling is that this episode wasn't about the pregnant woman, it was entirely about Leopard.
The maternity, family, and mother/daughter relationship thematics have been prominent in this series since the first episode, and the pregnant woman was initially invested of the "Mother Figure" values that Leopard adores over anything else.
The point wasn't about reiterating these values (the frequent flashbacks are just enough), but having Leopard stumble upon a very harsh reality check.

The final focus of the episode is Leopards pained laugh: the direction is showing to you how she was hurt in the most holy of her values.

deadoptimist said:
Oh, as for me, I am mostly against unnecessary exposition at the moment (I didn't mind it previously, but now it kills my motivation very fast). I dislike when a writer gives info solely for the sake of expanding the world. There're exceptions, of course, it's fine if it's not too many and it can be done well, but in general I view such things as untidy writing.

Also I think that maybe I like the aesthetics, because it's familiar to me. The postmodern post-soviet fiction uses the discarded playground and heroes gone rotten tropes a lot. Mind easily slips into familiar shapes.

banpreiomaster said:

Sorry, my bad. I just noticed it's Yatterpug, a new mech, with some similarities with Yatterbull.