So, Zankyou no Terror...haha yeah, things like that have apparently been the downside of the show, and a lot of people have overblown those tiny issues and completely missed the point of the show. What you said about Twelve is funny: I thought he had been shot, but that they went with the stylistic/artistic approach of not letting us hear the gunshot but to instead letting the music shine through to intensify the scene (kinda like in the Cowboy Bebop episode "Ballad of the Fallen Angels" when Spike falls through the church's window and we don't hear the grenade explosion but rather the song "Green Bird." One of the most iconic scenes in anime, directed by the same guy from ZnT and the music composed by the same person. I have my reasons to draw that conclusion). Someone pointed out to me that he just kinda died of his illness there, much like you said, which is perfectly plausible as well, but that's not how it initially came across to me, and I prefer to think that he was shot. Regardless, it doesn't make the situation any different.
The one thing that bothered me the most was Five. She had so much potential as a character, but she just turned out to be a mere foil for our protagonist. If you think about it, the only thing she was useful for was for getting our antagonist (US government) in contact with our protagonists. Anything else she might have done, was quite useless in terms of story, aside from being a mere plot device to highlight Sphinx's nature. Take her out of the picture, and her actions would be irrelevant to the ending of the story. In other words, more than a character, she was a plot device. It's not like that is a bad thing in and of itself, but I thought she could have been so much more, while still serving as a foil.
Lisa also gets a lot of shit, but I actually really liked her character. She is the most relatable of all, given that she's the only main character who is just a regular person with her own set of issues. Issues which, if perhaps more severe than that of the average person, are a lot more relatable than, say, idyllic memory, or incredible crime and puzzle-solving analytical skills. I see her as the viewer's anchor with reality, in some sense. I do wish she had been fleshed out a little bit more, but I attribute that to the low episode count. She's also super kawaii and moe, and I just love that; bite me.
There were more things that bothered me a bit (note that all of these "flaws" could have been made better had there been more episodes to flesh things out), but none of them bothered me enough to stop me from enjoying how great it was.
Direction, art, and animation are some of the best I have ever seen, and dat score... DAT OST MAN. It is so stupidly good; Yoko Kanno solidifying my belief that she is the best thing to have happened to music in anime.
I can't really be bothered to write a review of this anime even though I really like it - I've written enough about it that I don't feel a need to review it - but if I were to rate it on a numerical scale...
8/10. It was f*cking amazing, and easily my favorite anime of the year so far.
So...
I'm guessing you mean Nine? As Twelve is clearly shown being shot... Anyway, I actually haven't considered the fact Nine might have been shot, interesting. Still would have made it a bit weird for the US Army to wait though. I Also totally agree with you about Five- In the end, her sole reason for trying to capture Nine was what, to show him she can catch him? a rather weak plot point... And what did the whole scene in The Settlement when they ran away meant? You see Five going after them, but was she trying to stop them? Join them? One time you see her laughing maniacally, but it might have been a twisted memory... They didn't really explain that, and that made Five unclear as a character I think. As for Lisa, her character was great. They really pictured the fact that she's a lost teenager, that stumbles into 2 terrorists, who finally give her a sense of belonging, something she never had, and she decides to help them, yet she's still a normal teenager- no super powers or anything...
And just to be clear- Flaws or w/e, I absolutely loved that show
Easily one the best I've seen. The OST was absolutely amazing, Yoko Kanno is divine. Definitely 8/10.
Now, any recommendations for a new anime?
Anything that resembles in style, general vibe, or simply anything awesome. (Yes, I've seen Cowboy Bebop) I've been out of the anime loop for a while so I have no idea what's up...
EP2 will have to a complete turn around to get me to continue.
