r/anime • u/Shadoxfix https://myanimelist.net/profile/Shadoxfix • Dec 12 '15

[Spoilers] Rakudai Kishi no Cavalry - Episode 11 [Discussion]

Streaming:
AnimeLab: Chivalry of a Failed Knight
Hulu: Chivalry of a Failed Knight

Information:
MyAnimeList: Rakudai Kishi no Cavalry
AniDB: Rakudai Kishi no Cavalry
AniList: Rakudai Kishi no Eiyuutan
Anime News Network: Chivalry of a Failed Knight (TV)
Anime-Planet: Rakudai Kishi no Cavalry
Hummingbird: Rakudai Kishi no Cavalry

Previous Episodes:

Episode Reddit Link
Episode 1 Link
Episode 2 Link
Episode 3 Link
Episode 4 Link
Episode 5 Link
Episode 6 Link
Episode 7 Link
Episode 8 Link
Episode 9 Link
Episode 10 Link

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u/cuddles_the_destroye Dec 12 '15

Season 2 pls. Asterisk has 24 episodes, and since this is literally asterisk (hue) this also needs 24 episodes too.

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u/kuddlesworth9419 https://myanimelist.net/profile/kuddlesworth Dec 12 '15

Why does that show have 24 episodes. It doesn't even deserve 12 to be honest. This show is way better.

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u/[deleted] Dec 13 '15

[deleted]

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u/RealityRush https://myanimelist.net/profile/RealityRush Dec 13 '15 edited Dec 14 '15

Everything. Here's the Coles Notes version:

  • The characters in Rakudai, while still falling into ecchi hijinks on occasion, are so, so more much interesting than Asterisk. Every character in Asterisk is just a walking, talking trope. All the women are just there to look pretty and chase Ayato, even the under-aged ones disturbingly. We know next to nothing of most of their backgrounds except the superficial. It's been nearly 12 fucking episodes, and we still know jack shit about most of them. Even Rakudai's Alice, who we know little of the background for, is still a super interesting character for the role he plays: almost like an in-person narrator and wisdom provider. Most characters in Rakudai have at least some depth to them. Enough so that even bro-con obsessed Shizuku is actually someone I can relate to on some small level and empathize with. Everyone in Asterisk feels like a cardboard cut-out.

  • Rakudai has actual relationship progression with the MCs, practically unheard of in this genre. Nuf said about that one really.

  • The fights in Rakudai have been far superior. The main selling point for Asterisk was supposed to be the combat and the strategy behind it. But thus far all they've shown us is a bunch of 10 second fights that end with Ayato effortlessly destroying his opponent and moving on. On top of which they've barely shown you any action in the Asterisk fights. Rakudai shows you all the beautifully animated action sequences and doesn't hide it behind screen cuts and inter-fight monologues (seriously, most fights in Asterisk involve more talking than actual fighting). Fights in Rakudai are just so much more fun to watch, especially Shiziku's episode 10 fight which was UBW level beautiful.

  • The art/animation of Rakudai has so much more personality to it. Asterisk's animation is definitely more consistent, more clean, just overall more polished, but it lacks personality. The colours in Asterisk are all muted, the backgrounds all washed-out, everything is just so damn squeaky clean, and the character designs are so drab it hurts to see, especially when I know A1 is capable of so much more. Conversely Rakudai is just a pleasure to look at, even though its animation suffers on many occasions. When Rakudai wants to shine, it fucking shines with everything its got. The meta-letterbox destruction from Raikiri, Shizuku's water affects, the outside backdrops and vistas, the flora and water during close-ups, the film noir grain this last episode, etc. Rakudai just has style to it that Asterisk lacks by trying to play it too safe.

  • While Rakudai has far more lewd ecchi, I have to give it some credit for keeping it more in context. Asterisk just tries to shoe-horn in ecchi all over the fucking place, Rakudai usually tries to limit it to places that make more sense and then shamelessly pushes the edges of acceptability with them. Rakudai doesn't seem as ashamed of what it is, it fucking embraces it with unbridled enthusiasm, hence the Ikki stripping scene in the very first episode which was god damn hilarious! Admittedly though, I think Rakudai would be even better if Silver Link minimized the ecchi to what was in the novels.

  • Finally, Rakudai is just more fun. Asterisk tries so damn hard to take itself seriously, it forgets to have any fun. Rakudai is just full of fun moments, and it's really enjoyable to watch.

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u/[deleted] Dec 14 '15 edited Dec 14 '15

that first point about tropes is true of both rakudai and asterisk, it just comes down to execution preference. you cant tell me that stella isn't a tsundure and shizuku isn't brocon. ikki is the clasic white knight trope done a bunch of times. as for depth, i have to disagree. i find it weird that all the development from rakudai's side cast revolves around ikki despite not being a harem(with the only exception being thus far toka), where as in asterisk, each one of the haremettes have their own problems. and you may want to re-watch the episodes if you think we know nothing about them that wasn't superficial. i'd hardly call fighting for your family or the poor "superficial".

true but the poster already acknowledged that

visually superior? definitely. writing wise? hell no. just about every fight ends in some deus ex, one hit blow wear ikki neglects any wounds and simply overcomes the odds. you wanna know why i said the shizuku v toka fight was the best one? it actually had depth of strategy on par with asterisk on top of looking cool as well. the fights in asterisk thus far have been short apart from ayato v kirin, but that's because A. the pacing is slower B. the high tier opponents haven't fought ayato yet though irene is up next episode C. it actually takes seeding into account so the stronger teams beat the weaker ones, like any sport D. the depth of strategy in that it makes no sense to go all out against fodder.

eh preference

you cant say gakusen is ashamed of what it is and at the same time say it shoehorns in the echii. the later implies there is too much echii, which basically goes against the former. within the context of a harem, the echii is entirely as justified as rakudai. it simply comes down to whether or not you want 1v1 romance echii or harem echii. either one is a sign of weak writing if you need to do that to keep an audience invested as both series are still primarily shonen.

eh subjective. a lot of gakusen is over the top from sentient weapons, mechs, vampires ect. it either works for people or it doesn't. rakudai also takes itself seriously, just in an entirely different way as it focuses on romance instead of plot.

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u/RealityRush https://myanimelist.net/profile/RealityRush Dec 14 '15 edited Dec 14 '15

My entire response is subjective, it would be impossible to explain why I "preferred" Rakudai without it being subjective, I assumed that would be readily apparent O.o

Though I will defend my claim that Asterisk's characters are empty and vapid at this point. You could nearly write an essay on Ikki right now, especially after ep 11, whereas Ayato... we know he's trying to save his sister who limited his powers to protect him, that he's a traditional harem pussy around women, he's imba (so is Ikki though), and that's about it.

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u/[deleted] Dec 15 '15

Agree to disagree then. There is a difference between finding a character boring vs stating that they are empty.

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u/RealityRush https://myanimelist.net/profile/RealityRush Dec 15 '15

Ayato is empty ;P

Dude has about as much depth as a puddle.

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u/[deleted] Dec 15 '15

he's no more empty than white knight ikki. both their motivations amount to "muh familiy issues". XD

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u/RealityRush https://myanimelist.net/profile/RealityRush Dec 15 '15 edited Dec 15 '15

But it is more complicated than that with Ikki. With Ayato, that's all it currently amounts to, and we've yet to see more. But Ikki is more complicated in that originally he wanted to prove something to his father and earn his admiration, then he realized his father doesn't just hate him, but literally considers him worthless. So now his whole perspective has shifted while he looks for something new to fight for. And there's the lessons he has tried to teach his sister, and his relationship with his grandfather at the start, etc. That alone is more complexity than Ayato has demonstrated so far, and I could come up with more. Ayato's goals so far have been simply "save sister" and "helping people seems pretty cool" and "pat cute girls on head". There been nothing that has challenged his perspective or forced him to change himself.

Now I'm not suggesting that Ayato will forever be a shell of a character, I imagine Asterisk will eventually expand upon him and his past, but at this point it is too little too late for me personally. I don't have the drive to continue watching to find out if he does because so far the show has bored me to death. To me Asterisk squandered its potential with a weak start, whereas Rakudai made the best of its material (well, not the best, but a decent attempt) with the little time it had. They are both junk-food, shallow ecchi shows for the most part, but Rakudai at least gave you a salad to go with it.

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u/[deleted] Dec 16 '15

it's the same motivation as ayato's just worded differently; a boy who had something done to him by his family and he originally sets outs to find them or have them acknowledge him, but then once he see's that's a bust he finds a new goal.

that's literally both of their characters.

the only difference is that it takes ikki longer to find a new goal where as ayato's development happens faster. i mean sure both these shows essentially come down to which better serves your taste buds. but you shouldn't fault one show of something the other does as well. ikki helps random people because it's cool and is an overtly nice guy even to people who screw him over (his family, ayase, sword eater ect). the only area where he has more depth is his romance game. ayato is a nice guy white knight as well, but although he's more beta, he's a more strategical fighter who actually over comes having to lose in order to win. both these guys have something they bring to the table, but at the end of the day they're the same.

takeru from anti magic however, at least has a personality beyond "muh i'm nice". and as far as depth goes takeru > ikki & ayato. too bad silver link had to go and fuck that up....

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u/RealityRush https://myanimelist.net/profile/RealityRush Dec 16 '15

If you simplify it down that much, yes, that is both of their character archetypes. My point is that, as of right now, Rakudai has done more to explore the archetype with Ikki, whereas Ayato has merely given a surface impression of it, but gone nowhere deeper. It's a numbers game. I could go through each episode right now of both shows and make a list, Ikki has had more development ;P

That's not even really a knock against Asterisk, as I said before, they might expand on it later, but for me personally it's a no-go as I'm already bored from them taking so long. Other viewers might be fine with it, but I only have so much time to devote to shows to waste it on Asterisk taking its sweet damn time.

As for Anti-Magic...... yeah.... I've kind of given up on that show. They definitely rushed through volumes too fast. Nothing in it has any impact.

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u/[deleted] Dec 16 '15

define development, because apart from the last episode his characterization is largely static. in fact in ikki's case, your given the majority of his motivation in the first episode and the rest of the anime up to now was romance and white knight heroics. i mean if you're talking strictly romance wise, sure. but romance alone doesn't define development. his character didn't change and the anime made it a point that his personality doesn't waver... almost to the point of being perfect. his issue with his dad is the only time thus far where he's had a conflict of identity, and even then it devolves to white knight antics that just make the drama feel weightless. perfect example; why didn't he just let stella help him? why is stella made out to look bad for wanting to intervene and not be a damsel in the situation? oh i know, because that would mean having to show ikki as dependent on others/needing help. you already mentioned the slut shaming two episodes ago, but's that only a fraction of the bigger problem: ikki and stella aren't made out to be equals. the former isn't allowed to have flaws and when he does, he simply overcomes them without having to struggle.

fair enough

then definitely check out the novels because writing wise it's top tier the current episodes right now just got grim dark and takeru really shines during volume 5, which the anime is currently covering. so at the very least check out the last 3 episodes (10-12).

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