Quote:
Originally Posted by bbee
Your review is a very good analysis of the part of S&W that makes it enjoyable: the organic character growth, their familiar banter, slice-of-life setting, well rounded side characters, and the slowly simmering romance.
You don't mention, however, the insanely convoluted ways that they choose to involve Horo in Lawrence's crazy dealings. Or the fact that pretty much all the drama would be deflated with some more communication between Horo and Lawrence (the drama at the end of the pyrite arc falls apart if Horo had talked). Oh, and the standard anime trapping of brickwall male lead paired with tsundere female.
I can predict right now without having read the novel that S3 will feature even more insane and unlikely ways for Lawrence's personal and economic intrerests to combine in an effort to center the drama around the relationship with Horo.
What I will say for the show, is that it has some amazingly well-written, aptly placed and subtle dialogue, which I'm sure is pulled straight from the novel. Season 2 was actually more enjoyable for me than the first, due to these character interactions. Oh, and the OP is probably the best of the year.
6/10, enjoyable watch if you can forgive the flaws and sit back for the ride.
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Well I wouldn't exactly call it convoluted. Most of the issues arose because Lawrence is as dense as a brick, a fact no fan will deny because it's true. Most of everything that happened is because Lawrence for the most part can't pick up the hints and subtleties Horo's trying to get across as well as Lawrence being very clumsy in the way he talks to Horo about certain issues that he otherwise would handle perfectly if it was about business.
That said, season 2 since the first episode of the season had been exactly about Lawrence and his inability to properly function in deeply social situations, resulting in him getting into trouble that may or may not be worth it in the long run. The plot in essence revolves around what happens because Lawrence is a slow, slow man. Romantically speaking of course.
But that's what I like about this season. Sure enough Lawrence is a walking trope of the brick-dense doofus male lead, but what he gets is something many leads of the same type really don't get: really good personal development. Unlike other shows, the male lead is facing real and serious repurcussions as a result of his lackings as compared to other shows with this type of lead, events that are usually too comic or silly to be taken seriously. Here however, no matter how strangely convoluted and unlucky the situations get, they are events forcing the lead to develop and make a choice. That's something I don't tend to see in other shows with a lead like this.
One can just consider them a means to an end perhaps, but I can't deny the fact that no matter how silly some of the ideas like the pyrite plot is, it was brought about with such pizzaz that it made me actually care about market economics, a subject I usually tend to abhor (I suck at economic theory). It actually felt serious and critical.