Zero no Tsukaima Discussion Thread ~Spoilers~

[Shuten]

Zero no Tsukaima Info

Discuss the series here.


Sincerely,
Shuten

[KLSymph]

Random comment: As a single mage tower surrounded by a pentagram-shaped wall sitting on a grassy field at the foot of some mountains, Tristain Magic School resembles nothing more than a poor man's Balamb Garden.





It even has the one road that connects it with the rest of the world.



Kinda sad, since Balamb Garden wasn't all that wonderful to begin with. Although I'd be interested in seeing the ripoff progress to its natural conclusion, when the magic school uproots itself to go skimming across the fields and seas.

[Trunkyboy]

I decided to give this show a try, since Tatsu recommened it.  After a few eps I gave it up.  Reading about what happens in the following eps clinched it.  Basic premise?  A abusive violent failed as a mage girl messes up a summons and gets a boy from another realm instead.  She then proceeds to treat him like a dog and a washing machine for her panties.  Hijinks enuse.  Other things happen, the boy finds he has some super cool ability that is useless in most eps, but the basic premise seems to revolve on her mistreating him and he eating it up.  I think they fall in love somewhere down the line.  Zero falls in the harem category, the dude has several chicks wanting his attention, he finds a way to mess every encounter up, typical harem anime humor?  Anyway, the anime made me throw up my hands in disgust, others might like the whipped male humor.  I heard the manga is much better though, extending far beyond the anime, and the dude uses his power a lot more.  I read some synopsis of some of the volumes, I like the premise they take in it, hoping they get translated.

[KLSymph]

I believe that the single worst part of the anime is that sliding vertical bar with the magic colored sparkles that go from one side of the screen to the other for scene transitions. Their use really calls into attention the fact that each episode is a series of short scenes which aren't particularly fleshed out. This is most obvious when the sliding bar happen close together. Small scene WIPE small scene WIPE small scene. You practically see how much smooth narrative transitions isn't present in the episodes.

[thepanda]

God, why was episode 11 so bad? I was actually liking this show.

[KLSymph]

Episode eleven is what happens when you have to find some way to cram a lot of information into only a few episodes remaining in the season, and you decide to fit everything by cutting out major sections of an episode dedicated to the most story-continuity-vital plot point of the tale and simplifying the rest of the episode.

And the result is as ugly as it sounds. The episode content should've been spread out among more than one episode, but there just wasn't enough space until the end of the season.