October 27, 2004
Fantastic Children Episode 2 - Wandering Feelings
The Children visit Sweden in 1901, where Palza/Conrad is being awarded the Nobel prize for discovering X rays - it appears that Mel visited him covertly once. Flash forward to 2012, and while Helga is incarcerated in Chikao, the Children investigate more into Serafine's paintings - they retrieve "memories" stored in crystals, but are attcked by mysterious shadow creatures - one of them corners Hatsumodai and shows him a vision of a beautiful house that terrifies him for some reason. The Children part ways once again - some to find someone who they believe to be the reincarnation of Serafine, others to try and find Mel and Palza to deliver their memories to them.
Helga and Chit escape from Chikao once more, while Thoma has srange nightmares and can't shake Helga from his mind. The Children, Helga and Chit all board the same train bound for the mainland, and Thoma is left with doubts in his mind...
I love Fantastic Children, it's easily my favourite new show. While the cryptic nature of the segments with Children may annoy some, they're not stupidly obscure or anything, just mysterious, and it really just nails everything I want to see perfectly. More people need to be watching this, basically.
Posted by BluWacky at October 27, 2004 12:21 AM | TrackBackWould you really say that Fantastic Children is the *best* show offered this season?
I can certainly see that it's a good series in its own right, but it would be rather nice to hear your thoughts on what *exactly* makes it so compelling :)
What makes it so compelling for me is the epic yet intriguing scope of the story. Everything is revealed very deliberately so that we only have the smallest idea of what's really going on, but already there are layers of intrigue - what exactly are the Children? Why do they lose their memories but seem eternally youthful? Why is Helga so important? What are "they", the shadowy creatures that attack the Children? There's so many unanswered questions I can't wait to see resolved at some point, and I like to see if I can piece together things for myself before they're resolved.
Furthermore, the animation is both fluid and distinctive, with wonderful background art in particular. Action sequences are well-choreographed (the set piece in this episode where the Children are attacked in the library was fantastic) and dialogue is, if a little cryptic, well scripted. The music is sweeping and orchestral, the OP and ED are both fabulous, and the voice acting is top notch.
I really go in for big adventure stories like this with a hint of fantasy, and Fantastic Children is providing everything in spades.
Hope that clears things up a bit more than my incoherent ramblings in the review!
BluWacky, you are awesome. Thanks for the excellent analysis!
Posted by: David at October 28, 2004 12:46 AMI 100% agree this is the show to be watching this season. I love what I've seen so far.
Posted by: ULTRA at October 28, 2004 02:15 AM