| @23feanor @inim @whiteflame55 @filifjonkan @RandomFriday @Antalk @jdvz @JokerVentura @KainiusTheGreat @ruckes @kekekeKaj @OrlahEhontas Romeo no Aoi Sora (1995) - March 2023 Group Watch Romeo no Aoi Sora (Romeo and the Black Brothers, 1995), MAL 8.32/10, anidb 8.39/10, IMDB 8.6/10. Group watch will be starting Saturday, February 25th, 2023.  |
inimFeb 18, 2023 3:18 PM
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filifjonkan said: https://thestreamable.com/shows/romeos-blue-skies-1995Hello @inim. Thanks for the link and the new series to watch. Do you have any idea on where to watch this show? The high seas? ;-) I did find it, at once, on the mentioned high seas. Another q; is not "aoi" supposed to mean "blue" in English? It seems that the English title is a mix of the translations of the Japanese anime title and the German book title. ロミオの青い空 = Romeo's Blue Sky Die schwarzen Brüder = The Black Brothers Thus the Aoi is part of the Japenese title, which is not a translation of the German title. In German speaking countries, the book title was used for the anime as well. |
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| found it and am currently as i type this, downloading it. not sure if this is my cup of tea but will watch all of it. |
 Active Military, Prior Service and Veteran's Anime Club do not forget the sound of my voice until the day we reunite |
| I'll start this show. Going to try to keep these shorter than my recent entries on other shows - don't want to trend too long. Episode 1 We're introduced to our protagonist, the titular Romeo. A child in a poor, but loving family that has fallen on hard times as their fields have dried up. Yep, it's a dust bowl. But he hasn't lost heart: there's a festival coming up and, despite being only 11, the young Romeo wants to compete in an event that will feature older young men climbing a pole to get a wooden owl. Odd tradition, but hey, whatever floats your boat. Over the course of the episode, we see: his mother (Jessica), a caring woman who is concerned for his well-being and tries to be supportive; a father (Roberto) that he's desperate to live up to (who also won at the same festival at the age of 14) who is also quite desperate himself as his crops fail, leading to him snapping at Romeo and subsequently showing his own caring side; his twin younger brothers (Carlo and Pietro) who look up to him; his grandmother (Maria) who pushes him to do his best; and a pet ermine (Piccolo - no, he's not green) who is just the cutest. Outside those closest to him, there's Anita, a young girl in his village who is smitten with him. It takes a while before we meet the person who apparently will be the central conflict of this show, at least early on: Luini, nicknamed the "God of Death," who is known for buying people's children and selling them. He recognizes Romeo for some reason (and it's heavily implied that Romeo is adopted from some unknown family) and tries to buy him from his father. Upon being rebuffed, the dick goes off and burns down their field. Dude has no chill. The episode ends with Romeo about to win the competition before spotting the fire, awareness dawning. Decent start, gives some drive for the story. Interested to see where things go. |
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| Episode 1. There are some shows that the instant they start you like them, and this is one of them for me. Great visuals (although simple char design), lovely OST and a setting that draws me in; here it's a small poor village on the Swiss Italy border. We meet Romeo and his family, the people in the village and our villain, the God of Death. Simple but well crafted. We learn that Romeo was adopted when he was a baby and is unaware of this fact. Romeo enters the Hero Tree Climb (it's actually a pole not a tree, looks quite tricky i thought) but just as he's about to win a fire is spotted in his families fields. I enjoy this soft drama and way it's depicted. Also no Japanese suffixes yet, which is a pet peeve of mine when it's a non Japanese location and/or characters. |
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| I'm also going to change my posts up a bit. I'll give a summary most of the time, but every few episodes, I'll do a bit of a check-in to give my thoughts on the series so far. I've largely made those random in other watches, but I'd like to be more consistent. I have to agree with @23feanor, this series has a vibe that I'm enjoying. The simple character design works well in the setting, the OP is sharp and effective, the ED is cute and the dancing clouds give us a bit of levity to leave every episode on. It's a good time. The story hasn't really grabbed me yet, but we're still in the early stages of developing it and I think it's taking the right tack: really building out character dynamics before getting into the thrust of the narrative. And yeah, I agree on that pet peeve, nice to see this story doesn't feel like characters from Japan got transplanted into a different setting. Episode 2 Romeo and his father end up going into the flames to save a goat, a bit foolhardy, but these characters certainly seem the types. Romeo makes it out with a goatling (I'm so used to hearing "kid" that I had to look this up - turns out, they are both correct), and his father barely makes it out with his life, enduring a head injury that continues to wrack him with pain and double vision (presumably a bad concussion). Days later, Romeo goes out to fish unsuccessfully, and comes back to an angry father who had told him to clear the ashes from their fields, but he ended up tasking his brothers with it instead. It's pretty organic - Romeo is trying to help in the way he feels is most effective and he already feels like the conquering hero who saved the goatling, so he should be getting quite a bit of leeway in his mind. His father, meanwhile, is more pragmatic and is dealing with a son who is clearly ignoring his wishes. Yeah, that's going to lead to anger and hurt feelings. Romeo runs away, overhearing a conversation between two women that reveals that he was adopted. It's a minor gripe, but it feels so forced to have him find out this way. I do appreciate how it was handled by his mother, though - she confirms it rather than falsely denying it, and tells a story that confirms his father's conviction to keep and raise him, as any good father would. There's also a nice bit of symbolism with a stained glass window representing the father's heart, which was given to the church after his prayer was answered to save Romeo's life at a young age. Touching. We also get another bit of convenient timing with the God of Death walking out from a conversation with Roberto, who shouts after him that he'd never give up his son. Got a chuckle out of watching the grandmother and twins try to run him off with brooms. The parent and child quickly resolve their differences before Roberto collapses from his head injury. |
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| I have completed the first two episodes and will be watching ep3 here shortly. I am not going to re-cap what has already been written but will state I am intrigued. |
| Active Military, Prior Service and Veteran's Anime Club do not forget the sound of my voice until the day we reunite |
| @Antalk good to have you along again, last show we had you onboard for was Hyouka back in April 2021. Hope you're all settled into your new place now. Episode 2. Love the OP with the cathedral and mountains. Like @whiteflame55 I also like the way the tension between Romeo and his dad was set up. Romeo thinks he knows best trying to help rescue the kid (they used goatling in the version I watched, and I also had never heard of this term before, always seen or read 'kid' being used for an infant goat, reminded me of some fantasy novels where children are called 'younglings', it's Star Wars just remembered) from the fire when his dad wants him to stay clear for his own safety and so he doesn't have to worry about him and can get in and out quickly. Then Romeo tries fishing when his dad had asked him to clear the fields. You can see why Romeo thinks he's helping and you can see why his dad is miffed at him. It did feel a tad manufactured when Romeo finds out he's adopted but they've got to get the story moving somehow. It tugged at my heart strings hearing Romeo ask his mum "will I be sold". Fair play to the mum telling him the truth. The church scene with Jessica explaining just how much Romeo means to Roberto was sweet. From the end of the episode and preview it looks like Romeo will decide to go go to Milan himself to help out his dad after it's clear the dads injury is severe and will hinder him from working. Loving the OST with full orchestra and even an organ if I'm not mistaken. |
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whiteflame55 said: this story doesn't feel like characters from Japan got transplanted into a different setting. That's the hallmark of the WMT series, which had 23 shows in its "proper" period between 1975 and 1997. All those shows are based on Western youth literature, and thematically are picked to share clearly defined features. The protagonist is always an orphan or single parent's child, there's always an animal side-kick, and the story takes place in the 19th or early 20th century (before WW2). The series was often co-funded, co-written and co-produced by one or more continental European public broadcast companies, or at least targeted to that market. They often co-operated under the Eurovision model. To give an example: of the 23 classic WMT shows, there are 20 German dubs as compared to 7 English dubs. The main countries in the cooperation were Italy, France, Germany and Spain - often pushing their classic youth literature. On the Japanese side, many people later working for Ghibli were involved. The foundation was the smash hit show Alps no Shoujo Heidi (1974). Directed by Ghibli founder Isao Takahata, animated by Ghibli founder Hayao Miyazaki and storyboarded by Gundam creator Yoshiyuki Tomino this show almost ruined Nippon Animation, but set a quality standard far beyond what anime looked like at that time. Most of the crew became part of Ghibli soon after, including the animation director and other senior staffers. Fun fact: many character designs for WMT were done by Yoshifumi Kondou who did the same job for Ghibli later, so the WMT look is rather homogeneous. The fairly safe and easy money from international sales to Europe allowed for a much higher frame rate and sophisticated storyboarding in the WMT series. The character designs in Romeo and other WMT shows are not outstanding, except when you remember that most shows are 50 to 30 years old and created completely without computers. And while the character designs are basic and child-friendly, the storyboarding is cinematic. Given it's a family show there are no weird techniques like dutch angles etc, still a lot of calmer camera Hollywood staples are used. The smoothness and storyboarding often comes close to cinema in those shows. That all said, WMT clearly defines my childhood. Heidi was one of the formative anime of my kindergarten and primary school days, along with Maya the Bee, Wiki the Viking, Calimero, Kimba the White Lion, Pinocchi and so on. German public TV in the 1970s started children programs, and bought two main ingredients on the international market: Sesame Street and those European stylized anime. Both were very successful, and in the case of WMT the basis for decades of Euro-Japanese cooperation in animation. This also explains why the stories are not Japanized, they were created for both markets (EU and JP), and the Japanese actually liked this "exotic" touch. Episode 1-3 Romeo's backstory set in a Swiss village in the Alps. His family are hard working and good hearted farmers, yet piss poor. Due to an extended drought period, the whole Sonogno Village is at the verge of starvation during the (hard and cold alpine) upcoming winter. Romeo's family is affected above average due to bad luck with their crops, only one field is still growing the rest died. There's a lot of set-up for later re-use in the story. A pole climbing contest shows us the climbing skill, and there's a girl Anita who openly shows her romantic interest. With some moderately clumsy exposition dump we learn that Romeo is an adopted child, and that his father donated a church window when he was seriously ill as a baby and healed. There's a lot of "we are loving family" vibe, and many religious scenes. The villain is a human trafficker named Luini aka "The God of Death", who buys children to work as chimney sweeps in the Nothern Italian and very rich city of Milan. Switzerland has border to Italy, Germany and France so this story plays in the Italo-phone area. Switzerland was a poor country still, before they invented themselves as world bankers. Luini arsons the last intact field to force Romeo's reluctant dad into a deal, and succeeds eventually. During the fire the father is blinded and to pay the expensive doctor Romeo sells himself to Luini. At the end of the arc, Romeo begins his travel to the big city. As for human trafficking of child labour, this was rather common in the European 19th century. Children were needed as chimney sweeps in particular because they were small enough to go into the chimneys. A dangerous and often deadly job. Here are contemporary photos from the German Wikipedia page, which make clear that this anime is not completely fictional but based on historic motifs. https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Datei:Bub_und_Meister.JPG https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Datei:Kaminfegerbuben.JPG https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Datei:Spazzacammino.jpg https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Datei:Spazzacamino_piangete.jpg @filifjonkan nailed it: Indeed multiple WMT shows, including this one, are based on work by continental European contemporaries of Charles Dickens, have similar stories or are at least set in the same era and social context. I can whole heartedly recommend Flanders no Inu (1975) which is about the saddest story I've ever seen (movie version is fine). If you prefer WMT with bittersweetness but happy end, Heidi is your girl. |
inimFeb 27, 2023 5:06 PM
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| @inim I appreciate all the context and recommendations. I'll have to add them to my ptw. Episode 3 The long and short of this episode is that Romeo makes the decision to go to Milan in order to afford a doctor that can help his father. Apparently, this was some disease (I guess unrelated to the fire incident? Maybe exacerbated by it?) that requires special treatment or he'll go blind. The result is that he signs his own life away (wasn't aware an 11-year-old could do that at the time) to head to Milan as a chimney sweep until the spring... or so he thinks. More rumors around town suggest that his stay may be permanent. Still, a tearful goodbye with his parents and family ends the episode, with a particularly effective scene of his father mistaking him for his mother and being pretty effusive about Romeo as a result. |
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| Thanks @inim some useful background info on the origin of WMT and it's relevance and place in anime history. I thought some of the character designs looked similar to early Ghibli movies like Naussica and Princess Mononoke and now I know why. Also the God of Death reminds me of Jigen from Lupin. Episode 3. This episode was all about Romeo's decision to leave for Milan with Luini aka God of Death (we find out why he's gotten the nickname as although Romeo thinks he's only going to Milan until spring, it turns out not one child has returned from Milan after becoming a chimney sweep). This show does wholesome family moments well that tug at the heart strings; Jessica crying with Romeo on the stairs and Roberto's praise of his son when he thinks he's talking to Jessica. OST has all the poise and grandeur of something I'd expect to hear in a film, loving it. Onto Milan and looks from the preview like Romeo meets his first travelling companion. |
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| Episode 4 Luini drops Romeo near the city of Lugano and tells him to walk there while he'll take care for other business. This situation shows the power of the contract, which binds Romeo so strongly he can't flee even when unattended. In a later scene we see how adults use violence against children as natural as they breathe. The 19th century surely was rough. On his way to Lugano Romeo meets a mysterious boy named Alfredo, who saves him when Romeo is unjustifiedly accused of theft. Alfredo keeps a distance and is very seclusive, and has his face on a "Wanted!" poster haning everywhere. In the big city his bag is stolen by another boy and Alfredo risks his life to rescue it. Now Alfredo opens up and both become best friends. Another boy, named Dante, involved in the chase for the stolen bag pops up with a black eye later in the pub they'll all meet their masters. It seems they are all headed for Milano to become chimney apprentices. The show is still setting up cast and world, and the latter is rather nicely done. The city looks realistic, even when I doubt that women sold newspapers in the 19th century. For bigger budget anime productions such as WMT it can be assumed that the storyboard artist and key frame artists did a trip to the original locations in Italy. Investments like this pay in the rich details. The show unfolds in just the right pacing. |
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| Episode 4 Short on time tonight, not a lot to cover that @inim hasn't handled already. The introduction of Alfredo and Dante. Appreciated how they handled both Romeo's first tentative steps into the seedy world he's joining and how he gains Alfredo's trust. It's very on brand for him to jump into the river to rescue something Alfredo clearly thinks is important (while strongly hinting that Alfredo either can't swim or is afraid of the water), and whatever is in the bag probably has to do with his family. Also strongly hinted at is some deep bond with his sister, who is also missing. Alfredo clearly comes from a well-to-do family, but that invites more questions than it answers. Meanwhile, Dante's arrival on the scene shows that he's been in this seedy world for a while and is willing to scrounge for whatever he can get, but still, when push comes to shove, he gives back the bag. We end the episode in the basement of a pub with a large group of children. Seems we'll find out next episode what they'll be tasked with, and from Dante's beat-up appearance, it's nothing good. |
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| Episode 4. Romeo meets up with Alfredo on the road, we witness them begin to form bonds as Alfredo helps Romeo out when he's unjustly accused of stealing an apple and Romeo repays the favour by rescuing Alfredo's bag from the river. A bag which holds something more important than his life according to Alfredo. We learn from the poster and newspaper salesman that Alfredo and his sister escaped (or maybe we forced to run away, or even kidnapped) and a reward is being offered for news of them or their capture. So seems likely Alfredo is on a mission to find his sister. I've seen a Swiss border lake town in films like Sound of Music and travel shows but never animated, looked nice. This setting and characters, with all the Italian names seems fresh to me, don't think I've ever seen an anime quite like it. |
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| I am up thru episode 6. Supposedly all the kids but Romeo and Alfredo drowned but I have a feeling some of them are going to turn up again in Milan like the kid w/ the black eye. It is a good story, one that I find myself wanting to watch and I am glad it is not CGI, it would lose its innocence. |
| Active Military, Prior Service and Veteran's Anime Club do not forget the sound of my voice until the day we reunite |
| Episode 5. This episode was all about the kids trying to escape from the tavern where they are being held. They all manage to escape only to be discovered and herded onto the row boat and taken out onto the lake in the middle of a storm. We hear testimony from the kids and newspaper man just how tough it is for the chimney sweep kids in Milan with one boy dying after getting no food for a month. Seems the newspaper people have the threads of this kid smuggling racket and will hopefully uncover the operation later on in the show. I like the peppy ED, reminds me of some of the OP and ED's from Ranma. |
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| Episode 5 Haven’t gotten much opportunity to post about episodes at length, but there’s thankfully not too much to talk about. The episode mainly features an escape attempt, which goes awry, but not as I expected. They actually do escape after a couple of touch and go moments, only to be coerced onto a small boat in a storm. On the one hand, I do like how this played out, but on the other, the decision to get into the boat is just baffling. The news reporter wasn’t going to come in and find the kids, and the God of Death is putting his own life at risk to do things this way. He’s ruthless, but he shouldn’t be so willing to risk it all when he doesn’t have to. Episode 6 Romeo and Alfredo survive the boat capsizing along with the God of Death, the latter owing his life to Romeo. What plays out thereafter gives a glimpse into some actual depth of character in the God of Death, who now knows what Romeo saved him and can’t bring himself to mistreat him as he did. Our trio make their way to Milan, the fate of rest of the boys remains unclear. |
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| Episode 5-6 Covers the trip from Lugano to Milan, quite a wild ride. Alfredo and Romeo end up in the basement of the Alpine Cat pub, where they meet a lot of other boys. They are all to be sold as chimney sweeps in Milao, by Luini and another human trafficker staying in the pub. The landlady is complicit, well aware that their business is illegal. A local newspaper editor almost finds the boys, but she tricks him. Dante is one of the boys from the chase for Alfredo's bag from earlier, and he's a prisoner in the basement too. He's a rebel, as symbolized by a black eye he got from the adults. They discover a hidden door and the group splits, some of them want to flee. Both Alfredo and Romeo decide that this is doomed to fail and will lead to even more problems, so they stay. They are right about it and eventually everybody is caught. Luini decides to shortcut the way to Milan by crossing the Lagio Majore by boat. A violent storm sinks their overloaded ship and the fate of half a dozen boys is unclear, they likely are dead. Romeo and Alfredo survive and even rescue their slave master's life. He's unconscious and they save him from death by hypothermia. As a result, he's changed after and no longer able to whip Romeo in a scene where Romeo refuses to obey and order. He even pays a farmer for a horse cart he before had stolen under Romeo's influence. At the end of episode 6, the group arrives in Milan. Luini is a really nice gray character with development. The narrator hints that he changed because Romeo saved his life, but also that this is no fundamental change maybe. Not too shabby of a character writing for a kids show, isn't it. Romeo continues to act over the top righteous, the poster boy of lawful-good. What I find a bit weird is the great ease with which the fate of the other children is ignored. There's a search by the Lugano people, but no bodies are found. I wonder if we'll learn about them later. |
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| Episode 6. The boat sinks, Romeo saves Alfredo and Luini. The villagers do mention the missing children, as does Romeo and the narrator later says "Romeo expects to never see the drowned children he met at the Wildcat tavern", which is a flag to say that at least some of them must have survived and Romeo (and we) will see them again later on down the road. Luini's moral dilemma was interesting to watch. He feels indebted and somewhat begrudgingly grateful to Romeo for saving him and as a result agrees not to hit the boys who are travelling to Milan with him willingly, and furthermore pays for a horse and carriage that he initially stole. Will be interesting to see how long this change of heart lasts once they arrive in Milan. |
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23feanor said: William Faulkner summed this up in his Nobel Prize acceptane speech: “The only thing worth writing about is the human heart in conflict with itself” ― William Faulkner. This was extended later by George RR Martin's equally famous "orcs-vs-elves" musings about Tolkien's writing. Luini's moral dilemma was interesting to watch. He feels indebted and somewhat begrudgingly grateful to Romeo for saving him and as a result agrees not to hit the boys who are travelling to Milan with him willingly, and furthermore pays for a horse and carriage that he initially stole. Will be interesting to see how long this change of heart lasts once they arrive in Milan. https://entertainment.time.com/2011/04/15/george-r-r-martin-on-game-of-thrones-from-book-to-tv/ https://entertainment.time.com/2011/04/18/grrm-interview-part-2-fantasy-and-history/ Luini is the prototype of a grey character, for which I would use Faulkner's definition: Heart in conflct with itself. He owes his life to a person he at the same time owns like a slave. This is to me where the line between tropes and stereotypes vs. characters with development runs. There aren't too many anime on this side of the fence, e.g. Vinland (Askeladd), GitS (The Major), Monogatari (Deishuu Kaiki) etc. come to mind. Romeo in comparison is an "elves" character, always kind and good without real conflict, driven by the sky high values he derives from his father's ideas. Luini is best girl for sure. |
inimMar 3, 2023 5:45 AM
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| Episode 7 Well, the God of Death leaves the series for now. Dude drops the kids in Milan, sells them for a mint, and then books it out of there. Alfredo ends up with sketchy dude who is willing to shank someone for him (wouldn’t be surprised if he recognizes him), and Romeo ends up with a slightly overweight balding dude. They promise to meet up again, against all odds. We follow Romeo back to the house, where there’s an overbearing mother, a young boy who seems like quite the prick, and a young girl who is kept enclosed in a room and called an angel. Guessing a health issue there. Romeo spends the night in a cage, and tomorrow, we’ll get his first day of work. |
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| Episode 7 The trio arrives in Milan and an auction of the chimney boys takes place. This seems to be an annual event, and with only two survivors Romeo and Alfredo sell for almost twice of last year's price. Luini takes the money and leaves the show - I've checked anidb and episode 7 is unfortunately already his last. Ciao, I really like the character. Romeo and Alfredo are separated, and told they will never see again. Romeo does his lawful-good thing again, flees to tell Alfredo they'll meet again, and returns to his owner voluntarily. Next we learn a bit about the new social situation Romeo is on now. His new master is Marchelo Rossi, a balding middle aged man, and his house dragon wife Edda. They have a nasty mummy's boy son named Anzelmo and a mysterious girl lives in a closed room under the roof. Anzelmo will not work for his dad, and Edda explains why: he'll not ruin his lungs. That much on why they need a new boy each year. Despite the shitty job he must force Romeo to do, Rossi seems to be a rather kind man. At least not nearly as violent and threatening as Luini & Co were. Edda, otoh, is a sadistic bitch. Romeo is caged at night, so he can't escape. That says a lot I guess. Nice setup, and a new arc and situation. Looking forward to some Dickensian 19th century social drama. |
inimMar 3, 2023 4:03 PM
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| @inim we've touched on Faulkner's quote “The only thing worth writing about is the human heart in conflict with itself” in our group thread before if memory serves and I wholeheartedly agree. Watching rounded characters deal with an internal moral dilemma is very interesting. The Tolkien and later GRRM Martin debate on black, white and gray morals is equally fascinating. I'd forgotten about Deishuu Kaiki from Monogatari, his internal justifications for his actions were about as morally grey as an overcast day. Having just finished GitS SAC, I personally found the Major one of the weakest characters, she's too cool and professional and too many camera angles focused on her pert bottom made her feel like the least realistic character in the show for me. I thought the whole show did a very good job of portraying the vagaries of human impulses in a society grappling with cyborg tech and trying to decide what was and wasn't right and morally decent in a new landscape of social norms and values. Episode 7. I'm not really sure why Romeo didn't run home tbh. He could easily have escaped, his dad has seen the doctor, so what's keeping him there; the promise made to Luini and the ideals his dad instilled in him? Given that he's been told by numerous sources he will likely die as a result of his work and tough conditions I can't see why he'd risk his life for nothing of gain, apart from maybe his internal moral compass telling him he should see the contract through until Spring. Alfredo has a good reason. It sounds as if Romeo and Alfredo were the only ones to survive the lake as none of the other kids have showed up, yet. Alfredo is sold to a very shady guy who says "I have fallen for you", this is supposed to be a family show so hoping Alfredo hasn't been sold to a brothel or guy interested in young boys, had enough of that watching Rainbow. Romeo is sold to an unpleasant family with a dominant large housewife who bullies her husband and dotes on their brattish son. The husband looks uncomfortable that Romeo gets no food and has to sleep in a cage but passes it off with a joke saying "we can't give you the popes bedroom". Who is the Angel in the room next to Romeo's, is she another child they bought, what does she do? We hear the husband telling a neighbour that she was in Paris, to see a doctor, or maybe visiting a gentleman maybe? |
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23feanor said: Point taken, she's not the "grayest" (does that word even exist?) character in the cast. As for tits and ass, that was actually massively toned down compared to Masamune Shirow's original publication in Young Magazine. We talk about hentai tag grade scenes here, not mere R+ nipples and asses. The mangaka is a self-proclaimed pornographer specializing in female sexy robots, while director Mamoru Oshii is a brainy intellectual (e.g. Angel's Egg is his work). The anime is the result of both schools of thought, and that's part of it's secret.Having just finished GitS SAC, I personally found the Major one of the weakest characters, she's too cool and professional and too many camera angles focused on her pert bottom made her feel like the least realistic character in the show for me. I thought the whole show did a very good job of portraying the vagaries of human impulses in a society grappling with cyborg tech and trying to decide what was and wasn't right and morally decent in a new landscape of social norms and values. As for "family friendly writing", all WMT shows are based on real novels, most of them older and pre-dating political correctness by far. In the case of the Black Brothers it's a 1940s release. Takahata was a supporter of the Japanese communist party, and he of course was very influential in WMT and later Ghibli. So he probably would have fought tooth and nail when censors wanted to remove Dickens-style suffering and injustice, which sexualized child abuse would count into imho. Clearly WMT is visually safe, see the drowning of the kids, and it may use ambuguity to protect the smallest watchers. But the fact itself would not be toned down. |
inimMar 4, 2023 7:01 AM
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| Episode 8 A vocational training video for aspiring chimney sweeps. First a simple standard job in a rich household to showcase the effects of soot on the human lung. Second, a "twice the payment" risky job in a chimney still hot from recent use, and the risk of falling from great heights. Rossi turns out to be a relatively good boss, not squeezing out the last few percent. In stark contrast some more sadistic scenes with his wife and bratty son. The part I fail to understand here is why the resource which guarantees their income is treated so badly. A hungry worker saves little only money, but unhappy and starving workers are likely to be less productive. We finally learn that Rossi is a drunkard and henpecked husband. The cliffhanger is an anonymous food donation, which Romeo thinks the mysterious "angel" girl placed in his cage. Fun fact: I just noticed that Romeo is named Giorgio in the German dub, and quite a few names change in different dub versions. |
inimMar 4, 2023 3:14 PM
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| Episode 8 Really nothing to add to @inim 's summary. I did like how they managed to demonstrate the escalating circumstances Romeo will find himself in, though sending him into a hot brick oven seems like it was bound to lead to injury that might put Romeo out of commission for who knows how long. I was thinking the same thing about denying food to him. It's one thing to give him poor quality food as part of a means of punishment. It's quite another to deny him food entirely, thereby weakening him via malnutrition. I get that all this is meant to establish that the mother has it out for him, which she does, but they did pay exorbitantly for him. Even if they assume he's lazy, this isn't the way to motivate him. Mistreatment is fine if it makes sense for the characters' motivations, but this seems kind of weak. As for the source of the bread and cheese at the end, I'm also presuming the girl is his savior here. |
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| Episode 9 I enjoyed this one. We're receiving a slow drip of info about the girl in the room without any kind of exposition dump (might be coming next episode, so I shouldn't be too effusive), including statements that she's not just an angel, but a "treasure." Given the color of her hair, she's almost certainly not a child of theirs, so my running theory is that she's either royalty or someone close to royalty (initially thought she was Alfredo's sister, but I'm doubting that given the very different appearances), though I have no clue how they came to have her. Since she's not allowed outside her room, so she's effectively a prisoner in a gilded cage. If they thought they could sell or ransom her, it's strange that they haven't yet, and if they truly believe they could do that, it's even stranger that they'd go out of their way to buy an indentured (yes, I know he's effectively a slave, but I'll go with the nicer term) chimney sweep to make some pennies on the side. My only theory at the moment is that she's being placed here because her parents are using this place to keep her in hiding. I don't think the father has it in him to kidnap someone, and it would make sense for them to keep her identity a secret, be receiving a bit of money on the side, but also need to continue making money the usual way (partially to keep up appearances, and partially because any payment may not be sufficient to keep them afloat). So, we'll see how well that theory holds up. Anyway, the episode doesn't have a lot to it, but it does introduce a new semi-regular character to the mix: a professor named Casella. Dude shows some kindness to Romeo after he cleans his chimney (figured someone might eventually - there was bound to be some person who saw Romeo as a child being exploited and harmed through inhalation in these chimneys) and gives him a picture book, providing Romeo his first bit of training so that he can read and write. This comes at an opportune time, as the angel leaves him a note. He recognizes a portion of it, and writes back with his name. He then revisits the professor and gets him to read the rest of the note, as well as a follow-up. This leads to an actual meeting in the angel's room when everyone is asleep. I liked the tension of the scenes where he was trying to escape from his cage - thankfully, the cat is an effective scapegoat for when things go awry, though the cat also woke them, so there's that. Still, Romeo proves his ingenuity for these escapes, and once again confirms his willingness to stay here despite everything. Romeo found a way to escape and refuses to take it. I think there are a lot of mentalities that lead him to stay, including a can-do attitude, a desire to prove himself, and a feeling that he still has a debt to pay and refuses to welch on it. Looking forward to seeing this portion of the story play out. |
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| Episode 9 With the chimney job turning into routine, Romeo finds time and opportunity to develop social contacts. During work, he meets Prof. Casella who donates a book to him. When Romeo replies that he can't read, Casella promises to support him learning it. In the German dub, Casella is a university professor, but it seems in the original story he's a medical doctor. In any case he's a well educated, decent human. Using his new basic reading and writing skills, Romeo successfully establishes contact to the mysterious girl in the room next door. Or it's more like she establishes contact with him, by adding a letter of invitation to her food packets. With the help of Prof. Casella, Romeo learns that she'll play her musical box (ballerina figurine) as a signal. They exchange names by letters, she's Angeletta, something the illiterate Romeo is very proud of. The story keeps developing and the world is getting bigger, all at a very dignified pace without neither haste nor fillers. Rossi repeatedly lauded Romeo's skill and dedication to his job, it really seems the two have started bonding beyond the necessary cooperation. In the cliffhanger, we see Romeo entering Angeletta's room. @whiteflame55 given Angeletta can read and write, and her language is sophisticated, she certainly is some kind of higher daughter. With the ballerina, she also owns a valuable item. I'm also curious to learn about her backstory. |
inimMar 5, 2023 5:04 PM
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| Episodes 8 & 9. Romeo learns about his new trade, climbing in small enclosed spaces, although there is one perk, getting to look over the rooftops of Milan without adult interference and gaze at the wide blue sky (guessing this is where the title 'Romeo's Blue Skies' comes from). I'm also puzzled by the wife's mistreatment of their investment in Romeo. If they spent so much on him and want him to be productive then surely makes sense to feed him otherwise he'll become malnourished and eventually sick, and then won't bring in any money. @inim henpecked, that is exactly the sort of phrase I was looking for to describe the overbearing nature of the wife and the way she treats her drunkard husband. So we get some more info on the angle next door (does she spoil him rotten though, lol). The wife refers to her as their 'treasure' and her door doesn't appear to be locked so inferring she's not a prisoner but being looked after, for health reasons the preview says but surely a rich aristocrats daughter would be sent to the countryside to recover not smoky Milan? |
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| Episode 10 Romeo's urban world keeps growing. He friends with Angeletta, who suffers from a constant fever her doctor says prevents her from going outside. She's a gifted graphic artist and made dozens of studies of what she can see trough her window, including Romeo. She can't see the sky, so she asks Romeo to go and draw it for her. Romeo finishes his day work quickly and finds time to draw on a roof. He then meets the Wolf Pack, a street gang of boys of his age, of which Anzelmo is a member too. They harass Romeo, steal his sketchbook and eventually all drawings in it are destroyed. The gang is very competitive, each member has to present some item he "organized", one even got a knife. Anzelmo has a bottle of Vodka, thank you dad. Overall another world building story for the urban story line. Average. |
inimMar 7, 2023 3:13 AM
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| Episode 10. So Romeo meets Angeletta, the angle next door. She informs him that she has a constant fever and can't leave her room (although I thought I heard Rossi say to a neighbour that Angeletta was in Paris when Romeo first arrived. What we haven't learnt is whether Angeletta is Rossi and his wife's daughter? At one point the wife says Anzelmo is their 'only son' but doesn't mention a daughter. I would have thought the wife would fuss over her more if she was their daughter. The way the wife speaks to her when she brings her bread and cheese makes me think Angeletta isn't their child and they are looking after her for someone, as we've previously mentioned. The OST is truly wonderful, listening to the music as Angeletta speaks about her life was sublime. Next we have Romeo encountering the 'youthful gangsters' of the district, the Wolf Pack. Anzelmo insists he's Russian royalty and was sold by robbers and finally ended up with Rossi and his wife, I'm guessing that's a tall tale based on the boys his dad has bought as chimney sweeps. The members of the Wolf Pack steal Angeletta's sketchbook that Romeo had taken to get a drawing of the blue skies for her. |
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| Episode 10 Not much to add so I’ll just give thoughts. A sweet little relationship is building between Angeletta and Romeo, and I appreciate the touch of giving her a feather to gift her something that represents the sky. We also get an early introduction to the Wolf Pack, who will likely become better acquainted with Romeo in the future, but right now just have a mean streak when it comes to him. Not terribly interesting for them yet, but with Anzelmo among their ranks (and clearly lying to them to tout himself), they’ll likely become more important and developed soon enough. Episode 11 Anzelmo discovers Romeo in Angeletta’s room, and though nothing is revealed to the parents yet, it’s pretty clear from the preview that it will be soon enough. That result comes after Anzelmo does what would be a cruel action of stealing away a letter Angeletta had wrote to Romeo (he characterizes it as a love letter when it’s really more about teaching him how to read), but she ends up giving him a page of her diary instead. Coincidentally, that page has stuff about Anzelmo on it, outing his lies to the Wolf Pack and resulting in a beat down and likely being ostracized. Anzelmo vows revenge against Romeo. I don’t think he actually believes Romeo is a secret mastermind capable of doing this (maybe he does), but he’s looking for someone to blame and Romeo’s an easy target. We do also get some more build out of the Wolf Pack, including several new names and their leader, Giovanni (guess this is the prequel for Team Rocket). More interestingly, we learn a little more about Anzelmo’s story. It is lies about him… but I don’t think they’re fully fabricated. They might apply better to Angeletta, though they probably aren’t 1:1 for her. Still, potential links to Russian royalty are interesting. Not an amazing episode, but a consequential one. |
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| Episode 11. This episode introduces us properly to the members of the Wolf Pack and their relationship with Anzelmo, who Romeo astutely notices is somewhat dishonest. The mystery with Angeletta deepens. Romeo refers to Anzelmo as 'her brother' this episode and she doesn't correct him talking about he was nice when he was younger, which makes me wonder if Angeletta and Anzelmo are related and are both not the children of Rossi and his wife, but were taken in by them when they were young? Anzelmo comes up with a plan to steal a letter given to Romeo by Angeletta as a treasure to provide at show and tell with the Wolf Pack. Unfortunately for him the letter describes his daily falsehoods about being Russian royalty (which if they are brother and sister would mean she isn't royalty either) and how he really obtained the scar on his shoulder he is so proud of showing off to the Wolf Pack as a scar from when bandits attack. The episode ends with Anzelmo getting a beating from the Wolf Pack after they read the letter and him vowing revenge against Romeo. |
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| Episode 12 A big turning point for the series. Anzelmo pushes for his revenge any way he can, first by telling his mother that the beating he took from the Wolf Pack was Romeo’s doing (his father arrives too late to correct that accusation) and then falsifying evidence that Romeo had stolen a stash of money at the house, which both parents believe immediately. The mother I understand in that regard, but the father seems too quick to convince. On top of this, Anzelmo also sets up Romeo to get a beating from the Wolf Pack and make him persona non grata with them by making it look like he’d called the police on them, denying them access to an easy source of food. So, when Romeo escapes the house to avoid jail and a flogging (harsh - they even talk about previous children having fallen unconscious), he’s confronted by the angry members of the Wolf Pack. The show is pretty clearly telegraphing where it will go from here, with Nikita starting to warm to Romeo (or at the very least, not immediately opposing him on everything) and likely the truth will come out eventually. Romeo will probably join them for a short span of time, though he clearly opposes what they do. |
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| Episode 12. If this was Mushoku Tensei the episode title would be 'Turning Point 2' as Romeo goes on the run after being stitched up by Anzelmo again. First off, Anzelmo is a little shit that deserved the beating he got. He goes out of his way to cause mischief and harm for others, not a nice lad. I also don't quite get how easily the dad Rossi believed Anzelmo's allegations against Romeo. He was with Romeo when they found Anzelmo and had presumably been working so when did Romeo get the chance to beat up Anzelmo? A further accusation of theft causes Romeo to go on the run and he bumps into the Wolf Pack, who wrongly believe he called the police on them (Anzelmo again). I hope we revisit Angeletta as her history and relationship to the family is still a mystery. Why are they so diligently looking after her but not really treating her as family, well not in the same way the mother dotes on Anzelmo? |
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| Episode 13 Romeo reunites with Dante. It’s unclear how the latter survived the capsizing boat, even less clear why he made it to Milan - I wasn’t under the impression that Dante had a similar drive to Romeo or Alfredo, though maybe he just saw money in it. In any case, he gets there just in time to save Romeo from the Wolf Pack and try to ship him away to Venice. That ends up going awry when the wagon he places him in is driven by two criminals loaded down with gunpowder, putting Romeo in more danger. The Wolf Pack, meanwhile, won’t listen to reason, feeling as though Romeo sold them out. Only Nikita feels differently, saying that beating up someone like him isn’t worth it. On the home front, Angeletta wakes up. There’s a moment in conversation where Anzelmo seems to connect with her, but he’s clearly far away from any bond they had and tells her that his parents wouldn’t believe her story. He also says straight up that they’re not actually family, though her origins remain unexplained. She eventually does talk to the parents, and they seem a lot more receptive to Anzelmo being the thief than either Anzelmo or I would have expected. Felt like there should be more pushback on the accusation. We then find out that Anzelmo’s mother is much like her son, smirk and all. While his father clearly wants to make things right, she only cares about how it would look if Anzelmo was outed as a thief, lying right to Angeletta’s face about going to bring Romeo home. Lovely family. |
whiteflame55Mar 11, 2023 6:33 AM
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| Episode 13. We get confirmation through Anzelmo and Angeletta's discussion that they aren't blood related and Anzelmo is Rossi and Edda's child. So Angeletta must have been adopted/found/abducted along the way (sounds like a good few years ago as Angeletta recounts playing with Anzelmo when they were young, so Rossi and Edda have been looking after her for a number of years). Edda and Rossie are apprised of the fact that Anzelmo was the thief by Angeletta who saw the event in question take place, and they both accept it, but Edda won't have her son shamed publicly and is happy for Romeo to cop the blame. Edda and Anzelmo clearly cut from the same rotten cloth. Romeo is saved by Dante, who survived but as @whiteflame55 mentions no mention of the other children or how he survived. Romeo is then packed off to Venice but dante makes a mistake and is packed off with some robbers about to blow up a police station with gunpowder. The series so far reminds me a little bit of the early portion of Nadia & Secret of Bluewater with quick moving events, never letting the story or our MC stay in one place too long. It worked in Nadia (mainly due to the adventure factor) but this show is starting to lose my interest. I feel like it's high time for Romeo to make some friends in Milan (the Wolf Pack clearly) and have an adventure arc. |
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| Episode 14 This is the episode that resolves most of the conflicts in this arc and… yeah, it’s a little too saccharine for my liking. Romeo does demonstrate his courage and caring by choosing to go into a police station before it explodes from the gunpowder set underneath it. The crooks are caught outside, Romeo saves Rossi (who happened to be in the building at the time and has been having mixed feelings about putting the blame on Romeo) and alerts the police in time to save some lives, putting himself at risk. Then, they have a talk and Rossi reveals that Anzelmo was behind the robbery. It’s a bit strange that anyone’s still focused on the robbery after this - seems like the priority would be safety and clean-up after your police station exploded, but sure, finalize the investigation into a small-scale robbery where all the money was returned. Meanwhile, Anzelmo’s cackling like a hyena when he hears that Romeo is behind the explosion. This kind of villainy is just over the top - never got the impression that he hated Romeo so much that he wanted him dead. Edda seems convinced as well, and they head over to the station to… well, I’m not sure if they were called into the station (didn’t see anything indicating that) or just went over to spit on Romeo (seriously, even Edda has it out for him in the worst way) only to have the constable come in and tell them that he believes Romeo’s story… alright then, no investigation required, just going to go ahead and believe a second hand story from Rossi and Romeo because he showed courage. Feels like if they really still care about this crime, there would be an investigation and they would get Edda, Anzelmo and Angeletta’s stories, but I guess Romeo is just that persuasive. And now Romeo’s room gets a makeover from Rossi with an actual bed and bars removed. That makes sense - he did save Rossi’s life and has proven his resolve to stay - but suddenly letting him see Angeletta seems a bit odd. I thought the whole point was to protect Angeletta, not to punish him, and I don’t think that calculus has changed. Didn’t know Rossi had had a heart-to-heart with Angeletta that revealed that Romeo’s influence was good now. Also, no word on Edda and how she feels about all this. She just walks away upset in the end. So Rossi is no longer whipped and Romeo is free to go find Alfredo. Huzzah! Everything feels a bit too neat after this episode. I suspect things will get messy again soon, but the whole living on the lam portion of this series lasted about an episode and a half and was resolved much too easily. |
whiteflame55Mar 11, 2023 6:33 AM
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| Episode 14. Despite the story doing a 180 degree turn, I didn't mind this episode. Yes it was a bit neat and saccharine but good to see Anzelmo finally face the music for his actions. So Romeo is now back with Rossi and family and able to Angeletta again, although I'm sure that Anzelmo and Edda will make his life difficult. |
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| Episode 15 Because Rossi now supports him in earnest, Romeo gets a day off (seems like a small thing for someone saving your life, but hey, it's something) and goes to find Alfredo, which he manages via multiple conversations with other chimney sweeps and another run in with the Wolf Pack. We find out there were more survivors of the boat capsizing as well, at least two others aside from Dante. They resolve to strike back against the Wolf Pack, who have been terrorizing chimney sweeps across town, by uniting against them. Alfredo's been busy, and has even mapped out the city, marking locations where other chimney sweeps live. They resolve to meet with everyone together, and on a foggy night, they convene in the sewers. After a comment about how their faces have been blackened by soot from chimneys, followed up by an affirmation by Romeo that that just proves their hard work, Alfredo decides to call themselves the titular Black Brothers. Candles are lit as a symbol of their courage and brotherhood, and they make several affirmations as a group. This is a good development for the series, a way to bring back our leads and develop them meaningfully as Alfredo is thrust into a leadership role and Romeo supports him. We also get a new cast of characters, signifying that we've moved fully beyond the single household, and there is a clear goal in mind. There is so far no information regarding Alfredo's relationship with his master, despite the rather ominous looks he gave him before paying for him. We'll have to see if they build that out later. |
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| Episode 15. Romeo's home life seems very different with Rossi on his side. Romeo finally finds Alfredo and we hear that some of the boys did survive the boat being upturned in the lake. I thought Romeo was going to eventually become part of the Wolf Pack but seems like they are being painted as the antagonists, going round beating up chimney sweeps because they aren't locals. The chimney sweeps group together under Alfredo and form a gang called the Black Brothers. |
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| Episode 11-14 Let's call this the adoption arc, which pretty much marks the midpoint of the show. This means that on the classic heroes journey pattern it's the turning point for the protagonist. Which @23feanor correctly calls "180 degree turn", or in Wikipedia's diagram "Abyss of Death and Rebirth". Romeo is accused of theft, deserted by the Rossi family, beaten up and hunted by the Wolf Pack gang, hunted by police based on false accusations, and put into life danger by two terrorists. That's what I call a bad hair week. The events start when an envious Anzelmo steals his parent's money and blames Romeo of it. Despite Angeletta's testimony Edda protects her son and makes Romeo a sacrificial lamb. Both mom and son had hated him before, so that is pretty logical. Rossi has doubts, but eventually gives in to her plan. It turns out Angeletta is an adopted child, and has developed romantic feelings for Romeo (mutual). Romeo repeatedly clashed with the Wolf Pack, a xenophobe boy street gang of local children. Beside petty crime, they are united against the foreigners the chimney sweep apprentices are. Basically a crossbreed of the mafia and the KKK, kiddy grade. But they are not portrayed as absolute eveil, their member Nikkita in particular is level headed and just. As a result of his beef with family, Wolf Pack and police Romeo flees Milan but takes the wrong vehicle. He finds himself in the middle of a gun powder plot to free a criminal boss, by blowing up a police station. He spoils the plan and saves the day, and on top a number of police and Rossi's life. Involved into the rescue is also Nikkita, so this is a first collaboration between the chimney boys and the locals. As a result of the events, Rossi stands up against his wife. Romeo is given his freedom, invited back into the Rossi family, and given a room with a nice bed rather than going back to the cage. Rossi seems to have had a liking on him before, now he de-facto becomes his adoptive father. Overall, the story is fast moving and unfortunately narrated without many rough edges or morally gray situations. The plot itself is full of 19th century social drama and would be suited for the Dickens treatment. It's unclear to me if it was sanitized already in the novel, or if the anime script does it. In any case the result is a fast paced, plot progression driven story telling. No time is taken for quieter character moments, maybe Rossi and Nikkita are closest to this. He changes most visibly of all characters. The rest is pretty static, either angelic (Angeletta, Romeo) or villainous (Edda, Anselmo, most of Wolf Pack). Police, the explosives group and so on are villain caricatures we learn nothing about. Now that we passed the turning point mark for Romeo, I'm curious what the story will bring. For sure Angeletta and Alfredo have a secret past. And we haven't met Alfredo's sister yet, and I'm quite sure we will because ... Chekov. |
inimMar 12, 2023 8:15 AM
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| Episode 15 Romeo uses his day off he was granted by Rossi as a reward for saving his life to scavenger hunt Alfredo's whereabouts. That way we learn a bit about chimney districts, the daily challenges apprentice boys have to suffer, and we even get a map. Having been saved from being beaten up by a masked stranger himself, Romeo now is courageous enough to save another chney sweep from the same fate. I can't help it, but this episode screams Go, get organized! to me. And there we go, eventually Romeo finds Alfredo and they found the Chimney Sweepers' UnionBlack Brothers. Eleven members solemnly swear to protect their group's interests, and elect Alfredo as their leader. The anti-Wolf-pack is born. What I also find striking is that the massive religious motifs of the alpine village episodes is back. Romeo meets Alfredo in a church, at prayer. It's not clear to me where this comes from, religion is shown often but not used for anthing - yet? Overall, a little bit too cheesy for my taste, the foundation event was too solemn and parodied itself that way. Story wise, we are set for the new arc, which is also the titular one and so it should be good. |
inimMar 12, 2023 8:14 AM
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| @inim I had noticed the religious imagery as well, though I thought it was mainly window dressing. This episode seems to place it more front and center, at least for the doctor character in terms of how he thinks. Episode 16 It’s nice to see Romeo behaving in a way that’s clearly childish - he wants to prove himself, no matter what danger that puts him in. Alfredo, meanwhile, is a very effective leader, planning tactics that will ensure that they can deal with the bruisers of the Wolf Pack through sheer numbers and convincing everyone that it’s the sensible option. Romeo shows some jealousy after this, which is only enhanced when an assistant to the doctor tells him he’s still such a child despite only being a year younger than Alfredo. Still, he looks up to Alfredo and tries to follow his lead (kid reads Voltaire - seriously high level reading) by learning to read, often with sleepless nights. He does this despite the fact that his other fellows joke about his efforts, and by the end of the episode, he can read a basic picture book. The rest of the story focuses on Alfredo. His boss is clearly physically abusive and even tries to burn the book he borrows. Turns out, he memorized two whole pages that did get burned and copied them word for word. High level? More like genius level, and the doctor recognizes that. We also learn of his aspirations to reunite with his sister, which are somehow facilitated by his reading (presumably to get a certain position when he comes of age). The narrator also tells us that Romeo’s reading will lead him to some learned career in the future. A slow episode, but character development was pretty good. |
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| Episode 16. As @whiteflame55 already mentioned not much happens this episode but it makes a clear distinction (very clear to Romeo) in the differences between himself and Alfredo. Even though only a year apart Alfredo comes across as being much older and more mature, whereas, as the professors maid points out Romeo still seems childlike in comparison. This spurs Romeo to finish his first book about a donkey. Depending on upbringing and aptitude there can be a massive gulf between kids aged between 10-12, some of them seem almost adults in training and others seem just out of nappies. I read passages of Voltaire for the classics course at Uni but would be pretty daunted at reading a whole book of his, very dense reading material for an adult, let alone a child. Alfredo comes up with a plan to tackle the Wolf Pack, teamwork, even saw there was a favourite phrase of the Japanese snuck in there 'the nail that stands out gets hammered down', doubt that was in the original German book. I know I keep banging on about it but I adore the OST in this show; strings, wind (oboe and clarinet i think), an organ, brass, there's such a good mix of classical music to listen to here. |
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| Hello All, before I get to the anime, @23feanor it is good to be back and the new house is coming along nicely. It is a ranch style home here in Ohio. To understand what a ranch style home looks like, it is basically a single story rectangle, sometime w/ a basement, which ours has and an attached garage. The attached garage was converted into a 'in-law suite': It has a full bathroom, small kitchen/eating area, single bedroom and living room. The bedroom is my office ( I work from home ) and the living room has been termed 'the lounge' where we added a small couch, two recliners and a large flat screen. It is where I enjoy anime. The blue ray has a usb port and i got lucky ... i downloaded Romeo and the Black Brothers to a thumb drive and lo and behold, I can watch anime on my TV which allows me to enjoy not just an anime but also a good cigar as I watch. As soon as I can figure out how to dl photos, I will post some pics of my lounge. @Inim as I have mentioned, Romeo would not be on my radar for anime if not for this watch party we belong to, but here I am watching. What makes it more enjoyable for me, is that Romeo is an anime that you have intimate knowledge of and enjoyed as a child, much like Speed Racer is for me. Thank you for sharing this anime with us, I am truly enjoying it. Episode 17 I had a hunch that Nikita is a girl. The Black Brothers are standing up to the Wolf Pack and we will have to wait to see how Alfredo fairs against Giovani. I was surprised but pleased that the professor is willing to assist Romeo and Alfredo in their quest to read and expand their reading knowledge. How will the 'bosses' tolerate their child workers unionizing? We'll see if that is broached or not in the coming episodes. I would not think that would be tolerated very well in real life, nor learning how to read ... keep 'em dumb and separated in order to keep 'em working for little to no wages, but we'll see. Inim, in an earlier post included links to pics of chimney sweeps and one of them is titled Spazza Camino, which is what the kids yell to get business. Well, I am going to end it here as i have other things that need my attention. I have the last half of my day off as I am having issues w/ the online systems I use for work and must wait for tech support to make repairs. |
AntalkMar 13, 2023 12:21 PM
| Active Military, Prior Service and Veteran's Anime Club do not forget the sound of my voice until the day we reunite |
| @Antalk Glad you're enjoying the watch, it's good to have your contributions in the mix. Episode 17 This episode really gets things going on the conflict between the Black Brothers and the Wolf Pack. I was kind of hoping that the Scorpions (the other gang who the Wolf Pack had previously tangled with) would play an interesting third party role, but it seems as though Giovanni's just so great at fighting that they're easily brought in line. While he's at it, Alfredo's plan goes into action and the Black Brothers handily defeat the remainder of the Wolf Pack and uncovering that Nikita is a girl (seemed pretty obvious, I've enjoyed her role in the story so far, since she's the only one in the Wolf Pack aside from Giovanni who seems to think for herself). A brief meeting between Alfredo and her ends in her being frustrated and offering a new plan of attack to the Wolf Pack. The result is the kidnapping of one of the more vulnerable members of the Black Brothers, though I'll admit the means by which they accomplished this was kind of frustrating to watch. Dante was with him, and I have trouble believing that he's so gullible that he bought Leo's act. I have even more trouble believing that they'd let him go alone after they were warned not to do just that. So now, Alfredo must go alone to rescue him. |
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| @Antalk your new place sounds very comfy, I'm jealous, wish I had my own dedicated room to watch anime where I could smoke and drink beer, maybe one day. Episode 17. The Black Brothers lure and then beat the Wolf Pack in a fight behind the church. However, Giovanni, the Wolf Pack leader was absent, subduing the rival Scorpion gang, so their victory wasn't quite complete. Into this mix we get a subplot when Nikita's identity as a girl was uncovered (pretty obvious from when we first met her I thought as they made her character design noticeably cuter) and when she meets Alfredo she is clearly quite taken with him. Alfredo for his part finds her interesting as she has the same energy and spirit as his missing sister, Bianca. Alfredo tells Nikita that she's cute and should consider dressing up in girls clothes and maybe putting a flower in her hair, something the tomboy-ish Nikita doesn't appreciate (she reminds me of Tomo from this seasons Tomo-chan is a Girl). So Nikita comes up with a pretty nasty plan to kidnap one of the weaker Black Brothers (yes it was dumb how easily they were duped after just getting a warning from Alfredo to watch out and not go alone as the WP would be looking for revenge) and demand Alfredo come alone to rescue him. The end plan being to remove Alfredo as leader thereby nullifying the effectiveness of the BB gang. |
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