4||0|2294|0|yes
0|0|0|||1||My little introspection|Chris Redfield||09:39:52|12/20/2006|So%2C Laudre%27s posts about how the later Symphonies didn%27t work for him have gotten me to thinking about my feelings on them.  Like any symphony%2C there are parts I like more than others%2C and parts that just don%27t quite do it for me.%0D%0A%0D%0AThe first 2 symphonies are great.  Symphony %231 with the introduction of the characters%2C the hints at the coming conflict in Cephiro%2C and the raw human emotions of confusion and pain. The Interlude at Bancroft Tower followed by the rather exciting Hunted Rose are both some of the high points.%0D%0A%0D%0ASymphony %232 builds on the Corwin and Utena thing quite nicely.  I like how Corwin and Utena are unable to see things for what they really are even though everyone else figures out whats going on.  I like how they blind themselves with their personal codes of honor%2C and I like how they make a very stupid decision with very good intentions in Hotel Monolith.  I like seeing them work together both in the starship training and the week before Corwin%27s trial%2C and of course%2C the climax with the actual trial.%0D%0A%0D%0AKnight%27s of the Tenth World is the high point of the symphony to date for me.  The build up from the very begining of the 1st symphony finally released in a pretty epic clash of determined good and overwhelming evil.  While I know that the symphony is building up again to another big battle%2C this is currently the most powerful piece.%0D%0A%0D%0AThe only part of Symphony %232 that didn%27t quite do it for me was Crown of Roses%2C and I think that is just a stylistic thing.  The story it tells is fine%2C and I like seeing Anthy after her being mentioned so much in symphony %231.  Perhaps it just didn%27t land at the right place in the story for me.  I often get frustrated when an author switches to other characters when I want to know more from the characters we were previously dealing with.%0D%0A%0D%0AI have mixed feelings about Symphony %233.  I have trouble going back to see the mundane lives of the characters after seeing them in such an epic struggle.  I mean%2C who is Clarissa Broadbank next to Akio Ohtori%3F %28more than she appears it turns out in the end%2C but still%29.  The tour while a bizarre concept works out OK%2C and gets the crew in a fun bit of trouble in Gunboat Diplomacy and Valiant Rose.  Once the tour is done%2C things fall apart for the symphony.  While I think it was important to see Corwin attempting a relationship outside of Utena%2C Kozue isn%27t my favorite character and her day to day trials just didn%27t grab me like the day to day storytelling in the 1st Symphony did.%0D%0A%0D%0AI do like seeing Anthy trying to plot a way to get Corwin and Utena to acknowledge their feelings for one another without the %22everything but%22 clause.  I don%27t know if people noticed that she recognized their love immediately and decided to encourage it in an inclusive fashion%2C although somewhat subtley.%0D%0A%0D%0AI was pretty happy when the decision to move on to Symphony %234 occured%2C although I%27ve had a little trouble with the time gap.  A lot happens in this Symphony on lots of levels from Kate%27s new student to the disappearance of Kei%2C to the Valiant being stolen%2C to the Klingon revolution -- which was totally not the way I expected the revolution from the title of the symphony to go.%0D%0A%0D%0AOn the relationship level%2C I think I have finally figured out what about For Today and For Tomorrow didn%27t quite work for me.  I thought they were fine stories%2C and I was happy that the Corwin%2FAnthy%2FUtena trio was finally able to progress%2C but it was the smoothness of the transition that hit a snag for me.  It comes down to not remembering these are no longer the children of Symphony %231%2C and a failure to suspend disbelief.  I can except a world with 14 year old samurai swordswoman with the power to cloud men%27s minds without missing a beat%2C but got caught up in some of the same exceptional people continuing to be exceptional in their communication and feelings for one another.%0D%0A%0D%0AOn another note%2C as far as pure excitement goes%2C The Revolution Will be Televised gets the silver next to Knights of the Tenth World%2C and that isn%27t a bad thing.%0D%0A%0D%0ASo.  Thats it for my long mini-review.  I don%27t have time to go in any more detail of my likes and dislikes.  Perhaps I%27ll have some more insights when I read the annotated versions.%0D%0A%0D%0A-------------------------------------%0D%0AChris can%27t handle chemicals
1|1|0|||1||RE%3A My little introspection|twipper||10:42:14|12/20/2006|%3E%3E%3EI have mixed feelings about Symphony %233.  I have trouble going back to %0D%0Asee the mundane lives of the characters after seeing them in such an %0D%0Aepic struggle.  I mean%2C who is Clarissa Broadbank next to Akio Ohtori%3F %0D%0A%28more than she appears it turns out in the end%2C but still%29.%3E%3E%3E %0D%0A%0D%0APoint%3A  The First Rule of Space Opera is that if your hero%28s%29 manage to kill off the Lord High President for Life The Just Honorable Ruler of Zanzabar%2C you either have to a%29 introduce the Bigger Badder Son of the Lord High President for Life The Just Honorable Ruler of Zanzabar to take up the slack or b%29 somehow reincarnate your previous uber villian in a new and unique way.  The Symphony arc chose option b%29.  At this point then you have to allow enough time to elapse for Mr. Reincarnate to recoup and rebuild.  Additionally%2C even in High Space Opera tradition%2C the hero%28s%29 must occasionally take a break and return to the mundane.  Otherwise he%2Fshe%2Fit%2Fthey will either burn out or eat their friends and coworkers.%0D%0A%0D%0AIMO%2C Mr. Hutchins et al played the timing angle to a tee%2C as well as the reincarnation ploy.  For examples of how not to play either of the above options%2C see any major character arc from DC or Marvel over the last 20 years.
2|2|1|||1||RE%3A My little introspection|Chris Redfield||11:02:40|12/20/2006|%3EAt this point then you have to allow enough time to elapse for Mr. %0D%0A%3EReincarnate to recoup and rebuild.  Additionally%2C even in High Space %0D%0A%3EOpera tradition%2C the hero%28s%29 must occasionally take a break and return %0D%0A%3Eto the mundane.  Otherwise he%2Fshe%2Fit%2Fthey will either burn out or eat %0D%0A%3Etheir friends and coworkers. %0D%0A%0D%0AI don%27t disagree with this point%2C and I am glad that the building storm of demon Akio and his forces has been slow to develop%2C but it was still a difficult transition for me.  I guess I feel that there wasn%27t an immediate hook into the story like there was for the other symphonies.%0D%0A%0D%0A-------------------------------------%0D%0AChris can%27t handle chemicals
3|1|0|||||RE%3A My little introspection|Berk||12:32:36|12/20/2006|%3Ewhich was totally not the way I expected the revolution from the title of the symphony to go.%0D%0A%0D%0AAh%2C but the Klingon Revolution wasn%27t the Revolution in the title at all.%0D%0A%0D%0AThe televised Revolution was when Utena Revolutionized the Jedi Order%27s World.%0D%0A%0D%0A%28I have a sneaking suspicion that if there were any nice%2C big bells anywhere NEAR the place where that conference took place%2C they all started ringing%2C spontaneously%2C JUST before she went off on her rant.%29
4|1|0|||||RE%3A My little introspection|drakensis||07:15:21|12/21/2006|I do find that Symphony 3 feels less%2C um%2C close knit%3F coherent%3F than the previous Symphonies%2C not because it%27s badly done %28by no means%29 but because rightly or wrongly I see it as bridging the gap between the %27big things%27 of the first two symphonies and the %27big things%27 of Symphonies 4 %26 5. It feels more like a lot of interludes and side-stories that are delightful%2C but don%27t have the driving force of the other symphonies.%0D%0A%0D%0ANow the overall story needs this%2C for all the reasons stated%2C but it left me a little wrong-footed. Almost as if Klayvor and the Amar are filler %28which obviously not the case%29.%0D%0A%0D%0AThis isn%27t constructive criticism%2C which I apologise for%2C but I don%27t have any particular idea how else it could have been done except for making it a bunch of %5Bi%5Dofficial%5B%2Fi%5D side-stories rather than a symphony which probably wouldn%27t have helped%2C since there is an overall story to tie them together.