Sky Strings

Pro tip: Stop feeding the fish

(Progress: 15/26)

Stripey pointed out the music behind Sky Girls. Indeed, it's been a while since I've seen a series whose incidental music goes beyond just that — incidental. Nodame Cantabile had music as its focus, but there was a time for music, and there was a time for dialog with music in the background, like most other shows.

A lot of the time, it's a simple matter of repetition (once or twice per episode is sufficient) and upping the volume. The balance can be shifted to favour music over speech, since (for me) the viewer is going to selectively amplify dialog. Consider it as a form of pre-emphasis to compensate for the inherent bias of the receiver.

Novelty helps, too. While it may not be as sweeping as Midway March, as performed by the Boston Pops Orchestra, it's been a while since I've heard a fanfare march anywhere, and Sky Girls delivers a pretty decent one. I find that it's worth sitting through something like the Sonic Diver launch sequence just to hear it.

The light march and the soaring, bittersweet strings in the segment that Stripey posted give off a World War II vibe. The image of that era and its planes, compared to a post-apocalyptic world with fighter jets and Sonic Divers, can be jarring. But as pieces that embody the military spirit in the former, and the human spirit in the latter, they are not unwelcome in the least.

The pensive piano figures heavily elsewhere, and is inevitably viewed in a positive light by me. It can indicate the dredging up of the muddy past, or the troubled mind beneath a stoic visage. While the pensive piano does not necessarily herald additional exploration of the world and the characters, for the time being I'll take comfort in the possibility that it may. And if, eleven episodes later, it doesn't, at least the music is pretty good.

The seventeenth angel

They appeared, they blew stuff up, humanity develops giant robots to counter them. I suppose that Sky Girls, like Evangelion, needs no justification for its antagonists.

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Sky Girls episode 6

Some quick points worth mentioning. Maybe.

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Nice stunt pulled during episode 6. The progression from drill practice to combat went too quickly to figure out that they were doing more simulator work. The very real opponent and live-fire weapons only added to the confusion. That the rifle Eika used was different from the ones used during the shooting demonstration didn't register until after the fact.


Karen is the quintessential nerd as she picks Nanae apart. When she applies her talents to more useful pursuits, it's taken for granted and even somewhat dry, but when she goes estimating other people, it's unintentionally funny, like the surprise that follows discovering an unintended use for some skill. Lucky Star's Miyuki would never apply herself to such nefarious purposes. If you enjoy fan service, there's plenty of that this episode.

I looked up the cast for the first time today and was surprised to see Ayako Kawasumi voicing Otoha. Now I can't watch this episode without hearing a less insane version of Megumi Noda on numerous occasions.

The writers belabour the point of the Sonic Divers with Captain Togo. He doesn't come across as dense or so kind as to be naive about why the military takes an interest in these things, so his surprise concerning the weaponization of the Sonic Divers is completely unbelievable. If you went in with no idea that there would be fighting involved, which would entail ignoring the OP and Eika's dogfight in the first episode, you might just be inclined to feel sorry for him. But as it stands, he's just there for the sake of being the token gruff guy.

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Sky Girls: Aren't you a little short for a test pilot?

The catchy chorus in the OP sounds remarkably like KOTOKO, with its distorted vocals, or is that just because everyone wants be like KOTOKO now? Could do without the engrish.

I've never seen the OVA, and my decision to start watching was based pretty much on the fact that it involves flying. Flight animation is nice, better if it's reasonably detailed. I'm not expecting crazy logistics defying variable fighter missile shoot-outs, but I have no doubt there are one or two of those scenes in the pipeline.

So far, there have been non-flying episodes and episodes with some test flying or simulator work, but it's pure build-up. Hopefully it builds up to something interesting. Like a thrust-vectored, logistics (and physics) defying, missile shoot-out.

In the future, meat grows in conical form around a stick. Cylindrical is so uncivilized.

Episode 5 of Sky Girls continues to reinforce the ranks of those who see references to Evangelion. The smoking gun will, of course, be that Otoha's Sonic Diver is a capsule for her dead brother's soul.

ZEROOOO. No really, that's its name.

Projectiles versus sword. Because increasing the odds of death is the honourable thing to do, as well as being a vehicle for awesomeness. Fortunately for Otoha, the flying discs aren't rigged with explosives. The OP did feature her taking down a WORM with that blade, so I guess this is expected.

Gendou Viral

I have nothing to add to the above.

Eika's change toward a more active leadership role came across as forced. That's not to say that she is insincere, because I do think she wants everyone to do well, just not for the sake of having everyone do well. We all know she has that Ryu (Street Fighter) mindset: be the best for the sake of being the best. It's hard to see her being genuinely helpful (nice != helpful), as I do like characters who are Tall, Dark and Bishoujo, although she doesn't quite live up to the height part.

Synchronization exercises for killing an Angel a demonstration? Where have I seen that…

If all synchronized swimmers were this good after one training session, it'd cease to be a sport. Maybe they're just leading on the rest of us.

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