After a couple episodes predominantly focusing on the Glitch Techs as a team and the missions they encounter, "Collection Quest" revisits the "Smashozaurs" approach of having the mission of the episode directly correlate with personal dramas that serve as the main meat of the story. In this instance, it's Miko having to bond with Nica during one of their obligated hangout times. However, I consider this significantly more successful than the earlier episode thanks to Nica's previous appearances foreshadowing this ("Going, Going, Gauntlet" is probably the most significant) as well as the more upbeat tone.
Apart from some scenes in "Age of Hinobi", where she was mostly portrayed as the oddball of the group anyway, we've barely gotten to know any of Miko's family at all. This makes seeing one of her sisters take the spotlight already very welcome, as it allows us to know more about who Miko is as a person. Nica's portrayal here does initially come across like a blank slate, but they really nailed the dynamic between the sisters in how - even though they aren't interested in hanging together - there's a constant sense of playfulness and affection between them. And more character traits appear in her as time goes on, from her insecurities on "soch meds" (probably the most emotionally rewarding section of this story) to having a subtle game-savvy side herself, leading to one of the most satisfying endings of the series yet.
But of course, you gotta have some of that glitch action to surround that, and here we have Five and Bergy collecting a bunch of crystals scattered around the town to farm XP so Five can earn some exclusive, limited-edition Hinobi sneakers. This leads to a unique take on tetris where the goal is to destroy the blocks unleashed by a monstrous narwhal to avoid being squashed. Overall, It's pretty light on substance compared to some of the other threats of the series, but it's a fun story that balances out the A-plot really well thanks to the two's contagious energy, especially during their constant chanting of "Quest! Quest!" I will say that, while the writing definitely delivers on both the heart and comedy, some of the lingo can get a little cringey here, even for a show that always dabbled in contemporary language. But they are generally brief and the high points are just too good, making "Collection Quest" one of the more solid all-around entries.
Visually, since this episode was actually much later in production order than the ones we've had up to now, the animation was entirely handled by Top Draw Productions, who previously did secondary work on Studio 100's output. Anyone who's observant enough will notice some differences in the the styles, although they're by no means jarring. Notably, there's a more consistent appearance to how the characters move with less emphasis being placed on the inbetweens and more making the keyframes attractive, and while the heights are not quite at the extent of Studio 100 or Flying Bark, it contains a lot of appealing visual fair all the same. They especially nail the scenes with dramatic cinematography, as will be detailed below.
Okay, with a line this big and crowded and three people at the checkout stand, why is only one person being served at a time? Even in the technologically-advanced Hinobi, customer service is behind the times...
Top Draw seems to really like drawing more expression to Miko's eyes, as is seen in this cute image. Also, this film mentions the parody name "Ring of the Lords", which is a pretty big groaner that only gets more confusing later.
Quick, multi-panel shot with really nice color contrast to emphasize the differences between each of these shots.
When Miko describes her hangouts with Nica, the screen gets filled with a few examples where either sister bailed on the other. Weirdly enough, despite the implication that these are separate days, Nica in all of these is wearing a different outfit from the one she wears in all the present-day scenes.
The mother being a scary authority figure towering on her reluctant children isn't a particularly original illustration, but this take still proves pretty powerful nonetheless thanks to the scale contrast, perspective, and firey backdrop all put together.
Bergy and Five, about to start their quest, "savoring this moment". Humorous enough visual made funnier with the 'Save File' graphic that appears a few seconds in.
If you didn't already think of TMNT by just the image of four turtles in here, Bergy asks Five to look if they have ninja weapons and bandanas. It definitely fits his character, but this just seemed too on-the-nose in my opinion.
Because the first gem is earned by stomping a turtle Mario-style, this Mabel-looking girl (who is left unwiped) is about to try stomping on a few more. Gotta love the pure confidence contrasting with the mother's anxiety.
Miko chanting to herself while messing around in an arcade machine is something I find very adorable for some reason. "The power supply is connected to the everything" almost became this page's titular quote.
The first time we see Nica's peers. We never get to know anything about them, but just the dark shadows with the only real light being the phones reflecting on their faces, along with their dead-eyed stares tells us all we need to grasp.
The ballpit scene is relatively brief, but it does a great job establishing what kind of bond Nica and Miko actually have, with Nica initially being annoyed but slowly getting into the fun. Also, there's the siblings from the first scene of the series in the second image.
Probably the most visually imaginative section of the episode is this scene where Nica contextualizes his anxiety with "soch meds". These are simplistic in just the right way to really convey the 'lonely yet populated' vibe. The fact the people in the second image are kept fully in silhouette is a very nice touch to convey how faceless these people you see online tend to be in your heads.
This location appears in a season 2 episode but was produced before this one. Luckily, it just cuts to Five and Bergy on the roof, so we don't have to worry about continuity errors.
Bergy doesn't exactly pull much weight when collecting the gems from this poster-narwhal, but man does that second expression look all sorts of unsettling.
And, just to beat up on him even more, he runs into an invisible barrier. Five's eyes look odd, but that's just the fault of this particular screenshot where the camera's shaking.
There are a *lot* of anime expressions in this episode, as I believe they became more commonplace in the series by the time Top Draw fully took animation production. And honestly, I'm not a big fan of most of these. This one from Nica I like though thanks to the small eyes matching the context perfectly.
I find it curious how seemingly accepting Nica is of all these gems floating in midair and these gadgets Miko is sporting. The episode makes it clear she hasn't made the connection to it being video game-based yet, but still...
This low-angle shot isn't as epic or dramatic as the one in "Castle Crawl", but it's still a really strong use of perspective.
This chibi bit is good too, thanks to the sudden tonal shift with how much of a joke this is. The Kubotas' reaction is hilariously timed too.
Probably the most memorable moment in the episode, really contextualizing that this life-threatening danger they're in is meant to be little more than a silly mobile game. This is made even funnier by Five not running but instead hugging the diamond. It's around here Miko says that Five went "full Gollum", which is a very funny line but quite confusing given they felt the need to say "Ring of the Lords" earlier this same episode.
Nica figuring out to use the gems as ammunition leads to this shot of her and Miko chanting "Gamer logic". We also saw this with Five and Miko in "Going, Going, Gauntlet", making me wonder if this was supposed to be a recurring bit.
This shot is pretty fantastically, being mostly dark to showcase the impending doom between Five and Bergy, only for light to come from Five's gauntlet blast. Quick, but effective.
Nica bouncing around after the gang's victory isn't the best animated, but it's worth it just to hear Miko express pride in her older sister.
Plus it's immediately followed by this extremely triumphant shot, complete with the "Quest! Quest! Quest!" being used one last time. Interesting that Miko is in her casual clothes though.
The reveal of a new pair of sneakers is a bit tired given we've all seen jokes of this sort with iPhones and such, but they save it with Mitch sliding back in to preorder and Phil's subsequent remark that "he's worth 10 pairs".
And we have one of the series' most earned closing shots. The photobombing keeps it from becoming too saccharine.
Комментарии