Time-stopping is one of the most exhilarating powers in fiction. One of the transient domains and possibly the most game-changing abilities are related to time and space. The same was true for The Beginning After the End as well.
At least, it was until they adapted it into an animation. Unlike the brilliant descriptions of the webnovel or the divide depiction of the webtoon, the already static-looking animation of The Beginning After the End anime doesn’t display the impact of such a broken power.
The anime hasn’t gotten the greatest of reviews from the fans, and those who stuck to it for the story are getting more and more disheartened by the day. In a world that doesn’t seem to have any movement, what is the point of a time-stop ability?
When everything looks frozen, time feels non-existent
There have been many anime series that have portrayed time-stop or time manipulation powers. The importance of such an ability in the main character’s arsenal cannot be overstated. But somehow, the time-stop abilities in The Beginning After the End seem to fall far short of their true potential.
Whether it’s watching the screams halt midway or the attacks pause, there’s a thrill in the viewer’s heart, and they know something incredible is going to happen. But for the fans of The Beginning After the End, it is just another day.
With incredibly still frames being shown for seconds together, the time-stop (other than its black & white filter) seems to be faster than an actual scene.
I wouldn’t know this was Time Stop if not of the B&W filter
byu/Stardomu intbatenovel
So when Arthur Leywin unlocked this broken ability, viewers were met with stillness. Stillness that they were extremely familiar with.
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byu/Stardomu from discussion
intbatenovel
In the TBATE anime, Arthur’s time-stop doesn’t feel awe-inspiring. It doesn’t feel overpowered. It doesn’t even feel different. The animation of the anime is so bad that the effect of freezing time is nearly indistinguishable from the show’s regular animation, or the lack of it.
Time-stop should have been a highlight, not another still
The fact that such an important ability has had its impact reduced to nothing feels extremely wasteful, and for true fans of TurtleMe’s work, disheartening. In a fantasy, adventure anime like TBATE, abilities and other fantastical elements are extremely essential.
The fans and viewers have raised a pertinent point: add colors back to the image, and maybe a few speed lines, and the stopped-time visuals will seem like just another scene in the anime.
So when Arthur actually activates his time-stop power, there’s no actual change in the scene; it is just a shift to grayness. In the webtoon or novel, you could imagine or interpret time stopping more vividly in your mind.
Comment
byu/Stardomu from discussion
intbatenovel
That ability is limited when an anime (which is supposed to have animation) is itself not in motion. The immersive experience gets lost, and the dramatic movements become irksome.
Comment
byu/Stardomu from discussion
intbatenovel
The real tragedy here is that time-stop could have been the moment to elevate the anime beyond its limitations. A sharp jump in animation quality, or a change in designs, could have made it much better.
It’s ironic that the main character is using a time-stop ability to freeze the world. But when your world is already frozen frame by frame, what is the point?
The Beginning After the End can currently be streamed on Crunchyroll.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
