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Twin Spica
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Animation - 7.9 |
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Sound - 8.4 |
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Story - 8.4 |
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Character - 8.8 |
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Value - 8.3 |
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Enjoyment - 8.6 |
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Average - 8.4 |
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petran79 |
(2007-02-13 12:18:27) 2007-02-13 12:18:05 |
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| Average |
7.0 |
| Animation |
7 |
| Sound |
8 |
| Story |
7 |
| Character |
8 |
| Value |
6 |
| Enjoyment |
6 |
| (Anime-fansubs fansubs. Good translation, just it would be better in one phrase to use the scientific term "astronomy" instead of the more occult "astrology")
From what I read the series is based on a still on-going manga. So the story continues there and probably the characters will train further and launch into space. If the manga is as good as Planetes it is surely a good read.
Twin Spica suffers from the same problem as the anime Someday's Dreamers. Nothing constructive really happens and it becomes just another slice of life anime, without anything interesting to add. While in terms of characters I found it much better than the dreadful Stellvia or the annoying Infinite Ryvious characters, it hadnt the element that I needed to feel attached to them, like it occured with the anime Figure 17. Oddly since the leading voice actress featured also in that anime.Of course that anime had other sort of problems but it wasnt as boring.
Had I seen this first instead of Figure 17 I'd have better impressions.
One other annoying element are the flashbacks. THey're extremely overused. In a manga format flashbacks are effective most of the time since you have time to take a break with every chapter change. But in an anime the flow just hasnt that luxury. While I was used to the pace of the various tests the characters had to endure in the Academy, suddenly there's a flashback scene with the characters past and I had to refocus again, something very annoying especially in the first half.
In the second half that problem is tackled but it already took the enjoyment away.
Animation and sound were decent to good and the voice actors did a very good job, even if some problems in the pace and story took some points.
I like slice of life animes but in my opinion Twin Spica doesnt belong to the masterpieces. It is certainly underrated (due also to the slow fansub releases) and should be higher than many popular titles. But it didnt impress me. Not of the most memorable titles around.
Better opt for Figure 17 or Niea_7. Or read the manga, yet to be licensed. Some characters would have been better developed in the volumes after the anime ends.
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nare |
(2006-01-17 16:14:09) 2006-01-17 16:12:01 |
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| Average |
9.0 |
| Animation |
8 |
| Sound |
10 |
| Story |
9 |
| Character |
9 |
| Value |
9 |
| Enjoyment |
9 |
| Futatsu no Spica is definitely one of the most beautiful and emotional series I've watched, but not in a dramatical way. The story focuses on Kamogawa Asumi, whose mother died in a rocket crash and because of that, Asumi grew up knowing only her father. Despite the tragic cause of her mother's death, Asumi aspires to be an astronaut and aims for the newly-established Space Astronaut Course at National Space School in Tokyo.
The story tells us about Asumi's dream and the dreams and feelings of the people she meets there, and does so in a very moving and convincing way. Asumi and her friends are portrayed very realistic, they look like ordinary people you could meet everywhere, but the way they strive for their dreams is impressive. The story is slow-paced, with lots of attention on the character's pasts and their relationships with each other.
Animation is very nice. No exaggerated CG here, but nicely drawn faces and environments. Music matches the series very well, with mostly laid-back solo piano and harmonica pieces, always appropriate to the scenes. As said, the story and the characters are what puts this series way above average.
In short, a must-see for everyone wanting a heart-warming story about everydays kids and their not-so-everyday dreams of becoming astronauts. Highly recommended.
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Poom |
(2005-08-22 03:20:29) 2005-08-22 00:52:22 |
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| Average |
7.3 |
| Animation |
8 |
| Sound |
8 |
| Story |
7 |
| Character |
8 |
| Value |
6 |
| Enjoyment |
7 |
| Booorrring
Twin spica is heavily focus on Astrology and astronaut space training. It's a slow-pace anime. Azumi would just stare at the sky and wonder off to her own world. Story-line went back and forth from the real time and past flashback, sometime flashback is fill the whole ep. that's mean if you havn't watch the previous ep b4 you won't understand some ep. Since there're a lot of flash back ep, the present activities move very slowly.
Somehow most of the chars have their past intervene with each other. But what's most annoying the most is they never know each other secrets. 1 char would keep the secret and dissapear or never talk about it even some telling but others still can't understand. There're also a lot of people that pop in, make a huge impack and then left. Who cares about stories that will not evolve forward, I want to see people shock and spread the info around but nooo they could just come and left, come and left. I wish they could unite all the chars or explain some answer with Marika's clones, oh well.. another char wasted.
There's on few good points in the story thou(this is keep me awake). All of the exam are great, the clue are pretty sneaky usually either Azumi or Shuu will figure thing out. If you watch the whole thing, it make one wonder if it more about Marika and Lion-San than Azumi. Azumi never really change instead Marika improve and Lion-San story come to the end.
Watch if you can take slow-pace anime with daily-life and want to see some random space training session(good stuff). Otherwise, take a nap and go watch golf instead.
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| Average |
9.8 |
| Animation |
9 |
| Sound |
10 |
| Story |
10 |
| Character |
10 |
| Value |
10 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
| I'm dissapointed how few people see this. Seems like many are chased away by things such as the silly looking Lion-san which can lead one to believe this is the sort of childish thing that has "beast-people" in it, but, it's not. In fact, it's an alternate reality that could have been occuring today but for minor changes here and there. Also, it's hard to get over the seeming space theme to it all, but, it takes place in the ordinary everyday almost reality, so no real sci-fi here if you ask me. If you don't like sci-fi, but, don't mind more modern-day things, you may be able to take it.
One thing to note about the ending. The main plot is unresolved, yes, but, if you look deeper, it wasn't really about that at all. What really happens as it ends is a very important final step in character development. The fact is, there's only so much that could happen after that that we'd wonder about, and the show would have felt empty unless the writers tried to throw in some cheap thrills. I think they were correct to end it as they did. I want to say what it's really about, but, that's kind of a spoiler, so all I can say is watch it and look a little deeper at the end than just the main story line.
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0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
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| Average |
9.7 |
| Animation |
9 |
| Sound |
9 |
| Story |
10 |
| Character |
10 |
| Value |
10 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
| Asumi will really inspire you to go for your dreams. Her determination will really move you and that for me is what makes this anime different from the rest. Asumi is a simple girl (no magical powers, no mecha) her experiences makes her stronger. Also, the presence of her friends and the importance of them being around is really nice. Overall a must have alternative to all the mecha and magical girl animes out there.
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kozosan |
(2005-03-25 04:03:37) 2005-03-14 03:52:23 |
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| Average |
6.7 |
| Animation |
7 |
| Sound |
6 |
| Story |
7 |
| Character |
6 |
| Value |
6 |
| Enjoyment |
8 |
| You have your typical innocent main character trying their hardest to achieve their dream, while trying to be friends with everyone along the way. The other characters also follow formulas (the quirky girl, the quiet loner, the secret crush, & the laid back genius). As for the plot, just when you think it will get interesting, it ends abruptly without resolving much.
It's unique underlying plot involving astronaut school & a ghost friend are the best reasons to watch it, but it's not enough to make you forget the cliched basics.
If you end up liking this anime, I recommend you see Card Captor Sakura b/c it's better all-around.
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0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
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| Average |
9.2 |
| Animation |
7 |
| Sound |
8 |
| Story |
10 |
| Character |
10 |
| Value |
10 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
| Wow, this show is just amazing. It's one of the most well told stories I've seen in an anime in quite a while, and it really sucked me in..
The story is deeply emotional, both happy and sad, and some of the characters have a lot of depth, particularly Asumi, the main character. It would've been nice to learn more about some of the other characters, like Shuu and Kei, but that would've either shorted other characters or lengthened the series.
If you like real stories about people, then you must watch this.
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isokana |
(2005-02-08 13:45:52) 2005-02-08 13:43:26 |
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| Average |
8.8 |
| Animation |
8 |
| Sound |
9 |
| Story |
8 |
| Character |
10 |
| Value |
9 |
| Enjoyment |
9 |
| Yes, this is good. No hard-core action, fan-service or ninja but heart-warming story, captivating characters and a wonderful atmosphere. Every time we hear young Asumi tell about her dream, every cell in my body is believes her and wants to help her. A great sensation.
Words really fail me here. I would like to describe how greatly Asumi's character is build through flashbacks. In some series flashbacks are only good for stalling the actual story (Nar*cough*uto) but in Twin Spica I eagerly waited for them because I knew that I would learn something new about Asumi. Or Marika who is similarly developed. Her past is even more mysterious and the ending was most interesting as we finally learn of her origin. Whoops, it seems words didn't fail me after all.
Lion-san adds an own surreal taste to the series that otherwise deals with quite realistic matters. Other main characters fill their place nicely: Shinnosuke as an old friend who has perspective to Asumi's past, Kei keeps the series becoming overly serious and no-eyebrows-guy (forgot the name) who is only one standing on the same line with Asumi.
The story goes on slowly: other half of it are the flashbacks that tell us of the characters and the other half shows how their relationships evolve during the training. And the training is pretty interesting, especially since I was watching Planetes at the same time and some similiraties cannot go unnoticed. Really captivating stuff.
Animation is clear and doesn't have any super CGI-effects, which would have destroyd the mood totally. Music flows with the story and the opening is absolutely fabulous even if it doesn't fit the slow-paced story.
If you only like action-oriented series, don't watch this. It will bore you to death. If you on the other hand like slow series with excellent characters (like Haibane Renmei), this is a must watch for you.
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Igor |
(2005-02-01 14:58:21) 2005-02-01 14:54:12 |
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| Average |
9.7 |
| Animation |
9 |
| Sound |
9 |
| Story |
10 |
| Character |
10 |
| Value |
10 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
| This anime is underrated, and worse, it has too few reviews for its worth.
It's simply perfect and fascinating. In 20 episodes we get to know Asumi and her friends, especially Marika, and their reasons for dreaming to go to space someday. They are all students of a Space university, but the story really is about their past, Asumi's and Marika's. Both girls have suffered badly, and both are highly motivated. We don't simply have to take these strong characters for what they are, we are instead slowly unveiled with lots of episodes from their childhood, at various ages, that shaped them step by step. It's fascinating how the narrators managed to alternate between present-day school training and flashbacks from their past, seamlessly, explaining step by step their motivations and personalities.
The story gets complex, and it's simply beautiful. The third main character is Lion-san, at first may seem strange, but he is really one of the best parts of the story.
Twin Spica is a tearjerker, is beautiful, sad, funny, makes you think what are the real reasons behind your decisions, what are the forces that drive our lives.
One of the best series ever. Don't miss this because of the relatively simple character design or the strange 'ghost' Lion-san. It's a deep, mature story.
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1 of 1 people found this review helpful.
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|
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| Average |
8.8 |
| Animation |
8 |
| Sound |
9 |
| Story |
9 |
| Character |
10 |
| Value |
8 |
| Enjoyment |
9 |
| This is a nice series.
Good character development throughout. You may be confused with one or two of the characters, but by the end you'll fully understand.
Touching story that reveals the strength of friendship and the overcoming of hardship.
I thought the series would go on longer, maybe 2 or 3 seasons. But since its one of those slow paced animes, I guess people wouldn't enjoy it that much.
So if you're into a well rounded anime, I recommend you watch this one. Don't expect mechas, ecchi scenes, or anything out of the ordinary. *cough* Except one particular thing. You just have to wait until you watch it.
*hint* the picture gives it away
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0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
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| Average |
8.7 |
| Animation |
8 |
| Sound |
8 |
| Story |
9 |
| Character |
9 |
| Value |
9 |
| Enjoyment |
9 |
| Not an action-packed series, but rather a slow-moving, quiet, thoughtfull one. Bouncing back and forth in time across multiple story lines, we see the impact of a single event on several lives, although the story is mostly about Asumi and her quest to qualify as an astronaut.
If you've ever felt the pull of the stars then this story is about you and your people. All of the main characters are space-driven for a range of reasons, and much of the series is spent exploring their backgrounds and motivations. The show even sets up an interesting puzzle about one particular character which is only resolved near the end of the series, and which I found to be quite touching.
In the end this is still a show about schoolkids, but it is kind of a special one. I was sad to see it end.
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Last Exile |
(2004-09-03 05:14:30) 2004-05-06 08:13:23 |
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| Average |
6.3 |
| Animation |
8 |
| Sound |
4 |
| Story |
7 |
| Character |
7 |
| Value |
6 |
| Enjoyment |
6 |
| This ends up being like Planetes meets Stellvia, which is an interesting mix. It's better than both, thankfully.
The young female protagnist ploy sees another play here, and it's an interesting one. Our dear friend has lost her mother, and like many traumatised kids of that age, she can see ghosts, in this case, Lion-san. Her adventures with Lion and his personal quest to begin with are quite a nice touch. Then jump to her teens and her quest for space.
What makes this better than PLanetes is because you have a reason to feel sorry for our protagonist right away, the characters are more human and animated and they're the type you want to succeeed. And they're not the type that caves in to sappiness and excessive altruism like Stellvia did. Intriguing enough to be worth seeing through...if someone actually continues to see the series through (stuck at 12 for ages)
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0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
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| Average |
8.3 |
| Animation |
8 |
| Sound |
9 |
| Story |
8 |
| Character |
8 |
| Value |
8 |
| Enjoyment |
9 |
| Twin Spica is a series I finally came back to after a number of years and a few rewatches to note the series impact on my personal tastes. To this day, I still have no idea why this title wasn't licensed, nor do I know how such a gem could be overlooked if considering the spectrum of the story and the character focus. Granted, it tends to handle some heavy subject matters, but in a way that's sentimental and doesn't overpress the point.
To tell you the bare bones of where the story starts: a major accident involving the space shuttle Lion devastates a town, encompassing casualties all around. A young girl named Asumi finds herself as one of those affected by the tragedy, not only in the loss of her mother at a young age, but also finding a friend in a ghost, who calls himself Lion-san. Lion-san is really the person who allows Asumi to realize her dreams of becoming a "rocket driver".
The story occurs in a series of progressive stories, starting from when Asumi is a kindergarten student brought up by her protective father, progressing to her pursuits in astronaut training school and how she comes to interact among her surrounding group of friends. A rather apt progression for a slice of life, supernatural oriented series, but it presents itself as even more than that. If you're a person who loves stories about characters pursuing their dreams and coming of age stories, there's much to take from this series. Some might argue that such might steep itself in unrealistic optimism, but that's not the case at all. if anything, the courage and perseverance that Asumi shows is really heartwarming, and she's not so much of a perfect character that she doesn't find herself discouraged or scared of the situations/realities she faces. It's rather tangible, and the moods are an undulating balance between dealing with the tragedies surrounding the unfortunate accident and the achievements the characters make.
Twin Spica has a very healthy set of cast members, and most are properly developed where it counts, though a few characters do have intriguing backstories that are somewhat overlooked (Shuu). I genuinely enjoyed watching these characters grow, as well as their interactions with each other, from the group of kids (Asumi, Kei, Shuu, Kyosuuke, and Marika - five friends, five points on a star, isn't that a neat comparison to make? ;) ) to the adults, such as Lion-san, Sumari-sensei and even Asumi's father. The series takes it's time and even in the episodes where it may seem like filler, you learn something about that character that clicks into place why that character has reservations, guilt, or progression from a given event.
There's also an educational element to this series. The spot introductions about constellations, famous events in Space History, among other facts are nice to digest, not to mention they really have a cute way of presenting them. The only thing I would say about Twin Spica is that the subject matter is a little too heavy for young children. Those closer to pre-teen and like coming-of-age, interactional stories could definitely find something to love with this series. Of course, if you're like me and an adult with a penchant for kid-centered coming of age stories, this is definitely a series I would recommend.
Animation standards are very good for its time. The series actually adapts the animation much better than the manga counterpart, and you could say the designs are a little similar to a series like Mokke or Kamichu! Not quite as fluid animation, but the coloring is very well done throughout.
I adored the OST to Twin Spica, and I still occasionally listen to it from time to time. "Venus Say", the opening theme by Buzy, is a cute introduction and fares well with the opening sequence, that's both lighthearted and showcases the implied stories in the series very well. The ending theme might throw a few people from the boat, but personally, I liked Begin's take on the classic lullaby "Miagete Goran Yoru no Hoshi Wo" (Look Up at the Stars at Night). To date, this is probably one of the songs I know fully in Japanese and can sing it straight through, and you could say it's because of this series. The most interesting thing about that choice for an ending theme is that it fits the series like a glove, in both thematic and symbolic context. You find that references to the stars not only represent ambition and determination, but also reminders of those that are lost, remembered in a sentimental way. There's a depth here that not a lot of people get, and when I caught on to it, this cemented itself as one of my favorite anime series to date.
The only thing I could say is that those who want to go through this series have to have patience and an orientation toward slice of life, coming of age stories that can sometimes get both a bit dark and sentimental, but neither, in my eyes, are hampered in the course of the series. There are a few filler episodes to be had here, but none that aren't somewhat enjoyable. If you liked series like Mokke, Kamichu, or perhaps even Dennou Coil, this would be a series I'd consider coming into.
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| Average |
9.7 |
| Animation |
8 |
| Sound |
10 |
| Story |
10 |
| Character |
10 |
| Value |
10 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
| I've watched the first 7 episodes of this anime, I picked it almost at random because there weren't many new good shows for me to download...and this has been a real gem. The characters are drawn very plainly, which is why i marked down the animation slightly, but the backgrounds are lushly detailed. I don't mind the characters tho, they are sweet and real, and the story is heartwarming, tear-jerking, and inspiring. Some of the stuff we've seen before... the "dorm" life, and sometimes it reminds me of Stellvia of the Universe (only MARGINALLY less crying in this show, Stellvia half the shows were crying) The story is great. The characters are varied and interesting. Part of me feels this is a "kid's show" and I feel a little odd being a grown man watching it, but some things are timeless. This would be a show I would watch with my kids. You never miss the lack of ecchi or "adult jokes". I can only find the first 8 eps on fansub so far, but I hope to track down more.
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nakoruru |
(2004-02-06 20:53:22) 2004-02-05 22:22:35 |
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| Average |
9.2 |
| Animation |
8 |
| Sound |
9 |
| Story |
8 |
| Character |
10 |
| Value |
10 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
| Futatsu no Supika almost makes up to the fact there weren't many shoujo anime released in 2003.
Even though it starts quite dramatic, by the third episode it will develop itself to become more sci-fi. But I'm looking forward to see other episodes. That's a good sign!
I fell in love with this anime on the first 5 minutes of the first episode. It doesn't happen often to me (a shame!) but it's a really touching story. Highly recommmended to any shoujo fan out there! :)
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seikai |
(2004-01-26 03:18:53) 2004-01-03 02:54:36 |
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| Average |
8.8 |
| Animation |
8 |
| Sound |
8 |
| Story |
10 |
| Character |
9 |
| Value |
9 |
| Enjoyment |
9 |
| I've seen up to ep 8.
I ignored this one till recently because of some unknown reason. I'm still wondering what it would be.
The setting is similar to Stratos -- several kids training to be a space pilot. But the atmosphere is totally different (in a good way).
It somehow feels like I'm watching "Kino no Tabi". Maybe it's because of warm humanistic details. Or maybe it's because of a touch of folk tales and small mysteries.
Although this is a good anime, its animation style is not up to par. Several sceneries are done in utmost detail (I'd say they are at the same level with Ghibli films). But even those background scenes are ruined by the character drawing. The more beautiful the background is, the more distant the characters become against the background. It's a big minus.
Characters variation is a bit too typical. I always wondered why we have to have "Rei" in every single anime, and this is no exception.
But all these trivial flaws are compensated by the good storyline. I'm actually a little bit worried because, in ep 7-8, the basic setting has become what's been tried and told million times already: a highschool girl living in a girls' dorm...
I just hope it continues satisfying my expectation as it did so far.
<<Updated>>
I'm up to ep 11. So far no sign of disappointment.
One interesting thing I find is the way the timeline jumps to past from the main storyline. It's as if those looking-back storytellings are more important, and the main storyline (a girl being a space pilot) is a minor matter...
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|
|
| Average |
5.8 |
| Animation |
7 |
| Sound |
8 |
| Story |
4 |
| Character |
5 |
| Value |
5 |
| Enjoyment |
6 |
| One of the most dissapointing shows I've seen in awhile. This is a review after 20 eps, btw. It started as a really heartwarming, character driven show, but that can only carry a show so far. There were hints of a storyline but that never really amounted to anything. It became bogged down in flashbacks and it became so slow that even I couldn't take anymore. I really wanted to like this, but in the end I cannot recommend it because it promises so much but fails to deliver.
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0 of 1 people found this review helpful.
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