Thanks! Yeah I've seen how much it's been hyped up and it's been great so far. The end of the latest episode was intense.
-
Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.
Autumn Anime 2015 |OT2| It'll at least last longer than Steve.
- Thread starter BGBW
- Start date
- Status
Well then help me out. What word am I supposed to use to describe what I feel is a critique of an irrelevant aspect of a work that suggests said person might be "missing of the point"? Like, knocking off points for a review of a Steakhouse restaurant because it doesn't serve Pancakes. It's.....weird and feels like reaching. IMO of course.
NaDannMaGoGo
Member
Well, concerning the first point: for me, part of the allure of OPM was its subversion of battle shounen tropes, the premise basically being just that. So when Saitama just punches and genuinely ends his enemies, that's neat for a change. However there's less subversion and just more common, and to me annoying, tropes such as the lack of actual character deaths (on the hero side). Likewise there's very little that separates these other heroes from your everyday shounen. When they're on screen it's just standard shounen shenanigans which I do not care for unless very well executed (see HxH Yorknew City arc (and ONLY that arc)).
As far as the second point goes. It's mostly that just randomly forcing this indifferent facial expression on Saitama isn't actually good comedy. It simply doesn't fit all the time and when its abundant use takes away from when it's actually used well. That goes for his 'serious' stance as well. You know, the one where he also gets drawn more detailed.
I'll make a screenshot or two of scenes where I felt it unnecessary.
edit:
So for instance this moment felt a bit out of place. It's the sequence that starts with the OP theme chiming in. Shortly before this some flying around and this shot we have this one where Saitama is clearly quite engaged parrying attacks.
So it just feels kinda weird to see him put on his straight face a few seconds afterwards. I "get it" in the sense that the director seems to think it's more hilarious to show Saitama unimpressed wherever possible and here it also contrasts Boros' combat face. But it just isn't funny in my opinion. It's simply overdoing it which also results in me question how aware Saitama is about these expressions of his. Originally I figured he'll just be portrayed this way when he's genuinely bored by yet another speech or powerup and the badass art style and pose is used whenever the audience would seriously associate the situation as that cool. But towards these later episodes it sometimes doesn't seem to be in-character for him to be making the straight face just then but rather it's used because "It's funny every single time he has it!".
I'm basically just saying that they're overusing it.
hosannainexcelsis
Member
Well, I haven't watched the show, but I've seen a few people on Twitter complain that the adaptation is "half-assed", so there are definitely people out there that dislike it.
MetroidPrimeRib
Banned
Also, Naruto 322 was the better animated episode in 2013.
For OPM 12, the second half looked fine when it was just people talking but the first half was an almost non stop stream of great looking scenes. I think most shows that have great animation like UBW are like that (OPM is far better then UBW when it comes to just looks and people standing around tho)
It's pretty rare a show manages both well, like Space Dandy imo
That doesn't make much sense. They did just about the best job possible with the animation talent they got.
Hellwarden
Member
I actually haven't kept up with One Punch Man. Stopped around episode 7. I'll finish it, but I don't feel any certain urge to.
The show didn't connect with me much outside of certain scenes. It's okay though.
The people at Madhouse deserve praise for their animation prowess.
I just don't love it. Chalk it up to my personal
taste.
The show didn't connect with me much outside of certain scenes. It's okay though.
The people at Madhouse deserve praise for their animation prowess.
I just don't love it. Chalk it up to my personal
bad
Moral Panic
Member
Concrete Revolutio 12
The PAYOFFFFFFFFFF!!!!!! Everthing is coming tumbling down. I hope they tie it well to the future parts too.
The PAYOFFFFFFFFFF!!!!!! Everthing is coming tumbling down. I hope they tie it well to the future parts too.
hosannainexcelsis
Member
Again, I haven't watched the show, so I have no personal opinion here, but the people who complain say that everything besides the animation - the direction, the storyboarding, the writing, etc. - is bad.
MetroidPrimeRib
Banned
That half sounds like they didn't like One Punch Man that much to begin with. The most famous and widespread thing about OPM are Murata's insane spreads and art, so might as well capitalize on that by making it the focus in the anime.
nintendoman58
Member
Dedication Through Light
Member
Concrete Revolution Episode 12
When they used the ED song in the episode part, nice, I love that version too especially the ending part dragged out to end the talking scene.
When they used the ED song in the episode part, nice, I love that version too especially the ending part dragged out to end the talking scene.
Kikko really thought Claude was Jiro, sad since that was my theory, but glad hes just Jin. Though I assume Jin will have to die?
Direction at times is kinda iffy. The backhalf of 12 is sorta bad. Just like dead space.
MetroidPrimeRib
Banned
That's what I mean by the times whens its not an insane fight scene just kind of dwindle. They don't look bad to me, but its very clear where the focus was.
MetroidPrimeRib
Banned
The next OT title will be Sekkou Boys based.
veloxStrix
Banned
Comet Lucifer 12
Poor ending for a poorer series. Sounds about right.
Shinobu Mail End
The connections between Oshino having Araragi place the Seal at the Shrine where they would end up, Hanekawa's conversation with Kaiki about Oshino running from Gaen, and the timing of Oshino leaving town are all really interesting. I guess Gaen is really shaping up to be big bad. I kind of figured, but I was figuring there would be a twist somewhere.
Poor ending for a poorer series. Sounds about right.
Shinobu Mail End
The connections between Oshino having Araragi place the Seal at the Shrine where they would end up, Hanekawa's conversation with Kaiki about Oshino running from Gaen, and the timing of Oshino leaving town are all really interesting. I guess Gaen is really shaping up to be big bad. I kind of figured, but I was figuring there would be a twist somewhere.
Hmmm ?
Ahhh my comment was aimed exclusively at Knk 11, which I saw heralded as the best looking episode of TV anime in 2013.
--
Also we've had this conversation before but I disagree UBW looks worse then OPM outside of the action scenes. And in #4 they had an episode that was almost full 20 minutes of action.
Leave poor Medici alone anime !
I guess the "natural" state of death in shonen is for it to not happen but there are enough shonen out there were death does happen (or is even plentiful) for me to say that death itself in a shonen is subversive. Just more rare. I mean death is something I feel is not to be treated lightly - you're basically getting rid of a character and all potential they may have in the future. It's a big cost. It's worth it if its to make a strong point, for quality character development, etc. But its nothing I feel accomplishes much if its done on a whim. "No deaths = -2 points" feels a bit too simplistic a metric IMO.
With the expressions, I can't say I really felt that disconnect in the finale. I've already rewatched the episode as well as several distinct parts of it multiple times and I can't really say anything stuck out to me as overused or misued with regards to facial expressions. I'm not sure how to resolve this. Agree to disagree here?
I think there have been a few spots in different episodes where the pacing seemed wonky (which would come down to direction) but I'm not sure how much more could be realistically expected and I think calling the adaptation outright bad or lazy, if you were a fan of the original work, is hyperbolic. There were clearly very specific reasons why this director and his compatriots were chosen/hired to do this adaptation and they clearly brought their A game for the things there are acclaimed for.
Fight me.
Or maybe let's have a discussion of what would be the preferred vernacular? Is that too much to ask?
People will always find something to whine about.
Id love Shirobako to be watched more and potentially win AOTY or even some dark house like Yona of the Dawn or Garo season one...but c'mon One Punch Man will win.
On another note, Overall this was a very bi-polar season for me. The great stuff was great and the bad stuff was bad. Nothing really in between except maybe Ushio and Tora which is decent.
MetroidPrimeRib
Banned
Oh. I should've read better.
I think this might be the preferred phrase going forward!
NaDannMaGoGo
Member
Gave an example and elaborated a bit on the expressions in my previous comment. Though, yeh, we can agree to disagree on that.
---
Even if I wouldn't consider the 'characters not dying from clearly fatal attacks' to be specifically a common shonen trope, it's still a trope I can't stand and I can't stand it for reasons (duh).
It fucks up any sense of strengths and limitations. That Puri Puri Prisoner guy and even non S-class heroes got destroyed by the Dead Sea King but survived it...just how strong and tough are these guys? Unless with Saitama it matters because we get to watch these guys have normal battles. They aren't supposed to be invulnerable and infinitely powerful like Saitama, so if I can't properly gauge their strength that sucks.
Besides, killing off characters just to make a point (Sea King kills even S class heroes with ease - wow!) but then 'revive' them because you actually wanted to continue using this character in your story is simply cheap writing. Messes up any stakes in combat, too. I now need to see the character being 100% dead before the author pulls a fast one on me.
Terareflection
Member
One Punch Man 1-3
The show is decent. Funny, lighthearted superhero romp. Lots of nice effects, and well animated when it needs to be. You won't find much substance here, but I think that's fine as long as it is funny, well animated, and not boring. It's does get boring with the villain backstories, however.
For such a lighthearted show, it does seem to get needlessly dark and violent for little to no reason. Is the monster entrails really necessary? Why do we need to hear about so much death and destruction? I don't really think that fanservice scene in E2 was necessary either.
Decent overall.
The show is decent. Funny, lighthearted superhero romp. Lots of nice effects, and well animated when it needs to be. You won't find much substance here, but I think that's fine as long as it is funny, well animated, and not boring. It's does get boring with the villain backstories, however.
For such a lighthearted show, it does seem to get needlessly dark and violent for little to no reason. Is the monster entrails really necessary? Why do we need to hear about so much death and destruction? I don't really think that fanservice scene in E2 was necessary either.
Decent overall.
NaDannMaGoGo
Member
I might check out the OPM Manga. I saw this and a few other pages from it and a bunch of that artwork is really impressive. That bit for instance didn't look as good in the anime. I think in regards to perspective, composition etc. the anime may not have been on par everywhere (which is less excusable than sheer detail, which cannot be compared with how many more frames anime has).
MetroidPrimeRib
Banned
Murata's art is super impressive. If you like OPM beyond just the animation, give it a shot.
CheapJuice
Member
Sure that's possible. I do actually kinda like when "bad" MC endings a la Simon happens and not the usual happily ever after, so I'm fine with this.
Besides, the more enjoyable character Roman getting his waifu is enough of a victory for me.
Besides, the more enjoyable character Roman getting his waifu is enough of a victory for me.
There's more that could be done with One Punch Man. I don't really think complaints against it are illegitimate. The music is super boring, and for as much animation work that gets poured into the fight scenes you don't really see much tossed back to helping to boost the character interactions, which don't feel quite as playful as they should. Even things like color work seem like they could be leveraged to greater effect across the series.
Not to be rude or target people that don't post here, but the sakuga Twitter crowd can be hyper reductionist, and the areas with cut corners can be magnified without really looking at the bigger picture of what this is all in service for. Translating OPM's action sequences into an animated form certainly adds a great deal of flavor to them, and it's the kind of task that almost seems insurmountable. Many of the side characters wind up shining a lot brighter on screen because their action sequences get pumped up to being more than a few cool panels.
If we want to use the last OPM anime arc as an example, the ground team never really stood out much in the manga. The anime provides a greater understanding for why some of these characters are famous heroes and I'd really just glance over them otherwise. Atomic Samurai winds up being super cool because of the beefed up portrayal he gets in animated form. There's creative wiggle room offered inside OPM with it's goofy sort of tone, but I think it's important for the story to take itself seriously. It'd be nice if OPM was more wild and creative as an anime, but there's something to be said for the creative resources being primarily directed towards the action scenes, and some of the characters are still enjoyable enough to stand on their own.
But stuff like this in the anime:
Not to be rude or target people that don't post here, but the sakuga Twitter crowd can be hyper reductionist, and the areas with cut corners can be magnified without really looking at the bigger picture of what this is all in service for. Translating OPM's action sequences into an animated form certainly adds a great deal of flavor to them, and it's the kind of task that almost seems insurmountable. Many of the side characters wind up shining a lot brighter on screen because their action sequences get pumped up to being more than a few cool panels.
If we want to use the last OPM anime arc as an example, the ground team never really stood out much in the manga. The anime provides a greater understanding for why some of these characters are famous heroes and I'd really just glance over them otherwise. Atomic Samurai winds up being super cool because of the beefed up portrayal he gets in animated form. There's creative wiggle room offered inside OPM with it's goofy sort of tone, but I think it's important for the story to take itself seriously. It'd be nice if OPM was more wild and creative as an anime, but there's something to be said for the creative resources being primarily directed towards the action scenes, and some of the characters are still enjoyable enough to stand on their own.
But stuff like this in the anime:
Really flops on executing some of the visual ideas presented by the manga. Give and take I guess. OPM's story doesn't really take off until after the events of the anime, so inevitably that's going to hold the anime back some. A more liberal approach to how roadmappy OPM can be early on would have been nice, but the anime clearly found success in its approach to the material.
Anime has a tendency to shortshrift the denouement. The final boss should be defeated, at the latest, just before the commercial break of the last episode.
curlyfriski
Banned
Count me as one of those who isn't that hot on the One Punch Man anime. Some great animation in the fight sequences, but the direction has been pretty bland and the humor is mostly copy pasted from the manga without much effort to make it work in a different medium. It's another adaptation of a manga that doesn't really do much past what the source material already accomplished.
hosannainexcelsis
Member
Shokugeki no Soma 20
At this point, I have to admit the characters are starting to seriously grate on my nerves. This Autumn Selection is bringing out how many of them are just one-note caricatures - and introducing several more to boot. Even someone I formerly liked such as Megumi is starting to repulse me with how much her shy, embarrassed shtick is emphasized. The cooking part is still interesting, but if the remaining episodes don't alter the presentation of the characters somewhat I don't think I'll be returning for season 2.
At this point, I have to admit the characters are starting to seriously grate on my nerves. This Autumn Selection is bringing out how many of them are just one-note caricatures - and introducing several more to boot. Even someone I formerly liked such as Megumi is starting to repulse me with how much her shy, embarrassed shtick is emphasized. The cooking part is still interesting, but if the remaining episodes don't alter the presentation of the characters somewhat I don't think I'll be returning for season 2.
Its been interesting to me running a similar vote with another community. So far at least (the vote runs till the end of the first week of January) OPM is running third (behind Euphonium and Shirobako). The big surprises so far have been the number of votes for Yamada and the Seven Witches, and Wish Upon the Pleides. The latter I'd never even heard of.
I really hope Death Parade gets some appreciation in AOTY. The problem is that it aired pretty early this year and that kind of shows are kind of forgettable. It's easily one of the best shows this year for me. I was actually not a fan of the whole arbiters plot, but the several stories shown were really good.
NaDannMaGoGo
Member
There's some character development brewing up, so maybe you'll enjoy those last couple episodes for it.
You should also watch the next episode*s ED.
I've read both the OPM manga and webcomic and for me this adaption has been better then I ever thought it could be.
The animatoin during fights was insane. The soundtrack was hype. The comedy was great.
There are a couple of things I think they could have handled better, but those are just minor complaints in the grand scheme of things.
I'm not entirely sure it'll land #1 on my AOTY list, because Fafner Exodus has been damn amazing and I'm biased towards Soma, but it's definitely going to be somewhere in my top 3.
It's currently sitting at #6 in my preliminary AOTY list. Great show.
The animatoin during fights was insane. The soundtrack was hype. The comedy was great.
There are a couple of things I think they could have handled better, but those are just minor complaints in the grand scheme of things.
I'm not entirely sure it'll land #1 on my AOTY list, because Fafner Exodus has been damn amazing and I'm biased towards Soma, but it's definitely going to be somewhere in my top 3.
It's currently sitting at #6 in my preliminary AOTY list. Great show.
One Punch Man finale was great, hope we see another season. It will probably win AotY and I'd be fine with that. There are still a few shows I will put higher on my personal list though. Not like there's any need to rally for a single show to surpass something like SAO this year. I think I'll start Shounen Hollywood S2 today and put together my list after that.
hosannainexcelsis
Member
I almost never skip OP/EDs.
For me the anime really puts into perspective how much of what I enjoy about OPM comes from ONE's sequential storytelling. It's the kind of comic that needs to be adapted rather than just moved from one medium to the other. I guess action stories always get an edge when it comes to getting animated, but the end product itself felt too much different in a way that wasn't as funny or appealing to read as the original (I could say the same about the Murata redraw, but the gulf in tone isn't as magnified).
In the end, the one thing I expected from it was a framework for some talented animators to play around, and at the very least the premiere and the finale both managed to deliver.
MetroidPrimeRib
Banned
Mob Psycho 100 anime should be interesting. It's a lot different then One Punch Man.
I bailed after I think the third episode. Of course I knew to begin with it wasn't a show I'd be entertained by. I only sampled it because of all the talk just to see some of it. Maybe I should have watched more.
Damn. Megumi is not my favorite, but she's good enough to be likeable. Kind of harsh there.
Megumi gets some more moments near the end so keep watching.
hosannainexcelsis
Member
Show by Rock 2
SHINGANCRIMSONZ is the real stuff. You can tell because there's a Z at the end.
Megumi was my favorite character up to now, but there are so many characters who are getting pigeonholed into annoying stereotypes (like Nikumi melting into butter every time Soma comes near her, or the irresponsible spice teacher who looks and acts like she's 12), that I'm starting to hate them all.
SHINGANCRIMSONZ is the real stuff. You can tell because there's a Z at the end.
Megumi was my favorite character up to now, but there are so many characters who are getting pigeonholed into annoying stereotypes (like Nikumi melting into butter every time Soma comes near her, or the irresponsible spice teacher who looks and acts like she's 12), that I'm starting to hate them all.
Admiral Woofington
Member
I don't really need to say it but yes, humor is subjective. I thought the anime did humor better at points too. Of course not everyone will like it, some people have different standards on what they want in humor or in a manga to anime adaptation.
Grand majority loved the show though, which is what I wanted at the end as it's another show to use as a gateway anime to bring folks to watch more shows.
Moral Panic
Member
I think like most Shounen stuff it starts off very well but then as the power levels keep increasing they tend to turn into standard Shounen form. Initially he tries to avoid this by making a bigger focus on the comedy element, but as they add more heroes and things start to get more serious it kinda falls flat. Because having an overwheliming power IS boring.
Garo's fight is almost exactly like Boros'. Enemy charges up, changes form attacks Saitama whilst spouting their excuses, Saitama gets a little bit serious and they are defeated. In Mob Psycho, Reigen is very useful in the beginning as the comedy surrounding him works but eventually he becomes more sidelined and more contrived as the "action" becomes more and more important.
waiting for him to go 100% and seeing what emotion will be expressed
One's strength is in his storytelling. His stories usually have a decent premise, but in the end they are rough an turn generic quickly. However his framing, panelling and comedic timing is often top notch. The use of the derp face/serious face switch and the % counter in Mob Psycho show that he has a firm handle on what it takes to keep the audience excited, but that isn't the same as being mentally engaged. That's why I think the anime's faults feel a lot deeper to me. I don't really care about a super samurai or a strong old man who acts weak. They are dime a dozen in shounen action media. I care about the pacing timing and execution of the main plot elements of the show. This is the first time Saitama is shown using a "Serious series" move, and I don't think there was nearly enough time and attention given to that fact. Saitama's final punch against Genos in their training was far, far more impactful and meaningfully drawn, and expressed something more than just copying manga panels. So in the final fight, the end of the arc and the toughest enemy yet, I was incredibly bored. There were a few good scenes (Saitama in space, the aliens) but in general it was too... serious for me. It was missing any internal dialogue or face shots that could tell me anything other than "this is Saitama taking blows from an enemy".... again.
KirbYuuYuu
Member
Saban likes to fuck with me
- Status