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Autumn Anime 2016 |OT| The seasons change, but we're still Falling for Euri
- Thread starter TUSR
- Start date
- Status
MikeHattsu
Member
Hm... Only Manga Time Kirara anime I've watched so far that I found even worse was Hanayamata
hehe
I dunno how people even sit through the PV.
Basileus777
Member
It's a Seo Kouji manga with an infamous twist.
Good thing it's funny then.
Right Stuf Holiday Sale started. Remember there are daily deals
http://www.rightstufanime.com/holiday-sale/Everything-On-Sale
http://www.rightstufanime.com/holiday-sale/Everything-On-Sale
Cornbread78
Member
Alright everyone, stop talking about the twist in shows that haven't aired yet before one of you guys slips up or does a little too much winking and nudging....
At least we haven't gone full-on JoJo or AoT thread *wink wink nudge nudge* mode yet.
GoldCrusader
Member
People here were pretty good here at the wink wink spoiler stuff for re:zero at the end.
I guess I got lucky and just skipped over all those posts, then. But then again, Re:Zero wasn't a show where a spoiler would kill my enjoyment of the series (since I stopped being all that invested in it about halfway through the series).
Then again, I guess shows that rely on a BIG UNEXPECTED TWIST and bank too heavily upon it are more likely to end up sucking regardless of whether you get the twist spoiled to you or not.
Unless it's Umineko... I love my sea kittens.
Dedication Through Light
Member
Puzzle & Dragons X Episode 21 E-Mail from Ace
Glorified recap.
Glorified recap.
Cornbread78
Member
LOL, well almost everyone here is really good about making sure not to nudge too much, lol. There have been a few blatant ones in the past that have gone over people's heads though, thankfully, lol.
Cornbread78
Member
MikeHattsu
Member
Meh.
Soukyuu no Fafner: Dead Aggressor - Heaven and Earth (Movie)
This was pretty damn good. I expected a substantial bump in quality, but was taken aback by how big the leap really was in terms of production quality. The art is so much more refined, the art direction has improved dramatically, the direction of scenes flow better, the animation is much nicer, but above all that, the one most striking thing is how gorgeous the photography is. Digital composite is an artform which I feel even today many studios struggle with. For many, at best it looks competent enough that there are no obvious flaws and it replicates a good chunk of how anime would look with traditional photography along with some modern digital shortcuts for effects. True talent in digital composite is when you can use the tools at your disposal to create imagery that would not be possible with traditional photography, to express a beautiful picture in new ways. Ufotable and Kyoto Animation are studios which seem pretty capable of understanding this concept, even though execution isn't always perfect. Shinkai is also a director who really understands how to take advantage of digital composite to enhance a work. Heaven and Earth is a film which I feel manages to excel at this aspect, and unifies all the elements of the production in a really beautiful digital style.
Okay so it looks great, but that would be a waste if it still amounted to a relatively meaningless Evangelion clone circlejerk right? Here too, the film transcends the roots of the original and takes on a life of its own. If Fafner TV was a question of existence, Heaven and Earth is the answer. While I wasn't sure even by the end of the series if Fafner was really all "there" at all, I can clearly say without a doubt that Fafner "is here" now. The themes expressed in the movie is a statement of intent - a declaration of why the franchise wants to continue existing.
No longer is the island and the characters on it just pawns for a back and forth battle of attrition with a faceless alien threat. They are living, breathing people, living lives, and moving on from the events of the series.
No longer are the Festum a faceless threat which served only to question how much one valued one's material existence, but they have become a window to a truly alien culture. One that has evolved to attempt to understand and in some ways replicate the actions of humanity in their own alien ways.
The opening sequence is as haunting as it is beautiful, perfectly showcasing how intriguing it could be to see a glimpse of what paths of divergence the end of the TV series could go with more ambitious writing. That haunting glimpse turns to horror as we see humanity once again destroy what they do not understand. This sequence is everything that matters in the film condensed into these moments. I don't think the rest of the film quite lives up to the tight design and raw emotions captured here, but it works so well as an opening, that when tied together with the climax of the film, much of the loose ends and the extraneous plotlines feel like minor quibbles in comparison to the structure of the whole.
In the end Fafner as it is now, is a story about communication. Not just the importance of communication, but the barriers, the risks, and the consequences of communication. To simply interact with another person is a challenge for some people, to interact with an unknown race is a huge challenge for any society, to interact with an almost unknowable alternate form of existence is something else entirely. Ironically, the theme of communication itself wasn't particularly well communicated in the series. Here it pays off in spades. Even conflict and physical combat can be forms of communication, when you need to state your intent. The final fight between Kazuki and Kurusu actually reminded me of Kazuki and Kenji's spars, so that was a nice connection with the series.
It's not all rosy though. There are flaws which did bother me while watching the film itself, even though they felt less consequential after it ended. The introduction of new characters is done very quickly, and while it wasn't necessary to have any exposition for returning characters who have larger roles now, those who are completely new felt out of place. It's true that two years have passed, but that doesn't mean squat to the viewer who is being introduced to these people for the first time. They could have done a better job with the twins and whoever that was who inherited Mamoru's helmet. I really liked the natural progression of returning characters though.
Another aspect which I felt weakened parts of the film are the myriad subplots all over, which start developing and overlapping especially towards the third act. Complexity is not necessarily bad in storytelling, but it adds barriers to entry, confusion on the other hand is almost always bad. If the audience isn't clear what is going on, that's not good. Obviously you can only do so much to make up for inattentiveness or poor logical skills, but sometimes things are overcomplicated without any good reason. I don't think the story here really needed all the extra layers of having multiple "solutions" at the very end - Miwa being sent out to talk, Akane returning to the island, Seri being an artificial core, whatever Zero Fafner was, and Kazuki beating sense into Kurusu literally on top of all that. Everything converging at the end felt like a mess, and honestly I can't tell which parts contributed to which aspects of the outcome at the end.
Ultimately this matters little because I think the opening dovetails perfectly with the ending, and seeing the Festum gather together to stop the nuke is really all the closure this particular story needs. It's a powerful ending, and emotionally satisfying. What is less satisfying is how Soshi reappears as a free gimme ending. I suppose that will be explored more in the next series if it is relevant. Whatever. The ending song fucking rocks too. TIme to stop writing this pointless review and go listen to it again~
This was pretty damn good. I expected a substantial bump in quality, but was taken aback by how big the leap really was in terms of production quality. The art is so much more refined, the art direction has improved dramatically, the direction of scenes flow better, the animation is much nicer, but above all that, the one most striking thing is how gorgeous the photography is. Digital composite is an artform which I feel even today many studios struggle with. For many, at best it looks competent enough that there are no obvious flaws and it replicates a good chunk of how anime would look with traditional photography along with some modern digital shortcuts for effects. True talent in digital composite is when you can use the tools at your disposal to create imagery that would not be possible with traditional photography, to express a beautiful picture in new ways. Ufotable and Kyoto Animation are studios which seem pretty capable of understanding this concept, even though execution isn't always perfect. Shinkai is also a director who really understands how to take advantage of digital composite to enhance a work. Heaven and Earth is a film which I feel manages to excel at this aspect, and unifies all the elements of the production in a really beautiful digital style.
Okay so it looks great, but that would be a waste if it still amounted to a relatively meaningless Evangelion clone circlejerk right? Here too, the film transcends the roots of the original and takes on a life of its own. If Fafner TV was a question of existence, Heaven and Earth is the answer. While I wasn't sure even by the end of the series if Fafner was really all "there" at all, I can clearly say without a doubt that Fafner "is here" now. The themes expressed in the movie is a statement of intent - a declaration of why the franchise wants to continue existing.
No longer is the island and the characters on it just pawns for a back and forth battle of attrition with a faceless alien threat. They are living, breathing people, living lives, and moving on from the events of the series.
No longer are the Festum a faceless threat which served only to question how much one valued one's material existence, but they have become a window to a truly alien culture. One that has evolved to attempt to understand and in some ways replicate the actions of humanity in their own alien ways.
The opening sequence is as haunting as it is beautiful, perfectly showcasing how intriguing it could be to see a glimpse of what paths of divergence the end of the TV series could go with more ambitious writing. That haunting glimpse turns to horror as we see humanity once again destroy what they do not understand. This sequence is everything that matters in the film condensed into these moments. I don't think the rest of the film quite lives up to the tight design and raw emotions captured here, but it works so well as an opening, that when tied together with the climax of the film, much of the loose ends and the extraneous plotlines feel like minor quibbles in comparison to the structure of the whole.
In the end Fafner as it is now, is a story about communication. Not just the importance of communication, but the barriers, the risks, and the consequences of communication. To simply interact with another person is a challenge for some people, to interact with an unknown race is a huge challenge for any society, to interact with an almost unknowable alternate form of existence is something else entirely. Ironically, the theme of communication itself wasn't particularly well communicated in the series. Here it pays off in spades. Even conflict and physical combat can be forms of communication, when you need to state your intent. The final fight between Kazuki and Kurusu actually reminded me of Kazuki and Kenji's spars, so that was a nice connection with the series.
It's not all rosy though. There are flaws which did bother me while watching the film itself, even though they felt less consequential after it ended. The introduction of new characters is done very quickly, and while it wasn't necessary to have any exposition for returning characters who have larger roles now, those who are completely new felt out of place. It's true that two years have passed, but that doesn't mean squat to the viewer who is being introduced to these people for the first time. They could have done a better job with the twins and whoever that was who inherited Mamoru's helmet. I really liked the natural progression of returning characters though.
Another aspect which I felt weakened parts of the film are the myriad subplots all over, which start developing and overlapping especially towards the third act. Complexity is not necessarily bad in storytelling, but it adds barriers to entry, confusion on the other hand is almost always bad. If the audience isn't clear what is going on, that's not good. Obviously you can only do so much to make up for inattentiveness or poor logical skills, but sometimes things are overcomplicated without any good reason. I don't think the story here really needed all the extra layers of having multiple "solutions" at the very end - Miwa being sent out to talk, Akane returning to the island, Seri being an artificial core, whatever Zero Fafner was, and Kazuki beating sense into Kurusu literally on top of all that. Everything converging at the end felt like a mess, and honestly I can't tell which parts contributed to which aspects of the outcome at the end.
Ultimately this matters little because I think the opening dovetails perfectly with the ending, and seeing the Festum gather together to stop the nuke is really all the closure this particular story needs. It's a powerful ending, and emotionally satisfying. What is less satisfying is how Soshi reappears as a free gimme ending. I suppose that will be explored more in the next series if it is relevant. Whatever. The ending song fucking rocks too. TIme to stop writing this pointless review and go listen to it again~
Tuturuu~
I always liked the everyone dies spoiler.
Dedication Through Light
Member
Trickster Episode 8
Kensuke! Wow. They need to do a bit more detailing with his backstory to at least give us details of the father does like Hanasaki alot. I feel like he does but confirmation and such especially after how he almost sent him back to the orphanage.
There was a scene with Hanasaki going Tch and then Kobayashi going Tsk, hilarious, theyre so similar.
Kobayashi only talks nicely to Hanasaki.
Kensuke! Wow. They need to do a bit more detailing with his backstory to at least give us details of the father does like Hanasaki alot. I feel like he does but confirmation and such especially after how he almost sent him back to the orphanage.
Everyone just waiting for Hanasaki to call was surprising, I thought it would have played out differently, but it seems they figured he go to find the truth
There was a scene with Hanasaki going Tch and then Kobayashi going Tsk, hilarious, theyre so similar.
Kobayashi only talks nicely to Hanasaki.
MetroidPrimeRib
Banned
Girlish Number 07
Taro: Who are you
Kuzu: I'm you, but stronger
Taro: Who are you
Kuzu: I'm you, but stronger
Dedication Through Light
Member
Gakuen Handsome Episode 8
Im glad we can leave this arc, though the sumo outfit at the fashion show was funny.
Im glad we can leave this arc, though the sumo outfit at the fashion show was funny.
Cornbread78
Member
OK, ok......
Oh and Umaru was a fun show, lol.
EDIT:
Work fu(king sucks today, so this was a needed escape.
Today in the last episode of Trickster...
An apartment complex declared its independence from the nation of Japan!
I can't believe I'm caught up with this show. Well, I guess if anything it's entertaining, stuff actually happens even if the writing is at best made of clichè anime lines you have heard 300 times before. At worst, well...
An apartment complex declared its independence from the nation of Japan!
I can't believe I'm caught up with this show. Well, I guess if anything it's entertaining, stuff actually happens even if the writing is at best made of clichè anime lines you have heard 300 times before. At worst, well...
Also Kerry cameo!
MetroidPrimeRib
Banned
WWE and Crunchyroll are doing some kind of cross promotion where you can subscribe to both the WWE Network and CR for a deal
This proves that Wrestling fans and Anime fans are pretty much the same people. Fuck you Dan Ryckert
This proves that Wrestling fans and Anime fans are pretty much the same people. Fuck you Dan Ryckert
Jex
Member
We've made it, Fafner fans!
Bid your time and hold out hope.
Cornbread78
Member
Thanks Count
ThatChairMan
Member
While I do agree with you that the film could have done a better job of focusing or developing the second generation of pilots, just felt like pointing out almost all of them were also returning characters from the original TV series. Though they did have supporting roles compared to the main cast, Rina, Seri, and Hiroto did appear often enough that I can't fault the movie too much for not spending long on re-introductions. Akira was the only one who was completely new (sort of...he appeared as a mute, nameless background character in some scenes that contained the other middle-schoolers), and did end up getting the most focus as a result.
Hope you have fun with Exodus next.
"Stuck with" one of the better EDs the series has seen? We've also gotten 3 OPs for Part Four and Chase was notably excellent, and they aren't using the crummy 3D models anymore.
Make sure to check out the extend episode 1 of Exodus instead of the tv broadcast one.
MetroidPrimeRib
Banned
Legend of the Galactic Heroes 072
The battles in this series aren't that exciting to watch but the way Bucock went out was awesome. Essentially saying he respected Reinhard as a person but never as a master and drank whiskey with his subordinates for democracy while he blew up.
The battles in this series aren't that exciting to watch but the way Bucock went out was awesome. Essentially saying he respected Reinhard as a person but never as a master and drank whiskey with his subordinates for democracy while he blew up.
hosannainexcelsis
Member
The visual presentation is one area I'm hoping the new LoGH anime can improve upon. The action in the OVA series is always merely passable.
Razgriz-Specter
Member
Thank you.
I'd like it more if I liked the song I guess, since I loved roundabout and that too was a giant panning ed
MetroidPrimeRib
Banned
Its extremely workmanlike and almost like a documentary which fits the series I guess, but its not interesting to look at for being an anime. All the character designs are great and the show never looks bad but theres almost no visual splendor or exciting shots.
If I were to compare it to another monocle anime like Rakugo, then they at least take advantage of animation so the question of "Why isn't this Live action" is answered in itself but for LoGH I'm not sure
Jex
Member
[Texhnolyze] 1 - 22
If you're thinking about watching this series I have to recommend you consult the much-referenced Texhnolyze Chart to decide whether you are in the correct emotional state to consume this material. I think the Chart put me off from watching the series originally.
I must confess, it's actually worse than the Chart suggests. You might want to try something more Lighthearted, like Black Mirror's "Fifteen Million Merits", Brexit or the Donald Trump Presidency.
If you're thinking about watching this series I have to recommend you consult the much-referenced Texhnolyze Chart to decide whether you are in the correct emotional state to consume this material. I think the Chart put me off from watching the series originally.
I must confess, it's actually worse than the Chart suggests. You might want to try something more Lighthearted, like Black Mirror's "Fifteen Million Merits", Brexit or the Donald Trump Presidency.
hosannainexcelsis
Member
I think the answer for LoGH is obvious: a live action adaptation of a lengthy space opera like that would have been so expensive as to make it unfeasible to produce in Japan. Especially with the practical effects that would have been necessary to portray the large-scale space battles. Of course, that's merely logistical considerations. As you say, the OVA series itself does nothing to take advantage of animation, and offers little except voice acting to make it a valuable experience over reading the novels. By contrast, the Overture to a New War movie actually does take advantage of visual storytelling to make something that justifies itself cinematically. I'm hoping the new LoGH anime will take inspiration from that.
MetroidPrimeRib
Banned
Is it worse then The Road and Gummo
hosannainexcelsis
Member
How about the international rise of neo-Nazism?
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