In 19 hours or so, the first two episodes of Psycho-Pass will be screened for those who managed to secure tickets to the pre-screening event in Tokyo. In an extremely rare occurrence, this could well be one of the few (or only?) truly authentic world premieres for a major entertainment release. As of now there is still exactly 0 seconds worth of animation footage, and not even a single screen from the actual show. If it remains this way, those watching the screening will be the first members of the public to ever see what the show looks actually looks like. What an event!
What was the deal with the pendant too? I assumed it was some sort of trick but I'm also left wondering if it wasn't just a roundabout way to give a gift.
In 19 hours or so, the first two episodes of Psycho-Pass will be screened for those who managed to secure tickets to the pre-screening event in Tokyo. In an extremely rare occurrence, this could well be one of the few (or only?) truly authentic world premieres for a major entertainment release. As of now there is still exactly 0 seconds worth of animation footage, and not even a single screen from the actual show. If it remains this way, those watching the screening will be the first members of the public to ever see what the show looks actually looks like. What an event!
I see they decided to go with the tradition of what I like to call "shiny band of light on hair that's supposed to suggest the existence of a specific piece of source lighting but which always looks very fake". I know, it's not very catchy:
It's the laziest way to try and have characters 'affected by lighting' around.
In 19 hours or so, the first two episodes of Psycho-Pass will be screened for those who managed to secure tickets to the pre-screening event in Tokyo. In an extremely rare occurrence, this could well be one of the few (or only?) truly authentic world premieres for a major entertainment release. As of now there is still exactly 0 seconds worth of animation footage, and not even a single screen from the actual show. If it remains this way, those watching the screening will be the first members of the public to ever see what the show looks actually looks like. What an event!
That would never happen. It's not like Guilty Crown was another sci-fi Fall noitaminA show with pedigreed names behind it that was heavily hyped by duckroll before we saw the first shot of footage.
Funny you say that. It does kind of undergo a genre shift, but I didn't know about that until recently, after the anime started airing. It also isn't to the same extent as Medaka Box, which was almost like a total reboot with a massive change in focus from comedy to action drama. In Binbougami, the comedy is integrated into the action very well and the series is still about being funny and sometimes heartwarming. It doesn't feel jarring like Medaka Box's, but rather like natural progression that was probably planned out. I would say it's closer to Gintama than Medaka Box in that aspect, but with some level of continuity.
I was hyping it up purely for the funny and the poignant.
That would never happen. It's not like Guilty Crown was another sci-fi Fall noitaminA show with pedigreed names behind it that was heavily hyped by duckroll before we saw the first shot of footage.
That highlight is in so many anime, its pretty much just there as decoration and not an attempt at actual highlighting. In any case it looks good 90% of the time anyway. People see that highlight and it just says "anime character"
at the end of 13, I'm not really sure how I feel about where the characters ended up. At the very least, this feels like something that should have happened much sooner, because then you wouldn't have a reason to despise the main character and everything she stands for anyway.
Although I'm not sure if skipping 8 and 9 helped or not. lol
I feel like I could probably watch a show with the relationship dynamics as they are now... which, really, is sort of where the show should have been after episode 3 or 4 (for me at least). It's inevitable that the series is heading into that "main characters help random people" story line that defines a lot of these long running shows, and getting there shouldn't have been a complete chore.
I suppose it helps that Gintama and Sket Dance essentially start with the cast in that place already, so there's no real need to have you hate the characters for 10ish episodes before they can finally grow into their place.
Ah well, at least Gintama is (sort of) returning. Maybe I'll finally watch Sket Dance since it is "over'". But probably not. lol
So I spent the past week looking at both seasons of Stand Alone Complex, Solid State Society, and both the Oshii films. Before this, I had read the manga so I already had a passing familiarity with the franchise but I never got around to watching the show properly. The franchise as a whole is extremely popular in the West and despite it being straight up my alley in regards to genre, I just never had taken the time out. So I sat down and plowed through everything.
I thought about breaking my analysis up in regards to individual segments of the franchise such as each season but I realized I was mainly interested in the contrasting elements. I'll start off by saying that I don't think I liked 2nd Gig more than 1st Gig(yes I know it's not called 1st Gig but it's easier to write). The problem is that 2nd Gig feels more traditional in regards to overall narrative structure such as the ideas of escalation. 1st Gig was more of a mystery/detective show and I think I enjoyed that aspect of the show as a whole. I also liked the climax in 1st Gig more. The reason being that it's very Wire-esque in tone and considering the Wire is my favorite television show of all time, I loved this to death. The opening part of episode 26 is the soul crushing type of stuff that I would expect from the Wire. There is no big 'we win' scene and society keeps on moving forward crushing anybody who gets in the way. I think some of this edge got lost in 2nd Gig due to the Prime Minister being so cooperative. I also think the Laughing Man is a more memorable villain(he's really more an antagonist than villain) than both
Kuze or Gouda
. The reason being that the Laughing Man's goals are actually rather honorable and his perception of the world is fairly accurate. Also the idea of a man who can hack anyone on the fly in a world where almost everybody has a cyberbrain is much more terrifying than
Kuze who is just following Gouda's playbook or Gouda himself
who is some guy trying to pull the strings in the background and suffers from an inferiority complex. You could say though that 1st Gig's true villain wasn't the Laughing Man but the government as a whole which is fair but again is much more interesting than
Gouda
who is just a small segment of the control structure. I also thought the resolution of 1st Gig's main story arc was more subtle compared to 2nd Gig's
All that said, 1st Gig has some flaws, what I deem so anyway, that 2nd Gig tries to correct. The first is in regards to the stand-alone episodes in that 1st Gig has a lot more episodic material that is more world-building than anything else. These episodes really don't add much in regards to character depth and more vessels to tell stories or worries about a mostly digital future. That in of itself is fine however when you compare it to the 2nd Gig where the episodic materials focused on individuals in Section 9 and still fleshed out the world, I find the episodic content in 1st Gig to be lacking. I also think the pacing in 2nd Gig flows a bit better and there are less lull moments. I also think the tension level in 2nd Gig to be larger, although more impersonal, and the stakes are extremely high. I also think the characters in 2nd Gig are more defined due to the episodes that focused on their background and it helps to give a better sense of who composes Section 9. The Tachikomas are my heroes.
Now as for the audio-visual component, I have mixed feelings on this due to the liberal use of CG. I really am starting to hate CG in anime. The movements stick out and the texture work is sub-par compared to the 2D right next to it. I don't think I even minded the Tachikomas though, I think it was the bipedal mechs that grinded me the wrong way. It's just something that is distracting and serves to break immersion. I think in general, the animation quality was fairly good although the visuals seem to have gotten better in 2nd Gig. To be fair though, both shows are pretty consistent in regards to visual quality, just that 2nd Gig has a very slight edge. There were some good camera angles but I was more impressed with the use of lights. As for the sountrack, this was probably the biggest difference for me. The 2nd Gig soundtrack blows away 1st Gig. It's much more exciting, tense, and overall more memorable.
As a whole, I'm really impressed by both seasons and I think the show accomplished what it set out to do. It was more subtle in a lot of areas than I expected such as not outright stating stuff such as which Pazu died or whether the Major is a lesbian(in the manga she is). Sometimes less is more and when it comes to stuff that is philosophically oriented, I think that's always the case. Both seasons had a good idea of consequence and used that throughout the show. I do think though, and this can be a problem with the franchise, that the show does get caught up in its own philosophical quandaries and the dialogue takes a bit of a hit as a result. The dialogue then becomes rather artificial in nature, somewhat similar to The Newsroom, in that I doubt real people would talk in this way or manner. I do think though that each season established a mature storyline, talking about the political system or media manipulation, and made it interesting to watch. Unlike many shows I've seen, even real life ones, the show never insulted the intelligence of the viewer.
As for Solid State, it was okay I guess. There was some great moments sprinkled in such as
Togusa about to shoot himself
but it just wasn't that fascinating compared to either seasons. It also didn't really resolve some of the character issues it established in a satisfactory manner. I also don't think the general thrust of the storyline was that interesting either, being about senior citizens. It does address a real life problem I guess but I didn't find it that intriguing. This you could chalk up to a cultural barrier as this is a much bigger worry for the Japanese than it is for anybody in the USA. I am glad that they tied the Major into the storyline in a decent manner instead of just being fanservice. I do have a problem with
them reviving the Tachikomas as it somewhat cheapens their death
. There is also some overabundance of CG during the climax that really kinda takes you out of the moment. I think the movie as a whole is a step back compared to the seasons but it's not bad either.
Now as for the Oshii movies, I enjoyed the fuck out of the original. I expected it to be dated but instead found it to have the best visuals of the entire franchise. Some of the shots are absolutely gorgeous and despite the directing being extremely heavy handed at times, the gun shots up the phylogentric tree was a bit ridiculous, it was really fascinating. I also think this was better compared to the manga which got clunkered down at points. I think a lot of the style from Angel's Egg carried over and it makes for a great film on a visual level. The film also gets across the point visually about this being a dystopia a lot better than the television series through small details whereas the city in the television series is cleaner and more futuristic. In a visual way, the movie is more reminiscent of Blade Runner and Syd Mead's work. The mood in general is also more melancholy compared to the television series.
As for Innocence, this sequel was a step down in pretty much every way I can think of. The artistic style seems to have been lost for a cleaner and more CGI-oriented one. The writing seems to take a hit in that Oshii seems to think that your characters throwing off quotes left and write somehow make your work deeper when all it does is just dilute everything under a big wave of philosophical masturbation. I also don't think the big philosophical message is anywhere near the level in the original film. The pacing grinds to a halt at certain points and really just plods along in the rest. In short, it's a really boring film that tries to be smarter than it actually is.
Binbougami ga! 11-13
I hate you Ichiko. I hate you so much.
You know, so given how they do the
pseudo-reset
at the end of 13, I'm not really sure how I feel about where the characters ended up. At the very least, this feels like something that should have happened much sooner, because then you wouldn't have a reason to despise the main character and everything she stands for anyway.
Although I'm not sure if skipping 8 and 9 helped or not. lol
I feel like I could probably watch a show with the relationship dynamics as they are now... which, really, is sort of where the show should have been after episode 3 or 4 (for me at least). It's inevitable that the series is heading into that "main characters help random people" story line that defines a lot of these long running shows, and getting there shouldn't have been a complete chore.
I suppose it helps that Gintama and Sket Dance essentially start with the cast in that place already, so there's no real need to have you hate the characters for 10ish episodes before they can finally grow into their place.
Ah well, at least Gintama is (sort of) returning. Maybe I'll finally watch Sket Dance since it is "over'". But probably not. lol
Oh wait, you didn't watch 8? That... might be a problem. Well, no point now I guess. Just happened to be the first real character development episode for Ichiko.
Further confirmation that Azunyan exists for no reason other than to pander to Mio fans who find her to be too stacked... and that Sawa-chan-sensei is, more than likely, a pedo.
Oh wait, you didn't watch 8? That... might be a problem. Well, no point now I guess. Just happened to be the first real character development episode for Ichiko.
Further confirmation that Azunyan exists for no reason other than to pander to Mio fans who find her to be too stacked... and that Sawa-chan-sensei is, more than likely, a pedo.
How does Ricchan get away with so much when Mio is around the club?
Further confirmation that Azunyan exists for no reason other than to pander to Mio fans who find her to be too stacked... and that Sawa-chan-sensei is, more than likely, a pedo.
.
Glad I'm not the only one who gets creeped out by Sawako. From what I've watched, it seems less pronounced in the second season, but I guess it comes back with a vengeance!
As for Innocence, this sequel was a step down in pretty much every way I can think of. The artistic style seems to have been lost for a cleaner and more CGI-oriented one. The writing seems to take a hit in that Oshii seems to think that your characters throwing off quotes left and write somehow make your work deeper when all it does is just dilute everything under a big wave of philosophical masturbation. I also don't think the big philosophical message is anywhere near the level in the original film. The pacing grinds to a halt at certain points and really just plods along in the rest. In short, it's a really boring film that tries to be smarter than it actually is.
tl;dr: Ghost in the Shell(1995)=1st Gig>2nd Gig>>Solid State Society>>>>>> Innocence
Glad I'm not the only one who gets creeped out by Sawako. From what I've watched, it seems less pronounced in the second season, but I guess it comes back with a vengeance!
Glad I'm not the only one who gets creeped out by Sawako. From what I've watched, it seems less pronounced in the second season, but I guess it comes back with a vengeance!
When you repeatedly spout of quotes then all of them lose their meaning. In one case you had Togusa respond to a quote with his own quote. It's a case of the writer being less interested in actual real-life dialogue and instead more interested in trying to show off how intelligent he is. Even if the quotes do fit in regards to their actual meaning, you also have to assess the likelihood of an individual using it in everyday life. The quotes in this case are really artificial in its use as the dialogue seems to be written by someone with a philosophy background.
That would never happen. It's not like Guilty Crown was another sci-fi Fall noitaminA show with pedigreed names behind it that was heavily hyped by duckroll before we saw the first shot of footage.
When you repeatedly spout of quotes then all of them lose their meaning. In one case you had Togusa respond to a quote with his own quote. It's a case of the writer being less interested in actual real-life dialogue and instead more interested in trying to show off how intelligent he is. Even if the quotes do fit in regards to their actual meaning, you also have to assess the likelihood of an individual using it in everyday life. The quotes then feel really artificial in its use.
When you repeatedly spout of quotes then all of them lose their meaning. In one case you had Togusa respond to a quote with his own quote. It's a case of the writer being less interested in actual real-life dialogue and instead more interested in trying to show off how intelligent he is. Even if the quotes do fit in regards to their actual meaning, you also have to assess the likelihood of an individual using it in everyday life. The quotes in this case are really artificial in its use.
When you repeatedly spout of quotes then all of them lose their meaning. In one case you had Togusa respond to a quote with his own quote. It's a case of the writer being less interested in actual real-life dialogue and instead more interested in trying to show off how intelligent he is. Even if the quotes do fit in regards to their actual meaning, you also have to assess the likelihood of an individual using it in everyday life. The quotes in this case are really artificial in its use as the dialogue seems to be written by someone with a philosophy background.
Do you not think that people like Batou and Togusa, given their occupations and such, would be slightly more educated and higher minded than average people?
Why do you think that he was trying to show off how intelligent he is? Did you feel threatened by the quotes? For what its worth, Oshii has said that the quotes were there for the sound, their aural qualities, not any particularly meaning important to the core of the movie. Not that I believe they're meaningless, but I believe they're secondary to the message that the visuals and happenings of the film carry.
Do you not think that people like Batou and Togusa, given their occupations and such, would be slightly more educated and higher minded than average people?
Why do you think that he was trying to show off how intelligent he is? Did you feel threatened by the quotes? For what its worth, Oshii has said that the quotes were there for the sound, their aural qualities, not any particularly meaning important to the core of the movie. Not that I believe they're meaningless, but I believe they're secondary to the message that the visuals and happenings of the film carry.
One is ex-police and the other is ex-military. They might be more educated than the masses but I see no reason why they would have some deep philosophical background.
That's even worse. You mean to tell me he threw in quotes due to how they sounded?
