her voice acting - quality in Lagrange was pretty much Maka-tier, and she doesn't even have Omigawa's deliciously unique voice to make up for it.
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Fall 2012 Anime |OT| Meet the new world, same as the old world
- Thread starter Dresden
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her voice acting - quality in Lagrange was pretty much Maka-tier, and she doesn't even have Omigawa's deliciously unique voice to make up for it.
R_thanatos
Member
Ah, I meant simply the first episode of SAO, not the series as a whole, I should have clarified that properly. >.<
As for your second paragraph, I disagree completely, but that's just me.
Well you're only taking into account fight scenes here .. i'm taking into account the whole episode , not just the parts with action
Dedication Through Light
Member
BLue Exorcist!
im sorry but what? you can get a taste of the style and world building early on in a show
if its got good production values and is based on quality source material then there is absolutely no reason to disregard potential.
Which are these shounen that deliver quality from the get go?
firehawk12
Subete no aware
Eww. Just ewww.her voice acting - quality in Lagrange was pretty much Maka-tier, and she doesn't even have Omigawa's deliciously unique voice to make up for it.
hosannainexcelsis
Member
Fullmetal Alchemist
Ill give you that one, but that show never felt like it was even the same genre to me
Ghost_Protocol
Member
How many episodes of Magi are planned? And when do they open the gate of truth to get Al's body back?
Shounen is not a genre.
hosannainexcelsis
Member
25-26.
Action/Adventure, you mean.
I agree with most of this, but stories aren't always made up from one episode to the next. I don't see what's wrong with saying, "The show has a good concept and there are promising things about it (like the source material), but the author/director gave it a weak first episode."
I would argue that Rurouni Kenshin is a good example of a shounen that hits the ground running, even if it ultimately comes to a screeching halt. I guess I'll take this opportunity to also rep Watsuki's other anime adaptation, Busou Renkin, just because not enough people in AnimeGAF have seen it.
Agonizingly slow for the first half of its run.
Agonizingly slow for the first half of its run.
Dedication Through Light
Member
I thought we were mentioning actually good episode 1's of the genre?
That's a good example of starting strong and then descending into mediocrity.
I was under the assumption that "good from the first episode" implies that it remains good after the first episode.
Don't get me wrong--I like Blue Exorcist on the whole--it just started strong but immediately fell off of a cliff for a while before finally managing to claw its way back up.
R_thanatos
Member
For me the first ep of blue exorcist was great but it introduced into too much expectations that weren't met afterwards ..
edit : DAMMIT!! beaten twice
In this case Cosmic was referring to the source material itself, not the adaption. And if something has good production values and is based on quality source material, it should be good quality as well.
As for series that deliver quality from the very beginning,
Blue Exorcist, FMA, JoJo, and Beelzebub all had very strong beginnings, just to name a few.
Again, cosmic was referring to the source material itself, not the adaption.
a great first episode doesnt make it any more promising imo
when you're expecting a long running story involving many characters and elements, you need time to see how it all comes together.
we are in the anime thread discussing the premiere, so i assumed we were talking about the first episode.
of the mentioned shows which stayed good all the way through? not counting jojo since it just aired, i don't think any.
I'm pretty sure he's referring to the adaptation. After all, Uchip was talking about the first episode of One Piece and cosmic expanded that to shounen in general. He may have referenced the manga, but it was to explain that the material the adaptation is based on is good.
Well, whichever one he was referring to doesn't really matter. I don't see why authors aren't allowed to have a good overall concept in mind since the beginning but a weak first chapter/episode/whatever.
<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3
Cat flipping a table? Where do you find these things??
I probably did come across as overly negative in my impressions. I did indeed find it underwhelming compared to my fairly high expectations based from the source material but it's still leagues above and beyond anything SAO could ever hope to deliver. I'd say it's worth checking out if you've had no prior experience with the franchise but the manga really would be a better option.
First episode of SAO was pretty stellar.
I have too much free time. Or Google.
Dedication Through Light
Member
After rewatching Sword Art Online this week, I do not think I would have episode 1 of SAO as steller. It was basically as boring as watching someone play an RPG. It was just an intro to the world, and I think the anime really took off when they faced the first boss.
2nd episode is still my favorite episode of the series so far.
The first episode of SAO had promise. A real shame about the rest...
hosannainexcelsis
Member
The first episode of Sword Art Online was dull and uninteresting. Had some pretty backgrounds though.
Cosmic is quite clearly referencing the manga here, as the magi anime hasn't reached the Balbadd arc...
To answer Uchip: FMA was good throughout, Blue Exorcist was good for a long time, till the author began to stagnate... beelzebub is still as good as ever, and JoJo has been good through all 200+ chapters that I've read. As for their anime adaptions, FMA was good throughout, Blue Exorcist was good til it stopped following the source material, and Beelzebub's adaption was never good to begin with.
Ocean Blue: I never said anything about allowing or disallowing authors in whichever manner they please... but I'd rather judge a work on its actual quality, not waiting months or years to see if it actually turns out well or not, all the while claiming it was good from the beginning.
Koihime Musou - 12 [END]
This was actually entertaining. If anything, I had fun speculating what each hero would look like when they made their appearance. Too bad their focus was on the Shu dynasty with some Wei on the side... I wanted to see some Wu goodness and the only one we got from that family was the daughter of the Sun family; Sun Shangxiang. I can't complain though, as they managed to get my favorites outside of that dynasty like Xiahou Dun. I didn't expect a lot of yuri coming into this, but wow was I pleasantly surprised. Sousou was living the dream, trying to bed Guan Yu when she wasn't having her armpits or feet licked by her servants or having a sexy fun time threesome with her generals. Girl has priorities, I respect that.
A lighthearted, fun show. For those who have a background with the Dynasty Warriors series or Romance of the Three Kingdoms, this is a must see. The yuri is a bonus. A deliciously sweet bonus.
This was actually entertaining. If anything, I had fun speculating what each hero would look like when they made their appearance. Too bad their focus was on the Shu dynasty with some Wei on the side... I wanted to see some Wu goodness and the only one we got from that family was the daughter of the Sun family; Sun Shangxiang. I can't complain though, as they managed to get my favorites outside of that dynasty like Xiahou Dun. I didn't expect a lot of yuri coming into this, but wow was I pleasantly surprised. Sousou was living the dream, trying to bed Guan Yu when she wasn't having her armpits or feet licked by her servants or having a sexy fun time threesome with her generals. Girl has priorities, I respect that.
A lighthearted, fun show. For those who have a background with the Dynasty Warriors series or Romance of the Three Kingdoms, this is a must see. The yuri is a bonus. A deliciously sweet bonus.
KO Traveling Hobo
Member
Agreed. The first episode was necessary and had some nice touches, but it was boring as sin.
Dedication Through Light
Member
Im an Accel World fan, but simialr to Sword Art Online, I dont think the first episode was all that impressive either. I guess Accel World didn't really take off until like ep 3 or 4 I think.
gashikunFLCL
Member
When I saw this I was like...Nooooooo! =/
You stay Articalys, I lurk all the time and you're one of my favorite posters, I like all the information you provide and I want to know who wins SaiMoe. XD
Me too and to think the first time it was published I didn't want to buy because of the artstyle, but when I read the first chapter I fell in love with One Piece, but I'm not strong enough to watch fillers anymore, Bleach and Naruto broke me. =/
And Magi 01
This, just say maru one time Alladin. I liked it and I want more, will read the manga later.
chickdigger802
Banned
I swear I remember some... but it might just be me slapping myself while watching it.
And I think i forgot to mention, but i really dig the new polarbear cafe opening. It's not as funk as the previous, but i like it.
Crash Station
Member
I think you may have misunderstood what I said. It's no so much "oh wow, this world has potential, so it will definitely be good" as it's "this could turn into something I like, so I'll stick with it."
Shounen is a gamble because it takes a bigger commitment for something that could be a dud. On the other hand, the payoff is much greater imo if it's a hit.
Ah, I understand where you're coming from now, but I see it a different way. For me, Shounen isn't really a gamble, since if something has a poor start, I simply won't waste my time on it. See: One Piece, Naruto, Katekyo Hitman, and so on. For me, it's "is this actually enjoyable?" if the answer is yes, I continue until it stops being enjoyable. if the answer is no, I just stop there.
Crash Station
Member
It's absolutely shounen in nearly every way, but the parts are treated more like sequels than they are ongoing stories. I mean, some are over a century apart, so if you get bored, you can stop at pretty much any time. On top of that, it's not like Araki plans things out. In fact, a central plot point in part 8 is (not really a spoiler because it's said in the first few pages, but I'll spoiler it anyway)
the 2011 earthquake
Crash Station
Member
I'm generally the same way. I just happen to have a higher tolerance for slow beginnings because I can generally determine if it will turn into something I'll really enjoy at some point down the line. Yeah, there have been duds like Black Butler and Code:Breaker, but there have also been some I absolutely couldn't get into at the beginning but ended up liking a lot like Nurarihyon (though that's more because of Dresden).
And it's not like I don't enjoy this stuff from the beginning either. It's just not immediate satisfaction like shorter series, but rather intriguing buildup.
Macross Zero 1-5 [End]
I decided to start Macross Zero because I had heard of it as an example of a liberal use of CG done well. While I was curious to see this in action (and having some connection due to watching Harmony Gold USA's Robotech as a kid) I got a whole lot more out of it than a lesson on proper CG application.
I think one aspect that draws me the most towards certain anime over others is a sense of atmosphere. The more you feel like the place your looking at is real, the smaller the disconnect between you and the story is. Macross Zero has a constant, unrelenting and infectious tone presented abundantly throughout the five episodes. The story takes place on a lush, remote island named Mayan. The anime wastes no time in taking advantage of the location with plenty of colorful, but subdued backgrounds. I'm not familiar with many of the works of the music composer, Kuniaki Haishima, but nearly every dramatic scene got a tremendous emotional boost from the music. I really believe a lot of the impact of the bigger scenes would feel completely different by an average score. I mean, just listen to this.
While Macross Zero has no issues with plodding plot developments or anything of the sort, it does find itself the majority of the time not inside the cockpit of a VF, but on Mayan spending time with the natives. The harsh juxtaposition of war machines and a peaceful indigenous culture isn't new, but in other fiction it seems to come off as heavy handed and one dimensional (Avatar comes to mind). It never really felt like it got to that point with the story here, it felt genuine most of the time. The only time's it felt like it wasn't moving in a good direction where when it got a bit too technobabbley mixed with mysticism. And even that felt a bit justified since this is apparently a prequel series talking about Protoculture theory or whatever. I'm sure it pays some sort of fanservice to Macross fans which is a good thing.
As for the lauded application of CG in Macross Zero, I can mostly see where people are coming from. The usual great Itano circus filled air battles didn't feel stunted by the CG, in fact, in some cases it almost felt like they pioneered a bit because of the CG. I wont get into specifics of the visuals simply because i'm not educated enough in that area to know any better, but it seemed like to me they were able to get a crisper and more kinetic looking CG by having a lot of the effects of the fights be hand drawn. Whether it be sparks or large bullet casings-- it was almost like the most eye catching parts of the fights weren't the VFs themselves, but everything around them. It's not too much different from what you're looking at in a normal, hand-drawn dog fight, really. Of course, outside of dog fights when you had longer, steadier shots of CG objects, it looked as bad as CG can. This seemed notably avoided, however. And in some shots they even had just hand-drawn models. Like in the picture below.
Ultimately, I came out of this very surprised and happy. Macross Zero is a solid story with a great visual presentation that it makes it something I won't easily forget. It's also not a huge time commitment so I find it pretty easy to recommend. It also kind of left me looking for more Macross in my life. The only things I've seen are this, Macross Plus and the Macross saga of Robotech. Can anyone recommend a good place to go from here?
I decided to start Macross Zero because I had heard of it as an example of a liberal use of CG done well. While I was curious to see this in action (and having some connection due to watching Harmony Gold USA's Robotech as a kid) I got a whole lot more out of it than a lesson on proper CG application.
I think one aspect that draws me the most towards certain anime over others is a sense of atmosphere. The more you feel like the place your looking at is real, the smaller the disconnect between you and the story is. Macross Zero has a constant, unrelenting and infectious tone presented abundantly throughout the five episodes. The story takes place on a lush, remote island named Mayan. The anime wastes no time in taking advantage of the location with plenty of colorful, but subdued backgrounds. I'm not familiar with many of the works of the music composer, Kuniaki Haishima, but nearly every dramatic scene got a tremendous emotional boost from the music. I really believe a lot of the impact of the bigger scenes would feel completely different by an average score. I mean, just listen to this.
While Macross Zero has no issues with plodding plot developments or anything of the sort, it does find itself the majority of the time not inside the cockpit of a VF, but on Mayan spending time with the natives. The harsh juxtaposition of war machines and a peaceful indigenous culture isn't new, but in other fiction it seems to come off as heavy handed and one dimensional (Avatar comes to mind). It never really felt like it got to that point with the story here, it felt genuine most of the time. The only time's it felt like it wasn't moving in a good direction where when it got a bit too technobabbley mixed with mysticism. And even that felt a bit justified since this is apparently a prequel series talking about Protoculture theory or whatever. I'm sure it pays some sort of fanservice to Macross fans which is a good thing.
As for the lauded application of CG in Macross Zero, I can mostly see where people are coming from. The usual great Itano circus filled air battles didn't feel stunted by the CG, in fact, in some cases it almost felt like they pioneered a bit because of the CG. I wont get into specifics of the visuals simply because i'm not educated enough in that area to know any better, but it seemed like to me they were able to get a crisper and more kinetic looking CG by having a lot of the effects of the fights be hand drawn. Whether it be sparks or large bullet casings-- it was almost like the most eye catching parts of the fights weren't the VFs themselves, but everything around them. It's not too much different from what you're looking at in a normal, hand-drawn dog fight, really. Of course, outside of dog fights when you had longer, steadier shots of CG objects, it looked as bad as CG can. This seemed notably avoided, however. And in some shots they even had just hand-drawn models. Like in the picture below.
Ultimately, I came out of this very surprised and happy. Macross Zero is a solid story with a great visual presentation that it makes it something I won't easily forget. It's also not a huge time commitment so I find it pretty easy to recommend. It also kind of left me looking for more Macross in my life. The only things I've seen are this, Macross Plus and the Macross saga of Robotech. Can anyone recommend a good place to go from here?
nooooooooooooooooooooo
don't worry, they will make more seasons after
it's going to be popular.Crash Station
Member
nooooooooooooooooooooo
It's probably renewable, but the damage may have already been done by that point if they really want to get to the end of Balbadd in 26 episodes.
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