I feel like this show is trying to be Ouran, where it's half parody and half serious. At least, I couldn't help but laugh when I saw this line anyway.
There's a part of me that wants to read the manga for this one as well, just so I can make an informed comparison between this show and Say I Love Ruuuu You, but I managed to read all of that manga in a day and I'm afraid there will be some kind of hook in this manga as well... as unlikely as that might seem based on how it looks/feels.
Echoing what others have said, this was as good as the first episode. So very Shoujo in a good way. Natsume is a good addition already. Also lots of cock in this episode,
hopefully Sasahara treats him well!
Still somewhat apprehensive because these stories have a tendency to completely lose it partway through so I hope that doesn't happen here.
I enjoyed this episode quite a bit but I think that I mainly enjoyed all the various aspects that made it up rather than the 'whole' it attempted to create.
Alibaba and Aladdin were the main focus of this episode and, if it weren't for appearance in the opening credits and endless commentary about her, Mor basically didn't exist. It's a good thing, then, that Alibaba and Aladdin seem to be slightly more interesting characters than your usual stock heroes. Aladdin in particular is extremely interesting because he's not simply a goofball, although he can certainly play that role quite well. It's too early to say anything more about them because they weren't developed in a particularly interesting way over the course of the episode, as I mentioned in my previous post Alibaba got some character development but as it came from nowhere it accomplished nothing for me. Nevertheless these two characters play-off each other well and they have great chemistry, which is extremely important when telling these kinds of adventure stories.
So far the 'big hook' isn't the characters or narrative, because we really haven't seen enough of that to yet, but instead it's the unique setting and designs this show features. Perhaps it's only a thin layer of paint over a very traditional narrative but boy is is pretty. We've seen numerous shows that take place in Medieval Europe or Mythological Japan/China but the Arabian theme is something that we haven't seen a lot of. I feel like they're really allowed to break away from many of the traditional designs that we usually see - I really the character and designs, for example. I hope there's something more to this setting than simply the novelty value or having the story take place somewhere else considering the richness of the Arabian setting.
All these unique places, characters and designs wouldn't mean too much if it wasn't being produced by talented artists. A-1 pictures have clearly invested quite seriously in making this work look impressive. The OP is astounding and, for once, appears to be indicative of the kind of animation that we're actually getting in the show. Not only were brief sequences of action were well animated but they even bothered throwing in some nice animation during the 'gag' sequences, which I certainly find more enjoyable than the usual "really low detail face fault" type stuff that we see in shows of a similar ilk. Still, this is only the first episode and I expect the quality of the animation to take a hit next week.
I liked everything all these elements and yet I don't think the episode held up particularly well. It didn't feel like it had a strong enough narrative flow. It was just a series of things that happened.
I hope this turns out well. I really do. I am concerned about the discussions regarding this adaptation's pacing because I really feel that it's important to yet a unique setting breathe and they didn't really do that here. I don't have enough time to start reading the manga!
Well, just looking at the linked ANN profiles, here's what they've been up to this year:
Ai Yokoyama: key animation on Hunter X Hunter and Btooom!
Katanao Akai: lots of animation on Gundam Age
Minami Yoshida: key animation on Hunter X Hunter and Btooom!
Shinya Segawa: animation director on Tsuritama
Mika Yamamoto: key animation on Zetman
Ai Yokoyama was the most prominent young Madhouse staff to get a big gig in X-Men. She's apparently still there.. kinda. She did animation for the Btooom! opening, and an episode of HxH.
Kenichi Shima got his first animation direction gig as an assistant AD on one of the X-Men episodes, and he's the animation director for the Persona 4 Arena animation scenes. So he's still there.
Many of the other younger animators who got prominent positions on the show like Katanao Akai, Mika Yamamoto, Tomoyuki Niho, and Shin Wakabayashi aren't Madhouse internal staff, so they've been doing other stuff. Akai and Yamamoto seem very active in Sunrse, while Wakabayashi recent did a storyboard for an episode of Mysterious Girlfriend X. I don't think Niho has been doing much, and I'll be surprised if he gets to do a storyboard again. Lol.
Sakamichi and Bebop really aren't similar shows, so it's kind of hard to tell what you're looking for (other than that it has to be good).
Are you looking for shows only from this year or season? How much have you been keeping up with anime since Bebop? I really need more information to work with.
Anyway, simply limiting it to this season, Tonari No Kaibutsu-kun and JoJo both had very strong opening episodes.
Yeah I was kinda vague sorry. Ill give a list of what I have watched and enjoyed then.
Akira (Fairly obvious I would have seen this but its where I started)
Patlabor (all 3 movies so far, got the OVA to watch still)
Hyouka
K On
Love Hina
Beck (LOVE this show, really wish they would do more episodes to where the manga finished)
Lupin III
Sakamichi no apollon
Ghost in the shell (movies and SAC, big fan of Masamune Shirow)
Appleseed (old movie and new)
One Piece (not got past episode 200 i think)
Samurai 7 (big fan of Kurosawa films so this was an easy sell to me)
Cowboy Bebop
Hopefully that helps a bit more, was thinking more new anime as there are so many shows that need allot of catching up on (One Piece nearly killed me) and it seemed simpler to start fresh
This was another great, consistently enjoyable episode. I really like the refreshingly lighthearted tone, and the intermittent touches of dramatic moments rarely fail to impress. This episode was a bit slower than the last, but the more relaxed pace worked really well.
All of the characters, particularly Haru, have been thoroughly engaging and interesting so far. Natsume is a great addition to the cast, and I'm looking forward to more of her interactions with the main two. The rooftop scene was the highlight of the episode, as
Shizuku finally comes to terms with the emotions she had been consciously wrestling over throughout the episode, and decided that she truly likes Haru as well
. Haru and Shizuku's interactions are terrific, as they have excellent chemistry, and I can't wait to see how their relationship develops. The contrast between Haru's quirky, occasionally abrasive personality and the rather serious sort that Shizuku adopts adds a nice element to their relationship. Of course, complications will inevitably arise, but hopefully they're not overly forced or unnecessarily annoying, but, considering how well the characters and story have been handled so far, I'd like to think contrivances will be largely avoided.
The humor has been consistently great, especially the numerous visual gags. Also, all of the comedy involving the chicken has been quite good, and I love how prevalent it was throughout this episode. The direction is very solid, as it balances the comedic and dramatic material with a very confident understanding of pace and general enjoyment. The art continues to be very visually appealing, as the bright colors complement the tone superbly. The music provides a delightfully pleasant atmosphere to many individual moments.
The ED is pretty great, particularly due to it's distinctive visuals.
All in all, Tonari continues to exceed my expectations in nearly every area. It's really a thoroughly excellent romantic comedy, and it's definitely one of the most promising I've seen in a long time, as it's filled with interesting characters and a satisfyingly entertaining story.
Yeah I was kinda vague sorry. Ill give a list of what I have watched and enjoyed then.
Akira (Fairly obvious I would have seen this but its where I started)
Patlabor (all 3 movies so far, got the OVA to watch still)
Hyouka
K On
Love Hina
Beck (LOVE this show, really wish they would do more episodes to where the manga finished)
Lupin III
Sakamichi no apollon
Ghost in the shell (movies and SAC, big fan of Masamune Shirow)
Appleseed (old movie and new)
One Piece (not got past episode 200 i think)
Samurai 7 (big fan of Kurosawa films so this was an easy sell to me)
Cowboy Bebop
Hopefully that helps a bit more, was thinking more new anime as there are so many shows that need allot of catching up on (One Piece nearly killed me) and it seemed simpler to start fresh
Well, there's plenty of wonderful shows in the past few years that are just as much (or more) worth watching as shows from this year, and with only 1 or 2 episodes out for shows this season, it's really too early to tell how they'll turn out.
Anyway, some excellent, recentish shows that you owe it to yourself to watch:
Baccano! Set in 1930's America, a fun and frenetic tale of mobsters, thieves, and alchemists.
Fullmetal Alchemist This was made when Bones was still a good studio, it has high quality, consistent production values, and intriguing characters and setting and story.
TTGL This was pretty much Gainax's final hurrah, spectacular mecha animation, a ridiculously cheesy and over the top setting, characters, and story that's easy to love.
Those are all more actiony shows, but they all are good, and easy to get into.
If you're up for a long series, there's always Gintama! The greatest anime comedy ever.
Well, there's plenty of wonderful shows in the past few years that are just as much (or more) worth watching as shows from this year, and with only 1 or 2 episodes out for shows this season, it's really too early to tell how they'll turn out.
Anyway, some excellent, recentish shows that you owe it to yourself to watch:
Baccano! Set in 1930's America, a fun and frenetic tale of mobsters, thieves, and alchemists.
Fullmetal Alchemist This was made when Bones was still a good studio, it has high quality, consistent production values, and intriguing characters and setting and story.
TTGL This was pretty much Gainax's final hurrah, spectacular mecha animation, a ridiculously cheesy and over the top setting, characters, and story that's easy to love.
Those are all more actiony shows, but they all are good, and easy to get into.
If you're up for a long series, there's always Gintama! The greatest anime comedy ever.
My commission for providing the service of introducing people on GAF to unique anime is the hope the there will be more posts about such anime and less posts about fanservice pandering incest crap! It's a community service!
It's nice to see a school setting in anime which isn't focused on club activities, but having an academic angle instead. It's pretty uncommon I think, since KareKano is probably the only other show of this sort I can really think of at the moment.
'cause hiroyuki yoshino has never in his career written a show that can be qualified as remotely good and more often than not his writing veers into the downright offensive and utterly distasteful?
My commission for providing the service of introducing people on GAF to unique anime is the hope the there will be more posts about such anime and less posts about fanservice pandering incest crap! It's a community service!
A-ko and C-ko are an inseparable pair, so B-ko tries to separate them so she can have C-ko for herself, only I don't know why she wants to when C-ko is annoying as all get out.
There were also aliens and nice animation and stuff.
My commission for providing the service of introducing people on GAF to unique anime is the hope the there will be more posts about such anime and less posts about fanservice pandering incest crap! It's a community service!
Well, the difference between the tournament in From the New World and Quidditch is that the rules in the tournament seem to make sense, it's just hard to anticipate the strategies for an unfamiliar game. Quidditch is just a nonsense sport with some of the stupidest rules ever written for a fictional sport.
Well, the difference between the tournament in From the New World and Quidditch is that the rules in the tournament seem to make sense, it's just hard to anticipate the strategies for an unfamiliar game. Quidditch is just a nonsense sport with some of the stupidest rules ever written for a fictional sport.
No, if the NFL were like Quidditch, there would be two guys trying to kick field goals on the opposite side of the field while everyone else was playing the game on the other side. And if one guy made a field goal, it'd be worth 49 points and the game would suddenly end. That's what the Quidditch rules are like.
For our non-American posters, it's like if a shootout was occurring on one side of the pitch while the real football match was happening on the other side. If one player in the shootout scores, it's worth 5 goals and the game suddenly ends.
Well cosmic, at least Uchip will always be your nakama.
No, if the NFL were like Quidditch, there would be two guys trying to kick field goals on the opposite side of the field while everyone else was playing the game on the other side. And if one guy made a field goal, it'd be worth 49 points and the game would suddenly end. That's what the Quidditch rules are like.
For our non-American posters, it's like if a shootout was occurring on one side of the pitch while the real football match was happening on the other side. If one player in the shootout scores, it's worth 5 goals and the game suddenly ends.
A-ko and C-ko are an inseparable pair, so B-ko tries to separate them so she can have C-ko for herself, only I don't know why she wants to when C-ko is annoying as all get out.
There were also aliens and nice animation and stuff.
Come on, that's definitely an exaggeration. The rules are pretty imbalanced in favor of the Seekers but to say that it just composes of people doing fieldgoals is extreme.
Terribly generic, literally everything looks like it has been used a million times before. We even got a dude standing on the edge of a building saying something has begun, can't wait for the obligatory "Fast!" scene.
It looked good though (not talking about the designs), can't believe this got a big budget.
Oh well, I guess I'll keep watching in hopes for some sakuga.
But was Hyouka even itself at the beginning? I don't mean in terms of quality, but more to the audiences place, in relation to their own expectations. I mean, at least for me, it was hard to take from the first couple of episodes, exactly where (or how) it was going to play out.
Come on, that's definitely an exaggeration. The rules are pretty imbalanced in favor of the Seekers but to say that it just composes of people doing fieldgoals is extreme.
The point is, the seekers are the only players that matter. Every team would focus all of their salary/recruitment on getting the best seekers, and every team would just play a ridiculously boring, super-conservative kind of trap defense, since scoring points doesn't really matter.
That was great. So far this is right on the heels of my favorite show of the season right after From The New World. Haru was thankfully not as annoying as I thought he was from the first episode. I think the introduction of the new character helped alleviate that. I like Natsume and I think she's a pretty good addition to the cast so far. The last scene was really great, definitely my favorite part of this episode. I'm still hoping that my fears of this story moving so fast that the rest of it won't hold up as well are mitigated as the show continues because this has been really good so far.
Goddamn I love this show. Haru is such a goofball (
"It's too late to trade places!"
lol!), and Shizuku has her moments when she can be just as weird (
screaming at a chicken? seriously?!!
). Natsume is awesome, and I hope she becomes a regular character as the show progresses. I mean really, a girl who can show off that kind of confidence with vomit dripping from her mouth deserves that much.
