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Fall 2012 Anime |OT| Meet the new world, same as the old world

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yami4ct

Member
I'm saying that his actions and what goes on his minds are often times contradictory therefore creating the mysterious atmosphere around him.

To me, it creates a sense of wishy-washy indecision. He does and says contradictory things because he doesn't care or think about the actions. It's contradiction in personality for the sake of trying to add pathos to a character. It's a tactic I absolutely abhor.
 
Oh sure, but I assume it's something that the characters inside the story don't know... so is there any specific reason for that dramatic irony? Or to distance the audience right when the episode starts?

Of course this is the problem with thinking about serialized television as it airs - there may be a good reason as the series progresses - but it's a strangely academic way to start a show.

I assume we're supposed to wonder what happened in their version of our present and that the characters in the show will get there eventually... but I just don't know if it's necessary.

I think the reason behind it can be explained by an interview with the novel's author:

You could have chosen to set it in a parallel world, but why didn't you?

A parallel world setting is used often in movies, novels, and other media, and I agree that it is an effective measure, but I did not want to do that for this work. I wanted the setting for this story to be a world continued and derived from our modern society, and I wanted readers to believe so as well. The novel is written as a memorandum Saki leaves for her descendants to read 1,000 years later, but at the same time it is also a message to us, her ancestors. That's how I wanted to construct the story.

If the show jumped straight into Saki's world, it'd be easy for the viewer to assume that it was meant to be a fantasy universe with no direct relation to our own. Showing us the modern landscape establishes that, no, it is an envisioned future of our world.
 

kayos90

Tragic victim of fan death
To me, it creates a sense of wishy-washy indecision. He does and says contradictory things because he doesn't care or think about the actions. It's contradiction in personality for the sake of trying to add pathos to a character. It's a tactic I absolutely abhor.

I disagree completely. I feel that if this is the case then Akito would come off as a person who is more timid in how he acts and how he makes his decisions. He is quite clear-cut in how he behaves and seems to lack no hesitation at all. This leads me to believe that he has a contradictory sense of beliefs not knowing exactly what to believe, however, he understands that something regardless must be done. He's contradictory in this sense as he does what is demanded of the situation accepting things for what it is rather than being wishy washy.
 

Jex

Member
From the New World 1

I do want to comment briefly on the structure of the episode. There's a certain amount of leaping around in time the episode does, but it keeps the viewer from getting confused through one simple technique - linking the time skips through one character, usually Saki, recalling an earlier experience relevant to what she's currently going through. So there's no random cuts for the sake of it; everything is logically and carefully laid out for us - which is a vital thing to do when you're trying to introduce a complicated fictional world like this one.

This was an aspect of the show that I didn't actually touch on - the judicious use of the flashback is something worth appreciating. Sometimes you get the feeling that they've been thrown in just to mess-up the chronology of the episode, but in this case they were all tied into the emotional state of the protagonist and, as such, they were justified. It could also be helping them compress a number of events into a single episode, but having not read the source text I can't claim that for sure.
 

Jarmel

Banned
If the show jumped straight into Saki's world, it'd be easy for the viewer to assume that it was meant to be a fantasy universe with no direct relation to our own. Showing us the modern landscape establishes that, no, it is an envisioned future of our world.

Well I guess we'll see what he does with it. So far this is a pretty radical break and probably closer in line to a fantasy world than an actual possible future.
 

yami4ct

Member
I want yall to tell me I'm wrong or it's a good analysis or comment cuz DTL is the only one who cares... T_T WHY NO COMMENT ON MY ESSAY GUYS?!

You aren't wrong and you've picked out the interesting pieces of the OVA, but I think you miss the majority of what the OVA tries to offer, which is terrible in my opinion. The world they set up is interesting, but every character, conflict, and story they are telling within that world are unbelievable and boring.
 

kayos90

Tragic victim of fan death
You aren't wrong and you've picked out the interesting pieces of the OVA, but I think you miss the majority of what the OVA tries to offer, which is terrible in my opinion. The world they set up is interesting, but every character, conflict, and story they are telling within that world are unbelievable and boring.

I can understand people disliking Akito but you dislike Malcal as well? Also, I think the conflict is rather boring because right now it's very general and lacks more emphasis on what exactly the W-0 is setting out to do and where they will end up.
 

yami4ct

Member
I don't know how to screencap shows so... I don't do it. If yall told me how then I would.

I think wishy washy is the wrong word. I guess what I'm trying to say is, you're putting way more into this than the writers have. Akito only acts the way he does because the plot demands it. He acts in contradictory fashions because the writes want to surround him in some sense of mystery in a desperate attempt to try to make him at least somewhat interesting. He's not a character as much as he is a thinly veiled tool for the writers to throw into whatever situation they choose.
 

kayos90

Tragic victim of fan death
I think wishy washy is the wrong word. I guess what I'm trying to say is, you're putting way more into this than the writers have. Akito only acts the way he does because the plot demands it. He acts in contradictory fashions because the writes want to surround him in some sense of mystery in a desperate attempt to try to make him at least somewhat interesting. He's not a character as much as he is a thinly veiled tool for the writers to throw into whatever situation they choose.

I don't view Akito as simply a plot progressing tool though. It's clear that he's there for a reason. I mean even when he's facing other Japanese, he doesn't even hesitate. There is definitely characterization that is absolutely important and I feel the writers are trying to allude to the deeper nature behind Akito.
 

Steroyd

Member
Hey Anime GAF, what is the verdict on Eureka Seven: AO?

KhJ5V.jpg


It does not make sense!
 

Jarmel

Banned
I think wishy washy is the wrong word. I guess what I'm trying to say is, you're putting way more into this than the writers have. Akito only acts the way he does because the plot demands it. He acts in contradictory fashions because the writes want to surround him in some sense of mystery in a desperate attempt to try to make him at least somewhat interesting. He's not a character as much as he is a thinly veiled tool for the writers to throw into whatever situation they choose.

I never got that from Akito. He's very much a cold individual but he also does seem capable of compassion or atleast kindness to a certain extent.
 

yami4ct

Member
I can understand people disliking Akito but you dislike Malcal as well? Also, I think the conflict is rather boring because right now it's very general and lacks more emphasis on what exactly the W-0 is setting out to do and where they will end up.

She's just another "strong" female princess desperately trying to solve the problems her nation faces against incredible odds. It's a character I've seen way too many times to find interesting. Sure, she's a bit more battle smart than most characters of her ilk, but they add very little new to the trope to keep her interesting.

As for the war, this is the the first part of a 4 part series. If you can't give me a reason to care about your conflict or characters, you've failed. The main purpose of this episode should have been to establish some stakes, something I think they've failed completely to do.
 

Instro

Member
From the New World 1
I do want to comment briefly on the structure of the episode. There's a certain amount of leaping around in time the episode does, but it keeps the viewer from getting confused through one simple technique - linking the time skips through one character, usually Saki, recalling an earlier experience relevant to what she's currently going through. So there's no random cuts for the sake of it; everything is logically and carefully laid out for us - which is a vital thing to do when you're trying to introduce a complicated fictional world like this one.

Its pretty interesting really. They manage to focus on her in key events during scenes that help develop certain story elements, yet at the same time there's no inner monologues that would normally crop up in anime to explain her feelings on what is happening. As a character she is used to tie together a lot of the scenes of the episode, yet doesn't really have a ton of dialogue to do so. A lot of what we gather from the show is coming from her facial expressions, and actions/reactions to what is happening rather than a ton of dialogue from her as the main character.
 

KimiNewt

Scored 3/100 on an Exam
Kokoro Connect

Watched up to episode 12 now. Lectures and monologues up everywhere in this bitch. Starting to get sick of those.

I really liked episode 5 but they didn't really continue the themes for that one, and the current "turning-into-kids" arc is even more silly. It's a shame.
 

yami4ct

Member
I never got that from Akito. He's very much a cold individual but he also does seem capable of compassion or atleast kindness to a certain extent.

I got a strong Setsuna F Seiei vibe from him. Sure there is SOME marginal character trapped inside, but the writers have surrounded him in such a shell of false "mystery" that even when it shines through, it still feels forced and boring.
 

Jex

Member
Code Geass:Akito the Exiled 01

The story is where it really falls apart for me. It tries to give a more serious take on war, but with no likable characters to grasp onto it falls flat. I hate every single person here. They are all either insane, boring, or completely oblivious to their surroundings. The fact that all the villains are just cackling madmen takes away any sort of serious message it try to put forth. They give us a more "serious" show, yet put in cartoon-level evil villains and still expect us to believe they fit. The basic plot itself also did nothing for me. Even once I had a grasp on what was going on, I had a hard time caring. I mean, I feel bad for the civilians caught in the crossfire, but I have zero interest in the conflict as a whole. Neither side makes a good enough case for itself for me to really get invested in the story they try to tell.
I really thought this would bother me - but it didn't. I didn't actually care for any of the characters, but I didn't really care for many of the characters in Code Geass either. Once I accepted that it was a world filled with ridiculous Code Geass people I stopped caring how painfully exaggerated everyone was. To be fair to the creators of Akito, if people weren't like that then it wouldn't "feel" like a Code Geass work.

The problem comes when you don't have a main characters as powerful as Lelouche.
 

kayos90

Tragic victim of fan death
She's just another "strong" female princess desperately trying to solve the problems her nation faces against incredible odds. It's a character I've seen way too many times to find interesting. Sure, she's a bit more battle smart than most characters of her ilk, but they add very little new to the trope to keep her interesting.

As for the war, this is the the first part of a 4 part series. If you can't give me a reason to care about your conflict or characters, you've failed. The main purpose of this episode should have been to establish some stakes, something I think they've failed completely to do.

The thing is that the conflict is about EU's war with Britannia in respect to the Japanese. Sure it's very general right now and you have a right to think they failed. I think the conflict delivery is one of the lacking aspects of OVA1, however, what they sacrificed for world-building is a big thing to me.
 
The problem comes when you don't have a main characters as powerful as Lelouche.

As a side story of sorts, I think having someone who is more in line with being more normal at least makes for something interesting for the Code Geass universe. I wasnt hoping he'd be a carbon copy and Akito actually is more battle trained which is good.
 

kayos90

Tragic victim of fan death
It's as Mystery as K-ON is to music and what Nichijou is to comedy.

At least the mystery is more prevalent than music is...

As a side story of sorts, I think having someone who is more in line with being a normal human at least makes for something interesting for the Code Geass universe. I wasnt hoping he'd be a carbon copy and Akito actually is more battle trained which is good.

Except he's not really normal...
 

Jarmel

Banned
Gonna check out Hyouka. Wikipedia says it is a Mystery show.

More slice of life. Don't go in expecting good mysteries.

I got a strong Setsuna F Seiei vibe from him. Sure there is SOME marginal character trapped inside, but the writers have surrounded him in such a shell of false "mystery" that even when it shines through, it still feels forced and boring.

I think he has more of a spark compared to Setsuna. For example what he did to that asshole in the party demonstrated he does have a personality. It was pretty humorous in a dark manner but also showed that he does have some basic emotions. I'm also guessing his personal issues are going to be at the forefront in future episodes.

That said, I don't think he's a great character but he's solid so far. Nobody will ever approach Lelouch.
 

yami4ct

Member
The thing is that the conflict is about EU's war with Britannia in respect to the Japanese. Sure it's very general right now and you have a right to think they failed. I think the conflict delivery is one of the lacking aspects of OVA1, however, what they sacrificed for world-building is a big thing to me.

It's find to sacrifice the majority of your premiere for world building when you've got 26+ episodes to work with, but on the scale of a 4-episode OVA, you need every second of content you can get.


I really thought this would bother me - but it didn't. I didn't actually care for any of the characters, but I didn't really care for many of the characters in Code Geass either. Once I accepted that it was a world filled with ridiculous Code Geass people I stopped caring how painfully exaggerated everyone was. To be fair to the creators of Akito, if people weren't like that then it wouldn't "feel" like a Code Geass work.

The problem comes when you don't have a main characters as powerful as Lelouche.

With Code Geass, at least I had interesting action to fall back on. I may have hated all the characters and their illogical actions, but at least I could get some nice mech battles. This OVA lacks that completely.
 

Ultimadrago

Member
Jinrui 4-6

Man, people weren't kidding about the drop in quality from episodes 1 and 2.
These have ranged from terribly average to exceedingly boring.

I'll push through, however.
 

madp

The Light of El Cantare
Jinrui 4-6

Man, people weren't kidding about the drop in quality from episodes 1 and 2.
These have ranged from terribly average to exceedingly boring.

I'll push through, however.

You'll be rewarded for your patience. Press on, soldier.
 

yami4ct

Member
I think he has more of a spark compared to Setsuna. For example what he did to that asshole in the party demonstrated he does have a personality. It was pretty humorous in a dark manner but also showed that he does have some basic emotions. I'm also guessing his personal issues are going to be at the forefront in future episodes.

That said, I don't think he's a great character but he's solid so far. Nobody will ever approach Lelouch.

I had numerous problems with that scene that precluded me enjoying that bit. It seemed like the writers felt the need to stack more incredible odds against the female lead, that they had to put some incredibly sexist pigs in to up the stakes. The whole thing was so uncomfortable that I was just glad it was over.

As for Lelouch, he's one of my most hated anime protagonists of all time. Almost anything would be an upgrade from him.
 

Jex

Member
With Code Geass, at least I had interesting action to fall back on. I may have hated all the characters and their illogical actions, but at least I could get some nice mech battles. This OVA lacks that completely.

I actually thought the choreography of the mech battles was pretty cool with some interesting cinematography that clearly took advantage of the the CG models. I wasn't really that bothered by the CG however, as the worlds biggest CG complainer, I wont besmirch you for disliking it.
 

Kazzy

Member
Sword Art Online - Episode 13

cnW0m.jpg


It's all just so monotonous. Removed from the context of what actually happened, the fishing stuff was complete filler too. At least they had the sense to finally dwell on what might be happening in the real world, it's only taken them 2 years!

*sigh*
 

Jex

Member
Jinrui 4-6

Man, people weren't kidding about the drop in quality from episodes 1 and 2.
These have ranged from terribly average to exceedingly boring.

I'll push through, however.

You could have just skipped the bad ones y'know. Unless you have anime OCD.
 
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