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[Branduil]

My feelings about Kill la Kill specifically (as opposed to my general feelings on Imaishi) go back to something my old piano teacher told me: when you're playing a fast piece full of intricate passagework you can't actually play it as fast as you possibly can. If you do, the individual notes will be lost in the general swirl. You need to keep a moderate enough pace to allow each note to be distinct articulated, so that the passagework will be clearly understood by the listener - and doing so will create a greater impression of speed than going too fast will. Similarily, with Kill la Kill always racing forward, it leaves no breathing space to allow individual events to register in the mind of the viewer, and thus everything blends together into a forgettable blur. This strategy of assaulting the audience nonstop may work for some people, but it's not something I find enjoyable to listen to or watch.

You say this about Kill la Kill specifically, but these are actually my feelings about Imaishi's direction in general. He directs his works as though his audience is composed entirely of 13-year-old boys with nonexistent attention spans, which is not something I personally find appealing most of the time.

And this is even more subjective, but I don't really care a whole lot for the style of Imaishi's action either. It's too interested in cool poses as opposed to a smooth and coherent flow for my tastes.

 

[ZachDeKoromaru]

What space butts, alien's?

Space butts at the so called "Space Hooters".

 

[PdotMichael]

Are we really going to continue despairing about a two second bad CG gif from the third episode of Kill la Kill?

They're probably saving the animation budget towards something much bigger. I mean, look at Gurren Lagann episode 4 compared to the rest of the show afterwards!

Had Kill La Kill any good action animations in the last three episodes? Everything was either Dezaki or CG.

 

[Go_Ly_Dow]

My feelings about Kill la Kill specifically (as opposed to my general feelings on Imaishi) go back to something my old piano teacher told me: when you're playing a fast piece full of intricate passagework you can't actually play it as fast as you possibly can. If you do, the individual notes will be lost in the general swirl. You need to keep a moderate enough pace to allow each note to be distinct articulated, so that the passagework will be clearly understood by the listener - and doing so will create a greater impression of speed than going too fast will. Similarily, with Kill la Kill always racing forward, it leaves no breathing space to allow individual events to register in the mind of the viewer, and thus everything blends together into a forgettable blur. This strategy of assaulting the audience nonstop may work for some people, but it's not something I find enjoyable to listen to or watch.

I share the same feeling.

 

[madp]

I understand the feel that they're going for, but the Honnouji Academy grounds have no atmosphere and are incredibly drab from a design standpoint. I dread the possibility that a number of KLK's fights are going to take place on a foggy flat brown textured plane that just looks like a level from a PS2 game with shitty draw distance.

 

[Psycho_Mantis]

Are we really going to continue despairing about a two second bad CG gif from the third episode of Kill la Kill?

They're probably saving the animation budget towards something much bigger. I mean, look at Gurren Lagann episode 4 compared to the rest of the show afterwards!

Throughout the majority of the fight the characters were CG. It looked like one of those bad shounen shows where characters would stand in one place throwing punches at each other.

 

[Hitokage]

I understand the feel that they're going for, but the Honnouji Academy grounds have no atmosphere and are incredibly drab from a design standpoint. I dread the possibility that a number of KLK's fights are going to take place on a foggy flat brown textured plane that just looks like a level from a PS2 game with shitty draw distance.

You might call it cheating, but I thought being drab was the point.

 

[Tenumi]

Kenny Omega vs Yoshihiko is the greatest match of all time.

5 Star match right there. Great story told in that ring.

 

[Admiral Woofington]

All right. Time to start on next Clannad story arc. Will give my impression of the arc if it ends or the first season if it doesn't end till the season is over.

 

[Shergal]

Modafuckin' Space Dandy

The shocking truth: It was rotoscoped

 

[fertygo]

There should be director with any different style, for every "messy" claim that Imaishi got, you can see he clearly paid attention for what he aim and give control for detail and such, I get the complaint but some of point implying he kind of let loose the staff and have no control whatsoever, which I think very disrespecting and incorrect.

 

[Hitokage]

It is absolutely true that going at such a clip can shift viewing from passive to active on the part of the viewer when it's not easily digestible, who may or may not be willing to keep up or even enjoy doing so. Easy to see why it's divisive on that account.

 

[Admiral Woofington]

The shocking truth: It was rotoscoped

MY IMMERSION! YOU'VE RUINED IT!

 

[Acosta]

Spoilers below for the new XXXHolic Rei manga:

Spoiler

Yuuko is alive and well in the new manga series. The suggestion is that it is some kind of dream that Watanuki is having of a parallel universe or something similarly CLAMP-y.

BTW, thanks you a lot, didn't even know there was a new manga.

It warms my heart to read more stories of Yuuko and Watanuki, the last part of the original XXXHolic almost had me in tears, so depressing (CLAMP being CLAMP, I'm sure they will find another way to twist the dagger).

 

[madp]

You might call it cheating, but I thought being drab was the point.

A sense of space is incredibly important to good battle choreography, and furthermore I think it's far from impossible to imbue a set piece with a bleak, totalitarian aesthetic without turning it into Final Destination. There was a lot of dynamic background usage and attention to detail once the building itself became part of the fight in KLK 3 so the action scenes aren't universally empty, but I think it underscores that they could be doing more with all of the set pieces but simply aren't.

Now that the episode formula has officially shifted to Ryuko being challenged by a different club/subordinate every week, hopefully this never becomes an issue and the battles are closer in design to episode two's.

 

[BGBW]

The shocking truth: It was rotoscoped

So? Compared to Flowers of Evil it's pretty good and I liked Flowers of Evil. There's nothing wrong with rotoscoping.

 

[Hitokage]

A sense of space is incredibly important to good battle choreography, and furthermore I think it's far from impossible to imbue a set piece with a bleak, totalitarian aesthetic without turning it into Final Destination. There was a lot of dynamic background usage and attention to detail once the building itself became part of the fight in KLK 3 so the action scenes aren't universally empty, but I think it underscores that they could be doing more with all of the set pieces but simply aren't.

Now that the episode formula has officially shifted to Ryuko being challenged by a different club/subordinate every week, hopefully this never becomes an issue and the battles are closer in design to episode two's.

Fair point. Though I would mention that one thing I noticed during episode 3 is that the show forces the viewer to choose between watching the action and reading the subtitles. I think the hallway scene in particular when they're rattling off lines right when the screen is shifting the most. That's definitely a negative impact.

 

[Shergal]

So? Compared to Flowers of Evil it's pretty good and I liked Flowers of Evil. There's nothing wrong with rotoscoping.

Of course not, it's actually a very good example of how to stylize rotoscoping with taste. Just a jab at how rotoscope is generally perceived as inherently wrong and opposed to good animation.

 

[Acosta]

Now I have watched Kill la Kill 3, my two cents.

I love this show, I love how energetic and crazy it´s, I love how melodramatic and spectacular are the fights and the absurdity of the comic relief moments. It´s silly but I find it fun instead of embarrassing. That fight (except for the walking scene that looked pretty weird indeed) was great and fun to watch.

As I have near to zero experience on anime is not like my opinion is worth a shit, I read the criticism here from people that surely know way more than me about anime and it makes sense to me in retrospective. But when I recall the feelings of watching the episode, I just remember how fun and entertained I was.

 

[BluWacky]

Fair point. Though I would mention that one thing I noticed during episode 3 is that the show forces the viewer to choose between watching the action and reading the subtitles. I think the hallway scene in particular when they're rattling off lines right when the screen is shifting the most. That's definitely a negative impact.

An interesting example of where subtitled viewing is less desirable - with fluency in Japanese or an English dub presumably this scene would come across less negatively.

(not watched it yet!)

 

[Seraphis Cain]

Fair point. Though I would mention that one thing I noticed during episode 3 is that the show forces the viewer to choose between watching the action and reading the subtitles. I think the hallway scene in particular when they're rattling off lines right when the screen is shifting the most. That's definitely a negative impact.

I don't think this is really a valid complaint, though. Anime is made for Japanese audiences first and foremost. It's not the show forcing you to choose because the show wasn't made with subtitles in mind. I don't think that Trigger or anyone else should compromise with stuff like this for the benefit of people watching with subtitles. It's just something that comes with the territory that we all have to get used to.

 

[Branduil]

The shocking truth: It was rotoscoped

Where's the confirmation it was rotoscoped?

 

[Haly]

*tears down all his bahi posters*

My life was a lie. The dream is dead.

 

[fertygo]

I don't know catsuka has english poster.

 

[Shergal]

Only Takahata can save True Animation now.

 

[Admiral Woofington]

Where's the confirmation it was rotoscoped?

It's hard to tell because the forum seems to be in some forgotten language.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7osGfFTQVtU

 

[Hitokage]

I don't think this is really a valid complaint, though. Anime is made for Japanese audiences first and foremost. It's not the show forcing you to choose because the show wasn't made with subtitles in mind. I don't think that Trigger or anyone else should compromise with stuff like this for the benefit of people watching with subtitles. It's just something that comes with the territory that we all have to get used to.

It's not a complaint as much as an important consideration with English-speaking viewers discussing the show.

 

[Beats]

Where's the confirmation it was rotoscoped?

My french is a bit rusty, but in thomas' post it says that the base animation for the singer was rotoscoped. I'm guessing the final animation was stylized. I don't know who thomas is though exactly.

 

[Shergal]

My french is a bit rusty, but in thomas' post it says that the base animation for the singer was rotoscoped. I'm guessing the final animation was stylized. I don't know who thomas is though exactly.

Thomas Romain, a mecha designer for the show.

 

[R_thanatos]

LOL, how did they learn nothing from the first time around?

Im more concerned as of why there is no panthy shot given the angle

 

[Save 'N Quit]

CG from all shows I've watched this season = Shit

 

[Branduil]

My french is a bit rusty, but in thomas' post it says that the base animation for the singer was rotoscoped. I'm guessing the final animation was stylized. I don't know who thomas is though exactly.

That makes sense. Just looking at it, it's obviously a very loose rotoscope, with stylistic changes made where desired.

 

[fertygo]

Thomas Romain, a mecha designer for the show.

What? hype deflated... never liked his mech.

 

[jman2050]

As I have near to zero experience on anime is not like my opinion is worth a shit, I read the criticism here from people that surely know way more than me about anime and it makes sense to me in retrospective. But when I recall the feelings of watching the episode, I just remember how fun and entertained I was.

Congratulations, you are more cognizant of your own tastes and preferences than half the people in this thread.

 

[DiGiKerot]

The Steins;Gate movie sure was a Steins;Gate movie - frequently hilarious, with maybe a little too much navel gazing at times. I really enjoyed it , but it's pretty much just pure Fanservice.

Guess I'm watching HAL and GitS:Arise now. Good thing I didn't watch the later previously...

 

[AnathemicOne]

The Steins;Gate movie sure was a Steins;Gate movie - frequently hilarious, with maybe a little too much navel gazing at times. I really enjoyed it , but it's pretty much just pure Fanservice.

Guess I'm watching HAL and GitS:Arise now. Good thing I didn't watch the later previously...

Eh? It's already subbed? Or did you watch the raw version?

 

[DiGiKerot]

Eh? It's already subbed? Or did you watch the raw version?

I saw a theatrical screening as part of an event.

 

[Branduil]

Does anyone know when Gothicmade comes out on bluray?

 

[Grzi]

Does anyone know when Gothicmade comes out on bluray?

I tried to find this out a few weeks ago and it was impossible

 

[BluWacky]

Does anyone know when Gothicmade comes out on bluray?

No release date announced as yet. It's been nearly a year since the film came out and I think it's now finally left cinemas, so hopefully it won't be too long.

 

[Crash Station]

My feelings about Kill la Kill specifically (as opposed to my general feelings on Imaishi) go back to something my old piano teacher told me: when you're playing a fast piece full of intricate passagework you can't actually play it as fast as you possibly can. If you do, the individual notes will be lost in the general swirl. You need to keep a moderate enough pace to allow each note to be distinct articulated, so that the passagework will be clearly understood by the listener - and doing so will create a greater impression of speed than going too fast will. Similarily, with Kill la Kill always racing forward, it leaves no breathing space to allow individual events to register in the mind of the viewer, and thus everything blends together into a forgettable blur. This strategy of assaulting the audience nonstop may work for some people, but it's not something I find enjoyable to listen to or watch.

You know, I can actually agree to some extent. Obviously I love Kill la Kill and expect it to be my AOTY, but something like episode 11 of Gurren Lagann wouldn't have been so inspiring for me had it not had the proper buildup.

I'm sure KLK will have some mellower episodes as well to make for great buildup. I doubt it will be all fighting, all the time for 24 episodes straight (though I wouldn't be against that either)

 

[Shard]

Wrastlin' anime of the year isn't a really hard title to attain when it's probably the only one competing!

Spoiler

RIP Kickheart.

That's what doujins are for.

Worst Anime of the Year.

 

[cnet128]

To all the people watching Polar Bear Cafe - we all agree that the first OP is the best OP, right?

I'm with you on this one. Though I also love the second OP, and the third is no slouch.

(The first ED is also the best, though all of the EDs are wonderful in their own way.)

 

[Caesnd]

*tears down all his bahi posters*

My life was a lie. The dream is dead.

Bahi didn't do anything in that music video. He has only worked on the actual show episodes themselves.

Needless to say, there are animators who are more than capable of producing work of that level, but more often than not time constraints are more important than anything else.
Good rotoscoping isn't just tracing things either, much like just drawing clean-ups isn't.

 

[Admiral Woofington]

I'm with you on this one. Though I also love the second OP, and the third is no slouch.

(The first ED is also the best, though all of the EDs are wonderful in their own way.)

First OP is fanastic, haven't heard second. But the more Panda-kun the better.

 

[Crash Station]

You guys overhyped Kill La Kill. My Tyrant's Eye could see it from a mile away.

The only anime that will match its hype is Space Dandy.

KLK has surpassed the hype for me! Of course, I also expect Space Dandy to be underwhelming.

 

[7Th]

Tatsunoko was too strong for Ryochimo. ;_;

 

[A Black Falcon]

To me it's like the series has finally gone off the rails. All the idiocy of the series which was kept in moderation in the first season has been cranked up to 11, which could actually be amazing if this was a giant robot action show but sadly this is a shitty harem.

What? No, the problem with S2 so far, the second half of ep. 3 excepted, is that they made it generic. S1 had a unique, impressively totally incompetent design, but S2 feels more like any other harem action series. That's what all the complaints about the "the girls all hit him now" stuff is -- about how the new staff isn't making something quite like IS S1. But idiocy? No, the problem is that it's LESS stupid now. I mean, it's still very very stupid, but now it's more average-stupid -- dumb much like so many harem action shows are dumb. S1 was dumb in its own charming way, unlike S2. I'm not sure if that entirely makes sense, but yeah, I don't entirely agree with this.

What's that you say, this is a giant robot show? Huh. Who knew? Maybe they should break reality more with the giant robots and have them piledriving each other and firing macross missile bursts and shit instead of wasting their time firing shots in a classroom and making interdimensional auditoriums that comprise of more space inside than the outside complete with Indiana Jones style traps and secret passages while seeing how dumb they can make characters that some fans will still relate to as characters.

That stage was definitely pretty absurdly overlarge, but otherwise, why did you hate that part so much? Just because that stage was obviously bigger than an actual stage? I don't get it... it's not like this franchise is so realistic that that bit of reality-breaking actually is a big issue.

Also, I am not really a robot suit/giant robots fan, so it was nice to see them mix it up a bit and do something different from the past fights this time. The sequence had some issues -- as I said, there is no actual reason why the first three girls stop chasing him -- but even so, it was amusing and fun. And since the IS suits can protect them, using those weapons like that is safe; if someone was actually hit the suit would surely protect them...

My main question to you though was more along the lines of "if you think that this is worse than how the show was before why the hell did you wish for this instead of wishing it to go back to how it was before?!" It's a very weird thought process. Like if you were in a relationship and it started to go sour would you wish for it to really get bad or go back to being good? Here you wish for the worst, it makes no sense. .

But this episode didn't make things worse, though. It made them slightly better... of course it's not IS S1, but yeah.

No.

Most definitely yes. Ep. 11 of S1 was embarrassingly bad and had no redeeming qualities, unlike the rest of the season, and ep. 3 of S2 is a good bit more entertaining than either of the first two.

I noticed that not only has A Black Falcon returned to post in the thread but so has mAcOdIn. Even Lafiel watched and commented on Infinite Stratos!
It's because it's just a pretty good season overall with many shows to talk about? Nonsense! It's clearly the power of Infinite Stratos and it being AnimeGaf's "favorite" show. ;p

I actually started posting occasional episode reviews again at least a season ago, so no, I didn't return just because of IS... but it probably is true that IS got me to actually read through the threads and reply to stuff more again, I admit.

 

[hosannainexcelsis]

Tatsunoko was too strong for Ryochimo. ;_;

Looks better than numerous shots from the second episode.

 

[7Th]

Looks better than numerous shots from the second episode.

Look at Ao's

Spoiler

lack of

left arm.