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[Tenumi]

Aren't the covers typically reversible?

My Black Cat DVD set and both Strike Witches Blu-Ray sets are (Both are SAVE sets), so probably.

 

[Clov]

Aren't the covers typically reversible?

In most cases yes, though lately they've been lacking the name of the anime on the spine of the alternate cover. There's also the case of Shangri-La, where "Insert Title Here" was left by mistake instead of the proper title.

 

[cajunator]

I've stopped buying dvd since years ago. Last dvd i've bought was the Natsume book of friends season 1 & 2 set.
Now i'm buying blu-rays, much better quality and audio ( usually since we still have some weird releases )

I still maintain that the quality isnt that much better. The durability and presentation is though. Also after basically upgrading a major part of my collection to bluray it makes sense to keep it going.

 

[Syrinx]

I still maintain that the quality isnt that much better. The durability and presentation is though. Also after basically upgrading a major part of my collection to bluray it makes sense to keep it going.

Princess Tutu spindle.

Never forget.

 

[Narag]

My Black Cat DVD set and both Strike Witches Blu-Ray sets are (Both are SAVE sets), so probably.

I should go check cat planet cuties but I fear I'd just end up watching it all in one go.

 

[cajunator]

Princess Tutu spindle.

Never forget.

FUCKFUCKFUCKFUCKFUCK

I should go check cat planet cuties but I fear I'd just end up watching it all in one go.

You would. Its really cute! Very easy to get hooked on those catgirls.

 

[ZachDeKoromaru]

I should go check cat planet cuties but I fear I'd just end up watching it all in one go.

And yet you still won't watch your Strike Witches 2!

 

[jman2050]

Code Geass 22

I didn't expect that. No, really I didn't.
I don't think I've ever watched a show in which I see something that's been image macro'd 1000 times, and I then realize "Oh, this is where that's from" as much as Geass.
But it happened again. I got my context.

Spoiler

Whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy

The writers wrote themselves into a corner and responded by smashing the corner with a cinder block.

 

[razgriz417]

Vanadis - 05

Alright episode , mostly because they didn't cut too much ( or at all ) on the story this time.
So let's check

-2 vanadis acting like children : check
-Number of times our MC has seen a vanadis naked : 2 <- this counter won't go up as fast as you think it would.
-Number of times our MC has seen a woman naked : 3 <- this counter will go up faster than you think.
-Bear disguises are as powerfull as the benches in assassin creed.
-Always have your tea set on you , could be usefull when you're on a snow moutain.


It was alright , thank god they didn't cut the " who did you just think of" scene. I would have written a RANT longer than possible by animegaf standards if they did.

Is there anyplace to read the LN for this show? I just picked up the show and its intriguing, tho hearing that alot has been cut got me curious what's missing. The only thing I've found was 18 chapters of the manga and volume 6 on in the LN. Can't seem to find translations to the first few volumes

side note, just heard about Shokugeki no Soma (foodgasm) is getting an anime next year, can't wait

 

[Narag]

And yet you still won't watch your Strike Witches 2!

nanowrimo takes priority over all!

 

[javac]

So I've been watching Casshern Sins. I finished episode 14 yesterday and just wanted to do a little spoiler free discussion around my feelings thus far.

I've been meaning to watch this for a while and finally got around to starting the first half of it. My opinion on the show is pretty high thus far. I have to say that I really like it. I love slow, methodical shows and usually hate the high octane shows that dominate the airwaves today so this show is straight up my alley. Each episode feels episodic, and meanders slowly like a parable while adhering to an overarching grander story that is slowly brewing in the background.

The action although light is really cool to see as the main character is super nimble and fun to watch as he zips by at lightning speeds. The character designs are really fun and faithful to the Tatsunoko style we all know and love, but obviously a lot more modern and stylish with each character looking super slick and slender while each donning equally fabulous hair styles.

The series itself is a reboot of the classic series Casshan and is produced by Tatsunoko and animated by Madhouse and is considered a deconstruction of the series.

The soundtrack is really nice as each track does its job as to hint what kind of scene is to come next. An action scene is accompanied by a heroic and triumphant piece while a slow sombre melody queues the more emotional scenes.

The show has exhibited episodes that elicit all sorts of emotions but the overall show seems to bring about a feeling of despair and hopelessness among its cast with its protagonist meeting all sorts of characters that help drive the narrative along. I really love its slow pace and would liken the show to Texhnolyze so far, if a bit more fantastical. Each episode features an interesting character that works to engage the audience in the world of Casshern. The world isn't black and white here and this works in the shows favor as it creates an interesting atmosphere and places more weight behind each encounter. Due to the nature of the characters and the struggles that they face you feel sympathy towards everyone no matter their goal.

I'm really looking forward to the next 10 episodes and have no idea what to expect. I went into this blindly and I really love it.

 

[cajunator]

nanowrimo takes priority over all!

What show is nanowrimo?

 

[hosannainexcelsis]

I love slow, methodical shows and usually hate the high octane shows that dominate the airwaves today so this show is straight up my alley.

You should watch Flowers of Evil and Mushishi.

 

[RangerBAD]

What show is nanowrimo?

National Novel Writing Month.

 

[wonzo]

amagi distant fart 5

this episode was basically an anime rendition of a crappy raid. the twist was so blatantly obvious from the moment they stepped into the cave and the wacky reaction faces a la nichijou gets real ol real quick.

and yet i kinda wanna watch more ._.

 

[javac]

You should watch Flowers of Evil and Mushishi.

Thanks for the recommendation in regards to Flowers of Evil, I'll look into it! Mushishi has been in my planned to watch for some time now, I'll get to it eventually I guess the reason I like slow, methodical shows is because...I too am both slow and methodical!

 

[Link Man]

What show is nanowrimo?

Can you eat it?

 

[cajunator]

National Novel Writing Month.

Ohhh
eww...

 

[javac]

National Novel Writing Month.

I don't know why but I copied that into Google thinking it was a name of a newfangled anime for some reason...I feel stupid.

 

[Soulflarz]

So I'm watching Girls und Panzer...
And im moreso left curious as to why the show randomly tries to take a serious tone at some random times. I-isnt it a comedy/trope thing through and through? Or have I missed something so far.

The show is a great...comedy? to me...but am I...missing something?

 

[Branduil]

Since it was brought up, I'll follow up on this and see if anyone actually wants to discuss it. I certainly don't believe shows to be perfect, even if I enjoy them a lot, so there's always room to talk about quality of execution.

For the question about whether it was meant to be comedic, it definitely is. The brand of "drama" and humor in GuP is pretty consistent with the style the director uses in almost all his works. Often there's debate about whether certain things were really intended to be funny or if it just ended up that way, but familiarity with the director's work will indicate that there's a very low chance that it is not intentional. His other "dramatic" works like Blood-C and Another also showcase this attribute. He uses exaggeration while playing it straight, especially in completely ridiculous scenarios, to create comedic effect. The scenes themselves are presented in a completely straight faced way, with the characters not indicating any sense of being part of a joke, but that in itself is the joke. Doesn't work for everyone I guess, but the intent is there.

As for my personal thoughts on some of the flaws in the series, I would say that overall the narrative arc is a bit too traditional and predictable. That's not always a bad thing, but it also saps the actual tension out of a number of the matches. They lose the first practice match to show how "strong" a competitor is for example, and that same competitor is latter beaten in the real competition by the "real enemy" to show how strong the final team will be. That sort of stuff is just a little too on the nose and I would have enjoyed the show even more if it wasn't so obvious.

It was also extremely clear from the start that once the tournament started, they would never lose, so every match up to the finale was a matter of watching to see how they pull themselves a win when overwhelmed. I think the actual tactics and direction of the matches made them pretty exciting to watch, but deep down everyone knows who will win the match. Gundam Build Fighters also suffers from this problem a lot, and I love that show too, but it would be better if the tournament formats had room for both victory and loss in individual matches.

Would be better if more tournament shows used a double-elimination format.

 

[R_thanatos]

Princess Tutu spindle.

Never forget.

We shall not forget

Is there anyplace to read the LN for this show? I just picked up the show and its intriguing, tho hearing that alot has been cut got me curious what's missing. The only thing I've found was 18 chapters of the manga and volume 6 on in the LN. Can't seem to find translations to the first few volumes

side note, just heard about Shokugeki no Soma (foodgasm) is getting an anime next year, can't wait

Not a lot has been cut in ep 5, they have made their changes in order to keep the pacing going up without downtimes. As for the rest , just check your Private mails.

 

[cajunator]

I don't know why but I copied that into Google thinking it was a name of a newfangled anime for some reason...I feel stupid.

Same. I blame those awful LN titles ruining anime.

 

[Shengar]

What show is nanowrimo?

It's a show about an author who got writer's block that persis for almost a year just when his novel is about 70% done. Then he met this particular mysterious girl that will take him to various strange journey in one month, from facing his greatest tsundere critic to time traveling to meet profilic authors of the past.

Spoiler

I'll watch that

 

[R_thanatos]

It's a show about an inspiring author who got writer's block that persis for almost a year just when his novel is about 70% done. Then he met this particular mysterious girl that will take him to various strange journey in one month.

Spoiler

I'll watch this

Isn't that a hollywood movie called "the muse" ?
Already seen it.

 

[Shengar]

Isn't that a holywood movie called "the muse" ?
Already seen it.

We still don't have it in anime though!

 

[jman2050]

Would be better if more tournament shows used a double-elimination format.

Round robins are always the best or failing that some sort of Swiss format.

Elimination tournaments are bullshit

Spoiler

as a baseball fan like you would know.

 

[duckroll]

Round robins are always the best or failing that some sort of Swiss format.

Elimination tournaments are bullshit

Spoiler

as a baseball fan like you would know.

I agree. Leagues are always more entertaining to watch over the course of a season. Elimination tournaments are more like movie events.

 

[BassForever]

Knowing the good guys are going to win isn't something I'd call a negative in any show especially not sports shows. Of course they're going to win the story would end if they didn't. It's not about if they win or lose it's about how they win or if they lose how the story enables them to keep going or come back stronger and win.

 

[Branduil]

Nanowrobako

 

[nintendoman58]

Would be better if more tournament shows used a double-elimination format.

Tournament shows work better when there are point systems for a qualification of some sorts involved.

G Gundam does this, allowing for some of the major characters to lose some of their battles here and there to stress how strong the enemy that Domon will fight against is. The same goes for Gundam Build Fighters, with the qualifier rounds in the world tournament.

This system is good, because it allows for things to be shaken up a bit. If you make it a bracket single-elimination tournament right from the get go, it'll be obvious how far the main characters will get.

It's once you get to the finals in the show is where you pretty much know (for the most part, anyway) how things are going to go down for each of the characters. All that matters during that part is the execution of it all.

 

[Crocodile]

From the New World 5

Damn cliffhangers

Things looked like they were going to get unnecessarily "freaky" but gladly that was avoided. The show is great at presenting and maintaining a sense of mystery and dread.

Usagi Drop 7

Nothing else to say other than this show continues to be sweet and endearing

The tone dissonance is definitely there in Blood-C. The director had nothing to do with the movie (that was the Psycho-Pass director! RIP...), and I think the way scenes are presented are different in a very obvious way.

One of the examples I can think of would be the infamous bus scene in episode 3, where Saya mostly just stands there and does nothing, emotionless until the worst possible outcome occurs. It was done in a really slow way, specifically for "dramatic" effect, but there's really no reason why there would be any attachment to the character, so most of it feels like "ROFLMAO, is she for real?! OMG, she's STILL standing there! LOL!" to me.

Now, on its own, that might just be a poor attempt at tension, or a stupid scene. But there's clearly an ongoing trend throughout the series leading up to the climax. Saya being blissfully unaware even though the audience is, and things get worse and worse in increasingly silly and over the top ways. At some point it is clear that it's not a serious action drama, but a sort of twisted black comedy. This is quite clear when the show decides to show it's full hand in the finale, with the way the deaths are portrayed, how each character over-dramatically "reveals" their betrayals, only to get a hilariously grotesque comeuppance. The entire sequence right at the end is both exciting (if the audience is at that point invested in the twisted relationship between Saya and Fumito), and also hilarious and insane (because of all the wacky ass gore going on everywhere in the background and foreground). I think these elements are the director's strongest suites - the ability to juggle various potential reactions from audiences without specifically making a scene spell out if it's supposed to be "serious" or "humorous".

If we're looking for comparisons in direction between GuP and Shirobako though, I think one interesting comparison is the breakdown Aoi undergoes in episode 3 of Shirobako. Compare that with the breakdown Miho has in the first episode of GuP where she gets deadeyes and the scenes just flip on and on with that expression on her face showing how she has totally lost it. That's the sort of gag the director likes to pull too.

Obviously none of this will really convince someone to enjoy the show if the fundamental themes and the characters aren't engaging. That's not something that can really change. But I think it's worth pointing out the intent in tone.

I think it worked for me in Shirobako because I could believe Aoi had gotten into the sort of situation that might drive a person to temporary loopyness. Blood - C had a bunch of surreal and absurd things going on from time to time but I never got the sense that there were scenes we were supposed to take very seriously but were played up for laughs for vice versa. Let's look at

Girls und Panzer 6

The end bit with the

Spoiler

grandma

is structured in a way (the lighting, the music, the character reactions) that the show wants to make us believe this is SERIOUS BUSINESS but the absurdity of it all and how disproportionate it is to the actual crisis makes it impossible to take seriously and if it's supposed to be humor as you say, it doesn't really sell itself well as parody. Another complete failure in that regard :/

For some reason I feel you might bring up the

Spoiler

LONG pause when members of the two groups meet in the forest

but that's just standard, American-esque(?), reaction humor - it never felt like it was pretending to be something it wasn't.

I will say the tank battle earlier in the episode was moderately enjoyable which helped keep the episode well paced. I continue to be unable to care less about the characters and the more shrill antagonists were quite the annoyance even if they provided nice reaction faces.

Also the

Spoiler

"we were holding back in the spirit of tankery"

bit at the end sapped a lot of the meaning of the victory :/

 

[Jarmel]

Part of the issue is that if hey mention it's round robin then you already know the team is going to lose once. It's still better than single elimination though.

Haikyuu really handled this stuff the best way I've seen.

 

[Crocodile]

Rewatching AoT on Toonami right now, it actually has a lot of similarities with Girls und Panzer regarding stuff that the show makes us want to think is serious business but can't actually follow through (though I guess in Titan's case its always supposed to be serious ).

 

[Dresden]

ok

gonna watch twintail this weekend

believing in animegafhype.

 

[cajunator]

It's a show about an author who got writer's block that persis for almost a year just when his novel is about 70% done. Then he met this particular mysterious girl that will take him to various strange journey in one month, from facing his greatest tsundere critic to time traveling to meet profilic authors of the past.

Spoiler

I'll watch that

Just needs a dog and some scissors.

From the New World 5

Damn cliffhangers

Things looked like they were going to get unnecessarily "freaky" but gladly that was avoided. The show is great at presenting and maintaining a sense of mystery and dread.

Usagi Drop 79

Nothing else to say other than this show continues to be sweet and endearing



I think it worked for me in Shirobako because I could believe Aoi had gotten into the sort of situation that might drive a person to temporary loopyness. Blood - C had a bunch of surreal and absurd things going on from time to time but I never got the sense that there were scenes we were supposed to take very seriously but were played up for laughs for vice versa. Let's look at

Girls und Panzer 6

The end bit with the

Spoiler

grandma

is structured in a way (the lighting, the music, the character reactions) that the show wants to make us believe this is SERIOUS BUSINESS but the absurdity of it all and how disproportionate it is to the actual crisis makes it impossible to take seriously and if it's supposed to be humor as you say, it doesn't really sell itself well as parody. Another complete failure in that regard :/

For some reason I feel you might bring up the

Spoiler

LONG pause when members of the two groups meet in the forest

but that's just standard, American-esque(?), reaction humor - it never felt like it was pretending to be something it wasn't.

I will say the tank battle earlier in the episode was moderately enjoyable which helped keep the episode well paced. I continue to be unable to care less about the characters and the more shrill antagonists were quite the annoyance even if they provided nice reaction faces.

Also the

Spoiler

"we were holding back in the spirit of tankery"

bit at the end sapped a lot of the meaning of the victory :/

Oh just wait if you think Shin Sekai Yori has cliffhangers now!

 

[duckroll]

Part of the issue is that if hey mention it's round robin then you already know the team is going to lose once. It's still better than single elimination though.

Haikyuu really handled this stuff the best way I've seen.

Interestingly enough, Ping Pong and Haikyu are both stories which don't revolve around a specific single tournament being the dramatic end all must-win. They are narratives which span a much longer period of time, about the development of players, their personal motivations, and how they react to victory and loss.

So I guess in the end, it's not really the tournament format which matters, but the sort of story being told. If the central "drama" of the narrative is a singular tournament where the protagonists cannot afford to lose, that's pretty much what it is. The only thing that can be made compelling is the actual quality of the matches and how exciting they are to watch.

I think it worked for me in Shirobako because I could believe Aoi had gotten into the sort of situation that might drive a person to temporary loopyness. Blood - C had a bunch of surreal and absurd things going on from time to time but I never got the sense that there were scenes we were supposed to take very seriously but were played up for laughs for vice versa. Let's look at

Girls und Panzer 6

The end bit with the

Spoiler

grandma

is structured in a way (the lighting, the music, the character reactions) that the show wants to make us believe this is SERIOUS BUSINESS but the absurdity of it all and how disproportionate it is to the actual crisis makes it impossible to take seriously and if it's supposed to be humor as you say, it doesn't really sell itself well as parody. Another complete failure in that regard :/

I don't think that was a good scene, or a source of good drama, or character development. It was convenient excuse to distract the characters from the ongoing tournament format for a while, but it's definitely not a high point of the series or something which worked particularly well.

 

[Basileus777]

Part of the issue is that if hey mention it's round robin then you already know the team is going to lose once. It's still better than single elimination though.

Haikyuu really handled this stuff the best way I've seen.

Haikyuu has a pretty typical structure too. Obviously the first year main characters are

Spoiler

going to lose to their rivals

in the first tournament.

 

[MetroidPrimeRib]

Code Geass 25

As per the advice of Narag I will continue directly into R1's first episode

 

[R_thanatos]

Code Geass 25

As per the advice of Narag I will continue directly into R1's first episode

Don't worry plenty of people were kinda nnoyed by how this ended , but since we knew of S2 at the time the blow was not as hard.

You're , however , not ready for what the 2nd season will throw at you.( nobody was )

 

[Admiral Woofington]

just rewatched the ending to Attack on Titan on Adult Swim, and it made me laugh how the camera started to focus on a certain object like "ooooooooooooooooh foreshadowing". But manga readers know. We know.

 

[fertygo]

Haikyuu has a pretty typical structure too. Obviously the first year main characters are

Spoiler

going to lose to their rivals

in the first tournament.

Yeah its pretty basic.

 

[Envelope]

ok

gonna watch twintail this weekend

believing in animegafhype.

as a friend, i beg you to not watch that steaming pile of tripe

 

[Soulflarz]

just rewatched the ending to Attack on Titan on Adult Swim, and it made me laugh how the camera started to focus on a certain object like "ooooooooooooooooh foreshadowing". But manga readers know. We know.

Surprised you didnt make fun of the terrible voice filter for Papenbrook

 

[cajunator]

ok

gonna watch twintail this weekend

believing in animegafhype.

Do it. Twintails is amazing.

 

[Narag]

as a friend, i beg you to not watch that steaming pile of tripe

dresden, as your other friend, i'd like to remind you that envelope was unmasked as the trickster god Coyote during his Bebop the Cowboy days and summarily banished after he convinced people not to watch it. don't fall for his trick again.

 

[javac]

Got my Blu-ray copy of Geass season 2 in hand finally so I look forward to starting the show soon. After Casshern I think. Hope it's good.

 

[lazybones18]

Attack on Titan Season 1

Overrated mediocrity at its finest. Only half of the show was worth watching. What happens next or how it ends, I really don't give a shit. I won't be sticking around to find out

 

[Soulflarz]

Attack on Titan Season 1

Overrated mediocrity at its finest. Only half of the show was worth watching. What happens next or how it ends, I really don't give a shit. I won't be sticking around to find out

Just read it instead

 

[TUSR]

Just read it instead

reading it is difficult