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Fall Anime 2014 lOTl Unlimited Tomino Works

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Twintails 5
I love This Show,
OTxwWUw.gif
 

fertygo

Member
God watching Psychopass or twintail after this week Shigatsu would bring pain to my eyes..

Maybe good excuse to just not watching them
 

Dresden

Member
So I heard people were worried I wasn't coming back, so I guess I'll interrupt the flow of the conversation for just a minute to explain my absence of late. I'm currently working on getting an internship that'll allow me to finish my degree off-campus. I've been kinda running around like a mad hen, and haven't had a whole lot of time. When the internship starts I'll likely have even less because I'll be in a place with terrible internet and juggling a full-time teaching stint while also trying to finish my degree.

Got me a tumblr to help keep track of those long posts I do so I don't have to dig through fifty bazillion pages of archives to find a post I did. Not sure yet how that'll work out for me, haha.

Also: Wixoss is SHIT.

That is all.

Good luck man.
 

Shergal

Member
Kimiuso 5
Lovely animation, and very technically polished directing that nevertheless doesn't really deviate from what's been established by the previous episodes. Ishihama uses plenty of flashbacks to impose over the internal monologues rather than a lot of fancy visual metaphors, but it's still pretty much the same mode of presentation, just with less pink bloom and less sakura petals. It's a problem when the shitty-ass comedy keeps running throughout the whole episode, but at least this time the deformed bits were fun to look at thanks to Kojima's animation.

Also, all these emotional monologues end up feeling extremely repetitive. The guy has gone from dubitative to "omg she's kirakira" almost every episode, always in the same fashion, and even the content of what he worries about each time keeps getting pushed onto the audience over and over again. It's not so much of a problem with the overblown dialogue itself. For me, that kind of comes with the territory. But just the complete lack of ideas for what to do with these characters brings the whole thing down, because they keep harping on these tropes in the most mundane ways instead of uh, I dunno, getting actual characterization. It might improve if they branch out from the main duo and start doing things with the supporting cast like in this episode, but the way they handled the former kind of drains any hope for the latter being good.
 
Parasyte Episode 5

Fuuuuuuuuuuck!
Man the mom died, that shit got me. Welp one of the most realistic parents you'll see in anime.
As for Shinichi's character I really don't see a problem, because he was shocked intensely. I mean this character has a fuckin alien stuck in his hand, so you would think he would be mentally stressed and then
seeing his Mom as a monster pretty much fucked him up.
There are times when people get so shocked that they mentally try to pretend a certain event didn't occurr even when logically knowing the truth as a means of escaping. And in Shinichi's case it's true because he
didn't want to believe the mom he loved turned into a monster.
So really you can't expect him to jump out all alpha like nothing happened, because his character takes time to change.

But sweet Jesus that ending :)
 
Pocket Monsters Diamond and Pearl: Hikari Sets off Anew:
It's started to rain.

Can you be nostalgic for something you last saw a few weeks ago? Apparently, yes. After 18 long episodes of Best Wishes, I get to finally watch the post-Diamond and Pearl special which aired after that point, and the Hikari half doesn't disappoint at all. It's so nostalgic just hearing that Diamond and Pearl music again (even the shitty remixed version of Saikou Everyday they used during the final arc made me feel nostalgic), and see Hikari once again. The episode was just as fun as DP could be at times, and while not a classic, it feels so good to just have some lighthearted fun with Hikari, and see her agonizing over her next choice in life, using all her Pokemon (and her Hinoarashi evolved a lot faster than Satoshi's which took around 500 episodes to), say "Daijoubu!" a bunch of times, and then, finally, we get Kimi no Soba de ~ Hikari's Theme playing at the most dramatic moment. After 18 long episodes of no old music or insert songs, this got a huge reaction from me.

Clearly, the staff isn't the problem with Best Wishes if they can turn out an episode like this. The problem is just all of the idiotic decisions made with that show. Diamond and Pearl remains awesome, and this is a great epilogue to the entire series. Godspeed, Hikari.
 
Kimiuso 5
Lovely animation, and very technically polished directing that nevertheless doesn't really deviate from what's been established by the previous episodes. Ishihama uses plenty of flashbacks to impose over the internal monologues rather than a lot of fancy visual metaphors, but it's still pretty much the same mode of presentation, just with less pink bloom and less sakura petals. It's a problem when the shitty-ass comedy keeps running throughout the whole episode, but at least this time the deformed bits were fun to look at thanks to Kojima's animation.

Also, all these emotional monologues end up feeling extremely repetitive. The guy has gone from dubitative to "omg she's kirakira" almost every episode, always in the same fashion, and even the content of what he worries about each time keeps getting pushed onto the audience over and over again. It's not so much of a problem with the overblown dialogue itself. For me, that kind of comes with the territory. But just the complete lack of ideas for what to do with these characters brings the whole thing down, because they keep harping on these tropes in the most mundane ways instead of uh, I dunno, getting actual characterization. It might improve if they branch out from the main duo and start doing things with the supporting cast like in this episode, but the way they handled ththise former kind of drains any hope for the latter being good.
You've articulated my problems with this show better than I could have. Watching it just feels like getting hit with a sledgehammer, and the tonal inconsistencies continue to be obnoxious in a way that actively hurts character development. It's a shame because I was really anticipating this show, but watching it just leaves me feeling mildly disappointed.
 

cajunator

Banned
So I heard people were worried I wasn't coming back, so I guess I'll interrupt the flow of the conversation for just a minute to explain my absence of late. I'm currently working on getting an internship that'll allow me to finish my degree off-campus. I've been kinda running around like a mad hen, and haven't had a whole lot of time. When the internship starts I'll likely have even less because I'll be in a place with terrible internet and juggling a full-time teaching stint while also trying to finish my degree.

Got me a tumblr to help keep track of those long posts I do so I don't have to dig through fifty bazillion pages of archives to find a post I did. Not sure yet how that'll work out for me, haha.

Also: Wixoss is SHIT.

That is all.

We will miss you Corvy
 

Soulflarz

Banned
So I heard people were worried I wasn't coming back, so I guess I'll interrupt the flow of the conversation for just a minute to explain my absence of late. I'm currently working on getting an internship that'll allow me to finish my degree off-campus. I've been kinda running around like a mad hen, and haven't had a whole lot of time. When the internship starts I'll likely have even less because I'll be in a place with terrible internet and juggling a full-time teaching stint while also trying to finish my degree.

Got me a tumblr to help keep track of those long posts I do so I don't have to dig through fifty bazillion pages of archives to find a post I did. Not sure yet how that'll work out for me, haha.

Also: Wixoss is SHIT.

That is all.

Best of luck Convo, hopefully we'll see you in the future :3
 

Vecks

Member
Twin Tails 5

LOL. Does the student council president get attacked on a daily basis?
Crab Guildy was hilarious. And the new transformation scene sure was amazing.
 
So I heard people were worried I wasn't coming back, so I guess I'll interrupt the flow of the conversation for just a minute to explain my absence of late. I'm currently working on getting an internship that'll allow me to finish my degree off-campus. I've been kinda running around like a mad hen, and haven't had a whole lot of time. When the internship starts I'll likely have even less because I'll be in a place with terrible internet and juggling a full-time teaching stint while also trying to finish my degree.

Got me a tumblr to help keep track of those long posts I do so I don't have to dig through fifty bazillion pages of archives to find a post I did. Not sure yet how that'll work out for me, haha.

Also: Wixoss is SHIT.

That is all.

Your long reviews are some of the best I've seen in this forum, and are so much fun to read.

Best of luck to your future endeavours Corvo!
 

duckroll

Member
Well I wouldn't hold my view if I didn't think people who hold an opposing view were wrong lol. I don't think I need to preface my posts with "This post is a result of my personal biases and opinions and is not an absolute fact". (I think) Anime CG looks horrible and is a positive when an anime has minor or nonexistent use of it.

On the other hand your post makes me realise that it is possible that I am only recalling the bad uses of CG because they stand out. Which are the CG scenes you consider the best? I have seen Akito, Valvrave, 1 ep of Garo and 1 ep of Arpeggio Blue Steel, which all have extensive use of CG animation.

But the thing is, in a lot of cases CG -is- supposed to stand out. I mean, I get that there are people who feel that anime should just look like "anime" traditionally, and anything which looks different is bad, but I think that's a really silly view to hold. It looks different, but it isn't bad. It has its pros and cons.

The CG action in Akito for example, is really quick and uses a lot of crazy camera movements. It's not something we see a lot of with mecha stuff in traditional animation. I think the explosions in CG are pretty crummy looking, but overall the action is exciting.

Majestic Prince and Fate/Zero also have very effective use of CG. Berserker in particular is a CG effect which I'm absolutely in love with. The action sequences are a lot like videogame FMVs, and it simply looks cool. Gatchaman Crowds is another example where I feel the effort that goes into the CG surpasses the 2D work, which was often just super cheap.

In the recent Otomo omnibus Short Peace, Gambo was my personal favorite. Great use of creature animation and shaders used gave the entire short a really disturbing and alien tone. The full CG Saint Seiya Legend of Sanctuary also has great character animation, especially on the facial work, which makes the characters look super expressive. The Jojo opening sequences are also full CG and are extremely well regarded by fans.

I think it's important to realize that we're talking about an entire industry of people here, and CG animation will just grow further worldwide. As someone who appreciates the art and process of animation itself, I think it's extremely shortsighted to write off an entire art form and dismiss it like it has no merit. I'm not saying people shouldn't criticize flaws and want better quality, but I'm saying that people who are hiding under a blanket shouting "OMG THIS IS GARBAGE I DON'T WANT IT GO AWAY STOP USING IT" are basically deluded about how the industry really is. CG animation is not going away, it's going to be used more and more.

The anime industry as a whole is trying very hard to integrate the skills of CG staff and 2D animation staff because I think most are aware that if they don't do that, in the future it is more likely that CG will simply replace traditional animation entirely, like it already has in most of the West. If people view it as 2D vs CG, all or nothing, then the sad news is that in such a situation, 2D will lose every single time because of the economic reality.
 

Jarmel

Banned
But the thing is, in a lot of cases CG -is- supposed to stand out. I mean, I get that there are people who feel that anime should just look like "anime" traditionally, and anything which looks different is bad, but I think that's a really silly view to hold. It looks different, but it isn't bad.

For me anyway, the problem is that it does look bad. Most of the implementation in TV anime just looks really cheap. If anime was putting in stuff that was near the quality of something like Pixar, which I'm fully aware of the multiple reasons why that doesn't happen, then I think people wouldn't really be complaining near as much as they do now. The problem is in a large number of cases we get stuff like Another's CGI ocean or Fate Zero's trucks. CGI definitely can be well implemented in anime but rather it seems like in a large number of cases, the studios don't have the resources to do it right.

CGI in anime seems to work best when it's used to accent or emphasize something rather than outright replace objects.
 
It really is kind of irritating seeing complaints about the slightest bit of CG that show up in an anime from time to time. A little CG here and there isn't bad unless it's totally jarring and really stands out a lot.

An example of good CG would be, as duckroll stated, Beserker in Fate/Zero. I honestly didn't notice him being in CG watching it for the first time. I thought it blended in with the action quite nicely.

An example of bad CG would be Aquarion EVOL's CG. The mecha fights in that are super awkward to watch and seeing a background suddenly go from 2D to 3D is very distracting, even more so when the scenes keep cutting to the 2D pilots inside the mecha.

All in all, I'm okay with it as long as there's a decent balance between the 2D and the CG.
 

Clov

Member
Majestic Prince and Fate/Zero also have very effective use of CG. Berserker in particular is a CG effect which I'm absolutely in love with. The action sequences are a lot like videogame FMVs, and it simply looks cool. Gatchaman Crowds is another example where I feel the effort that goes into the CG surpasses the 2D work, which was often just super cheap.

Berserker in Fate/Zero looked great, I thought. Maybe it was because of the "darkness" effect that was supposed to conceal his form, but he seemed to blend in well. Fate/Zero in general used CG better than a lot of anime.

I liked it in Gatchaman Crowds too actually; in that case it was because it stood out that I liked it. It helped make the MESS aliens more... alien. They're supposed to be far more alien entities than even Berg; they can't even communicate verbally, and don't recognize their actions as harmful to humans because of how fundamentally different they are. I thought having them as CG really worked in context.

I know CG is becoming more prominent, but I really hope that in some form, 2D work still lives on. It's part of what makes me like anime in general. Should your vision of the future come to pass, I suppose I'll end up mostly watching the works of independent animators instead! :p
 

duckroll

Member
For me anyway, the problem is that it does look bad. Most of the implementation in TV anime just looks really cheap. If anime was putting in stuff that was near the quality of something like Pixar, which I'm fully aware of the multiple reasons why that doesn't happen, then I think people wouldn't really be complaining near as much as they do now. The problem is in a large number of cases we get stuff like Another's CGI ocean or Fate Zero's trucks. CGI definitely can be well implemented in anime but rather it seems like in a large number of cases, the studios don't have the resources to do it right.

CGI in anime seems to work best when it's used to accent or emphasize something rather than outright replace objects.

Yeah, sure, there are crummy uses of CG used for time saving measures all the time. But at the same time, isn't that also true of 2D? Why emphasize this as a CG issue when there's derpy animation, off-model art, crappy backgrounds, stupid :wonzo looking crowds, etc in anime all the time? It's a pretty cheap medium, especially TV animation, so in every aspect there are bound to be shortcomings. I think that's the main bias here, that when people see badly done CG, they blame the CG as a component, but when there are flaws in other components, it's seen as a bad implementation.

I feel that mindset is what has to change most.

I know CG is becoming more prominent, but I really hope that in some form, 2D work still lives on. It's part of what makes me like anime in general. Should your vision of the future come to pass, I suppose I'll end up mostly watching the works of independent animators instead! :p

2D will always live on in anime because the people who actually work in the industry are not idiots. I think you misunderstand me. I'm not saying CG will replace 2D entirely in the anime industry, but that if everyone has a mindset that it's "CG or 2D" and are militant about it, then CG will replace 2D simply because one group feels they can't really work with the other, and 2D animators have less of a bargaining stick in the long run. I love 2D animation. I like it way more than CG animation. But I don't hate CG and I see no reason to. It's all art, and it's down to preferences most of the time in terms of looks, or practicality if it's about implementing a challenging scene.
 

cajunator

Banned
It really is kind of irritating seeing complaints about the slightest bit of CG that show up in an anime from time to time. A little CG here and there isn't bad unless it's totally jarring and really stands out a lot.

An example of good CG would be, as duckroll stated, Beserker in Fate/Zero. I honestly didn't notice him being in CG watching it for the first time. I thought it blended in with the action quite nicely.

An example of bad CG would be Aquarion EVOL's CG. The mecha fights in that are super awkward to watch and seeing a background suddenly go from 2D to 3D is very distracting, even more so when the scenes keep cutting to the 2D pilots inside the mecha.

All in all, I'm okay with it as long as there's a decent balance between the 2D and the CG.

Completely agree
 
There's nothing inherently wrong with CG. Like with 2D drawings, if there's enough effort put into it, results will usually good. If not, it'll be bad. Bad CG just stands out to the viewer usually.

Karas, for example, put a ton of effort into mixing 2D and 3D, and the action in it turned out amazing.
 

Clov

Member
2D will always live on in anime because the people who actually work in the industry are not idiots. I think you misunderstand me. I'm not saying CG will replace 2D entirely in the anime industry, but that if everyone has a mindset that it's "CG or 2D" and are militant about it, then CG will replace 2D simply because one group feels they can't really work with the other, and 2D animators have less of a bargaining stick in the long run. I love 2D animation. I like it way more than CG animation. But I don't hate CG and I see no reason to. It's all art, and it's down to preferences most of the time in terms of looks, or practically if it's about implementing a challenging scene.

Ah, I understand now. Well, as long as it's blended reasonably well (or has some other sort of in-universe justification), I'm fine with it. Balance is key, I suppose!
 

Jarmel

Banned
Yeah, sure, there are crummy uses of CG used for time saving measures all the time. But at the same time, isn't that also true of 2D? Why emphasis this as a CG issue when there's derpy animation, off-model art, crappy backgrounds, stupid :wonzo looking crowds, etc in anime all the time? It's a pretty cheap medium, especially TV animation, so in every aspect there are bound to be shortcomings. I think that's the main bias here, that when people see badly done CG, they blame the CG as a component, but when there are flaws in other components, it's seen as a bad implementation.

I feel that mindset is what has to change most.

Do people seriously use :wonzo crowds as an actual criticism? I thought that was more for wonzo's personal enjoyment than anything else.

Anyway I definitely agree there can be derpy animation or cheap backgrounds. I doubt anybody would argue that there is bad 2D animation. Hell all anyone has to do is watch World Trigger. I would say it's two problems. The first is that CGI very rarely meshes well with 2D animation in the same frame. So while cheap animation can stick out, it doesn't intrinsically catch your eye like bad CGI. The second being that mediocre CGI can age extremely quickly compared to mediocre 2D. Most of the CGI the animation studios are putting out would have looked dated in the late 1990's. We as a Western audience are inundated with stuff from Pixar/Dreamwork/Disney and so dated CGI really sticks out. This isn't limited to just anime as well, you can browse The Flash(TV) thread and read complaints about the CGI there.
 

Clov

Member
I wonder if we'll see anymore animated projects from Nintendo following Pikmin Short Movies? I haven't watched them yet, but the CG looks fantastic!
 

Instro

Member
Majestic Prince, Akito, and BRS are great CG heavy anime. With the right budget it can look good, Fate/Zero's effects were generally well done and mixed well with the 2D.
 

duckroll

Member
Do people seriously use :wonzo crowds as an actual criticism? I thought that was more for wonzo's personal enjoyment than anything else.

Well, it's pointed out to laugh at it. Sometimes the faces are really bad. It's the same way Branduil always points out CG crowds which look really funny when you focus on them. I'm just saying, there's bad stuff everywhere if we keep looking for them!

you can browse The Flash(TV) thread and read complaints about the CGI there.

That's different though, that's actual critique. Network TV shows always have awful CG. The submarine in Lost, the explosions in Lost, everything in Agents of SHIELD, etc. I don't have any issue with pointing out bad CG, and I don't have a problem with pointing out anything that's badly done. Why would I be arguing against criticism? I'm just saying that often the critique goes beyond that. It goes from "this CG is bad" to "damn why do people even use CG, stop using CG!"

I think most people watching TV shows don't really care if effects are practical or CG, they just want the effects to be good. But on the other hand, in anime fandom, there is this actual contingent of people who don't care to see CG in any form in their anime because it looks different or "stands out". That's the part I think is rather silly.
 

fertygo

Member
Majestic Prince, Akito, and BRS are great CG heavy anime. With the right budget it can look good, Fate/Zero's effects were generally well done and mixed well with the 2D.

Budget usually not the problem, like 2D who use it also matter.

I don't believe Ufotable or Orange charging more for the fee or something.
 

duckroll

Member
Budget usually not the problem, like 2D who use it also matter.

I don't believe Ufotable or Orange charging more for the fee or something.

I would say with CG budget is definitely a bigger issue than traditional animation in anime. Unlike animators who are paid by the number of cuts and drawings, CG staff are salaried. This means that beyond opportunity costs, time is also literally money. Something that takes more time to make will cost more money. If you want something done well, you need to give it time, and that can mean paying more. You can't just look at a studio and think that they magically produce better goods, you also need to consider what time frame they are given, and what they are asked to do.
 

Jex

Member
Ergo Proxy 01



Geee A city with a multitude of subservient, slave androids and a virus named "Cogito", what can possibly go wrong ? I'm not particularly into Blade Runner like themes and so far this appears to be going in that direction but it shouldn't impair my enjoyment or appreciation of the show.

This was a pretty great opening episode. There were a few bits of awkward exposition but that aside, the necessary introductions to this post-apocalyptic world did not break the flow of the events. Mainly of the investigation conducted by what appears to be Ergo's main character Re-L .(Rel?) She is an instantly likeable protagonist and she has a fun dynamic going on with Iggy. Being the granddaughter of what seems to be the main leader of the city, I'm sure she's in for quite a journey. Show is looking good so far. Character designs are great and there were plenty of good backgrounds in the rear. Animation did a fine job at underlining the creepiness and weirdness of the 3 non human characters that Re-L had to face off during the episode. Here's hoping the production values don't drop much in the subsequent outings.

The two fellas who crashed Re-L's shower at the end look like they dropped straight from some Death Metal concerts.

Oh, you're watching Ergo Proxy? RIP.
 

duckroll

Member
Traditional animators really are screwed over.

The typical entry level animator? Sure, the wage sucks. But since in this particular instance we're talking about higher quality work, the comparison isn't so straightforward. Animators are mostly freelancers, so top animators always have work. They can also take on multiple gigs at the same time. Depending on output, they can earn more than they would if they were salaried, especially when they take into account design work, illustration commissions, and so on. In general, it's definitely a struggle though.
 
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