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Fall Anime 2014 |OT2| Idly waiting for the Dog Days of Sabre

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N

NaDannMaGoGo

Member
Dunno, at this point I can't help but noticing them almost every time there's a crowd shot :/

It's not one of those things really mattering but it's still kinda off-putting. This reminds me very much of the 'Wolf Children' movie btw. whose CGI crowds at the beginning also looked just strange. Of course animating larger crowds of people by hand is one hell of a job so who am I to complain if its worth it by allowing to focus on the stuff that matters.
 
P

phaze

Member
Shin Sekai Yori 24-25 END

000132ynkst.png
000134w9k81.png

000135o4kr5.png
000133nrjv1.png
Click to expand...

Well at least one of my predictions came true. phaze - 1, SSY - 10


Despite my rising apprehensions, this ended on a strong note.
In general I'm not a particular fan of the whole detour to the Tokyo in the search of a sudden Macguffin. It felt like a distinct step down in comparison to the episodes 18-21 and their depiction of the assault on the 66th district. I suppose me completely misreading the signs regarding the "fiend" added much to tension and entertainment value there but even without that, they were just a grade above in terms of direction, visuals or just the events playing out during them.
That said I really liked the final showdown. I'm glad that the Psychobuster turned out to be rather inconsequential in the end. The "Messiah" vs Kiroumaru duel is laden with some deliciously ironic and twisted implications. Despite all the soul searching Saki has gone through during the duration of the show, her ultimate plan involves sacrificing yet another Queerat for the sake of humans. Kiroumaru himself might very well be the most "heroic" character of show but for me he's more like a Queerat version of Moreau. For understandable but ultimately misguided reasons, he vanquishes the one and only hope for the better life of his own kin.

I'm glad they gave Yak... tfu Squealer a more sympathetic treatment in the last episode. Until that point we've seen his scheming side, his cowardliness and obsequiousness but now we also got to see his indomitable will and vision. May his name be never forgotten !

I do have some qualms with the show, mainly about things that are never fully resolved or just outright left hanging with no explanation:

  • In particular, the resolution to the magic women shooting out of people is nowhere to be seen. Their appearances in 4th and 18th episode were one of the most amazing and perplexing moments of the entire series so to have no answer to this is a cruel stab at my heart. With the image of a mother during the death of false Minoshiro or the increasing talk about the source of power of Cantus I hoped for something to tie this neatly together. I wonder if maybe this plotpoint simply got axed during the transition from novels.
    [*]
    They never touched the subject again so I'm assuming that the children that don't manifest PK abilities are just getting killed off. How exactly Saki is going to tackle that ? The whole hopeful ending is lots of sweet talk but no real resolutions to the issues her society face.
    [*]
    What was up with Shissei's eyes ? And I still don't get where did Cantus leakage come from during his combat with “Messiah”
    [*]
    The details of Maria's and that other guy's demise were never disclosed. I find it hard to believe Ethics Committe would wait at least 9 months for convincing proofs of their deaths.
    [*]
    Given the lengths the show goes to depict this futuristic society, I found the lack of almost any mention of the world outside of 66th Kamisu district to be puzzling and not very realistic.
All of the above notwithstanding, From the New World is a very good show. I hang my head in shame for not giving it a proper chance earlier. It may not have the greatest budget ever but it has some absolutely beautiful moments where music, art, direction all come together. + bonus points for one of the best ED's in existence.
 
N

NaDannMaGoGo

Member
phaze said:
Shin Sekai Yori 24-25 END

Despite my rising apprehensions, this ended on a strong note.
In general I'm not a particular fan of the whole detour to the Tokyo in the search of a sudden Macguffin. It felt like a distinct step down in comparison to the episodes 18-21 and their depiction of the assault on the 66th district. I suppose me completely misreading the signs regarding the "fiend" added much to tension and entertainment value there but even without that, they were just a grade above in terms of direction, visuals or just the events playing out during them.
Click to expand...

Yeh wasn't especially fond of that detour either. Felt weird to have a bit of an adventurous journey that far towards the end. Thankfully it ended in a really strong last episode.


For the list, I replied in bold.

phaze said:
I do have some qualms with the show, mainly about things that are never fully resolved or just outright left hanging with no explanation:


  • In particular, the resolution to the magic women shooting out of people is nowhere to be seen. Their appearances in 4th and 18th episode were one of the most amazing and perplexing moments of the entire series so to have no answer to this is a cruel stab at my heart. With the image of a mother during the death of false Minoshiro or the increasing talk about the source of power of Cantus I hoped for something to tie this neatly together. I wonder if maybe this plotpoint simply got axed during the transition from novels.

    Honestly I can't even recall anything of that at all, which probably means it never seemed of importance to me hmm. Will certainly hold an eye out on that during a rewatch.
  • What was up with Shissei's eyes ? And I still don't get where did Cantus leakage come from during his combat with “Messiah”

    Can't quite remember the details of that either.
  • They never touched the subject again so I'm assuming that the children that don't manifest PK abilities are just getting killed off. How exactly Saki is going to tackle that ? The whole hopeful ending is lots of sweet talk but no real resolutions to the issues her society face.

    Yeh they're most likely just getting killed off. First of all I think these children all have the potential to manifest PK abilities but it's a matter of during so early enough so that they can be taught properly and thus be hold in check. The society is simply extremely scared of even a single potential Fiend or Karma Demon slipping by, and for good reason as seen later on. As far as solving that problem...tough luck Saki. This show kinda kinda why this insane society has to exist like this in the first place. It also isn't a show that provides any right answers, because there most likely aren't any. Maybe the societies methods don't have to be quite so draconian or maybe further science / use of Cantus may provide some advancement. It's gonna be damn tough either way.
  • The details of Maria's and that other guy's demise were never disclosed. I find it hard to believe Ethics Committe would wait at least 9 months for convincing proofs of their deaths.

    Huh did they actually wait that long? Didn't they get proof sooner and were rather fooled by assuming the bones or what exactly they ended up getting must have indicated Maria's and Mamoru's death? As in, they fucked up by not being mistrustful enough of the Sqeeerats (particularly Squeeler).
  • Given the lengths the show goes to depict this futuristic society, I found the lack of almost any mention of the world outside of 66th Kamisu district to be puzzling and not very realistic.

    Yeh am with you on that. I mean perhaps most of the outside world is supposed to be destroyed similarly to Tokyo and it doesn't matter much to the plot at hand but eh, since the world building is already top notch I sure as hell would've appreciated some more information on all that.
Click to expand...

Nice to see you enjoyed it. Was rather surprised about your very early speculation
concerning the Squeerats origins.
I speculated similarly but was already close to ep20 or so.

Also reading your post I've now realized I need to watch it again already. Not only do I want to see the BD version but I'm also only half-remembering a lot of the stuff. I'll probably also search for some more analysis as a search on the topic of Fiends etc. resulted in an interesting read.
 
S

SliceSabre

Banned
madp said:
If I could take just a moment to remind everyone exactly what kind of show selector infected WIXOSS is:

This show basically amounts to an endless sequence of fakeouts where the girls think that they have a grasp on the rules of the game and immediately have the rug pulled out from under them. In a sense, with this episode it's officially ascended to a higher plane of trolling than Madoka Magica, the show that it liberally borrows from for several plot points, even dared attempt.

Ruko, who for the entire show has struggled to find a wish to be granted in the event that she becomes an Eternal Girl, finally comes to the same conclusion that Madoka did given the fact that the entire system is rigged to fuck over everyone after they make their wish: WHY DOESN'T SOMEBODY JUST WISH FOR ALL OF THE LRIGs TO BE FREED FROM THEIR CARDS?

Yuzuki doesn't even take a moment to shoot this idea down. According to the Goddess of WIXOSS, Yuzuki explains, wish-granting power is not omnipotent. Only a wish that, through whatever means, is technically possible through human power can be granted. Consequently, Meguca-ing your way out of the situation, even at the cost of self-sacrifice, can't happen, because fuck you I've got a monopoly on the magic around here.

HOWEVER, saith the WIXOSS goddess, there are LRIGs that may or may not have special powers and I'm not telling you who or what because that would ruin the rest of the show. Everyone concludes that Tama, Ruko's LRIG, is probably one because she has brain problems and is improbably moe. Ruko, being the Meguca, still decides that she's going to attempt the wish even though she has no idea what will happen.

Ruko's resolve solidifies after this hilarious Okada moment:

http://a.pomf.se/xmphru.webm

Because no one in an Okada show can ever have a healthy home life. Ruko walks in on this and is like "fuck it, I'm better off whether I save everybody or get erased by evil TCG magic."

Since I haven't mentioned where the climax is headed yet, Iona, the purported STRONGEST WIXOSS PLAYER and fashion model battle bitch who defeated Ruko's crazy model stalker only to then mindfuck Ruko by making Ruko worry that she somehow enjoyed playing the game TOO MUCH, has organized a clandestine WIXOSS tournament at none other than the under-construction tower that Ruko has been having freaky visions of since the first episode. Iona's plan is born of two motivations: she a.) something something godhood, and b.) just wants to get this shit over with. Ruko, sharing Motivation B and wanting to get her wish granted as quickly as possible, attends the tournament.

Of course, after her first win, her next opponent is--SHOCKU--Hitoe, putting her in the situation of either bowing out of the tournament or pushing Yuzuki one of the three steps toward oblivion. Ruko cries about WIXOSS not being fun anymore but decides to play anyway, because let's face it, this is Yuzuki's fault anyway. Episode end.
Click to expand...
I take great joy in reading over your impressions of the show. I think I like the first season more because of them.

My only point of contention would be Ruko's home life. Sure her parents are not on the picture for whatever reason but I'd say her homelife is pretty good. Ok brother, understanding and loving grandmother. Its not like she dreads coming home because her homelife is terrible or something.



~wan
 
P

phaze

Member
NaDannMaGoGo said:
Huh did they actually wait that long? Didn't they get proof sooner and were rather fooled by assuming the bones or what exactly they ended up getting must have indicated Maria's and Mamoru's death? As in, they fucked up by not being mistrustful enough of the Sqeeerats (particularly Squeeler).
Click to expand...

Shin Sekai Yori Spoilers

Tomiko said that the age, gender, DNA of the bones and the dental records matched. So it had to be Mamoru and Maria remains. Clearly, the latter had to be alive for 9 months at least but I doubt the authorities would wait that long for convincing proofs of their demise. (Which is also why the possibility of Maria having a kid never even occurred to me. :p)
 
P

phaze

Member
Fruit of Grisaia 1

This was about as bad as I expected it to be. Who the hell greenlights those things.

YUKI YUNA IS A HERO 1

Not particularly impressed. Feels like Madoka x Gatachaman ripoff and the "cute girls doing cute things" levels are suffocating. Might give it another watch.

Shirobako 1

Was decent. Finally a chance to learn about the witchcraft known as anime production.

Daitoshokan no Hitsujikai 1

4 minutes in, a classic anime case of two people bumping into each other and the ensuing molestation that inevitably occurs. Because why not.

Ore Twintails ni Narimasu 1

4108587_d9895b4f4d72ax0ph7.gif


This might be the dumbest show I've ever seen. Remarkable. And actually funny a few times.
 
N

NaDannMaGoGo

Member
phaze said:
Shin Sekai Yori Spoilers

Tomiko said that the age, gender, DNA of the bones and the dental records matched. So it had to be Mamoru and Maria remains. Clearly, the latter had to be alive for 9 months at least but I doubt the authorities would wait that long for convincing proofs of their demise. (Which is also why the possibility of Maria having a kid never even occurred to me. :p)
Click to expand...

Hmmhmm if dental records insinuate that they got an entire jaw or even skull... then yeh. Damn it, I shouldn't keep talking about things when it seems like I've forgotten most of the details >.<
 
P

Puruzi

Banned
phaze said:
Fruit of Grisaia 1

This was about as bad as I expected it to be. Who the hell greenlights those things.

YUKI YUNA IS A HERO 1

Not particularly impressed. Feels like Madoka x Gatachaman ripoff and the "cute girls doing cute things" levels are suffocating. Might give it another watch.

Shirobako 1

Was decent. Finally a chance to learn about the witchcraft known as anime production.

Daitoshokan no Hitsujikai 1

4 minutes in, a classic anime case of two people bumping into each other and the ensuing molestation that inevitably occurs. Because why not.

Ore Twintails ni Narimasu 1

4108587_d9895b4f4d72ax0ph7.gif


This might be the dumbest show I've ever seen. Remarkable. And actually funny a few times.
Click to expand...
Yuki Yuna becomes pretty great at episode 5. Twintails is amazing.
 
M

Midonin

Member
Chocotto Sister Advent Calendar Day 16

Getting a little lewd there, show. Though it always has been. I'm feeling like the show might've been better if the first half and second half episodes were swapped around, but that also would've made for a more "typical" show. So many couples being teased, Makoto's still the best. It's what I expected of a festival episode.

Kiddy Grade 01-03

I have seen Girl-and, so it's not like I'm going into this completely blind. I know the general premise - cute agents in space with superpowers get involved with galactic politics. The kind of thing descended from Dirty Pair. (On a side note, I'm really glad that Aya Uchida has a flourishing career. After the reception Ascoeur got, I was wondering where her future would go. Everybody loves Kotori, though.) I remember becoming invested in Girl-and near the end, and it has some pretty nice character songs, so the short of it is, I'm going backwards here.

Speaking of Ayas, looks like this is one of Hirano's earlier series. The technopath thing is pretty cool, and Eclair's surprisingly sturdy. The names and space terminology aren't too difficult to remember, the fight scenes are fun, and the girls are cute. It feels like a product of its era - that time in the early 2000s that also gave birth to Read or Die - but that's not a bad thing. The first three episodes have just been case-of-the-weeks, and all of them have been a good primer on the universe and the characters. Eclair's my favorite, with her Cutey Honey-like sense of cosplay, though Lumiere's pretty cute, too.

OP is Engrishy, ED is easy listening, and I'm interested to see where this is going.
 
T

ThatChairMan

Member
phaze said:
Shin Sekai Yori 24-25 END
  • They never touched the subject again so I'm assuming that the children that don't manifest PK abilities are just getting killed off. How exactly Saki is going to tackle that ? The whole hopeful ending is lots of sweet talk but no real resolutions to the issues her society face.
    The fact the she and Satoru are raising more cats seems to hint they'll continue as is. Well, that's how I saw it at least. Obviously she'll try to make changes, but what works works.
  • What was up with Shissei's eyes ? And I still don't get where did Cantus leakage come from during his combat with “Messiah”
    Just a result of his high Cantus abilities. The leakage they mentioned was how they guessed the fight went. Since normally humans can't hurt each other with Cantus, they assumed the only way that the Messiah was attacking Shissei was by having his Cantus leak out and unconsciously hurting him.
  • The details of Maria's and that other guy's demise were never disclosed. I find it hard to believe Ethics Committe would wait at least 9 months for convincing proofs of their deaths.
    I believe they provided proof immediately, or at least soon after. So, in a way, the implications of providing proof and leaving Maria alive long enough to give birth aren't exactly pleasant...
  • Given the lengths the show goes to depict this futuristic society, I found the lack of almost any mention of the world outside of 66th Kamisu district to be puzzling and not very realistic.
    I just assumed that it was another consequence of their culture, to not meet with other districts or societies unless absolutely necessary. More interactions with "other" groups could increase chances of negative stuff.
Click to expand...

Well, bolded my responses. Mostly my opinion or how I saw things, though, so don't take it as fact.
 
N

NaDannMaGoGo

Member
ThatChairMan said:
I believe they provided proof immediately, or at least soon after. So, in a way, the implications of providing proof and leaving Maria alive long enough to give birth aren't exactly pleasant...
Click to expand...

Yeh exactly what I thought too, that entire affair was extremely uncomfortable to think about.
 
A

astrogamer

Member
Tokyo Godfathers
Pretty cool movie and a fairly
interesting look at the homeless. It was a fun journeyjourney with several interesting twists and turns that one wouldn't expect from a story like this. The main trio are pretty unique and fairly well developed and the additional unique cast were spices in this wild ride.
 
C

cajunator

Banned
Vito said:
Yes. PV https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cjEA7E4MItU
Click to expand...

Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
I love Houkago no Pleiades!
I wonder how many shows in the future will have heavy corporate involvement like this and Rinne No Lagrange with Nissan? Seems headed that way.

NaDannMaGoGo said:
Yeh wasn't especially fond of that detour either. Felt weird to have a bit of an adventurous journey that far towards the end. Thankfully it ended in a really strong last episode.


For the list, I replied in bold.



Nice to see you enjoyed it. Was rather surprised about your very early speculation
concerning the Squeerats origins.
I speculated similarly but was already close to ep20 or so.

Also reading your post I've now realized I need to watch it again already. Not only do I want to see the BD version but I'm also only half-remembering a lot of the stuff. I'll probably also search for some more analysis as a search on the topic of Fiends etc. resulted in an interesting read.
Click to expand...

I like your responses to his questions and really I dont have much more to add other than I agree with the majority of it.I feel like the show deliberately left some things unanswered to keep the mystery right to the very end. I dont think
Saki would have been able to change the way the society functions anyway, because it HAS to be done in this way for the sake of human survival. It was seen as even more essential after the events of this story, but perhaps maybe people will be dispatched more humanely than hunted down with big cats. Thats kind of horrible.

phaze said:
Shin Sekai Yori Spoilers

Tomiko said that the age, gender, DNA of the bones and the dental records matched. So it had to be Mamoru and Maria remains. Clearly, the latter had to be alive for 9 months at least but I doubt the authorities would wait that long for convincing proofs of their demise. (Which is also why the possibility of Maria having a kid never even occurred to me. :p)
Click to expand...

I thought the same. the time frame would have been a very tight one but entirely possible. When I first realized the truth here it was horrifying.

orthodoxy1095 said:
I just got this in the mail today. I didn't see any other posts of it, but sorry if it has already been posted!
Click to expand...

Link Man said:
It's here!

ibgbcGv3imkp4a.JPG


I'll finally get to watch it for the first time!
Click to expand...

:O

Mine should arrive literally any hour now.
Im looking out the window as I type just hoping to see a truck.
 
M

Midonin

Member
Trinity Seven 11

Plenty of Levi and Liz, which makes for a fun episode. There's some top quality Ayaneru going on with this fight. Things are just about to wrap up, and while I find myself not having a whole lot to say, this series has been alright. Looking forward to seeing how the finale wraps all this up.
 
C

cajunator

Banned
Midonin said:
Chocotto Sister Advent Calendar Day 16

Getting a little lewd there, show. Though it always has been. I'm feeling like the show might've been better if the first half and second half episodes were swapped around, but that also would've made for a more "typical" show. So many couples being teased, Makoto's still the best. It's what I expected of a festival episode.

Kiddy Grade 01-03

I have seen Girl-and, so it's not like I'm going into this completely blind. I know the general premise - cute agents in space with superpowers get involved with galactic politics. The kind of thing descended from Dirty Pair. (On a side note, I'm really glad that Aya Uchida has a flourishing career. After the reception Ascoeur got, I was wondering where her future would go. Everybody loves Kotori, though.) I remember becoming invested in Girl-and near the end, and it has some pretty nice character songs, so the short of it is, I'm going backwards here.

Speaking of Ayas, looks like this is one of Hirano's earlier series. The technopath thing is pretty cool, and Eclair's surprisingly sturdy. The names and space terminology aren't too difficult to remember, the fight scenes are fun, and the girls are cute. It feels like a product of its era - that time in the early 2000s that also gave birth to Read or Die - but that's not a bad thing. The first three episodes have just been case-of-the-weeks, and all of them have been a good primer on the universe and the characters. Eclair's my favorite, with her Cutey Honey-like sense of cosplay, though Lumiere's pretty cute, too.

OP is Engrishy, ED is easy listening, and I'm interested to see where this is going.
Click to expand...

Oh man I love Kiddy Grade so much. It has been a while though so I cant discuss details very well. I promise you though it is light years better than Kiddy girl And. I think you will agree by the end that the two shows shouldnt be related. Kiddy Grade deserves better than that association. The OP/ED are both in my top favorites.

NaDannMaGoGo said:
Yeh exactly what I thought too, that entire affair was extremely uncomfortable to think about.
Click to expand...

It really made me sad. Like we had a feeling this kind of thing was possible and probably inevitable. It still hurt.

jman2050 said:
Inou Battle 11

Hatoko played conservative and now she's doomed. GG, good luck on the rest of your life.

WTF at the ending.
Click to expand...

Hatoko probably shouldnt have torn the MC a new asshole. that probably hurt her chances.

MikeHattsu said:
The Devil Is a Part-Timer! 01



Satan is a baka gaijin.

And he works at MgRonalds where he's planning to take over the world and selling black pepper fries at the same time. Funny enough so far.
Click to expand...

This show is legit
 
M

Midonin

Member
cajunator said:
I think you will agree by the end that the two shows shouldnt be related. Kiddy Grade deserves better than that association.
Click to expand...
I dunno. I liked Idolmaster Xenoglossia, so I'm open to differing interpretations of things. I'll see how I feel when I reach the end. (Plus my memory of Girl-and's a little fuzzy.)
 
S

StormKing

Member
phaze said:
Shin Sekai Yori 24-25 END
[*]
They never touched the subject again so I'm assuming that the children that don't manifest PK abilities are just getting killed off. How exactly Saki is going to tackle that ? The whole hopeful ending is lots of sweet talk but no real resolutions to the issues her society face.
/QUOTE]

Characters who attempted to change the status quo.

Shun, Maria, Tomiko, Squealer, Kiromaru.

There will be no change. Saki will just accept her society as it is while hoping for the best.
Click to expand...
 
M

madp

The Light of El Cantare
wonzo said:
damn i really need to catch up. did murata end up doing any more cuts outside of than one episode?
Click to expand...

Just the one but there are random episodes with really good storyboarding/KA just like any other Toei show. sadly tons of QUALITY episodes to counterbalance this.
 
A

Admiral Woofington

Member
This is surprising. I thought I was bad for not having watched Castle of Cagliostoro until now but people who haven't watched Bebop? That's a scary thought. Admittedly though it hasn't really been made available for streaming via any of the big streaming services (that I recall).
 
C

CheapJuice

Member
Noragami - 07

It appears Yato's past isn't just bad stuff, as it seems one of Bishas Instruments 'owes' him, despite being enemies. I also recall him bowing to Yato earlier. It wasn't clear what he did, but I assume he saved his life or something.
Other than that Yukine keeps being a troublemaker with running away and stealing. I have never cared for these kind of characters and it drags the entertainment of the show down. Thankfully the rest of the cast is great and balances it out.
The Ayakashi fight was short and pretty dull (pun intended). I'm interested by the new character that was briefly in the end, he and that Nora is surely up to no good.
qPL0v7X.jpg
UnVYxgv.jpg
Click to expand...
 
C

cajunator

Banned
UltraGunner said:
Damn, usually Bebop is the first thing people watch. Never heard of someone doing things in reverse. You are gonna be in for a wild ride.
Click to expand...

It wasnt my first anime but then it had just come out when I got into anime. I believe the show had already been fully released on DVD in the Us by the time I watched it and started collecting it.
 
S

ShinRPGamer

Member
Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 2nd GIG 14

Imperial America? Invading other countries in the name overthrowing corruption but really only in for profit? Guess we know how the writers felt about America when Bush was in power. I know that Imperial America's premise dates back to Appleseed, but the time of writing...

That said, this was a good episode overall.
 
santeesioux

santeesioux

Member
Don't feel bad for people that haven't seen CB yet, they still get to experience it for the first time! I feel that same envy for people that have yet to see Steins;Gate and Toradora.
 
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