• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Fall of Anime 2012 |OT2| O cursed spite, that ever I was born to UUURRRRYYY!!

Status
Not open for further replies.

BluWacky

Member
More catching up...

Kami-sama Hajimemashita 3

This wasn't very exciting in the manga, and it's not very exciting here. The second half of the episode is better than the first, but that's because the gags pile up more. The anime is much funnier than the manga, but for me this means that the sentimental stuff seems a lot worse by comparison.

Thankfully I haven't read the manga beyond this point (and last week's episode comes later in the manga anyway) so the rest of the show should be fresh to me.

Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun 3

I have nothing much to say - it's entertaining and endearing, and I feel bad that I don't think it's "more than that".

Code: Breaker 3

Man this show is so average. Why do I like it?.

There was a significant amount of derp face this episode, though, which was disappointing given the usually solid production values.

Quite what the mangaka has against drawing dogs I'm not sure. No dog I've ever seen looks like the ones in this show.

Zetsuen no Tempest 3

Great episode; exciting action with thought and weight behind every move and sensible exposition. Really very impressively executed.
 
KO Traveling Hobo - Xu Zhu (Wei)
Gigantic and strong, yet simple-minded and honest, Xu Chu was referred to as "Dumb Tiger" by his fellow men.
I will wear this badge with pride.

jm26m8oKpMMUu_e.jpg
 
Code: Breaker 3

Man this show is so average. Why do I like it?.

It's silly, melodramatic fun executed fairly well by staff who clearly aren't taking the material seriously and thus make it all the better.

There was a significant amount of derp face this episode, though, which was disappointing given the usually solid production values.

I haven't seen this episode, so perhaps the quantity of them has increased, but even in the first episode pretty much all the distance shots have problematic faces. Just look at the classmates in the background of this scene:


I can't say it bothers me though. The action looks good, and that's what counts.

Quite what the mangaka has against drawing dogs I'm not sure. No dog I've ever seen looks like the ones in this show.

The mangaka seems to have more against dogs than the mere act of drawing them.
 
One Piece Strong World movie


Just awesome, reminds me how good OP is, after I clear my backlog I'll resume watching the series again. To me, the best shonen made.



You better not!
Although I think you will like the depth of the show. There's a lot packed into those few episodes. Its well paced and feels like a much longer series than it is.

Thats good to hear, seems like I'll love it. Episode 3 was good.
 

madp

The Light of El Cantare
Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun 04:

Probably the most reserved episode yet in terms of content, but it was great for fleshing out Haru's character while setting the stage for new sources of dramatic conflict. He's always been the guy who
bullies the bullies
, and the fact that
he allowed his violent side to publicly spill over into a school environment again
is going to make him doubt that he can ever truly change as a person. The question is--does he really need to?

Interestingly, after the incident in question, Shizuku's main concern is to
get Haru away from the scene of the conflict as quickly as possible rather than to chide or berate him for his behavior
. It was a subtle sign that she's accepting him for who he really is and that, perhaps, she's beginning to loosen up a bit herself as just four episodes ago I couldn't imagine her
actively helping a delinquent student to evade justice, no matter how noble his intentions were
. Haru's
rise to popularity, total apathy over the attention he receives, and his willingness to throw it all away at a moment's notice
was fun to watch and confirmed what we all probably assumed anyway about his character.

Upotte!! OVA:

Yeah, I watched it even though I gave up on the series early on. Without the need to censor anything I'd hoped that the content of the OVA would basically be the humor from the first episode of the series on steroids, but unfortunately it was all pretty vanilla aside from a couple of moments. Still, some of the characters, uhh, fill out those swimsuits nicely, so it wasn't a total loss from a niche sabisu~ standpoint. Basically, don't bother if you didn't like the show after they toned the weird gun anatomy stuff down.
 

BluWacky

Member
It's silly, melodramatic fun executed fairly well by staff who clearly aren't taking the material seriously and thus make it all the better.

The execution is definitely better than I was expecting, that's true. I think the main thing for me is that, despite being resolutely average in many ways, the show doesn't really do anything to irritate or offend me. Maybe it's because the show's story is quite bland (despite Ogami's homicidal tendencies!) but nothing stands out as being particularly eye-roll worthy.

I can't say it bothers me though. The action looks good, and that's what counts.

Yup, exactly. While Zetsuen and Magi have better animation (looking purely at shounen adaptations airing this season), Code:Breaker's action sequences are still entertaining.

The mangaka seems to have more against dogs than the mere act of drawing them.

What with Little Busters and K this season, and this year being the year of Poyopoyo, cats are obviously the preferred animal of choice in Japan at present.
 
Kingdom 21
tumblr_mcbh0a8qXK1qbxqfpo1_500.png

True if only they handled it better. They made it where when hes rushing the troops that they simply fall over like dominoes, kind of, way too easy and kind of lazy. Regardless, fun episode that went in a direction I didnt expect.
Though it would be the two generals fighting the whole time, not some epic action with Xin rushing in there up close to the enemy leader, and even taking out commander
.

Funi failed to sub the ed :(
 

BGBW

Maturity, bitches.
Alright list is done! Some of these fit really well while others are really out of left field. Hope you enjoy!
BGBW - Cai Wenji (Wei)
Cai Wenji (蔡文姬) is one of the artistic style names attributed to a poet named Cai Yan. She comes from a family of imperial scholars who specializes in poetry and composing music.
So my posts are poetic? Suppose that's an upgrade from sounding like the Artful Dodger.

So, Yuru Yuri's that show with the pink-haired girl that BGBW used to (does?) have as his avatar, right? People here seem to like it.
Still do, but currently she's in fancy dress as Dio Brando.

It's only fun when watching the gifs. Otherwise it does get very repetitive.
If you're just watching the gifs you're missing out on at least 95% of the show.
 

Stoof

Member
Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun 4

j1si0H3jjwZGn.png

Thank you Haru.

Still the best show of the season. The character interactions really are the strongest point of this show and it can't be said enough. The pacing has stayed quick, which is refreshing. The music really works in this show, I just love all the songs that come in at the right time. I enjoy the facial expressions a lot as well and the full face blush is cute too. What am I saying, all the faces are cute!


And something I was wondering about for a while got answered this episode and that is
Mi-chan being Haru's cousin.
It seems we also meet new new girl, and Haru can't control himself per usual. I felt really bad for him
after the fight because he just seems like a puppy who doesn't understand what it did wrong. :(
Woo, It looks like next episode they get to
go on a date!
 

BluWacky

Member
Any idea like what? I don't even think there were any religious references when I read the manga a while back

That's because there aren't really any.

Some fansubbers embellished the text of the anime in translation to make it more "middle Eastern" with references to djinn, Muhammed and Allah (their translation of "kami-sama"). Unfortunately they got a bit carried away. I don't know the full story (I assume that issues over the representation of Allah in visual media come into play somewhere) but they've backed down and redone their translations I believe.
 

cjkeats

Member
Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica: Episode 2

Set-up ahoy!
At least it's more entertaining than Fate/Zero's set up because I'm still awake. Anyways, a few points:

The soundtrack is still standing out to me. The song that played during the battle was so good, and the dark and moody tone of the music is polarizing to the art style. Speaking of songs, in the OP there's a second girl who appears to be an older Madoka? Is this an intro thing or will it be explained? Actually, just don't tell me, I'll wait.
Accompanying the soundtrack are the fantastic backgrounds and environments. I love the way everything came alive when they're after the witch. The setting seems to be a near future kind of thing, which could be more interesting than moden day if they ever elaborate on it, but it's hard to tell where the show's even going.

Speaking of plot, this episode was simply setting up with an action pay off in the end. We got to know (what I assume is) the main cast. Tomoe is pretty badass. Sailor Moon ain't got shit on this girl and her giant guns.
Kyuubee is creepy, the way it (he?she?) just stares, but you can still hear it. I have a feeling it's more sinister than it appears.
Hitomi seems to be a bizzaro Chitose Ikeda. Or is she? And last but not least, Modoka's mom seems like a bad bitch.
If you know what I mean.

I'm quite ready now to move on now, the wait to know what exactly their wishes will be is killing me.
zLZfO.jpg

This scene, I feel is important, as earlier in the spisode I was thinking how there isn't anything I could wish for myself that isn't out of pure selfishness.
 

cajunator

Banned
Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica: Episode 2

Set-up ahoy!
At least it's more entertaining than Fate/Zero's set up because I'm still awake. Anyways, a few points:

The soundtrack is still standing out to me. The song that played during the battle was so good, and the dark and moody tone of the music is polarizing to the art style. Speaking of songs, in the OP there's a second girl who appears to be an older Madoka? Is this an intro thing or will it be explained? Actually, just don't tell me, I'll wait.
Accompanying the soundtrack are the fantastic backgrounds and environments. I love the way everything came alive when they're after the witch. The setting seems to be a near future kind of thing, which could be more interesting than moden day if they ever elaborate on it, but it's hard to tell where the show's even going.

Speaking of plot, this episode was simply setting up with an action pay off in the end. We got to know (what I assume is) the main cast. Tomoe is pretty badass. Sailor Moon ain't got shit on this girl and her giant guns.
Kyuubee is creepy, the way it (he?she?) just stares, but you can still hear it. I have a feeling it's more sinister than it appears.
Hitomi seems to be a bizzaro Chitose Ikeda. Or is she? And last but not least, Modoka's mom seems like a bad bitch.
If you know what I mean.

I'm quite ready now to move on now, the wait to know what exactly their wishes will be is killing me.

Most excellent.
Can't wait to hear further impressions. Really think you will enjoy this one. Its not your typical mahou shoujo formula.
 
The execution is definitely better than I was expecting, that's true. I think the main thing for me is that, despite being resolutely average in many ways, the show doesn't really do anything to irritate or offend me. Maybe it's because the show's story is quite bland (despite Ogami's homicidal tendencies!) but nothing stands out as being particularly eye-roll worthy.

Funny you say that, since it's one of the few series that's offended me period.
 

Jarmel

Banned
Bearing all that mind, especially the part where these characters have maybe spent a few minutes in each others company, how would you expect a scene between these two characters to go? Perhaps something along the lines of "why did you shoot me, she was a dangerous criminal" or whatever. None of that happens. Instead what happens is that Kougami wakes up and launches into what's apparently a re-prepaired speech on the nature of justice and what it means to be a complete officer and he delivers this with no prior prompting at all.

If that wasn't artificial enough, Kougami than tells Akane that she might be able to do well with Akane as his boss. How do we know that considering that he's barely spent any time with Akane and yet somehow he still feels that two minutes of time spent together is enough to keep everyone happy. It really feels that the writers just want us to know specific things about this character and the best way to do that is exposition as opposed to something that make sense.

Yea I disagree with this. Akane does prod him on whether she did the right call and he mentions essentially how he's being doing this for too long. She asks him a retrospective question in that, was he in the wrong, and he gives a retrospective answer. It is obvious that he's been thinking about it especially considering he used the word protect, similar to Akane in episode 1. In regards to him not complaining about why she shot him, I think the conversation shows he's not that kind of person. The line about him becoming a detective again along with putting justice above duty was kinda cheesy though. I do disagree with your saying that he hasn't spent any time with Akane, as most individuals would know the kind of person she was after the events in the first episode.
 

survivor

Banned
This should be her main outfit.

Her current one isn't that bad either. Though I do like this one a lot.

That's because there aren't really any.

Some fansubbers embellished the text of the anime in translation to make it more "middle Eastern" with references to djinn, Muhammed and Allah (their translation of "kami-sama"). Unfortunately they got a bit carried away. I don't know the full story (I assume that issues over the representation of Allah in visual media come into play somewhere) but they've backed down and redone their translations I believe.

Oh so it's just silly nonsense by the translators. I thought the anime actually added these references.
 

fertygo

Member
Funny you say that, since it's one of the few series that's offended me period.

Lol, when I watch the director interview at Imagine-nation (You can check it at youtube) its remind me to your word about the series, its seems they just as confused as you with the murder thing.
 

Grzi

Member
One Piece Special, Episode of Nami: Tears of a Navigator and the Bonds of NAKAMA

1p5Ob.jpg


I expected a lot more, especially when it comes to the production values. Actually that was the only segment where I wanted to see improvements, since the original adaptation did such an amazing job with the story. So content wise everything was great, maybe a bit better than the original (can't really remember the pacing and details like that, it's been a long time since I've last seen it), but the things where it could have really improved on it weren't really that much better (or at all, really).
The direction felt stiff and boring really, the animation was worse than the TV version, yes it's much cleaner and in HD, but I don't care, the original had that much more life and fluidity in it. I'm not sure what the state of the One Piece anime is now (stopped watching after the Thriller Bark arc) but if this is considered great animation I truly fear for it. There are two scenes with some nice animation - the end of Zoro's fight and the end of Luffy's final fight, both of those scenes lasting for about 2 or 3 seconds. Plus they were shorter which made them lose a bit of the epic feel. When compared to the quality of animation and choreography of the fights in the movies this looked laughable, but I won't do that since this is a TV special - okay, but it looked worse than most fights in the series, animation and direction wise.

It may sound like I'm a bit too harsh on the special, but it really isn't that bad, it's an amazing arc after all, but I see no point in skipping the original in favor of this, it's in no way superior (except that it's shorter if that's what you want, I don't see why you would, considering the fact that you're watching a 600 episode series), so there's not much reason for this to exist.
 
Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun 4


This was another great episode, especially the latter half. Every episode has been paced superbly, as it never lingers on a particular moment or development for an unnecessarily lengthy amount of time. The execution of the narrative has been terrific, naturally developing the central relationship while deftly balancing the dramatic moments with the comedic ones.

The story has, so far, been highly engaging. Haru and Shizuku's naturally developing relationship is fantastic, due largely to their thoroughly compelling interactions. They complement each other supremely well, effectively portrayed by their great chemistry and excellently contrasting personalities. The comedy was at it's best throughout this episode. As such, the sequence that involved
Haru's smile affecting all the girls
was hilarious, as was the scene with the
heartbroken teacher
. The highly dynamic facial reactions remain one of the primary elements that allows the humor to work so well.

The characters remain thoroughly interesting. Haru is definitely my favorite character, since his unassuming, socially awkward personality is rather unique for this genre, and quite amusing much of the time. Shizuku's also a really good character, and it was nice to see her broaden her emotional output by actually
becoming jealous once her advice to Haru backfired on her
. I'm really looking forward to the potential for a
Natsume and Sasayan
relationship.
Yuuzan
is a good addition to the cast, since his contentious
relationship with Haru
is quite intriguing, and he definitely appears to be a manipulative influence on
Haru
.
Chizuru
's introduction was nice, and it seems like
she'll eventually gain feelings for Haru
, but, thankfully, she doesn't seem to be the type that would
constantly attempt to interfere
. Of course, I'm quite certain that
Yamaken
will probably fill that role in no time.

The production values are really good and, for the most part, highly consistent. The direction is quite impressive, due mostly to the typically creative scene composition. The vibrantly colorful art creates an extremely appealing aesthetic, while the excellent animation complements it wonderfully.

All in all, Tonari continues to exceed my expectations immensely, as each episode only solidifies this show as one of the best of the year, which is mostly due to it's exceptional execution and incredible cast of characters. I'm really looking forward to the next episode, since
it appears they'll be going on a date
, although, judging by the title in the preview, it might not exactly go according to plan, since
Yuuzan seems likely to interrupt it
.

Sukitte Ii na yo 3


Though it didn't quite reach the quality of the first two episodes, this was pretty good, as it introduced what seems to be a significant character, while also providing a heightened level of insight into Yamato and his flawed characterization. The slow pace of each episode is great, as it allows for a suitable amount of time dedicated to each development, rarely seeming rushed or insignificant.

Emotionally painful complications have already appeared in the story, and I expect they'll steadily increase as it continues, since this seems destined to be an
occasionally sorrowful, tumultuous relationship
. It's pretty great that
Nakanishi and Asami are in a relationship
, and I'm hoping that it remains relatively constant in it's development. This episode particularly illustrated the superficiality and cruelty of others, which was depicted in
Aiko
's cold interactions with Mei, as this has been a recurring theme throughout the show. There's an evident, ironic dichotomy between
Aiko's
harsh, unfair criticism towards Mei, in which
she threateningly told Mei not to date Yamato if she doesn't love him
, and her own situation with
her current boyfriend
. As such, I really sympathize with
said boyfriend
, particularly following that final scene. It certainly appears as though this episode establishes
her as the primary rival
.

Mei is a great, incredibly likable character. Although she shouldn't attempt to
run away at the slightest mention of a seemingly worrying revelation
, I quite like the realistic portrayal of the fragility of her emotions. Yamato's a pretty good character as well, particularly following this episode, as I thought he was rather shallow before now. As such, I enjoyed the slightly nuanced insight into the reckless passivity of his former self. Following this sequence and the words spoken by Yamato, it's understandable why he'd suddenly possess the naive inclination to
please everyone, including Aiko
. I really like that Yamato's characterization has added complexities and noticeable flaws, since this effectively differentiates itself from the usual tendencies for a romance of this nature to portray the male lead as someone who's relatively "perfect". I certainly don't feel that the
possibility of him having had sex in the past
lessens his character or diminishes the
strength of the relationship he has with Mei
, as his emotions are, more than likely, real, and
deeper than those he's felt with others
. As such, the slow development of their relationship is necessary to properly indicate that his romantic interest in Mei isn't some fleeting emotion.

The production values, though inconsistent, are quite strong, especially the minimalistic direction, as it often elevates the material beyond it's seeming simplicity. I also love the music; the dramatic piano is quite nice, though occasionally overplayed, but the understated quality of the other selections works extremely well, complementing the slightly bittersweet nature of the story.

All in all, Sukitte, despite a somewhat lesser episode, still manages to thoroughly impress. This is easily one of the better shows of the season, and I'm really looking forward to how chaotically the story will develop as it continues.
 

madp

The Light of El Cantare
Her current one isn't that bad either. Though I do like this one a lot.

Her current one just makes her look like a Hancock palette swap.

Strong World Robin > Thriller Bark clothes > Baroque Works clothes > FI clothes > everything else. Ultimately they're all great, just different levels of great.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top Bottom