I'm going to use the Baccano! OP as my phone's ringtone. That shit is so awesome, it's hard to believe it's the OP of an anime.
jman2050 said:
Oh man I hope JC Staff makes a second season of Hidan no Aria cause some of these LN spoilers I'm reading are just blowing my mind. We're talking close to Code Geass levels of insanity here.
I'm going to start reading the LN after the anime series finishes up, from what I can gather the anime might go as far as volume 3-4, there are a total of 7 volumes right now.
trejo said:
Hidan no Aria will end up being the show of the season. I'm calling it here and now.
As of right now it already is the show of the season! The title is currently Aria's to lose and Team Ohana Waifu will have to get really awesome by the end of it's 26 episodes to match the level of fuck awesome that Team Aria has already accomplished in just 8!
That's because anime series are getting shorter and shorter, so might as well adapt the stuff that doesn't release often enough for an ongoing adaptation.
The Twelve Kingdoms 36-39 - Peak point of the series, I imagine! This part was great, there was lots of action and events moved quickly. It was great to see 12-plus episodes of foreshadowing and planning finally result in something. I still think that overall this show is too slow paced, but this part wasn't.
It definitely made me annoyed that the anime stops here, though... this is only the middle of the story, I know there's another half of the book series left that this doesn't cover. What happens after this? Who knows, we never will apparently, and as most of the books aren't available in English, we won't anytime soon either I guess.
As for the story, the three main female characters get along well, and did good work, along with the rebel armies, in winning the day. It was great to see that in the last of these episodes even Keiki actually did something useful, he hadn't in quite a while (if ever). Also, the true mastermind of the evil group is revealed... interesting, I did suspect him but it wasn't absolutely certain until he gave himself away in these episodes. Fortunately, Youko was much less passive and unresisting than he expected, and his scheming actually was key in causing the badguys' downfall. Things would have been much more difficult without that royal army there to use to defeat the villains with.
I must say though, three people going up against a whole army, even just as a stalling tactic, and they all survive fine? Youko has those spirits helping her, sure, but that other guy was just a bear, and the third just a human... I know, this is anime and in anime such things are possible even against hails of arrows, but it is kind of silly. Most of the rest of the fights were reasonable, though.
I also like Youko's choice for a first proclamation. Trying to modernize the Twelve Kingdoms' social customs a bit, huh, by banning genuflecting? Great idea!
It's just really too bad that the series doesn't go anywhere much after here, and that the rest of the book series wasn't animated.
Gosick 18 discussion
Izayoi said:
I never said it excuses murder (but it does in this case, because I would kill a legion of people if I had to in order to protect my family, my sisters especially), I said that it made it clear who each person was working for.
Oh, I agree -- it makes sense why he'd do it. That's not what I was complaining about. What I was complaining about was Victorique (and Kujo, if he matters) walking away and letting him get away with murder. He should be in jail for his crime, that excuse may be personally relevant to him but it shouldn't matter to the law, or to outside observers like our main characters.
That they don't do that, and let him leave knowing what he just did, is unconcionable and is an unbelievably horrible thing to do. It has to permanently negatively affect my opinion of both characters, honestly, to a significant degree. What in the world is wrong with them??
Hopefully he gets caught anyway, but I'm not guessing the issue will ever be mentioned again, with how the ending just brushed it off.
I think the "who's on which side in the train" is clear in the end, the motive not so much. I guess the box being very valuable for both sides is reason enough.
Apparently, but it was somewhat confusing. Maybe in the future they'll explain why the Science Academy head being a Grey Wolf is such an important revelation?
tiff said:
The only people who mention another storm coming are the people who are involved, right? I agree that it's kind of weird that it seems to be becoming a big deal now when WWII beginning in earnest is so far off though. I figured there will be some kind of time skip near the end, but I dunno.
Well, the people involved, yes, as in the people in whatever the secret societies involved are, the characters, etc.
I absolutely agree, as I suggested, that the whole thing is very questionable as a plot point. Part of that is I dislike conspiracy theorizing, and that is a conspiracy issue, and part is because it's historically inaccurate and wrong. First, of course, there's the fact that this is 1924, fifteen years before the war started in Europe. Second, the 1920s were a time of peace and rebuilding; few people thought that another war would be coming anytime soon. Only in the 1930s, during the Great Depression, did war become inevitable. That is, if not for the Great Depression, there might not have been a WW2 in Europe... perhaps, but not definitely. Hitler's rise to power was made easy thanks to the depression, but without it, would he have? Even though the Weimar Republic was weak and fractional, and the right-wing side that wanted to destroy it (and got its wish, once the Nazis were elected) was strong, the depression had a key role in determining what would happen. The Asian war well might still have happened, that happened for its own reasons, but maybe not the European one.
That's all speculation of course, though. Even just looking at fact, the way the show presents it is still wrong because during the period in between the wars, Western European people did not want to even think that there'd be another war. Even as late as 1938, France and Britain (and remember this made-up country is on the France-Italy border and speaks French) were still in denial that another war is possible. Yes, that guy who told them about the coming war, the other people who know, etc. are separate groups with their own reasons to know -- either because they're wise old sages with foresight, or because they're secret societies who really run the world or whatever it is -- but while I can mostly excuse the former because this series has fantasy elements, the latter is just stupid...
Of course though, Japan's wars in China started in the early 1930s. But that wouldn't affect Europe, only Japan and China... still since Kujo is of course Japanese perhaps that could be used as a partial explanation for the urgency in the warning, but still it's questionable to say the least.
As for the train, I thought it was pretty obvious that the little girl and the big guy were on the same side, and the other two on the other. I don't know which side was each though, I always mix up the Ministry and the Academy (if that's even what they are? I need to pay more attention).
The girl said 'Occult scum', and I think the younger guy mentions the magic ministry, so I think we can assume that she and the older man were from the science academy, and the younger guy and woman were from the magic ministry.
The girl was cute and I was sad she died, btw. Weird how everyone seemed to forget all about it afterward.
As I said above, that was so wrong, for them to let him get away with it... why would the writers have them do that, that's awful. It's one of those "what is wrong with you, writers" moments that hurts what I think of a show, if that really is the end of the matter... like that scene in Ouran where the guy pretends to attack the MC girl, sort of.
If Gosick had done something to show that she was bad too -- show her killing the conductor or something, I don't know -- it'd lessen the impact a bit, but it doesn't do anything of the sort.
On another note, what does the title "Gosick" refer to, anyway?
Things are starting to get pretty crazy here. Two-parters? Actual planning? The heavenly kings going in to battle? The pliers having actually being marginally useful?
Tiger and Bunny 10
Shit just got real. This episode had everything. Robots, Hostage-chan, Barnaby bridal carrying someone, Sky High walking his dog. Tiger was fucking awesome this episode and he stil can't catch a break with his daughter.
Well that was terrible. It's a super low budget gag anime about Spelunker from the NES game being a teacher. It's made up of very short segments and they are all jokes based around the fact that the character dies easily. Not a single one is funny, hell most of the time it's hard to tell if they are even trying to be funny.
Well that was terrible. It's a super low budget gag anime about Spelunker from the NES game being a teacher. It's made up of very short segments and they are all jokes based around the fact that the character dies easily. Not a single one is funny, hell most of the time it's hard to tell if they are even trying to be funny.
Well that was terrible. It's a super low budget gag anime about Spelunker from the NES game being a teacher. It's made up of very short segments and they are all jokes based around the fact that the character dies easily. Not a single one is funny, hell most of the time it's hard to tell if they are even trying to be funny.
Damn, this episode was awesome. Plot events that they spent the series setting up are actually coming together. It's like they wrote out the story beforehand!
This is looking like the best show of the season at the moment.
Apart from the opening scene having some slightly-off character designs, the rest of this episode was pretty awesome. All the 'plot' and much of the dialogue was ridiculous, of course, but the pacing ramped up until we got a number of awesome fight scenes and isn't that the real point of the show?
Oddly enough, whenever they show the Wolverine fight on the Blackbird in flashback the contrast levels look way better and I can actually see it, but sadly they only show a brief glimpse of it.
Apart from the opening scene having some slightly-off character designs, the rest of this episode was pretty awesome. All the 'plot' and much of the dialogue was ridiculous, of course, but the pacing ramped up until we got a number of awesome fight scenes and isn't that the real point of the show?
Oddly enough, whenever they show the Wolverine fight on the Blackbird in flashback the contrast levels look way better and I can actually see it, but sadly they only show a brief glimpse of it.
Poor dude was friendzoned for 30 years. Ko has nothing on this guy.
We finally got to see who Elliot was so I guess that's progress but this 2 parter has been kinda boring. I'm hoping they actually do something next episode.
Well, the people involved, yes, as in the people in whatever the secret societies involved are, the characters, etc.
I absolutely agree, as I suggested, that the whole thing is very questionable as a plot point. Part of that is I dislike conspiracy theorizing, and that is a conspiracy issue, and part is because it's historically inaccurate and wrong. First, of course, there's the fact that this is 1924, fifteen years before the war started in Europe. Second, the 1920s were a time of peace and rebuilding; few people thought that another war would be coming anytime soon. Only in the 1930s, during the Great Depression, did war become inevitable. That is, if not for the Great Depression, there might not have been a WW2 in Europe... perhaps, but not definitely. Hitler's rise to power was made easy thanks to the depression, but without it, would he have? Even though the Weimar Republic was weak and fractional, and the right-wing side that wanted to destroy it (and got its wish, once the Nazis were elected) was strong, the depression had a key role in determining what would happen. The Asian war well might still have happened, that happened for its own reasons, but maybe not the European one.
That's all speculation of course, though. Even just looking at fact, the way the show presents it is still wrong because during the period in between the wars, Western European people did not want to even think that there'd be another war. Even as late as 1938, France and Britain (and remember this made-up country is on the France-Italy border and speaks French) were still in denial that another war is possible. Yes, that guy who told them about the coming war, the other people who know, etc. are separate groups with their own reasons to know -- either because they're wise old sages with foresight, or because they're secret societies who really run the world or whatever it is -- but while I can mostly excuse the former because this series has fantasy elements, the latter is just stupid...
Of course though, Japan's wars in China started in the early 1930s. But that wouldn't affect Europe, only Japan and China... still since Kujo is of course Japanese perhaps that could be used as a partial explanation for the urgency in the warning, but still it's questionable to say the least.
Yes, you're right that until the German annexations of Austria and Czechoslovakia, another European war was considered inconceivable to the vast majority of Western Europe. Of course in real history the political leaders of Britain and France did not anticipate another war, and in fact did everything possible to avoid it even in the face of aggressive German expansionism. My impression of the situation here, though, is that the conspirators know of the next World War because either they're working to make it happen or it will be a natural consequence of their work. I'm not sure we know what the exact ambitions of the parties are. If I'm wrong feel free to correct me.
So I understand if you don't like stories based on conspiracy theories, but based on my understanding of the plot I think it makes sense why at least those individuals can anticipate the war.
Though it's interesting you bring up the Japanese perspective, because I think it's also entirely possible for a Japanese writer to not understand the political and social situation in Western Europe post-WWI.
A Black Falcon said:
The girl said 'Occult scum', and I think the younger guy mentions the magic ministry, so I think we can assume that she and the older man were from the science academy, and the younger guy and woman were from the magic ministry.
As I said above, that was so wrong, for them to let him get away with it... why would the writers have them do that, that's awful. It's one of those "what is wrong with you, writers" moments that hurts what I think of a show, if that really is the end of the matter... like that scene in Ouran where the guy pretends to attack the MC girl, sort of.
I can understand why they let him, because it's established that he was just being manipulated because his sister was being held hostage. My bigger issue is that they all but sweep the deaths under the rug after they happen. The group seemed to get along well, and Kujo and Victorique even did everything they could to save the girl, but after the bomb scare it's like everything before that never happened. They're sitting on the front of the train laughing after they just saw someone die a minute before. Kujo even says that the Academy "put lives on the line" when the Academy's agents did not just RISK their lives but LOST them (though this may just be an issue with translation). It's totally bizarre.
Tiger and Bunny 10
Shit just got real. This episode had everything. Robots, Hostage-chan, Barnaby bridal carrying someone, Sky High walking his
Dog.Tiger was fucking awesome this episode and he stil can't catch a break with his daughter.
Definitely one of my favorite episodes so far. Really shows the impact Ohana has had on the people at Kissuiso since her arrival by way of showing everyone's little visits to her room and with the scene with the three girls near the end it really captures that particular brand of slice of life feeling everyone likes.
Of particular note is the fact that Minko has started to notice Tohru's change of attitude toward Ohana and that could be fun to see develop. Also for those who keep craving the drama it seems like next episode will finally deliver some.
In other words, suck it Team AnoHana.
Uchip said:
Jin Roh
wow
I dont remember it being THIS slow D:
still good though
Didn't think they'd actually have Yuuki die. That was so sad
Other than that, though, it was about what was expected. I enjoyed it.
Sket Dance 7-8 - Watching these two episodes back-to-back, I'm pretty impressed that they can do a fairly serious, but not too serious, love story, and then a totally goofy segment about the group learning some wacky made-up game, and pull off both pretty well. Now that most of the characters have been introduced this show seems to really be coming into its own.
Still, the puppet show is still the highlight of the show so far.
Now to watch HanaIro before this thread spoils it for me
Is constantly trying to decrease her mom's sentence part of the plot? Like a monster of the week deal? I actually like that since it reminds me of this show I used to watch as a kid. Can't remember what it was called, but it had a bully turned into a dog that had to do good deeds to be turned back. I think it got cancelled though.
I don't know about the light novel, but JC staff did. And that's why it's awesome.
Actually, the setting itself could be pretty cool. The idea of an elite school where the students are trained as upholders of the law is pretty nifty. I just think it's SO hilarious that it's a Butei rule not to kill a suspect when they're REQUIRED to carry very deadly firearms and bladed weaponry at all times.
