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[cj_iwakura]

Also, Lain was fairly prophetic when you consider the stuff it predicted about the internet becoming integrated in society. It's kind of eerie.

 

[Risette]

I'll start caring about that the moment White Rabbit screws up the anime.

Wrong animal!

 

[Unknown Soldier]

I'll take MOAR ASUKA if you don't want any, i-c.

Also Deen with money = not bad. Deen without money = lulz.

Did Deen get money for Simoun? I suspect no. And yet it was a masterpiece. I'm sure they got money for Higurashi, though.

 

[InfiniteNine]

Wrong animal!

Goddammit! We have a club named White Rabbit around here. >___>;;

Did Deen get money for Simoun? I suspect no. And yet it was a masterpiece. I'm sure they got money for Higurashi, though.

Well for Higurashi Kai, not the first season.

 

[DrForester]

That's a shame, I'd really like to go back and revisit it now. BTW, did they ever announce Spice & Wolf season 2 for official dates or anything, or is that still in limbo?

Ugh, SA? Can you just copypasta?

They have Spice and Wolf II, and it's been streaming officially.

No clue when it will come out.

 

[hosannainexcelsis]

Funimation has license to Lain (and Haibane) now, but nothing has been announced, they won't even admit if they will be releasing the Blu-Ray.

Don't let me down, Funimation!

Nobody can take the Read or Die OVA away from them at the very least.

Deen did that? Well, OK, they get one point. That's still a failing grade though.

 

[iavi]

Yes! More Steins Gate means more Itou Kanako! Only reason I care about that thing airing.

 

[duckroll]

Owch.

I know how that comment SOUNDS, but I'm trying to say that I'm actually pumped for X-Men! Seriously! Please believe me!

 

[firehawk12]

I'm actually looking forward to episode 1 of X-Men this week more than I'm looking forward to the final episode of Star Driver. Lol. And I'm not at all joking.

Madhouse > Bones?

 

[trejo]

itt we infodump C. I would copypaste here, but I want to see what you guys do with it.

Hey buddy, if I'm not paying for Gaf Gold I sure as hell ain't paying for SA either!

 

[Mandoric]

SA is weird. Sometimes it lets you in, sometimes it doesn't.

oh, is it not letting you in? lemme c/p post 1 as a... teaser

THE MONEY OF SOUL AND POSSIBILITY - NO PAIN, NO GAIN

Is money just money, or is it something more?
Don't you want money?
You're too damn earnest. Tell me the truth, you can't even keep food on the table, can you?
There's nothing wrong with having money. In fact, it's a necessity.
You're free to make a withdrawal at any time. But keep in mind, your future is held as collateral.
This is your invitation to the financial district. Will you come along?
A changing world. Buy back your future.


What is it?

20XX, Japan—

The Japanese economy was once described with such apocalyptic headlines as "Debt crisis approaching Japan!?", "Japan's economy is collapsing!", and "Countdown to sovereign default?". However, with the creation of a sovereign wealth fund, the government's reserves were managed incredibly well, and the government miraculously managed to balance its budget.

The Prime Minister promoted Japan's newfound fiscal responsibility and financial recovery to the world, and basked in the glory of having already secured his place in the history books.

On the other hand, the citizens' expectations that a government newly flush with cash would use its resources to stimulate a V-shaped recovery have yet to be fulfilled. A long-term youth unemployment problem, drops in standard of living due to layoffs and unemployment, indiscriminate murders by those who have lost all hope, pessimism about the future, and decreasing marriage and birth rates all lead to an enduring atmosphere of despair, escapism, and a rapid increase in disappearances and suicides.

As such news repeated endlessly, a vague feeling of unease and a sense of stagnation began to solidify in the hearts of the people.

Enter Kimimaro Yoga.
A student in the economics program of a university in Tokyo.
His dream is nothing but a normal life—a career as a civil servant, homeownership.
At a young age his father disappeared, and shortly thereafter his mother succumbed to illness, leaving him in the care of a sister. Recipient of a scholarship, he lives alone, supporting his lifestyle with a part-time job.

Even as he attends his classes, he worries about life after graduation. He is unexpectedly dumped by his classmate Hanabi, who until then had managed to see something in him.

That day, a strange man appeared before Kimimaro.
"I will lend you money, if you place your future as collateral. Care to test your skill at using it?"

From that day forth, Kimimaro's fate begins to change...

Who's in it?
The cast list has not been released, but we have the two lead character profiles:

Kimimaro Yoga (age 19)
The protagonist.
An average 19-year-old university student. Sophomore in Economics.
Poor and single.
At a young age his father disappeared, and shortly thereafter his mother succumbed to illness, leaving him in the care of a sister. Recipient of a scholarship, he lives alone, supporting his lifestyle with a part-time job.

He dreams of a mundane life. Owning a home, if possible. (He'd take special joy in gardening.) He wants to be a civil servant!

Led to a space known only as the "financial district", he experiences many meetings and fierce battles.

"Vermillion"
A beautiful young lady who Kimimaro meets in the financial district. Known as an "Asset", she fights alongside him during his "deals" (battles).


Why should I care?
It runs in Fuji TV's Noitamina block, home to approximately half the industry's worthwhile output these past few years due to its attempts to get normal, not-creepy-nerd people to watch. Previous hits include Moyashimon, Nodame Cantabile, Honey and Clover, and Eden of the East.
It's directed by Kenji Nakamura, who you may recognize from Big O, Hakaba Kitaro, Mononoke, or Trapeze.
The scriptwriter is Noboru Takagi, who previously addapted Baccano! and Drrr!! for television.
Character designs are by mebae, a relative newcomer who previously worked as an artist on Tailenders, Black Rock Shooter, and Cencoroll, while conceptual design is handled by Kei'ichi Sato of Big O and Mazinkaiser fame.


All right, when is this? Where can I watch?
As a Noitamina show, C will premiere on Thursday, April 14th at 25:05 on Fuji TV, then continue its run at 24:45 in following weeks. It is extremely likely to be simulcast by either Funimation or Crunchyroll.

--

While I'm not perfectly comfortable with loli sidekick combat, I look forward Noitamina taking another tilt at economic malaise and not ruining it with "Takizawa I am your father"/"noooooooo" this time. At the absolute minimum, the jargon this show will throw at you will make you smarter, and that has to be a good thing, right?

 

[jman2050]

1998

I'm positive STL existed long before 1998...

 

[Branduil]

Obviously they don't directly relate to each other, but there aren't that many great shows that have had bad OPs

NTHT's OP is terrible, but that's the only one I can think of.

 

[InfiniteNine]

Yes! More Steins Gate means more Itou Kanako! Only reason I care about that thing airing.

I know Itou Kanako is awesome and all but you can go to hell for not caring about the Science series. )<

 

[Mandoric]

and some glorious word soup

My brain is full of fuck and terrible JPEG artifacting.

A foreword

Thank you for selecting our Future-Secured Financing package.

We are pleased to provide you, our valued client, with advice on how to make the most effective, efficient Deals in order to maximize your return in the Financial District. Enjoy a whole exciting new world of asset management!

Index:
Chapter 1: The Fabulous Financial District
Chapter 2: The Appeal of the Deal
* Conduct
* Basic Dealmaking
* Use of Assets
Chapter 3: Advice on Securities Management

Chapter 1: The Fabulous Financial District
This chapter introduces the Financial District we have established, as well as detailing the basics of Asset Management within the District.

What is the Financial District?
Think of it as a special market where you, the "Entrepreneurs", can conclude "Deals" at your pleasure. In this district, the laws and morals of the real world do not apply. Let the impulses you normally repress run free, and participate in a Deal!

What is an Entrepreneur?
You, our valued client!
By conducting Deals with other Entrepreneurs, you can "earn profit". By driving your rival Entrepreneurs to Bankruptcy, the entirety of their savings and shareholdings can become yours!

What is a Deal?
A Deal is an exchange conducted between two Entrepreneurs by use of their respective Assets.
(chart I'm too lazy to TS

          Deal
Asset <---------> Asset

Basic Rules
We request that our clients participate in at least one Deal per week. Unfortunately, those who fail to maintain this level of activity on their account will have their rights as an Entrepreneur, Asset holdings, and Midas money confiscated. We appreciate your understanding in this matter.
Of course, there is no restriction on conducting multiple Deals in a week; feel free to participate in as many as your schedule, health, and our matchmaking system permit!

Chapter 2: The Appeal of the Deal
The importance of this special variety of the Financial Exchange cannot be overstated. This chapter sets for the basic conduct of a Deal, as well as its appeal.

Conduct
* Deals can be conducted in either Selective or Matchmaking forms.

An Entrepreneur can submit a bit to conduct an exchange with a particular party. If his bid is the highest for that party when rights are auctioned every midnight, he wins the right to conduct an exchange with his selection. The selected Entrepreneur may collect the sum bid to secure exchange rights from the bidding Entrepreneur. If the selected Entrepreneur has not made his own selection, he is forced to participate in the Deal. If he has won the rights to conduct an exchange with yet another Entrepreneur, this right takes priority and he may withdraw from selection. Those who do not select a counterparty by midnight of the 6th day or who are unable to win exchange rights by that time are automatically moved to the Matchmaking pool we establish for the next day.

Using a variety of criteria, we select a suitable counterparty from within the Matchmaking pool.

Basic Dealmaking
* A Deal is conducted between two parties composed of an Entrepreneur and an Asset. The goal of a Deal is to "earn profit" from another Entrepreneur. Profit can be earned by either "Direct Investment" or "Asset Investment".

Direct Investment

Direct Investment occurs when an Entrepreneur receives profit directly from his opponent Entrepreneur. While a large profit relative Cost can be obtained, Deals conducted in this manner expose the client himself to risk; these investments are high-risk, high-return.

"Assets" are our clients' loyal servants in Deals, with many attractive capabilities. However, without investment from the Entrepreneur, Assets are only capable of guarding the Entrepreneur and protecting against other Assets, not earning a profit.
By investing a fixed Cost in an Asset, they can be directed to manifest the Financial Magic "Flation". Each Asset is capable of three types of Flation, one "Micro", one "Meso", and one "Macro"; a proper understanding of one's Asset's Flations is a vital factor in successful Dealmaking. We regret to inform you that we cannot answer any questions about the Flations possessed by various Assets.

Judging a Deal
* The time limit for any given Deal is 11 minutes, 6 seconds.
Judging a deal:

RoI = Capital (after Deal) - Capital (before Deal) / Capital (before Deal) * 100

or

By Bankrupting the opponent.

In the case of a Deal judged by RoI, the victor receives the sum of Midas money the loser expended during the Deal. In case of Bankruptcy, the victor receives the entirety of the loser's Midas money as well as all of his Shares.

Chapter 3: Advice on Securities Management
Your Asset holds ten "Shares", Proper use of your Asset's Shares can be extremely profitable even outside of Deals, as well as a decisive factor in Deals. Here are our suggestions for maximizing profit through securities management.

Buying and Selling of Shares
Each Entrepreneur can place Buy or Sell orders for Shares.
These orders can be placed even during a Deal. Each Entrepreneur can declare for himself whether his Share holdings are "Public" or "Private".

*On the holding of multiple Assets

To hold a second or third Asset, all ten of its Shares must be purchased.
Purchase of an Asset held Privately by another Entrepreneur is not a simple matter; no matter how much Midas money one has, they cannot be purchased directly. In these circumstances, the only method is to Select the Asset's owner for a Deal, make a Direct Investment, and Acquire the Asset.

Delisting Post
If the shares of a Bankrupt Entrepreneur's Assets are split between several other Entrepreneurs, the Asset will be held at our Delisting Post. If the Bankrupt Entrepreneur had retained possession of all ten Shares, the Shares will be transferred to the winner and that Asset will automatically become his subsidiary.

* Dividends
If another Entrepreneur's Asset is the victor in a Deal, you receive 5% of that Deal's Profit for each Share you hold of the Asset.

[/quote]

 

[hosannainexcelsis]

The scriptwriter is Noboru Takagi, who previously addapted Baccano! and Drrr!! for television.

That's all I need to know.

 

[Stat Flow]

TWGOK and I'll check out C.

Might also try out Toriko. That's a lot of shit in the first & second posts :|

Most of it doesn't look too interesting, even though I didn't read all of those descriptions.

 

[Infinite Justice]

I'm actually looking forward to episode 1 of X-Men this week more than I'm looking forward to the final episode of Star Driver. Lol. And I'm not at all joking.

Ouch...

Yeah, Read or Die was quite effective for people who can't get sleeping pills.

this is ice cold man lol

 

[cj_iwakura]

I'm positive STL existed long before 1998...

He's teaching programming. Maybe he's educating them on early formats.

 

[Jex]

While I'm not perfectly comfortable with loli sidekick combat

It says a lot about the director that this isn't stopping me from watching the show.

 

[trejo]

I know how that comment SOUNDS, but I'm trying to say that I'm actually pumped for X-Men! Seriously! Please believe me!

I do believe you. Sadly.

 

[Cwarrior]

Hope something amazing comes out of this season

Huge xmen fan but sadly it hasn't had a good movie(all terrible) or even cartoon in the last 10 years, but I expect the worst out this anime.

 

[duckroll]

Madhouse > Bones?

I'm still looking forward to the other BONES projects this year more than anything this season!

 

[Dresden]

It says a lot about the director that this isn't stopping me from watching the show.

You would've watched the first episode anyways just to complain about it.

Like everyone else in the thread.

 

[firehawk12]

oh, is it not letting you in? lemme c/p post 1 as a... teaser

Jeez, that really does sound like Eden of the East. Well, we'll see how it goes.

 

[hosannainexcelsis]

Higurashi is not exactly good looking, but it was fun times, and its not like the source material was all that good looking either.

If you're going to animate something, you ought to put at least a little effort into it. Also, while the Higurashi adaptation was OK, it still is drastically inferior to the VN.

 

[trejo]

So you'll stop at the non-naked ones? Oh my, I feel I've dodged a terrible bullet here. ;p

I see what you're doing and I'm not entirely against it.

 

[iavi]

I know Itou Kanako is awesome and all but you can go to hell for not caring about the Science series. )<

Science series?

F.Edit: that's not a joke, btw, lol. I'm honestly lost.

 

[Jex]

Science series?

F.Edit: that's not a joke, btw, lol. I'm honestly lost.

It's alrihgt, there's a lot in the OP.

 

[Dresden]

Science series?

F.Edit: that's not a joke, btw, lol. I'm honestly lost.

chaos head and all that stuff. Steins;Gate is the second entry in nitro and 5pb's science stuff series.

 

[Extollere]

Just give me the ending to this

Whatever happens...

My body is ready.

 

[Branduil]

Lain isn't an upscale? How did they manage that?

 

[Infinite Justice]

I'm still looking forward to the other BONES projects this year more than anything this season!

I really hope they deliver something, for your sanity's sake.

 

[cj_iwakura]

Lain isn't an upscale? How did they manage that?

They went through everything. Frame by frame.


This was some Criterion-caliber work.

 

[InfiniteNine]

Lain isn't an upscale? How did they manage that?

Well when you have the original on film you can blow it up and not have it look weird.

 

[kuYuri]

Randomly decided to come in and X-Men caught my eye. Must know more.

 

[Shouta]

Yeah, Read or Die was quite effective for people who can't get sleeping pills.

If you're talking about the OVA, you are no longer the man.

TV, well, continue along with your business.

 

[Dresden]

They went through everything. Frame by frame..

That's pretty hardcore.

 

[iavi]

Ah, get ya... DISINTEREST CONFIRMED.

Spoiler

lol

 

[tiff]

Nice job on the OP Infi. I tried to stay up for your thread's debut but I guess I accidentally slept through it. Whoops!

Lotte no Omocha! and Maria+Holic S2 are the only shows I've set in stone. Suppose I'll add more depending on what people say. Falling asleep again. Bye!

 

[A Black Falcon]

The Three Kingdoms 14 - Clip episode. Oh well, at least they explain some things in the episode, and with as many made up words to try to remember as this series has, it's somewhat useful...

Also, her skin is definitely orange.

Love Hina through ep. 12 or so - Yup, definitely still like this show a lot. Funny stuff.

Kanon 2002 02 - ... And I still like this one too. Yeah, the character art's pretty poor, but the rest of the show -- story, characters, music, setting, etc -- are as good as ever.

Entertainment is entertainment. There are lotsa people here who swear by Aria and Haibane Renmei and they're still basically just slice of life. K-On just took moe pandering to the extreme but its the same concept.

Haibane Renmei are only similar on the most superficial of levels (that "they both have some slice of life in them" thing, which is sort of true), and if you stop watching Haibane Renmei halfway through. No, that's absurd.

We need more of this:

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y17/cjiwakura/despera2-2.jpg

Surely I'm not the only one who cares.

I badly want it too. ABe is amazing, one of the best. We need more anime from him.


As for the various long mAcOdIn (mostly IS) posts... um, I'll reply to them eventually, I'm on computer #3 at the moment because one has been down since January and the second has some issues at the moment, so I don't have the links to the posts at the moment and I'm not sifting through dozens of pages to find them, sorry.

(IS still has one episode to go (I think it's one), it's not quite over yet...)

Basically he's Haruhi's foil.

So he agreed with you? Or is that me? I'm confused, but it should be simple... oh well.

The concept of a "home" I find flawed to begin with, just some condensed take on the feeling of belonging and having familiarity towards a certain place or people while in all honesty I think a true "home" can only be made by one's self when they choose that they belong somewhere, as for familiarity, that just comes with the ropes of being somewhere long enough and taking shit in.

What? You don't agree that leaving the world for another place and never being able to go home, etc. again is a big deal? What? Or are you just referring to the concept of "home", and nothing else... in the latter case, do you move a lot or something? Home absolutely matters. Not everyone can just adjust anywhere. I'm definitely not someone who can do that easily, I'm used to it here and like it, and I'm sure a lot of other places would be hard to adjust to. I like snow and winter and dislike hot weather, for instance.

Yeah, and really Keiki kinda sucks, how's someone opposed to violence supposed to protect anything?

Yeah, he kind of does doesn't he. That oath of his to protect her is fairly ironic, with how quickly he proves himself useless... it should be more like "protect yourself and me, here's a fighting spirit to help. And no, you don't have a choice, if you refuse you die. Have fun."

I just think most people aren't mature enough to feel that their kinks aren't kinks, they feel if they have them everyone else does as well hence they're not weird, they're natural, which I think is true to an extent but that also applies to most weird traits.

Um, maybe, but that's getting more general I think.

Well are we talking about making the show good or Haruhi good? Granted the show would be more boring if Haruhi wasn't insane but then it'd at least make sense to defend her character from a character standpoint. I don't really find the "this character is good even though she's batshit insane and stupid because if not the story would be boring" to be a rousing defense of her character. It's the author's job to sell the character and the world and if he can't make both believable and sell them in tandem then the author's failed, you can't give them an out to create ridiculous 2d plot drivers like that.

If you can't stand Haruhi you aren't going to like the show, obviously, as your complaints help show... but the way that you seem to think that because you hate her she should be considered objectively horrible is ridiculous. She's not. I think some of her ideas are amusing, make for some funny stuff... Sure, other times she's annoying, but not always.

The series certainly has its issues, though, as I said. But it's as much good as bad anyway, if not quite as good as its fans were saying back when season 1 was so popular.

Well yeah, some of her ideas are ok but the catch is they still have to be done with Haruhi, that's an important point when determining why someone would be less than enthusiastic to go along with her more normal or fun ideas. I'd like to go to the beach but I wouldn't want to go to the beach with Haruhi, that's not because I'm boring but because Haruhi's a funcubus that sucks the fun out of everything by acting the child.

In your opinion.

Of course not which is why I still say the series fails I'm just clarifying that the plot is moving forward dragging the characters along even if the characters themselves aren't really stepping up to face the new plot.

Okay, I guess so. But the emphasis is very much on the opposite, apparently even the movie ends with a character reset yet again.

 

[InfiniteNine]

Ah, get ya... DISINTEREST CONFIRMED.

Spoiler

lol

I'll kill you in your sleep, just so you know...

 

[Nonoriri]

Lain isn't an upscale? How did they manage that?

Well I don't think it was digital.

 

[Risette]

Lain isn't an upscale? How did they manage that?

It was pre-digital and shot on film, so it was just a matter of rescanning it and touching things up probably.

 

[cj_iwakura]

That's pretty hardcore.

 

[trejo]

I would buy the shit out of a Lain BD boxset.

 

[Hazaro]

I'll watch Kaiji and X-Men
Then watch something made before 2000.

 

[Unknown Soldier]

Lain isn't an upscale? How did they manage that?

It's probably old enough that it was originally animated on film using hand-drawn cels.

 

[flawfuls]

I'm still looking forward to the other BONES projects this year more than anything this season!

Yes, but these feeling may not be the product of a rational mind.

 

[Dresden]

Wouldn't be an anime thread without an ABF post of some length.