Yu Yu Hakusho 1
It's been so long since I watched this show and goddam it still holds up great. Even got a little misty eyed at Yusuke's wake. And the blu-ray is absolutely glorious. Everyone should check it out especially if they've never seen the show before.
That's the only explanation that makes sense in any way shape or form, so I guess if you want to be nice you could say the show didn't try to BS us on that topic!
That's the only explanation that makes sense in any way shape or form, so I guess if you want to be nice you could say the show didn't try to BS us on that topic!
Yu Yu Hakusho 1
It's been so long since I watched this show and goddam it still holds up great. Even got a little misty eyed at Yusuke's wake. And the blu-ray is absolutely glorious. Everyone should check it out especially if they've never seen the show before.
Mine came in a few days ago. Gonna start it once I find a friend to watch it with. Think I'll even watch it dubbed for nostalgia sake. Can't wait to see how good it looks now.
Yu Yu Hakusho 1
It's been so long since I watched this show and goddam it still holds up great. Even got a little misty eyed at Yusuke's wake. And the blu-ray is absolutely glorious. Everyone should check it out especially if they've never seen the show before.
You're wasting your time, he's been hating K-ON longer than we've been alive.
Sword of the Stranger:
I had been meaning to watch this in it's entirety for quite a long time now. Directed by Masahiro Andou, production by duckroll's True Love BONES.
As you would expect from an anime originally animated for theatrical release, the production values are through the roof. BONES has always been fantastic as a production studio when they are just animating somebody else's work. It's when they get into trying to animate something of their own creation that they run into the typical BONES problems. And I'm digressing pretty badly here.
Anyways, it looks fabulous. It stars a really annoying kid and his cute dog, and a ronin who gave up his previous life as a mercenary. The ronin starts the movie off with his sword carefully tied to it's sheath, because he swore never again to draw his sword due to an event revealed during the film. The story is really pretty simple and doesn't need much description beyond boy meets samurai and people get limbs and heads chopped off. There are some other guys, the Chinese party who came to seek the Elixir of Immortality, a shogun and his subjects, some monks, and various villagers. Some are evil and some aren't. There's a pointless anachronistic Western guy who doesn't seem to serve any useful purpose other than to demonstrate how evil Westerners are. They serve to drive the story along and are useful fodder for the requisite extremely sharp objects.
For those curious about the whole Chinese people coming to Japan to search for the Elixir of Immortality angle, it's a reference to Qin Shi Huang, the first Emperor of China. It was pretty fun hearing people speaking Mandarin Chinese though it is very thickly accented and really hard to make out. Even though I am a native speaker of Mandarin I needed the subtitles half the time and then I had to go back in my head and decode what they said after reading the subtitles.
The 5.1 soundscape is lush and full of sword slashing noises and people yelling in the surround channels, which are used effectively. The dialogue was sometimes a bit hard to hear and I had to turn my center channel speaker up a little bit, which I normally don't need to do. Bass is utilized effectively when things are burning, collapsing, exploding, or horses are galloping. Beyond that we don't get much out of the LFE channel. The music is quite enjoyable and fits various scenes well.
At a succinct 107 minutes, the movie doesn't attempt to overstay it's welcome nor waste our time with excessive character development. It gets in, gives us the hearty samurai action we're looking for, and gets out. It's beautifully animated and the action is effectively directed, and the main character samurai guy is likable enough. An entirely enjoyable experience, even if you won't remember anything about beyond it having nice fight sequences the next day. It's more of less the Japanese equivalent of a good spaghetti Western. It's high in energy, low in fat, and fills you up right.
It was damn good. The bus chase in particular was fucking badass. Shit was epic, man.
It's a movie about nostalgia, I guess, about this idealized past that we construct in lieu of actual history. It's surprisingly emotional - in particular the scene where the smell of one's shoe triggers a teary recollection - and the movie is well paced throughout with lots of slapstick comedy to keep things moving. The movie has a message, but never overdoes it, and always remembers to pull back with more crude humor and gags to keep things suitably light.
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Azazel-san 1:
And holy shit, the glasses girl is kawaii as fuck. I'm in love!
Fun episode. Amazingly enough Kugimiya manages to make a rutting pig-demoness sound cute. Excuse me while I go vomit. Will watch more. Also has the best boob-bounce so far this year.
That's the only explanation that makes sense in any way shape or form, so I guess if you want to be nice you could say the show didn't try to BS us on that topic!
duckroll are you there? Answer me if you're all right!
Good episode. I quite enjoyed it.
Man, poor SG got wiped off the face of history. The Carribean islands too. They haven't explained exactly what C is yet but its gotten exciting. I can't imagine what the endgame of this show is, really. Mikuni helped the present by sacrificing the future so now Yoga will go up against him to take back the future and err... fuck up the present? Wut? Its very confusing but I'm enjoying the shit getting real finally.
duckroll are you there? Answer me if you're all right!
Man, poor SG got wiped off the face of history. The Carribean islands too. They haven't explained exactly what C is yet but its gotten exciting. I can't imagine what the endgame of this show is, really. Mikuni helped the present by sacrificing the future so now Yoga will go up against him to take back the future and err... fuck up the present? Wut? Its very confusing but I'm enjoying the shit getting real finally.
Sorry to burst your bubble but that only happens in the OVA's that concludes the series... funnily enough it took the OVA's for me think this is rediculous. Yes I did watch the whole thing lol.
jman2050 said:
On a related note, Team Denpa would like to officially declare a vote of no confidence in Team AnoHana.
Enjoyed it. I didn't think the pacing was awful, and the way they cut off the battle at the end was just fine; it would've just been some big white flash of light as Kimimaro pulled something out of his ass, anyways. And besides, DAT INVESTIGATOR. Msyu can go to hell, this is God-tier ass kicking waifu 2.1 material.
My problem with the show isn't that it's cheap or that it's ugly as hell - I've gotten past the CG shit, because the show looks bad almost all the time and the CG characters aren't a huge step down from their more traditional counterparts - it's that all the fantasy elements feel unnecessary. Maybe in the later episodes everything gets worked out and it all builds up to a nice finish, but for now the Yugioh battles are just lame. The rules were set out before the show aired, but even now, after six episodes, it's hard to build up a good idea as to just why something is done, or how. It's all mezzo this and macro that, pop flation, win the fucking game - I feel detached from whatever conclusion is eked out of the battles, I just don't care.
It's too bad because what the show ostensibly is about - the economic plight of Japan, and perhaps the world - is still interesting. The concern here is that the fantasy elements serve as a distraction rather than an abstraction of the problems that it presents.
and as far as the psyche/Supernatural elemants go. The creepy little girl, glowing, and the fox? Or are those cultural references that I'm not getting?
Enjoyed it. I didn't think the pacing was awful, and the way they cut off the battle at the end was just fine; it would've just been some big white flash of light as Kimimaro pulled something out of his ass, anyways. And besides, DAT INVESTIGATOR. Msyu can go to hell, this is God-tier ass kicking waifu 2.1 material.
My problem with the show isn't that it's cheap or that it's ugly as hell - I've gotten past the CG shit, because the show looks bad almost all the time and the CG characters aren't a huge step down from their more traditional counterparts - it's that all the fantasy elements feel unnecessary. Maybe in the later episodes everything gets worked out and it all builds up to a nice finish, but for now the Yugioh battles are just lame. The rules were set out before the show aired, but even now, after six episodes, it's hard to build up a good idea as to just why something is done, or how. It's all mezzo this and macro that, pop flation, win the fucking game - I feel detached from whatever conclusion is eked out of the battles, I just don't care.
It's too bad because what the show ostensibly is about - the economic plight of Japan, and perhaps the world - is still interesting. The concern here is that the fantasy elements serve as a distraction rather than an abstraction of the problems that it presents.
There isn't really much to write that isn't a spoiler of one kind or another, so I'll just have to settle with "more of the same", which isn't a bad thing at all.
If there was ever a time for the correct usage of the CitizenKaneClap.gif it would be right here. Train wreck of the season.
Ghost NTR was glorious. GLORIOUS.
People talked about all the problems in this episode and it was all true! But y'all failed to mention the really awkward pacing and story-scene transitions. This episode really had no "flow" at all. It was just a jumble of stupid scenes.
So you already think Production I.G will give us that sterile and clean (even soulless) look they are famous for?
Yes, I think they will...
Dresden said:
Crayon Shin-chan: The Adult Empire Strikes Back
It was damn good. The bus chase in particular was fucking badass. Shit was epic, man.
It's a movie about nostalgia, I guess, about this idealized past that we construct in lieu of actual history. It's surprisingly emotional - in particular the scene where the smell of one's shoe triggers a teary recollection - and the movie is well paced throughout with lots of slapstick comedy to keep things moving. The movie has a message, but never overdoes it, and always remembers to pull back with more crude humor and gags to keep things suitably light.
I think I could only describe it as a labor of love! Shin-Ei always works for their franchises, try things their way. And as you say, with such a powerful nostalgic impression! And also as that poll 7th posted seems to suggest, I think the majority of spectators felt it heavily too (http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=27173769&postcount=9558).
Also, I hope I don't bother you with this, but I'll post a link to a question I have made in my previous post in case anyone that knows the answer missed it:
Certainly! But that is what I thought he was implying, and it appears to me like the way I described most of the time... that look... maybe I should have used another expression; bland, perhaps? Their usual digital color design and painting approach also gives away, in part, that sensation to me.
It's not just Production IG. 90% of all animation studios do the same thing. There is no way that it will end up looking like the concept art. Just look how No.6 from BONES. The animation designs look nothing at all like toi8's artwork.
Whoa, thread got locked merely for existing at all.
Is that GAF's first banned game?
Gaming side is scaring me. They're probably going to start burning piles of discs and cartridges next.
Imma hang out over here with you guys where it's safe.
Just watched Gunpla Builders. It had pretty solid action, and overall good pace for a short 40min promotional OVA thing. Good designs, good action, not much down time at all. It's pretty silly as a commercial, because it's promoting the fact that you don't have to care about Gundam or know anything about the anime franchise to just buy the models and make them (it's true, but as a Gundam fan I dislike how Sunrise is basically legitimizing posers who are only interested in Gunpla), but it was an entertaining short anyway.
Whoa, thread got locked merely for existing at all.
Is that GAF's first banned game?
Gaming side is scaring me. They're probably going to start burning piles of discs and cartridges next.
Imma hang out over here with you guys where it's safe.
The thread got locked, I presume, because there was no discussion of the game in it and just people going HOLO HORO HOLO HORO and LOL ICECREAM THREAD over and over.
I have no idea whether icecream has even played half the games she posts threads for. The threads never actually get to release date before they die out from disinterest - she just posts another one every few months and the memes and ranting start again.
Moe art does nothing for me, but nor do the endless arguments about it any more.
Meh
Yukko got trolled
Meh
:| :|
Yukko got trolled again
Amusing
>_>
-_-
Wtf could a professor segment be the best part of the episode. O_O
:|
-_-
Mai trolling Yukko... again
Nichijou 11
Not one of the better episodes. I liked the scene with the old man, though I forget who he was. Other than that, the hourglass was the probably the best thing in the episode.
I have no idea whether icecream has even played half the games she posts threads for. The threads never actually get to release date before they die out from disinterest - she just posts another one every few months and the memes and ranting start again.
It's not just Production IG. 90% of all animation studios do the same thing. There is no way that it will end up looking like the concept art. Just look how No.6 from BONES. The animation designs look nothing at all like toi8's artwork.
I would probably categorize Production I.G as a more flagrant "offender" in general, but I agree with what you are saying, and for me it is pretty sad because I think there are alternatives other than "mutilating", in my opinion, visually rich and perfectly valid original designs in the name of practicality.
As always, you can do anything with money, time and a good direction, but when any of this factors can't be reached (especially the two first mentioned), I've always thought that you have to build your work and express yourself in favor of your limitations in order to obtain results you don't end up frustrated with. I'd rather prefer static but visually powerful, detailed and dynamic scenes in an animated work as a way to deal with restricted budgets and limited staff.
Don't get me wrong, I love good detailed, fluid or kinetic animation as much as anyone, but when there are visually engaging original concepts or other type of designs that are difficult to replicate in animated form, I'm not sure such concessions should be seen as something obvious when it is possible to make something even more attractive (or even different) out of them.
And to say something more about that "blandness" I described in my last post, I'd say that given the expertise that a studio like Production I.G has gained since the late 90's in the field of digital painting and animation, I perhaps expected something more "evolutionary", more original... and I'll say that even amidst all the, (sometimes horrible) different digital experimentation in Japanese animation we witnessed during the early 00's, I think we sometimes contemplated in some of those shows a much greater personality, more willingness to change the way we see than in various works that studio (and others) have made recently.
I hope I've explained myself correctly, I'm not sure.
