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[cajunator]

I see the new season of Free has started.

I'll pass on that, ya'll have your fun though.


I like your taste and I'm going to stalk you now.

I never watched the first season either.
ALso yes Zachy has great taste in everything.

 

[Jarmel]

Yea I'm nowhere near as wild about Utena as some of you guys. The fights are such utter garbage that they should have been heavily reduced.

 

[firehawk12]

Yea I'm nowhere near as wild about Utena as some of you guys. The fights are such utter garbage that they should have been heavily reduced.

When you look at them as battles between id and ego, you can see the battles as a representation of the constant struggle between desires at least. lol

 

[TUSR]

Is AOTS an unofficial thing, while AOTY is actually tallied?

 

[MikeHattsu]

Is AOTS an unofficial thing, while AOTY is actually tallied?

Yeah

 

[Jarmel]

When you look at them as battles between id and ego, you can see the battles as a representation of the constant struggle between desires at least. lol

lol

My desire to watch something entertaining definitely.

 

[Theonik]

My favorite anime change around a lot, but number one is forever Hidamari Sketch. Praise Ume-sensei.

Oya Oya

 

[BGBW]

Girls Bravo
Urotsukidoji
Bible Black
Seikon no Qwaser
Sword Art Online

 

[firehawk12]

Is AOTS an unofficial thing, while AOTY is actually tallied?

It's a declarative statement that is purely individual. lol

 

[CorvoSol]

The battles in Utena are about ammonites.

 

[Shard]

Is AOTS an unofficial thing, while AOTY is actually tallied?

Yes, though I am sure several will make the argument for Ping Pong being both.

 

[BGBW]

Yes, though I am sure several will make the argument for Ping Pong being both.

They could since it was a good show, but in the season of Puchimas it would be a waste of time.

 

[Jex]

Free Eternal Abs reminds me that these shows serve as idealized entries into homosocial circles more than anything else. In the same way that shoujo reverse harems allow me as a male viewer to understand the mechanics of gaze is a relatively guilt free way, Free really does let me look at the four/five girl shows in a way that allows me to be completely distant from any emotional (or admittedly hormonal) response.

Since this isn't sports porn like that Yowapedal or Haikyuu, you can't really say that Free is about the art of swimming. Even something much "baitier" like OoFuri had baseball porn to have it be more than just a brood of boys hanging around with each other.

But Free doesn't really have that problem. It really is focused on an idealized representation of homosocial bonds that is literally about cute boys doing cute things. Even Kimi to Boku had romantic entanglements and love triangles to at least create some sense of conflict and narrative drive for a show about five guys hanging out with each other, but here the show is absent any female figures that can threaten the safe idealized male friendships that are presented here.

People talk about guys ruining Love Lab, but I think that speaks to the fact that the protective homosocial bubble is burst by the intrusion of sexuality that threatens the active and engaged observer. If Free is very much about a window into how boys might live their lives, then a presumably female viewer doesn't want to see them talk about the girls they want to have sex with or the sexual desires that they might have. That's not to say that the female viewer necessarily thinks that these characters are their "husbandos", but that they can just see these characters as idealized men absent of any of the negative connotations that can come with being attracted to a real live human being.

And yes, we have Gou and the teacher that serve has female figures in the show. But Gou very much serves as the audience surrogate, much like the various all-girl shows that happen to have one male lead in them like GJ-bu. They exist to reflect the viewer back at herself, and allow her to feel like an engaged observer, but again without any of the icky entanglements that plague real life. If one wants to be reductive, it is very similar to the socalled "hag" who loves have gay male friends, because she is able to penetrate a usually homosocial space without any of the threatening sexuality that can plague typical relationships. There is no expectation that Gou will hook up with or sleep with any of the guys in Free, or the guys being attracted to her in any way. She's just there to admire them and their bodies... to the point where her admiration itself is more aesthetic than sexual.

This is all very different than the harem/reverse-harem ideal where there IS sexual desire and the idea is that the text serves as emotional porn for the viewer. These shows exist to allow the viewer a glimpse into a life that they do not necessarily have access to, but in such an idealized manner that nothing is allowed to threaten that space.

The Love Live girls have sleepovers and pillow fights, but never play truth or dare about the men that they might want to make out with. They just exist as signifiers of idealized feminine behaviour, much like the men of Free are idealizations of masculine behaviour.

It's all just very interesting to think about and in part crystallizes why the all-girl versions of the show works for a lot of people (and admittedly, for myself included).

As you've basically said, what this demonstrates is that, despite what people might assume, male and female audiences are looking to consume extremely similar content (bar the question of gender). It seems that humans, in general, are attracted to these kinds of idealised windows into the world of the other gender.

This is extremely interesting when you consider the (ridiculous) backlash that the announcement of Free got from certain segments of the anime community who were enraged by it's entire existence. Some of them, I imagine, failed to realise that they too consumed these kinds of stories except that they happened to star a group of 4/5 girls rather than a bunch of guys. This kind of double standard, while typical in questions of gender representation, still amused me greatly.

 

[cajunator]

Yea I'm nowhere near as wild about Utena as some of you guys. The fights are such utter garbage that they should have been heavily reduced.

blaphemy. blasphemer.

 

[Chariot]

As you've basically said, what this demonstrates is that, despite what people might assume, male and female audiences are looking to consume extremely similar content (bar the question of gender). It seems that humans, in general, are attracted to these kinds of idealised windows into the world of the other gender.

This is extremely interesting when you consider the (ridiculous) backlash that the announcement of Free got from certain segments of the anime community who were enraged by it's entire existence. Some of them, I imagine, failed to realise that they too consumed these kinds of stories except that they happened to star a group of 4/5 girls rather than a bunch of guys. This kind of double standard, while typical in questions of gender representation, still amused me greatly.

I always saw Free as a show common moe show that was genderswapped after they finished the script (probably not, since there are not useless boobjokes, but you get what I mean).

Yeah, the backlash was dumb. Even the concept aside, people somehow didn't understood that not every show is made specically to please them personally. But then again, a huge chunk of the anime communies is... weird.

 

[astrogamer]

Love Live 2 12
A graduation finale with a bit of reminiscing and quite a few insert songs. Even the alpacas show up. I'm guess the thing it leaves off with is what the movie is about.

 

[Jex]

Yea I'm nowhere near as wild about Utena as some of you guys. The fights are such utter garbage that they should have been heavily reduced.

Welp, without icarus or hitokage here to deal with these kind of attacks I guess I'm going to have to do my best to respond, even if I make a fool of myself.

I don't think that your request really tallies with the reality of the production of the series. Do you honestly think people working on the show thought that it would be good to show essentially the same footage dozens of times in a row? Of course not. While the idea of repetition is an important one in the series it's pretty clear that the show features so much stock animation is because it was created on a shoe string budget. Which isn't too surprising, I'd imagine, considering that I'm not sure who'd even put up the money for an anime as crazy as Utena.

So they made do with the limited resources they had available and still managed to create one of the best shows in the entire medium. I guess this just demonstrates how often art is the product of working within strict constraints. They made the repetition work for them as best as they could.

 

[BassForever]

My front runner for AotY is Space Dandy, if S2 can maintain the momentum the second half of S1 did it's going to blow everything else out of the water. Jojo is my fall back for AotY as it's just too freaking good.

Captain Earth 10

On the other end of the spectrum, Captain Earth continues to just be... ehhhhh... at least we're getting more lovely 2d mech action in these more recent episodes.

 

[cajunator]

Welp, without icarus or hitokage here to deal with these kind of attacks I guess I'm going to have to do my best to respond, even if I make a fool of myself.

I don't think that your request really tallies with the reality of the production of the series. Do you honestly think people working on the show thought that it would be good to show essentially the same footage dozens of times in a row? Of course not. While the idea of repetition is an important one in the series it's pretty clear that the show features so much stock animation is because it was created on a shoe string budget. Which isn't too surprising, I'd imagine, considering that I'm not sure who'd even put up the money for an anime as crazy as Utena.

So they made do with the limited resources they had available and still managed to create one of the best shows in the entire medium. I guess this just demonstrates how often art is the product of working within strict constraints. They made the repetition work for them as best as they could.

Probably recycling footage was the only way to make a series as long as Utena in the first place.

 

[Jex]

When you look at them as battles between id and ego, you can see the battles as a representation of the constant struggle between desires at least. lol

Are you trying to tell me that there's Freudian subtext to the series? Preposterous.

In all seriousness, while I can't dictate how and when or why you watch a show, I really wouldn't recommend just coming back into Utena where you left off from your original viewing of the series. A great deal of what comes later in the show is based off of (and often in direct reaction too) the stuff from the very first arc of the show. Maybe you've memorized all that stuff, or are familiar with it anyway, but I do feel like to get a firm grasp on the series you need to understand it as a complete whole. Even if the earliest part of the show appears the most standard and formulaic.

And if you think about it, that first arc is only like 1/2 of a Sword Art Online in terms of time commitment.

 

[firehawk12]

As you've basically said, what this demonstrates is that, despite what people might assume, male and female audiences are looking to consume extremely similar content (bar the question of gender). It seems that humans, in general, are attracted to these kinds of idealised windows into the world of the other gender.

This is extremely interesting when you consider the (ridiculous) backlash that the announcement of Free got from certain segments of the anime community who were enraged by it's entire existence. Some of them, I imagine, failed to realise that they too consumed these kinds of stories except that they happened to star a group of 4/5 girls rather than a bunch of guys. This kind of double standard, while typical in questions of gender representation, still amused me greatly.

I think part of it is threatening, because of course I think very few male homosocial relationships involve guys taking baths in bathing suits with each other - at least in the English speaking anime fan community - so they see it as an impossible ideal to reach for. It's the equivalent of photoshopped models producing impossible standards for women and whatnot.

I imagine there's probably a similar reaction on the other side, although perhaps not as violent since - and I feel confident in saying this - men are the stupider gender. lol

Are you trying to tell me that there's Freudian subtext to the series? Preposterous.

In all seriousness, while I can't dictate how and when or why you watch a show, I really wouldn't recommend just coming back into Utena where you left off from your original viewing of the series. A great deal of what comes later in the show is based off of (and often in direct reaction too) the stuff from the very first arc of the show. Maybe you've memorized all that stuff, or are familiar with it anyway, but I do feel like to get a firm grasp on the series you need to understand it as a complete whole. Even if the earliest part of the show appears the most standard and formulaic.

And if you think about it, that first arc is only like 1/2 of a Sword Art Online in terms of time commitment.

I don't know if I could go back. Beyond the fact that it'd add another 13 episodes, it's also remembering the deliberate repetition in the series that makes it something I kind of dread.

 

[cajunator]

Men are not any different from women, intelligence-wise. Men are more competitive and impulsive though.

 

[TUSR]

Men are not any different from women, intelligence-wise. Men are more competitive and impulsive though.

i just had to have these shoes

 

[PhantomOfTheKnight]

Samurai Pizza Cats - 04

"My biggest wish is to have a boyfriend!"
"Your wish is granted, you free about 8?"
"How about me, I'd like a boyfriend too!"
"...um, insufficient credit. Take my advice and try to think of something more practical, like and end to world hunger."

Forgot to mention the last episode introduced a secondary Pizza Cat, and so did this one.

 

[firehawk12]

Men are not any different from women, intelligence-wise. Men are more competitive and impulsive though.

I look at the gaming side threads about Ubisoft and Giantbomb and I'm not so sure.

 

[Chariot]

Men are not any different from women, intelligence-wise. Men are more competitive and impulsive though.

 

[TUSR]

I look at the gaming side threads about Ubisoft and Giantbomb and I'm not so sure.

the only thing ive learnt from gaming side this week is that if you are a white male you are more likely to get a job than a female who didnt apply.

 

[Psycho_Mantis]

I want all you watching Free and other fan service shows to look at these posts. Read them. Think about them. Understand them. Remember them before posting embarrassing gifs.

I don't know how many people will have to be banned before the message sticks. Might want to give it a while first!

URGENT COMMUNITY MESSAGE

It has bothered me for some time that there is a growing presence of lewdness in this community. That doesn't surprise anyone probably, given the nature of anime culture in Japan. For a time I have done very little because well, unless it's really NSFW, it's not really against ToS, and I don't want to control a community thread so much. That time is over. I have received feedback from enough people in this community about the increasing unease they with the shifting culture within.

I read the exchange the other day about cnet expressing his "preferences" with regards to NGNL and the cameltoe shit. And this is my reaction:

So here's what I have to say. Community threads are not "protected" from how the forum is moderated everywhere else. If people are feeling uncomfortable because someone is expressing views which are generally considered to be problematic in a larger social context, those elements will be removed. No one wants to hear about it, we don't want to bother with discussions defending "unpopular" preferences of characters, we don't want waifu wars, we just want to talk about anime without all the garbage.

If people want to talk about their preference of young girls drawn or otherwise, they can talk about it somewhere which is not NeoGAF. If someone wants to post sexy pictures or lewd stuff like panties, bust sizes, or "dat ass" or whatever, they can do so somewhere else which is not NeoGAF. Off-Topic no longer has "Hot Women" or "Hot Men" threads. Image spam for the purpose of self stimulation aid is discouraged throughout the forum. This will be no different. If you want to discuss your sexual fantasies, your fetishes, and what sexual gratification you get from drawn cartoons, you are not welcome to discuss it here.

If you're not happy with this, please find another community on the internet. I recommend 4chan, Reddit, or Animesuki for starters. If you want to complain, don't bother because this is my response:

THE LINE MUST BE DRAWN HERE. THIS FAR, NO FURTHER.

Oya Oya

Dat avatar....you're certainly brave.

 

[firehawk12]

the only thing ive learnt from gaming side this week is that if you are a white male you are more likely to get a job than a female who didnt apply.

Let's not do this, because clearly we are on different sides of the issue and one side is intractable in their position. lol

 

[TUSR]

Let's not do this, because clearly we are on different sides of the issue and one side is intractable in their position. lol

dont take my post as being serious, its 100% satire.

 

[Jex]

I don't know if I could go back. Beyond the fact that it'd add another 13 episodes, it's also remembering the deliberate repetition in the series that makes it something I kind of dread.

Did anyone ever say that True ArtTM was easy?

Two points:

- You are free to fast forward through all the literally recycled shots so each episode is actually going to be quite a lot shorter than it's supposed run time. Just be sure not to miss sequences with recycled animation that feature subtle (but important) imagery that changes episodes to episode - these are usually quite obvious elements of the scene that change while the rest is the same.

(You can't skip recap episodes though. For reasons.)

- It's questionable whether there's even much point in executing the exercise of watching Utena (and presumably at least trying to get to grips with what it has to say) if you're going to cut yourself off from understand a huge part of the show.

As I said above, the beginning of the series is the most traditional in appearance, with it's characters and story beats failing very much in line with traditional shoujo tropes (baring a few exceptions). However, only by watching and recognising this material can you appreciate what the show is trying to say about these tropes later when it reflects on the first arc of the series. The series brings all this material to bear so that it can examine it under a new light. Later revelations are hugely important in how it changes your perception and understanding of everything that went on it that first arc.

Heck the Mikage/Black Rose arc, which I believe you are currently stationed at, is already beginning to do that.

 

[AquaWateria]

I love Gintama but that's extremely niche entertainment and a humor type that doesn't translate universally as It mostly consists of the Straight man scream. It's not about considering other things. It's about having an effect on the industry and worldwide appeal, not to mention if it ages well. Older Gintama already looks aged. Cowboy Bebop still looks good to this day.

Gintama being a niche entertainment in the west maybe yeah but in Japan it's definitely not. DVD and the latest movie sales were great, shows that it was popular during it's airing. I mean Cowboy Bebop is definitely a fine property and one of Anime's good merits, but it just doesn't do it for me like Gintama does. Sure it has aged in the older episodes but it still consists of the things that makes this series amazing and the rewatch ability is high compared to Cowboy Bebop. Gintama is one of those series that can blend humor, feels, and become serious brilliantly which is why I consider it in my top 10 anime.

 

[sonicmj1]

Hitokage should have told us he started working at Grantland!

http://grantland.com/hollywood-prospectus/sailor-moon-the-explainer/

Spoiler

Conveniently ignore the author being a woman

Then you’ve got your ephemera: the tokusatsu (live-action) series Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, various video games, stage musicals, etc. Nobody really cares about these.

Clearly not Hitokage.

 

[Dedication Through Light]

I want all you watching Free and other fan service shows to look at these posts. Read them. Think about them. Understand them. Remember them before posting embarrassing gifs.

But no one was posting anything or supporting a viewpoint that is problematic in the social context from Free! that would make one feel uncomfortable?

 

[Psycho_Mantis]

So earlier I said that I could think of a number of shows that I think are legitimately better than Cowboy Bebop (or are at least on part with it) and as that sounds like a rather inflammatory statement I thought I should at least be gracious enough to furnish y'all with a list. I'm going to cheat and include OVA's but not movies.

- Gintama: I mean, this is almost cheating as it has hundreds of episodes, but god damn if it isn't an amazing property.

- LOGH: Technically an OVA, but whatever. Not without it's flaws, but still a legitimate epic in the classic sense. It explores ideas, concepts, and themes not found before or since in the medium.

- Gunslinger Girl: Probably my most surprising inclusion on this list, but this show is a legitimately amazing series from start to finish. It never misses a beat.

- Ping Pong: Recency bias be dammed, I'm gonna drop this here. I don't care!

- Mushi-Shi: Perfection.

- TTGL: I enjoy the second half of this show so I'm a weird outlier, I suppose.

- Doremi: A gigantic franchise is hard to rate, but the quality and consistency of the writing is off the scale. In terms of how overlooked a show is vs it's quality, this has to have the highest correlation of any title I can think of.

- Eureka Seven: I've only just come to appreciate how spectacular this title is (despite prior familiarity) so there's a slightly amount of recency bias here.

- Space Battleship Yamato 2199 - AOTY.

- Anne of Green Gables - One of the greatest shows of all time directed by one of the greatest directors in anime (Takahata) with the help of the most well known anime director (Miyazaki) and based off of truly fantastic source material. Anne is simply one of the most well realised and most endearing characters in the entire medium. The quality of children's TV anime in the 70's was god damn ridiculous. Watch this show now. Don't make me watchbet you sons of guns.

So yeah, it is a pretty small list, but there are definetenly a number of contenders for the 'throne'.

Yamato is was very good. Haven;t watched Anne or ever heard of it but now its on my list.

Whats LOGH?

Also I may be alone on this but I never found Gintama that good. In fact I got bored of it pretty quickly.

 

[AquaWateria]

Yamato is was very good. Haven;t watched Anne or ever heard of it but now its on my list.

Whats LOGH?

Also I may be alone on this but I never found Gintama that good. In fact I got bored of it pretty quickly.

Have you finished watching Gintama.

 

[firehawk12]

dont take my post as being serious, its 100% satire.

Hah, okay. Text and tone don't mix!

Did anyone ever say that True ArtTM was easy?

Two points:

- You are free to fast forward through all the literally recycled shots so each episode is actually going to be quite a lot shorter than it's supposed run time. Just be sure not to miss sequences with recycled animation that feature subtle (but important) imagery that changes episodes to episode - these are usually quite obvious elements of the scene that change while the rest is the same.

(You can't skip recap episodes though. For reasons.)

- It's questionable whether there's even much point in executing the exercise of watching Utena (and presumably at least trying to get to grips with what it has to say) if you're going to cut yourself off from understand a huge part of the show.

As I said above, the beginning of the series is the most traditional in appearance, with it's characters and story beats failing very much in line with traditional shoujo tropes (baring a few exceptions). However, only by watching and recognising this material can you appreciate what the show is trying to say about these tropes later when it reflects on the first arc of the series. The brings all this material to bear so that it can examine it under a new light. Later revelations are hugely important in how it changes your perception and understanding of everything that went on it that first arc.

Heck the Mikage arc, which I believe you are currently stationed at, is already beginning to do that.

I completely understand... I just feel like I remember enough and going back to start all over would probably stop any momentum that I have at the moment. It's the same reason I skipped the first two episodes of LOGH, because I just couldn't watch that battle again.

 

[BassForever]

Captain Earth 11

WHELP Wasn't expecting crazy bitch to eat it like that, was expecting her to be an evil human though.

Also Hana's swim suit jeebus isn't she like 14

 

[Psycho_Mantis]

But no one was posting anything or supporting a viewpoint that is problematic in the social context from Free! that would make one feel uncomfortable?

Oh my bad, I should of highlighted the relevant part which was the lewdness. I swear Duckroll said or we agreed that we would stop posting lewd gifs and pics......maybe I'm dreaming but I feel like it happened.

 

[Jex]

Yamato is was very good. Haven;t watched Anne or ever heard of it but now its on my list.

Whats LOGH?

Legend of the Galactic Heroes.

 

[sonicmj1]

But no one was posting anything or supporting a viewpoint that is problematic in the social context from Free! that would make one feel uncomfortable?

The relevant quote.

If someone wants to post sexy pictures or lewd stuff like panties, bust sizes, or "dat ass" or whatever, they can do so somewhere else which is not NeoGAF. Off-Topic no longer has "Hot Women" or "Hot Men" threads. Image spam for the purpose of self stimulation aid is discouraged throughout the forum. This will be no different.

While this may be the greatest season ever for fans of attractive young men spending intimate time with other attractive young men, please try to contain yourself.

 

[Theonik]

Dat avatar....you're certainly brave.

 

[BassForever]

Captain Earth 12 Opening 2 minutes

What the hell was that? Suddenly I was in a very different very dark anime

 

[Chariot]

Oh my bad, I should of highlighted the relevant part which was the lewdness. I swear Duckroll said or we agreed that we would stop posting lewd gifs and pics......maybe I'm dreaming but I feel like it happened.

I will say nothing about Theoniks avatar, but I don't think the Free!-stuff at most imply something lewd. I mean, they're often almost naked and touch each other while half naked, because they are halfnaked. Swimming is a very clothless sport. The presantation of the posted free stuff is not very lewd. In my opinion.

Spoiler

I hope everybody has forgotten that I missed the NGNL fanservice.

 

[MetroidPrimeRib]

I don't think any Free! stuff posted yet has been over the line or anything.

 

[Syrinx]

Ranma 1/2 8

Secret's out on Ranma, though who's in on it is still a bit of a question. Ryouga obviously knows, but Kuno seems to still be in the dark. As for Ryouga, he's going to have to explain his hatred for Ranma sooner or later.

And Akane lost her ponytail. And Ranma's father is captured by the zoo. And doesn't give a fuck, lol.

 

[Jex]

I completely understand... I just feel like I remember enough and going back to start all over would probably stop any momentum that I have at the moment. It's the same reason I skipped the first two episodes of LOGH, because I just couldn't watch that battle again.

I get it, whatever works for you. I'd still recommend very (very) quickly skimming through first set of episodes to really refresh yourself on the key stuff that's present in them.

I mean, can't really speak about fully comprehending the text because I've seen the entire show twice and I've read a fair amount of articles on the subject and I still don't feel like I have a firm grasp over the entire series It's not really reasonable to expect you, or anyone, to have that kind of understanding on your first time through the text.

I think this is one of the many reasons Utena is kind of daunting to as a serious text - it requires a fair amount of effort on the part of the viewer to really work with the show to appreciate it and it features a ton of recycled animation, recycled episode beats and it looks kind of cheap in places.

 

[Hattori]

Theobutts is back! Banzai!

 

[SliceSabre]

I don't think any Free! stuff posted yet has been over the line or anything.

The problem with Free is that its a show about swimming. Also the problem is that not all man-service is lewd? I mean I don't see any close up crotch shots outlining their boys or asses.

 

[TUSR]

Ranma 1/2 8

Secret's out on Ranma, though who's in on it is still a bit of a question. Ryouga obviously knows, but Kuno seems to still be in the dark. As for Ryouga, he's going to have to explain his hatred for Ranma sooner or later.

And Akane lost her ponytail. And Ranma's father is captured by the zoo. And doesn't give a fuck, lol.

:')