Support NeoGAF

[hosannainexcelsis]

There are some tough female characters as well.

They haven't shown up yet though.

 

[Rhapsody]

Minami-ke had an amazing first episode. In fact I found it notable for being hilarious right out of the gate and leaving a very lasting favorable first impression, which I think helped when the material wasn't quite as strong. Stuff like Nichibros and Love Lab were also like this.

I'm going to have to rewatch it. I completely forgot everything about it
I wouldn't say I found it boring, but episode after episode definitely gained momentum for me.

By the end I was disappointed in hearing how there was that studio change and how bad it was that I avoided those seasons.
Latest season was pretty close to first season's quality though, so it'll be disappointing if/when there's another studio change.

 

[AnathemicOne]

I OBJECT.

Nah, but seriously I was expecting a rebuttal from AKB0048 not WGU of all things.

 

[Basileus777]

Minami-ke had an amazing first episode. In fact I found it notable for being hilarious right out of the gate and leaving a very lasting favorable first impression, which I think helped when the material wasn't quite as strong. Stuff like Nichibros and Love Lab were also like this.

Is the Order a Rabbit was good from the first episode, I never found it to be something that needed time to become entertaining. It's not nearly as good as Minami-ke, but what is?

 

[fertygo]

There are some tough female characters as well.

I kinda want to reject that with saying its an result from the era the part written, blatant sexism for material from 80's should've expected the more modern part that Araki written. have less of it.. but I reminded SBR is quite bad at it too..

That being said tho Araki already doing his part for strong woman potrayal at his work with Jolyne and her gang.. and she not just simply had "badass girl" stereotype, its pretty bold move to make her as troubled teenager that must going to jail because her behavior, its pretty interesting stuff to tackle..

 

[Mokoi]

I OBJECT.

http://www.fandompost.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Wake-Up-Girls-Episode-10.jpg

Wake up girls had a terrible budget right? How does it hold up I may watch it after this season of Love Live finishes.

 

[fertygo]

Wake up girls had a terrible budget right? How does it hold up I may watch it after this season of Love Live finishes.

If Love Live look bad for the singing, WUG looks terrifying for the whole thing.

 

[astrogamer]

One-Week Friends 10
Resisting urge to punch screen when Hajime is on screen. Shogo x Saki is really cute

 

[R_thanatos]

Seikoku no dragonar - 10

The royal familly need a serious reminder to actually do something until the end once you take a decision.

The scene with the hand holding was great and most of the episode was quite alright

Eco + ash blake situation seems to be eventfull , so it's alright

The question remains :
-A maid with only underwear
-A maid without underwear

I ....can't choose .

Thankfully this episode provided both.

 

[Superflat]

Nah, but seriously I was expecting a rebuttal from AKB0048 not WGU of all things.

Wake up girls had a terrible budget right? How does it hold up I may watch it after this season of Love Live finishes.

To be fair WUG and Idolmaster aren't good comparisons. Wake Up Girls take a lot more real-life cues from the Japanese idol industry and its fans, and that's what made it stand out. It's the most grounded idol show I've seen, and doesn't contain a lot of "anime-isms", to the point where it could easily have worked as a live-action drama. It kinda takes a different mindset.

If you wanna check it out, you gotta watch the movie first (I use the term "movie" loosely because it's only 50 minutes).

AKB0048, despite taking place in a wierd sci-fi universe, also contain a lot of themes that are true-to-life to real idols; which isn't surprising since it's based on an existing group.

What I really want is a anime adaptation of AKB49

 

[AnathemicOne]

To be fair WUG and Idolmaster aren't good comparisons. Wake Up Girls take a lot more real-life cues from the Japanese idol industry and its fans, and that's what made it stand out. It's the most grounded idol show I've seen, and doesn't contain a lot of "anime-isms", to the point where it could easily have worked as a live-action drama. It kinda takes a different mindset.

If you wanna check it out, you gotta watch the movie first (I use the term "movie" loosely because it's only 50 minutes).

AKB0048, despite taking place in a wierd sci-fi universe, also contain a lot of themes that are true-to-life to real idols; which isn't surprising since it's based on an existing group.

What I really want is a anime adaptation of AKB49

Granted I haven't seen WGU but what from I read/heard from it isn't what I'm looking for in an idol show unfortunately. I like iM@S alot as an idol show because while it has catchy (and amazing if you dig deep enough on youtube) songs and fun, it yet introduces/maintains a drama that isn't contrived. Plus it gives a bit of insight into the idol business with its characters being part of a small company.

Realism is always a plus when it comes to anime, but for an idol show I'm essentially there for the songs, characters, and a bit of fun (I say a 'bit' because Love Live! utterly failed in that regard in being nonsensical).

 

[madp]

I dont think they ever said nen was some well guarded secret martial arts, just a very rare one, and one that every single person or even living thing is capable of but only a few are able to really use it, whether theyre aware that they're using it or not, and its not like a dozen, its like of a population of say like 7 billion, only a couple million are even aware that it exists.

"several dozen" just refers to the level 200+ fighters at Heaven's Arena because that's the only venue in which the average person in the HxH world is going to witness Nen powers.

Wing mentions that the existence of Nen isn't publicized because, if everyone knew how to use it, the likelihood of dangerous and evil people using Nen would increase, and so it's contained to secretive master/pupil relationships. Nen is so unknown that not even all certified Hunters, who are already the super elite in terms of strength and wit, are aware of its existence. Some people have a natural predisposition to being able to use Nen, but apparently it's dangerous enough even in the hands of the unskilled that the power becoming public knowledge is an outcome feared by Nen masters.

 

[Superflat]

Granted I haven't seen WGU but what from I read/heard from it isn't what I'm looking for in an idol show unfortunately.

Realism is always a plus when it comes to anime, but for an idol show I'm essentially there for the songs, characters, and a bit of fun (I say a 'bit' because Love Live! utterly failed in that regard in being nonsensical).

It definitely doesn't have wide appeal the same way as Love Live and iM@S (haven't watched Love Live yet but it's def a popular franchise), esp in presentation (and not just talking about production value ). It can easily be called a boring show and I can't blame people who do, even if I found the characters, songs, and small-scale story to be very endearing. I'm also a big consumer of Japanese idol content myself so WUG was basically aimed at people like me lol

 

[R_thanatos]

The world is still beautifull - 09

I guess we need one evil looking dude that will do something evil and stupid , only to be won by the couple later.

Nike-hime sisters are marvelous...this is all.

 

[firehawk12]

The 10th OVA/OAD will come next year in February with the 11th manga volume. http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/product/NEOBK-1670920

I am hoping for this to either be licensed, which probably won't happen, or for a BD-box to appear.

It's not perverted enough to actually get licensed. Which is funny/sad in and of itself, come to think of it. lol

Love Live S2 10
It is almost insulting how cheap, bland, and lazy this episode is. We cut from a climax to a time skip, any emotion or tension lost for the outcome to be sloppily spouted off as though it were the most trivial occurence in the world.

Spoiler

Why set up A-RISE in such an involved fashion if the showdown with them is ultimately going to be completely trivialized to the point where we don't even get a snippet of their performance?

Instead of focusing on what could be a climactic moment for the season we get this meandering episode about...the end of the year festival, making mochi, and...catch phrases. Everything this show stands for is completely loathsome, and its disregard for basic storytelling continues to illustrate that the entire series is not only soulless, but also devoid of any merit.

Spoiler

somehow GoT was even worse this week. what a load of garbage to watch back to back.

I haven't seen this episode, but really, they probably just don't have

Spoiler

any songs in the can that they can use for A-Rise. I can't remember if they showed the evil boy band's song in the Idolmaster anime...

Also, GoT proved the power of fedoras!

 

[dimb]

I haven't seen this episode, but really, they probably just don't have

Spoiler

any songs in the can that they can use for A-Rise. I can't remember if they showed the evil boy band's song in the Idolmaster anime...

Also, GoT proved the power of fedoras!

The evil boy band in im@s played a different and smaller role that played more off stage. A-Rise is designed as an idol group for Muse to look up to, but then their stage performance is just completely swept under the rug.

 

[Articalys]

It's not perverted enough to actually get licensed. Which is funny/sad in and of itself, come to think of it. lol

So there's a sort of "uncanny valley" for how perverted a series can be where it's not clean enough to be safe but not ridiculous enough to hit the niche market or something?

 

[Ice Lightning]

It's not perverted enough to actually get licensed. Which is funny/sad in and of itself, come to think of it. lol

Sad, but true. I feel in the coming years I will either be purchasing just imports or nothing at all because of this.

 

[AnathemicOne]

It definitely doesn't have wide appeal the same way as Love Live and iM@S (haven't watched Love Live yet but it's def a popular franchise), esp in presentation (and not just talking about production value ). It can easily be called a boring show and I can't blame people who do, even if I found the characters, songs, and small-scale story to be very endearing. I'm also a big consumer of Japanese idol content myself so WUG was basically aimed at people like me lol

Understandable, I might watch WUG eventually, maybe after Cinderella Girls airs.

I haven't seen this episode, but really, they probably just don't have

Spoiler

any songs in the can that they can use for A-Rise. I can't remember if they showed the evil boy band's song in the Idolmaster anime...

Jupiter, the band you're talking about, I don't recall having any songs featured in the anime (maybe one), but they are a group in the iM@S games with songs I believe, look up on youtube.

 

[Eusis]

From Up On Poppy Hill

With what some people here were saying I was expecting worse, but it was still enjoyable even if it wasn't up to Ghibli's heights (not that I expected that from Goro Miyazaki really.)

 

[dakkumauji]

Puchimas!! 56

Fishing episodes are usually the best episodes.

Ace of Diamond 35

I'll miss this laugh.

Bokura wa Minna Kawaisou 10

I still think book girl is the best.

Shinryaku! Ika Musume 10-12

Ruthless volleyball and thought the whole disappearance of Ika Musume wasn't a bad way to end the first season.

Shinryaku! Ika Musume Special 01-02

These mini Ika episodes were pretty cute.

Shinryaku! Ika Musume OVA 01

The indestructible but terrible games GBA!

 

[foxuzamaki]

im gonna watch F-zero GP legend, subbed, ive seen like 1 or 2 episodes dubbed back in the day, dont remember them at all, I love F-zero, why the hell not.

 

[firehawk12]

The evil boy band in im@s played a different and smaller role that played more off stage. A-Rise is designed as an idol group for Muse to look up to, but then their stage performance is just completely swept under the rug.

Well, maybe I'm looking at this as a business thing, but why would you go through the trouble of writing a song for a set of characters who aren't part of the idol group you're pimping in real life? Although it would be kind of funny if they tried to spin off Love Live with an A-Rise anime though...

Jupiter, the band you're talking about, I don't recall having any songs featured in the anime (maybe one), but they are a group in the iM@S games with songs I believe, look up on youtube.

They didn't even rate inclusion in the anime though!

So there's a sort of "uncanny valley" for how perverted a series can be where it's not clean enough to be safe but not ridiculous enough to hit the niche market or something?

Sad, but true. I feel in the coming years I will either be purchasing just imports or nothing at all because of this.

Well, it's not as easily "perverted" as something like B Gata H Kei or any number of similar sex comedy shows, where the jokes are much more direct.

I mean, there's like a ten part joke about whether or not Tsuda fucked a butt shaped onahole that requires you to actually watch all the episodes in order for you to see the punchline.
Other shows are like "Hey, these girls have giant tits and they bounce a lot" or "These girls get covered in sticky white stuff".

Heck, remember their copy for B Gata?

OMG! There’s this girl at school, Yamada, who wants to make like a hundred sex friends. She totally thinks she can de-virginize one hundred different boys! Can you believe that? That’s like every boy in the school. Who does she think she is? I heard from my friend’s neighbor’s cousin’s lab partner that Yamada’s never even been kissed. Oh. My. God. I would totally die. That’s like burn all your makeup and shave off your eyebrows embarrassing. I can’t even think about it. Today at lunch I saw Yamada flirting, like for reals flirting, with that geek Kosuda. You know the guy. Photography club, no muscles, boring face, kind of reminds you of a black-and-white movie. Super lame. If Yamada can’t even make the sex with him, she’ll never score a hundred cherry boys. She needs to take like Sex Ed or something because I heard she can’t give it away!

You can't really even do that with Seitokai Yakuindomo because the girls aren't "girls" but just characters that make jokes about their vibrators setting off metal detectors at the airport. lol

 

[dimb]

Well, maybe I'm looking at this as a business thing, but why would you go through the trouble of writing a song for a set of characters who aren't part of the idol group you're pimping in real life? Although it would be kind of funny if they tried to spin off Love Live with an A-Rise anime though...

Look at what all this idol tapping has done to you.

 

[Jintor]

SYD is hilarious though :T

stupid realities of marketing

 

[hipsterpants]

Howl's Moving Castle

By far the weakest of the three Miyazaki films I've seen so far. The plot was pretty... bad? Like there's this horrific war that forms the back drop for what's going on but then it's handled really poorly (especially in the end).

Also, is there any news of a US blu-ray release of Mononoke? Are there licensing problems or something?

 

[Acid08]

Been watching Gundam Break Fighters and it's rad! Makes me want to buy Gundam models for the first time since I was a kid(which seems like the show's real purpose :lol).

 

[firehawk12]

Look at what all this idol tapping has done to you.

I mean, I know Love Live is basically just a marketing gimmick for a product. And instead of plastic wands and shit, they need to sell copies of Snow Halation and handshake event tickets. Based on that fact, I'm surprised that they're able to put together a competent show built around this absurd system of having high school girls become idols in some kind of nationwide Glee-like competition.
Heck, I'll say this for Love Live - at least they sing original songs and don't bank on you having feelings for whatever song they happen to be covering each week.
(Imagine if the Muse girls sang Don't Stop Believing? lol)

SYD is hilarious though :T

stupid realities of marketing

Yeah, I think it does sex comedy in a way that is more than just "teehee bewbies", and it's probably one of the few shows where I'd actually like to see a dub just to see if there are any depraved minds at Funimation/Sentai/wherever. Too bad it just doesn't really seem like it would appeal to anyone beyond the streaming crowd.

You can't even sell it as "listen to two of the K-On girls be perverted" here like you could in Japan. lol

 

[Eusis]

Howl's Moving Castle

By far the weakest of the three Miyazaki films I've seen so far. The plot was pretty... bad? Like there's this horrific war that forms the back drop for what's going on but then it's handled really poorly (especially in the end).

Also, is there any news of a US blu-ray release of Mononoke? Are there licensing problems or something?

As I recall that whole war thing came about because he was kind of angry about the Afghanistan and Iraq business so it came out through that.

And unless there was really weird fucking around with Mononoke and Miramax (that Disney used to own) I doubt there's any real problems on that front. More likely I imagine they want to figure out HOW they want to release it, given it's not really the family friendly fare most Ghibli films are. And I sort of wonder if Disney's getting something of cold feet there, From Up On Poppy Hill was released through GKIDS for example despite credit going partially to Walt Disney Japan, and I believe DIsney will release The Wind Rises through Touchstone as their proxy.

 

[Superflat]

Howl's Moving Castle

By far the weakest of the three Miyazaki films I've seen so far. The plot was pretty... bad? Like there's this horrific war that forms the back drop for what's going on but then it's handled really poorly (especially in the end).

Also, is there any news of a US blu-ray release of Mononoke? Are there licensing problems or something?

I remember being disappointed Howl's Moving Castle. Following Spirited away, I felt like Howl was borrowing too many ideas from it, even with the different themes and backdrop. I can't remember too much about it though tbh.

I fucking loved Ponyo though, possibly one of my all-time fave Miyazaki films.

 

[dimb]

I mean, I know Love Live is basically just a marketing gimmick for a product. And instead of plastic wands and shit, they need to sell copies of Snow Halation and handshake event tickets. Based on that fact, I'm surprised that they're able to put together a competent show built around this absurd system of having high school girls become idols in some kind of nationwide Glee-like competition.
Heck, I'll say this for Love Live - at least they sing original songs and don't bank on you having feelings for whatever song they happen to be covering each week.
(Imagine if the Muse girls sang Don't Stop Believing? lol)

I mean, for me it's not a competent show...and the songs are all really bad. In that respect licensed tracks would be an improvement because we could stop pretending "Happy Holiday" forcibly burrowing into our brains is a worthwhile musical effort. All I'm left with is the lame marketing stuff that's super gross.

 

[Branduil]

Howl's Moving Castle

By far the weakest of the three Miyazaki films I've seen so far. The plot was pretty... bad? Like there's this horrific war that forms the back drop for what's going on but then it's handled really poorly (especially in the end).

What, you don't like sudden Deus Ex Machina resolutions to plot points you didn't even know existed?

 

[Jintor]

I can't tell if Love Live has good music or not anymore :<

I've lost my musical edge!

 

[firehawk12]

I mean, for me it's not a competent show...and the songs are all really bad. In that respect licensed tracks would be an improvement because we could stop pretending "Happy Holiday" forcibly burrowing into our brains is a worthwhile musical effort. All I'm left with is the lame marketing stuff that's super gross.

As say this as someone who still watches Glee, but I find Love Live to be pretty decent for what it is. A bunch of loveable losers getting together and through the power of friendship and dreams and other generic positive traits, they both save their school and then move on to become national champions. It doesn't try to overstretch itself and fall flat like Tari Tari with the bulimia/dead mother storyline, and it doesn't try to have greater character ambitions like K-On. It's... well, like im@s - a show that is efficient and executed well.

Heck, I'm even okay with this:

As fanservice, it could be much, much worse. lol

I can't tell if Love Live has good music or not anymore :<

I've lost my musical edge!

Maybe it's Stockholm, but I like the songs now. Aishteru Bonzai is my summer jam.

 

[BGBW]

iM@S songs > Love Live songs. I mean I liked READY! and Go My Way! without the need to hear them oodles of times grinding for macrons.

 

[hipsterpants]

As I recall that whole war thing came about because he was kind of angry about the Afghanistan and Iraq business so it came out through that.

And unless there was really weird fucking around with Mononoke and Miramax (that Disney used to own) I doubt there's any real problems on that front. More likely I imagine they want to figure out HOW they want to release it, given it's not really the family friendly fare most Ghibli films are. And I sort of wonder if Disney's getting something of cold feet there, From Up On Poppy Hill was released through GKIDS for example despite credit going partially to Walt Disney Japan, and I believe DIsney will release The Wind Rises through Touchstone as their proxy.

I checked it out from the library I work at (summer job) and it's in the kids section lol. Needless to say I was surprised when the prince first decapitated a guy with an arrow.

I remember being disappointed Howl's Moving Castle. Following Spirited away, I felt like Howl was borrowing too many ideas from it, even with the different themes and backdrop. I can't remember too much about it though tbh.

I fucking loved Ponyo though, possibly one of my all-time fave Miyazaki films.

I think it tried too hard to be "magical" if that makes any sense, at the cost of having a non-convoluted plot.

What, you don't like sudden Deus Ex Machina resolutions to plot points you didn't even know existed?

Spoiler

Was it ever stated who cursed the prince?

It was such an awful end, especially since that was the main character's motivation for his actions (I think? according to Wikipedia). Unless you're referring to some plot point that I still don't know about.

fake edit: I'm guessing you mean

Spoiler

fire demon guy being his heart?

yea I had no idea what was up with that.

 

[firehawk12]

iM@S songs > Love Live songs. I mean I liked READY! and Go My Way! without the need to hear them oodles of times grinding for macrons.

I dunno, maybe it's because I haven't played Shiny Festa enough, but the Love Live songs have found a way to earworm into my head in a way that the im@s songs haven't.

 

[jman2050]

I'd rather listen to Vocaloid stuff than anything from IMAS, Love Live, or any of that other Idol crap.

 

[mankoto]

Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica Movies 01-03 [END]
As far as the first two movies go, I'd say it summarized the show rather well. The only thing noticeable cut out was Mami.

As far as Rebellion goes, it really feels like they fixed that lack of Mami issue I'm this one which is great. In terms of content all I have to say is that

Spoiler

it reminds me of how the series ended. In that more or less nothing changed... Although this is a very extreme version of that.

Spoiler

New movie when? Hell I'll take a book at this point. It's become Madoka Thursday all over again where I'd finish the episode only to become immediately thirsty for the next.

Homura did nothing wrong.

 

[Eusis]

I checked it out from the library I work at (summer job) and it's in the kids section lol. Needless to say I was surprised when the prince first decapitated a guy with an arrow.

Better case to be made for that than Berserk at least, if you saw the photos from the last thread of the third movie being in the kid's section at a Walmart. Especially if we're talking a kid that's already snuck out films like Alien to watch or they were shown the Hobbit, in which case why not, popping off a guy's arms isn't a big deal after those.

 

[AnathemicOne]

As say this as someone who still watches Glee, but I find Love Live to be pretty decent for what it is. A bunch of loveable losers getting together and through the power of friendship and dreams and other generic positive traits, they both save their school and then move on to become national champions. It doesn't try to overstretch itself and fall flat like Tari Tari with the bulimia/dead mother storyline, and it doesn't try to have greater character ambitions like K-On. It's... well, like im@s - a show that is efficient and executed well.

Heck, I'm even okay with this:

As fanservice, it could be much, much worse. lol


Maybe it's Stockholm, but I like the songs now. Aishteru Bonzai is my summer jam.

Focusing in on the bolded, what character ambitions did the cast of K-On! have exactly?

 

[firehawk12]

I'd rather listen to Vocaloid stuff than anything from IMAS, Love Live, or any of that other Idol crap.

Hokago Tea Time > Muse > 765 Pro = Miku. (Wake Up Club where???)

 

[AnathemicOne]

Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica Movies 01-03 [END]
As far as the first two movies go, I'd say it summarized the show rather well. The only thing noticeable cut out was Mami.

As far as Rebellion goes, it really feels like they fixed that lack of Mami issue I'm this one which is great. In terms of content all I have to say is that

Spoiler

it reminds me of how the series ended. In that more or less nothing changed... Although this is a very extreme version of that.

Spoiler

New movie when? Hell I'll take a book at this point. It's become Madoka Thursday all over again where I'd finish the episode only to become immediately thirsty for the next.

Homura did nothing wrong.

Woot, another vote of approval for Rebellion!

As it stands now Rebellion is the latest content within the franchise. There's talks about either another series or movie last I've heard though.

 

[phoenix296]

Maybe it's Stockholm, but I like the songs now. Aishteru Bonzai is my summer jam.

I feel the same way. Maybe it's all the macaron grinding but I've never felt of the songs were so awful that I didn't want to play them. I actually quite like a few of them.

As for the anime yea it's pretty blatant on trying to sell you franchise merchandise but I'm having fun with it. The drama is pretty heavy handed and often forced but it's fun to watch the cast interact with one another as they all have different personalities and traits that make each one endearing in a different way.

 

[BGBW]

I'd rather listen to Vocaloid stuff than anything from IMAS, Love Live, or any of that other Idol crap.

I know they are probably the most mainstream songs of the bunch but Triple Baka and Po Pi Po are literally the only two vocaloid songs I like. There are a few others which I've paid attention to (like Kasane Teto's Territory) but these two are the only ones I'd say I'd go out of my way and choose to listen to them. Honestly though, I haven't really explored the whole world of vocaloid because most of what I heard was miss/noise in the background.

 

[Jintor]

Hokago Tea Time > Muse > 765 Pro = Miku. (Wake Up Club where???)

HTT took a huge dive once Yui started singing lyrics. Chipmunk voice songs in s2 were fucking horrendous.

 

[AnathemicOne]

I'd rather listen to Vocaloid stuff than anything from IMAS, Love Live, or any of that other Idol crap.

Only songs worth listening to off Vocaloid is Megurine Luka stuff.

 

[dimb]

As say this as someone who still watches Glee, but I find Love Live to be pretty decent for what it is. A bunch of loveable losers getting together and through the power of friendship and dreams and other generic positive traits, they both save their school and then move on to become national champions. It doesn't try to overstretch itself and fall flat like Tari Tari with the bulimia/dead mother storyline, and it doesn't try to have greater character ambitions like K-On. It's... well, like im@s - a show that is efficient and executed well.

Even if the show tries to write them off as loveable losers for the most part the cast is competent. Love Live is in this really boring middle ground for me where the drama feels overwrought to the point of parody (the entire school shoveled the walk for you to get to your concert!), and its comedic is failing to ever gain traction on the other end. I don't think the execution of Love Live is even in the same league as im@s, which was able to at least throw in dramatic story arcs that seemed to matter and characters that had enough individuality to make all of that pay off. Love Live as a group feel like some amorphous generic mass that lacks direction other than wanting to win some pointless contest.

 

[firehawk12]

Focusing in on the bolded, what character ambitions did the cast of K-On! have exactly?

I should phrase that differently. I mean Yoshida, as a writer, had at least some ambition when writing the characters. It's why you can have a seemingly throwaway K-On movie but still have it be a significant event in the lives of the characters.

Whoever is writing Love Live is basically just trying to tell a pleasant story, mimicking the graduation angst in the second season because that's just the easy thing to do in a high school story.

I feel the same way. Maybe it's all the macaron grinding but I've never felt of the songs were so awful that I didn't want to play them. I actually quite like a few of them.

As for the anime yea it's pretty blatant on trying to sell you franchise merchandise but I'm having fun with it. The drama is pretty heavy handed and often forced but it's fun to watch the cast interact with one another as they all have different personalities and traits that make each one endearing in a different way.

The writers are also just having fun with the characters because they know it doesn't really matter. So you can have a one minute scene where Honoka and Rin jog in place while they debate sneaking into a restaurant in order to eat lunch.

HTT took a huge dive once Yui started singing lyrics. Chipmunk voice songs in s2 were fucking horrendous.

I like Mio's songs more, but I don't mind Yui's songs.

Even if the show tries to write them off as loveable losers for the most part the cast is competent. Love Live is in this really boring middle ground for me where the drama feels overwrought to the point of parody (the entire school shoveled the walk for you to get to your concert!), and its comedic is failing to ever gain traction on the other end. I don't think the execution of Love Live is even in the same league as im@s, which was able to at least throw in dramatic story arcs that seemed to matter and characters that had enough individuality to make all of that pay off. Love Live as a group feel like some amorphous generic mass that lacks direction other than wanting to win some pointless contest.

I mean, idolmaster has a girl who can talk to animals and a silver haired space alien. How can you compete? lol

 

[Jintor]

I wish Love Live's drama was parody tbh. It's a far better comedic show than it is a dramatic one (even if it's not amusing dimb)