DTL vindicated, One Piece steals from Fairy Tail confirmed.
I don't know what it says about Fairy Tail that I've enjoyed the two filler episodes more than any of the canon material, but this episode was awesomely bonkers. You can probably tell what's going on from the pictures, but just in case you need a hint,
I was surprised to find Funimation on this weeks Rooster Teeth podcast talking about the Mass Effect Anime. These might already be known, but some these were the most notable tidbits:
Bioware were very tight lipped about the story and wouldn't reveal much about what happened in Mass Effect 3 to the production team beyond what related to James Vega.
Mix of 2D art with 3D assests, the latter of which sound like they are reappopriated game assets.
I really don't understand the big deal about episode 3 in the series and what exactly makes it different from the first two episodes for some people, I mean if you didn't think much of the first two episodes, what exactly about episode 3 changed your mind? I personally loved the hell out of episodes 1 & 2 and didn't think that much about episode 3. (which was still good) go figure!
I do agree that the show has to much focus on the dudes though, needs more alien girl.
Episode 3 felt like all around progress for the characters.
Haru learns that there's an end to all living things, prompting Yuki to wallow away in the realization that his grandmother won't be around forever. Yuki also learns to genuinely enjoy fishing by the end of the episode. The main point I liked about episode 3 is that Yuki just opens up as opposed to him just cowering under his fear in the first two episodes.
This reminded me of one of the interview questions with the author of the Miniskirt Space Pirates/Bodacious Space Pirates novels prior to the TV version airing.
http://www.starchild.co.jp/special/mo-retsu/special/comment.html
●『ミニスカ宇宙海賊』のテーマやコンセプトは何でしょうか？ What's the theme/concept behind Miniskirt Space Pirates? It's designed to sell, based on the concept, "A high school girl in a miniskirt who's a space pirate sounds like fun, right?" (laugh)
So, what it was was, I wanted to do a "proper" sci-fi story with a solid depiction of outer space. But I figured if "proper sci-fi" was all it was, it would be too hardcore for anyone to want to read it, so I dressed it up with "high school girls" and "space pirates" to soften things in hopes that would get me some readership. (laugh) In this animated adaptation, they're going to be picking up those "proper sci-fi" elements and presenting it as such, so you can definitely look forward to that.
I could feel my hot sperm gushing deep into Asuna as she trembled in yet another climax. Two years worth of semen made a glopping noise as it flowed endlessly into Asuna.
This episode, and I am not kidding, was a straight-up parody of Bowling for Columbine and Michael Moore's aggressive, truth-bending, manipulative documentary style. It is the single most bizarre episode of anime that I've watched in a long, long time, and I'm still trying to understand what just happened and how the hell a.) the Japanese even know who Michael Moore is and b.) someone at Brains Base saw a purple-haired loli with pointy hair and demon horns and thought "hmm, this subject is ripe for parody of a foreign documentary on gun control!" Even if you've sworn that you wouldn't touch this series with a ten-foot pole, you need to see this episode.
Let's begin as I usually do with my Sengoku Collection impression posts:
The historical Tsukahara Bokuden once won a battle without drawing his sword by tricking his opponent into stranding himself on an island.
Sengoku Collection Tsukahara Bokuden likes to embarrass her enemies on live national television.
Now that that's over with, I present to you anime Michael Moore:
Or as the anime calls him, Morse. Bokuden is just minding her business teaching students in her dojo one day when this guy bursts through the door and confronts her about teaching swordsmanship to people, claiming that the presence of Sengoku girls in modern times is causing sword-related violence in Japan to skyrocket. Yes, that's right, Japanese sword culture is being used in place of American gun culture for the parody. After the initial confrontation, the show switches to documentary-style with other Sengoku girls being asked about the subject of swordsmanship and whether or not Bokuden is a dangerous person:
At first, it seems like this is where the parody ends and the show is admitting that Bokuden is so boring a character that the rest of the episode is just going to consist of other people talking about her. But no, it's at this point that the episode truly goes off the deep end...
...and becomes a full-on Michael Moore documentary parody. In a several-minute tirade against swords, several accounts of sword violence are recounted, graphs comparing Japan's level of sword violence to that in other countries are shown, and finally, we arrive at what is probably the most amazing thing in the episode, a parody of Moore's explanatory cartoons that break down complex issues in simple ways:
The insane logic that the cartoon uses to prove that swords turn the Japanese into bloodthirsty monsters is pretty amazing to behold. The documentary ends, and we find out that Bokuden has been watching the documentary on her television the entire time:
And she's not happy that her interview in the documentary was edited in such a way that she's made to appear to be a psychotic killer when, in reality, she had spoken out against using swords to kill for the entire interview. After discussing the problem with a couple of her other Sengoku friends who were also misrepresented, she hatches a plan to trick Morse into doing an interview on live television so that he won't have a chance to edit her words.
I won't go into too much detail, but the live segment is pretty amazing. True to his real-life counterpart's tactics, Morse trots out a wheelchair-bound victim of sword violence and demands that a Sengoku girl appear to apologize to the boy and promise never to use swords again. I won't go into too much detail, but the live interview backfires spectacularly and
Bokuden tricks one of her rivals into trying to kill Morse, which scares him so much that he gives up doing documentaries entirely
.
And as if the Bowling for Columbine references weren't obvious enough, Brains Base hammers it home one more time at the end of the episode with some really interesting architecture:
Even though I've described all of this, it's no substitute for watching it. You will not believe your eyes.
Looks like they're going to change the OP as we go along. I wonder if they're going to add Renton later or possibly get rid of Naru. It also confirms that they are indeed making the sequel to the tv series and not the movie.
The most striking thing so far about the show are the characters. Ao up to this point has been a better protagonist compared to Renton. He's reckless like Renton but also seems more aware of his place in the world at peace with it. Not to mention he seems smarter than his father in regards to battle tactics. In fact, he almost seems too mature for a 13 year old. The core cast seems to be stronger compared to their E7 counterparts. Gazelle is going to play the big brother role Moondoggie was supposed to and Ivica seems like a less assholish version of Holland. The biggest strike against the cast is Elena who while realistic in the sense of being somewhat vapid, doesn't seem to have that strong of a personality compared to Naru or Elena. Now what I'm curious about is who is going to be the love interest. The way the OP positions the shit out of Naru, I would have suspected it to be her however the situation at the end of the episode and the way they're kinda positioning Elena up, I can see Elena being the romantic interest. What scares the shit out of me is that Bones is going to pull some love triangle bullshit instead of just focusing on a core relationship.
The politics also got clarified in this episode a bit more as well as the past four episodes really seem like the introductory arc. It seems both the Japanese and AF(which seems like the powerhouse it is in real life) just do whatever they want and Okinawa is just independent on paper. Surprisingly it also put the role of Generation Blue into just another PMC while I though GB would be the PMC due to the nature of Scub Coral and having a stronger international position than they do. This really feels like a future version of our world rather than E7's world. One thing that struck me was Elena's disposal of that Scub Coral core as it felt like something I would see in a bomb squad disposal unit.
There are traits though that seem to link back to the original series such as the Nirvash having atleast some form of rudimentary AI, Nirvash being the prototype for all IFOs(similar to the OG series), Eureka herself(and appearance in the OP), and the joke Naru made about Ao having wings. I'm not sure what to make of all of that yet.
Not much to comment on in regards to the music front except for that piece that played when Elena was firing. Pretty crap and stood out from the rest of the music. There was also a good piece when Ao and Naru were talking and when Ao was taking off.
They was also some nice attention to detail such as the gun dropping from the holster and into the sea. They also gave a good reason as to why most of the IFOs have guns compared to the prominence of melee weapons in the original series. Even something like how the Nirvash can use this generic part on the go was given a solid reason. Unlike many productions, this actually feels like it was written by a human being instead of some high schooler.
The politics is definitely the worse part of the show as it's rather hamfisted in the approach they're using to describe the Okinawans. They did show that there are different opinions on the matter with some of the people despising or even being annoyed at the antics of the 'younger' generation, not to mention that miner helping Ao.
Animation was decent, not to par with episode 2 but definitely a step up from the shit in episode 3. I was expecting the fight to be more drawn out but it was fine as it was.
Overall the show is finally out of the prologue phase and the next couple should be interesting to see what format the show is going towards. It's definitely a step up from Xam'd and Stardriver so far and the tone feels much closer to the original series compared to the shit that is known as DtB S2.
My problem with this show is that there's not a clear objective in mind for me to root for Ao. There are all this different factions trying to get him for their SCIENCE stuff, as well as the monsters that wanna destroy the world or something, but up until now all that stuff seems very distant from Ao's dilemma regarding Eureka. Add to that all the technobabble and background exposition the writers keep cramming into the script every five minutes and it's difficult for me to keep track of what the shit's going on.
...then the 2D mechas start blowing shit up and I get all dere dere for this cartoon.
I don’t want to really recall how I was at that time, but I sacrificed all of the sexual energy that starts to awaken in all boys around that age in order to immerse myself into games.
My problem with this show is that there's not a clear objective in mind for me to root for Ao. There are all this different factions trying to get him for their SCIENCE stuff, as well as the monsters that wanna destroy the world or something, but up until now all that stuff seems very distant from Ao's dilemma regarding Eureka. Add to that all the technobabble and background exposition the writers keep cramming into the script every five minutes and it's difficult for me to keep track of what the shit's going on.
...then the 2D mechas start blowing shit up and I get all dere dere for this cartoon.
It's definitely complicated as there are four different factions all competing with each other but atleast they're taking the time to explain this compared to Xam'd which dumped all the info on you and never bothered to explain jack shit.
Huh, was the music new in this episode? I don't remember liking the soundtrack too much.
I actually kind of like this arc, so it's nice to see animated. Looking forward to Nabeshima's trolling more than anything else.
And it really does look like we'll get to the Enforcers arc episode 7. Excellent. The genre shift could have happened much later since I don't know if they'd need 6 episodes for the arc.
It's definitely complicated as there are four different factions all competing with each other but atleast they're taking the time to explain this compared to Xam'd which dumped all the info on you and never bothered to explain jack shit.
I don't know if my dissatisfaction is born from my memories of the original show. While that had its moments of "so here's trapar and here's why Gekko State is running from these bozos" the first arc made it very clear that the focus was Renton earning the disrespect (and later the respect) of a hostile environment in his quest to win Eureka's heart. It made it easy for the audience to relate to the little dude. The way the writers have handled Ao's alienation feels artificial --it just sort of happens because this big climactic stuff that Ao is indirectly related to. It's the sort of plot twist that should happen one fourth later into the story, after we've come to know what are the protagonist's ambitions and relationships to these people.
I welcome the change of setting for the following arc.
You are absolutely right. However, Heartcatch is 49 episodes while One Piece is 540 and counting. In my opinion, the former is only good for the last 5 episodes. I think it's fair to say that something that gets good in the 30s and then continues to escalate for hundreds of episodes is more reasonable than waiting the same amount of time for a show less than 50 episodes.
I found it just looking for an avatar and liked it because of the color and the playfulness of Eureka compared to her usually stoic personality. Also makes my posts easy to find. I tried to find a source(as in original artist) for the image but as all things on the internet, that seems lost to time.
I don't know if my dissatisfaction is born from my memories of the original show. While that had its moments of "so here's trapar and here's why Gekko State is running from these bozos" the first arc made it very clear that the focus was Renton earning the disrespect (and later the respect) of a hostile environment in his quest to win Eureka's heart. It made it easy for the audience to relate to the little dude. The way the writers have handled Ao's alienation feels artificial --it just sort of happens because this big climactic stuff that Ao is indirectly related to. It's the sort of plot twist that should happen one fourth later into the story, after we've come to know what are the protagonist's ambitions and relationships to these people.
I welcome the change of setting for the following arc.
Well I think it's probably fair to compare the first four episodes of AO to the opening three in Eureka 7. Mainly because both are prologues designed to establish characters and get them out of the area they lived in, thus establishing the show as an adventure. I do agree so far there doesn't really seem to be a general motivation of the show except for Ao finding his mother. I think it's a bit more complicated compared to the original series where Renton's main motivation was to follow Eureka. Here there is not only a pull factor but also a push factor as well in the form of the racism. Also the racism part is somewhat acceptable mainly because imagine if someone in real life had teal hair, most people would be thinking 'WTF' as well. I expect that to be toned down next arc anyway.
The next arc looks to be the training one as well as introduction to Gen Bleu so I don't expect any sort of 'save the world from the evil corporation or Allied Forces' motivation till further down the road. The format of the show right now is mostly that of a mystery show as we don't know why Eureka left or how she got there and the protagonist is trying to figure that out.
In about 3 hours or so, the Ufotable Cinema will be hosting a free screening of Sword of the Stranger as part of the Golden Week festivities. Minami from BONES will be at the event, and there might or might not be some sort of announcement with regards to further plans BONES has for the 5th Anniversary of Stranger. Fingers crossed!
I left this episode feeling generally positive. The mystery was definitely lacking again this episode, but Houtarou's thought processes were delightfully creative in their visualization and the mysteries themselves are just a vehicle for character interaction anyway, so as long as the characters themselves remain interesting and likable, I won't have a problem.
I see that the final member of the main foursome is a spunky and aggressive girl to serve as a foil for Eru. I still find Eru's exaggerated child-like sense of wonder slightly off-putting, so I'm glad that there's now a character that can balance this out. I still like Houtarou and appreciate that the show is consistent in demonstrating that his actions are being determined by his "low energy" personal philosophy, and his Ryuugamine Mikado clone friend is genki without being an annoying loudmouth. If nothing else, Hyouka seems ripe for really fun character interaction.
Did I mention that the show is fucking beautiful? I mean, everyone knows it already, but shots like this demand that it be repeated time and time again:
Well I think it's probably fair to compare the first four episodes of AO to the opening three in Eureka 7. Mainly because both are prologues designed to establish characters and get them out of the area they lived in, thus establishing the show as an adventure. I do agree so far there doesn't really seem to be a general motivation of the show except for Ao finding his mother. I think it's a bit more complicated compared to the original series where Renton's main motivation was to follow Eureka. Here there is not only a pull factor but also a push factor as well in the form of the racism. Also the racism part is somewhat acceptable mainly because imagine if someone in real life had teal hair, most people would be thinking 'WTF' as well. I expect that to be toned down next arc anyway.
While I agree that such a theme should be as dramatic and jarring as possible, my problem is that there's no status quo for which to compare Ao's sudden change of environment from his compatriots. He is just thrown into the fire with no meaningful exploration of his character and life before all this shit happens. It's a parallel to the beginning of the original show in a way, but the focus of the show (this mystery you speak of) does not jive with it as well as the story of a boy falling in love with a Rei-clone-til-otherwise-stated girl.
That and the fact that we keep getting sidetracked into Infodump Country.
That was off-the-wall fun. Who'd expect a skewering of Michael Moore in anime, least of all an adaptation of a mobile game about gender-swapped Sengoku blah blah? The very last scene was a bit of a letdown, but until then it did a good job of mocking the idiosyncrasies of Moore's "documentaries" and embarrassing him in a way I'm sure would please those misrepresented by him. All hail Shingo Kaneko, who can make something worthwhile even within a shit show.
The character designs and personalities of the Sengoku girls are terrible, but I suppose Kaneko can't be blamed for that. The art design is a lot like MPD and much better than the show deserves.
Someone let me know if another episode like this shows up.
I still can't believe they went for the fat otaku hero, that makes the whole wish-fufillment aspect so transparent. I feel the next step is to make him unpleasant to look at as well.
I still can't believe they went for the fat otaku hero, that makes the whole wish-fufillment aspect so transparent. I feel the next step is to make him unpleasant to look at as well.
