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Spring Anime 2012 II | Welcome Home Eureka

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Steins;Gate & Fate Zero. Watch them, for they are both quality.


Code Geass 09 - Seriously, does this get good? Or is it one of those shows that peaks at mediocre, but people like it because it's so faux dramatic (with the hand waving and fist slamming and such)? If there's no semi-deep story or riveting action in the future lmk, guys. I could be watching other stuff.
If you're looking for depth in Code Geass, then you're watching it all wrong.
 
Code Geass 09 - Seriously, does this get good? Or is it one of those shows that peaks at mediocre, but people like it because it's so faux dramatic (with the hand waving and fist slamming and such)? If there's no semi-deep story or riveting action in the future lmk, guys. I could be watching other stuff.

Episode 12 has a scene you will never forget. It is brief, but gets the job done.
 

qcf x2

Member
If you're looking for depth in Code Geass, then you're watching it all wrong.

Not depth, per se, but I'm trying to find what it is that made it popular. If I'm watching it wrong, how do I watch it right? :(

Alright guys, I'll keep watching. I'll go to 15 and then see if I finish it or not.
 
Eden of the East 09
Another explore the background episode. It is pretty nice to get a more clear idea of what exactly happened or at least the bits and pieces of it. That super computer is pretty damn accurate too.
I'm kinda surprised at how quickly they are tossing out characters in this show.
 
YOU GET TO BURNING

Nozomi Entertainment revealed the highly anticipated MARTIAN SUCCESSOR NADESICO Complete Collection L.E. will be available on Sept. 4, 2012.

The MARTIAN SUCCESSOR NADESICO Complete Collection L.E. DVD set will feature the entire 26-episode television series and its sequel motion picture (Prince of Darkness), as well as its Gekigangar 3 OVA spin-off. This will be the first time Gekigangar 3 will be available to North American audiences.

It will also include remastered video from the Japanese DVD release for the Nadesico TV series and Gekigangar 3 OVA and the previously released English-language dub (TV series and film), plus Japanese audio, English-language subtitles and on-screen translations, and on-disc extras. The limited-edition set’s seven discs will be housed in a Thinpak-style, full-color chipboard art box.
That's great, but why don't they just release it on Blu-ray? Oh wait, I know the answer to that. :|
YES! Best gaijin anime ever!
Perfect Hair Forever was fucking awful, there are plenty of productions that are better than it by default.
 
Eden of the East 09
Another explore the background episode. It is pretty nice to get a more clear idea of what exactly happened or at least the bits and pieces of it. That super computer is pretty damn accurate too.
I'm kinda surprised at how quickly they are tossing out characters in this show.

I think thats when I started feeling like they should have made the anime with more episodes.
 
Decided to watch some Dragon Ball Kai today while diablo was down.

I always thought this shit was awesome but wouldn't age well... but damn was I wrong.

eps 89 sure has that sense of speed... damn...

ibfXeCoHkwFp18.gif



After so many years this still cracks me up. So great!

ifBolXGdm86Z4.gif


And the feet down and punching shit still doesn't get old.

ibj2rL9Pm8Ca2U.gif


This show just makes you wanna work out for some reason lol.
 
Eden of the East 10
I won't lie, I really don't expect anything really to get resolved by the end of the next episode. I mean, this episode pretty much brought forth a bunch more information about pretty much everything, which was pretty cool, but still I don't expect anything to get finished. The twist at the end was pretty cool though.
 

madp

The Light of El Cantare
Hitagi lost to Haruhi? Irisviel loses to some nobody from Hidan no Aria? Where's /a/'s magazine rack so I can tip it over?

Also, the so-far invincible Erio totally destroyed by Kanade from Angel Beats by a nearly 2:1 margin. I think we know who's going to take the whole thing.
 
Eden of the East 11
Bang!
While that was a really awesome final episode, nothing was resolved. Well sure, the crisis that was going on did and looked amazing doing so, especially with the song playing in the background, but overall I know just slightly more than last episode. I guess the movies will do something to fill in the blanks so thank goodness for that.

Still, the show still looked pretty amazing, the characters were all mostly awesome and I do want to know what the whole story is.
 

Go_Ly_Dow

Member
Its 4am over here and I just suddenly woke up and felt the need to check animeGAF. To my surprise I find Garzeys Wing talk! If this isn't a sign that the show is the work of a higher being (quote from the show) then I don't know what is. Also, it's chriiiiiissss, not chris-chan, get it right yo.

Some point in the near future I plan to rewatch it with a new group of people for the 3rd time!

Anyway, I'm exhausted, have work in 3 hours and am posting from my mobile, so I will now go back to sleep.

~Wings of my Heart~
 
I feel very conflicted about how anime historians will view Yoshiyuki Tomino, and the same goes for my personal opinions about him. All I've really seen from him, anyway, is the original TV Zeta Gundam, which was a decent ride altogether, and Char's Counterattack. I didn't like the latter thanks to Quess and generally-poor pacing and development, but Zeta was interesting enough thanks to having a great first couple of episodes, and it didn't lose momentum even when zipping through filler and, um, Scirocco and his pimp fairy tales.

But he really comes across as the runt of the ex-Mushi litter, falling behind Rintaro, Sugii, and Anime Jesus Dezaki. The only other ex-Mushi director I know of who's gone from great to terrible so consistently is Eiichi Yamamoto, who directed the era-defining Kanashimi no Belladonna before doing stuff like Odin, which wasn't well-received. Common complaints I hear about Tomino revolve around his tendency to create annoying, bratty characters that steal the spotlight and waste precious time with arcs and overall development of the plot and character relationships; issues with pacing, usually because he skips over details, goes too fast, etc.; and, finally, he makes odd choices like killing off characters in droves and a lack of meaningful discrimination (Zeta). Yet, like Gene Roddenberry, he just happens to come up with some very interesting high-concept contexts and literary universes, the Universal Century saga being most privy to this grand sense of scope. Personally: UC just felt half-hearted and overly-conciliatory to the demands of the network producing MSG, what with the super-robot design of the RX-78-2 being the biggest offender of all.

The real problem with me talking about Tomino is that I haven't watched as much of his catalog to track his development as a director, let alone a storyboarder. What does Anime-GAF think of the dood?
 

duckroll

Member
The real problem with me talking about Tomino is that I haven't watched as much of his catalog to track his development as a director, let alone a storyboarder. What does Anime-GAF think of the dood?

A man with bold ideas and interesting opinions, but left to his own devices to lead a project creatively he will tend to self-destruct the entire project because he is kinda crazy and doesn't have a great handle on how to present his ideas in the most suitable way. His direction and scripts tend to make very little logical sense, even if you can get a feel of the point he is trying to get across. Tomino is best when paired with a production team which actually understands how to take his general ideas and instructions, and filter them in a way which enhances the material in both scenario and visuals, without falling off a cliff.
 

cj_iwakura

Member
Eden of the East 11

Bang!
While that was a really awesome final episode, nothing was resolved. Well sure, the crisis that was going on did and looked amazing doing so, especially with the song playing in the background, but overall I know just slightly more than last episode. I guess the movies will do something to fill in the blanks so thank goodness for that.

Still, the show still looked pretty amazing, the characters were all mostly awesome and I do want to know what the whole story is.

I also saw this! I loved the core plot, even if it floundered a bit,

a nice love story is always enjoyable.

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?p=37949084#post37949084

Better late than never, ABe-GAF. I'll stop griping about Despera now.

Well, less.
 

duckroll

Member
Eden of the East TV was a pretty fun if inconsistent scifi modern love story which tackled various social themes which exist in our world today. It's a good thing the director didn't have some stupid idea after that to make movies which continued the story after that point. It would probably have turned out really badly if he did! :)
 
Eden of the East TV was a pretty fun if inconsistent scifi modern love story which tackled various social themes which exist in our world today. It's a good thing the director didn't have some stupid idea after that to make movies which continued the story after that point. It would probably have turned out really badly if he did! :)

I don't like the subtle hinting you are saying here, duckroll.
 

Narag

Member
The real problem with me talking about Tomino is that I haven't watched as much of his catalog to track his development as a director, let alone a storyboarder. What does Anime-GAF think of the dood?

He's done some crap but he also gave me some fun stuff like the original Gundam movies Turn A so I can't hate! I still want to check out his other stuff like Xabungle, Aura Battler Dunbine, and Ideon.
 
A man with bold ideas and interesting opinions, but left to his own devices to lead a project creatively he will tend to self-destruct the entire project because he is kinda crazy and doesn't have a great handle on how to present his ideas in the most suitable way. His direction and scripts tend to make very little logical sense, even if you can get a feel of the point he is trying to get across. Tomino is best when paired with a production team which actually understands how to take his general ideas and instructions, and filter them in a way which enhances the material in both scenario and visuals, without falling off a cliff.
Seems pretty accurate, and that's the assumption I was prepared to write before realizing that I've got a sizable backlog to tangle before I can say that with any confidence. Garzey's Wing certainly sounds like the craziest thing he's ever gotten himself into, anyway.
 

cajunator

Banned
GARZEY'S WING



I've heard many people refer to this as the worst anime ever produced. I knew I would have to eventually watch it and decide for myself. Were they wrong? I would say, with much enthusiasm, "Yes." Not only is Garzey's Wing not awful, it is probably one of the most enjoyable things I have watched in some time.

I'm honestly a little unsure if my normal format will work with how I approach laying out my experience with this three episode OVA turned movie. There are certainly hints of a familiar structure that would lend itself to standard examination on my part, but it almost so irrelevant to what made this enjoyable that I don't know if it would be worth sticking to convention. Oh well, let's see what happens!



Story

Okay, I'll try to make this as simple as possible, because the story honestly didn't matter.

Chris-chan gets separated from his body as either his soul or a duplicate of himself is transported back in time to 14th Century Japan (in his words) by a glowing swan because of the necklace he wears. He lands in the midst of a rebellion where he was summoned by a priestess of the rebel group. He joins up with the rebellion as they make their way to a tree to declare war. Since it is a leap year, they believe they will be able to overthrow the current ruler. Meanwhile, Chris-chan in present day begins to notice signs of bruising over his body, and he is able to telepathically communicate with his other-self, giving him information and battle strategies, as they surmise that they will both perish if the other dies. However, he still has to attend his high school reunion. Also, there are dinosaurs with armor and they fight stuff. YES.

The story doesn't matter. At all. To say it moves at a break neck speed would be selling it short. The story moves at a million miles an hour, they never take time to explain anything, and anything they try to explain makes no sense because the lexicon of the movie is far removed from anything in the natural world. It was still extremely entertaining seeing events play out, since nothing had any contextual weight or importance. It's almost as if the viewer was expected to have read some kind of cliff note book before ever considering cracking the case to even think about watching the show. It was off-the-wall, taking extreme liberties with every turn, and made absolutely no sense. It was so much fun!



Presentation

Honestly, the actual animation itself was much better than I had imagined it would be. Some of the touches to things like the fairy's wings were kind of nice, and some of the action sequences had some nice moments conservatively sprinkled throughout. Some of the settings and objects in the world hinted towards something much grander that could have been fascinating to have seen more of or explored further. I got the sense that some of the staff were really into what they were doing, and you could see it surface as the quality would rise and fall like ocean waves.

The designs of both characters and animals were fairly standard, which was unfortunate, as the dinosaur designs could have been something that they really made their own. There was one giant dinosaur that had about the most unique design of anything, but even that wasn't much to mention. Horses looked like a horse + donkey + unicorn, there were some raptor looking things, and some iguana + fish looking thing at one point. I suppose there were these creepy looking bug things early on, but you only ever get to see one, and it's very brief. Characters were about as plain as they come.

To be honest, I don't even remember if there was ever any music at any point in the first two episodes. There was some really mismatched and generic electro sounding poprock in the third episode, but it was very forgettable and hidden under everything else in the audio when it appeared.


HOWEVER!
The thing that really stood out the most was the voice acting. I watched the english dub, at the behest of reading several recommendations, and it was worth it.
I think any line of the dub could be placed into one of three categories-
  • Yelling a line that could have been delivered normally
  • Stilted and unnatural to the point of unbelievability
  • Names and jargon that sound like something from Dr. Seuss casually used in a sentence

I have truly never listened to anything this astounding. Not only was the delivery just in a league of its own, but there was just a ton of other things to push it above and beyond. Some characters were so miscast (like the two little girls that sounded like the oldest of all the actors on display) and the translation so off the mark that you had to imagine it was a direct babelfish translation. What really made it special was the unflinching way in which everything is said. There is no evidence of the actors and actresses questioning what they are saying; they simply deliver their words as though it was expected, yet it is their first time to ever read something aloud to an audience.

I mean, with lines like, "OH MY GOD! I feel like I was dreaming!", "Humans are just human.", and "They call this a 'drug' in my world. It makes people happy and do silly things." you know you are witnessing something to be cherished.



Final Thoughts

I really believe this anime gets an unfair reputation. However, I feel that unfair reputation probably has allowed it a much wider exposure than it ever would have received otherwise. This was probably what many people would see, shrug off as worthless, and never think twice about it again, but I feel this is actually something of significance. It had me smiling the entire time, it never stopped to consider if I was making sense of everything that was happening, but I had a blast as it drug me along behind it to wherever it was going.

Sure, there are literally countless elements and threads that are never resolved in any way after being mentioned or introduced, but that was part of the fun. It handled its content so lackadaisically that it was fun seeing it put on a shirt only to remove it two seconds later for another one. Not to mention, the story with Chris in the other world feels like it just ended the first third or so of a full series when the Chris in the present world acts like everything has suddenly been resolved definitely. It's jarring, even for Garzey's Wing, but it felt like a sensible conclusion to the ride I took (almost along the lines of the ending of Monty Python and the Holy Grail).

If anyone reading this has not seen or heard of this film, I don't know that I could recommend it with absolute certainty, but it's cheap enough that you should take the chance to find out for yourself. This really is something special.

You got me stoked. I got it in the mail last week and I set up time tomorrow to watch it. May 17th in my household shall be known as GARZEY DAY. The day I experience it for the first time. Im so fucking excited.

Hitagi lost to Haruhi? Irisviel loses to some nobody from Hidan no Aria? Where's /a/'s magazine rack so I can tip it over?

Yeah no shit. terrible choices!

Also, the so-far invincible Erio totally destroyed by Kanade from Angel Beats by a nearly 2:1 margin. I think we know who's going to take the whole thing.

Look again :(
 
Saint Seiya Heaven Chapter: Overture


This movie pretty much exemplifies why the Saint Seiya canon is such a mess. For someone like me who has no knowledge of the manga, I can only assume this was a very loose and definitely incomplete adaptation of the events following the war with Hades. Many seemingly important plot points were left vague or not touched on at all. I imagine they were rushing through the source material because the breakneck pacing gave me no incentive to really care about Artemis or Pit Icarus (outside the fact he's
Marin's brother
which seems REALLY friggin important).

As a production itself, I guess it at least looks better than most of the animated franchise. I mean the animation was fine even if the few fights weren't that visually impressive. Art was pretty good too, though I think I prefer the more vibrant style of Lost Canvas. There were a few scenes where it was just too damn dark. Had no idea what was happening.

H6eHz.jpg

I like this cave.

I also fell asleep during this halfway through (probably from being tired, but I imagine boredom played a part). If you're gonna put a lot of talking in your movie, give us some damn context! I doubt even the manga readers wanted to see the dialogue recreated over the actual battles, which there just weren't enough of.

Oh, and also don't end it
in the middle of a climactic fight against what was probably the most powerful antagonist in the series.
Seriously, what the fuck?
 
Seems pretty accurate, and that's the assumption I was prepared to write before realizing that I've got a sizable backlog to tangle before I can say that with any confidence. Garzey's Wing certainly sounds like the craziest thing he's ever gotten himself into, anyway.

I haven't seen much Tomino, but Garzey's Wing certainly comes off as the work of a guy who has no idea what he's doing, in an incredible trainwreck kind of way.
 
I like YYH. I like DBZ too.

But I'm just calling it like I see it. Also they're going to be airing the dubs and the dubs are... not so good.

Yu Yu Hakusho's dub is pretty good. It's not perfect, but I find it to be pretty strong for the most part.

YOU GET TO BURNING

Nozomi Entertainment revealed the highly anticipated MARTIAN SUCCESSOR NADESICO Complete Collection L.E. will be available on Sept. 4, 2012.

The MARTIAN SUCCESSOR NADESICO Complete Collection L.E. DVD set will feature the entire 26-episode television series and its sequel motion picture (Prince of Darkness), as well as its Gekigangar 3 OVA spin-off. This will be the first time Gekigangar 3 will be available to North American audiences.

It will also include remastered video from the Japanese DVD release for the Nadesico TV series and Gekigangar 3 OVA and the previously released English-language dub (TV series and film), plus Japanese audio, English-language subtitles and on-screen translations, and on-disc extras. The limited-edition set’s seven discs will be housed in a Thinpak-style, full-color chipboard art box.

Anyone who hasn't seen this show already owes it to themselves to pick this up. It's easily one of the best anime of all time, and it's a show that you'll watch over and over again and appreciate more each time.
 

duckroll

Member
Seems pretty accurate, and that's the assumption I was prepared to write before realizing that I've got a sizable backlog to tangle before I can say that with any confidence. Garzey's Wing certainly sounds like the craziest thing he's ever gotten himself into, anyway.

One of the more recent works of his where he had tons of creative control was Wings of Rean. It was also pretty fucking crazy, especially towards the end. So I'm pretty sure he hasn't changed either, and I hope if he has any good ideas which actually have potential, Sunrise gives him staff who can help adapt his ideas into something more watchable.
 
Shit: I couldn't even call him the Mari Okada of the anime directing community, can I? Seeing as Okada is all about tame melodrama when given too much control and a less-than-stellar supporting production staff, Tomino's more like a Bizarro Okada that goes nuts when given too much lee-way. Then again, who knows how much he control he had over some of his good stuff like the original MSG?

I guess we can call him the Bizarro Okada Director, at least. Gives him a nice BOD.

On an unrelated note: I'm hoping to Osumi that Dai Sato's script for ep 7 of Fujikoike is really-good, because that episode was cheap. Seriously fucking cheap, and this was after a medium-budget episode! There's no excuse for that much cross-hatched CG, no excuse for strange direction choices and title-cards, and no excuse for an episode that doesn't seem to capitalize on the strengths of the regulars involved. But the music was real good stuff from Kikuchi, so...

So yeah. That image sums up this entire weeknight for me.
 

Branduil

Member
Seems pretty accurate, and that's the assumption I was prepared to write before realizing that I've got a sizable backlog to tangle before I can say that with any confidence. Garzey's Wing certainly sounds like the craziest thing he's ever gotten himself into, anyway.

I haven't seen much Tomino, but Garzey's Wing certainly comes off as the work of a guy who has no idea what he's doing, in an incredible trainwreck kind of way.

One of the more recent works of his where he had tons of creative control was Wings of Rean. It was also pretty fucking crazy, especially towards the end. So I'm pretty sure he hasn't changed either, and I hope if he has any good ideas which actually have potential, Sunrise gives him staff who can help adapt his ideas into something more watchable.

A man with bold ideas and interesting opinions, but left to his own devices to lead a project creatively he will tend to self-destruct the entire project because he is kinda crazy and doesn't have a great handle on how to present his ideas in the most suitable way. His direction and scripts tend to make very little logical sense, even if you can get a feel of the point he is trying to get across. Tomino is best when paired with a production team which actually understands how to take his general ideas and instructions, and filter them in a way which enhances the material in both scenario and visuals, without falling off a cliff.

Is this the part where I mention Brain Powerd for long-form Tomino insanity?

iFsQtkvL1gVtN.gif



Shit: I couldn't even call him the Mari Okada of the anime directing community, can I? Seeing as Okada is all about tame melodrama when given too much control and a less-than-stellar supporting production staff, Tomino's more like a Bizarro Okada that goes nuts when given too much lee-way. Then again, who knows how much he control he had over some of his good stuff like the original MSG?

I guess we can call him the Bizarro Okada Director, at least. Gives him a nice BOD.

On an unrelated note: I'm hoping to Osumi that Dai Sato's script for ep 7 of Fujikoike is really-good, because that episode was cheap. Seriously fucking cheap, and this was after a medium-budget episode! There's no excuse for that much cross-hatched CG, no excuse for strange direction choices and title-cards, and no excuse for an episode that doesn't seem to capitalize on the strengths of the regulars involved. But the music was real good stuff from Kikuchi, so...

So yeah. That image sums up this entire weeknight for me.

Tomino is the anime George Lucas.
 

flawfuls

Member
Anybody vaguely interested in Tomino should read Gundam Sousei, the manga about him by the Legend of Koizumi author. After reading it you will view him as a god among men
until you realize that Gundam Sousei is far far better than anything he has ever done.


So good.
 

wonzo

Banned
i have very high hopes for Brain Powerd after rewatching Garzey's Wing though I can't say i've seen any gundam (i'll probably start off with G Gundam or Turn A Gundam) or ideon. the dude comes across as batshit insane
 
I guess I'll get to find out how crazy Tomino is with full creative control when I finally read my copy of Mobile Suit Gundam: Awakening, Escalation, Confrontation.
Sort of. He gets to share that title with Anno!

It's waiting for you Duckroll—in, the tessst chamberrrr~
That's just not fair, Anno has way more talent than Lucas. Can Lucas draw and animate damn cool explosions? I think not.
 

Jex

Member
Nozomi Entertainment revealed the highly anticipated MARTIAN SUCCESSOR NADESICO Complete Collection L.E. will be available on Sept. 4, 2012.

The MARTIAN SUCCESSOR NADESICO Complete Collection L.E. DVD set will feature the entire 26-episode television series and its sequel motion picture (Prince of Darkness), as well as its Gekigangar 3 OVA spin-off. This will be the first time Gekigangar 3 will be available to North American audiences.

It will also include remastered video from the Japanese DVD release for the Nadesico TV series and Gekigangar 3 OVA and the previously released English-language dub (TV series and film), plus Japanese audio, English-language subtitles and on-screen translations, and on-disc extras. The limited-edition set’s seven discs will be housed in a Thinpak-style, full-color chipboard art box.

Perhaps its finally time for me to watch this show.
 
So I've been rewatching Baccano, and I had forgotten how lame the ED was. Seriously, ugly CG tracks, floating heads, and a standard pop ballad out of tune with the rest of the show - ick. Fortunately, the OP is brilliant enough to make up for that. This is the best "loads of characters" OP out there, because instead of just showing stills of all the characters lounging around somewhere, it comes up with a way to show them all off in action that succinctly expresses their personality, and creative visual transitions between them. It's also smart enough to recognize who the two best characters are, and make sure they get proper attention both at the beginning and the end.

As for the show itself, some of it hasn't aged well, mostly some mediocre digital backgrounds and CG, but it generally looks pretty good. There's some really nice action animation, such as the shootout in the first episode, or the punching scene in the fourth episode. The overall conception and direction of the show is incredible; this must be the deftest handling of a large number of subplots in anime. It keeps leaping around across time and space, across the intersecting pasts of a host of different factions and characters, yet it never becomes incoherent and is always driving forward towards its goal. Well, the first episode is kind of crazy, but it's easy to follow now that I know what's going on.
 
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