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[Narag]

Using the quote tag to downsize images is considered abuse? I've seen people do that all the time, I had no idea it was against the rules.

They're resized when displayed but the full size image still loads.

 

[Dragoon En Regalia]

It's not (?). But, in the context DR's discussing, it's not going to make you look any better, and it might make you look worse.

 

[Crash Station]

Except for the overly-long Yoshiwara arc, Gintama takes exactly the amount of time it needs to make its serious arcs impactful - it sets up the situation efficiently and gets to the heart of the conflict and the importance it has to the characters under focus in a timely manner. I'd much rather these localized arcs than an overarching plot which feels like it's spinning its wheels episode after episode. Admittedly my experience with these very long battle shounen is minimal, but feeling that nothing important was happening each episode was the main thing that turned me off from watching Dragon Ball Z as a child.

Again, long and good pacing are not mutually exclusive. There are advantages to shorter arcs of course, but scale is an important factor here. A sense of escalation just won't be as effective if it isn't given the proper buildup. It is extremely difficult to find something short that actually pulls it off. I would say Gurren Lagann is the only one that I have seen. In Gintama, things just feel rushed by the arc climax.

 

[duckroll]

If you slap me on the back and say "yo!" that's a friendly greeting. If you hold me down and keep slapping me on the back until I have a violent bodily reaction and throw up, that's abuse. Or it could be kinky sex games, but I'm not into that personally...

 

[hosannainexcelsis]

Again, long and good pacing are not mutually exclusive. There are advantages to shorter arcs of course, but scale is an important factor here. A sense of escalation just won't be as effective if it isn't given the proper buildup. It is extremely difficult to find something short that actually pulls it off. I would say Gurren Lagann is the only one that I have seen. In Gintama, things just feel rushed by the arc climax.

I suppose you're just looking for different things than I am - though I knew this already, of course. I don't value "scale" very highly, honestly; I'd rather something have a strong and intimate personal meaning for one of the characters (e.g., the Spider arc in Gintama) than "Wow! Look at those galactic proportions!" This is the main reason why I prefer the ending of the original FMA anime to that of Brotherhood.

 

[tiff]

They're resized when displayed but the full size image still loads.

I knew that, it's purely to save screen space. I'll refrain from doing so in the future if it's such an issue.

 

[firehawk12]

Thanks. Seems like I have a bit to go. When it gets serious, I think they do it really well. I do understand that's not the focus of the series, but I kind of get worn out on an anime if nothing is actually happening to draw me in.

Or just go to the movie and enjoy the awesome.

I suppose you're just looking for different things than I am - though I knew this already, of course. I don't value "scale" very highly, honestly; I'd rather something have a strong and intimate personal meaning for one of the characters (e.g., the Spider arc in Gintama) than "Wow! Look at those galactic proportions!" This is the main reason why I prefer the ending of the original FMA anime to that of Brotherhood.

I have no idea how the original FMA ends, but Brotherhood's ending is pretty darn personal...

 

[survivor]

Thanks. Seems like I have a bit to go. When it gets serious, I think they do it really well. I do understand that's not the focus of the series, but I kind of get worn out on an anime if nothing is actually happening to draw me in.

I got worn out by the series cause most of the episodes were boring and not funny. They did have some moments of brilliance here and there but I haven't been able to determine if it's worth wasting 200 episodes on it.

 

[1stStrike]

Or just go to the movie and enjoy the awesome.

Movie?! I didn't even know there was one.

I got worn out by the series cause most of the episodes were boring and not funny. They did have some moments of brilliance here and there but I haven't been able to determine if it's worth wasting 200 episodes on it.

That's about where I'm sitting right now. I've watched a few more episodes tonight after picking it up again and while I've smiled here and there, I haven't laughed once. I think part of the reason is that I've noticed a lot of the jokes are heavily reliant on having knowledge of Japanese people/culture and obviously a lot of those references will be lost on me.

 

[firehawk12]

I got worn out by the series cause most of the episodes were boring and not funny. They did have some moments of brilliance here and there but I haven't been able to determine if it's worth wasting 200 episodes on it.

The comedy really depends on your tolerance for meta/reference porn (which I think it does better than both Community and The Big Bang Theory combined, but that's not that hard), Japanese straight man gags, and prurient body humour (like

Spoiler

running out of toilet paper after taking a crap

). I can see how that's not for everyone.

And really, the action stuff is all Asian heroic bloodshed stories repeated over and over again. I just happen to adore the genre and I haven't seen anything that even approaches the level of brilliance found in any of the Gintama arcs. They could all be made into movies and I would happily churn through them over and over again the same way that I used to rewatch old Chow Yun Fat and Andy Lau (before he became a RomCom guy) movies over and over again..

Movie?! I didn't even know there was one.

Yeah, the movie does episodes 58-61. In fact, I would watch the movie in lieu of the episodes if you get to that point (then watch the episodes if you want to compare/are OCD/etc). Shit gets real in a lot of the previous episodes, of course, but the movie is when shit gets... really real. lol

 

[Crash Station]

I suppose you're just looking for different things than I am - though I knew this already, of course. I don't value "scale" very highly, honestly; I'd rather something have a strong and intimate personal meaning for one of the characters (e.g., the Spider arc in Gintama) than "Wow! Look at those galactic proportions!" This is the main reason why I prefer the ending of the original FMA anime to that of Brotherhood.

But that's the thing, Gintama serious arcs end up high scale one way or another. But how it got there is often through an inconsistent sense of escalation that imo makes it not as effective. Even the smaller, more intimate stories are guilty of underdeveloped plot threads and unsatisfying closure (with the exception of 4 Devas).

It's frustrating for me because Sorachi is excellent at pretty much everything else, even a completely bipolar tone.

 

[firehawk12]

But that's the thing, Gintama serious arcs end up high scale one way or another. But how it got there is often through an inconsistent sense of escalation that imo makes it not as effective. Even the smaller, more intimate stories are guilty of underdeveloped plot threads and unsatisfying closure (with the exception of 4 Devas).

It's frustrating for me because Sorachi is excellent at pretty much everything else, even a completely bipolar tone.

Huh? Now I'm completely lost.

 

[wonzo]

For streaming, but there's no word about any physical release.

you could always get the R4 DVD release

 

[Crash Station]

Huh? Now I'm completely lost.

How so?

 

[firehawk12]

How so?

Well, in terms of underdeveloped plots and inconsistency.

 

[hosannainexcelsis]

I have no idea how the original FMA ends, but Brotherhood's ending is pretty darn personal...

Brotherhood's climax felt like it had too many characters standing around and got too caught up with the whole god nonsense, and Ed and Al's personal quest got overshadowed as a result. FMA's climax felt more closely tied with the characters.

That's about where I'm sitting right now. I've watched a few more episodes tonight after picking it up again and while I've smiled here and there, I haven't laughed once. I think part of the reason is that I've noticed a lot of the jokes are heavily reliant on having knowledge of Japanese people/culture and obviously a lot of those references will be lost on me.

I enjoyed Gintama from the first episode, but it does get better after the first season. I'd recommend watching episode 79, and if that fails to entertain then the show's sense of humor is just not for you.

But that's the thing, Gintama serious arcs end up high scale one way or another. But how it got there is often through an inconsistent sense of escalation that imo makes it not as effective. Even the smaller, more intimate stories are guilty of underdeveloped plot threads and unsatisfying closure (with the exception of 4 Devas).

It's frustrating for me because Sorachi is excellent at pretty much everything else, even a completely bipolar tone.

I don't really understand this complaint; I've always been impressed at how Gintama seamlessly transitions from its normal light-hearted tone to its most serious moments. I guess we'll have to agree to disagree.

you could always get the R4 DVD release

Damn you, Australia!

 

[Dedication Through Light]

Arcana Famiglia pv 1

Short, but it was at least nice seeing Pace, Jolly, Luca, and others animated. July 1st is soon.

 

[Crash Station]

Well, in terms of underdeveloped plots and inconsistency.

For example, the relationship between Jirouchou and Pirako should have been given more time to flesh out. It just felt like both characters were treated the same way as most other minor characters; as one-offs that won't get more screentime for another 100 episodes. The ending of the arc was amazing, but I can't help but feel there was a ton of wasted potential thanks to us not really getting a feel for their plight.

Interestingly enough, I feel that Kada's development was done better since she actually got a follow-up episode, ultimately closing her own plot thread for good. She's mentally broken; the end. Nothing else needs to be said.

As for the inconsistency, well that's something I can't give clear examples of right now, but it's definitely something I felt during many of the serious arcs, mostly Benizakura and Yoshiwara.

I don't really understand this complaint; I've always been impressed at how Gintama seamlessly transitions from its normal light-hearted tone to its most serious moments. I guess we'll have to agree to disagree.

Oh no, that's what I mean. That's why I said he pulled off a "bipolar" tone well, something that is very very difficult.

 

[wonzo]

Damn you, Australia!

they also have Dennou Coil, Genius Party, Thermae Romae, Kaiba and Trapeze but they're expensing and suffer from PAL speedup

 

[Dresden]

they also have Dennou Coil, Genius Party, Thermae Romae, Kaiba and Trapeze but they're expensing and suffer from PAL speedup

fucking siren visual, man.

 

[Jintor]

God help me that legal crap this thread had me analyse makes me want to do research into the way in which Western distribution labels work in AU and US...

 

[firehawk12]

Brotherhood's climax felt like it had too many characters standing around and got too caught up with the whole god nonsense, and Ed and Al's personal quest got overshadowed as a result. FMA's climax felt more closely tied with the characters.

The whole final arc fit thematically with the whole set up of the show. And the final confrontation is about as personal as you can get.

For example, the relationship between Jirouchou and Pirako should have been given more time to flesh out. It just felt like both characters were treated the same way as most other minor characters; as one-offs that won't get more screentime for another 100 episodes. The ending of the arc was amazing, but I can't help but feel there was a ton of wasted potential thanks to us not really getting a feel for their plight.

Interestingly enough, I feel that Kada's development was done better since she actually got a follow-up episode, ultimately closing her own plot thread for good. She's mentally broken; the end. Nothing else needs to be said.

As for the inconsistency, well that's something I can't give clear examples of right now, but it's definitely something I felt during many of the serious arcs, mostly Benizakura and Yoshiwara.

Oh no, that's what I mean. That's why I said he pulled off the bipolar tone well, something that is very very difficult.

I had no problem with how they set up the father-daughter relationship. It's already established that she's mostly estranged from him anyway, because of his own baggage, through the flashback sequences that they give you.

Besides, these stories are very archetypical, and given how a lot of the show's comedy relies on your knowledge of the genre, I don't think it's all that unfair to do that via the action/drama as well.

 

[Jintor]

The god nonsense is definitely where Brotherhood begins to make my brain go 'huh', but I still think that overall the ending is powerful and thematically consistent. I'll review it when my manga boxset gets here though.

 

[1stStrike]

Arcana Famiglia pv 1

Short, but it was at least nice seeing Pace, Jolly, Luca, and others animated. July 1st is soon.

I watched the PV and read a bit about this. It doesn't sound all that interesting, though. It's described as... a slice of life with romance? Eh.

 

[firehawk12]

The god nonsense is definitely where Brotherhood begins to make my brain go 'huh', but I still think that overall the ending is powerful and thematically consistent. I'll review it when my manga boxset gets here though.

I'll admit I was a bit lost at that initial reveal, but where it ended up made perfect sense to me. I think it went a bit too big in scope at that point, but it still went somewhere very personal.

 

[Narag]

Demon Lord Dante 7

Apprehensive about being a demon that eclipses the concept of biblical proportions? Make incest jokes with your sister. A near interesting fight is ruined by terrible background music and the train scene is marred by poor action, bad CG, and halfassing the violence which made the entire scenario comical. Par for the course.

 

[hosannainexcelsis]

Tsuritama 10

Another enjoyable episode. It was basically moving all the players into place for the final showdown, with heartwarming character moments along the way.

Spoiler

Yuki and Haru's reunion

was the highlight, with very successful direction. I also liked

Spoiler

how most of the side characters got involved; it situates the main four in a larger community.

I was wondering how this could pull out 12 episodes, but now I can easily see the final climax arriving towards the end of next episode and being carried over into the last. Make me happy, Nakamura!

they also have Dennou Coil, Genius Party, Thermae Romae, Kaiba and Trapeze but they're expensing and suffer from PAL speedup

I suppose nothing is perfect.

The whole final arc fit thematically with the whole set up of the show. And the final confrontation is about as personal as you can get.

After the original FMA, no, it's really not.

 

[firehawk12]

After the original FMA, no, it's really not.

Well, I'd ask you to spoil it, because all I know about original FMA is Nazis.

 

[dakkumauji]

I watched the PV and read a bit about this. It doesn't sound all that interesting, though. It's described as... a slice of life with romance? Eh.

Never really saw it as a slice of life with romance.

It's based off an otome game, where the protag is one girl who has to choose between a bunch of guys aiming to get her love.

Dunno, what is interesting about this anime to me at least is that it sounds more action-y and the female protag has been described to be more active other than other harem/reverse-harem protags. The mafia aspect is pretty cool as well.

 

[Jintor]

I ended up spoiling the original FMA for myself by poking through an FMA wiki so I probably don't have a good grasp of the power of its delivery...

 

[hosannainexcelsis]

Well, I'd ask you to spoil it, because all I know about original FMA is Nazis.

Without a rewatch to refresh my memory I wouldn't want to go into too much detail - and a synopsis is a poor substitute for the real thing anyway - but I will say that

Spoiler

Dante and her schemes felt much more personally relevant to Ed and Al than Father did.

Also, its use of characters was much better - the original FMA brought back a lot of people from what were originally one-off episodes in the first part of the show and gave them pivotal roles to play in the denouement, whereas Brotherhood had far too many people standing around being useless.

 

[1stStrike]

FMA vs FMA:B eh? I would have to go back and re-watch both, but I think certain aspects of FMA were done better. I feel like FMA:B was overall a better story, though, and while the ending was kind of over the top, the build up to it was great

Spoiler

especially the really pissed off Roy Mustang where he just went ape shit on that homunculus

.

I also liked that we got some closure in FMA:B, specifically with

Spoiler

Ed and Winry getting together and finding out more about Ed and Al's father since he was largely a mystery before.

 

[Dresden]

It's hard to top FMA's ending (and the Nazis didn't even show up until the movie). The original series ended in a more personal way, just the brothers, wrapping shit up.

Spoiler

Not to mention Ed's sacrifice at the end. It's obvious just what it signified especially when you consider how the series started in the first place.

And, you know, it was the better show overall.

 

[Jintor]

Manga still best

 

[firehawk12]

Without a rewatch to refresh my memory I wouldn't want to go into too much detail - and a synopsis is a poor substitute for the real thing anyway - but I will say that

Spoiler

Dante and her schemes felt much more personally relevant to Ed and Al than Father did.

Also, its use of characters was much better - the original FMA brought back a lot of people from what were originally one-off episodes in the first part of the show and gave them pivotal roles to play in the denouement, whereas Brotherhood had far too many people standing around being useless.

It's been a while since I watched Bro, but I seem to recall any characters being short shrifted at the end.

 

[Branduil]

Kids on the Slope 10

That was a pretty great episode.

Spoiler

Jun and Yurika eloping

was a wonderful development because now all of the focus is on the characters we care about. I'm really sad that we only get two more weeks with them.

 

[1stStrike]

Manga still best

I thoought FMA:B was supposed to have followed the manga pretty closely?

 

[Branduil]

Outline's already there, lol.

Palutena looks—okay, not much different from the norm. I'm all about the noses these days. They should be more distinctive! And don't tell me that they're "not necessary", because a lot of awesome things aren't necessary. I'd be genuinely moved to see an anime show, today, with a relatively-high level of care for their character designs. These instances are still around, though not as much as they used to be.

Time of Eve has noses!

Of course I don't think it was much of a commercial success, so I doubt you'll see a nascent nasal revolution any time soon.

 

[cajunator]

I watched episode 1-3 of Madoka Magica with my mother.
That was interesting.

I have to agree with duckroll on this. Any time someone posts a shit ton of images on a page and I load it on my cell phone it consumes a fuck ton of memory and at times can even cause the browser to crash. I'm fine with people posting images too, as I do it myself, but there's no reason to post double digit numbers of them on a forum post.

Hmmm.
While i agree that image spamming large images is inadviseable, it doesnt hurt my phone at all.
Seems to load fine in all situations.

 

[Dresden]

Time of Eve has noses!



Of course I don't think it was much of a commercial success, so I doubt you'll see a nascent nasal revolution any time soon.

he's already moved on to snub moe~ noses

 

[cajunator]

he's already moved on to snub moe~ noses

What show? Dont recognise it.

 

[Dragoon En Regalia]

Time of Eve is automatically on my backlog, now. Dat knows.

 

[Branduil]

Not too great; it started off fairly decent, but has since slid quite a bit. Week 8 tied with the low point of the Fractale/Wandering Son bomba pair for noitamina's worst ratings ever.

This is why we can't have nice things.

Time of Eve is automatically on my backlog, now. Dat knows.

It should have already been there because it's a legitimately great piece of serious sci-fi, but whatever works!

 

[Dragoon En Regalia]

Good ratings for the shows I like are also on my backlog. Just wish I could get to them.

 

[duckroll]

The problem with ratings for the noitaminA block is that it is now two shows instead of one, but it counted as an hour long programming block instead of two individual shows with their own ratings. It was ratings suicide the moment they expanded the block this way.

 

[Makoto]

Time of Eve has noses!



Of course I don't think it was much of a commercial success, so I doubt you'll see a nascent nasal revolution any time soon.

This is why we can't have nice things noses.

 

[hosannainexcelsis]

The problem with ratings for the noitaminA block is that it is now two shows instead of one, but it counted as an hour long programming block instead of two individual shows with their own ratings. It was ratings suicide the moment they expanded the block this way.

I still can't grasp why Fuji TV went in this direction.

 

[Dresden]

yeah, it's been mostly the same story for noitamina since that switch (although there were some hopes for the savior of the slot, anohana, when ratings went up to pre-switch levels for like a week or two)

 

[Femmeworth]

The problem with ratings for the noitaminA block is that it is now two shows instead of one, but it counted as an hour long programming block instead of two individual shows with their own ratings. It was ratings suicide the moment they expanded the block this way.

At least it increases the chances of getting something good each season. Fuji TV's loss is our gain... most of the time.

 

[Branduil]

The problem with ratings for the noitaminA block is that it is now two shows instead of one, but it counted as an hour long programming block instead of two individual shows with their own ratings. It was ratings suicide the moment they expanded the block this way.

How would being counted as two individual shows help the ratings?