PdotMichael
Banned
Haifure sure has some nonsensical world building. It's wonderful!
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Spring Anime 2016 |OT| Get a Season So Complicated
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Jex
Member
Yo what is this, man?
The truth?
Hellwarden
Member
So, in the past, I have made the case for why capes on giant robots are dumb. Now, some people would say it's hypocritical of me to like the robot in Concrete Revolutio now.
But those people would be wrong. Because he can attack with that scarf/cape, and it's made of energy. So it can't wrap around him, and blind him.
Also it looks cool.
But those people would be wrong. Because he can attack with that scarf/cape, and it's made of energy. So it can't wrap around him, and blind him.
Also it looks cool.
I have no words for how wrong you are.
Capes are essential. They make everything better.
For example, just imagine how much better Mayoiga would be if the bus had a cape.
hosannainexcelsis
Member
The last-minute cliffhangers that often don't resolve properly are a symptom of the shoddy narrative planning that is Penguindrum's greatest weakness. It has a lot of great individual moments though, as well as a good sense of visual design, so it's worth continuing to watch.
It's worrying that this isn't exclusive to its first two episodes, but if the show's problems are just around that, I think I'll be fine.
Theonik
Member
Should have read the kind of show Wixoss is.
It's on the list for a reason.
The show feels like they changed their mind about where they should go a couple of times along the way at times.
Hellwarden
Member
That would explain why the driver bailed out so quickly and joined them. He saw the awakening!
PdotMichael
Banned
Bus-chan did nothing wrong!
Also Penguindrum's first half was so much stronger than the second one. Show was clearly more than a handful episodes too long.
Also Penguindrum's first half was so much stronger than the second one. Show was clearly more than a handful episodes too long.
Turin Turambar
Member
The Boy and the Beast
aka the Amazing CG Luminiscent Blue Whale
After watching only four minutes of movie, I almost could see the entire story before my eyes. I was saying to myself, ehh, I hope it isn't as typical as it seems, something among the lines of:
"boy gets angry/depressed because of family issues/after one of his parents die, boy escapes and sulks, have an adventure of the fantastical type, get a life lesson and at the end of the movie it returns to normal life. Happy end." With the addition of "strong, selfish and hotheaded guy (bear) that is missing learns to care for someone else" I suppose. Hell the narrated voiceover of the intro almost says it.
And I was almost right. I mean, it isn't strange being able to guess how a film will go after watching the first half an hour, but after 4 minutes? Not a good point.
But I wasn't totally right, there was an unexpected part, I couldn't guess
In fact I'm not sure the story it's better going in that direction. I'm not totally convinced by it.
Problems of predictability apart, though the story is typical it's told in a pretty enjoyable wrapping, with a nice dynamic between the two protagonists. Hosoda direction's skills make up and give us a competent 2 hours family flick.
Or almost. There is still a single problem to mention. This is perhaps one of the most "dumb" films I've ever seen. Dumb in the sense it thinks the audience is dumb so it will directly explain everything to the audience. The secondary characters will explicitly say what is happening in every moment, both in the exterior sense and the interior personality wise with both protagonists. One, two, and three, and four times, and more.
Having things conveniently explained/exposed/commented by characters is pretty much a universal thing used in so many movies and tv series and more, so we can't be surprised it also appears here, but in this film it was used so much that it couldn't be ignored and I grew annoyed at the character spoiling the movie! Just shut up already.
Similarly, the film is so literal. The darkness of oneself? They turn it into lateral darkness. The void in one's heart? Same. Feeling's someone else in your heart? They again turn it from metaphor into a literal thing.
. Another thing is the use of brief obvious flashbacks related to what some characters are saying just in case you are feeling super dense that day.
All together, it seems the film was produced thinking of it as a family movie, and that meant lots of concessions for the younger audience, and imo it was done in a bit more blunt way than say a Pixar movie.
Oh yeah, as the end note: what was that about
aka the Amazing CG Luminiscent Blue Whale
After watching only four minutes of movie, I almost could see the entire story before my eyes. I was saying to myself, ehh, I hope it isn't as typical as it seems, something among the lines of:
"boy gets angry/depressed because of family issues/after one of his parents die, boy escapes and sulks, have an adventure of the fantastical type, get a life lesson and at the end of the movie it returns to normal life. Happy end." With the addition of "strong, selfish and hotheaded guy (bear) that is missing learns to care for someone else" I suppose. Hell the narrated voiceover of the intro almost says it.
And I was almost right. I mean, it isn't strange being able to guess how a film will go after watching the first half an hour, but after 4 minutes? Not a good point.
But I wasn't totally right, there was an unexpected part, I couldn't guess
they were going to skip several years! Nor the introduction of the girl in the real world.
Problems of predictability apart, though the story is typical it's told in a pretty enjoyable wrapping, with a nice dynamic between the two protagonists. Hosoda direction's skills make up and give us a competent 2 hours family flick.
Or almost. There is still a single problem to mention. This is perhaps one of the most "dumb" films I've ever seen. Dumb in the sense it thinks the audience is dumb so it will directly explain everything to the audience. The secondary characters will explicitly say what is happening in every moment, both in the exterior sense and the interior personality wise with both protagonists. One, two, and three, and four times, and more.
Having things conveniently explained/exposed/commented by characters is pretty much a universal thing used in so many movies and tv series and more, so we can't be surprised it also appears here, but in this film it was used so much that it couldn't be ignored and I grew annoyed at the character spoiling the movie! Just shut up already.
Similarly, the film is so literal. The darkness of oneself? They turn it into lateral darkness. The void in one's heart? Same. Feeling's someone else in your heart? They again turn it from metaphor into a literal thing.
I just spoiled the end, lol.
All together, it seems the film was produced thinking of it as a family movie, and that meant lots of concessions for the younger audience, and imo it was done in a bit more blunt way than say a Pixar movie.
Oh yeah, as the end note: what was that about
being consumed by darkness means gaining telekinetic powers? It felt so random it lost me a bit.
Warning: I am going to try and avoid any major spoilers here, but will still need to reference a couple of things.
As with many other things concerning both fact and fiction, the lines between expectations and reality as well as those separating individual interpretations can be quite decisive when it comes to shaping and determining our personal reactions to media. There is no question that Akane seems to have changed his mind about the specifics of the narrative halfway through production. That's not surprising, given how (by his own public admission) he had a much easier time coming up with the characters but struggled with writing a concrete story for them. Let alone one that could fit into 4 (or 5) OVA chapters instead of a 25 episode TV series. If Akane had fully realized the implications of this during pre-production, perhaps he would have been better off requesting a change of format, even if it could have presumably restricted his creative freedom in other ways.
However, I wouldn't be so sure about arguing that the themes radically changed or that the "stupid message" came out of nowhere, even if its ultimate execution was unquestionably sloppy during the final episode. Kazuki Akane has always been a "light at the end of the tunnel" or "the power of love and/or friendship will win" guy. For one thing, Akane is known to be too much of a softy at heart. He's not quite as capable of being sadistic (or masochistic, I guess?) towards his own characters as someone like Tomino himself or even Taniguchi can be, even when the theme or tone of the story would suggest it. At least not as a permanent state that cannot be undone through some sort of magical or metaphysical solution, since Akane seems to have a fondness for those. There's a couple of bittersweet endings throughout his record, but most of them still tend to be on the happier side of things. Tragedy, on a structural level, is largely absent from his sensibilities.
For another, the early (and ongoing) assumption that Akito the Exiled needed to end in a complete massacre always felt rather naive and shortsighted in my opinion. Based on the previous episodes of Akito the Exiled (especially 3 and 4) as well as on what Akane has said in various interviews, I think there was enough foreshadowing suggesting that the story was on the way towards a happier resolution, even if there were obstacles on the road towards it. Of course, the general state of the world in Akito, including the stagnation and corruption of the EU, did set up a dark and somber worldview. Reflecting how Akane claims to be quite skeptical of Japanese democracy, for not living up to its ideals and so on. But I never really expected that this implied the story would necessarily end with the main characters surrendering to despair or being otherwise trampled by the decaying system, if you want to put it that way. For instance, Akito was moving towards a healthier state of mind during OVA 3 and the fourth one had him directly overcome his inner demon, so to speak. Leila's idealism about people, while questioned by the likes of Smilas, Klaus and Shin (plus the three terrorists at the start), was already being portrayed as correct even before the finale. For me, the underlying theme and/or message behind this whole production was never about proving that to be inherently wrong.
That said, it's entirely reasonable to criticize the (rather low) price paid in exchange for getting a happy ending. It could have easily been a touch more bittersweet and less sugary. Which is why I'll admit that it feels like Akane suddenly got cold feet about killing off an additional two or three people and this inability to make the prize feel truly earned does tend to drag down the finale. I can understand why there will be folks who will feel disgusted by the sweetness, so to speak, for entirely valid reasons. But I think my personal expectations and interpretations of the material were already closer to what Akane ended up doing, even beyond the superficial narrative shifts, so the resulting gap wasn't all that large in my case. He didn't "betray" me.
Let's talk about the villains then. Definitely not a strong point of this production. Based on the existing contents, I think it's less that Akane somehow intended for them to be "one-dimensional" and then abruptly decided to go in the opposite direction, and more that he didn't succeed at dropping enough bread crumbs to convince people that there was more to them before. There are hints and specific scenes seemingly intended to suggest this much (that Manfredi dude in OVA 1 wasn't too bad, Ashley cared for his dead subordinate, Shin and his foster family, etc), but it's clear they didn't leave enough of an impression. They were victims of both the limited running time and Akane's inability to properly allocate it in order to achieve the desired effect.
I could discuss more specific details, such as Akane's spotty record with resolving cliffhangers dating all the way back to his laziest Escaflowne fake outs or whatever, but I think a lot of my attitude towards the Akito finale (mildly to moderately disappointing acceptance) is the result of something quite simple: I have little or no pretense about anime consistently being a format for mature storytelling, at least not as a rule rather than the exception. Which is why I don't immediately scream "foul" when shounen tropes are enforced within a seinen story, nor vice versa. I will not blindly praise them for it, of course, but they do not instantly ruin my viewing sessions. Thus I can accept Akito as a flawed yet watchable work, with several unfortunate negatives but also a number of positives that will likely remain mostly underappreciated.
We can talk about C.C. In my opinion, her role was transparently simple. Akito OVA 1 showed C.C. in a white cloak during the next episode preview, and the ED sequence also provided a shot of a similarly cloaked figure in what appeared to be a flashback with a young Leila. What actually happened then? C.C. showed up in OVA 3 during a flashback with a young Leila. I didn't have a single problem with this, since it completely met my expectations of that being a rather small role. As for Lelouch/Suzaku, I think the only plot purpose they ever served came and went in OVA 3 as a mere catalyst for other events. That's all. In retrospect, I think Akane misjudged what people would conclude from their presence and should have kept the duo out.
As with many other things concerning both fact and fiction, the lines between expectations and reality as well as those separating individual interpretations can be quite decisive when it comes to shaping and determining our personal reactions to media. There is no question that Akane seems to have changed his mind about the specifics of the narrative halfway through production. That's not surprising, given how (by his own public admission) he had a much easier time coming up with the characters but struggled with writing a concrete story for them. Let alone one that could fit into 4 (or 5) OVA chapters instead of a 25 episode TV series. If Akane had fully realized the implications of this during pre-production, perhaps he would have been better off requesting a change of format, even if it could have presumably restricted his creative freedom in other ways.
However, I wouldn't be so sure about arguing that the themes radically changed or that the "stupid message" came out of nowhere, even if its ultimate execution was unquestionably sloppy during the final episode. Kazuki Akane has always been a "light at the end of the tunnel" or "the power of love and/or friendship will win" guy. For one thing, Akane is known to be too much of a softy at heart. He's not quite as capable of being sadistic (or masochistic, I guess?) towards his own characters as someone like Tomino himself or even Taniguchi can be, even when the theme or tone of the story would suggest it. At least not as a permanent state that cannot be undone through some sort of magical or metaphysical solution, since Akane seems to have a fondness for those. There's a couple of bittersweet endings throughout his record, but most of them still tend to be on the happier side of things. Tragedy, on a structural level, is largely absent from his sensibilities.
For another, the early (and ongoing) assumption that Akito the Exiled needed to end in a complete massacre always felt rather naive and shortsighted in my opinion. Based on the previous episodes of Akito the Exiled (especially 3 and 4) as well as on what Akane has said in various interviews, I think there was enough foreshadowing suggesting that the story was on the way towards a happier resolution, even if there were obstacles on the road towards it. Of course, the general state of the world in Akito, including the stagnation and corruption of the EU, did set up a dark and somber worldview. Reflecting how Akane claims to be quite skeptical of Japanese democracy, for not living up to its ideals and so on. But I never really expected that this implied the story would necessarily end with the main characters surrendering to despair or being otherwise trampled by the decaying system, if you want to put it that way. For instance, Akito was moving towards a healthier state of mind during OVA 3 and the fourth one had him directly overcome his inner demon, so to speak. Leila's idealism about people, while questioned by the likes of Smilas, Klaus and Shin (plus the three terrorists at the start), was already being portrayed as correct even before the finale. For me, the underlying theme and/or message behind this whole production was never about proving that to be inherently wrong.
That said, it's entirely reasonable to criticize the (rather low) price paid in exchange for getting a happy ending. It could have easily been a touch more bittersweet and less sugary. Which is why I'll admit that it feels like Akane suddenly got cold feet about killing off an additional two or three people and this inability to make the prize feel truly earned does tend to drag down the finale. I can understand why there will be folks who will feel disgusted by the sweetness, so to speak, for entirely valid reasons. But I think my personal expectations and interpretations of the material were already closer to what Akane ended up doing, even beyond the superficial narrative shifts, so the resulting gap wasn't all that large in my case. He didn't "betray" me.
Let's talk about the villains then. Definitely not a strong point of this production. Based on the existing contents, I think it's less that Akane somehow intended for them to be "one-dimensional" and then abruptly decided to go in the opposite direction, and more that he didn't succeed at dropping enough bread crumbs to convince people that there was more to them before. There are hints and specific scenes seemingly intended to suggest this much (that Manfredi dude in OVA 1 wasn't too bad, Ashley cared for his dead subordinate, Shin and his foster family, etc), but it's clear they didn't leave enough of an impression. They were victims of both the limited running time and Akane's inability to properly allocate it in order to achieve the desired effect.
I could discuss more specific details, such as Akane's spotty record with resolving cliffhangers dating all the way back to his laziest Escaflowne fake outs or whatever, but I think a lot of my attitude towards the Akito finale (mildly to moderately disappointing acceptance) is the result of something quite simple: I have little or no pretense about anime consistently being a format for mature storytelling, at least not as a rule rather than the exception. Which is why I don't immediately scream "foul" when shounen tropes are enforced within a seinen story, nor vice versa. I will not blindly praise them for it, of course, but they do not instantly ruin my viewing sessions. Thus I can accept Akito as a flawed yet watchable work, with several unfortunate negatives but also a number of positives that will likely remain mostly underappreciated.
We can talk about C.C. In my opinion, her role was transparently simple. Akito OVA 1 showed C.C. in a white cloak during the next episode preview, and the ED sequence also provided a shot of a similarly cloaked figure in what appeared to be a flashback with a young Leila. What actually happened then? C.C. showed up in OVA 3 during a flashback with a young Leila. I didn't have a single problem with this, since it completely met my expectations of that being a rather small role. As for Lelouch/Suzaku, I think the only plot purpose they ever served came and went in OVA 3 as a mere catalyst for other events. That's all. In retrospect, I think Akane misjudged what people would conclude from their presence and should have kept the duo out.
hosannainexcelsis
Member
Eh. While the frays of the overall weak structure really showed up towards the end, when the show needed to pay off everything it had set up, the second half still had great moments and episodes. The first half also suffered from beating Ringo's subplot into the ground.
It's not the "sweetness" that bothers me. In fact, I'm a real sucker for sappy stuff when it's executed right. Happy endings are great, especially when a writer figures out how to make it feel earned. The problem here isn't that it's a happy ending, but that it felt like a cheap and contrived ending that bears not resemblance to the reality of the setting. The tone that the show is, and the tone the conclusion has are completely at odds. The failure in the balance is what ruins the entire narrative.
This has happened before! Akane tried to make Folken a more "complex" villain in the Escaflowne film, but due to his inability to really develop any new characteristics in a limited runtime, he just ended up feeling an incomprehensible villain serving the plot instead. There are hints of the intended depth in a number of scenes, but it never really gets fleshed out nor does it ultimately go anywhere. But you would think that in 15 years, he would have learned something about that.
Then we can agree about the ending feeling unearned, because the execution didn't live up to what was required for that sappiness, yet not so much when it comes to the extent of its failure. To put it bluntly, I think the setting's reality had already started to make some room for this sort of conclusion. The tone was darker in OVA 1 and most of 2, no doubt, but a full half of chapter 3 had already lightened things up and 4 was somewhere in the middle (more grim than 3, but not as much as 1 or 2). Thus, in my case, the resulting balance felt lacking yet not completely destroyed.
This has happened before! Akane tried to make Folken a more "complex" villain in the Escaflowne film, but due to his inability to really develop any new characteristics in a limited runtime, he just ended up feeling an incomprehensible villain serving the plot instead. There are hints of the intended depth in a number of scenes, but it never really gets fleshed out nor does it ultimately go anywhere. But you would think that in 15 years, he would have learned something about that.
Pretty much, it's the same core problem. Just a less severe case of the same in my opinion, because there were more scenes here.
Dedication Through Light
Member
Shonen Maid Episode 2
Okay Chihiro's friends are so good, I hope they keep coming over. I liked the sentiment they expressed and like saying not lying to them since they are all worried about him.
Also glad Miyako isnt in love with him but is instead with someone else.
Okay Chihiro's friends are so good, I hope they keep coming over. I liked the sentiment they expressed and like saying not lying to them since they are all worried about him.
Also glad Miyako isnt in love with him but is instead with someone else.
Jex
Member
This is more wrong than duckroll's review of Boy and the Beast!
NCR Redslayer
NeoGAF's Vegeta
But why tho
Really
Capes are always dumb. Just look at incredibles for that. All they will do is get you into trouble.
Jex
Member
Okay so, at the very least, I'm not the only who person who felt insulted by the script's instance on spelling everything out.
NCR Redslayer
NeoGAF's Vegeta
So is it like school days?
I believe School Days was actually somewhat normal until the very end. This is going insane from the word go.
Just read that post...What the fuck.. Is this a so bad it's good situation?
As someone who attended a theater event where half the plays were written by college students, I assure you, it's not. (I think I vomited a bit saying that)
No. First episode was normal, then it went crazy.
Cornbread78
Member
Only in the last few minutes. Before that, the man knew what to do with his harem of ladies.
Cornbread78
Member
Kiznaiver ep.2
That was, umm, interesting. We knew that confession was coming eventually from the first episode, but there is definitely more going on from the "secret" he forgets, which we saw in the beginning of ep.1...
That was, umm, interesting. We knew that confession was coming eventually from the first episode, but there is definitely more going on from the "secret" he forgets, which we saw in the beginning of ep.1...
Project Watch All of Dragon Ball is nearly complete! I finished DBZ yesterday, watched Battle of Gods today and have nearly finished all of the other tidbits worth watching. Not gonna bother with some of the extra stuff like the recaps, video game tie-in OVAs, or Kai, at least for now. Which just leaves Resurrection of F for tomorrow. Then I guess I'm gonna wait until Super is available dubbed later this year. The wait'll give me a much needed reprieve from all this Saiyan business.
I also watched There She Is!! which is available on Youtube. I remember watching the first part on Newgrounds like a decade ago. Now there are 5 parts with a 6th on the way. I like the music for parts 1, 2, and 5 in particular, those are some jammin' tunes. It's a cute set of shorts, well worth watching.
With all that out of the way, I guess I should get back to Eureka Seven and Casshern Sins. Oh and Ajin is on Netflix now, gotta watch that!
I also watched There She Is!! which is available on Youtube. I remember watching the first part on Newgrounds like a decade ago. Now there are 5 parts with a 6th on the way. I like the music for parts 1, 2, and 5 in particular, those are some jammin' tunes. It's a cute set of shorts, well worth watching.
With all that out of the way, I guess I should get back to Eureka Seven and Casshern Sins. Oh and Ajin is on Netflix now, gotta watch that!
The Sum of Zero
Member
Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn RE:0096 - Episode 3
I honestly thought this wouldn't just be a lazy re-edit of the OVAs but boy was I wrong.
What they should have done: Ended it where OVA 1 did, ED, rest of the episode (which was the first few minutes of OVA 2), episode preview. Would have worked so much better.
What they actually did: http://puu.sh/okXYl.webm
I honestly thought this wouldn't just be a lazy re-edit of the OVAs but boy was I wrong.
What they should have done: Ended it where OVA 1 did, ED, rest of the episode (which was the first few minutes of OVA 2), episode preview. Would have worked so much better.
What they actually did: http://puu.sh/okXYl.webm
Lalalandia
Member
I'd read the warnings but failed to truly appreciate the sheer volume of fan service prior to watching the episode, if the aerial stuff looked anyway appealing I might have been willing to soldier on a few more at least but I think I'll just put this in the pile with Kancolle.
Haifuri Ep 2
OK now this, this I am all about. Nice looking boats, historical factoids and minimal fan service. The plot didn't advance much this episode in favour of spending more time with the crew but I'm happy with that so far. Only negative was the Graf Spee sounded like it was backfiring rather than firing it's main batteries, I hope that's because they've reserved the big booms for Musashi next week.
I didnt know she was. I thought it was all about Hotaru.
hosannainexcelsis
Member
Fantastic Children 18
What hath man wrought.
That about sums it up.
What hath man wrought.
BassForever
Member
Ace Attorney 3
Redd White's Engrish was hilarious, moments like Maya seeing Phoenix switch places with her really make this anime adaptation worth watching despite it's cheap production.
Redd White's Engrish was hilarious, moments like Maya seeing Phoenix switch places with her really make this anime adaptation worth watching despite it's cheap production.
Cornbread78
Member
Asterisk S2 ep.3
Ok, why they gotta let him get his ass kicked the entire match for 5 mins and not use any of his good moves in that 5 mins? I hate the obvious set-up for next week's dramatic come-back, but it was a pretty good episode despite that.
Ok, why they gotta let him get his ass kicked the entire match for 5 mins and not use any of his good moves in that 5 mins? I hate the obvious set-up for next week's dramatic come-back, but it was a pretty good episode despite that.
NCR Redslayer
NeoGAF's Vegeta
Noooooo...
GoldCrusader
Member
I have been thinking about re-watching DBZ recently and just remembering all those screaming moments and stuff and I drop the idea. On the other hand though re-watching the original Dragon Ball is tempting me more and more. I always found Kid Goku's adventures to be more interesting even when I was younger. I'll get to it with my school semester finishing soon.
The original Dragon Ball is definitely my favorite part of the series, it was by far the most interesting and the most fun. Everything was fresh and the growth in their fighting skills was more straightforward. Also whenever this music started playing I knew it was time to get hype.
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