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[Narag]

I'm not familiar with any of his other works. All I know is that he's "dark" and edgy.

Have you given Fate/Zero a shot?

 

[Risette]

I don't think you'll like Saya no Uta.

 

[Femmeworth]

Have you given Fate/Zero a shot?

Not yet, definitely will.

I don't think you'll like Saya no Uta.

I saw screenshots with tentacle rape... yeah.

 

[Risette]

I saw screenshots with tentacle rape... yeah.

It's not just that. Gen Urobuchi is definitely a misogynist and it shows in his work. Not that you'd expect anything more from someone who writes VNs, but still.

 

[Thoraxes]

Dakara Boku wa, H ga Dekinai - 01

Given what I read about this, it's exactly what I was hoping it would be, and that's a good thing.

 

[Crash Station]

It's not just that. Gen Urobuchi is definitely a misogynist and it shows in his work. Not that you'd expect anything more from someone who writes VNs, but still.

He seems more like a misanthrope than a straight up misogynist.

 

[Femmeworth]

It's not just that. Gen Urobuchi is definitely a misogynist and it shows in his work. Not that you'd expect anything more from someone who writes VNs, but still.

Morbid curiosity rising.

 

[Jex]

So at some point, we all missed the results from SaiMecha round 3:

Gurren Lagann vs Zeta Gundam BY ONE VOTE! (50.47% vs 49.53%)
Nirvash vs VF-25 Messiah (41.35% vs 58.65%)
Turn A Gundam vs Gouf Custom (51.49% vs 48.61%)
Gunbuster vs Kshatriya (64.76% vs 35.24%)

Everything is right in the world.

 

[A Black Falcon]

Saki A Fin 12:

Mahjong (and no pan) is serious business.

Certainly is.

Given that they finally have

Spoiler

Nodoka and friends finally meet

, this episode really felt like an ending. They even had the same

Spoiler

Narrator come back and give his spiel that he gave at the end of the original Saki

, so it even went full circle in that way too!

Yeah, it was pretty interesting that that happened...

Spoiler

I don't know that I expected a meeting yet. Shizuno sure was confident that they'd meet in the final... but yes, I'm sure they will. Whether Shizuno actually has a chance against Saki is another question entirely, though...

Certainly if it ended there, there would be so much god damned hype for this show (at least among maniacs like me), so I'm curious to see how they'll tack on the next three episodes. It just feels like there should be something massive at the end anyway.

That's why it was going to end here, originally, probably, to have it end with Teru... but it would be annoying to not have the remaining four matches get any time, so I think it's great that it'll continue. Will it be dramatic? We'll see, but given that they have only three episodes for four rounds, it certainly can't match this epic four episode match.

... On the note of long matches, if you want to know what's happening in the main Saki manga, the very, very long quarterfinal match just ended... yes, really. To understand why this is such a big deal, the first round of Kiyosumi B-side quarterfinal started in chapter 69, and the match just ended in chapter 99. Yes, it took up almost a third of the entire series, in terms of number of chapters. For a long time I thought it would never end, but it just did. If you want to spoil yourself, find my post about it in the manga thread. Otherwise, don't read it. But yes, the ending was a bit surprising.

... I wonder how many episodes it'd take for a TV series to cover that whole match... sure, some of those chapters are short (we're talking about 8-16 page chapters here, usually, not 35-65 page Achiga chapters), but still, that's a lot to cover. It'd be at least 6-8 episodes, I'd think. ... Gah, I'm making myself want to see this animated now... but I know it'll be so far off. Frustrating.

The Sacred Blacksmith 12

Having a magic sword that makes things decay seems like cheating, but oh well... An awesome episode, but a poor conclusion to the story. The antagonist doesn't even die. It's very clear that this is just a part of a larger story, it would just be nice to see how it ends. If they ever resume with a season 2 if ever, I would not say no.
Oh and seeing Cecily saving Luke was great.

Yeah, it's definitely a "and now read the LNs to see what happens next" ending. Oh well, what else could they do, make one up? With how awful most of their added stuff (such as the utterly useless Cecily of early in the series) was, I don't know that I'd want that... they'd probably revoke the progress you mention there and send her back to zero because it'd be more moe, or something.

YY + thread's general reaction.

Great part of the episode indeed.

The Loli referred to in fashion is not the same lolita as lolita complex

The Term 'Lolita'

In the context of fashion, the term 'Lolita' does not exclusively relate to sex. The usage of the word can be considered wasei-eigo or deriving from the female given name, 'Lolita' relating back to Japan's relations to Portugal. Early Japanese lolitas thought it meant something cute in Portuguese and therefore adopted the wasei-eigo term "lolita".

The fashion is thought to have been partly created to react against the growing exposure of the body and skin in modern society. Adherents fight this with modesty, presenting themselves as "cute" or "elegant" rather than "sexy"

Huh, that's interesting, I didn't know that they had different origins. That does explain some things, though, "lolita fashion" did seem fairly different from the usual loli/lolita definition.

Technically the steam isn't really censorship here. They've got soapsud covered bodies underneath so you don't see anything anywho.

You could tell the difference, really?

 

[Jex]

1) What motive would there be for BV to censor the movie? Why aren't you thinking logically?

2) SD vs HD. You didn't see out of focus shots in SD.

Let's go and read the article I originally linked to:

Later on, the infamous guy who loses his head - the head part is gone entirely. The screen whites out and this is very noticeable.

Furthermore, in case you weren't already convinced that these guys have seen this movie too many times to make basic mistakes there's this discussion about another (extremely subtle) alteration which is in the comments:http://www.macrossworld.com/mwf/index.php?showtopic=37131&st=0&p=982656&#entry982656

Right. The screening last night, however, was quite different. The BGM was ENTIRELY silent for that scene until the DYRL intro. It may be subtle, but it takes away a WHOLE LOT for me. I am very sensitive to the usage of BGM in movies/TV (remember our podcast on Sayonara no Tsubasa and how the Brera/Ozma battle kind of was dragged down by the stock BGM usage IMO) and DYRL is perfect as it was -- I don't know if this omission is on purpose or a mistake, but it is much, much more detrimental to the work overall than the violence being cut.

 

[hosannainexcelsis]

Patema Inverted: Beginning of the Day 3

Ah, inverted. I see what's going on here.

 

[Jex]

Moyashimon 9-11

My biggest complaint would be that there were a stretch of episodes in the middle which felt rather disjointed - both scene-by-scene and episode-by-episode. I wish the show had dedicated more time to establishing Sawaki's transition into college life - as it is, I didn't feel there was enough context to the microbe antics in the lab.

The director, Yano Yuichiro, isn't someone who has directed many works that I have seen so I don't know if this is a recurring issue for him or not but that's exactly the problem that the first episode of Moyashimon Returns has. There's no flow or structure to the episode, it felt janky, like something Tomino had worked on.

 

[A Black Falcon]

Arcana Famiglia 1

Hey, look, it's more sexist, mediocre anime! Who'd have thought it... I saw from other reviews that people agreed that this is really generic battle stuff, and yes, I agree. That's what this is for sure. Each character has a general stereotype and power, several of them use swords even though it's set in the early 20th century, the girl's father is a sexist jerk and has set up a tournament where she has to marry the winner (unless she's allowed to compete too, or someone wins who doesn't want her, or something). Even if he has reasons, that doesn't change how it comes off, that's for sure. And yes, she protests -- she's one of the better characters here -- but the setup sure is generic and sexist. Sure, given the setting some sexism is believable (annoying to have to watch, but believable), but are such generic characters and such an obvious battle-tournament setup? Not so sure about that one.

So yeah, I wouldn't guess about whether I'll be watching this one to the end, that's for sure. However, it's not terrible. Just blandly average, much like Campione, and a lot of other stuff this season too I'm sure. There were a few amusing bits in the episode, and it wasn't offensively bad, which is always good for anime, but it wasn't anything good, or especially interesting, either.

On the note of amusing, though...

Princess Carry? Sure looks like it to me!

I'm sorry, Mr. Generic Main Character-ish Guy, but this is the 20th century now, and swords are a bit outdated. Nobody outside of Japan cares about those things anymore. What, this is anime? But it's set in Europe, in what looks like the 1920s most likely...

Arcana Famiglia

Screw the guys, Felicita is by far the best character in this show.

Probably true, but they're all really, really generic.

KEY's made a lot of money, right? I wonder what they blow it on because it certainly isn't art.

Their art has gotten better over time, and obviously people who like Key are also going to be more likely to like their art well enough than people who despise them like you do are.

You guys know me all too well. :lol
It's definitely a guilty pleasure show because of the MJ. If it was about a real sport, (like RKB and basketball or Taishou Baseball Girls and... baseball) I wouldn't enjoy it it as much.

And there's :firehawk, but not really!
In the same way that Tsuritama could be a :cosmic shounen, except for the fact that the powering up is through fishing and not through fists.

Why would it be worse if it was about a real sport? Do you mean that it's because you don't like any real sports, so you wouldn't care? I guess so, but I didn't care about mahjong before I started watching Saki, so you don't have to come in liking the sport to like the franchise.

Don't get me wrong - remember, I'm one of the three or so gaffots who actually watched the first season of Saki.

Ah, alright. Were there really only three, though?

Seitokai Yakuindomo 14

I don't think most robotic clubs are like this.
So they just don't stop introducing new characters do they. Same old, same old, even the same jokes from the first episode just different reaction.

Yup, the OVAs really are just extra episodes. Isn't that exactly what they should be, though? And yes, it's a new school year, so of course there are some new people to introduce.

Seitokai Yakuindomo 16

Nothing's more important.
You know, I'm now sad this is the last episode. I do want more of this show. It's not always hilarious, but the lewd jokes are amusing, I like the characters and it's pretty fun all around. That and I really do like the ED. Though, I do expect more episodes mostly cause they are not stopping the new character train one bit.

Yes, I'm certainly hoping that there will be more episodes. I'm sure the manga has plenty more good stuff in it to animate...

Yuru Yuri S2 1

Akari-sama is the bestest. It was a fun reentry into the series. Everything felt quite spot on. The jokes were funny and the pace was smooth. The yuri quota was met and then some (even if it was mostly a sad delusion). The OP from the first season was catchier but this one is fine too.

Chinatsu's hair is a demon.

Chinatsu's hair was indeed terrifying.

Gah! That could give some people nightmares...

Spoiler

The part where the balls all fell out when she got in the hotspring was a pretty amusing way to end the joke, too.

 

[Crash Station]

Arcana Famiglia 1

Hey, look, it's more sexist, mediocre anime!

Sexist to women? Because... it is an otome game adaptation.

 

[hosannainexcelsis]

The director, Yano Yuichiro, isn't someone who has directed many works that I have seen so I don't know if this is a recurring issue for him or not but that's exactly the problem that the first episode of Moyashimon Returns has. There's no flow or structure to the episode, it felt janky, like something Tomino had worked on.

Moyashimon definitely had its fair share of jankiness. It got better in its latter half, so hopefully the same will happen in Returns.

 

[A Black Falcon]

Sexist to women? Because... it is an otome game adaptation.

I mean her father's attitude, mostly, there.

 

[Dresden]

hyouka - 07

That was good. If any of the first four episodes had been like this I wouldn't have dropped it so readily.

The solution (as usual) to the mystery was quite mundane, but the question posed was interesting enough--and the conclusion quite poignant--for me to be engaged all throughout. Add in the copious amounts of Oreki being sexy and it was a thoroughly enjoyable episode, all of it nicely scripted with a good beat to it to keep things brisk.

 

[BGBW]

It would probably be more enjoyable if you could understand what they were saying. I know Northern English can be a bit tricky on non domestic ears. Also it was surprising what they managed to get away with in these sketches.
They were certainly "ruder than a Diglett with a couple of Pokéballs".

Seeing how Pokemon (and by extention 4Kids) was back in the day just makes me so god damn pissed their dead.

Why are you pissed that 4Kids is dead? Weren't they the ones holding anime back?

Ash just looks so out of place now. They should have scrapped him with the reboot.

Especially when...

This is the worst thing about Ash always having to lose each regional tournament.

Replace him with Black, not Black2 whose hair had sex with a shrubbery, and have him actually progress beyond the in game equivalent of level 30.

Pokemon has never been a good show.

Hey, I was about 10 when it came on the air. It was good back then.

Yurumates 3D 13I never thought penguins could rival cats in adorableness, but Penguindrum, Minori Scramble, and this have put up a persuasive case.

Have you not seen Azumanga?

You could tell the difference, really?

You just need to tilt the laptop screen back. Which I of course did completely accidentally.

 

[Risette]

Let's go and read the article I originally linked to:



Furthermore, in case you weren't already convinced that these guys have seen this movie too many times to make basic mistakes there's this discussion about another (extremely subtle) alteration which is in the comments:http://www.macrossworld.com/mwf/index.php?showtopic=37131&st=0&p=982656&#entry982656

Is this the first time they've heard a new 5.1 mix? Pretty much all of them have issues with things changing. I think you're giving them too much credit.

Spoiler

I still think they're lying about the visual changes

 

[fertygo]

It's too bad that I'm no longer interested in watching the current sequel, as the redesigns are rather unfortunate and it sounds like it exacerbates the worst aspects of the educational nature of the show, but hopefully I hear more positive impressions on it down the line.

You think Princess Jellyfish had bad chara design?
If not, don't make that turned off you for the sequel, the redesign remind me very much to Princess Jellyfish looks, we the old fans just disappointed the girls ain't hotties anymore :<
The art is actually improved if we are being objective. And the brewing part is supposed gonna more relevant in material that they gonna cover.

The first episode still fun as ever, and might the best so far in the series for instilling the educational aspect. I think that's pretty good sign for the rest of episode.

 

[Jex]

I was broken by fandeath. Then by Xillia. I have no idea what's wrong with me anymore. Also, I realized how much more outgoing Eureka is in the movie. Hm... I really want to

Spoiler

compare the movie Eureka to the one that's in AO. Hm....

So this was the beginning of your dark path.

 

[A Black Falcon]

Hey, I was about 10 when it came on the air. It was good back then.

You mean "it seemed good when you were ten", yes?

You just need to tilt the laptop screen back. Which I of course did completely accidentally.

Sure, sure... we believe you...

Binbougami ga 1

Momiji is an awful character. Otherwise an okay show. Definitely not worth the hype, would rather watch Nyaruko-san to be honest. Will wait to see if it gets better later on before I continue.

What, the massive amounts of Cosmic hype didn't make you at least a little bit cautious? I mean, unless you share his tastes of course.

(I haven't watched the anime yet, but I found the manga not that great. I mean, it's not bad, the setup IS potentially amusing, but great? Certainly not, in my opinion.)

Well, even though I never watched the original Last Exile and I thought at times the
new Last Exile: Silver Wing was just stupid, it never really hinged on the fanservice. They brought back the old characters at various points throughout the series, but as someone who had no knowledge of the original, I was still invested enough in some of the new characters that it didn't matter if the fanservice moments were completely lost on me.

Seriously, you should watch the original series, soon. Sure, it may not have much in the way of yuri, but it's a far, far better anime series than its sequel is. Last Exile is a great series.

Sengoku Collection 11:

The historical Matsunaga Hisahide committed suicide upon his defeat by Oda Nobunaga, but first spited Oda by destroying a tea kettle that Oda desired.

Sengoku Collection Matsunaga Hisahide is a con artist who specializes in faking her own death.

It took patience to make it through this episode. Beyond the general lack of anything going, the multiple fake poker matches took the episode into anti-entertainment territory. Hisahide isn't as great a con artist as she is talented at finding the stupidest yakuza in Japan, somehow happening on a mob-run casino whose proprietors are actually willing to risk losing ownership of the establishment in a single high-stakes poker match against a patron who is a known cheater. In the real world, one would get dragged out into a dark alley and beaten mostly to death by goons for even proposing such an absurdity. The whole episode was just a series of stupid people doing stupid things.


Sengoku Collection 12:

The historical Maeda Keiji once broke an entire enemy formation with only eight horsemen.

Sengoku Collection Maeda Keiji chases down delinquents on a motorcycle and punishes them with BDSM and lectures on panties.


Seriously, two episodes in a row featuring yakuza? Shake things up a little. Apparently Brains Base was desperately trying to huff the last fumes of their own past success this episode by making one of the Sengoku girls a vaguely knockoff Celty except, y'know, with an actual head (and thank goodness, because Maeda Keiji is a meganekko.) This was an unbearably dull story about vigilantism and, uhh.........meaningful underwear.

and what the heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeell at the last couple of minutes

Sengoku Collection vs. Battle Girls: Time Paradox, which is better/worse?

He seems more like a misanthrope than a straight up misogynist.

Certainly the first, maybe both, it seems to me...

 

[mAcOdIn]

Arcana Famiglia being merely mediocre is an insult to mediocrity. That shit sucked. I couldn't finish the first episode of that crap, I mean, the first action scene was bad enough with the lame way of introducing everyone, kinda like that shit that was Horizon and its shitty method of character introductions but I soldiered through it to make it to the birthday party to the big announcement and finally gave up. This shit is terrible. It's not merely generic or mediocre it is offensively bad.

 

[Jex]

Spoiler

I still think they're lying about the visual changes

And I still think that's an odd assumption but whatever, I don't know of any other corroborating evidence e.g. reports from people who went to the screening so I guess that's that.

 

[A Black Falcon]

Arcana Famiglia being merely mediocre is an insult to mediocrity. That shit sucked. I couldn't finish the first episode of that crap, I mean, the first action scene was bad enough with the lame way of introducing everyone, kinda like that shit that was Horizon and its shitty method of character introductions but I soldiered through it to make it to the birthday party to the big announcement and finally gave up. This shit is terrible. It's not merely generic or mediocre it is offensively bad.

There's a lot of anime that's far worse than Arcana Famiglia's first episode, though... and there were a few things about it that were amusing, if not many.

 

[mAcOdIn]

There's a lot of anime that's far worse than Arcana Famiglia's first episode, though... and there were a few things about it that were amusing, if not many.

Well there's two things to address here:

First, while there may indeed be a lot of anime far worse than this show I refuse to start judging anime through such a limited scope, everything vies for our time, anime, live action TV, movies, music, video games, real life events and whatever else one spends their time on and I rank my entertainment across all entertainment of it's type, therefore I compare anime to the rest of TV. This is the only way a recommendation has any weight in my opinion. If I were to think an anime series was good would I recommend it to just anyone? If I thought it was good because I judged it against all of TV, then yes, I think that recommendation has real merit that is helpful to anyone, however if I have to say it is good "for an anime" then what the hell does that mean? That, if for some reason, you just wanted to watch something with a drawn look that may or may not actually be good, period, but just happens to be better than lots of other shit that is hand drawn, well, who the fuck does that serve?

Of course no-one's saying Arcana Famiglia is good, merely that it's mediocre, but you're saying it's mediocre in comparison to other anime which I think is an unfair grading curve. Indeed, all TV of all nations skews towards shit so why the fuck should I be hesitant to compare an anime to one's normal television, why do I need to inflate a shit show's worth by limiting it's competition to a field that's full of crap, when everything's mostly crap anyways? I don't do that for normal television. I don't say "oh man, the Real World is ok. For a reality show." The Real World sucks and how it stacks up to it's direct competition in it's small niche is of little relevance to me in the grand scheme of things. It is just plain bad TV whether compared to all of TV or just reality shows and so it is with Arcana Famiglia which is bad TV compared to all of TV or just anime.

For this whole "for an anime" thing to work it seems like you'd almost have to exclusively watch anime, which is a frightening prospect but seems to be the only way that such a means of judging anime only as anime would make any sense.

Second, you were amused at one point? If not many points even? I hope I'm interpreting that "If not many" part wrong. I wasn't amused at any point of my 12 minutes with the show.

 

[BGBW]

You mean "it seemed good when you were ten", yes?

Or it was good for 10 year olds. It was either that or Legend of the Overfiend.

 

[Kazzy]

Arcana Famiglia being merely mediocre is an insult to mediocrity. That shit sucked. I couldn't finish the first episode of that crap, I mean, the first action scene was bad enough with the lame way of introducing everyone, kinda like that shit that was Horizon and its shitty method of character introductions but I soldiered through it to make it to the birthday party to the big announcement and finally gave up. This shit is terrible. It's not merely generic or mediocre it is offensively bad.

I thought it was really bad, and reading the impressions in the IRC, I had never felt more out of touch with the rest of AnimeGAF.

 

[Firemind]

Infinite Stratos Encore

 

[PdotMichael]

go away! you are not Laura

 

[Unknown Soldier]

Char-gasm is Best Gasm!

 

[Dresden]

natsuyuki rendezvous - 01

This is good

 

[Defuser]

Accel World ep 13
hmm, I thought this would be a split cour but it seems I was wrong, oh well. Chiyu is as usual cute.

Edit:
gah! This means no more Unfinished ED

 

[hosannainexcelsis]

Natsuyuki Rendezvous 1

This went even better than the two chapters of the manga it adapted. The strong pacing, voice acting, and more fleshed out visuals really enhanced the storytelling. The chemistry between the characters is portrayed very well. The moments of levity, mostly centered around the ghost character, had great delivery. I love subdued romantic dramas like this, and based on this first episode this show should be a very strong one, unless the manga flounders beyond where I've read.

Can't wait for next episode, when the characters start getting fleshed out.

OP is OK, but doesn't compare to the beautiful art of the ED.

Oh yeah, and I really need to watch Kurenai.

 

[duckroll]

Binbougami-ga! - Episode 1

Not really feeling a strong hook in this show. The scenario is rather unique, but aside from the randomness and unpredictability of the antics between the two leads so far, there really isn't much going for it. The production values are good, the art isn't unattractive, and some of the more physical visual gags are actually funny, but at the same time by the end of the episode I don't really feel anything.

This seems more like the sort of thing you watch or read when you're bored and have nothing else to do, rather than something that you actively look forward to each week. Maybe it'll improve after this, but based on the first episode the premise doesn't seem like it has a lot of lasting power. We'll see.




Natsuyuki Rendezvous - Episode 1

Wow. Kou Matsuo is really back. It's been a while since he's done a new TV series, but he definitely nails it again here. I'm not familiar with the source material at all, so some of the story and developments took me by surprise. The story is a lot more mature and rather grim on the surface, but handled in a very laid back and casual manner, which is an interesting contrast. There's a solid dynamic between the characters which promises for some really interesting drama too.

One thing that I really like in Matsuo works is how natural the conversations and dialogue always feel. It is the same here, with great dramatic flow between characters and it always feels natural and sharp. Another aspect which really elevates it from most shows is the great color deisgn and art direction. Everything on screen feels like it pops right out and has really nice color contrast.

The direction and layout in the first episode is really strong, which really helps to sell many of the scenes. This is definitely a series worthy of the noitaminA slot, with an intriguing romantic plot, unorthodox characters, and a solid mix of audio and visual elements. Really excited to see where this goes next. Hosanna says the manga is 4 volumes and complete too, so this shouldn't run into the pacing issue which Kids on the Slope had either.

 

[Brazil]

That scene was so weird. For a second there they had me convinced he was using glasses.

Natsuyuki Rendezvous - Episode 1

Wow. Kou Matsuo is really back. It's been a while since he's done a new TV series, but he definitely nails it again here. I'm not familiar with the source material at all, so some of the story and developments took me by surprise. The story is a lot more mature and rather grim on the surface, but handled in a very laid back and casual manner, which is an interesting contrast. There's a solid dynamic between the characters which promises for some really interesting drama too.

One thing that I really like in Matsuo works is how natural the conversations and dialogue always feel. It is the same here, with great dramatic flow between characters and it always feels natural and sharp. Another aspect which really elevates it from most shows is the great color deisgn and art direction. Everything on screen feels like it pops right out and has really nice color contrast.

The direction and layout in the first episode is really strong, which really helps to sell many of the scenes. This is definitely a series worthy of the noitaminA slot, with an intriguing romantic plot, unorthodox characters, and a solid mix of audio and visual elements. Really excited to see where this goes next. Hosanna says the manga is 4 volumes and complete too, so this shouldn't run into the pacing issue which Kids on the Slope had either.

I was in the same position as you. I had no idea what the source material was about, so the premise of

Spoiler

a dead husband sticking around the main character's love interest

surprised me in a positive way.

My biggest fear regarding this show is that,

Spoiler

with the confession already out of the way,

they might go off on a tangent and start focusing on

Spoiler

ghost

shenanigans instead of actually advancing the main plot consistently.

Accel World ep 13

gah! This means no more Unfinished ED

You can always, you know, listen to the single! Haha.

New OPs and EDs are always welcome in my book.

 

[Firemind]

Binbougami-ga

Definitely in the Momiji camp. Kanazawa and tits aren't everything.

 

[hosannainexcelsis]

I was in the same position as you. I had no idea what the source material was about, so the premise of

Spoiler

a dead husband sticking around the main character's love interest

surprised me in a positive way.

My biggest fear regarding this show is that,

Spoiler

with the confession already out of the way,

they might go off on a tangent and start focusing on

Spoiler

ghost

shenanigans instead of actually advancing the main plot consistently.

It's a relatively short manga, so there's not too much room for random shenanigans. Based on the translated chapters I've read, (slight spoilers?)

Spoiler

you shouldn't have room for concern, at least in the near future. It's an intimate, focused story.

 

[CatPee]

Tsuritama 1-12

Must... hold back... manly tears...

Natsuyuki Rendezvous 1

Really pleasant and enjoyable to watch thanks to the excellent pacing and focus. Also dat short hair.

 

[Brazil]

It's a relatively short manga, so there's not too much room for random shenanigans. Based on the translated chapters I've read, (slight spoilers?)

Spoiler

you shouldn't have room for concern, at least in the near future. It's an intimate, focused story.

That's really good to hear. Hopefully they'll be able to maintain this level of quality throughout all the remaining episodes, then.

 

[Dedication Through Light]

I thought it was really bad, and reading the impressions in the IRC, I had never felt more out of touch with the rest of AnimeGAF.

But Arcana Famiglia is leading the way this season in the most compelling characters department, and character development. It actually looks good visually and feels good too. I was pretty excited for it all throughout those 24 or so minutes.

 

[chickdigger802]

Binbougami-ga

Definitely in the Momiji camp. Kanazawa and tits aren't everything.

True. But they are anime.

 

[Brazil]

But Arcana Famiglia is leading the way this season in the most compelling characters department, and character development. It actually looks good visually and feels good too. I was pretty excited for it all throughout those 24 or so minutes.

Dat first episode amazing character development led by random power explanations!

 

[wonzo]

AKB0048 10

deep philosophical and culturally marxist pondering on breasts equality comparable only to the great ninja tits

blah blah shameless fanservice blah blah yuri whatever.

Anyways, I've been doing some drthinking on my original AKB0048 Kirara hypothesis and now I'm not so entirely sure about my original conclusion. But before I divulge further, I must try to understand the overall purpose of the Kirara and to a lesser extent the being known as "Sensei-sensei" before I can start to touch on the true nature of the Kirara in finer detail.

Spoiler

I believe the Kirara and Sensei-sensei to be a memetic creature that gestates in little girls until they become of age as idols. I think it manipulates the host's body to ensure that the (most likely implanted) dreams and aspirations of becoming an idol are made reality. Whether or not they are of a spiritual and/or biological/viral nature I cannot at this point in time determine. However, because it is Kawamori at the helm, I believe it to be the former with a very slight chance of there being some kind of viral component to it and I think the visual and aural stimulation that the concerts provide play a fundamental role in the spread of this fascinating creature.

Now, as for Sensei-sensei. Thanks to some deliberation with fellow schollar Hitokage, I believe Sensei-sensei is a being made up of the collective conscious of Kirara and/or perhaps something even greater. I believe the position of Center Nova plays a fundamental role in the existence and sustenance of Sensei-sensei and I wouldn't rule out the rest of the idols playing a minor role as-well.

Now, I personally am not of my prior view that the idols turn into Kirara when they graduate. Rather, I think the Kirara are the spiritual embodiment of their time as the role they reprised. I am highly skeptical that this has any permanent physical health implications outside of the diamond shape of the hair and eye highlights. But, I wouldn't rule out the possibility of partial-to-severe memory loss and/or changes in the psychological disposition of the idol (infact, any changes in the behavioural actions of said graduate may just be a return to their original self pre-gestating Kirara thanks to the loss of said manipulating force).

However, I still think my original conclusion holds true to most of those that reprise the role of the Center Nova. I would say it happens to all of them but the revelations in this episode somewhat made me less sure of that. This would explain why most of them seem to disappear on stage when they graduate. Whether or not they turn into Kirara or something even greater has yet to be explained but this is really the only logical conclusion I can come to at this point in time. I think the glowing of the Kirara might be a means of communication in judging the potential of the gestating Kirara to evolve into this hypothetical greater being thus ensuring whom will play the part of Center Nova.

Maybe I'm just putting way too much thought in something Kawamori shat out of his incredibly insane, deranged and possible drug fuelled existence but at this point I just can't look back. I've gone in too deep with this to stop now. I, as a self-certified AKB0048 schollar must seek THE TRUTH until the very bitter end.

Now, DISCUSS!

 

[Firemind]

Or

it's a promotional campaign for the idol group and possibly a gateway to the untapped market known as comiket.

 

[Dedication Through Light]

Dat first episode amazing character development led by random power explanations!

But it was sufficient, the ceremony to attain the Arcana, its grandeur,its brilliance, its magnificence. Luca, Nova, Liberta were developed.

 

[/XX/]

What motive would there be for BV to censor the movie? Why aren't you thinking logically?

Would that be a first for Bandai Visual? Any antecedents? I've always seen them as pretty respectful of the original material for this kind of releases.

 

[Kazzy]

Now that I've finally rounded off both Fujiko and Kids on the Slope, I thought I'd try and break my (slow and ponderous) viewing routine and shotgun through a selection of different shows. So heres whats up on the anime appetizers so far:

Yuri Yuri 1:

I dunno, lol

I did not know this was a seconds series, how silly of me. Not that it really matters, or appears to anyway. I didn't really find any one aspect all that funny, well except maybe the fact that Akari is geared as the protagonist, only to turn into anything but after the dream sequence. In hindsight, I take that as being some sort of reference?

The animation is nice and it appears to be well-crafted, it's just not what I'm looking for personally. If its going to be mainly silly, with zero plot, it needs to be balls out crazy. I guess its just bringing enough silliness for me ( the opening sequence aside).

There is not much I can say about it, other than its light-hearted and focussed around girls, which sounds like a novel concept. This is probably as far as I'll go with this.

Tari Tari 1:

I just really liked this little cut to the store

I really liked this, it had a real sense of place about it. I usually dislike starting a new series because of all the exposition and narrative building that often comes upfront, but this felt like a nice antithesis to that. The characters seemed to just be getting on with their continuing lives, rather than simply existing alongside the audience. It appears to be suitably laidback, but with enough going on to keep me interested. I intend to keep up with this. It has certainly made a good first impression.

And yeah, does that high-school have the budget of a small country? Damn impressive...

Bodacious Space Pirates 1

Exactly. It kind of defeats the purpose, no?

I like how completely ironic the term "pirates" seems to be in terms of how they actually operate in this universe.

The crazy OP had me, and overall this looks promising. The space theme at least will keep me on board for a few more episodes. I would say it has a nice pace about it, but that probably is a bit presumptuous considering its the first episode.

All those hand-drawn ships of Cowboy Bebop have forever spoilt me, though. I hope that won't bother me too much down the road.

I still have Usagi Drop, Jinrui, Angel Beats & F/Z to try out at some point too. I only intend to watch a couple so I'll probably be extremely fickle and dump a few after making snap-judgements, come the second episodes.

But it was sufficient, the ceremony to attain the Arcana, its grandeur,its brilliance, its magnificence. Luca, Nova, Liberta were developed.

You are the true Anime connoisseur. If that is indeed the case, I missed it all.

 

[Theonik]

Exactly. It kind of defeats the purpose, no?

Never heard of a Privateer then?

 

[wonzo]

Or

it's a promotional campaign for the idol group and possibly a gateway to the untapped market known as comiket.

this is known but still doesn't undermine or lessen the depth of the world Kawamori has created. these things must be explored to the fullest