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[Jex]

Even if the game requires special hardware that can't be delivered digitally?

Yup. The special hardware existed before the game 'Sword Art Online' and presumably has other uses. Sony and Microsoft have managed to get literally millions of people to buy their motion control/body control peripherals. Therefore, if you had virtual reality headsets that actually work I think it's pretty easy to imagine such a device selling in the millions (assuming it isn't laughably expensive).

 

[SDBurton]

It's like the very first scene in the show, and it was all it took for me to realize it's crap.

Figured as much. Thanks for the confirmation.

 

[Uchip]

Yup. The special hardware existed before the game 'Sword Art Online' and presumably has other uses. Sony and Microsoft have managed to get literally millions of people to buy their motion control/body control peripherals. Therefore, if you had virtual reality headsets that actually work I think it's pretty easy to imagine such a device selling in the millions (assuming it isn't laughably expensive).

They did say that there were only 10,000
its obviously some kind of limited edition!
comes with art book

 

[Jex]

Sword Art Online 1

I have to admit that was pretty hot. The whole being stuck in an mmo story is pretty w.e, but regardless I really enjoyed the first ep. The did a pretty good job selling me on the characters in the episode, plus the visuals and music are solid stuff. Thank god the main doesn't appear to be some sad sack no confidence asshole, he seems to have his shit together. They even got the emotional scenes down pretty pat, I bought into the online nakama feelings.

Well, he was a beta tester, he knows what's up!

 

[Jintor]

Give Toady of Dwarf Fort fame another decade and it could happen.

Somebody said Dwarf Fortress. Let's make an anime.

 

[Jex]

I don't know if it's quite open-world, though. There seems to be a definite set path for progression, and the main game is the 100-floor tower of Aincrad.

Having a 100-floor tower is something that you find in a lot of JRPG's, but it doesn't seem very, er, MMOish. Perhaps I just haven't played enough Japanese MMO's, but most of them seem to be set around the 'open world' template.

 

[duckroll]

- "Why did the production on Code Geass - Boukoku no Akito end up so running late?" - he admitted it should've been ready much sooner, but they apparently couldn't decide on which character to pick as a protagonist for a long time.

I don't understand the answer here. It doesn't seem to make a lot of sense. I mean, they announced this in early 2009, and the name of the character was in the goddamn title. Unless he meant something else?

 

[mAcOdIn]

Yeah.

I think I'll pass on this one.

Good call.

I also was a tad disappointed with how the girl from the other world, that was set in some medieval era, is taking this whole adjustment being brought into this world with cars and shit. Way too well. I can't imagine people from an era with no technology getting their blood drawn and shit without a fight.

But there's lots that pisses me off about this show. Like, this show had more bras and panties in it in 5 minutes than all the shows I've watched this season and even though they were medieval era bras and panties they were expertly crafted by modern standards, you might say indistinguishable from what one would wear today. Grrr. Ah, but the main problem wasn't the quality of the bras and the panties mind you it was the stupid panty removing slight of hand that was the real issue, don't misunderstand me.

But really, everything about the show sucks.

 

[wsippel]

Hagure Yuusha no Estetica 1

Don't really understand how this show's world works, but I think it will be enjoyable regardless. The main character is a big pervert and smuggles a girl with unnaturally huge tits from another world into his own. And now he wants her to call him Onii-chan. Interesting show, we'll see how it goes.

Actually, the dude didn't come across as perverted at all - there was no overt sexual motivation in anything he did. It's more a combination of pragmatism and plain old trolling.

 

[mAcOdIn]

Actually, the dude didn't come across as perverted at all - there was no overt sexual motivation in anything he did. It's more a combination of pragmatism and plain old trolling.

That's true everywhere except for when he opens his bag holding the girl and wonders aloud if he should massage her tits. But yes, I think he's just trolling, but then, why would a non-pervert be so good at stripping undergarments off of women? It's hard to imagine that that's how he defeated the Dark Lord's army in the other world so where did he hone that skill if he's not a secret perv?

 

[chickdigger802]

SAO1

Wow, didn't expect that plot turn, well wouldn't have if ducky didn't spoil it!

The potential for this show has increased drastically. Does the game have pvp? Will there be Battle Royale for mmo freaks (so timely with all the recent korean mmo laws being passed)?

I do hope the settings option isn't blocked. That fov. Barf*

This shitty camera pan at the end was brilliant though.

So glad that they didn't make all the fights and what not look super badass eps one (probably tempted to). lvl1 dudes need to know their place.

 

[Uchip]

Having a 100-floor tower is something that you find in a lot of JRPG's, but it doesn't seem very, er, MMOish. Perhaps I just haven't played enough Japanese MMO's, but most of them seem to be set around the 'open world' template.

if they had to explain the rules, it wasnt what people were expecting
having that many players is certainly enough to call something an MMO though

This shitty camera pan at the end was brilliant though. .

LOL
you can actually see the top of where they bothered to place the boundaries in the background
and the character isnt tracked to the 3d at all, looks like they did it manually

 

[Instro]

Well, he was a beta tester, he knows what's up!

He'll probably do a reversal once he gets to areas that he hasn't seen already, then it will be Accel World protag all over again. Either that or give up and pound his virtual harem chicks for the rest of eternity.

On a side note, you know that after a month all of these players bodies will have already wasted away from muscle atrophy and being hooked up to an IV or whatever. I hope at the end of the series we get to see their real bodies, it would probably be horrifying lol.

 

[Pooya]

Sword Art Online

NicoNico will still look same shit in 10 years.

I actually quite liked it, the premise is dumb I agree but I think I would enjoy this still. backgrounds are really pretty. Kajiura's music was good but it's like I've heard it elsewhere already. will watch next episodes to decide if I want to stick with it or not. don't have anything better to watch

Yup. The special hardware existed before the game 'Sword Art Online' and presumably has other uses. Sony and Microsoft have managed to get literally millions of people to buy their motion control/body control peripherals. Therefore, if you had virtual reality headsets that actually work I think it's pretty easy to imagine such a device selling in the millions (assuming it isn't laughably expensive).

but they are selling it with the game, see pic

 

[Dresden]

Just making it clear who the best girl is.

I'm fond of Adachi's Wagnaria Online designs.

 

[KO Traveling Hobo]

Somebody said Dwarf Fortress. Let's make an anime.

You're good people, Jintor. I would donate vast quantities of currency and vital fluids for a Dwarf Fort anime.

Cute dorfs doing cute things.

 

[Pooya]

btw, what they will do about food in the game? their real body can starve still even if they eat in the game. right?

 

[mAcOdIn]

btw, what they will do about food in the game? their real body can starve still even if they eat in the game. right?

How do people live in comas in hospitals? Remember, the country knows what's going on so they can be brought to hospitals and be given nutrients.

Also, you can live for several weeks without food and water anyways so it's not like they have to be found in 24 hours or anything.

 

[Dresden]

btw, what they will do about food in the game? their real body can starve still even if they eat in the game. right?

Surgically implant a tube through the abdominal wall directly into the stomach. IV isn't feasible for the long term.

 

[PdotMichael]

so many SAO spoilers, thank god, I didn't read them.

 

[Articalys]

Are we going to have this much insane discussion over SAO every week or is this just a first episode/premise thing?

 

[Brazil]

You're good people, Jintor. I would donate vast quantities of currency and vital fluids for a Dwarf Fort anime.

Cute dorfs doing cute things.

And then dying horrible deaths.

I'm in.

 

[Jex]

Edit: Actually I think I realize why I dislike this story type so much. It's because eXistenZ is an awesome movie, and I loved it, and it worked because of how the story was presented and the scenario was limited and plausible. Then anime starts pulling the same shit on a larger scale and I just find it laughable.

SAO needs some repeated geometry, bad textures and odd quest dialogue.

 

[Uchip]

Are we going to have this much insane discussion over SAO every week or is this just a first episode/premise thing?

its funny because we should be WELL used to questionable concepts in this medium

 

[mAcOdIn]

Duckroll:

Did you like that X-Files episode with a similar premise?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Person_Shooter_(The_X-Files)

 

[Jintor]

And then dying horrible deaths.

I'm in.

You Will Believe A Bunch of Idiot Dorfs Can Flood The World In Magma

 

[KO Traveling Hobo]

And then dying horrible deaths.

I'm in.

The finale will be one dwarf digging too deep and too greedily. It'll be like Blood C's but with tentacles and delicious magma.

 

[Articalys]

Anyway, with Rinne no Lagrange S2 airing its first real episode in a few hours, I threw together a quick "who's who" sheet of the main characters, along with where they ended up at the end of the season, purely based the random episode summaries I scrounged up here and there.

http://imgur.com/a/YYAJR

e: okay so there was probably a bit more plot, but hell if I remember any of it. Hopefully they'll review what we need to know.

 

[duckroll]

Speaking of pretty backgrounds from A-1 Pictures productions... the bonus Magi chapter in next week's Shounen Sunday is a 6-page special thing where the author talks about the production of the anime in gag form with SD versions of the characters and so on. I decided to actually read it, and while there isn't much info about the show, there are some interesting bits.

As I previously mentioned, the manga author actually went with the anime staff to do location scouting for the anime, here she goes into more detail about that trip. It was a one week trip to the Middle East with the director and some of the other anime staff. They visited three countries in total - Jordan, Turkey, and Israel. While in Jordan, they visited the Petra Ruins in the desert. In Turkey they were in Istanbul, scouting out architecture which gave off Arabian Nights vibes. For Israel, they were mostly taking references of old city alleyways (probably in Jerusalem). They also brought back various items from the trip to use as reference for prop designs in the anime, like a sheath for curved daggers, and so on.

It seems they're pretty positive about doing a good job with the adaptation, so hopefully it pans out!

 

[Haly]

I forgot how much of a clusterfuck eXistenZ's story was.

 

[Jex]

[Sword Art Online] 1 - The Things I Liked

Just so you understand that I am not simply a chronic nitpicker (although some of the ridiculous plot are more egregious than some of the more minor stuff I complained about) I decided that it would be best to talk about the parts of the episode that I liked.

During the opening of the episode the 'real world' is portrayed in desaturated greys and blues to shows just how boring it is:

This shot shows our protagonist looking out of his window, momentarily, at that drab world. In the far corner of the shot we can see his computer monitor depicting a far more colourful locale. We already know that he's going to reject the real world for a fantasy.

In contrast, the videogame world is far more appealing, fantastical and colourful:

This contrast is extremely simple but I think they pulled it off well without hitting the viewer over the head with it. I liked most of the background art throughout the episode.

Most of the direction in the episode was very safe and rote but the cinematography and animation got much more interesting when action was involved. The way the camera follows the characters and they move and lunge makes things feel rather dynamic:

Finally, I liked this shot because it's one continuous camera movement without a break and it doesn't actually look terrible:

 

[Katapan]

It's not really that odd when you consider that France is the largest anime/manga market in Europe.

Sure, I'm quite aware of that, but the only anime movies we get in theaters are still Ghibli, Hosoda and Shinkai. We're talking about a TV series-rehash kind of movie here - moreover, from a series that's only been released in a VOD format by Kazé as of now (first BD/DVD box out in October), and that is far from having a huge following as a result. I can't see them filling a theater with a screening of the first movie, honestly, but I could be wrong.

I don't understand the answer here. It doesn't seem to make a lot of sense. I mean, they announced this in early 2009, and the name of the character was in the goddamn title. Unless he meant something else?

They probably had the name and... that's about it. They didn't come up with a character design for the leads before the second half of 2011, if I remember well? I suppose they spent a good part of 2010 stuck in pre-production over the kind of protagonist they wanted for the story. He does have pretty big shoes to fill, after all!

I could personally only remember that he confirmed the production was late, and that he put the usual blame on them aiming for "quality" ("and as you can tell from the trailer we've shown you at the beginning, we've reached a high level of quality!"). I got the protagonist part from the guy tweeting in front of me which I must've missed when talking about the self-proclaimed quality of the trailer with a friend...

 

[duckroll]

Duckroll:

Did you like that X-Files episode with a similar premise?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Person_Shooter_(The_X-Files)

Hmmm, I don't remember this, lemme check...

"First Person Shooter" is the thirteenth episode of the seventh season

.....oh.

 

[Jex]

Duckroll:

Did you like that X-Files episode with a similar premise?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Person_Shooter_(The_X-Files)

I preferred the story in Red Dwarf because the game in question was so addictive that it was banned as a dangerous drug - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Better_Than_Life

So yeah, authors have been using this premise, or variations of it, for decades.

 

[DiGiKerot]

It's not really that odd when you consider that France is the largest anime/manga market in Europe.

There's going to be one-off screenings in both London and somewhere in Scotland launch weekend as well.

 

[duckroll]

They probably had the name and... that's about it. They didn't come up with a character design for the leads before the second half of 2011, if I remember well? I suppose they spent a good part of 2010 stuck in pre-production over the kind of protagonist they wanted for the story. He does have pretty big shoes to fill, after all!

I could personally only remember that he confirmed the production was late, and that he put the usual blame on them aiming for "quality" ("and as you can tell from the trailer we've shown you at the beginning, we've reached a high level of quality!"). I got the protagonist part from the guy tweeting in front of me which I must've missed when talking about the self-proclaimed quality of the trailer with a friend...

Oh I think it makes more sense if you say "the kind of protagonist they wanted" rather than which character they wanted to pick. That would match up with what I read in Newtype where the producers mentioned that Akito got sidetracked for a long time because the director wanted to flesh out the sort of story they were going to tell.

He wasn't happy with just going into the project blindly, and he felt that if they wanted to tell a story set in Europa, the people who were fighting there would have different ideologies and motivations for what they do, and all that had to be properly planned out before they can start production.

If they were stuck on how to depict the main character, that definitely follows the same logic. I was just confused because I don't think they ever had any problems picking "which character" was going to be the lead since his name is part of the title.

Thanks again for your coverage of Japan Expo! You seem to be the only one there.

 

[Grzi]

I preferred the story in Red Dwarf because the game in question was so addictive that it was banned as a dangerous drug - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Better_Than_Life

So yeah, authors have been using this premise, or variations of it, for decades.

Man, Red Dwarf was so awesome.

 

[duckroll]

Type-Moon Fes Day 2 just announced details on the Fate/Kaleid Liner Prisma Illya anime:

Director: Shin Oonuma
Animation Production: Silver Link

It will be released in 2013.

Spoiler

Lololololololol. Silver Link. LOL.

 

[Jex]

Sword Art Online has got to be the most disgusting, sad, and pathetic of the anime's that I've seen this season... and that's including the horrible magical girlfriend shows and harem shows.

It's like someone took the FF11 episodes of Welcome to the NHK, removed any of the irony and dark comedy, and decided to make a show based on how awesome it would be to be good at games.

I mean, at least with other shows, the power fantasy is somewhat tangible. You're a guy who gets to have non-sex with a girl with magical powers. But this is just sad... now you're just some guy who gets to be good at games?

I swear, in 10 years, someone will make a version of Genshiken where watching anime and reading manga is actually celebrated. That'll be the singularity point of otaku culture.

Woah, firehawk12 dropping the hate bombs. I just thought it was really stupid, you seem to be actually offended by it's existence.

 

[Lain]

Campione 1

I didn't understand that the girl at the start was speaking Italian, until she started speaking in Japanese and told the dude something like "oh, you don't understand Italian? Then I'll speak in Japanese". I can't even fully make out what she opens up with.

 

[Jex]

Sword Art Online - Episode 1

Okay, so it's stupid and it's also unoriginal, so what's left? Well the production values seem pretty good. The backgrounds are really pretty. The music is decent, although I've heard much better from Kajiura. The animation isn't really bad or anything, but it didn't really feel very exciting or fluid to me. Maybe it's because the game's character graphics aren't that great. Lol. I dunno, I'll probably give this another episode, but it really seems like something I wouldn't enjoy much in the long run.

You forgot to make a point about how that one shot, you know the one I am talking about, would only be possible with CG and how CG is the future of anime.

I am disappointed in you.

 

[Femmeworth]

You forgot to make a point about how that one shot, you know the one I am talking about, would only be possible with CG and how CG is the future of anime.

I am disappointed in you.

duckroll's waiting for his next check from Ufotable.

 

[Brazil]

Type-Moon Fes Day 2 just announced details on the Fate/Kaleid Liner Prisma Illya anime:

Director: Shin Oonuma
Animation Production: Silver Link

It will be released in 2013.

Spoiler

Lololololololol. Silver Link. LOL.

Silver Link's ok... And definitely good enough for this show.

 

[Femmeworth]

Silver Link's ok... And definitely good enough for this show.

I don't know, sounds like SHAFT would have been a better fit for the material.

 

[Lafiel]

Sword Art Online 1 - Didn't find this to be particularly great, but the NERD factor in this is strong, and thus I might actually watch the rest of the series, because it really feels like it's catering to the inner nerd in me.

I hope they have raid bosses, looking for healers and other classic MMO tropes in it.

 

[Haly]

No magic, no healers.

They'll probably have to spam potions, diablo style.

 

[Narag]

No magic, no healers.

They'll probably have to spam potions, diablo style.

Health globes, yo.

 

[Brazil]

I don't know, sounds like SHAFT would have been a better fit for the material.

Even if that's the case... After Tasogare Otome x Amnesia, I'd say Silver Link is the closest you can get to SHAFT without actually being SHAFT.

 

[Jex]

Silver Link's ok... And definitely good enough for this show.

Define 'ok'. Dusk Maiden looked good but that's because they went for a style which required very little, er animation.

 

[Defuser]

Even if that's the case... After Tasogare Otome x Amnesia, I'd say Silver Link is the closest you can get to SHAFT without actually being SHAFT.

How about lol DEEN after Sankarea.