Support NeoGAF

[firehawk12]

Leave Kanna alone. :/

Just like

Spoiler

Kaito did

, amirite?

Damn son!

Binbougami

de geso.
I want to believe that this is a pun anyway. lol

I don't really have an opinion on the show at the moment - first it was like Gintama because it's directed by the same guy, then it's not like Gintama because it has nothing to do with that type of comedy... I feel like cosmic has been toying with me through my Gitnama withdrawal. It was pleasantly amusing, like Polar Bear Cafe, at the very least.

 

[wsippel]

Binbougami ga 1

Ichiko Sakura is possibly at Medaka level of terribleness. I don't understand why these type of characters have to be present, they always ruin enjoyment of some decent moments. Ugh! The anime is somewhat watchable I guess, hopefully there is a side cast revealed and fleshed out soon or Ill probably just grow bored.

The action is decent, and I chuckled once or twice.

Medaka Box wouldn't work without Medaka, just as Binbougami Ga! wouldn't work without Sakura. The characters are very similar, no doubt about it - and they have similar flaws and problems. A very important aspect you seem to overlook or ignore. They seem perfect, but being perfect isn't good. At all. It's not hard making friends if you suck, but it's really hard making friends if you're actually awesome. If you look at Disney, it's easy to like Donald. He's an ass, he's unlucky, and he sucks at everything - and (almost) nobody likes him. Mickey on the other hand is awesome and (almost) everbody wants to be his friend. That's bullshit and the polar opposite of real life. Medaka and Sakura are deconstructions of this stupid trope.

 

[hosannainexcelsis]

Yes, but Kanna

Spoiler

loses BIG TIME

, so that makes Ano Natsu worth it.

Spoiler

Friend-zone characters get exactly what they deserve!

I see your bias is showing.

As for whether or not it's a romcom, I mean, it's not exactly Ghost, but a love triangle between a ghost, a girl and a guy seems ripe for "hilarious" hijincks.

What I've read of the manga is much more drama than comedy.

 

[Dresden]

I dunno if anyone's posted anything about it yet (too tired to go back and check right now), but I'm just back from Day 1 of Japan Expo in Paris. There was notably a panel with Maruyama Masao - which I unfortunately missed due to horrible waiting queues - but from which a friend's provided me with the most interesting bits.

On Sakamichi no Apollon: He's mentioned that they knowingly went all out on the budget for the performance scenes. However, he is aware that they will not be making this money back (just why did you have to bomb, oldtaminA 2.0?), which is already not looking great for the studio's future. He said you shouldn't expect such animated scenes from MAPPA in the future.
Someone apparently also asked why they didn't make use of 2 cours to adapt the manga - he said people had told him from the beginning that even making just 2 episodes of Sakamichi no Apollon would be crazy, so getting one cour was already big enough of a gamble as it stands. Nothing too surprising here.

He's also tackled the issue of Yume Miru Kikai - how the production was really looking to be a big hurdle (people apparently overestimate the amount of work that'd been achieved before Kon's passing away, I don't know much about it myself), and how he still plans on giving his best on it. But he reminded people that he's now 70, and thinks he can still dedicate time in the next three years to work on it, but probably not more. He seemed pretty sad about it.

Finally, he wants to work on 8 1-hour long Pluto OVAs, as it'd be a nice way to end his career - beginning with Astro Boy, ending with another Tezuka work. But I don't remember whether my friend told me if this was actually a project in the works (it might be, considering how he's given precise details regarding the running time) or purely delusional. You might want to wait for a better report by someone who actually attended the talk, sorry!

Now I hope to make it on time for the Sunrise panel on Saturday. >_<

This is depressing news all around. Thank you for it however.

And at this point I'd much rather have the Pluto OVAs over Dream Machine... I really hope it's something concrete rather just some wishful thinking.

 

[SDBurton]

Just like

Spoiler

Kaito did

, amirite?

Yoooooo!

 

[Dedication Through Light]

Sengoku Collection 14

The new ED is pretty good, songwise. And I can get into the OP song, so its not as bad as I imagined.

The episode though is possibly the worst one yet. Why in the world would I want to watch three girls dorming it up in the bathub comparing how shiny and bouncy their boobs are, and then touching and seeing how they move?! The anime has really lost its way and this was just boring all around. At least in other stories Ive encountered where characters are dorming it up, actually interesting and compelling things happen, but this had nothing.

Konami should have just contracted them to do a yugioh spinoff instead.

 

[firehawk12]

I see your bias is showing.

If people have to make high school shows, I'll at least appreciate the good ones.

Kanna

Spoiler

dying in a big explosion of tears is just a special bonus!

What I've read of the manga is much more drama than comedy.

Fair enough. The first episode gave the impression that it'd have some derpy ghost hijinks in the future anyway.

 

[ponpo]

Video of me driving around. Thought you'd enjoy.

 

[/XX/]

I dunno if anyone's posted anything about it yet (too tired to go back and check right now), but I'm just back from Day 1 of Japan Expo in Paris. There was notably a panel with Maruyama Masao - which I unfortunately missed due to horrible waiting queues - but from which a friend's provided me with the most interesting bits.

Many thanks for this information, Katapan! Man, Mr. Maruyama appeared so motivated less than a year ago... one project released and it seems like he has to commence all over again. Quite a life-sucking industry he works in!

 

[Dresden]

It really is.

Also just the idea of a set of Pluto OVAs is... ugh. It's so good. Time to hit up kickstarter.

 

[Chet Rippo]

Video of me driving around. Thought you'd enjoy.

(&#12301;&#12539;&#969;&#12539&#12301;&#12358;&#12540;&#65281;(&#65295;&#12539;&#969;&#12539&#65295;&#12395;&#12419;&#12540;&#65281;&#12288;(&#12301;&#12539;&#969;&#12539&#12301;&#12358;&#12540;&#65281;(&#65295;&#12539;&#969;&#12539&#65295;&#12395;&#12419;&#12540;&#65281;

(&#12301;&#12539;&#969;&#12539&#12301;&#12358;&#12540;&#65281;(&#65295;&#12539;&#969;&#12539&#65295;&#12395;&#12419;&#12540;&#65281;&#12288;Let's&#65340;(&#12539;&#969;&#12539&#65295;&#12395;&#12419;&#12540;&#65281;

 

[Lafiel]

On Sakamichi no Apollon: He's mentioned that they knowingly went all out on the budget for the performance scenes. However, he is aware that they will not be making this money back (just why did you have to bomb, oldtaminA 2.0?), which is already not looking great for the studio's future. He said you shouldn't expect such animated scenes from MAPPA in the future.

LOL - Shame it wasn't worth it in the end, should have gone all out for a Yuasa series.

 

[Crash Station]

Damn son!

Binbougami

de geso.
I want to believe that this is a pun anyway. lol

I don't really have an opinion on the show at the moment - first it was like Gintama because it's directed by the same guy, then it's not like Gintama because it has nothing to do with that type of comedy... I feel like cosmic has been toying with me through my Gitnama withdrawal. It was pleasantly amusing, like Polar Bear Cafe, at the very least.

It gets more Gintamaish later on, but they're still not THAT similar beyond the seamless comedy to poignant/serious transitions.

 

[Ultimadrago]

Video of me driving around. Thought you'd enjoy.

ponpo would never record that.

I say it's a "ponpo imposter."

 

[Crash Station]

Binbougami Ga - 01



This was amazing. Loving the two leads and the humor had me in stitches. Yuru Yuri has some competition!

Spoiler

Momiji is so childish, calling Ichiko "Thunder Tits". Pfft hahaha!

I haven't read the manga, but I'm looking forward to meeting the pink haired girl (Ranmaru?).

In anything else, Ranmaru would be my favorite character, but the cast is too godly for me to even choose.

 

[firehawk12]

It gets more Gintamaish later on, but they're still not THAT similar beyond the seamless comedy to poignant/serious transitions.

Yeah, you can see the straight-man gags coming from pretty far away and the moment

Spoiler

the butler grabbed his heart, you knew that it was going to go sappy. The troll ending to that "gag" was pretty Gintama-ish at least!

 

[Dresden]

In anything else, Ranmaru would be my favorite character, but the cast is too godly for me to even choose.

There is only one best girl and her name is bestgirl.

 

[7Th]

LOL - Shame it wasn't worth it in the end, should have gone all out for a Yuasa series.

Lafiel laying down the truth bombs.

 

[Femmeworth]

Well... there's more than one way people will get carpal tunnel from those mousepads.

Thank you, I was waiting for that joke.

Video of me driving around. Thought you'd enjoy.

Forgive me if I slash your tires.

 

[Soma]

In anything else, Ranmaru would be my favorite character, but the cast is too godly for me to even choose.

Good taste!

 

[Brazil]

Video of me driving around. Thought you'd enjoy.

Poor driver. That must be grating.

 

[BGBW]

Video of me driving around. Thought you'd enjoy.

Wow. It would be one thing is it were the whole song playing, but just a few seconds on loop. Driver is going to be mad with delirium by the end of the day.

 

[Chet Rippo]

There is only one best girl and her name is bestgirl.

Oh my.

 

[SDBurton]

There is only one best girl and her name is bestgirl.

I can already see a crapton of *censooooooored* released for this series.

 

[sonicmj1]

Poor driver. That must be grating.

Sometimes sacrifices must be made in the name of art.

 

[Brazil]

I can already see a crapton of *censooooooored* released for this series.

 

[madp]

Kids on the Slope 10-12 (END):

What goes up the slope must come down.

With

Spoiler

Yurika and Jun

out of the picture, the remaining major loose ends in the series were the main love triangle and Sentarou's angst over his family. While both of these were addressed in a more than satisfactory manner, the compression of the source material really became a detriment to the flow of the narrative in this final quarter of the show. Scenes with snow transitioned into scenes with the hissing of cicadas, November became April in a moment. Lengthy portions of the characters' lives being discarded without a second thought ultimately resulted in the climactic resolutions of the series lacking the necessary breathing room to make them feel believable. The mad rush to the end blew through dramatic megatons one after another until it finally ended in a pileup of misery for everyone in the story.

Sentarou's side of the final three episodes felt especially rushed, with the sequence of

Spoiler

his father's return -> motorcycle accident -> disappearance

not having nearly enough time for the consequences and psychological impact on the characters to fully sink in. After

Spoiler

Sentarou's father is built up to be a horrible monster

for the entire series,

Spoiler

he receives two minutes of screen time, none of which is alone with Sentarou. They're never able to "level" with each other, with a few seconds of Sentarou looking thoughtfully at a fountain pen somehow supposed to satisfactorily resolve an issue that lies at the core of Sentarou's fears and insecurities

. The focus permanently transitions to the next dramatic event after this, and so on until

Spoiler

the disappearance

, which I also find myself torn on. On one hand, it was believable considering

Spoiler

the amount of horrible shit that happened to Sentarou in such a short time

but at the same time felt like

Spoiler

a copout for a proper resolution that would involve Sentarou, Kaoru, and Ritsuko equally

.

I suppose that I should touch upon Kaoru's side of things for a moment.

Spoiler

He's a moron that doesn't learn from his mistakes.

The end.

In specific regard to the finale, all things considered it was a

Spoiler

very downer end in spite of the joyous reunion. Kaoru blows his chance with Ritsuko, his friendship with Sentarou is severed, and he's living a menial life as a hospital intern. His chance run-in with a very happily pregnant Yurika only served to underscore how empty and fruitless his own life has been, and the euphoric duet with his long-lost friend was but a desperate attempt to momentarily rekindle something that is lost forever. Sentarou's situation is less tragic in the long run, as he at least achieved his simple desire of having a big family.

I really want to summarize my thoughts on the entire series at some point, but I just know that I'll go into essay mode and I can't afford to do that while I'm in catch-up mode. All I'll say for now is that the series was still a really positive experience on the whole, even if the main focus wasn't where I was expecting it to be.

Spoiler

I'll always argue that the problems with the series are due to the compressed adaptation. Watanabe is still KING.

 

[BGBW]

Sometimes sacrifices must be made in the name of art.

So his death will be in vein.

 

[Narag]

Binbougami-ga 1

It was alright. Team Momiji and all that.

 

[hosannainexcelsis]

Kids on the Slope 10-12 (END):

I really want to summarize my thoughts on the entire series at some point, but I just know that I'll go into essay mode and I can't afford to do that while I'm in catch-up mode. All I'll say for now is that the series was still a really positive experience on the whole, even if the main focus wasn't where I was expecting it to be.

Spoiler

I'll always argue that the problems with the series are due to the compressed adaptation. Watanabe is still KING.

Unless someone higher up told Watanabe "You have to adapt all of the manga", the problems with the compression are his fault.

 

[dakkumauji]

Video of me driving around. Thought you'd enjoy.

I wonder if it's considered a public nuisance.

 

[Kazzy]

Fujiko 10-13

My constant switching between apathy and disdain for this had finally given way, or at least my bug-bear of having to finish everything has trumped that.

Hm, it certainly finished more strongly than I was expecting, but that just serves to highlight how badly it meandered in the middle of the series. The revelation wasn't particularly exciting (and felt like something of a cop-out) but I was just happy to be fed any kind of through-line. The main narrative doesn't always have to be a constant but in a short series such as this, I would have at least liked more of an overall cohesiveness to the proceedings. I also think they squandered the opportunity to make Fujiko a more interesting character, where she started as the weakest of the main cast, and then pretty much ended it in the same position, and a little more unlikeable to boot. It's telling that the titular character can end their own origin story, and still be deemed shallow.

The imagery in final episodes was certainly amongst the most striking in quite some time, probably since the very first episode. I don't know why I find such a disconnect with the concept of Almeida owning a theme park, especially considering the whole owl shtick, but why would you build a monument to the atrocities you've comitted? You would think that someone as Machiavellian as him (supposedly) would have the foresight of plausible deniability.

And as for the owl imagery, it was fairly novel in that regard, even if they did completely overplay it by the end. I think I preferred it much more in the initial episodes where it was incorporated much more subtlety into the design elements, particuarly the backgrounds. Maybe it was just me, but it lost its appeal once it became overt, particularly with the anthropomorphic owls appearing everywhere.

It certainly had promise but clearly never delivered on that potential, a shame really. It's had that much of a negative reaction, that I doubt I'd have to warn anyone off of it now. And maybe I come off being a little less scathing than most, probably by virtue of this being my first exposure to Lupin. Trial by fire, I guess.

 

[Dragoon En Regalia]

You're not alone now, at least, because ANN agree with you!


Amazingly, I hadn't even read that page before posting my comment.

I don't agree with ANN. Awful review, and it ranks the music as the worst aspect of the series. If anything, the music's stayed at a consistently-high level. It's no Yuji Ohno score (and he's done some of the best anime music ever), but it's damn-good stuff.

 

[survivor]

Also, for Binbougami ga!, a Momiji avatar for whoever wants it:

Anyone laid claim on the avatar yet? I want it if no one else minds

thanks Articalys

 

[jman2050]

Binbougami ga 1

Not bad. Comedy seems kind of stilted so far, but I like the two main characters and how they play off of each other, so who knows, I may stick with this one. Sakura seems somewhat like an ojousama Chidori(FMP) to me, and it worked here.

 

[Tomat]

Fujiko 10-13

That face actually pisses me off for some reason.

 

[Dragoon En Regalia]

If it weren't connected to a show with marmite repute, maybe you'd think of it better. I kind of like it.

 

[survivor]

That face actually pisses me off for some reason.

Same, all of Lupin's faces in the new show look ugly and weird.

 

[Dragoon En Regalia]

These are great. Never used, unfortunately.

 

[Kazzy]

Same, all of Lupin's faces in the new show look ugly and weird.

Surely that's a throwback in the screenshot, no?

 

[Tomat]

These are great. Never used, unfortunately.

I guess I just hate Lupin then, the only one of those faces that doesn't really bug me is the laughing one.

Admirable sideburns though.

 

[jman2050]

Also Sakura rules, Momiji drools

 

[Narag]

I guess I just hate Lupin then, the only one of those faces that doesn't really bug me is the laughing one.

Admirable sideburns though.

The laughing one is the most normal Lupin face out of that group, or at least the most normal for how familiar I am with the franchise. The rest are a little too expressive.

 

[madp]

Unless someone higher up told Watanabe "You have to adapt all of the manga", the problems with the compression are his fault.

The story needed the same amount of content over twice as many episodes, not less content over twelve. I understand the problems with the Jun/Yurika storyline, but outside of that, gutting non-essential content in favor of an increased focus on main story events or ending the series before the true resolution would have both resulted in an even less satisfying product. It was a no-win situation, and I found the balance mostly acceptable.

 

[Dragoon En Regalia]

The laughing one is the most normal Lupin face out of that group, or at least the most normal for how familiar I am with the franchise. The rest are a little too expressive.

The others are more like what Monkey Punch did in the manga, though Koike did these expressions.

 

[Defuser]

Also Sakura rules, Momiji drools

Both are awesome. Show wouldn't be good without one of them. Is this show gonna be 1 cour?

 

[hosannainexcelsis]

The story needed the same amount of content over twice as many episodes, not less content over twelve. I understand the problems with the Jun/Yurika storyline, but outside of that, gutting non-essential content in favor of an increased focus on main story events or ending the series before the true resolution would have both resulted in an even less satisfying product. It was a no-win situation, and I found the balance mostly acceptable.

But...

Spoiler

nothing was resolved in the end. Most of the last episodes was filled with people acting dumb for the drama and then we get a timeskip and a lame attempt to smooth things over with a final performance.

Could this have been pulled off successfully with 24 episodes? Probably, but you have to make the best with what you're given. With perhaps a few minor changes, they could have ended the series at the events of episode 7, spreading the events of the previous episodes out to fill a full 11/12 episodes and smooth over the crazy pacing, and I'd have been quite satisfied.

 

[survivor]

Finally, he wants to work on 8 1-hour long Pluto OVAs, as it'd be a nice way to end his career - beginning with Astro Boy, ending with another Tezuka work. But I don't remember whether my friend told me if this was actually a project in the works (it might be, considering how he's given precise details regarding the running time) or purely delusional. You might want to wait for a better report by someone who actually attended the talk, sorry!

That would be pretty awesome. Pluto is a great manga and I would love to see it animated.

 

[hosannainexcelsis]

Both are awesome. Show wouldn't be good without one of them. Is this show gonna be 1 cour?

13 episodes.

 

[Crash Station]

Also Sakura rules, Momiji drools

What's with everyone picking wronggirl :/