• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Summer 2013 Anime |10th Dimensional OT| the first ignoble truth: all of life is anime

Status
Not open for further replies.

Caesnd

Member
I don't want silly sci-fi. I want someone to make a serious attempt at making a good sci-fi without having to masquerade it as comedy in order to hide the fact that they can't write anything else.

It can of course (and probably should) be humours at times to keep a balance, but to have it mainly defined as "silly" doesn't sit well with me.
 

Dynedom

Member
Uchouten Kazoku - 05

Show of the season right here. My god the visuals. Some insight into the Friday Fellows and some interesting revelations when it comes to Yasaburo's mom.

Benten also continues to be one of the best characters of this season. I'm intrigued to see where this series goes just to see the end-game of her character. The entire last segment is just a joy to watch. Thank you based P.A. Works.

Second best OP of the season (first being Gatchaman Crowds)
 

Joe Molotov

Member
Dominion Tank Police

Watching Dirty Pair made me wanna watch this show again. I loved this show back in high school, but I hadn't seen it in years and I was afraid if I watched it now, I'd discover that it wasn't as good as I thought, but it was still pretty fun. I guess somethings never go out of style, and one of those things is psychopathic catgirl stripper androids.

tumblr_mhd819eDc81r73plvo1_500.gif


I think I'm gonna watch New Dominion Tank Police next, which I've actually never seen.
 

fertygo

Member
I don't want silly sci-fi. I want someone to make a serious attempt at making a good sci-fi without having to masquerade it as comedy in order to hide the fact that they can't write anything else.

It can of course (and probably should) be humours at times to keep a balance, but to have it mainly defined as "silly" doesn't sit well with me.

Well its already written on the title "Space Dandy" so its silly to hope the otherwise.

And the bolded part, Watanabe make Bebop didn't he? Maybe he just want different approach, and nothing wrong with that.
 
Mushibugyo 18

Most of it was dull or rather simply not the type of romance that I wanted in my anime. At least the final three minutes made up for everything extensively. Hyped for next week
I want tsukishima to transform again, seems like the only way to beat Yukimura unless Mugai is THAT strong
 

Caesnd

Member
Well its already written on the title "Space Dandy" so its silly to hope the otherwise.

And the bolded part, Watanabe make Bebop didn't he? Maybe he just want different approach, and nothing wrong with that.

A title doesnt necessarily dictate the tone or direction of a show. Also, Watanabe may want to do something different, but that doesn't mean I would be happy about it (even though I would of course respect his wish to go with what he feels like and not cater to demand). Now, space dandy might even be a show hat I really enjoy regardless of its tone, but that probably wouldn't satiate my want for something else ( i say this because I find it hard to describe exactly what I want; ironic, I know).
 

7Th

Member
If the obvious fake 2ch staff list for Space Dandy turned out to be not fake, it would most likely be DOA.
 

Kazzy

Member
[Diebuster - Aim for the Top 2!]



"It is pointless to try and explain. They are now beyond our understanding..." And just as it did for GunBuster, Diebuster still manages to brazenly roll out its particular brand of pseudo-science. Whatever the stakes, whatever the situation, you can rest assured that the power of true friendship really does overcome all odds.

This was on my radar precisely because of how impressed I was with its predecessor; of which, it routine pays tribute to, whilst not being all that much like it. Yes, there are a dozens of direct (overt and otherwise) references in here, but it certainly doesn’t feel like what Diebuster has to offer is inconspicuous in comparison, not least of all with how it assaults you visually. GunBuster always felt quite muted in its appearance (perhaps more of a product of its time than anything, but the point still stands), whilst Diebuster is anything but. Colourful and vibrant at every turn, it’d be quite easy for a newcomer to overlook the ties that bind the two, where it not for the constant dropping of “Aim for the Top 2” at every interval.

Having only recently finished GunBuster myself, a lot of the aspects of this work are clearly in service of that, perhaps slavishly so. Homage or not, from the offset, all the characters inhabit familiar archetypes. Though in the case of its protagonist, Nono, that’s her main motivator, and exists as something of a subtle red-herring. And though the case can be made that both shows are drawing from the same sources, they embrace those in slightly different ways, with Diebuster being the more bombastic of the two.

But retreading those steps is part of the charm, and where Diebuster truly hits its stride for me, because it does have a tendency to play with those preconceptions, and to great effect. Ironically, this is probably where it shows its roots the most clearly, seemingly hitting that obligatory Gainax shift with the utmost precision. The first few episodes are fairly breezy, with the drama being delivered with the lightest of touches. Though no sooner has this rudimentary formula been established, that it largely abandons its whimsical bent, in favour of something a little darker. It’s hardly a departure to what has preceded it, with the clear blueprint between this, and the other works like FLCL and TTGL (particularly in their aesthetic flair), all being quite clear. But I guess that speaks to how effective it is, because when it becomes evident where it’s positioning itself, it still carries a suitable heft.

The role of the “hero” is one of the recurring motifs, and one that I feel defines the whole collective piece as a whole. It’s not so much about the character themselves, as it is what they come to embody. From both sides of the tale, they are only as important as their abilities allow, with each of the protagonists being wildly derided, until their roles become clearer. Maybe this creates the problem of the cast being largely throwaway, but I think it works in that it charts a very personal journey, which becomes the shows epitaph. It's ostensibly about how something can define a person, both in what they achieve, and how they get there.

Nono is useless, we know this, but it’s emphasized so often, that one would begin to think that they are belaboring the point a little bit.
But for all the talk that all it takes is “hard work and guts”, the entire premise is then subverted, once its revealed that Nono is in fact, pre-ordained to succeed, which in itself, has always been an overarching annoyance for me with anime. Because, try as they might, you always get the impression that they are simply trying to obfuscate the point, just long enough for you not to roll your eyes when the hero really does come through. But here, you cheer on that progression, because it feels earned, no matter how ridiculous the circumstances. It’s not a contrivance simply for the sake of the plot, because for all intents and purposes, that inherent escalation is the plot.

Which brings me to the strongest element of both titles, which is how they end. The conclusion to GunBuster was certainly a touching one,
so much so that they revisit it here. But I don’t feel that back to it in a way that cheapens it, but embellishes upon it. I was going to say that I liked how this acted as a nice counterbalance to the more sombre atmosphere of the original, but if anything, it just enforces its serendipitous nature. I know that some will probably not like DieBuster all that much, precisely because it waits until this late point to really fulfill its end of the bargain as a ‘sequel’. Which could make that particular claim somewhat contrived. Though conversely, its ending is so fuelled by the emotional tug of GunBuster, that it will likely make those who are unfamiliar with it, simply scratch their heads in bewilderment. In a way, it renders the whole thing to be quite disjointed, having been staunchly independent (narratively speaking) up until this point, only to then start calling upon extremely specific plot-points to frame its ending. But then again, this was probably only ever playing to a very deliberate audience anyway. If it’s going to embrace its roots, then why elicit the poignancy that goes with it?

That said, it does add some really interesting wrinkles to the previously established GunBuster world. I did like the fact that they did touch upon the whole prequel problem, of everything being conspicuously advanced, in an organic way. Maybe it was just me, but it did manage to convincingly portray that world as living in the shadow of both sides of a huge conflict, which also neatly seeded doubt as to the true nature of when it was taking place. I’m not going to proclaim that it was a deep-seated mystery or anything, because I don’t think it attempts to go for that misdirection, but instead establishes its own sense of coherence. It’s something that I thought was handled deftly.

Diebuster certainly lacks the headiness of the earlier work, but that doesn’t mean that it lacks merit. I think that it is a neat little package, which I treated as a curiousity, and delivered more than I was expecting. I can understand if some feel that the GunBuster moniker is a more a crux than anything, but I enjoy what (little) it adds to that canon. Is it better than its predecessor? No. Is it worthwhile? Certainly.
 

Jex

Member
Not to you, you unfortunate souls. No, I just realized at one point that I was for the first time actually aware of feeling strong vibes of particular mixed emotions that could be called mono no aware and that this was a remark-able phenomenon. (As in, worth remarking, not otherwise exceptional.)

Now you can communicate on a deeper level with the works of Junichi Sato.
 

BluWacky

Member
If the obvious fake 2ch staff list for Space Dandy turned out to be not fake, it would most likely be DOA.

Have you got a link to said staff list? I was vaguely aware of rumours that potentially Dai Sato and Sayo Yamamoto might be involved through liborek3's Twitter feed, which would be interesting to say the least!
 
Sailor Moon SEXY/Spinning 94


Upskirt

Anyway, HAHAHA, on top of Lesbian Senshis, we have almost Yuri kissing in this episode. Fuck it, best season ever, I'll take my lesbian seagulls over here.

Anyway, this episode sheds light that people
don't die immediately when their heart crystal is removed, or at least from what I'm grasping, clear dreams of purity like hers. Wanting to have dat first kiss at the right time and place. So having your crystal removed makes you impure.
TOTALLY A KIDS SHOW.
 

Nafe

Member
Something which might be of interest to those watching Rozen Maiden as well is how each of the respective anime adaptations show the scale of the dolls. Comparing the first anime to the current you can see the dolls are smaller sized now and that Jun's room is much less cluttered.

wBAK2s0.jpg

Rozen Maiden 2004

FU4QSlG.jpg

Rozen Maiden 2013
 

Regulus Tera

Romanes Eunt Domus
No one likes me when I'm excited anyway. So why bother.
It's not that we don't like you, it's just that you are jinxed!
[Diebuster - Aim for the Top 2!]
Wonderful post as usual, and it's always nice to see differing points of view. Much of my dissatisfaction with Diebuster stems from the potential ways the story implies it could have veered off, but that's not to say that what is shown is bad by itself.
Sailor Moon SEXY/Spinning 94

TOTALLY A KIDS SHOW.
Man, if only Precure were as daring.
 

BluWacky

Member
Kawamori? That list is ludicrously fake.

I wouldn't say it's totally ludicrous. Kawamori has done a few bits of mecha design for Bones before (notably Eureka Seven), and the other staff are all Bones regulars. Unlikely, maybe, but not ludicrous :)

Caesnd said:
Isn't bahijd on space dandy? He met with Kawamori in France.

I think Bahi JD worked on The Two Queens for Kawamori which is why they met, although he is apparently on Space Dandy as well.
 
Something which might be of interest to those watching Rozen Maiden as well is how each of the respective anime adaptations show the scale of the dolls. Comparing the first anime to the current you can see the dolls are smaller sized now and that Jun's room is much less cluttered.

everything is getting more streamlined these days.


Damn straight.

We need more breasted Precures. Lack of breasts just shows how far they went to make sure it's stripped of any potential lewdery.

we need more lewd magic girl shows pandering, like nanoha. I guess prism ilya kinda counts.

3rd season nanoha was the most recent one with titty henshins though right?
 

Taruranto

Member
what about Valverave?

Valvrave can't disappoint.

Well its already written on the title "Space Dandy" so its silly to hope the otherwise.

And the bolded part, Watanabe make Bebop didn't he? Maybe he just want different approach, and nothing wrong with that.


Personally I'd love some sci-fi along the lines of Terra E... or Fantastic Children, but I don't think the industry cares for this kind of products anymore. :(
 

firehawk12

Subete no aware
The last episode was a bit disappointing. It peaked mid-season, I could see the next cour ending up a disappointment.
As long as it continues to bring the soap opera stupid, the show really can do no wrong. They just need to be able to make the show stupider and stupider every week, culminating with an "it's all a dream/anime" ending.
 
Something which might be of interest to those watching Rozen Maiden as well is how each of the respective anime adaptations show the scale of the dolls. Comparing the first anime to the current you can see the dolls are smaller sized now and that Jun's room is much less cluttered.

The second picture forms a far stronger composition with the suitcase and the background, which kinda works in this scene.
 
As long as it continues to bring the soap opera stupid, the show really can do no wrong. They just need to be able to make the show stupider and stupider every week, culminating with an "it's all a dream/anime" ending.

It depends on what it's being stupid about. The ending was all kinds of stupid, but it wasn't really entertaining because
it was just a random twist about some unknown character.
I do think the show lost steam as it kept trying to outdo itself and came up short. I think it's possible for next season to be less entertaining than it should be.
 
As long as it continues to bring the soap opera stupid, the show really can do no wrong. They just need to be able to make the show stupider and stupider every week, culminating with an "it's all a dream/anime" ending.

Future Saki will give birth to Haruto in 500 years and they together will have two children of their own, a brother and sister who travel back in time to become the first Valvraves
or bust.
 

Novid

Banned
we need more lewd magic girl shows pandering, like nanoha. I guess prism ilya kinda counts.

3rd season nanoha was the most recent one with titty henshins though right?

Prism isn't fucking stupid though as everybody thought it was going to be. Outside of the bath transformations, its been more :firehawk and :wonzo then :sdburton.
 

Novid

Banned
As long as it continues to bring the soap opera stupid, the show really can do no wrong. They just need to be able to make the show stupider and stupider every week, culminating with an "it's all a dream/anime" ending.

the problem is in the media that soap opera stupid isn't contained in the anime or the soaps anymore and that's why Breaking Bad and shows of its ilk are giving the broadcast nets sleepless nights.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top Bottom