Yeah GochiUsa has been a treat. Soredemo I kind of stopped for a while to catch up with other shows that interested me more but Ill get back to it. Wixoss I havent started but it should be a fun diversion. I might wait on that one until it comes out on BR and just blind watch it.
I read a pretty great piece yesterday about the mass torture and murder of political dissidents in Argentina, so I was primed to think about that at first. But this episode actually reads as a metaphor for imperialism or post-WWII politics. The powerful nations fight their smaller proxy battles against the less-powerful "third world" masses. Is this unjust peace really better than a just war?
The sound design in this episode was incredibly good. From the uncanny keening... something that lets you know something's wrong in this town, to the crack of the rifle shots in military drills, to the radio chatter during the war, to the kick of Kino's bike as she leaves, the sounds build and enhance the contrast between the peace this town values and the war it undertakes. Attention to detail in sound design is one of those things that you can't point to in a screenshot, but it can make a good show truly great just as much as strong visual direction can. Kino's Journey excels in both.
What a brutal episode. It's not even kind enough to make one side completely unsympathetic, or completely sympathetic.
This episode hits so hard in so many ways. Its horrifying on some grand scale, but as the woman in the museum says, unless you have a certain special perspective you wouldnt even begin to understand why it makes sense to some people to do it that way. I think it is saying something about human experiences and how horrible atrocities make sense in the eyes of a few and that all perspectives can be justified somehow, by someone. Human nature will always find ways to justify horrible things and someone will always be the subject of persecution. thats how humanity is at its darkest hour. But at the same time, humanity is also many wonderful things. Kino's journey doesnt cherrypick. It lays it all out for you to view.
With one episode left Im sure you are wishing there was so much more.
Sorry LinkMan. I have been meaning to respond to your Clannad impressions but I have been very busy. Also I have just finished my interview at a game developer so I will have to watch the first episode of Glasslip on my tablet as I visit my parents.
And how did I make top 10 on wall of shame. I didn't even post that much!
Somehow I doubt that, given the mixed things I heard. This season has sequels to very strong shows. If Akame ga Kill will really be the best show this season I will be surprised.
And probably that because that means, that the shows I betting my money on are gonna be worse.
Yeah I know. I usually latch onto a few shows that interest me the most, and in some cases well into the season after people have taken a liking to them. I typically start 6 to 10 shows a season and whittle that down to 3-4 over time. A lot of times I just wait for blurays.
Funny thing about Ghoul, I expect this to be heavily rushed because there's been confirmed to be only 4 volumes of BD's. Unless there is a split cour planned I expect this to be a pretty looking, but rushed to hell mess. They even cut out key pieces of Kaneki's monologue that foreshadows his development path.
Oooh! I ordered that from CDJapan but they told me the gochiusa book was sold out forever but I found a copy of it elsewhere. Ill be receiving it sometime this month hopefully.
Western CG is much more advanced because of stronger acceptance of it. It is the chosen medium to tell stories. In Japan it seems to merely be a shortcut for budget purposes or making scenes easier to produce.
Still, I dont want to see an all CG future for anime. It has a distinct look that only hand drawn can really convey. Western features dont really require this "look" to identify themselves.
A real fun run, it felt short and left in a high point, which is a bit of a downer because I wanted more! The one think I liked the most is that there seems to be a good chemistry between characters, with an amusing balance between seriousness and jokes. Beyond the excess of fanservice, you find this is a group of characters that work well witch each other and made me smile in many occasions. I also like most of the designs and feel the art is beautiful in its saturation, so I find it pleasant to watch.
Some high points for me:
The speech
It was the high point of the series for me, it even felt a bit out of place, like it could work well in something way more serious than NGNL, but that's exactly why the series work for me.
My only complain about this is that the series it´s not really consistent regarding Sora's personality, it´s hard to think that a guy with supposed zero social skills can do that speech. This guy right here:
Some original games
Yes, we know Sora and Shiro are unbeatable because they are so awesome and bla, bla, bla. I didn't expect actual tension but I hoped for a nice execution, and I felt the series delivered on this. All the main games were enjoyable to watch and follow, with some real thought put on them.
Enjoyable characters
Excusing the fanservice, I felt every character had her moment to shine. Even poor Dora.
Jibril!
Seeing her drool at something new and unknown was always a highpoint of the series for me:
Jibril and Fil!
It was brief but glorious, the exchanges between Jibril and Fil were hilarious and I hope to see more from both in S2 (hopefully).
References
There is a sense of playfulness in all the series (duh) and I feel the ton of references added to that feeling.
So, yeah, a really enjoyable run. For main complains, as I have said before, the fanservice is way too excessive and I don't think I will ever understand the trope of "brothers that
are not really brothers and
love each other a lot" but I don't mind, it´s not the type of stuff that makes me value less my time with a series.
So:
Yes, it is.
(Note, If I have used too many images, I'm really sorry, I wanted to illustrate each point to make the post more entertaining. If it´s annoying just tell me and I will edit ASAP)
NGNL was a pleasant pleasant surprise. The appearance of the show initially left me cold but I got used to it and it was well worth it. Its one of the most fun shows I have seen in a while. It was playful and silly but I didnt feel dumb watching it because of the problem solving/strategy stuff. I love that kind of thing. I love seeing characters think their way out of tough situations, especially when everything is on the line. Blank never loses because Blank cannot afford to.
I counted 10 for some reason. *shrugs*
But still...... Oh well. Let's see if I can surpass the Woof this time.
Also I noticed of the two shows that have "Zero" in the titles, they both had not so happy ending for characters. Of course I am talking about Gai Rei Zero and Fate Zero. I am seeing a trend!!!
I counted 10 for some reason. *shrugs*
But still...... Oh well. Let's see if I can surpass the Woof this time.
Also I noticed of the two shows that have "Zero" in the titles, they both had not so happy ending for characters. Of course I am talking about Gai Rei Zero and Fate Zero. I am seeing a trend!!!
Every announced anime which doesn't immediately cause a feeling of intense disgust or apathetic boredom from reading the synopsis and looking at the key art alone has anticipation.
No this can't be Railwars. The trailer made it out to be like it was going to be a great show about the security at train stations, perhaps romance and good visuals and I get treated with this shit. I don't know why I got hyped now.
You just single-handedly killed my anticipation for my my MOST anticipated anime of the season. Fuck anime. Fuck this summer season. I'm going to the beach......oh wait I live in London fuuuuuuuuuuuuuu
catching up on stuff from Winter and previous watch commitments ;o
