• 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 2014 Anime |OT2| Or, where Jexhius finally watches more Doremi for Hito.

Status
Not open for further replies.
Chuck from SF Debris has been reviewing this series recently.
http://sfdebris.com/videos/anime/kannazuki01.php

watching that right now.

Why does the blue haired chick look like Lucina from Fire Emblem?

It's ruining the game for me now. And I have fond memories of it.

Also why does anime pretend that there's like one girl in school that's like the princess that everybody can't stop looking and act like fanboy/fangirls though?

And no, fuck you, it's not a joke. It's a stupid trope so they can eventually have this character do something romantic and a power-fantasy for whoever gets her.
 
PuPiPo!

NnIVSXz.gif


I have seen the goddamn light
 

Clov

Member
With all these people watching Pupipo, I might have to go watch it myself. Won't take me very long anyway, so I might as well see what all the fuss is about.
 

jgminto

Member
watching that right now.

Why does the blue haired chick look like Lucina from Fire Emblem?

It's ruining the game for me now. And I have fond memories of it.

Also why does anime pretend that there's like one girl in school that's like the princess that everybody can't stop looking and act like fanboy/fangirls though?


And no, fuck you, it's not a joke. It's a stupid trope so they can eventually have this character do something romantic and a power-fantasy for whoever gets her.

I haven't watched the video or the show but they're probably the school idol. You could compare it to the queen bee/head cheerleader type in high school films.
 
I haven't watched the video or the show but they're probably the school idol. You could compare it to the queen bee/head cheerleader type in high school films.

I guess my upper middle-class suburbs high school didn't have this. While jocks/cheerleaders could be popular, everybody wouldn't stop what they were doing to chase them around and drool at them.

Also confession, I hadn't heard the term queen bee until Space Dandy.
 

jgminto

Member
When it comes to western stuff it's mostly exaggeration and parody. I can't say for sure with Japan since all I know of Japanese high school culture comes almost totally from Persona and sports shounen but it's probably similar.
 

Antiwhippy

the holder of the trombone
I guess my upper middle-class suburbs high school didn't have this. While jocks/cheerleaders could be popular, everybody wouldn't stop what they were doing to chase them around and drool at them.

Also confession, I hadn't heard the term queen bee until Space Dandy.

You haven't watched films like mean girls or pretty much all high school movies?

It's a super common trope that isn't just shown in anime.
 
You haven't watched films like mean girls or pretty much all high school movies?

It's a super common trope that isn't just shown in anime.

Confession time, I haven't seen Mean Girls either.

But in most of the high school movies I've watched, everybody knows the cool kids are around, but they're more afraid of their douchebaggery than just captivated by their awesomeness. Like when they walk down the hallway as a pack all smug and shit, beating up nerds.
 
Nozaki-Kun - 6

OH MAN. I was practically laughing throughout this entire episode!

Seriously, that scene with Nozaki on the roof listening in on what was supposed to be a confrontation!

The part where Nozaki was sick and the others hopelessly tried to do the work for him!

WHY IS THIS SHOW ONLY 12 EPISODES?!?
 

jman2050

Member
I'm trying to imagine Never Been Kissed as an anime with all the usual anime tropes and trappings and I realize frighteningly little has to change.
 

cajunator

Banned
I guess my upper middle-class suburbs high school didn't have this. While jocks/cheerleaders could be popular, everybody wouldn't stop what they were doing to chase them around and drool at them.

Also confession, I hadn't heard the term queen bee until Space Dandy.

My high school used to have a lot of fights. There would be clumps of hair and sometimes blood on the sidewalk lol.
 

Antiwhippy

the holder of the trombone
Confession time, I haven't seen Mean Girls either.

But in most of the high school movies I've watched, everybody knows the cool kids are around, but they're more afraid of their douchebaggery than just captivated by their awesomeness. Like when they walk down the hallway as a pack all smug and shit, beating up nerds.

Ah, alright, yeah at that point there is definitely difference on culture.

Though in Shoujo the popular ones can be absolute bitches too.
 

Jex

Member
A few weeks back I proposed a Tumblr blog to collect such posts. I actually made one but haven't done much with it since. I think an external resource like that would be much better.

Posting it to an external resource certainly makes sense. I'm just looking towards the fundamental idea of the visibility of such content, which is why I'm looking to collate and highlight it in the OP of the thread itself.
 

CorvoSol

Member
Gundam Build Fighters

Dear mech anime made in the past 5 years

You got blown out by an anime about mech toys

You have had worse stories, worse action, worse animation, worse emotion, and worse mech then this series

If you want to make a mech anime in the future, please watch Gundam Build Fighters and if you can't make something half as decent, don't even bother.

Sincerely,
A fan of mech anime

Preach.

Okay hold the fuck up.

What is the general moral consensus of Goku deliberately withholding Super Saiyan 3 from Majin Vegeta and retreating from his fight with Fat Buu, despite admitting he could have actually beat him right then and there? Forget the "leaving it up to a new generation" thing, Buu would eventually go on to exterminate the fucking human race not long after Goku left.

MAYBE I could accept that using SS3 on Vegeta would have shortened his time on Earth to a point where he wouldn't be there to fight Buu at all. Otherwise, did the community ever really reconcile this decision?

Goku is the same guy who abandoned his son to be trained by one of his former nemeses. He doesn't have scruples or morals.
 
Goku is the same guy who abandoned his son to be trained by one of his former nemeses. He doesn't have scruples or morals.

wasn't he like
dead
at that point?

edit: I guess I'll spoiler it, you never know with people on the internet how they'll react.

Posting it to an external resource certainly makes sense. I'm just looking towards the fundamental idea of the visibility of such content, which is why I'm looking to collate and highlight it in the OP of the thread itself.

Does anyone outside of GAF, besides that time at 4chan, care about what we think about anime though?
 
Posting it to an external resource certainly makes sense. I'm just looking towards the fundamental idea of the visibility of such content, which is why I'm looking to collate and highlight it in the OP of the thread itself.
Someone could make an eye-catching banner to put in the OP that links to the resource. I don't think a mega post like the one you are already working on will get much attention. :\ Personally, big posts like that make my eyes glaze over. Also an external resource would make it easier for other people to update it. A combination of the two could be used.
 

Antiwhippy

the holder of the trombone
Heartcatch precure 4

An episode about individuality and teamwork I guess.

Am I the only who thinks the spinning thing they do to finish off the monsters along with their "Awawawa" super goofy?
 

TUSR

Banned
Im really debating if I should pick up the Steins;Gate BD pack... I have yet to see the show and its 40% off right now.
 
Im really debating if I should pick up the Steins;Gate BD pack... I have yet to see the show and its 40% off right now.

if you only had to trust me with one thing in your life.

It's with this. Buy that shit. Buy that shit now. I love that show more than I hate the girl who says "duduruuuu" in it. It's so good. If you hate it I'll personally watch whatever you want me to.
 
The pack doesn't include the movie.

the movie is great and I'll buy it whenever it goes on sale here in the west, but the movie just retreads some ground the show already covered. It added nothing much to the table besides more romance, though the stuff they added besides that was still really well executed and it didn't feel like a cash grab.

Regardless the show is great by itself.

edit: sorry I assumed you were saying you want to watch the film more than the show. If you mean that you want to buy the whole thing together I don't think anybody has ever sold a blu-ray combo pack of a show with movies.
 
Locodols 9
Cute episode with Yukari being a bit selfish and flashbacks.


There are quite a few birthdays at the end of August, aren't there? :3
 

TUSR

Banned
the movie is great and I'll buy it whenever it goes on sale here in the west, but the movie just retreads some ground the show already covered. It added nothing much to the table besides more romance, though the stuff they added besides that was still really well executed and it didn't feel like a cash grab.

Regardless the show is great by itself.

edit: sorry I assumed you were saying you want to watch the film more than the show. If you mean that you want to buy the whole thing together I don't think anybody has ever sold a blu-ray combo pack of a show with movies.

Nah, I just wanted a complete box set, I don't think holding out for a better deal will pan out.
 
Nah, I just wanted a complete box set, I don't think holding out for a better deal will pan out.

i'm waiting for the film to come to amazon. At a reasonable price. And yeah you won't find a better deal outside of maybe this going on sale years later. It's already cheaper that what I paid for in the two separate seasons.
 

Instro

Member
So it turns out that pulling together online resources covering anime isn't that hard. What is proving difficult is digging up old, good reviews of anime that aren't my own (I tend to save links to my larger posts).

I know that plenty of people have written great stuff but I just can't find it all (mainly because I've forgotten who wrote what when). So, don't be shy, just send me links to your own stuff and I'll look to include it! The same is true if you happen to remember anyone else's posts.

I suppose the fact that this is such hard work just illustrates the need to collate and save these kinds of posts because otherwise they just go missing. So far I have:

Patlabor by Jexhius

Giant Robo - by Jexhius

The Big O: Thoughts and analysis by CorvoSol

Pupipo! by hosannainexcelsis

Gundam Build Fighters: Episode 21: Amid the Glittering Particles by CorvoSol

Log Horizon by Jexhius

Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade by Typographenia

Ninja Scroll by Typographenia

The History of AnimeGAF
by Nafe

Angel's Egg by icarus-deadelus

So I was digging up stuff for this, I do have a few that I think would be worth sharing, and I found this post:

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=45762843&postcount=17061

I can't help but be amused given the thread title.

Anyway, here's a couple I've found:

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=54084846&postcount=13728
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=35150852&postcount=1454
 

Quasar

Member
The idea of a resource compiling lists and things of the sort is nice and all, but most folks who want to watch an anime and don't know what to watch would probably rather come to the thread and ask directly "if I like X what anime should I watch". Personalized answers is the reason to ask AnimeGAF vs simply going to a site like MAL and choosing top anime.

See that's where I get some use of of the 'if you liked this' bit of MAL thats attached to each title. Its not always right, but an awful lot of the time it is for me. At least when I'm in the mood for things that are similar.
 

Quasar

Member
Glasslip 9 - Really not sure where they are going now. It really is pure teen soap now, with the supernatural aspect kind of ignored. Especially with what 3 episodes left?
 

Link Man

Banned
Just finished the last episode of Arakawa Under the Bridge^2. What an excellent final episode, and an excellent series. My only regret is that I'll never be able to experience the series blind ever again.

Bravo Shaft.
 

Syrinx

Member
Aria: The Origination 6

I really, really liked that discussion between Alicia and Alice. We get a little more insight as to the kind of person Alicia is as well as her mentoring style. It doesn't always seem like it, but Alicia puts a lot of responsibility on herself when it comes to mentoring Akari, and despite how easygoing she seems, she takes it very seriously.

And I think one thing worth pointing out here is that, similar to most things, Akari is very similar in this respect to Alicia. When she screws up, nobody realizes this more than her, and she very much takes responsibility for her mistakes. Scolding her would be largely pointless for the most part since once again, Akari actually takes the things she does seriously, even though she can be absentminded at times.
 

Link Man

Banned
So I think one of the reasons I was starting to get burnt out on watching anime is due to feeling the need to do a writeup after every episode, to share here. So don't be surprised if you see me posting less in here; I'll probably give my impressions on current shows, or shows that I really feel the need to talk about, but if I can't really think of anything interesting to say, I'll probably not say much of anything or just give my impressions when I finish a series.
 

cajunator

Banned
So I think one of the reasons I was starting to get burnt out on watching anime is due to feeling the need to do a writeup after every episode, to share here. So don't be surprised if you see me posting less in here; I'll probably give my impressions on current shows, or shows that I really feel the need to talk about, but if I can't really think of anything interesting to say, I'll probably not say much of anything or just give my impressions when I finish a series.

This burnt me out after a season of Sailor Moon. Dont worry about that. Make an impression post after an important arc or several episodes. Make some kind of general grouping and present an overarching idea or discussion of it without being too detailed.
 
Glasslip 9 - Really not sure where they are going now. It really is pure teen soap now, with the supernatural aspect kind of ignored. Especially with what 3 episodes left?

I gave up on any sense of story or an overarching plot with this series. Now, I just watch it for the pure beauty that this series is. Screw the story or the shipping. Just watching it for the sake of the artistic creativity and vivid colors that is in this series.

None of the other shows that I watch have this amount of color detail to them this season:
Zankyou no Terror
Tokyo Ghoul
Naruto Shippuuden

So yea, the grayness and serious tone of these other anime contrasts nicely to the bubbly or nonsensical randomness that this anime is at the moment, and so it makes my day.

Just my thoughts IMHO.
 

Jarmel

Banned
Cat Soup-
So I got around to watching this randomly earlier today. I'm not sure if it was the Yuasa involvement or just the short bits on sakugabooru. Anyway, my first reaction halfway through the film was that it's garbage. I'm not a fan of surrealist stuff at all and this was definitely an exercise in that area. I tend to think very literally and logically and so for things that are supposed to affect me on an 'emotional' level like stuff in this OVA, fall flat for me. Then the ending happened and I actually have an appreciate for the work now weirdly enough despite the ambigious nature of it.
Let me describe the gist of the OVA, it's the story of a brother who goes on a journey to get the remaining bit of his sister's soul back. Now the concept has been done before in multiple mediums, such as What Dreams May Come, but this has to be the most fantastical take I've seen on it. The way the story is told, is something that could only be done in an animated form. I say this because there are certain scenes such as
God reassembling a person mid-air or the water elephant
are something that could only be done via CGI and I can't see a short film getting the funds necessary to do that in a story as bizarre as this. The entire 32 minute runtime is a series of short events during the brother's adventure and a number of them are quite morbid. One has the brother
cutting a pig companion up, feeding the cooked pork to his sister, and finally feeding the pork back to the pig companion
. It's a weirdly dark tale for the artstyle that focuses heavily around death.
So I did some research after watching the OVA and it turns out that the mangaka of the manga series that the OVA is 'inspired' by, committed suicide. The manga, Nekojiro Udon, is a series of sadistic short stories by the brother and sister. I could only find three translated chapters but it's dark humor all the way through. I'm a big fan of dark humor but unfortunately the chapters did nothing for me, mostly because of how sad the stories are. You can really get the sense that the mangaka, Nekojiro (Chiyomi Hashiguchi) both hated and was scared of the world. It actually reminds me of Eminem's earlier materials, such as the initial Slim Shady EP, in that the audience could see the inner suffering of the artist. It's more depressing than funny. It's really sad too when you think about the stigmata surrounding mental disorders in Japan, so I'm guessing Nekojiro didn't have the best care possible. There's a good interview by Yoshiaki Yoshinaga, who worked with her professionally and knew her well on a personal level, where he describes Nekojiro. One thing that stands out is the below quote
"I want a knife."

Nekojiru occasionally mumbled this under her breath. Nekojiru was apparently gripped by a compulsion to arm herself with a weapon. She would stand there in her army jacket with a completely serious look on her face and say: "I want a knife." What she wanted, really, was something to protect her from the world. Once I got to know her, I felt I understood better how she could have come to the point of wanting to arm herself with a weapon. To Nekojiru, the world around her was a dangerous place full of awful and repellant people and things. She couldn't let her guard down for a moment, so she escaped into her own world. When even that wasn't enough, she wanted a knife...

She could hardly eat anything. No fish, no meat. At restaurants, she would only order soup.
The reason I'm bringing up the personal circumstances of the mangaka is that unlike most anime, it's actually really crucial to understanding Cat Soup as a work. In that sense, Cat Soup is a meta-reflection of Nekojiro. Hell, the name is a reference to her, in addition to the ketchup pun, in that she represented herself as a cat in her manga (similar in style to Arakawa's cow) and her food choice. This is pretty unique in anime, the work being biographical in the sense of taking the actual real life viewpoint of the deceased, and is the only case I can think of. It's like someone else making The Wind Risesin it's exact state, instead of Miyazaki directing. In the OVA, the sister is missing half her soul and so appears lifeless through much of the adventure and lethargic. After reading about the circumstances of Nekojiro, I now understand that the sister is an allegory for Nekojiro herself suffering from depression. Take for example the above scene early on in the OVA:
We have the brother listening to a trio of housewives talking in a series of noises and he pulls the back of one of the ladies where a bunch of air comes out deflating her. The other two ladies notice but then quickly continue having their conversation. Nekojiro's husband, Hajime Yamano was a notable womanizer so the trio of housewives are commentary on the gossip that surrounded Nekojiro's personal life. A bigger aspect would be the apathetic God who does a bunch of party tricks for a circus and is later seen causing the suffering of the protagonists through his manipulation of the Earth and messy eating. This is one area where Yuasa's involvement shines through as it reminds me of the God figure in Mind Game, except the God in Yuasa's later work was a bit more caring.

The ending is worth discussing in this context as it can be interpreted in two separate, but not mutually exclusive ways:
1.The brother drowned at the beginning of the OVA when he was playing near the tub and this whole OVA was him hallucinating about saving his dying sister next to him. The lights going out signify his life coming to an end and darkness entrapping him.

2.The other conjunctive explanation is that the family and house flickering out is to remind the viewer that this is a film. Now you can tie that into the first interpretation or have it be something more hopeful, in that the events of the movie are real but it's just a little meta thing at the end.

Considering the rest of the film, I lean towards it being a mix of both in that since the OVA is a reflection of Nekojiro's life under depression, the ending was commentary on her suicide in that there isn't a happy ending.
The artstyle in the anime is simplistic, similar to the basic artstyle in the manga, however the animation itself is really notable. The above is a pretty long-take drawn by Yuichiro Sueyoshi, something pretty rare in film (a great recent example being the ghetto escape in True Detective) and especially so in animation. The only other notable example I can think of in anime is the first ending theme in Eureka Seven:
Other notable animators were Yoh Yoshinari (who did this cool liquid cut), Hiroshi Shimizu, Kunihiro Abe, and Osamu Tanabe. The OVA has a lot of stretch and squash so it felt closer to something out of a cartoon. Speaking of cartoons, the violence in the film was reminiscent of the stuff found in The Itchy & Scratchy Show:
ixY1xNTnp54T9.jpg
iGlezupcyM2dr.jpg

This is pretty honest to how assholish/sadistic the brother is in the manga.
There was also this whole long cut of samurai cutting up a fish that recent watcher of Space Dandy will pick up. The music was done by Hiroshi Ogasawara and I can't remember a single piece from the film.
So after all that reading/writing and rewatching (I rewatched the OVA again before writing this post), I still don't know if I like the OVA. Weird huh? I do think it's an unique work and it has a bit of a profound effect on me even if I found the pacing rather slow at times and a bit too eccentric at others. I think the ending generated a lot of goodwill for me as the notion of it being
the hallucination of a dying cat is so damn dark and unrelentingly grim
that I like it for that notion. I should also mention that I did enjoy the moments where the brother tries to care for his sister(being an older brother myself).
 

Shergal

Member
Cat Soup-
So after all that reading/writing and rewatching (I rewatched the OVA again before writing this post), I still don't know if I like the OVA.
You clearly do, otherwise you wouldn't have put so much time into it :)

The points you bring up are clear regarding the actual 'meaning' of the short, but I'm not sure if it ever pretended to affect the viewer at a basic emotional level. The directing style and more importantly the way the short treats the actions of the characters, violence specifically, feel deliberately detached and distanced to me. I had no issue taking in the endless imaginative ways by which this macabre mood was brought forward, be it by how events play out or just the surrealistic animation depicting them. It's quite easy to just view it from this angle where it becomes a showcase of all the ideas they manage to cram into 30 minutes of runtime, and these cute little cats doing brutal stuff is immediately impactful due to the dissonance it creates.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top Bottom