I tried I really did. I loved the heck out of Barakamon. But while I was watching episode 2 I was yawning. Maybe it's the setting? The lack of different characters? Idk,
I am not finished with Nise but yeah I think Bake is better. People seem to really dislike Nise but it's still good, right now I would give it a 7/10, Bake is like an 8.5 or a 9.
I dropped Bakemonogatari after 9 episodes because it was slow and boring.
That's just the kind of show it is. If, after the first two episodes, you're waiting for it to accelerate into something else, it's not going to happen.
Classroom*Crisis ep.13
Ok, I'll take that. Great ending to the show, but looks like there will be more to come, well hopefully. The manga launched at the same time as the anime, so we'll see, but I was surprised it ended on such a strong note after all the nonsense earlier.
Stay strong names, lol. I haven't watched season 2 of NNB yet, S1 could be considered "slow" with no plot to follow, but it's also a ton of comfy cuteness for all. That's its sttong point. Renge does rock btw.
I would love to have an anime starring Renge and Naru; it would be the cutest anime ever!
Yeah, all good points and most conceded except for Hibiki's singing which I contest is a mix of a) Her not being trained (Ether as a literal singer like Tsubasa or Battle Trained like Chris) b) the fact she screams off key when attacking almost as a vocal quirk.
Though, yeah, she doesn't get her best image song until G-Beat in GX.
On that point;
Symphogear GX 12
Wow, I wish that they hadn't ballsed up in getting 13 though cause I have no idea how they're going to pull everything off for the ending. Having gone though everything in a few days (Vacation) G I think got the most right between the One Bound Jack nature of the cliffhangers and such.
Also Carol minus her groupies makes for a crap villian, I want Micha in Skullgirls yesterday and the fact that the final battle is perfect for a SRW game really makes me more angry at Super Heroine Chronicle being the kusoge it was than I was before hand.
I am not finished with Nise but yeah I think Bake is better. People seem to really dislike Nise but it's still good, right now I would give it a 7/10, Bake is like an 8.5 or a 9.
Ha even after all of that it seems CEO onii-chan still got the last laugh in the end as well too. Oh well, this is over and done. It was an ok show and worth the time I put in in the end.
to be truthful, NNB is just a really good mix of understated comedy and that nebulous thing we'll call heart. it's like a super idealised version of what you think you should feel like sitting under the summer sun just whiling away the hours and some kids play on the riverbank or something.
Ace Attorney: Dual Destinies, episode 5
The first half of this case must be the most macabre thing the series has done. Poor Athena had like the worst childhood ever.
I saw who the culprit was coming, but the nature of the culprit, holy crap that was a huge surprise. It's not the only one though as this case is full of it, and it is the largest in scale it's ever been.
Not sure the "dark age of the law" thing paid off though. Here is the thing, I can't believe that it's in the dark age when the law in the world of Phoenix Wright was dystopian way back in the first game anyways.
Overall, I like the game just as much as Ace Attorney Trials and Tribulations. Also you can tell it was headed by the guy who made Investigations Motohide Eshiro and not Shu Takumi, as the story is a lot more involved across all the cases and the mysteries are a lot more convoluted. I think between this and Investigations this one certainly shows a lot more improvement. Also I felt like Apollo came to his own and had a equal share in the story unlike the first game where even if I liked him he was overshadowed by Phoenix's scheming.
Fun fact, all the anime cutscenes were done by studio Bones, and they look pretty good. Wish the English localization wouldn't have cheaped out on the English dub though because it's terrible.
Ace Attorney: Dual Destinies, episode 5
The first half of this case must be the most macabre thing the series has done. Poor Athena had like the worst childhood ever.
I saw who the culprit was coming, but the nature of the culprit, holy crap that was a huge surprise. It's not the only one though as this case is full of it, and it is the largest in scale it's ever been.
Not sure the "dark age of the law" thing paid off though. Here is the thing, I can't believe that it's in the dark age when the law in the world of Phoenix Wright was dystopian way back in the first game anyways.
Overall, I like the game just as much as Ace Attorney Trials and Tribulations. Also you can tell it was headed by the guy who made Investigations Motohide Eshiro and not Shu Takumi, as the story is a lot more involved across all the cases and the mysteries are a lot more convoluted. I think between this and Investigations this one certainly shows a lot more improvement. Also I felt like Apollo came to his own and had a equal share in the story unlike the first game where even if I liked him he was overshadowed by Phoenix's scheming.
Fun fact, all the anime cutscenes were done by studio Bones, and they look pretty good. Wish the English localization wouldn't have cheaped out on the English dub though because it's terrible.
While you're talking about the Investigations team, I'll just jump in to say that if you can play the fan translation of Ace Attorney Investigations 2, do so. It is cemented in my mind as the best Ace Attorney game. Its story construction is nothing short of virtuoso.
It scratches the same itch a lot of popular Slice of Life shows do and that is to give someone a look in to a particular kind of setting. The show is really good looking, especially the environments. The music helps set that tone as well. I think the character interactions are where the show really shines and the show is excellent at delivering the heartfelt moments.
But really it's rather difficult to write a lot about Non Non Biyori. Whenever I finish an episode and am satisfied even if not a lot happened.
to be truthful, NNB is just a really good mix of understated comedy and that nebulous thing we'll call heart. it's like a super idealised version of what you think you should feel like sitting under the summer sun just whiling away the hours and some kids play on the riverbank or something.
Even within the SOL genre, there are certain twists that can turn the premise into something dynamic. Barakamon has calligraphy. Euphonium has brass instruments. Usagi Drop has parenting. Joshiraku has rakugo. Kill Me Baby has ninjas. From what I understand, NNB is about five students from different grades who are enrolled in a school whose entire student body consists of those same five students. What a hook! Those five characters must have amazing chemistry to be interesting for twelve episodes. What possible situations could they create to make for amusing interactions? Let's not find out!
Ace Attorney: Dual Destinies, episode 5
The first half of this case must be the most macabre thing the series has done. Poor Athena had like the worst childhood ever.
I saw who the culprit was coming, but the nature of the culprit, holy crap that was a huge surprise. It's not the only one though as this case is full of it, and it is the largest in scale it's ever been.
Not sure the "dark age of the law" thing paid off though. Here is the thing, I can't believe that it's in the dark age when the law in the world of Phoenix Wright was dystopian way back in the first game anyways.
Overall, I like the game just as much as Ace Attorney Trials and Tribulations. Also you can tell it was headed by the guy who made Investigations Motohide Eshiro and not Shu Takumi, as the story is a lot more involved across all the cases and the mysteries are a lot more convoluted. I think between this and Investigations this one certainly shows a lot more improvement. Also I felt like Apollo came to his own and had a equal share in the story unlike the first game where even if I liked him he was overshadowed by Phoenix's scheming.
Fun fact, all the anime cutscenes were done by studio Bones, and they look pretty good. Wish the English localization wouldn't have cheaped out on the English dub though because it's terrible.
The only real sticking point for the game for me were 2 things, one over-arching, one a specific case.
1. Robin Newman might be one of my favorite characters in the series. The problem isn't with
her writing but rather what I was expecting which was that the reveal was she was a girl but she really felt like a boy or wanted to be one or whatnot. Forcing herself to be a man and then having it revealed and finally being happy she could be a girl was great but I was hoping for something a tad more progressive from Japan, which is stupid of me. I wanted her to be a healthy trans character in a Japanese video game.
That's on me though.
2. The 2nd thing was minor but bugged me. As you said, the interconnectedness is great and the last case is fucking amazing but considering all that you'd think that Athena and
Blackquill's interactions over the course of the other trials would be a bit more...personal? Substantial? I mean, her whole deal is trying to save him and him taking the rap for her and they have such a history that's so important but other than a few mentions of it, in court they act like total strangers and it's really weird.
What makes it weirder is sometimes they DO address their previous history such as the end of Case 3 where Athena has her panic attack and Blackquill says something to snap her out of it and keep her going. But then it's back to pretending they don't know each other.
That's just a small gripe though.
Personally, Blackquill is my favorite prosecutor. He's set up to be this cruel villainous guy who would be a perfect character in the dark age of the law since he's actually a convicted murderer, but if you pay attention to his reactions and how he does things (getting mad at witnesses for not telling the truth even though it would hurt his case, goading defense attorneys to get them to not give up, how he changes his angle to each way a defendant could be guilty to throw out the wrong conclusions) you see that he's probably the most righteous of the prosecutors to date. He doesn't give a fuck about winning his cases, he never goes ape shit because he lost and in fact most of the time he's pretty happy (for him) about it. The only thing he cares about is the truth. When he gets mad it's because someone lied to him and he built his arguments around it or one of the lawyers figured out the truth before he did. The small touches they put in the cases really give you a bad impression of him but if you actually pay attention to how he reacts and why it becomes really interesting.
I also love his design. Dude's a bad-ass.
I should get back to this date. She's probably wondering where I am.
Even within the SOL genre, there are certain twists that can turn the premise into something dynamic. Barakamon has calligraphy. Euphonium has brass instruments. Usagi Drop has parenting. Joshiraku has rakugo. Kill Me Baby has ninjas. From what I understand, NNB is about five students from different grades who are enrolled in a school whose entire student body consists of those same five students. What a hook! Those five characters must have amazing chemistry to be interesting for twelve episodes. What possible situations could they create to make for amusing interactions? Let's not find out!
I think you're confusing dynamic with "plotlines".
Which, it turn, isn't exactly what an SOL is about.
Barakamon isn't actually about the calligraphy, but rather about perspective given by differing and new horizons and learning to enjoy life rather than just "do" life.
Usagi Drop is more about important people entering or exiting your life and the kinds of things that are required of people in order for things to go well. (Read: parenting but more nuanced) (Also note how it starts off with both a death and (basically) an adoption. And how both are central to the anime and the interactions between characters)
Non Non Biyori isn't actually about just girls in the countryside, but rather about the idea that where you harbor your important relationships and experiences are where your "home" is. (look at how Hotaru acts. Specifically how she acts before making friends and going to school compared to directly after. It really cements this, even if its a short transition).
Basically, all good SOL do have a center grounding point, but it's not a hook. You've been looking at it all wrong.
You don't watch barakamon for the calligraphy, you watch it for the interactions between the characters.
Both Barakamon and non non biyori are fish out of water stories that take place in different contexts.
And yes, the interactions and chemistry between these same 4 girls (and a LOT of side characters, so don't sell those characters short, specifically Candy Store) is enough for 12 episodes.
Actually, scratch that, it was enough for the 24 episodes we got, and hopefully more.
Even within the SOL genre, there are certain twists that can turn the premise into something dynamic. Barakamon has calligraphy. Euphonium has brass instruments. Usagi Drop has parenting. Joshiraku has rakugo. Kill Me Baby has ninjas. From what I understand, NNB is about five students from different grades who are enrolled in a school whose entire student body consists of those same five students. What a hook! Those five characters must have amazing chemistry to be interesting for twelve episodes. What possible situations could they create to make for amusing interactions? Let's not find out!
What? The hook is that they're kids who live in the country, plus you have the wide-eyed idealism of Renge who is discovering things for the first time.
----
So it looks like School Live went for an original ending? I'm glad it did, to at least give the characters a complete arc. They even answered the question of what happened to that other student. Hell, I'll even forgive them for doing a stupid post-credits thing that will never be paid off. lol
What? The hook is that they're kids who live in the country, plus you have the wide-eyed idealism of Renge who is discovering things for the first time.
Though she is definitely the type of character people may not exactly like at first. I know a couple of people who didn't like her initially and by the end she was their favorite character
I would just suggest you to watch at your own pace. It's a very relaxing show, I'm beginning to think the weekly scheduled airing kind of hindered my experience, *at times* it became more of an obligation to watch than a relaxing watch.
While you're talking about the Investigations team, I'll just jump in to say that if you can play the fan translation of Ace Attorney Investigations 2, do so. It is cemented in my mind as the best Ace Attorney game. Its story construction is nothing short of virtuoso.
The only real sticking point for the game for me were 2 things, one over-arching, one a specific case.
1. Robin Newman might be one of my favorite characters in the series. The problem isn't with
her writing but rather what I was expecting which was that the reveal was she was a girl but she really felt like a boy or wanted to be one or whatnot. Forcing herself to be a man and then having it revealed and finally being happy she could be a girl was great but I was hoping for something a tad more progressive from Japan, which is stupid of me. I wanted her to be a healthy trans character in a Japanese video game.
That's on me though.
2. The 2nd thing was minor but bugged me. As you said, the interconnectedness is great and the last case is fucking amazing but considering all that you'd think that Athena and
Blackquill's interactions over the course of the other trials would be a bit more...personal? Substantial? I mean, her whole deal is trying to save him and him taking the rap for her and they have such a history that's so important but other than a few mentions of it, in court they act like total strangers and it's really weird.
What makes it weirder is sometimes they DO address their previous history such as the end of Case 3 where Athena has her panic attack and Blackquill says something to snap her out of it and keep her going. But then it's back to pretending they don't know each other.
That's just a small gripe though.
Personally, Blackquill is my favorite prosecutor. He's set up to be this cruel villainous guy who would be a perfect character in the dark age of the law since he's actually a convicted murderer, but if you pay attention to his reactions and how he does things (getting mad at witnesses for not telling the truth even though it would hurt his case, goading defense attorneys to get them to not give up, how he changes his angle to each way a defendant could be guilty to throw out the wrong conclusions) you see that he's probably the most righteous of the prosecutors to date. He doesn't give a fuck about winning his cases, he never goes ape shit because he lost and in fact most of the time he's pretty happy (for him) about it. The only thing he cares about is the truth. When he gets mad it's because someone lied to him and he built his arguments around it or one of the lawyers figured out the truth before he did. The small touches they put in the cases really give you a bad impression of him but if you actually pay attention to how he reacts and why it becomes really interesting.
I also love his design. Dude's a bad-ass.
I should get back to this date. She's probably wondering where I am.
Agree with your second point. I don't disagree with the first one but it didn't bother me, but I do agree Newman is amazing.
Yeah Blackquill is a great character even if I still don't forgive him for some of his transgressions. I know overall he is a good guy but I have never seen prosecutors that weren't assholes in the whole series.
The reason I can see why some may see Barakamon much more enjoyable to watch than Non Non Biyori because of how energetic and full of personality the former is. That's not to say Non Non Biyori doesn't have personality, it's just that it's a really slow paced series.
The reason I can see why some may see Barakamon much more enjoyable to watch than Non Non Biyori because of how energetic and full of personality the former is. That's not to say Non Non Biyori doesn't have personality, it's just that it's a really slow paced series.
Different, but still something that could easily lead into the equivalent part of the manga. Still gotta say I wasn't expecting to be that effected
by Taromaru's death. Fuckin sad dog stories mess me up. It's not a big deal in the manga when he dies within pages of being introduced, but when you got the sad tone there after getting to know the guy, it's not as easy to get through even if it is heavy-handed.
Also kind of weird for a tonally
all's well that ends well
kind of ending considering what preceded it (and what's to come considering there's still hinting at the manga plotline).
But yeah, this could easily go for a faithfully adapted season 2 with how things ended, even though it will never happen.
Edit: Outside of
Yuki having her sanity back.
So yeah, they'd either have to retcon that or do something stupid to get back the status quo.
Oh man, this was a hilarious ep. I'm loving this series. For some reason I never got around to watching it last year.
After this, will start Ore Monogatari!!.
Oh man, this was a hilarious ep. I'm loving this series. For some reason I never got around to watching it last year.
After this, will start Ore Monogatari!!.
Yeah the first season is good. It tries to be a lil monogatari-lite in its composition which doesn't really click and there are wayyyyyyyy too many glamour shots, but its enjoyable.
The second season has less focus and ends up being a bit of a slog (very much like the manga actually, only it doesn't end up as horrid)
Yeah, certainly more even and atmospheric than the second one though still hit&miss as far as being actually scary goes. I think the "Wall Woman" from S2 got me the most in this department.