Not even the first anime this year.
-
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 Anime 2016 |OT| Makes Me Happy When Skies Are Grey
- Thread starter BGBW
- Start date
- Status
Not even the first anime this year.
Hellwarden
Member
Narag is content to continue to his Berserk 2016 forgiving, Best Wishes watching, ways.
The monster.
hosannainexcelsis
Member
What is the previous anime this year you are referring to?
Taboo Tattoo. Episode 3's camerawork is something else.
Ok. We're doing Monaca. Now, she could fucking brilliant, but it depends how they handle it. Having her actively apeing Junko is a huge plus. Now that UDG is required though, I guess it's gonna be a lot more spoiler tag-ery.
Honestly now we've had time to get to know the cast I like these guys. They're all fucking assholes and that's great.
Pretty sure wheelchair girlbot isn't the killer though. It's way too early for that to really be revealed. She's probably just surveillance to make sure it's all running smoothly.
Also, it's random bullshit theory time! Animator is actually the imposter from 2, which is why he's also pretending to be him in despair. Evidence: he wants to be like Naegi. Maybe imposter wants to imitate hope but can't, which may well even be how he fell to despair in the first place. Plus it would be extra ironic since that would mean that Naegi saving the DR2 cast did come back to haunt the future foundation.
Honestly now we've had time to get to know the cast I like these guys. They're all fucking assholes and that's great.
Pretty sure wheelchair girlbot isn't the killer though. It's way too early for that to really be revealed. She's probably just surveillance to make sure it's all running smoothly.
Also, it's random bullshit theory time! Animator is actually the imposter from 2, which is why he's also pretending to be him in despair. Evidence: he wants to be like Naegi. Maybe imposter wants to imitate hope but can't, which may well even be how he fell to despair in the first place. Plus it would be extra ironic since that would mean that Naegi saving the DR2 cast did come back to haunt the future foundation.
Turin Turambar
Member
Mob Psycho 100 4
Kind of boring.
Kind of boring.
DeadRockstar
Member
I just discovered that the Kyoukai no Kanata recap movie has a version of Yakusoku no Kizuna with the training montage cut out and with more dance scenes (haphazardly) put into it, making it almost 3 minutes of continuous performance.
Well, I've just watched this twice.
hosannainexcelsis
Member
This essay on anime CG is a must-read by all anime fans.
Very good read.
So what I gather from that is that I should watch Girls und Panzer.
Baconsaurus Rex
Member
Oh neat they changed the visual style for this scene. It looks grea-
South Park?!
Canti looking baller.
Man you could make a million screenshots of visual gags, oddities and overall craziness.
South Park?!
Canti looking baller.
Man you could make a million screenshots of visual gags, oddities and overall craziness.
Applies to every Imaishi ep in other people's shows
Baconsaurus Rex
Member
Well that escalated quickly.
Cornbread78
Member
Taboo Tattoo ep.5
The fights during the first half of the show were very nice, the... WTF was that utter trash? WTF, WTF, WTF. That was dispicible.. Anime was a mistake.gif. "I get your huge boobs" "Now this is a nice morning after" fuck it all..
The fights during the first half of the show were very nice, the... WTF was that utter trash? WTF, WTF, WTF. That was dispicible.. Anime was a mistake.gif. "I get your huge boobs" "Now this is a nice morning after" fuck it all..
Great read. It also reminds me of another example for great use of CG, Pokemon XY. It's pretty much the reason why some of the scenes can be so awesome.
hosannainexcelsis
Member
Absolutely, although the CG at the beginning of the TV series is substantially less impressive than the CG in the movie.
firehawk12
Subete no aware
Yeah so this guy confirms duckroll's thoughts on the framerate.
But regardless, the problem for me (wrt to GuP specifically) is that the CG is still noticeably different from the 2d animation. The only way I can describe it is that it's the anime version of the "uncanny valley", where I can see that something is off even if I don't know why.
Right afterwards Hai Yo kicks up as Guts wrecks all those motherfuckers with blood and limbs and shit flying everywhere!!
nintendoman58
Member
THE FOLLOWING CONTAINS OPEN SPOILERS FOR MOBILE FIGHTER G GUNDAM.
As you all know, Im a vivid fan of mecha anime here. I love the wacky robot designs, the hot-blooded characters, the flashy attacks, I love it all.
So I thought Id occasionally go through some of my favourite episodes of different shows in the genre that have some of my favourite fights and moments, and talk in detail about how, in my opinion, these fights, moments, and the character drama occurring during and after them are what make the mecha genre so great.
With that, lets start with one that I feel is a fantastic masterpiece of an episode, not just for mecha anime, but for anime as a whole.
Best of Mecha Anime G Gundam 45
After a certain point early on, the show expects you to despise the character of Master Asia. He betrays his pupil Domon, works with the Devil Gundam and Kyoji, both of which Domon had vowed to get revenge on, and tries everything he can to piss Domon off and hurt him. Up until this episode, youre never given his motivation as to why hes doing all this. All you see is a destructive madman working with a giant killer robot.
This is the episode where Master Asia lays it all out for Domon in only way he knows how, through his fists in a Gundam Fight.
The way the fight starts is perfect. Both Domon and Master Asia are at the height of their despair and anger. The episode starts off with Domon in a state of utter grief after dealing the final blow to the Devil Gundam, at the same time ending the lives of his brother and Schwarz. Master Asia is in a fit of rage at the sight of his ambitions being destroyed by Domon. Both characters are just so incredibly pissed off at each other that the beginning of the fight is just them losing their temper and pummeling each other until Master Asia knocks him down and finally explains everything.
Now, really thinking about it at first glance, his motivations still come off as incredibly twisted and evil. Really, they all boil down to Im upset that humans trashed the environment with their giant robots and I want to kill all humans because of that and use the Devil Gundam to restore the Earth back to its natural state. Everybody of course thinks hes an insane madman after saying that, but the more he speaks, the more you hear this pained expression in his voice. This sense of loss, defeat, and anguish in his heart slowly becomes more and more apparent with the way he describes how Earth has become nothing more than a battlefield for power with all the humans living in the space colonies living blissfully unaware of it all.
This brings him to his main questions: Whys the Gundam Fight important? Why call it an ideal war? Whats there to gain from victory? The winning country of the Gundam Fight gets to rule the universe for the next four years. Then the Gundam Fight happens again. And again. It wont stop.
At this point, hes not trying to manipulate Domon. Hes outright begging him to understand his point of view. Hes so sad that Domon literally feels the pain in his heart as their fists collide with one another. Its a far cry from the mustache-twirling evil supervillain the series had built him up to be. There were some subtle hints here and there throughout the second half of the show that there was more to him than that, and this episode is where that image is completely broken down, piece by piece. Master Asia isn't a villain fighting for power, money, or some grudge. He's fighting for atonement, thinking that there's no other way for the Earth to be restored.
Domon then starts telling him the truth by saying that wiping out humanity to save nature on Earth is foolish, as humans themselves were born a part of nature, and the Earth cant live without them, that an Earth without humans is doomed to fail. The way Domon looks at him in the above shot right here is great. It reminds me of a parent scolding a child. It's at this moment I feel, that deep down Master Asia knows that Domon is correct. He then challenges Domon once more, and I noticed that after Domon speaks to him he's now talking to him in a different manner during the fight. He goes back to taunting him, asking him if hes already reached his limit, but in a way that makes it seem like he wants Domon to stand up, to rise to defeat him. And sure enough
It all comes tumbling down after he speaks these words. We see the full extent of Master Asias anguish, how he hated the fact that he had contributed to the destruction caused by the Gundam Fight, how that resentment caused his thoughts to become twisted enough to make a horrible mistake, how he had always loved Domon and was looking out for him until the end. The last five minutes of this episode are fantastic. Its this beautiful reconciliation between master and student, as both realize they never stopped to truly think about the others side during this heated battle. The sorrow in their voices as they know all this anger, strife, and hatred between them could have been avoided entirely, and that its too late to go back.
This moment right here is the most beautiful, meaningful death in the entire Gundam franchise. You know why this death scene is better than so many other death scenes in anime? This scene doesnt make me sad that this character is no longer around, to give me the feels. Its not a scene made for shock value to show how frightening war is. This scene serves as a conclusion to a character arc that was being built up since said characters introduction, to show this character in a new light before his final departure.
For all the times I praise G Gundam for its super robot spirit, its wacky robot designs, its sense of humour, its animation, its the characters that truly shine the most throughout all of it. Yasuhiro Imagawa knows how to properly get you wrapped up in this fun atmosphere of hot-blooded silliness before you get punched in the gut and you start feeling all these emotions.
This episode is one of the many reasons why G Gundam is exceptional from the rest of the franchise. It isnt bogged down by bafflingly stupid characters and boring politics. Its a passionate character-driven story that only gets better the more I watch it.
LOOK! THE EAST IS BURNING RED!
As you all know, Im a vivid fan of mecha anime here. I love the wacky robot designs, the hot-blooded characters, the flashy attacks, I love it all.
So I thought Id occasionally go through some of my favourite episodes of different shows in the genre that have some of my favourite fights and moments, and talk in detail about how, in my opinion, these fights, moments, and the character drama occurring during and after them are what make the mecha genre so great.
With that, lets start with one that I feel is a fantastic masterpiece of an episode, not just for mecha anime, but for anime as a whole.
Best of Mecha Anime G Gundam 45
After a certain point early on, the show expects you to despise the character of Master Asia. He betrays his pupil Domon, works with the Devil Gundam and Kyoji, both of which Domon had vowed to get revenge on, and tries everything he can to piss Domon off and hurt him. Up until this episode, youre never given his motivation as to why hes doing all this. All you see is a destructive madman working with a giant killer robot.
This is the episode where Master Asia lays it all out for Domon in only way he knows how, through his fists in a Gundam Fight.
The way the fight starts is perfect. Both Domon and Master Asia are at the height of their despair and anger. The episode starts off with Domon in a state of utter grief after dealing the final blow to the Devil Gundam, at the same time ending the lives of his brother and Schwarz. Master Asia is in a fit of rage at the sight of his ambitions being destroyed by Domon. Both characters are just so incredibly pissed off at each other that the beginning of the fight is just them losing their temper and pummeling each other until Master Asia knocks him down and finally explains everything.
Now, really thinking about it at first glance, his motivations still come off as incredibly twisted and evil. Really, they all boil down to Im upset that humans trashed the environment with their giant robots and I want to kill all humans because of that and use the Devil Gundam to restore the Earth back to its natural state. Everybody of course thinks hes an insane madman after saying that, but the more he speaks, the more you hear this pained expression in his voice. This sense of loss, defeat, and anguish in his heart slowly becomes more and more apparent with the way he describes how Earth has become nothing more than a battlefield for power with all the humans living in the space colonies living blissfully unaware of it all.
This brings him to his main questions: Whys the Gundam Fight important? Why call it an ideal war? Whats there to gain from victory? The winning country of the Gundam Fight gets to rule the universe for the next four years. Then the Gundam Fight happens again. And again. It wont stop.
At this point, hes not trying to manipulate Domon. Hes outright begging him to understand his point of view. Hes so sad that Domon literally feels the pain in his heart as their fists collide with one another. Its a far cry from the mustache-twirling evil supervillain the series had built him up to be. There were some subtle hints here and there throughout the second half of the show that there was more to him than that, and this episode is where that image is completely broken down, piece by piece. Master Asia isn't a villain fighting for power, money, or some grudge. He's fighting for atonement, thinking that there's no other way for the Earth to be restored.
Domon then starts telling him the truth by saying that wiping out humanity to save nature on Earth is foolish, as humans themselves were born a part of nature, and the Earth cant live without them, that an Earth without humans is doomed to fail. The way Domon looks at him in the above shot right here is great. It reminds me of a parent scolding a child. It's at this moment I feel, that deep down Master Asia knows that Domon is correct. He then challenges Domon once more, and I noticed that after Domon speaks to him he's now talking to him in a different manner during the fight. He goes back to taunting him, asking him if hes already reached his limit, but in a way that makes it seem like he wants Domon to stand up, to rise to defeat him. And sure enough
It all comes tumbling down after he speaks these words. We see the full extent of Master Asias anguish, how he hated the fact that he had contributed to the destruction caused by the Gundam Fight, how that resentment caused his thoughts to become twisted enough to make a horrible mistake, how he had always loved Domon and was looking out for him until the end. The last five minutes of this episode are fantastic. Its this beautiful reconciliation between master and student, as both realize they never stopped to truly think about the others side during this heated battle. The sorrow in their voices as they know all this anger, strife, and hatred between them could have been avoided entirely, and that its too late to go back.
This moment right here is the most beautiful, meaningful death in the entire Gundam franchise. You know why this death scene is better than so many other death scenes in anime? This scene doesnt make me sad that this character is no longer around, to give me the feels. Its not a scene made for shock value to show how frightening war is. This scene serves as a conclusion to a character arc that was being built up since said characters introduction, to show this character in a new light before his final departure.
For all the times I praise G Gundam for its super robot spirit, its wacky robot designs, its sense of humour, its animation, its the characters that truly shine the most throughout all of it. Yasuhiro Imagawa knows how to properly get you wrapped up in this fun atmosphere of hot-blooded silliness before you get punched in the gut and you start feeling all these emotions.
This episode is one of the many reasons why G Gundam is exceptional from the rest of the franchise. It isnt bogged down by bafflingly stupid characters and boring politics. Its a passionate character-driven story that only gets better the more I watch it.
LOOK! THE EAST IS BURNING RED!
Morning after do it again?
Cornbread78
Member
I just realized that I'm still watching way too many shows..
Rewrite
Planetarian
Tales of Zestiria the X
91 Days
Orange
Sweetness and Lightning
Qualidea Code
Battery
Handa-kun
Alderamin in the Sky
Kono Bijutsuba
New Game
Soma S2
HxH
Rezero
Twin Star Exorcists
Endride
Rewrite
Planetarian
Tales of Zestiria the X
91 Days
Orange
Sweetness and Lightning
Qualidea Code
Battery
Handa-kun
Alderamin in the Sky
Kono Bijutsuba
New Game
Soma S2
HxH
Rezero
Twin Star Exorcists
Endride
Rushersauce
Banned
Worst of all... you're not even watching Mob Psycho 100
hosannainexcelsis
Member
The integration of CG with 2D animation in the Girls und Panzer movie is practically perfect - at least, it's as perfect as I can envision such integration being. Of course, CG is fundamentally different from 2D animation, a fact several Japanese CG studios try to ignore, as the article points out, but good aesthetic taste and skilled photography can make them work together.
He's also watching the wrong HxH. And no JoJo either.
For shame, cornbread.
I don't think many people care about the use of CGI for background work. The reality is that it allows more complex angles and shots as a result of not having to redraw every background shot in a scene. In fact studios have gotten pretty good at background work with CGI, not to the point where it's not noticeable but more that it's pleasing to look at. Not to mention the use of CGI for digital effects/photography aspects as seen by KyoAni or Ufotable.
The elephant in the room is mechanical animation. That's the real crux of the issue in that the number of mechanical animators are dwindling. That leads to a supply/demand issue where only a number of studios have animators capable of doing 2D. Now before duckroll complains that animators are freelancers, this was exactly how some staff at Trigger complained about it in that certain studios are 'hoarding' the animators. Obvious cases being Sunrise and Bones. As a result the number of 2D mecha shows are pretty much at a flatline stage. All we get are the usual Gundam shows and an occasional Bones series. Yes there's Regalia but it ain't airing no mo'.
The other thing I think is worth pointing out is that while a CGI mecha show might be just as expensive budgetary-wise, it's quicker to pump out. That's the true currency of the industry, time. The main thing for productions is time. If something reduces the time it takes to output, then it still might be viewed as cheaper in the long run. Opportunity costs is a major thing for anime, moreso than any of its counterparts.
All together though, I have to dislike CGI mecha out of principle because I don't think it's a good replacement and it helps speed up the death of 2D mechanical animation precisely because it is a self feeding cycle. High level 2D mechanical will always beat high level CGI for me. If we were getting equal numbers of 2D/CGI shows, I don't think I would care as much but that obviously isn't happening.
Well the framerate stuff was known for a while. It's why Sidonia looks like dogshit, because they ran the framerate at a lower speed to mimic 2D. Mimicking 2D isn't exactly bad for CGI, the use of smears for example is something I would like to see transition more into the CGI world, however restricted framerates (or timing if you want to be picky) are a perfect case of something the industry shouldn't be holding on to.
The other thing too is that we see cases of high level CGI all the time in the West due to Pixar, Disney, WETA, ILM, and others. Barring quantum leaps in computing power, the studios don't have either the time or money to really put out high level CGI.
EvilKatarn
Member
Re;Zero 15
Where's that interpolation thread?
hosannainexcelsis
Member
Yes, mechanical animation is one of the major issues brought up in the Sakuga Blog article. I don't think it's wrong to have a blanket preference for 2D over CG, just as I don't think it's wrong to have a blanket preference for cel over digital. In both cases, the newer technology is never going to be able to fully replicate the look of the older one, no matter how proficient people become at using it. Speaking personally, I really like the CG work done by Orange on anime such as Akito, Majestic Prince, Fafner Exodus, and Comet Lucifer. Often times their CG looks more impressive than the 2D parts of the productions they work on. It's the same with Dimps' CG action compared to Toei's 2D work on Majin Bone. Even the CG action by P.A. Works on Kuromukuro has its charms. Digital couldn't replace cel, but it could provide new creative possibilities once people had developed and grown familiar enough with the technology to take advantage of it. It's the same way with CG. I certainly hope 2D animation always sticks around, and that it is not replaced wholesale the way cel animation was, but more and more, as more good examples of it appear, I welcome the visual styles opened to anime through the use of CG.
If you want to see that Japanese CG studios are capable of "full" framerate animation, all you need to do is look at Digital Frontier's work on the new Gantz movie.
You're essentially asking for animation done on ones, which is how classic Disney films (and most American animation of that time) were animated. For an example in modern Japanese animation, see the mushi in Mushishi.
No I mean actually animated/captured at that speed.
Of course the anime industry could not really handle triple the amount of frames with shows. They barely handle what they do now.
Hellwarden
Member
Mob Psycho 4
Mostly a set-up episode, and as well done visually as it may be, I have a hard time being enthralled by it. I mean, the episode can basically summed up as such.
-Mob gets new ghost "friend", that'll probably go somewhere.
-Mob's brother gets fleshed out a bit more, interviewed by intrepid reporter. Okay.
-Mob gets tricked into gang fight. Meets other psychic, fight starts.
None of these three parts grooved with each other very well, and like before, the humor is just kind of there to me.
Mostly a set-up episode, and as well done visually as it may be, I have a hard time being enthralled by it. I mean, the episode can basically summed up as such.
-Mob gets new ghost "friend", that'll probably go somewhere.
-Mob's brother gets fleshed out a bit more, interviewed by intrepid reporter. Okay.
-Mob gets tricked into gang fight. Meets other psychic, fight starts.
None of these three parts grooved with each other very well, and like before, the humor is just kind of there to me.
StoneHeart
Member
Psycho-Pass or Assassination Classroom, which should I watch first?
names2hard4you
Member
Is this even a serious question? Psycho-Pass!
StoneHeart
Member
But season 2 bro.... Probably skip s2 though
Cornbread78
Member
Well, I'd have to watch the first 3 season's of JoJo first, lol. I'll start the real HxH eventually, but it's also 100+ episodes long, lo....
The similarities to OPM have put it on the backburner for now, but I'll get there eventually, lol.
hosannainexcelsis
Member
Do you have to watch one or the other?
Sunrise has put the three Gundam movies on YouTube subbed until the end of September, so I thought I'd use this as my chance to finally start to get started on UC Gundam.
I'd seen side stories like 0080, 0083, and 08th MS allude to an interesting universe that seemed a lot more complex than the typical robot cartoons that were the standard at the time Gundam was on Toonami. I couldn't catch the whole original series when Toonami aired it though, and never got around to buying the series either. A whole bunch of people told me to just watch the compilation movies.
The first one reminded me why I ever cared about Gundam in the first place. Sure the animation is 1979 animation, but story-wise it's a lot better than most mecha and war drama anime I've seen that probably copied its structure. It's not as political or detailed as Legend of the Galactic Heroes, but but the characters seem to have pretty good development, and a few of them are even quite interesting. Amuro, compared to other anime protagonists, actually comes off as a somewhat realistic 15-year-old forced to fight in a war. Char is straight-up pimp, and I haven't been spoiled yet as to what his ulterior motives are. I'm even surprised Fraw Beau -- a female lead in a 1979 anime, hasn't been immediately thrust into the role of love interest.
Anyway, what am I missing by not watching the series?
I'd seen side stories like 0080, 0083, and 08th MS allude to an interesting universe that seemed a lot more complex than the typical robot cartoons that were the standard at the time Gundam was on Toonami. I couldn't catch the whole original series when Toonami aired it though, and never got around to buying the series either. A whole bunch of people told me to just watch the compilation movies.
The first one reminded me why I ever cared about Gundam in the first place. Sure the animation is 1979 animation, but story-wise it's a lot better than most mecha and war drama anime I've seen that probably copied its structure. It's not as political or detailed as Legend of the Galactic Heroes, but but the characters seem to have pretty good development, and a few of them are even quite interesting. Amuro, compared to other anime protagonists, actually comes off as a somewhat realistic 15-year-old forced to fight in a war. Char is straight-up pimp, and I haven't been spoiled yet as to what his ulterior motives are. I'm even surprised Fraw Beau -- a female lead in a 1979 anime, hasn't been immediately thrust into the role of love interest.
Anyway, what am I missing by not watching the series?
StoneHeart
Member
I'll eventually watch both. Soon
names2hard4you
Member
Watch S1 and the movie and you will be perfectly fine. The two are amazing. S2 is just... yeah.
- Status