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Summer Anime 2016 |OT| Makes Me Happy When Skies Are Grey
- Thread starter BGBW
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Yowamushi Pedal Grande Road xx-24 (END/Full series impressions)
Alright, here we go: this series has a good start. Despite me being on the fence about Onoda as the main character at first, everything else was good, and we got a nice introduction to some rival characters before the races began. It also has a strong training arc, the 1000km with handicaps race.
...then it gets to the Inter-High and everything falls apart.
Okay, maybe not everything, and I don't know how the manga depicted this major arc, but in the anime, it got bloated to a point where instead of a race, it felt like a bunch of old people jogging, despite the background depicting a fast paced marathon.
Sports anime have pacing issues, I get that. Kuroko has lots of it, people think an essay worth of words in one second. Hell, even Haikyuu, my favorite, still has lots of it. It comes with the territory, I'm used to it by now, but it won't stop me for complaining, because even though all of theses sports are fast-paced, Yowamushi Pedal is based on speed. It's a race, but you got stuff like people standing on their bikes, holding each other, shaking hands, looking backwards for a minute, freaking headbutting(as in, literal head on the literal butt) one another, and that's just to start.
What gets me on the pacing is how deliberate they stretch its events. It's not to build character, story, or even the moment. It's just for the sake of stretching it. I lost count of how many times, in a single episode, someone would say "for Naruko-kun, for Imaizumi-kun, for Kinjou-san, for Makishima-san, for Tadokoro-san, I will (...)", changing the names depending on who's thinking or saying it. It gets ridiculously tiresome.
Speaking of rehashing words and concepts, they keep talking about carrying the bloody jersey to the finish line, how everyone's spirit is in that jersey. Fuck that goddamn jersey.
That all makes the thing feel really slow, and because of it, the show suffers in other points, like its depiction of space (more in that later). People keep talking and the background keeps moving fast, so you think they raced hundreds of meters or a couple of kilometers, but no, they didn't move at all. Why don't freeze the screen, then?
Final verdict: Gross. Gross. Gross. Gross. Gross. Gross. Gross. 5/10
Alright, here we go: this series has a good start. Despite me being on the fence about Onoda as the main character at first, everything else was good, and we got a nice introduction to some rival characters before the races began. It also has a strong training arc, the 1000km with handicaps race.
...then it gets to the Inter-High and everything falls apart.
Okay, maybe not everything, and I don't know how the manga depicted this major arc, but in the anime, it got bloated to a point where instead of a race, it felt like a bunch of old people jogging, despite the background depicting a fast paced marathon.
Sports anime have pacing issues, I get that. Kuroko has lots of it, people think an essay worth of words in one second. Hell, even Haikyuu, my favorite, still has lots of it. It comes with the territory, I'm used to it by now, but it won't stop me for complaining, because even though all of theses sports are fast-paced, Yowamushi Pedal is based on speed. It's a race, but you got stuff like people standing on their bikes, holding each other, shaking hands, looking backwards for a minute, freaking headbutting(as in, literal head on the literal butt) one another, and that's just to start.
What gets me on the pacing is how deliberate they stretch its events. It's not to build character, story, or even the moment. It's just for the sake of stretching it. I lost count of how many times, in a single episode, someone would say "for Naruko-kun, for Imaizumi-kun, for Kinjou-san, for Makishima-san, for Tadokoro-san, I will (...)", changing the names depending on who's thinking or saying it. It gets ridiculously tiresome.
Speaking of rehashing words and concepts, they keep talking about carrying the bloody jersey to the finish line, how everyone's spirit is in that jersey. Fuck that goddamn jersey.
That all makes the thing feel really slow, and because of it, the show suffers in other points, like its depiction of space (more in that later). People keep talking and the background keeps moving fast, so you think they raced hundreds of meters or a couple of kilometers, but no, they didn't move at all. Why don't freeze the screen, then?
The unrealistic stuff doesn't stop there: Midousuji is built upon it. The chin brake, what the fuck was that. The teeth shattering, even worse (and what was it supposed to mean, if he didn't actually broke the damn teeth?). The crowd, fucking everywhere in a >100km race. Even if you assume people care about highschool road racing and that the same people are going up the mountain every couple of kilometers by car in a side-road to keep catching 1-second glimpses of the racers, there are still too many goddamn people watching this shit. They're everywhere.
And, to top it off, the time-space shenanigans and the suspension of disbelief. Time and space mean absolutely nothing in this show. Onoda got caught up in the crash and went to last place in the 1st day, and he still caught up with the front pack. In the second day, he went back/waited for Tadokoro, also in the last place, and caught up with the front pack. In the third day, he got caught up by the pack, then broke out of it and won the goddamn race. And not just Onoda, everyone can catch up with everyone, regardless of how far in time or distance they are from one another. The random guy from Hiroshima was fucking 15 minutes behind the others, and he caught up in one episode, when Onoda took 3 in a much larger scale race in the 1st day.
Fukutomi can just say "you in the front, go faster" in his Batman-I-don't-care-about-emotions voice, and the one in the front will go faster, leave everyone eating dust, flabbergasted, to one second later, after saying everyone's name and praising the goddamn jersey, the second team catch up.
"Fukutomi: Kinjou!!
Kinjou: Fukutomi!!!
Fukutomi: Kinjou!!!!!!!!
Kinjou: FUKUTOMI!!!!!!!!!!
Fukutomi: I AM STRONG"
Take a shot each time. You'll be drunk in one episode, I guarantee it.
There's much more I can bash about this, but let me end this on a positive note: it was entertaining. I binge watched it (to the best of my ability), like I do with most sports anime and not much else, so that's saying something. Most of the cast are good and interesting characters. And I definitely was not expecting the ending. I knew there were still 3 movies on crunchyroll, and the rule of thumb in sports anime is to always have the main team lose first and win later, so I was sure Manami would take it. But no, he didn't, and even without Onoda giving Manami his water bottle back, the ending was perfect. One of the 3 movies apparently isn't a recap, but I don't know if I'll watch it, I'm satisfied with this ending. Onoda wasn't an Ash.
And, to top it off, the time-space shenanigans and the suspension of disbelief. Time and space mean absolutely nothing in this show. Onoda got caught up in the crash and went to last place in the 1st day, and he still caught up with the front pack. In the second day, he went back/waited for Tadokoro, also in the last place, and caught up with the front pack. In the third day, he got caught up by the pack, then broke out of it and won the goddamn race. And not just Onoda, everyone can catch up with everyone, regardless of how far in time or distance they are from one another. The random guy from Hiroshima was fucking 15 minutes behind the others, and he caught up in one episode, when Onoda took 3 in a much larger scale race in the 1st day.
Fukutomi can just say "you in the front, go faster" in his Batman-I-don't-care-about-emotions voice, and the one in the front will go faster, leave everyone eating dust, flabbergasted, to one second later, after saying everyone's name and praising the goddamn jersey, the second team catch up.
"Fukutomi: Kinjou!!
Kinjou: Fukutomi!!!
Fukutomi: Kinjou!!!!!!!!
Kinjou: FUKUTOMI!!!!!!!!!!
Fukutomi: I AM STRONG"
Take a shot each time. You'll be drunk in one episode, I guarantee it.
There's much more I can bash about this, but let me end this on a positive note: it was entertaining. I binge watched it (to the best of my ability), like I do with most sports anime and not much else, so that's saying something. Most of the cast are good and interesting characters. And I definitely was not expecting the ending. I knew there were still 3 movies on crunchyroll, and the rule of thumb in sports anime is to always have the main team lose first and win later, so I was sure Manami would take it. But no, he didn't, and even without Onoda giving Manami his water bottle back, the ending was perfect. One of the 3 movies apparently isn't a recap, but I don't know if I'll watch it, I'm satisfied with this ending. Onoda wasn't an Ash.
Final verdict: Gross. Gross. Gross. Gross. Gross. Gross. Gross. 5/10
hosannainexcelsis
Member
I agree 100%. You had a lot more tolerance for this stuff than I did.
Log Horizon S1 is great. Apparently S2 sucked, but I haven't watched it yet.
It does get better. That means nothing if you're not invested in it already tho. The main character knows how to build a team and use it. After SAO it was cool to see someone with actual strategies.
Both have nothing on the Greed Island arc in Hunter x Hunter. Actually a game I would like to play. Simple, but with some layers of depth.
It does get better. That means nothing if you're not invested in it already tho. The main character knows how to build a team and use it. After SAO it was cool to see someone with actual strategies.
Both have nothing on the Greed Island arc in Hunter x Hunter. Actually a game I would like to play. Simple, but with some layers of depth.
Hellwarden
Member
Airs in Japan on Oct 2nd, at 5pm.
Oh come on , nintendoman, when has Sunrise ever done a sequel wrong?
nintendoman58
Member
The thing is, I don't think it's actually possible to be invested in ANYTHING (yet?). I dunno something just is off with the series. Seems I will spare myself and drop it.
Speaking of Hunter x Hunter, I watched the old anime, is it worth it to watch the new one? What's different? Is it longer?
Code Geass R2.
nintendoman58
Member
This too. As much as I legit like it, it's an entirely different beast from Geass season 1, which in my opinion was legit good and not List good.
I'm just speaking from my own experiences. I was hooked after the first episode.
As for Hunter x Hunter, it's worth it to watch the new one 2011. It does start from the beginning again and adds a few arcs. The Chimera Ant arc is a pretty long arc with an excellent pay off. Gon's character arc is also finished when the anime ends. Manga continues after that, but that's still a work in progress.
Skip the movies btw.
Nice, seems I will dig into that in the near future. I hope that means it has a real "ending feel" and doesn't simply cut off like the old anime.
I'm actually rewatching log horizon again and really enjoying it. I love how everything intricates together
It does have its problems, the animation quality is garbage, I don't think the direction is especially good, the stupid pervert jokes are terrible. But it's a really satisfying societal level planning anime to me.
It does have its problems, the animation quality is garbage, I don't think the direction is especially good, the stupid pervert jokes are terrible. But it's a really satisfying societal level planning anime to me.
Which is worse, a Sunrise sequel or a BONES sequel?
BONES without a doubt.
striferser
Huge Nickleback Fan
Bones made Eureka 7 AO, so Bones win
Not that it isn't a case of Sunrise making an inferior sequel, but frankly, in the long run it's simply a crazier version of the same thing.
It also ends well and keeps a good protagonist, which is something "right" that most Sunrise sequels (or anything on said list) rarely do.
I watched some more Great Teacher Onizuka on CR, and I've got to say I really like it so far (I'm up to ep 4, I think). The best thing is this show is the one that got me to realize Wataru Takagi is the voice behind JoJo's Okuyasu, since Onizuka would often change from Takagi's nice guy tone (the same one he uses as Detective Takagi in Detective Conan) to his rough guy one (which sounds exactly like Okuyasu).
Onizuka's reaction faces continue to be really varied and amusing, and the comedy's certainly good enough for me, all while its visual style hailing from 1999 sets it apart from all the modern stuff I'm watching nowadays. I'd definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a quirky comedy.
My only complaint with it is that the SFX track appears to be doubled with a slight delay or something, which makes things other than dialogues sound weird most of the time...
Onizuka's reaction faces continue to be really varied and amusing, and the comedy's certainly good enough for me, all while its visual style hailing from 1999 sets it apart from all the modern stuff I'm watching nowadays. I'd definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a quirky comedy.
My only complaint with it is that the SFX track appears to be doubled with a slight delay or something, which makes things other than dialogues sound weird most of the time...
Aldermain
Second half of the episode was alright. Sad ending. First half was weak though.
The MC has a Narsus problem. He has no intellectual equal, and so keeps mowing over all who stand in his way. Now, to be fair, the show did show that as a consequence of his decision, a whole fortress got wiped out. But he didn't really have a choice there.
The big battle scenes were also very, very poor. We didn't really see any action at all to be honest - just still frames. Lots of still frames.
Also, all of the commanders are idiots. Which just makes the MC look even smarter. Totally unnecessary.
Second half of the episode was alright. Sad ending. First half was weak though.
The MC has a Narsus problem. He has no intellectual equal, and so keeps mowing over all who stand in his way. Now, to be fair, the show did show that as a consequence of his decision, a whole fortress got wiped out. But he didn't really have a choice there.
The big battle scenes were also very, very poor. We didn't really see any action at all to be honest - just still frames. Lots of still frames.
Also, all of the commanders are idiots. Which just makes the MC look even smarter. Totally unnecessary.
Just the sort of shows I wanted to watch. Thanks! haven't seen most of these
GTO gets better and better - very inspirational stuff in its drama sometimes, personally been an influence. He's one hell of a teacher.
I've been giving it a shot recently, but a lot of it just feels mean-spirited and hamfisted. I get that that is sort of the point, or that this is supposed to be a comedy first, but the show regularly presents complex problems or troubled backgrounds without really providing any perspective on them. Instead they serve as simplistic contrast for a solution that plays up how Onizuka's brash and thoughtless action "comedically" fits as the perfect solution. It becomes a rudimentary intersection of stereotypes, and I can't say its brand of comedy is eccentric enough to really float how basic the material is.
Kuro Swan vs Perfect Blue
undercut a lot of the tension earlier in the film and also devalued the issue of mental pressure that these idols go through. In addition, the knife chase felt out of place with all the psychological issues at play and came across as really pedestrian. Instead of the ending feeling intimate or even theatrical like in Black Swan, it was surprisingly rote and bloated. Black Swan had the audience guessing about the boundaries of what Nina was imagining and what was real almost to the very end. I understand the goals of the films are different but even as a conclusion to the killer fan themes, Perfect Blue fell somewhat flat as I felt the final twist was really unnecessary. It could have worked just as well without that final bit with
.
PS
So I decided to watch both these movies today/tonight in a back to back fashion as they had similar material and I thought it would be interesting to compare two relatively lauded films. Both films are psychological, and I mean heavy on the psychological, thrillers that deal with females that descend into madness. Both lead females are faced with external and internal pressure that feeds into their delusions resulting in both them and the audience questioning what is and isn't real.
Black Swan, directed by Darren Aronofsky, is about Nina, a dancer who gets a lead role in the Swan Lake ballet, and she is confronted by pressure on all sides such as from her controlling mother and sexually harassing director. These external forces gradually feed into her own mental illness, culminating at the final stage performance. This performance of Swan Lake requires two sets of personalities, one being the perfect White Swan and the other is the sensual Black Swan. Nina is a frigid virginal girl who obviously encapsulates the White Swan and over the course of the film, her sexuality is awakened/broadened and she transforms into the Black Swan.
The film uses a lot of horror techniques to give this claustrophobic paranoia feel to the work. For example the film uses a lot of closeups so as to restrict what the audience is seeing and to focus on the characters. By limiting the distance away from the characters, the audience is somewhat physically absorbed into the happenings and that manic sense that Nina is having is carried to the audience. Nina is also trapped or 'boxed in' in many of the scenes that again reinforces that notion of Nina being entrapped. There's an oppressive feeling to the camera work where everything is cramped. This cinematography is aided by the editing which uses a number of smash cuts to again aid in that chaotic mentality. Not to mention the stellar sound direction which again emphasizes the right sounds or has slithers that brings out that dread.
Perfect Blue, directed by Satoshi Kon, on the other side is about Mima, an ex-pop idol who enters the world of acting and the stress of Japanese entertainment culture. Mima's reputation both publicly and her own self-worth is challenged due to having to do sketchy things such as a rape scene or a gravure photo shoot. All the while, her mental state is challenged even further due to a security guard that is stalking her and a series of serial killings that she might be directly involved with. She begins to lose her grip on reality, in part due to her own regret but also the ever looming fear from her dangerous stalker. Kon uses his ever famous editing and directorial style to meld reality with Mima's perception of events. There's a number of match cuts, especially early on, that for example merge two separate events. As Mima descends down the rabbit hole, so too does the audience due to scenarios and scenes happening on top of each other that contradict what is and isn't real.
Both films are somewhat similar in that the leads are haunted by 'doubles' that represent their mental break with reality and are being pressured by societal expectations. That said, the message for each of the films is wildly different due to the final act. Black Swan is about mental illness and the sacrifices necessary to reach artistic perfection. So in that regards it might be closer in theme to something like The Wind Rises, even if the tone is wildly different. Perfect Blue however is more of a criticism of Japanese pop culture that is focused on controlling a female and repressing her. It's about Nina finding her own voice despite the demands of others and coming into her own as a female that is control of her sexuality. Any sort of discussion about mental illness generated from work-related pressure, however is pushed to the waist-side so as to focus on the dangers of fan worship of idols.
So in short, I probably made a mistake watching Perfect Blue after Black Swan. That's largely because I think Black Swan executed the same material better and so Perfect Blue's shortcomings possibly stood out more so than usual. The writing was a lot tighter in Black Swan with how well integrated the story of the Swan Lake ballet was into the narrative of the movie itself. While this was true to a certain extent with the television drama in Perfect Blue, it didn't feel as well engrained into the core of the anime. I also really didn't like the ending in Perfect Blue as I felt the 'twist' with
There was good color usage throughout the film such as red obviously signifying danger.
Rumi-chan being the killer
Rumi-chan
Also while Kon's directing/editing style does come into play in the film for narrative purposes, it doesn't feel as critical as say Paprika or Millennium Actress. It's used somewhat sparingly for the first half and then just starts going full blast near the end. I think Black Swan did a more natural job of depicting Nina's gradual descent into madness for example with the back wound that steadily got worse. The positioning of the 'camera' in Perfect Blue is also a bit more normal in that it's drawn further out from the subjects so that oppressive feeling to the work is missing. That's not to say the general cinematography is bad but it just comes across as lacking at certain junctions. Due to it being an animation though, I would say there's better control over colors and lighting that really help certain scenes. Overall, I did enjoy both however Perfect Blue came off as weaker even if it was the predecessor and a source of influence for Black Swan.
Early example of match cut two separate scenes using a motion.
PS
its joke
I've now watched up to episode 131 of Urusei Yatsura. While so far I don't think the show has reached some of the highs that it did during Oshii's run, it's still had some pretty good episodes! 112, 113, 129 are probably my favorites of the second half so far. Seeing Benten and Ryunosuke try to rescue a kitten made for a fun episode! The improvement in animation starting in Deen's run is also very noticeable by now, there's been some really nice looking sequences every now and then.
True but I haven't really been bothered by its approach, it's not nearly a realistic way of dealing with the issues it presents. I really liked Onizuka's attitude towards his students or work - the absurd representation of his physical strength becomes a means to (effectively) relay his message rather than a definitive solution.
MetroidPrimeRib
Banned
One Piece 754
Yknow this arc doesnt look half bad. But its only been 3 episodes, probably some of the better Toei episode directors
Yknow this arc doesnt look half bad. But its only been 3 episodes, probably some of the better Toei episode directors
kawaii uguu
People give K-on a lot of flak but some of the 90s shit was demonic.
nintendoman58
Member
I miss Majin Bone.
I miss the antics with Shougo and his bros.
I miss Leonard being super moe when it came to science.
I miss the music.
MetroidPrimeRib
Banned
i miss cross ange
Cornbread78
Member
Time for the Ange x Tusk SoL spin-off about running a cafe tgat caters to all kinds of sexuality and races.
Admiral Woofington
Member
I'm gonna be be dead Sirius (black) for a second here.
What is the Anime equivalent of the wire?
Both critically acclaimed and considered the best, but it also has the downside of overbearing fans who need to mention it at every single turn?
I used to think Evangelion, but I don't see it recommended that often.
What is the Anime equivalent of the wire?
Both critically acclaimed and considered the best, but it also has the downside of overbearing fans who need to mention it at every single turn?
I used to think Evangelion, but I don't see it recommended that often.
hosannainexcelsis
Member
Also remember that Mind Game was Yuasa's first real full work as a director. I think the problems with its rambling structure and unrestrained excess can be partially attributed to inexperience. Yuasa has gotten better with structuring a long-form narrative with each subsequent major work. So I'm really looking forward to the film Yuasa is currently in the process of making.
I don't know why people would give K-ON flak for its character designs. Horiguchi is a good designer, nothing like the Saber Marionette or Key VN style of design.
While it does undoubtedly get better as the cast and scale of the show expand, I reacted to the show very differently from you at the start. There's nothing about Elder Tale's setting or game systems which is specifically unique. But because all the characters are MMO players, they carry their culture and experience with them, which informs all the show's early conflicts.
From the beginning, Log Horizon about a community of gamers suddenly thrust into a world without any real institutions, who have to basically found a new nation, creating institutions of governance from scratch. Instead of being about getting strong enough to fight a boss, the first arc concerns keeping strong, bored players from player-killing or griefing. That got me hooked, and carried me through to when the show improves.
I find that foundation in human interaction a lot more interesting than the arbitrary survival game that Sword Art Online established, which is why I dropped the latter show after three episodes. Maybe you're looking for something different.
As Jexhius put it:
I really, really, really regret not taking part in the weekly discussions
I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that soft gauze moe art style has become an industry standard and given us some horrific aberrations like School-Live!
Okada Gundam 11 and 12
May I ask what the fuck is this shit? Like seriously, why should I fucking care about this lame ass subplot that was SO FORCED and NOT CONNECTABLE that there was zero thought put into it, never mind there was no setup or meaningful development beforehand? I was liking this for a while, but this is starting to test my patience with the Gundam franchise again after being away for so many years. I was only liking this because I loved how the characters matured and interacted with each other even when there was no action going on, but these last two with Akihiro and Masahiro is just so fucking STUPID. Good God, for a moment I thought that Akihiro should've dragged Masahiro and knock his teeth out and give him a black eye just for acting like a dumbass.
May I ask what the fuck is this shit? Like seriously, why should I fucking care about this lame ass subplot that was SO FORCED and NOT CONNECTABLE that there was zero thought put into it, never mind there was no setup or meaningful development beforehand? I was liking this for a while, but this is starting to test my patience with the Gundam franchise again after being away for so many years. I was only liking this because I loved how the characters matured and interacted with each other even when there was no action going on, but these last two with Akihiro and Masahiro is just so fucking STUPID. Good God, for a moment I thought that Akihiro should've dragged Masahiro and knock his teeth out and give him a black eye just for acting like a dumbass.
In case anyone ever thought I wasn't a dork/nerd
my trophies from the local con over the years
what happened to 2013-2015
Gurren Lagann
well given we won in 2011 as well (they started trophies in 2012) my wife and I felt bad so we stopped playing as seriously so we don't win it anymore.
I wasn't expecting to win it this year as i mostly did the event causally but the catgirl competition was weak this year.
my score was a 13/30 all the other races were 28/30 or above, but I was still the best catgirl.
2016 could look like a Cy Young trophy.
it was a little sad to see that Jerry Jewell seems to have his daytime drinking under more control this year.
still hoping he gets wasted tonight though and he is still a bit drunk for the morning panel as he has loose lips when he is like that.
Admiral Woofington
Member
You know, especially in internet culture, this is actually spot on haha
NCR Redslayer
NeoGAF's Vegeta
NCR Redslayer
NeoGAF's Vegeta
Dude Monster is the shield, wire, light fanfiction, stranger things and so much more.
KirbYuuYuu
Member
please don't ever link this again.
NCR Redslayer
NeoGAF's Vegeta
Please dont be like first link.
Edit: damn it you sly dog.
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