Shows up fine for me on PS3 Netflix.
-
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
Shows up fine for me on PS3 Netflix.
Hellwarden
Member
Huh, weird.
Only after restarting my netflix PS4 app twice did the subs come back for me.
All of that for nothing then? And by the way, fuck Deus ex machina. That shit should be condemned.
Oh right, I gotta continue with Hundred as well.
firehawk12
Subete no aware
Sure, that's definitely a huge part of it as I mentioned.
It's funny, when I think of shows that are basically about people at work, the last thing I remember is the actual work that they do. I guess it just depends on what you are looking for with these shows.
Yeah, that's what I was trying to articulate. Yes, there are problems that occur in the show, but I never feel like I should care that the characters succeed because there's not much at stake for the characters themselves. For Zuka, failing at being an actress means being a waitress for the rest of her life (well, or finding something else), so I can see why she cares so much about getting a minor part in an anime. And a lot of that is inferred by the fact that everyone knows being an actor is probably the most soul-crushing occupation in the world.
I suppose this started because I was trying to tell trejo that Shirobako is show that doesn't "ruin" anime by showing what I imagine are some of the darker sides of anime production. It's optimistic people who believe in the product that they are making and that makes it a good show for people who are interested in the ins and outs of anime production. I can certainly see its appeal, but for me, that's the primary reason I lost interest.
NCR Redslayer
NeoGAF's Vegeta
An anime of the making of Evangelion would be great.
Hellwarden
Member
Yep. Short season.
IT'S SUCH AN AWESOME FEELING!
And when I was at work all day today, it's all I thought about. The piano Mophogenic Sorrow arrangement that was new in this game was on auto-play all day too.
Man. I'm going to have to replay it again soon.
I must be one of the few that doesn't look at the Zero Escape series beyond 999 too fondly. Was hoping ZTD would be a nice followup after VLR, but I am not too impress on some things so far. Well I still going to finish it to the end through, and least the gritty atmosphere is back, which VLR kind of felt lacking of.
I'm the kind of person that's just happy that someone has a story to tell me, and more than willing to check out what was made. I don't usually overanalyze things or be too harsh a critic when I play games or watch anime, and just go with the flow and take in the experience someone else has created for me to enjoy.
Do I have preferences? Sure, but I don't actively try to rip at the seams with comparisons as I go through something. I stopped having fun with lots of media when I did that, and honestly it just didn't feel too great. I really liked the stories the Zero Escape series told me, and it kept me engaged like few series have.
That doesn't mean you have to like it the same as me though! But I feel like what the game ends up saying by the end was a worthwhile conclusion to this trilogy, and I think you'll find something to love in it too!
Meh it was just hard to enjoy VLR in ways with the story having gotten really convoluted, probably too much for its own good, and the cast wasn't that memorable. ZTD doesn't look to really much of a improvement in ways either (and the fragment system is kind of headache too along with the new cinematic perspective being rough), but I see how it goes as I continue.
It just feels like a disappointment after 999 too, which I thought was a really well crafted game/visual with a nice beginning, middle, end and some great twists thrown in.
It just feels like a disappointment after 999 too, which I thought was a really well crafted game/visual with a nice beginning, middle, end and some great twists thrown in.
hosannainexcelsis
Member
Hmm, that hasn't been my experience of the show. You seem to describe something that's very dry and mechanical, something that's almost purely an expository device to explain how anime production works to people. I've felt like the show has been rich in characterization, from Endou's slightly awkward relationship with his wife to Honda's dream to make confectionery. These feel like real people with real lives, far more than most anime (perhaps you'll consider that a low bar, but eh). I'll admit that as a creative artist myself I have an inherent interest in the themes of the series, similar (though more removed) to Sound Euphonium. But I don't think that's impairing my ability to make a proper judgement of the series in any significant way. When Kinoshita struggles from the weight of his past high-profile failures, or Endou and Shimoyanagi have a bonding session over their love of Ideon, I feel sympathy for their drive and struggles as artists. Even when Aoi's sister comes to visit, a person who isn't involved in the animation industry at all, I get a sense of her as someone working an unfulfilling job who feels stifled by her coworkers and bosses thanks to how the storytelling surrounding her is handled.
Perhaps my understanding of Shirobako's context leads me to being in more sympathy with it than others. It does juggle a large cast, so it can't get into in-depth psychological analysis of one or a couple characters in contrast to stories with a more intimate cast. And it is directed by Tsutomu Mizushima, who often seems to work at an ironic remove from the characters in his shows where it feels like he's laughing at their stupidity, so Shirobako feels unusually warmly human coming from him. Perhaps absent this context, Shirobako does feel dry and mechanical to an average viewer. Ultimately all I can say is that compared to other anime with character drama elements I've been trying to watch lately, such as Honey and Clover or Samurai Flamenco, Shirobako has been much more compelling and interesting to watch.
Continuing the trend of really good Shonen writing this episode actually had one of the better moment of failures I've seen for an MC. The whole situation is perfectly set up in such a way that Soma's mistake feels completely natural. Often times this'll be done through throwing your MC against a foe much stronger than them to prove that they're not as strong as they could be yet, but here they give Soma a task he could easily complete that's thrown into crisis due to his inexperience, which is the one big difference between him and everyone else.
Not only that, but having the solution to the problem also come from his Diner days still completes the point that they're making, that he can still get stronger and overcome his shortcomings. This coupled with the really great direction in this scene (having the timer actually countdown on screen for the full last 30 secs is much more tense than the normal timer montage anime usually goes for) makes this probably the best episode of the series so far.
Man, Soma is a really fun show to analyse as Shonen. It's probably doing the genre better than a lot of more traditional Shonen (looking at you MHA) despite being a goddamn cooking show.
Not only that, but having the solution to the problem also come from his Diner days still completes the point that they're making, that he can still get stronger and overcome his shortcomings. This coupled with the really great direction in this scene (having the timer actually countdown on screen for the full last 30 secs is much more tense than the normal timer montage anime usually goes for) makes this probably the best episode of the series so far.
Man, Soma is a really fun show to analyse as Shonen. It's probably doing the genre better than a lot of more traditional Shonen (looking at you MHA) despite being a goddamn cooking show.
Theonik
Member
Interest rising.
C m8. Leave that C++ garbo outta here.
SO MOFU.
I visibly cringed. ABSOLUTELY DISGUSTING.
24
Is that the Narag seal of approval?
KININARIMASU
Game programming with Java is like doing 3D modelling with Paint instead of Maya.
Theonik
Member
Challenge accepted.
To me it's like doing video composition and editing in Photoshop.
I don't disagree with any of that, but I think that it also showcases how the supporting cast in the show is way more developed than the main characters. You're right, they have lives and feel like people who have been doing stuff and happen to have jobs in the industry. That's fine, but that's the setting the protagonists are being thrust into. I feel the weakness in the series that makes it a barrier for people who might not be all that interested in how anime is made, is that the protagonists themselves are extremely shallow and exists as viewpoints and little else. That's not to say it's mechanical or devoid of emotions, just that the point of view feels is somewhat artificial.
Let's distance ourselves from the appeal of how anime is made being presented on the show, and look at the five main characters. The most interesting one by far is the one who has to do a part time job while trying to chase her dreams because she has to make ends meet in the city while trying out for auditions and whatnot. It shows that while she has passion for something, life also makes us try different options. In comparison, what can we really say about the other girls? They're doing basically exactly what they wanted, and there's very little character growth in terms of making them consider what they wanted to do and the reality of what the work is.
I personally don't really see much need for it to deal with "the dark side" of any industry, but it would be nice to have a bit more insight and depth for the lead characters. One thing I remember criticizing the show for is how it handled that movie outing episode when they got together again after a long time. Their reactions were pretty much paper thin expressions of what their character's role in the industry is supposed to be. Are such conversations unusual? Probably not, but given that this is a fictional work, I think it would benefit the characters to be given more depth and interests rather than just being single minded characters representing a discipline in the industry. "The animator girl", "the CG girl", "the production girl", "the voice actress girl", "the writer girl". It's like, sentai writing. Red Ranger, Blue Ranger, Pink Ranger, Yellow Ranger, Black Ranger.
It makes sense from a clean narrative design perspective, but if we're talking about character interactions and dynamics, it would be more interesting if it were a group of friends who might have overlap in disciplines, or might have nothing to do with the industry at all to give an outside perspective. Instead of writer girl being writer girl who is a student and ends up helping to write in anime because they wanted the perspective of someone writing in anime, why not have her be a magazine writer or intern instead? She could be writing about the industry, but not working in it. Why wouldn't there be two or three animator girls instead? How would friends feel if they work in the same line and realize maybe one of them isn't that good compared to the others and she might have to consider doing something different that she is better at. Like maybe illustration or designs rather than animation. The idea of someone trying at something and realizing they're better at someone else instead is not sad or tragic, it's growth.
Like I said, I really like Shirobako, so this isn't me wanting the show to be something else, but pointing out that it could handle certain aspects better and would make it more accessible or appealing to people who want -more- of it outside of just being a dramatized How Anime Is Made show. It wouldn't make it less informative as a Production Drama, but it would add dimensions to the lead characters making them more than just walking POVs for different aspects of the industry.
I am on the perspective that Shirobako did have many of the personal stuff. Or at the very least, enough that even as someone who was a physics major doing coursework and research and stuff, it was something that could even apply to some of my struggles, so that it was very relatable for me. It doesn't do that for every character, and some characters don't get as in depth a look but I thought the show did justice to it, covering different kinds of struggles depending on the topic of the episode. I guess at the same time for me it is not so much the why they are doing the things they do (although they do cover that very briefly) that are important for me when looking at the show as it is more about the struggle itself and the mentality that creates and perhaps that is why I got more out of it.
I am currently "reading" the 999 novel version on my iPod. I have yet to see what the attraction of it is, but am persevering because in theory I should love the Zero Escape games - I like stories, I like escape-the-room games, but...
Obviously I have to go without doing the puzzles for 999, which is a shame, but it was either that or tear my eyes out with frustration at the slooooooooooooooooooooow text speed in the DS game. Regardless, although I fully appreciate that I have yet to complete a "route" through the game and discover whatever the ridiculous twists are that have made it so popular, it's a rather slow burn despite the gory bits.
In other news, I watched an episode of anime yesterday for the first time in months. It was Concrete Revolutio 3. It was quite good. That's about all I have to say; I have definitely turned into one of those dreadful anime "fans" who just reads what other people have to say about things rather than watching them myself because it takes less time...
Just a heads-up (in case you weren't already aware of this); the new ticket reservation system for overseas visitors to the Ghibli Museum is in place since this past month (https://l-tike.com/st1/ghibli-en/sitetop)... and it has already been proved as a bit difficult for many to obtain theirs! The time window for acquiring them is now fixed, commencing in the 10th day of each month to obtain tickets for the following one.
It would be nice if the Ghibli Dai Hakurankai, now in Roppongi Hills (ready for the July 7th opening; https://twitter.com/MOE_web/status/750566523383779328, https://twitter.com/MOE_web/status/750568701905215488 & https://twitter.com/MOE_web/status/750571030264090624) and made to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the studio, would get another extension and stay open for more time because it would be a pretty nice alternative for you to visit it too.
MikeHattsu
Member
It's actually easier for foreigners to get those tickets now because you couldn't get them directly from l-tike before without being in Japan
And I'm planning to check out the Roppongi Hills exhibition on my trip this fall.
Flying Witch 08-09
This show seems to be getting better as it goes and I'm not totally sure why. I'm so glad they had an entire episode in the cafe - I honestly think that the cafe alone pushed the show up in my standings. Scenes like the bit at the end of 08 where Akane accidentally turns everything monochrome are fantastic too because of how whimsical and mellow they are. The bit in 09 where Akane mistook Nao for Kei's girlfriend killed me too.
I think the only thing that still bugs me is that Kei's VA seems a little bland and unenthusiastic - there are points where it works quite well and others where it seems like he just doesn't give a shit.
This show seems to be getting better as it goes and I'm not totally sure why. I'm so glad they had an entire episode in the cafe - I honestly think that the cafe alone pushed the show up in my standings. Scenes like the bit at the end of 08 where Akane accidentally turns everything monochrome are fantastic too because of how whimsical and mellow they are. The bit in 09 where Akane mistook Nao for Kei's girlfriend killed me too.
I think the only thing that still bugs me is that Kei's VA seems a little bland and unenthusiastic - there are points where it works quite well and others where it seems like he just doesn't give a shit.
Really? Well, the process in itself is easier and more straightforward, yeah... but I've seen people mentioning in particular that the time window to get the reservations is now more restrictive, and on the first days of the new system this past month the servers kind of collapsed. Maybe it was a sporadic occurrence after all!It's actually easier for foreigners to get those tickets now because you couldn't get them directly from l-tike before without being in Japan
And I'm planning to check out the Roppongi Hills exhibition on my trip this fall.
Looking forward to your blog posts about the expo!
ReLife 01-13
After a few episodes however, ReLife continually reaches to tell stories it should not. The life of the support handlers/staff provide no valuable insight, and you wind up with entire episodes that state the obvious long after the fact. Hizoro is the only genuinely interesting character, but the main plot and the here and now feel like they get lost in needless attempts to reveal everything. I want to drive down a road and I'm finding myself stuck in some dumpy parking lot filled with pill poppers.
Kaizaki starts as a tolerable character, but in the end he's just another annoying NEET pushing self-righteous ideals that the show unabashedly celebrates and works to justify in very contrived ways. Even worse, his problems can all be neatly drawn back to a single point of trauma that finds itself delivered in such a heavy handed way. Instead of these characters feeling complex or real, they have very deliberate purposes and behavior patterns that fail to elicit much if any emotional response. With intense amount of pruning there are some worthwhile stories tucked away in here, but this is ultimately a story that does not do enough to deliver on drama or tone. The weight of its insipid artificial structure and generic character archetypes simply stop the series from moving very far. Officially a four out of ten.
There is not a lot of consistency here. While I appreciate what the story is going for, its methods and ideas undermine much of what is going on here. The scenario sets up a 27 year old with his life off track to spend a year back in high school as an experiment, but the elements of how this is an experiment really rob this series of its chances to find genuine emotional moments. This is so deeply ingrained into the show that scenes seem regularly built around an element of unrestrained voyeurism. Characters of all types somehow find themselves watching over or observing others in secret or otherwise. This creates a largely universal transparency between the characters, and with how up front most of them are with their feelings and motivations things can just feel rather contrived or plain with how to the point they often are. When the show plays its hands towards simplistic shoujo romance scenarios the gears move properly, but it's not particularly impressive.
After a few episodes however, ReLife continually reaches to tell stories it should not. The life of the support handlers/staff provide no valuable insight, and you wind up with entire episodes that state the obvious long after the fact. Hizoro is the only genuinely interesting character, but the main plot and the here and now feel like they get lost in needless attempts to reveal everything. I want to drive down a road and I'm finding myself stuck in some dumpy parking lot filled with pill poppers.
Kaizaki starts as a tolerable character, but in the end he's just another annoying NEET pushing self-righteous ideals that the show unabashedly celebrates and works to justify in very contrived ways. Even worse, his problems can all be neatly drawn back to a single point of trauma that finds itself delivered in such a heavy handed way. Instead of these characters feeling complex or real, they have very deliberate purposes and behavior patterns that fail to elicit much if any emotional response. With intense amount of pruning there are some worthwhile stories tucked away in here, but this is ultimately a story that does not do enough to deliver on drama or tone. The weight of its insipid artificial structure and generic character archetypes simply stop the series from moving very far. Officially a four out of ten.
After ZTD, I'd say it is a feeling shared by many.
hosannainexcelsis
Member
OK, I see what you're saying. I've been approaching the show as an ensemble cast instead of 5 girls + extras, especially since the show seems interested in balancing out examinations of a wide range of people considering how many scenes feature none of the 5 "mains". The anime club conceit feels more like something created to help sell a show about people in the anime industry to producers than what the show itself really wants to focus on. I can see how that might be offputting to people who were looking primarily at the show's marketing and wasn't expecting all these other characters such as Kinoshita and Honda to get as much focus as they're getting.
Still, I don't feel like it's accurate to say that the five girls are blank slates, functioning solely as viewpoint characters while devoid of personality of their own. I'm at a disadvantage in trying to talk about the show as a whole, since I've only watched 8 episodes out of 24 so far. But in the most recent episodes I've watched, 7 and 8, we saw Ema having a serious crisis about her abilities as an animator, questioning if she will ever be able to become a truly good animator and so if she should really continue along this career path at all or should just quit. The resolution to that ended up being a perceptive veteran animator coming alongside her and guiding her into getting a bigger perspective than the immediate crisis and figuring out a way to continue to draw. Perhaps this personal struggle is less universally appealing than the voice actress working as a waitress as she fails auditions, which falls into a very typical pattern for how actors are thought of in society. But at least for me, who has gone through similar times of self-doubt about my own abilities as a musician, I found it compelling on a personal level, not just an academic "this is how animation works" level. I guess I am a bit biased here due to my personal situation as a performing artist, similar to Sound Euphonium but not as directly, so I'll admit that I likely have more immediate sympathy for these characters than someone who isn't involved with the arts in any way.
I will agree that the conceit of five girls working five different jobs in the anime industry is somewhat artificial, and perhaps a more organic jumping off point would be more appealing for some people. But in the show itself, the network of people and their behavior comes off as far more organic than artificial. Even the one movie scene you point to, while yes, the immediate beginning of their conversation with everyone zeroing in on the element of the film that directly relates to their work comes off as a bit neat and maybe even forced, everything following those five lines comes off as a rather natural exchange between old school-friends, especially once they move to the bar.
But again, I can't make a complete judgement of the show until I've seen the remaining 16 episodes. If those episodes abandon the character moments I've appreciated up to now, I may come to agree with your position.
MikeHattsu
Member
Really? Well, the process in itself is easier and more straightforward, yeah... but I've seen people mentioning in particular that the time window to get the reservations is now more restrictive, and on the first days of the new system this past month the servers kind of collapsed. Maybe it was a sporadic occurrence after all!
Looking forward to you blog posts about the expo!
Well, they've opened up to foreigners to reserve + that month and a half closing period probably didn't help with the number of people wanting to go. Supposedly it will be harder to scalp tickets as well now since they say they'll do ID checks to make sure the names on the tickets matches, but we'll see if that's actually true.
And we'll see about the expo, might be restrictions on taking photos like other exhibitions I've been to at Mori Tower.
All this Shirobako talk is making me want to rewatch the show. It's getting a Western release and a dub right? I feel like I remember Sentai getting it but maybe I'm imagining that?
I'll also chime in in saying I found the show super relateable even though my current career path has nothing to do with art or animation. Though obviously I'm an anime fan if I watch anime and an art-based career is something I certainly considered when I was much, much younger.
I'll also chime in in saying I found the show super relateable even though my current career path has nothing to do with art or animation. Though obviously I'm an anime fan if I watch anime and an art-based career is something I certainly considered when I was much, much younger.
In the DS games, when you complete a route you can skip all previously read text and just jump to the puzzles. Honestly it'd be best to wait for the PC port though, because i'll bet it'll address the fact that you have to repeat the escape rooms for each playthrough.
is this secretly a masou gakuen hxh post?
Usually those are things that don't happen till bluray releases, or in particular cases smut sometimes airs uncensored depending on the channels it appears on.
You can watch some smut like Ladies vs. Butlers or Yosuga no Sora uncensored on CR for example.
Usually when that happens it's after the post-airing release has been done in the licensors country. With Jojo, I wouldn't be surprised to eventually see uncensored versions of parts 1, 2, and 3 show up at least on Viz's site if anything.
Theonik
Member
Bastards.
At least you're not going to Japan later this year. My savings are going to be decimated, THANKS BORIS.
names2hard4you
Member
Sentai released the whole series on disc awhile ago, but it's sub-only.
Angry Grimace
Two cannibals are eating a clown. One turns to the other and says "does something taste funny to you?"
Re:Zero
I don't understand this guy's obsession with Emilia.
He's interacted with Rem about 10 times more than Emilia. His position that Emilia was nice to him when he first came to the world is only even true from a certain intentionally ignorant perspective.
I mean in some sense it's just as bad that Rem is okay with Subaru being basically unhinged.
I don't understand this guy's obsession with Emilia.
He's interacted with Rem about 10 times more than Emilia. His position that Emilia was nice to him when he first came to the world is only even true from a certain intentionally ignorant perspective.
I mean in some sense it's just as bad that Rem is okay with Subaru being basically unhinged.
Finally something to watch again.
Twin Star Exorcists #13
Basara too OP. They were outclassed by so much it's not even funny.
Not even the newly found husband-wife power saved the day, but at least he let them go.
This was essentially the season 1 finale both in content and in tone. Opening used as insert song, reflecting about what they experienced so far while the ending was playing, you name it.
I still think it's funny how this is chapter 4 and 5 in the manga, lol.
And of course Arima uses every chance to mess with them.
Twin Star Exorcists #13
Basara too OP. They were outclassed by so much it's not even funny.
Not even the newly found husband-wife power saved the day, but at least he let them go.
This was essentially the season 1 finale both in content and in tone. Opening used as insert song, reflecting about what they experienced so far while the ending was playing, you name it.
I still think it's funny how this is chapter 4 and 5 in the manga, lol.
And of course Arima uses every chance to mess with them.
names2hard4you
Member
Guy is an Italy right. it's probably a reason that is petty. Because she's an Elf maybe LOL.
It's most likely because she was the only one to use his help at some point and not judge him or whatnot for being a NEET, like normal society would. Then it was the simple "she talked and smiled at me, that means she must be in love with me!" mentality setting in, along with his power allowing him to change events.
I always felt that while Shirabako 'set up' the five girls as main girls, in truth it only really followed three of them seriously and really treated them as main characters. In truth I'd argue the director for instance was more of a main character than, say, CG girl. Heck even voice-actor chan was probably more of a secondary character than a main.
This is about where I stand too. Probably also because she's a pretty girl who saved him, and he knows that in these stories that kind of character is usually the main love interest, so that means she must be in love with him. Maybe he cares more because at the beginning she was one of the first people he saw die, too.
I'm a couple if weeks behind but I generally agree as well. It's love at first sight bullshit as the narrative doesn't really support Subaru's obsession with her.
Angry Grimace
Two cannibals are eating a clown. One turns to the other and says "does something taste funny to you?"
The problem is that even a vague amount of thought would inform him that this isn't even really true. The only loops so far where he even interacted with her she was lying to him about her identity or giving him shit.
I kinda disagree with this as CGI girl is stuck in a deadend job where she has job security but it's boring as dirt. Zuka obviously has the most interesting situation but even Aoi's situation is somewhat interesting in that she has a good job, seemingly I suppose, but she doesn't find it interesting and isblargely apathetic towards it. Those are real scenarios and issues. A good chunk of the show has to do with Aoi finding her passion for anime again and realizing that the headaches are worth it.
Now does it delve into how animators pay their bills or how their family members look at them in disgust for working on kid's cartoons? No, but it does try to address real life scenarios even if it's on a simplified plane.
- Status