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Summer Anime 2017 |OT| More streaming services than shows to watch

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Jex

Member
In this case shouldn't the answer be "Manga?" Given that this is an adaptation and all.

Yes, that's certainly the source of the problematic content. However, I don't see why they couldn't have excised it as part of the process of adapting the original source material. They already took plenty of liberties with their adaptation - for example the beginning of episode 2 is the literal beginning of the manga, which makes a lot more sense, considering Riko's speech about beginnings.

(I'm sure you aren't arguing that they couldn't or shouldn't change anything).
 
Yes, that's certainly the source of the problematic content. However, I don't see why they couldn't have excised it as part of the process of adapting the original source material. They already took plenty of liberties with their adaptation - for example the beginning of episode 2 is the literal beginning of the manga, which makes a lot more sense, considering Rik's speech.

(I'm sure you aren't arguing that they couldn't or shouldn't change anything).

Right, I'm not arguing that. We can't forget that Masayuki Kojima previously directed Black Bullet, so he might actually have some fondness for this sort of stuff himself.
 

Jex

Member
Right, I'm not arguing that. We can't forget that Masayuki Kojima previously directed Black Bullet, so he might actually have some fondness for this sort of stuff himself.
That is certainly a possibility because I cannot imagine why anyone would chose to retain such content otherwise.

It's a shame because about 99.95% of the show is great. It's the kind I'd like to be able to recommend to someone - but that's obviously not possible if it's going to have smatterings of very objectionable content.

I noticed that some people didn't even feel like it is worth mentioning this content in their comments about the episode. I assume the reason for this is because many of us have come to accept a certain level of 'objectionable' content in our anime - which is an unfortunate state of affairs.
 

trejo

Member
That is certainly a possibility because I cannot imagine why anyone would chose to retain such content otherwise.

It's a shame because about 99.95% of the show is great. It's the kind I'd like to be able to recommend to someone - but that's obviously not possible if it's going to have smatterings of very objectionable content.

I noticed that some people didn't even feel like it is worth mentioning this content in their comments about the episode. I assume the reason for this is because many of us have come to accept a certain level of 'objectionable' content in our anime - which is an unfortunate state of affairs.

Hey man if it's so hilarious to see men beating women for being stupid I don't see what's so objectionable about some mild bouts of pedophilia?

Please be advised, this comment is meant to be taken entirely in jest.
 

Qurupeke

Member
Virgin Soul 15

I hoped it would continue with the more adventurous style, but Jeanne and Nina reached their destination rather fast. Slow episode, but the ending was certainly something. Gabrielle will get wrecked.
 

Clov

Member
Funimation's October slate is up! They have a lot of titles from their partnership with Crunchyroll releasing around then (including Luluco). What I'm most interested in from this group of titles is that they're releasing a complete collection of Space Dandy. I think I might pick that one up.

Also, that terrible Danganronpa 3 anime is being separated by arc, for some reason. Since you're supposed to alternate episodes, this doesn't make much sense to me, but... more money for Funi, I guess.
 
Made in Abyss 02
DEtrd2cUMAAGBcz.jpg

You know, if the architect of that wants to kill people he sure did a good job.
 
That is certainly a possibility because I cannot imagine why anyone would chose to retain such content otherwise.

It's a shame because about 99.95% of the show is great. It's the kind I'd like to be able to recommend to someone - but that's obviously not possible if it's going to have smatterings of very objectionable content.

I noticed that some people didn't even feel like it is worth mentioning this content in their comments about the episode. I assume the reason for this is because many of us have come to accept a certain level of 'objectionable' content in our anime - which is an unfortunate state of affairs.

Some like the content in itself and some such as myself have trained ourselves to overlook it in favor of what we like. It is unfortunate, but it is what it is. There's long been a close connection between the seedier underbelly of Japanese anime/manga/games and their more mainstream incarnations. For example, before Enix published Dragon Quest they published pornographic games on Japanese computers such as Lolita Syndrome (1983), which features explicit nudity and violence on underage girls. And of course there's plenty of similar examples in anime such as the infamous Pop Chaser hentai OVA featuring the likes of Hideaki Anno, down to younger animators such as Ryo-chimo (most recently on Kado) being infamous for their pornographic doujin drawings. Ryo-chimo actually drew some rather sketchy art of the female scientist in Kado which he posted on his Twitter account to celebrate the show ending. It's something which I don't like dealing with, given how interested I am in the things the medium excels at and how much I wish this unpleasant content wasn't a part of it as well, but it can't be denied. It's certainly possible to avoid it - anime isn't as totally compromised as some think - but more talented animators are into it than I wish.
 
Funimation's October slate is up! They have a lot of titles from their partnership with Crunchyroll releasing around then (including Luluco). What I'm most interested in from this group of titles is that they're releasing a complete collection of Space Dandy. I think I might pick that one up.

Also, that terrible Danganronpa 3 anime is being separated by arc, for some reason. Since you're supposed to alternate episodes, this doesn't make much sense to me, but... more money for Funi, I guess.

Super Lovers BD
Servamp

for me.
 
Just got back from War for the Planet of the Apes. It definitely finished off this trilogy on a strong note. I can easily say this is the best film series of the past decade.
 

_Ryo_

Member
Watched The Children Who Chase Lost Voices. It has a pretty good dub, mostly great anime. Very pretty artwork. Though I don't understand some of the abrupt cuts, where the character wakes up somewhere else while she was in the act of doing something. It was weird.

I also watched the first episode of Tales of Zestiria the X. I quite enjoyed it. Lots of escalation and it may have the best CG in any anime I've ever seen.

BTW, is there a discord/irc channel for AnimeGaf?
 

Jintor

Member
The first six episodes of the English dub for New Game are up on Funi.

i feel like cute girls doing cute things shows never quite get the dubs to work. Maybe that's just a function of all the dubbing companies being american and their accent always feeling really jarring to my ears.
 
Made in Abyss Ep. 2

I think what's almost as distasteful is that the naked loli moment is a throw away punchline to a "Riko is lazy in class" gag, it would be bad enough that the gag is some pretty unpleasant looking torture but to go naked too is ridiculous. It just gets added to the growing pile of "shows that I'd love to recommend but can't due to bullshit pandering", it's a shame as this is pretty damn amazing otherwise but for some reason they decided preserving that aspect of the source was worth it. It's barely even there and could be edited out in a flash too but it's just so off putting.
 

Kenstar

Member
Can anyone help me remember this short ova (4 eps?) that was about a serious girl who fought by grappling opponents (believed striking was for show compared to the efficiency of holds and submissions)
may or may not have been a princess or something
set in modern day, possibly in a school
she had a serious face like some 80's Fist of the North Star when fighting, non cutesy voice
pretty sure it was a comedy
2000's digital anime era, dont know when it was made tho

I went one by one through my MAL and didn't see it there, must have seen it before the era of Taiga keeping track of that for me
 
I mean, I get the whole 'loli fear' thing, but it looked to me like it's just Naked Strappado torture, a nasty form of torture from the medieval period. I don't feel like the framing spoke to any sexualization but was rather just another 'subtle' dark element to the show.
 

Jex

Member
The show repeatedly breaks its own tone, I don't think they were that concerned about how strict of a portrayal they were going for. Having things like zoom-ins or off-center camera shots are extremely minor details.

This reminds me why having an actual discussion about something is far more useful than simply dumping one's opinion into the world. Being forced to defend a position, and being shown another persons point of view, further helps to clarify one's own reaction to a work.

That tone-breaking you are referring to is something that really didn't work for me. I would have appreciated a more thorough commitment to one overall style. Seeing pseudo classical cinema mixed with more modern techniques is a little jarring, much like the mix of the 'cute' girls who make up the main cast vs the other humans that exist in the world. The elements don't click to me - it's the reverse, they stand out.
 
I mean, I get the whole 'loli fear' thing, but it looked to me like it's just Naked Strappado torture, a nasty form of torture from the medieval period. I don't feel like the framing spoke to any sexualization but was rather just another 'subtle' dark element to the show.

There are a lot of nasty tortures out there but they chose to depict the one that requires a naked 12 year old, they could have just left her in the slip. Sleeping in class is presumably a less severe offence than stealing artifacts (the reason last episode for naked hanging) so they could have had their torture gag and justified her not being naked as this being the lower grade of punishment.
 

Jex

Member
I mean, I get the whole 'loli fear' thing, but it looked to me like it's just Naked Strappado torture, a nasty form of torture from the medieval period. I don't feel like the framing spoke to any sexualization but was rather just another 'subtle' dark element to the show.

Just to point out:

- This particular method of punishment was mentioned twice (!) last episode
- It was shown this episode (in a manner which puts said questionable content as 'in your face' as possible)
- For some reason we keep talking about Reg's penis? (it's been mentioned in both episodes)

???
Speaking of objectionable content...
And how! But at least -Monogatari is so far gone that there was never going to be any danger of recommending it to non-anime fans. It's always far more annoying when such content appears in an otherwise wholesome work.
 
So I ended up checking out the first episode of the new Hell Girl season because Mamoru Hatakeyama storyboarded (but not directed) it, and there were some interesting storyboarding techniques employed, but boy does the show have some abysmal color design and digital composition. Some really poor choices by the DEEN photography department here. It's a shame after how good DEEN's photography was earlier this year in the second seasons of Konosuba and Rakugo Shinju, but I suppose if you're bringing back a mid-2000s DEEN anime series it makes sense to bring back mid-2000s DEEN photography as well.
 
Just to point out:

- This particular method of punishment was mentioned twice (!) last episode
- It was shown this episode (in a manner which puts said questionable content as 'in your face' as possible)
- For some reason we keep talking about Reg's penis? (it's been mentioned in both episodes)

???

And how! But at least -Monogatari is so far gone that there was never going to be any danger of recommending it to non-anime fans. It's always far more annoying when such content appears in an otherwise wholesome work.

Yeah but I don't feel like it was done in a way to be sexual and I get the impression the series enjoys body humor in a similar way to dragon ball and Akira toriyama.
 

DNAbro

Member
For future reference for Made in Abyss watchers

They will continue to reference Reg's penis and that isn't the only time Riko is partially nude. (unless they actually change something) It gets very awkward.
 
For future reference for Made in Abyss watchers

They will continue to reference Reg's penis and that isn't the only time Riko is partially nude. (unless they actually change something) It gets very awkward.

That's where I'll say I haven't read the manga, so my opinions are only on what we saw in the anime.

So compared to say, dragon ball humor, how awkward are we talking? Worse than the pat pat?
 

Qurupeke

Member
I think I threw up in my mouth a little.

I think my post was somewhat vague, so allow me to add a bit more. I'm not willing to defend the show and I'm really uninformed on the questionable content that's bound to appear. It's just a shame that something that good has to be tainted, and it will affect its future reputation after the tv series is over. I mean, they could have entirely skipped the scene on episode 2 and nothing would have changed. And they can easily censor or skip entirely anything weird, even if it's part of the plot. It just seems like they're not willing to.

Now, if your comment is about how I seem to accept the situation and keep watching that anime, I guess my bad. As Jexhius pointed out, it's an unfortunate state of affairs. I hope that everything I hear about the show is exaggerated or that they will tone it down, and it won't be as bad as I imagine.
 

Jarmel

Banned
This reminds me why having an actual discussion about something is far more useful than simply dumping one's opinion into the world. Being forced to defend a position, and being shown another persons point of view, further helps to clarify one's own reaction to a work.

That tone-breaking you are referring to is something that really didn't work for me. I would have appreciated a more thorough commitment to one overall style. Seeing pseudo classical cinema mixed with more modern techniques is a little jarring, much like the mix of the 'cute' girls who make up the main cast vs the other humans that exist in the world. The elements don't click to me - it's the reverse, they stand out.
Yea I agree which why I (sometimes) like arguing about shows as it helps me crystallize my own thoughts about something. Our discussions on LWA TV for example helped me work out the things I liked and didn't like about the show. We obviously don't always see eye to eye as such with the previous case but it's still good to work through the process. I would be an even worse critic than I am now if I didn't get pushback.

As for PP, I honestly didn't even like the first episode that much. The tone clashes sort of remind me of the issue in Shirobako but exacerbated due to the tone and setting PP is going for. Yes I'm mainly talking about the cute out-of-place character designs but also the light comedy aspects and school setting. Why the fuck is this taking place at another high school? What is wrong with this industry? It makes me look back at the first season of Darker than Black and appreciate how many aspects that show did right in comparison. There's a lot of clashing like that really cute ED is nice and it's cute but it's also completely out of place with the rest of the show. They want to go all in on the setting but they also know that shit won't sell and so end up diluting the final product.
 
For future reference for Made in Abyss watchers

They will continue to reference Reg's penis and that isn't the only time Riko is partially nude. (unless they actually change something) It gets very awkward.

Not surprising. Unfortunately this episode made clear that this pedo crap is here to stay. And that certainly might impact it enough to be drop worthy. There's annoying tropes and then there's downright pedo pandering. Those elements stand out particularly much when that punishment method doesn't even make sense. I have no reason to believe that any kid, and even less the child of a former mining superstar, would be forced to endure something of that sort for being a nuisance in class.
 

DNAbro

Member
That's where I'll say I haven't read the manga, so my opinions are only on what we saw in the anime.

So compared to say, dragon ball humor, how awkward are we talking? Worse than the pat pat?

Uhh kind of. I'll just type out a scene out of context and you can kind of see why it's uncomfortable.


There is a scene where Reg and Riko are taking a bath, Reg doesn't want to cause it's awkward, but gets in, he kind of tries to just look away from her chest while holding her up because other plot reasons, and Riko asks whats up with his dick, he gets embarrassed and then she realizes what happened and tries to cover up. The artist's art doesn't help at all for this.
 

Jarmel

Banned
It's a shame after how good DEEN's photography was earlier this year in the second seasons of Konosuba and Rakugo Shinju, but I suppose if you're bringing back a mid-2000s DEEN anime series it makes sense to bring back mid-2000s DEEN photography as well.
It's honestly kind of surprising how much better photography has been in anime in the last five or so years. Even high end shows from the 00 years look dated due how much better photography is now (among other reasons but that's a separate post). Fafner is a completely different beast under Aoki.
 
Yea I agree which why I (sometimes) like arguing about shows as it helps me crystallize my own thoughts about something. Our discussions on LWA TV for example helped me work out the things I liked and didn't like about the show. We obviously don't always see eye to eye as such with the previous case but it's still good to work through the process. I would be an even worse critic than I am now if I didn't get pushback.

As for PP, I honestly didn't even like the first episode that much. The tone clashes sort of remind me of the issue in Shirobako but exacerbated due to the tone and setting PP is going for. Yes I'm mainly talking about the cute out-of-place character designs but also the light comedy aspects and school setting. Why the fuck is this taking place at another high school? What is wrong with this industry? It makes me look back at the first season of Darker than Black and appreciate how many aspects that show did right in comparison. There's a lot of clashing like that really cute ED is nice and it's cute but it's also completely out of place with the rest of the show. They want to go all in on the setting but they also know that shit won't sell and so end up diluting the final product.

While of course producers are interested in getting a return on their financial investment and so will mandate certain things for anime they sponsor, we also have to take into account that often anime directors just have wacky ideas, as in your reference to Shirobako. I doubt that Princess Principal started as a "normal" spy story and then had the young girl aspect grafted on afterwards to help it sell - though I have no way of knowing for sure, it feels like a work that was conceived as a hodge-podge from the start. The steampunk setting, the mixtures of fantasy with historical reality - that sort of juxtaposition is baked into every aspect of the show. And I strongly doubt that Princess Principal will be as commercially successful as Joker Game, a much more "realistic" spy anime which was able to take advantage of the part of the anime fanbase that wants hot guys.

This isn't to defend Princess Principal as a story per se - I kind of view it more with bemusement than as a serious character drama which it seems to want to be (it's no Gunslinger Girl) - but just to point out that I don't think every artistic decision in anime can be boiled down to someone deciding that this is what will sell better. Sometimes people are just weird.
 

Jarmel

Banned
While of course producers are interested in getting a return on their financial investment and so will mandate certain things for anime they sponsor, we also have to take into account that often anime directors just have wacky ideas, as in your reference to Shirobako. I doubt that Princess Principal started as a "normal" spy story and then had the young girl aspect grafted on afterwards to help it sell - though I have no way of knowing for sure, it feels like a work that was conceived as a hodge-podge from the start. The steampunk setting, the mixtures of fantasy with historical reality - that sort of juxtaposition is baked into every aspect of the show. And I strongly doubt that Princess Principal will be as commercially successful as Joker Game, a much more "realistic" spy anime which was able to take advantage of the part of the anime fanbase that wants hot guys.

This isn't to defend Princess Principal as a story per se - I kind of view it more with bemusement than as a serious character drama which it seems to want to be (it's no Gunslinger Girl) - but just to point out that I don't think every artistic decision in anime can be boiled down to someone deciding that this is what will sell better. Sometimes people are just weird.
I don't think this was producer mandated per say. More just that the creators wanted something that can be sort of palatable to a general audience. However it's true that creators, especially anime ones, have their own quirks and it could have been a series of stylistic or personal decisions. I'm now thinking of Miyazaki bitching about the new generation of animators and how they're otaku. The balls on that guy to complain despite him doing jack and shit to foster talent at Ghibli...
 

Sterok

Member
Made in Abyss 2

Lots of exposition. Some of it awkwardly delivered, but at least it was interesting. Hopefully we're getting back into the action next episode.
 

Quasar

Member
I think my post was somewhat vague, so allow me to add a bit more. I'm not willing to defend the show and I'm really uninformed on the questionable content that's bound to appear. It's just a shame that something that good has to be tainted, and it will affect its future reputation after the tv series is over. I mean, they could have entirely skipped the scene on episode 2 and nothing would have changed. And they can easily censor or skip entirely anything weird, even if it's part of the plot. It just seems like they're not willing to.

Now, if your comment is about how I seem to accept the situation and keep watching that anime, I guess my bad. As Jexhius pointed out, it's an unfortunate state of affairs. I hope that everything I hear about the show is exaggerated or that they will tone it down, and it won't be as bad as I imagine.

No. Mine..is more the calling for what might be substantial change in an adaptation. I haven't read the source material or watched the anime. I'm just not a fan of major change of works. Its why I seem to be more and more reading source material. Its also part of why people seem to get so upset about anime original endings.

And general closeness to source material is one thing I admire a bit about anime. Certainly total divergence from source material as you tend to see in the west annoys me an awful lot of the time. That's part of why I liked Sin City so much and its one aspect of how I dislike Marvel movies when they butcher their comic stories. I'll skip the new Phoenix Saga movie for instance because I know it will just annoy me.
 
This isn't to defend Princess Principal as a story per se - I kind of view it more with bemusement than as a serious character drama which it seems to want to be (it's no Gunslinger Girl) - but just to point out that I don't think every artistic decision in anime can be boiled down to someone deciding that this is what will sell better. Sometimes people are just weird.

There's a scene between Dorothy and Chise at 13:15 where the two are sitting at a table and wind up discussing how lying is central to spying and their relationship. It's a nice back and forth where two jaded old hands at spying wryly discuss the contradictions in their friendship but it's two teenage schoolgirls. If they had been in their mid twenties this scene would have seemed a bit off for characters so young but the incongruity of it when they're 15 is a real obstacle for me.

I actually watched the first episode of Gunslinger Girls again after PP to see if my memory of how well that show pulled off it's tone stood up and the difference was astounding. That show describes their world through the eyes of an outsider who is deeply ambivalent about getting involved at all. His knowledge of how the girls are exploited and treated as tools and disgust with it allows the girls to behave as they do and feel real. Of course they're all deeply jaded, they know the adults around them are manipulating them but they're powerless to stop it. The violence is portrayed as a noisy dangerous interlude in the story of their lives rather than a chance for some cool dialogue and gadgets.

PP is trying to be a fun action romp with it's dynamic fun action sequences and cool one liners, the designs for the principal cast scream "moe spy fun times". Then we get extended scenes where the girls seem to suddenly want to engage with the incredible violence in their lives and be serious while also being dressed as various goth loli stereotypes.

I'll watch one or two more but it's starting to seem more like Izetta: The Last Witch in terms of a mismatch between it's moe protagonists and more realistic world
 
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