Support NeoGAF

[madp]

Rinne no Lagrange 09:

Well, anime high schools are notoriously lax in their standards for what can be designated a club.

This was very plainly an episode to

Spoiler

humanize the KISS underlings

. It's been pretty plain from the beginning of the series that

Spoiler

they weren't serious villains

, but this just further cements that. Hopefully the next step after

Spoiler

humanization

is

Spoiler

characterization

, and it looks like we'll at least

Spoiler

get a backstory out of each of the underlings because of the flashback with the red-haired one

.

On a note not necessarily related to just this series, am I the only one that finds it difficult to accept civilizations whose technology is so advanced that they're capable of space travel yet are still monarchies? I'm probably just looking at this through the lens of an American that has had "DEMOCRACY IS THE ONLY GOOD FORM OF GOVERNMENT" pounded into his head his whole life, but the amount of reason necessary to achieve such feats of science just feels so enormously at odds with the irrationality of rule by heredity. I love the mix of imperialism and space in science fiction as much as anyone, but when I begin to think about it too much, it can take me out of the story. Probably more so in Lagrange considering that

Spoiler

humans, De Metrians, and Le Garitans all originated on the same planet. How does Earth, the least-advanced of these peoples, end up with the least-tyrannical form of government

?

 

[Basileus777]

Rinne no Lagrange 09:On a note not necessarily related to just this series, am I the only one that finds it difficult to accept civilizations whose technology is so advanced that they're capable of space travel yet are still monarchies? I'm probably just looking at this through the lens of an American that has had "DEMOCRACY IS THE ONLY GOOD FORM OF GOVERNMENT" pounded into his head his whole life, but the amount of reason necessary to achieve such feats of science just feels so enormously at odds with the irrationality of rule by heredity. I love the mix of imperialism and space in science fiction as much as anyone, but when I begin to think about it too much, it can take me out of the story. Probably more so in Lagrange considering that

Spoiler

humans, De Metrians, and Le Garitans all originated on the same planet. How does Earth, the least-advanced of these peoples, end up with the least-tyrannical form of government

?

The other space factions are so sketchy and vague that their form of government doesn't really bother me. It's not like we know anything about them, so who is to say that it doesn't fit their society.

 

[cajunator]

Rinne has taken a backseat lately and it's kind of sad because it started out strongly.
As for the club thing, is it really true that Japanese schools require 5 members to become recognized as a functioning organization? I know thats how it was in Chihayafuru and K-ON. Is that how it is IRL?

 

[Uchip]

Is Bagi the furry thing emunoz was watching? Do you guys take me for a furry? Is this something you can catch from PMs?

yes
also Sly, Starfox, Solatorobo etc are terrible because they have anthro characters!

 

[survivor]

Rinne has taken a backseat lately and it's kind of sad because it started out strongly.
As for the club thing, is it really true that Japanese schools require 5 members to become recognized as a functioning organization? I know thats how it was in Chihayafuru and K-ON. Is that how it is IRL?

My university needs a minimum 10 members and for the clubs to host their own events once a semester.

I always wonder what ind of event the anime club hosts. Must be tough for them doing something that doesn't make them stand out too much.

 

[NewFresh]

Is Bagi the furry thing emunoz was watching? Do you guys take me for a furry? Is this something you can catch from PMs?

And I watched Star of Cottonland a million years ago. It was pretty good apart from unleashing the blight of catgirls upon the world.

I think if you were a furry you would know it. And I just figured you would appreciate something a bit out of the ordinary.

 

[Regulus Tera]

Poyopoyo 10:

oh my god what is wrong your FACE

 

[Hitokage]

And I watched Star of Cottonland a million years ago. It was pretty good apart from unleashing the blight of catgirls upon the world.

You just got Cajunator very interested.

 

[Brazil]

So, there's some new Inazuma Eleven anime coming our way soon. It'll be about time travel.

:/

 

[hosannainexcelsis]

5 Centimeters Per Second

The first story was the best thing Shinkai has ever done. Its intimate focus on a single relationship with no distracting factors together with the sustained atmosphere made it very moving. The whole train journey with the steadily increasing snow and isolation was powerful. Strong editing, perfect pacing. After seeing Only Yesterday, I can't help but think that Shinkai's style of storytelling is indebted to Takahata. The reminiscing interior monologues and the cuts between present and past bear some similarities to the earlier movie.

The second two stories were not quite as successful. The third story in particular was jarring and the ending music video was... uh... unsatisfying. I can see what Shinkai wanted to convey, but it leaves the film as a whole without a real pay-off.

Of course, those clouds are as breathtaking as ever.

 

[Hitokage]

True.

Honestly, if someone showed up to my house in a Sonic the Hedgehog outfit, I'd probably call the cops. "Friend" or no.

That's what they get for not doing a basset hound.

 

[trejo]

Is Bagi the furry thing emunoz was watching? Do you guys take me for a furry? Is this something you can catch from PMs?

Bagi is a serious movie that deals with some serious issues. Do you really think I'm the kind of person who would have some sort of ulterior motive for making you watch something?

Spoiler

Don't answer that.

 

[Thoraxes]

You mean you don't just make a second, separate MAL just for that?

That stuff may or may not make up almost 1/3rd of everything i've seen...

 

[Noirulus]

5 Centimeters Per Second

The first story was the best thing Shinkai has ever done. Its intimate focus on a single relationship with no distracting factors together with the sustained atmosphere made it very moving. The whole train journey with the steadily increasing snow and isolation was powerful. Strong editing, perfect pacing. After seeing Only Yesterday, I can't help but think that Shinkai's style of storytelling is indebted to Takahata. The reminiscing interior monologues and the cuts between present and past bear some similarities to the earlier movie.

The second two stories were not quite as successful. The third story in particular was jarring and the ending music video was... uh... unsatisfying. I can see what Shinkai wanted to convey, but it leaves the film as a whole without a real pay-off.

Of course, those clouds are as breathtaking as ever.

I pretty much feel the same. The movie does a good job of conveying Tonou's feelings and you can really feel for him, but the lack of pay-off by the end of movie is a real kick in the nuts.

I mean, I understand the subject material Shinkai's working with, but still.

 

[Thoraxes]

Rinne no Lagrange 09:

This was very plainly an episode to

Spoiler

humanize the KISS underlings

. It's been pretty plain from the beginning of the series that

Spoiler

they weren't serious villains

, but this just further cements that. Hopefully the next step after

Spoiler

humanization

is

Spoiler

characterization

, and it looks like we'll at least

Spoiler

get a backstory out of each of the underlings because of the flashback with the red-haired one

.

FYI, at the beginning that wasn't his

Spoiler

flashback.

It's actually

Spoiler

Space Tiger's flashback with his sister Yurikano.

In case you didn't know.

 

[Articalys]

5 Centimeters Per Second

The first story was the best thing Shinkai has ever done. Its intimate focus on a single relationship with no distracting factors together with the sustained atmosphere made it very moving. The whole train journey with the steadily increasing snow and isolation was powerful. Strong editing, perfect pacing. After seeing Only Yesterday, I can't help but think that Shinkai's style of storytelling is indebted to Takahata. The reminiscing interior monologues and the cuts between present and past bear some similarities to the earlier movie.

The second two stories were not quite as successful. The third story in particular was jarring and the ending music video was... uh... unsatisfying. I can see what Shinkai wanted to convey, but it leaves the film as a whole without a real pay-off.

Of course, those clouds are as breathtaking as ever.

I do agree that the first episode is probably the strongest, but I don't mind that there isn't really a payoff. And as for the song, I guess it's time again to link to the acoustic version.

That reminds me, Crunchyroll is doing their annual Global Shinkai Day/Weekend right now (which might be where you watched this from), so as long as you're not in Japan you can watch them for free until the end of Sunday, I believe.

Voices of a Distant Star
The Place Promised In Our Early Days
Five Centimeters per Second

I was going to post about it at the start of the weekend but forgot for some reason. Hopefully anyone who wants to watch any of the three films still has time to do so.

 

[iammeiam]

Glass Fleet 6

Oh my god, everything about the fight after

Spoiler

the glass ship crashes itself into the kidnapper's ship

was spectacular. Apparently space is a vaccuum now? Except for sometimes when there stops being a vaccuum so the characters can talk and/or sword fight?

Also I still can't figure out if Ralph's a girl or not.

 

[madp]

FYI, at the beginning that wasn't his

Spoiler

flashback.

It's actually

Spoiler

Space Tiger's flashback with his sister Yurikano.

In case you didn't know.

Derp, why didn't I realize that? I think it was that

Spoiler

the "nostalgia tint" overlayed on the scene made his hair look kind of red, and then when the flashback ended the camera was on red-hair guy so it looked like they were segueing from the past to the present of the same character.

 

[Kagami]

Im still conflicted. Really conflicted if I want this.
My consumer whore self REALLY wants it, but my logical side keeps fighting it.
Which one will win?

I found some more good advice.

 

[Unknown Soldier]

Kuroneko's like "WAT"

 

[Thoraxes]

Derp, why didn't I realize that? I think it was that

Spoiler

the "nostalgia tint" overlayed on the scene made his hair look kind of red, and then when the flashback ended the camera was on red-hair guy so it looked like they were segueing from the past to the present of the same character.

Oh easily. I thought the same exact thing you did the first time too until I did a double-check on that.

Also, i'm not sure when the show will talk about this, but there is backstory on them that will probably be told.

 

[madp]

Kuroneko's like "WAT"

Rich otaku, poor otaku.

Oh easily. I thought the same exact thing you did the first time too until I did a double-check on that.

Also, i'm not sure when the show will talk about this, but there is backstory on them that will probably be told.

They've been given too much screentime to just be throwaway minions, so I would probably expect backstory on them at some point regardless.

Spoiler

They seem a little too young to have a long history with Space Tiger.

 

[InsaneZero]

Speaking of that Fate/Zero boxset (while I'm still waiting for my MIA express shipped BD Box), apparently there is a thirty page translated booklet containing interviews with the staff involved regarding essentially every single aspect of the production (Adaptation, episode direction, art direction, animation, music, etc.) From what little I've seen of it so far (I'm waiting for my own copy to read it all), it's a really fascinating read that actually goes in-depth into the production process over at ufotable for this series.

It also gives me a good idea of how the pacing of the next season is going to play out, and boy, shit is going to get real pretty quickly into it.

 

[Makoto]

Gunslinger Girl (END)

This was a pleasant surprise. The premise is handled with delicate care and each episode kept me glued. The Agency is never portrayed as being badass and neither are it's handlers/assassins. Instead, we are shown the harsh realities that come with their jobs. Each situation restrains itself from being swamped with too much drama. Just about every episode is presented with just the right amount of brevity. Now that I've finished the series, I can really appreciate the character design for the assassins. That dead-look they have in their eyes compared to the other characters in the series couldn't be more spot-on in terms of describing to the viewer what they've gone through. Granted, I'm still an anime newbie but I'd put this on my personal top 10. It's really good in my opinion. And it left me wanting more.

But.

I heard season two doesn't live up to season one.

I really enjoyed this series. The way they open the story with that hauntinly beautiful OP song and we see one of Henrietta's missions. When you realize the crazy truth about how and why these children were turned into assassins right off the bat. Its some really depressing stuff, but I couldn't stop watching it. I liked it enough to buy the second season along with the OVa but sadly, I haven't gotten around to watching those. The first boxset did come with a nice cloth poster which still hangs in my room today.

From what I'm reading around the nets, it may seem you were right to not get around to watching season two.

I really want to watch season two but crap, people are giving me horror stories of how botches the tone/atmosphere set by the first season.

 

[wonzo]

Nisemono 10

Maybe they should've spent less time on the glorious tooth brushing scene and more time on the stuff they've supposedly cut from the novels. I guess they'll do what SHAFT does best and add stuff back into the BD's.

Glass Fleet 6

Oh my god, everything about the fight after

Spoiler

the glass ship crashes itself into the kidnapper's ship

was spectacular. Apparently space is a vaccuum now? Except for sometimes when there stops being a vaccuum so the characters can talk and/or sword fight?

Also I still can't figure out if Ralph's a girl or not.

Spoiler

Ralph's a dude

 

[Thoraxes]

They've been given too much screentime to just be throwaway minions, so I would probably expect backstory on them at some point regardless.

Spoiler

They seem a little too young to have a long history with Space Tiger.

If you really wanna know now rather than later (so spoilers for content not yet in the show), they all

Spoiler

have more history with his Yurikano, training under her (she's a student-teacher of sorts) at the Space Academy they went to, with Izo getting closest to her.

Also, they're in some of the key arts and advertisements too.

 

[Crash Station]

Sumomomo Momomo 20

Only anime character with braces ever.

 

[Jintor]

I pretty much feel the same. The movie does a good job of conveying Tonou's feelings and you can really feel for him, but the lack of pay-off by the end of movie is a real kick in the nuts.

I mean, I understand the subject material Shinkai's working with, but still.

I kind of thought the lack of payoff was the point. Of course, I cried like a baby during the third ep, so maybe my opinion is dumb.

 

[Instro]

Moretsu Pirates 10

Damn Chiaki was pretty awesome as a pirate, best part of the episode.

 

[Jex]

Armor Hunter Mellowlink 8

Aw yeah, time for some Bountydog action. The Balarant forces did a pisspoor job of inspecting the train though. This episode is weird as it's a direct continuation of the previous after everything prior being episodic. I'm curious if this means a continuation to the finish.

You're smarter than you look!

 

[Thoraxes]

Moretsu Pirates 10

Damn Chiaki was pretty awesome as a pirate, best part of the episode.

I wish the show was about her instead.

 

[Jex]

He is Kizu's director.

This explains everything. Nisemonogatari is just a festering corpse at this point.

 

[Instro]

This explains everything. Nisemonogatari is just a festering corpse at this point.

Festering corpses; the next fetish for Nise to explore.

 

[Jex]

Speaking of Nisemonogatari, Ghostlightning has just dropped some truth-bombs with his latest post (SPOILERS): Nisemonogatari 10: NOT FILLER, It’s Ghostbuster on Ghostbuster Violence! WHO’S THE REAL GHOSTBUSTER? WHO NEEDS CLOTHES?

But no, I’m not thrilled at all. The show has broken my expectations of being something more like Bakemonogatari. This show is an overstretched short story of the Araragi siblings filled out with large expanses of kimoi otaku fanservice. It’s high-production trashiness without the transcendent joy that a show like Aquarion EVOL has in buckets. In a big budget trashy donut show vs. donut show battle, Aquarion owns Nisemonogatari handily[...]

[...]Fuck I can’t be bothered to read back a few posts to remember his name. I may remember that awesome Hitagi moment and feel bitter about how shitty this show has become and ruin the good will I’m sharing.

Like myself, Ghostlightning was a big fan of the original Bakemonogatari and so he's also continued to watch the show, hoping for it to 'get good' at some point - which has clearly been a futile endeavour.

I find that it tends to be the 'big fans' of shows that are the most critical about something when their expectations are not met. Perhaps it's because they are so familiar with the work and why they enjoy it that it's easier for them to spot and highlight what they don't like. Alternatively, perhaps because they really enjoyed the show they've got a lot farther to fall when it doesn't meet their expectations and so they are more vocal about it?

 

[Kagami]

Bodacious Skirt Pirates 10
I like this show more and more with every episode.
It creeps into my brain and generates fun in ways I'm not sure I understand. Just a perfect combination of characters and direction I guess.
It doesn't have the kind of constant flow of suspense, action, or drama that it usually takes to wow me, yet I still can't get enough of it. The Star Trek comparisons are apt. I feel like I could watch 50, 60 episodes of this and not get tired of it.
If I buy anything from winter, this is looking to be it.

Although...there's one other promising candidate, and that's AnoNatsu.
I haven't gotten back to that after watching the first episode.
Time to catch up...

 

[cajunator]

You just got Cajunator very interested.

Actually...yes.

I found some more good advice.

;_; So conflicted

Kuroneko's like "WAT"

Always the adorable voice of reason

Speaking of that Fate/Zero boxset (while I'm still waiting for my MIA express shipped BD Box), apparently there is a thirty page translated booklet containing interviews with the staff involved regarding essentially every single aspect of the production (Adaptation, episode direction, art direction, animation, music, etc.) From what little I've seen of it so far (I'm waiting for my own copy to read it all), it's a really fascinating read that actually goes in-depth into the production process over at ufotable for this series.

It also gives me a good idea of how the pacing of the next season is going to play out, and boy, shit is going to get real pretty quickly into it.

Soundsl ike an interesting book. Worth the price? Hell no. But it gives ammunition to my "buy" side

Gunslinger Girl (END)

This was a pleasant surprise. The premise is handled with delicate care and each episode kept me glued. The Agency is never portrayed as being badass and neither are it's handlers/assassins. Instead, we are shown the harsh realities that come with their jobs. Each situation restrains itself from being swamped with too much drama. Just about every episode is presented with just the right amount of brevity. Now that I've finished the series, I can really appreciate the character design for the assassins. That dead-look they have in their eyes compared to the other characters in the series couldn't be more spot-on in terms of describing to the viewer what they've gone through. Granted, I'm still an anime newbie but I'd put this on my personal top 10. It's really good in my opinion. And it left me wanting more.

But.

I heard season two doesn't live up to season one.


From what I'm reading around the nets, it may seem you were right to not get around to watching season two.

I really want to watch season two but crap, people are giving me horror stories of how botches the tone/atmosphere set by the first season.

Glad you enjoyed the series. Definitely a series that stuck with me, for better or worse. You wont soon forget it.

 

[wonzo]

Poyoypoyo 10

The trials and tribulations of your average round cat.

 

[Jex]

It's really good, a lot of its fanbase seems to be children (duh), but as you said pedophiles seem to like it as well.

Now now, there's no need to go around slagging other fandom's off like that.

 

[KO Traveling Hobo]

Persona 4 22

...welp. And I just got done saying that the show's writing wasn't bad. What a mess of an episode.

 

[jman2050]

I find that it tends to be the 'big fans' of shows that are the most critical about something when their expectations are not met. Perhaps it's because they are so familiar with the work and why they enjoy it that it's easier for them to spot and highlight what they don't like. Alternatively, perhaps because they really enjoyed the show they've got a lot farther to fall when it doesn't meet their expectations and so they are more vocal about it?

I call them "unreasonable expectations"

See also: Zelda fans, Sonic fans (;_, non-Pokemon fans that play Pokemon, fans of every sci-fi show period, etc etc etc

 

[Jex]

I actually watched some anime today. It was only Ano Natsu episode 1, which was much better than I thought it would be, but still... must every plot and relationship development be signposted by the first episode of a romantic comedy like this? You immediately know who likes who and the plot developments are incredibly predictable because of the whole premise of the show. Is it too much to ask for to have at least a modicum of suspense in an anime romance these days?

This is one of those times where, rather than directly responding to your points, I'd say "just keep watching".

 

[Haly]

Does this mean Jexhius is the biggest Nisemonogatari fan?

 

[cajunator]

Poyoypoyo 10



The trials and tribulations of your average round cat.

Oh god I really need to watch this.
SO cute.
Chi's sweet Home was heart-bursting adorable but it didnt have ROUNDCAT.

 

[jman2050]

Does this mean Jexhius is the biggest Nisemonogatari fan?

Looks that way to me!

 

[MotionBlue]

Inu x Boku 09

Holy shit, I need to rewatch this episode and count all the Studio Ghibli references.

 

[Jex]

I call them "unreasonable expectations"

I don't know if it's unreasonable to expect a sequel to be as good as the original. In fact, I know it's not unreasonable. Unreasonable would be expecting it to be vastly better than the original.

 

[jman2050]

I don't know if it's unreasonable to expect a sequel to be as good as the original. In fact, I know it's not unreasonable. Unreasonable would be expecting it to be vastly better than the original.

Actually, and I honestly can't believe I'm saying this, I'm getting the feeling you and others put Bakemonogatari on too high a pedestal.

 

[hosannainexcelsis]

I find that it tends to be the 'big fans' of shows that are the most critical about something when their expectations are not met. Perhaps it's because they are so familiar with the work and why they enjoy it that it's easier for them to spot and highlight what they don't like. Alternatively, perhaps because they really enjoyed the show they've got a lot farther to fall when it doesn't meet their expectations and so they are more vocal about it?

It's the same phenomenon as big fans of the original source material complaining about botched adaptations. If you love one thing a lot, it hurts all the more to see it appear in another form degraded.

 

[Jex]

Does this mean Jexhius is the biggest Nisemonogatari fan?

No no, it means I'm Bakemonogatari's biggest fan. After all, I've seen it three times.

 

[cajunator]

I don't know if it's unreasonable to expect a sequel to be as good as the original. In fact, I know it's not unreasonable. Unreasonable would be expecting it to be vastly better than the original.

I think it is unreasonable, given that most sequels are an afterthought or designed to make up for things the original series was unable to cover for one reason or another. Also the observation that the vast majority of sequels really rather suck.