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Winter 2012 Anime Thread 2.22: You Can (Not) Outpost Cajunator
- Thread starter Haly
- Start date
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I'm trying, but it's getting harder and harder.
Are the things that happen in it terrible? Yes, and while that may bring some depth and emotion to the show, I feel like it's completley wasted by the sheer ridiculousness of most of the things that happen.
To better illustrate my point...
NTHT Ep.07
Dat deus ex machina!
The pendant just happened to show up right in front of his face!
I can see why people would enjoy (not the right word, I don't mean to imply that seeing people suffer get's you off) the severity of the situation; I could in fact see it being incredibly compeling. I just feel like it's being invalidated by the poor writing.
Something reinvigorating to boot... more companies, and maybe one day the fair as a whole, should leave and go to places like the GAiNAX sponsored Yonago City and Tottori prefecture as a whole, with its clean and fresh air, beautiful rural scenery and headcrab mascots... guys, check their booth at the second half of this video here http://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/1332525214).
And to think this is the best video coverage of the fair available...
Another 01:
The next series I'm trying to catch up with. Some initial impressions:
The crows and random creepy mannequins in the OP make me worry that the series is going to be less than subtle with its horror elements. The content of the episode itself didn't make things quite as overt, fortunately.
The one thing that immediately stands out in this show is the atmosphere. The old, unkempt buildings, streaks of rust covering everything, and stormy skies tinged with the same rust color are all pretty unnerving and ominous. The entire town appears frozen in time even as time's ravages are apparent everywhere, which nicely echoes
.
So it looks like we have some kind of
and something about
. I think that's as good a grasp as I'm going to get on things for now. Time for more.
Also, fuck Ali Project. At least the ED more than makes up for it. It might be my favorite of the season after a single listen.
The next series I'm trying to catch up with. Some initial impressions:
The crows and random creepy mannequins in the OP make me worry that the series is going to be less than subtle with its horror elements. The content of the episode itself didn't make things quite as overt, fortunately.
The one thing that immediately stands out in this show is the atmosphere. The old, unkempt buildings, streaks of rust covering everything, and stormy skies tinged with the same rust color are all pretty unnerving and ominous. The entire town appears frozen in time even as time's ravages are apparent everywhere, which nicely echoes
the fact that the school still treats Misaki as alive, even 25 years after her death. The camera makes a point to focus in on Misaki's desk several times to illustrate the state of disrepair that it's in compared to the rest of 9-3's desks
So it looks like we have some kind of
student conspiracy
Misaki having two halves. I'm sure that the show is titled Another for a reason
Also, fuck Ali Project. At least the ED more than makes up for it. It might be my favorite of the season after a single listen.
Dedication Through Light
Member
Mouretsu Pirates 12
Great ending to the arc and a nice spaceship. I thought it was really hilarious
Great ending to the arc and a nice spaceship. I thought it was really hilarious
when they Princess and Hilde were talking on the bridge and everyone else was just exchanging looks and preparing to fire and etc.
Yeah it is and it's the best thing ever.
Ok I finally saw it and it was amazing.
WE MUST FIND WAYS TO PRESERVE THESE VIDEOS.
surely Nintendo has a plan to make these videos available permanently. You like money, don't you Nintendo?
Dedication Through Light
Member
I like the OP from the start to about the 50 or second mark, it started to grow on me after awhile. Anamnesis is always good, especially the images selected for it.
I don't want to come off as being harsh for the sake of being harsh. I think the show has some serious plot and writing issues that I think are worth pointing out.
Damn, I... really want to see this now. How come there's no one with a 3DS around me T_T
I have a good reason not to have one myself, yet.
How and There, This and That Ep.08
Probably the best thing to happen is allowing Lala Ru to finally say more than 2 words. Some plot clarification can do the body good.
I'm still baffled by how they
Probably the best thing to happen is allowing Lala Ru to finally say more than 2 words. Some plot clarification can do the body good.
I'm still baffled by how they
got rid of that pineapple monster monster. Oh, they didn't, it just killed its self.
Palutena's Revolting Dinner Pt. 2
Thank you, SHAFT, just thank you. I need to watch it again and make a running tally of how many different fetishes Palutena panders to in the span of three minutes.
I liked it, but I marathoned it all in a day and didn't really give myself time between each episode to critically appraise what was going on. From the beginning, I was probably expecting the show to forgo some level of believability in order to maximize the amount of tragic shit that they could put the characters, though.
Thank you, SHAFT, just thank you. I need to watch it again and make a running tally of how many different fetishes Palutena panders to in the span of three minutes.
I liked it, but I marathoned it all in a day and didn't really give myself time between each episode to critically appraise what was going on. From the beginning, I was probably expecting the show to forgo some level of believability in order to maximize the amount of tragic shit that they could put the characters, though.
Yeah I hated the OP, but man dat ED is really gorgeous. I still gotta catch up on this show too.
Pretty much how I watched NTHT as well. When you watch anime in this way you have less time to really think about what's wrong with it. I suppose if I watched it more carefully I might find things to nitpick more, but when I first viewed it, I glossed over the stupidity and just enjoyed it as dumb masochistic entertainment. I think that's how it should be viewed anyway.
Eh, unrealistic plot? You mean the premise we began with? It was unrealistic to begin with. I'm not sure what you're referring to here. The main plot wasn't a problem.
Yeah, that is really superficial then, and as I stated before, that sort of approach is not very indicative of the actual quality of the work. You may have had a point if you're talking about the visual narrative in relation to those visuals but you aren't. While you are entitled to appreciate a work however you want, that's equivalent to praising this season's Rinne no Lagrange entirely on the visuals, which doesn't say much for the poor drama that's been developing so far.
And you're also too forgiving. If a good ending is all that is needed to redeem a bad story for you, I think your priorities are misplaced regarding how to judge a story especially with how much the story started to meander after Episode 1.
The love triangle is one of the worst things about the show simply because of how shoehorned and underdeveloped it was. I can understand completely how appealing the idea of that dynamic would have been, but it was not executed well at all. It was a very lazy way to develop Tsuruko, a bad character arc for her, and her character became an afterthought because of it.
See this is my problem. I'm not telling you how you should be entertained. What made Ano Hana a bad show can be separated from how entertained you were. If you are entertained despite that, that's fine, but you being entertained isn't a good explanation for me on why the show worked for you if you don't recognize how it did. I can respect that kind of opinion, but it doesn't tell me enough about how Ano Hana was a good show outside of merely being entertained.
What. As ridiculous as Code Geass' plot got, it was very much a character driven story, and it did not forget this, which is more than I can say with Ano Hana. It's why Lelouch's character was so developed and brilliant. As "bad" as the writing was, it's also what defines Code Geass as being Code Geass. It wasn't bad per se. I'll even say Code Geass is a good anime as it succeeds at what it does despite the pacing issues of R2.
Dedication Through Light
Member
One Piece 111-116
I miss Believe already. The third OP, which I guess spoils two plot points, just isnt memorable even dubbed. The decision over some of the fights and time they gave is just baffling how do they give
I miss Believe already. The third OP, which I guess spoils two plot points, just isnt memorable even dubbed. The decision over some of the fights and time they gave is just baffling how do they give
Mrs. Merry Christmas, Mr 4 v Chopper and Ussop nearly three episodes yet Sanji and Bon-clay, not even one. Their fight was pretty epic even.
I was just thinking how the second OP Believe began as a Eurodance song, then Folder 5 Japanized it, followed by Funimation dubbing it BACK into English differently.
Maybe now some weeaboos will convert the english lyrics into Japanese and go deeper into the rabbit hole.
It's all about perspective. I expected to vomit, cry, and pass out. That didn't happen, so I guess it's not that bad. To say I'm disappointed would be an understatement.
The first episode is very different to the being of the manga, it’s directed and storyboard by konosuke uda (worked galaxy express 999 eternal fantasy and your beloved sailor moon), am not even sure how you got poorly written from that , there isn’t anything to be poorly written, it’s mostly luffy eating, laughing at cobys cowardice and beating up some goons asterix and obelix style.
It is a jarring episode toei thought good idea to start in the middle of chapter 2 to get straight to the action to show off his devil fruit powers, to be fair the first page of the manga beings with kid luffy
stabbing himself in the face to show how much of man his and not a little kid to his pirate friend shanks in hopes he would let him join his crew.
My impression was more like “wtf feels like random goofy cartoon”
I like this Folder 5 track better, it's from one piece jango's dance carnival special
hosannainexcelsis
Member
Finally caught up with Natsume S4. I'm disappointed that the second half of the season has been mostly focused on stories that aren't why I watch the series, and aren't what it does well anyway. The multi-episode arcs end up feeling aimless and without the emotional resonance and atmosphere that the episodic stories typically have. This season has been worth it for episode 4 and a few others, but I hope a fifth season doesn't happen. Besides the production issues that are still going on at Brains' Base, the manga appears to be going downhill. I appreciate that Midorikawa doesn't want Natsume to go stale, but she should have stopped the series before feeling the need to go outside her comfort zone.
Aoi Hana (complete)
A yuri show with class? Get the fuck out of here!
If I take out the yuri aspect of this show, it made a pretty damn good romance to watch, granted there were times where I wondered where the show was headed, and there was other times where the camera shots went a bit eh, but it was a very solid package overall.
Much like Ano Natsu while you do have your love triangles and the like, it charges straight through them no bs no misunderstandings, you have people who can't let go, people who keep trying despite failed constant attempts at unrequited love, people watching that unrequited love move onto other people (practically NTR all over the place), and how it affect their current relationship and with each aspect unveiled in a decent manner that keeps the show flowing.
The art looks like a pre-dated Wandering Son and when I say that, I mean it looks like Wandering Son, but with a lot less gloss/shine to everything.
If there was anything to fault with it, it was that there was little impact when the characters came out of the closet, literally no conflict on that front at all which would have been interesting to see someone as an antagonist of sorts for that theme, but I suppose you can only do so much with 11 episodes.
A yuri show with class? Get the fuck out of here!
If I take out the yuri aspect of this show, it made a pretty damn good romance to watch, granted there were times where I wondered where the show was headed, and there was other times where the camera shots went a bit eh, but it was a very solid package overall.
Much like Ano Natsu while you do have your love triangles and the like, it charges straight through them no bs no misunderstandings, you have people who can't let go, people who keep trying despite failed constant attempts at unrequited love, people watching that unrequited love move onto other people (practically NTR all over the place), and how it affect their current relationship and with each aspect unveiled in a decent manner that keeps the show flowing.
The art looks like a pre-dated Wandering Son and when I say that, I mean it looks like Wandering Son, but with a lot less gloss/shine to everything.
If there was anything to fault with it, it was that there was little impact when the characters came out of the closet, literally no conflict on that front at all which would have been interesting to see someone as an antagonist of sorts for that theme, but I suppose you can only do so much with 11 episodes.
Crash Station
Member
Gintama is an episodic gag series with a very loose continuity that can change at the drop of a hat depending on how Sorachi wants to troll in any given chapter/episode. The argument that the first few episodes aren't as good is all based on subjective qualifiers of humor.
One Piece on the other hand is akin to an epic with a massive world and overarching plot. The first few arcs don't give you a good idea of how rich the lore is, how intimidating the villains can be, how fleshed out the characters are, how dramatic the... drama is.
I really wouldn't compare the two (and no, I am not making a case for one being better than the other).
Dude, the anime had plot issues like last episode spoilers -
When Lalaru uses her pendant it uses a bit of her life, she reveals at some point that she's lived tens of thousands more years than Sis, when you take into the fact that she's been giving water to people who end up waging war on each other that implicates that she's been sprouting water fountains for tens of thousands of years, so then why does she "use up" all her life force in one go if she's got one ginormous life expectancy after generating millions maybe billions of gallons of water beforehand? If she outright said she was near the end of her cycle instead of "humans are turds" I would have bought the last scene alot more than I did.
Shu takes too many liberties in his plot armour to
He shat all over our plans, JOIN OUR ARMY, then he proceeds to fuck up the army's operations over and over and over again, and they let him back in for some reason, the whole "we're short on hands" is a useless excuse because he decreased their efficiency in recruiting more troops in a big way.
I was surprised when I learned of this I accidently stumbled upon it many moons ago.
firehawk12
Subete no aware
Aoi Hana is a more frustrating text than Hourou Musuko in that respect, if that's even possible.
Yeah... the
incest
And that teacher was very suave with his words. lol
Easy drama.
Wait, what? I thought this was supposed to be bad, AnimeGAF.
One Piece - Jaya/Skypiea Arcs (144-195)
It's weird, because it was actually FREAKING AWESOME.
In fact, it's so awesome that I can only list a few points in which Arabasta trumps Skypiea. They are:
- The main villain.
- The good girl.
- The fauna.
- The battles.
- The climax.
These are obviously important points - maybe even the most important points (not the fauna), but the truth is that Arabasta's strongest assets are only really shown on-screen during the second half of the arc, while Skypiea's also great in those aspects (although to a lesser extent) and blows Arabasta away in others that the viewers have to deal with throughout the entire arc.
Mainly...
- Backstory. Man, does Oda know how to create awesome backstories.
- The location.
- Robin.
- The ovearching conflit.
And then, we also have...
- The "preparations" episodes (and the first half).
- The setting of the decisive moments.
- New concepts.
- Funny moments,
- Epic moments,
I had a blast. Honestly. Can't wait to see what'll come up next now that the crew's back
It still annoys me that
, though, and I wonder if every arc from now on will go through the same route -
I mean, it's the third time in a row.
All this leads to my final point:
(Don't tell me.)
One Piece - Jaya/Skypiea Arcs (144-195)
It's weird, because it was actually FREAKING AWESOME.
In fact, it's so awesome that I can only list a few points in which Arabasta trumps Skypiea. They are:
- The main villain.
Despite being ridiculously overpowered with his Logia powers, Enel is never portrayed in a manner that makes him seem more menacing than Crocodile. He clearly is, though.
Vivi > Conis, although Conis actually gets shit done when she's supposed to.
The Southbirds, Pierre and Nola are cool (specially Nola), but they're not as cool as Eyelashes, Scissors, the Bananawanis, the Super Spot-Billed Ducks or the Kung-Fu Dudongs. Arabasta even has the awesome anime-only giant dung-roller bug.
There are many cool battle moments in Skypiea, but none that come close to the Usopp-Chopper duo's or Nami's battles in Alubarna, for example.
Ringing the Golden Bell with that asshole's body was awesome, but punching Crocodile through bedrock with dat Dvorak was awesomer.
These are obviously important points - maybe even the most important points (not the fauna), but the truth is that Arabasta's strongest assets are only really shown on-screen during the second half of the arc, while Skypiea's also great in those aspects (although to a lesser extent) and blows Arabasta away in others that the viewers have to deal with throughout the entire arc.
Mainly...
- Backstory. Man, does Oda know how to create awesome backstories.
Arabasta arc's backstory consists basically of Crocodile fucking the nation and Vivi being a great princess since she was a child. Meanwhile, Skypiea's backstory goes back to 400 years before present time and tells of the friendship between the awesome Montblanc Norland and Calgara. It's much more complex and entertaining.
Holy shit at Skypiea. Seriously. It feels like an endgame setting lost in the beginning of an RPG, haha. Arabasta's a desert island. Skypiea's a freaking winged-people kingdom set on top of the clouds in an ocean of white. Taking a break from the Grand Line felt pretty good. Maybe it's because this arc embraces fantasy without regrets that people don't like it so much? I wonder. I think it's awesome.
Arabasta has Miss All Sunday. Skypiea has freaking Robin. I just love her badassery and how she only calls Luffy by name. Also, she brought with her that whole Poneglyph thing, that seems like really serious business.
A 400 years old war between two completely different kinds of people set in the sky over some kind of "holy land" and a long-forgotten promise between friends who were set apart beats a rebellion led by that brat Kohza any day.
And then, we also have...
- The "preparations" episodes (and the first half).
You could say the events that directly lead up to Arabasta start inside Laboo, but that'd be kind of a stretch. Getting to know Vivi before reaching the desert was cool, but once they did reach it, it became kind of a bore. Of course, Ace's there, so there's that. But they just mostly walked around the dunes. Shit only started getting real when Crocodile "killed" Luffy and the others set out to Alubarna. In the Skypiea arc, shit got real in the very first set of episodes. The ship falling out from the sky, the huge turtle, those freaking giants (haha). And then the crew set out to Jaya and met that asshole Bellamy, that was hyped for a couple of episodes only to have his ass kicked out of the atmosphere by a single one of Luffy's regular punches (I guess bounties are like pirate power levels, haha). After that, we had the Knock-Up Stream, that amazing episode showing characters we probably won't see again for ages, and finally we got to know "sky island". A pretty sweet ride.
The Survival Game was great. Three different "factions" beating each other in Upper Yard. It even had cool face-offs like Zoro against characters who use weapons that aren't swords, Chopper's against one of the Priests, and Robin murdering the obese guy.
The different kinds of clouds and dials are pretty cool.
such as Luffy singing, Usopp using "Usopp Spell" and doing a backflip (bwahahaha), Sanji's Mellorine radar, Zoro "beating" the dog, and Enel's reaction to the revelation that he can't hit Luffy with his lightning.
such as Enel's crazy goal revelation, the Zoro/Robin/Gan Fall/Wiper challenge against Enel (although that didn't end well at all), Usopp and Sanji rescuing Nami from Maxim, and Luffy being incredibly intelligent using the Gomu Gomu no Hanabi against the wall to hit Enel and then doing the same with his hand inside the gold ball to break the Genki Dama.
I had a blast. Honestly. Can't wait to see what'll come up next now that the crew's back
to the real world, haha.
It still annoys me that
no one dies ever
they arrive > Luffy's incapacitated somehow > the others fight, kill minions, but are ultimately left hopeless > Luffy shows up and beats the main villain.
All this leads to my final point:
Who the the fuck fixed the Going Merry?
(Don't tell me.)
Dedication Through Light
Member
For Alabasta to have trumped Skypeia the animators must have really worked wonders, guess Ill see it eventually.
Oh and nice with the Luffy in the clouds, so cool.
Oh and nice with the Luffy in the clouds, so cool.
If you think alabasta better then skypiea you need to check yourself something wreck yourself
I read a ton of chapters the manga before realizing, there ain’t no yuri in this, it’s just girls being bff and strangely angst for their age.
I read a ton of chapters the manga before realizing, there ain’t no yuri in this, it’s just girls being bff and strangely angst for their age.
Brazil said:
Most of the Jumps are like that, unfortunately, and maybe even shounens in general (though I can't say I've watched/read enough to claim that yet). It works in that it makes the protagonist feel awesome, and that seems to work the audience better, ultimately, but at the expense of everyone else, and cheapens the narrative, imo.
When I posted my Arabasta impressions a couple of weeks ago multiple posters said I should "set my sights lower" for Skypiea. Crazy stuff, IMO.
Ice Lightning
Member
I am rewatching Fortune Arterial on Crunchyroll, if you are into such a series.
Also, I noticed it is Crunch-"Y"-roll and not Crunchroll.
The next major arc in One Piece after Skypiea isn't quite structured like that. Sure,
the final boss of any arc is always going to eventually fight Luffy
I think the girl is like a conduit to the viewer, or something. When the truth was revealed I felt just as confused and betrayed as she did.
I need to go watch some Lupin or something upbeat to cheer up.
Oh, of course,
but the fact that it still does fit a tight regiment at the end of the day creates predictability, and makes the world feel much less like something organic or independent, but an obvious product, imo. As much as I love Gintama, that's my big problem with it, and when I mean 'big,' I mean: it annoys the hell out of me, lol
-Minsc-
Member
Since I have Phoenix Wright on the brain,
the Phoenix Wright parody in Suzumiya (overlaid with PW music) for the few who've missed it.
Just for fun, the same scene with the Phoenix Wright sprites for comparison. It's interesting seeing how well they went to simulate the actions.
Edit:
the Phoenix Wright parody in Suzumiya (overlaid with PW music) for the few who've missed it.
Just for fun, the same scene with the Phoenix Wright sprites for comparison. It's interesting seeing how well they went to simulate the actions.
Edit:
It's no matter.
Was Fuse complicit in everything up until the end or led on himself? I've probably watched this a dozen times and I've never really been able to be sure due to how he reacts at the end.
Crash Station
Member
Glad you liked it. I figured it would be for the adventure portions if you did over the battles. Definitely a fantastic location.
I will say that the next canon arc (196-206 is filler) is almost universally considered bad-below average (by One Piece standards). Fortunately, it doesn't even last 20 episodes and the arc following it is arguably the best one in the series.
That's pretty neat, albeit simple. Is that from Disappearance?
I haven't watched Haruhi in a while so I don't remember this scene if I even saw it.
Nah, the PW parody is from the first season.
Shows you how long it's been since I last watched it :\
Is the Disappearance movie any good?
With the noitamina apparel store, you too can become that black rock thing.
Authentically flat mannequin not included.
Authentically flat mannequin not included.
Another 02:
I'm really loving the look of dilapidation that covers everything in the town. The school looks decades old, the hospital with its minimal lighting looks like it's barely hanging by a thread, and the
was suitably creepy with its austere, almost Soviet structure and covering of dead vines.
Totally not digging the
motif because it's so overused in horror, but it's a minor annoyance at worst. I'm sure that it ties into some kind of symbolism regarding
. Speaking of which,
? I don't think that I'm supposed to get what any of this means yet, so time to watch some more.
I'm really loving the look of dilapidation that covers everything in the town. The school looks decades old, the hospital with its minimal lighting looks like it's barely hanging by a thread, and the
doll store
Totally not digging the
doll
Misaki's "other half
Misaki's "other half" is dead too
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