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Winter Anime 2015 |OT| ZA WARUDO is not square!

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Does anyone know where to watch Sanzoku no Musume Ronja, the Ghibli anime? Can't seem to find it anywhere.

Any western distributor picking it up?

It's actually made by Polygon Pictures; Ghibli merely helped with pre-production. And no, it hasn't been licensed by any Western company.

This sentence honestly sums up my feelings on this show so far. There's so little truly auteur-driven work in TV anime that I can forgive a lot of faults if it feels like something unique that's the vision of one particular weird dude, even if it's a very flawed vision. Also why I like Yuasa so much.

I respect that opinion, certainly it's interesting to watch people with unique artistic visions, but at the same time I'll respect a artist more if it feels like he's actually making things for others to enjoy rather than making something solely for himself. Art is something that should be shared, something that should ideally enrich the lives of its audience in some way. Yuasa is actually a good example of someone who has refined his craft over the years and developed from the latter kind of artist into the former - from Mind Game to Tatami and Ping Pong you can see his works gradually becoming more coherent and more successful at conveying their messages. That's why Yuasa is among the few top anime directors I greatly respect.
 

Tenumi

Banned
Yuri Bear Storm: 01

That was... something. I don't know. Words escape me.

Sure, I'll watch some more. Sometimes the weird ones can be the most fun to watch.
 
It has been a while since I've seen Wing, but when I was watching Zeta recently, I really did notice that it never overemphasized the Gundam's strength compared to the enemy. Probably because it almost always fought alongside allied units instead of solo-ing entire bases by itself.

One dude nearly flattened a whole base (55% of it, IIRC) before his bullets ended and a plot point happened.

And IMO G-Reco is not bad, just weird. Raraiya
just started acting like she was healed/fine in one of the last episodes and for one moment I thought I had lost a dozen episodes while I was travelling.

Though even that cannot explain how
she survived being that high in the first episodes.

Wing might be a bit bad but at least they explain what's happening (at least until the part that I've watched).
 
Parasyte - 13

Hahahaha. This episode was really ... something.

Ignoring that not much in the way of anything significant actually "happened" here I can't help but laugh at some of the absurdly presented scenes. Murano reflects on the fact that Protagonist is so calm despite what he went through in the previous episode and she has a flashback of him saving her in the school as another point in which Protagonist was unusually calm. Except the footage they used to reflect that was him jumping out of a goddamn 2 story window, sprinting across the field, and jumping over a huge fence. Like what? That's the only thing that you found odd about that memory? Not him temporarily becoming superman and not having broken multiple bones in his body in that process? Granted, it's probably just a way of reusing animated footage from that scene but fuck, I lol'd.

They establish that Protagonist has super senses and can't hear the detective sneaking up on him in the middle of the night? Fine, whatever, that in and of itself wasn't a dealbreaker for me but at the point where Shinichi hears the guys breathing outside, sees him from his goddamn balcony, and doesn't do shit as the guy slowly hobbles away? What? There's not a single way he could have just fucking jumped/climbed down and caught up with him to clear the air or at least get some information? They were fucking establishing how they knew absolutely nothing about the guy and how he was such a threat to their well being and you do absolutely nothing to potentially resolve that issue before it got out of hand? And that's ignoring the fucking detective in and of himself, why the hell would you go back to a place where a goddamn murderous morphing hand was just about to wreck your shit? What the fuck?

I dunno, a very strange episode for sure. Definitely a fumble in my eyes.
 

Lafiel

と呼ぶがよい
I respect that opinion, certainly it's interesting to watch people with unique artistic visions, but at the same time I'll respect a artist more if it feels like he's actually making things for others to enjoy rather than making something solely for himself. Art is something that should be shared, something that should ideally enrich the lives of its audience in some way. Yuasa is actually a good example of someone who has refined his craft over the years and developed from the latter kind of artist into the former - from Mind Game to Tatami and Ping Pong you can see his works gradually becoming more coherent and more successful at conveying their messages. That's why Yuasa is among the few top anime directors I greatly respect.
But - Ping Pong is not interesting compared to his previous work. My favorite Yuasa projects would be ones that would be considered his least-accessible i.e Mind Game and Kaiba.

But that's just my opinion I guess. :p
 

Hamst3r

Member
But - Ping Pong is not interesting compared to his previous work. My favorite Yuasa projects would be ones that would be considered his least-accessible i.e Mind Game and Kaiba.

But that's just my opinion I guess. :p

I found Ping Pong to be plenty interesting. Mind Game is indeed amazing, but why compare Ping Pong to Mind Game? I don't think either benefit from the comparison. They're different shows, with different goals, they just happen to both be Yuasa projects.
 
Heero and Relena's relationship reminds me vaguely of....Twilight.

1269362898270.gif
 
Parasyte 13

Telling a crying baby to shut up and having it stop crying is one of the most useful powers of all time.

Is next episode
where Tamura Ryoko uses the baby as a shield? I'm going to lose my shit when that happens
 

Jarmel

Banned
Devil Testament-1
ibghFa1nTDwJC3.png


i860g0kf56xwi.png

Literally the scene right after he assaults her. I love this show.
Absolutely amazing on multiple levels. We have a rape symbolism, cowgirl position, blowjob position, 'accidental falling', naked apron joke all in the span of five minutes. What's truly incredible is that the girl who is assaulted in the bathroom, decides to wake the main character up by jumping on top of him with her panties showing, right before digging through his crotch. I was howling.

The best part though is when the dad
leaves
. That double reversal is fucking legendary.
The girls actually try to be con artists and it turned out that they picked the wrong marks. "Magic wuts dat? Sike bitch, I'm a hero. Now get the fuck out."
#dead#dead#dead

We even get some of that Production IMS QUALITY already. I haven't seen Yuri Kuma yet but this was by far the best opening episode I've seen this season.
 
Got curious and checked out Kancolle.

Was treated to some awful CG and a new recruit having a hard on for the archer chick.

And not the one voiced by Yuka.

Now I want to steer clear from anything else using that name.
 

PK Gaming

Member
Re: Ikuhara

Is Penguindrum worth watching? I've heard some conflicting things about the anime, but I wonder if it's ultimately worth checking out.

I'm definitely going to watch Utena when I can. (Though 39 episodes + a movie... jeeeez)
 

Shard

XBLAnnoyance
The Testament of Sister New Devil Episode 1:

Nope, nope, nope, nope, nope, nope, nope, nope, nope, nope, so much nope, all of the nope, dropped like it was on fire.
 
Devil Testament-1

Absolutely amazing on multiple levels. We have a rape symbolism, cowgirl position, blowjob position, 'accidental falling', naked apron joke all in the span of five minutes. What's truly incredible is that the girl who is assaulted in the bathroom, decides to wake the main character up by jumping on top of him with her panties showing, right before digging through his crotch. I was howling.

The best part though is when the dad
leaves
. That double reversal is fucking legendary.
The girls actually try to be con artists and it turned out that they picked the wrong marks. "Magic wuts dat? Sike bitch, I'm a hero. Now get the fuck out."
#dead#dead#dead

We even get some of that Production IMS QUALITY already. I haven't seen Yuri Kuma yet but this was by far the best opening episode I've seen this season.

The Testament of Sister New Devil Episode 1:

Nope, nope, nope, nope, nope, nope, nope, nope, nope, nope, so much nope, all of the nope, dropped like it was on fire.


Now I'm curious about this and Kancolle that everybody is watching.
 
Just finished watching Hyouka. Not sure why I let it sit in my backlog for so long but I guess it was because the art looked too much like K-On which I had marathoned through back then. Anyway I really liked it, good school slice of life with a nice set of characters (chitanda's "im curious" and Fukube's defeatist attitude were annoying sometimes and Irisu senpai should've played a bigger role). Didn't know it was more of a detective show, there were some good mysteries tho not all were as fine towards the end. (but don't watch the show for serious mystery solving, they're trivial)

Also Hyouka is one of the best looking animes I've seen, it's so gorgeous at times with lots of background detail. Quality of animation was near movie quality, must've cost a ton per episode.

Yeah it was a fun watch, and a pretty watch too.
Dem eyebrows alone were so detailed.
 

Quasar

Member
Kantai Collection 1 - Naah. Not for me. seems that the girls and military vehicles subgenre does not work for me (with the exception of Arpeggio). This one in concept is just a wee bit too silly for me.

Shinmai Maou no Testament 1 - Pretty bland presentation of a manga series I found pretty boring.

Off to a good start. Of the 4 shows tried, 3 are dropped after episode 1, and one is on the fence (it gets one more episode).
 

Shard

XBLAnnoyance
Kantai Collection 1 - Naah. Not for me. seems that the girls and military vehicles subgenre does not work for me (with the exception of Arpeggio). This one in concept is just a wee bit too silly for me.

Shinmai Maou no Testament 1 - Pretty bland presentation of a manga series I found pretty boring.

Off to a good start. Of the 4 shows tried, 3 are dropped after episode 1, and one is on the fence (it gets one more episode).

Sounds like the Winter Season to me.
 

Theonik

Member
Re: Ikuhara

Is Penguindrum worth watching? I've heard some conflicting things about the anime, but I wonder if it's ultimately worth checking out.

I'm definitely going to watch Utena when I can. (Though 39 episodes + a movie... jeeeez)
Good show marred by some production issues, you can watch it but ymmv.
Do watch Utena though. Worth every bit of your attention.
 

Shard

XBLAnnoyance
Well I'd have to go back but this seems worse, and I don't really hold with the theory that particular seasons are much worse than others.

Traditionally this is the season where "weaker" series get dumped because they would be obliterated by better material or so the reasoning goes. The line up thus far hasn't been terrible, but mostly 50 shades of bland grey.
 
Gundam Wing

Relena's secret... Does that mean she is
Zech's sister? I think I heard somebody call him that name. But that does not make any sense, it would mean that Zech is also adopted.

supernatural-mouths-open.gif


Wait, the blond dude's surname is Winner? Seriously? And the spiky dude is like "I don't have a name, but you can call me XXX XXX, because, you know, it's not like that's a name..."
 
Shinmai Maou no Testament - 01

kZJ9QBJ.gif


Nah but this wasn't very interesting to me. However I didn't expect that sudden change, and the next one, and the one after that. Unless the majority of the shows sucks I'm gonna pick this up from my vault of shame.
 

Mature

Member
Devil Testament-1

Absolutely amazing on multiple levels. We have a rape symbolism, cowgirl position, blowjob position, 'accidental falling', naked apron joke all in the span of five minutes. What's truly incredible is that the girl who is assaulted in the bathroom, decides to wake the main character up by jumping on top of him with her panties showing, right before digging through his crotch. I was howling.

The best part though is when the dad
leaves
. That double reversal is fucking legendary.
The girls actually try to be con artists and it turned out that they picked the wrong marks. "Magic wuts dat? Sike bitch, I'm a hero. Now get the fuck out."
#dead#dead#dead

We even get some of that Production IMS QUALITY already. I haven't seen Yuri Kuma yet but this was by far the best opening episode I've seen this season.
What is that otherworldly object attached to the wall.
 

Shard

XBLAnnoyance
Kantai Collection: KanColle Episode 1:

Animation has apparently decided that the one called SDBurton must die by joygasm. That being said, another standard introduction episode to a premise that should be more interesting then it currently is but still too early to give it a pass. I guess the girls couldn't actually BE the ships since Arpeggio already took that premise. Not exactly sure how this is going to play out but a thus far a breakout hit of quality on the level of Wrath of Bahamut: Genesis this is not.
 
Kancolle 01


As someone who played the game and has followed this franchise this is easily my second most looked forward to anime of the season and it certainly didn't disappoint. Loved the fact it got right into the battles in a hurry rather than just spending a lot of time introducing the girls and showing them being cute and such. Girl's personality seems to have been handled well too, glad they didn't seem to change any on that front.

Faries operating the planes is an interesting choice and one that makes sense to me though I wonder if it'll ever get into where exactly the faries come from. The girls being equipped at launch is also a choice I'm ok though I was thinking maybe they'd just have their weapons and armor just appear on them. I wonder if there will be any explanation about why the Abyssal base had shields whereas the ship girls take direct damage whenever they're attacked.

End all be all, great first episode looking forward to more.


~wan wan
 

sonicmj1

Member
Kantai Collection 1

This was awful. It has nothing to offer to people who aren't already fans of the original material, and after watching this, I have no idea why those people exist.

The worldbuilding is incredibly thin, and the characterization is even worse. Maybe the fleet girls outside of Third Torpedo have some excuse (I think Kaga has two lines, and the second is a repetition of the first), but even most of the main group are less than paper-thin. Like Sendai. She likes night battles. And?

ibwzXfhybRtNDY.jpg
i5Zj3vIRVMi0.jpg

Oh wait, there's nothing else.

It's an incredibly cynical show, trying to offer moe for everyone by just saturating the cast with every single type they can think of at its very shallowest. The lengths the show goes through to hide the Admiral's face (such as making the secretary ship command the battles) makes its charade even more transparent.

If I never watch another episode of this, it'll be too soon.
 

Thoraxes

Member
I respect that opinion, certainly it's interesting to watch people with unique artistic visions, but at the same time I'll respect a artist more if it feels like he's actually making things for others to enjoy rather than making something solely for himself. Art is something that should be shared, something that should ideally enrich the lives of its audience in some way.
It's weird because I feel the opposite. I enjoy seeing someone's vision in the most direct form, without any compromise for audience. And that goes for all forms of art too. I always think of it as a challenge to see if I can interpret the expressions being conveyed to me, and through attempting to understand I learn more and widen my tastes to things I may not have considered before.

I know I originally found 20th century music to be obtuse and was frustrated that it was mostly created for those "in the know" but once I truly learned what was going on, I became part of the club so to speak. I gained an immense appreciation for the artistry going on and loved that they did it for themselves first. It's why I've done extensive study on lots of composers like Babbitt and Feldman.

Edit: That isn't to say I don't like other works that conform either; I have an appreciation for both, obviously.
Neither of us is really right or wrong in this situation, it's just each of our preferences :D
 

Quasar

Member
Traditionally this is the season where "weaker" series get dumped because they would be obliterated by better material or so the reasoning goes. The line up thus far hasn't been terrible, but mostly 50 shades of bland grey.

People say that, but looking back to last winter for instance there's like 10 shows I liked (though Winter '12 had like 6 shows I'd say I liked, and '11 had maybe 4). This season from here looks like there maybe 5 shows I imagine I'll watch more than one episode of. Part of it of course is there 10 less shows this winter than there was last winter.
 
Shinmai Maou no Testament 01


I'll just say this. This anime's visual quality is offensively bad when you compare it to the LN's godlike artwork. I'd post it but my head would be on a fucking platter. I'll still watch it though because tits and ass.


~wan
 
It's weird because I feel the opposite. I enjoy seeing someone's vision in the most direct form, without any compromise for audience. And that goes for all forms of art too. I always think of it as a challenge to see if I can interpret the expressions being conveyed to me, and through attempting to understand I learn more and widen my tastes to things I may not have considered before.

I know I originally found 20th century music to be obtuse and was frustrated that it was mostly created for those "in the know" but once I truly learned what was going on, I became part of the club so to speak. I gained an immense appreciation for the artistry going on and loved that they did it for themselves first. It's why I've done extensive study on lots of composers like Babbitt and Feldman.

Edit: That isn't to say I don't like other works that conform either; I have an appreciation for both, obviously :D

I know Babbitt and those of his ilk view music as some sort of scientific research that should be locked away in an ivory tower for academics to ponder upon in abstraction, but I just can't sympathize with that view. I think art is about expressing something, and to express something you need to speak in a language your audience can grasp. Which is not to say I'm against works that challenge an audience - Messiaen is my second-favorite composer after all, and he's not a simplistic crowd-pleaser by any means - but I think there ideally should be an honest intent to communicate on the part of the artist and an honest intent to understand on the part of the audience. Only then can the conditions for the realization of the ultimate purpose of art arise.

Perhaps some of my perspective is influenced by me being a performer as opposed to a composer/director/writer/etc. A performer is nothing if he doesn't have an audience to perform to.
 

PK Gaming

Member
Tsuritama 2


A nice, low-key episode. It looks like all of the major characters have been introduced now. I'm guessing this will end up being a coming of age story for Yuki. I definitely feel for the poor guy, anxiety sucks.

As an aside, Haru totally reminds me of Teddie from Persona 4. The resemblance is uncanny!

Good show marred by some production issues, you can watch it but ymmv.
Do watch Utena though. Worth every bit of your attention.

Ah, good to hear. I'll add it to my backlog then.
 

Shard

XBLAnnoyance
I'll be honest, don't really get the mentality of watching T&A fests in the age of the internet, indeed, I think this is why certain anime titles have gone off the rails with the preversion.
 

Midonin

Member
@FUNimation
FUNimation has acquired the rights for Maria the Virgin Witch for our Winter 2015 Simulcast!
Alright, cool.

Funi really has most of the shows almost everyone's watching this season. As far as Sunday stuff goes, I can see Yatterman ending up with CR. Still waiting on CR to announce Happy Cooking, since they very likely have it.
 
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