What anime are you watching right now? Apr-Sep 11

[symbv]

Japanese reviewers are subjective, but they also tend to look at it from more angles as you said, which gives a broader sense of objectivity, but strips away the more personal connection that leads to why Western reviewers tend to rant about things they dislike.

Actually I find Japanese reviews to show more personal connections. For western reviews all I sense is that they try to look objective but at the same time fill the words with intense personal feeling and emotion (which is often very negative).

We don't have a large community of professional anime reviewers in The West, we have a bunch of people on the internet bitching about what they do and don't like. Which is both good and bad; it's good because people tend to reflect on how the work impacted them giving a very personal and subjective review, and it's bad because they tend to nitpick on minor things instead of trying to approach it from a broader viewpoint.

I am not even talking about the professional anime reviewers in Japan. I am only talking about blog reviews in Japan. Professional anime reviewers like Uno or Azuma tend to apply sociology theory or group psychology theory to really analyze an anime. They can get really bland and mind-boggling but I am not talking about that. I am trying to compare the equivalent -- blogs reviews in Japan and blog reviews in the west. The blog reviews in Japan differ from the professional reviews not just on the level of eloquence it is also the depth and focus (more on the art, animation, seiyuu etc instead of how it reflects the zeitgeist or the current generation etc)

[DevRei17]

@symbv I completely see where your coming from. I just felt the need to defend his style of reviews since that's kind of his thing. Indeed, mileage does very.

[Tarnsman]

I am trying to compare the equivalent -- blogs reviews in Japan and blog reviews in the west.

If that's the case, then I agree. I thought you were talking about the dry prose of professional reviewing vs a bunch of Westerners bitching about someone thing they don't like on the internet. The sentiment towards Western desire for "quality" anime still stands, it comes down to "stop disliking what I like/stop liking what I dislike". As for why someone would force themselves to sit through something simply to bitch about it, I do it because it's not fair to criticize a work if I didn't see it in its entirety. Many things have rough patches that once you get through it, the work improves.

[symbv]

Thanks Tarnsman for explaining. With so many anime titles available (thanks to Internet) I just hope that westerners can focus more on watching anime to have a good time instead of slaving on it like some assignments so as to look more expert to the wider community. For film reviews at least I can understand that when one spends money and takes the trouble to drive to the cinema to watch the stuff he may feel like saying more words (particularly if the movie is not good) -- such reason would not exist in anime (as most stream or download anyway), and unlike a film which may cost a person 2 hours or so (more if driving time is added), a tv series is more than 6 hours at least.

[DevRei17]

With so many anime titles available (thanks to Internet) I just hope that westerners can focus more on watching anime to have a good time instead of slaving on it like some assignments so as to look more expert to the wider community.

This! I never understand why some anime fans feel the need to have watch a show they obviously have no interest in. Like there obligated to for a job or something.

[C.A.P.]

You know, this would make a really good thread.

[BrikHaus]

I've never heard of Rossmaning before today. I could hardly get through his review of Summer Wars, it was so inane. It reminds me of something shitty, yet awesome. I know! It's like Awesomely Shitty-lite.

[DevRei17]

I've never heard of Rossmaning before today. I could hardly get through his review of Summer Wars, it was so inane. It reminds me of something shitty, yet awesome. I know! It's like Awesomely Shitty-lite.

You should see his Gunbuster/Diebuster review (Heh heh heh.)

[soul.assassin]

Thanks Tarnsman for explaining. With so many anime titles available (thanks to Internet) I just hope that westerners can focus more on watching anime to have a good time instead of slaving on it like some assignments so as to look more expert to the wider community.

You hit the nail on its head. Like any form of visual arts, I watch anime just for entertainment, but I shook my head at some fans who take their the whole hobby all too seriously by watching almost everything (there was this annoying, snobby Greek otaku at MAL who claimed to have watched tons of titles that I wonder if his sanity is intact); they're not having fun at all -- they're engaged in "serious business".

Later tonight, I'll watch some Bakemono and Madoka, and then Eva 2.22 tomorrow; I need to refocus for my Eva fanfic writing after getting fixated on Macross Frontier for too long.

[IrkenEvangelion]

Steins;Gate gets a HOLY SHIT! this week.

SPOILER: Show

The Part-time Warrior better save their ass and then have one of them preform a time leap. Although I'm thinking that all that is needed is for one of them to use the Phone Microwave v.2. However, they have a limited time frame, too much happens to explain over a text message. EDIT: Now that I'm thinking.. if they take the Phone Microwave it won't be connected to CERN and so they can't use the LHC to compress the memories..
I figured the villain was going to be Shining Finger since the previous episode when she asked if the time machine had been destroyed yet.
It's interesting to see that they can slow down time. Although I'm sure that MAY be a little easier than a physical time machine.

[Defectron]

Steins;Gate gets a HOLY SHIT! this week.

Oh no Mayuri!

But yes, this looks like its going to be good, they couldn't wrap this up in just another episode? Maybe there will be another season coming.

[child of Lilith]

The show is getting a full 24 or 26 episodes.

[Defectron]

The show is getting a full 24 or 26 episodes.

FUCK YEAH! Out of all the series that have aired this year this one deserves to have a double batch the most!

[soul.assassin]

Steins;Gate gets a HOLY SHIT! this week.

SPOILER: Show

The Part-time Warrior better save their ass and then have one of them preform a time leap. Although I'm thinking that all that is needed is for one of them to use the Phone Microwave v.2. However, they have a limited time frame, too much happens to explain over a text message. EDIT: Now that I'm thinking.. if they take the Phone Microwave it won't be connected to CERN and so they can't use the LHC to compress the memories..
I figured the villain was going to be Shining Finger since the previous episode when she asked if the time machine had been destroyed yet.
It's interesting to see that they can slow down time. Although I'm sure that MAY be a little easier than a physical time machine.

Shit, I'd better grab this.

[IrkenEvangelion]

The show is getting a full 24 or 26 episodes.

Close! There will be a full 24 episodes and then a bonus episode on the last BD disc.

^ Yes you should. This is the best show this season with only Nichijou coming close (but not even comparable). I need to learn Japanese so I can play the game... was just recently released for PSP.

[Obstermaxmaster]

Tiger and Bunny episode 12 was intense. I really want to see what happens next!

[Hyper Shinchan]

Except that no toy makers seriously wanted that shit for its wackyness and VF-1 has rather lenghty, complicated development history.

What does that mean? It doesn't change that they were *trying* to sell them to toy producers.

Wait, what does this even have to do with anything? Mechas being toys is just as obvious as anime girls getting turned into doujin fodder sooner or later.

Not really, mecha anime are quite often specifically done to sell toys, anime girls will be turned into doujin fodder only if they're popular enough, mecha toys will be released no matter what (at least during/after the airing).

VFs are gorgeous but not even the magnificent Hidetaka Tenjin could turn Basara's fugly bird into anything remotely awesome. And of course it looks even worse in the show.

It's a completely regular VF-19 except for the head, the interface and the speaker pods (and similar "weapons"), in fighter and battroid mode you can't really tell it apart from the regular VF-19A/YF-19. I don't understand how it could be that ugly compared to the regular design...

and suddenly Pop Chaser looks less interesting and much more questionable in my eyes

Yeah, like Evangelion, Macross Zero and probably another bunch of titles that I've appreciated and you've appreciated...
Anyway did you watch it?

Regarding Gasaraki, I've watched episode 4 and 5 of Gasaraki and I'm looking forward to episode 5 since basically these two episodes were a huge set up for this one. The battle of episode 4 was exhilarating, in real life there are excesses like the bloodshed called "Operation Anaconda" or even worse "operations" conducted during the Vietnam war, but in that episode both sides were basically playing war, I wonder if Gasaraki will keep being so "politically correct" regarding this matter (it wasn't really politically correct so far considering what happened to the Minister of Justice).

[Oz]

I'm gone only for a week and whenever I lurked this thread via my iPhone I found lots of weird stuff posted here. Macross angst, Summer Wars angst, what's next?

[InstrumentalityOne]

^
Last episode of Ano Hana.

[Xard]

Rossman's review was sore disappointment and pretty horrible. The immature swearing, raving and ranting about minor things did nothing good for review's whole picture, which was quite contentless beyond the "I didn't like characters" part. Shame really, because I was genuinely hoping for good negative review. That wasn't.

I still stand by my opinion that the drama was extremely forced though. Emotional manipulation is my biggest pet peeve in film. I couldn't help but roll my eyes at the letter scene. As Brik has said in his assessment of Gunbuster (I'm reapplying it to Summer Wars): "It's crybaby bait."

Well, I love Gunbuster.

With so many anime titles available (thanks to Internet) I just hope that westerners can focus more on watching anime to have a good time instead of slaving on it like some assignments so as to look more expert to the wider community.

I watch anime just so I can bitch about it - it's means to an end.

What does that mean? It doesn't change that they were *trying* to sell them to toy producers.

Not really, mecha anime are quite often specifically done to sell toys

you speak as if I didn't just recently try to get this into TDSA's skull in other thread. Yes I know this, so what? What does it have to do with anything? (I just pointed out that mech transforming into three different forms was not something toy makers exactly approved of initially but they went with it anyway so it's not like VFs design elements were simply decided in order to sell toys, Kawamori came up with VF long before any such plans. They're not Transformers, in other words. Apt comparison because Kawamori also initially designed Optimus Prime and that was ment to be toy first of all. Of course I'm not denying importance of toy business overall, arguably the reason why any mecha animation has been traditionally funded and created)

It's a completely regular VF-19 except for the head, the interface and the speaker pods (and similar "weapons"), in fighter and battroid mode you can't really tell it apart from the regular VF-19A/YF-19. I don't understand how it could be that ugly compared to the regular design...

Yeah, if it would only stay in GERWALK or fighter mode... the head ruins everything and the colouring is stupid and cartoonish. Don't get me even started on retarded speaker pod bullshit. Though they do make Basara even bigger ham than he already is, which says a lot.

This is how it's supposed to look like

SPOILER: Show

Yeah, like Evangelion, Macross Zero and probably another bunch of titles that I've appreciated and you've appreciated...

That's like saying to conservative catholic that he can approve of my decision to get abortion because we agree on taste of some ice cream (

and no I didn't watch Pop Chaser yet.

I'm gone only for a week and whenever I lurked this thread via my iPhone I found lots of weird stuff posted here. Macross angst, Summer Wars angst, what's next?

Pointless posts like this^