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

[soul.assassin]

Fuck, Mangle.

Seriously, let's move on to the next big thing.

[Xard]

FOR REALS? He said that? lol

As long as you trust Animeigo liner notes (which trace Kawamori comments to "Nanda, Mamoru (1983) Best Hit Series: The Super Dimension Fortress Macross: Macross Graffiti, Akita Shoten, Tokyo") for final episode yeah he did:

SPOILER: Show

Originally, the creators wanted to end the series with the launch of the SDF-2 and the newly-wed Ichijo Misa in her new captain's uniform. Mechanical designer Miyatake Kazutaka and character designer Mikimoto Haruhiko even drew new designs appropriate for the occasion. Unfortunately, the sequence was never animated. The creators finally got the chance to redesign and animate the SDF-2 Megaroad launch (along with the Minmay Sayonara Concert that was planned but canceled for the "Do You Remember Love?" movie ending) four years later. The conclusion of Hikaru, Misa, and Minmay's story appears in the 1987 music video "The Super Dimension Fortress Macross: Flash Back 2012."

Kawamori Shoji says Hikaru finally makes his long-awaited choice -- between Misa and her colonization mission, or Minmay and a life away from the military. Even though Minmay has matured much in the past two years, Hikaru chooses Misa because he is no longer ruled by "fleeting emotions." Still, to Kawamori, the three characters represent equally important aspects of the new human race. "Minmay is 'the side of humanity which creates culture' while [Hikaru] and Misa are 'the side of humanity which protects culture.'"

Of course there's question of how to interprept this. I don't think Kawamori ment that Hikaru had no feelings for Misa (which clearly isn't the case, Misa started to draw him away from Minmay pretty early on on subconscious level as seen in that mindfuck 17 and he exhibits strong affection for her through the late series, despite his moments of douchiness) or anything like that.

In my opinion Kawamori ment Hikaru's lingering longing for Minmay with the "fleeting emotions" part and if left to his own devices Hikaru would endlessly vacillate between Misa and Minmay. But because Hikaru has finally grown up he can recognize his remaining attraction to Minmay for what it is, juvenile unfullfilled fantasy from years before he knows could never actually work as they're too different and Minmay still doesn't really understand him. His relationship and connection with Misa is much more grounded on every level and going with her would not require throwing his identity away like with Minmay.

So it's the moments like when Minmay kisses him in ep 35 etc. what he is referring to. On those moments Hikaru clearly goes "what IF after all" but they're just that, fleeting moments without any deeper basis. Recognizing this is one sign of Hikaru finally growing up to a man worthy of Misa.


For the record, DYRL is much more romanticized take on the love triangle if you think about it. There Hikaru clearly chooses Misa based purely on his feelings and he has no lingering feelings left for Minmay when she returns. There's also less fucked up personality issues and co-dependence to boot

SPOILER: Show

Personally I think it can be considered a "mature" or "immature" ending depending on how you look at it... how you interpret it. Indeed the choice between the possible ending scenarios shouldn't even have to be a binary. I mean, Death, for example, could happen. :p

As for the whole "true love through the years and faraway" angle, really, it could be argued that it can be more difficult to tolerate and love your chosen grumpy guy on a daily basis as he chops off enemy heads and scratches his butt while belting out war-cries than it is to be in love with a faraway fantasy... :p

SPOILER: Show

Well, the point is easier to see when in the tv series finale the day is saved by POWER OF LOVE. When Dornkirk whithers away he muses aloud whether such fleeting moment of affection between weak human beings could really be any sort of long-term solution. By proving their love can last through different dimensions and different times Hitomi and Van are ment to be kind of positive reply to Dornkirk about commitment and everlasting love.

Kind of extreme version of ending of Whisper of the Heart, really

So yeah, thematically it was only way to "answer" Dornkirk's challenge. Plus Hitomi belongs to Eartha anyway on all continuities so it can't be helped.

Whether on level of individuals it makes much sense doesn't matter, I see the ending as kind of similar to shit Yui pulls at the end of EoE for sake of themes

Oh well. In the end the one thing that matters about Escaflowne is this. That rest was good too was a bonus

And that klutzy tsundere imouto... The whole episode was all over the place in terms of tone and mood, mainly due to her baleful influence after shit started to go down.

I think I shall wait to hear whether it picks up down the line.

Well, the second episode was better but that's not saying much. The soundtrack is ridiculously ill-fitting to boot.

I fear Xard has been exposed to too many lolis in recent years -- put Shiba with the girls from Team Warrior, and she'd get the Lina Inverse treatment.

oh c'mon!


There Is No Way My Milk Jugs Are This Big!

Even Misato is no match to this!

- There's not much QUALITY, but there's not much animation either.

lolSHAFT


******


especially if it's a grenade

Finished Teki wa Kaizoku! / Enemy's the Pirates!

...yeah I think the OP sets the mood for series pretty well (holy lol dat 80s hair rock, that they kept repeating it in episodes again and again started to get seriously nervewrecking with later episodes)

Even light novel adaptations were "different" in the 80s - realm of moe moe this ain't. Now I've seen all kinds of madness in anime over the years



but surely this is the first time when bad guys's plan for world domination is essentially to turn all habitants of solar system into cats. Oh, and by "habitants" I don't only mean humans and animals: super computers and starships with AI count too

If it somehow isn't obvious this was one of the zaniest and craziest anime I've seen in a while. Crazy, hyperactive and never slowing down - it's pacing was wack and not all action and jokes were exactly A-class but taken as a whole the experience was certainly worth it. In general it had nice action, nice LOLWUT, nice comedy, nice asshole cat.

Not bad for OVA boom crap, certainly.

The six episode OVA feels like a smaller story within larger serial though, so I guess the OVAs stopped selling after ep 6 and no more was made because the good guys never even meet the Big Bad through the series...

6/10

watch it if you like baseball and cats

[Tarnsman]

There Is No Way My Milk Jugs Are This Big!

That's not even remotely close to the extreme of anime breast size, and that's not even counting hentai where they can get big enough for stuff like nipple-fisting. She has porn star tits, hardly large enough to detract from the show. They're not even bigger than her head.

Edit: And it's not like Japanese women can't have large natural tits. (It's a Wikipedia article, not a link to a porn site, although it is about a porn star - still SFW)

[LiLi]

Just watched ep. 2 of No.6... Wow, that went by fast!

I haven't read the novels but I can easily believe that Rat was created by a female author... :3

I just wonder whether it would have worked better had they ditched the "cutesy looks" a bit...

SPOILER: Show

For the record, DYRL is much more romanticized take on the love triangle if you think about it.

My thoughts as well. It left me with that impression even several years ago when I first saw it...

Thanks for sauce.

[soul.assassin]

Had Sacred Seven 1 and 2 as a midnight snack. Generic at first, but one has to peel off a few layers before you realize it took several elements from other shows and put them together in one package.

Would like to see where this tale will go.



Oh, for Xard:



KIRA! With MORE BLING!

[Twin Drive Sigma Aquarion]

Rule #X of The Internet: If it is known enough there is moe version it (usually with Ranka Lee), no exceptions except for Gamujado.

Anyway, I am now up to episode 21 in the original Tekkaman, tomorrow I intend to marathon through the last five episodes to finish it. Maybe it'll end well, maybe it won't, either way after this series I'll have to finish the second half of God Mars.

[Dr. Nick]

@ chazthesilencer:

SPOILER: Show

These were made by Shaft, after XEBEC’s TV series and shortly before their own.

Derp, looks like I failed miserably in trying to summarize the production order. So it goes like this:

- XEBEC makes their QUALITY adaptation.
- Shaft makes an OVA sequel to XEBEC's show.
- Shaft makes their own adaptation.
- Shaft makes even more sequel OVAs set in the XEBEC continuity.

Currently available on Amazon for £14. WHY HAVEN’T YOU BOUGHT IT YET!?

It's one of Funimation's worst sub jobs. Subbed insert songs, weirdly emphasized honorifics, clutter all around. Well, it's not like there's a good quality fansubs available either, so you're fucked either way.

that list of negatives you provided are the same things I would list as the show’s positives

Actually, that wasn't a list of negatives. It was a list of things what I understood it did differently compared to XEBEC's version. Sorry if I didn't make that adequately clear.

I thought it was a good thing they created an anime-original plot, since the source material consists of a nearly constant barrage of scenes that cannot be animated with a TV budget. I don't know how they handled the Mahora Festival story arc in XEBEC's version, but I doubt it involved twelve robot monsters and kung-fu fighting on top of a zeppelin. Neither had I any problem with the mascot animals. It's not like their skits were any worse than the rest, and as characters they were actually relevant to the plot.

I can enjoy cliched and nonsensical plots quite easily (after all, I'm a big fan of Magic Users Club), but here the plot and the comedy bits just didn't mesh, IMO. That was my one and only major complaint.

Finished Teki wa Kaizoku! / Enemy's the Pirates!

Mindfuck moment of the day. Apparently the guy the wrote the original light novels also wrote Yukikaze, which in turn spawned a very humorless, brooding scifi anime.

[thewayneiac]

I don't know how they handled the Mahora Festival story arc in XEBEC's version, but I doubt it involved twelve robot monsters and kung-fu fighting on top of a zeppelin.

They didn't handle it at all. XEBEC's version only makes it through Vol. 06 of the Manga (the end of the Kyoto Arc) before going straight to their made-up ending.

To me, the biggest flaws in the first series, beyond the low budget, were:

1. They spent about 20 episodes on the preliminary chapters that introduced the characters, and then ended the thing when the real plot had barely started. If I remember right, (I haven't seen it for a few years), they didn't even bother to introduce Kotaro since they were planning on making up their own ending.

2. The anime-only ending. They really should have just left it open-ended instead of making up an ending that gave Asuna a backstory radically different from the Manga.

I haven't actually seen the latest batch of OVAs, but if, as I've heard, they ignore the XEBEC ending and revert to Asuna's real backstory, wouldn't it be more accurate to say that they are in the manga continuity rather than the XEBEC continuity? (Of course, since I haven't seen them I might have heard wrong.)

[Xard]

That's not even remotely close to the extreme of anime breast size, and that's not even counting hentai where they can get big enough for stuff like nipple-fisting. She has porn star tits, hardly large enough to detract from the show. They're not even bigger than her head.

looks about size of her head to me :P

and yeah they're no Obari tits or anything, it's not that much a issue but you have to admit those are big. Tines seemed to imply they're not. Oh well, I've got used to them by now.

My thoughts as well. It left me with that impression even several years ago when I first saw it...

I find this rather interesting because overall in terms of mood and content DYRL is in my opinion clearly darker than the mother series (this is reflected by the dark and somewhat claustrophobic art direction too). The pattern of lighter series vs. more serious films/OVAs seem to hold overall too, excluding all things 7. Then again, this might just be the effect of series getting extended and need for additional drama caused by that. The triangle is pretty much in same situation in end of ep 27 as it is end of DYRL with Hikaru not (seemingly) caring about Minmay anymore and being all chummy with Misa.

say onii-chan, how come you haven't familiarized yourself with penguins yet? ;___;

Had Sacred Seven 1 and 2 as a midnight snack. Generic at first, but one has to peel off a few layers before you realize it took several elements from other shows and put them together in one package.

Would like to see where this tale will go.

Overall SS is generic as hell but I enjoy it. It has enough weird strokes (Onigawari's physical 2ch emoticon spam, MCs absolutely ridiculous motocomp, the bizarre obsession with stones like that loldeep stones discussion in ep 2 that culminated in MC's enlightening "I want to become a stone" comment wtf ) to balance the worst of the cliches and in general it's kind of show I haven't watched in ages and as far as action shows go it's already much better than the crapfest that was Index II was.

Oh, for Xard:

Well, in this case that was inevitable indeed

@Dr. Nick: would you recommend Yukikaze? Just interested by virtue of seeing just how different it is...

[soul.assassin]

Few more things I noticed there on S7:

* The Engrish in Episode 2 was lolderp as usual (they should've hired a pair of expats to do the speaking instead).
* MC "saving" Ruri was too reminiscent of MF Episode 2.
* They haven't seen the inside of a C-17 Globemaster cargo plane, but they used a jeep instead of a Humvee.

Of course, what a private army full of maids.

[Xard]

* The Engrish in Episode 2 was lolderp as usual (they should've hired a pair of expats to do the speaking instead).

oh damn I forgot to mention it in my summer anime topic post... that was hysterical

Funny thing is for once there wasn't any blatant errors in the text they read but eventually the pronounciation ended up in "Kaji" territory...talk about effort wasted

* MC "saving" Ruri was too reminiscent of MF Episode 2.

Well, there's Ranka voice but apart from that it was more Eureka Seven with the whole hoverboard business and end was pretty HHHNNNGGGH. Visually impressive sequence though, I can feel the rage of Tiger & Bunny fans as they must suffer with QUALITY while Sunrise throws shittons of money into... this thing

oh and don't even try to tell me this wasn't intentional  SPOILER: Show

and if that isn't enough



>she wants to fuck

Arma better get the loli by the end of the series or I'm going to be very, very disappoint

Penguindrum episode 2 was hilarious and awesome (I love those penguins so much ) and Bunny Drop ep 2 was great too. Yay

[Twin Drive Sigma Aquarion]

And I thought Xard would comment on my joke internet rule. Dang.

[Xard]

Well after stuff like this there isn't much to comment and it's questionable if you can call it "joke rule"


yes, I went there - again

[Merridian]

@Dr. Nick: would you recommend Yukikaze? Just interested by virtue of seeing just how different it is...

if you thought Blue Sub No 6 was bad... oh boy

I wouldn't recommend it. There weren't enough aerial action sequences to be worth putting up with the GRIM and DARK and SERIOUS angst.

[LiLi]

Just watched Blood-Holic, the Adventures of Girl Watanuki... I mean, Blood-C ep.2.

Still feels weird with weird pacing and weird characterization but I found it more entertaining than ep.1.

SPOILER: Show

Knowing CLAMP, I am suspicious of whatever is going on between Saya's Father and that Fay(as in Fay D. Flourite)-type Fumito guy. Also. Saya reminds me of myself in some pretty annoying ways. =.=

say onii-chan, how come you haven't familiarized yourself with penguins yet? ;___;

Been busybusybusy but thanks for reminding me lolimouto... I shall do so right now! :3

DYRL
I guess shorter running time of movie wouldn't allow for much more complicated Triangle Subplot? Still, development in-movieverse annoyed me to no end back then... =.=

Yukikaze

TBH I want Xard to watch this and then review it... for my own selfish amusement.

:EDIT: PENGUINS ARE GO! (Watched Penguins 1 and 2 this morning... )

Wonderful little thing, I very much enjoyed indeed! It felt a bit like Ikuhara's take on the Lady Georgie Scenario - where Kanba would be Abel and Shoma would be Arthur. Definitely feel Mr.Ikuhara's all-encompassing touch in this show - although it was far easier to follow than I had expected (maybe because I live suspension of disbelief on a daily basis? :p).

I also remembered that I still need to finish Star Driver so I picked it up where I had left, more or less (ep.17).

Next I want to check out Natsume Yuujinchou San (I liked the first two seasons...)

[User-iel]

@LiLI *ahem* [voiceacting.as.Skipper]Good job, higher mammal![/voiceacting.as.Skipper] Penguins! It could only get better if they have a crossover episode with Ika Musume, amirite? But SZS STRATEGY was a fun choice to copy.

Blood C - Hmm. What's in the coffee... I'll hold off further notions for at least the next episode, but it seems clear that a 'what if' AU is being applied to the concept of Chiropterans this time. In a way, the trend seems to be near to the concept from NGE; 'humans' with extra-human form. Yes, laugh when I become wrong, please.


@Xard Never seen Yukikaze? Well, it sure will help to deepen your love of moe. This is fairly opposite. I guess the base material is high school graduation anxiety? Use a background of hyperspacial Pearl Harbor / Vietnam commemoration. And maybe the main character and his ride are ... sort of an item. Oh, I must have mistaken their obvious espirt d'cor, brotherhood in arms, ect. This is an odd one.

@Merridian I would like to second your review, but with the personal perception that the imbalance isn't lack of 'action', but lack of 'plot advancement' and 'emotional reference.' Too bad, this sort of Sci-Fi shouldn't be so hard. I guess trying to mix portions of "Apocalypse Now" into it was a bridge too far.

[Mr. Tines]

@Xard
Yukikaze is notable for having a character called Rei who makes Ayanami-san look like an in-yer-face extrovert.

And on the subject of top-heavy anime girls, I was using a mid-90s ecchi action/comedy series as comparison; one of the early series I picked up when getting into anime (BurnUp W, and Excess), and thus a sort of benchmark for what constitutes a big girl.

[LiLi]

^Now I really want to re-watch Yukikaze... *twitchtwitch*

Oh, I almost forgot: planning to go see Kokurikozaka kara during this extended week-end!

[Oz]

Oh, I almost forgot: planning to go see Kokurikozaka kara during this extended week-end!

Jelly! Will Goro fail again or is this going to be his first triumph?

[Xard]

yes, I went there - again

Speaking of which, does anyone have link to Mami Mogu Mogu? I can't find it anymore :(

if you thought Blue Sub No 6 was bad... oh boy

I wouldn't recommend it. There weren't enough aerial action sequences to be worth putting up with the GRIM and DARK and SERIOUS angst.

Well, it's not like grimdarkness was my problem with Blue Sub No 6...

DYRL
I guess shorter running time of movie wouldn't allow for much more complicated Triangle Subplot?

Well, more like they didn't have to drag it on...

TBH I want Xard to watch this and then review it... for my own selfish amusement.

That really doesn't tell me a lot about the quality of the work or even reason why my review would so amuse you...

@Xard Never seen Yukikaze? Well, it sure will help to deepen your love of moe. This is fairly opposite. I guess the base material is high school graduation anxiety? Use a background of hyperspacial Pearl Harbor / Vietnam commemoration. And maybe the main character and his ride are ... sort of an item. Oh, I must have mistaken their obvious espirt d'cor, brotherhood in arms, ect. This is an odd one.

Guhhhhhhhh the word salad it's overpowering... what

I'm really starting to feel like I must do something about this

"it sure will help to deepen your love of moe"

stuff... I'm really omnivorous with anime, nearly only stuff I can't handle are fanservice harem shows and endless battle shounens. Grimdark serious business EVERYTHING IS GRAY series are no problem to me per se. I think Texhnolyze is great, for example. I have nothing against moe and enjoy it, but it's not like I'll ever watch a work JUST for moe. It's just another element that can be good or bad thing.

@Xard
Yukikaze is notable for having a character called Rei who makes Ayanami-san look like an in-yer-face extrovert.

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