What anime are you watching right now? May 2012

[ran1]

My expectations for Wolf Children were considerably tempered by Mark Schilling's review when it came out.

In fact based on initial reviews by 2ch.us and esp. review by aforementioned Mark Schilling plus the fact it was goddamn Okiura's first job as director since god tier Jin Roh I had much higher expectations for A Letter to Momo and since that turned into something of a letdown I don't know how high expectations I should set for Wolf Children.

Schilling's basing his entire criticism around Wolf Children's alleged "humanism". I mean, Kurosawa had his melodrama films, and they turned out alright. I don't foresee Summer Wars being eclipsed by the project, but with that luscious art style and slightly-more-down-to-earth narrative, it seems like there's room for Hosoda to work through what he's best at: romance.

I don't find Nadia all that interesting in terms of craft (in comparison to Anno's work afterwards or even Gunbuster though clearly it's very, very good for most part) but it has some obvious highlight episodes. If I had to name highlight eps from formal point of view I'm really fond of ep 22 (or whatever the excellent climax episode before the godawful island arc begin was) as well as the clever black and white (and blue) gambit in ep 35.

Yeah, I could respond to this with something like a response, but I'm just gonna leave this here

[Xard]

Schilling's basing his entire criticism around Wolf Children's alleged "humanism". I mean, Kurosawa had his melodrama films, and they turned out alright. I don't foresee Summer Wars being eclipsed by the project, but with that luscious art style and slightly-more-down-to-earth narrative, it seems like there's room for Hosoda to work through what he's best at: romance.

Don't get me wrong, I'm expecting it to be good film. But I'm quite doubtful it will rise above Momo it seemed to have more going for it from the beginning (and it is pretty good flick).

Then again, who knows.

Yeah, I could respond to this with something like a response, but I'm just gonna leave this here

but that thread doesn't discuss this at all :(

[chazthesilencer]

Higurashi Kira.

At least we got double the Nipah~

I am sure you have seen (Kokcon) Ep.13 by now...

Apologies for my slow opinions. I have to wait an extra week for crunchyroll to stream the latest episodes because I'm a cheap-skate, free user member.
I have alternatives, but I find that watching J-toons through legit streams/hard-media roughly increases one's appreciation for the show about 25%. I can be patient.
This might partially explain why I enjoyed the Utena movie but not Utena TV.

Thoughts on Nanoha StrikerS so far: Yellow panties.

[symbv]

Don't get me wrong, I'm expecting it to be good film. But I'm quite doubtful it will rise above Momo it seemed to have more going for it from the beginning (and it is pretty good flick).

Tell me when you have watched both, because I really want to gain some insights why, despite marketing effort and cinema distribution on similar level, Wolf Children managed to reap a box office over 10 TIMES that achieved by Letter to Momo.

[Hyper Shinchan]

At this point I can say, that although AO is a bit directionless I still enjoy it more than i ever have it's precursor.

Ara ara, what I'm reading here? Anyway I also finally watched it yesterday, great episode but I feel like they should start a whole new season from this point, seriously a whole new season about this motherfucker:

SPOILER: Show

But I also greatly enjoyed Naru in this episode, she was so cute:

SPOILER: Show

Now I should go back to Total Eclipse, the complete lack of anything resembling some battles left me lose two episodes or so. It also looks like they released the first BD, there was a topic about it on /m/.

[symbv]

Now I should go back to Total Eclipse, the complete lack of anything resembling some battles left me lose two episodes or so. It also looks like they released the first BD, there was a topic about it on /m/.

Battles are rare in TE. If you want to see something resembling battles, go to
- ep.3 (mecha vs mecha)
- ep.9, 13 and 14
Even BETA are not easy to find, besides ep. 9, 13 and 14, you can also check ep.12 for some BETA-chan.

[Hyper Shinchan]

^
Ah, you've also been following it, symbv? Like I said I lost only the last two episodes (episode 13 and 14), you say that there were some battles, I hope that they were animated decently, actually I hope that they were animated to begin with...

you can also check ep.12 for some BETA-chan.

I saw in some screenshots on /m/ yesterday that apparently there was also my BETA waifu in the last episode, Laser-tan:

SPOILER: Show

She's essentially a pair of testicles with huge eyes and a pair of beautiful legs, how can I not love her?

Unless I got somehow confused, I just quickly scrolled past the topic.

[symbv]

^
Ah, you've also been following it, symbv? Like I said I lost only the last two episodes (episode 13 and 14), you say that there were some battles, I hope that they were animated decently, actually I hope that they were animated to begin with...

Yeah, I have been following quite a large number of shows in the summer season. And I misunderstood when you said -- I thought you meant the first two episodes... Anyway, TE is a huge letdown not just because the sakuga (both the still art and the action animation) is substantially better in the first 2 episodes, but what was offered in the subsequent episodes in fact have Sub-Par sakuga. And then we have a story that often waded far away from battles, BETA, mecha or military. Currently I am following it by dint of inertia. The vol.1 of the BD went on sale yesterday. I would be interested to see how well it sells, although some predict the sales of vol.1 & 2 will be boosted by the bundling of a ticket to a luxury live event to be held in the famous Budokan hall.

[EvangelionFan]

Tell me when you have watched both, because I really want to gain some insights why, despite marketing effort and cinema distribution on similar level, Wolf Children managed to reap a box office over 10 TIMES that achieved by Letter to Momo.

I'm not sure why this is surprising to you. Mamoru Hosoda, having helmed the breakout film The Girl Who Leapt Through Time and the successful Summer Wars is more likely to draw cinema audiences to his new film based on the popular and critical reputation of those films. It is also worth considering the popularity of Yoshiyuki Sadamoto's character designs in these films to draw younger audiences.
I suppose one should also consider the release dates of the two films. A Letter to Momo was released on April 21, which would have been around the start of a school term. Wolf Children was released on July 21, and benefited from its holiday release as more children and students would have been able to see it.

[symbv]

I'm not sure why this is surprising to you.

I can see why Wolf gets a better box office than Momo, but OVER 10 TIMES with similar level of marketing and number of cinemas showing it? One was deemed a really bad flop and one is breaking record, why? Just the timing of release or the fame of Hosoda cannot explain all this. The two share quite a lot of similarities -- a grow-up tale, fantasy in a contemporary real life world, protagonist moving from city to countryside, but their fate is like heaven and hell.

I am not surprised by the relative success of Wolf Children over Letter to Momo but why the gap is so huge.

[Hyper Shinchan]

Yeah, I have been following quite a large number of shows in the summer season.

You remind me a friend in RL, I can hardly follow more than two or three series instead.

Anyway, TE is a huge letdown not just because the sakuga (both the still art and the action animation) is substantially better in the first 2 episodes, but what was offered in the subsequent episodes in fact have Sub-Par sakuga.

Well, yeah. Initially I couldn't stand all the whining about those first two episodes, they were supposed to be only a mere introduction to Muv-Luv's setting for people who weren't familiar with the VN, Izumi Noto on /m/ was particularly annoying, but after the beach episodes I started getting progressively disappointed by the complete lack of action in comparison to what they showed in those introductory episodes, when they rarely showed TSFs they were almost always just standing there without doing anything; in retrospect I actually preferred the beach episodes, at least there was the good old combination of tits and butts which has never completely disappointed any anime fan.

[symbv]

You remind me a friend in RL, I can hardly follow more than two or three series instead.

I followed 15 shows last season (I wrote my very rough impression of them here. While I have followed 15 series (or more) before, the summer season is the first time I actually followed all of them in real time and never having missed a single episode.

in retrospect I actually preferred the beach episodes, at least there was the good old combination of tits and butts which has never completely disappointed any anime fan.

You may already know I am not a particular fan of mecha or alien battles, so the beach episodes are fine to me. However, even judged on its own term, those episodes still disappoint because at the end we see mainly two girls' tits and butts, and all the talks in those episodes managed only to confuse more -- I still don't know what made Takamura having such a crush over Yuya and what happened to Chryska in the sea or on the island. In fact I think I enjoy the OP and the ED most -- I particularly like the epic feel of the ED.

[Hyper Shinchan]

I followed 15 shows last season

Dang! This friend of mine apparently starts watching almost every show at the beginning of each season but I understand that he progressively drops them along the way.

You may already know I am not a particular fan of mecha or alien battles, so the beach episodes are fine to me.

I'm a big fan of mecha but I consider beach episodes a tradition of modern anime.

However, even judged on its own term, those episodes still disappoint because at the end we see mainly two girls' tits and butts, and all the talks in those episodes managed only to confuse more -- I still don't know what made Takamura having such a crush over Yuya and what happened to Chryska in the sea or on the island.

We saw some quite good tits and butts, I seriously started questioning my believes in Cryska, Rei clones in general and the Party when I saw this.
About the confusion caused by those two beach episodes, I'm really not sure about Yui but I guess that she put her eyes on Yuuya since the beginning because she saw him as a fellow Japanese even if he refuses to admit it; the thing about the sea and the Scarlet Twins was left quite vague but they kinda explained it later if I remember correctly, [the weird relation of these Espers with the sea was actually also present in the original Muv-Luv, Kasumi mentioned that she never saw it during her life, bad commies don't even give some recreational activities to their child soldiers, so cliché.

[CJD]

I followed 15 shows last season (I wrote my very rough impression of them here. While I have followed 15 series (or more) before, the summer season is the first time I actually followed all of them in real time and never having missed a single episode.

15 shows and I'm still the only Horizonbro here.

[symbv]

Dang! This friend of mine apparently starts watching almost every show at the beginning of each season but I understand that he progressively drops them along the way.

The only show that I seriously considered dropping is Boku-H and it was only at a late stage (ep.10 I think). All the others I found enough elements that appeals to me so that I would keep watching.

About the confusion caused by those two beach episodes, I'm really not sure about Yui but I guess that she put her eyes on Yuuya since the beginning because she saw him as a fellow Japanese even if he refuses to admit it; the thing about the sea and the Scarlet Twins was left quite vague but they kinda explained it later if I remember correctly, [the weird relation of these Espers with the sea was actually also present in the original Muv-Luv,

So you read/played the original Muv-Luv too?

Perhaps I should treat the relationship between Yui and Yuuya the same way I treat the relationship between Kirito and Asuna in SAO, that despite the insufficient development, we are supposed to believe that something really clicked between the two and it is not a fleeting emotion for them.

As for the explanation of the Scarlet Twins, you mean it is explained in the novel? Because in the anime I really do not see much of an explanation. The unexpected weakness of Chryska facing the bully in the Kamchatka base is never explained. I still do not understand in what circumstances Chryska would behave differently from her cold self.

15 shows and I'm still the only Horizonbro here.

I thought there are others in EGF who followed Horizon? In fact I meant to watch Horizon but after missing the first few episodes I decided that I should come back later for the show. Time passed and having missed the first season there is no way I could start the second season given the complexity of the characters and the plot.

[CJD]

I thought there are others in EGF who followed Horizon? In fact I meant to watch Horizon but after missing the first few episodes I decided that I should come back later for the show. Time passed and having missed the first season there is no way I could start the second season given the complexity of the characters and the plot.

If there are they haven't come out of the woodwork. I just assumed the character designs and complexity of the plot and setting turned people off. Didn't help the way Sunrise formatted the first three episodes either, even if I can totally understand why they did it the way they did.

I can't blame you for not watching season 2 if you haven't seen season 1 though, especially not with this show.

[Fireball]

From the New World

First episode was quite intriguing and atmospheric. The visuals really set the mood. Great autumnal ED too.


K

Lol what is plot? Because all you need is bishis and sakuga!


Mobile Suit Gundam SEED episode 1-25

and then they fucked

So far, despite the countless flashbacks and derpy art this is actually decent.

Saw Patlabor The Movie 3...

SPOILER: Show

Well, how bad was it?

[Azathoth]

So Shinsekai Yori is pretty fucking good

jojo  SPOILER: Show

eta: also me irl.jpg

[Fireball]

YESYESYESYES

Holy glamour Batman, this turned out better than I expected.

[CJD]

SAO 14

SPOILER: Show

Did this arc feel rushed to anyone else? The pacing just seemed really off. Maybe it's because so little time was spent on the actual MMO aspects? I would have liked if, rather than end on floor 75 or whatever, it would have continued up to 100. Could expand more on what happened on all the floors we skipped (presumably because "nothing interesting happened") and, obviously, what happens from 76-100. Ah, but here I go again talking about SAO as if the stories about the game and not the romance. Maybe I should read the LN, maybe it'll feel better since apparently more time is spent on the game.

Anyway, other than the fact that it felt rushed and the fact that Kayaba's motive was ridiculous at best, nonexistent at worse (What, are we supposed to infer that he locked people in the game to simulate real world conditions in his fantasy setting? If so, good idea but I feel like I'm reading too much into it and the author just copped out.), I actually enjoyed this episode. For the first time in like 5 episodes it gave me that feeling of "I want more" that I got during the first 6 or 7 episodes.

I just hope they don't spend too much time on Kirito in the real world. One episode is fine but 2 will be pushing it. Hopefully once they get back into a game that wonder will come back.

Oh, and can someone tell me what the deal way back in the cave was about kiting the boss to NPC's? Kirito was all like "They're more than just NPC's!" and I assumed that was a story point that would be explained later but it never was. What was up with that, do they not respawn?