What anime are you watching right now? Summer 2014

Old sticky threads from different subfora are preserved here for easy reference

Moderators: Rebuild/OT Moderators, Board Staff

Stan
Tabris
Tabris
User avatar
Age: 29
Posts: 964
Joined: May 15, 2011
Location: Canada

Postby Stan » Sun Apr 05, 2015 4:20 pm

View Original PostGiji Shinka wrote:Nagato Yuki-chan no shoushitsu Ep. 1
I'll never get used to shy Yuki.


Kyon will make the show for me...and he seems to be for the most part the same. Also, did you hear that new remix of the soundtrack!

robersora
Laissez-faire in Moderation
Laissez-faire in Moderation
User avatar
Age: 32
Posts: 4437
Joined: May 17, 2011
Location: Europe, Austria
Gender: Male

Postby robersora » Sun Apr 05, 2015 4:29 pm

^
To me those movies were all about their atmosphere. At the time I was watching them, I couldn't have cared less for the actual story. :lol:
2Q||3.33 _ 神殺しを行う
Decadent Stoned Slacker Socialist

Ray
Elder God
Elder God
User avatar
Posts: 5660
Joined: Feb 10, 2014
Location: Somewhere

Postby Ray » Sun Apr 05, 2015 11:20 pm

Xard's gonna cook me in my own shell for this. :bigeyes:

Super Dimension Fortress Macross (Suparu Dimenshuran Furuturess Macurosu)

Image

As much as I love my Evangelions, my Rahxephons, my Gunbusters, and my Gundam Wings, there is always a risk of Giant Robot shows starting to take themselves a bit too seriously. It's important to remember your roots and why you fell in love with the genre to begin with, and it wasn't because of nihilistic introspection, or ever escalating stakes, it was because you liked seeing giant robot's fighting aliens.

I've been watching this, and I've been loving it. It's a delightful bit of eighties cheese, with a generous side of the romantic comedy that has come to define the Macross Mythos.
Ordinarily I would gush all over the retro-futuristic 1980's vision of the future, but I think I pretty much covered this when I talked about Gunbuster. Though I will say you can definitely see the influence of Star Wars on this, which makes sense since it's from the same era.

The music in this is surprisingly good, even without the Idol-centric plot line which at the point in the series I'm currently at apparently hasn't happened yet. But I have heard "My Boyfriend Is A Pilot' hidden in the musical cues here and there, so I'm sure it'll come up. So far though? The score wouldn't be out of place in an Connery Era James Bond movie. Especially the bad guys theme, which isn't the typical downbeat theme you'd expect it to be, it's a jazzy trumpet blare right out of Goldfinger. I also really like how there is little footage reused or looped animation. Since this was an eighties anime, I expected it. But I came away pleasantly suprised. Not only is it still good, but I'd say the animation in this holds up, and is even better than a lot of nineties anime.
The plot, while straightforward, is done well. You have the typical giant robot mech setup thats come to define the Macross Formula, our typical male hero (Hikaru), gets caught up in events bigger than himself, meets a potential girlfriend in the process, makes friends by joining the military etc. you can definitely see Frontier took quite a few of its cues from this, and parts of it are genuinely funny, not in a cheesy 1980's ironic way either, genuinely funny!


Image

This scene isn't one of them.


It's also really nice seeing everything the characters in Frontier reference as history actually happen. The start of the Human-Zentradi Conflict, Lynn Minmay's rise to stardom, and my personal favorite the humble origins of the Nyan-Nyan chain of Chinese Hooter's style Restaurant's.

Nyan Nyan Then:
SPOILER: Show

Image

Nyan Nyan now:
SPOILER: Show


Image


I also really like how for an anime of it's time, the bad guys themselves aren't even really all that 'bad'. They aren't here to take over the planet and enslave the human race like other alien species. They're military men who are trying to retrieve a piece of special military technology that's fallen into human hands. It just so happens what they're sent to retrieve happens to be the Macross. That's a believable, understandable motive! Not entirely unempathic or outright 'evil', although I'm only around episode ten and we aren't really given enough time to get to know these guys, so you really have to empathize with.

Having said that, it's certainly not without flaws. Mostly plotholes, and stretches of disbelief that are at home more in eighties anime than our modern day plothole abhorring post internet world.
Y'see in Frontier it made a semblence of sense for the interior of the spaceship to resemble an earth city and have things like restaurants, schools, taxi cabs and paved streets because it was a Colony ship designed to sustain an entire civilization for generations at a time.

But in Macross G1? The townsfolk rebuilding their entire town inside of a military ship following them being brought into space in the span of two weeks . . kind've stretches my suspension of disbelief somewhat. Also, I don't care how good the fallout shelters of the city were, there's no way the entire population of the city could have possibly survived being warped out into the cold vacuum of space like that. (I'd spoiler that, but it happens in the first two episodes and sets up the rest of the series.)

But again, I kind've have to keep reminding myself. It's not that kind of Anime, it's meant to be played for fun, not for grim gritty realism.

Also, the pacing could be better. It's a lot more episodic with self contained standalone storylines, than other incarnations of Macross that have a less episodic and more overarching story. . . but again, eighties.

and the Characters. . . Oy. Again, I want to be nice since it was the eighties. (repeat the mantra Ray!) But they're all really stock characters. Well done stock characters but still stock characters. Hikaru, the main cardboard cutout audience self insert dude, with few defining traits. Yeesh, I thought Alto in the Frontier series was dull, but this guy wins the white bread award. He's a pilot, he's a soldier, but he's just not interesting! I'm sorry but he's not! With the exception of Isamu in Macross Plus, there seems to be a serious lack of interesting male leads in the Macross franchise.
I mean, maybe it's unfair to compare the two, but. . . Isamu is a hotshot pilot, has been put back into rivalry with an old friend. Womanizes, likes to prove he's better than the competition, has problems but deflects and deals with his issues with comedy. He doesn't take things too seriously, has personality and is just generally a fun person watch and to be around. That's engaging!

Hikaru is a good pilot, chivalrous, but doesn't have much emotional range or anything interesting to his character outside of him fighting in the fight scenes, and his relationship with Minmay. But aside from that, he has little backstory, and is all around just boring and not very compelling as a male lead. He'd be played in the film adaptation by Orlando Bloom, or Keanu Reeves. Someone women find attractive, and men find badass, but I just find not to be very interesting. Of course, as I've stated, it was the eighties and we hadn't yet come to expect that kind of emotional range from our characters.

Fortunately, Lynn Minmay does balance the emotional range of the show a little bit . . . but. Again, I don't wanna diss, and maybe it's because she's been overhyped in the mythos and among fans. But she's a bit of a Mary Sue. She's not overtly perfect, she does have a bit of an emotional breakdown at the start of the show. But she doesn't get much development beyond that. I'll keep going through the series. The rest of the characters are pretty much your standard Macross crew, the captain, his bridge bunnies, the military friends who don't have much character aside from their one note action movie types. At least not till later in the show. . . .hopefully.

But I've said my piece, at the end of the day. Do I like and enjoy SDF Macross? Yes. Is it better than Plus or Frontier? In my humble opinion, No. But that's not the shows fault, again it's not meant to be taken seriously, it's meant to be fun first and foremost.

My opinion? 80's style anime at it's finest. As well as it's cheesiest, and most enjoyable.

Now all thats left is to find Macross 7 and see what Xard had a conniption about.
Last edited by Ray on Sun Apr 05, 2015 11:55 pm, edited 4 times in total.

Sailor Star Dust
Kept you waiting, huh?
Kept you waiting, huh?
User avatar
Age: 38
Posts: 23063
Joined: Aug 13, 2006
Location: 私の中いる自分の心
Gender: Female

Postby Sailor Star Dust » Sun Apr 05, 2015 11:24 pm

Uh, I watched Robotech (lots of it in 90's, probably even 80's reruns without remembering), though I have seen a few random episodes of Macross, including DYRL. -o-; All the more reason to properly check that (and Go Lion "Voltron") out, huh?
~Take care of yourself, I need you~

Alaska Slim
Frigus Ignoramus
Frigus Ignoramus
User avatar
Posts: 5013
Joined: Oct 08, 2007
Location: The Land Up Over
Gender: Male

Cyclops end his Journey (and gouges his eye out). BP

Postby Alaska Slim » Mon Apr 06, 2015 2:59 am

Aldnoah Zero Season 2 Final Episode

Image
"Uh, pardon, but why are you smiling?"
"Kuku, Because now, I'LL get the magical robot eye!"

The series sort of coasted to the finish, the biggest waves were already made in the previous Episode with the Princess moving against Slaine. In this episode...
SPOILER: Show
Slaine's plans just fall apart because of that move (given that all of his legitimacy had been riding on "her" support), and he attempts suicide first by exploding castle, then by Terminator Mecha pilot.

With him taken out (not dead, because the Princess asked Eye-patch to save him) things are pretty well wrapped up, with the loose thread left in that some orbital knights still occupy areas of the Earth (no named ones though).


So to sum up the series: Aldnoah Zero is a mixed bag of reward and frustration. You get some pretty good if not cathartic action, mixed with head-scratching moments by the characters that, in hind sight, can feel like complete stumbling blocks. It was consistently entertaining for me throughout though, because I bought into the hook of "Xantos Gambitz(!)", and it being a (not) Gundam Real Robot show meant I didn't know straight away just where the story would head, which kept it somewhat interesting. I sort of wish the series had done more of the gambits, but at the same time I can see why doing that constantly would have become rather stale. The rest of the show though, sadly, isn't much to phone home about.

Story wise AZ isn't terrible, so much as simply thin and hollow. It just becomes abundantly clear that there were plenty of the subplots, character tales, and world-building actions the series had hinted at in season 1 that could have been the narrative meat on the bones, something that could have given weight and context to even some of the more perturbing moments, but instead suffered from not having explored much of any of it by or in season 2. To fix it, I'd quite honestly sign onto this:

Aldnoah.Zero should really have been a 50-episode series. No, really. We’re supposed to see Inaho go from being a kid to a veteran soldier. We’re supposed to learn why he’s the way that he is. We’re supposed to resolve Koichiro and Rayet’s issues much more organically (Rayet’s story seems to have dropped off the face of the planet). When Inaho had gone down, at the midpoint of the story, we’re supposed to have spent some significant time without him so that we really appreciate his absence (if such a thing is even possible). We’re supposed to see more of Asseylum’s time on Earth, how she cherishes the blue planet, and desires peace. Hell, we’re supposed to learn a goddamn thing about Vers and its supposedly oppressed underclass. We’re supposed to see how Earth has honestly suffered from a war against its own brothers and sisters from another planet.

And like I’ve written in a previous post, we’re supposed to have intimately followed Slaine’s rise from second-class citizen, to an inspiring revolutionary Vers political leader, to his now subsequent fall as a man doomed by his tragic love for the symbol of a woman that he has created in his own head. And of course, with all the different barons and counts and whatnot, there should have been some serious struggle for power in the background. Sadly, I feel like even something like Final Fantasy Tactics did this shit better than Aldnoah.Zero. Point is, after forty or so episode, we’re supposed to finally arrive at this moment when Inaho heroically saves his princess. When condensed into such a short series, none of it really resonates. It’s like reading the Cliff’s Notes to some epic story.


In short, Aldnoah Zero feels like hints to a better story that may have have arrived given time. I wouldn't liken it to the train wrecks of Valrave or Code Geass as AZ is quite detached from the high school drama of both (The latter equally with all the time in the world, still couldn't stop being batsh*t insane). Character drama doesn't seem so much over the top!, as simply stale, or not developed enough. The show would consistently *hint* at interesting turns, provocative character decisions, only to subvert them immediately for, I suspect, simply not having the time to go down those paths.

In terms of story, AZ is likely mediocre (although given its genre-subtyping, I'm not sure relative to what), but it isn't the bottom of the barrel. In terms of Real Robot action, I'd say it's pretty top knotch, and that's all I really wanted from it anyway.

I'm not sure if I want a season 3, but I wouldn't despise them for doing so, and if they do, I hope they finally give themselves the space to let the world and its characters come more into their own.
"Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing." - 1 Thessalonians 5:11

"It is one of the blessings of old friends that you can afford to be stupid with them." -Ralph Waldo Emerson

"God is in his Heaven, and free men walk upon the Earth" - Rev. Robert Sirico, President of the Acton Institute

robersora
Laissez-faire in Moderation
Laissez-faire in Moderation
User avatar
Age: 32
Posts: 4437
Joined: May 17, 2011
Location: Europe, Austria
Gender: Male

Postby robersora » Mon Apr 06, 2015 4:01 am

The Disappearance of Yuki Nagato-chan: I couldn't make it through the first Episode. There is nothing left what I liked about the original. Beautiful visuals, though.
Owari no Seraph: Man, this tries hard being the edgiest of the edgiest. I couldn't take it seriously, but I guess, this'll be a big hit. Again, beautiful visuals.
Plastic Memories: It was not bad, but I really can't stand over the top "and now cry" series. Not for me, but for people who like being sad while watching something, go for it.

Those series where pretty much as not for me as I thought they'd be. The only series I'm really sad about being sucky is Blood Blockade Battlefront; but I'll be giving this show another two Episodes. Still waiting for the new Lupin and Digimon series.
Last edited by robersora on Mon Apr 06, 2015 3:24 pm, edited 1 time in total.
2Q||3.33 _ 神殺しを行う
Decadent Stoned Slacker Socialist

Azathoth
Angel
Angel
User avatar
Posts: 3495
Joined: Dec 08, 2009
Location: somewhere under noctis labyrinthus

Postby Azathoth » Mon Apr 06, 2015 2:41 pm

Heroic Legend of Arslan: Kept my expectations low for this one and I have to say the muddy CG battle to start out pretty much justified my worries. Especially when you compare this to the surreal, impressionistic battle sequence that kicks off the OVA. But I'll stick with it for now, it's not the prettiest show I've ever seen but goodlooking enough and has that highfalutin Tanaka writing alright. Really nice ED too.
Nothing is so valuable that it need not be started afresh, nothing is so rich that it need not be enriched constantly.

Reichu
Admin Emeritus
Admin Emeritus
Posts: 24046
Joined: Aug 21, 2004
Location: Sailing for the white shores
Gender: Female
Contact:

Postby Reichu » Mon Apr 06, 2015 5:31 pm

Nice to see you again, Azathoth.
さらば、全てのEvaGeeks。
「滅びの運命は新生の喜びでもある」
Departure Message | The Arqa Apocrypha: An Evangelion Analysis Blog

Souther
Embryo
User avatar
Age: 40
Posts: 27
Joined: Aug 19, 2014
Location: S. America
Gender: Male

Re: Cyclops end his Journey (and gouges his eye out). BP

Postby Souther » Mon Apr 06, 2015 10:49 pm

View Original PostAlaska Slim wrote:Aldnoah Zero Season 2 Final Episode

Story wise AZ isn't terrible, so much as simply thin and hollow. It just becomes abundantly clear that there were plenty of the subplots, character tales, and world-building actions the series had hinted at in season 1 that could have been the narrative meat on the bones, something that could have given weight and context to even some of the more perturbing moments, but instead suffered from not having explored much of any of it by or in season 2.

...

In short, Aldnoah Zero feels like hints to a better story that may have have arrived given time. I wouldn't liken it to the train wrecks of Valrave or Code Geass as AZ is quite detached from the high school drama of both (The latter equally with all the time in the world, still couldn't stop being batsh*t insane). Character drama doesn't seem so much over the top!, as simply stale, or not developed enough. The show would consistently *hint* at interesting turns, provocative character decisions, only to subvert them immediately for, I suspect, simply not having the time to go down those paths.

It's curious to hear that, because I think the utter mediocrity of Aldnoah Zero and its incredibly hollow core are precisely what makes it quite terrible in my eyes. As in the case of a real train wreck, if you will, the vehicle crashed without getting anywhere. The worst crime that any work of entertainment can commit is making the viewers feel bored or otherwise realize they have been wasting their time. There were a lot of potentially interesting or entertaining things that the show could have done with its cast of characters, even within a limited amount of time, but in the end almost nothing happened. The far too early departure of Gen Urobuchi must have left the rest of the staff without any sense of direction. Even the likes of Gargantia had more in terms of narrative cohesion and thematic achievement in comparison.

Just as well, neither high school drama nor insanity are necessarily anathema to accomplishing something or at least providing interesting character development in my opinion. Valvrave might have been similarly underwhelming, because in a certain way it was basically the other side of this same coin except with more flashing lights serving as a distraction, but I would easily take Lelouch and Suzaku from Code Geass over Inaho and Slaine, whether they're considered as individual archetypes or in terms of character analysis. As a matter of fact, I feel the Aldnoah Zero duo would be overshadowed even by Kira and Athrun from Gundam SEED of all people. Time doesn't entirely explain the sheer lack of dynamism here.

Alaska Slim
Frigus Ignoramus
Frigus Ignoramus
User avatar
Posts: 5013
Joined: Oct 08, 2007
Location: The Land Up Over
Gender: Male

Re: Cyclops end his Journey (and gouges his eye out). BP

Postby Alaska Slim » Tue Apr 07, 2015 4:49 am

View Original PostSouther wrote:It's curious to hear that, because I think the utter mediocrity of Aldnoah Zero and its incredibly hollow core are precisely what makes it quite terrible in my eyes. As in the case of a real train wreck, if you will, the vehicle crashed without getting anywhere. The worst crime that any work of entertainment can commit is making the viewers feel bored or otherwise realize they have been wasting their time. There were a lot of potentially interesting or entertaining things that the show could have done with its cast of characters, even within a limited amount of time,

I agree, but they were committed to the story they had, they just didn't realize in time that their scope of episodes wouldn't fit it.

They want to tell Marito's story, they wanted to tell Rayet's story, they wanted to tell Harklight's story, clearly they wished to, but in the end, it was just Slaine and Inaho running the show, as their story was what drove the plot they needed to tell in 13 episodes or less. And even that didn't have the weight it should have, as it felt like things were either moving too fast or without proper pretext.

Just as well, neither high school drama nor insanity are necessarily anathema to accomplishing something or at least providing interesting character development in my opinion. Valvrave might have been similarly underwhelming, because in a certain way it was basically the other side of this same coin except with more flashing lights serving as a distraction,

It's more than that, Valrave was just a constant stream of one-up-manship, where the characters were taking extreme or downright confounding actions one after the other. This left the narrative pacing in a rut where it clearly didn't know how or when to raise and release tension, leaving the audience eventually inoculated to the insanity and bored.

AZ OTOH did navigate tension well, and didn't make itself into a constant stream of high action or insanity. But, the show just didn't do enough to make that tension mean something, to have it bear weight.

It's most provocative move was perhaps taking Slaine who would seem to naturally side with the Terrans, and instead making him the villain. His motivations for this were certainly believable, they just didn't allot enough time to his rise (and fall) about that role to make it have the weight it should have. We needed more grit, more humanity, more displaying of the links for why he made one decision after the next, so that we (the audience) would look at him as a tragic character, instead of as a guy who got just a bit too ahead of himself.

but I would easily take Lelouche and Suzaku from Code Geass over Inaho and Slaine,

I wouldn't. The AZ characters had potential that was simply unexploited, their actions were largely organic, just not built up enough within the story to make them visceral. Lelouche OTOH from the outset was an unlikable asshole. He was callous, took glee in the suffering of others, and highly self-absorbed. He only managed to edge out Kira of Death Note simply because he decided to take responsibility for what he had done in the end. He'd only truly have potential, if the character was completely re-written.

As a matter of fact, I feel the Aldnoah Zero duo would be overshadowed even by Kira and Athrun from Gundam SEED of all people.

Inaho failed, and more than once. And his failures weren't self-inflicted by a "good nature", but by frailties. Athrun though may be better character than Slaine, but...

... I'd say this is because Gundam Seed was 50+ episodes long. So too btw was Geass. They had far more opportunity to coalesce character actions and motivations; to theme them to according the roles they would play in the story, making them more memorable, if still not good. Time wasn't the only factor for AZ didn't reach it's potential, true, but it was a critical one, as the strongest feeling I get from AZ is that it's rushed.

To borrow again from moesucks, it's the cliffnotes to a more epic story, one we weren't shown all the necessary build up for.
"Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing." - 1 Thessalonians 5:11

"It is one of the blessings of old friends that you can afford to be stupid with them." -Ralph Waldo Emerson

"God is in his Heaven, and free men walk upon the Earth" - Rev. Robert Sirico, President of the Acton Institute

Souther
Embryo
User avatar
Age: 40
Posts: 27
Joined: Aug 19, 2014
Location: S. America
Gender: Male

Re: Cyclops end his Journey (and gouges his eye out). BP

Postby Souther » Tue Apr 07, 2015 7:55 am

View Original PostAlaska Slim wrote:I agree, but they were committed to the story they had, they just didn't realize in time that their scope of episodes wouldn't fit it.

They want to tell Marito's story, they wanted to tell Rayet's story, they wanted to tell Harklight's story, clearly they wished to, but in the end, it was just Slaine and Inaho running the show, as their story was what drove the plot they needed to tell in 13 episodes or less. And even that didn't have the weight it should have, as it felt like things were either moving too fast or without proper pretext.


For a show where the production staff was apparently intending to recreate Gundam for a new generation or something to that same effect, it really doesn't seem to me like they had much of a reason for doubting the number of episodes available to them in the first place. They could easily have tied Marito's and Rayet's earlier characterization into the events of the last half of the story, but they simply didn't. Why? I don't know the real answer but, again, I think that the project was visibly and creatively handicapped without Urobuchi and just giving them more episodes wouldn't automatically improve the situation.

It's more than that, Valrave was just a constant stream of one-up-manship, where the characters were taking extreme or downright confounding actions one after the other. This left the narrative pacing in a rut where it clearly didn't know how or when to raise and release tension, leaving the audience eventually inoculated to the insanity and bored.

AZ OTOH did navigate tension well, and didn't make itself into a constant stream of high action or insanity. But, the show just didn't do enough to make that tension mean something, to have it bear weight.


I also had a problem with just how hollow Valvrave was, though not with its insanity per se. I'd say both approaches could ostensibly work with better characters and, in any case, a clearer idea of what they were trying to do with them. I think neither show accomplished that in the long run, which is why I find their respective failures to be comparable.

I wouldn't. The AZ characters had potential that was simply unexploited, their actions were largely organic, just not built up enough within the story to make them visceral. Lelouche OTOH from the outset was an unlikable asshole. He was callous, took glee in the suffering of others, and highly self-absorbed. He only managed to edge out Kira of Death Note simply because he decided to take responsibility for what he had done in the end. He'd only truly have potential, if the character was completely re-written.


Well, we have a considerable gap between our opinions here. I found Lelouch a little more nuanced and certainly more human than you're giving him credit for, especially compared to the instant corruption and god complex of Death Note's Light Yagami, even long before the ending. I didn't think he was a very good person in terms of formal virtues, of course, but that was the whole point. He played a fitting role for a very theatrical and over-the-top production. In that heightened context, I found his mercurial actions organic enough. Frankly, I'd sooner see the need to completely re-write Inaho and his lack of humanity. He almost reminds me of the aloofness exhibited by Tatsuya from Mahouka and that is not a good thing.

Inaho failed, and more than once. And his failures weren't self-inflicted by a "good nature", but by frailties. Athrun though may be better character than Slaine, but...

... I'd say this is because Gundam Seed was 50+ episodes long. So too btw was Geass. They had far more opportunity to coalesce character actions and motivations; to theme them to according the roles they would play in the story, making them more memorable, if still not good. Time wasn't the only factor for AZ didn't reach it's potential, true, but it was a critical one, as the strongest feeling I get from AZ is that it's rushed.

To borrow again from moesucks, it's the cliffnotes to a more epic story, one we weren't shown all the necessary build up for.


Kiras was not invincible until late into Gundam SEED Destiny. I think that is often overlooked. He also went through more of a character arc before that point.

Whereas I don't think it's a matter of length, at least not as the primary factor. I think they could have at least managed to accomplish as much as Gargantia did and that had only half of Aldnoah Zero's episodes. What's more, it seems like a movie, OVA or some other form of continuation is not out of the question at this time. If that ever comes to pass, which appears to be commercially viable, then it will make the rush you are speaking of even more mystifying.

Bagheera
Asuka's Bulldog
Asuka's Bulldog
User avatar
Posts: 18679
Joined: Oct 15, 2010

Postby Bagheera » Wed Apr 08, 2015 12:23 pm

Plastic Memories: I've seen a bunch of first eps in the last few days, but this is the one I felt the need to comment on. The setup is simple: androids exist and are a part of society, they are indistinguishable from humans, and they live for around 9 years and 3 months. After that time their personality matrix goes haywire so they're shut down a bit before that so they can "die" with dignity. Cue the MC, who starts working with an agency that retrieves the androids and brings them in for refurbishing (i.e., getting a new personality and being placed with another human or whatever). MC is partnered with an android with years of experience who is anxious about the notion of dying.

While we aren't given specifics in the first ep, the setup here seems obvious: android has nine months to live and is currently undergoing an existential crisis. We will get three months of hijinks while the MC falls in love with the android, and then at the end she will come to terms with her fate and he will struggle to let her go. We're talking Clannad-scale levels of emotional manipulation here, and the potential for some real poignancy at the end if this is pulled off right. And, by the looks of it, I think it very well might be.

Of course, it's also possible she was recently refurbished and no one at the office knows about it, with her resultant lack of experience explaining her general ineptness. This would leave the show open-ended, but would also rob it of most of its dramatic potential. I really hope it goes the first route, and am prepared to cry like a baby when it does. :crybaby:
For my post-3I fic, go here.
The law doesn't protect people. People protect the law. -- Akane Tsunemori, Psycho-Pass
People's deaths are to be mourned. The ability to save people should be celebrated. Life itself should be exalted. -- Volken Macmani, Tatakau Shisho: The Book of Bantorra
I hate myself. But maybe I can learn to love myself. Maybe it's okay for me to be here! That's right! I'm me, nothing more, nothing less! I'm me. I want to be me! I want to be here! And it's okay for me to be here! -- Shinji Ikari, Neon Genesis Evangelion
Yes, I know. You thought it would be something about Asuka. You're such idiots.

Alaska Slim
Frigus Ignoramus
Frigus Ignoramus
User avatar
Posts: 5013
Joined: Oct 08, 2007
Location: The Land Up Over
Gender: Male

Re: Cyclops end his Journey (and gouges his eye out). BP

Postby Alaska Slim » Wed Apr 08, 2015 4:04 pm

View Original PostSouther wrote:For a show where the production staff was apparently intending to recreate Gundam for a new generation or something to that same effect, it really doesn't seem to me like they had much of a reason for doubting the number of episodes available to them in the first place. They could easily have tied Marito's and Rayet's earlier characterization into the events of the last half of the story, but they simply didn't. Why? I don't know the real answer

It's as I said, they had to focus on Inaho and Slaine because their story drove the plot. The story in order to work, needed to focus on a select number of characters, their scope with the cast, just didn't fit with the number of episodes.

but, again, I think that the project was visibly and creatively handicapped without Urobuchi and just giving them more episodes wouldn't automatically improve the situation.

Maybe, maybe not, but theming of the characters into their respective roles was clearly lacking. Had they more time, I feel they would have made it happen.


I also had a problem with just how hollow Valvrave was, though not with its insanity per se. I'd say both approaches could ostensibly work with better characters and, in any case, a clearer idea of what they were trying to do with them. I think neither show accomplished that in the long run, which is why I find their respective failures to be comparable.

I don't find them comparable, because Valrave was a confusion of character scope (we'll just overpower the characters on a whim to move the plot along, yadda yadda), and rise & release of tension.

AZ characters, beyond Inaho's initial introduction, never acted beyond what the viewer might of thought was capable of them. The show didn't have to break its own rules to get the result in the plot it wanted. And, again, the use of tension was fine in AZ, it wasn't constantly one-upping itself. It's problem stems from the fact that its a truncated story, showing us the results of things, but not allowing the viewer enough time to soak situations in one at a time, and feeling the characters in their respective roles.


Well, we have a considerable gap between our opinions here. I found Lelouch a little more nuanced and certainly more human than you're giving him credit for, especially compared to the instant corruption and god complex of Death Note's Light Yagami,

I'll grant that it's a bit of an exaggeration, but Lelouch simply came off as too conceited for me, even after he had been bested more than once.


even long before the ending. I didn't think he was a very good person in terms of formal virtues, of course, but that was the whole point. He played a fitting role for a very theatrical and over-the-top production. In that heightened context, I found his mercurial actions organic enough. Frankly, I'd sooner see the need to completely re-write Inaho and his lack of humanity.

I think you're using that word differently than I did.

Inaho had plenty of humanity, ergo, compassion for others, as he acted to start with in reaction to the death of his friend, and there was emotion in how he dispatched the killer in the next episode. He became far more visibly emotional in the 2nd season, because he had a stake in the Princess' welfare.

I think what you mean is that he wasn't expressive. This seems to be to have been a creative decision, likely made or at least ok'd by Urobuchi, not simply an error. I'd say this does set him apart from other protagonists in similiar situations, and allows his growth in later episodes to stem from how he is becoming more expressive.
"Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing." - 1 Thessalonians 5:11

"It is one of the blessings of old friends that you can afford to be stupid with them." -Ralph Waldo Emerson

"God is in his Heaven, and free men walk upon the Earth" - Rev. Robert Sirico, President of the Acton Institute

Souther
Embryo
User avatar
Age: 40
Posts: 27
Joined: Aug 19, 2014
Location: S. America
Gender: Male

Re: Cyclops end his Journey (and gouges his eye out). BP

Postby Souther » Wed Apr 08, 2015 8:13 pm

View Original PostAlaska Slim wrote:It's as I said, they had to focus on Inaho and Slaine because their story drove the plot. The story in order to work, needed to focus on a select number of characters, their scope with the cast, just didn't fit with the number of episodes.

That's part of the problem, in my opinion, since their dynamics were central to the story but not compelling enough to carry it. There were some episodes where Slaine was starting to benefit from all the focus, but looking back at the big picture...that turned out to be wishful thinking. Add that to the controversy about Inaho's portrayal and a few other issues. The result is I wasn't very impressed. I think a less generally ambitious but more careful approach, like what Ledo received in Gargantia, would have helped either character.

I think you're using that word differently than I did.

Inaho had plenty of humanity, ergo, compassion for others, as he acted to start with in reaction to the death of his friend, and there was emotion in how he dispatched the killer in the next episode. He became far more visibly emotional in the 2nd season, because he had a stake in the Princess' welfare.

I think what you mean is that he wasn't expressive. This seems to be to have been a creative decision, likely made or at least ok'd by Urobuchi, not simply an error.

Fair enough. Perhaps I was pulling the trigger too quickly with that wording. But to illustrate the point, here is what Gen Urobuchi had to say:

You’ve usually stated in past interviews that you have connections to your characters. In Aldnoah Zero, which is currently airing, what do you think is your connection to Inaho?

I did not create the characters in Aldnoah. I made the mainframe of the story until the preliminary version. But in fact Inaho’s character is different than what I wrote. I don’t really have a connection with this character, so this is an exception.

That sounds like Urobuchi himself wasn't too happy with the final decisions made about his character (and perhaps some of the others, but that is only implied). There were emotional motivations behind his actions, but the lack of expression made it very difficult for the audience to empathize with him as a representation of a human being. It also limited opportunities for development that weren't helped by the decision to play around with the cyborg eye. That distracts from whatever emotional growth might be happening. Now, I don't doubt there are valid arguments in favor of Inaho's current portrayal on paper, but I think it is one of the major stumbling blocks in practice.

Gus Hanson
Authentic Wizard
Authentic Wizard
Posts: 1547
Joined: Oct 24, 2012
Gender: Male

Postby Gus Hanson » Thu Apr 09, 2015 9:43 am

Triage X episode 1

Fanservice aside, I fear that this show may not have much else going for it. The lead is the prototypical emo hunk every woman in his school wants to sleep with, the chief of the organization has a cliché speech about what the "hospital" does, and one of the "nurses" breaks into a corny idol pop routine before dispensing with the bad guys. I don't want to abandon it like Rail Wars so it better shape up and quickly.

Bagheera
Asuka's Bulldog
Asuka's Bulldog
User avatar
Posts: 18679
Joined: Oct 15, 2010

Postby Bagheera » Thu Apr 09, 2015 10:31 am

View Original PostGus Hanson wrote:Triage X episode 1

Fanservice aside, I fear that this show may not have much else going for it. The lead is the prototypical emo hunk every woman in his school wants to sleep with, the chief of the organization has a cliché speech about what the "hospital" does, and one of the "nurses" breaks into a corny idol pop routine before dispensing with the bad guys. I don't want to abandon it like Rail Wars so it better shape up and quickly.


Reading up on it it seems like such a ridiculous idea that I just have to give it a chance. It might be fun as long as I don't try to take it seriously! :lol:
For my post-3I fic, go here.
The law doesn't protect people. People protect the law. -- Akane Tsunemori, Psycho-Pass
People's deaths are to be mourned. The ability to save people should be celebrated. Life itself should be exalted. -- Volken Macmani, Tatakau Shisho: The Book of Bantorra
I hate myself. But maybe I can learn to love myself. Maybe it's okay for me to be here! That's right! I'm me, nothing more, nothing less! I'm me. I want to be me! I want to be here! And it's okay for me to be here! -- Shinji Ikari, Neon Genesis Evangelion
Yes, I know. You thought it would be something about Asuka. You're such idiots.

Shamsiel-kun
Tokyo-3 Resident
Tokyo-3 Resident
User avatar
Posts: 1238
Joined: Oct 09, 2014
Location: Above/Below sea level
Gender: Male

Postby Shamsiel-kun » Thu Apr 09, 2015 10:54 am

Vampire Princess Miyu (TV series)

Vampire Princess Miyu (1998) has fairly cookie-cutter standard plots that are somewhat predictable, but is quite watchable in general. One or two episodes either have a bad translation or just bad writing. It tells the story of Miyu and her task to send stray Shinma (demons) back into the dark (by burning them to death).
Some of the characters are a little flat (Larva, I'm looking at you), others are rather tragic (most of them are female and pretty). Very little fanservice unless you are into feet or light vampiric lesyay or a handsome guy treating another (unconscious) guy like his lost love. Sometimes fanservice is used to play up the creepy vibe of this series, e.g. when a guy with a teenage daughter presses his head against the bossom of a (naked) Shinma whose body looks no older than his daughter. Generally, the series is very dark, but with only little gore (despite being billed as "horror"...). Humans, especially ones that are named at the start of an episode, tend to end up dead or in a state worse than dead. They vary from broken but pretty and/or nice people to creeps who are also broken. Shinma are often disguised as innocent (but pretty) creatures, and while some of them are right bastards, often the Shinma is as much of a victim as the humans. They also tend to end up very dead.

The episode "Love of the dolls" was highly amusing for a reason that would not have existed much yet in 1998, when this series was made: it features a pretty woman who makes male dolls and who loves them (in more than one way :cringe: ), just like hardcore otakus and their 2D waifus or husbandos these days. The episode does a good job showcasing this (and the woman) as extremely creepy and disturbed, and then crosses the line another time by introducing another female character who does exactly the same thing to manipulate the first woman into loving her. Somehow, this all manages to be creepier than the episode's Shinma. It is also the only episode with a more or less happy ending and babies...well, female dolls, ever after.

I still have to watch 1 DVD (five episodes), so I haven't seen the (bad) end yet...

robersora
Laissez-faire in Moderation
Laissez-faire in Moderation
User avatar
Age: 32
Posts: 4437
Joined: May 17, 2011
Location: Europe, Austria
Gender: Male

Postby robersora » Thu Apr 09, 2015 5:17 pm

The Nandala Gandala is the new Penguindrum x Kure-nai x generic self-indulgent Harem show x Diebuster

This is the most creative and best executed excuse to show Panty shots I’ve ever seen. And I love it. It’s funny, it’s wacky, it’s nicely directed, it oozes personality and style. If this keeps up, this most pleasant surprise of a first Episode will be my jam for the spring season.

Image
yes, yes, just YES

Punch Line shows, that the right staff can make even the most stupid of premises work. The character interactions were serviceable, the show flowed nicely and it looked gorgeous. You can see, that the director was responsible for some of the design work from Diebuster, which is a great thing, because to me, it is one of the most gorgeously designed Anime I’ve ever had the pleasure to watch. This show is also, along with Kekkai Sensen and Rolling Girls, one of the first Anime to be inspired by Kill la Kills sense for hyper-kinetic and animation (that is to say KLK thankfully reinvigorated this style thanks to its success). While Rolling Girls script was a mess (and the otherwise interesting show suffered greatly from it) and the on-screen Kanji felt a little off in a show with a more sinister feel to it like Kekkai Sensen tries to convey; Punch Line on the other hand has a strong enough script to pull all the wackiness off splendidly. The music was just my jam, but I can see people complaining about it.
Also, I’m pretty stoked since the guy who endowed us with the most beautiful Episode of Kaiba, will be responsible for some later Episodes. I'll be waiting for your magic, Mihara.
2Q||3.33 _ 神殺しを行う
Decadent Stoned Slacker Socialist

Fireball
First Ancestor
First Ancestor
User avatar
Posts: 4247
Joined: Sep 17, 2010
Location: Karlsland

Postby Fireball » Thu Apr 09, 2015 7:04 pm

Euphonium

Classic music, legs and best girl

Image
Avatar: Rommel-chan

"I was born into the wrong time" - laughed the girl


「<ゝω・)\綺羅星☆!!/
[/size]

Bagheera
Asuka's Bulldog
Asuka's Bulldog
User avatar
Posts: 18679
Joined: Oct 15, 2010

Postby Bagheera » Thu Apr 09, 2015 7:38 pm

View Original Postrobersora wrote:The Nandala Gandala is the new Penguindrum x Kure-nai x generic self-indulgent Harem show x Diebuster


Seems like FLCL meets Gatchaman Crowds to me. I'm digging it so far.
For my post-3I fic, go here.
The law doesn't protect people. People protect the law. -- Akane Tsunemori, Psycho-Pass
People's deaths are to be mourned. The ability to save people should be celebrated. Life itself should be exalted. -- Volken Macmani, Tatakau Shisho: The Book of Bantorra
I hate myself. But maybe I can learn to love myself. Maybe it's okay for me to be here! That's right! I'm me, nothing more, nothing less! I'm me. I want to be me! I want to be here! And it's okay for me to be here! -- Shinji Ikari, Neon Genesis Evangelion
Yes, I know. You thought it would be something about Asuka. You're such idiots.


Return to “Old Stickies”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 0 guests