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Fall 2013 Anime |OT2| The Rise and Fall of Kyoto

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CorvoSol

Member
O6lFRrP.jpg

Well, here it goes, then.
 

Nordicus

Member
Jigoku Shoujo Futakomori 15-17

So I picked it back up and continued from when I left it. I picked a really bad spot to stop watching, because I nearly dropped it again due to the fact that...

Episode 15 - this episode was really painful to watch. Not in that it's bad, but because this case was so very mean. When the father
actually agreed to have his daughter raped on the street in order to further this one politician's career, and have his daughter become more "obedient",
I wanted to stop watching the episode because that's just all kinds of NOPE.

Episode 16 - This one wasn't as dark. The protagonist of this story was manipulated and stabbed, but it's nothing compared to the years of psychological torture a lot of the other stories contained. Justice was delivered.

Episode 17 - I can't remember the episode this is a sequel to. Perhaps it's not a sequel but a "usual" case of the one using the contract being on the receiving end later. It wouldn't be tremendously unlikely, but I'll just assume this is just a sequel story to a previous episode. Anyway, this one was really sad, I do wish the
suicide could have been prevented.
I don't know how much the contract people are allowed to intervene, but because that ending wasn't directly related to the current contract, I wish Ren had managed to stop her at the last second

EDIT: On a side note, I'm thinking about starting Zetsubou-sensei or SoreMachi. Any tips on which I should go for?
Either or, they're both really good so it doesn't really matter. Though if I personally had to choose, I guess Zetsubou-sensei is better, the first season of it anyway when the format wasn't stale yet
 

CorvoSol

Member
Shin Mazinger Z 8

Pretty awesome that the most sympathetic character in the show is a living abomination whose sole purpose for existence is vengeance on a pre-Greek God. Baron Asura is a miserable, unfortunate creature whose life is nothing but pitiable so far. I really feel bad for him/her/them.

But not enough to be incapable of enjoying seeing them get Breasto FIYAAAAAAH'd to the face.
 

MartyStu

Member
Earth Maiden Arjuna 1

AAAUGH THE STOCK FOOTAGE AND THE HORRIBLE CGI, IT BURNS US.

Out of my system, now. Anyway, it feels like Madoka meets Captain Planet. I really, really don't trust Chris. He's either Satan or Jesus and either way he's being pretty darn sneaky here. Show spends an unhealthy amount of time teasing a tease of fanservice, I think. Either give or don't, don't bother me with this almost kind of not at all crap.

This show is going to be preachy as hell about everything, I can just tell. You don't show me CGI teenagers but take the time to animate a starving African child without giving away your plans a little bit. Plus they show insecticide as terrible right after showing a starving kid. Locusts or babies, take your pick, anime.

You knew what you were getting yourself into.

No sympathy for you!
 
don't post here much but I just finished watching Welcome to the NHK and all I can say is wow that was something. pretty fun/adorable for the first 9 or so episodes but then once Sato
tells her that he's ending their meetings
it became a mixture of rage at his stupidity and depression resulting from the subject matter. it was like I was actually watching a story about real people and real problems and typical terrible anime characters with no depth that make terrible decisions for the sake of plot advancement.

also I ended up watching it on Netflix (which now gives the option to watch subbed!) and the description is literally just "imaginative, quirky, and raunchy, watch it!" which is possibly the worst possible description you could give this show.

If you can get your hands on the novel for a decent price, I'd recommend it, at least for comparison purposes.

The prose is pretty dull, but I'm wondering how much of that was the translator's fault (Tokyopop was kind of notorious for hiring mediocre-at-best translators; I've heard a lot of them were college kids). There are a few moments, though.

There's also a lot of material in the anime that's not in the novel, and I was kinda disappointed to learn it was anime-original. Some of my favorite parts of the series were anime-original.
 
So Macross series. Are there any other 2000-ish series besides the newer Macross? Nothing against older series but... I personally can't watch that many anymore. Art/character design turns me off too much.

I tried watching Samurai X and Dragon Ball Z again recently. I couldn't. Cowboy Bebop lives up to me because it's literally my favorite anime of all time, plus the animation was amazing for its time and still holds up well.

edit: wait Netflix is now offering subbed? Shit. I wonder if Mushishi is still on Netflix, would love to see it subbed. Though the dub was pretty good. Might watch that with friends.
 
So Macross series. Are there any other 2000-ish series besides the newer Macross? Nothing against older series but... I personally can't watch that many anymore. Art/character design turns me off too much.

Zero and Frontier are the only ones from the 00s.

I should probably get around to watching SDF at some point. Been meaning to get into Macross for years now, and older series don't really bother me.
 

Jarmel

Banned
I forgot how completely jacked the FMP DVDs are. The blu-rays aren't much better but the higher bandwidth does miracles.
 

Gazoinks

Member
Sayonara Zetsoubo-sensei 01

God Shaft are weird. Approved.

Good first episode. The contrast between the main characters is a lot of fun, and the humor was wonderfully dark and weird. Visually it was also pretty awesome. The only other Shaft show I've seen is Madoka, but I can definitely recognize it's by the same production company that did the barriers in that show. Great use of all kinds of weird, unorthodox stuff, and I've made my love of silhouetting known in my Utena reviews.
 
Sayonara Zetsoubo-sensei 01

God Shaft are weird. Approved.

Good first episode. The contrast between the main characters is a lot of fun, and the humor was wonderfully dark and weird. Visually it was also pretty awesome. The only other Shaft show I've seen is Madoka, but I can definitely recognize it's by the same production company that did the barriers in that show. Great use of all kinds of weird, unorthodox stuff, and I've made my love of silhouetting known in my Utena reviews.

You need to remedy that situation immediately (and I guess you are, but you should watch even more ASAP).

Gekidan Inu Curry are actually the ones who did the barriers and the character design for the witches in Madoka. They did the OP animations for one of the OVA series (Goku, specifically), and also animated an entire segment of an episode of the third season. They work with Shaft a lot.
 

Gazoinks

Member
You need to remedy that situation immediately (and I guess you are, but you should watch even more ASAP).

Gekidan Inu Curry are actually the ones who did the barriers and the character design for the witches in Madoka. They did the OP animations for one of the OVA series (Goku, specifically), and also animated an entire segment of an episode of the third season. They work with Shaft a lot.

Sounds delicious. Ooh, they also did Gurren Lagann episode 8 and the Usagi Drop ED? Good stuff. I loved the barrier and witch designs in Madoka, so it's cool knowing who's actually behind it.
 

Vecks

Member
Gundam Build Fighters 8

Haipu getto! No swimsuits this time around, but there are gundams galore. Everything gets overturned as the new generation rises to take their place. As hinted (or plainly told) in the past episode, some kind of wizardry can be done on the battlefield by "utilizing" the particles. I guess this is their way of making the battles more complex--like nen in HxH.

Yowapeda 8
Entertaining, but pretty much like every episode. Everyone is bringing out their ultimate moves, and Onoda catches up by just pedaling like mad.

Non non biyori 8
Not enough Ren-chon. :(
 
DokiDoki Precure 41

2PtUy1U.jpg
AGkn5SB.jpg


I know! That's what I said about Alice too, Regina! So based

As we continue to witness our heroes give Regina heartburn to reconvert her, Reina is bad, and it's like... Alice is like an airhead when she's around.... of course, the whole "YOU WERE MY FRIEND SINCE WE MET" thing was ridiculously cheesy, and probably would've had more effect if side characters were something to give a shit about.

But hey! Now you really know each other, right down to the secret identity! This will still be a thing since apparently
Aguri's secret identity will be discovered by her grandmother.
but... there's like two Aguri episodes... How will Rikka show her love then since it'll be ManaxRegina on Christmas!? Rikka sure has been getting snubbed since her episode with Ira.
Maybe it's because of betraying the garden.

NEXT TIME! AGURI'S BIRTHDAY! When was the last fucking time we had a birthday for a Precure? GoGo's movie?
 
If you can get your hands on the novel for a decent price, I'd recommend it, at least for comparison purposes.

The prose is pretty dull, but I'm wondering how much of that was the translator's fault (Tokyopop was kind of notorious for hiring mediocre-at-best translators; I've heard a lot of them were college kids). There are a few moments, though.

There's also a lot of material in the anime that's not in the novel, and I was kinda disappointed to learn it was anime-original. Some of my favorite parts of the series were anime-original.

I've looked up the differences (mind you, tvtropes was where I learned this information) and it just seems a little too dark for me. Like the fact that sato is apparently a
drug abuser and lolicon
. The lightheartedness of the first few episodes is what makes the rest of the series so effective in my mind.

The manga difference just seems dumb though. The finale is easily the emotional climax of the whole story and seeing that in the manga its apparently the halfway point seems quite ridiculous.
 

cajunator

Banned
That's probably more environmentally friendly. lol

Now I want to buy one of them, but I have no idea where I'd even get one now. Dat nostalgia. :(

Damn. I want one now yoo :(

Earth Maiden Arjuna 1

AAAUGH THE STOCK FOOTAGE AND THE HORRIBLE CGI, IT BURNS US.

Out of my system, now. Anyway, it feels like Madoka meets Captain Planet. I really, really don't trust Chris. He's either Satan or Jesus and either way he's being pretty darn sneaky here. Show spends an unhealthy amount of time teasing a tease of fanservice, I think. Either give or don't, don't bother me with this almost kind of not at all crap.

This show is going to be preachy as hell about everything, I can just tell. You don't show me CGI teenagers but take the time to animate a starving African child without giving away your plans a little bit. Plus they show insecticide as terrible right after showing a starving kid. Locusts or babies, take your pick, anime.

corvy kun, you are embarking on a journey. A journey of wonderment and occasionally disgust. You will learn to love and loathe. You will see the dangers of the modern world and you will be preached to endlrssly. AND YOU WILL LIKE IT.

don't post here much but I just finished watching Welcome to the NHK and all I can say is wow that was something. pretty fun/adorable for the first 9 or so episodes but then once Sato
tells her that he's ending their meetings
it became a mixture of rage at his stupidity and depression resulting from the subject matter. it was like I was actually watching a story about real people and real problems and typical terrible anime characters with no depth that make terrible decisions for the sake of plot advancement.

also I ended up watching it on Netflix (which now gives the option to watch subbed!) and the description is literally just "imaginative, quirky, and raunchy, watch it!" which is possibly the worst possible description you could give this show.

NHK is one og those "marathon shows" that I couldnt stop watching until if was done. Its imo a really well told story. Misaki is an adorable sweetheart (in the anime) and the things this show puts the characters through strongly echoes real life probldms and crises. Very entertaining and thought provoking series.
 

sonicmj1

Member
Kyousougiga 6

Have I mentioned how much I love the OP for this series? It's really great.

Now we're starting to move forward. Nice. Curious how things will go once we start exploring more unknown territory.

One of the things that really impressed me about these last few episodes, particularly focusing on current-Myoue's story, is how they've been destroying the beautiful myth they built in the first episode of this family's life. There's no malice to it, but the selfishness of the parents put these kids in a pretty awful situation. The first portion was really powerful in that way. There's almost an element of body horror to it.
 

Jarmel

Banned
Macross Fronter-The False Songstress
Seems like they completely reworked the plot. There are some basic similarities and backgrounds are similar but this seems completely different. And it's better for it. This
is much better than I remember the TV series being. The movie has issues such as pacing, in that it's on the slow side and thus there are parts that are somewhat boring. The middle definitely drags a bit. Sheryl kinda holds the film together as her character is fun to watch. The movie has a heavy slant towards Sheryl and focuses primarily on her. Ranka while still an important part of the story doesn't interact near as much with Alto. Alto also seems more likable than I remember about him, as I didn't like him that much in the TV series.
The character animation and lighting are lackluster especially for a movie, not to mention there is ample use of CGI. I wish I had watched this before I had developed my strong distaste towards CGI. I just couldn't stop wishing that this was done in 2D. There are some bits that have just insane camerawork. Just straight up insane, and that's probably why it couldn't be done in 2D without costing an oil fortune and taking half a decade. That said, the movie does have some good backgrounds spread throughout. Sheryl's concerts were also so over the top that it's both kinda ridiculous and awesome at the same time.
The music is phenomenal. I can't understate this. It's far and away the best part about the movie. This is one of Kanno's better soundtracks, and that says a lot.
I really enjoyed this despite some of the slower bits.
 

fertygo

Member
^
Yay, the movie is much better than the TV series.. I do agree its rather slow but its still better than what the TV show doing..

The OST is truly fantastic indeed, god.. I miss Kanno.
 

hipbabboom

Huh? What did I say? Did I screw up again? :(
Earth Maiden Arjuna 1

AAAUGH THE STOCK FOOTAGE AND THE HORRIBLE CGI, IT BURNS US.

Out of my system, now. Anyway, it feels like Madoka meets Captain Planet. I really, really don't trust Chris. He's either Satan or Jesus and either way he's being pretty darn sneaky here. Show spends an unhealthy amount of time teasing a tease of fanservice, I think. Either give or don't, don't bother me with this almost kind of not at all crap.

This show is going to be preachy as hell about everything, I can just tell. You don't show me CGI teenagers but take the time to animate a starving African child without giving away your plans a little bit. Plus they show insecticide as terrible right after showing a starving kid. Locusts or babies, take your pick, anime.

I wanted to love this series so much but at some point it became too preachy for me to take seriously.... you'll know what mean when you come across it ��
 

hipbabboom

Huh? What did I say? Did I screw up again? :(
You quit because its easier.

Na.... I finished it but it lost a lot of its initial appeal.

On a more tragic note.... I recently was reminded of the tragedy that was Project Arms. Can anyone remember a series that took a dive as hard as this in animation quality and story so epicly? Bonus points if you know why.
 
Hanasaku Iroha Movie – Home Sweet Home

This feels a lot like material from the back half of the HanaIro TV series, for better and worse. It succeeds similarly, in theme, atmosphere and beauty; it’s nice just to be back at the Kissuiso, but it’s a shame that the inn’s conflict and that of its characters are so indistinguishably typical of the show. An issue with the electrical supply places stress on the staff, Minko struggles with her try-hard tendencies in the kitchen, and Nako’s storyline ends up covered in Okada’s signature brand of saccharine by its resolution. If you've seen the show, you know what to expect here. I will say that I liked the decision to include Yuina in the movie by way of work experience transfer from her family's inn. She's basically a ray of light in every scene she's in, and adds some charm to the otherwise predictable present-time parts of the movie. Tomoe is also used well, adding some humour and an excuse for some excellent expression work by the animators.


The accidental discovery of Denroku’s chronicles of the inn by Ohana gives way to the most interesting and unique thread of the movie, as her reading of them functions as a portal to flashback material of her mother, Satsuki. Ohana’s father enters the picture in a beautiful and romantic, if perhaps slightly inappropriate scene during the aftermath of teenage Satsuki’s defiance of her mother. Over the course of their time together, he shows Satsuki what she is unable to see in herself, as the struggles with the vague goal that she shares with her future daughter: “I want to shine.” Like the TV show, the movie uses the commonalities of the generations of Ohana’s family as the thread that pulls them together, which I think would have benefited from more time dedicated to Satsuki. I understand that anime movies exist partially to deliver more material of the characters people miss from the show, but here it comes at the expense of shifting focus away from the movie’s strongest element.


As expected of P.A. though, everything is beautiful and very well animated, and there are some sakuga flourishes of a quality I don’t remember seeing in the TV show. Between this and Uchouten Kazoku, P.A. have produced two of the most visually enjoyable works in recent memory.


Despite embodying some of the best and worst elements of the series, Home Sweet Home succeeds in adding more welcome detail to the already endearing picture of HanaIro and the Kissuiso, and for that I enjoyed it.
 

DiGiKerot

Member
Macross Fronter-The False Songstress

Seems like they completely reworked the plot. There are some basic similarities and backgrounds are similar but this seems completely different. And it's better for it. This is much better than I remember the TV series being.

So, there's that (quite possibly apocryphal?) piece of hand waving that came about when they started writing Macross sequels which stated that Do You Remember Love was an in-universe re-telling of the events that took place in the Macross TV show, in an attempt to explain why things didn't match up with that version of events in later series (although that doesn't really explain why they seem to switch which version of the original Macross events are canon at the drop of a narrative that). The Frontier movies kinda play a lot with the concept - it's sort of the kind of weird distortion of events that you could see being created as a dramatisation of the TV shows story thirty years later by another Macross fleet which have only actually heard third-hand reports of the actual events. Or Kawamori/Yoshino were just trolling. They kind of both do that.

My favourite thing about the movie is actually the faux-Product Placement - like, after Ranka makes her restaurant delivery at the beginning of the movie, the characters hold the bowls they are eating from in a very deliberate way that ensures that the logo is always visible to camera. Or there's the way that the camera frames or lingers on Sheryl's phone at times. None of these products are actually things that you can go out and buy, but the movie treats them like they are products that someone has paid them an awful lot of money to make look good. I find it pretty hilarious on an entirely meta level.
 
Yowamushi Pedala Episode 8
tumblr_mwustakhS21rucc9wo1_500.gif


Onoda is too funny with his riding, he could be a bit more cautious, otherwise this scene for funniest scene. All around pretty phenomenal episode
handholding to share power and then a really smiling and excited Imaizumi. Only way this series can go bad is if somehow Onoda wins while Imaizumi loses...which ought to be impossible
 
Serial Experiments Lain 1-8
Well this show is batshit crazy and I don't get the plot at all. First was about Lain who never touched a computer before and then becomes addicted to internet, then weird shit happens and she becomes more open. Her sister then, goes crazy and turns into a spirit and fades away and then, kids are worshipping the sky producing something of massive energy. Then it turns out that Lain has multiple personalities and her parents aren't real. Then, she is apparently watching everyone like Big Brother except not hiding any information, but it isn't her but is. Then, she deletes everybody's memory of being watched to which she was left all alone because that other her is taking her spot in life. She's also some sort of computer entity and her computer is crazy
 

cajunator

Banned
Serial Experiments Lain 1-8
Well this show is batshit crazy and I don't get the plot at all. First was about Lain who never touched a computer before and then becomes addicted to internet, then weird shit happens and she becomes more open. Her sister then, goes crazy and turns into a spirit and fades away and then, kids are worshipping the sky producing something of massive energy. Then it turns out that Lain has multiple personalities and her parents aren't real. Then, she is apparently watching everyone like Big Brother except not hiding any information, but it isn't her but is. Then, she deletes everybody's memory of being watched to which she was left all alone because that other her is taking her spot in life. She's also some sort of computer entity and her computer is crazy

Its a lot more relevant to today than when it was made yet it still doesnt really make fucking sense.
 

CorvoSol

Member
You knew what you were getting yourself into.

No sympathy for you!

I actually don't know what I'm getting into, other than that this show is List Worthy, which has come to mean quite a few things to me already.

After Corvo is done with Arjuna, he'll be ready for Macross Zero.

Still have to finish vanilla Macross.

corvy kun, you are embarking on a journey. A journey of wonderment and occasionally disgust. You will learn to love and loathe. You will see the dangers of the modern world and you will be preached to endlrssly. AND YOU WILL LIKE IT.

Well, here goes, then.

I wanted to love this series so much but at some point it became too preachy for me to take seriously.... you'll know what mean when you come across it ��

How bad could it be? I'm sure I'll survive.
 

Jarmel

Banned
Macross Frontier- The Wings of Goodbye
Well damn. I actually have to give Kawamori credit. Fuck. I think this actually pains me on a literal level. There's a solid ten minutes in here that are up there with the best of the franchise, and I'm not just limiting that to only Frontier. The climax for this is so fucking good. Jesus Christ these duets. There's a lot of stupid shit in the 2nd movie that made it much cornier than the first movie such as some Jailhouse Rock and a mech surfing scene that is just stupid as fuck despite them thinking it's cool. There's also some straight out bullshit and poor writing such as Ozma
being fine after being shot up like Denzel Washington in Training Day
. The pacing though is better in this movie although the jail scene was kinda bland even ignoring the stupidity of it. This is much less drama/emo compared to the TV series and I'm grateful for that.
The movie, as a balance I guess, focuses more on Ranka. Sheryl is again the star though because the movie really does flesh her out in a way not seen in the TV series. It makes a point out of Sheryl's insecurity of being alone and develops her character in that manner. They also make the connection between Alto and Sheryl very strong with a small back history scene. The movie also thankfully forgoes Grace as the villain, who was a rather shitty one in the TV series, and while the new villains aren't exactly memorable, there is a lot of twists that go on. I will give them credit as Mishima
getting iced like that
was a bit of a surprise in how quick it was handled. Alto is a much stronger lead here than in the TV series and is definitely one of the better Macross protagonists. In fact, of all the recent Macross stuff I've seen, he is the best. I have to rewatch Macross Plus to confirm this though. Hell, Alto actually gave a straight answer and ended the love triangle.
The animation is also better than the first movie. The character art is seemingly better but the big boost is the backgrounds and the storyboarding. I took like 5 screencaps of the first movie and 25 of this one. The Brera vs Alto dogfight is so awesome that I stopped caring that it was CGI. The CGI in general also seemed better. Visually it's a much stronger film than the first one.
The music is godly. Kanno pumps out a bunch of new songs for this and while they're all good, The End of Triangle is one of the better songs in the Macross franchise. Kanno really poured her soul into this compared to say her stuff in Darker than Black. I wish she did more pop stuff like this as she's really good at it. I would love to hear some of these songs live. If only real life concerts were a quarter as entertaining as the ones in the movies.
Yea this movie has some dumb crap in it but that core 10 minutes is legit. This is everything the TV series should have been.

Current Macross Ranking: DYRL=Macross Plus>Macross Frontier(the movies as I don't care about the TV show anymore)>Macross>Macross Zero
This shits all over the original Macross TV series. I don't give a fuck what you monocle watchers think.
 

Hitokage

Setec Astronomer
That font really isn't the same as the Heartcatch font.

Don't go getting your hopes up for Happiness Science Precure based just on that.
 
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