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Spring Anime 2015 |OT2| Euriphonium

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Cornbread78

Member
Another question I have is what this show is going to be all about. A lot of people seem to be looking forward to it

The sibling gag comedy manga centers around Umaru, Taihei's little sister who boasts beautiful looks as well as prowess in both school and sports. However, "Himouto" (beautiful little sister) has a certain secret

Alternative Titles:
My Two-Faced Little Sister


And this..
Its a hijinks comedy with moe girls who suffer from insane troll logic, although most of the time Umaru herself isn't actually a moe girl, she's a chibi blob.

Lol, everything just looka like it could be really funny stuff..
 
Its a hijinks comedy with moe girls who suffer from insane troll logic, although most of the time Umaru herself isn't actually a moe girl, she's a chibi blob.

The sibling gag comedy manga centers around Umaru, Taihei's little sister who boasts beautiful looks as well as prowess in both school and sports. However, "Himouto" (beautiful little sister) has a certain secret

Alternative Titles:
My Two-Faced Little Sister
She's an Otaku in secret isn't she.

Nope, we have the Snow White anime this season and Noragami in the fall.
Fucking. Awesome. I'm glad I held off on reading the Noragami manga, I had high hopes for a Season 2.
 

Grzi

Member
Pity about the image quality. Rintaro does tend to direct visually extravagant works regardless of writing quality. For instance, X/1999: The Movie looks too good for something so nonsensical and a bunch of his other Madhouse stuff I imagine.

The Phoenix OVAs directed by him are great.
 

Angry Grimace

Two cannibals are eating a clown. One turns to the other and says "does something taste funny to you?"
She's an Otaku in secret isn't she.

Yes. Literally none of this is taken seriously in any way, shape or form though.

The early part of the manga is a lot more of her being a chibi lazy blob and the later part seems to me to have a lot more of Umaru's friends, though.
 
So, it's OK, but not gonna rock. Ugghh, need something to look forward to other than classroom crisis. I mean Charlotte looks nice, but what will it really be?
Since me and you like the same stuff more or less, take a look at my list of stuff I wanna check out. Release dates included.

Upcoming shows

- Gangsta - July 2nd
- Ranpo Kitan - July 3rd
- Classroom Crisis - July 4th
- Durarara!!x2 - July 4th
- Gate - July 4th
- God Eater - July 5th
- Charlotte - July 5th
- Working!!! - July 5th
- Rokka no Yuusha - July 5th
- Kuusen Madoushi - July 9th
- Prison School - July 11th
 
If that is all you are doing, than that's cool - the danger, though, is using BD sales numbers as anything other than a rough estimate of how many people want to physically own a disk copy of something (and even that gets problematic when you start looking at the ways that V1s sometimes get stacked with extra content - see Love Live).

Again, though, comparing this stuff is cool - heck, I find it interesting myself - but it should absolutely not be used as any kind of definitive measurement of a show is popular or successful. The most popular cartoons in Japan sell absolutely nothing in the grand scheme of things, and the same holds true even for nerd shows to a degree - some shows simply aren't made with the expectation that someone is going to buy the show itself. Whilst a there's certainly patterns you can pick up from disk sales, anime aren't video games, and you really shouldn't be judging a show to be a bomb based simply on those numbers.

(Because, honestly, they'll probably sell mad Hestia figures regardless of how many DanMachi disks they sell)
(Also, I bet KyoAni numbers generally are further off being accurate than other companies releases, because their store exclusive bonuses are way nicer than most other stores)
I'm just talking about it sells or not, like i fully understand that Kancolle vol.4 still got 12.8k first week is freaking stupid, even though it can't be helped since it's super popular brand.
But still, BD/DVD sales are still most directly way to know is that did good or not(btw Kancolle actually not good even with this sales numbers, because Kadokawa admit it didn't meet their target lol.)

For figures we mostly never know how would sold, even use LN/Manga is better, and DanMachi's LN boost is great, but sadly this kind of LN advertisement show not always get s2 even it sold good.

And nah, Kyoani shop bonuses is good, but many other store are as good as Kyoani shop.
If i plan to buy Hibike,i would choose HMV for the special storage box+second cheap price.

Though the biggest one still Amazon since it always have 24~28% off discount.
 
For some hype, Euphonium 13 ended up (due to scheduling a movie during production and an ambitious concert scene) with 3 animation directors, 4 assistant animation directors, and Takahashi overseeing instruments as usual. It looked great, but I don't doubt the animators (11 iirc) had their work cut out for them. I recognized Do's Yamamura and Kawanami there though!

Nothing saying a sequel is confirmed, but Kumiko's monologue more than suggested it.
 

Angry Grimace

Two cannibals are eating a clown. One turns to the other and says "does something taste funny to you?"
So, it's OK, but not gonna rock. Ugghh, need something to look forward to other than classroom crisis. I mean Charlotte looks nice, but what will it really be?

You like everything

you'll find something
 

Saudades

Member
Somehow Funi always manages to get the only show(s) I'm interested in in a season. Fuck.
The Phoenix OVAs directed by him are great.
I thought he only directed the Karma one?
And I remember being disappointed of that film because it was too short and rushed. Although my expectations were pretty sky-high, considering that particular story in Phoenix is one of if not the best manga I've ever read.
 

Grzi

Member
I thought he only directed the Karma one?
And I remember being disappointed of that film because it was too short and rushed. Although my expectations were pretty sky-high, considering that particular story in Phoenix is one of if not the best manga I've ever read.

Oh shit, you're right, for some reason I was sure he directed the Space Chapter too.
Oh well, I still enjoyed karma, although I haven't read the manga.
 

Thoraxes

Member
I want to see the full versions of these pics.

CIwp_IsW8AA0J5j.jpg:orig
 

John Blade

Member
Just finish watching Princess Nine. Man...what a fun show to watch from beginning to end. Will post an impression in few days from now.
 

Cornbread78

Member
You like everything

you'll find something

If not, I have a huge backlog to catch up on, lol.

Since me and you like the same stuff more or less, take a look at my list of stuff I wanna check out. Release dates included.

Upcoming shows

- Gangsta - July 2nd
- Ranpo Kitan - July 3rd
- Classroom Crisis - July 4th
- Durarara!!x2 - July 4th
- Gate - July 4th
- God Eater - July 5th
- Charlotte - July 5th
- Working!!! - July 5th
- Rokka no Yuusha - July 5th
- Kuusen Madoushi - July 9th
- Prison School - July 11th

Only problem is the number of Funi shows on that list. Hopefully, we get a Crunchy list soon.
 

Jex

Member
[Bride of Deimos: Orchid Suite]


My earlier impression of this 1988 OVA directed by Rintaro largely focused on it's melodramatic shoujo trappings. This time I'd like to talk a bit more about the production.

In general, this OVA is far more impressively directed and produced than something I'd expect to see today. I mean, it's a one-shot OVA based off a manga that doesn't seem particularly well known or well regarded, so it would be odd to think anyone would spend too much effort on it. Nevertheless, like many other Madhouse productions, the general quality of art on display is very high.

For example, I think the layouts and background art are distinctly above average:


The colour work is very distinctive. Inside the house which serves as the centre of the intrigue, all colours are muted apart from a red, suggesting blood.


Colour does, briefly and garishly appear in the house when a murder is committed. Note not only the striking colours but the unusual perspective featuring an animated background:


Note how as soon as the murder is committed, the colour leaves the scenes. This suggests that the killer is acting in some kind of impassioned fit when they commit the killings. The killers state of mind is also indicated through striking close-ups:


The colour design also shows up during a brief flashback sequence which is largely depicted in blues and reds:


Blue and red also serve as the colours which bookmark the OVA, from the first scene:


To the last:

 

Midonin

Member
Sound! Euphonium 13

I was in a concert band... in middle school, but ultimately, I was looking for something different going into this, and likely got something different out of it. My favorite characters were Hazuki and Sapphire - the former for being the mood maker of the group, the latter mostly for her name - and I've never been the kind to like regimented practice routines.

I can see why it's there and the direction the show took, and I know we're not supposed to compare them, but as far as KyoAni's music shows go, I still, ultimately like K-ON! a little more. It felt more intimate, more personal, more about creativity. And those are the kinds of emotions I'm looking for in my anime. (And to those who say that the yuri overshadowed the band aspects... that's kind of how I feel whenever "all they do is eat cake" is brought up over those band aspects.)

But that's not to say I disliked it. Animation quality isn't the first thing I look for in a series, but I do know KyoAni is good at what they do. The characters feel more sketched out than, say, GuP's - and it probably helps that I'm more receptive to music than I am to military stuff. Hazuki's episode was probably my favorite, but the entire show was pretty good. The way it bookended itself with the opening and closing scenes was really well done, and while the trombones never had a huge focus, it did bring back some memories of when I used to play it.

So my feelings on it are ultimately mixed and complicated, but clearer than it has been for several other shows of this kind. It's probably not the kind of band story I would've written, but for the story it was telling, it did a really good job of it. I'd be up for more.
 

Deadly

Member
Sound Euphonium 13
Great episode. The concert scenes were wonderful to listen to. Kumiko and Reina <3

Code Geass Akito 3
Fun to revisit the code geass world. Are they setting up for more after this series of OVA?
Was that CC with short hair or a new character? What's this about preserving the space-time continuum?
 

Thoraxes

Member
I just decided to check out the performance from episode 13 of Euph even though i'm not caught up yet and holy fuck.

I was so excited that the tears flowed and i'm still shaking. Dear god at the attention to detail with breathing, the performer's body movements, the key/valve presses all being 1-1 accurate with pitch.

Holy fuck.
 

Mandelbo

Member
Saikano 13 -END-

Heavy spoilers for basically everything in the show

Well, that wasn't the ending I was expecting. That was a little weird.

So the world ended, with Shuji being the only living thing left on what remains of the planet. Chise lives on, but only in his heart. I'm assuming that Shuji did just end up going insane, given that we see that shot of him in the void petting nothing and that the final scene with Chise and Shuji on Observation Hill is (I think) almost exactly the same as the scene from episode one when they go there fore the first time. The imagery in the first section of the episode was quite cool too, with the red clouds and the stars behind them, as well as Chise's wings poking through from above. That was really quite End of Evangelion there - so Chise's powers grew to incomprehensible levels? I'm not quite clear on what exactly ended the world. I doubt it's because of the war, although I'm thinking that the war probably started for a reason relating to it; Chise mentions that the whole other half of the planet is destroyed, and the Japanese military never appear to leave Japan itself - they're always on the defense. This leads me to believe that the war is being fought in order to claim Japan because the aggressors' country (countries?) have already been destroyed, and thus have nowhere to live. Both sides are merely trying to survive.

Shuji is a insensitive, self-absorbed clod for the majority of the show, and even though he gets a bit better nearer the end he still makes asinine decisions with regard only for himself. In fact it's only near the end that Shuji even realises how much pain Chise's been going through ever since she was modified by the military to become a weapon. The beginning section of the show sees Shuji go behind the back of his weaponised girlfriend to see his former teacher, Fuyumi, who it transpires is using him. I still attest that this is an utterly stupid thing of him to do, not only because Chise could kill him, Fuyumi or the entire town very easily should she want to, but also because Chise is utterly alone already, with Shuji being the only one who knows her secret - she has had to leave her family in the dark, as well as her schoolmates. Shuji knows this and still betrays her anyway, which is either exceedingly dense of him or willingly selfish.
Given how he reacts with such surprise to Akemi's deathbed confession that she's loved him more or less all her life, I'm inclined to think he's just dense. His other interactions with Akemi are interesting too - in particular, the moment about halfway through the show where he slaps her across the face so hard that she has to get it patched up later. This was a reaction to her slapping him due to her concern for Chise, but Akemi had otherwise done nothing wrong. I feel that this perhaps shows that Shuji takes his friendship with Akemi for granted, as if it's a given that they'll remain friends because they have been for so long, no matter what he does to her.
This still isn't mentioning how in the climax of the show, instead of ending Chise's suffering by killing her as he promised, he hands her back to the military, who claim they can save her. At the very least he admits that he did something wrong this time and that he acted against Chise's wishes, but even then this still means he hasn't learnt at all - he willingly lets her suffer for no reason other than to satisfy his own desires, ignoring the needs of others. Being the only one left alive after the apocalypse is his punishment.

I think that the gradual changes shown in Chise were fairly sad, although for me it was more the smaller details that had more impact for me. There's a moment in episode four where Chise launches some ballistic missiles from her back. Instead of crying or screaming here, she just says that it hurts - I felt that this was an excellent way of showing her exhaustion and fear at what her own body has become. This might actually be my favourite aspect of her character, the embarrassment and shame that the body she inhabits isn't her own anymore - I'm not sure how relevant this is, I'd have to think over it more, but her reaction seems reminiscent of something that commonly occurs with victims of rape, which I felt really elevated the idea that her body has essentially been violated by the military more than it would have had she simply not wanted to kill. There are numerous times where she claims that her body isn't that of a girl's anymore, it's just a weapon; the real tragedy of Chise's character isn't that she's forced to fight against her will, it's that she is no longer Chise and can't ever go back to the way things were before, even if the war ends. I would quite liked to have seen more of her before she became a weapon, though.

Some of the visuals were incredibly disturbing. I've already mentioned the sky in the final episode, but I think the depiction of blood and Chise's powers were the most unsettling. Blood is often shown in excess, hammering home the effect war has on people and the pain it causes, physically and mentally (see Chise's frequent nosebleeds as the show progresses) - the standout moment for me being when Shuji sits Akemi up on her deathbed, the blood having dried, sticking Akemi to the sheets. The sound that it makes as Akemi is torn away from the sheets is harrowing, and simply adds to the sorry state that she's in as she dies. Chise's powers, on the other hand, are often not directly shown. They're usually obscured by a curtain or Chise's clothes, meaning that until the end we're never quite certain what is actually inside her - instead we see them writhing around out of Chise's control, which makes them seem almost parasitic, again showing that her body is no longer quite her own.

I think that my favourite episode was episode 9, with Akemi's death and the earthquake shattering the peace. I felt more for Akemi here than I did any other character at any other point in the story - even more than Chise. Akemi's death is slow, tortured and undignified, a stark contrast to the tomboyish, cocky character that we've seen this whole time. Since she's done nothing wrong, and this is easily the longest death sequence in the whole show, it begs the question what she did to deserve such a death, again bringing up the horrors of war. This is also a very good way of making it clear to us that Shuji's hometown does not exist inside a bubble and that tragedy can just as easily strike them as it can any other place. Any illusion of peace is shattered with the earthquake as there is no longer a safe refuge for the characters from the war.

The music was mostly good, although there were a few times when I felt it was a little out of place, such as when there was a fast paced rock song playing while Chise was battling enemy helicopters and levelling a city, which doesn't quite fit the tone, I feel.
I thought the OP was a little weird and a bit too upbeat, but I really like the ED - the opening couple of bars are gonna be on my mind for a while.

Everyone had brown eyes for some reason. Even though there were
foreign soldiers, we never saw their eyes.
Probably not too important, just pointing it out.

Overall, while I wasn't enjoying it too much at the start, Saikano really grew on me as it went on and certainly didn't go in the direction I was expecting it to. It was pretty good.

E: oh right, it's euphonium today isn't it? I didn't pick a very good time to post this
 
I just decided to check out the performance from episode 13 of Euph even though i'm not caught up yet and holy fuck.

I was so excited that the tears flowed and i'm still shaking.

Damn, how about some body swapping? I'd like me the experience from your perspective!

Hibike! Euphonium - 13 [Final]

Nice final episode to a very good show. Somehow though, the performance wasn't as impactful to me as I'd have expected. Everything leading up to it was fantastic, however.

It's strange but some of the performances from Nodame Cantabile swept me up some more despite the ridiculously huge production value gap between the two shows and that I care for more of these characters here.

Anyways, all in all this show was very good and gets a 8/10 from me. Second season (and third!) please.
 

RurouniZel

Asks questions so Ezalc doesn't have to
The sibling gag comedy manga centers around Umaru, Taihei's little sister who boasts beautiful looks as well as prowess in both school and sports. However, "Himouto" (beautiful little sister) has a certain secret

Alternative Titles:
My Two-Faced Little Sister

This sounds literally suspiciously like the premise or OreImo.
 

Shard

XBLAnnoyance
Hibike! Euphonium Episode 13:

So the fated day has arrived, both for our concert band and for this show and god damned that was a superb finale. Much like the band, this show finally got all of its notes in proper working order and fixed the problem of having the melodrama overwhelm everything else and god damned the direction and framing of this show has been nothing short of astounding and this may be the most visually impressive work I have seen all year and the amount of prowess it required to make the full concert band shine in such detail.
You all know how I feel about the heavy use of yuri framing, my mind overall has not changed about it, this show was better then that, but this episode brings it down to a manageable level as this episode I could possibly buy Kumiko and Reina as just friends. Of course we end where all soft yuri ends and thing are left hazy enough to draw your own conclusions. One thing I can conclude is Shinchi is a big fat goose egg as far as romantic leads are concern. On that note what the fuck did he do? Kumiko just barely tolerated his presence and that fist bump could not have been more forced.
Anyway, damn good finale which puts into contention for AOTY.
Also, god damn it I want another season, I can see why this would be a stopping point, but I want to actually see the Nationals and the actual culmination of the narrative.
 

PK Gaming

Member
Sound! Euphonium END

There isn't much to say here. The final episode was executed flawlessly. The build up, the atmosphere and character interactions were all top class, and the performance was amazing. I don't really have a background in music, but it sounded really good (especially that solo by Reina).

Looking forward to being involved all sorts of debauchery with you all again when Season 2 drops.
 

MSMrRound

Member
Sound! Euphonium END

What do you mean it's over already ;_;

I expected little going in, and Kyoani really delivered. Such a
season 2 hook
.

Time to buy a early copy of PSV Taiko Drum Master V next week so that I can get the Sound! Euphonium bonus song and Tutti! my way to and fro work.
 

Jarmel

Banned
Euphonium-13
I'm not overly happy with the narrative direction of the show.
I think it would have been better for them not to go to the Finals as they would reinforce the theme throughout the show that sometimes your best isn't good enough and while you might be practicing so too are the people you're competing against. I think Haikyuu did this better in the first season while here it feels they won because they're the main characters in a story. I thought Mr. Trombone was going to fuck up hence all the previous call outs by the teacher.

The major thing that has pissed me off with this show though is the fucking monologuing. I have never been this mad about this element before in other works but Kumiko's monologues just slap me straight out of a scene due to how trite and unnecessary they are. It's like the director has no faith in the audience so let's reiterate information already conveyed just to be sure. It's distracting at best and condescending at worst.
On the animation front, I think the real winner from this show is KyoAni's in-house digital effects team. It's clear this was a showcase for them and it really helped to elevate the already high animation levels. That said, I also think they went overboard at times and sometimes the result is smeary.

This episode was more reflective than I expected and it worked as a sort of melancholic denouement.
 
Code Geass Akito The Exilred 3: The Brightness Falls

Beginning was really good time to get to know everyone better and just in an AU type of setting. The guys could ahve been undressed like the girls at the start so that was dissapointing, though the rest was funny. Akito having fun was a nice change, and then all the others especially Yukiya making the most of it too.

I cant wait for the next part. Just mad Suzaku just left Lelouch there like that for much of the fighting time. :/
 
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