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Summer Anime 2015 |OT| SharingMana

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Shirobako 14

Yeah, I'm glad I only wanted to watch one ep of this today as the voice actress meeting was exhausting to watch. I've little doubt that it was based on something that was real and just as aggravating. Zuka mentioning the show she auditioned for to her friends was suitably uncomfortably awkward too.

Mizushima said episode 14's meeting was based on real world lol.
 
I'm really enjoying the characters and storyline of The Heroic Legend of Arslan, but good lord the animation is awful most of the time. I know the show has a lot of action sequences, but it looks janky as hell. (Which is a shame because in the few sequences where they make the effort, it looks really good.)

The show deserves much better.
 

fertygo

Member
The lowest point is when they name their unit.

I thought you only joking

*watched the eps*

rxp5OZZ.gif

Anything Seira is the worst

pls tell me this not stick pass eps 100, plssssssssss

Neo Nee-chans is far superior name, maybe I actually can start this duo if they use that name.

Man watching Aikatsu without rooting the character is shitty experience, such a anti thesis from what happened before this cour :(((((((
 

Cornbread78

Member
I can't Understand What My Husband Is Saying S2 1-13
Although I hate that this is a series of "shorts," it still remains funny to watch and I'd just plain fun. It could have been a perfect SoL series, lol.


Wakaba * Girl
Alright, another series of "shorts" but the first episode shows promise of being just a cute and funny show to watch.
 

adixon

Member
Fight me

Hachiman is the man. What episode are you on?

BTW if youre watching on Crunchyroll, expect some really confusing subs.


Is there a version with better subs?? On Hulu maybe? I loved the show aside from the fact that every once in a while it would make no damn sense. And the way that occasionally the main female characters were treated a little like normal harem anime female characters even though the show was clearly smarter than that. (Mostly in season 2.) But overall I really enjoyed it, would watch again at some point with better subs.
 

adixon

Member
Anyone else a bit hyped for Snow White and the Red Hair (Akagami no Shirayuki-hime) romance anime? I mean it's being animated by Studio Bones.

The PV looks good as well.

Have the highest hopes for that show this season. I really enjoyed Yona from the winter season. Hopes it ends up being solid!
 
Suisei no Gargantia: Meguru Kouro, Haruka - 02

It's a shame it ended with this. I think Gargantia have interesting world building with much more to tell, as evidenced by a reveal in this episode.
The episode itself features more interactions between fleets and touches upon things like trading and conflicts - stuff I generally enjoyed from the show.

It also briefly makes an attempt to recreate a certain event from the show, but it feels sudden and flat due to next to no emotional buildup.
The battle in this felt pretty cool, albeit lackluster visually, but seeing plenty of warships gets me all giddy.

rip in piss gargantia
 

Trickster

Member
Gangsta - 01

Finally got around to watching this. Not much to say other than I loved it. Great opening, awesome protagonists, great character designs, also like the italian setting of the show.
 

Thoraxes

Member
Sound! Euphonium - 06

Previous Eupho Reviews:
Episode 01
Episode 02
Episode 03
Episode 04
Episode 05

eupho3cxq2b.png


- Looking at the rehearsal schedule, I have to say that Taki-sensei gets work done. In western schools we usually are able to take band as an elective course. Looking at their schedule, they have practice every single day, including weekends. You can tell from this alone that Taki-sensei feels like they have a massive amount of work to do in order to get the music to where it needs to be. The days are demanding, but some of those weekend hours are just plain insane. It's how you can tell he's really going to try to get them through prefectural competitions.

- Speaking of prefectural competitions, in the states we usually do divisions by school districts, and each school within specific regions are allowed to participate in each of the festivals. While the path to glory isn't as straightforward as it seemingly is in Japan, it's a lot more open just due to the sheer size of the USA.

- This all being said, I really love that they outline how the progression of the competitions work. It's totally different than anything i've beene exposed to. Given the nature of Japan and the way that it is laid out, it's quite an efficient method for establishing a competition.

- Then BAM! Taki-sensei drops the bomb. You can see everyone's demeanor change immediately, haha.

- Auditions are extremely important when it comes to ensembles that compete. Depending on the school you either audition for a normal chair placement (with everyone being allowed to play because it's for fun), or you audition for chair placement and there are only a limited number of spots. The reasoning behind limiting spots on an instrument-by-instrument basis is because each piece of music is composed with a specific set of instrumentation.

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- More often than not, most ensembles have too many players to effectively bring a piece to life per the composer/arranger's wishes. In these cases, in bands that are just for fun or general community ensembles will just have everyone that's in the ensemble play all of the parts, and will double instruments per part. So like, say the layout is 2 2 2 2 (2 horn (horn 1 and horn 2), 2 trumpet (same as horn), 2 trombone (same as horn), 2 tuba (same as horn or sometimes doubled)), they'll balance it out best they can. Say you have five trumpet players, well then maybe a director would put two people on trumpet 1 and three people on trumpet 2 to balance the high and low frequencies to get a more solid sound from a section. The sky is the limit in terms of what composers will do.

- I've provided an example of an instrumentation page from one of my contest-winning wind ensemble pieces.

- The setup for the contest is pretty much a universal standard here. A required piece and then a piece of the ensemble's choosing. In the USA, most competitions tend to require a march of some sort as the first piece and then anything goes for the second one. Sousa marches are most commonly chosen/required because despite being easy to perform, they are devilishly hard to master and nail all of the nuances perfectly. These traits make them ideal for competitions because nailing those nuances require a tremendous amount of skill and discipline from both conductor and ensemble, not to mention every judge is always intimately familiar with them.

- Showing that some people are going to be sitting out, and that this is all going to be skill-based is going to rightfully ruffle some feathers hardcore. And I have first-hand experience of being the underclassman who really pissed off his seniors by auditioning higher than them. The drama just is not pretty at all, haha. I'm pretty much expecting there to be some major BTFO moments and some confrontations coming up. If there are some solos, shit will hit the fan even harder!

- I love Asuka's dedication though. And all the alternate Sapphire-chans was hilarious lol. Dem tuba duets.

- Practicing everyday is important!

yeessstsrh5.png


- I'm not familiar with Japanese band repertoire at all, so i'm going to assume these composers are real people, and probably compose kick-ass band pieces. Seeing Asuka's enthusiasm makes me think of how I was at that age! I learned as much as I could about composers and the pieces we played. I'm going to probably do some heavy research through some of my conservatory contacts to get into contact with some composers in Japan and ask some more questions about their methods and compositions.

- Kumiko is kind of reciprocating what I mentioned earlier here; Taki-sensei is serious about this. And to think that the prefectural contest is only the first step! The opening fanfare from that recording sounded so awesome.

- The audition materials selection is also pretty by-the-books here too. For my orchestra auditions I would usually perform selections from each of the pieces we would be playing throughout the semester. Same goes for band too!

- That being said, all of these people are too nice! Writing in fingerings, playing the segments for the other players so they can hear how it's supposed to go, and doing this all in a group. Where's the throat-cutting!? (probably with the flutes and trumpets, where it always is if I had to take a guess)

eupho52vyqww.png


- Hahaha, the look on their faces when they realize she doesn't know how to empty the spit from the slides and how to clean them is priceless! Surprisingly the French Horn actually has the most maintenance of any brass instrument, because it has almost double the amount of removable parts compared to the rest of the brass family. Also, most of the time you will see french horn players physically rotate their instruments during a performance; this is all in the name of removing spit!

- Kumiko using that tube-snake to clean out the slide! They even have the way it coils up accurately drawn too. I love how they include the detail of her using a soft cloth to coat it. Because of the size of the tuba's slides, this is a necessary measure to be able to ensure all sides of the slide are cleaned during this process.

- And yes, newbies will mess this process up. Often.

- Yay for Reina being a responsible instrument inventory manager!

- It's nice to be able to hear the subtle differences between Reina and Kaori. The delicate way Reina approaches that first note is nice and delicate. Whereas Kaori uses more vibrato earlier with a kind of concrete start to her sound, Reina practically air-breathes into the note and maintains it so that as the sound tapers off the vibrato maintains the excitement of the phrase to lead into the second part of the phrase. Reina's slurs and range changes are also much smoother than Kaori's slurs and range changes. The same can be said about Reina's tempo interpretation too. Where Kaori plays it more strictly and in-time, Reina's is more beautiful because she accentuates the interesting parts of the phrases with a kind of cantando-style legato tonguing and maximizes the effectiveness of the audition environment by playing ad libitum, pushing and pulling ever so slightly. The differences here are ridiculously subtle, but they will all be things that Taki-sensei will hear and make his judgement on.

- Kaori sounds like she's playing the part, where Reina sounds like she's trying to bring the part to life.

- I legitimately felt scared (and more worried) for the tuba when Hazuki almost fell over when she put the soft-case on her back. I had the worst feeling in the pit of my stomach, because when something like this happens it's pretty much the ultimate nightmare scenario. Also that soft-case for the tuba is so accurately drawn. Right down to the zipper placement and pouches for slide grease/rotor oil/valve oil/slide snake. Dear lord.

- Look at that sexy tuba reflection. They absolutely nailed the way reflections and light bounce of the curved shapes of the instruments. So nuanced and so beautiful.

- Also, I hope Hazuki doesn't play that Tuba after eating the ice cream. She can ruin the tuba that way!!!

eupho4wmoc7.png


- Bariton saxophone... lol. BARITONE saxophone. If they spell out the "e" in saxophone, there's no reason to leave out the "e" in baritone either, especially when that's what denotes the register of the instrument! I was going to have the excuse of them just leaving the "e" out of the name because of how the Japanese language works, but since they correctly spell the work saxophone with the "e" in the name included, there's no excuse here!

- Pain is pleasue when it comes to tubas. It's funny how that each love something different about the Tuba. Goto is hilarious because he knows exactly how he feels, haha. "I don't know why I love it, but I love it! There's nothing good about it really, and the struggle is real, but it's the best!"

- Kumiko's sacfifice won't be forgotten. *MGS_salute.gif* This is hilarious, and her body language and tone of voice says it all, haha. I'm losing it during this scene! Tuba-kun~

- Kumiko brings up some good points about not being able to play well, especially when compared to how you imagine yourself being able to play.

- Goto is right about tuba and tuba parts. Alone their stuff can be quite boring as far as ensemble pieces go. When you put them in an ensemble, they're the glue that hold everything together and the foundation that everyone relies upon. The joys of playing in an ensemble are important to everyone. The sense of camaraderie is like a drug, and is what always keeps people coming back. It's quite addicting and overall just really fun.'

eupho5enr9o.png


- Twinkle Twinkle Little Star is perfect here. Seeing Hazuki finally get it was just amazingly done. You can see the moment in her eyes when she finally realizes what it feels like. It's an incredible feeling and it makes you want to be good enough to be able to perform with the others. Amazing job establishing that concept in the material and executing it, and overall it just felt so natural. They really captured those feelings perfectly to the point that even I had a flashback to what that feeling felt like to me when I had that realization 20-ish years ago.

- Oh god another almost tuba-breaking crisis. I felt despair in the pit of my stomach as she started to fall, for real.

- This is such a nice ending. You can really feel her sense of longing to join in.

- Next episode I feel like shit is going to go down! Auditions always bring out the worst in people, especially in high school! :D

eupho65rarqn.png


Overall, this episode was all about the dynamics of auditions and the concepts of how to ease a new player into an instrument and getting them to stick with it. It's all so nuanced and elegantly done in this episode that it shows a major level of competence from Kyoani to really nail the level of realism and relationships between characters to tell a really compelling tale. It's always just the right balance of personal relationships and professional commitments. It's easy to see why this is the best show they've made, because the attention to detail in the relationships between characters, the instrument sections, the politics of band, and the way the visuals completely enhance these attributes is just frankly outstanding. I wish I could lend some of you the ability to watch and enjoy these episodes through me, haha. I feel like I can't even begin to state how incredible this work is to me and how pitch-perfect they nail absolutely everything.

Last but not least, I just want to say that the attention to detail on the instruments still remains god-like all around. I don't think i've ever seen such painstaking attention to detail like this. To get all of those features correct all the time, and then to put them into motion while maintaining that standard of quality is nothing short of outstanding. Even the specific lighting and reflections for all of the brass instruments must have been extremely labor-intensive work. Maybe even a miracle really. Just thinking about how long it must have taken to do the monumental job of creating all of the cuts with the instruments in them and maintaining that quality absolutely blows my mind. The research and reference for this stuff alone must have taken a very long time. You can tell this is a massive labor of love from all of those involved.
 

phaze

Member
Didn't have a whole lot of time with the video rooms at AX this year, but I still got a bit of anime in. Lightning round!

Mononoke 1-2
Something I'd been recommended on in the past. Felt extremely unique and abstract without leaving the viewer feeling distant. Was very impressed and I honestly can't wait to watch more.
The next arcs are even better !

Amagi Brilliant Park 12

Pretty much what I expected out of the ending. Heh that Izusu and Kanie scene at the end. This was an entertaining series if nothing else. Nothing amazing but not bad either.

I'll probably watch the 13th episode and OVA tomorrow.

I want to start Working!! tonight, since I've never seen it.

Really liked that ending, just the right mix of funny and touching that elevated my opinion of the show as a whole a bit.

Mobile Suit Gundam 0080 War in the Pocket 02

I feel like this show requires me to have some basic understanding of the UC (that's the term right ?) universe but sadly I've none. The Federation is the Earth right ? But then whose base was it in the Arctic ? At least the mc seems as clueless as I'm, cheering and fraternising with Bin Laden-kun as he goes to blow up shit in protagonist's very own colony.
 

Shard

XBLAnnoyance
Sailor Moon Mondays: Sailor Moon S: Episode 120

It has been downright bizarre to watch Sailor Moon S slowly attempt to transmogrify itself in order to get back in line with the manga storyline as yet even more elements from said manga show up in this episode as we get the backstory on Hotaru and Professor Tomoe and while they have the basics down pat, the devil is in the details and many details are missing for one reason or another. Continuing along those lines one of the most critical elements missing is finally introduced, what they are calling Mugen Academy nee Infinity Academy is finally established here and once again the basics are here but that is it since in the manga Infinity Academy is very central to the entire arc and probably the element they messed up the most. Speaking of which, with all of these actual story developments and plot advancements happening the Monster of the Week format is feeling very archaic and forced at the moment though here it actually serves a purpose in giving us the final plan attempt enacted by Mimete before the next member of Witches 5 takes the stage. All and all a mild recommendation to watch.
 

Hazaro

relies on auto-aim
Didn't have a whole lot of time with the video rooms at AX this year, but I still got a bit of anime in. Lightning round!

Mushishi 1
I'm sorry to have not watched this sooner. I'm sorry— okay? I'll do it. Just give me time.
I loved it.

Riding Bean (on LaserDisc)
Holy shit. If you're into 90's OVAs with a ton of action and mechanical animation, check this out. It's a 45 minute one shot and it's pretty glorious. I think Bean (the main character) is a Gunsmith Cats character? Anyway, full marks. It was great.
Mushishi is incredible and Riding Bean is a great watch indeed!
Was anyone else at AX?
 

Saudades

Member
Can't say I like the artstyle and the lazy filter they are putting over the characters.
To be fair the artstyle is kinda similar to the stuff at the beginning of the manga. Hiramoto got better over time.
But yeah I agree about the filter, looks way off sometimes. Wish the art could be more detailed too.

Mobile Suit Gundam 0080 War in the Pocket 02

I feel like this show requires me to have some basic understanding of the UC (that's the term right ?) universe but sadly I've none. The Federation is the Earth right ? But then whose base was it in the Arctic ? At least the mc seems as clueless as I'm, cheering and fraternising with Bin Laden-kun as he goes to blow up shit in protagonist's very own colony.
Yeah some basic understanding would help: Feds are the good guys (or at least on the protagonist's side) and Zeons are the baddies. Plus some MS stuff like GM is the Fed's grunt unit and Zaku's the Zeons'. I'd recommend watching the Gundam 0079 Compilation Film Trilogy before watching 0080, but it's not compulsory.
I think it was the Feds' base? It's been a while since I watched it but it is the Zeons who was attacking it so...
 

Szadek

Member
Ushio to Tora
That was a really damn good first episode.
It might not be anything too special ,but the execution is exellent.
I will certainly watch this anime.

Chaos Dragon: Sekiryuu Seneki
This on the other was not a good first episode.
The exposition is handled badly ,the setting is very cliche and the animantion quality is rather poor
These are all warning signs of a terrible show.
I will watch a bit more of it,but this anime is probably going to suck
 

Baalzebup

Member
Sound! Euphonium - 06
I wish I could lend some of you the ability to watch and enjoy these episodes through me, haha. I feel like I can't even begin to state how incredible this work is to me and how pitch-perfect they nail absolutely everything.

Well, I think you're doing a pretty good job about that with these massively detailed impression posts. These really are an awesome read because they lend a portion of your appreciation to us. :)
 

zulux21

Member
Today is ANDODAY. Who is excited?!

don't even know what it is... best I could find was
Momofuku Ando Day was established January 2007 at a small hospital in Dallas, Texas. A group of healthcare workers first celebrated the day on January 19, 2007. Each participating employee brought several packages of favorite ramen flavors to a banquet table from which employees could sample. The second year, January 2008, participating employees developed unique dishes using ramen as the prime ingredient. The Day also kicked off the "It Starts With Me" campaign promoting charitable giving and customer service. The hospital was corporately closed in June 2008. In January 2009, several of the transferred employees continued Momofuku Ando Day by sharing it with their new coworkers at a sister facility. Understanding that ramen has been a staple food for victims of disaster and the poverty-stricken, as well as for college students and those wanting a quick meal, Momofuku Ando Day became an endeavor to help feed those in need by fundraising for charitable organizations, or simply calling attention to poverty or hunger through ramen or food donations to local food banks and free meal kitchens. The day has since been celebrated the second Friday of January to allow Mr. Ando due recognition.[9] In 2015, Google placed a doodle on their main web page commemorating his birthday on March 5.[10]

The name of the Momofuku restaurants alludes to Momofuku Ando.[11]

o_O
 

/XX/

Member
It is certainly impressive how the shrine at John Lasseter's office dedicated to his idolized Studio Ghibli founders keeps getting bigger and bigger each passing year!

Didn't have a whole lot of time with the video rooms at AX this year, but I still got a bit of anime in. Lightning round!

El Hazard 1 (on LaserDisc)
They showed this dubbed and it sounded like it might have taken a lot of liberties with the script. Kinda funny, but maybe not intentionally. Show should have been entirely about Jinnei.

Riding Bean (on LaserDisc)
Holy shit. If you're into 90's OVAs with a ton of action and mechanical animation, check this out. It's a 45 minute one shot and it's pretty glorious. I think Bean (the main character) is a Gunsmith Cats character? Anyway, full marks. It was great.
Did they get to show On Your Mark this year too? Or did WDSHE reach the point(lessness) of even blocking private showings on US ground? :p
 

Shard

XBLAnnoyance
Sailor Moon Mondays: Sailor Moon S: Episode 121

Yes, I think I am beginning to see why watcher of the anime program here wondered why the third of Watches 5 here, Teliun, got offed so quickly in comparison to Euidal and Meimete and the answer lies in the fact that this episode was, anime nonsense aside one of those one to one lift jobs the anime pulled every now and again. As in they pretty much adapted Teliun's chapter from the manga, which is why it plays out so radically different to the point where it get lampshaded. Indeed, this is also the reason why there is mostly no Monster of The Week expect when one gets created because the anime got gunshy about Sailor Moon killing the point girls here and needed a way out in that regard. Also, been awhile since I have said this, but dear god Chibi-Usa is just the worst thing ever. Yea, this isn't as bad arcs of both previous and future nature, her taking the lead focus in this part of S is really sucking the life out of everything. Why the universe has not considered to toss Princess Scrappy into a trash compactor I will never know, Mild recommendation to avoid.
 

phaze

Member
Yeah some basic understanding would help: Feds are the good guys (or at least on the protagonist's side) and Zeons are the baddies. Plus some MS stuff like GM is the Fed's grunt unit and Zaku's the Zeons'. I'd recommend watching the Gundam 0079 Compilation Film Trilogy before watching 0080, but it's not compulsory.
I think it was the Feds' base? It's been a while since I watched it but it is the Zeons who was attacking it so...

Thanks for the info, read bit of wiki too and I think I've got a better grasp on things. I suppose coming of Wing, I just assumed Earth would be the dominant force (and evil) and colonies would be more or less unified in their opposition to them. Not just that Zeon principality thing.

Gangsta 01

An all around meh but in the sea of mud that is this dreary season, I'll at least give it 3 episodes before the drop.
 

fertygo

Member
Aikatsu -- 101

I wish the whole cour is more like this. I'm happy we can ret..

*peeking some of eps102"

Fuck sake, protagonist shift? Not that I mind, but they're really closing Ichigo's story with that Tuwinks bullshit?

Fuck everything.
 

DiGiKerot

Member
Aikatsu -- 101

I wish the whole cour is more like this. I'm happy we can ret..

*peeking some of eps102"

Fuck sake, protagonist shift? Not that I mind, but they're really closing Ichigo's story with that Tuwinks bullshit?

Fuck everything.

*Points to Ichigo-focused Aikatsu movie*

(Which, admittedly, you probably shouldn't watch for another dozen or so episodes!)
 

fertygo

Member
*Points to Ichigo-focused Aikatsu movie*

(Which, admittedly, you probably shouldn't watch for another dozen or so episodes!)

I need to get to eps 114 first brah.

Hopefully I don't need to deal with Tuwinks BS again tho, my heart felt dead inside everytime they spelling the name.
 
Ushio to Tora 01

This is cool, I don't really like that the MC transforms in some savage but that's the only thing I don't enjoy. I'm excited to see this story develop.
 

John Blade

Member
Mobile Suit Gundam 0080 War in the Pocket 02

I feel like this show requires me to have some basic understanding of the UC (that's the term right ?) universe but sadly I've none. The Federation is the Earth right ? But then whose base was it in the Arctic ? At least the mc seems as clueless as I'm, cheering and fraternising with Bin Laden-kun as he goes to blow up shit in protagonist's very own colony.

Let me give you a very crash course of the situation in Gundam UC timeline before 0080.

The Earth Federation is basically a global government that is basically the main government for Earth and the space colony. Think of them as NATO. The Zeon is basically the rebel or opposition government who oppose the main government as they think of them as old rich man who have no idea how the people of space live. Think of them as Germany.

Basically, both side don't like each other and a war spill out because of it. The Zeon military force is like what Nazi Germany military is, not a huge military but what they got is very professional and strong force. The Earth Federation is like USA military in the WWII, not too great but compensate in quantity of military equipment.

The sad side of this war is that the Earth Federation isn't a good guy that you expected and you can say the same as Zeon as they isn't always bad then they want you to believe. This is shown a bit in the original show Mobile Suit of Gundam.

For the show, the Arctic base you see in the 1st episode is actually a Earth Federation military base. What happened is the Zeon special force you're following is suppose to infiltrate the military to located a special mobile suit and destroy it (while at the same time destroy the base). Unfortunately, it didn't go as plan as you see, so the special force you're following, have to go to space to located the mobile suit in one of the colony. During this time, they have to bring in a new officer as they're one man short. This officer is Bernie who isn't an ace pilot and you see got shot down in the 1st episode. This also tell you that the Zeon force is running out of officer that they have to bring in someone as a rookie in a special force which isn't a good sign and also foreshadowing something later.

I do hope this help you give a rough idea of what is happening. Hope you like this show as it might be one of the better Gundam show in Gundam saga which is funny when you think about it.
 

TheRancor

Member
Gatchaman Crowds Insight
Will watch after I finish season 1

Ushio To Tora - 01
Has somewhat charismatic visuals, will watch for more tedious fun 90s shounen.

Rokka No Yuusha - 01
Will watch listen for Michiru Oshima music.

Today is ANDODAY. Who is excited?!
Will watch listen for Michiru Oshima music.
 
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