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Spring Anime 2013 |OT -7| My Giant CG Pony Can't Possibly Read This Much Baudelaire

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fertygo

Member
But what's the 'disgusting and ugly' feeling?

Something that left you in disgust? like "something that this bad can happen"

If I see bomb victims with severe wound, I know I would scared and disgusted, even if I'm crying its because the said feeling not because "Its sad"
And that's actually one of scene in GotF. The protagonist portrayed with didn't cry either at that scene
 

Haly

One day I realized that sadness is just another word for not enough coffee.
He's not a true hair fetishist.

Why would you ever cut long beautiful hair?
 

Dresden

Member
Something that left you in disgust? like "something that this bad can happen"

If I see bomb victims with severe wound, I know I would scared and disgusted, even if I'm crying its because the said feeling not because "Its sad"
And that's actually one of scene in GotF. The protagonist portrayed with didn't cry either at that scene

Well, yeah. I doubt even the people who describe it as an emotional experience would 'cry' at that scene, either.

I'm not trying to single you out for anything, it's just that I've seen the 'You shouldn't crying at that movie, even the director said the same' stuff a few times around here but no one ever links me to anything. The closest thing I can remember is the author talking about how he'd felt relieved when his sister died.
 

Branduil

Member
Maybe he wants to take it home with him without the baggage that is the rest of her.

iHq9YHJBejLAe.jpg
.
 
From the New World 14


Though quite expository in nature, this was a great episode and one of the most melancholic so far, and certainly, aside from the fourth, the most revelatory. As such, this episode effectively served as a thoroughly intriguing transition away from the methodical examination of a diseased society, as it appears likely that the following episodes and the final arc, in particular, will gradually deviate from the enigmatic nature of the narrative’s development into a focus that explores the
actual destruction of said society
, whether by the seemingly
imminent war with the queerats or the humans themselves
. Not to mention, this episode was suffused with a menacing atmosphere that illuminated an unsettling inevitability for a particularly
nihilistic progression within the narrative
, as their
decayed society is approaching a deeply sinister turmoil
; a rather necessary consequence to the disturbingly
ritualistic cruelties they’ve commonly accepted as mere sacrificial trifles that are essential for their civilization to properly survive
.

One of the most effective moments was Saki’s
fleeting reverie that was beautifully woven into her questioning, in which Mamoru spoke to Maria of his necessary isolation from their civilization, only to then be quieted by a tearful assurance from Maria that she’ll permanently accompany him wherever he goes
. This scene perfectly captured the
fatalistic emotions
that were deeply felt by both, elevated even further by the wistful musical selection that was used throughout.

Saki’s
defiance at the hearing
was quite satisfying, since, for the first time, her individualistic inclination towards
rebellion was outwardly displayed for the committee to witness
, though, of course, this
hesitancy was also derived from a desire to protect Mamoru
. As such, it was a rather significant and quite inevitable development for her characterization, as she appears to have willfully
shed the dreadful constraints that had been carefully manipulated into her existence
. One particular moment that appeared to be subtly integral, with regards to foreshadowing, was
Saki’s illusory remembrance of intimacy between her and Maria
, which was expertly framed, as it drew a parallel to
Maria and Mamoru’s presently felt embrace
, likely inferring that the final vestiges of
Saki and Maria’s romantic relationship were slowly disappearing
, as their
fates
have transitioned into dichotomous entities.


Maria and Mamoru’s seemingly intertwined
fates increasingly appear to be lingering on the precipice of tragedy
, as a certain
futility within their existence is edging ever closer, threateningly directing their lives towards an uncertain, but ultimately deteriorated future
. This element within their mutual development was illuminated even further by the scene in which
Saki and Satoru separate from them
, culminating with the shot of
their withering figures tightly grasping onto one another as Saki departs
. The momentary focus on
Maria’s forlorn expression and the movement of her mouth as words of farewell silently escaped from her lips possessed a distinctly sorrowful and partially veiled finality
. These sentiments were strongly echoed in the final shot, as the camera fleetingly dwelled on
Maria’s face once more
, yet, following the preceding revelations and in combination with an
auditory isolation of the last word she spoke
, the exceedingly
bleak nature of her future
was distinctly accentuated, which was a fantastically chilling note to conclude the episode on.

Though quite tenuous and only implemented in a rather vague manner, I’m enjoying the slow and nearly imperceptible maturation of
Saki and Satoru’s relationship
, most evidently illustrated by
Saki’s abandonment of caution in her desire to follow Satoru on his potentially dangerous excursion
. This complexity certainly hasn’t truly evolved into a
romantic sort
, but the intermittent touches of depth seem to quietly foreshadow an eventual furtherance of
their relationship
. As such, it appears rather likely that their interesting dynamic will be explored quite heavily in the future, due largely to
Maria and Mamoru’s potentially lasting isolation apart from them
.


Tomiko and Saki’s conversation was immensely intriguing, as it touched upon a plethora of deftly foreshadowed revelations. The most compelling of which was the unexpected insight into
Tomiko‘s age of 267
, which logically reconciles several seeming inconsistencies in
her earlier conversation with Saki
. One of the most effective directorial flourishes was the cut to a still of
Maria and Mamoru huddled together
directly following
Tomiko’s foreboding utterance of humans having become the most dangerous threat to their society
. It established a potential implication that suggests they will, in some fashion,
initiate the destruction of their society
. The momentary mention of
Telomeres and the manner in which their corrosion eventually induces death within their society
was highly interesting, as was
Tomiko’s ability to continuously regenerate them
.

One of the most impressive and consistent aspects of the show is it’s writing, displayed most strongly by the meticulous construction of a narrative that rarely, if ever, falters in it’s ability to strongly convey the deeply disturbing intricacies of their society and the numerous terrors within their unfortunate existence as
unintentional creators of societal devastation
. It continuously manages to properly foreshadow and consequently allude to a litany of essential elements that allow for a deliberate unraveling of the numerous mysteries within the story. As such, there was an abundance of compelling revelations within this episode; several of which had only been previously foreshadowed in a seemingly inconsequential manner. Rather than this partially necessary minutiae remaining forgotten though, this episode, in particular, illuminated the subtlety with which they were ingrained into the narrative.


The direction was consistently solid, particularly in it’s rather deft handling of the material in this episode, which was permeated with a plethora of expositional conversations. Yamauchi’s storyboarding was quite strong throughout the episode as well, particularly during the conversation between
Saki and Tomiko
. Though his direction improved immensely for the tenth episode, especially following his thoroughly poor attempt in the fifth, the stylistic consistency of the show would have benefited considerably without the inclusion of his surrealistic expressionism. Visually, this episode was a bit stale and uninspired, particularly due to the singular location that comprised much of the episode, but, thankfully, it wasn‘t heavily detrimental. The exterior environments do, however, possess a desolate beauty that’s quite effective in mirroring the dreary nature of their struggles.

The animation was rather unspectacular, but, due to the prevalence of
mere conversations
throughout much of the episode, it didn’t become any sort of constraint. However, it impressed in it’s ability to properly illustrate a myriad of emotionally nuanced expressions, which was rather beneficial to nearly every conversational moment throughout the episode, particularly
Maria’s farewell to Saki
. Musically, this episode, similar to most others, was superb, as nearly every individual selection illuminated a highly effective and appropriate atmosphere within the scenes they were accompanying. The opening sequence, in particular, benefited greatly from the choral arrangement that was woven into this
melancholic parting
. I especially loved the slightly altered version of a previous selection that was used during
Tomiko’s exasperated explanation of a fiend’s abilities and the consequences of their presence in the world
.

All in all, From the New World, despite it’s inconsistencies, excels with it’s portrayal of a
corrupted and desolate society that’s edging ever closer to an irreparable ruination
, which is largely due to the terrific writing. Though the last episode was occasionally dull and poorly paced, it thankfully doesn’t appear to be indicative of the sort of quality that will persist throughout the conclusion to this arc. This, of course, is wonderfully illustrative of a considerably more satisfying cohesion and consistency, since, aside from the mediocrity of the previous episode, all others within this arc have been quite compelling and surprisingly suffused with numerous intriguing and largely integral developments. This presents a welcome dichotomy to the first arc, which was unnecessarily tarnished by a seeming necessity for a repetitive focus on several fairly inconsequential tangents, along with a decidedly disappointing narrative execution. The next episode looks quite interesting, particularly due to
the return of Squealer
.
 

Branduil

Member
So I watched Macross Fronteir over the weekend and someone suggested I watch Macross Plus.

I'm not usually a fan of early 90s animation, but I gave it a watch as the series is cool itself. Just finished and my god do I feel like I've just been on an acid trip (I've never taken drugs, but this is what I imagine it feels like). That film is trippy as hell O_O

I really hope you watched the OVA and not the movie version.
 

Instro

Member
Magi end



Well that's one way to end a show. What a strange amalgam of events that really messes with the canon. I mean, friggin Ithnan got development! I didn't even know that guy's name, so I had to look him up on the Magi wikia! Ah well, at least there was some cool action.

The show itself was definitely something. There really were way too many liberties taken with the source material. There were a few that worked and actually ended up pretty entertaining, but it was mostly trying to fix something that didn't need fixing.

That isn't to say I disliked it. In fact, I'm probably one of the few here, manga fan or otherwise, that thought it was a pretty good show even if it can hardly be called a good adaptation. The finale was strong in its own weird way and there were a few high points in the middle.

Still, while I did like it, I would strongly recommend anyone that was excited and ultimately let down to read the manga. It's really quality stuff.

I enjoyed it even though it clearly had problems, the entire arc after Balbadd closed the show on a much higher note I think. I had a lot less negativity for it since I haven't touched the manga yet. Now I can go read the manga and feel upgraded instead of coming from manga to anime.
 

CorvoSol

Member
There are other Nias?

I don't know. Anime is a vast field with a small name pool, judging by Gundam 00.

Can I do a self-avatar quote without looking like a pretentious cunt?

So we are talking about that Nia? Then I stand by my statement.

Mobile Fighter God Gundam FINAL

See, after seeing this episode, I cannot in good faith agree that ditching this arc costs G Gundam nothing in SRW games. This wasn't in J at all, and frankly, I feel robbed of 2-4 good levels.

Now, some of you will look at this and ask, "What does this have that other, similar arcs do not? How is this supposed to be better than Akito and Yurika, or Simon and Nia, or
Sagara and Chidori
? How is this any different from the myriad "Your lover is the final boss." arcs?"

To you I say: It doesn't matter. Sometimes you can do the exact same thing that other shows have done, without offering anything new, and be just fine, because what you did was legitimately good, and this was, in fact, legitimately good.

Domon's romance with Rain, I am told, is fairly typical, and comparing it with other mecha shows, I can see why people might say that. But it was still genuine. Domon's speech to Rain/Dark Gundam at the end of the show was the culmination of a very solid amount of work done in the last ten to twenty episodes, which in turn built on the rest of the show. Rain's, shall we call it a Cosmic Suicidal Temper Tantrum? was the end result of Domon's mistreatment, which in turn had culminated in his snapping at her over the whole Allenby ordeal. The revelation that her father had used her to do all of this, and that her father's petty jealousy had ruined her relationship with Domon and done so much damage to people she knew and loved made her breakdown understandable.

In these episodes, Domon's romance, while perhaps not being anything fantastic in the greater realm of fiction, managed to mock any petty "love" AGE ever entertained, spit on the ridiculously preposterous non-romance of Setsuna and PMI, and left the likes of Relena and Heero and Kira and Lacus eating the dust. And, lest I be reprimanded, it ground Kou and Nina to dust and, unlike Shiro and Aina, was enjoyable.

Mostly this says that romance in Gundam tends to be terrible (Shinn x Stella, anyone?), so that this should take center stage for the show's finale, be enjoyable, and prove to be a natural extension of the characters and their development over the course of fifty episodes was well worthwhile.

Where other Gundam shows need a second season or movie to cram in this extra plot, G Gundam did it in something like 4 episodes (approx the length of a movie.) The stinger at the end "See you in Gundam Fight 14!" hurt like no other.

Now, the most awesome part, though, was the ridiculously amazingly over the top final blow. Dark Gundam finally goes full on nightmare mode with like a million new teeth, and Rain is free, and Domon, ever the gentleman, TURNS HIS CAPE INTO A TANGO DRESS. Which is reminiscent of a major spoiler from FF Type-0, which, as I do not know how to hide images, I will only say looks a lot like Domon and Rain's floating in a massive red cape sequence.

THEN THEY FIRE A HEART SHAPED FIREBALL AT IT AND A MASSIVE KING OF HEARTS SHOWS UP.

So that wraps up the finale. The show was simply the best Gundam I've ever watched. The cast was tight-knit and limited, unlike some of the more bloated recent series, and the main characters and villains developed or were revealed in a reasonable and understandable manner. Even though I hate Allenby's guts, I even understood her purpose in the end.

And of course, it was all worth it to see Domon finally spit it out that he loved Rain.
 

Narag

Member
Mobile Fighter God Gundam FINAL
Domon's romance with Rain, I am told, is fairly typical, and comparing it with other mecha shows, I can see why people might say that. But it was still genuine. Domon's speech to Rain/Dark Gundam at the end of the show was the culmination of a very solid amount of work done in the last ten to twenty episodes, which in turn built on the rest of the show. Rain's, shall we call it a Cosmic Suicidal Temper Tantrum? was the end result of Domon's mistreatment, which in turn had culminated in his snapping at her over the whole Allenby ordeal. The revelation that her father had used her to do all of this, and that her father's petty jealousy had ruined her relationship with Domon and done so much damage to people she knew and loved made her breakdown understandable.

And of course, it was all worth it to see Domon finally spit it out that he loved Rain.

Yeah, that's what left me with such a great feeling about the series at the end. It didn't feel like it came out of nowhere. Instead it felt like the culmination of the entire run (as it should) as Domon & Rain's relationship is finally resolved and Domon is forced to admit to himself he can't go any further on his own.
 

Dresden

Member
Over the next thirty hours or so:

* = expectation unit; .eu

Majestic Prince / ***
SNAFU / *
Photo Kano / *
Devil Survivor 2 / *
Aku no Hana / ************************************************************

Spring finally starts for me.
 
Ah shit, Crime Edge aired? Guess I have to watch that now :(

I enjoyed it even though it clearly had problems, the entire arc after Balbadd closed the show on a much higher note I think. I had a lot less negativity for it since I haven't touched the manga yet. Now I can go read the manga and feel upgraded instead of coming from manga to anime.

Oh absolutely. I imagine I'd also have a higher opinion of it were I not familiar with the manga.
 

Westlo

Member
My thoughts on it:

Episode 1: Whoa this is pretty awesome!
Episode 2: Whoa this is considerably less awesome!
Episode 3: Okay that was a bit better I guess
Episode 4: Eh...
Episode 5: Yeah this kinda sucks I'm out

Yep that's exactly how I felt about the show, fell from entertainment with a capital E to getting dropped like it was hot.
 
Little Witch Academia
lQN2ts5.jpg

So, it's those kind of witches.
Why did no one tell me Yoko Hikasa was in this? I would have watched it sooner.
Animation was obviously pretty good, but the story flowed great as well. It really liked to use foreshadowing a lot. Though one thing I didn't get is why did
that staff work on the dragon when it absorbed all other kinds of magic
?
Well in any case, it was enjoyable.
EzWuJJ9.jpg

I suppose they can get away with it since they are witches.
 

JCG

Member
Mobile Fighter God Gundam FINAL

So that wraps up the finale. The show was simply the best Gundam I've ever watched.

I'm glad you enjoyed it. G was -and remains- one of the most entertaining anime I've ever watched, but at some point the series really does become its own thing and not very much of a Gundam show in the traditional sense. There's absolutely nothing wrong with that, since it is quite a breath of fresh air after all, but the distinction is clear.

Curiously enough, the director himself originally expected to work with a more straightforward Gundam premise too, so it's definitely fortunate and a sign of his talent that he managed to pull off something so great within the constraints Bandai/Sunrise put on him, considering going for such a different approach was never really his first choice. In fact, I'd argue the property itself could really use another project along those lines in this day and age, in light of the failure of the most recent alternate universe series, despite the incredible success (and sheer quality) of Gundam Unicorn's nostalgic Universal Century-based approach. I'm sure The Origin will be great too, but there should still be some room left for well-executed unorthodox ideas.

Man, writing all of this sure makes me want to go watch G again.
 

Milamber

Member
But if that were the case,
why didn't they just let the dragon eat the magic stone and let it kill itself from that?

Sorcerer's Stone is a slow absorb (like a Tum's pill) while the Shiny Arc is a compressed magic explosion (like downing a whole bottle of Bisocodyl laxative), I guess.
 

Jintor

Member
Sorcerer's Stone is a slow absorb (like a Tum's pill) while the Shiny Arc is a compressed magic explosion (like downing a whole bottle of Bisocodyl laxative), I guess.

I interpreted it as
Chariot's staff being a different, flashier form of magic than tradition

Or maybe the dragon's just vulnerable to fireworks

Or maybe the bow's entire purpose is just to turn dragons into fireworks

Magic, man. You dunno how it rolls
 
I interpreted it as
Chariot's staff being a different, flashier form of magic than tradition

Or maybe the dragon's just vulnerable to fireworks

Or maybe the bow's entire purpose is just to turn dragons into fireworks

Magic, man. You dunno how it rolls

They do keep going on and on about her magic being fake or cheap tricks, so I was thinking it had something to do with that, but then you see it absorbing magic power from the Sorcerer's Stone, so I really don't know.
 

Milamber

Member
I interpreted it as
Chariot's staff being a different, flashier form of magic than tradition

Or maybe the dragon's just vulnerable to fireworks

Or maybe the bow's entire purpose is just to turn dragons into fireworks

Magic, man. You dunno how it rolls

The North star gems on the staff acted as huge batteries to get as much magic as possible from the Sorcerer's Stone. These serve as compressed magical explosions that burst out to emulate fireworks. So they kinda work on magic absorbing dragons as they release a ton of magic in one go. Much more than it could absorb normally.
 

Jintor

Member
I never interpreted that as saying
that Chariot's magic wasn't actual magic - I mean, you explicitly had the stage show at the beginning where she rolls in on a star, dances her staff around and then turns it into a broomstick. It's clearly magic, it's just not really their kind of magic, I think.

I guess it's the kind of thing they could expand upon later, but in the context of the story as-is it's narratively satisfying so the actual explanation doesn't really matter
 
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