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Fall Anime 2014 lOTl Unlimited Tomino Works
- Thread starter Narag
- Start date
- Status
Antiwhippy
the holder of the trombone
I have no idea what space dandy is.
hosannainexcelsis
Member
Space Dandy is... a dandy guy in the space.
UberTag
Member
How dandy is this space guy? Is he as dandy as the Irresponsible Captain Tylor per se?
MetroidPrimeRib
Banned
Like...20,000 words? Or something really high you'll probably never hit without being an OT.
24,000 characters CLOSE ENUFF
.
Antiwhippy
the holder of the trombone
Didn't get that impression when I read what other's wrote about the show. 
Might check it out now that it's done. Mostly got into this season (and back to anime in general) because they started adapting 2 of my favourite mangas in gekkan shoujo and barakamon.
Might check it out now that it's done. Mostly got into this season (and back to anime in general) because they started adapting 2 of my favourite mangas in gekkan shoujo and barakamon.
Admiral Woofington
Member
Sweet, I'm in the clear.
Here's a send-off for Space Dandy and it made me emotional knowing that it won't be around anymore
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dnLgnK57weI
Fate/Stay Night is having an advanced screening in -five- countries today and not a single person on AnimeGAF is going to be at any of them? Really? I feel let down.
why would i want to watch something derived from a Nasu work
I watched the first episode. That was enough.
The next book?
First season is hit or miss.
Second season is aoty material. Only one/two episodes were weak. Everything else is top notch.
you do itFate/Stay Night is having an advanced screening in -five- countries today and not a single person on AnimeGAF is going to be at any of them? Really? I feel let down.
Fate/Stay Night is having an advanced screening in -five- countries today and not a single person on AnimeGAF is going to be at any of them? Really? I feel let down.
Blame ufotable for not bringing it to Canada!
Fate/Stay Night is having an advanced screening in -five- countries today and not a single person on AnimeGAF is going to be at any of them? Really? I feel let down.
I'm going.
nintendoman58
Member
Fate/Stay Night is having an advanced screening in -five- countries today and not a single person on AnimeGAF is going to be at any of them? Really? I feel let down.
Say what?!? =D
Oh.
What is your avatar from, Google image search isn't turning up results.
ZachDeKoromaru
Banned
Nisekoi.
phoenix296
Member
Durarara!! Series Impressions
Opening Arc
Celty's quest
makes up the primary plot of the first of Durarara. The plot is pretty unremarkable and the reveal of the whereabouts of the object of her aspiration takes an unexpected turn. I didn't expect incest to be a part of a semi-serious story and still has me pondering what Japan's fascination with that subject is. To be fair, the incestuous themes were presented as disgusting. This does not excuse the fact that these themes felt out of place and unneeded.
Gang Wars
The Dollars are made up of anonymous group of people who gain access to a private internet board similar to 2ch. This is the foundation of the gang. They are anonymous, invisible, but united. The fact that this group of people identify themselves as a gang is questionable and makes me wonder how they function as a gang when their leader is an internet handle and nothing more. Imagine if we who post on NeoGAF called ourselves a gang because we have access to this message board? It's absurd.
It could be said the whole war was orchestrated by one man, Izaya. He has a lot of power as the city's information broker and he could easily prevent a lot of the conflict within Durarara. However, he chooses to move the pieces into place with false information to see the war break out and the only motivation he gives is "humans are interesting". Again, with so many characters it's hard to flesh out any character but you have to give a better motivation to the main "villain".
Durarara is a flawed, yet entertaining series. It starts off slow and the large cast is a detriment to the story telling with the lack of focus. However, once the plot picks up Durarara is quite entertaining. The art style is quite striking with a lot of straight lines used in the character art. The soundtrack seems short for such a long series and you will start to notice when the same song is repeated episode after episode.
Durarara returns in January next year. Is the series worth watching? I would say yes.
Durarara!! is an anime from the same writter of Baccano!. It is set in the Ikebukuro district of Tokyo where a gang war is brewing between the Blue Squares, Yellow Scarves and the colourless Dollars. The three main protagonists are high school students that all have some role in the gang war. Celty, a Dullahan who works as a transporter, is the supernatural aspect of Durarara and acts as a guardian for the protagonists during the gang war. Her story makes up most of the first part of Durarara
as she searches for her missing head.
Opening Arc
The first 12 or so episodes serve as an introduction to the vast cast of Durarara. There are so many characters that they cannot be counted on two hands and each of them has some back story to them. However, because the cast is so large it is easy to forget who is who and not all of them have an impact on the main story but rather serve as minor characters to fill a small role to progress the plot. For example, episode two focuses on a girl who has family issues and is determined to commit suicide to be free herself of her problems. Her character introduction and back story was such a large part of one Durarara's strongest episodes yet she is never seen again. Because the cast is so large, a lot of the characters feel very underdeveloped and have one-note personalities. This was also an issue with Baccano. However, Baccano had a much stronger story to support the large cast while Durarara's starts slow and only starts to pick up very late in the series.
Celty's quest
for her head
Gang Wars
The second arc of Durarara is much more compelling than the first. Hints that were laid out during the first arc come together in brilliant fashion and I felt rewarded for the investment I put into the first half.
The Dollars are made up of anonymous group of people who gain access to a private internet board similar to 2ch. This is the foundation of the gang. They are anonymous, invisible, but united. The fact that this group of people identify themselves as a gang is questionable and makes me wonder how they function as a gang when their leader is an internet handle and nothing more. Imagine if we who post on NeoGAF called ourselves a gang because we have access to this message board? It's absurd.
The red eyes that go by Saika are led by a mysterious force that can control minds. Saika causes the most chaos within the gang war. Members of the gangs that have been mind controlled are forced to attack their fellow gang members which leads to infighting. There is a major plot hole regarding this group's subplot.
Anri is the holder of the Saika blade and anyone who is cut by the blade becomes a slave to its master. However, there was a sub group lead my another possessed by the blade yet not in direct control by Anri. This is just confusing as all who are red eyed have been cut by someone possessed by Saika or by Saika itself. Shouldn't Anri have full control over this subgroup?
The yellow scarves are a gang in the traditional sense. Before the Dollars and Saika, the yellow scarves and blue squares fought with each other. These gangs' functions are questionable as there doesn't seem to be any goal or purpose to them other than to fight each other.
The three main high school protagonists are all involved in the gang wars in some way but none of them know of the other's involvement. This leads misunderstandings and fighting between one another. All in all, it was one big cluster fuck that could have been easily avoided. It was interesting to see the how these secrets between friends could cause such a city disturbing uproar.
It could be said the whole war was orchestrated by one man, Izaya. He has a lot of power as the city's information broker and he could easily prevent a lot of the conflict within Durarara. However, he chooses to move the pieces into place with false information to see the war break out and the only motivation he gives is "humans are interesting". Again, with so many characters it's hard to flesh out any character but you have to give a better motivation to the main "villain".
Durarara is a flawed, yet entertaining series. It starts off slow and the large cast is a detriment to the story telling with the lack of focus. However, once the plot picks up Durarara is quite entertaining. The art style is quite striking with a lot of straight lines used in the character art. The soundtrack seems short for such a long series and you will start to notice when the same song is repeated episode after episode.
Durarara returns in January next year. Is the series worth watching? I would say yes.
I knew it looked like Onodera, ty
Gundam Build Fighters 15
The student has yet to surpass the teacher. But considering it ended in a draw, they fought well and even used strategy when disadvantaged. Baker is pretty scary considering how she felt Nils lurking about. Then again, her job is essentially making sure the chairman is happy.
Oh, and thanks for the spoilers, preview. Something like that should be kept secret
The student has yet to surpass the teacher. But considering it ended in a draw, they fought well and even used strategy when disadvantaged. Baker is pretty scary considering how she felt Nils lurking about. Then again, her job is essentially making sure the chairman is happy.
Oh, and thanks for the spoilers, preview. Something like that should be kept secret
Jex
Member
Fate/Stay Night is having an advanced screening in -five- countries today and not a single person on AnimeGAF is going to be at any of them? Really? I feel let down.
Gotta stay away from molluscs.
Haru, the best Nisekoi
Good, good. At least there's someone.
Admiral Woofington
Member
The Review, baby
Number of Episodes: 26 (two seasons of 13)
Studio: Bones
Demographic: Seinen (young adults)
Genre: Comedy, Action, Science Fiction, Booty.
Style: Episodic
Woofington’s List of episodes worth watching(more on the why later):
1, 4, 5, 7, 9, 10, 12, 13, 14, 16, 17, 18, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 26*
*Episode 25 is recommended to be watched prior to 26, due to the continuity of the ending sequence
If you watch anime you’ve probably heard the name Cowboy Bebop, and if you haven’t you really should as it constantly makes the top anime lists of many and is arguably one of the most important anime to bring interest of the Japanese media into the West. And if you know Cowboy Bebop you should also know that the man behind it is Shinichiro Watanabe. He’s also behind another popular show in the West that aired in the Adult Swim timeslot a couple of years ago, known as Samurai Champloo. Well the thing is that after Samurai Champloo he really hadn’t done anything of the same type as Bebop or Champloo for a while, if anything major at all. He went on to work on Kids on the Slope, which also combined his love of music and animation into one to bring us a fantastic show full of jazz and blues. And while the show was great, it didn’t bring the oomph of his earlier works. So when the news arrived that the man behind Cowboy Bebop was putting his name on another space themed anime, excitement ensued. That anime ended up being Space Dandy. And what a show it is, baby.
Now let me start off by saying that Space Dandy might not be for you. Here are some reasons you might not enjoy it:
- THE SHOW IS EXTREMELY EPISODIC. If you don’t want a show where one episode might have little to do with the other then this is not for you. Further discussion on how this is a positive will be given later though.
- DANDY IS VERY CRUDE WITH ITS HUMOR. The show has some amazing humor, but a lot of it is crude. If you are uncomfortable with jokes about asses and breasts, you might want to keep away as a recurring joke is Dandy’s love for butts. Heck, his favorite restaurant is Boobies, the Hooters of space. I particularly warn about this if you take offense in somewhat sexist humor and characters at point, because it will be an issue for you.
- THIS IS NOT COWBOY BEBOP. If you were hoping and only interested in seeing Cowboy Bebop 2.0 then I hate to disappoint you this is not it. I love Cowboy Bebop, it’s my favorite anime and probably always will be, but this show is the complete opposite in tone. Which isn’t a bad thing if you are willing to expand your horizons. In fact Watanabe has to do very little with the show on a day to day basis, his role is more like that of HBO show runner, who directs the first episode and acts as an executive producer while he gives free reigns to every director from them on.
Honestly those are the three largest obstructions to the enjoyment of the show by some, with the third being dependent on whether you are watching it for that reason. I was disappointed at first that the show was an extremely episodic tale, but coming from Cowboy Bebop I wasn’t too surprised. It’s a show format that works better, and Watanabe is comfortable with it. If you’re still interested then let me break down the show for you.
The Story:
There is little story in Space Dandy. Every episode is self-contained except for a few here and there. There is an all-encompassing plot as tends to be the case with shows like these, but it serves as little else more than a plot device and an excuse for Dandy and crew to get into some crazy situations and stick around for another episode. But to summarize the show I would have to quote the narrator and say that “Space Dandy: he's a dandy guy in space. He combs the galaxy like his pompadour on the hunt for aliens. Planet after planet he searches, discovering bizarre new creatures both friendly and not. These are the spectacular adventures of Space Dandy and his brave space crew in space. “
Each episode is handed off to a different director and writer, and they were basically given liberty to do whatever they wanted and it is amazing in some instances. We have episodes where the alien worlds feel truly alien due to the art style and directing. Others where it might be more grounded so it becomes personal. There is so much variation in here.
The Characters:
There are recurring characters that appear in most if not all episodes. We have Dandy, the Johnny Bravo womanizer. QT, the autotune robot companion who usually provides the voice of reason. Meow, the cat with a hat who is practically useless and just tweets all day. Scarlet, the sexy and professional Alien Registration worker. Dr. Gel and Bea, the intelligent antagonists and charming antagonists chasing Dandy around the universe. And Honey, the bubbly Boobies waitress who has grown close to the crew due to their recurring patronage. Not all of them receive proper expansion and character development, but I can say this: most of their characters got their own episode where they were the focus. And most of these were great, with the exception of one. Meow, QT, and Scarlet’s episodes’ are particularly amazing when it comes to main characters. But that’s not even going into Dandy. Oh boy, Dandy. What a great character.
Space Dandy is one of the most complex characters to come out of anime, or heck sci fi, in a long time. With so many shows and novels being about badasses, serious folks, and even charming rogues it’s nice to see a show with a man who is largely a fuck up and an anti-Spike from Cowboy Bebop. While he may seem pretty one-note at first, the depth of his persona and attitude is explained to the point of incredible detail. Most of this happens in the second half, and when it does you will see Dandy in a whole new light that the Johnny Bravo easy going dude from the first half. I really cannot express how much I love Dandy.
The Animation, Soundtrack and Design:
The show was animated by the studio Bones. If you don’t recognize studio names, just know they are known for amazing fluid animation and action sequences, as can be seen in Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood and Sword of the Stranger. And they do not disappoint. Some of their best work is seen in Space Dandy, alongside work/inspiration from other studios. The art design of certain episodes aren’t consistent with the rest of the show but that is more due to the director’s vision, and it works in its favor more often than not. Bottom line is if you enjoy smooth animation, this show is for you.
As to the design and art, you are in for a treat. There are some jaw-dropping drop dead gorgeous visuals in this show. The love and details that went into backgrounds, planet designs, and especially alien designs is amazing.
If you know Watanabe works, then you know that music is crucial and key to the quality of his works. And Space Dandy does not disappoint. The soundtrack is absolutely amazing and a must-buy for those that enjoy funk, jazz and sometimes even electronica as some songs are very Daft Punk sounding. You will not be disappointed. For a preview of the second soundtrack, check out this link so you know just how amazing the music is. Definitely a highlight and that’s only for the second soundtrack, there’s another one with equally amazing music.
Over-all Impressions:
Space Dandy is not perfect, and not many shows are. I feel the need to mention that because I’ve been so positive that I probably should mention the biggest negative of the show: some episodes are ‘meh’ or just ok at best. If you follow my list of recommended episodes, you’d essentially be not watching 8 out of the 26 episodes (7 if you watch ep. 25 for the sake of continuity), and some of the ones listed above are also ‘above average’ while not amazing. Should you watch all of them? Most definitely. My recommended list is of my personal view alone as the episodes that were at the very least decent in my honest opinion. But every episode has its purpose and gives you a bigger glimpse into Dandy and the universe which by itself means it’s worth watching it. But just like there are some lows, the highs of Space Dandy go to space itself. And that’s why it’s a show worth watching. You get to see all of the creativity of the Japanese and anime in one show. One episode you could be watching Space Dandy taking care of a little alien girl, while in another he could be in an epic intergalactic race. There’s so much variety to the entertainment that the biggest downside of Space Dandy at points is that so many characters and situations with potential end up not being explored further and are completely forgotten in the large scale of the show because the next director and writer had their own idea of what to do with Dandy and company. The over-arching plot as mentioned was little more than a plot device and set-up for the eventual epic finale and to have something tying certain elements of the crew together.
Having said all of that though, Space Dandy is a must-watch. Heck if I had my way, every person who enjoys sci-fi should watch it. It’s an amazing experiment and highly entertaining with something new to experience in every episode in art, music, design and message. It is my show of the season and chances are of the year. It has earned a spot in my top anime of all time, and hopefully if you decide to watch it, it will be the same for you. I now must live on knowing that I will never get to experience such a masterpiece again with the eyes of a new viewer, and for that I am truly jealous of anybody who has not seen the show.
Space Dandy gets 10/10 Woofs. Go watch it now and join us, baby.
But ep 18 is better than a big chunk of these
Jex
Member
#turthbombs
Femmeworth
Banned
Overman King Gainer Ep. 1
I feel like watching this in Japanese without subtitles would have led to a less confusing experience. I assume the dialogue is awful but the translation might not be helping.
Did I watch an episode of Macross by mistake?
Why.
I feel like watching this in Japanese without subtitles would have led to a less confusing experience. I assume the dialogue is awful but the translation might not be helping.
Did I watch an episode of Macross by mistake?
Why.
Fate/Stay Night is having an advanced screening in -five- countries today and not a single person on AnimeGAF is going to be at any of them? Really? I feel let down.
Wait, this is a thing? Just checked the one place that might be playing something like this near me, and it's not playing, so I guess I won't be checking it out. If it were around me, I'd definitely give it a shot.
ZachDeKoromaru
Banned
3 was definitely the one that made me put off the show for so long (assuming it's the one with the literal titty monster), as I only finished S1 a month ago.
Jex
Member
I basically agree with this, although I'll have to say that parts of 1 were so bad that I feared for the entire project. I really wouldn't recommend it.
Deputy Dangle
Member
I knew I could count on you, Narag. What a beautiful OT.
I was so close to dropping after episode 3, but 2 gave me some hope. 4 and 5 were the episodes that really got me to stick with the whole show. 5 might still be my favorite of the series (haven't seen the last 2 episodes).
Femmeworth
Banned
Damn.
Yeah, I agree with this. Second half of the first episode at least had some great animation, even with as awful as the first half was.
The third episode was one of the worst Dandy episodes, period. I think I only hated episode 6 more than it.
Edit: If I had to make a list of what I think the best Dandy episodes were, I'd have to go 4, 7, 9, 16, 18, 21, and 24. I seen the finale yet.
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