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Winter Anime 2015 |OT| ZA WARUDO is not square!
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Admiral Woofington
Member
Bullying culture prevails.
I feel I should follow up the snarky one liner with something a little more substantive given all the grief I sent Cross Anges way after the preliminary reports about what kind of show it is. I wont pretend its secretly a good show but it really isnt but its one of those shows that has a couple good elements that keep one checking it out for one reason or another.
As we all know, the initial reports about the first episode were less than encouraging. Smutty mecha? Yeah, no thanks, we said in unison. It wasn't until some gave it a shot and pointed out the mecha stuff was incidental (at the start at least) and that it was basically womens prison material, the exploitative nature of the show made sense and, frankly, seemed par for the course for that genre.
Past that, the show is essentially Geass-lite with various shock elements thrown at the viewer every so often with varying success and some real head-scratching politicking going on in the world outside of Arzenal. Current human society is ridiculous in presentation but intentionally so given the general premise of exploring the outcast caste of humanity who survive in secret to protect and support the existing utopian society. Thats not to say the show has actually done anything noteworthy with that in what Ive seen so far but its a solid foundation for the stories being told about the otherworldly DRAGONs, the failed revolution Libertus, and I assume will be an eventual intersection of the two.
The real draw for me Ange (and to a lesser extent, Hllda) having a great character arc throughout these first twelve episodes. Ange herself is so far removed from who she started as that shes nigh unrecognizable. While Im sure itd be easy to take her rather extreme behavior early on as anime being anime, when taken as a whole, it comes across as someone genuinely dealing with the trauma of having her life upended so suddenly and being forced to reinvent her own identity. Though not in the typical order from what I can remember, she goes through the typical stages of grief as she deals with the death of her mother and having her humanity rescinded in the eyes of the world. Shes forced to re-learn the value of others over the course of these eps although a case could be made she never understood the concept to begin given the sheltered life of her youth. Shes transformed from a haughty naive princess into a tough as nails take-no-shit soldier on the front lines where she believes she belongs. Even better, the ending of the 12th episode hints at that new facade beginning to crack as well. Sure, it may not actually happen going forward as Im not fully caught up but doubt appeared if only momentarily and sometimes that's enough.
I wont lie, I find Cross Ange unironically entertaining but its a shame these two are stuck in this show as they really deserve better than something that out animes most anime in how events unfold or how the plot develops. At the very least, toning down the Geassisms or shotgun fetish approach of just throwing everything in and seeing what sticks in an attempt to titillate may have made this somewhat more palatable to others. That said, I think this is one of those cases where theres a great element trapped in a weak product thats kept me watching. Not so much to see what becomes of the plot because thats ultimately disposable but to see how it affects Ange as a character as thats where the majority of my interest is invested, ~chu.
As we all know, the initial reports about the first episode were less than encouraging. Smutty mecha? Yeah, no thanks, we said in unison. It wasn't until some gave it a shot and pointed out the mecha stuff was incidental (at the start at least) and that it was basically womens prison material, the exploitative nature of the show made sense and, frankly, seemed par for the course for that genre.
Past that, the show is essentially Geass-lite with various shock elements thrown at the viewer every so often with varying success and some real head-scratching politicking going on in the world outside of Arzenal. Current human society is ridiculous in presentation but intentionally so given the general premise of exploring the outcast caste of humanity who survive in secret to protect and support the existing utopian society. Thats not to say the show has actually done anything noteworthy with that in what Ive seen so far but its a solid foundation for the stories being told about the otherworldly DRAGONs, the failed revolution Libertus, and I assume will be an eventual intersection of the two.
The real draw for me Ange (and to a lesser extent, Hllda) having a great character arc throughout these first twelve episodes. Ange herself is so far removed from who she started as that shes nigh unrecognizable. While Im sure itd be easy to take her rather extreme behavior early on as anime being anime, when taken as a whole, it comes across as someone genuinely dealing with the trauma of having her life upended so suddenly and being forced to reinvent her own identity. Though not in the typical order from what I can remember, she goes through the typical stages of grief as she deals with the death of her mother and having her humanity rescinded in the eyes of the world. Shes forced to re-learn the value of others over the course of these eps although a case could be made she never understood the concept to begin given the sheltered life of her youth. Shes transformed from a haughty naive princess into a tough as nails take-no-shit soldier on the front lines where she believes she belongs. Even better, the ending of the 12th episode hints at that new facade beginning to crack as well. Sure, it may not actually happen going forward as Im not fully caught up but doubt appeared if only momentarily and sometimes that's enough.
I wont lie, I find Cross Ange unironically entertaining but its a shame these two are stuck in this show as they really deserve better than something that out animes most anime in how events unfold or how the plot develops. At the very least, toning down the Geassisms or shotgun fetish approach of just throwing everything in and seeing what sticks in an attempt to titillate may have made this somewhat more palatable to others. That said, I think this is one of those cases where theres a great element trapped in a weak product thats kept me watching. Not so much to see what becomes of the plot because thats ultimately disposable but to see how it affects Ange as a character as thats where the majority of my interest is invested, ~chu.
MetroidPrimeRib
Banned
You forgot to mention that Tusk sucks!
<3 <3 YUASA <3 <3
Thick James
Banned
So should I watch cross ange or not
Also Kuroko basuke y/n
Also Kuroko basuke y/n
Watch Kuroko Basuke if you like super power basketball.
Twin Tails
Member
nintendoman58
Member
A Certain Scientific Railgun - 12
I love it when a show's OP plays when something awesome is happening in it. In this case when Misaka started using Thunderbolt. So good.
So yeah, while the first half of this show had its dull moments, as it went on I have to say it really picked up! And yeah, I've heard that there's more SOL stuff to come, but hey, if the action gets as good as it was in this episode, then I'd say that it's worth it!
So yeah, while the first half of this show had its dull moments, as it went on I have to say it really picked up! And yeah, I've heard that there's more SOL stuff to come, but hey, if the action gets as good as it was in this episode, then I'd say that it's worth it!
KirbYuuYuu
Member
Some suggestions from someone who is braving the magical hell:
Shugo Chara!
Ojamajo Doremi
Pretty Sammy
Magical Witch Punie-Chan
Puni Puni Poemy
Off the top of my head
Shugo Chara 72-73
Love declaration makes reunion drama so thick you could cut it with a knife.
And we see Lulu's asparation, her grandmother, who even realizes Lulu has problems. And she called Yaya a shit. Based Grandma.
biosnake20
Member
So what are the stand out shows this season so far?
hosannainexcelsis
Member
Yoru no Yatterman and Shounen Hollywood.
Lee Chaolan
Member
Pretty much how I feel after every Dandy.
Rolling Girls
After reading this post, I think that Ange would really need to become the female character of the year in order to make me consider giving the show another chance.
And I say this as someone who typically has had little or no problem appreciating the stronger elements of the crazy mecha shows made by Sunrise and other companies. The problem is, Cross Ange would have to climb up a freaking mountain when so little of what it is doing intersects with either my personal or intellectual interests right now, let alone my tolerance level for the things that do nothing but tell me to stay away at a safe distance. It's really too much of a risk that I'm not willing to take this time around.
My favorite new shows this season are Yuri Kuma Arashi, Yoru no Yatterman, and Death Parade.
victreeb3l
Member
Gourmet Girl Graffiti 1
Ugh. This here is the weekly healing of the season. Its like a hot, hearty soup on a cold blizzard day. Just feel so warm and fuzzy after! I like the OP and ED too.
Ugh. This here is the weekly healing of the season. Its like a hot, hearty soup on a cold blizzard day. Just feel so warm and fuzzy after! I like the OP and ED too.
Maximilian Kolbe
Member
I changed my mind to Absolute Duo, now i actually think it's pretty decent and watchable, plus a miles better than other 4 "i've seen this before" type shows
I guess 8 bit studio is a studio know what they are doing and targeting.
I guess 8 bit studio is a studio know what they are doing and targeting.
phoenix296
Member
Upotte 03
If they cut out every scene with one of the girls this would be a better show. This is boring and awful.
If they cut out every scene with one of the girls this would be a better show. This is boring and awful.
phoenix296
Member
Doamaiger D 03 & 04
Thankfully Doamaiger D is here to save the evening. Incredible.
Thankfully Doamaiger D is here to save the evening. Incredible.
GamePnoy74
Member
The bromantic feels.
This got me hyped up for tomorrow morning's bike ride...maybe I'll have my 'Naruko Super Express' moment while riding in the neighborhood peloton, yo.
This got me hyped up for tomorrow morning's bike ride...maybe I'll have my 'Naruko Super Express' moment while riding in the neighborhood peloton, yo.
KirbYuuYuu
Member
Shugo Chara 74-76
The shoujo keeps on ramping up, with a very aggressive confession from Tadase, well before the show is over. Meanwhile in HapCha land....
But seriously, I get a kick out of Amu's increasing levels of pervert as we keep going, like she has less shame going onward as she expresses her desires of Tadase more openly, depending far less on the stubborness of her "outer character".
And of course
I mean whoooa...
Of course, now we're finally dealing with plot elements, that hopefully tells us why he's so hateful towards Ikuto, but not Utau.
EDIT: On the flipside Amu is ridiculously stupid when it comes to one person.
The shoujo keeps on ramping up, with a very aggressive confession from Tadase, well before the show is over. Meanwhile in HapCha land....
But seriously, I get a kick out of Amu's increasing levels of pervert as we keep going, like she has less shame going onward as she expresses her desires of Tadase more openly, depending far less on the stubborness of her "outer character".
And of course
Ikuto managed to hear this confession, and then "confessed" afterwards when he was gone.
I mean whoooa...
Of course, now we're finally dealing with plot elements, that hopefully tells us why he's so hateful towards Ikuto, but not Utau.
EDIT: On the flipside Amu is ridiculously stupid when it comes to one person.
that being Nadeshiko/Nagihiko. He even pretends to be Nadeshiko in front of him, WITH A GIRLY VOICE, and she still thinks they're two different people. And she was rather perverted about it too
The entire point of Cross Ange is terrible fanservice and being intentionally stupid.
Basileus777
Member
Yeah, it's kind of funny to hear people say "if you cut out 4/5s of the show, it would be so great." Cross Ange is entertaining trash that has some characters that are better than you'd expect, but I'm not sure where some of the more elaborate praise is coming from.
The mechs look awesome, the character art is great, the story is interesting and the music is good. If it was a straight action/drama, it'd be fantastic
KirbYuuYuu
Member
Shugo Chara 77
WELL THAT ESCALATED QUICKLY
This might be the peak of Shoujo Drama. Every secret just came out between two lovers, will these wounds heal, as both Amu and Tadase effectively hurt each other very badly here.
WELL THAT ESCALATED QUICKLY
This might be the peak of Shoujo Drama. Every secret just came out between two lovers, will these wounds heal, as both Amu and Tadase effectively hurt each other very badly here.
Nanoha A's 3
So much purity in this episode.
Ah, there's a limit to the distance they can transport. Answers one of my questions from the first season's finale.
Does Arf's new form make here a loli, then?
Wait a minute, the villains get non-lewd transformations? THAT IS SO UNFAIR!
Hmm,
But yeah, basically a slice-of-life episode.
So much purity in this episode.
Ah, there's a limit to the distance they can transport. Answers one of my questions from the first season's finale.
Does Arf's new form make here a loli, then?
Wait a minute, the villains get non-lewd transformations? THAT IS SO UNFAIR!
Hmm,
Raging Heart and Bardiche want the Velka-type cartridge system now. Are they adaptive technology, then, and feel like this has the best possibility of countering their adversaries?
But yeah, basically a slice-of-life episode.
Let's hope Fate and Chrono don't turn this into Oreimo.
DiscoShark
Banned
Haikyuu!! - 2~6 :
This show is so good! Did I just completely miss the positive impressions for the show during the course of its run? Totally under appreciated. The show is doing a really good job of genuinely making me care about the characters and their individual development. If I were to compare the show to Ping Pong which focused on the 1v1 side of the sport, Haikyuu adds that extra layer of having not only the internal struggle of the main characters but the conflict that comes about with different personalities having to rely on eachother during the course of a team sport. I'm really impressed with how well they've combined the explaining of the mechanics of the sport and its individual positions and used it as a way to reflect the personalities of the characters as well.
This show is so good! Did I just completely miss the positive impressions for the show during the course of its run? Totally under appreciated. The show is doing a really good job of genuinely making me care about the characters and their individual development. If I were to compare the show to Ping Pong which focused on the 1v1 side of the sport, Haikyuu adds that extra layer of having not only the internal struggle of the main characters but the conflict that comes about with different personalities having to rely on eachother during the course of a team sport. I'm really impressed with how well they've combined the explaining of the mechanics of the sport and its individual positions and used it as a way to reflect the personalities of the characters as well.
Basileus777
Member
The show had positive impressions in this thread. Though perhaps it was easy to miss because there aren't many people here who watch sports anime.
Admiral Woofington
Member
It's the Christopher Nolan of anime
please dont do this to yourself
so its better than its gravity equivalent?
please dont do this to yourself
oh man, does it really get as bad as ive heard?
i found s1 kinda tolerable (i even watched all the dumb sd ep commentary things) but i didnt last very long in s2
Admiral Woofington
Member
If Oreimo S2 is Christopher Nolan then every shitty anime is Gravity.
Oreimo S2 opened my eyes and made me reevaluate my life goals. Specifically: Should I keep watching anime?
im half expecting him to find out kirino isnt his biological sister and they bang
Oreimo S2 sounds life changing.
MikeHattsu
Member
It gets uh... better soon. Yeah, better ;P
Basileus777
Member
That would have been a better ending.
8 X 11 Printer Paper
Member
Are we talking Infinate Stratos 1 to 2 drop or Chuunibyou demo Koi 1 to 2 drop? Watched the first season of Oreimo, found it okay. Then found out about the ending of the series and just said fuck everything thus never touching the 2nd season.
im still waiting for the dub of s2 IS and i never bothered with chuu2 past the godawful ending of S1 but that sounds about right
KirbYuuYuu
Member
I'm watching all of those
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