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Yoh Yoshinari's Little Witch Academia: "Awesome free cartoon on Youtube"

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totowhoa

Banned
Those GIFS on page one were wonderful. I'm gonna check this out soon. I don't watch anime too often, and me and my fiance had been wanting to catch something new. Usually solid animation is a requirement and this looks really nice. Subscribed at any rate, so this thread will be popping as a reminder to check it out regularly now :D
 

Averon

Member
Just finish watching this. It was quite enjoyable, and the animation was superb. I certainly wish more anime of this type was being made, and it was damn refreshing not having to see over-sexualized 12 year olds for once.
 

cajunator

Banned
oFLIsfvl.jpg

yep
 

Depends on what they promise.

If I'm backing a mini-series then I could dig that pretty hard. A feature film? FUCK YEAH!!! But ... one more <30min short? Ehhhhh ... I want this to become something bigger to make use of this world building and IDK if that's gonna happen if we simply get short number 2.

Mini-series or a film would do way more for making this into something on more than a 2nd short imo.
 

Theonik

Member
Depends on what they promise.

If I'm backing a mini-series then I could dig that pretty hard. A feature film? FUCK YEAH!!! But ... one more <30min short? Ehhhhh ... I want this to become something bigger to make use of this world building and IDK if that's gonna happen if we simply get short number 2.

Mini-series or a film would do way more for making this into something on more than a 2nd short imo.
Well what it'd become would depend almost entirely on the interest it generates and by interest I mean $$$.
 
Well what it'd become would depend almost entirely on the interest it generates and by interest I mean $$$.

Well yeah, it would be dependent on interest. But at this point I think it has that in spades. This thing is the talk of the town right now which I'm sure can't be said about every other project to come from these programs.

But at the end of the day KS can only do so much for something this big. W/E people put their money towards would have to be a platform for the team to stand on to get the BIG TV money people to pick this up and they would have to also be passionate about the idea of going all out and making this thing huge. That's why I think seeing if they can do a movie or hour long special would be better then just doing a 2nd <30min short.

But hell, IDK how these things work so they may very well be about to get a mini-series out if they can show there's enough interest in both Japan and over seas for a crowdfunded 2nd short.
 

Krev

Unconfirmed Member
I think they could have a Wolf Children scale international hit if they pulled off a feature film of this.
 

7Th

Member
I don't see this as having as much widespread appeal as Wolf Children did.

Wolf Children's widespread appeal is really overstated, to be honest. The DVD/BD release didn't even sell as much as a one single Kara no Kyoukai movie. Hell, the Nanoha movies both sold twice as much.
 

/XX/

Member
I'm not sure what you mean given that he directed the Panty & Stocking episode about Garterbelt's past, which was by far one of the best.
This reminds me that having to wait until the release of Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt THE WORST ALBUM to hear the full version of Garterbelt's theme 'JUMPING MOLE (NERDCORE SWITCH)' was one thing... but not releasing at all the melancholic tune that sounds right after it on the same episode was a real shame.
 

Camjo-Z

Member
OK, I hate almost all anime not named Lupin III but the well animated gifs and rave reviews on the first page have convinced me to give this a shot later. I'm hoping it's not riddled with the cliches and tropes that turned me off from most other stuff.
 

Violet_0

Banned
OK, I hate almost all anime not named Lupin III but the well animated gifs and rave reviews on the first page have convinced me to give this a shot later. I'm hoping it's not riddled with the cliches and tropes that turned me off from most other stuff.

it kind of is, but it's mostly inoffensive
 

7Th

Member
I'm not sure what you mean given that he directed the Panty & Stocking episode about Garterbelt's past, which was by far one of the best.

It was a really good episode, but it kinda got overshadowed by Shouko Nishigaki's and Tadashi Hiramatsu's brilliant "Nothing to Room". That was a really good week for P&S overall.
 

Patchouli

Neo Member
Already "spoiled" 70 posts ago ;//

Oops, sorry. I didn't see the gif at all and hadn't noticed.

I'm part of the group that would love to see a full movie. I don't know how I feel about a series though, it would be a shame if some of the charm was lost in order to meet the constraints of making episodic material.
 
OK, I hate almost all anime not named Lupin III but the well animated gifs and rave reviews on the first page have convinced me to give this a shot later. I'm hoping it's not riddled with the cliches and tropes that turned me off from most other stuff.

Depends on what turned you off from other stuff. It's a pretty massive medium, so there are quite a few tropes and cliches.

I definitely wouldn't compare it to Lupin.
 

johnsmith

remember me
Oh man. This was so good. I want more.


But why did the main girl's skirt keep getting shorter and shorter? Japan gotta Japan.
 

Regulus Tera

Romanes Eunt Domus
Oh man. This was so good. I want more.


But why did the main girl's skirt keep getting shorter and shorter? Japan gotta Japan.
We were talking about this in the anime thread, it turns out it was always that short! And if you want an in-universe explanation,
Akko is a Shiny Chariot fan, of course she's gonna wear something more risqué than the other girls
!
 

The Technomancer

card-carrying scientician
Saw this at a friends house last night. I enjoyed it a lot more then I thought I would. Very nicely put together, main character is endearingly derp without being overbearing in the way I find oh so annoying. Wonderful visual style
 
This is so amazing. I really not prepared for how cool this was going to be when I first sat down to watch it. <3

Like many have said before me, I would definitely watch a full-length version of this or a TV series.
 

Pepboy

Member
OK, I hate almost all anime not named Lupin III but the well animated gifs and rave reviews on the first page have convinced me to give this a shot later. I'm hoping it's not riddled with the cliches and tropes that turned me off from most other stuff.

I was also convinced by the first page impressions and felt it was mostly a waste of time. In my opinion, nothing particularly novel about the setting, concept, characters, or conflicts. With few exceptions, the magic was very unimaginative. The music was well done, however.

Pros:
  • Monster dissolving because of acid gave some real "weight"
  • Relatively convincing portrayal of what magic school would be like if magic were everyday.
  • Thankfully, no upskirt shots, though the skirts were too short.
  • Surprised me once,
    when her rod didn't become a broom.
    I almost laughed.
  • Excellent music, well timed with the scenes.
  • Nice use of color, decent pacing compared to most anime.


Cons:
  • Very "cartoony".
    Girl gets blasted with fire and comes out okay. Fall hundreds of stories but uninjured (went through some "trees"). This removes almost all tension during the battle scenes. I wish it had been balanced with some of the nameless/faceless/unimportant characters dying, especially since this was a short.
  • Characters follow tropes pretty closely. Completely flat, except maybe Sucy.
  • Personally felt the animation was pretty low-budget / janky with a few exceptions
    (eye reflection scene).
    Perhaps this was caused by youtube 1080p, but I don't think so. However, given the low budget, it was pretty impressive.
  • Again, just felt pretty bland. A few moments stand out
    (eye reflection bit, minotaur getting stabbed with swords).


Even re-reading the impressions, and especially the last two pages, I really don't get a sense of why people enjoy this show. I get the vibrant colors, music, etc. For those of you who liked it, what was the most interesting part of the world (characters, setting, concept, etc) as it was portrayed?
 

Regulus Tera

Romanes Eunt Domus
Personally felt the animation was pretty low-budget / janky with a few exceptions
(eye reflection scene).
Perhaps this was caused by youtube 1080p, but I don't think so. However, given the low budget, it was pretty impressive.
wat
For those of you who liked it, what was the most interesting part of the world (characters, setting, concept, etc) as it was portrayed?
It's the combination of everything that makes it really work. While it is true LWA is not doing anything novel in terms of storytelling, it is very efficient in how it tells its narrative, particularly some of the revelations at the end.
 

Krev

Unconfirmed Member
The animation is goddamn AMAZING and the number one reason to watch this. Yes, the framerate is lower than western animation. It's anime, you come to expect this. The big deal is that the keyframes are incredible.
The cartooniness is an asset. I didn't want to see characters dying and I didn't mind the outlandish slapstick. It's total escapism by design, and it works.

Also there actually is an upskirt shot
 

Jacob

Member
I can't speak for anyone else but the main joy of Little Witch Academia for me was how marvelous it looked. As someone who likes cartoons I thought it looked fantastic. Being in 2D animation made it even better. The story itself wasn't anything remarkable but it was well-told, sweet, and fun and that's why I enjoyed it.

I'm not sure what you expected in terms of world building or plot from this film. There's a limit to what you can do in 26 minutes. Yoshinari chose to make an incredibly fun and well-animated tribute to the cartoons that he loves. I'm plenty happy with that.

Edit: beaten like one of Sucy's victims.
 

BluWacky

Member
I was also convinced by the first page impressions and felt it was mostly a waste of time. In my opinion, nothing particularly novel about the setting, concept, characters, or conflicts.

This is all true. There is nothing novel about any of the plot elements at all.

With few exceptions, the magic was very unimaginative.

This is also true. The spells did what you would expect. I'm not sure that's a "negative", though.

Remember, though, that this short is designed as a training project for young animators of the future. I don't think it's ever been advertised as some kind of revolutionary piece of storytelling.

[*]Very "cartoony".
Girl gets blasted with fire and comes out okay. Fall hundreds of stories but uninjured (went through some "trees"). This removes almost all tension during the battle scenes. I wish it had been balanced with some of the nameless/faceless/unimportant characters dying, especially since this was a short.
Well, it is a cartoon. I can understand this being a negative for you, of course, but I don't think it ever really set out to be a life-and-death kind of story. People don't die all the time in all sorts of media, particularly something like this which is perfect for kids to watch.

[*]Personally felt the animation was pretty low-budget / janky with a few exceptions
(eye reflection scene).
Perhaps this was caused by youtube 1080p, but I don't think so. However, given the low budget, it was pretty impressive.

I think this is probably a stylistic thing that you don't like. You've obviously watched anime before - do you watch anime TV series or just movies? What would you say is an example of high budget animation in anime?

Regardless of the "low framerate" or whatever, it's the inventiveness of the keyframes and movement that makes Little Witch Academia stand out really. Perhaps it's because it's "cartoony" that you don't like it?

Even re-reading the impressions, and especially the last two pages, I really don't get a sense of why people enjoy this show. I get the vibrant colors, music, etc. For those of you who liked it, what was the most interesting part of the world (characters, setting, concept, etc) as it was portrayed?

I think you're missing what people liked about it. It is precisely the vibrant colours, music etc. that people are enjoying so much. It's not complex, but it's fun and entertaining and nicely animated. That's what's so good - not the Harry Potter/Worst Witch knockoff story and characters.
 

Pie and Beans

Look for me on the local news, I'll be the guy arrested for trying to burn down a Nintendo exec's house.
Absolutely loved it. Best anime thing I've watched in a long time (probably since Gurren Lagann and REDLINE really)

Gainax losing so much critical talent is still fucking mindblowing. Is there a particular recap rundown on what exactly Imaishi and co got fucking sick of there?
 

Pepboy

Member


I'm a little lazy to create / search my own gifs but these are representative of what I mean. In the first, she is spinning around a broom. It seems about 3-4 frames (maybe it's 5-6) with these extra bits thrown in, supposedly to give a sense of illusion but my eyes just pick up on them right away.

Also in the second picture her head repeats the same animation 2-3 times, and it's pretty jarring there as well.

There are other examples as well.
When going up/down the tower, anytime something happens with just the sky as background

It's the combination of everything that makes it really work. While it is true LWA is not doing anything novel in terms of storytelling, it is very efficient in how it tells its narrative, particularly some of the revelations at the end.

I admit it did tell a complete story in 26 minutes and was very efficient on time. But I don't think the revelations were that interesting
(As soon as I saw the teacher smiling/standing there when the girl was talking about the chariot thing, I was pretty sure the teacher was chariot girl, else why zoom in on the teacher?)
.
 
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