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  1. - Top - End - #481
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    Default Re: General Anime Discussion: Area 11

    Quote Originally Posted by Terraoblivion View Post
    The lead in Persona 4 isn't completely bland. They have him say all the most absurd, irrational lines you could choose in the game...and do so without any hint of emotion. It's really quite hilarious after the first episode.
    I didn't pick up on it until the third episode ("I think I'm going to cry."), but he really is pretty sarcastic at times. You know, I'm suddenly looking forward to the school festival, oh so much. I don't even normally watch shows as they're released.
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  2. - Top - End - #482
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    Quote Originally Posted by Tengu_temp View Post
    Except that I, you know, haven't said that. I said "it was made precisely so people who have no contact with it would still enjoy it", as opposed to the way too common adaptation approach of "good luck figuring out anything if you're not already familiar with the source material". Hello, UBW movie!
    I guess I misread your post, and you in return skipped my next paragraph after the one you quoted.


    And yeah, I like what they did with Brotagonist in the anime (calling him Yu still feels weird). He's completely and totally bland in the first episode because...he's a blank slate. That's not just a fact of gameplay, that's part of the theme of the "Fool" in Persona 3 and 4. He's slowly developing based on the situation around him, which is the point, and in a way I like, which is good for me. Completely deadpan sarcasm is possibly my favorite type of humor period, let alone among the kinds that show up in anime, and there's that undercurrent of being the one sane, well-adjusted guy in spite of his weird habits.

    All that said, I can kinda see where mallorean_thug is coming from with the way the show is made. It doesn't really feel like its own thing, except in the Shadow fights where I feel it excels over the game. The direction was just plain...well, pretty bad in the first episode, though episodes 2 and 3 have shown definite improvement in my mind. Basically, I enjoy the show. I don't mind it being like the game, but I can see why it would bother people.

    I mean, is it too much to ask for original music? I love the P4 soundtrack to death. I listen to it regularly on my MP3 player. Hence, I could kinda stand to hear some new stuff. OP and ED are both good, though.
    Last edited by Nerd-o-rama; 2011-10-27 at 09:00 AM.
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  3. - Top - End - #483
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    Default Re: General Anime Discussion: Area 11

    Quote Originally Posted by Nerd-o-rama View Post
    I guess I misread your post, and you in return skipped my next paragraph after the one you quoted.
    Well, I actually read it in the middle of writing my post, but felt too lazy to rewrite what I already created. Being Tengu sick will do that to you.

    Quote Originally Posted by Nerd-o-rama View Post
    Completely deadpan sarcasm is possibly my favorite type of humor period
    I'm shocked by this sudden twist! What new element of your personality will we learn next?!

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  4. - Top - End - #484
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    Default Re: General Anime Discussion: Area 11

    What I'm trying to say about Persona 4 the Animation is not that anime is especially bad. Just that if its not going to try to stand on its own feet as an anime, I'd rather go to the source material. Again, I feel that the best adaptions are the shows that don't feel like adaptions because you can enjoy them without feeling you're missing something because you aren't familiar with the source material. Fate/Zero and Mirai Nikki are doing that this season, Usagi Drop did that last season, and Stein;Gate did that the previous season. Honestly **** like the Unlimited Blade Works movie where you absolutely have to be familiar with the source material are the outliers, but somewhere between those two extremes there is a line and past that line, you're better off just looking at the source material instead because the anime isn't trying to be better than the source material, just sell it. For me, Persona 4 the animation is just past that line, so I'll just enjoy the game instead. Maybe after I've finished the game, I'll want to watch the anime, but I'd rather experience the plot and characters for the first time through the game.

  5. - Top - End - #485
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    Default Re: General Anime Discussion: Area 11

    Having played and enjoyed the game first, I cannot refute that.
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  6. - Top - End - #486
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    Default Re: General Anime Discussion: Area 11

    Quote Originally Posted by Mercenary Pen View Post
    Okay, just going to ask a little (or possibly not so little) question that I've been toying with for a while:

    Given total creative control (including the ability to meddle with pre-existing works of fiction), what anime series would you most like to create and why?
    <.<
    >.>

    Probably a new Nanoha animated series, to be honest.

    Keeping what makes it great, but showing how the cast respond when 'befreinding' isn't the way to solve a problem, on any level.


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    Quote Originally Posted by Revlid View Post
    And so it was that Zaeed, Aang, Winry, Ezio, Sadoko and Snow White all set out on their epic journey to destroy The Empire.

    God I love Exalted.


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  7. - Top - End - #487
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    Default Re: General Anime Discussion: Area 11

    That sounds like Nanoha Force. Only without the "great" part.

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  8. - Top - End - #488
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    Default Re: General Anime Discussion: Area 11

    The school uniforms in Persona 4 make my eyes bleed. No wonder the girls don't wear them.

    Quote Originally Posted by Terraoblivion View Post
    And while I do enjoy Fate/Zero, I kinda wish it would do more than just alternate between exposition and fighting. Some more work on developing the characters would be really nice.
    They spent the whole first episode doing nothing but develope characters and it was the dullest crap I've seen in ages. If they're that inept I'd rather just watch Alexander being funny.

    The priest guy and the mage-assassin guy are flat as pancakes. I don't care how tragic a backstory is if there's no actual emotional investment. Actually I don't care about backstory at all.

    Quote Originally Posted by mallorean_thug View Post
    Guilty Crown: I never really bought into some of the hype surrounding this show like some people *coughscampcough*, but I was really hoping for a well plotted original sci fi show. Instead we have a version of Code Geass that takes itself far too seriously and instead of having CG's biggest asset (Lelouch) we have generic doormat japanese high school MC. I'll still follow this for its entire run if only for supercell and Production I.G. but instead of expecting an entertaining good show, I'll be expecting an entertainingly bad show. End of episode 2 transfer student seems to be telling me I won't be disappointed if I expect that. Oh, also clearly the highest budget show this season by quite a lot, even over Fate/Zero.
    Didn't hold my interest at all. Good character designs. That's it. I'd have to struggle to find anything resembling "entertainment value" in it.

    Quote Originally Posted by mallorean_thug View Post
    Oh, also clearly the highest budget show this season by quite a lot, even over Fate/Zero.
    Fate has always come across as low budget to me, even the movie.

    Quote Originally Posted by Even Human View Post
    Since no one has spoken up for Champloo, I guess I will. It's by the same chap who did Cowboy Bebop (I assume you've seen it because if you haven't GO SEE IT THIS INSTANT) and shares alot of similarities in overall themes and structure. Basically, it's about the adventures of a trio of travellers through not-entirely-historically-accurate 19th century Japan.
    About 1 in three episodes are sub par. Then there's drugs, graffiti artists and baseball.

    Quote Originally Posted by horngeek View Post
    <.<
    >.>

    Probably a new Nanoha animated series, to be honest.

    Keeping what makes it great, but showing how the cast respond when 'befreinding' isn't the way to solve a problem, on any level.
    That would kind of ruin the point.

    Only As didn't have a main villain that couldn't be befriended and that was the actually good season.

    A drone or a golem is hardly an enemy you can befriend either.

    Boku wa tomadatchi ga tsukunai is the best show this season from an "actually enjoying watching it" perspective. Objectively it should be rubbish but it works somehow (there's bakuman season 2 but it doesn't feel like a new season anime).

    Last Exile 2 wasn't bad but didn't fix the problems of the previous season at all. I'd call it an experiment in seeing how far you can go without any exposition but again, the first season already did that. So we know it doesn't work.

    Ok, I re-watched the first episode of Last Exile as part of a investigation into first episodes recently and that was a a bad first episode. Last Exile opened with the equivilant of an unimportant prologue chapter that takes 10 minutes to read and turned it into a 2 part story and made you wait until episode 3 to find out who the actual characters were. On that front Last Exile 2 feels like an improvement, but it might be tricking me and introduce the real main cast in episode 3 again...

    Quote Originally Posted by Tengu_temp View Post
    NeonBlack: So, one of your friends is a grimdark fan who doesn't like when a show gets a non-depressing ending,
    Happy endings in dark shows are hard to pull off. No story teller can make them work for everyone.

    Cheating audience expectations or not returning an emotional investment are legitimate reasons to dislike a story.
    Last edited by Closet_Skeleton; 2011-10-30 at 06:50 PM.
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  9. - Top - End - #489
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    Default Re: General Anime Discussion: Area 11

    Quote Originally Posted by Closet_Skeleton View Post
    Happy endings in dark shows are hard to pull off. No story teller can make them work for everyone.

    Cheating audience expectations or not returning an emotional investment are legitimate reasons to dislike a story.
    I had too many experiences with people who think that a happy ending automatically makes a story worse to consider such tastes anything but grimdark grognardry in most cases. It's true that a badly-pulled happy ending can feel out of place and ridiculous, but that's not the case with Madoka where it's a satisfying conclusion to the story and makes sense. Some people consider it an extremely confusing asspull, but those people either didn't pay attention during watching and/or belong to the crowd that reacts to thought-provoking plot elements not with "hmm, I need to think about that" but with "durrr, don't understand, brane hurts!". And this is not a show for people who don't want to or are unable to activate their brains while watching.
    Last edited by Tengu_temp; 2011-10-30 at 07:44 PM.

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  10. - Top - End - #490
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    Default Re: General Anime Discussion: Area 11

    Quote Originally Posted by Tengu_temp View Post
    I had too many experiences with people who think that a happy ending automatically makes a story worse to consider such tastes anything but grimdark grognardry in most cases. It's true that a badly-pulled happy ending can feel out of place and ridiculous, but that's not the case with Madoka where it's a satisfying conclusion to the story and makes sense. Some people consider it an extremely confusing asspull, but those people either didn't pay attention during watching and/or belong to the crowd that reacts to thought-provoking plot elements not with "hmm, I need to think about that" but with "durrr, don't understand, brane hurts!". And this is not a show for people who don't want to or are unable to activate their brains while watching.
    I didn't watch it at the time and I'm only on episode 4 of Madoka. Haven't really seen any mood whiplash really. Episode 1 and 2 were pretty dark. The reason I didn't watch it at first is because my parents didn't pick it up because they thought episode 1 was too sadistic, not because they thought it would be fluffy and imature.

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    Mami's (or was it Mani?) death was pretty telegraphed in an Obi Wan/too cool to live way. I couldn't predict when it would happen but it really couldn't have happened any later in a 12-13 episode show. The only show I can remember really subverting that is Macross Frontier.

    Any one who's about to die gets a moment of character focus before hand. Its not that hard to spot if you try. Unless your only experiance is of modern super hero crossovers where they pull characters out of obscurity to kill for no reason.


    Any "automatically equals" is going to be wrong. There are guidelines that make good stories easy to write but great stories are pretty much just up to luck.

    I don't know a single good story that has a grimdark ending. Assuming that by Grimdark you don't mean "everything is too manly to take seriously and there are massive shoulder pads and everyone has massive hands to hold their massive guns in and we're all doomed but no doom will actually happen because then people might not have a reason to buy plastic crack". Even the really nasty myths have more uplifting sequels.

    Purely depressing endings are for glurge and torture porn hackery.

    Grave of the Fireflies could be argued to be glurge but you get ocaisonal glimpses of non-idiotic people whose lives suck slightly less. The end doesn't try to make you feel even more depressed than the middle.
    "that nighted, penguin-fringed abyss" - At The Mountains of Madness, H.P. Lovecraft

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  11. - Top - End - #491
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    Default Re: General Anime Discussion: Area 11

    Grave of the Fireflies is a morality tale. Its message is not supposed to be "cry about the unfair suffering of two innocent kids" but rather "look what happens when you're acting like a prideful idiot". I'm not sure if that counts as glurge or not.

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  12. - Top - End - #492
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    Default Re: General Anime Discussion: Area 11

    Quote Originally Posted by Tengu_temp View Post
    Grave of the Fireflies is a morality tale. Its message is not supposed to be "cry about the unfair suffering of two innocent kids" but rather "look what happens when you're acting like a prideful idiot". I'm not sure if that counts as glurge or not.
    I'm pretty sure many writers of glurge think that they're making morality tales (the words 'moral', 'inspirational' and 'parable' appear in the tvtropes/snopes definition). They're just inept.

    If there was such thing as 'glurge but good' it would be close to Grave of the Fire Flies, so if tropes are not bad then one could argue that Grave of the Fire Flies is glurge.
    Last edited by Closet_Skeleton; 2011-10-31 at 06:20 AM.
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  13. - Top - End - #493
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    Default Re: General Anime Discussion: Area 11

    Quote Originally Posted by Closet_Skeleton View Post
    The school uniforms in Persona 4 make my eyes bleed. No wonder the girls don't wear them.
    Normally I know better than to argue taste with you, but what's eye-bleeding about solid black jackets and pants?

    Quote Originally Posted by Closet_Skeleton View Post
    Fate has always come across as low budget to me, even the movie.
    Isn't the new series made by an entirely different animation studio? I haven't watched any yet, but it's gotta be better than the F/SN anime, right?


    And as for Kiritsugu and Kotomine...well, again, I haven't watched it, but I've never gotten the impression that anything in the Nasuverse is reliant on strong or well-written main protagonists or main villains. The thrust of F/SN seems to be taking bland clichés and figuring out what makes them act like bland clichés, and then giving us amusing side characters to distract us from how boring that is. This is just my assessment of F/SN, mind.
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  14. - Top - End - #494
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    Default Re: General Anime Discussion: Area 11

    Latest AGE episode happened pretty much as expected... Well, not complaining, just saying. Also, a bit disappointed by the UE now.

    On a different note... Horizon in the Middle of Nowhere made sense to me this week! As in... I could mostly follow what happened and stuff in general made sense to me. I'm amazed, really!
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    Also, I love epic death scenes and not-Old Snake's was pretty cool with ninja cyborg battle maid with dead wife's soul vision and stuff... I'm not saying this show is the best of the best... but it got lots of cool stuff in it.

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    Default Re: General Anime Discussion: Area 11

    Quote Originally Posted by Nerd-o-rama View Post
    Normally I know better than to argue taste with you, but what's eye-bleeding about solid black jackets and pants?
    The visible white threads. They aren't that bad in what I've seen of the game's art but look terrible in the anime.

    Quote Originally Posted by Nerd-o-rama View Post
    Isn't the new series made by an entirely different animation studio? I haven't watched any yet, but it's gotta be better than the F/SN anime, right?
    No idea. The art style is pretty similar.

    Quote Originally Posted by Nerd-o-rama View Post
    The thrust of F/SN seems to be taking bland clichés and figuring out what makes them act like bland clichés, and then giving us amusing side characters to distract us from how boring that is. This is just my assessment of F/SN, mind.
    Sounds pretty much like how Fate/Zero is playing out.
    Last edited by Closet_Skeleton; 2011-11-01 at 08:45 AM.
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  16. - Top - End - #496
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    Fate/Zero is being animated by Ufotable, the studio responsible for the Kara no Kyoukai movies. The previous tv anime adaption of Fate/Stay Night and the movie Unlimited Blade Works were both animated by DEEN.

    Of course the characters still look the same because its still an adaption of existing source material and all the character designs were done by Takeuchi Takashi.

    And again, after another week worth of episodes, Fate/Zero still clearly has the second largest budget this season after Guilty Crown, and animation to match that budget. Not that good animation is the most important part of an anime, but anime is an audiovisual medium, so if you completely ignore animation quality, you might as well go read a book or some manga.

    @Closet Skeleton on Madoka

    The only people who found Madoka to have mood whiplash were people who were uninformed about the show, intentionally misled about the show, or weren't paying attention.
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    I mean, we knew from the beginning that Gen Urubuchi was writing the script. I believe I quoted the following in this thread sometime in the first couple episodes, but it bears repeating: "I am full of hatred towards men's so-called happiness, and had to push the characters I poured my heart out to create into the abyss of tragedy." -Gen Urubuchi in the postface to Fate/Zero volume 1.

    And the Japanese were calling it Chidamari (Literally "Pool of blood") Sketch from episode 1 as well.

    Episode 2 just reinforced that perception with the direct quotation from Faust on the wall. Additionally, by the end of episode 2, the internet community had broken the code on the strange characters that appeared in the witch worlds and found them most of them to be direct references to Faust again. So we were fairly sure that the deal with Kyuubey was a deal with a devil and it wouldn't end well.

    Episode 3 surprised many, including myself, not because it was dark and killed a character, but because of the timing and which character bit it. Sure it seems kind of obvious and full of death flags in retrospect, but I personally thought beforehand that Mami was going to turn out to be a villainous character in league with Kyuubey and that our first tragedy was going to be something more along the lines of Madoka's mother getting ensnared by a witch, and it playing out much like episode 4 did, but with more death.


    As far as good stories with grimdark endings, Saya no Uta definitely comes to mind. Much like I'm sure it came to mind as everybody was watching Madoka, since they have the same writer. Madoka's ending didn't come out of nowhere and was ultimately satisfying, but it was unexpected coming from Gen.

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    Default Re: General Anime Discussion: Area 11

    Quote Originally Posted by Closet_Skeleton View Post
    The visible white threads. They aren't that bad in what I've seen of the game's art but look terrible in the anime.
    Ah, the white seams you mean? Yeah, I'm not sure where they came up with the concept, but I live in Texas so I see stupider stuff in the same vein (usually darker colors on lighter colors as opposed to white on black) on everyone who decides to dress like a hick. I can see why it would be irritating since it's so pronounced in the anime, but personally I think it just helps define where their limbs are in the mass of flat matte black that is the Yasogami men's uniform top. And if it makes you feel better, they'll be ditching the jackets around when Kanji shows up anyway, if I remember the calendar right.

    Then again, fashion's not the point of Persona 4. You're looking for that one Squaresoft game with the concept and art style of an Atlus game, not the Atlus game with battles that play like a Squaresoft game.
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    Quote Originally Posted by mallorean_thug View Post
    Of course the characters still look the same because its still an adaption of existing source material and all the character designs were done by Takeuchi Takashi.
    Two studios interpretation of the same designs can be differant.

    Quote Originally Posted by mallorean_thug View Post
    The only people who found Madoka to have mood whiplash were people who were uninformed about the show, intentionally misled about the show, or weren't paying attention.
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    Sure it seems kind of obvious and full of death flags in retrospect,


    That depends on the individual viewer. Some will see those at the time, some in retrospect. I saw them when I watched it but I first watched it last week, long after the hype had died down.

    The list of characters that could have died early.
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    Madoka - can't die yet because she hasn't done anything yet and is the protagonist.
    Her family - Could have easily been killed off, but just weren't given the same kind of emotional focus as the other characters.
    Homura (? the dark haired one, not good with names in this yet) - hasn't stopped being mysterious, so obviously isn't going to die yet.
    The blue haired friend - could have been killed off, but they introduce her subplot with another character so you know she's not going to die until that subplot is either resolved or will create more drama by not being resolved.

    Then Mami has:
    No unresolved subplots with other characters except possibly Homura.
    Is more powerful than every other character (at least appears to be before Homura actually starts fighting). Has a cooler fighting style and more unique character design that what we see of Madoka in the opening (I still have no idea what she'll be like when she gets magical powers. I even joked with my friends that she never will and that the show's title is a complete misnomer since there isn't a Madoka Magica).

    I would have been surprised about it happening so early if I hadn't heard people keep saying "stuff happens in episode 3/4" (which I found wrong, not much surprising happens in episode 4) but as someone who looks for this things (which isn't always the best idea) I could see it.

    Quote Originally Posted by mallorean_thug View Post
    As far as good stories with grimdark endings, Saya no Uta definitely comes to mind.
    That's a horror story and not the kind that makes me want to experiance it. Also a visual novel with differant endings. No one stops after seeing their protagonist's hand disintegrate in Baldur's Gate 2 and decides that that's the true ending to the game. Okay they might if the game just frustates them but that's not my point.

    I quite like Saishu heiki kanojo but don't find the ending to that 'grimdark' despite the fact that
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    everyone but the protagonist dies and he's left to starve to death in an earth that's been reduced to wasteland

    due to the tone of the ending. Kind of like how I don't find people dying at the end of Grave of the Fireflies that sad because that's not the worst thing that's happened to those people and nothing worse is going to happen after it.
    Last edited by Closet_Skeleton; 2011-11-01 at 04:53 PM.
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    Default Re: General Anime Discussion: Area 11

    Well for Madoka
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    I'm sad that you were spoiled. I honestly think that its only obvious if you're actually expecting somebody to die, or for "stuff to happen in episodes 3/4" Oh well, enjoy the rest of Puella Magi Sayaka Magica and report back with reactions


    As far as the multiple ending thing for VNs, it doesn't really matter for Saya no Uta. All three endings are grimdark, even the true end happy one.

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    Default Re: General Anime Discussion: Area 11

    I'm not sure whether it was because I was told I definitely should watch to episode three because something was to happen, because I knew something was wrong with the show from various talking or because I simply picked up from the atmosphere but... no, episode 3 didn't hit me that hard either, to be honest. It's not really obvious but the show does have this feel it's not cutey cuddly from the start I'd say.

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    Default Re: General Anime Discussion: Area 11

    Finally got around to watching episodes 4 and 5 of Fate/Zero. This is probably going to wind up somewhere on my list of favourite animes of all time, provided it keeps going like it has so far. The audiovisuals are great, the battles are cool, the intrigue is intriguing and the Servants are gosh darned amazing. Especially Rider, damn.
    Last edited by Comet; 2011-11-02 at 07:45 AM.
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    Default Re: General Anime Discussion: Area 11

    Quote Originally Posted by Closet_Skeleton View Post
    They spent the whole first episode doing nothing but develope characters and it was the dullest crap I've seen in ages. If they're that inept I'd rather just watch Alexander being funny.

    The priest guy and the mage-assassin guy are flat as pancakes. I don't care how tragic a backstory is if there's no actual emotional investment. Actually I don't care about backstory at all.
    I think Fate Zero makes me appreciate incompetents like Shirou a little more. As with the notable exception of Waver most of the combatants in Fate Zero act like adults, while not without their flaws they don't have to struggle like your typical protagonists do.

    So while I like the series I just don't care about the people in it so much. I'm watching it to see Servants kick the **** out of each other, nothing else.

    (And Kiritsugu making Archer look chatty and sociable doesn't help things much either...)
    Fate has always come across as low budget to me, even the movie.
    Is there some particular thing driving this? Its brooding pace doesn't lend itself to exactly to showing off a high budget but it never struck me as exactly low budget.

    Then again my idea of low budget is still defined by 90s (and older) anime which make almost everything made later look good.

    Quote Originally Posted by Nerd-o-rama View Post
    And as for Kiritsugu and Kotomine...well, again, I haven't watched it, but I've never gotten the impression that anything in the Nasuverse is reliant on strong or well-written main protagonists or main villains. The thrust of F/SN seems to be taking bland clichés and figuring out what makes them act like bland clichés, and then giving us amusing side characters to distract us from how boring that is. This is just my assessment of F/SN, mind.
    I suppose that's a not unreasonable assessment for how Shirou's idealism is deconstucted but really isn't the only thing going on in F/SN. Also Shirou's really the only central character in the Nasuverse who's monumental stupid makes him anywhere near badly written to me.

    And the Nasuverse doesn't really use amusing side characters, since anybody not an extra probably plays a big role in at least one of the VN routes. And they rarely do amusing things. I'd say closest is Iskander, but given that I assess Fate Zero to not actually have a protagonist I'd hesistate there. It definitely loves to use the main characters in amusing ways (see Carnival Phantasm) which is a side thing.

    I think the trick to the Nasuverse is being able to wrestle with Nasulogic enough. And that can be quite a feat. It features highly in something I think I've realized about anime/manga/etc that a lot of its general weirdness I think can actually be ascribed to Japanese cultural stoicism, not as a release valve for that stoicism (though that's part of it) but in the attitude that can take an explanation of "this is X, and X is so," which Nasuverse in particular loves, and not attempt to argue that premise because it can't be helped. Which explains to me while F/SN in particular and the Nasuverse in general reeks of fatalism, its possibly one of the most Japanese settings in existence.

    Quote Originally Posted by Comet View Post
    Finally got around to watching episodes 4 and 5 of Fate/Zero. This is probably going to wind up somewhere on my list of favourite animes of all time, provided it keeps going like it has so far. The audiovisuals are great, the battles are cool, the intrigue is intriguing and the Servants are gosh darned amazing. Especially Rider, damn.
    Rider is essentially Kamina if Kamina was Alexander the Great... and its every bit as awesome as it sounds.

  23. - Top - End - #503
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    Default Re: General Anime Discussion: Area 11

    Rejoice, anime thread, for I bring good news: We're getting more Minami-ke anime!

    ...then again, we could be getting another second season for all we know, but let's be cautiously optimistic for a change, shall we? Now I'm motivated to finally get done with the third, by the way, although I don't think I'll find anything that tops the curry song in the final five or six episodes...

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    Default Re: General Anime Discussion: Area 11

    As long as I get more Hosaka epicness I shall be satisfied.
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    Default Re: General Anime Discussion: Area 11

    Grrr... full schedule's are annoying... I can neither keep up with the shows I'm watching nor catch up with anything else like Fate/Zero or Persona 4
    BUT I spared the 20ish minutes to watch Carnival Phantasm 5&6. I don't know why but 6 made me laugh or at least giggle through the whole Berserker episode... I might be a child for doing so but it was just so adorable.

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    Default Re: General Anime Discussion: Area 11

    Fate/zero has got better. Boku wa tomodatchi ga sukinai is still the most fun thing this series.

    Minami-ke... I kind of liked that.

    Finished Madoka.

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    The ending was better than it could have been. Didn't wipe out the character development, which is the main problem with 'reset button' endings.

    Magical girls turning into witches was obvious from way before it happened. Mainly because its such a common theme.

    The fight with Sayaka's witch is about the only actual deconstruction in the story.

    The time travel thing was set up properly but the way the reveal basically gave us a new protagonist for the last 3 episodes didn't work that well for me.

    Madoka's apotheosis was fun from a "wishing to be all powerful is usually an evil act or temporary" kind of way.


    All in all it was quite good a series but while it was dark it really didn't do anything new in the genre. Sailor Moon had plenty of character deaths and (in the manga) gruesome monsters. Its darkness was more of a tone thing that came from the show's construction, magical warrior girl stories have always been day.

    Now I just need to write a magical girl story based on Marxist political theory. In the name of the proletariat the bourgeoisie will be punished!
    Last edited by Closet_Skeleton; 2011-11-06 at 05:12 PM.
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  27. - Top - End - #507
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    Default Re: General Anime Discussion: Area 11

    Quote Originally Posted by Closet_Skeleton View Post
    Now I just need to write a magical girl story based on Marxist political theory. In the name of the proletariat the bourgeoisie will be punished!
    What about all those shows about protecting innocent people from monstrous interdimensional space royalty?

    I'd cite Sailor Moon back at you, but then I remembered they're royalty/nobility themselves, so it's more of a story of imperial conflict with the common man getting tragically caught in the middle.

    Utena, maybe? Bringing about revolution? No?
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  28. - Top - End - #508
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    You know, thinking about what I've been watching this season and back on the rest of the year, this has been a damn good year for anime. I mean, I'm watching more stuff and enjoying it this season than I ever have before.

    That said, before I was behind so I didn't talk about it, but Chihayafuru is excellent. Madhouse is finally bringing its A game again after all those horrible Marvel shows. While Karuta at first didn't seem like a terribly interesting game to follow, the show has done an excellent job showing us why the characters enjoy it and care deeply about it, while also managing to pull the viewers in as well. A show like this is really far more about the characters than the game, but at the same time, not showing proper respect for the thing that drives the characters would instantly doom the show. Between the female lead and the way the show is approaching the subject material, I'm getting a very Nodame Cantabile vibe going (Sadly since 1. I care deeply about Classical music in a way I don't care about Karuta, and 2. This is a High school drama, not college/post college romance, I doubt this will have nearly the same effect on me.) Either way, you guys should check this out.

    Also, I just have to say, until Carnival Phantasm ep 7 I never really cared for Caster as a character. But now, how can I resist this? :
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  29. - Top - End - #509
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    Is that... Caster? I mean, yes, it's Caster. It's obviously Caster. But I am having trouble believing my eyes.
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    Default Re: General Anime Discussion: Area 11

    Caster seems generally cute and nice in Carnival Phantasm, so it shouldn't be too weird. Even if she's based actually one of the greatest sociopaths in Greek mythology, which says quite a bit.

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