Forum - View topicWhat are you watching right now? Why? (please read 1st post)
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dtm42
Posts: 14084 Location: currently stalking my waifu |
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Hell yeah. If you use the ANN Compare function under the Encyclopedia tab, you'll see that a lot of staff from Neon Genesis Evangelion also worked on RahXephon. Two of the scriptwriters from NGE did the screenplay in RahXephon. One guy (a different guy) helped storyboard both shows. Seven guys who did key animation in NGE also worked on RahXephon in various capacities, including animation director and assistant animation director. Note that the seven doesn't include two guys who did script duties as well as key animation for RahXephon and were therefore mentioned above. Really, quite a few key personnel worked on both shows. So RahXephon didn't really rip off NGE, because people can't really rip off themselves. More like the creators used RahXephon to have a second shot at telling an NGE-type story (with a lot of big tweaks). |
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Zin5ki
 Posts: 6680 Location: London, UK |
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As has become the popular thing to do nowadays, I watched Redline. To the credit of Madhouse it is an exhilarating work; the deployment of increasingly contrived vehicular functions and manoeuvres helps to build a bewildering but tense spectacle that is not at all unpleasant. For all its propensity to arrest, however, the action soon draws to a close, and one's recollection of the bedazzling feats witnessed ultimately last no longer than the race itself. Given the film's premise, one should expect little else.
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dirkusbirkus
 Posts: 699 Location: Manchester, UK |
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The most frequent criticism I see of Redline is the paper-thin premise of a plot. I can't help but feel people looking for said plot have missed the point of the film somewhat. I don't mean to sound condescending, I appreciate that people want different things from their anime and they have every right to demand some sort of coherent story be told. I just found that the film works so much better if you check your brain at the door.
The production values alone were enough to hook me, and it's not like a typical good-looking anime in the vein of a P.A. Works production, for example... The sheer amount of blood, sweat and tears that must have gone into the making of it (100,000 hand drawn frames, seven years in production) shines through, and it's a wonderful, senseless celebration of the medium. It's one of the few instances where the hype was completely justified. Like any anime title though, it's not for everyone. |
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Blood-
 Bargain Hunter Posts: 23873 |
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Yeah, it really isn't. I dig visual spectacle as much as the next person but when I don't give a crap about anybody in a film and don't give a crap about what happens, all the pretty pictures and zoom-zoom noises pall after a while.
eta: and speaking of sumptuous visuals, I've just finished watching the first chunk of Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust. Lawsy, lawsy that it a handsome bit of viddy-age. So glad I now have a 54" inch plasma screen to do it justice. It's not on BD, but damn, still looks utterly fantastic. |
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supercreep
 Posts: 526 |
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Bloodlust is gorgeous indeed. I wish they would continue the franchies outside of the manga.
I'm currently running through Witch Hunter Robin, and I forgot how much this show bugs me sometimes. The animation is so lifeless, and the character models pretty much all have a single face. Watching Robin while she talks is frustrating for me because of this. |
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_Emi_
 Posts: 498 Location: Langjökull |
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Well, I finally finished Armored Trooper VOTOMS.
More like spoiler["divine" intervention. Even then, Chirico, like Fyana and Ypsilon, needed training and refinement. He couldn't just hop into an AT and be instantly awesome. Even Fyana was beating him at the beginning. Of course thinking of Wiseman's manipulation of events as divine, depends on whether you think he/it/they/whatever is a god. I don't. I'll take Arron and Gurran's stance on Wiseman being a highly advanced being/machine, but no god, whatever he claims himself to be. He does nothing that cannot be explained by advanced technology.] VOTOMS just kept getting better with each arc: more epic and ever expanding its universe. Their is Sunsa with Chirico's spoiler[final confrontation with Ypsilon] and the revelation of what Chirico is and then Quent, with a fuller explanation of what Chirico is, what spoiler[Wiseman] has decided Chirico's destiny is, an explanation of the history of their universe that has shaped the history that is happening right now, how Chirico plays into it and how he foils the plans made for him. One of the things that bugged me though is how it's mentioned that Quentmen are forbidden to fight on Quent and go to the upper portion of Gomorr, then have those taboos broken with no hesitation whatsoever. After 52 episodes, I want to spend more time in this universe that Takahashi has created, which to me is a sign of a good show. I would really love it if someone would bring over the OVAs. All the printed material would be nice to, but I know that's not happening. I also watched PERSONA - trinity soul and Ghost in the Shell: Innocence and enjoyed both more than complaints would suggest. With trinity soul, I was never bothered by the fact that it goes against Persona canon, just looking at it as its own separate story and enjoyed it reasonably well. With Innocence, while the quoting got to be a little much at times, I didn't think it was as bad as everyone claimed it was and never had a problem with Batou quoting Milton or the Bible. While no intellectual, he is intelligent. My Lord, what a gorgeous film. Kim's mansion is a favorite. Armored Trooper VOTOMS: Excellent Ghost in the Shell: Innocence: Excellent PERSONA -trinity soul-: Very Good |
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Gewürtztraminer
 Posts: 1028 Location: Texas - Its like whole other country. |
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Otogi Zoshi: This show will throw you some curveballs and changeups. The first arc (12 episodes) is set in the Heian era and tells a fairly straightforward story of adventure, political intrigue, and mysticism.... but with a twist! Overall it is good, rather cliched and somewhat forgettable. The artwork is a change from the norm, most of it looks good to great, but back off and show the characters from a middle distance and they suffer from trying to maintain all the facial detail at that distance. The characters then look like someone drew on their faces with a sharpie.
The second arc starts off with all the characters, but in modern times with most having no inkling of their past lives. The characters search over the town finding mystic phenomena. Not quite Scoobie Doo, or Ghost Hunt, but odd. I was a bit stumped. This was by far the nicest release by Media Blasters I have seen. 6 Singles cases, each double packed with 1 disc for the shows and 1 for the extras, a nice chipboard case, and a T Shirt (Right stuff has this $180 msrp bundle on for less than $20 now). Why this show for such nice treatment? Was it Production I.G.? Apparently droves of people stayed away from this given the current bundle price. The payoff finally arrives around episode 20 and continues through until the end at 24. 25 is a fairly nice prequel (modern times) OVA, 26 appears to be a minimally animated attempt to get more money. Was the payoff worth it? Not for $180, but for $20.. Yep. |
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Tony K.
 SubscriberModerator  Posts: 11314 Location: Frisco, TX |
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Berserk (episodes 1-7) -- Started watching it since the new movie came out and wanted to show my girlfriend something darker than what we had been watching (finished the first season of Yuu Yuu Hakusho on BD not too long ago). I've only seen it once, and it's probably been close to a decade since. But I have to say, knowing what I know now of the Berserk universe and learning to appreciate the musical genius of Susumu Hirasawa, I like the series even more. I've only collected and read up to volume 6 of the manga, but I'm contemplating whether or not to get the rest of it. However, I don't like purchasing on-going series when I know they're not even close to ending (here's looking at you, Shounen Jump titles). I hope Media Blasters will take advantage of the TV's BD release in Japan and put it out on the U.S. market some day. The video quality actually improves some of the art and animation deficiencies it has and looks pretty phenomenal considering how low-budget it appeared to me when I first saw it.
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Botan24
 Posts: 684 Location: Northern Michigan |
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I'm in re-watch mode. With that, NANA. Goodness, do I love this show! I mean, I knew I really liked it, but as I'm seeing it again, I find myself marveling at how much this story moves me (especially the relationship between the Nana's).
Also getting through Guin Saga, with my husband. I was viewing it on Netflix, and they totally screwed up the order after episode 16 or 17. Hence, I ceased viewing it there, and finally bought parts I and II. I know all about the piss poor dub, but its not enough to ruin the story for me, but just barely. |
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zawa113
 Posts: 7358 |
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Like so many others, I also recently watched Redline, after getting it for $5. And honestly, $5 is about the right price for me. Now, my problem with it wasn't the paper thin plot, plot wasn't the point here and the plot served its purpose. That would be like criticizing Katamari Damacy's plot, the purpose was that it served as a gateway to spark your imagination and look at weird stuff happen. Similarly, I won't criticize the paper thing characters, not when being one notes worked so well here because it let us get on with the awesome.
No, my problem with Redline is that I found it to be completely and utterly forgettable. Like the Silence from Doctor who, you can only remember it while you're actively watching it. But the real reason I couldn't call it an instant classic is that it's not the sort of movie I think I could lend out to all of my anime friends, I could only lend it out to those who really like action. And when it comes to turning things up to 11, I must say I prefer Gurren Lagann on that front. So while I do actually think it's a good movie, it's just not one worth showing to everyone and their dog and it's not one that I think will stand the test of time. The visuals might be epic, but I also feel like they go by so fast that I can't remember one particularly epic looking moment in the film like I can do for, say, Akira. And while I don't think Akira is as good a movie, I feel like it might appeal to more people, which is probably why it's endured for so long. Who knows, maybe Redline would be more awesome with a small group of half drunk people and I simply watched it the wrong way. I'll have to try again when I have people over for Otakon, though Redline doesn't seem like the particular eye candy that I'd enjoy watching again and again. |
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dtm42
Posts: 14084 Location: currently stalking my waifu |
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I wasn't impressed by Redline either. The visuals were nice but they all blended into one another and there were no memorable (let alone iconic) images I could take away from it. PMMM had flintlock Gun Kata and 'that' scene, Trigun had the Angel Arm showdown and the cross rising from the sand, Cowboy Bebop had so many it's hard to pick, although "Bang" might be the most well-known. Even Grenadier had cleavage reload. Redline? I'm drawing blanks. Even the nudity wasn't that great, it was just there.
And anyway, even though Anime is a visual medium, visuals are not that important. I felt the same way about Redline's visuals as I did about those of Sacred Seven. As in, I acknowledged that it looks nice and that a lot of work must have gone into it, but otherwise a big fat "meh". In terms of soundtrack and BGM, I remember even less. The only bit I can recall is when spoiler[the guy left some flowers at the girl's residence,] there was a nice piece that was playing, soft but catchy. The rest of the movie might as well not have had music, such was the (non-)impression it left on me. Then there's the characters. I just didn't care about them. It is hard to make the audience care about characters in just one hundred minutes (including credits), but it isn't impossible. Movies do it all the time. Maybe if we'd had less nonsense with giant monsters and orbital cannons and crap like that we might have had enough time to flesh these characters out. Infodumps are rarely well executed, especially when they come towards the end of the movie. It was too late to care about the dude by then. We still never learnt why the girl wanted to win the race other than spoiler[her father was in the motorsports industry,] which doesn't explain why she has so much passion. Speaking of passion, there was little chemistry between the guy and gal. I feel the only reason they were into one another is because they were not only attractive humans but spoiler[pretty much the only humans] in the movie. I just didn't buy their relationship. And what was with the tough commander of the cyborg army and his connection with the cyborg racer? Why was that filling up screentime when there was so much else that begged to be covered? Then, the plot. Oh, I could nitpick here so much, I'm kind of (in)famous for that here at ANN. How the spaceship the final straight is on must be over 20km long*. How the number of qualifying races must outstrip the number of colours available to use as names*. Or how the spoiler[rare crystal the girl had turned out to be so common every remaining racer had one.] But, there are far greater issues with the story than just nitpicks; there are real problems. Here's five words to sum it all up; too much sh*t going on. spoiler[We have a race, a secret bio-monster on the rampage, a conspiracy, illegal gambling, orbital weapon sabotage, a psychic princess (or maybe it was a young queen) who was interfering with the cyborgs, and romance, all jumbled together. Let's not forget the parodies (giant robot with cockpits in the breasts).] Too much to keep the viewer on track (pardon the pun). Too much to follow what was going on, too much to be coherent, too much to fit it all in. Too much for me to care. My final gripe? The movie failed to excite me. Okay, I was excited when the guy's spoiler[ridiculous hairdo won the race,] but that was the first and only time I really felt the 'wow' factor. A flawed but exciting movie I could have been content with, maybe even happy. But a flawed and boring one? I'd almost be tempted to watch Barney instead. Almost. * spoiler[Assuming an average speed of 500km/h, and given it takes them several minutes to cover the length, that makes one heck of a long straight, which means the spaceship is also crazily long. Far longer at least than it initially looked as it rose from the ground.] * spoiler[The girl won Yellowline (I think) to qualify for Redline, but JD came second and didn't get in. Going from that, qualifying races are named after colours and only the winners go through. For every one of the seemingly scores of racers in the final, that means there was a race that they must have won to get there. I wonder who won Brownline? Or Turquoiseline? Or how about Beigeline? ] Last edited by dtm42 on Tue Feb 14, 2012 10:50 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Blood-
Bargain Hunter Posts: 23873 |
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It gladdens my heart to see other people feel basically the same way about Redline that I did. It was fun, I'll give it that, but seeing it described as the Second, Third and Fourth Coming was getting irritating.
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ikillchicken
 Posts: 7272 Location: Vancouver |
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Well at this point the "Lets whine about how Redline is overrated" crowd seems to have overtaken the "Redline is awesome" crowd by a mile so you can probably stop being irritated. 
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Blood-
Bargain Hunter Posts: 23873 |
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Aw, is somebody's widdle feelers hurt? indeed. Although, in fairness to you, I'm sure my expression of irritation at what I see as over-praise for Redline must be irritating to you since you were one of those people who was left moist with ecstasy over it. So, even as I mock you, I do understand where you are coming from, emotionally.
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Gewürtztraminer
Posts: 1028 Location: Texas - Its like whole other country. |
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I own Redline have not seen it yet, but I have to agree with ikillchicken, the current mainstream opinion I read is the indifferent pan (which is then viciously defended by those that put forth the indifference). |
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