Forum - View topicBest First Episode Tournament: Nominations
|
Goto page Previous Next |
| Author | Message | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
dtm42
Posts: 14084 Location: currently stalking my waifu |
|
|||
No, the show does not "get better further in", just more memorable. I'm not going to say that PMMM's first episode would be a strong nominee or that it even deserves to be in the tournament. But I won't stand by and let someone actually call it inferior to the latter episodes of the series.
Awesome. I was actually getting a tad worried there with how many I'd have to do. Thanks also go out to Ggultra2764 for FLCL (I don't know how that got missed from my original list) and DuskyPredator for Haruhi. Hey, wasn't Ggultra2764 not going to participate in the tournament? Did I miss something? Or is he just doing the nominations phase only? ---------- If any folks want to take care of one of the following, I'd be much obliged: Death Note Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion Initial D Tiger & Bunny World God Only Knows Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae o Boku-tachi wa Mada Shiranai. Hikaru no Go s-CRY-ed Rainbow - Nisha Rokubō no Shichinin Tokyo Magnitude 8.0 Trigun Macross Frontier NANA And of course, Ga-Rei Zero I don't mind doing them all since I volunteered. But, it would be nice to have a hand for a couple more so that the total to do is at a more manageable level. The overall quality of my writeups will also go up if there's fewer for me to do, but I suppose that's more my problem than your problem. Last edited by dtm42 on Thu Mar 01, 2012 9:19 pm; edited 1 time in total |
||||
|
||||
Aylinn
 Posts: 1684 |
|
|||
|
Nominating:
Princess Tutu: "The Duck and The Prince" Type of Series: Magical Girls, Fairy Tales, Drama, Comedy, Romance, Mystery Synopsis: Once upon a time, there was a man who died, The man's work was the writing and telling of stories, but he could not defy death. The last story he was working on was about a brave and handsome Prince, who vanquishes a crafty Raven, but now, it seems their battle will go on for eternity."I'm sick and tired of this!" cried the Raven. "I'm sick and tired of this!" cried the Prince as well. The Raven escaped from the pages of the story, and the Prince pursued the fell creature. In the end, the Prince took out his own heart and sealed the Raven away by using a forbidden power. Just then a murmer came from somewhere, "This is great!" said the old man who was supposed to have died. Ahiru wakes up from her dream, in which she was a little duck who watched a prince with sad eyes from afar. At school she meets Mytho, who has lonely eyes and who accidentally injures his leg, as he tries to help her. Ahiru decides that she must apologize to him. The next day, while adhering to her resolve, she sees him falling from the window as he has tried to save a little canary. With the help of the author, Drosselmeyer, who in spite of being dead, has found a way to meddle in the story, she becomes Princess Tutu and is given a chance to save the prince. The saved prince asks her who she is and then she is reminded that... she is only a duck. What Makes It Great: This is a promising episode that excellently exploits elements form fairy tales by adding some sinister twists to them to make an intriguing start. The opening scene in which the narrator tells the story of the Prince and the Raven flawlessly sets the mood and ambiance for the entire episode. The following events are equally involving and establish foundation for the rest of the series, especially the presence of the dead author, Drosselmeyer, and the incorporation of elements common in fairy tales contribute to the creation of a unique setup. The music and the plot beautifully complement each other. And while the animation is very economical, it manages to look really nice. All things considered it should be self-explanatory, even after the first episode, why Princess Tutu is several notches above other magical girl show, thus rightly earning the title of the best magical girl series. Image: Princess Tutu Last edited by Aylinn on Sun Mar 04, 2012 2:48 pm; edited 6 times in total |
||||
|
||||
Veers
 Posts: 1197 Location: Texas |
|
|||
|
Vote for Hayate the Combat Butler (first episode is one of the best in the whole series, honestly)
Vote for Princess Tutu (thanks for nomming, Aylinn, I was planning to write one up myself but hadn't had a chance yet) |
||||
|
||||
marie-antoinette
 Posts: 4136 Location: Ottawa, Canada |
|
|||
|
Voting for:
- Princess Tutu - Serial Experiments Lain dtm42, Trigun is also on my list of shows I want to nominate so if no one else gets to it first, I'll take care of that one. |
||||
|
||||
DuskyPredator
 Posts: 15487 Location: Brisbane, Australia |
|
|||
I actually wanted to do it myself, I was hoping I would be able to. Guess I will do a couple votes. Vote for: Hayate the Combat Butler Bakemonogatari And I will Nominate: Angel Beats: "Departure" Type of Series: action, comedy, life after death Synopsis: Our Main character wakes up sudenly on the grounds of a school, and in front of him is a girl holding a gun, who quickly explains that he is dead, and blabering about having him join them. Instead of listening to her he talks to the girl she is aiming at who she calls an Angel, a quite girl who confirms that he is dead, though a mischoice of words has him stabbed. He then wakes upin a school infirmery with no wounds, but his clothes drenched, in trying to run he runs into another student, this one with a halbird, who prompstly kills him again. After waking from a pool of blood he searches for answers, looking for teachers leads to the principals office, after getting killed again by a trap he wakes to a bunch of misfits fighting over their cause's name and other stupid things. He decides to temporarily join their cause against being obliterated, and soon joins in a mission after learning some of the setting. First mission involves keeping watch with guns, while members in a band distract NPCs with music, our main character then faces Angel and we get a look of the gun fight and Angel's power. The mission succeeds in getting food tickets, and the SSS sit down for a meal. What makes it great: The animation itself is a good reason, it is rather beautiful, enviroments, characters, shadow, and cgi. But it also sets up the setting very quickly, and reveals characters that are diverse enough accept without being overwelmed. It uses shadow often set tone, especially with making Angel feel threatening dispite there being no malice at all, a feeling that we are forced to have shaken further in the series. We have a concert right off the bat that might remind some of other series. Image: Angel Beats |
||||
|
||||
Yttrbio
 Posts: 3653 |
|
|||
|
Nominating
The Tower of Druaga- the Aegis of Uruk: “The Giant Tower of Druaga” Type of Series: Fantasy Adventure Synopsis: Jil, blessed by the goddess, loved by all, leads a group of various RPG classes up the incredibly cliched Tower of Druaga, facing such challenges as an enemy creatively called "Dark Knight," a tentacle monster the party allows to attack the female party member a little bit too long, and death at every turn (conveniently announced by the soon-to-be-dead characters looking forward to going back to their homelands and getting married). At the top, he faces the somewhat smaller than expected Druaga, defeating it, saving the realm, and getting the girl. And then he wakes up, because he was actually knocked out cold by the first enemy he encountered, and his party has been dragging his body throughout the tower. What Makes It Great: Depending on how obvious you like your parody, the first episode has the potential to leave a viewer laughing throughout. Every worn cliche from fantasy anime or JRPGs shows up, often in strange combinations, such as when even the boss monster talks about going back home and getting married. But what really makes this episode exceptional is its sheer gumption: The show is the kind of fantasy adventure show the episode is eviscerating, and the introduction basically dares the viewer to continue while demonstrating its self-awareness. Image: Tower of Druaga pic Link: http://www.crunchyroll.com/the-tower-of-druaga-the-aegis-of-uruk-/episode-1-the-great-tower-of-druaga-317861 |
||||
|
||||
|
Aylinn
Posts: 1684 |
|
|||
|
Nominating:
Natsume's Book of Friends: "The Cat And The Book Of Friends" Type of Series: Spirits, Drama, Comedy, Supernatural, Folklor Synopsis: Takashi Natsume has the ability to see spirits, which causes him a lot of trouble, as they chase after him and make him behave strangely in front of other people. One day, while he is chased by one of the them, he accidentally frees a powerful spirit that has been sealed in the form of a maneki neko (lucky cat). The spirit, whose name is Madara, demands that Takashi hand over the book of friends. Since it holds the names of all the spirits Reiko, Takashi's grandmother, bullied and all of them must do the book owner's bidding, many spirits desire it. Takashi does not agree to give it up because he wants to give the names back, but he makes a deal with Madara that the book will be his if he ends up dying partway through this task. What Makes It Great: The first episode is a good introduction to this slice of life series that creates an authentic, idyllic, and relaxing ambiance, but this is not the only thing that makes it exceptional. The character development is so well done that the spirits are elevated to being something more then mere monsters of the week with no personalities, thus it is hard not to be involved in the story, even though the plot is very simple and lacks any twists. Image: Natsume's Book of Friends Last edited by Aylinn on Sun Mar 04, 2012 3:11 pm; edited 4 times in total |
||||
|
||||
Fifth B
 Posts: 213 |
|
|||
|
I will nominate:
When They Cry: "The Beginning (Chapter: Spirited Away by the Demon, Part 1)" Type of Series: Horror, Mystery, Supernatural Thriller Synopsis: Keiichi Maebara has only recently moved to the small rural village of Hinamizawa, but he has already become good friends with several of his new (cute, female) classmates. Together, they spend their free time playing games, enjoying picnics by the town shrine, and generally enjoying the peaceful happiness of village life. However, during a treasure hunt at the local dump, Keiichi learns that five years earlier, the village was almost flooded by a proposed dam project. The resulting dispute saw heated protests, and finally, a hideous murder. Keiichi’s new friends refuse to speak about the incident, or otherwise give evasive answers, and when Keiichi finds an old newspaper article detailing the murder of the dam’s construction manager, he begins to wonder what other secrets the village of Hinamizawa may hold. What makes it great: Horror is something which can be quite difficult to pull off in an animated medium. However, the first episode of When They Cry has a wonderfully menacing tone, and the village on Hinamizawa simply drips with unease and a feeling that something about its quaint charm is deeply wrong. But more importantly, this episode not only sets up the horror which is to come, it encapsulates almost everything which makes this series great. The graphic violence which will characterize the later stages of the story, a standard harem set-up which quickly grows more disturbing, an increasing mood of fear and paranoia, and a web of mysteries which may best be left unanswered are all on full display, with the clear indication that things are only going to get uglier. This episode does a wonderful job of drawing in the viewers and giving them a taste of what is to come, without overplaying its hand, and for that, it deserves to be lauded. Image: cdn02.animenewsnetwork.com/images/encyc/A7454-32.jpg And I will vote for: Angel Beats Aria FLCL Haibane Renmei Kurau: Phantom Memory The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya Neon Genesis Evangelion Princess Tutu |
||||
|
||||
Stark700
 Posts: 11762 Location: Earth |
|
|||
|
Hmm, I'll vote for:
When They Cry Full Moon Wo Sagashite for now. |
||||
|
||||
Megiddo
 Posts: 8360 Location: IL |
|
|||
|
I thought about maybe nominating Kaiba for once again its brilliant direction and cinematography, but then I decided that would probably be a stupid idea. So instead...
Nomination Cowboy Bebop: "Asteroid Blues" Type of Series: action, drama, sci-fi Synopsis: Spike Spiegel, a bounty Hunter with a dark past, lives on bounty to bounty, barely making it each time, or not making it at all. His partners Jet Black, Faye Valentine, Ed and Ein the dog all help him in his adventures from planet to planet. (from ANN Encyclopedia) What Makes It Great: This episode really set the pace for the awesome series that is Cowboy Bebop! Spike and Jet are both introduced, and the general episodic layout is given. There was lots of really cool action scenes and I feel it did a really good job setting the mood for the future episodes. And speaking of mood, the music in the first episode is just phenomenal! Asteroid Blues was just the beginning of an awesome voyage with the Bebop crew! Image: Cowboy Bebop |
||||
|
||||
Splitter
 Posts: 1276 Location: Knockin' on Heaven's Door |
|
|||
|
Vote For
--- Bleach: "The Day I Became A Shinigami" - The banner example for how to start a shounen series Elfen Lied: "A Chance Encounter ~ Begegnung" Ouran High School Host Club: "Starting Today, You Are a Host!" FLCL: "Fooly Cooly" Full Moon wo Sagashite: "I Want to Sing" Angel Beats: "Departure" Vote Against --- Serial Experiments Lain: "Weird" - It's solid on an atmospheric level, actually it was too atmospheric. It fails to connect to a larger story and feels like world-building but lacks narrative, which doesn't really start until the end of the second episode. As a result, it left me with the impression of it being disjointed after the first episode, and I watched the second not because I was intrigued, but because I knew the story hadn't started yet. Now, if this was a "best second episode" tournament... When They Cry: "The Beginning (Chapter: Spirited Away by the Demon, Part 1) - Higurashi is one of my all time favorite anime, but I have to disagree here. Much like the arguments against PMMM, Higurashi's first episode starts with something dark and completely opposite from the rest of the episode. The episode spends the gross majority of its remaining time diddling around with borderline annoying characters. The darker side of the series is emphasized only at the end of the episode with an inkling that there are more sinister matters afoot presents itself. It's enough to get into the second episode, where the USO DA scene sets the tone far more effectively than anything in this first episode. Honestly, lets not act like people started watching Higurashi because of the characters acting silly. After all, that's what ruined everything they made for the franchise after Kai. |
||||
|
||||
Ggultra2764
 Subscriber Posts: 3889 Location: New York state. |
|
|||
People have the right to change their minds to mix things up to keep their sanity intact. Anyway, here's the next pitch... Nominating: Fruits Basket, "The Strangest Day" Type of Series: Fantasy comedy/ drama Synopsis: Orphaned high school student Tohru Honda is living in a tent in the woods to avoid burdening her grandfather as he renovates his house. On her way to school, Tohru comes across the home of two Sohma family members, the slightly perverted, easygoing Shigure and popular class president Yuki. The two later learn of Tohru living in the forest and allow her to stay at their house when she catches sick and her tent gets wrecked from an avalanche. While helping Tohru get settled in her bedroom the following morning, Yuki finds himself faced with cousin Kyo crashing through the roof of the room and wishing to challenge Yuki to a fight. When Tohru attempts to grab Kyo to stop him from fighting, the boy transforms into a cat. As a shocked Tohru tries comprehending the situation, a piece of the damaged roof falls on her head knocking her out, making her fall into Shigure and Yuki and transforming the two boys into a dog and rat respectively, thus ending the episode with a bewildered Tohru wondering what is going on. What Makes It Great: This opening episode does well at introducing Tohru's selfless and kind character to allow the audience to connect with her emotionally as the episode reveals the major elements of her character such as the strong devotion she has to her deceased mother and her habit to put the well-being of others before herself. It also does well to set up the major premise of the series involving Tohru's interactions with Yuki, Shigure and the other cursed Sohma family members as hints are dropped throughout the episode that things with Yuki and Shigure are not as they seem up to the surprising reveal at the end of the episode when Tohru encounters the two and Kyo turned into animals. The tone of the show become evident in the first episode as well with its careful mix of comedy and drama to convey the chemistry between different characters and the complicated issues being faced by them. Image: Fruits Basket pic Episode Links (via Hulu): Dubbed, Subbed Supporting: -Slayers -Neon Genesis Evangelion (again, have no interest in the show yet first episode does enough to stick out with its unconventional handling of the typical opener to a mecha title) -Princess Tutu Opposing: -When They Cry: Higurashi- Other than the shocking murder scene at the start of the episode and the reveal Keiichi discovers on shady developments within Hinamizawa at the end, the opening episode to Higurashi otherwise mostly felt like a typical slice-of-life comedy title with the regular interactions Keiichi had with Rena and others within the small school and walking home. |
||||
|
||||
|
dtm42
Posts: 14084 Location: currently stalking my waifu |
|
|||
Awesome. I'll give you and everyone else two days, if there isn't a writeup for Trigun submitted by then then I'll do it myself. But I'd rather you did it and took the load off. And of course you'd probably write a better one than me since I'd just be trying to get through them all as fast as possible.
Fair enough. I always wanted you to participate, even if I did get a bit shirty with you when you made your ultimatum. But yeah, good that you changed your mind, it'd be nice to have as many regulars as possible on board. |
||||
|
||||
Spastic Minnow
 Bargain HunterExempt from Grammar Rules  Posts: 4613 Location: Gainesville, FL |
|
|||
|
Nominating:
Excel Saga ""The Koshi Rikdo Assassination Plot"" Type of Series: Insanely Madcap Comedy Synopsis: Excel Excel is the new, gratuitously loyal and motivated lackey of the organization Across and its commander, Lord Ilpalazzo, a man with the apparent goal to conquer the city. However, Excel is a reckless idiot who has the tendency to be killed and to kill the wrong people, such as the original creator of the show, Koshi Rikdo, her friend the migrant construction worker, Pedro, and maybe even a little dog she discovers on the street. If they didn't have the services of a cosmic being with the ability to reset the show, it would be a very short series indeed. What Makes It Great: This is one of the most hilariously random first episodes of comedy you will ever witness. Every other scene is self-referential, scenes move from one locale to the next on apparent whim, random sequences are shown without connection to a plot (if there is one), it is violent, the main character yells hysterically throughout, the show ends in "failure" and the end credits are "sung" by a sad little barking dog lamenting (via translator) his fate as a foodstuff. It seemingly doesn't tell a coherent story and if you watch only this episode you have no idea if any single aspect of the show you just watched will carry over to the next, but you do know this is pure comedy like you've never seen before and if you laughed at all- you will be back for more. Image: http://pds2.egloos.com/pds/1/200605/17/12/c0018212_12452975.jpg Links: ANN (dub), Hulu (dub), Hulu (sub) |
||||
|
||||
|
marie-antoinette
Posts: 4136 Location: Ottawa, Canada |
|
|||
|
Voting for: Excel Saga (really need to watch the rest of that show sometime)
|
||||
|
||||
 |
All times are GMT - 5 Hours |
|
|
|
Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group