Forum - View topicWhat are you watching right now? Why? (please read 1st post)
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Fedpo
 Posts: 40 Location: Texas |
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Thanks for the heads up. I actually already knew that about Death and Rebirth, yet I can't help but want to get it and watch it anyway. My Evangelion obsession has begun to grow with my veiwing of these two newest movies and I now have a craving to own and watch everything Evangelion. On a side note, I watched Evangelion 2.0: You Can (Not) Advance earlier this morning and all I can say is: Oh my god! I absolutely loved it! I have never felt so happy at the end of any movie or anime series that I've ever watched. I can't wait for the next two movies. Oh, and I really like the OST. |
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dtm42
Posts: 14084 Location: currently stalking my waifu |
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Just finished Kara no Kyōkai: The Garden of Sinners, rated it as Good.
And no, I didn't buy it. Would have loved to, if I had won the lottery six months ago. Of course, then I would have been as disappointed with my purchase as I was with the KFC Double Down. Anyway: "A+ for trying, and the visuals and fight scenes are undeniably beautiful. And yet, the film franchise is just so fundamentally flawed and incomplete that it is lucky to get the rating it got. I'm talking about numerous instances of terrible writing that constantly threaten to sink the franchise into oblivion, as well as how so much of the story and character histories are rarely even touched upon, let alone actually revealed. Sometime in the future I would like to start a thread on this movie series, re-watch all of the movies, and as I'm doing so write all of the problems I see into the thread. It would be a very interesting exercise, I believe. Anyway, Type-Moon fans will of course love this movie series, but everyone else should be wary with just how badly-written it is. My advice is that it is best not to think about what is going on and just take it at its pretty face-value. Which is a tad ironic, given that this title wants us to engage our minds more than most Anime. Oh, but that is not what we really want to do. Pretty visuals and awesome fight scenes are the only things of value found in these nine hours of animation, trust me." |
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Jen526
 Posts: 124 |
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Most recent viewing recap:
Tiger & Bunny: Love it, love it, love it. It's been a good long while since I've watched an anime series week-to-week with such anticipation. The combination of comedy and buddy-teamwork is great, and I love how they're pacing things... with the big villain storyline playing right alongside the episodic "hero-of-the-week" element, instead of giving each hero his own episode and *THEN* cramming the villain into the last few episodes, as many series would do. Someday's Dreamers: Really love this one, too. It's right up there next to Aria for how it has almost no real "conflict", but somehow just makes me love spending time with these characters. Something about the mix of great worldbuilding, a heroine whose optimism is somehow infectious instead of being annoying, and a mix of plots that cover a spread from whimsical to bittersweet. Haunted Junction & Daphne in the Brilliant Blue: Both of these are *way* funnier than I ever expected them to be! They both came across as the one-dimensional, working-one-joke-to-death sort of lower-tier comedy, but they both are making me LOL a lot. I've been pleasantly surprised by Daphne, in particular, with how many different ways they find to mine humor out of the typical character-archetypes. (And how non-ecchi the series is, considering the ridiculous "outfits" the characters "wear".  )
Kaze no Stigma: Pleasant enough actioner. Solidly "rental-shelf" material... amusing characters, decently paced story arcs, but nothing I see myself going back to rewatch. |
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Surrender Artist
 Posts: 3264 Location: Pennsylvania, USA |
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I watched the old Birdy the Mighty original video animation a few days ago. It makes for fine entertainment. I liked it slightly less well than I had before, but I'm nevertheless fond of it. Birdy is an engagingly vivacious character and even Tsutomu has some hapless charm. The action sequences were quite good too. They were usually relatively novel and never went on too long. I especially liked the fight with Ondine in episode three.
I was disappointed to find the English version worse than I had once thought. It's still very respectable for its vintage. The voice cast was good, but the direction seemed ever-so-slightly feckless. The performances had a very low-key feeling throughout most of the episodes, which was quite satisfactory most of the time, but their voices never really surged in loudness and intensity as strongly as they should have at moments of high tension or excitement. The script was odd sometimes too; many of the scenes of the Senkawa family were just baffling, probably having been things that made sense in Japanese, but didn't survive faithful translation. I do still like Alex McCord's slightly husky and wry portrayal of Birdy. It's almost a shame that she didn't do more voice acting, but she's probably happier being a professional horrible human being for Bravo. I'll almost surely buy Birdy the Mighty: Decode sometime in the not-to-distant future. I've read that those who liked the 'original' tend to not care for it, but I've seen enough enthusiasm in its reception to take a chance whenever that becomes opportune. I've also at last been able to watch Memories, which I have had for roughly a month, but never seemed find the time to watch. I liked it a lot, especially, if predictably, the first episode: "Magnetic Rose". The whole film is visually very impressive and nicely animated. "Magnetic Rose" probably has the most impressive backgrounds and art that I've seen in quite a while. The elaborately decorated and decayed setting was shown in rich, impressive detail. "Stink Bomb" was probably the last interesting; it had spectacle and amusement, but nothing that I found really interesting. "Cannon Fodder" was the most visually novel of the three. I really liked its slightly rough, stylized character designs and almost storybook-like backgrounds. The most interesting thing about it was probably the way that it was made to look as though it were one long take; I'm a sucker for long takes or the illusion thereof. "Magnetic Rose" had an interesting sense of mystery and dread. Its themes certainly prefigured those that recurred in Satoshi Kon's later work. The psychological seduction that is the heart of the story makes it quite engrossing and it has a nicely melancholy ending. "Stink Bomb" was entertaining, if not especially memorable, black comedy. Something about it didn't quite feel right, but it was still fun and I liked the music. "Cannon Fodder" felt like George Orwell after a short visit with Franz Kafka, portraying a totalitarian state obsessively indoctrinating its people into war, but with strange hints of existential futility and menace from impossibly aloof authority. It's also a short, relatively intimate story with few characters and a humble story, which is another thing that I'm a sucker for. I've also been watching Madlax, which I do like, but can't help but thus far judge as, "stranger than, but not as good as Noir." This is exemplified by the title, which is odder and less evocative. It also sound like it should be the name of either a chain of EXTREME vacation resorts or some horrible combination purgative and anabolic steroid. Last edited by Surrender Artist on Sun May 29, 2011 6:12 pm; edited 3 times in total |
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Nosferatu21
 Posts: 520 Location: Ohio |
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Just started watching Girls Bravo and it's about what I was expecting it to be with one notable exception. I was expecting the comedy, story, and overall pervyness to be where they are but I was not expecting them to go as far as they did in the "banana scene". I had to watch it twice to ensure maximum laughter. I wish I could make it a gif and have it as my avatar but it be over 12kb.
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PetrifiedJello
Posts: 3782 |
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There were 3 titles I promised myself I'd never watch in my lifetime: Evangelion, Death Note, and one not worth mentioning here.
Thanks to a loss in a friendly bet, I had to break one of those promises and the cost was to sit through Death Note. I can only be thankful the winner didn't pick Evangelion. Having just finished this up last night, I can now safely grade this series as a C. I had hoped the all-too-common addition to the Top 10 lists around here would have justified the series, but I can clearly see it did not. A shame, because this series had such good potential but blew it too many times to rate it anything better than "average". When it comes to a suspenseful thriller, I absolutely despise any which explain the use of their tells until it's time. Death Note did not use its tells effectively, or did it use them to the series' advantage. Instead, the writers decided to treat its audience as stupid bystanders who had to have their hand held throughout the 35 episode series. Oh, I should define what a "tell" is: they're clues given to the audience which may (or may not) be used in a climatic change in story or a final climax. If you've seen the movie The Sixth Sense, the tell is the gunshot wound. I will discuss one tell only, and I don't consider this a spoiler. If people disagree, let me know and I'll wrap this section in a tag. The most obvious tell was the very rules to the Death Note itself. While simple, they had the power to completely keep us on the edge, and the writers blew them. Not only were they constantly delivered to us via the eye catches (or could have played to their advantage), but were often repeated in actual dialogue. The failure came when the writers had to explain to the audience how Light was using those rules to his advantage via annoying flashbacks. This ruined the series, hands down. Having a shocking turn of events and playing the rules against how the majority would have used them is something which should never be given away in a suspenseful thriller. Otherwise, the "suspense" is lost. One of the greatest movies using tells ever made was The Usual Suspects. If you've seen the movie, you know precisely what I'm talking about. If you haven't, then know I can never accept this as a "Top 10" series... ever. *** After this, I headed back to CR to check out the latest episode (7) of Lotte's Toy. I have to say, the writers of this one did a good job with this episode as it's the first time I ever felt like I wanted to hug a cartoon character. Lotte was so spoiled, but so cute to want her kiss. Sooooooooooooo cute that expression on her face as she tried to get her reward for making up. I believe her actions were planned, devious little scamp. *** After the episode ended, I perused my favorites list and found Hanasaku Iroha sitting near the bottom. Originally, I was reluctant to add it because the words "hot springs inn" instantly provided me the series would be filled with panty shots and bath scenes, but I always try something once. Now, I curse the anime industry for its blatant overuse of this shit because I just found 2011's Best Anime Series and a guaranteed purchase when FUNimation licenses it (and they had better, or I'm kicking Gen's virtual ass). The art and animation are one of the best I've seen come out of Japan in quite some time. I was instantly reminded of Aria when it came to character designs, and I am not afraid to admit I absolutely love the design of Ohona, because she is gorgeous. The little flower barrettes make her a bit childish, but the hairstyle is refreshing and unique. The animation, thanks to the use of computers, is on the high end, and I'm guessing 24 frames per second here because there's a scene where a train changes tracks and the motion is as fluid as though it were real life all the while the rest of background and other motions are constant. Definitely more attention to detail compared to other titles found in 2011's catalog. The designs aren't just focused on characters, as the backgrounds and foregrounds have something many of us haven't seen in a long time: detail. I mean, when was the last time you saw the detail of a leaf? Nowadays, it's just a single color with a splash of contrast to pretend there's detail. Take, for example, kneecaps. Today, most are just shadows, but there are lines again! Granted, it's not constant, but close-ups sure do bring them out again, and it's so nice to see this detail again. The story isn't anything to brag about, though, but only because it's been done too many times before (new child in new locale facing rudeness and challenges to overcome). Unfortunately, this will be the dead albatross of the series, and it's a shame, too, considering it's taking a bold step to provide exceptional detail to the works and try to re-establish the animation in anime. Good luck, Hanasaku Iroha. You're going to need it with today's anime audience. |
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kimbeey13
 Posts: 290 Location: NH |
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I finally finished watching Blessing of the Campanella earlier today and overall I thought it was an all right series. Now, before anyone says anything, I should probably mention I'm a harem fan through and through. I like being able to pick a girl or guy and cheer for them will the try to gain the main character's affection such as Ayeka from Tenchi, Nerine from Shuffle!, and Ace from Alice in the Country of Hearts. This series I was rooting for Agnes or Salsa. The character designs were nice, but they had cookie-cut personalities. Story was, well, nothing really happened until about the last three episodes and everything was resolved rather quickly as expected from a show like this. I also watched the OVA for this show and there was a boat load of fan-service there - naked girls galore.
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simmeh
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I'm currently grinding my way to the end of Rurouni Kenshin, currently on episode 83 of 95. I normally wouldn't take on a series with more than a single season or two worth of content, but I made an exception this time because of how much I liked the prequel. Unfortunately, the main series isn't quite as good as Tsuiokuhen, and I can't wait to be done with it and move on to something else. Not to say it's bad or anything, but it's not something I would ever sit through again, even if it was only 26 episodes long.
I'm also dabbling in Kimagure Orange Road on the side, though I haven't made much progress there. I chose it because my guilty pleasure is school-themed anime, and I thought it'd be cool to see what those were like back in the 80s. While I love the characters and antics, I often don't find myself in the right mood to enjoy it, which is why I'm stuck at episode 11 of 48 (and that's not including the OVAs and movies). |
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~~EpiC~~
 Posts: 243 |
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Yes! You definitely should. There hasn't been much talk about Birdy the Mighty:Decode on these forums and I really think its a shame, as its by far one of the best series to come out in the last, like, 5 years. Season 1 introduces a solid premise, that really sparkles because of the possibilities. By possibilities I mean, the endless possibilities of awesome content it could create. It ends solidly after season 1 and then it really vamps it up with season 2, building on its solid foundation and making something truly great. It really ramps up the character development and world development as well. Both season's end satisfyingly, but sets up the world in such a way that its obvious there's more to tell. And if they tell more and delve even deeper into the politics and world, every season afterwards could be better than the last. The soundtrack is one of the best to come out in some time, too. The composer, Yuugo Kanno, does a really impressive job. If they make a season three and continue delving in further like with the previous season, its a guaranteed masterpiece. Give it a chance, its awesome and I think you'll like it. I pretty much completely agree with you on your breakdown of Memories. Magnetic Rose was by far the strongest piece and was through-and-through a Satoshi Kon story.[/b] |
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luffypirate
 Posts: 3187 |
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Finished up the Time of Eve ONA on Blu-ray. Enjoyed every minute, all 100 or so of them. Beautiful animation. I found myself pausing at certain scenes to appreciate the immense amount of detail put those gorgeous backgrounds. That final vignette, which I found incredibly moving, really helped bring everything together. I had quite the smile on my face as the credits rolled. Thanks goes out to Blood- for turning me onto this title. Well played sir. I would like to see this title reach the shores of North America someday, until then I will recommend the import.
Anyone know if the movie features anything new or is it just a straight compilation? |
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luffypirate
Posts: 3187 |
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Finished up the Time of Eve ONA on Blu-ray. Enjoyed every minute, all 100 or so of them. Beautiful animation. I found myself pausing at certain scenes to appreciate the immense amount of detail put those gorgeous backgrounds. That final vignette, which I found incredibly moving, really helped bring everything together. I had quite the smile on my face as the credits rolled. Thanks goes out to Blood- for turning me onto this title. Well played sir. I would like to see this title reach the shores of North America someday, until then I will recommend the import.
Anyone know if the movie features anything new or is it just a straight compilation? |
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Blood-
 Bargain Hunter Posts: 24161 |
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Glad you liked it, luffypirate85! Which slipcover are you using? I chose the bucket of bolts from "Nameless" which was one of my favourite parts - a wonderful combination of humour and poignancy. And I too am curious if the movie contains any new scenes. By the way, anyone who wants to check out this ONA without buying the Japanese import can do so through the good offices of Crunchyroll. If you think you'd enjoy an exceptionally well done slice of life SF show, this could be for you.
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luffypirate
Posts: 3187 |
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Ohh yes thank you for mentioning Crunchyroll! I had completely spaced about that. Yeah not many would be down for dropping $70 blindly lol. I've got a bad habit when it comes to that but I have yet to be let down (the Garden of sinners was a complete blind buy and look at what a crazy mindf*ck that turned out to be!) I'm using the slipcover of the emotionless Sammy from the second vignette. I want to learn more about that character. I'm going to do some research on the movie now. Very intrigued.
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Errinundra
Moderator
 Posts: 6584 Location: Melbourne, Oz |
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Mostly a straight compilation. There's a little bit extra at the start and some other bits to join the episodes. The big reveals are in the end credits and a coda following them. The end credits have a new song by Yuki Kajiura and show images of Nagi's life from childhood to the "present day". The coda is a scene with Nagi and a new character, quite possibly Shiotsuki, who is mentioned by Dr Ashimori and Setoro in their discussions. It's Nagi as you haven't seen her before. I'm not saying what the reveals are - I don't want to have to add spoilers, but they raise questions rather than provide answers. |
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Blood-
Bargain Hunter Posts: 24161 |
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I'm hoping there will be more Time of Eve, especially in light of what errinundra has mentioned. Remember how the ONA finished up...
The End? |
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