Forum - View topicWhat are you watching right now? Why? (please read 1st post)
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egoist
 Posts: 7762 |
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The formula of season 3 is very similar to season 2, it's just that you're led to believe otherwise. I actually liked season 2 and 3 equally because of the outcome of season 3 (mainly involving the spoiler[deputy hell girl]). They also got a few dramatic elements brought over from season 1 that weren't revealed in season 2 (if I'm not mistaken). I usually judge a franchise as a whole, so those who like to just cherry pick from franchises probably wouldn't find it useful.
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Mister V
 Posts: 1000 |
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Hm, well, thanks. Looks like I'm in for longer than I expected, not that it's a bad thing.
I'm just wondering - does anyone ever repent when she asks them to? I think it's one of the things that makes me continue watching this. Come on, anyone? I want to see how they deal with that case. Watching Noir in parallel. Really cheerful marathon I've got going. The soundtrack really is great. I've heard that this is presumably Kajiura's best work, and indeed it doesn't disappoint. The seiyuu perform admirably to say the least. I don't always like Houko Kuwashima's characters, but she's good, and of course hearing Misato/Birdy's voice is always great. This has to be the slowest action series I've seen, though. Like... if Leon (the movie) lasted twice as long, it might've left the same impression on me. I don't actually mind it, I still like the story (or stories, as it's quite episodic), and especially appreciate its Western setting (not always accurate, but... they try). That pacing is... impressive, though. And I think very few anime I've seen can just keep characters staring at each other for thirty seconds, not doing anything else.  This must've bombed in sales.
Last edited by Mister V on Tue Jun 28, 2011 11:10 am; edited 1 time in total |
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egoist
Posts: 7762 |
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Yeah that does happen. There's quite a few wish twists later on.
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Unicorn_Blade
 Posts: 1153 Location: UK |
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I think there were a few in first season that made me think "Are they serious"... In a way I saw people who would send someone to hell for nothing more mentally imbalanced than the bullies. I actually decided to save me some time and read the synopsis of all the episodes from seasons 2 and 3 instead of watching the series and to be honest, never felt as if I was missing out on anything. And some of the later episodes seemed even more improbable than the puppies or evil vet one. Well, it was a good series, but not the most refreshing things out there. |
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Errinundra
Moderator
 Posts: 6584 Location: Melbourne, Oz |
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There's your mistake. If you consider it a psychological drama rather than an action series then your expectations may change. |
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Surrender Artist
 Posts: 3264 Location: Pennsylvania, USA |
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Its strange for me, but I never really minded the pacing. For some reason it feels very natural and slightly entrancing to me. The series becomes less episodic as it goes on, gradually from "The True Noir" (episode 10) onward and especially from "The Darkness Within Me" (episode 18). Oh, and the flashbacks decline greatly from about the same point as well. And I think that Errinundra (He and I seem to be the series' local cheer captains) has it pretty well right; it's better to look at as a psychological or character drama about the relationship between Mireille and Kirika, in that light, the first few episodes might seem less episodic than they do at first glance.
One would think so, but there was a lot of excitement over it back in the way back when and it has a pretty respectable 4,841 people who have seen it given in its Encyclopedia entry, which could just represent people having watched it via 'extralegal' means, but it must have done well enough for ADV to want to license its successor, Madlax at a fee high enough to require a seven-volume release and for Funimation to give it an new release under the Anime Classics line this August. Of course, anything is hard to say with as little specific information as we have about Anime sales figures.
I didn't even get it back then. I might not have gotten the proper experience, having watched it in English on Cartoon Network, but it never really appealed to me, aside from the general novelty that anime had back then. It might be one of those titles whose appeal was heightened by a dearth of other choices. Ryoko was interesting and striking in her first appearance but...
That kind of thing irritates me; its even worse if the character is denatured from the start. The feeling of an aggressive, intense first impression can't really be sustained satisfactorily for too long, but elaborating upon an initially 'hard' character by making her into something with the emotional texture of a bed pillow is the wrong tack to take. I would really rather have, assertive, competent female characters maintain those traits even as they are developed further rather than have them melt away. Speaking of which...
I regretted not watching this when it aired on Adult Swim a few years ago. I was intrigued, though not quite grabbed, by the few episodes, but I was impressed by their artistry, the seemingly fairly rich setting and, of course, by Balsa. That she fought with a spear rather than the usual sword was appealingly novel and she seemed impressive in general. Annoyingly, I lost sight of it when Adult Swim buried it and my obligations at the time didn't allow me to dig it up from whatever unholy abyss they had put it in. Given the considerable consonance between on tastes on things like this, I think that I'm sure that I want to see it before Doc Terror and his evil cyborg Companion Hacker unleash their forces to conquer Earth.* *Ridiculous longhand for 'in the near future' Last edited by Surrender Artist on Wed Jun 29, 2011 11:13 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Mister V
Posts: 1000 |
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Whoa, I didn't say I didn't like it, was only being a little ironic. No, I definitely wasn't expecting another Black Lagoon; actually the number of people they kill is quite surprising, I was expecting something like, stalking one target for a couple episodes and then killing him (which is why I said that it reminded me of Leon initially). I like the quiet, though that little tune from the watch is now stuck in my head. As to sales, well, that's somewhat surprising, really. Maybe it was one of those attempts to get sales overseas rather than at home. I really don't see this selling now, though perhaps ten years ago the market and audience were different? Hm. On that note, how does Madlax compare? |
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Sanosuke_Inara
 Posts: 1662 |
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Damn.
So, my copy of Evangelion 2.22 arrived in the mail yesterday(courtesy of Zac), and I gave it a watch earlier on. I have to say this is probably one of the only times, if not the only time in my short life, that I've had so much trouble deciding how the hell I feel about a movie. I mean, at some points, it was sort of a struggle to maintain my interest, and at others, it was insanely f**king epic. Had some obvious problems, but also had serious strong points. My confusion is probably aided by the fact that I watched it at something like 2:00 in the morning, but I seriously have no idea what the hell I think about this movie. Definitely gonna give it another watch today/tonight before I make a post about how I felt about it. 
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The King of Harts
 Posts: 6712 Location: Mount Crawford, Virginia |
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I'm telling you, you'd have a much better appreciation for it and understanding of it if you knew the character's backgrounds via the TV series.
Watching the rebuild movies with no previous Eva exposure seems like a really, really bad idea to me. |
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kilaria
 Posts: 135 Location: Dallas, TX |
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So, I had planned on starting Black Cat over the weekend, but ended up putting Jyu Oh Sei into the DVD player instead. I wanted to watch something that I could easily complete in just one weekend, and since Jyu Oh Sei is only 11 episodes long, I felt it was a perfect choice.
I will admit, I was worried that the series would be rushed, but actually felt that they did a good job in just 11 episodes. The fast pace kept you interested, and it was never boring. They even managed to develop the characters quite well even though they didn't have much time to do so. The twist towards the end was also unexpected. I think I bought this box set months ago from the used movie store for around $15, so totally worth the money. It's not a masterpeice by any means, but definitely worth watching. I gave it a rating of "very good". |
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Sanosuke_Inara
Posts: 1662 |
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But I really don't wanna think about it too much until I give 2.22 a 2nd watch tonight. Wouldn't be suprised if I ended up enjoying it considerably more this time around, if not only for solely for the fact that it won't be at some early morning hour and I'll be 100% attentive. With all this in mind, though, I figure that I'm gonna have to get the original series ASAP. |
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Sanosuke_Inara
Posts: 1662 |
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DP. Yeah.
But anyway, thought I'd make this post just for the helluvit. Reading back on my last 2 posts in this thread, I think I was being a way to cryptic on my opinion of Eva 2.22, so I figured I'd clear that up. I know for a fact that I really enjoyed it the first time around--you don't forget it when a movie can fill you with an enjoyable rush an excitement as it did when I watched it earlier--it was a great movie. Thing is, I just have trouble really putting my opinion into words ATM since, due to the sorta out of it state I was in when I watched it, some of it is escaping me. So, yeah. I'm gonna crash for a few more hours, then watch it again--after that, I should be in the clear(and in a clear state of mind) to actually talk about the damn thing at length. |
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Surrender Artist
Posts: 3264 Location: Pennsylvania, USA |
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Whoops, I grasped that. I didn't mean to seem so, errr, severe. That's what I get for posting when I don't really have time calibrate things and make revisions. At any rate, I meant to draw a small contrast to the fact that it somehow never really occurred to me whilst watching Noir that the pacing was slow, even though that's an apt description. I've never quite teased out why I reacted that way, so I tend to pipe up about it whenever the point is raised. I have some eccentric tastes; my favorite singer is Tom Waits, I've been known to prefer the rough, more muted look of cell animation, I love a variety of ginger beer that some people think tastes like over-the-counter cough syrup and I'm seldom seen out-of-doors without a fedora.
That'll happen. I usually end up sputtering out scattered verses of "Canta Per Me" for days after I watch it.
I am curious about how the new Funimation release will be received. Noir was a boom-era title and plenty has changed in the eight years since its release began. Oy! Realizing that makes me feel internet-old, which is still reality young, but in a place where the mean age is something like zygote, and unusually hateful and vulgar for so young, being able to remember a world without LOLcats might as well send me for weekly early dinners a some place with, "family restaurant," in its name that serves tasteless lumps drowned in gravy that could be used for construction work.
I liked Madlax, but I'm predisposed to. I find it a slightly difficult series to make my mind up about. By way of example, you can find me spinning my wheels at wasted length at the top of page 591 of this very thread after having finished watching it for the first time. While watching Madlax you'll almost probalby think something like, "yes, this certainly is the work of those Noir people." It is very similar stylistically, having a far from quick pace, preponderantly female leads, lavish backgrounds and a Yuji Kajiura score that is exploited heavily for leitmotifs. It does, however, lack Noir's unfortunate excessive use of flashbacks. It's quite different in other ways. It's even less of an action series, not even delivering Noir's quota of at least one gunfight per episode and its action is often even more stylized than Noir's, sometimes seeming almost surreal. There are even recurring male characters; one might even be construed as a lead! Sometimes they seem almost like weird spiritual visions of killing. It also divides its attention far more, having two chief narratives that seem to be running in parallel, but slowly and intricately tangle together, not directly joining until episode nineteen. It's a structure that allows for a thicker plot than Noir had, but also allows less concentration upon the relationships of the characters, which makes the characters somewhat less compelling. It's most clearly distinguished by its explicit supernatural elements and a cackling five-and-dime store Nietzsche whose face is half covered by a flamboyant golden mask for a villain, but I would caution against letting either of those elements deter you because they ultimately resolve in way that is strange, but that I found satisfying because one more or less repudiates the other. The intricacy of it all can be rather engaging. If naught else, you may easily reinterpret substantial parts of it as a wry comedy, which I still sometimes suspect is intentional. The screenwriter was deliberately extravagant when he wrote Madlax and that shows through quite clearly at times. It's a series that I suspect will be better the second time, not that I minded the first. Oh, and if you buy the old ADV release, which is pretty cheap and easy, aside from volume two (or so it was two months ago), avoid looking at the extra features list or menus of the last two discs, as they both spoil important events in the story. Also: it's ending theme is played over naked women swimming in a Martini Glass. I am not making this up. Last edited by Surrender Artist on Fri Apr 20, 2012 11:13 am; edited 6 times in total |
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Errinundra
Moderator
Posts: 6584 Location: Melbourne, Oz |
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I'll add my own thoughts on Madlax to Surrender Artist's.
Madlax is structurally more complex and ambitious than Noir. For a start, the production standards are higher. The success of Noir and the .hack franchise probably gave Koichi Mashimo and Bee Train a bigger budget to play with. (By all accounts, Madlax was something of a flop and it's interesting that the 3rd instalment of the trilogy, El Cazador de la Bruja appears to have reduced production values.) There's a much larger cast that includes several significant male roles. Having more players allows for some interesting relationships. I particularly enjoyed the Madlax - Vanessa relationship. Not only does Mashimo push the yuri elements much further but they really make a good pairing. Alongside that is the adversarial relationship between the two killers, Madlax and Limelda - it's a corker. Add to those a creepy set of encounters between the big bad's off-sider Carrosea Doon and Margaret Burton (Madlax's co-protagonist) and you have the elements that could make a good series. Catch is, none of the relationships come near the central Mireille Bouquet / Yumura Kirika pairing in Noir. Not by a long shot. Mireille and Kirika steadily descend into an existensial and moral abyss over the course of Noir. At the centre of their hell is the origin of their relationship. Whether they survive depends on the strength of the bond they develop as Noir. That is why the early assassination of the day episodes are so important. Watch how Mireille's attitude towards Kirika changes over those first nine episoses. The only parallel you could have in Madlax is the Madlax / Margaret Burton relationship. As with Mireille and Kirika in Noir, their relationship is at the core of the story, but they don't even meet until the series is mostly over and, even then, they don't interact a great deal. Therein lies the main problem with Madlax. For the first ten episodes the tales of Madlax and Margaret Burton are running in parallel, with only the vaguest hints at any connection. First time around there is very little to guide the viewer that there is an over-arching story arc connecting the protagonists. Furthermore, the Margaret Burton episodes are trite. At least in Noir, the two main characters are connected by the fobwatch - how did a Japanese schoolgirl end up with the fobwatch of a Corsican crime syndicate boss? And, importantly, the two heroines are paired up in the first episode. In Madlax, things don't start falling into place until episode 10, around the time Madlax and Vanessa first meet. It is very frustrating. Much worse than any hint of leisurely pacing in the first 5 or 6 episodes of Noir. Once you get past those first ten episodes, Madlax starts to beguile. I think it's worth persevering. A couple of other disappointing things about Madlax. The villain is ridiculous - an anime cliche who wants to rule the world. Thankfully, he doesn't get a lot of air time. His lieutenant, Carrosea Doon, is much more ambiguous and interesting. Neither come close to the big bad of Noir, Altena, and her off-sider, Chloe. Altena is deluded but she isn't crazy. In her strange world, what she believes has its internal logic. Friday Monday (yes, that's his name) and his ideology are just plain daft. I also found the supernatural basis to the tale unconvincing. Other viewers may feel otherwise. Re-watching Madlax is rewarding in its way. Koichi Mashimo has a very po-faced sense of humour. In those first ten episodes you realise that he had been dropping hints all along about what was really going on. It's kinda like re-watching The Sixth Sense. Look out especially for the parallel behaviours of Madlax and Margaret Burton. Against this, once you know the true nature of Madlax, she loses all her impact. Her action scenes lose their tension even if they maintain their aesthetic appeal. These comments may sound negative. Madlax becomes very compelling after about episode 10 (much in the way that Noir also shifts into another gear). It has an epic backdrop and sustains a feeling of dread. So, yes, it is worth watching. |
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Sanosuke_Inara
Posts: 1662 |
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Yeah.
Just finished rewatching my copy of Eva 2.22. This time around, I wasn't totally effin' tired as all hell when I did. And, like I expected, I enjoyed it much more this time around--I can unequivocally say that I think this is a freakin' great movie. And now I'm even feelin' good enough to write about it.  Unlucky you.
Short Version: Got my shit together, watched the movie again, loved it much more this time, the end. Not-so-short Version: This goes without saying, but--on a technical level--this thing is a insane success. The animation's a good bit better than the already beautiful 1.11, and the CG use(aside from the lame-looking 'crowd of peoplez walking' scenes) is blended really well with the non-CG stuff, the Evas all looking great as a result. I gotta admit, though, the music this time aroun didn't do it for me as much as the tunes 1.11 boasted. Nothing(aside from that cheezy-ass guitar shit that played during Asuka's entrance in Unit 02) was bad or even mediocre, it's just that nothing really jumped out at me with an epic feel like Angel of Doom from the first one did. spoiler[They made good use of those latin(right? that was latin, right?) choir songs in the 01 VS. 03 and final scene, but--at least for the former--I probably preferred some epic orchestral piece.] A review for this movie on this site lists one of the downsides being that the movie rushes things a bit and moves too fast in comparison to the series. I can't say anything in relation to the series, as I haven't seen it, but I don't think things were going by too quickly. Hell, spoiler[ after the main trio took down their first Angel as a team and there was a subsequent 35-40 minute period with no mecha battles whatsoever, I actually thought it was moving a bit slow. This was when it was delving a bit deeper into the characters themselves(mainly Asuka).] Like King said earlier, I'd probably enjoy that part of the movie a lot more had I already seen the series--would've already been connected with the characters, thus would've enjoyed a different route taken in developing them in that period, so I'll be sure to pay attention to that period in the film more the 1st time I watch it after I've bought the series. But speakin' of battles: damn. I have no problem saying that this movie had some of the most exciting action scenes I've seen in a long, long while. The top notch quality of the animation seriously brings these damn robots to life--hell, one of my favorite action scenes in the movie wasn't even a fight, rather spoiler[the part where Units 00, 01, and 02 are all haulin' ass towards the 8th angel. Mari+Rei VS. 10th was also f**kin' great, and Unit 1 in its Awkwaening mode(that's what the 20 page booklet that came with the movie calls it, so I'm gonna go with that.  ) finishing off the 10th angel and subsequently getting Rei back was also pretty damn amazing.] Honestly, all action scenes in this movie were exceptionally well done. Makes me all the more eager to nab the blu-rays.
Its become pretty apparent to me that these rebuild movies must've toned down Shinji's super-mega whiny little bitchass personality that I've heard people complain that he had in the series, because he still hasn't done it enough to annoy me to any end. I also naturally assume that the series, as such, had far more time to delve deeper into him, his past, and the plethora of conflicting emotions coarsing through his mind during the story. In this movie, though not too much attention is given to him and his problems, I think it was definitely enough for me to understand his character to the point that I actually gave a damn or two about what he was going through. I'm lookin' forward to digging deeper into his inner turmoil when I get the series. On the topic of characters that aren't Shinji lies one of my complaints I have with the movie: Mari. Don't get me wrong, I love Mari in all her sexy little crazy-ass psycho glory, but for whoever big a deal she was supposed to be in this movie, she's really not that big of a part of it in the grand scheme of things. She's practically only on screen for fight scenes and comments about her tits, which would usually be fine with me if I wasn't as interested in her character as I am. I wanted to learn more about Mari--I wanted to have the chance to delve deeper into her character, but the movie never really gave her any depth whatsoever. And unlike with everyone else who I can just say, "Well, I'll just hope to get to know them better in the series," since she's an original character for the films, there'll be no such opportunity. Really hope she gets more development in the next movie. On a somewhat related note, I don't find Rei to be a very interesting character, in all honesty. So, like I just said: "Well, I'll just hope to get to know them better in the series." As it stands now, I don't see why every other peep out their loses their shit at the mere mention of her name. One thing that seriously shocked me when it came to the characters was, amusingly enough, how much I didn't totally despise Asuka and her very existence. I mean, this chick is a total f**king raging psycho tsuntsunderedere bitch with a superiority complex: just the type of character I love to HATE WITH THE BURNING PASSION OF A THOUSAND SUNS. Suprisingly enough, I didn't hate her at all. Nah, in fact--for one god damn reason or another--she actually became my favorite chick in these movies(for the little I've seen of it). I went in expecting to hate her, KNOWING that she'd grind my nails, but I walk out actually lovin' this chick. Idk what the F**k is the reason for it--her total cute/hawtness, somehow well-executed tsundere elements(if that's possible), Tiffany Grant's awkwardly charming performance, or her amusing brashness, but I really, really, really like this bitch. I'd buy that damn $700 bottle of wine with her on it just for the helluvit, if I had the cash. Oh, yeah--and Kaji's a cool customer.
Dub. I never watched the japanese version of 1.11 any of the 5 or 6 times I've rewatched it since getting it in April, and--for both of these times I've watched 2.22, I've gone the same route. I honestly think it's pretty good, personally. I think Spike Spencer handled Shinji's total meltdowns in this thing pretty well, and--like I said--awkwardly really enjoyed Tiffany Grant's Asuka. Don't have anything to compare them to, but J.MT's Kaji sounds pretty good, though I'm not really sold on Brina Palencia's Rei, despite her bein' one of my favorite VAs, male or female. And whoever voices the Evas is great. My heart goes out to their throat, though.
Lastly, what's to come. The end of this movie had me, quite literally, on the edge of my seat this time around(1st time, due to my tired state, I no doubt would've busted my ass off the chair in a sleep daze had I given that a shot, so no such luck then). Though I think the whole spoiler['Shinji saving Rei from the depths of the Angel'] thing was kinda lolwut worthy, the subsequent spoiler[awakening of Unit 1(who has easily been my favorite Eva since 1.11) and the initiation of the 3rd impact, and how the movie so abruptly ends after alerting the viewer that shit's about to get f**ked up was an epic touch. Feels kinda good to know that I'm at least up to date on these movies, and now'll just have to wait however the hell many years it takes for the 3rd one to come out to continue(or conclude? idk) this whole deal.] Fanservice was pretty nice too, btw. 
But anyway, yeah--that's pretty much it. Just like the first one, this movie didn't disappoint, and makes me continue to wonder why the hell I waited so long to jump on the Neon Genesis Evangelion bandwagon. Since the next movie won't be out for God knows how long, I'll have plenty of time to pick up both the series and the blu-rays for the first 2 movies while I wait. It kinda already sucks to know that this story won't be advancing any further for so long, though. For now, though, I'm probably gonna give this thing one more watch and check out the special features disk sometime tomorrow. So, yeah. Good shit. Damn good shit.
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