Forum - View topicPeople, go out & see Karas NOW!
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mpchi
Posts: 54 |
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Just checked out this show called Karas last night on DVD, as a friend mentioned that it was pretty good a few months back. So picked it up and watched it last night, and I have to say being "pretty good" is an understatement to say the least.
The show is supposed to be a short 6 episodes OVA series in Japan, packed with lots of fast pace action, CG blends with 2D cell animation, and creature design done by Kenji Ando (One of my favorite Toy sculptor). I didn't know much about the story except it features a few pretty cool looking armor guys fighting each other, but thought I would pay respect to Kenji Ando's art and check this series out. But man, did I got blown away! The quality of everything is top notch, and way above OVA qualities, even better than a lot of hi-budget anime feature films. Awesome visuals on pretty much every scene, with CG animation even better than FFV:Advent of Children. It has a very colorful palette in a bunch of scenes which normally people won't be able to pull it off that nicely. Storytelling is great too. Nothing too deep, but interesting enough, and like it by just revealing little by little on what seems to be a disjointed reality from the real world at the first 10-15mins of the show, but eventually comes together what we are seeing, and reveals what those cool armor guys are and why they fight. The show seems to come in 2 volume in domestic release, with vol.1 just came out a couple days ago. Volume 1 contains episode 1-3, but is pieced together as one 80 min movie. DVD also surprisingly comes with some behind the scene 'making of' material (not very often in anime DVDs), which is pretty neat to watch too. And the best part is, this top notch quality show only sells $12.99 at Best Buy! o_O (It says $14.99 on the sticker, but is actually $12.99 when the cashier ring it up. Not sure if its a promotional discount or what) Most likely, the upcoming volume 2 would conclude this series. But not sure how long of a wait that will be. :p http://www.karas-movie.com/ Here is the official site. The site might look cheesy, and the English voices didn't help. But the film is awesome stuff, and can't think of other great anime films that is as 'coool' as this one. Being an anime fan and watched a bunch of shows, rarely do I find surprises like this. And find myself can't pick on any particular thing I can critic on after finishing volume 1. So this don't seem to be just some average 'good' anime. Can't recommend it enough. Go get a copy and see it for yourself. |
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Alex K.
Posts: 247 |
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Nice. You can't recommend the movie, yet you make the thread title demand us to go see it.
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SuperOnizuka
 Posts: 421 Location: When I look At the World- New Jersey |
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Unless he edited it, he says "he cannot recommend it enough." But sounds interesting, I'll check it out. |
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Haruhi Suzumiya
 Posts: 39 Location: Webster, NY; basically hell on earth |
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doesnt it say edited by "" at "" if yo change something? however to retain topic, i stopped after i read something about mecha...no more mechs please... |
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Jabberwock
 Posts: 92 Location: Currently attending the University of Florida |
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Somehow, I highly doubt that.
Not watching it for the simple fact that it has mechas in it... you fail. Considering I already own the movie, as soon as I get around to watching it I hope it is as good as you say. |
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mpchi
Posts: 54 |
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It does, for what they presented in Karas. Though the CG doesn't have as much screen time than FFVII:AC. FFVII:AC's animation is awesome, no doubt about that. But there are moments of disbelieve in certain scenes when the animation timing just not quite right. Either too fast or character loses too much weight during the action that makes me realized I am watching a CG animated film, but not totally immensed in the action and whats going on in the film. And this is from a guy that watched FFVII:AC a couple times before, and still went out and bought the FFVII DVD right when its out. 
Karas on the other hand, has animation timed and executed so well within the content that you pretty much see no flaws on screen when it happens. You just enjoy and be amazed by all the action going on, without being disconnected from the 'world' presented by the film because of any oddness in animation or flaws in the movement or poses you might have spot. In that sense, it achieved something FFVII:AC couldn't. Thats why I think its CG animation topped FFVII:AC. Its not about the details on the rendered models, or its textures & shader maps, or character design complexity, but just pure CG animation that I am pointing out. 
Go check it out and see what you think. You might disagree. But I don't doubt you'll see some very good stuff regardless.
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animonkey
Posts: 115 |
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I bought the movie and will watch it tonight, but wanted to know first, is the dub any good, and how bad is the violence, language, etc.?
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slickwataris
 Posts: 1334 Location: Carol Stream, Illinois |
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I bought mine at Circuit City for 8.99
Not the best movie I've seen. Sometimes the action goes so fast you don't know what the hell's going on. It takes a while or more like the whole film to understand the characters role in the story. It seems like a power rangers rip off half the time.
They said the f-bomb once. some blood. |
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ananda
 Posts: 109 |
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I bought my copy at Best Buy.
I have yet to watch it though; looking forward to it! |
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mpchi
Posts: 54 |
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I can understand this show not necessary being everybody's cup of tea. Which is totallly fine. But how does it turn into a Power Ranger rip off? Its not sentai based with a team of 5 or so members fighting bad guys with big mechas. So is Evangelion a Gundam rip-off because it has giant size robots that use guns and both shows are made in Japan? Just don't quiet see the parallel here.
 
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Spotlesseden
Posts: 3514 Location: earth |
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i got both Karas and FF7:AC at best buy.($30 total)
i watched both that night. i don't like the karas 's CG that much. in my opinion, FF7:AC CG is much better. i don't like karas, but it's nothing like Power Ranger. |
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slickwataris
Posts: 1334 Location: Carol Stream, Illinois |
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he morphs into Karas the exact same way the power rangers morph into their costumes. I would watch them both first before you comment. |
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TheVileOne
Posts: 272 Location: Texas |
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I watched Karas and I don't know what the hell is going on. It was almost incoherent.
And the animation doesn't touch Advent Children at all. As far as CG and 2-D animation together, Innocence did it much better. |
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Keonyn
 Subscriber Posts: 5567 Location: Coon Rapids, MN |
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Okay, just checked this out and had a few comments of my own.
About the CG, unless you're a FF7 fanboy, and we all know how many there are and how rabid and bias they can be, I wouldn't say that Karas doesn't touch it at all. For one thing, Karas is a hybrid, meaning it's 2D and 3D so comparing them as CG films doesn't really fly since Karas is actually equally 2D and 3D with perhaps more 2D. FF7:AC looked better as far as clarity and scope and effects, but to be honest I think Karas handled the action much better and I was much more engrossed in the action scenes in Karas than I was in the ludicrous action of Advent Children which lacked organic and fluid movements. Advent Children looked pretty and was modelled well, but character movements were rather poor and landscape detail was lacking at times. Either way, Karas isn't a major CG production, aside from specific characters the rest is all 2D, so the comparison is pointless regardless, although the detail in the armor is still quite impressive. The story is a bit hard to follow, it's one of those you really need to watch twice to understand, once to gather basic information and the second time to pick up on the parts you don't really notice without that information and let it all come together. At this point though, after having seen it twice I can say it makes perfect sense to me and regardless I don't think anyone talking about the greatness of Advent Children has any room to be assaulting another anime based on the story. It really is a terrific OAV and I would recommend it as well for those not blinded by their fandom of the likes of Advent Children unable to accept that anything might possibly compete against it. It has a good story that can be difficult to grasp at first but falls in to place quite well once you do understand it and the action is terrific and the price is even better. Add to that a good sub and dub and a terrific soundtrack and you get one heck of an anime. Not to mention, frankly, add everything together from visuals to story and audio and the rest and honestly, hate me if you want fanboys, but I felt Karas easily blows Advent Children away. And as for Innocence doing it better or the Power Rangers comparisons, all I have to say is ... no. |
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