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Alunimus
Joined: 08 Jan 2012
Posts: 117
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Posted: Tue Jun 04, 2013 1:40 pm
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Shingeki no Kyojin is awesome but sometimes, both in manga and anime, there are titans which appearance makes me laugh, like the pose of that chewing titan in the beginning of ep. 9 and Freddy Mercury-ish titan in the same episode.
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AbZeroNow
Joined: 14 Jan 2013
Posts: 519
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Posted: Tue Jun 04, 2013 1:40 pm
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I sometimes wonder if Bamboo pays attention when she watches series, because the guy with the book in Crime Edge is descended from a hanging judge that also took justice into his own hands and the guy is clearly a Knight Templar type of character.
I have a no drop policy, and Photo Kano is clearly the worst show I'm watching(watching 8 shows this spring: Crime Edge, Leviathan, Gargantia, Henneko, Space Brothers, Oreimo 2, Nyarko-san W, Photo Kano). I will correct Bamboo that Kazuya did tell Haruka when they were younger that she was cute and this was after she was hiding and telling Kazuya that she doesn't want him to lose his popularity by hanging out with her. Then came the advice to dress more like a girl to help her become more popular with the other girls. But yeah, Photo Kano suffers from a bad Main Character, the unlikable and badly written Photography Club especially those two Gonkish guys and it screwed up how to do an omnibus show. Really, Amagami SS did everything better and Junichi is a much better MC than Kazuya.
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Agent355
Joined: 12 Dec 2008
Posts: 5113
Location: Crackberry in hand, thumbs at the ready...
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Posted: Tue Jun 04, 2013 2:26 pm
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zensunni what bothers me most about RDG is the occasional Izumiko voice-over that fills in the audience on what happened between scenes/off screen. I appreciate that we are getting the information in the show as Izumiko is, but we aren't tied to her perspective at all times, and I doubt the novels are told in the first person. They can show us some of the things that happen off screen. For example, in ep 8 I personally thought the line "Did you just sprout wings?" was hilarious, but Mizuki's explanation sounded like we missed the episode in which the mountain spirit in crow form visits him in his room. Don't you think that scene would have worked better if we had seen that, even briefly? FWIW, I absolutely loved the triplet story. It really had heart. I hope those characters will continue growing through the series, even though their main arc may be over.
On Gargantia, after revisiting the eps, I can see how they contributed to Ledo's character development, especially the "belly dancing" ep. I can even see how putting Ledo in an uncomfortable situation without Chamber's help at hand was for Ledo's benefit. But I wish he *had* dealt with crocodiles, grumpy grandmas, or maybe a disgruntled business person not willing to negotiate with him rather than "wacky" okama.
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sakuragtin
Joined: 18 Nov 2008
Posts: 222
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Posted: Tue Jun 04, 2013 2:38 pm
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I'm actually pretty happy about this season. It's the first since the Spring 2011 that I picked up more then 3 shows.
Attack on Titan is hands down my favorite of the season. I'm behind on a few episodes but watching it is a bit of endurance test for me. I have a fear of giants eating people (thank you second grade teacher for showing us the Odyessy, you're too kind) so I have to get really really pysched up before I watch it then I have to watch five or more fluffy shows afterward. I still love it to pieces. For some reason how the show looks reminds me of Avatar: The Last Airbender, the earth kingdom color scheme maybe minus the green or maybe its the giant wall. Hmm.....not quite sure on that one.
I'm also watching The Devil is a Part-timer, Karneval, and Gargantia. Devil is hilarious and I'm surprised and happy it's managed to keep up it's energy for so long. Karneval could be so much better than it is but I still really like it despite it's horrible pacing problem. I absolutely love Nai, Gareki, and Yogi. They're adorable! Gargantia though has been a bit of a disappointment for me (admittedly I haven't seen the last two and I hear they are better). Episode five was fluff for the most part. When you skip more than half the episode and not miss anything other than Ridget wears a skimpy swimsuit, the girls talk about their weight, and offensive stereotypes I think it's fluff. As it stands I'm enjoying Karneval more but I knew it would just be a pretty mess, so it didn't disappoint me in any way.
Hold-ons from previous seasons are Toriko (and it's awesome, as always) and just recently caught up with HunterxHunter in a three day bloodbath marathon from Yorknew to Chimera Ant. Maybe it was the marathoning that brought it out but did anyone else notice all of the villians from all three arcs boil down to bloodthirsty psychotic killers with little to no redeeming qualities (except for Hisoka, he has plenty of redeeming qualities ) I was actually shocked (and disappointed) when I realized who the main villians were in the Greed Island arc. Nevertheless, I still love the show and gosh darn it someone needs to license it already! It totally needs to be on Toonami!
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Etrien
Joined: 27 Mar 2009
Posts: 525
Location: Tokyo, Japan
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Posted: Tue Jun 04, 2013 2:48 pm
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Wow, my top lineup matches up pretty evenly with Bamboo's this time around. Attack on Titan and Flowers of Evil are easily my top two. Their mutual existence makes this the strongest season in a while for me. On the other hand, Gargantia's been largely a disappointment for me. It isn't bad per se, but it's also hardly remarkable. And, given how well done the first two episodes were, regressing to mediocrity is detriment enough. Even Episode 9, which was admittedly a step better than other recent episodes, failed to wow me. I guess you win some, you lose some. Can't complain too much, given how many shows I do love this season.
Which brings me to the major disagreement I had: Devil Survivor 2. As I've said elsewhere, I'm already a fan of the games, so my opinion is definitely biased. But I quite enjoy the show, and I feel that even if I had never played the game, I still would find it rather entertaining. It's nowhere near the quality of the top shows this season, but I was surprised to see it so low.
And, of course, Hunter X Hunter is still great, even if I do dislike the designs for the chimera ants.
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zensunni
Joined: 05 Mar 2010
Posts: 1294
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Posted: Tue Jun 04, 2013 4:39 pm
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dtm42 wrote: |
zensunni, atmosphere and pretty visuals are all Red Data Girl has at this point. It really needed to get a move on with the plot instead of wasting two episodes on some secondary character whom I don't even care about mourning for his horse (which we didn't even get to see before it upped and died). I mean, there is so much that needs to be covered - like the Himegami, and why the hell she matters, not to mention the school election and why the hell that matters too - and the Anime staff are wasting time on an inconsequential side plot about a goddamn horse. |
Or they could be adapting a series of six novels and one of the novels was about the summer camp and the discovery of the true nature of Masumi, in addition to the other revelations in the set of episodes about the nature of the "world heritage candidate" competition and the fact that Miyuki has a new "best friend" that helps him sprout wings when he needs a little extra helping of bad-ass.
It is a slice-of-life style story. If you don't like the slices they are showing, so be it, but the novels are the novels. Yes, they have to pick and choose what parts of the story to animate, but three episodes for a volume of novel is not unreasonable. (I am making an assumption that those three episodes encompass an entire novel. I have not read them personally.)
Agent355 wrote: |
zensunni what bothers me most about RDG is the occasional Izumiko voice-over that fills in the audience on what happened between scenes/off screen. I appreciate that we are getting the information in the show as Izumiko is, but we aren't tied to her perspective at all times, and I doubt the novels are told in the first person. They can show us some of the things that happen off screen. For example, in ep 8 I personally thought the line "Did you just sprout wings?" was hilarious, but Mizuki's explanation sounded like we missed the episode in which the mountain spirit in crow form visits him in his room. Don't you think that scene would have worked better if we had seen that, even briefly? FWIW, I absolutely loved the triplet story. It really had heart. I hope those characters will continue growing through the series, even though their main arc may be over. |
About the sprouting wings thing: If we had seen that ahead of time, the scene would have been much less effective and we would have wondered WTF Miyuki was doing when he was totally over-matched earlier in the arc. (I can think of two reasons: 1) Didn't want to let the Souda siblings know about his little friend; 2) Wamia doesn't play nice unless it is actually Izumiko that is in danger.)
I don't know about the writing style of the novels or how closely the anime is following the story in the novels, but I know someone that has the novels and have asked him for the info. I'll let you know if I get an answer. I am fine with the writing style of the anime, obviously. I like the pacing and the methods used to tell the story. Much better than being spoon fed the story by having everything explained for us.
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v1cious
Joined: 31 Dec 2002
Posts: 6216
Location: Houston, TX
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Posted: Tue Jun 04, 2013 5:14 pm
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I'm interested in seeing your opinion on the rest of Gargantia. As of episode 9, this show has gone in a very interesting direction.
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tuxedocat
Joined: 14 Dec 2009
Posts: 2183
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Posted: Tue Jun 04, 2013 5:36 pm
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zensunni wrote: | I don't know about the writing style of the novels or how closely the anime is following the story in the novels, but I know someone that has the novels and have asked him for the info. I'll let you know if I get an answer. I am fine with the writing style of the anime, obviously. I like the pacing and the methods used to tell the story. Much better than being spoon fed the story by having everything explained for us. |
A lot of the things that are confusing about this show are probably common knowledge to a Japanese person, who grew up learning all about the indigenous legends and folklore. I find myself re-watching episodes and googling terms helps a lot. I have to say that this is a show that is great to re-watch since I learn a little more each time. It helps that the show is soooooooo beautiful to look at. I like how the show's "UNESCO World Heritage list" applies to people, instead of just sites. I learned a lot about UNESCO's World Heritage sites and their judging criteria from watching this anime. Japan applies for a lot of World Heritage listings, since they have so many preserved historical places.
zensunni wrote: |
FWIW, I absolutely loved the triplet story. It really had heart. I hope those characters will continue growing through the series, even though their main arc may be over. About the sprouting wings thing: If we had seen that ahead of time, the scene would have been much less effective and we would have wondered WTF Miyuki was doing when he was totally over-matched earlier in the arc. (I can think of two reasons: 1) Didn't want to let the Souda siblings know about his little friend; 2) Wamia doesn't play nice unless it is actually Izumiko that is in danger.) |
I suspect that it is likely choice #2 since Wamiya is a crow tengu. There are two kinds of tengu: the kind that the siblings evoked for the "test" which are a blending of Buddhism and Shintoism, and the older crow tengu, which is much older and completely indigenous Shinto legend. The crow version is completely badass, said to be masters of all martial arts and swordsmanship, and that they only dwell on mountains. Their power is lessened when they are away from their mountain. A lot of Japan's legendary swordsmen tales had them learning their skills from mountain crow tengu, and it was proof of their courage that they even sought them out, since crow tengu are notoriously unfriendly, and willing to kill trespassing humans on sight. In any case, I think it was really cool that the show utilized both forms of tengu. I think Wamiya is tagging along with Miyuki, but not really teaching him anything, because he doesn't really think much of him. Wamiya made it pretty clear he doesn't particularly like Miyuki, but is very attached to Izumiko I love all the folklore in this show. I'll definitely order it if/when Funimation releases it. Like you, I'm looking forward to an awesome ending (....hoping, actually...)
Last edited by tuxedocat on Tue Jun 04, 2013 5:46 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Red Fox of Fire
Joined: 24 Jan 2010
Posts: 345
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Posted: Tue Jun 04, 2013 5:37 pm
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Quote: | I don't think the appeal of this series has ever had anything to do with karuta so much as it did with the characters |
Wait.
What?
As far as I can tell, the Karuta playing was always the main appeal. I figured that's why this season has had much more focus on that (and is the reason I'm enjoying it more than the first). The characters are decent and all, but after the first half of the first season, that wasn't really a thing anymore.
Oh well.
I've also got clashing opinions on The Devil is a Part-Timer! and Gargantia, which I think have gotten worse and better respectively instead of the other way around. Interesting.
Agreeing on Valvrave, RDG, and Devil Survivor 2, though. I am also surprised you lasted so long on Photo Kano.
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kotomikun
Joined: 06 May 2013
Posts: 1205
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Posted: Tue Jun 04, 2013 6:19 pm
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I...kinda find it hard to agree with much of this.
Attack on Titan is entertainingly ridiculous, but it's mostly just ridiculous. The huge naked derpfaced cannibals are trying too hard to be scary while the actors are trying too hard to be dramatic...it's too silly to feel important. Combat fanservice, basically. It's not quite as awful as it looked to me at first, but its popularity remains a mystery to me. Also, the word "visceral" is one of my pet peeves (what does it even mean?), and Bamboo's definitely not the first person to apply it to this show.
I can't say much about Flowers of Evil, because I dropped it weeks ago. Hated the characters, hated the overdone angst, hated the animation...
Gargantia hasn't felt weak or awkward to me, except episode 3, which was sort of anticlimactic. (No, Ledo, you can't kill pirates, their friends will attack us! Oh, right, you can just beat up them, too. Never mind.) Fanservice? Yes, it has some, mainly to emphasize Ledo's sudden immersion in a normal society with women his age after being a soldier in a sausagefest his whole life. If you don't think that excuse is valid, remember, Attack on Titan has tons of violence fanservice; and for unsettlingly vague reasons, it's more acceptable to watch people being brutally murdered than to look at girls in bikinis (and looking at guys in swimsuits is apparently the worst thing in the history of ever). As for why they put up with Ledo and don't punish him harshly, well, he kinda has an autonomous murderbot that could kill them all on a whim. I'd be careful dealing with a guy like that, too. Also, episode 9.
I agree that Photo Kano is garbage, though I honestly don't know how you sat through it for so long.
Yuyushiki, Muromi-san, Part-Timer, and Snafu seem roughly accurately placed, but I don't really have strong feelings about any of them.
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getchman
![](/bbs/phpBB2/images/subscriber-silver.png) He started it
Joined: 07 Apr 2012
Posts: 9130
Location: New Hampshire
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Posted: Tue Jun 04, 2013 6:39 pm
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So is anyone watching Mushibugyou? It's absolutely ridiculous and I'd say it's arguably the worst show this season, but even so, I am enjoying it.
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The Mad Manga Massacre
Joined: 15 Jul 2009
Posts: 1170
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Posted: Tue Jun 04, 2013 6:50 pm
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I started off liking Gargantia but I wasn't very impressed when the show had an incredibly offensive gay stereotype. That kind of ruined the show for me that I'd otherwise been enjoying up to that point. At this point I'm pretty much watching it for the sake of finishing it. I'm enjoying karneval even though the plot has way to much going on. I'm especially enjoying the relationship between Nai and Gareki. Even though Nai seems to be so blank slate he makes Bella from twilight look like a well-rounded character by comparison. The supporting cast is interesting and I'm a sucker for shows that have a lot of neat ideas but turn out to be messy. Flower of Evil is still good. I'm really enjoying the rotoscoped animation. I'd never encountered it before so it's something completely new and refreshing to me. I agree with Bamboo on Space Brothers. It's such a fantastic show and I feel it could reach such a wider audience in the west than it seems to be. I should probably start recommending it to friends. Attack on Titan is awesome! The still frames don't bother me much because the show is really good. I've also been watching Aiura and Sparrow's Hotel. Sparrow's Hotel is starting to grow on me a bit. I mean it's still bad but I get a few chuckles from it. Aiura is a nice breather when watching anime. I'm trying to catch-up on Hetalia in order to follow the simulcast. It's certainly amusing. I think that covers the simulcasts I've been following. i dropped Yuyushiki because I didn't think it could sustain my interest for even 1 cour and Arata for the same reason (shonen anime isn't really my cup of tea).
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RestLessone
Joined: 02 Aug 2009
Posts: 1426
Location: New York
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Posted: Wed Jun 05, 2013 12:31 am
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I went and watched Karneval. While it's fun seeing a cast that I enjoyed from (what I read of) the manga, it really does have pacing issues. The strange thing is, several scenes in the episodes feel fine. Until I realize that, hey, it's only been three episodes and they've slam-dunked us into this strange little plot with almost no build-up. And that's coming from someone with some background. It feels like the episodes would feel better placed if they were augmented by softer or explanatory scenes and more real development.
I remember the manga's pacing to be better. The anime has definitely trimmed some stuff off, though strangely kept that 'cool down' parade chapter and made it an episode. Additionally, the pacing makes the large cast more noticeable: we're hit with a barrage of characters who we feel we should know, but that come and go like crazy. Then more are introduced. I'm still enjoying it, mostly as a fan of the manga and artwork. If Funimation decides to license it for a home release, I'll be in. But really, I just want the manga.
By the way, does anyone know how its pre-orders are doing and if they are considered satisfactory? I'm not that sure how to assess the points or look them up specific numbers...
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phoenixalia
Joined: 20 Dec 2011
Posts: 1408
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Posted: Wed Jun 05, 2013 1:27 am
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RestlessOne wrote: | I went and watched Karneval. While it's fun seeing a cast that I enjoyed from (what I read of) the manga, it really does have pacing issues. The strange thing is, several scenes in the episodes feel fine. Until I realize that, hey, it's only been three episodes and they've slam-dunked us into this strange little plot with almost no build-up. And that's coming from someone with some background. It feels like the episodes would feel better placed if they were augmented by softer or explanatory scenes and more real development.
I remember the manga's pacing to be better. The anime has definitely trimmed some stuff off, though strangely kept that 'cool down' parade chapter and made it an episode. Additionally, the pacing makes the large cast more noticeable: we're hit with a barrage of characters who we feel we should know, but that come and go like crazy. Then more are introduced. I'm still enjoying it, mostly as a fan of the manga and artwork. If Funimation decides to license it for a home release, I'll be in. But really, I just want the manga.
By the way, does anyone know how its pre-orders are doing and if they are considered satisfactory? I'm not that sure how to assess the points or look them up specific numbers... |
I agree with you about Karneval. The pacing did bother me at first but now I've gotten used to it and I'm kinda enjoying it. It helps that Kamiya Hiroshi and Mamoru Miyano are voicing Gareki and Yogi and that makes me squeal.
And regarding your question about preorders, Karneval(Anime) Volume 1's sales are out. It sold 7.3k for it's first week. Which is pretty good. Though the estimates for volume 2 are at 3.5k but actually volume 1 was according to estimates only supposed to sell 6k so I think volume 2 will sell 1k more making it 4.5k.
The manga sales also increased. It went from not ranking in the best sellers list at all to selling 60k for it's latest manga volume(volume 11)
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Gina Szanboti
Joined: 03 Aug 2008
Posts: 11520
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Posted: Wed Jun 05, 2013 1:41 am
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getchman wrote: | So is anyone watching Mushibugyou? It's absolutely ridiculous and I'd say it's arguably the worst show this season, but even so, I am enjoying it. |
Well, you know I am. I think there are at least 4 of us. And it's far from the worst show this season. It pains me to imagine Bamboo sitting through 8 episodes of Photo Kano (based on her comments and the two episodes I endured), when she could have been enjoying Mushibugyou instead. At least the fan service doesn't make you feel like you need a shower afterward. In fact it's actually kind of sweet, which I can't believe I just said, but it's true.
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