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REVIEW: Gatchaman Crowds Episodes 1-7 Streaming


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Divineking



Joined: 03 Jul 2010
Posts: 1300
PostPosted: Mon Sep 02, 2013 4:52 pm Reply with quote
I agree with most everything said in the review though I think it deserves a higher score. While how the series ends will probably make or break it at this point so far it's been pretty brillaint. It's done an amazing job of examing and subverting superhero tropes and it's also done some interesting stuff in terms of communication and social media, though the latter isn't as crucial.

The only issue I've had with the show so far is that the first couple of episodes can be a bit of a turnoff if your not willing to deal with Hajime since those eps slowly help you to understand her way of thinking and you don't get a clear idea of where the series is headed until ep 3. Once it got rolling though it made for a pretty entertaining ride and I'm loving it so far.

I can definently say this is the definitive show of the season. Might even be an anime of the year contender if the ending delivers.
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danilo07



Joined: 25 Dec 2011
Posts: 1580
PostPosted: Mon Sep 02, 2013 5:22 pm Reply with quote
I find it quite odd that you can write an entire review without mentioning themes of this work,like communication and influence of social media,or even its subversiveness.Oh well at least you talked a bit about Hajime I guess.
Quote:
It's done an amazing job of examing and subverting superhero tropes and it's also done some interesting stuff in terms of communication and social media, though the latter isn't as crucial.

If you ask me ,the reason why the show is subversive is merely because it uses that subversiveness in order to craft its themes.The focus is on themes about communication rather than subversiveness.For example spoiler[in latest episode when Hajime reveals the identities of her team (thus breaking old rule of superheros to never reveal them)she does it for the of communicating with general populace and warning them about oncoming threat.It felt like Nakamura was saying "why do super heroes have to hide their identities,wouldnt crime be prevented more sufficiently if super heroes were communicating with general public?". ]You see what I am talking about,through its subversiveness the show crafts its themes.
EDIT:Also now that I have seen grades for your review ,a MAJOR disagreement popped up.That B+ for animation is undeserved,if you ask me.I mean yes there was one cool fight scene but the entire show has horrendous animation.It is very rushed product and there are laughable moments in it.


Last edited by danilo07 on Mon Sep 02, 2013 5:31 pm; edited 2 times in total
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FlamingFirewire



Joined: 03 Jun 2013
Posts: 468
PostPosted: Mon Sep 02, 2013 5:29 pm Reply with quote
After all of the stuff I've been watching recently, the first few episodes are what really drew me in since it's been a long time (if ever) a main character has made so much sense to me. The fact that looks and sounds so great makes it one of the reasons why I'd buy this day 1 if ever someone licensed it - of course, as long as the ending is just as great as the rest of the show so far.
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ThatGuyWhoLikesThings



Joined: 04 Jul 2013
Posts: 1037
PostPosted: Mon Sep 02, 2013 5:58 pm Reply with quote
Hajime is an annoying, hyperactive little shit and she needs to go away...is what I thought after the first episode. Needless to say, my opinion of her changed DRASTICALLY after a few more episodes. She's far from being one of the best anime heroines of all time, but she might be the best heroine of the season. Maybe. We'll see how Watamote and Danganronpa end. Oh, and Blood Lad. If you want to count Belle as a heroine.
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ABCBTom



Joined: 10 Sep 2009
Posts: 183
PostPosted: Mon Sep 02, 2013 6:13 pm Reply with quote
I see where you're coming from on the review, but the letter grade doesn't make any sense. Unless the B stands for "Best anime of the year." Because with the most original female character of the year, the best villain of the year, and Mamoru Miyano's performance being the best male seiyuu of the year, the show is on track for that title.

I didn't think anything could beat Flowers of Evil, and along comes Gatchaman Crowds with social commentary out of Eden of the East, the color palate of Tsuritama, and some of the best gay and transgender characters anime has yet produced.

Perhaps the final five episodes will do the convincing the skeptics need.
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Red Fox of Fire



Joined: 24 Jan 2010
Posts: 345
PostPosted: Mon Sep 02, 2013 6:50 pm Reply with quote
Quote:
Her first few episodes, in which she plays the incessantly upbeat simpleton, are almost guaranteed to drive certain viewers nuts. But if you stick around, something odd happens: Hajime starts to make sense.

This is so true. I really disliked her at first, but by now she's looking to be one of my favorite characters ever. She acts like a hyperactive dumbass, but when you get down to it, she's actually very smart and her presence is addictive.
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Wrathful



Joined: 08 Mar 2010
Posts: 372
PostPosted: Mon Sep 02, 2013 6:58 pm Reply with quote
I think it is the first time I agree with the most of review the guy is written. It throws the conventional trope out the window in doing so, it presents such a biggest hurdle for some people to like the show. I usually roll my eyes at the action anime for relying too much on the simple technique. This anime for me is brilliant for being quite unpredictable.
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jymmy



Joined: 11 Nov 2011
Posts: 1244
PostPosted: Mon Sep 02, 2013 7:57 pm Reply with quote
A side-effect of Hajime's concept as a confident full-speed-ahead force of nature embodied in a character is that she rarely if ever stumbles or makes mistakes. I find her always being right coming closer to annoying me than her energy or cheeriness. I still think she's a really effective character, though.

I like Crowds. It's solid, smart and inventive. Definitely one of the better shows of the season.
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Hamu



Joined: 11 Oct 2012
Posts: 62
PostPosted: Mon Sep 02, 2013 8:52 pm Reply with quote
I've been waiting for a Gatcha review! This is easily my AOTS, if not my AOTY... I love everything about it. The characters, the plot full of symbolism and mystery, the colors, that god tier OST, the respect for lgbt matters, everything is great! ♥ glad the reviewer gave it a good score Surprised hopefully the end won't disappoint.
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Nagatoka_Morito



Joined: 08 Jun 2010
Posts: 51
PostPosted: Mon Sep 02, 2013 11:48 pm Reply with quote
I'm actually quite impressed that Carl went the entire review without mentioning that fans of the oldschool Gatchaman are very, VERY likely to be turned off by the fact that Crowds is almost entirely Gatchaman In Name Only. Not simply because it has an entirely different cast, but because it uproots nearly each and every thing that made Gatchaman what it was, for better or for worse.

But enough about what it isn't. My thoughts on what Crowds is can be summed up as: "I like Hajime", "I like Rui", "The show seems completely constrained by having the Gatchaman name forced onto it and would probably have been better off as a standalone work", and "I wish the stupid panda thing would put a sock in it already".
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brankoburcksen



Joined: 12 Dec 2010
Posts: 126
PostPosted: Tue Sep 03, 2013 12:04 am Reply with quote
The longer I watched this series, the more I realized Hajime reminds me of the main character in Happy Go Lucky. Both are always preppy and giddy to the point of annoyance, yet as events move forward, you see the intelligence behind what they are doing. In effect, what makes each so great is not that the leads change, but that our perception of them changes.
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Tanteikingdomkey



Joined: 03 Sep 2008
Posts: 2351
PostPosted: Tue Sep 03, 2013 1:39 am Reply with quote
Red Fox of Fire wrote:
Quote:
Her first few episodes, in which she plays the incessantly upbeat simpleton, are almost guaranteed to drive certain viewers nuts. But if you stick around, something odd happens: Hajime starts to make sense.

This is so true. I really disliked her at first, but by now she's looking to be one of my favorite characters ever. She acts like a hyperactive dumbass, but when you get down to it, she's actually very smart and her presence is addictive.

This is REALLY good to hear because I really liked the show but she drove me up a wall to the point of wondering what circle of &^*( did they drag her and the rest of the characters out of.
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Echo_City



Joined: 03 Apr 2011
Posts: 1236
PostPosted: Tue Sep 03, 2013 2:33 am Reply with quote
The review does not encourage me to watch this. It tells me that what I'll find is a poor show, laden with a lame protagonist, which will transcend its lameness should I suffer the show long enough (presumably 7 episodes) and that this transcendence comes not from flaws of the show being rectified (eg:the protagonist) but from Anime Stockholm Syndrome kicking in.

In essence, the review tells me that the show is devoid of any and all merit but if I force myself through 7 eps of it I'll learn to love it despite that.

I think that I'll pass. Thanks for the review, but I would have preferred that you just state outright that the show is devoid of merit and not worth watching unless its stated & somewhat-unique trappings appeal to me, instead of compelling me to "...puzzle out [your] internal logic..." on that. Rolling Eyes Wink
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Aylinn



Joined: 18 Nov 2006
Posts: 1684
PostPosted: Tue Sep 03, 2013 3:12 am Reply with quote
I like it that Hajime is an intelligent and active heroine. I am often surprised how heroes and heroines in anime and manga are passive and instead of asking as many questions as possible to analyze situation and have the big picture, seem to be waiting for information to fall from the sky for them. (It’s part of the reason why I don’t like heroines like Madoka) Hajime is a nice change from them. I really liked how she questioned the way Gatchamans were dealing with the problem of MESS in the second episode, instead of just doing what she had been told to do.

I admit that the fact she has always been right so far may be annoying to some people, but I see it as a minor problem, because in the end Hajime is a cool and rare heroine who thinks and whose eccentric behavior I like.


Last edited by Aylinn on Tue Sep 03, 2013 3:24 am; edited 1 time in total
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Stall_19



Joined: 07 Mar 2013
Posts: 78
PostPosted: Tue Sep 03, 2013 3:23 am Reply with quote
I can see why people like Hajime. Not often you see the airhead personality applied to a person who is actually pretty smart.

But she annoys the hell out of me. She might be too competent. She makes the rest of the Gatchaman team look very bad by comparison. She's a newbie but comes in and right off the bat makes these calls that none of the other Gatchmen would have made and every time so far she's been right. Add to the fact that she reacts to things in ways no human character would. I've never seen her doubt herself, haven't really seen her in any kind of distress. Her personality is the same if she's in a life or death situation or just hanging out with some friends. There's really not much drama to be had in her character so far. I didn't like her from the moment in the first episode where she first witnessed the Gatchaman fighting that alien thing, something so out there, so completely unlike anything she would have ever seem before and she reacted like a little kid seeing a butterfly. Granted my perception of her has changed since then and I can appreciate what they're doing with her but I can't just get myself to like her.

Now for the positives. I like Rui and I find the whole social commentary with Galax very interesting. The villain is pretty great as well. I have no idea what he's going to do or for what reason. Hajime's and Katze "showdown" an episode ago was great. I'll certainly keep watching for those reason no matter if I dislike the lead.
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