Forum - View topicREVIEW: White Album 2 Episodes 1 - 6 Streaming
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jojothepunisher
 Posts: 799 |
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White Album 2 has become one of my favorite animes this season because it develops the romantic plot by focusing so purely on the interrelationships between the main characters rather than putting them in awkward, ecchi situations. I was surprised though, that the original game was +18. The fact that there is little to no fanservice or sex scenes 6 episodes into the show really makes you feel that the production team tried hard to deliver the good old dramatic romance that is almost non-existent in this age of anime.
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Megiddo
 Posts: 8360 Location: IL |
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Huh, I never would have thought WA2 would be depicted as fanservice free. I guess shower scenes spoiler[particularly shower scenes where the girls hand is near her nethers] are considered 'safe'.
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Takamachi Ryoko
 Posts: 332 Location: 東京, 日本 |
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One of my favorite shows this season, the scoring is fair, but I'd rate the art department a bit higher, they look fine.
I admit I haven't watched the first WA nor played the game, but WA2 took me out by surprise. For the most part, it doesn't rely too many on cliche, silly, slapstick, fan-service heavy harem romance, it is a surprisingly sweet and romantic story about three people who try to live their days the fullest. And the music score is excellent, what better way to complement a good romance than with a well-written music score? Now that the first half is done, hope the rest will stay that way. |
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Fronzel
Posts: 1906 |
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What's the point of setting it in such a recent year as 2007? If I'm not mistaken the first series was set in 1988 or thereabouts, and at least that means that differences in fashions, music, and certain technologies (lack of cell phones, for instance) derive from that decision.
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Yerld
Posts: 60 |
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While the anime was set in the mid 80s, the original White Album game was actually set in 1998 (and WA2 follows this timeline), the year it was released. The exact reason for 2007 would be a bit of a spoiler. However, the rationale remains the same - making the setting relevant to the period of release, which would be 2010-2013, if you consider the PC releases, console/handheld ports, novelization, and anime. At any rate, the anime has ample fan service. It's employed a bit more strategically than some shows (which often take a lazy, cynical approach), but the sexualization factor remains high. |
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meiam
Posts: 3450 |
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Watched a few episode, it didn't move me either way. Everything about is just decent, nothing outstanding nor bad. The music okay, the animation okay, the plot and character are just far enough away from cliche that I wouldn't feel quite right calling them so but there far from original. The fan service isn't cleaver but it's not too much in your face, or at least it doesn't over stay it's welcome.
I wouldn't say it's "anime comfort food" I'd say it's "anime fast food". It's easy and cheap to make, it taste pretty good but wouldn't be nominate for any award nor does it have the pretense to be anything special. If you eat too much you quickly get bored of it, but every few month you'll eat some. |
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Stark700
 Posts: 11762 Location: Earth |
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This show has surprisingly been enjoyable for me. I mean, I was expecting too much at first since I wasn't too fond of the original White Album series. Then, the pacing picked up with the latest episodes and I'm getting attached to the characters now. The theme song "White Album" is also quite a catchy song when it debuted during the first episode sung by Setsuna imo.
The latest episode also escalated the drama + romance part a bit at the end there so I'm hoping for the best for this show. Also, a friend of mine has been playing the VN and he mentioned that it does indeed follow the game material quite well so far. |
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Princess_Irene
ANN Associate Editor
 Posts: 2655 Location: The castle beyond the Goblin City |
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You're right - I actually had a paragraph about that, but I ended up cutting it because, honestly, I felt a bit like I was beating the proverbial dead horse. But yes - the camera loves to linger on thighs and butts, and (clothed) cleavage shots are not absent. |
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Megiddo
Posts: 8360 Location: IL |
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That's not when it debuted. It's Yuki's first single from the first series. Seen in here in concert starting at about 2:45. In terms of fanservice, Leaf/Aquaplus anime are always on the lower end of the scale. To Heart, Comic Party, Utawarerumono, Tears to Tiara, White Album, etc. are all quite low on the fanservice scale. I'm pretty sure WA2 has been the most explicit when it comes to fanservice out of all of them, which is why I was surprised that some would consider it 'fanservice free'. |
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Tanteikingdomkey
 Posts: 2350 |
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Well it is the most out of a Very low amount. And also love live is considered fan service free so it is not surprising wa2 is as well. People seem to be forgetting that to be an eroge you only need to tack on a sex scene. Most times those scenes by big notable publishers are really bad actually and are made to be easy to get rid of. |
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Princess_Irene
ANN Associate Editor
Posts: 2655 Location: The castle beyond the Goblin City |
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I don't know, I seem to think Tears to Tiara was a little more fanservicey, if only for Morgan. |
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goldensneer
 Posts: 6 |
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I apologize if this comes across as being overly abrasive, Silverman, but I really have to question if you've been experiencing the same series that I and many others have been.
The problem going by what you've written is that you're trying to pigeonhole the series into what you more or less expected it to be: devoid of anything substantial, let alone worth discussing. Like many other adaptations with a VN as a basis, then. Now with said adaptations that would certainly be a fair assumption to make, and if WA2 were one of those then I would be inclined to agree with you. But it is anything but, and you listing there being a lack of fanservice as a negative point only enforces that. Why even bring that up? WA2 never was, and never will be such a series. Even the amount of fanservice within the anime is something that the VN never had. spoiler[There is one lewd scene later on, but even that has its purpose.] This series revolves around its characters and their interactions, and it's flabbergasting to see you reduce Haruki and Kazusa down to 2-bit archetypes like The Nice Guy and The Tsundere when there's so much more going on behind that and no, "tsundere because of trauma' simply won't cut it. They are anything but the "basic stereotypes" you've been making them out to be, Haruki included. He is not a blank slate for the viewer to project themselves onto, and the girls being "irritating" is the entire point. Everyone is incredibly manipulative, scheming, and most of all cowardly. This includes Haruki, which we've already seen shades of. They are not difficult characters to comprehend, for everything has already been neatly laid out. But they are complex, and there is such a complete lack of character comprehension within this review that you're essentially doing the series a disservice. |
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Spotlesseden
Posts: 3514 Location: earth |
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This is one of my top 5 this season along with monogatari, Kyousougiga, Kuroko, and Yowapeda.
Then again, i don't like fighting/action shows that much. |
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Kaioshin_Sama
Posts: 1215 |
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I say this for this show, I'm a person that just plain does not do Romance series as they almost always give me nothing to chew on and I just never seem to feel any sort of emotional connection to them like I'm supposed to yet I love this show and consider it easily the best Visual Novel style romance anime adaptation I have ever seen by a considerable margin. I think it just has exactly the right mix of characters, keeps the story focused on the principle ones (it's 2 girls and one guy not 1 guy and like 5 girls he has to shop around with) and the theme of music and how it brings the cast together and how they try to stay together once the cast starts to feel their relationship move from friendship into the romantic territory is just riveting.
I also particularly like Touma's character which is probably a big part of the reason this show works for me. She's just mesmerizing somehow and Setsuna isn't so bad herself which makes Haruki's situation understandable. Usually if anything I like one of the female characters and am annoyed by the rest, but here I like both even if I have an overall preference so I can totally understand how it's ripping the guy apart that he's met two home girls that he now has to choose between and just can't accept it. There's just sort of a maturity and sense of greater purpose to this story, like it wants us to like it's characters for who they are and what they do as much as for how they look that elevates it to a level where no other romance series has achieved for me. Every episode has been a pleasure to watch. |
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