Forum - View topicWhat are you watching right now? Why? (please read 1st post)
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shamisen the great
Posts: 658 Location: Oregon, USA |
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Akane the Catgirl
Posts: 1091 Location: LA, Baby! |
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Well, I finally finished Neon Genesis Evangelion. That wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. Except for the endings.
ENDING ONE: We Ran out of Time and Money Well, that was a bunch of bull-honkey. My god, this was so freaking boring. It was nothing but people talking...and talking...and talking...RARGH! Now THIS felt like I was being lectured by my imaginary philosophy teacher on a hot summer day. Sure, there was confused philosophy spewing before, but they kept it brief and I could ignore it in favor of the characters. This was forty minutes of just watching the characters go to therapy. That's not fun. At all. ENDING TWO: Well, we got the Time and Money. Now what? I have no idea what I am supposed to think of End of EVA. I don't hate it, but I don't love it either. I'm just kind of left with a weird, sick feeling inside. On the one hand, there was a whole lot of stuff going on, so at the very least, I was entertained. From spoiler[Ritsuko and Misato kicking the bucket] to Asuka's big damn fight spoiler[and subsequent maiming] to all of Instrumentality, there were tons of grotesque imagery and plot twists to keep me sitting. However, now that I'm done, all I can think is...what the ever-loving f**k did I just watch? I don't think I can ever judge or review this particular movie because I have no clue what to think of it in the first place. Hey, it was rumored that FLCL was made to cheer up the heads at Gainax after that whole s**t-storm. Guess what I'm watching before I start Gurren Lagann? Yes, it's LUNCHTIME!!!! |
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jl07045
Posts: 1527 Location: Riga, Latvia |
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Hi! You have now finished Neon Genesis Evangelion and are qualified to join the First-time watchers or "WTF did I just watch" club. The weird feeling in the chest will soon settle down and most likely lead you to two possible roads: 1) I have to find out what it all means; 2) Grrrrr. If you go down option 1 - kimochi warui, there are many interpretations on a number of things and you'll likely never get it straight. If yours is option 2 - omedetou, you've now seen that s..t and can get on with your life. |
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Akane the Catgirl
Posts: 1091 Location: LA, Baby! |
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HAHAHA! Thanks for that! I don't think I'll ever understand End of EVA. Then again, I just started my fourth viewing of FLCL and I had to watch it three times before I actually understood the subtext. I'll watch the rest tomorrow because my head really hurts and I've learned the hard way that I can't watch FLCL in one sitting. (It's kind of like a tonic for EVA.) See you later. |
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ikillchicken
Posts: 7272 Location: Vancouver |
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Something odd happened to me this week. I got a package of DVDs (a bunch of Discotek stuff) from Right Stuf and, instead of tossing in on my huge backlog pile to be picked at over the coming months, I actually just watched it all.
Project A-Ko This movie takes a while to get going. The initial conflict between A-ko and B-Ko and the comic relief that goes along with it is whimsical and occasionally entertaining, but not particularly compelling or hilarious. Once the aliens show up though, things really take off. The action scenes are quite wonderful. Especially some of the space battles and ships. It's not a very substantial film, but it is at least fun on the basis of this action alone. Rating: Decent Dallos Dallos was released in late 1983 and bears the distinction of being literally the first OVA ever. The visuals however, are the antithesis of dated. The animation is quite fluid. Rather than have characters move as little as possible, they actually seem to go out of their way to add as much movement as possible. It really brings the series to life. Also, while the artwork does have that certain old school look but it's still quite detailed. The mecha and background design is also very nice. The sweeping orchestral score with lots of big booming horns (Think 2001: A Space Odyssey) is used effectively to enhance the mood. Overall, the presentation is really solid. The story is pretty solid as well. I quite enjoyed the depiction of the rebellion. It's not just something that is alluded to. It really feels like they've captured the look and feel of a city in rebellion. The main character is easily the least interesting part of the show but he's also barely the main character and gets very little screen time so its no big deal and otherwise it is pretty good stuff. The titular Dallos is actually the most perplexing element of the show though. It's this giant mechanical...thing just sitting out there on the moon any yet nobody has any idea what it does. I think its supposed to be man made in origin and yet somehow, over the generations, everyone, even the actual authorities, have just kinda forgotten what its purpose is. What's more, it manages to simultaneously usurp the climax of the show while also not ever actually amounting to anything tangible. We never really learn what the hell it is nor does it actually relate to the rest of the plot whatsoever. Really, the show would have been significantly better if they'd just dropped it entirely and focused entirely on the rebellion. Rating: Decent bordering on Good Lily C.A.T. A pretty solid little piece. Gets what it needs to done to be a decent little suspense thriller. Some cool, gory visuals. Easily the most forgettable of anything I watched though. Rating: Decent Golgo 13: The Professional In a lot of ways this isn't a particularly good movie. Golgo is a terribly uninteresting character. So are all of the supporting players or villains either too maybe one neat twist at the end. The plot is a mess of spurious threads that regularly fail to really go anywhere. The second act in particular, when things slow down, is definitely a bit of a slog. But boy...does it ever make up for it on the sheer strength of composition throughout the rest of the movie. So many absolutely fantastic shots and sequences. Not to mention a wicked sound track used to incredible effect in a few scenes. For whatever failures in writing, this is easily a movie worth watching just to let the visuals and action sequences wash over you. Rating: Good Demon City Shinjuku This is one I've seen before. I think my opinion improved slightly this second time around. Still isn't great. I would stress that this is not a bad anime either though. It's just rather bland. Nearly every element is more than just a bit better or worse that mediocre. On the plus side, the visuals are fairly nice. Some genuinely strong composition and art design here and there. The monster designs in particular are one of the few stand out features. On the negative side though the characters are largely one dimensional and cliche and the plot is rather generic and not that fleshed out. The music is very low key but more with the result of it being ineffectual rather than subtle. Somewhere in between lies the pacing which is a tad draggy at times but not overly problematic. The action scenes as well are solid but again nothing especially exciting. All in all, it's fine. Quite watchable. Rating: So-so |
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DJStarstryker
Posts: 140 |
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I think I'll start posting in this thread, partly to help remember what I've been watching lately.
My Mental Choices are Completely Interfering with My School Romantic Comedy Last episode watched: 10 - DONE This show is completely ridiculous. It's not a very good show plot-wise or anything, but it had me laughing with every episode. The laughs were mostly centered around the really ridiculous choices that the main character had to make. This show is definitely recommended for people who want to laugh and don't mind pervy jokes. Sunday Without God Last episode watched: 2 I just came off of watching a ridiculous comedy show, so to go into this is quite a shock to the system in how different it is. It's an extremely serious show so far. Anyway, it's about a 12 year old girl who inherited the role of grave keeper from her mom for this little town. Seems like a creepy thing to force upon a little girl who is grieving for her dead mom (at her funeral even!) but whatever. In this world, god has disappeared and humans can no longer be born or die. I didn't like the show that much with episode 1, because things didn't make much sense. But I'm liking it more now after episode 2, since it's starting to explain things. |
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Errinundra
Moderator
Posts: 6585 Location: Melbourne, Oz |
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The Tale of the Princess Kaguya
Saw this yesterday as one of three anime films being presented by the Melbourne International Film Festival. The Story: An old bamboo cutter discovers a tiny girl nestled within a glowing bamboo stalk. Overjoyed, he takes her home where, with the help of his wife, he raises her amidst rustic simplicity. The girl rapidly grows into a beautiful young woman. Later he discovers a fortune in gold nuggets along with the finest garments and interprets this to mean that she is of royal blood, to be treated accordingly. With his new found fortune the bamboo cutter sets up her up in a villa in the capital, buys himself a title and employs tutors to transform the country girl into a refined woman. News of her beauty spreads rapidly. Powerful and wealthy suitors compete for her hand in marriage culminating in a proposal from the emperor. All the while Kaguya wishes that she and her family could return to their former life and to be reunited with her sweetheart, Sutemaru. Sooner or later, though, her true origins will make their own claim upon her. Princess Kaguya is no Thumbelina. She rapidly (and humorously) grows into a normal sized young girl. The artwork is one of the marvels of the film. The Venue: Seven years to day that I saw Paprika and had my passion for anime kindled I rocked up to the same cinema (The Capitol in the city) and the same film festival (though seven years apart, of course) and rediscovered all over again why I love the art form. Not since Paprika have I experience so much joy and wonder in anime. The Capitol Theatre is the most amazing cinema space I have ever been in. Designed by American architects Walter Burley Griffin and Marion Mahony Griffin, it has a ceiling so wondrous that, if ever a film should pall, one need only look up to have one's enthusiasm renewed. Whenever I've been there I've felt a buzz among the patrons: the place does that on its own. It was a big crowd too: a full house of 600, with all seats pre-sold and people queuing down the street in the centre of Melbourne to get the best spots. At AU$19.00 a pop that's over a million yen added to the film's bottom line. The woman to my left had a North American accent while the bloke to my right complained that the seats had shrunk since he was last there (meaning he had put on weight). We're lucky to still have the venue. In the 60s it was earmarked for demolition. RMIT University, who currently own the building, are in the process of restoring it. The Film: The thing thats stands out immediately is that, while it is quintessentially Japanese, this film looks like few anime you may have ever seen. At the risk of sounding critical, it reminded me of Folk Tales From Japan but with a much bigger budget, even more heart and sophistication, and an eye for beauty glimpsed only occasionally in the TV series. The artwork is all pastel, watercolour and white space, which may have been an illusion as the parallax effects from time to time betrayed the use of CGI. Whatever the production methods used, the combination of tenth century magical tale and the traditional art style evoke a peculiarly Japanese mythology and sensibility that is paradoxically both artificial and timeless. While there are characteristic Isao Takahata stretches of stillness, there are frequent moments of thrilling movement: such as the appearance of a shimmering lake in a travelling camera shot; or when two lovers falling from the sky make the most startling change of direction; or when Kaguya runs back to her village in a sequence that is all black and white but for her red hakama. It's a flashiness quite unexpected from Takahata but adds to the enchantment he casts over us. Even simple body movements are animated with flair. Given the simple seeming artwork it is quite an achievement. Even at its most wistful, Kaguya never loses its sense of joy. The images are from the MIFF website; the film is actually in 16:9 format. That magic in the animation is there in other ways right from the start: in the discovery of the miniature princess in the bamboo; her freaky spurts of growth; the old woman suddenly producing milk; the games of the children; the change of seasons; in how Kaguya seems to bring everything and everyone to life, like a caress of spring air. Moving the setting from the bamboo grove to the city may necessarily cause the film to forsake its rustic innocence but it doesn't lose its elan. The bamboo cutter tries hard to be dignified but appears a pompous fool, as exemplified by how he loses his hat whenever he walks through a doorway. Kaguya's tutor is more than pompous - she is downright supercilious - and a marvellous creation to boot, probably because we sympathise (or maybe it's just amused) with her astonishment at Kaguya's life force. Kaguya herself is a wonder. She astonishes everyone she meets. Happily, the film is so convincing that the viewer need never doubt that the astonishment is genuine and appropriate. Her mettle is tested with her first five suitors. How she handles them is clever and seemingly imbued with a modern appreciation of her rights as a person. This is a young woman learning the power of her wits and how to make independent decisions and yet, the film is essentially faithful to the 10th century story it is based upon. That supposed modern sensibility is, in truth, much older than we imagine. If the film has flaws they appear towards the end. Kaguya's behaviour becomes erratic as she begins to understand her true origin. How she comes to know these things isn't explained and so her actions seem unconvincing. In fairness, the original tale also has her coming to realise spontaneously what she is. I didn't know the story until watching the movie and looking it up online afterwards. I suppose, like any legendary tale, someone from within the culture would know the story already and not be bothered by these questions. I don't wonder why Ned Kelly strides out from the Glenrowan Hotel in his suit of armour; I just expect any telling of the tale to do it with the appropriate dramatic effect. Similarly, as an outsider, the Buddha's entrance near the end of the film comes across as cheesy. Unfortunately, things aren't helped by the imagery being reminiscent of Buddha's appearance in the grand parade in Paprika, which, in the context of that film, is highly unflattering. I suppose it would seem natural to a Japanese viewer but, perhaps the Japanese are now so divorced from their religious traditions they are incapable of portraying them convincingly. Nevertheless, the final scenes show all the people whose lives had been touched by Kaguya - those who had nourished and cherished her and even those she rejected - briefly acknowledging the profound effect she had upon them. The verdict: Masterpiece. Better by far than Grave of the Fireflies or Only Yesterday. It is glorious. What a way to end a career! The Wind Rises pales by comparison. It's the only film I've seen where a character falling, breaking his neck and dying elicited spontaneous laughter from the audience. And the guy wasn't evil either, just ridiculous. You gotta see it to understand it. It's an example of how Takahata is such a master at manipulating emotions. Upcoming: On Wednesday I'll be going to the first of three screenings of Patema Inverted at ACMI 2 in Federation Square where director Yasuhiro Yoshiura will be taking part in a question and answer session aftewards, while this coming Sunday I'll be seeing Giovanni's Island, also at ACMI 2. (ACMI = The Australian Centre for the Moving Image.) Last edited by Errinundra on Mon Aug 18, 2014 9:13 pm; edited 6 times in total |
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phia_one
Posts: 1661 Location: Pennsylvania |
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Just watched Fuse: Memoirs of the Huntress on Hulu. I wasn't expecting to enjoy it as much as I did. However, I feel like it would have worked better as a short series. It seemed to drag at points, not because it was boring, but because the movie was trying to focus on too many things at once. Between trying to have character building for Hamaji, Shino, and some of the side characters, along with building the relationship between Hamaji and Shino, that's where I think being a short series would have helped.
The animation was quite nice to look at as well. I rated this film as very good. I definitely wouldn't mind watching it again, so I'll be buying it at some point. |
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DJStarstryker
Posts: 140 |
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Sunday Without God
Last episode watched: 6 This show seems to have 3-episode arcs. The world this show is in is fascinating. It's nothing like I've seen before. It seems to really go into what it means to be dead versus alive and what makes people human. I think that this show is best if you don't try to cheer for the main character. I really don't like Ai. At all. Yes, she's 12, but she acts like an idiot even for a 12 year old. But once I got over the feeling like I had to like her, I have enjoyed the show more. I care about this show for purposes of the interesting world. The second 3-episode arc was so far the best. spoiler[I really liked the city of all dead people, but more than that, the fact that their princess is sort of like a Medusa-type figure. But instead of turning people to stone, she kills them. She doesn't even do it out of malice. It's just a power she was born with. I think it's actually too bad that Ulla isn't the main character. I like her more than Ai. ] |
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Errinundra
Moderator
Posts: 6585 Location: Melbourne, Oz |
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Patema Inverted
Saw this today as the second of three anime films being presented by the Melbourne International Film Festival. The Story: Patema, a princess of a constricted but mostly happy underground community that knows of no world other than rock and endless tunnels, loves nothing more than exploring the forbidden sectors. After an encounter with a man who walks suspended from the ceiling she finds herself on the surface world where she is inverted - gravity works in the opposite direction for her compared with everybody and everything else. Letting go of an anchor point means falling into the sky. She meets a young boy, Age, who unsuccessfully strives to protect her from the oppressive, watchful guardians of his world. Age and Patema's underground friends must learn to see the world in new ways to save her from captivity while Patema must overcome some of the most primitive fears known to humans: fear of heights, fear of falling, agoraphobia and vertigo. Together they will come to understand the true nature of the world and its peculiar physical laws and perhaps find a way to reconcile their clashing points of view. The Venue: In contrast to the Chicago School splendour of The Capitol, Patema Inverted played at the more prosaically functional Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI) in Federation Square just a couple of blocks down the road in Melbourne. According to Wikipedia ACMI is a state-of-the-art facility purpose-built for the preservation, exhibition and promotion of Victorian, Australian and International screen content. This particular screening was part of the Next Gen program of MIFF, sponsored by the Australian Teachers of Media - who have kindly produced a ten page study guide - and supported by the state and federal governments. Nice to know our taxes are being used to expose school children to anime. I like it. I was surrounded by a couple of hundred students but the film kept their attention throughout. Federation Square, Melbourne, from the entrance of ACMI. Boring fact: there are 13 railway lines beneath our feet. The Film: There is something Satoshi Kon-like in the films of Yasuhiro Yoshiura. Both directors have (or had in the case of Satoshi Kon) a penchant for setting up expectations and then up-ending them. Where Kon used these twists to destabilise reality in an unsettling postmodern way, Yoshiura uses them to overturn old paradigms and replace them with new ones. Patema Inverted continues with his fascination with paradigm shifts but mostly lacks the edginess of Satoshi Kon, the philosophical depth of Time of Eve or the arcanery of Pale Cocoon or Aquatic Language. Its simplicity makes it more accessible than the latter two films but leaves it a notch or two below Time of Eve or the best of Satoshi Kon. The weird premise - gravity being inverted for the heroine - is complemented perfectly by the visuals. The background artwork is gorgeous to look at in the manner of much contemporary anime although it doesn't revel in its beauty the way that The Tale of Princess Kaguya does so profligately. But it is the visual aspect that is the hook for the film. And a huge hook it is. Yoshiura plays to the max the notion of characters having figurative and literal opposing points of view. As well, the constant fear of falling into the sky is visceral and terrifying. The imagery of someone holding on for dear life with just clouds and emptiness below them won’t be easily forgotten. Yet the terror is replaced by sublime joy when Patema and Age discover that by holding onto each other they can fly across the landscape. (People holding on to other people for survival is a major image and theme of the film.) Or when Patema sees stars for the first time, spread out below her. It turns out, too, that the stars themselves have two realities. I feel your fear, Patema. Patema is game but highly vulnerable. One slip, one false move means a fall into oblivion. The scenes are framed so the viewer is staring into the abyss along with her. We share her terror. The urge is to hold her, to save her from annihilation. For me, it induced some of the strongest moeru reactions I've experienced with anime. At one point, having no other alternative, Patema grasps onto the body of the big bad, the overplayed psychotic Izamura, for anchorage. In that moment he finds a strange pleasure in the sense of protectiveness he feels, but the parent is quickly replaced by his Marquis de Sade nature. The rapid transformation with its sexual undertones briefly has the film prying into an uncharacteristicly dark place for Yoshiura. That moment aside no-one else is as memorable as the heroine. Compared with Time of Eve the characters are flat. Age is stoically loyal; his rival from underground, Porta, is goofily good-hearted, the authority figures from the upper world are stiff and overbearing. Actually, stiff is a good description for many of the characters. The designs are unexceptional, bordering on dull, and they even hold stiff poses much of the time, although their movements are fluid, which makes for an odd mixture. The orchestral soundtrack from veteran Michiru Oshima (The Weathering Continent, Fullmetal Alchemist, Little Witch Academia among others) ranges from suitably lyrical to overbearing - even when it's not supposed to be. The theme song is sweet, though. The Verdict: Very Good. This is a film that ought to be seen on a big screen. A small screen will limit its highlights and highlight its limitations. The Interrogation: The writer and director, Yasuhiro Yoshiura, is a guest of the festival. He was introduced before the film and answered questions afterwards through an interpreter. I took notes with a pen and paper until my pen died about half way through - that's what I get from relying on old technology. I think I've remembered all the questions and answers. This isn't a verbatim account of the session but the gist of what was said. Apologies if I've misrepresented anyone - it isn't intentional. Yoshiura is a short, compact man, unassuming it seems, considered in his replies and a couple of times struggled to answer. He was well received by the audience. (Oh, and I didn't ask any of the questions.) It's a terrible photo. I'm sorry. Question. How important is allegory to you? Yasuhiro Yoshiura. I'm interested in oppressed societies, not for political reasons per se but as entertainment. I got a lot of my inspiration from Hollywood. Q. I can see Romeo & Juliet, Nineteen Eighty-Four and Philip K Dick. Can you tell us the sources of your inspiration? YY. I love movies. I'm influenced by favourite movies. The story is a conventional boy meets girl. My favourite movies include Nineteen Eighty-Four, Brazil and Gattica. Q. Your heroes are challenging dogma – why did you chose teenagers? YY. The age of Patema and Age is 14 – halfway between a child and an adult. Aiga (the surface city) is the source of evil (sic). Q: Are you from Aiga or the Sakasama world? YY: To be honest – from Aiga. I am Age or the big baddie Izamura. Q. Your first and second names are anagrams. Did that inspire your inverted world? YY. Aaaaaah. It can be inverted. Since a child I have always looked into the sky and thought I would fall into it. So I decided to make a film. Q. How long was the filmmaking? How difficult? YY. Pre-production was one year, making the film, two. The most difficult thing was to make sure it started right. The animator was confused which way was up. Q. Did you make the film with western audiences in mind? YY. I wanted western audiences to watch the film so I made it simple. (The audience laughed as Yoshiura seemed to realise he may have committed a faux pas.) Q. I can see similarities with Pale Cocoon. Was that deliberate? YY. It was the same person making the film so the same things will be said. Q. Were there any issues writing the screenplay? YY. After I came up with the inverted worlds I struggled to work out how to finish the film. Then I thought of a false ceiling and everything fell into place. Q. There are some great ideas in the film. Do you plan to expand on them? YY. I have a great idea for a new project but telling you now would spoil it. Q. At the end of the film why doesn’t the notebook from the other society float away in the inverted gravity? (This created some alarm between YY and his interpreter.) YY. Someone was holding it. (No argument from the audience.) YY. Phew! Q. I noticed some encrypted mail towards the end of the movie. Is there a secret message for the audience to decipher? YY. It isn't a mystery but it is important. You will need to buy the Bluray to read it. Q. When developing the characters did you base them on people you know? YY. Yes. When I was working out how the characters should behave I asked myself what my friends would do. I am in the characters also. Autographed film posters were given to the two best questions. Yoshiura awarded one to the person who asked the hardest question - why the notebook didn't float away, while the moderator awarded the other to the Pale Cocoon questioner for being a long term fan. Upcoming: Giovanni's Island on Sunday. Not so boring fact: According to the very nice promotional brochure handed out, Time of Eve was iTunes's third most downloaded movie of 2011, after Toy Story 3 and Inception. Last edited by Errinundra on Thu Nov 09, 2017 1:07 am; edited 2 times in total |
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Blood-
Bargain Hunter
Posts: 24168 |
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Great stuff, errinundra. Unfortunately, I can't read your posts yet because I haven't seen the films in question and I like going in knowing as little as possible. But I'll definitely come back and check 'em out afterwards.
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Unicorn_Blade
Posts: 1153 Location: UK |
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Started watching Fantastic children. I believe it is one of the contenders in the tournament, so thought I would give it a try.
I am not too fond of shows that take a long time to explain what they are all about. Two episodes down and I have no clue, but knowing 24 more episodes are ahead of me, I'm sure they will start to unravel the mystery. The series ha a lot of potential and the animation is very pretty, except for one of the children with an exceptionally long nose look well drawn too, so looking forward to see the rest. |
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Mr. Oshawott
Posts: 6773 |
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I'm 14 episodes into watching Taiho Shichauzo - You're Under Arrest. In this show are two women named Natsumi Tsujimoto and Miyuki Kobayakawa, who master the routine of a police officer: helping children, penalizing traffic violators, and...expecting the unexpected.
I'm honestly enjoying TS-YUA like it's no tomorrow. With all the action of car-chasing through the city limits and some extraordinary moments within the police department, I look forward to seeing more of this show everyday. Plus, some of the other folks have really made certain funny episodes even funnier with their unique mannerisms, namely Scooter Mama and, even more notably, the superhero that calls himself Strikeman (or, shall I say...ストライクマン! Sutoraikuman!). |
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Chiibi
Posts: 4829 |
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How can you say that!? Ai's the sweetest kid ever! D:< And how does she act like an idiot? She's just a happy-go-lucky child who makes the best of bad situations but she's not stupid. How can people hate characters that are so freaking adorable? My brain does not compute this. |
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Lain'sHairline
Posts: 158 Location: Dallas, TX |
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Watching Episode 1 of the Deadman Wonderland OVA
I read the manga and wasn't satisfied with it's 1st adaptation, looks good so far. Minatsuki Takami AKA Hummingbird is the best character I'm looking out for. |
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