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REVIEW: Ben-To BD+DVD


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Merxamers



Joined: 09 Dec 2013
Posts: 720
PostPosted: Mon Feb 16, 2015 12:10 pm Reply with quote
Thanks for bringing this series to my attention! I think i may have heard the name of this before somewhere, but now that i've read this review i feel like i'll have to check it out soon Smile
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maximilianjenus



Joined: 29 Apr 2013
Posts: 2902
PostPosted: Mon Feb 16, 2015 12:17 pm Reply with quote
nice review: i did not understand this phrase, tho:

Quote:
Watching Ben-To definitely will not strain your brain and does not delve into themes any more complicated than the value of integrity in any realm of activity or fostering a passion for life. It does not any of those, though, to be quite the entertaining view.


[EDIT: This refers to a wording error that has since been corrected. - Key]

also I consider it worth mentioning that this is the work of david production , who would later jump on to work on the jojo's bizarre adventures anime.
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Greed1914



Joined: 28 Oct 2007
Posts: 4611
PostPosted: Mon Feb 16, 2015 12:21 pm Reply with quote
That delay really sucked, both for myself since I was hooked after the first couple episodes and had to wait to see the rest dubbed, and for Funi since the delay coming so close to the release date means the discs were more than likely made already.


That said, this is such an amusing series, especially with how many different rules and strategies there are for something that seems completely silly on its face.
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zztop



Joined: 28 Aug 2014
Posts: 650
PostPosted: Mon Feb 16, 2015 12:41 pm Reply with quote
Does anyone know how the source LNs end? What happens to Yoh and the various bento fighters?
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HaruhiToy



Joined: 15 Apr 2008
Posts: 4118
PostPosted: Mon Feb 16, 2015 1:10 pm Reply with quote
I really enjoyed watching this streaming but I don't really feel there is a lot there that would cause me to buy the media, unless it is a gift for someone.

Creamer's review is spot-on except for one point -- the story makes it clear that the 0.5 bentos only taste good if you fought for them and won. So the wolf participants really do want the bentos not just the fight.

That point is central at two junctures -- it makes it clear why tspoiler[he dog collusion] doesn't work and also why the way that spoiler[Heracles deals with Orthros] is ultimately not supported by the wolf community.

It is definitely an excellent anime however and I would recommend it to anyone who hasn't seen it yet.
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here-and-faraway



Joined: 21 Jun 2007
Posts: 1529
Location: Sunny California
PostPosted: Mon Feb 16, 2015 1:20 pm Reply with quote
Thanks for the review! I was eyeballing this title. While I think Funimation does a nice job with their dubs, I especially enjoy it when they take on a comedy. Looks like a solid release, one worth owning.
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configspace



Joined: 16 Aug 2008
Posts: 3717
PostPosted: Mon Feb 16, 2015 1:30 pm Reply with quote
HaruhiToy wrote:
I really enjoyed watching this streaming but I don't really feel there is a lot there that would cause me to buy the media, unless it is a gift for someone.

I don't know if they've replaced the streams yet, but the proper BDs do reveal Chapatsu, the brunette fighter's face in ep 12, which remained hidden in the broadcast, older Funi version.

Quote:
Creamer's review

I think you mean Theron's?
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myskaros



Joined: 13 Jun 2011
Posts: 603
Location: J-Novel Club
PostPosted: Mon Feb 16, 2015 1:35 pm Reply with quote
HaruhiToy wrote:
Creamer's review is spot-on except for one point -- the story makes it clear that the 0.5 bentos only taste good if you fought for them and won. So the wolf participants really do want the bentos not just the fight.

Mmm, maybe you missed the point? It's just a simple message of "obtaining something from purely your own efforts is more satisfying than getting it for free or without effort." It's the whole package, not just the fight or the food; this message is enforced by the contrast that comes from all the other combinations - losing and having to settle for "lower quality" food, not fighting and getting the winnings anyway, ignoring the food focusing only on fighting, etc.
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HaruhiToy



Joined: 15 Apr 2008
Posts: 4118
PostPosted: Mon Feb 16, 2015 1:39 pm Reply with quote
configspace wrote:
Quote:
Creamer's review

I think you mean Theron's?

My error. The pitfalls of having too many windows open at once.
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Blanchimont



Joined: 25 Feb 2012
Posts: 3560
Location: Finland
PostPosted: Mon Feb 16, 2015 2:41 pm Reply with quote
I assume this is the non-broadcast version? As getting the wrong version was why this was delayed in the first place.

Sankarea's still waiting though...
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Kadmos1



Joined: 08 May 2014
Posts: 13615
Location: In Phoenix but has an 85308 ZIP
PostPosted: Mon Feb 16, 2015 3:03 pm Reply with quote
The AnimeSuki thread for the series covers up to vol. 12. I haven't found what covers the last 3.
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Greed1914



Joined: 28 Oct 2007
Posts: 4611
PostPosted: Mon Feb 16, 2015 3:10 pm Reply with quote
Blanchimont wrote:
I assume this is the non-broadcast version? As getting the wrong version was why this was delayed in the first place.

Sankarea's still waiting though...



It is. And Right Stuf has Sankarea scheduled for a March 31 release.
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Animegomaniac



Joined: 16 Feb 2012
Posts: 4157
PostPosted: Mon Feb 16, 2015 3:27 pm Reply with quote
I preordered the show last May after watching the first episode and I finally got my copy a few days ago. So far I've seen the first four and while I like it, there's something off about it. It reminds me of classic Stephen Chow {never having seen God of Cookery, I'll have to settle for comparing Ben-To with Kung Fu Hustle} and while all the elements are there, the main character lacks the proper reverence for his "learned masters".

That's not quite right, he doesn't seem to acknowledge them. It was nagging me through the first three shows as he kept going back for more punishment against the same people and it became glaringly obvious when the "Beauty by the Lake" {and the fact she has a history with Yu} was introduced. A Stephen Chow character would want to beat them by becoming them at their own game {sounds odd but true; It's that order which make his movies fun}, Yu only wants the food and the victory but he doesn't care who or what his adversaries are.

Just like a Chow film, every important character somehow knows to fight, used for comedic effect when the main character can't yet fight and for scale when he can, but I don't get how this applies to Yu and Hana as neither of them want to become a Wolf/fighters except by immediately becoming a Wolf because of what they get.

Also, having other Wolves acknowledge both of them as potential Wolves just points out this flaw in reverse as neither of them could do the same with the big hulking people waiting around the supermarket every single day.

Still, it's fun. Dumb, very dumb, did I mention it was dumb? Also, it was apparently sponsored by Sega, so there's stupidity all over this series. I thought the references were just jokes as I've been playing Sega games for much longer than 15 years and...

Virtua Fighter, the {...} Stephen Chow of fighting games.

And this is what I got from just the first four.
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Key
Moderator


Joined: 03 Nov 2003
Posts: 18424
Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley)
PostPosted: Mon Feb 16, 2015 3:43 pm Reply with quote
I think you're off-target in that the series is not making the slightest effort to directly emulate Stephen Chow style. This comes off much more as taking a shonen action-style approach to Fight Club.
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Polycell



Joined: 16 Jan 2012
Posts: 4623
PostPosted: Mon Feb 16, 2015 3:46 pm Reply with quote
configspace wrote:
I don't know if they've replaced the streams yet, but the proper BDs do reveal Chapatsu, the brunette fighter's face in ep 12, which remained hidden in the broadcast, older Funi version.
Honestly, that was something that felt wrong to me: even Road to Witch avoids showing her face(though using the more standard tactic of hiding it behind her hair), so I'm not sure who decided showing it was anything but idiotic, especially with that blah design they gave her.
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