Forum - View topicEP. REVIEW: Show By Rock!!
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JaggedAuthor
 Posts: 981 |
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Great review! I almost gave this one a pass, but I'm glad I checked it out. After seeing the promotional art, I assumed this would be a moe-heavy affair laden with fanservice, but as you pointed out, those elements aren't nearly as prevalent as I expected going in.
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ichii_1
 Posts: 151 |
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The skeleton CGI scene was AMAZING :O
Way better than even Disney stuff. I want a whole action movie in that quality, specifically toriko 
The 3D models thou 
The guys look way better than the girls in that regard. The songs remind me of K-on! :'( And future plot point with the pink sheep girl being from another world? :O |
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TheBeatlesPkmnFan42
 Posts: 115 Location: Washington |
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"That's not to say that the rhythm game on which the series is based is in any way risqué."
Not true actually, there's a song in the game that's about sex, titled "NAKED". Anyway, good review. |
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Gina Szanboti
Posts: 11584 |
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Naturally! I also expect that the Baiganba-V sentai series shown on the background tv will play a role later on. While the King Crimson reference made me chuckle, I can't help but read "Plasmagica" as "Plasmatics," which is very different... >.> Also I keep tripping over Trichronika, which sounds like an std to me. I was sort of nonplussed by the first episode, as I'm not normally a fan of Hello Kitty, moe, or high-pitched voices, but the second one sold me, and already I'm a ShinganCrimsonz cattlegirl.  I hope they can keep making this as much fun as it's been so far.
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DuskyPredator
 Posts: 15572 Location: Brisbane, Australia |
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I am not really much of a fan of music in general, although a good anime about it can catch my attention. I have also never had an interest in Hello Kitty, noticeably with character design. But when they manage to transform the character design into CG heavy scenes which I should dislike, it grabs my attention heavily. This show is officially my favourite show of the season.
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rizuchan
 Posts: 980 Location: Kansas |
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Glad to hear the second episode is even better - haven't had time to watch it yet but I probably will tonight. The first episode was just... interesting. Even though it used so many cliche anime tropes (shy girl wanting to join the club, getting sucked into a video game, magical transforming guitar, etc) the way it put them together made it feel like something surprisingly original. I was just trying to figure out who the demographic was... cute Sanrio characters and moe fanservice? Maybe it's targeting preteen girls... but that skull monster is awfully scary... but Good point by Amy, I forgot that cute, Animal Crossing-style anthropomorphic animals were popular with adult men in Japan.
Also, as a big fan of rhythm games, the show gets big points for having a character sucked into a rhythm game instead of an RPG. |
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TheBeatlesPkmnFan42
Posts: 115 Location: Washington |
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Actually, Baiganba V are a band in the game. I hope they make an actual appearance in the anime, along with the other bands that haven't been revealed to be in it, but who knows. I'm not getting my hopes up for any of the bands based on real Japanese bands to appear, but as for the ones made for the game, I think they could have a chance to appear, Baiganba V included. I hope so, since I'd love to see Shizuku Secretmind. Although, Gauga Strikes, Dropout Sensei, Rapezziauto, and Shinimonogurui had minor references in episode 2, and all three of those bands are based on real artists, so maybe we could be seeing them? I feel like they may just remain cameos though, since having them appear would require the members of the real bands to have time to voice act. |
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Hameyadea
 Posts: 3679 |
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Episodes #1-2:
With Love Live! School Idol Project-esque vibe of moe, mix of contrasting characters (the Insecure, the Overly Pumped, the Cool-Headed, and the Upbeat), sounds, talking anthropomorphic beings (like an egg and a guitar) and That Odd CG Moment. When highschooler Hijirikawa Cyan couldn't gather the courage to request registration form for the school Music Club (and unintentionally does a musical routine in front of the Music Club room while daydreaming about performing a musical routine), she when home, eased her mind by playing a bit on the guitar and then started playing a music game app on her mobile. When she broke the High Score, she got a pink guitar, named Strawberry Heart, and was transported to place called Midi City, where anthropomorphic piglets are swooning over the 3 fox-like members of the boy-band Trichronika. The first thing noticeable in this sequence is, of course, the plastic-like CG (seen in programs like ReBoot, The Noddy Shop, and Thomas & Friends). The abruptness in which the Show (by Rock!!) changes to this kind of animation is sharp, but at the same time because that's the 1st episode, it's just barely bearable. The CG itself itself all that bad, and the lack of mouths (no, that dot in the middle of their face isn't their mouth, it's their nose) actually helps to avoid some bad mouth movement present in the current level of CG most anime studios use. The scene is also engaging by its action and flashy visuals - that were probably meant more to catch the eye, and it does its job well - with the prominent bright, red-hue of the boy-band and the black & purple of the Dark Monster contrasting nicely. That, along with the nicely choreographed movement of the characters make for a good music-action scene. The traditional, 2D animation is also transformative - the real-world scenes in the early parts of Episode #1 are a bit more rugged, with the colors looking a bit flat. After Cyan is done with her battle scene with the Dark Monster and she finds herself outside of the stadium when Trichronika were just playing (and fighting), the art style moves up a notch - the animation as a whole has a somewhat shinier reflective-esque filter effect on it, making the neon-ness of the dark street to be more prominent in the scenes. The Egg Manager's, Arisugawa Maple, office also retains that neon aesthetic. The music in this anime is catchy and mainstream. Both Trichronika's (in Episode #1) and ShinganCrimsonZ' (a boy-band under the label Banded Rocking Record, which is headed by the Egg Maple. In Episode #2) performances are enjoyable and help to build a good mood in the anime. While they are referred to as a low level bond, ShinganCrimsonZ' music playing isn't shoddy at all. The band which Cyan joined at the end of Episode #1 - Plasmagica - also produces some nice sounds during their play session in Episode #2. So far the premise, on paper, gives the impression that this is yet another generic anime, but the bright visuals, great music and the plot execution manage to keep the momentum well enough to make for a pleasurable viewing experience. |
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JaggedAuthor
Posts: 981 |
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I know I'm basically preaching to the choir here, but in my opinion, this is the only anime series that does a decent job of meshing 2D animation with CG.
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FenixFiesta
Posts: 2581 |
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Macross Frontier, but I digress. The 3d characters are just on the cusp of the uncanny valley for me. |
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JaggedAuthor
Posts: 981 |
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Aw, man. Now that you've put the idea in my head, I'm starting to see it, too. I'll keep watching, though. |
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Nyaomix
 Posts: 127 |
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This series is so me I can`t put anything this season ahead of it. Cat focus, furries, good music, lesbian undertones. The main thing I am wondering about so far is whether the series will actually reach a point where it is a little bad for kids. So far all the adult humor has been pretty much off screen. The Shingan Crimsons were a bit rough though.
I really like the transformation on the stage idea as it makes more of a statement of the dynamic they create by playing music. This CGI works, especially because the focus is to seperate sound world into two roles, the 2D regular life and the 3D battles fought by the bands. A lot of CG being used this season but this show is the only one doing it right. |
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TheBeatlesPkmnFan42
Posts: 115 Location: Washington |
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Show By Rock isn't aimed at kids in the first place, it's aimed toward adults. And it always has been. As I said in my first post in this thread, there's even a song about sex in the game. Kids shouldn't be playing or watching SB69, just because it's made by Sanrio doesn't mean it's appropriate for kids. |
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DuskyPredator
Posts: 15572 Location: Brisbane, Australia |
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I would say Black Rock Shooter has the best, and was what I thought of when I saw some of this series. The CG scenes pretty much practically look like 2D animation, it looks really good. |
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JaggedAuthor
Posts: 981 |
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Sorry. I made a very broad statement, and I should've qualified it by saying "of the series I've seen." Like Amy, I found this week's attempt at drama a bit forced. As she pointed out, the previous two episodes showed no indication that the band members were incompatible with one another. I wouldn't be surprised to see rifts form as the series progressed, but this just felt rushed. Also, as an anime fan, I'm no stranger to recycled animation - and even I think the constantly-replayed audience reaction shots are too much. Still have high hopes for this one, though. |
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