Forum - View topicThis Week in Anime - What the Heck is 18if?
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zrnzle500
 Posts: 3768 |
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Nice to see some coverage of this show (beyond the first episode) here. I agree that the quality varies dramatically based on who is directing it, considering the idol episode is plopped in the middle of some of the better ones, in my opinion. Three was also one of my favorites, as while two was good, episode three really sealed the deal for me watching the show, as it was a nice story told well (well enough at least), visually and otherwise and I especially liked the witch's transformation sequence in that one.
Other than that, I'd also recommend 7 and 10 like Jake did and I'd add episode 8 as well, though perhaps that one spoke to me more than others because two of my grandparents (and a few other relatives) are deaf. The worst, other than the idol one, in my opinion would probably be the one about the woman with an eating disorder, though perhaps that speaks more about society than the episode itself. |
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TasteyCookie
 Posts: 423 |
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I really wish this show had gotten weekly reviews. It would have led to some fascinating reviews trying to decipher some of the episodes. With that being said, some of the episodes really have been great, while other are just absolutely bizarre.
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DanQ
 Posts: 114 |
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18if is my dark horse of the season. I like experimental anime, so every week is surprise (pleasant or unpleasant, but that's not important) what kind of show I will see
 . Kinda like watching students films, it's not perfect, but imperfection makes it interesting. I hope some promising directors will get their own series.
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marshmallowpie
 Posts: 309 Location: Nova Scotia, Canada |
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18if is a real wild ride. I find it a little disappointing how although some episodes have really unique styles, others are kinda lacking. 3, 7, and 10 sure looked great though, and I can't say that any of the episodes have bored me at all. Zakki as MC doesn't hurt either.
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DanQ
Posts: 114 |
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And my favourite thing - professor in dream version - very cool cat
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Chrono1000
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Both the quality and genre of 18if vary greatly from episode to episode. My favorites were episode 2 with a Judge Dredd approved story, episode 3 which was a well done tragic romance, episode 6 which was a sympathetic story about a bullied girl, episode 8 which was about a deaf girl and personal image, and episode 10 which was an incredible dream.
Last edited by Chrono1000 on Fri Sep 15, 2017 9:00 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Koda89
 Posts: 278 |
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18if is actually probably my favorite show this season. It has some striking visuals, unique concepts, and it tackles a lot of subject matter that is often taboo in anime and thus doesn't get covered as much as they need to be.
I haven't actually hated a single episode yet. Obviously some are weaker than others, but I liked even the weak ones. Though episodes 2, 3, 7, 8, and 10 are my favorites so far and 9 had me just laughing all the way through, so even that was still entertaining. |
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CheezcakeMe
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Those gifs alone have convinced me to revisit this show. It looks like it'd go great with a bottle of vodka.
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relyat08
 Posts: 4125 Location: Northern Virginia |
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I feel like a lot of the episodes in this show have pretty lacking, mean-spirited, or generally bad resolutions. I really did hate the ice skating one, and the idol one was similarly mean-spirited. 2,3 and 10 are probably my favorites. This is a show that I can't say I actually like, but I would never think of dropping it for a second. Every episode is exceptionally interesting and it's just cool to see what these generally newer industry people come up with. I'm glad Morimoto is doing anything at all, and was very happy to see him actually directing an episode as well. I'm going to guess this show is a flop, but I hope it found a fanbase somewhere.
Last edited by relyat08 on Fri Sep 15, 2017 3:17 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Hiroki not Takuya
 Posts: 2698 |
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I was wondering if ANN was going to pretend this didn't exist, Been watching from the first episode and I think it's the best, most innovative show this season. I was a little disappointed that there didn't turn out to be a consistent overarching story as seemed to be indicated, but the vignette format has some good stuff in it. My fav is the take on Polpot, the Cambodian dictator and engineer of the "killing fields" as tragic figure of his own story (I think it is true, look up his history!). Maybe they'll get back to the mysteries of Lily spoiler[(Dr Kanzaki's daughter I'll bet)] before the end unless there is a 2nd season? Wondering if 18if means 18 episodes ultimately??
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zrnzle500
Posts: 3768 |
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I was digging around the official site and based on the disc sets, it will be 13 episodes. There are four discs and the first has 4 episodes and the rest have 3. |
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Kadmos1
 Posts: 13626 Location: In Phoenix but has an 85308 ZIP |
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I am trying to understand why the game/anime title is called that. From the sound of it, it sounds like it would be a title suitable only for someone if they are 18. In other words, a porno title.
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Agent355
 Posts: 5113 Location: Crackberry in hand, thumbs at the ready... |
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Yay! Coverage of 18If on ANN!
Oh, no, they hate it! 
Well, not really. It is a widely variable show, as per its idea of letting different directors handling each episode, but I don't think it's as inscrutable or poorly thought out as Michy and Jake do (although I completely agree that the figure skating episode was awful. What the heck happened when they were writing that one?) My favorite episode, by far, is episode 7. It can be taken literally as a story of a leader's fall into dictatorship and war crimes/genocide, it can be taken symbolically, or figuratively. Personally, I'd like to think of it as a tip of a hat to the very real story of refugee children who fall into Sleeping Beauty Syndrome when their families are threatened with deportation [source: www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2017/03/30/521958505/only-in-sweden-hundreds-of-refugee-children-gave-up-on-life]. These children have faced very real terrifying political upheavals in their home countries, and fall into coma-like states, which may be the only way to save their families from having to go back and face those horrors again. It makes sense to me that it would be portrayed as a twisted fairytale of betrayal, loss of innocence, regret, sadness, anger, and hope. I also like the episode with the deaf girl. It's great to get disability representation, including what it feels like to be left out of communication, and alternative ways to enjoy music (I believe the MC was a singer/interpreter, not a guitar player). The latest episode (the woman who writes music blogs in her sleep) was great, too. This young woman was confident enough to decide that she was choosing the best version of her life for herself, and our cat doctor agreed with her, acknowledging that she had built a world of freedom in her dreams that she could not have in real life (due to a limiting physical illness). I think she was the first character to tell the protagonists "no, I don't want to wake up, I chose this, and I like it this way," and they respected her choice--which was great to see, and a good contrast to the ice skater. As for the idol episode, I liked it, too. First, for all its crassness, I liked that it plainly acknowledged that the id of the idol industry is all about sex. No matter how innocent it pretends to be on the surface, many fans put idols on a pedestal and imagine them as the perfect sex partners, and she turned that around in her dream. The lyrics of the Shark Lady song was playing to a kind of dominatrix fantasy (something along the lines of: guys may be herbivores, so we'll be carnivores, sharks who take the first bite), but in reality she was being controlled and sexually harassed by her managers, so she imagined herself as a dominatrix in control. In the end, she chose to leave the idol group and pursue solo career, so she could have creative freedom in her art and actual freedom in her personal life (I don't know exactly how the music business works in Japan, but a singer like Hikaru Utada isn't treated the same as an idol in a girl group). I was satisfied by that ending especially how it (again) contrasted with the awful figure skating episode. I wish this show had episode reviews because each episode has a unique aspect to it, and is very ripe for discussion (especially episode 7!) I'm looking forward to the remaining episodes. I suspect the show will delve into Haruto's own Sleeping Beauty syndrome and hopefully build to a solid finale...but I don't know who the directors will be, or what direction they'll take (I'm not even sure how many episodes the show will have). |
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valoon
Posts: 172 |
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Heybot is quite funny
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Dop.L
Posts: 725 Location: London |
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Yeah, while the show overall is a bit of a mixed bag, I think that episode 7 is if anything the absolute stand-out episode which if anything the show will be remembered for, both for the really purposeful animation style and for its story.
I always have a place for shows which try and do something that little bit different, |
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