Forum - View topicShelf Life - Back in Black
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penguintruth
 Posts: 8502 Location: Penguinopolis |
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I actually like the idea of Contractors, and that they have to do varying things, from Contractor to Contractor, to use their powers. It's true, though, that some have it better off than others. That said, I was impressed with Funimation's free preview of the show on their website, and considering that and the Yoko Kanno soundtrack, I'm seriously considering Darker Than Black for my collection.
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minakichan
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WHOO DTB.
I watched the first couple of eps dubbed on their website, and I have to say, I don't know whether it also applies to their subtitle, but the dub adaption was a lot less revealing and more confusing than what was on the fansub. I think that might also have to do with the differences between the pacing of English and Japanese spoken languages? For one thing, the dub removes every reference to the fact that Hei is Chinese-- which might have prompted Bamboo to point out Huang instead (protip:spoiler[Hei is Chinese, Huang actually isn't.]) But yeah, it's not supposed to make sense until pretty much the end. =/ Oh well. If I do buy it, I'll probably just do so to support the industry but stick to watching the fansub. |
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Uthred
Posts: 79 |
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I was another who enjoyed the fact that the contractors had to pay a somewhat random penance when they used their powers. Its an interesting mechanic that fits in with the general theme of the show and elevates the power use above a simple exchange of super-powers (not that theres anything wrong with that, it just wouldnt have "fit" with Dtb). If you want to devlove into wanky pseudo-intellectualism Im sure you could tie in ideas about the cost of power, etc. But I think its best to just consider it a cool bit of "flavour" instead.
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ANN_Bamboo
ANN Contributor
 Posts: 3904 Location: CO |
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Really? I just assumed Huang was Chinese because of the name. |
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miggie
 Posts: 30 |
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What are you talking about? Hei said to his landlady that he was a student from China when he moved into the apartment.
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JohnnySake
 Posts: 586 Location: Auburn Hills, MI |
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When They Cry, Volume 5, what a trip.
I will say that my brain was reaching for some plot points from Volumes 1-3 that were released quite some time ago. Maybe re-watching all the volumes may help, if I don't first become emotionally scarred from viewing all the horror contained within in such a short amount of time. I couldn't help thinking if these girls were flashing too much skin, words like lolicon would be used in reference. So what do you call it when these same girls are involved with flashing blades and spraying blood? ("Disturbing" comes to mind) If the show's creators wanted you to squirm in your seat while you watched the show, the certainly succeeded with me. Thumbs up for the murderous moe. |
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cool3865
 Posts: 770 Location: Austin, TX |
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i have to check out When They Cry now........Darker than black is a good series and i like it, now that vol. 1 is on DVD its time to start collecting the series.
but like everyone else is saying, DTB doesnt make any sense untill pretty much the end |
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pachy_boy
Posts: 1341 |
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If one were to have seen the Higurashi sequel series, one would find out that this series is far more than just about girls turning psychotic/murderous in similarly formulaic stories. The second season is where the *actual* story gets rolling, and there we find out that the reason why the story keeps going through cosmic resets is because the characters are stuck in a cyclical curse, and with the combinations of conspiracies/paranoia, random chance events keep bringing tragedy to them. In fact, this first series provides clues to everything that lays the groundwork for the sequel series. I really hope the first series does well enough for Funimation to license the sequel series, because it just rocks for the characters to gradually be aware of their past lives and fight together for a happy ending.
Also, I didn't bother reading the review for the Sasami season 2 set. As a loyal Tenchi fan, I found a lot to like in the first half of the series. Even if everybody else dislikes this series, I know I'll be getting and enjoying the second half |
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vashfanatic
 Posts: 3495 Location: Back stateside |
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Drat, I was hoping they'd release Darker than Black in a thinpak box set like Ghost Hunt and others, so that I could actually afford it right now.
Apparently BONES is considering a second season, so I'm hoping this sells well in America, thus giving them an incentive to go through with it. It doesn't make a whole lot of sense until the end, true, but what an end it is! Totally leaves you wanting a sequel... |
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Mistypearl
 Posts: 517 |
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Yay for Higurashi
I was excited to see that you had it in this week's shelf life! Yeah, higurashi really does indeed have a plot, it just doesn't appear that much until season 2, but Season 1 is definately creepy abounds. Though why someone who can't stand scary movies (me) is completely obsessed with this series.... I will seriously never know... so if someone like me actually likes the show even with the buckets of blood and torture, etc, etc.... you might want to give it a try
Though I'm actually waiting for the stupid box set to be released, or rather a DATE for it ;___; oh well, patience... patience... |
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Animehermit
 Posts: 964 Location: The Argama |
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I liked Darker Than Black a lot because of its subtle introduction of Hei's powers. It seems to often in anime that they just blatantly say a characters powers. It took me until episode 3 to figure out that Hei can control Electricity.
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belvadeer
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I think I'll avoid the gruesome and dark stuff. I just don't click with those like others do. I don't know why people get a kick out of sadism and gore gore gore, but whatever floats your boat.
And I'm teasing when I say this, but the reason you don't like Sasami is probably because you're not a girly girl Bamboo. That stuff would appeal to the Sailor Moon fanbase really. But even Sasami's series is a thin one on its own. It doesn't measure up for one thing. |
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Tenebrae
Posts: 490 |
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Would that be... moerderous? But hurrah for Higurashi, an excellent show. And to clear up something about DtB, the wall didn't appear overnight, the phenomena it was built around is what suddenly appeared. Gave me some minor Stalker vibes (the Strugatski book, I believe it is also known in english as Roadside Picnic) where the guiding idea was that one day, some weird, logic-defying alien crap rains down from sky into several areas and people calling themselves stalkers make illegal expeditions into the zones to grab artifacts and sell them. Too bad there was no clear resolution to TdB, perhaps a second season, if ever done, would bring us a more satisfactory conclusion. |
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Quark
 Posts: 710 Location: British Columbia, Canada |
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I've got my copy of Hirugashi vols. 4 and 5 coming in the mail. I actually preferred the first Higurashi series to the second one. The first series had this air of mystery to it - you have no idea what is going on, and there's something really fun about that. Not to mention I love horror movies to begin with, so cute adorable girls in a horror setting with this big mysterious curse thrown in is win/win.
To the owner of this weeks shelf - you have no idea how jealous I am of your End of Evangelion laser disk. |
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x1onexwo1fx
Posts: 31 |
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Bamboo, please please please please please pleaaaase don't give up on Higurashi. Though I may agree with you on your review for that set of episodes for the most part, I think you'd be pleased to see how the story develops within the last arc of the first season, and especially in the second season. I get the feeling that eventually the series will make its way into your "Shelf Worthy." You just have to give it a chance. It's not as repetitive as you think, and it's better than Jigoku Shoujo by leaps and bounds (what happened to your reviews for that series, by the way?). I myself haven't finished Higurashi, but I can tell you that with each and every episode I watch, the series is creeping its way up the ladder of my favorite Anime series of all time.
Do they plan on releasing the whole series in America, I wonder... |
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