Forum - View topicREVIEW: Shikabane Hime: Aka Episodes 1-13 Streaming
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vashfanatic
 Posts: 3495 Location: Back stateside |
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Which actually makes it completely predictable rather than unpredictable, unfortunately. You hit on all the good points of this series: the smooth animation, the horror, the human drama. But you failed to mention the godawful unfunny "pervy-priest" humor that feels completely out of place throughout the show. Unfortunately that, along with the season-ending tragedy, killed the show for me. 
(I've noticed I'm starting to be the first person to post nearly every time; this is merely because I always check for reviews before going to bed. I assure you, I do actually have a life!) |
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walw6pK4Alo
 Posts: 9322 |
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The perverted aspects become even bigger in the second "season". I dunno, I just stopped caring after a while, only watching it for completion.
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Lemoncookies23
Posts: 355 |
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Well I'll be damned. This was a good review, and one that I pretty much fully agree with. Well done this time, Mr. Kimlinger.
Zac, where are you? You should be here for this momentous occasion. It's a bloody miracle. |
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Blood-
 Bargain Hunter Posts: 24205 |
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Well, I certainly didn't see the twist coming and I loved it even as it bummed me out. And the "pervy-priest" humour may have been unfunny to you, but I enjoyed it. I've noticed from other comments that you've made in the past that your panties inevitably get in a twist over anything that smacks of fan service, so it'd be nice if you simply acknowledged that sort of thing isn't your cup of tea, but that doesn't mean it is automatically bad. The series is pretty dark and I appreciated the occasional flashes of levity.
That is what gave me a lot of respect for the series. I really liked the character in question and spoiler[hoped against hope that her fate was not permanent. As a matter of fact, I assumed that they were going to resurrect her somehow. That they never did saddened me, but also ended up making her story more powerful.] Great review, Carl. |
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Greed1914
 Posts: 4660 |
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Initially I wasn't sure, but the tragedy around episode 13 became more obvious as we got closer. I definitely agree that Ouri is the low point of the show. The whole time that I watch I keep wondering if he is going to get better, and that might be why I haven't kept up with the show since about episode 15 or so. I'm probably going to finish it this weekend since I want to at least see how things turn out.
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vashfanatic
Posts: 3495 Location: Back stateside |
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In this case it wasn't so much the fan service as two major issues: 1) I honestly prefer black humor in a horror series, not fan service-related humor. In a lighter series, I don't mind it at all (like Full Metal Panic? Fumoffu, or even in action/drama series like MaiHime and Macross Frontier). It felt so very jarring that it was much more annoying to me than funny. 2) I felt it was a real disservice to Keisei to just have him randomly shoving models and porn in Ouri's face. It didn't add anything to his character and again felt really random and out of place in the story.
It doesn't help that his voice actor was pretty wooden, too. |
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Blood-
Bargain Hunter Posts: 24205 |
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I'll admit the pervy humour in Shikabane Hime is somewhat incongruous. I think that's part of why it appealed to me - it was so unexpected. Sometimes incongruity can be funny. But yeah, I can understand why someone might find it out of place. To be totally honest, I probably wouldn't have found it so funny if I wasn't immature and juvenile to start with.
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vashfanatic
Posts: 3495 Location: Back stateside |
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Yeah, this humor in a different series I wouldn't have minded. I mean, one of my favorite GAINAX series ever is Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi and that's just ripe with fan service and raunchy humor, but there it works. While a lot of humor comes from incongruity, the switch over in Shikabane-hime was always a little too jarring for me. [And about the only two series I can think of that I've really gotten my "panties in a twist over" are Ikkitousen (why not just get porn?) and Basquash (which mostly just disappointed me because I liked everything else about it)] |
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Blood-
Bargain Hunter Posts: 24205 |
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Yes, I recall you didn't like Ikki Tousen. Which, of course, is why you are dead to me.
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Captain Crotchspike
 Posts: 355 Location: Phoenix, AZ |
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Hmm. Perhaps I should finish this afterall. Despite some reservations, I liked the way it started, but I began having ADD around when all these Himes and priests were being introduced at the same time and it quickly looked like it was becoming Zatch Bell with dead girls.
Of course, that may have been a bit unfair of me and that means there are only seven episodes to go anyway, so I suppose it's time to see it through... |
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Xanas
Posts: 2058 |
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Someday I hope Funimation will go ahead and release this show on DVD. I will buy it as soon as they bother to put something on a shelf.
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illustrata
Posts: 37 |
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Funny that. I thought the voice acting was quite good actually in all its non-typical seiyu-like acting. Then again, I'm completely burned out with all the over-the-top dramatics most Japanese voice actors/actresses employ.
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Dorcas_Aurelia
 Posts: 5344 Location: Philly |
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I'll also add my vote to the sentiment that Keisei's perviness was a distraction at best. He's a good character otherwise, but they should have found a better way to convey his easy-going nature. A way that was actually funny instead of tired and cliche. See, the foreign shiabane in the second half was at least mildly funny because she was such an airhead and an otaku in addition to be a target for her monk's leering.
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Navak
Posts: 88 |
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Or perhaps his style of humor fits the situation, drenched in blood/death/misery/etc..., perfectly as it's an easy escape from reality and a way to distract the people he cares about from the same issue.
Same thing with the "airhead" who wasn't really an airhead. I know it's anime, but this level for the characters is practically spoon-fed to the audience. |
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Splitter
 Posts: 1276 Location: Knockin' on Heaven's Door |
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Glad to see the first season getting positive publicity. It really was an underrated gem of the fall season.
Kuro, however, was a complete waste of time outside the balloon guy. |
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