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arachneia
Joined: 20 Mar 2009
Posts: 415
Location: On the wings of Bob Lennon
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Posted: Fri Oct 30, 2009 8:20 pm
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Thanks, that's a lovely picture.
I don't want to keep being the Negative Nancy, but the voices are increasingly bothering me to the point where I'm reconsidering going through with the dub. Nina's voice was obnoxious. I tried giving O'Brien the benefit of the doubt, but I think he ultimately fails to portray Tenma as he should be. He plays him as an average joe thrown into a crappy situation, whereas Tenma is an exceptional man whose crappy situation can be traced back to his own actions. I don't feel that O'Brien captures the nuances of Tenma's character as an outsider, as someone extremely intelligent, hard-working, and talented, and as someone humble despite being so exceptional. His Tenma is a perfectly normal guy, and I think that's a flaw in the portrayal.
Boy, I'm negative today.
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Prede
Joined: 17 Sep 2009
Posts: 388
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Posted: Fri Oct 30, 2009 9:18 pm
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Yeah your getting very negative ^ . Don't be too harsh. I thought the dub is getting a bit better every episode. Stick with it, it may impress you yet. I thought Nina's voice was great though, but that's just me. Karen Strassman has been doing a good job, although it feels a little forced at times. Although I think I liked her a lot better in When They Cry. Now she really impressed me there (very spooky!).
Anyway as far as the shows going, I think the last two episodes were the best of the bunch. Although it was very predictable at times. But it's finally getting suspenseful, so that's great! I was getting a little worried for a second, I mean the first 4 episodes were good, but they were not suspenseful at all. Guess I can't expect them to put all the goodies up front though , this is a long series afterall. And the 6th episode ended on a great cliffhanger! Exellent way to end the episode, gata give the director and his staff props for that. Nice choice...
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arachneia
Joined: 20 Mar 2009
Posts: 415
Location: On the wings of Bob Lennon
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Posted: Fri Oct 30, 2009 9:27 pm
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I know, I'm trying to tone it down and be optimistic about the dub, but I genuinely dislike it.
I think that, because the series is (mis)marketed as a thriller, people expect great suspense. The truth is that Monster is a lot more psychological than anything else - there are mystery elements, to be sure, but I think you should focus on the characters and their development and interactions rather than wait for the next plot twist. They'll come, don't worry, but expect them to be subtle (and often very convoluted).
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Prede
Joined: 17 Sep 2009
Posts: 388
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Posted: Fri Oct 30, 2009 9:47 pm
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Ah yes that was my huge criticism of the series so far. It's all been very convoluted.
I mean Johan's sister thinks a boy likes her, at the same time Johan wants her so he's emailing her, at the same time Tenma finally figures out where she lives, and then at that very moment Johan makes his move. Also she goes to a castle late at night to meet this mysterious secret admirer? That's like asking for trouble. Why would she willingly go there? I thought she was smart. And really what are the odds that Johan wants/needs his sister when she turns 20 (in fact why does he need her? To cause Tenma some problems lol? Becuase the plot says so? Will they explain this later?), and she's turning 20 when Tenma is there and finds all this out. Very very convoluted LOL!! Talk about coincidences lol! Better chance of winning the lotto while being struck by lightning.
(I wrote all that on another forum...btw)
Your the first person to tell me the series isn't really a straight thriller. I'll have to keep that in mind now as I watch this. I was expecting a solid thriller. Now I'll expect something with suspense elements, but not straight up suspense.
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arachneia
Joined: 20 Mar 2009
Posts: 415
Location: On the wings of Bob Lennon
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Posted: Fri Oct 30, 2009 10:02 pm
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I honestly don't think it's that weird for her to go on a blind date - she was curious, intrigued, and she thought that the person must have been a friend (or a friend of a friend) because he wouldn't have had her email address otherwise. It was only 8 o'clock - not that late at all, and in a public place. Nothing very unusual. I don't know Heidelberg specifically, but in my hometown, the old city fortress is a popular meet-up spot.
If you're unsure about a plot point or something or other, I suggest looking at the manga, since it's easier to navigate back and forth and contains almost identical information. That way you can quickly double-check something that you've potentially overlooked. Most of the time, one episode = two chapters.
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Prede
Joined: 17 Sep 2009
Posts: 388
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Posted: Fri Oct 30, 2009 10:13 pm
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I own the first 4 volumes of the manga, and I've been reading it after watching the episodes just to make sure I got everything. Thanks for the heads up though .
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Dorcas_Aurelia
Joined: 23 Jul 2006
Posts: 5344
Location: Philly
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Posted: Sat Oct 31, 2009 11:30 am
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He wants his sister because she's the only person in the world he feels a connection to (except maybe some weird sense of gratitude toward Tenma). I think he's been looking for her the entire time since they got separated, but only just recently found her (she'd changed her name, hadn't she?).
edit: because maybe it's a spoiler. It's pretty vague.
Last edited by Dorcas_Aurelia on Sat Oct 31, 2009 11:45 am; edited 1 time in total
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arachneia
Joined: 20 Mar 2009
Posts: 415
Location: On the wings of Bob Lennon
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Posted: Sat Oct 31, 2009 11:44 am
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I think that counts as a spoiler?
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Dorcas_Aurelia
Joined: 23 Jul 2006
Posts: 5344
Location: Philly
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Posted: Sat Oct 31, 2009 11:46 am
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So I know for the future, in what sense was my post spoiler-ish?
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arachneia
Joined: 20 Mar 2009
Posts: 415
Location: On the wings of Bob Lennon
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Posted: Tue Nov 10, 2009 7:21 am
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So... two really good episodes. The Lawyer sequence is a great one, and illustrates a strange arc in Tenma's character. He goes from benevolent in principle, to wishing for someone's death, to almost letting a man die because of his personal disgust for his actions, to finally conceding to save his life, no matter how flawed. Instead of getting progressively more callous, he is only getting kinder and more altruistic, which I think is interesting as it means Johann's attempts to corrupt him have completely backfired, even before the finale.
The fangirl in me loves the badass transformation from a scrawny doctor to someone who can carry an adult man on his shoulders and shoot with great speed and precision.
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bleachj0j
Joined: 22 Nov 2008
Posts: 926
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Posted: Tue Nov 10, 2009 4:08 pm
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These episodes made me feel even worse for someone as good as Tenma. He helps anyone he can. Johan is looking more like a monster. He is treating it like a game.
The dub also continues to do well
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Ktimene's Lover
Joined: 23 Apr 2005
Posts: 2242
Location: Glendale, AZ (Proudly living in the desert)
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Posted: Tue Nov 10, 2009 10:15 pm
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Karen Strassman was also superb as Kallen in Code Geass, which Liam excelled in as Lloyd. I find the irony here: Lloyd is kind of in the vein of apathetic/manic scientist. That is, my beloved mad scientist trope. Tenma is the sympathetic doctor. I also find it well how Liam portrays a man sworn to help others while also trying to kill one of his former patients. I can relate to him in the aspect of wanting to help others while also having the mindset of seeing others dead.
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arachneia
Joined: 20 Mar 2009
Posts: 415
Location: On the wings of Bob Lennon
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Posted: Wed Nov 11, 2009 9:52 am
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Ctimene's Lover wrote: | I can relate to him in the aspect of wanting to help others while also having the mindset of seeing others dead. |
I could be misunderstanding you, but in what way does Tenma want - or is used to seeing - others dead?
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Dorcas_Aurelia
Joined: 23 Jul 2006
Posts: 5344
Location: Philly
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Posted: Wed Nov 11, 2009 5:15 pm
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He's a surgeon. People die in hospitals. He may be the best neurosurgeon in the world (or close to it), but even if he never lost a patient (doubtful, as no one starts with that kind of medical brilliance), other doctors surely have, and you can't just avoid every death in a busy hospital in a big city.
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arachneia
Joined: 20 Mar 2009
Posts: 415
Location: On the wings of Bob Lennon
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Posted: Wed Nov 11, 2009 7:20 pm
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I think his conversation with Runge makes it pretty clear that he feels no ease whatsoever when it comes to death. He does not seem any more desensitized than your average person - in fact, I'd argue that the lengths he goes to both as a surgeon and someone trying to stop a murderer, imply that he is very much affected by death, more so than a regular person.
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