Forum - View topicEP. REVIEW: The Testament of Sister New Devil
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Calsolum
 Posts: 899 |
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I must say the review of episode 3 captures my thoughts on the series thus far I'm beginning to wonder if there's brain scanner in my house and it's feeding the perfect reviews to match the viewer(nah that's just crazy... Right?).
I've never seen or read highschool dxd but I've 'seen' it around often and it's on my list of things to watch when I run out of things to watch. Main characters without a spine(in harem/comedic generes) are way too common, to love Ru comes to mind so seeing a protagonist with some backbone is nice. But as pointed out in the review Mio is sorely lacking as a character and I think anyone with a reasonable amount of exposure to tsundere characters could predict her actions down to every blush and outburst. I sincerely hope she breaks this mold sooner rather than later. The bath scene was rather... Awkward I mean it was entertaining I'll give it that but it seemed a bit over the top, personally I liked it but unfortunately in my opinion I think they'd have to lose most of the 'over the top' eechi in order for this to get the amount of viewers it really deserves. I'll definitely be looking forward to future episodes, please don't let me down like that other anime series that will not be named. |
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Yttrbio
 Posts: 3653 |
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The spineless loser male lead in harem shows has been on the way out for some time, though, and I don't think it's really novel or especially praiseworthy anymore to have male characters with one attached. (Though Isuca, coming up, does have that problem)
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HaruhiToy
 Posts: 4118 |
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I mostly agree with the review but I am having difficulty with this statement. Although Maria provides help as an ally in defending Mio, she seems to exist mostly for the purpose of setting up all the fan service. There is no real reason she has to be a "succubus" as far as the story is concerned -- and I put that in quotes because even that role is distorted in the pursuit of making things steamy between Basara and Mio rather than Basara and Maria. Usually succubi are not combat droids. And that curse thing (and how it was conveniently reversed) is just dumb except as a way to give Mio an excuse to be pliant. We'll see where it takes us but at least it isn't bad enough to shut off to see if it makes something interesting out of itself. Last edited by HaruhiToy on Sat Jan 24, 2015 4:16 pm; edited 2 times in total |
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Princess_Irene
ANN Reviewer
 Posts: 2619 Location: The castle beyond the Goblin City |
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That's a good point. I think Maria is more interesting in general as a character because I've seen her a bit less - the "succubus" who actually acts like one or the sexually aggressive character is usually directing her sexual advances towards the hero, rather than facilitating ecchi bits with one of the other female leads.
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Key
Moderator
 Posts: 18262 Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley) |
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No, I think you're right on the money, as I read it the same way. Frankly, I was disappointed with Mio. (Of course, part of the problem here is that I can't help but compare Mio to Rias Gremory from High School DxD, and while I mentally understand that she's a different kind of character, she comes up utterly lacking by comparison.) |
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Maize Hughes
Posts: 81 |
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I agree. I felt like the characterization was really drifting, like there was a scene or two that didn't make it into the episode, or even like different people directed episodes 2 and 4, for instance. (Which is entirely possible, if the studio is pressed time, they might have had to split production into two teams to get the episodes out on time.) I really want to like Mio and Basara as people, not as a source of potential fanservice. It's probably to the studio's credit that I'm watching episode 4, and rooting for the characters to do cool stuff as opposed to rooting for the characters to fall in love/accidentally blow up their clothes. Still, I'd really like it if they would do cool stuff. I also felt frustrated at the vagueness of the action in the battle scenes. It wasn't that they were bad, but there was this vagueness from time to time, where I couldn't figure out where they were standing, or how much of the scenery they'd blown up, or really, what the stakes were, given that aside from Basara, nobody seemed to suffer much visible damage. Overall, I think the vagueness is a problem for the show. Maybe I've gotten too used to Maoyuu and Log Horizon, but when part of the plot is about power struggles in an unseen realm, I'd love to have a better idea of the stakes. |
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Greed1914
 Posts: 4486 |
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Good to know somebody else is making the same comparison. I know it isn't exactly fair to do so, but I can't help it. |
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Tuor_of_Gondolin
 Posts: 3524 Location: Bellevue, WA |
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It *is* fair if they made this trying to cash in on High School DxD's popularity. |
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Greed1914
Posts: 4486 |
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This has to be one of the best first lines in a review that I've ever read. 
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Hameyadea
 Posts: 3679 |
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When last week's episode ended relatively "clean", I knew that the next episode is gonna make up for that.
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Animelover12313
Posts: 278 |
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Damn, initially one of the show I actually had faith in now quickly stumbled down to the very bottom of a show. Shame, it does have a potentially good story somewhere.
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Catseyetiger
Posts: 779 |
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This show started with fan service, its apart of some animes and sometimes its over the top. I personally do not mind it as long as it fits the story and situation.
its like people who are turned off by nudity, why? |
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HaruhiToy
Posts: 4118 |
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Some people are. They don't get turned on they just think yuck. Fan service done right and in the right place is enjoyable but censorship just ruins it. As for this anime, its story was pretty weak up to now but it is starting to show signs of promise. All said and done I would have preferred no fan service only because it would have not invoked censorship. Any idea why they wouldn't censor the opening credits? It shows much more than most of what they streaked out. |
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Tuor_of_Gondolin
Posts: 3524 Location: Bellevue, WA |
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I *do* like fan service. There are even shows I like that have a lot of fan service. However, it needs to fit in with the flow of the plot and the scenes. For example, the fan service in Strike Witches was jarring because they kept yanking the camera to MAKE SURE you saw what they wanted to see, and it quickly became distracting. Also, if you want your story to be taken seriously, you need to keep your fan service in check (not necessarily non-existent).
Think about the Major in Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex... in that case, some people were jarred by her outfits because it ran counter to the atmosphere the anime was trying to establish. It didn't have that effect on me, but there were times I had to direct my mind to overlook it. There are some shows where the fan service becomes so excessive that it drowns the plot. The more seriously the plot is supposed to be taken, the more severe the repercussions of excessive fan service. A good director/author knows when and how to use fan service -- it's like a spice that is good in some foods, but even in those foods, too much will ruin the dish. |
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DuskyPredator
 Posts: 15519 Location: Brisbane, Australia |
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Wasn't pretty much all the fanservice here Maria's doing? She climbed into his clothes, she took the sign off the door, she let Yuuki in, its her curse, and she was making him play the game. When you have a succubus just being a succubus, that sort of thing is to be expected? When we don't have her trying to do normal demon things she is going to try and turn him into a sex fiend. Its times you are going to have to accept it will appeal to the male audience.
Its like High School DxD, you just have to accept the tits and butts, like a bishie showing off his muscles. |
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