Forum - View topicBest First Episode Tournament: Post-Mortem
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dtm42
Posts: 14084 Location: currently stalking my waifu |
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Only nine votes so far, hmm? Kind of lame.
If it isn't obvious, I am racing through these. Group D-9 Angel Beats! vs. Read or Die (the OVA) I'll give it to Angel Beats!, just. I didn't like the series all that much (for many reasons) but the first episode did raise some interesting questions. Too bad Yuri doesnt know how to hold a gun properly. Group D-10 Death Note vs. Gunslinger Girl Death Note's first episode is head-and-shoulders better. It is so captivating it ain't funny and the episode would still be considered fresh and mind-blowing even if it aired for the first time today. Group D-11 Fruits Basket vs. Mawaru Penguindrum Mawaru Penguindrum's first episode does cover a lot of plot, and the survival strategy sequence is memorable. Group D-12 Ouran High School Host Club vs. Moribito – Guardian of the Spirit I was not as impressed with Moribito's first episode as many other people but I was still impressed with it. Balsa is not your typical leading lady, the hook with the prince is interesting and it is a very well-drawn episode. Last edited by dtm42 on Mon Jun 18, 2012 7:23 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Spastic Minnow
 Bargain HunterExempt from Grammar Rules  Posts: 4630 Location: Gainesville, FL |
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The next round here should be more interesting then this one. It seems the winners are probably decided even at this 10 vote tally. So I will rush through this one too.
Group D-9 Angel Beats! vs. Read or Die (the OVA) Voting for: Angel Beats! Last round I narrowly voted against the ROD OVA and slightly preferred Angel Beats, I'll stick with that. For pure fun and ballsiness, ROD may be better, but Angel Beats is also a lot of fun and promises a more interesting store from episode one. Group D-10 Death Note vs. Gunslinger Girl Voting for: Death Note Same deal, last round I voted against Gunslinger Girl and for Death Note , I will continue with that. Death note has a wonderfully intriguing ans shocking set up that feels like its really going somewhere. Gunslinger Girl feels like it relies too much on the shock of it's premise without the certain knowledge that you'll get a complete story. Group D-11 Fruits Basket vs. Mawaru Penguindrum Voting for: Mawaru Penguindrum Here's the only one where I voted for both, but it's still no contest, Fruits Basket is a very good comedy that sets up its premise well, Penguindrum is also funny, sets up a very strange mystery but also packs some bits of drama and stunning art design. Group D-12 Ouran High School Host Club vs. Moribito – Guardian of the Spirit Voting for: Moribito – Guardian of the Spirit Yep, voted against Ouran last time, and would have possibly voted for Kimi ni Todoke over Moribito if it had won, but Moribito certainly has the strength of setting, artistry and character for me to prefer it over a servicable comedy with some nice gags. |
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GDFan
 Posts: 254 Location: North of Boston |
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Nice to see I'm not the only one pressed for time.
Group D-9 Angel Beats! vs. Read or Die (the OVA) As fun as Read or Die is, Angel Beats! just has too much going for it. It's music, comedy, action, and cast of characters are all top notch. And it's just so pretty. Group D-10 Death Note vs. Gunslinger Girl Well, there's no denying Death Note's popularity, I'm just not as smitten with it's idea, or execution as most. And from some of the comments, I wasn't the only one rolling my eyes when the shinigami first appeared. Gunslinger Girl certainly isn't perfect, but so few things are. Both series have far-fetched concepts, but GG's presentation makes it more believable. Group D-11 Fruits Basket vs. Mawaru Penguindrum I haven't had the opportunity to watch Mawaru Penguindrum, but I've read nothing to make me doubt that it is superior to Fruits Basket. FB had some pretty annoying characters. And in the first episode they were already doing what they do best, pissing me off. Group D-12 Ouran High School Host Club vs. Moribito – Guardian of the Spirit Too bad for Ouran, it's the second great, funny, and suprisingly touching comedy going down in this group. Moribito, with an incredible introduction to an epic story, beautiful animation, and a strong female lead gets my vote. |
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Dorcas_Aurelia
 Posts: 5344 Location: Philly |
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Group D-9
Angel Beats! vs. Read or Die (OVA) Thoughts: This is a rather tough call. R.O.D. gets the plot rolling quickly, introduces fun and likeable characters, and packs in the action. Angel Beats uses the protagonist with amnesia as a surrogate for the audience to explain how its unusual world works, but there are questions the veteran SSS members don't know the answers to either. The unusual afterlife setting is intriguing enough on its own, but the action, music, and comedy in the show are compelling as well. Voting for: Angel Beats Group D-10 Death Note vs. Gunslinger Girl Thoughts: As I said last round, the stony nature of the girls in the first episode of GSG prevents me from warming up to it quickly, despite the mix of action and questionable morality of the agency's actions. While Light is hardly a sympathetic character and his morality is beyond gray, he proves to be much more interesting to watch. Voting for: Death Note Group D-11 Fruits Basket vs. Mawaru Penguindrum Thoughts: No question. Penguindrum wins in drama, comedy, and inventiveness. Voting for: Mawaru Penguindrum Group D-12 Ouran High School Host Club vs. Moribito – Guardian of the Spirit Thoughts: Ouran has one of the best opening episodes of a comedy series I've seen. The delivery is spot on, and the cast is as bright and colorful as the visuals. It pulled me into a show from a genre that I normally avoid. Moribito looks amazing, introduces one of the strongest female leads in anime, and introduces the larger plot, explaining enough to catch the viewer's interest, but still leaving plenty of mysteries. It also ends on a cliffhanger. Voting for: Ouran |
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P€|\||§_|\/|ast@
 Posts: 3498 Location: IN your nightmares |
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Another procrastinator here, been busy getting ready for my trip to AX.
Group D-9 Angel Beats! vs. Read or Die (the OVA) Voting for - Read or Die (the OVA): Even though I preferred the TV series first episode, it gets my vote instead of Angel Beats. Angel Beats just seemed too all over the place, cynical and disorganized. It intentionally left the viewer confused so he/she sympathizes with the protagonist but that only goes far enough get a laugh out of the viewer, and I wasn't laughing. Kind of retarded TBH. (Just finished watching AB seconds ago, sorry Key for being so last minute on this vote). Group D-10 Death Note vs. Gunslinger Girl Voting for - Death Note: I remember being pleasantly impressed and astounded by Death Note's first episode and I was intensely interested in the story premise. I'm just worried I'm forgetting whether I was equally impressed by Gunslinger Girl because it was also an interesting premise. I think though with Gunslinger Girl it was the idea behind the story before watching it that made me the most interested, but it didn't pull it off as well as DN, which I first saw without being as familiar with what it's about beforehand. Group D-11 Fruits Basket vs. Mawaru Penguindrum Voting for - Fruits Basket: This was brilliant for all the reasons I've said before so I support this show advancing to the next bracket. Unfortunately for Mawaru I think it's relative newness and lower degree of popularity is counting a bit against it. I've not seen it, but I'm betting it wont stand up to the impression FB gave me (a long time ago). Ouran High School Host Club vs. Moribito – Guardian of the Spirit Voting for - Ouran High School Host Club: I can at least prevent Moribito from getting away with a flawless victory. And it's not out of spite or anything, I honestly thought Moribito was a rather weak pick for this tournament, and really don't know what about the first episode makes it anything special or sets it apart. Yeah it had action, but I just kind of found it meh. Ouran is simply perfection in slap you unexpectedly in the face comedy, I must have watched that episode 10 times very shortly after it first came out. |
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The Naked Beast
 Posts: 1028 Location: A Blue Planet |
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Group D-9
Angel Beats! vs. Read or Die (the OVA) Read or Die OVA starts it fast and stylish with super-powered clones of historical figures and Yomiko Readman's paper manipulation. Readman herself is quite the interesting character with her unnatural love and massive collection of books. The opening is also quite something with a spy-ish sounding to it and the silhouettes. My vote goes to: Read or Die (the OVA). Group D-10 Death Note vs. Gunslinger Girl This series sets itself apart from other shonen titles with its main character. The special skill/power in this series is the titular Death Note. What sets Light apart from his shonen counterparts is his cunning, wit, and intelligence. My vote goes to: Death Note. Group D-11 Fruits Basket vs. Mawaru Penguindrum Everything I have heard about Mawaru Penguindrum has been praise. I have seen Fruits Basket but everything about Mawaru Penguindrum makes it the better first episode. My vote goes to: Mawaru Penguindrum. Group D-12 Ouran High School Host Club vs. Moribito – Guardian of the Spirit Moribito easily makes a great first impression on the viewer. Everything about this series from the animation, feudal Japanese government policies, and the action scenes make this a must-watch series. My vote goes to: Moribito – Guardian of the Spirit. |
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dtm42
Posts: 14084 Location: currently stalking my waifu |
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Was there an extension to the round that I didn't know about?
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marie-antoinette
 Posts: 4136 Location: Ottawa, Canada |
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Except not, since you are only the second person to vote in Fruits Basket's favour. |
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Key
Moderator
 Posts: 18458 Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley) |
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Round 2 Group D is now closed.
No, that was me miserably failing to remember that it was Monday night and I was supposed to wrap up the round. Ugh! Anyway, with an all-too-typical 15 votes in, the results: D-9: Angel Beats! eliminated the ROD OVA, 10-5. D-10: Death Note shoots down Gunslinger Girl, 11-4. D-11: Maware Penguindrum goes penguin crazy on Fruits Basket, 13-2. D-12: Moribito spears OHSHC, 13-2. So after a couple of very suspenseful Groups this one turned out to be the least suspenseful week of the whole tournament. None of the matches were ever close; in fact, percentage-wise the margins for victory at the end were probably the smallest leads that any of the winners had the whole round. Next round will go up as soon as I can get it done. |
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Key
Moderator
Posts: 18458 Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley) |
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Round 3 Group A&B are now closed.
Results can be found here. So we're back to pairing up rounds, and that means including the biggest mess we've ever had in one of these tournaments. We've never had a four-way before, and I dearly hope we never do again. I will be very curious to see how the voting goes in B-13 with four apparently evenly-matched contestants. It's entirely possible that, for only the second or third time ever, we may have someone win with only a plurality, rather than a majority, of the votes. Group A-13 Eden of the East vs. His and Her Circumstances (aka Kare Kano) Group A-14 Time of Eve vs. Rurouni Kenshin Trust and Betrayal OVA Group B-13 Bunny Drop vs. Paranoia Agent vs. Fullmetal Alchemist vs. Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo Group B-14 Hanasaku Iroha vs. Samurai Champloo Last edited by Key on Mon Jun 25, 2012 11:29 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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marie-antoinette
Posts: 4136 Location: Ottawa, Canada |
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B-13 is definitely the match to watch. It will be very interesting to see how that turns out.
Oddly enough, I know pretty much for sure what my votes will be in both 14 matches but haven't quite decided yet for either of the 13s. We're getting down to the wire so I'm going to do my best to actually watch all the remaining episodes. |
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Spastic Minnow
Bargain Hunter Exempt from Grammar Rules Posts: 4630 Location: Gainesville, FL |
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It's a-13 I'm waiting on, I have to rewatch Eden of the East, luckily I recently bought the BD collection.
I do want to vote early though. I can see myself changing my vote in B-13 according to future votes. So, maybe tonight I'll get it in. |
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Dorcas_Aurelia
Posts: 5344 Location: Philly |
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Results.
Ggultra pulls back into first place. I believe the 4 point lead of A Mystery is the furthest ahead any leader has been in the minigame so far. Tris is in third, while Naked Beast and Key fill out the fourth and fifth positions. The competition is starting to thin out a bit now, but over a dozen people still have a chance at first place. |
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Ggultra2764
 Subscriber Posts: 3966 Location: New York state. |
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This bracket's gonna be a doozie, especially B-13.
Match A-13: Eden of the East Pretty easy choice for me. While Kare Kano's opening episode mixes great comedy and character fleshing with Yukino's character, the series is quite outclassed to the better visual presentation and Akira's comical and mysterious introduction within Eden of the East. Match A-14: Rurouni Kenshin: Trust and Betrayal One of two tough matchups for me to pick from. Both are visually impressive and do a great job in setting up their premises. But in terms of an anime that did enough at making an emotional impact within its opening episode, I have to go with Trust and Betrayal's effective focus on the tragic developments that led Kenshin to become a swordsman and the events that led to his hardened and merciless mentality as the Battousai during the Tokugawa shogunate's final years. Match B-13: Paranoia Agent Egad, this is a mess. Gankutsuou is easily the weakest choice for me in this group thanks to some elements of its visual presentation and the series taking a few episodes before I could get into the complex developments of the Count's character. Fullmetal Alchemist and Usagi Drop have solid setups for their opening episodes with the former introducing the Elrics and their philosophical differences with Rose, while the latter gets by with the emotional connection the viewer gets from knowing of Rin's tragic circumstances and Daikichi's decision to adopt her. As some have argued in previous rounds, the first FMA series doesn't truly flesh out the tragic past of the Elrics until after the first two episodes, which could have made for a much stronger first episode instead of the slapstick comedy and philosophical conflicts focused on with the Elrics in Lior. If Paranoia Agent weren't in this messy foursome, I would quite easily pick Usagi Drop right now. But because it is here, I found myself conflicted between voting for either Usagi or Paranoia. The former's simplicity, touching character drama and pastel-like animation do enough for a great introduction to the series in its opening episode. Unfortunately, Paranoia Agent was directed by Satoshi Kon, one of my all-time favorite anime directors, who brings about his cerebral and cinematic style of direction to the series to suck you into the mysteries surrounding Li'l Slugger and Tsukiko to tease you into thinking that not all is what it seems on the surface upon first watching the opening episode to Paranoia Agent. It was tricky enough for me to judge, but I have to vote for Paranoia Agent here. Match B-14: Hanasaku Iroha Easy match to pick from. Samurai Champloo mostly gets by with its style and animation while Hanasaku Iroha offers just as impressive visual quality alongside starting off the unique circumstances that Ohana gets entangled in serving at her grandmother's hot springs resort. |
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marie-antoinette
Posts: 4136 Location: Ottawa, Canada |
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My copy of that one is in the mail as we speak, hopefully it will get here before the end of the week though you never know with international shipping. |
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