Forum - View topicShelf Life - Destiny's Child
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partially
Posts: 702 Location: Oz |
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Isn't Waiting in the Summer meant to be a sequel of sorts? I am pretty sure I recall there being linked story elements to Please Teacher. Nothing too substantial though.
And an alien subplot ruins a lot of material.  Although the Japanese do seem to require a goofy subplot of some type; aliens, ghosts, esper, zombies et al. Doesn't really heighten the melodrama.
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Northlander
 Posts: 911 |
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The whole alien thing in Waiting in the Summer; it didn't bother me that she was an alien specifically, but it DID bother me that, aside from this allowing the show to have Marie's inheritor of cute mascot tomfoolery, Rinon, the alien angle was only used as an extremely artificial wedge at the end.
So yeah, spoiler[there's an emergency rescue function that's extremely easy to accidentally activate, and it can't be cancelled? Why?! And, of all things, it sends a kidnapbot, which starts a scuffle with the men in black in the least subtle of ways. I just... what in the... how was I supposed to be able to take ANYTHING seriously after seeing that?!] Also, I kind of rolled my eyes at the scene where spoiler[Kaito's childhood friend Kaori drug Kaito off into the woods after her two-episode diversion, where, after -- if I remember correctly -- a half-an-hour hike, she proceeded to tell him her story. And completely by hilariously ludicrous chance, Ichika was there to overhear it. Because she needed to, I guess.] Other than that, though; stellar show. I appreciated that Ichika wasn't prone to extreme hysteria like Mizuho was in Please Teacher. I also appreciated that the side/supporting cast were as great as they were in Please Teacher. |
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danilo07
 Posts: 1580 |
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I absolutely love Penguindrum,it is a masterpiece and one of the beast series of all time(according to me at least). However that is mostly due to the fact Ikuahara directed it as beautifully as he did.If it was done by some other director there is a big chance I would have hated it.I thought final message of show was frankly very stupid and in sense nihilistic(although it quite clearly doesnt think it is).That was gigantic disappointment,but it was executed so brilliantly that I didn't care.And rare are those moments.
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Reibooi
 Posts: 394 |
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I agree about Waiting in the Summer although despite some of the more obvious issues I still liked it quick a bit. I agree with the whole Ichika doesn't really even need to be a alien for the story to work but I think the only reason she was a alien was to invoke Onegai Teacher more then it already does.
spoiler[To be honest the last few episodes in which they are trying to find proof of alien contact to prevent Ichika from having to leave I thought despite knowing the two are not connected that the proof they would find in some way would relate to Kei and Mizuho's relationship from Onegai Teacher. Waiting in the Summer evokes Teacher in so many ways you will find yourself thinking they could be connected. Even Remon laughs and to a certain extent acts like Ichigo did in Onegai Twins ] Last edited by Reibooi on Mon Mar 18, 2013 5:35 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Chagen46
 Posts: 4377 |
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I really REALLY need to see Steins;Gate one day. I watched the first episode and thought it was really cool, so I'm looking to blind-buy the series off of my love for Nitro+ and the really high accolades it keeps receiving.
Perhaps I'll buy it at San Japan this year. |
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Animerican14
 Posts: 963 Location: Saint Louis, MO |
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Not having gotten to most of my copy of Penguindrum part 2 yet, as I hope to watch most of the dub on this set with my roommate fresh (and no, he has not been turned off by what I believe to be an unfairly-and-over-maligned dub or from anime as a whole)... how right does the translation "feel" on this set, specifically the very last few episodes? Whether it be dub or sub?
I have seen the entire series at least twice over by now, and even with the reasonably accurate fan subs (if Sentai's subs are to be compared, given how closely the subs resemble each other), there are definitely still parts of the very end that I feel that I didn't grasp. Is this the "fault" of the fan sub translation? If so, might I be able to grasp it any better or not with Sentai's subs? Or heck, are portions of Penguindrum's ending really supposed to be somewhat obtuse or vague, no matter how "good" a translation? And thus, does anyone have any real good reason to be upset at Sentai's translation treatment of the last few episodes if they feel about as confused in the same areas as they did watching the fan subs? It feels like I've seen in some places suggested that the dub of Penguindrum, or Sentai's overall treatment of the series, ought to have made things.... easier to understand? More fully coherent than what we may have gotten out of in the fan subs or the present official translation, or something not too far off those lines? But my gut tells me that if we really wanted to experience the show as intended conceptually, plenty of things would still not be immediately understandable; whether serving a Japanese or non-Japanese audience, I would think that Ikuhara would like viewers to think, look below the surface, and even re-watch episodes and scenes of the series to acquire a better understanding of it. |
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Angel M Cazares
 Posts: 5506 Location: Iscandar |
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I am a bit surprised that Bamboo did not deem Waiting in the Summer shelf worthy. I agree that Ichika did not have to be an alien. But to me the sci-fi aspect does not ruin the whole series. Honestly, If Ichika had been a transfer student that was going to eventually had to go back home, her inevitable departure could still have felt like a cop-out.
Thankfully, the ending of Waiting in the Summer did not feel like a cop-out because the creators made Kaito and others accept the painful truth. I respect Waiting in the Summer for having the courage spoiler[ to let Ichika leave (but eventually have her return)]. If the humans had been able to defeat superior alien beings, that would have been very stupid. Last edited by Angel M Cazares on Mon Mar 18, 2013 6:13 pm; edited 2 times in total |
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chrisb
 Subscriber Posts: 638 Location: USA |
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The dub quality in the 2nd set of Penguindrum is a million times better. Emily Neves and Shelly Calene Black gave some performances that really broke my heart. I'm surprised how the dub went from mediocre to great all of a sudden. Maybe the actors and director felt the material deserved better as it became more emotionally intense. The male performances are still lacking a bit, but they did improve too.
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AnimeMaine
Posts: 123 |
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I agree with Steins;Gate and Penguindrum (although I just received the second part and haven't had time to watch it yet.)
Waiting in the Summer is close to being Shelf Worthy. Yes, the alien part is the weakest part of the anime, but I've watched it twice, would watch it again, and would share it with others. That's generally the criteria for Shelf Worthy. So I'd put it on the top of my "rental shelves". |
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Melanchthon
 Posts: 550 Location: Northwest from Here |
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Yeah, I too think Waiting is shelf worthy, given the fact that it is currently on my shelves. But it does have its flaws--the character of Mio is awkward, and the ending, spoiler[when they switch straight up from romantic love story to alien attack story], is rushed and stunted. But it is still very, very good. I can understand not buying it after watching it, but I'd recommend everyone watch it.
Beware! All your questions will be answered in the second half. Things get really crazy. And the story gets even better. |
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dragonrider_cody
Posts: 2541 |
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I really didn't have any major issues with the Penguindrum dub and really enjoyed it, other than taking an episode or two to get use to Illich Gaurdiola's role. It's pretty common for actors to take a few episodes to get into their roles, and considering that 12 episodes are done in about the same amount of time that 3-4 episodes use to get done in, it would make some sense. It's also worth noting that Scott Gensch took over as ADR director for the second half of the series. Stephen Foster is in Japan working on a "secret project" (possible the CGI Yamato movie.) |
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roseversailles
 Posts: 236 Location: Washington, U.S. |
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I'm with you to an extent (about Ikuhara as a director). Penguindrum is certainly one of the best series to show up in recent years, and a good deal of that quality is due to Ikuhara's flawless direction. His use of symbolism, imagery, and allegory, his wit and subtle hints, all are poweful directorial tools that can elevate anything from good to great. I also think the music in Penguindrum is very effective (the melancholic piano pieces come to mind). It's been a little while since I saw the ending, but I remember being satisfied with it. I like to think of Penguindrum as the better journey, and Utena as the better destination when I compare the two
By the way, to Animerican 14, I find the subtitles to be of much better quality in this set than the last (I believe I even complained about the previous release on a separate thread). There are less typos, they seem to flow a bit better (though there's still an annoying trend of abbreviating certain dialogue like it's slang, as well as the flipflop translation of unmei fate/destiny). All in all, I'm content. Would I have liked even *neater* and more literal subs? Of course! It would also have been nice to get a sweet set with accompanying CDs, like Japan did (though that's more Aniplex territory, release-wise). However, for what it is, I am content. The dub still just doesn't sound right to my ear, though (it's not so much performances, but rather unfortunate miscasting). |
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Angel M Cazares
Posts: 5506 Location: Iscandar |
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If the quality of the dub improves dramatically in the second part, Sentai should send Stephen Foster to work on secret projects more often.  Speaking of Yamato, I rather see Sentai pick up 2199.
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Divineking
 Posts: 1297 |
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I also agree that the dub had a pretty noticeable improvement in the second half. The performances sounded better, scripting was better, they changed Tabuki's VA(which was for the better in this half) and the comedy scenes were actually kind of funny(though still fairly weak compared to the Japanese version in that area).
I'd never heard of Scott Gensch up till then, but I hope they use him more often for ADR work. 
As for the actual themes of the show itself, I found the ending message of the show to be positive rather than nilhistic since I thought it was about how spoiler[strong familial ties can be and that sacrifice can be rewarded if it;s for those you love]. Of course I'm probably entirely wrong about that. 
Last edited by Divineking on Mon Mar 18, 2013 8:26 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Cecilthedarkknight_234
 Posts: 3820 Location: Louisville, KY |
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I think the lack of a dub or blu-ray quality has to considered in. Normally that's not even a factor for me but a series such as this really deserved one. |
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