×
  • remind me tomorrow
  • remind me next week
  • never remind me
Subscribe to the ANN Newsletter • Wake up every Sunday to a curated list of ANN's most interesting posts of the week. read more

Forum - View topic
REVIEW: Nobunaga The Fool Episodes 1 - 6 Streaming


Goto page 1, 2  Next

Note: this is the discussion thread for this article

Anime News Network Forum Index -> Site-related -> Talkback
View previous topic :: View next topic  
Author Message
dtm42



Joined: 05 Feb 2008
Posts: 14084
Location: currently stalking my waifu
PostPosted: Thu Feb 27, 2014 1:15 pm Reply with quote
The historian in me found this show unforgiveable. But putting aside how Jeanne is part-Japanese and all the other historical travesties, I just did not like this show. I've always disliked those stories with a "screw the rules and pansy stuff like logic, I have crazy hair and a manly voice", and this is no exception. It's for manchildren and proud of it. Which is great . . . if you're a manchild.

And yeah, Jeanne ain't handled well. One of history's most famous badarses (of either gender), who inspired the French (of all people) to fight and win battles despite having no military training and being a mere peasant, gets turned into weak-willed blonde eye candy.



Way to miss the point of her entire character, pals.


Last edited by dtm42 on Thu Feb 27, 2014 1:42 pm; edited 1 time in total
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message My Anime
gedata



Joined: 04 May 2013
Posts: 617
PostPosted: Thu Feb 27, 2014 1:38 pm Reply with quote
dtm42 wrote:
I've always disliked those stories with a "screw the rules and pansy stuff like logic, I have crazy hair and a manly voice", and this is no exception. It's for manchildren and proud of it. Which is great . . . if you're a manchild.


I didn't care Nobunaga the fool either but let's not say things we can't take back
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Rederoin



Joined: 29 May 2013
Posts: 1427
Location: Europa
PostPosted: Thu Feb 27, 2014 1:45 pm Reply with quote
dtm42 wrote:
The historian in me found this show unforgiveable. But putting aside how Jeanne is part-Japanese and all the other historical travesties, I just did not like this show. I've always disliked those stories with a "screw the rules and pansy stuff like logic, I have crazy hair and a manly voice", and this is no exception. It's for manchildren and proud of it. Which is great . . . if you're a manchild.

And yeah, Jeanne ain't handled well. One of history's most famous badarses (of either gender), who inspired the French (of all people) to fight and win battles despite having no military training and being a mere peasant, gets turned into weak-willed blonde eye candy.


Way to miss the point of her entire character, pals.

You must sure feel mature for insulting everybody who likes a certain show.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
One-Eye



Joined: 08 Mar 2011
Posts: 2267
PostPosted: Thu Feb 27, 2014 2:14 pm Reply with quote
I dropped this pretty quickly (2-3 eps?). First I didn't care the over the top drama or posturing. Lots of shouting because you know that makes it all the more dramatic. It felt like it was trying to say, "look I'm being cool, aint I?" Then we've got, Joan of Arc as a busty blonde with an armored arm, but the rest of her outfit is to show off her "assets". Plus her name is Jeanne Kaguya D'Arc, because she's got to be 1/2 Japanese right? Why? In order to make her more acceptable? In the first couple of episodes she's a weak kitten and she's all geared up and ready to worship the manly Nobunaga. This all just felt like otaku bait and it wasn't even clever about it.

Then there was the character designs. They seem both busy and generic at the same time. Magellan has an eyepatch (of course he does), Da Vinci with his monocle, Caesar with his half mask, Jeanne with her armored arm (but no other armor?) and boob suit, etc. It all just screams "Look at us! Aren't we cool!" Perhaps if this show had been a comedy the silliness would have been fun and wacky. However, at least in the opening episodes the show seems to take itself kind of seriously. It all just felt very empty to me without the style, coolness or fun factor that other vacuous yet more entertaining shows have.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
jl07045



Joined: 30 Aug 2011
Posts: 1527
Location: Riga, Latvia
PostPosted: Thu Feb 27, 2014 2:23 pm Reply with quote
dtm42 wrote:
And yeah, Jeanne ain't handled well. One of history's most famous badarses (of either gender), who inspired the French (of all people) to fight and win battles despite having no military training and being a mere peasant, gets turned into weak-willed blonde eye candy.


Jeanne d'Arc has always been treated as more legend than history. For all we know she could've just been a mentally ill figurehead who won people over with her innocence and religious fervour.

Also your dig at French is kinda weird (but very American to be politically incorrect). The military terminology itself shows the influence of France in military development throughout the previous millennium.





The show is very meh overall, I expected more from Kawamori, although apparently he isn't involved much. My main issue is that currently there is very little point to what's happening. I don't have problems with the historicity of the setting and characters, since the show doesn't really even try to present itself as a historical fiction. However I see very few interesting characters and a world that lacks "gravity".
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Hamu



Joined: 11 Oct 2012
Posts: 62
PostPosted: Thu Feb 27, 2014 2:35 pm Reply with quote
This show has lots of things I usually like: insane premise, hammy characters, amazing seiyuu, Tarot motifs... yet I found it boring. As in, watching with one eye in the timer to check how long the episode has left to finish. I don't even care about history accuracy, as long as it's entertaining. But no, couldn't get interested in it, or attached to the characters. It's a pity because I was really looking forward to this show. And yeah, absolutely hated what they did with Jeanne's character.

Funnily enough, Da Vinci is the character I like the most. Sugita is awesome. The ED is very catchy by the way.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
dtm42



Joined: 05 Feb 2008
Posts: 14084
Location: currently stalking my waifu
PostPosted: Thu Feb 27, 2014 2:41 pm Reply with quote
jl07045 wrote:
Jeanne d'Arc has always been treated as more legend than history. For all we know she could've just been a mentally ill figurehead who won people over with her innocence and religious fervour.


She was a real person who became a legend. What the full extent of her involvement was in the Hundred Years War is impossible to determine; historians are still arguing about whether she led the army or was just a morale booster. But there is simply too much evidence about too many feats to deny Joan her rightful dues.

jl07045 wrote:
Also your dig at French is kinda weird (but very American to be politically incorrect).


I wasn't referring to France's humiliating capitulation in World War 2 but the absolutely dire state of France and the French army in 1429. They really were on the ropes. They couldn't have even organised a piss-up at a brewery, it was that bad.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message My Anime
jl07045



Joined: 30 Aug 2011
Posts: 1527
Location: Riga, Latvia
PostPosted: Thu Feb 27, 2014 3:31 pm Reply with quote
dtm42 wrote:
But there is simply too much evidence about too many feats to deny Joan her rightful dues.


Feats that happened around her, not neccesarily feats she did herself. She was intentionally used as a symbol already at that time, so we need to be careful extrapolating badassery from primary sources.

Quote:
I wasn't referring to France's humiliating capitulation in World War 2 but the absolutely dire state of France and the French army in 1429. They really were on the ropes. They couldn't have even organised a piss-up at a brewery, it was that bad.


That's fair. Although I think it would be more precise to call it the army of the vassals of Capetian king, not French army, a lot of Lancaster vassals were also French. National identity started to form thanks to Jeanne.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
AsherFischell



Joined: 24 Feb 2014
Posts: 327
PostPosted: Thu Feb 27, 2014 5:00 pm Reply with quote
A B? BAHAHAHA!
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
meiam



Joined: 23 Jun 2013
Posts: 3450
PostPosted: Thu Feb 27, 2014 6:42 pm Reply with quote
Wow so that's how they dealt with Jeanne d'Arc, glad I didn't pick that up. You keep hearing about shonen anime being sexist and I usually tried to defend them, but sometime it's just literally impossible. I'm all for re-imagining story and alternate world story, but this character has nothing do with Jeanne d'arc, so why even name her that anyway?

dtm42 wrote:
Way to miss the point of her entire character, pals.


Silver lining would be if she'd get really popular and they'd do some more serious anime about her story. Oh and if they want more French historical figure could do a Napoleon too, the dude could figuratively kick 99% of all shonen MC ass. Heck they could have set up this entire story with Napoleon and Jeanne d'Arc fighting Nobunaga.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
CrowLia



Joined: 24 Feb 2012
Posts: 5530
Location: Mexico
PostPosted: Thu Feb 27, 2014 8:24 pm Reply with quote
Quote:
By episode six it has established that despite a set up that would make a historian cry


I am majoring in History and this show doesn't make me cry, it just generally makes me giggle uncontrollably. I firmly believe History as we know it is just a compound of relatively believable educated guesses that a higher power has generally agreed upon, so I'm all for taking it and making a mess of it with a lot of "what if"s. Also, I'm definitely with you on Mitsuhide's case, I think his development is by far the strongest part of the show where writing is concerned.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message My Anime My Manga
Stark700



Joined: 30 Jan 2012
Posts: 11762
Location: Earth
PostPosted: Thu Feb 27, 2014 9:30 pm Reply with quote
I have mixed thoughts on this show tbh but recently have been getting more and more so into it. For what it's worth, I do hope there will be more character development for our main characters. The mecha action is only so-so in my book.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website My Anime My Manga
dtm42



Joined: 05 Feb 2008
Posts: 14084
Location: currently stalking my waifu
PostPosted: Fri Feb 28, 2014 12:53 am Reply with quote
jl07045 wrote:
Feats that happened around her, not neccesarily feats she did herself. She was intentionally used as a symbol already at that time, so we need to be careful extrapolating badassery from primary sources.


Well, I'm hardly an expert, but what I've seen has me convinced that even if other people were using her she was still a huge badarse in her own right. The records and transcripts of her trial are just incredible. An illiterate nineteen-year-old peasant girl at a kangaroo court and yet she made her accusers look like muppets, such was her intellect and steadfastness.

I'm an atheist but I tip my hat to the woman.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message My Anime
Echo_City



Joined: 03 Apr 2011
Posts: 1236
PostPosted: Fri Feb 28, 2014 1:24 am Reply with quote
This show gets a thumbs-up for me for having male characters who aren't angst-ridden wimps. Any show that doesn't feature male characters who are less masculine than the NYC beta-male hipsters who have to get facial hair transplants to grow beards (who are, sadly, the norm for "males" in anime) instantly jumps to the front of the pack for me.

This really reminds me of Horizon in the Middle of Nowhere, with maybe a dash of the Fate universe thrown in (historical characters from different times brought into the same time period who are portrayed contrary to history and who are engaged in a nonsensical scenario).
Quote:
This all just felt like otaku bait and it wasn't even clever about it.
I'd think that it would be anti-otaku bait, considering the otaku's obsession over incest, lolis, NEET-glorification and moeblobs in general and that Jeanne has (so far) been used as a vehicle for none of those things.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Spotlesseden



Joined: 09 Sep 2004
Posts: 3514
Location: earth
PostPosted: Fri Feb 28, 2014 5:11 am Reply with quote
dtm42 wrote:
The historian in me found this show unforgiveable. But putting aside how Jeanne is part-Japanese and all the other historical travesties, I just did not like this show. I've always disliked those stories with a "screw the rules and pansy stuff like logic, I have crazy hair and a manly voice", and this is no exception. It's for manchildren and proud of it. Which is great . . . if you're a manchild.

And yeah, Jeanne ain't handled well. One of history's most famous badarses (of either gender), who inspired the French (of all people) to fight and win battles despite having no military training and being a mere peasant, gets turned into weak-willed blonde eye candy.

Way to miss the point of her entire character, pals.


lol. just the names. This show has nothing to do with history. I think your point is, you don't like anime use name of famous people, that won't happen.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Display posts from previous:   
Reply to topic    Anime News Network Forum Index -> Site-related -> Talkback All times are GMT - 5 Hours
Goto page 1, 2  Next
Page 1 of 2

 


Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group