General anime discussion thread

Antonin

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Thanks Shadow Dragon for the source!

What's this strange need to grow to hate something publically? (I know I'm hating on SAO in this thread, but I'd be a happier puppy if I didn't. Heh.)

Eh, I was half-joking. I was on the fence about writing up on the show and I was talking to someone from the site about it and they took it as me claiming it. So I think I'm a bit annoyed at the slight miscommunication. Also, he was telling me that negative reviews/commentary tend to get more hits. I'm going to try to like it.

I don't personally like hating on things, but I might be stuck doing it now. I have yet to see the second episode, but the first one left me being annoyed at all the characters for some reason.
 

Dawnstorm

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Eh, I was half-joking. I was on the fence about writing up on the show and I was talking to someone from the site about it and they took it as me claiming it. So I think I'm a bit annoyed at the slight miscommunication. Also, he was telling me that negative reviews/commentary tend to get more hits. I'm going to try to like it.

Heh, I thought it was something like this. You barely ever say anything negative about anything, so this line came out of left field.

Personally, I'm not that fond of episodic blogging in the first place. I prefer posts coming when people have something to say rather than on a weekly basis.

I don't personally like hating on things, but I might be stuck doing it now. I have yet to see the second episode, but the first one left me being annoyed at all the characters for some reason.

I think the key to unlocking this show is through the motifs of "glass" and "seeing" - these motifs play out both plotwise in the show and through the camera lense on a meta level (with all the blurring, filter effects etc. they're using). Note, for example, how the first episode was named fireworks, even though the silly chicken-episode was more prominent plot-wise.

I think the show is actually pretty clever and carefully constructed; but it sort of fails to come together in an organic way for me. (The owner of this site, for example, really loves the show.)
 

Antonin

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Heh, I thought it was something like this. You barely ever say anything negative about anything, so this line came out of left field.

Personally, I'm not that fond of episodic blogging in the first place. I prefer posts coming when people have something to say rather than on a weekly basis.

Yeah, I'm going to try and avoid recapping... because honestly I don't see a point in it. A nice, snappy recap is always available on a wiki page.

It's mostly going to be thoughts, reactions and general musings.

Maybe a table flip emoticon for an episode.

I think the key to unlocking this show is through the motifs of "glass" and "seeing" - these motifs play out both plotwise in the show and through the camera lense on a meta level (with all the blurring, filter effects etc. they're using). Note, for example, how the first episode was named fireworks, even though the silly chicken-episode was more prominent plot-wise.

*smacks head*

Yeah okay. That is clever. I did notice something weird when I was watching it. I kept wondering if it was my TV messing up. I'll be sure to keep that in mind while watching the other episodes.
 

Alexys

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It wasn't? It's the harem-flavoured subtype (you know, like, Ichiban Ushiro no Daimaou and such). The only way SAO stood out to me was that it was a bit more narcistic than usual about the lead.

For me, "paint-by-numbers shounen fighter" means something a lot more akin to DBZ than SAO ever was--in other words, a show in which the fights are The Point. Unbreakable Machine Doll would be a fairly recent example. (That doesn't mean that SAO isn't a shounen fighter, just that it doesn't fall into the "paint-by-numbers" subclass.)
 

EMaree

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Thanks Shadow Dragon!

Apparently the DRAMAtical Murder episode issues are because they released a beta version of the episode. Well. That's the first time I've experienced that.
 

Dawnstorm

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For me, "paint-by-numbers shounen fighter" means something a lot more akin to DBZ than SAO ever was--in other words, a show in which the fights are The Point. Unbreakable Machine Doll would be a fairly recent example. (That doesn't mean that SAO isn't a shounen fighter, just that it doesn't fall into the "paint-by-numbers" subclass.)

The reason I'm replying so late is because I don't know what to say. I agree SAO doesn't paint by the same numbers that DBZ does. I disagree that it doesn't paint by the numbers that Machine Doll does. That's exactly the template I was talking about with "harem sub-type". (And, yes, I agree Machine Doll is by the numbers.) In fact, back then when SAO was new and everyone was praising Asuna as a "strong woman", I was pretty much arguing that she was exactly the Yaya-type (except I didn't use that example, because Machine Doll wasn't out yet).

Mind you, being a paint-by-numbers shounen fighter isn't a bad thing. I actually liked Machine Doll, for example.

But if for you, both DBZ and MD paint by the same numbers, then you're applying a broader brush than I and I'm even more confused about what I'm missing.
 
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Alexys

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Rethinking it last night, I came to the conclusion that Machine Doll is not a good example and I pulled it up more because of fuzzy memory due to migraine, meds, and exhaustion than anything else. Bleach is a better one. Among the distinctive features are: battles which last multiple episodes, a lot of time spent talking about combat techniques (SAO has a bit of this now and again, but not to the same extent), almost no episodes without some kind of fighting. It can be done well (Fairy Tail fits the type too, as does Ruroni Kenshin), but it's more often done badly.

Asuna isn't quite the same character class as Yaya, though--she doesn't have the aggressive insecurity (generally demonstrated through excessive flirting/inappropriate sexuality) that I think of as being important to Yaya's . . . subtype, I guess you would say. (Female Shy Love Interest as opposed to Female Aggressive Love Interest, or something like that.)
 

Dawnstorm

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Rethinking it last night, I came to the conclusion that Machine Doll is not a good example and I pulled it up more because of fuzzy memory due to migraine, meds, and exhaustion than anything else. Bleach is a better one. Among the distinctive features are: battles which last multiple episodes, a lot of time spent talking about combat techniques (SAO has a bit of this now and again, but not to the same extent), almost no episodes without some kind of fighting. It can be done well (Fairy Tail fits the type too, as does Ruroni Kenshin), but it's more often done badly.

Ah, yes, that makes much more sense. I see what you mean and agree completely. SAO is not that kind of show.

Asuna isn't quite the same character class as Yaya, though--she doesn't have the aggressive insecurity (generally demonstrated through excessive flirting/inappropriate sexuality) that I think of as being important to Yaya's . . . subtype, I guess you would say. (Female Shy Love Interest as opposed to Female Aggressive Love Interest, or something like that.)

I'd agree with that, too, but I'd like to elaborate. I called the type the "harem sub type", and that's important here. The difference between Asuna and Yaya runs along the harem trajectory. In a harem show, they'd be completely different character types. However, barring those differences, they fulfill pretty much the same niche in a shounen fighter: the one-woman lead support system. Nominally, a strong character but not developed beyond her relationship to the lead.

Plotwise, there's another key difference: Asuna falls into the category "love interest"; Yaya doesn't, and very likely she never will (though who really knows?).
 

c.m.n.

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Love Stage is so good. And the quality of yesterday's Dramatical Murder episode was ten times better than previous. I was probably the only one who enjoyed their terrible quality, though. Laughed my ass off.

Anyone watched Samurai Flamenco when it aired last year? I've decided to pick it back up since I stopped watching due to real life issues.
 

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I watched Samurai Flamenco. Can't say it was great, but it was an interesting play on various hero tropes that it parodied. I did end up really liking Hazama.
 

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I'm watching Love Stage each week and loving it. Also I'm watching Sekaiichi Hatsuckoi.

Picked up Love Stage because of your post and it's surprisingly fun. (I couldn't stand Sekaiichi Hatsukoi, if I'm not confusing it with another show.) I just wish they'd quit those rapy tropes; it's as if they (a) have to show who's the guy and (b) can't think of another way to do it. At least, this time round it doesn't seem entirely inconsequential. I'd be dropping the show at this point, but I really like the characters.

****

@Samurai Flamenco: I didn't like it too much; after the first twist, it just felt like a mess and I didn't know how to take it. But it has some extremely good episodes, and even lesser episodes have great moments on occasion. Hazama's voice actor, Toshiki Masuda, has delivered one of the best performances of last year, though. It's very hard to pull his off his lines and not sound ridiculous, yet he not only managed to do that, but he really inhabited the role. If you're a fan of the parodied material, or if you can keep your hold of thin thread that holds the show together in some otherway, this should be a very good watch.
 

Antonin

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After watching the fourth episode of Glasslip, I think I might like it.

Oh, if anyone here likes writing about video games (and probably anime), the website I've been writing for is looking for more volunteers. It's a good profile builder at the least. :)
 

Dawnstorm

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elindsen

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I forgot to mention that on August 6 I get to see Dragon ball Z: Battle of the Gods in theaters! I've seen the sub, but this is fricking DBZ! My first anime love. Plus around here they never do limited releases, so I'm shocked and stoked about it.

I'm not mad that Vegeta dances either. Well, okay, it's really stupid and makes me wonder WTH they were doing. But it's all better when he gets mad when Bulma gets hit. Sigh. Vegeta was my first anime crush.
 

Shadow Dragon

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So, there's a magical girl manga that is rumored to become an anime. Sound familiar right? Well, no so in the case of Mahou Shoujo Ore. The major features of the storyline are as follows:
  • 15 year old girl is a newbie idol in love with her best friend’s brother who is also a popular idol.
  • She runs into a scary yakuza guy and finds out her mother was an ex-magical girl, the yakuza was her mascot.
  • Her love interest gets kidnapped by demons that look like burly men with cute squirrel heads.
  • She contracts the yakuza to become a magical girl, which in this story means she turns into a handsome guy in a magical girl outfit.
  • Her magical staff does jack shit and she literally beats the enemies to death with it.
  • Her love interest shows an attraction towards her magical guy form.
  • Her best friend (her love interest’s sister) turns out to be in love with her and later also becomes a magical crossdressing guy to save her life.
  • Their manager is a magical girl geek and decides to make them into an idol unit.
http://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-news/2014/08/02-1/meet-mangas-muscular-male-mahou-shoujo

I'll definitely read that at some point and I really want it to become an anime.
 

Shadow Dragon

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With every new episode of Sailor Moon, there's a new series of oddities and mistakes shown in its animation. Like these:
https://31.media.tumblr.com/69c9192c5ac35cc078f4d83388ccd3da/tumblr_inline_n9qnrgbrsQ1rpf0sr.png

and

http://i.imgur.com/sZnkfYl.jpg

Toei never seems to clean up the shots and always have issues with the eyes. Despite having extra time with the episodes thanks to the every other week schedule, they feel rushed and a bit sloppy. It almost feels like Toei is treating Sailor Moon as a little side project instead of a major franchise.
 

Dawnstorm

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I forgot to mention that on August 6 I get to see Dragon ball Z: Battle of the Gods in theaters! I've seen the sub, but this is fricking DBZ! My first anime love. Plus around here they never do limited releases, so I'm shocked and stoked about it.

Yay. I've only ever seen a few anime films in the cinema. Isn't happening often around here, so I can definitely relate.

@Mahou Shoujo Ore: Now that is something to see. Heh.
 

Antonin

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So, there's a magical girl manga that is rumored to become an anime. Sound familiar right? Well, no so in the case of Mahou Shoujo Ore. The major features of the storyline are as follows:
http://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-news/2014/08/02-1/meet-mangas-muscular-male-mahou-shoujo

I'll definitely read that at some point and I really want it to become an anime.

Sign me up. It sounds like freaking gold.


Yup, its supposed to be the same thing but "from the author's original vision."
 

Romantic Heretic

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I recently discovered Girls und Panzer which is a major hoot. Especially for an grognard like myself. Loved identifying old WWII tanks, a few of which barely saw service. I also liked that the various 'tankery clubs' used the tanks/tactics of particular participants (Brits/US/German/Soviet).

My final take on the series is that it is a satire/criticism of the limited roles that women have in Japanese culture.
 

Antonin

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Holy crap I am in love with HaNaYaMaTa.

I can't. I just can't take how much I adore it. Maybe it's because I love seeing people unapologetically in love with something. Like cons. Cons are usually my happy place because of all the people who are stupid excited to be there.

Also, it's rather interesting to note that the main person who started the club is an American exchange student.

I recently discovered Girls und Panzer which is a major hoot. Especially for an grognard like myself. Loved identifying old WWII tanks, a few of which barely saw service. I also liked that the various 'tankery clubs' used the tanks/tactics of particular participants (Brits/US/German/Soviet).

My final take on the series is that it is a satire/criticism of the limited roles that women have in Japanese culture.

Huh. I didn't expect that out of the very brief things I've seen.

Admittedly, this alone does perk my interest as I love the song.
 

Dawnstorm

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My final take on the series is that it is a satire/criticism of the limited roles that women have in Japanese culture.

Huh. I didn't expect that out of the very brief things I've seen.

Admittedly, this alone does perk my interest as I love the song.

I've seen the entire TV-series and I can see how it can be taken that way, but I personally think we only get girls because it's a genre staple ("Saki with Tanks instead of Mahjong").

Girls und Panzer is excellent, though. I didn't expect much, and after the 3D opening battle that triggered motionsickness in me I thought I wouldn't watch it, but I was wrong. What sets this show apart from others is the attention to detail, you get traditional wall scrolls with tanks on them in the background. And they're playing the absurdity of it totally straight.

And, of course, it's given us the Anglerfish Dance.