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General Discussion
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Topic Started: Aug 19 2012, 08:10 PM (22,282 Views)
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Pong
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Aug 7 2013, 10:41 AM
Post #406
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Sakurasou no Pet na Kanojo 10/10
It's one that i'l take time to write about. Usually i don't but it was super awsome sauce.
It's a Romcom but not like any other romcoms, it has a very well done story.
Life is unfair, get used to it, would be the theme, you follow the struggle of the roommates at askurasou. I'm terrible at writing about things i like, same with talking to girls i like. -.- Anyway, if you have not watched it, do so.
The other series i gave a 10, is actually a 9 or 8.5. well this is a 10.
Edited by Pong, Aug 7 2013, 10:42 AM.
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Tiennou
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Aug 7 2013, 12:38 PM
Post #407
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Yeah Sakurasou was alright.
I didn't exactly feel concerned about the video game company drama thing of the main character though. So it was a bit hard for me to care about that.
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Aug 9 2013, 05:13 PM
Post #408
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Mahou Shoujo Madoka★Magica - 10 / 10 "It sucks, but you can't reach a happy ending just by doing what's right all the time." - Kaname Junko
The first thing I’ll tell you is that if you haven’t seen this show (or had it spoiled for you), and you have any intention whatsoever to actually watch it, then my tip would be to actually not read too much about the series before watching it...
Now then, let’s get down to it... I was very much on the fence (and still am) about some of these scores, and whether they should actually be a 9 or 10, so take it with an additional pinch of salt (and remember, a perfect score does not mean it’s all perfect).
Story: (9 / 10) In all its simplicity, Madoka★Magica is a breakdown and reconstruction of the “Mahou Shoujo” genre, in an attempt to make it more realistic and mature. And to be totally honest, they did a fantastic job with this. The buildup, plot twists and all the emotional moments in this series really come together to make it all a wonderful experience. Now, I’m aware (and have been told by several people) that the start of the series is quite slow, but I really think that adds to the whole “psychological” effect of the anime. This isn’t your standard, fast-paced good vs. evil action series with a dash of romance and comedy (as many “regular” magical girl shows tend to be). No, this series is about following the struggle of a few select girls who can have anything they want, in exchange for everything.
At first there’ll be a lot of questions raised, many left unanswered until almost the end of the series, but thankfully there don’t really exist any gaping plot holes, nor are any questions really left unanswered in the end.
Art: (10 / 10) Animation is done by Shaft, and if you’ve seen any of their other works (Monogatari series, Zetsubou sensei etc) then that should be all you need to know. The art is absolutely amazing, which you’ll see from just the first 10 or so seconds of the opening sequence. Aside from the great quality of the art, I really enjoyed the “clean” aesthetics of the environment/backgrounds, and the use of light colors for many of the characters. Character design is well done, but nothing overly amazing, tho it certainly distinguish all the characters, and makes them more memorable in a way. As for fan service, well... There is none. I mean, there’s not a single indication of fan service anywhere... at all...
The animation isn’t anything to scoff at either. Fluid both during fighting scenes and... well, non-fighting scenes, some good animations really help a lot in the portrayal of characters and their feelings.
As for the opening/ending scenes, there isn’t all too much I can say. The opening really shines at portraying that “advertised” feeling of “this is a happy show about cute girls” that the creators wanted to convey. The ending sequence however, is more or less just a silhouette of the main character walking away to music...
Sound: (10 / 10) Let’s talk about the musical score first. The opening theme, “Connect” by ClariS, is quite a happy song, and just like its accompanying opening sequence it does a great job of portraying that aforementioned “happy” feeling. Now, previously when I talked about the ending sequence, I was more or less referring only to that in which Kalafina’s “Magia” play, as this is the most “prominent” or well known of the 4 ending songs. The other 3 consist of the opening theme, “Connect”, a rather sad song called “Mata Ashita” by Aoi Yuuki, and finally a not so sad, but not really happy song called “And I’m home”, by Ai Nonaka and Eri Kitamura. “Magia” however, receives quite a bit more credit because not only is it played in 7 of the 12 episodes, but it’s also the most outstanding of the songs. Aside from being the ending theme of the series, it’s also used quite frequently during some of the more “epic” moments of the series, such as fighting scenes, and it really helps bring out the feelings of certain scenes.
Speaking of background music, Madoka★Magica features quite an amazing soundtrack. It’s overall pretty varied, ranging from happy themes such as “Credens Justitiam”, to darker songs such as “Walpurgis Nux”, there’s always a song which fits the situation, and really helps in conveying the feelings which want to be conveyed.
Characters: (9 / 10) Madoka★Magica consists of a rather small cast of characters, but interesting ones nonetheless. The characters all felt very real to me, and the amount of character development in this series is just great. It makes the characters feel even more “alive”, and really helps you relate and connect with them. The characters all (mostly) have solid and interesting backstories, however I feel like the reason this part is only a 9, is simply because of the fact that a certain character didn’t have as much backstory or information about her which I felt like she should have (but who knows, maybe that’ll change in the last movie).
There really isn’t too much more I can say here, without spoiling anything, to be honest.
Enjoyment: (10 / 10) This is easily a 10/10 for me. I was lucky enough to not have anything really told to me about this show more than maybe “it’s a bit dark”, or “it’s pretty weird”, so the shock factor and all were quite high for me. All the emotions, and the lingering feelings of this show really makes it an amazing #1 favorite of mine.
Conclusion: Now, this is obviously not your regular “mahou shoujo”, nor is it intended for the regular audience of said genre, but rather for a more mature audience. If you’re a fan of darker, slightly psychological shows, then I assure you you’re gonna love this if you can ignore the slightly slow beginning.
Pros: + Amazing plot, with lots of twists and drama. + Outstanding soundtrack. + Great art (as expected of Shaft). + Interesting, fleshed out characters. + Lots of heart wrenching / heartwarming moments. ----------------------- Cons: - Starts out fairly slow. - Shock factor of certain parts may decrease if you’ve read too much about the show.
Now off to watch the movies! FINALLY!
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Tiennou
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Aug 9 2013, 07:11 PM
Post #409
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- Aug 9 2013, 05:13 PM
Now off to watch the movies! FINALLY! You'll thank me later.
Ungrateful fagget.
Edited by Tiennou, Aug 9 2013, 07:11 PM.
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Aug 9 2013, 10:57 PM
Post #410
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Yes, I am very grateful for your (accidental) find of the movies, and at this point I just wish the last movie was released already...
In any case, I watched the first movie, but it's like 6 am, so I'll save the second one for tomorrow (or well, later today...)
NOTE: Have you not seen the series nor movie I heavily disregard you from reading this, as even without spoilers it could very well more or less ruin the experience for you.
Mahou Shoujo Madoka★Magica Movie 1: Hajimari no Monogatari - 9 / 10 “Watashi... Honto Baka...” - Miki Sayaka
As the first and second movie pretty much exactly follows the story and events of the original series, (which I’ve already written a review of) this review will more or less consist of comparisons between the series and movie, with some added thoughts.
Story: (9 / 10) The story of the first movie is basically a “recap” of the first 8 episodes of the series, with some added scenes. Though obviously, because this movie is about 40 minutes short of the original screen time, and has new scenes, some other scenes would have to be cut. This results in a slightly faster pace, which of course isn’t necessarily bad. However, in this case the biggest problem is that (as many have said before me) because we lack some of the buildup around the characters, some moments also have less of an emotional impact. What little is actually added through the two or three completely new scenes, or the reworked scenes from the series is easily counterbalanced by the things which are left out. This basically meant that while they’re not really explaining less stuff, they’re not really giving any additional explanation on things either (not that I personally thought it was necessary, but you know...).
I’d like to say this is the main reason the story does not receive a 10 here, but in the end I’d probably have to say that the first movie can’t live up to the original series’ story, because the later parts of the series is where the story really shines.
Art: (10 / 10) Now, this is one of the big points of the movies. Instead of simply reusing the old Blu-Ray footage, Shaft decided to reanimate the whole thing, which ultimately lead to the art quality being brought to a whole other level. The animations are as fluid as ever (with the oh so memorable “over-the-shoulder head tilt that seems so iconic from a lot of Shaft series), the backgrounds are even more detailed than before, and the overall art is just fantastic. Granted, unless you really pay attention to it, you probably won’t notice that much of a difference from the original series. There are new scenes, most of which are just scenery at first, but some of them are different angles of old scenes, or completely new locations and whatnot. If you really payed attention to it, you’d also notice that a lot of stuff in the backgrounds have been moved around, or there have been more things added. One of the most prominent examples of this (and something that sort of bugged me a bit) is the fact there are chairs, everywhere.
Seriously, I just can’t comprehend what is up with all these random chairs placed in every bedroom in the entire movie... And especially not while 5 of them are placed in a semi-circle, all facing Sayaka’s bed... It’s just weird to say the least.
In any case, the movie has its own opening sequence, which I quite liked actually. Fans of the original series will surely feel the emotions that wanted to be conveyed with this, while newcomers will probably enjoy it just as much as the original opening sequence, if not more.
Sound: (9 / 10) It’s not something I’ve confirmed myself, but I would assume that all the dialog (or atleast a lot of it) is re-recorded. However, even with this and the new scenes (which obviously bring new dialog) I can’t really say the voice acting outshines the series, but it’s not really worse either.
What drags it down from a 10 for me though, is the changes made to the soundtrack and background music. First we have the opening theme, “Luminous” by ClariS; I quite liked it, but wouldn’t really say it outshines “Connect”. The thing you’ll really notice though, is the severe decrease of use of the song “Magia” by Kalafina. In fact, it’s only played once (during the ED, and then it’s the “Quattro” version), except for one time where I THINK there’s some sort of orchestral arrangement of it played instead. I really felt this was too bad, to be honest, as it kinda takes away from the epicness of some of the scenes.
A lot of the OST seems to have stayed the same (again, I don’t really notice bgm unless it’s rather prominent) but the ones I could hear were changed, I’m not sure if I actually liked. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed the songs themselves, I’m just not sure if I think it was a good idea to replace the old OST. Sometimes though, they did use both the old, and newer versions of a song. For example, there are two transformation scenes in which “Credens Justitiam” (character theme of Mami) play; in the first one the original song plays, but the second time a slightly different version plays (and I think this one might actually have real japanese lyrics... might be wrong on this one, though). In this case I thought it was fine, and the change in sound isn’t really anything that’ll drag the score down all too much at this point, really, but it’s certainly something you’ll notice.
Characters: (9 / 10) Characters stay at roughly the same score as the original series, because there isn’t really enough change in the writing to alter any of the characters or their personalities. Obviously there’s also the fact that not all characters have had their backstory told yet (as that comes in later episodes), but I’m pretty sure a certain character had her backstory cut. As mentioned earlier, there’s also that “lesser emotional impact” which ties in very closely with the fact that a lot of scenes were cut out, and thus you’re not really getting the same chance to relate to, or connect with a character. But still, characters are mostly kept intact, so there’s really not much to say about this.
Enjoyment: (9 / 10) I liked the movie quite a bit, but I’m not sure how I’d compare it to the series. Comparing it to the entire series, it obviously wouldn’t be as good, but even just comparing to the first 8 episodes (on which it is based), I still think the movie did somewhat of a better job. Now, I’m certainly not saying the movie is bad (in fact, I felt a lot like rewatching Madoka Magica, and I think the movie has done a good job in satisfying my needs so far), and I certainly think the faster pace will be of benefit to a lot of people, since the original beginning is quite slow. However, there’s still the problem with some of the cut scenes and whatnot.
I quite liked how cutting out the opening sequence of the series, and some of the other changes early in the movie leads to a more well done approach to leading the viewer to believe it’s just another “cute” anime.
Conclusion: The art and sound quality sure have gotten an improvement, but I think this is too subtle of a change to actually have a big impact on your viewing experience if you’ve already seen the original series. Again, I think the slightly faster pace of the movie might be better for a lot of people who thought the series was too slow, but overall I still prefer the series, and would recommend it to most people.
Pros: + Improved art quality. + New and remade scenes. + Slightly improved sound quality & VA. + Slightly faster pace (if you had a problem with the slow beginning of the series). + Better at portraying the “cute” part of the show, raising shock factor. ----------------------- Cons: - Most changes are a bit too subtle to have a big impact. - Lots of cut scenes lead to less of an impact during some moments. - Even with the new scenes, it doesn’t really expand on anything. - Changed the soundtrack (this is obviously the most subjective one, but in my opinion I didn’t like it all too much).
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Tiennou
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Aug 10 2013, 07:43 PM
Post #411
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Finished Trigun.
Story is a bit long to kick in, but other than that, it was pretty cool.
The art and the animations look old, mind you it was made in the late 90s, but it's still watchable.
OP and ED are pretty good I guess. Don't really care for that, so whatever. The voice acting was good in general, but there were a few instances where the voice acting for (very) minor characters was pretty bad. The soundtrack is okay, nothing amazing to be honest.
Characters are good. I wish the chicks had some sort of backstories, cause they're kinda there from start to finish, but we don't know shit about them.
So overall, it was cool enough. Probes gonna watch the movie at some point.
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Aug 10 2013, 07:49 PM
Post #412
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Holy shit Madoka movie 2 gud.
Again tho, have you not seen the series nor movie I heavily disregard you from reading this, as even without spoilers it could very well more or less ruin the experience for you.
Mahou Shoujo Madoka★Magica Movie 2: Eien no Monogatari - 10 / 10 “If someone says it’s wrong to hope, I will tell them that they’re wrong every time!” - Kaname Madoka
As the first and second movies pretty much exactly follow the story and events of the original series, (which I’ve already written a review of) this review will more or less consist of comparisons between the series and movie, along with some of my personal thoughts. (And again, a perfect score doesn’t mean it’s all perfect. It probably leans more towards me being a crappy, biased reviewer, to be honest.)
Story: (10 / 10) The second movie of the Madoka★Magica trilogy is a retelling of the last 4 episodes (and in my opinion the ones with the largest impact) of the original series. Interesting thing to note though, is that the first movie had a couple of new scenes, and yet it was quite a bit shorter than its “original source”, meaning there were a lot of cut scenes. However, the second movie is actually somewhat longer than the original 4 episodes were, and so not only are there completely new scenes added, but a lot of the existing ones have been reworked to be given more depth/impact.
The movie focuses heavily on the story and relationship between Madoka and Homura, as well as providing the final build up towards the climax of the show. Homura’s “arc” (if you’d call it that), which happens to be one of my favorite sequences in a series, has been slightly extended and it doesn’t fail to impress. The fact that this is the 3rd time I’ve seen the series, and yet it still manages to get to me this way is just proof of the overall greatness of these particular scenes.
Even with the very small amount added in terms of story, I feel like the fact that it manages to perfectly tell the same story as the 4 episodes it’s based on, without cutting any scenes, sacrificing any emotional “material” (for lack of better words), and still managing to add that little bit of extra to it, makes this pretty much better (if only so slightly) than the series.
Art: (9 / 10) Just like in the first movie, the art has been completely redone and reanimated. In both movies, I quite liked the slight changes to some characters during the “labyrinth” scenes, and the new transformation scenes really adds a nice touch to it all. The scene played during the opening theme remains the same as in the first movie, which is totally fine. However, one thing that got me a bit confused, I guess was the insertion of a remade version of the original series’ opening scene in the middle of the movie. It seems as if it was made to appear slightly more depressing, or at least not as happy as the original, but it just felt sort of weird that they’d put that in there at that moment.
The quality remains at top level, and there’s isn’t really much else to say about it if you read any other source detailing the art of either the first movie or the series (which one would assume you have, if you’re reading this).
Sound: (10 / 10) In my review of the first movie, I mentioned how I wasn’t really sure if I liked the change they’d made in the musical section. However, during the second movie, I didn’t experience this problem at all. I could certainly notice some new, or remade songs, but they were all pretty great and fit very well into their corresponding scenes. The opening theme, “Luminous” by ClariS remains the same, however during the aforementioned scene (the remade original opening) the song that’s played seems to be some sort of slightly altered version of “Connect”, the original opening theme (however I might be totally wrong about this). In addition, not only does Kalafina’s “Magia” make a comeback (if I recall correctly, it only played once during the entire first movie), but Kalafina also performs the new ending theme for the movie, “Hikari Furu”. It was a great song, and felt very fitting for the series’ ending.
While it’s pretty hard to compare the voice acting of the movie and series, I’m sure the movie would mostly do better (if only slightly) in this regard, and I think there are scenes where you can actually notice this, especially for Madoka.
Characters: (10 / 10) This movie more or less “wraps up” the stories of several characters, and thus focus on a smaller cast than previous works. This would obviously make you think that these select few characters would get a whole lot of development and whatnot, and just as the original series the movie does a fantastic job with this. This is where we get to learn more about some of the characters, and where they really show themselves for what they really are. Adding in the new and remade scenes, as well as the whole extended version of Homura’s “arc”, I can’t say I was anything but please in this aspect.
Enjoyment: (10 / 10) I’ll openly admit that I spent a majority of this movie either crying or teary-eyed (though that might not mean much, since it’s not like I’m not a very emotional person in general), and it just amazes me how this piece of art can continue to make me feel this way after several rewatchings. I’d probably say that I enjoyed this movie a bit more than the original episodes too, as it improves on a lot, without really sacrificing anything in return.
Conclusion: If you liked the original series, then you’ll definitely love this as well. However, I honestly don’t think the two movies can fully “replace” the series, and as such I’d personally say it’d be best to watch the first 8 episodes of the series, and then the second movie. I think this provides the whole “best of both worlds”, and will net you the most enjoyable viewing experience.
Pros: + Improved art. + Added and reworked scenes, without any big cuts. + New additions to the soundtrack, as well as the old songs. + One of the most emotional sequences in an anime (in my opinion). ----------------------- Cons: - Somewhat random insertion of the “original” opening scene ruins the feel a bit.
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Zyan
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Aug 10 2013, 07:51 PM
Post #413
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Nyan Nyan Nyan Nyan Nyan Nyan Nyan Nyan Nyan Nyan Nyan Nyan Nyan
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Holy shit Madoka movie 2 gud. Again tho, have you not seen the series nor movie I heavily disregard you from reading this, as even without spoilers it could very well more or less ruin the experience for you.Mahou Shoujo Madoka★Magica Movie 2: Eien no Monogatari - 10 / 10 “If someone says it’s wrong to hope, I will tell them that they’re wrong every time!” - Kaname Madoka
As the first and second movies pretty much exactly follow the story and events of the original series, (which I’ve already written a review of) this review will more or less consist of comparisons between the series and movie, along with some of my personal thoughts. (And again, a perfect score doesn’t mean it’s all perfect. It probably leans more towards me being a crappy, biased reviewer, to be honest.)
Story: (10 / 10) The second movie of the Madoka★Magica trilogy is a retelling of the last 4 episodes (and in my opinion the ones with the largest impact) of the original series. Interesting thing to note though, is that the first movie had a couple of new scenes, and yet it was quite a bit shorter than its “original source”, meaning there were a lot of cut scenes. However, the second movie is actually somewhat longer than the original 4 episodes were, and so not only are there completely new scenes added, but a lot of the existing ones have been reworked to be given more depth/impact.
The movie focuses heavily on the story and relationship between Madoka and Homura, as well as providing the final build up towards the climax of the show. Homura’s “arc” (if you’d call it that), which happens to be one of my favorite sequences in a series, has been slightly extended and it doesn’t fail to impress. The fact that this is the 3rd time I’ve seen the series, and yet it still manages to get to me this way is just proof of the overall greatness of these particular scenes.
Even with the very small amount added in terms of story, I feel like the fact that it manages to perfectly tell the same story as the 4 episodes it’s based on, without cutting any scenes, sacrificing any emotional “material” (for lack of better words), and still managing to add that little bit of extra to it, makes this pretty much better (if only so slightly) than the series.
Art: (9 / 10) Just like in the first movie, the art has been completely redone and reanimated. In both movies, I quite liked the slight changes to some characters during the “labyrinth” scenes, and the new transformation scenes really adds a nice touch to it all. The scene played during the opening theme remains the same as in the first movie, which is totally fine. However, one thing that got me a bit confused, I guess was the insertion of a remade version of the original series’ opening scene in the middle of the movie. It seems as if it was made to appear slightly more depressing, or at least not as happy as the original, but it just felt sort of weird that they’d put that in there at that moment.
The quality remains at top level, and there’s isn’t really much else to say about it if you read any other source detailing the art of either the first movie or the series (which one would assume you have, if you’re reading this).
Sound: (10 / 10) In my review of the first movie, I mentioned how I wasn’t really sure if I liked the change they’d made in the musical section. However, during the second movie, I didn’t experience this problem at all. I could certainly notice some new, or remade songs, but they were all pretty great and fit very well into their corresponding scenes. The opening theme, “Luminous” by ClariS remains the same, however during the aforementioned scene (the remade original opening) the song that’s played seems to be some sort of slightly altered version of “Connect”, the original opening theme (however I might be totally wrong about this). In addition, not only does Kalafina’s “Magia” make a comeback (if I recall correctly, it only played once during the entire first movie), but Kalafina also performs the new ending theme for the movie, “Hikari Furu”. It was a great song, and felt very fitting for the series’ ending.
While it’s pretty hard to compare the voice acting of the movie and series, I’m sure the movie would mostly do better (if only slightly) in this regard, and I think there are scenes where you can actually notice this, especially for Madoka.
Characters: (10 / 10) This movie more or less “wraps up” the stories of several characters, and thus focus on a smaller cast than previous works. This would obviously make you think that these select few characters would get a whole lot of development and whatnot, and just as the original series the movie does a fantastic job with this. This is where we get to learn more about some of the characters, and where they really show themselves for what they really are. Adding in the new and remade scenes, as well as the whole extended version of Homura’s “arc”, I can’t say I was anything but please in this aspect.
Enjoyment: (10 / 10) I’ll openly admit that I spent a majority of this movie either crying or teary-eyed (though that might not mean much, since it’s not like I’m not a very emotional person in general), and it just amazes me how this piece of art can continue to make me feel this way after several rewatchings. I’d probably say that I enjoyed this movie a bit more than the original episodes too, as it improves on a lot, without really sacrificing anything in return.
Conclusion: If you liked the original series, then you’ll definitely love this as well. However, I honestly don’t think the two movies can fully “replace” the series, and as such I’d personally say it’d be best to watch the first 8 episodes of the series, and then the second movie. I think this provides the whole “best of both worlds”, and will net you the most enjoyable viewing experience.
Pros: + Improved art. + Added and reworked scenes, without any big cuts. + New additions to the soundtrack, as well as the old songs. + One of the most emotional sequences in an anime (in my opinion). ----------------------- Cons: - Somewhat random insertion of the “original” opening scene ruins the feel a bit. tl;dr
cute girls doing not so cute things
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16KTS
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Aug 10 2013, 10:37 PM
Post #414
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Big Sweaty Moose Bleepers
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I watched part of the english dub of Tokyo Mew Mew:it's pretty bad.
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Aug 11 2013, 12:53 PM
Post #415
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So I've spent almost the entire day reading about mostly the witches from Madoka, and I've found quite a few theories and speculations I thought were rather interesting, and might as well share them with y'all, cuz w/e.
Ofcourse this will probably contain rather heavy spoilers for the series, so again if you haven't seen it and plan on doing so, then I'd advise you not to read this...
Spoiler: click to toggle A lot of this relates to Charlotte, the dessert witch, who appears in episode 3, iirc. Charlotte's Real Body So, the first thing I came across was this: Charolotte's real body. I can't translate the japanese myself, but basically what this depicts is that Charlotte had another body separately and was possibly immortal without its destruction. Now, the explosion in that one screen doesn't come from Homura stepping on the doll, but rather the large amount of grenades thrown at her, and since we never really see Mami or anyone else fight Charlotte in her second form, it's pretty hard to confirm this, as Homura stepping on the doll could've merely been a coincidence and the explosions did all the work. HOWEVER, I feel like it's sort of weird both that they'd go out of their way to show her stepping on the doll, as well as the way she actually does step on it. It's not like a "Oh shit, I just stepped on something" or "I'm just gonna land here lolz", but it's as if she's actually making sure she puts pressure on the doll to make sure it's damaged enough. The theory itself could be rather plausible actually, seeing as Homura tries to warn Mami and the others that "this is not like any witch you've ever fought before" (even though they won't listen), as well as the fact that Charlotte could've easily (and probably did) appear in any of the other timelines Homura went through, and thus she knew how to deal with her. Charlotte's Human Life Second thing to pop up was about Charlotte's pre-witch life. As you know if you've seen the series, before Madoka became the embodiment of hope (or Madokami, w/e you want to call it), what would happen when a Magical Girl was overwhelmed by despair and her soul gem turned completely dark was that they would become witches. So when you think about it, every witch they fight in the show, was once a witch. (This could also lead to another theory about how there were no witches before the Incubators arrived, but once they started contracting Magical Girls, some of them would turn, and from then the cycle continues.) In any case, when Sayaka turns, we see clearly that her labyrinth and witch form are rather heavily influenced by her desires and wishes (all she really wanted was "to hear Kyosuke play one last time", according to dialog in one of the later episodes, and that's why her labyrinth has a very "orchestral setting" to it. We can also see in one of the alternate timelines that her familiar changes to something looking more like Hitomi, which probably meanns that her hatred towards Hitomi had a higher priority in that timeline, and this was her "revenge"), so by looking at Charlotte and her labyrinth, we should be able to tell some things about her previous life. Her labyrinth has a pretty heavy "hospital-theme", as well as the large amount of desserts scattered about, which lead several people believe she was hospitalized, most likely terminally ill. According to the "Production Notes" (a 496 page book detailing the creating of the series) Charlotte received "A single cheesecake" in strict accordance of her wish. Now, because people undergoing chemotherapy are unable to eat certain foods such as cheese, this would sort of help explain things. Looking at her card (an illustration from the Madoka website, iirc), you will see that it says "Though she is capable of creating infinite amounts of any dessert she desires, she is unable to make the cheese that she loves most. One could easily catch her off-guard with a piece of cheese." Her familiars card also states that its duty is to simply search for cheese. For this theory, her second form would also represent the unlimited reproduction of cancer cells. Now, adding on to this, it's possible that Charlotte lived her life as a Magical Girl, until finally becoming a witch, however it's also very possible that she quickly realised after the wish (or that Kyubey accidentally thought out loud) what selfish act she had just done. Instead of wishing for something like "I wish cancer didn't exist", saving hundreds of thousands of people, she simply wished that her own illness went away so that she could have her cheese. It's then possible that she was overwhelmed by despair and turned into a witch. To me this sounded like a pretty plausible theory, however after continued reading I found that a line in the design of Charlotte's labyrinth in the Official Guidebook says: "It's really a delicious cheese cake. My dying mother wanted to eat it, but maybe I should have cured her disease instead. However, that surely wasn't possible." So.. This single line more or less "disproves" the former theory, but a few things remain. Her mother is the one to be hospitalized, and Charlotte would probably often visit her mother, explaining the hostpital-theme of her labyrinth. The desserts and setup of what looks like preparations for a tea party could be because Charlotte and her mother often shared cake and other sweets with eachother as Charlotte was visiting. Now, what if her mother was really bad one day, and told Charlotte that she really wanted to eat one last cheesecake together with her daugther, and that's when Kyubey shows up. The line from the Guidebook says "However, that surely wasn't possible.", meaning Charlotte probably never even asked for that wish (as the incubators never lie about the contracts), but once she had experienced the powers of magic, she quickly realised that she could in fact have saved her dying mother. This in turn would again consume her with grief and despair, turning her into a witch. Now, here's something that I thought was pretty interesting. We've already seen that the darkening of a soul gem can happen at a very rapid speed (as with Homura in episode 12), so it is actually very possible that this whole thing with Charlotte happened during episode 3, when Sayaka and Madoka are visiting the hospital. What if Kyubey overheard/sensed the presence of Charlotte, and sent one of his spares there (as we've been told he had a plethora of these) to make a contract with her. Once her mother died, she could've quickly turned into a witch, which would also explain the location of her grief seed. The runes which appear throughout the episode has also been translated, and the ones of notice would be one line that says "Mami", and one that says "Watashi wa Homuhomu ha desu" (something akin to "I like Homuhomu) "Homuhomu" being a nickname for Homura. This means that Charlotte may have personally known Mami and Homura, but there's really nothing else to support this theory. Then the last thing isn't really a theory, but I found it quite funny and all... Charlotte is Moe The picture at the top of that image (showing the 3 girls) is supposed to be some fan interpretaion of Charlotte and Elly (another witch) as Magical Girls, along with some other chick (don't know the green haired one), but I like the aforementioned theory more than one where she actually lead a life as a Magical Girl...
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Pong
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Aug 11 2013, 03:14 PM
Post #416
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Bakemontagari 10/10
I was supprised firs and somewhat reluctant but when the series got going i loved it. Honestly, i had no fucking clue what it was about and expected it to be some standard romcom with more dialouge, never have i been so wrong. Anyway, great anime would recomend to anyone.
I seem to be giving alot of series 10's maby too many.
Edited by Pong, Aug 11 2013, 03:15 PM.
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savepoints
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Aug 12 2013, 09:01 AM
Post #417
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Oda Nobuna no Yabou - 8 / 10 As many have already said, at first glance this show appears to be just mostly your standard harem rom-com, however I was quite surprised when it turned out to be more of a reverse-harem, especially since most of the cast consist of females.
Story: (7 / 10) While the story itself isn’t really anything amazing, it well managed to keep me interested enough to finish watching the series. Throughout the show we basically deal with the different tasks Oda Nobuna has to do, or rather what tasks she has for the main character, Yoshiharu. It is an “historical” anime, but since I don’t know much at all about Japanese history, it’s hard for me to judge how accurate this is, really. However, the fact that Yoshiharu needs to take care not to change too much (as he’s from the future and knows what’s “going to happen”) is quite an interesting element to the show, and adds that little extra as he tries to not reveal important bits of information to certain people, or how he takes from his historical knowledge to get out of situations. There are however a few major plot holes around, like how Yoshiharu traveled back in time in the first place.
All in all, it won’t leave you breathtaken, but it’s not like you’ll be bored out of your mind by the story, it’s just that I don’t feel like there’s anything that really makes the story stand out. Another major problem is also the fact that there’s never really any real conclusion or anything, and thus this series is in dire need of a second season.
Art: (8 / 10) The art is overall pretty good, to be honest. It has nice visuals, pretty fluid animations throughout most of the series, and nice-looking backgrounds. While I wouldn’t say there’s a “unique” sort of style to it (thinking something like KyoAni) I also quite liked the character designs.
However, this brings us to the next point; Fanservice. Now, being a show where a majority of the characters are female, all surrounding this teenage boy then there’s obviously bound to be fanservice. Whether it be Oda’s regular outfit, the occasional fantasy or just overall moe loli characters, fanservice is certainly present throughout the series, however it never really felt like it was overdone or anything (the majority of the fanservice probably appear in the ED, actually). Most of the time they managed to make it somewhat funny, actually, and who doesn’t love the occasional loli? (amirite?)
Sound: (8 / 10) I quite liked the music in this show. The OP, “Link” by Aimi, is a bit more fast-paced or upbeat, which fits rather well with the series overall. It’s not really a slow show in any aspect, and all of it is certainly not lollygagging, so this song with a more “action-y” feel to it is rather appropriate, in my opinion. The ED, “Hikari” by Makino Mizuta, is somewhat slower, and feels like it better captures the “innocent” (or rom-com, if you’d like) side of the series. The background music was good, but again, nothing amazingly outstanding (then again, I’m not one to really pay too much attention to the BGM).
The voice acting was rather well done, and further added upon the characters, well, characteristics. The voices are fitting for the characters, and some did a pretty great job at bringing out that little extra in their character (the stuttering of the ninja girl, for example).
Characters: (7 / 10) Being the “romantic” (there’s not that much romance, to be honest) comedy, and harem (or well, reverse-harem, rather) that it is, there are some things you won’t really get away from in terms of characters. While the characters are well done, they’re never really fleshed out or developed in any way. There are also quite a few “typical” characters present, such as the Tsundere, the cute loli, the badass mysterious dude, etc. Thankfully, as I wouldn’t say this is really a story-driven series, it’s not really hurt by the lack of character development either. However, it is still important to note that this is a thing in the series, and since once again a lot of the characters are female you might see a bit too many “stereotypical” characters.
Enjoyment: (8 / 10) I quite liked the show. The story is decent, it was pretty funny, and most of the characters are rather likeable, but it wasn’t really anything more than that. A big problem is ofcourse also the fact that there’s no conclusion at all to the story, and we’ve yet to hear anything about a second season.
Conclusion: If you’re a fan of harems (or reverse-harems in this case) or just want a rom-com with a slightly less “typical” story, then this might be for you, however I’d avoid it if you’re in dire need of having closure.
Pros: + Decent, interesting story. + Pretty funny overall. + Music was good. + Great visuals. + Likeable characters. ----------------------- Cons: - “Stereotypical” characters. - No closure to story (needs a second season) - Plot holes - Doesn’t really excel in any category (in my opinion)
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ACDCFan89
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Aug 12 2013, 10:58 AM
Post #418
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I watched Oda Noduna when it first came out and agree. But to be fair, it only had 12 episodes to get a story across. And its basically a slightly alternate history of Oda Nobunaga.
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Aug 12 2013, 11:11 AM
Post #419
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- ACDCFan89
- Aug 12 2013, 10:58 AM
I watched Oda Noduna when it first came out and agree. But to be fair, it only had 12 episodes to get a story across. And its basically a slightly alternate history of Oda Nobunaga. Well, that's the reason it needs a second season, since it didn't manage to get the whole story into the first. But I mean, it only completed in like, September 2012, so MAYBE there's still hope!
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16KTS
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Aug 13 2013, 07:57 PM
Post #420
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Big Sweaty Moose Bleepers
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Nyan Koi
Interesting concept. Great Characters, and funny.
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