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General Discussion
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Topic Started: Aug 19 2012, 08:10 PM (22,280 Views)
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Aug 17 2013, 04:43 PM
Post #436
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So, what's your opinion on shows with no actual antagonist, so to speak, yet there's conflict (trying to think of a show like this, but can't come up with any without spoiling shit)?
Let's just a slightly modified version of Kokoro connect as an example. Without spoiling anything, the series is basically about a group of friends who become subject to "psychological tests". Now, this isn't some shit where they get locked in a room or w/e, but it'll be things like they're going about their everyday life, but the other people in the group can hear their thoughts, or maybe that at the most inappropriate times their deepest desires will be unleashed.
This stuff obviously creates conflict, and there's not really an antagonist (actually, in the series there is an antagonist, but his reason is just like "I'm bored lol"...).
So?
(Also, did you totally just make a serious post? >_>)
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Aug 17 2013, 05:39 PM
Post #437
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Just watched half of Mnesomyne, and well... Let's just say it's a good show, and definitely interesting, but parts of it is somewhat weird.
If you don't know, it's about two private investigators who happen to be immortal. Because of this, they often take on dangerous tasks and do stuff that would otherwise be impossible, since y'know, they can't die. This in turn leads to a lot of fucked up shit, like torture scenes, rape scenes, and lots of gore and blood. The show is also quite heavy on fanservice, or just nudity in general, and there's quite a major plot element related to this, but I mean, if you've got something against just lots of "sexuality" in shows, so to speak, then this isn't for you...
So far tho, 8/10
EDIT: Double post cuz I'm a moron
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Shadow Dragon
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Aug 17 2013, 06:35 PM
Post #438
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- Aug 17 2013, 02:40 PM
- Shadow Dragon
- Aug 17 2013, 02:35 PM
Late response, but Shangri La, Shakugan no Shana, or Hell Girl.
How would you say "Hell Girl" is, actually? I've never actually heard anything about it from anyone, really... Haven't watched it myself but the idea for it sounds good, seems to have good art, and mostly got positive reviews.
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Unfie
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Aug 17 2013, 11:11 PM
Post #439
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Big Sweaty Moose Bleepers
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- Aug 17 2013, 04:43 PM
So, what's your opinion on shows with no actual antagonist, so to speak, yet there's conflict (trying to think of a show like this, but can't come up with any without spoiling shit)?
Let's just a slightly modified version of Kokoro connect as an example. Without spoiling anything, the series is basically about a group of friends who become subject to "psychological tests". Now, this isn't some shit where they get locked in a room or w/e, but it'll be things like they're going about their everyday life, but the other people in the group can hear their thoughts, or maybe that at the most inappropriate times their deepest desires will be unleashed.
This stuff obviously creates conflict, and there's not really an antagonist (actually, in the series there is an antagonist, but his reason is just like "I'm bored lol"...).
So?
(Also, did you totally just make a serious post? >_>) A perfect example of my point. If the antagonist's reasons behind his goals aren't justified, they're irrelevant. And at that point it's simply lazy.
Example:
Spoiler: click to toggle Good guy: "what a lovely day"
Bad guy: "hi fuck you"
Good guy: "y"
Bad guy: "bcz"
If there IS no antagonist, there had better be a really creative way to make up for the lack thereof. If it's a simple matter of boy meets girl, and it's just a social scene wherein conflict arises, I won't be interested. Conflict causes character progression. It helps you to understand their personalities, their goals, and the justification behind their actions. If there is no justification, there should never have been any conflict. And there would never be any goals originating from anyone. Period.
What I absolutely can't stand is the teenage drama/young infatuation factor you find in most anime. In small, regulated amounts it can be beneficial to the story, but god damn. When every fucking episode ends with a conflicted nerdy yet hot guy having an awkward but romantic conversation with a cute shy girl with the sunset behind them, it gives me a headache. Maybe this is what some people find entertaining, and that's cool with me.
It's all about layering plots in a way that fit. It takes intelligence, deliberation and skill. It's a puzzle, and if not manufactured correctly, it won't work.
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ACDCFan89
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Aug 18 2013, 08:31 AM
Post #440
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For anyone watching the Oreimo series, the final 3 episodes came out.
Spoiler: click to toggle Though I had a feeling, well the title more or less it gave it away anyways (My Little Sister Can't be This Cute), can't say I'm very fond of the ending. I mean he has the one girl who has liked him and cooked for him and is pretty well grounded but still has personality. Another girl who has been his neighbor and friend for years and has been very supportive of him. Another one that helped keep his temporary apartment clean, did his laundry, and cooked for him. Much like a wife. And a few others here and there that actually treated him well.
But instead, he goes for his sister. His abusive, thankless, spoiled little sister. Who really has nothing going for her in any way. Granted, I've known about the ending for awhile, and even before that, had strong suspiscions it would end up like this, but this just feels forced in so many ways.
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Aug 19 2013, 10:39 AM
Post #441
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Mnemosyne: Mnemosyne no Musume-tachi - 9/10 “The gift of life is a fleeting precious thing. It is not something to be toyed with." - Asogi Rin
Sex, violence & alcohol. These three things are some of the most prominent in Mnemosyne, and while it may not be as gory as say, Elfen Lied, this series isn’t for the faint of heart. Originally I went into this thinking it was mostly consisted of copious amounts of torture scenes, gore, and sex scenes, but I was pleasantly surprised when it turned out to be so much more than that.
Story: (8 / 10) Mnemosyne follows the lives of two immortal private detectives, Asogi Rin and Mimi, as they take on various assignments. The series actually span several decades (around 60 years, or so), with each episode skipping quite a few years. Because of this, we see the world and the characters in it change as time goes on, while Rin and Mimi stay the same. The consulting agency at which the two main characters work at make for “monster of the week”-type episodes, with seemingly unrelated events. However, as the story goes on, we see how it all fits together, and as we learn more about Apos’ (the main antagonist) true motives, we uncover more answers about immortality and the “non-mortal world”.
At first you will encounter so many unanswered questions that it may seem confusing or intimidating to continue watching, but as the episode goes on, the writers do a good job of explaining most things, however not without leaving you with more questions. This element of mystery and never really knowing what’s really going on, or what’s going to happen next will keep you on the edge of your seat throughout the entire series.
Art: (9 / 10) The very first thing you’ll see is the opening sequence, which to be honest isn’t anything all that great. It’s more or less your standard “character montage”, with some pretty weird stuff and some fanservice thrown into the mix. Already in the first scene you’ll see one of the characters wearing nothing but an unbuttoned shirt, while running across a rooftop. This sort of “fanservice” is present throughout the entire series, but because of the way it is done, it never feels as if it’s forced, or takes away from what’s actually happening.
There’ll be a lot of times where the characters are naked, whether it be during a fight scene or during one of the many sex scenes. Yes, there are actual sex scenes in Mnemosyne, something you don’t see in a lot of anime (though here it’s 90% lesbian sex). Ofcourse there are some scenes where the characters might be perverted just for the sake of being perverted, but most of the time it all fits in rather well with what’s actually happening, and it doesn’t take away from the experience at all.
As for the rest of the art, it’s rather well done, actually. I liked the character designs (especially the choice of physically portraying Mimi as a teenager), and the changes made to the characters as the years passed were nice, as they’d really show that the characters do age, but you were still able to tell who was who.
The overall aesthetics are also well done, and somewhat change throughout the episodes, but nothing really major (though I suppose architecture don’t change that much in 60 years). However, once again you can see that this is a totally different time than the previous episode, and how civilization has advanced.
The animations were fluid, and there was not a moment where I felt like it seemed “stale”.
Sound: (8 / 10) One of the first things I noticed when I started watching (and it didn’t take me very long) was Kugimiya Rie as the voice of Mimi. Having only heard her voice characters who are a lot more aggressive (and overall very tsundere), Mimi was quite a nice “change of pace” so to speak. While she’s not very aggressive, she has a more “childlike” voice than Rin does, and this fits very well with her character design. The rest of the voice actors did an overall good job, and there wasn’t really someone who stood out as “that character with the lame voice acting”.
The opening theme, “Alsatia”, and the ending theme, “Cause Disarray”, are both performed by Galneryus, and since they’re both very much done in the same “style”, it makes them sound very similar. I can’t say I really liked these songs at first, but near the end of the series I’d gotten used to them, and I guess this is very much a preferential thing.
The soundtrack was often rather “calm”, or had a very casual feel to it, which was quite the interesting contrast to the themes shown in the series. This didn’t feel like a bad thing, though, and I quite enjoyed the music. One small problem I had with it, however, was that the background music pretty much stays the same for the majority of the series, and I feel like it would’ve been nice if it had changed as the years passed.
Characters: (9 / 10) The characters are obviously a big part of this series. The two main characters (and their dog) stay the same throughout the series, as everyone else ages. This does not only apply to appearances, but there isn’t really much development for most of the series regarding these two characters. Instead, the show focus more on the backstory, giving us flashbacks now and then, revealing small parts of their past. I thought this was interesting, since the immortals would’ve probably lived for a very long time, and it could be fun to see their past experiences (unfortunately, not much is revealed about their past lives, aside from the parts important to the plot).
Every episode (more or less) introduces a couple new characters to the cast. These characters are usually pretty young when they’re first introduced, meaning they stay around for a an episode or two. Because of the short amount of time these characters are given (as opposed to Mimi & Rin), it’s important to make them as interesting as you can with the given time. I felt like the writers did a good job with this, as there were times when I’d certainly “feel” for the characters.
All in all, the characters are quite varying, and they’re all rather likeable and interesting, and without this aspect I feel the show would’ve been much worse.
Enjoyment: (9 / 10) I thoroughly enjoyed Mnemosyne, and was pleasantly surprised when it turned out to be such a more interesting anime than just “a bunch of sex and violence” (even if those things are certainly present). Though once again, I’d not recommend this show if you’re susceptible to gore or overall nudity...
Pros: + Interesting storytelling “mechanics” (having the story span decades). + Several twists and events to keep you interested. + Good art and animation. + Makes use of fanservice, as opposed to just “having it there”. + Soundtrack makes for a nice contrast to the visuals. + Interesting character cast. ----------------------- Cons: - Too many unanswered questions at once may leave you very confused. - Opening and ending themes have a very specific “style” to them, may not be for everyone. - Soundtrack doesn’t change all too much with the time skips. - The levels of violence and nudity may turn you away if you’re not prepared.
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16KTS
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Aug 19 2013, 11:47 AM
Post #442
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Big Sweaty Moose Bleepers
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I finish Trouble Chocolate. And I think it was funny and good.
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Aug 20 2013, 07:54 AM
Post #443
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Hoshi no Koe - 8/10 “There is no long distance about love, it always finds a way to bring hearts together no matter how many miles there are between them.”
Telling a good story in only 25 minutes can be a difficult task, but Shinkai Makoto (almost) single-handedly managed to do so with Hoshi no Koe. However, since it was in fact only made by one person, it does have its fair share of flaws (some more prominent than others).
Story: (8 / 10) The story is simple. Two childhood friends are separated, but try to stay in contact with each other, even as the distance between them grows. This creates a rather emotional love story, and it does it all in the short time period of 25 minutes.
Because it’s so short, there’s not too much to say about it, but Shinkai did a great job of delivering a story like this.
Art: (8 / 10) The art is by far one of the biggest shortcomings of this OVA, and yet it’s so beautiful, all at the same time. Hoshi no Koe uses a mix of 2D and 3D-animation, mostly using the latter for the mecha and spaceships, while characters and backgrounds remain 2D. The backgrounds are fantastic, and looks so good, but this is where the problem comes in. With such beautiful backgrounds, it’s rather weird that the characters look so... bad. It really feels like there wasn’t nearly as much time put in for the character art, and it’s really noticeable.
It wasn’t too much of a problem though, as all the other aspects of the art (and OVA in general) will take your mind off the character designs before you know it.
Sound: (8 / 10) There are (apparently) two versions of this OVA. One where Shinkai and his wife did all the voices, and one which had proper voice actors. I watched the former, which obviously means the voices weren’t as well done as they could have been. Some lines of dialog just felt stale, but this is also a (very small) problem which quickly fades in comparison to the rest of the OVA.
The OVA has a very emotional piano-centered soundtrack, which really helped bring out the emotions in every scene. The music in itself is fantastic, and the credits song, “Through the Years and Far Away”, is an absolutely beautiful song that really captures the tone the OVA set.
Characters: (7 / 10) When you only have 25 minutes to tell a story, it’s quite obvious that there won’t be time for a lot of character development at all. Nonetheless, the characters felt real, and somewhat relatable (I’ve never been in a similar situation myself, so it’s hard to tell). What I did like, however, is how there are no supporting characters, really emphasising that this is the story of these two friends, separated in time and space, and introducing new characters which we’d have to develop emotions and care for would’ve probably taken away a lot of the feelings you get when watching this.
Enjoyment: (8 / 10) I really enjoyed this OVA, and how it manages to do what it does in such a short time. It was rather emotional and sad at times, but not to the point where you’ll find yourself crying uncontrollably.
Conclusion: If you have 25-30 minutes on your hands, and/or you’re simply a fan of these types of movies (5CPS, Promised Place) then I’d highly recommend you watch this.
Pros: + Tells a great love story in a very short amount of time. + Fantastic soundtrack. + Nice mix of 2D and 3D-animation. + Beautiful backgrounds. ----------------------- Cons: - Character art really falls short. - Voice acting can feel a bit “off” at times (due to not having real VA’s)
Hoshi wo Ou Kodomo - 8/10 Story: (8 / 10) The movie follows Asuna Watase on her journey through a new world, and we get to see all the hardship she faces, as well as those precious happy moments. “Hoshi wo Ou Kodomo” tells a story about love, loneliness, and learning to let go of the past, among other things.
This story is supported by numerous mythical tales, which gives it a nice touch. It does take quite a while before things really kick off, and not as much time is spent in Agartha as could’ve been, but it’s a minor problem. However, even with this the story moves at a rather fast pace, leaving little room for any form of additional backstory, whether it’s about Agartha or about the characters pasts. This was really too bad, as there are some pretty obvious questions left unanswered by the end of the movie.
(Several people have talked about this being a way too “Ghiblified” movie, but I don’t feel like I’ve seen enough of either director to really comment on this, though it does have sort of a Ghibli feel to it.)
Art: (9 / 10) The art is absolutely stunning. The backgrounds, the characters and the various creatures all look simply amazing. From what I can tell, backgrounds like these are sort of a standard thing in Shinkai movies, and there are several moments where the camera will just pan over the landscape, allowing the viewer to really take in the beauty of the world that’s been created.
The characters all look good, and the variety and detail of the creatures is very well done. The animation was very fluid and well done most of the time, however there were times when it just felt a bit off, or when there would be a bit too many/long scenery shots.
Sound: (8 / 10) The voice actors did a pretty great job with their respective characters, and the music was very good as well. The music did a good job at “emphasising” the scenes, whether it be a sad scene or a more action-focused scene. The credits song, “Hello, Goodbye and Hello” by Kumaki Anri, is an amazing song, and really brought back all those feelings from the movie.
However, there is a minor problem here, as well. Some songs, including an orchestral version of the credits theme, will play often, and I mean really often. Of course, if you don’t mind these songs, then this won’t be a problem, but it could reduce the effect they have on scenes later on.
Characters: (7 / 10) The characters were mostly fine. They weren’t however all too great, to be honest. There is some backstory and development to certain characters, while some characters are barely fleshed out at all, and are only there to serve a very specific purpose in the plot. This was obviously a bit unfortunate, since I feel like there was certainly time for more time to be spent with the characters, and yet we’re left with this.
Luckily, it’s not at the point where you can’t feel or sympathize with the characters; in fact, there are several times when this will happen throughout the movie.
Enjoyment: (9 / 10) After all, I quite enjoyed this movie. It tells a good story, and combine that with the great musical score, and the stunning art, and you have yourself a great film. I can’t deny that there also weren’t a couple of times where I cried...
Pros: + Tells a well-written and emotional story. + Absolutely stunning art. + Great soundtrack. ----------------------- Cons: - Questions left unanswered at the end. - Some odd animations. - Characters not really all too fleshed out.
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savepoints
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Aug 22 2013, 03:45 PM
Post #444
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Just felt like I should point out (if you'd call it that) my thoughts no the Madoka movies, more specifically the order you watch everything in now that everything but the 3rd movie is released (Doing this mostly cuz there's a chance I won't be home once Pong starts watching Madoka, and I want him to have the best experience <3)
Anyway, the original series is obviously as good as ever, and if you ever feel like watching it then there's obviously nothing wrong with that.
The first movie however, I felt was kinda meh. It's MOSTLY just as good as the first 8 eps (on which it is based), but they do cut a lot of scenes (about 40 minutes of footage is cut), so some scenes later on are gonna have less of an impact...
The second movie however, is 40 minutes longer than the 4 episodes it's originally based on, and has no cut scenes. This means 40 minutes extended, or even completely new scenes. Point being, there is NO downside to watching the second movie.
Therefore, my recommendation if you're watching Madoka for the first time and you're not sure you're gonna like it or w/e, is to watch the first 8 episodes of the series, then watch the second movie. This gives (imo) the best viewing experience, and then if you ever want to rewatch it, you can watch the full series, or the first movie or w/e.
I have seen the original series 2 times. Both movies once (instead of the series, that is) and 8 eps + 2nd movie once, and this was by far the best out of the three. Thus, I also suspect simply adding the 3rd movie onto this order when it is released will be the best.
(Again though, this is just a recommendation, and you'll lose very little really by watching just the series, but don't watch both movies if it's your first time).
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TheSamuraiElf
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Aug 23 2013, 09:48 PM
Post #445
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I can't handle all the awkward in Chuunibyou. IT'S TOO MUCH!
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Pong
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Aug 25 2013, 11:13 AM
Post #446
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Finnished Clannad, score 8.
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Aug 26 2013, 12:53 PM
Post #447
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So, nothing to do atm and I thought I'd share these two things with you guys...
First of is Mahou Showtime. The layout can be a bit tricky (imo) but essentially it lets you see the "airing schedule" for new episodes and whatnot.
Second off is Taiga (hopefully this isn't viewed as advertising, as it's a non-profit program or w/e and I just want to spread the love, yo). Basically, Taiga is a desktop application which lets you manage your MAL anime list, among a ton of other features (but the offline management is obviously the main feature).
To name some features, it can queue actions, and automatically syncs (almost instantly) to your MAL list, allowing you to manage your list and not worry about updating if you're doing it offline. Another feature (and one of my favorites) is the season viewer. This lets you sort shows by season, and is (apparently) much better than any season list.
The season viewer looks something like this:
Spoiler: click to toggle
Another feature is that you can link to your anime folders (if you have shows downloaded), and a simple click will play the next episode. You can also play a random episode, or anyone you want, ofcourse. Adding on to that, Taiga recognizes almost all media players and what episodes you're watching (seems to work with streams and such too), and will automatically update your list (I think).
The last feature is also one relating to downloading shows (mostly). The program makes use of several RSS sources and tells you (with a time interval) when new torrents appear, and lets you download them and so on.
The list itself is also (mostly) color coded in various ways, and it's not really much of a downgrade at all from the original MAL list.
So yea, slight advertising there, I guess, but it's a really good program... Especially now that MAL is down, since Taiga still works (as it manages the list in offline mode).
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ACDCFan89
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Aug 27 2013, 10:44 AM
Post #448
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- Shadow Dragon
- Aug 17 2013, 06:35 PM
- savepoints
- Aug 17 2013, 02:40 PM
Quoting limited to 2 levels deep
Haven't watched it myself but the idea for it sounds good, seems to have good art, and mostly got positive reviews. Been a few years, but I watched several episodes. Definitly in the dark/horror oriented genre with action scenes.
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Tiennou
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Sep 5 2013, 09:12 PM
Post #449
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Finished the Sisters arc of Railgun S (episodes 1 - 16).
Kuroko and the others were a bit left out, which is kind of a shame and the ending was a bit disappointing in my opinion, but other than that, it was pretty good.
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savepoints
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Sep 6 2013, 09:54 AM
Post #450
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- Tiennou
- Sep 5 2013, 09:12 PM
the ending was a bit disappointing in my opinion I think I asked someone this before, but again...
Without really spoiling anything, is the "conflict" resolved the same way as in Index?
Index & possible Railgun spoilers Touma being gay and beats up Accelerator so that he'll drop the experiment.
I realise the sister arc might focus on more, and other things than that, like the aftermath of it all, but I want to know about that specific part.
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