Anime

[ibanezmonster]

Now watching Steins;Gate (just over halfway through).

Ranked #3 on MAL, I expected a lot, and so far, it's meeting expectations. It's a show about a group of people who develop a method of sending text messages to the past and are trying to develop this through experiments. It starts off fun, but gradually gets ominous (usually through cliffhangers), and now I'm at the part where it seems the show is finally taking a different direction and there is some serious conflict. The best things about the show are the lovable characters and the fascinating ideas (and usage) of time. The artwork has a grayish tint to everything, which makes it feel somewhat drab.

I'm going to try to watch this less for now (the pacing is so slow that I don't mind taking a break, anyways), but I can't wait to go into more detail when I finish it. 

[eyeresist]

I think I heard the plot for that one was kind of crazy.


BTW, took delivery of Sound of the Sky and Tokko recently, but still have to finish Noien. I'm hoping Sound of the Sky will be awesome - it sounds like just my sort of thing.

[ibanezmonster]

I'm wondering how you go about making decisions on these...

The Japanese name of Sound of the Sky (Sora no Oto) sounds familiar, but Tokko is the one I'm wondering why you chose, because it has a pretty awful ranking of #3315 on MAL. From what I'm reading, don't expect an ending.

[eyeresist]

Well, first of all, Tokko was really cheap! It's also in the horror genre, which interests me. As far as I can judge from the reviews, the show ends up not going anywhere, but since it's short I don't think that would matter so much. Anyway, I'll report back once I've watched it.

[ibanezmonster]

I had a suspicion it was something like that. 

[eyeresist]

I watched the first 3 eps of Tokko just to see what the fuss was about. The main thing I didn't pick up from reviews was how primitive this show looks. It was made in 2006, but doesn't have the glossy look we're used to in modern anime, and the character designs look crude, generic and old fashioned. The dramatic style is the more meatheaded kind of seinen, with big boobs and shouty he-men (well, mostly the yakuza-style police chief, but he does enough Kansai shouting for everyone).

The actual horror element of the show seems to have been done by someone with a good feel for mood, but this too is animated in a fairly primitive way, and is undermined by the dreck surrounding it.


Also, the hero has stupid hair (on right):

[ibanezmonster]

That is some stupid hair!   
I actually don't mind that art style (stuff like Yuyu Hakusho, Great Teacher Onizuka, etc.), but I do prefer that modern, glossy, look you're referring to (Clannad, etc.)- my favorite art style in any type of animation.

Hope it's worth the money, at least. 

[eyeresist]

That is some stupid hair!   
I actually don't mind that art style (stuff like Yuyu Hakusho, Great Teacher Onizuka, etc.), but I do prefer that modern, glossy, look you're referring to (Clannad, etc.)- my favorite art style in any type of animation.

Hope it's worth the money, at least. 

Well, everything's a learning experience

I don't mind the "primitive" style if it has some individuality (Berserk, Initial D, even ugly ol' Blue Gender), but Tokko is just too cookie-cutter.

BTW, Berserk was one of my formative-period animes, and I picked up a cheap slimpack of it recently, so I'll be reassessing that at some point this year. I agree(d) with the consensus on this one - it's a great, surprisingly sophisticated shonen anime, but with one of the most WTF endings of all time (just in terms of "They're ending it HERE?").

[ibanezmonster]

BTW, Berserk was one of my formative-period animes, and I picked up a cheap slimpack of it recently, so I'll be reassessing that at some point this year. I agree(d) with the consensus on this one - it's a great, surprisingly sophisticated shonen anime, but with one of the most WTF endings of all time (just in terms of "They're ending it HERE?").

That is a show I've been wanting to watch one day.

Well, the explanation for Berserk ending in a strange way has to be that the manga is still ongoing, for the last 22 years or so.
This: but with one of the most WTF endings of all time (just in terms of "They're ending it HERE?") explains the ending of Gantz completely, because the manga is also still ongoing, but the studio had to make up their own ending. Even Elfen Lied had a somewhat inconclusive ending, due to the manga not having ended up yet at that time.

[ibanezmonster]

Steins;Gate
24 episodes + 1 special episode

Okabe is a self-proclaimed "mad scientist" who stumbles upon a way to send text messages to the past. Although in reality he is very normal, he just likes to pretend to be odd. Often, he pretends to call someone and has a conversation with them; other times, when someone doesn't want to explain something to him, he makes up a story: "It all started one night in the plains of Arkansas..."

He forms a group of lab members:: Makise is the genius girl, Daru is the hacker, and Mayuri is a friend that isn't intellectuals like them, but is there to pretty much just cheer them on. There's also Moeka and Suzuha.

The first part of the show is quite light-hearted and funny. The main character is goofy (unlike in the second half of the show), and they are pretty much just a group of normal people who are discovering something beyond what they should be involved in. I think it is the end of episode 14 where everything changes.

Whereas the first part of Steins;Gate is the slice-of-life anime, the second half is the intricate psychological drama that really shows the negative aspects of time travel. I'll try not to spoil it, but one detail that fascinated me for anyone if they watch this: pay attention to Okabe's expression when he gets back from leaping through world lines, and just try to imagine what that would be like. How would your perception of reality change in that scenario?

I wish I could talk all about it, but I'd give it all away, since there are so many twists and turns, yet all of these are actually believable and well thought-out- it's like a giant puzzle (think of all of the details that went on in Death Note, but more complex). The (very) minor things I have a little bit of a problem with is that it get quite close to being corny in some moments, and also that the same characters and scenery grew wearying at some points. Overall, the show definitely deserves such a high ranking on MAL (#3). Masterpiece for sure.

The special episode: they go to America. Every time Okabe says something strange, he gets arrested. This and the scene where Okabe meets some black guy on the street in Japan and says, "What's uuuuppp? I emu ah maddo scientisto! So cuuuuulllu! Sunuvabitch!" (and throws deuces) proves the writer really knows their American stereotypes. 

[eyeresist]

Whereas the first part of Steins;Gate is the slice-of-life anime, the second half is the intricate psychological drama that really shows the negative aspects of time travel. I'll try not to spoil it, but one detail that fascinated me for anyone if they watch this: pay attention to Okabe's expression when he gets back from leaping through world lines, and just try to imagine what that would be like. How would your perception of reality change in that scenario?

The special episode: they go to America. Every time Okabe says something strange, he gets arrested. This and the scene where Okabe meets some black guy on the street in Japan and says, "What's uuuuppp? I emu ah maddo scientisto! So cuuuuulllu! Sunuvabitch!" (and throws deuces) proves the writer really knows their American stereotypes. 

I am intrigued! I will have to add this to my watch list.

Speaking of time travel, did you ever see Primer? (live action)

[ibanezmonster]

I haven't heard of that movie, but after reading about it, it sounds fascinating!  That looks like it will be some fun viewing.

Time travel stuff has always been to my liking; in fact, many years ago, when I was in middle school or so and my parents would check out a movie every weekend, one movie stood out the most: it was called Frequency. Throughout the movie, there was a sort of unending suspense due to time travel. Now that I think about it, probably the time travel element of Chrono Trigger and Chrono Cross might explain why they are some of my favorite games... 

Also, I forgot to mention that Steins;Gate is heavily influenced by John Titor and his "time travel"- in fact, he and the IBM 5100 are a significant element to the show. John Titor was the name of someone who became famous on the internet for making up a hoax about traveling to the year 2036; before Steins;Gate I never heard about any of that, though.

[ibanezmonster]

Watched Primer today:
http://www.good-music-guide.com/community/index.php/topic,33.msg631178.html#msg631178

[eyeresist]

Finished Sound of the Sky. Overall it's okay. Sadly the moe pandering undermines all emotional realism, meaning this is not a show with much longevity.

One episode of Pani Poni Dash. Ugh. Just not funny.


Started (re)watching Berserk over the weekend. Fortunately it's as good as I remembered. Real manly violence stuff, but with a high degree of conviction and integrity. It also has a great strong look, but sadly still stuck in 4:3. The black bars ruin some great frames!



That's not phallic at all, no sir.

[ibanezmonster]

That's not phallic at all, no sir.

[eyeresist]

Watched a few things recently:

First ep of Princess Resurrection - crap.

First ep of old series Night Walker - crap.

Dance in the Vampire Bund - interesting elements, but progressively bogged down by cliches.

Angel Beats (first half) - better than I expected. Many cliched elements, but the basic concept makes it interesting and fresh. Interesting to note influence of Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya ("elite" high school team) and K-ON (lame rock band fantasy). Probably the worst part (so far) was rotoscoping used to animate the rock band performance - giant-headed anime babes with bodies moving like real people is just grotesque.


Also, and this is something probably only anime fans will get, it occurred to me on the weekend that Julian Assange is a totally cliche anime villain! Lanky, supercilious, sexually deviant albino perpetrating world-wide conspiracy with no apparent aim beyond causing chaos.

[ibanezmonster]

Angel Beats (first half) - better than I expected.

Angel Beats I really enjoyed.
It is indeed very Haruhi-influenced (notorious for it, in fact, especially because of the similarity of the main character, Yurippe, to Haruhi). It also shares the similarity of being a refreshing mixture of comedy and drama with a very unorthodox plot.

One of my favorite parts is when they try to create a distraction in the classroom, but Yurippe "put a jetpack underneath your seat just in case you messed up." They go to whatever lengths they can and always end up crashing into the ceiling.

[eyeresist]

One of my favorite parts is when they try to create a distraction in the classroom, but Yurippe "put a jetpack underneath your seat just in case you messed up." They go to whatever lengths they can and always end up crashing into the ceiling.

Yes, I don't usually laugh much at comedies, but this scene caught me off guard and made me burst out laughing (after the guy does his humiliating confession-of-love distraction, then sits down - a beat - boom!).


Corrected Princess Revolution to Princess Resurrection.

[ibanezmonster]

"put a jetpack underneath your seat just in case you messed up."

I also have a correction to make- it's "I put a jet propulsion engine underneath your seat just in case you messed up."

Ha, here's the abridged scene:

http://www.youtube.com/v/fORH60LtOt4

Well, have fun with the second half of the show. Good, but so sad...

[eyeresist]

I just ordered some cheap DVDs:

Ghost in the Shell redux (movie)
Ghost Hunt
High School of the Dead
Black Butler season 1 (I hear season 2 is a travesty)