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Started by greg, September 05, 2008, 02:15:49 PM

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Wakefield

Quote from: Greg on August 07, 2012, 07:46:10 PM
(part 2)

The plot:
{
    Yukki Amano, the protagonist, is a whiny (honestly, irritatingly whiny) middle school kid who keeps to himself. One day, a deity named        Deus selects 12 participants from his hometown (Sakurami) to battle to the death, and the remaining winner inherits the throne of Deus and becomes God (hopefully before Deus' bodies crumbles). These 12 participants are named (from "First," which is Yukki, to "Twelfth"). I read on wikipedia that this was modeled after the 12 Olympians.

Mental note while I'm reading this: the 12 apostles, the 12 tribes of Israel... these Japaneses are complicated people.  :)
"One of the greatest misfortunes of honest people is that they are cowards. They complain, keep quiet, dine and forget."
-- Voltaire

snyprrr

Quote from: Greg on August 25, 2012, 11:16:28 AM
snyprrr discovering the bizarre side of the internet...

just don't get lost in it.  :-\

Something smells funny :-X... sniff snuff

Wakefield

Quote from: Greg on August 08, 2012, 08:11:08 PM
This is a fascinating read:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_anime


Now that I know that Evangelion is the original source from where shows like Elfen Lied, Higurashi, Gantz, Mirai Nikki, etc. got their violence-filled traumatic angst, I couldn't help but wonder where some other strands/genres of anime started from.

I think this is probably a way too literal to understand these things. Even accepting that Evangelion was the first creation in detecting this new form to see the reality (a digression: I don't know if you have noticed the word "Evangelion" comes from the Greek and means "announcement", I mention this because in Spanish the Gospels are called "Los Evangelios", so this is very evident), I think there is something new (very dark and confused) in the Japanese spirit arising through anime. I mean something real and not merely an artistic tradition designed to sell videos or magazines. Evangelion was probably one of the first announcements of this reality, but just that. So, I totally agree with your previous post when you said:

Quote from: Greg on August 07, 2012, 07:46:10 PM
My thoughts:
...
   This is the type of show that, when I finish, it just does something strange to me. Having immersed myself in this show for these three days, it's hard to look at the world and feels it's even important at all. It's like a buzz from some kind of drug or something. This show, despite its flaws, feels like it's trying to do something or convey something more profound than anything that's ever been done in anything. I see similar things in modern anime, and even a few video games, and wonder where the Japanese are getting all of this from. A lot of these stories share similar characteristics and seem to have started around the early 90s and continue today. This would be something really interesting to study. I've read some old Japanese stories and have watched some of Kurosawa's movies, for example, stuff I really love, but all that stuff is traditional Japanese stuff. This modern Japanese stuff takes on a characteristic that is unlike anything I know of... these people had to have been inspired by something, perhaps old German literature I don't know about?
 
I may write even more... so many thoughts that cannot possibly be remembered in one sitting.

...  "One day, a deity named Deus selects 12 participants from his hometown (Sakurami) to battle to the death...". BTW, I have read something like this in the other Evangelion.

Surely, I need to watch this thing.

Thanks for your interesting posts, Greg:)
"One of the greatest misfortunes of honest people is that they are cowards. They complain, keep quiet, dine and forget."
-- Voltaire

ibanezmonster

Quote from: Gordon Shumway on August 25, 2012, 12:07:06 PM
I think this is probably a way too literal to understand these things. Even accepting that Evangelion was the first creation in detecting this new form to see the reality (a digression: I don't know if you have noticed the word "Evangelion" comes from the Greek and means "announcement", I mention this because in Spanish the Gospels are called "Los Evangelios", so this is very evident), I think there is something new (very dark and confused) in the Japanese spirit arising through anime. I mean something real and not merely an artistic tradition designed to sell videos or magazines. Evangelion was probably one of the first announcements of this reality, but just that. So, I totally agree with your previous post when you said:
Oh, boy... you are making me want to write my thoughts on Evangelion. A few weeks ago, I spent all night thinking about it. I'll try to be concise.

I'm not an expert on the show (there are entire forums on the internet discussing all of the hidden symbolism and stuff in the show, which is over my head), but I do remember the characters. My personal interpretation of the show is that it is a tale of a boy (Shinji) who is growing up; however, the characters and events are symbolic of growing up during that time when the Japanese recession first started.

Shinji is a normal, sheltered boy. He is thrown into a situation where he has to fight for his own survival and the survival of the planet. His dad is a very strong, manly man. I interpret his dad to be symbolic of the previous generation of Japanese- more fluent and prosperous. Shinji feels like he could never live up to the strength of his dad (symbolic of the new generation not being expected to do as well economically as their parents, which is what is happening in America right now, something I'm experiencing and observing first-hand).

Asuka is the German girl on the show. She is strong and beautiful. Shinji likes her, but has such low self-esteem that he feels like he could never be good enough for her (there are some fascinatingly pathetic scenes to describe this lol). Asuka could represent the new type of Japanese woman- the Japanese woman that grew up in prosperity and western influence (keep in mind that this Asuka character really is German). The Japanese are experiencing low birth rates because they're generally smart, and no smart people intentionally have kids (which is expensive) when they are poor. Unlike the traditional arranged marriage, the western style of marriage is more focused on who the woman chooses, so women often look at money as the main factor for deciding who to marry. The character of Shinji probably resonated well with people without money, therefore looking pitiful in the eyes of women. 

"I think there is something new (very dark and confused) in the Japanese spirit arising through anime."
Yep, and all thanks to the economy. :P
It is something that I haven't encountered anywhere else, indeed, which is one reason why I find it so interesting.


Quote from: Gordon Shumway on August 25, 2012, 12:07:06 PM
Surely, I need to watch this thing.
Not sure if you are referring to Evangelion or Mirai Nikki, but they are both crazy shows... crazy enough that I can understand if people hate them, though I do love them.


Quote from: Gordon Shumway on August 25, 2012, 12:07:06 PM
Thanks for your interesting posts, Greg:)
Glad you found them interesting!

Wakefield

Quote from: Greg on August 25, 2012, 07:44:58 PM
Not sure if you are referring to Evangelion or Mirai Nikki, but they are both crazy shows... crazy enough that I can understand if people hate them, though I do love them.

I was referring Mirai Nikki.

I watched Evangelion several years ago, but I'm thinking I need to rewatch that series. It would be fine to see what I currently think about it.  :)

"One of the greatest misfortunes of honest people is that they are cowards. They complain, keep quiet, dine and forget."
-- Voltaire

ibanezmonster




Ah... if there's no time to watch a new anime series, there's always time to revisit an episode from an old favorite.

Revisited Episode 2 of Elfen Lied!  8)
And it is every bit as good as I remember (and this even happens to be one of the less memorable episodes).

I just love how it sets the mood- from the sombre, almost Catholic opening theme song, "Lilium", to the entire episode taking place at night in the rain... I feel like I'm watching an opera in animation form when watching this show. Music-wise, Lilium is definitely the main theme being played, but also occurring are some other themes, such as this one Bartok-like string theme when things start getting intense. Also fascinating is watching Nyuu express herself with a one-word vocabulary, and that battle scene on the beach is pretty sweet, too.

This would be incredible as an opera- I could totally imagine Berg doing an opera of this show if he were alive today. Since he's not alive, though, I really would like to write an Elfen Lied opera one day. So for the next best thing, I've turned on Fred Edwards' "Elfen Lied," a brilliant orchestral piece which captures the essence of the show in music and really deserves a recording!

eyeresist

Gave up on the mind numbing Ghost Hunt and am currently watching Black Butler.

I know I must be a hopeless weeaboo, when I am considering importing some (Western) movies so that I can watch them with Japanese audio! :D

ibanezmonster

I hear Black Butler is great! I've be interested in what you think about that one.  8)

eyeresist

#468
Quote from: Greg on September 02, 2012, 08:18:53 PMI hear Black Butler is great! I'd be interested in what you think about that one.  8)

The premise is interesting (tragic aristocratic boy with demonic guardian servant), but at the start the show is undermined by a lot of unfunny generic comedy from the other servants (plus the boy's fiance). I'm up to ep5 and that seems to have gone away, but I'm dreading its return. The show has also taken a sudden turn into dark, crazy violence, which I didn't see coming (it makes Hellsing look tasteful!). From what I've read, the show continues in this vein. I'll reserve judgement until I see how the story is playing out - at the moment, I can't see any arc narrative.


Re movies I'm interesting in watching in Japanese, here is the short list: Scott Pilgrim vs The World, Aliens, Resident Evil, Sucker Punch, Interview With The Vampire, The Matrix, (Blade: House Of Chthon, possibly). As you can see, they're all basically live-action animes, so I think the cultural translation would work.

ibanezmonster

Quote from: eyeresist on September 02, 2012, 09:12:18 PM
Re movies I'm interesting in watching in Japanese, here is the short list: Scott Pilgrim vs The World, Aliens, Resident Evil, Sucker Punch, Interview With The Vampire, The Matrix, (Blade: House Of Chthon, possibly). As you can see, they're all basically live-action animes, so I think the cultural translation would work.
For learning purposes or just for fun?

eyeresist

Quote from: Greg on September 03, 2012, 08:37:07 AMFor learning purposes or just for fun?

My Japanese is pretty poor, so it's just for fun. I guess the inspiration is from when I bought the Japanese issue of the Animatrix a few years ago (to get the real version ;) ). Then more recently I tried to find the Japanese version of Vampire Hunter D Bloodlust (because the US dub is terrible - I don't care if it's the "original" audio) - but that was OOP. Western movies are actually pretty cheap in Japan (compared to anime prices, at least).


(Another I'd like to get is Pitch Black, but that's NA too.)

ibanezmonster

Quote from: eyeresist on September 03, 2012, 06:19:02 PM
Western movies are actually pretty cheap in Japan (compared to anime prices, at least).
This is definitely an issue with some of them... I'm not sure how this works, but maybe the expensive ones are by the studios that actually pay each animator enough money to live on.  ;D

ibanezmonster

Hyouka

Watched episode 1. (I'll eventually watch the whole thing, since it is KyoAni's latest, and the only anime by KyoAni I haven't watched yet).
It's almost like Haruhi, but with a refined and elegant style. The protagonist, who normally isn't into clubs, ends up joining a club. And there are mysteries involved. The Bach soundtrack (typical ones- Air on a G String, 1st Cello Suite) really captures the vibe of the show perfectly.



ibanezmonster

Hyouka- episode 2

Wow, I spent 20 minutes actually doing something I wanted to do: watch an episode of this.
Kinda boring, actually. But I was starving for some anime... might end up dropping other stuff for a bit to watch this.

Who did the subtitles? Could you get any looser with the translations?  ???

ibanezmonster


Hyouka
22 episodes + OVA

Hehe... took me 3 weeks to finish these 22 episodes.
Overall, a pretty good show. It's nothing extraordinary, but the characters are likable and the mysteries enjoyable.

Once the protagonist, Oreki, discovers his gift for solving mysteries at the beginning of the show, it gets going to a few large-scale mysteries that span several episodes. The last several episodes of the show slow down to being mysteries that are solved in a single episode.

There is one episode near the end which is just Oreki and Chitanda sitting in the club room and talking through a mystery from beginning to end. The school principal announces over the intercom, "Anyone that shopped at [store near the school] yesterday, report to the office immediately." Just from that announcement and the fact that the store sells kids' school supplies, they go through the steps to conclude that someone had used a counterfeit 10,000 yen bill at the store and wrote a letter of apology, and that this person had gotten the bill from someone else as payment.


next: Chuunibyo demo Koi ga Shitai. This is currently airing (3 out of 12 episodes so far), so I'll finish it probably in December sometime. Then that will be the end of KyoAni's run for the year. I would like to see another season of Haruhi next year, since there is still quite a bit left to cover that the novels have already covered.

Corey

Starting Serial Experiments: Lain again. It's streaming on Hulu.

CaughtintheGaze


ibanezmonster

Quote from: Corey on November 26, 2012, 04:47:28 AM
Starting Serial Experiments: Lain again. It's streaming on Hulu.
I still watch an episode of that every now and then (only subs, though). The show almost seems inhuman, which is a unique quality I like.


Quote from: CaughtintheGaze on November 26, 2012, 10:17:01 AM
So gorgeous:
Yep. I watched that first episode sometime last year, I think... they had marathons on G3TV years ago, which I watched random episodes of, but I never watched the series from start to finish. Have you?

CaughtintheGaze

Quote from: Greg on November 26, 2012, 10:27:20 AM
Yep. I watched that first episode sometime last year, I think... they had marathons on G3TV years ago, which I watched random episodes of, but I never watched the series from start to finish. Have you?

Just started it, but its art design is about as good as I've seen. Nearing Escaflowne levels.

snyprrr

How do you hook up with an anime girl? She's a potential psycho, but, I'm game. btw- I don't think I can 'fake' it: I'm going to need a much more aggressive approach. :( I can't imagine being able to deal with anime talk,... how can I get the subject to kinky sex?? 8)