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Shelf Life - Level Up


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the Rancorous



Joined: 08 Feb 2006
Posts: 2248
Location: Hunting the Dragon in Gransys
PostPosted: Mon Mar 21, 2011 2:17 am Reply with quote
eyeresist wrote:
JackCox wrote:
Frankly I just think Erin doesn't get it. Phantom just like Casshern Sins is not for people who are hyper active, they are slow-moving shows and your completely wrong on this.

Just because a show is slow, that doesn't mean it's intelligent. Witness the oeuvre of Bee Train, for instance. But plenty of naive people get sucked in by shows that appeal to undergraduate intellectual vanity, to the extent that it's practically an anime genre in itself!
*snip*
I mean, if you like this as a style, just say so, but don't insist it's because you're just so much smarter and more sensitive than everybody else.

Although I think you're being a bit too harsh here, I do agree with your point. For example, one of my personal favorites is Noir; very similar to Phantom. But I couldn't bring myself around to finish Phantom. I lasted until the last 3rd I think it was, spoiler[whenever Zwei and Ein started playing house and Cal's body aged over 10 years in 2.] I mean seriously, before, and after 2 years, WTF?!?! She went from 10 to 22! And this was also the time when it turned into spoiler["you abandoned me, I'll kill you", "I feel bad," "let's use hostage"] put on a loop and like Erin, my eyes were sore from rolling so much. There was no missed point here, folks.
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Megiddo



Joined: 24 Aug 2005
Posts: 5086
Location: TX
PostPosted: Mon Mar 21, 2011 2:24 am Reply with quote
What's that? From innocence to adulthood in a tiny amount of span?

It's almost like it's a symbol or something! But that's not till part 2.
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Tamaria



Joined: 21 Oct 2007
Posts: 1367
Location: De Achterhoek
PostPosted: Mon Mar 21, 2011 2:40 am Reply with quote
Quote:
Maybe it's just me. I can't get attached to characters who are only going to be around for a few episodes unless they make an incredible impression, otherwise it's very hard to write loveable characters that will only last for three or four episodes


I really, really don't get this. It's not some moe show, it's not about the characters, you don't have to adore them, write kinky fanfics and buy their bodypillows.

Level E is a show about an intergalactic troll and it's hilarious. Well, I guess it's a little less hilarious if you're not familiar with sentai series, Dragon Quest and whatever else the show pokes fun at.

Quote:

Level E liberally mixes ugly realistic characters with normal-looking folks for no discernable reason,


Because silly/ridiculous character designs are funny and emphasize the lightheartedness of the show. You're taking this series too seriously.

Last edited by Tamaria on Mon Mar 21, 2011 6:35 am; edited 1 time in total
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JuicyB



Joined: 08 Mar 2010
Posts: 278
PostPosted: Mon Mar 21, 2011 4:08 am Reply with quote
eyeresist wrote:
JackCox wrote:
Frankly I just think Erin doesn't get it. Phantom just like Casshern Sins is not for people who are hyper active, they are slow-moving shows and your completely wrong on this.

Just because a show is slow, that doesn't mean it's intelligent. Witness the oeuvre of Bee Train, for instance. But plenty of naive people get sucked in by shows that appeal to undergraduate intellectual vanity, to the extent that it's practically an anime genre in itself!

How to do it: Just take your cookie-cutter standard anime, slow the plotting to one third speed, make the colour palette gloomy and/or grainy, have characters speak pretentious platitudes in halting monotones, and have an "ambiguous" (i.e. nonsensical) and "existential" (i.e. meaningless) ending. Presto - instant masterpiece. I mean, if you like this as a style, just say so, but don't insist it's because you're just so much smarter and more sensitive than everybody else.


Anyway. "Full Frontal". That must count as Engrish, right?



ooooooo... WOOHOOHOO WOOHOOHOO pseudo-intellectuals are the easiest people to pwn, eh m8?
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tuxedocat
Aria CompanyAria Company


Joined: 14 Dec 2009
Posts: 1800
PostPosted: Mon Mar 21, 2011 4:08 am Reply with quote
Tamaria wrote:
Quote:
Maybe it's just me. I can't get attached to characters who are only going to be around for a few episodes unless they make an incredible impression, otherwise it's very hard to write loveable characters that will only last for three or four episodes


I really, really don't get this. It's not some moe show, it's not about the characters, you don't have to adore them, write kinky fanfics and buy their bodypillows.

Level E is a show about an intergalactic troll and it's hilarious. Well, I guess it's a little less hilarious if you're not familiar with sentai series, Dragon Quest and whatever else the show pokes fun at.

Quote:

Level E liberally mixes ugly realistic characters with normal-looking folks for no discernable reason,


Because silly/ridiculous character designs are funny and emphatise the lightheartedness of the show. You're taking this series too seriously.


This. All this. I mean, mixing character designs like that is all over the place.

Erin, It seems to me almost like you are reaching for excuses, along with your complaints about backgrounds that are irrelevant to those of us who are getting and enjoying the jokes.

Quote:
Maybe it's just me.


Yes, it is just you. Almost everyone I've encountered who has been watching this show realized up front that it was an episodic anthology, since the manga it was based on was finished quite a while ago.

While I disagree with your Level E review, I sort of agree with your Phantom review, up to a point.

Personally, I thought the show was a downer - too many colorless, cardboard characters. Bee Train shows are like that for me. However, I did actually watch the show, twice. My first run through I recalled as somewhat entertaining. When Funimation announced the premium set, I went back to re-visit it to see whether I wanted to buy it. It just didn't hold up well to a second viewing IMO. In order to make this determination, however, I had to pay attention to the show.

Even though I ended up not caring for it all that much, I did pay attention while I watched. I didn't get the feeling that you did the same.

I wouldn't feel this way if your reviews focused less on superficial issues and more on substance. It almost reminds me of those book reports the kids in english class would try to sell after only skimming, rather than reading the assigned material. I understand that you have to watch a lot of anime, sure. Maybe you should review only half seasons or something... ?

--and what is with the passive aggression toward Gundam fans?

Confused
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pachy_boy



Joined: 09 Mar 2006
Posts: 599
PostPosted: Mon Mar 21, 2011 5:19 am Reply with quote
Quote:
the unfunny Men in Black film


Really? I can agree as much on the second film, where it really seemed like Barry Sonnenfeld wasn't even trying.

CareyGrant wrote:
When I see/encounter shows like Phantom (or similar) I immediately jump to the conclusion: what was Funi thinking by going to the expense of a dub (especially when this type of anime's been done to death by likes of Bee Train before; and are dubbed)?


Because their history shows that they don't not dub their series, and that's all there is to it.
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PetrifiedJello



Joined: 11 Mar 2009
Posts: 3782
PostPosted: Mon Mar 21, 2011 7:07 am Reply with quote
Shelf Life. Never a dull moment.

I'm going to own Phantom one day. It's inevitable. Bee Train's slow and methodical poisoning of intelligence for the "WTF!?" ending of its series is now a cherished part of my anime viewing and I regret no time in viewing every second of them.

As for the other two titles... wait... what were they again?
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FaytLein



Joined: 21 Jun 2008
Posts: 1260
Location: Williamsburg, VA
PostPosted: Mon Mar 21, 2011 7:18 am Reply with quote
Being a Gundam fan is being like any other kind of fandom. You want to watch more of it, you participate in discussions, you pick your "side" and defend it from naysayes past the point of a logical debate. The current climate for being a Unicorn fan has a lot of detractors in the diehard UC fanbases, so beware!
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Maidenoftheredhand



Joined: 21 Jun 2007
Posts: 1330
PostPosted: Mon Mar 21, 2011 7:32 am Reply with quote
Eh I love Level E. I understand humor is subjective but I think it is hilarious. I also love the 90's retro look of the characters. And while it is sad to see characters leave after a few episodes I always look forward to meeting new ones.

Not to mention there are some regulars. The Prince is a fun troll but my favorite character is actually Captain Kraft voiced by the ever wonderful Takehito Koyasu.

Then again I also enjoyed Men in Black
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Sepherest



Joined: 06 May 2007
Posts: 493
Location: The Labyrinth of Amala
PostPosted: Mon Mar 21, 2011 7:52 am Reply with quote
After seeing that other Level E review on here it worried me when I clicked on Shelf Life, and lo and behold Rolling Eyes

Maybe people just don't get the Color Rangers arc? I loved the subtle references and jokes in it, like characters in the game town that only repeat the same phrases, or the high-level spells that require the user to chant outlandishly long poem phrases.

But ugly characters? Has anime really come to a point where everyone has to be some doey-eyed kid with rainbow hair or something? Semi-realistic designs are nice to see once in a while.

Last edited by Sepherest on Mon Mar 21, 2011 7:56 am; edited 1 time in total
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ss-hikaru



Joined: 16 Nov 2010
Posts: 265
Location: Western Australia
PostPosted: Mon Mar 21, 2011 7:54 am Reply with quote
Maidenoftheredhand wrote:
Eh I love Level E. I understand humor is subjective but I think it is hilarious. I also love the 90's retro look of the characters. And while it is sad to see characters leave after a few episodes I always look forward to meeting new ones.

Not to mention there are some regulars. The Prince is a fun troll but my favorite character is actually Captain Kraft voiced by the ever wonderful Takehito Koyasu.


Oh YES, Takehito Koyasu is absolutely great as Kraft! I really love Level E as well, both the funny episodes and the more serious ones. And you gotta admit that the Color Ranger's elementary school teacher is awesome =D
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TC-man



Joined: 13 Feb 2009
Posts: 115
PostPosted: Mon Mar 21, 2011 8:19 am Reply with quote
Well, my problem with Phantom - Requiem for the Phantom is that there are no good endings for spoiler[all characters/protagonists] in this anime adaptation which are achievable in the visual novel. I don't mind watching an anime where characters are dying for a "good" cause, but spoiler[I don't think the protagonists such as Zwei (Reiji), Claudia, Cal were dying for a good enough cause, e.g. sacrificing yourself for saving someone else]. While the plot of the anime is not the most original one, this anime adaptation could have been so much better if the execution was better handled by the anime creators. The creators could have followed one of the multiple endings (there are a lot of them) in the visual novel (e.g. mixing them together?), they don't even have to copy and paste the whole visual novel (don't even try, okay!), but please stay close to the source. Instead the anime creators choose to make dull ones (including choices+ outcomes) for this anime adaptation of Phantom of Inferno. This is really a shame (after watching the OVA), since the beginning of the anime is quite promising, but in the middle of the show it's starting to look like a "trainwreck". Although I still think this Phantom of Inferno anime adaptation is good enough for the rental shelf, more so if you didn't play the game and didn't know there were better outcomes for the characters in the show, that's including better bad endings and good endings.

As for Level E, I thought it was quite enjoyable, especially the first episode which impressed me greatly, it felt fresh and innovative, despite the series is based on a really old manga. Give it a try is my advice.

Never watched the "newer" Gundam (from "Wing" to "00"), since these Gundam series feels too "political" at times. Maybe I should try out Unicorn this time.
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zensunni



Joined: 05 Mar 2010
Posts: 507
PostPosted: Mon Mar 21, 2011 9:01 am Reply with quote
Erin's review of Level E is pretty much what I thought. I hadn't read the manga, but I had heard that it was episodic in nature. What I didn't realize is that the main characters introduced in the first arc were not the main characters in the other arcs, which is a bit disappointing, since my favorite characters were the ball player and the pretty girl-next-door.

As for the color rangers arc, it just seemed like it was trying to parody something that might have been ripe for the picking in 1995, but is already so far gone that it serves as a self-parody now. It just doesn't bring the funny the way it might have when the Power Rangers were still fresh and shiny.

Also, it is interesting to note that Men in Black, which I found quite funny, came out in 1997, two years after Level E debuted in manga... Makes you wonder if some American movie producers read manga back in the day?
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Yorozuya



Joined: 11 Mar 2009
Posts: 332
PostPosted: Mon Mar 21, 2011 9:08 am Reply with quote
I'll admit that I miss the baseball player but I still find the series hilarious without him. I noticed you didn't comment on the humour very much; which seems a bit strange to me considering its a comedy...
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vashfanatic



Joined: 16 Jun 2005
Posts: 3090
Location: Region 2
PostPosted: Mon Mar 21, 2011 9:42 am Reply with quote
Violating a pledge to not post on forums, but for those of you who lost interest in Level E once Yoshitaka left the series, he will be returning in episode 11, so you might want to watch just that one.
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