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REVIEW: And You Thought There Is Never A Girl Online? BD/DVD




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GhostD



Joined: 07 May 2016
Posts: 998
PostPosted: Mon Sep 04, 2017 11:43 am Reply with quote
I enjoyed this show quite a bit. I was also annoyed by Ako but I was able to look past it. Gotta say I thought the dub was fairly solid so I was a little surprised when I saw it was only graded C+
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Raebo101



Joined: 17 Mar 2010
Posts: 792
PostPosted: Mon Sep 04, 2017 11:55 am Reply with quote
GhostD wrote:
I enjoyed this show quite a bit. I was also annoyed by Ako but I was able to look past it. Gotta say I thought the dub was fairly solid so I was a little surprised when I saw it was only graded C+


It's not the dub that was graded; it's the overall experience watching the series dubbed that was graded. It's more an overall grade of the series than a grade of the dub or sub. If the reviewer thought the show was better, both Overall scores would be higher. If the reviewer thought the dub itself was objectively stronger than the sub, "Overall (dub)" score would be slightly higher grade than the "Overall (sub)" score.
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Animegomaniac



Joined: 16 Feb 2012
Posts: 4070
PostPosted: Mon Sep 04, 2017 12:15 pm Reply with quote
I have to agree with Rebecca about Ako.. I was solidly rooting for Hideki to pull back and just befriend the poor girl. Anything else just made him look bad to me, not just the idea that he's taking advantage of her but the idea he's doing so because he's still hurt from his previous online romantic/gaming experience.

It's not the worst thing I ever saw in a romantic comedy... cue high school girl pursuing an elementary kid because she thinks he's good looking or a guy taking advantage of a childhood promise to sleep with a girl only to hide their relationship from friends, despite living together... but it's a very low hurdle. "Don't be scum.", shouldn't be that hard for romantic leads.

Hideki just barely passes it.
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GhostD



Joined: 07 May 2016
Posts: 998
PostPosted: Mon Sep 04, 2017 12:23 pm Reply with quote
Quote:
It's not the dub that was graded; it's the overall experience watching the series dubbed that was graded. It's more an overall grade of the series than a grade of the dub or sub. If the reviewer thought the show was better, both Overall scores would be higher. If the reviewer thought the dub itself was objectively stronger than the sub, "Overall (dub)" score would be slightly higher grade than the "Overall (sub)" score.


Thats what I mean though I shouldve explained it better. My overall experience of watching the series dubbed was fairly enjoyable though she obviously didn't enjoy it as much as I did.
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EighteenSky





PostPosted: Mon Sep 04, 2017 12:43 pm Reply with quote
I've never really seen the issues brought up with Ako as is the case here but I can see why now it's wrote out that some would find her irritating or the people around her problematic.

I had no problem with it, I like jokes on any subject so long as it makes me smile / laugh and that was the case here. The issues Ako had, whilst they did dive into how serious they were on occasion never went too far down that line for me to see this show as something other than comedic. It struck the right balance for me personally and she became one of the highlights of a very enjoyable show.
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HeeroTX



Joined: 15 Jul 2002
Posts: 2046
Location: Austin, TX
PostPosted: Mon Sep 04, 2017 1:58 pm Reply with quote
I'm curious if the reviewer watched the show all the way from start to end. Later episodes make it pretty clear that Ako is much more saavy than she appears and even imply that MUCH (not all, but a LARGE portion) of her behavior while manipulative, is NOT "escapist fantasy". In fact, it's even clear in an earlier episode that she's not super attached to the specific game they're playing but more the PEOPLE she's playing with.

To me, the bigger question is how early Ako actually knew who Hideki is. I wonder if the LNs ever ask the question of if she KNEW that Hideki was Rusian BEFORE pursuing him in game. But either way, she DOES explicitly note that spoiler[if they're a "couple" in the game, wouldn't it be awkward for them to NOT be a couple in real life, by suggesting the inverse is totally true.] I think people are taking things TOO literally if they're making a big deal about her "mental issues", since that's obviously pushed somewhat to an extreme for comedic effect, like Rikka in Chuunibyou.
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GhostD



Joined: 07 May 2016
Posts: 998
PostPosted: Mon Sep 04, 2017 2:10 pm Reply with quote
HeeroTX wrote:
I'm curious if the reviewer watched the show all the way from start to end. Later episodes make it pretty clear that Ako is much more saavy than she appears and even imply that MUCH (not all, but a LARGE portion) of her behavior while manipulative, is NOT "escapist fantasy". In fact, it's even clear in an earlier episode that she's not super attached to the specific game they're playing but more the PEOPLE she's playing with.

To me, the bigger question is how early Ako actually knew who Hideki is. I wonder if the LNs ever ask the question of if she KNEW that Hideki was Rusian BEFORE pursuing him in game. But either way, she DOES explicitly note that spoiler[if they're a "couple" in the game, wouldn't it be awkward for them to NOT be a couple in real life, by suggesting the inverse is totally true.] I think people are taking things TOO literally if they're making a big deal about her "mental issues", since that's obviously pushed somewhat to an extreme for comedic effect, like Rikka in Chuunibyou.


Probably cos the anime doesnt imply this as much as the LN does although there are hints of it in the anime too. While Id rather not classify her condition as a mental illness since I think thats a sensitive topic, I still found her annoying. Funny but annoying
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Princess_Irene
ANN Reviewer


Joined: 16 Dec 2008
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PostPosted: Mon Sep 04, 2017 2:38 pm Reply with quote
HeeroTX wrote:
I'm curious if the reviewer watched the show all the way from start to end.


Of course I did. That's my job.

I did begin to suspect Ako towards the end, as you mention, but it felt minor within the scope of the show. I'm not surprised to hear that the original source novels make more of her possibly being manipulative spoiler[and having known about Hideki/Rusian from the get-go], though. I don't think that would make me like her more (less, possibly), but it's a much more interesting angle.
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Ouran High School Dropout



Joined: 28 Jun 2015
Posts: 440
Location: Somewhere in Massachusetts, USA
PostPosted: Tue Sep 05, 2017 9:14 am Reply with quote
HeeroTX wrote:
I think people are taking things TOO literally if they're making a big deal about her "mental issues", since that's obviously pushed somewhat to an extreme for comedic effect, like Rikka in Chuunibyou.

Can someone clarify this for me, who's debating whether or not to give this show a chance? Is Ako:

(1) a disturbed but ultimately understandable, wounded sweetheart like Chuunibyo's Rikka,
(2) a genuine psychological and emotional train wreck like Watamote's Tomoko,
(3) somewere between 1 and 2, or
(4) her character its own beast?
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HeeroTX



Joined: 15 Jul 2002
Posts: 2046
Location: Austin, TX
PostPosted: Tue Sep 05, 2017 9:57 am Reply with quote
Ouran High School Dropout wrote:

Can someone clarify this for me, who's debating whether or not to give this show a chance? Is Ako:

(1) a disturbed but ultimately understandable, wounded sweetheart like Chuunibyo's Rikka,
(2) a genuine psychological and emotional train wreck like Watamote's Tomoko,
(3) somewere between 1 and 2, or
(4) her character its own beast?

Speaking ONLY about the anime (haven't read the LNs) I would lean towards 4. She's NOT 2, and not really 1 either. But I think the Rikka comparison is relevant because you have a similar character dynamic of "trying to be 'normal' guy" with "happy to be 'different' girl" and the attendant friends that are encouraging their romance. While Rikka has past "trauma", we're not aware of any such situations for Ako, she's just immature.

I can see why some people find Ako annoying, but I don't agree. Also, while the "annoying" tag is understandable, the "mental health" suggestion is frankly ludicrous. Ako's actions are a bit much, but that's CLEARLY more standard "entertainment value" extreme than "mental issues" extreme. (When Hideki goes to Ako's house, there's a scene that plays out that you can see coming a MILE away. If taken at "face value" it's straight-up INSANE but, again, you can see it coming a MILE away and is clearly intended ENTIRELY for humor. That's not to say everyone will (or should) find it funny, but that is clearly the intent)

But yeah, the show is VERY analogous to Chuunibyou: "average" guy finds himself in a relationship with a "weird" girl, he slowly realizes the attraction is mutual as other related friends (who MIGHT also be attracted to the main, but not so as to disrupt the primary relationship) assist with their romance... sort of. The variance being "girl associates in game 'marriage' with real life relationship" vs. "girl think boy is tied to her by karmic 'fate' because of her fantasies", plus Rikka is more of a "shrinking violet" while Ako is more "in your face". In this show, the other characters are supposed to be helping Ako get more in touch with "reality" but put questionable effort into that and are therefore not very effective. Likewise, in Chuunibyou, the characters are supposed to be helping Rikka get more in touch with reality but put (varying levels of) questionable effort into it and therefore are generally unsuccessful.

TBF, I know a bunch of people ALSO didn't like Hajime in Gatchaman, and I don't really get the complaints about her either.
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Northlander



Joined: 10 Feb 2009
Posts: 900
PostPosted: Tue Sep 05, 2017 2:21 pm Reply with quote
I didn't find Ako annoying per se, but I did find everyone pushing for a relationship between her and the main dude to be a bit unsettling. I could maybe believe that a group of teenagers like these people wouldn't find her issues a big deal, but that the teacher or Ako's mother goes along with this is... well, irresponsible and unsettling.

I really, really don't like Hajime from Gatchaman Crowds, though. She's basically a perfect icon. She lectures and talks down everyone in that show, she corrects everyone's behavior and she's never wrong about anything, not even about people she just met. And she never ever EVER shuts up. If she's not talking, she's making noises of some sort. If she was a protagonist in Attack on Titan, not only would she make every titan she met stop eating people, but she'd also save a certain trio and make everyone else forgive everything they ever did. And we'd know what was in that cellar by now as well. Or we wouldn't need to. She's Nausicaa taken to the most logical extreme possible, except for the fact that -- while I do have some problems with how the anime portrayed her as a female Jesus -- I actually liked her, even in the anime. (The manga is completely, utterly fantastic, though; she's no less of a wonderful person there. The manga is just less over the top with it.)

This is of course a personal thing with me. I have nothing against people liking either the character or the show.
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Stevangelion



Joined: 08 Feb 2017
Posts: 48
PostPosted: Tue Sep 05, 2017 3:00 pm Reply with quote
I have to disagree with the grading of this series. I thought the series was really great, the dub was fantastic and I could rewatch it any day. In fact, I have re-watched the series many times. Ako can be annoying, but everyone has flaws.

This is a RomCom series with heavy niche trope influences you don't need to give each character a psych evaluation, just watch to enjoy instead of watch to critique. I know nitpicking and desuading is part of a Reviewers job, but I think you went a little too hard on the series.

A lot of people just look at the grade and decide based on that wheather or not to even give it a shot so when I see a series like this given a low grade on a characters personality flaw that actually drives the entire plot of the show then I kind of have to speak up.
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nucl3earsnake



Joined: 28 Aug 2012
Posts: 5
PostPosted: Tue Sep 05, 2017 6:47 pm Reply with quote
This anime was average in every way it could be, if anything the reviewer was being too generous. A solid C
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Baggie_Saiyan



Joined: 10 Jul 2016
Posts: 152
PostPosted: Wed Sep 20, 2017 9:41 am Reply with quote
I am surprised many dislike Ako, I found her to be pretty funny easily the best char in the show. Enjoyed the show quite a bit overall though the gaming stuff was where the show lulls as it was kinda generic and boring but the IRL stuff was definitely fun.
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GhostD



Joined: 07 May 2016
Posts: 998
PostPosted: Thu Sep 21, 2017 3:24 am Reply with quote
Baggie_Saiyan wrote:
I am surprised many dislike Ako, I found her to be pretty funny easily the best char in the show. Enjoyed the show quite a bit overall though the gaming stuff was where the show lulls as it was kinda generic and boring but the IRL stuff was definitely fun.


It was funny at first but when you realize the depth of her issues the comedy does a 180. Thing is that Rebecca is right in that Ako has shown potentially dangerous behavior particularly when she shows yandere behavior IRL. I doubt you'd want a yandere stalker like her following you like a shadow IRL too
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