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REVIEW: True Tears Sub.DVD


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Dop.L



Joined: 23 Mar 2007
Posts: 713
Location: London
PostPosted: Tue Oct 06, 2009 2:01 am Reply with quote
I enjoyed this series and I'm glad it finally got a release. The vial/vile thing made me cringe. That would have been bad enough the once, but to repeat the mistake three times in the same episode?

Then again according to a friend of mine who's worked in subtitling, rates are so low that it's not surprising you get mistakes made.
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Zin5ki



Joined: 06 Jan 2008
Posts: 6680
Location: London, UK
PostPosted: Tue Oct 06, 2009 3:42 pm Reply with quote
This review would indicate some sort of unbalance of assets- the better characters simply not having enough screen time. I find that a peppering of tear-inducing devices suffices to justify bouts of unengaging screenplay, but said techniques typically need to involve the main characters to be of most merit. I'll probably stick to the (small) selection of previously-released titles within this sub-genre.
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zanarkand princess



Joined: 27 Oct 2007
Posts: 1484
PostPosted: Tue Oct 06, 2009 6:32 pm Reply with quote
Zin5ki wrote:
This review would indicate some sort of unbalance of assets- the better characters simply not having enough screen time. I find that a peppering of tear-inducing devices suffices to justify bouts of unengaging screenplay, but said techniques typically need to involve the main characters to be of most merit. I'll probably stick to the (small) selection of previously-released titles within this sub-genre.

It's a solid (and good imo) series for sure but Carl is right, Hiromi is annoying, boring and way too up her own ass all at the same time while when Ai, Noe or Nobuse aren't on screen Shinichiro is more boring then watching paint dry. Especially when he's fawning over the non existent perfection in Hiromi. I wish that the series spent more time on Noe(and her brother) and I really wish it didn't go for the typical end. I think that the series went against many of the ideas that it brought up in the first place and I was not emotionally affected by spoiler[ Him going after Hiromi, but all the scenes at the end with Noe were very touching. As a matter of fact it was much more bitter than sweet watching Noe get hurt in the end. Especially in favor of Hiromi]

It feels like they set up all this important and interesting stuff with Noe and Nobuse and then said Oh wait we only have 13 episodes better drop this and catch up with what Mr. and Ms. Duller than drying paint.
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TJR



Joined: 13 Jul 2009
Posts: 223
PostPosted: Tue Oct 06, 2009 6:59 pm Reply with quote
Zin5ki wrote:
This review would indicate some sort of unbalance of assets- the better characters simply not having enough screen time. I find that a peppering of tear-inducing devices suffices to justify bouts of unengaging screenplay, but said techniques typically need to involve the main characters to be of most merit. I'll probably stick to the (small) selection of previously-released titles within this sub-genre.


The problem is a lack of substance. Emotionally, True Tears is an ambitious show and on paper, many scenes sound great. However, it's all pointless if development and buildup are inadequate (also, certain soap opera style plot threads are introduced and unconvincingly resolved in a short timeframe).

More interesting leads might help a little, but the show remains fundamentally flawed in many ways.
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ani12



Joined: 30 Apr 2008
Posts: 165
PostPosted: Tue Oct 06, 2009 7:20 pm Reply with quote
Whoa, I just bought this today down at Crossgates, and there is a review already? That was fast. Well, I dont want to have a bias while watching it, so I can't read it until I finish it myself ^^;
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Fronzel



Joined: 11 Sep 2003
Posts: 1906
PostPosted: Wed Oct 07, 2009 1:54 am Reply with quote
Quote:
Nobuse coming slowly to the realization that his girlfriend doesn't love him, Noe discovering that it was she, not Shinichiro who ultimately was unable to fly—these are powerful moments, potent emotional uppercuts that taken on their own stand with the best of their type.

The review as a whole is a recomendation to avoid this one, but these descriptions rather make me want to watch.

Would it make any sense if I just skipped the scenes with the main characters?
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vashfanatic



Joined: 16 Jun 2005
Posts: 3489
Location: Back stateside
PostPosted: Wed Oct 07, 2009 9:31 am Reply with quote
Fronzel wrote:
Quote:
Nobuse coming slowly to the realization that his girlfriend doesn't love him, Noe discovering that it was she, not Shinichiro who ultimately was unable to fly—these are powerful moments, potent emotional uppercuts that taken on their own stand with the best of their type.

The review as a whole is a recomendation to avoid this one, but these descriptions rather make me want to watch.

Would it make any sense if I just skipped the scenes with the main characters?


I watched ef~A tale of memories skipping through everything that wasn't related to Chihiro and Renji and it was much better that way, so sure, why not?
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Megiddo



Joined: 24 Aug 2005
Posts: 8360
Location: IL
PostPosted: Wed Oct 07, 2009 10:24 am Reply with quote
vashfanatic wrote:
Fronzel wrote:
Quote:
Nobuse coming slowly to the realization that his girlfriend doesn't love him, Noe discovering that it was she, not Shinichiro who ultimately was unable to fly—these are powerful moments, potent emotional uppercuts that taken on their own stand with the best of their type.

The review as a whole is a recomendation to avoid this one, but these descriptions rather make me want to watch.

Would it make any sense if I just skipped the scenes with the main characters?


I watched ef~A tale of memories skipping through everything that wasn't related to Chihiro and Renji and it was much better that way, so sure, why not?
Oddly enough, I skipped through everything that was related to Chihiro and Renji because I'm not a fan of eyepatch moe, I'm sick of amnesia, and I find Chihiro to be one of, if not the most dull and boring character ever created. The other girl who had actually had some spunk err, vitality, proved to be a much better character to watch on screen, but that's a bit off topic.

I love True Tears. True, Hiromi is about as bland as anime characters get, and I much rather would have had more time spent on Aiko and Noe, though especially Aiko. However, it's still a well-executed series other than the very ending. It never debased itself with too much fanservice and features a respectable soundtrack, and I quite like the opening song Reflectia.

Although I've pretty much grown to accept that I always root for the girl that the main character never ends up with.

Overall I agree with this review, but I'd say that Aiko and Noe are just charismatic enough to merit this series a watch... unless all you're looking for is boobs. What impresses me most about this series is that as far as I know, it had no original source. No manga/light-novel and I think only the name of the show is shared with that of an ero game, the characters/story/etc being different. I rarely see an original source shounen romance, and especially one that was as well-executed as this one, so I've had this on my "to-buy" list ever since I finished watching the series last year.
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vashfanatic



Joined: 16 Jun 2005
Posts: 3489
Location: Back stateside
PostPosted: Wed Oct 07, 2009 7:24 pm Reply with quote
Megiddo wrote:
Oddly enough, I skipped through everything that was related to Chihiro and Renji because I'm not a fan of eyepatch moe, I'm sick of amnesia, and I find Chihiro to be one of, if not the most dull and boring character ever created. The other girl who had actually had some spunk err, vitality, proved to be a much better character to watch on screen, but that's a bit off topic.


If by "spunk" you mean "are completely psychotic to the point any sane guy would run screaming to the hills," then yeah, they've got spunk. Wink Honestly, I rarely ever watch these kind shows, so the Chihiro storyline might have been as cliched as they get and I wouldn't know it; I only watched the bits I did because of an awesome AMV. And as much as I digged their story, I really wanted to give that girl a throat lozenge by the end of the series.

But really... that's the problem, isn't it? Most of these series are pretty much all the same formula repeated with slight variations. They may be nice as melodrama, but they don't exactly bring much new to the table.
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bin1127



Joined: 21 May 2009
Posts: 148
PostPosted: Thu Oct 08, 2009 12:48 am Reply with quote
All the soapy cliche stuff is actually what I like about these animes Very Happy
It's 99% like kanon, clannad etc but I like them all. The animation quality is very good in True Tears. Reflectia from Eufonius makes a great opening too.

Don't mind it being cliche at all. And I like to eat chicken. 2 birds with 1 stone.
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Labbes



Joined: 09 Feb 2008
Posts: 890
PostPosted: Thu Oct 08, 2009 12:03 pm Reply with quote
It's great that I can agree with this rather harsh review and still like True Tears. The Hiromi/Shinichiro pairing felt forced, and I did not like the ending very much, but the side cast was great. Noe is such a cool character.
The comparison with ef ~ a tale of memories is interesting, because I too found the Renji/Chihiro part to be by far the inferior one.
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torinostu351



Joined: 06 Feb 2009
Posts: 29
Location: North Carolina, USA
PostPosted: Tue Oct 13, 2009 10:36 am Reply with quote
It's been a while since I watched this, but I'm eager to get a copy for my collection. I do remember feeling like the ending was forced and not well thought out. But also that it looked freakin' amazing. True Tears was one of my first anime romance series, so I think that lent it to being something new, which I enjoyed. I'm not sure how I'll feel about it now.

I enjoyed both stories in ef~ but felt the Chihiro side was more powerful. Again, one of the first romance anime's I'd seen, so it was still new ground. Although I was somewhat blown away and confused at times with the "Shaft being Shaft" moments . . .

Final thought: Reflectia, one of my favorite OP's ever.
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Grico



Joined: 18 May 2004
Posts: 201
Location: Fort Wayne, IN
PostPosted: Wed Oct 14, 2009 10:00 pm Reply with quote
Honestly, I didn't support Shinichiro's decision at the end personally, but I thought it ultimately was more realistic as spoiler[ for all intends and purposes he has been in love for Hiromi for years. As much as the audience might agree that Noe is a better match, in a real life she would have little chance against Hiromi, who has history to her advantage. Shinichiro never gets over Hiromi and that dooms Noe when Hiromi finally admits interest. Noe also was unwilling to engage in strategy/deceit to gain Shinichiro, giving Hiromi more of an advantage ]

Although I don't like Hiromi, on some level I think she is an interesting character because when push comes to shove she is willing to lie and cheat to gain the man she loves. Loving Shinichiro brings out that bad side of her, when before she was trying to just be a "perfect" girl. That makes the audience dislike her but also makes her different from the pure moral girls we see in most of the dating sim based anime. She isn't a bland silent, "nice" girl, as she seems in the beginning of the series. She is willing to do what it takes to win her man, and I think that is ultimately interesting.
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Westlo



Joined: 03 Oct 2002
Posts: 1684
PostPosted: Fri Oct 16, 2009 11:24 am Reply with quote
Smh Carlos.. you don't fool me, you're just pissed Noe lost j/k Anyway I don't really get the ending was forced (I guess if you're a Noe fan it is lol) sentiment in this thread considering the majority of the fansub watching fanbase thought it was decided by episode 11 and they just dragged it out for some more drama.

Noe was just another generic moe girl, Hiromi was actually interesting, like the above post explains, how many girls in these shows do that? Also at least her reasons for being cold weren't something stupidly as trivial as the majority of characters in position. Of course Noe was more popular, she was designed to be.
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Megiddo



Joined: 24 Aug 2005
Posts: 8360
Location: IL
PostPosted: Fri Oct 16, 2009 11:38 am Reply with quote
Generic moe girls don't tend to chickens.
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