Forum - View topicANNCast - Divine Ed-ification
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Vertical_Ed
Company Representative
Posts: 278 Location: New York, NY |
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It is a sight to behold. And the range of topics and the actual forms of media sold at Comiket is way beyond comics--clothing, jewelry, video, photobooks, hardware, software, music, novels, model kits, Table Top RPGs... Comiket takes subculture and makes it equally accessible and inaccessible at the same time! And for that reason it is my favorite event in all of pop culture. |
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Zin5ki
 Posts: 6680 Location: London, UK |
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To hear so much praise for Gundam Unicorn leaves one somewhat ambivalent.
The way in which it has been released — from an exclusive retailer and only in high-definition — renders it beyond the reach of many customers who would otherwise have considered it. I have been informed that the OVA shall be distributed in a similar manner in my country, despite local efforts to release it through broader channels. One can only hope that this sort of practice does not become the norm, or at least not for the most well-received of titles. |
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FlyingFox
 Posts: 58 |
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I can't believe anyone would say Gurren Lagann is for otakus. If Gurren Lagann isn't mainstream I don't know what is.
By the way, do these guys always sound like such dicks? |
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Zac
ANN Executive Editor
 Posts: 7912 Location: Anime News Network Technodrome |
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You clearly do not know what is, then. And yes we always sound like such dicks. |
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Anton Chigurh
 Posts: 257 Location: Guam |
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Listening about the life of Japanese manga-ka... wow. I mean, I knew it wasn't all roses with the kind of schedule that demands 20 pages of content every week - except for occasional hiatuses - but hearing about it freezes my blood. This makes me appreciate those series which manage to keep their story together while during constant publication even more.
That online preview of MW gave me the impression of the series being something like American Psycho: the manga adaptation. I'd seen the book at Borders several weeks ago but its sheer size kept me away. I'll try to take a look next time. |
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The King of Harts
 Posts: 6712 Location: Mount Crawford, Virginia |
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Serious question: Why isn't TTGL mainstream? Is it Yoko that makes it otaku? I just always felt it was mainstream because it has action, super spunky protagonists, lots of explosions and is overflowing with spirit. I always have a hard time telling the difference between mainstream shows and otaku shows because that doesn't factor into my decision to watch a show, but TTGL is definitely a show I thought would have mainstream appeal. Mostly because when I think otaku shows I think Kanon and Haruhi and TTGL is very different from those shows. |
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braves
 Posts: 2309 Location: Puerto Rico (but living in Texas) |
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If anybody was wondering who the auteur animator involved in the xxxHolic movie that Zac mentioned was, it's Shinya Ohira. You've probably seen his stuff before. That Kill Bill fight is still the best part of that entire movie, IMO.
And I laughed so hard when Justin mentioned talking about Love Exposure to other people who aren't aware of Japanese pop culture. I think we all know what it's like to be in that situation. 
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vashfanatic
 Posts: 3489 Location: Back stateside |
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More like, unless you understand and appreciate the style and tropes of an old school straight-up super robot story, you will not like this. You will dismiss it as weird. Remember that when Zac et al say "mainstream" they don't mean "your average person who hangs out on an anime forum," they mean "your average person, period." We're all at least borderline otaku just for being here, even if we avoid certain aspects of the fandom like the plague. I would never, ever pick TTGL as an "intro" anime, because as fun as it might be, it's just way too out there. |
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The King of Harts
Posts: 6712 Location: Mount Crawford, Virginia |
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That's the thing, though. I've never watched an old school, super robot show. I rarely watch mech shows period and can count all the ones I have seen on two hands. Also, the oldest mech show I've seen is G-Gundam (also the only Gundam show I've seen). Hell, TTGL was one of the first shows I watched when I dove into the fandom about two years ago and still loved the hell out of it because it's so exciting. The excitement is what I thought made it mainstream and I don't think it's awesomeness is diminished if you've never seen Go Nagai's stuff. Of course, I may just be an anomoyly considering the shows that actually got me hooked into the fandom were shows like Shuffle, Sorceror Hunters, Kanon and Haruhi. Perhaps I had latent otaku abilities buried deep inside me. |
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LordRedhand
 Posts: 1472 Location: Middle of Nowhere, Indiana |
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Yeah I wouldn't consider a show like Shuffle or Haruhi to be mainstream....
Think more Cowboy Bebop, Afro Samurai and The Big O (only anime series to lead Adult Swim's Saturday and Sunday blocks and rank first in ratings both nights when it premiered.) |
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The King of Harts
Posts: 6712 Location: Mount Crawford, Virginia |
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I didn't say it was. I was recognizing that's it not mainstream, but still helped make me the fan I am now.
And I put TTGL in that same category. Apparently I'm wrong and that's what I'm trying to figure out. I feel that if TTGL was on Toonami several years ago, it'd do pretty well. I just don't get an otaku feeling watching it. I feel that I could show this to my older brothers (non-anime fans) and they'd love it. |
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FaytLein
 Posts: 1260 Location: Williamsburg, VA |
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I don't think super robot knowledge is neccessarily needed to enjoy TTGL, it certainly enhances the experience, but isn't a prerequisite. And besides, you have to start somewhere, and unless it is extremely niche, the bridge between viewer and the program isn't as huge as people might think.
As for why TTGL isn't mainstream....well, mainstream is such a broad definition for something to be labeled as. Does popularity=mainstream? TTGL, at least while it was on air, was incredibly popular, but internet fame does not equal sales, and that is the true barometer of "mainstream" to me. If it appeals to people across the board, its mainstream. If its a lackluster seller, despite great word of mouth, it comes close, but not quite. |
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The King of Harts
Posts: 6712 Location: Mount Crawford, Virginia |
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I wonder about this. Was it bad seller unit wise or a bad seller dollar wise? As Zac mentioned, it went through a lot trials during it's release with the whole sub-only first and then hybrid and then no one could tell the difference between the two. Also, and I've always been on Bandai's case for this, when you're making DVDs along with those really nice art boxes, glowing drills, CDs, book bags and manga, how much profit are expecting to make? I just feel you're asking for trouble when you do stuff like that. So if it sold bad unit-wise, I'd get your definition, but if it sold poorly from a money perspective because they didn't make back the money they put into it, I don't think that's Gurren Lagann's fault. |
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LordRedhand
Posts: 1472 Location: Middle of Nowhere, Indiana |
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Mainstream doesn't like sub-only and when you have a confusing release schedule were the "mainstream" audience can't tell the difference between sub-only release and the sub/dub release, well that makes people annoyed more than anything, as you go and return what you thought you bought and you might write the whole thing off if angry enough.
Last edited by LordRedhand on Sat Apr 24, 2010 9:37 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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FaytLein
Posts: 1260 Location: Williamsburg, VA |
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I think TTGL has been bandied around as severely underperforming expectations, I think the last few volumes had massive problems getting out of the gate into stores, so I would say GL failed to draw enough sales to be successful, if they were, the movies probably wouldn't be treated they way they are. |
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