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Shelf Life - Spring Awakening


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John Casey



Joined: 31 May 2009
Posts: 1853
Location: In My Angry Center
PostPosted: Mon Feb 21, 2011 12:31 am Reply with quote
Umm...

Quote:
I don't want you to feel shorted out of review content here, so I'll take this opportunity to mention that I have a strong aversion to Tessa. The 16-year-old white-haired super genius military Captain rubs me the wrong way. It seems like she ought to be a "strong female character," what with commanding a para-military force and all, but the series is careful to show that she is still very fragile. She chews her hair and cries more often than I would expect of either a military officer or a super genius nuclear¹ sub commander. I probably don't like her because she is presented as a very weak romantic rival for Chidori.


So, what I'm getting here is that...she's not a strong female character because she chews her hair and is a bit more emotional than the rest, and is a weak romantic lead...?

...So, despite seeing the entire series, you never took notice that she outsmarted Gauron? And that not only is she commander of their sub, but the engineer as well?

How about the fact then that she's sexually creepier than even Gauron? Maybe the fact that she's responsible for a majority of the mental trauma Sousuke experienced in his life with her utterly shameless acts of molesting and groping him? That she is more than happy to take advantage of a drowned Sousuke to kiss him instead of apply proper CRP? That she is, in essence, a dirty old man underneath? Compared to Chidori who is...a cardboard cutout tsundere?

...Are we talking about the same Tessa here? Scratch that: Are we talking about the same show here?

...Maybe it's just you. Maybe, I dunno, you like the cookie cutter romantic leads. But I've always had a thing for girls with initiative. Tessa has initiative.
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Nobuyuki



Joined: 22 Mar 2004
Posts: 536
PostPosted: Mon Feb 21, 2011 12:36 am Reply with quote
So, your One Piece review is actually about Season 3, Part 4. I just finished it this morning. Part 5 doesn't come out until April 19th. Wink

Two thumbs up, and a big toe, to boot! Very Happy


Last edited by Nobuyuki on Mon Feb 21, 2011 12:42 am; edited 1 time in total
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utawoutau



Joined: 27 Feb 2004
Posts: 190
PostPosted: Mon Feb 21, 2011 12:39 am Reply with quote
Personally, I'm going to wait for One Piece Kai.
Quote:
Love it or loath it, the design team has settled into a wonderful groove by this point in the production. I get the real feeling that the designers, storyboard artists, and animators internalized Eiichiro Oda's style. Out there somewhere are maybe one hundred people who can perfectly draw like Oda, and I think that's cool.

I'm trying to figure out if that is a direct dig at this.
Quote:
I assume that if you've seen all of Tsubasa, these OVAs make some kind of sense...Bonus points to anyone who can explain what happened.

IMO, Tsubasa is a total mess plot-wise, I see it as a black hole through which CLAMP and all their associates have thrown away years of talent.
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SoloButterfly



Joined: 12 Jul 2005
Posts: 239
Location: Masaki Residence
PostPosted: Mon Feb 21, 2011 12:50 am Reply with quote
Too much shelf worthy! My wallet cannot handle it!

Also, it's fun to see collections of depth instead of breadth sometimes. Nice Shirow collection.
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FeralKat



Joined: 06 Jan 2005
Posts: 402
PostPosted: Mon Feb 21, 2011 12:51 am Reply with quote
John Casey wrote:
Umm...

So, what I'm getting here is that...she's not a strong female character because she chews her hair and is a bit more emotional than the rest, and is a weak romantic lead...?

...So, despite seeing the entire series, you never took notice that she outsmarted Gauron? And that not only is she commander of their sub, but the engineer as well?

How about the fact then that she's sexually creepier than even Gauron? Maybe the fact that she's responsible for a majority of the mental trauma Sousuke experienced in his life with her utterly shameless acts of molesting and groping him? That she is more than happy to take advantage of a drowned Sousuke to kiss him instead of apply proper CRP? That she is, in essence, a dirty old man underneath? Compared to Chidori who is...a cardboard cutout tsundere?

...Are we talking about the same Tessa here? Scratch that: Are we talking about the same show here?

...Maybe it's just you. Maybe, I dunno, you like the cookie cutter romantic leads. But I've always had a thing for girls with initiative. Tessa has initiative.


I totally agree with you. I reacted the same way when I read the review! Tessa has BALLS. She strong of mind, not body and that's okay in my book! Very Happy
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vashfanatic



Joined: 16 Jun 2005
Posts: 3489
Location: Back stateside
PostPosted: Mon Feb 21, 2011 12:59 am Reply with quote
John Casey wrote:
How about the fact then that she's sexually creepier than even Gauron? Maybe the fact that she's responsible for a majority of the mental trauma Sousuke experienced in his life with her utterly shameless acts of molesting and groping him? That she is more than happy to take advantage of a drowned Sousuke to kiss him instead of apply proper CRP? That she is, in essence, a dirty old man underneath?

Yeah, you're right, Erin totally missed why Tessa is an appalling character who borders on being a rapist and probably would be considered as such were she male and...
Quote:
But I've always had a thing for girls with initiative. Tessa has initiative.

Oh wait. You like her. I don't, but not for the reasons Erin gave, obviously.
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Aura Ichadora



Joined: 25 Apr 2008
Posts: 2281
Location: In front of my computer
PostPosted: Mon Feb 21, 2011 1:00 am Reply with quote
I watched the dubbed OVAs before I watched the dubbed TV series (since currently I don't have the complete series - will have it by the end of the week though), and the dub semi-disappointed me. I love the voices overall, with exception of Mokona and Sakura for being a bit on the annoying side, and I really, really, REALLY hope that in the TV series Mokona does NOT call out Kurogane's nicknames during all the battle scenes. I understand if in the OVAs it was just to cover the lip flaps, since I know they changed the pronunciation of his name, but honestly yelling out "Kuro-kin" or whatever Mokona said during a battle just seems really dumb. x.x I also notice the dub changed over several lines compared the sub. I still have hope that when I do watch the series I'll have less cringes over the script.

I'm also still hoping that eventually Funi will pick up the matching xxxHolic Shunmuki OVAs. I'm sure for those that are seeing the Tsubasa OVAs for the first time spoiler[would like to see where Watanuki came in, as well as more on Yuuko's side of things.]
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Sanosuke_Inara



Joined: 23 Nov 2009
Posts: 1662
PostPosted: Mon Feb 21, 2011 1:53 am Reply with quote
FeralKat wrote:
John Casey wrote:
Umm...

So, what I'm getting here is that...she's not a strong female character because she chews her hair and is a bit more emotional than the rest, and is a weak romantic lead...?

...So, despite seeing the entire series, you never took notice that she outsmarted Gauron? And that not only is she commander of their sub, but the engineer as well?

How about the fact then that she's sexually creepier than even Gauron? Maybe the fact that she's responsible for a majority of the mental trauma Sousuke experienced in his life with her utterly shameless acts of molesting and groping him? That she is more than happy to take advantage of a drowned Sousuke to kiss him instead of apply proper CRP? That she is, in essence, a dirty old man underneath? Compared to Chidori who is...a cardboard cutout tsundere?

...Are we talking about the same Tessa here? Scratch that: Are we talking about the same show here?

...Maybe it's just you. Maybe, I dunno, you like the cookie cutter romantic leads. But I've always had a thing for girls with initiative. Tessa has initiative.


I totally agree with you. I reacted the same way when I read the review! Tessa has BALLS. She strong of mind, not body and that's okay in my book! Very Happy
Yeah, I'm gonna have to jump on this bandwagon too. I'd take Tessa over that blue-haired bitch any day of the week for not only the reasons above, but also because he's hella cuter than Chidori ever was. IMO, of course.


Last edited by Sanosuke_Inara on Mon Feb 21, 2011 5:22 pm; edited 2 times in total
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nightjuan



Joined: 22 Jan 2008
Posts: 1473
PostPosted: Mon Feb 21, 2011 1:54 am Reply with quote
Quote:

I believed everything that happened, just on the edge of believability, and never once called out “bullshit!”. Isn't that the best one can hope for from entertainment in any medium?


...I would say it is and it isn't.

Why? Because I've seen different people cry "BS!" over the smallest things and, conversely, stay quiet about the veritable elephants in the room time and time again. In other words, suspension of disbelief is way too damn subjective and self-serving to classify as a real, tangible virtue.

If you truly like a show, you'll eventually get used to anything regardless of how much BS is involved. If you don't, then you won't. It's less about the show itself, at least after a certain point, and more about how all of us react or adapt as individual viewers. Now, there are events that can help or hinder this process, naturally, but at the end of the day it's all about what things we look for -and what we try to avoid- in our entertainment.

In the case of One Piece in particular, which I've also been watching lately, the show is absolutely enjoyable but I wouldn't say I haven't been rolling my eyes at a few things or acknowledging the general ridiculousness of what's going on. The laws of physics are essentially a joke in this universe. It just doesn't really matter.

Admittedly, I'm quite a few arcs behind, but so far....the writing is pretty good in terms of characterization, by and large, yet otherwise not particularly beyond the standards of traditional shounen. Might get around to discussing the specifics later on.


Last edited by nightjuan on Mon Feb 21, 2011 2:04 am; edited 1 time in total
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Son-kun



Joined: 01 Jun 2006
Posts: 345
PostPosted: Mon Feb 21, 2011 1:59 am Reply with quote
utawoutau wrote:
Personally, I'm going to wait for One Piece Kai.


I don't see why they would do one. Out of all the long running shounen anime out there, it's the one with the least filler. Personally I think it's fine the way it is. If Toei tried to condense the series, it could very well turn out like the travesty that is known as the 8th One Piece Film, Adventures in Alabasta.
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John Casey



Joined: 31 May 2009
Posts: 1853
Location: In My Angry Center
PostPosted: Mon Feb 21, 2011 2:40 am Reply with quote
vashfanatic wrote:
John Casey wrote:
How about the fact then that she's sexually creepier than even Gauron? Maybe the fact that she's responsible for a majority of the mental trauma Sousuke experienced in his life with her utterly shameless acts of molesting and groping him? That she is more than happy to take advantage of a drowned Sousuke to kiss him instead of apply proper CRP? That she is, in essence, a dirty old man underneath?

Yeah, you're right, Erin totally missed why Tessa is an appalling character who borders on being a rapist and probably would be considered as such were she male and...
Quote:
But I've always had a thing for girls with initiative. Tessa has initiative.

Oh wait. You like her. I don't, but not for the reasons Erin gave, obviously.

*sigh*

Bunshichi Tawara from Tenjo Tenge is basically an older, male version of Tessa. A lecherous, perverted old man on the inside who's a lot smarter and tougher than he lets on. Every other panel, he's threatening that he'll rape someone.

So yeah, I really don't think male or female matters here... It's all the little quirks that come together to make a character.
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CareyGrant



Joined: 18 Nov 2009
Posts: 453
PostPosted: Mon Feb 21, 2011 3:19 am Reply with quote
Man, it's been some time since I've seen any One Piece--try August 2010 (aka. the month Netflix stopped getting new anime for rental). Just recently, I received East of Eden: the first new anime title I've received from Netflix since August 2010.

Being a try before I buy fellow, it's been rough trying to gauge a dub release' worthiness, especially with regards to extras and commentarier, for which I am a sucker. But Dental School's been keepin' me busy so it isn't like I have a whole lotta time to indulge my Anime habit.

But back to One Piece, I sure do miss it.

As for FMP... My main gripe was the absurdity of youth plot device in the show, e.g. having teens as trained mercenaries/killers or in positions of combat authority in a modern military organization. Not that kids can't be killers, it's just a pretty trite -and worn out- plot/story hook.

Regardless of that, I love FMP; Fumoffu makes my laugh; and I'd get "giggity" with any of the lovelies therein.
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Melanchthon



Joined: 02 Oct 2010
Posts: 550
Location: Northwest from Here
PostPosted: Mon Feb 21, 2011 5:35 am Reply with quote
Never particularly cared for the first season of FMP. It was too long and strung out, and there was too much angst in the plotline, and way too many plot holes with the main villain. Now the Second Raid is amazingly awesome, but the first season just doesn't do it for me. But I will jump on the Tessa-haters bandwagon here. Tessa just too unbelievable of a character to take seriously. You're telling me that you put a sixteen year old girl in charge of a super high tech submarine? No matter what supernatural powers or hyper-intelligence, this seems highly absurd. Wouldn't it be easier to make her a junior officer, or captain-in-training or something? Plus, to be a romantic rival to Chidori, she needs to be in proximity to Chidori, something that as a captain of ship she can't do, so the story has to twist and strain the plot in order to get the three characters together. Plus, she just seems so generic (not that Chidori isn't). To me, at least, Tessa is as much as a 'cardboard cutout' as Chidori, just one that has a bit more stock attributes. And she is a 'plot unfocuser': she can't do her prime 'mission' as a character, which is to mount an effective attack on Chidori, and whenever she appears in the plot it basically becomes filler and serves to only distract us from the central storyline.

/Tessa is great eyecandy, I must admit. Ehm. *Straightens necktie*
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Kelly



Joined: 17 Nov 2003
Posts: 868
Location: New York City
PostPosted: Mon Feb 21, 2011 7:07 am Reply with quote
Aura Ichadora wrote:
I'm also still hoping that eventually Funi will pick up the matching xxxHolic Shunmuki OVAs.


I hate to say it, but with Holic Season 1 getting down to it's budget release and two of the three main VA's (Todd Haberkorn and J. Michael Tatum) still being cast as leads in other anime, I'm finally starting to get a bit worried about us getting the rest of Holic. Could sales for Season 1 really have been that lousy?

As for the Tsubasa OVA's, I thought they were great - you just can't jump in without having watched the series (or read the equivalent manga chapters) first. It's amazing in hindsight how many little things the characters have said and done come back to them in Tokyo. As for Spring Thunder/the Nihon Arc, my only complaint is, well, the absence of the Infinity arc and most of the Celes arc. That means that among other things viewers unfamiliar with those arcs are not going to see how everyone dealt with the new status quo of the situations they were left in after Tokyo, know why Sakura is all of a sudden unconscious in Celes, and are never going to find out why Fai was so screwed up and exactly what it was he was keeping from the others. I highly suspect anyone who hasn't read the manga (or a good summary of those arcs) is not only going to be confused, but irritated or maybe even angry wondering what they missed.
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PetrifiedJello



Joined: 11 Mar 2009
Posts: 3782
PostPosted: Mon Feb 21, 2011 7:10 am Reply with quote
Shelf Life wrote:
The real question at hand here is are you going to replace the regular DVDs with Blu-rays of this series?

No. I truly don't understand why people are paying for something their BD player does out of the box. Perhaps the same upscale the BD player can do isn't as good as the polishing FUNimation does, but if this is true, then the fault belongs to the BD player.

I'm guessing this series was also an upscale based on this:
Quote:
As far as I can tell, the only difference between the Blu-ray discs and the DVDs in terms of content...

If this is the only difference one can easily see, then it's money wasted. The show should have been better in HD.

I really wish ANN would disclose this information on every BD review. It's not fair to readers who may not know the content isn't true HD but an attempt at getting people to double-dip for the exact same series.

People can do what they want with their money, but I'm not taking the advice of "Shelf worthy" on upscaled content.

At the whole Tessa debate forming in the discussion: Cool
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