Forum - View topicREVIEW: Hozuki no Reitetsu Episodes 1-7 Streaming
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phoenixalia
Posts: 1408 |
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Count me in in the group of people who disagree with this review. People have said it before, but yeah, this anime is not for everyone. I myself had a bit of a hard time keeping up with it due to it's numerous Japanese history references. Before I started the anime, I thought I would be bored to death because of that.
But I still enjoy it all the same. The humor is definitely dry and it's not something that makes you laugh your head off. Rather, that's not what it's really supposed to do. I'm not super obsessed with it but I would happily watch this after a long day of work. But Japanese fans seem to agree with us Hoozuki supporters. It got a great boost in manga sales thanks to the anime and the anime will probably sell decently as well. 
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Animegomaniac
Posts: 4082 |
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OK, I'm watching this due to/despite the review or something and just finished the first story; Ok, so Momotaro is making a name for himself as a "peach boy" in Shangri-La. Quick question: Was this a punch line?
I can see it intended as one but much like other Japanese puns, I always feel better appreciating it at a distance than up close. The translations are terrible; "He means oni as demons and he means oni as ogres"; I had to keep reminding myself of this fact as the translator did it once and then everyone was just talking about ogres. Also, names shouldn't be translated. Never, never. Oh and never. I gather it gets better? I like dry humor but more importantly, I like humor. When the humor is so dry you're find yourself lost in a desert, maybe it's time to pitch your tent and leave. "Japanese hell is eternal" And it also is modern yet eternally stuck around the 15th century. So it went forward a few years from the start of Japan and just stuck there, goody. I was fine with the 2D scroll work representing a 3D background, complete with ink bleed in the rice paper but why? "Hell got an NEA grant." Fine but it should be desolate, not ... arty.
Succinct. |
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kotomikun
Posts: 1205 |
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I can't claim to have a nuanced opinion of the show, having only seen one episode, but that was enough to tell me the premise was "The Office in hell", so I had no reason to continue watching. Not funny in the slightest, just dull and half-heartedly sadistic. I guess I sympathize too much with the protagonist, because I was just as bored as he was.
Maybe the obscure cultural references make it funny, but it's hard for anything to be funny when the whole environment feels so bland. I'm not even sure how it manages to feel bland when there's so much variety in the locations and characters. Is that supposed to be the joke? That it's funny because it isn't humorous or interesting? |
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leatherhead333
 Posts: 1187 Location: Kansas |
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I think that's the job of a reviewer though. To objectively state their opinion on an anime by giving well founded reasons for it without sounding too cynical. This anime is entirely comedy based so if the comedy isn't funny to someone what do you expect them to talk about? I mean it's not like the characters are gleaming with uniqueness. I at least respect that the reviewer gave reasons for not liking the humor instead of just saying "it's bad" even if i don't agree. |
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StudioMomoko
 Posts: 6 Location: Seattle, WA |
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My opinion of Hoozuki no Reitetsu (proper Romanji spelling) differs a bit from the reviewers. Although he is spot-on with his observations on the style and quality of the animation, I find the view on the humor (or lack thereof) to be singularly narrow.
There is a lot of humor, both subtle and obvious, to be found here. Much rests upon knowledge of Japanese culture, but how is one to learn anything about a culture without being presented with some instances of it in the course of a story like this. With English-speaking audiences in general and American audiences in particular, subtlety is not something they can easily deal with. Trained from birth to expect a gag to have a setup and then a boffo punchline, American audiences, on teh whole, don't have the patience or attention-span to appreciate the quiet build-up or ongoing gag (of which Hoozuki has a few - spanning multiple episodes). I don't find it boring in the least. And in fact it is a welcome change from the typical fare. We need one or two if these types of shows each season to break up the monotony of the same old same old. |
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tuxedocat
 Posts: 2183 |
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This just confirms my (and others) hypotheses that knowledge of the folklore and culture/religions helps with the WTF factor. Japan is a weird mix of Buddhism/Shintoism/whatever-works-secularism that the stuff I bolded above make sense. I think the more exposure a person has had to the folklore/religion mix makes the show more enjoyable. That said, I can see why it might not be everyone's cup o' tea. I'm a junkie for folklore, so this show is perfect for me. |
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sunflower
 Posts: 1080 |
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I'm with Carl on this one. I get the folklore, I just found the comedic timing to be off, and many times non-existent. The humor was predictable and / or bland for me, both of which killed my enjoyment. The episodes did get better after the first two, but I stopped caring by the end of 5.
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buger98346
Posts: 15 |
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Has anyone here genuinely lived in japan before, or Know anything about the literature/ history of japan. cause If not OF COURSE YOU WONT LIKE THIS SHOW!!!!!!! THE ONLY WAY YOU WILL UNDERSTAND 90% OF THIS SHOWS HUMOR IS IF YOU A) live in japan and B) have a reasonable understanding/ knowledge of Japanese history and literature. So please stop complaining about the humor being poor, THE HUMOR WASN'T MADE FOR NON-JAPANESE PEOPLE.
now that my rant is done, despite that I find the show okey, I have lived in japan for a little, and love their literature. But ya I wouldn't say the show is great, or bad just good. I can laugh a lot at the jokes made. I like the characters. but outside its jokes and humorous characters I find everything else Mhe its not good or bad. |
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dtm42
Posts: 14084 Location: currently stalking my waifu |
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^
Dude, I'm enjoying this show quite a bit and I've never been to Japan, I don't speak Japanese and I don't know much about Japanese history. You claim that "90%" of the show's humour is dependent on those three things, but that's a load of hogwash. |
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buger98346
Posts: 15 |
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no, that isn't quite right. A proper reviewer will generally make a review separated in two parts one being their personal opinions the other them looking at it from a general view(example: some one who hates Japanese literature would say" I hate Hozuki no Reitetsu because I dislike the humor, but I can see how people who enjoy Japanese literature may find it quite humorous.") but many reviewers wont do this cause it takes to long to write both sides and so they focus on things like originality, the art(compared to other things with similar stylization), music, voice acting, things that can be reviewed and critique without harming the contents reputation with those whom it is intended for, unless of course those core points are disliked by those the content is targeting. A great way to get a good Idea of how reviews should be done watch a game review by Angry Joe, He gives good fair reviews, you can tell when he is giving his own opinion, and when he is giving a general opinion. that way he doesn't turn people away from a game they could potential like even though he hates it. |
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buger98346
Posts: 15 |
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trust me when I say this I LOVE the humor of this show a lot, I rarely stop laughing. I am merely trying to say the humor used is far more enjoyable and understandable if you understand those points. like how many people outside japan Know what the hell the soft bank dog is, or know the name of the soft banks CEOs daughter. there are about 5-7 jokes made just about those 2 things, most of my friends can only see the one reoccurring soft bank dog joke that pokes fun at Shiro. |
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zeo1fan
Posts: 1016 |
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It's not about the cultural stuff. A lot of the time the plots simply lack action or energy, or both. Like the cat-Journalist plots. It's clear that, for you, the references are a salvaging point, but you know, referential humor can only work for so long. Its effect on an audience is conditional on when they're watching it, because it actually dates the work, itself, making it less accessible to future audience members. |
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dtm42
Posts: 14084 Location: currently stalking my waifu |
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^
So what if the references date it? How does that matter in the slightest? Would you criticise Murphy Brown for having very time-specific references? Of course not. Such references were (a huge) part of the attraction, that the audience of the day would get the joke because it was fresh in their minds. No content creator makes stories for a hypothetical audience years down the track, they make stories for the audience that exists at the time. Referential humour needs only to be popular for a brief moment in time to work. |
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buger98346
Posts: 15 |
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I agree with dtm42. Will this show become disliked after its time, sure. that doesn't mean its bad. Almost all anime is like that, its rare to find a anime or mange that will stay popular after a long time because of that. The ones that do remain popular are generally revolutionary ideas, or they are story's that are so down to earth that people from any time period can relate to it. good example is "No Longer Human" (人間失格, Ningen Shikkaku)by Osamu Dazai. the whole story depicts life in the 1940s japan, So of course most of the people who understand the references are dead. but the story is just so real, and down to earth on ideas of a alienation, depression, and life struggle almost anyone could watch the movie,anime,manga, or original novel and think it is amazing, in fact it is one of the best selling novels in japan. now I realize Hozuki no Reitetsu doesn't have that level of down to earth story, or truly original Ideas, So I will say after a few years most people will just think its terrible. I am merely saying whether the references are dated or not doesn't matter.
Also on the cat journalist plot that whole section is riddled with hundreds of great jokes, you just don't find them funny and probably don't even realize they are jokes. |
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Spotlesseden
Posts: 3514 Location: earth |
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There is nothing wrong with saying this show is bad.
If you are not the target audience, it's actually not very good. You have to understand the myth get some of the jokes. you can still find the jokes to be funny, but for different reason than the Japanese/Asians. I think most westerners will not find them funny anyway. |
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