Forum - View topicWhat are you watching right now? Why? (please read 1st post)
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zawa113
 Posts: 7357 |
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Well in my week long excursion of family emergency, I finally got a chance to sit back and relax and use someone else's Netflix. And, wanting something short and complete, I went with Origin: Spirits of the Past. I dunno, I wouldn't exactly call it "good", it even had some of that classic lazy Gonzo animation at times. In a freakin' movie! And their classic not-very-well-blended-in CGI. But really, I was going "ooh, nice setting, I kinda wanna just explore that more...what are those guardian sentry things?" and really, by the end of it, I was left more confused than anything. Like, I never quite got why the forest was sentient, and I understood why the bad guy wanted to bring back old civilization, but then I felt like the spoiler["a-ha! my real plan was to destroy the world!"] thing came out of approximately nowhere. I think they couldn't had a much more interesting movie if they actually did that just...normally, it would've made the morality all nice and grey. Ok and Akito, the main boy, I felt like he suddenly went on a one track mind to save the girl in the last half of the movie. I mean, at least they spent time together, but it's like, punching stuff suddenly became his only personality trait. And I feel the movie made things vague when it wasn't of any use to the movie to be vague and mysterious.
But it was pretty I guess? That's kinda the only reason I'd rec the movie. I mean, it wasn't like watching a disaster happening, but I probably should've picked a random foreign live action movie to watch instead (like I did for the second movie I saw), as Origin just didn't really entertain me much at the end, though it didn't exactly bore me either. Hard to explain, it's like, it'd make good background anime and not much more. |
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kaydub
 Posts: 318 Location: Cincinnati, OH |
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I'm watching through the original Mobile Suit Gundam since I don't remember actually finishing it when I first watched it years ago, nor do I really remember much of it at all. It's kind of nice to watch something much older than what I'm used to, especially when 99% of the "old" stuff I've seen is from the early/mid 90's, and compare it to more modern titles.
And within the Gundam universe, it's very interesting to see how much it differs from titles like Gundam Wing (my personal favorite), or even Gundam SEED which many say is much like a "modern adaptation/retelling" of the original series (or at least seems to be heavily inspired by the original series from what I can tell). I can't say I'm terribly familiar with the Gundam universe as I haven't watched most of the Gundam titles, but I'm kind of interested in watching them all now just to see how the series has evolved over the years. |
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ikillchicken
 Posts: 7272 Location: Vancouver |
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No. The BD had that version as well but I couldn't get the subtitles working for some reason so I just watched the "short" cut. |
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Blood-
 Bargain Hunter Posts: 23769 |
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I had the same problem with my copy, ikc.
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Errinundra
Moderator
 Posts: 6525 Location: Melbourne, Oz |
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How odd! I saw it at the cinema a couple of years ago so I had the privilege of seeing the full version. I agree with your criticisms in general, however the live segments and the animated segments feed off each other quite nicely. The live talking heads are completely po-faced serious in a mock documentary format. The "experts" and "former soldiers" talk about the history and background of the first squad or their individual experiences. These segments are followed by an animated sequence that completely undermines or twists the comments around. Overall it comes across something of a postmodern leg pull. It still doesn't save the movie from its lack of depth or its dramatic shortcomings, though.
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Botan24
 Posts: 684 Location: Northern Michigan |
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Well, I made it through six episodes of Spice and Wolf. And...I'm done with it. Let me state this first: There is nothing per se terribly wrong with the show. It is pleasing to look at, has some nice music (I love the ED song), and has a unique premise (what with the whole economics angle). However, I never liked economics. It's boring, and I barely survived learning about it in school. That, and I'm not finding myself attracted, or interested, in either Lawrence or Holo. Holo comes off as very witty sometimes (which I like), but considering she's an ancient god, I expected her to behave much differently. In the last two episodes I watched, Holo's cryed about being lonely, and about being ashamed. In my book, gods don't care about those things. And poor Lawrence, he's about exciting as a merchant can be, I guess. Sure, he's not bland...but he's lacking something that gives him more "umph". Nope, this show just isn't for me.
Next up, re-watching Baka and Test with the hubby (he's never seen it). This weekend, Akira at my local cinema, and Redline on blu-ray. |
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ManOfRust
 Posts: 1935 Location: Seattle, WA |
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An interesting observation as this attitude from people is exactly what Holo has become so weary of in the series. People project their expectations of what she should be as a goddess onto her without really knowing the person she is. She's not really interested in being a goddess, she just wants to be able to be herself and be with someone who can appreciate her for herself and not her supernatural status. This part of the relationship between her and Lawrence finally comes to a head when spoiler[he reacts with terror upon first seeing her full wolf form, and Holo initially leaves.] Part of the charm of this series is in the development of the relationship between the two of them and how Lawrence gradually learns to spoiler[appreciate Holo's strengths without worshiping her or being in awe of her goddess status.] |
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ikillchicken
Posts: 7272 Location: Vancouver |
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@errinundra and Blood:
Huh. That's actually rather irritating then. I gave up on the extended cut pretty quick because A) it seemed like a pointless gimmick and B) I wanted to get on with my movie. I wasn't even sure that it wasn't fixable. It's pretty lame if every copy simply lacks subtitles for the extended cut though. Especially if the extended cut actually makes the movie better. |
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Blood-
Bargain Hunter Posts: 23769 |
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Actually, in my copy, the problem went deeper than simply not being able to get subtitles for the interview sections. It was very hard to use the functions on my remote. I really had to dick around to get the movie to play at all. I'm not sure subtitles would have improved the interview bits. I found the way they interspersed them with the movie really annoying. The breaks seemed frequent and some of the segments seem to go on for a long time.
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Botan24
Posts: 684 Location: Northern Michigan |
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And that's where I draw the line. I cannot see a god ever caring about what others think of them because a god is not a person. A god just doesn't have the same emotions that a human does. Holo is written as more of a human than an actual deity. (Honestly, I think Yoko from xxxholic acts like more a god than Holo.) And yet, sometimes Holo acts like a god with classy wit and high intelligence. So which is it? Is she a god or a human? If Holo no longer wishes to be a god than that should be made clearer. This, "I just want to be known as myself" dribble is foreign to me. I honestly don't understand her character when she keeps stating, "I'm Holo the Wise Wolf" yet blubbers like a baby because she is lonely. It just seems like lazy writing to get Holo and Lawrence to stay together.
And yet I fail to see this charm. I swear that I went into this anime with an open mind. Actually, I'd heard lots of good things about it. But, I'm just not interested in it. |
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Masakaki
Posts: 166 |
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[edit]
Last edited by Masakaki on Mon Nov 12, 2012 6:42 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Botan24
Posts: 684 Location: Northern Michigan |
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All right you got me. No, I've never met a god (at least I don't think so). Let me rephrase that...in my opinion, a god does not have the same emotions as a human. And, I don't care for a character that is defined as a deity being humanized. If only because dealing with a being that is above the human plane is fantastic. And there is so much to expound on, rather than lowering (again my opinion) a character to make them more "relatable" to viewers. Call me close minded, or stubborn, or stupid, but that basically sums up my problems with Holo as a character. |
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Alan45
Village Elder Posts: 9840 Location: Virginia |
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Actually, Holo says at the beginning that she is not a god, just a (or the) wise wolf. She had a bargin with the village that they have not honored in recent years. I think the Japanese have a different idea of gods. Most of the ones in their stories seem more complex and every bit as emotional as people. Much more like the gods of Olympus or the Norse gods. Fights, seduction, betrayal all that good stuff.
Holo is wise and very long lived. She can have an effect on the harvest, but other wise she doesn't have a whole lot of god like powers, and she has been away from home and alone for a very long time. I don't think they wrote her down to human level. Of course if you don't like it, you don't. I find that it is not always possible to figure out why I quit a show. |
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Masakaki
Posts: 166 |
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[edit]
Last edited by Masakaki on Mon Nov 12, 2012 6:42 am; edited 8 times in total |
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ManOfRust
Posts: 1935 Location: Seattle, WA |
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No show, no matter how good or how popular, is going to be enjoyed by everyone. In this case, if you can't buy in to the basic premise upon which the whole show is based, then yeah, I think you'd be much better off moving on to something else. Sometimes a certain story just doesn't work for you, no matter what anyone else thinks. The good thing is that these days there's no shortage of anime available to enjoy. |
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