Forum - View topicWhat are you watching right now? Why? (please read 1st post)
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Ggultra2764
 Subscriber Posts: 3875 Location: New York state. |
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Still watching Touch and presently on episode 70. I'm starting to wonder if this show's jumped the shark with the introduction of Coach Kashiwaba as a character. The guy's spoiler[an obvious scumbag with his harsh treatment of the baseball team bordering on physical abuse and is obviously trying to sabotage the team's efforts, yet no one bothers reporting him and the principal of the school knows of his true identity yet is doing nothing to address it]. Before this point in the series, I was actually finding Touch to be decent with what it had to offer with the developments of Minami and the Uesugi twins. Now, I'm confused over why there are many that hail it as a 1980s anime classic if there are logical lapses in how characters are handling things with Kashiwaba.
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Blood-
 Bargain Hunter Posts: 23769 |
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This is my response to errinundra's review of The Tale of the Princess Kaguya which you can read here
I ended up liking the film very much but it did take a while for me to warm up to it. Part of this was the visual style which was perfectly suited for the content but which didn't do much for me. I freely confess I am a fan of the rich, vibrant, busy visual succulence that Miyazaki brings to his films and Kaguya's simpler, stripped down style, while charming in its own right, didn't batter my eyeballs (in the good way) that I have come to love from most Ghibli productions. I did quite like the character of Kaguya. Watching her early exuberance gamboling around the countryside reminded me of some of the fun "children running wild" scenes in Wolf Children. I am suspicious of one of Kaguya's main themes. No doubt it is built into the original folk tale itself and Takahata lovingly expounds upon it. Namely, the idea that rustic, country living is a purer (i.e. better) form of existence than the absurd artifice of decadent city life. Or as the film puts it, we are better off learning how to live from the "bugs, plants and animals." In my opinion, a lot of civilization is an attempt to soften the harsh lessons that Nature doles out. The countryside can be a hotbed of reactionary, prejudiced, conservative ideas. But whatevs. This movie trades in the familiar dichotomy of pristine, wonderful rural living versus corrupt, effete city-dwelling. Unlike errinundra, I feel the movie gets stronger in the last third. At least my emotional involvement in Princess Kaguya's plight deepened. By the end, I had that deeply unpleasant ache in the bottom of my throat that signals a desire to cry which I cannot bring myself to gratify in a theatre full of people (I saw this at a well-attended screening at the Toronto International Film Festival). I do not (unlike errinundra) consider this movie a masterpiece, but rather a solid Excellent. I prefer both Graveyard of the Fireflies and Only Yesterday, but we are somewhat comparing apples and oranges here. I will absolutely buy this at some point after it becomes available. |
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zawa113
 Posts: 7357 |
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I got, and quickly finished, Gungrave, which I had heard Tony Oliver talk about during an Otakon Q&A (I mostly know him as Rick Hunter and Lupin) and yeah, it was really good. I liked the first 4 discs mostly, as it was all mafia stuff and character development. But I'll admit, when it got back up to the present, it had this period where it felt like a series of boss fights combined with an escort mission. Seeing how it was based on a video game, this makes perfect sense, but it's a rather jarring change from the most excellent first part of the series. But then the last two episodes were much like the first half, leaving on a positive note of awesomeness that makes me recommend the series overall.
As for what I'd change? Well I'm ok with the "back from the dead" scifi thing, but I would've applied it only to Brandon, because it made everything else feel like a video game unnecessarily. Just because it's based on one doesn't mean I need to know it that much. There were more political mafia things going on without Brandon, I would've explored that part of the 13 year gap more. Then it would've been close to a damn perfect series, as is, it's a damn good first part with a much weaker second part, but it ends on such a high note that I'm still going to give it 8 out of 10 overall. I've not played the PS2 games, but now I probably will, I would've just made it a straight up prequel really. |
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Mr. Oshawott
 Posts: 6773 |
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I'm halfway through watching Sister Princess, which stars a teenager, Wataru Minakami, who has somehow found himself in a mysterious place called Promise Island after being saved by girl named Karen. It isn't too long before Wataru enters the welcome House that he is surprised to learn that Karen [and 12 others] would become his "sisters."
I think the show isn't bad, but there were moments where the show seemed to not have much going on. At least I had the chance enjoying Tarō's unfortunate but comical moments. |
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Chiibi
 Posts: 4829 |
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Well.....I did it.
After years and years of putting it off, (because I was dreading the ending so much) I finally sat down and watched Air TV from start to finish. Yep, all in one sitting. For starters, I'll say this: What a beautiful anime. Here follows a long story about Chiibi's review and attachment to Air. Read it if you wanna. :p MASSIVE SPOILERS spoiler[ You see, I'd become enchanted with Misuzu's character even before I knew who she was, upon finding a mascot of her in the Animate store in Tokyo on my 18th spring. (I saved and worked and saved in able to go on the high school trip). The anime of course hadn't come out yet but I wanted to know as much as I could about the adorable little blonde mascot; having nothing at all to go on except for the English words "Air" and "Visual Key" on the package. With help from the internet though, I discovered who she was and the game. It was a bit after 2005 when I first tried the anime on fansub....and liked it but it was rather slow-paced at first so I put it aside for a bit. Not too long after that, I happened upon.........some forum from somewhere and learned Air's biggest, most tragic spoiler: that precious, most moe of moe heroines leaves the world and turns into the girl in the sky.] Oh boy..... spoiler[I'm a pretty sensitive girl. I grow super attached to fictional characters so when one dies, I will feel like I just lost a very important friend and will mope and dwell on it for several days. I didn't want to see Misuzu die so I kept putting off finishing the series for quite a few years. 
.........and then a friend gave me the Air movie for Christmas and I'd heard the movie's story was different and really romantic and I already shipped Yukisuzu hard so I immediately watched the DVD.] spoiler[........that was a mistake. Not the whole movie....but those last fifteen minutes were so brutal. I couldn't even look at pics of her for about three days. Silly, I know....or is it? Misuzu's last moments seemed to hit the world pretty hard, judging on my many journeys to various review sites, fansites, and anime forums. Even one of my best friends told me to "throw those horrible DVDs away". "I don't cry easily at all." he said. "Very few series have made me cry. *shoots death glare at my boxset* "But THAT was one of them! Despite all of this though, I couldn't stop loving Misuzu's character; I actually grew to appreciate her even more and showed it through cosplaying her, buying plushies and figures of her, spending lots of cash to make a ball-joint doll look just like her and performing "Tori No Uta" at the karaoke bar at Otakon.] You could say that Air wouldn't leave me alone. It still haunted me a lot. And I knew this would never end until I completed the series. I vowed one day I would finish it and it would be during summer. And you know what? Everything seems to be okay.... spoiler[It was sad and I cried. But that movie was so much worse. Instead of feeling really depressed like I thought I would, I feel relief and peace. Because you had to watch Misuzu suffer for so long, you just want her to be free. And you're actually really happy for her because SHE was so happy to be free. And I know that Yukito's spirit in the crow went to reunite with Misuzu in the sky before they both reincarnated again as children but this time they will only have happy memories. I thought I would feel terrible for Haruko...but she seemed to be just fine during the wrap-up and living her life happily with a smile, still not losing faith in miracles from the sky.] Air TV is quite possibly the most romantic piece of art I've ever seen. I don't mean "let's make out in bed" type of romance lol. I mean in a spiritual way, and visually as well. It's full of stars, sunsets, dreams, and wishes; very surreal at times but always breath-takingly beautiful. All of the characters and their stories are sweet, enjoyable, and engaging but the fact that spoiler[ Yukito and Misuzu's souls travel through space and time for literally a thousand years because they are fated to be drawn to each other again and again is the most romantic story in itself.] And knowing they will always find each other every time without fail is a wonderful thing. This series shall remain in my top favorites for years to come. I'm really glad I finished this and can think of Air with a tearful fondness instead of dreadful sorrow that plagued for me for almost a decade! Gaaaaaaaao. |
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Redbeard 101
Oscar the Grouch
Forums Superstar  Posts: 16935 |
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If you enjoyed Air that much you should watch Clannad next. If you haven't already. It will hit you right in the feels just as much if not more. At least it did for me.
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Chiibi
Posts: 4829 |
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Actually that one is sitting on my shelf as well.  I watched the first disc a year or so ago.
No doubt feels will be hit when I decide to finish that one too. I've seen AMVs..... 
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Mr. Oshawott
Posts: 6773 |
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Today I watched Ah! My Goddess: The Movie. I enjoyed every moment of it as I saw Keiichi's love for Belldandy tested by a mysterious person whose love didn't fare so well...
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Hikari14
 Posts: 1040 |
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Tales of Abyss and Tapoma (the second one is my shortened name, so don't ask, plus I plan to use the picture from second one as my next picture in game). Both left a good impression so far.
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Blood-
Bargain Hunter Posts: 23769 |
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Watched the dubbed version of Eden of the East. I had already seen the sub back around the time the show was originally airing in Japan and had rated it Excellent. That was near the beginning of my anime career when I hadn't seen much and was easily impressed. Hell, five-and-a-half years later and I'm still relatively easy to please.
But after rewatching the show, I had to downgrade my rating to Good. It had nothing to do with the dub. I simply realized how incredibly dumb the story was. I think I sensed it the first time around too, but allowed myself to be seduced by the some of the fun. I also started to watch the first movie King of Eden and got bored. I'll finish it up tonight, probably. For anyone who has seen both movies, is one better than the other? |
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Beltane70
 Posts: 3881 |
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^^^ That totally reminds me that I need to see the two movies, myself!
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Mr. Oshawott
Posts: 6773 |
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I'm eight episodes into Ah! My Goddess: Flights of Fancy. The appearance of Peorth has really made the party among Keiichi and the Goddesses a supernaturally exhilarating experience.
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Animegomaniac
Posts: 4081 |
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In the "I can't believe I'm watching this" category is Fancy Lala, a sorta but not really magical girl show that's actually but not really a shoujo romance that's also but not really about a girl's sudden rise in the idol industry. You see, none of that works together because Miho, who's 10, is also 15 year old teenager Lala {Long story: magic from another dimension just because. Short story: because} who was talent scouted as the next big thing but Miho's only following along because otherwise there'd be no show. Honestly, considering her talents and interests, she should want to be a fashion designer or writer, not a fashion model or singer or actress.
This would all be bad but it's also in my "This is really good despite all odds" list. The show constantly subverts expected narrative flow by never taking the expected path, especially if it's the easiest one. The best example is one of the first: Miho changing into Lala. First, she has to design her own clothes and magically make them. Next, she has to undress and put the oversized clothes on and only then can she transform by saying another magical phrase. Simple enough, in theory. 1 It's not instantaneous. She has to get fully undressed herself because of the size difference. 2 She can't transform at home because Lala's a secret identity who looks nothing like her. 3 She can't really transform in secret because she has to speak the phrase out loud. 4 She has to carry a bag with her Miho clothes along with her, if she doesn't want to sneak back into her home either nude or as Lala. 5 Magical item duration is a plot point but it is long enough... maybe. It's funny that while there's no place for this series to go as ten year old Miho has neither the looks, talent or desire to be an idol, she's curious to see how far Lala can take the ruse and that curiosity is carried over to the audience quite adeptly. |
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Mr. Oshawott
Posts: 6773 |
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^
Ah, Fancy Lala... I watched that show a while earlier. I found it to be fun and heart-warming.
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Polycell
 Posts: 4623 |
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Whenever I see that name I can't help but misread it as "Fashion Lala" at first glance.
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