Forum - View topicBuried Treasure - Human Crossing
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britannicamoore
 Posts: 2618 Location: Out. |
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Aw yes Human Crossing. I saw this in the store several times and couldn't find that much info on it. Recently it disappered from my Best Buy shelves but maybe i'll pick this one up. The trailer looked good though. I'm glad to see some things on this column will be recent.
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jsevakis
Former ANN Editor in Chief
 Posts: 1684 Location: Los Angeles, CA |
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I must apologize for how short this column is. I expected it would turn out longer, but it's actually very difficult to talk about anthology shows in any detail. Each episode is so short, it's easy to introduce spoilers, and nothing is really fleshed out enough to really go into in-depth character analysis. Hope everyone enjoys it nonetheless! I'll try to make the next one extra-long to make up for it.
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Whearn9999
Posts: 211 Location: Texas City TX |
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Interesting. I do believe I remember reading about this show some time ago. I can't remember where or when though. My curiosity is piqued.
Coincidently, I saw part of a live-action US movie titled "Human Crossing" on the IFC channel last week. I wonder if there's any connection. The description was something like "The lives of several people cross paths" Ah well, great article as always. (Now, let's see if I get any topic reply e-mails for this thread. I havn't been getting any for over 2 days now) |
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Fronzel
Posts: 1906 |
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I saw the first episode of this series (the boxer one) way back when it was a fansub, and I have to say I wasn't impressed. The boxer spends most of the episode explaining his beef with his mother, which was fairly interesting, but then his trainer says one or two lines to him which instantly convince him to make up with her. After all that build-up, the conclusion was much too simple and easy for me.
I never saw another episode due to lack of seeds, but the review kinda makes it sound like a lot of them are like that. I don't know, though. The very rarity of an anime contemporary drama makes it valuable. |
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Key
Moderator
 Posts: 18178 Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley) |
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One minor correction: Human Crossing was actually originally released by Geneon in 2005.
This one isn't quite so obscure as some of the other titles Justin has profiled, as myself and Carlos reviewed the first and second volumes respectively for this site. Our opinions didn't differ much from what Justin is saying about the series: the writing is good, the dub is weak, the art and animation not particularly noteworthy. I fully agree that the episode about the lawyer is the weakest, but I'd argue that "Direction" (the episode about the daughter who must take in her deadbeat father) was the best - at least in the first volume, anyway. It's not hard to see why this series never caught on, as it does indeed sabotage itself by pairing weak technical and artistic merits with material aimed at adults. |
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varmintx
 Posts: 1199 Location: Covington, KY |
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I easily empathize with characters and couldn't care less about the animation quality, I didn't like the show because most of the stories felt like Reader's Digest versions of stories I've heard before. I realize that certain sacrifices have to be made to squeeze a story into 22 minutes, but oversimplifying complex issues to the point where the characters become caricatures is not the way to do it. Many of the "hooks" are hackneyed such as the boxer's physical scar representing an emotional scar. The one that annoyed me the most was the episode about the kid being bullied. I don't know how it is in Japan, but here, they would have beat up the kid, the old man and the mother (no, this isn't a joke). There were a few episodes that I enjoyed, in particular, the episode with the older couple going back to France, but for most of them, I kept rolling my eyes at what seemed to me shallow, self-help-book-style commentary on issues that needed far more attention than the simple answers the show was giving. I know this is the type of show that many people could really love, that is why I never created a thread just to talk about how much I disliked it. So, despite my experience with it, I still recommend others give the show a chance, especially those of you not as jaded as myself (which is likely most of you).
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jsevakis
Former ANN Editor in Chief
Posts: 1684 Location: Los Angeles, CA |
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Right. Well, year-and-a-half. Close enough.
I think which one you prefer tends to depend on how much you can relate to each episode. Without getting too personal... My mother and I get along great today, but I could identify so much with the boxer story that it nearly drove me to tears.
I was shocked to see character designs were by Sachiko Kamikura (Arslan, City Hunter). Given some of the talent behind the show, I must wonder if it was willful to some extent. |
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CaptainAvatar
 Posts: 381 Location: Saint Louis, MO |
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Although artwork is a big part of my affinity for anime, I definitely will check this out. Without spoiling too much, I think the article definitely had enough to pique my interest. Another one to add to my Netflix queue.
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Otaku0013
 Posts: 19 Location: SC |
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I found the complete collection of Human Crossing at Best Buy's website for only $15.
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?_dyncharset=ISO-8859-1&id=pcat17071&type=page&ks=960&st=human+crossing&sc=Global&cp=1&sp=&qp=crootcategoryid%23%23-1%23%23-1%7E%7Eq68756d616e2063726f7373696e67%7E%7Enccat02015%23%230%23%235&list=y&usc=All+Categories&nrp=15&iht=n |
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CaptainAvatar
Posts: 381 Location: Saint Louis, MO |
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I gotta believe this is an error, since the individual discs are listed at higher prices, but who knows? I gotta believe they would have to honor it. Releases on March 12th. |
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Brand
 Posts: 1028 |
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I check Amazon has the box listed at $17 and the Right Stuf has it listed for $30, so the best buy deal is looking pretty good, and doesn't seem all that out there.
This looks pretty interesting, I'll have to check this out. |
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Neverwhere
 Posts: 351 Location: socal |
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Red has been one of my favourite films since I first saw it in the cinema, and I've been meaning to watch The Decalogue for a while but keep putting it off, so thank you for renewing my interest in seeing it again.
I think the $15 price tag makes this series a Must Buy. And even if it weren't so blissfully cheap, I would buy it anyway, as it sounds exactly like what I've been craving lately. Thank you once again for this fantastic column Justin! |
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Richard J.
 Posts: 3367 Location: Sic Semper Tyrannis. |
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I'd never heard of this series before now and, oddly enough, it sounds like just the sort of thing my collection needs.
I've all but given up live-action entertainment, so I'm not bothered by somewhat lackluster animation. Seen better, seen worse. The story is the whole point for me nowadays. Hmm, Human Crossing sounds like it's done in a similar vein as the Rumiko Takahashi Anthology that Geneon put out not too long ago. More serious but both are single episode stories. Loved that so I should at the very least enjoy this. (Or is that false logic?) |
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daveriley
 Posts: 117 Location: Philadelphia |
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I'm almost pathetically addicted to human interest stories, and will read the most boring blogs on the ill conceived concept that I'm somehow adding another piece to the puzzle that will solve the great mystery of the "human condition". Given that, you would think I'd be a shoe in for the day-to-day drama of Human Crossing. But sadly, this just wasn't the case.
To me, Human Crossing was just way too much chicken soup for the soul. People's monumental problems, like reconciling with their deadbeat, alcoholic, abusive mother, don't happen just because it rains one night and they feel like getting back together. All the situations in Human Crossing felt too convenient, people's feelings were hurt, most of the episodes I watched revolved around some life shattering even like a childhood of abuse that was resolved almost immediately once the plot called for it. Shows like this make or break on whether or not the characters ring true, whether or not the viewer can believe that they could exist outside of the confines of the twenty minute episode. I have a hard time believing that any of these people could really EXIST. It's too realistic a show for the level of realism it lacks I really dig the idea of the column though, Justin, the Decalogue is definitely one of the high points of cinema, and I think you're a pretty cool dood. I look forward to reading more! |
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Randall Miyashiro
 Posts: 2451 Location: A block away from Golden Gate Park |
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Sachiko Kamimura is one of my favorites having followed her (since ZZ) and all her Sunrise staffers from the late 80s. I will agree that the Takahashi anthology is far superior in both animation and stories. The Human Crossing stories started becoming redundant after only four DVDs, while Takahashi managed to keep her series fresh with each volume. Part of the problem is that many of these episodes seem to have similar plot structures with resolutions that are rather sappy. There are just too many unmemorable episodes in Human Crossing. There are a few episodes that stand out, like the mobster, wife and bar episode or the actor's pregnant wife episode. I wish there were more series aimed to us older anime fans, but would highly recommend a series like Master Keaton over Human Crossing. I agree that this is one of the best columns to grace ANN. Keep up the good work! |
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