×
  • remind me tomorrow
  • remind me next week
  • never remind me
Subscribe to the ANN Newsletter • Wake up every Sunday to a curated list of ANN's most interesting posts of the week. read more

Forum - View topic
Shelf Life - Killer Instinct


Goto page 1, 2, 3  Next

Note: this is the discussion thread for this article

Anime News Network Forum Index -> Site-related -> Talkback
View previous topic :: View next topic  
Author Message
Asrialys



Joined: 12 Dec 2006
Posts: 1159
PostPosted: Mon May 25, 2015 10:46 am Reply with quote
Was that Nisekoi cover accidentally added in with the reader-submitted photos?

Wow, so A Media Blasters title actually hit its first release date. Wasn't that long ago that they were asking fans on Facebook how they should organize the episodes.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Lynx Amali





PostPosted: Mon May 25, 2015 11:07 am Reply with quote
Quote:
The second half of Total Eclipse abandons the good points of an uneven series while cranking up the volume on some of its worst habits. The action is uninspired, the comedy is weak and predictable, and the drama amounts to little more than a pile of dead expendables. Even if the first dozen episodes caught your interest, don't waste your time here.


I can't disagree with this enough.
The second half was so much superior to the first.

It didn't have anime-original prologue material that threw off the entirety of the first half and it actually had a focused goal with the last bunch of episodes, unlike the first stretch which just wandered without any sort of goal through a lot of things of things.

Sure, TE is easily one of âge's worst adaptions of any sort next to KNGE Next Season when it comes down to it, but its sole purpose was to promote the VN anyway and the last half did that so much better than the first.
Back to top
maximilianjenus



Joined: 29 Apr 2013
Posts: 2855
PostPosted: Mon May 25, 2015 11:36 am Reply with quote
don't want to delve too much into muvluv so I'll only coment that the change og tone is supossed to be harsh and brutal, with no buildup.

now about yosuga no sora, the thing I find most worth mentioning of it is that it cover multiple routes and uses save points for that. like, you watch up to episode 7 (I don't rememebr the real numbers) then it will reset back to episode 5 and branch to a different route,etc... which might make it worth watching.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
invalidname
Contributor



Joined: 11 Aug 2004
Posts: 2434
Location: Grand Rapids, MI
PostPosted: Mon May 25, 2015 11:40 am Reply with quote
Lynx Amali wrote:
I can't disagree with this enough.
The second half was so much superior to the first.

It's probably not helpful to think of TE in terms of "halves", since the split with Sentai's discs is so arbitrary. I think it's more useful to organize TE in terms of arcs, some of which are good (fall of Kyoto, Kamchatka exercise, RLF rebellion) and some of which are terrible (island episodes, Blue Flag exercises). And most of what's terrible is the harem stuff; not that I'm opposed to romantic triangles or pentagons, but here it just doesn't work. At all. Ever.

Quote:
Sure, TE is easily one of âge's worst adaptions of any sort next to KNGE Next Season when it comes down to it,

Think you can drink enough to get through Akane Maniax without resorting to self-harm? I'm not eager to try it.

The irony is that âge seems willing to adapt anything but the core story of Muv-Luv Extra, Unlimited, and Alternative, which is the lynchpin of everything they've done for the last 10+ years. With no anime of that, and no legal way to play the VNs in English, their stuff is all but impenetrable for normal fans.

Quote:
but its sole purpose was to promote the VN anyway and the last half did that so much better than the first.

To be sure, âge fans here are fortunate that Sentai chose to bring this out on physical media, with a dub, albeit several years after its original broadcast. âge's attitude to its English-speaking fans seems like it's somewhere between blatant disregard and outright hostility, so I'm grateful for whatever we get here.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
zrnzle500



Joined: 04 Oct 2014
Posts: 3767
PostPosted: Mon May 25, 2015 11:44 am Reply with quote
Wouldn't mind seeing organic vegan cheese platters
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
DmonHiro





PostPosted: Mon May 25, 2015 11:50 am Reply with quote
Muv-Luv Alternative: Total Eclipse was GARBAGE. Here I was, expecting some epic mecha VS monster battles, and I get harem hijinks and army life. Not what I wanted in the least.
Back to top
Asrialys



Joined: 12 Dec 2006
Posts: 1159
PostPosted: Mon May 25, 2015 11:51 am Reply with quote
maximilianjenus wrote:
now about yosuga no sora, the thing I find most worth mentioning of it is that it cover multiple routes and uses save points for that. like, you watch up to episode 7 (I don't rememebr the real numbers) then it will reset back to episode 5 and branch to a different route,etc... which might make it worth watching.

Going by what they said on Facebook, they organized the episodes by routes, like how it was released in Japan.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Lynx Amali





PostPosted: Mon May 25, 2015 11:58 am Reply with quote
invalidname wrote:

Think you can drink enough to get through Akane Maniax without resorting to self-harm? I'm not eager to try it.


I've actually seen Akane Maniax. It works, aside from the horribly dated animation which has not aged very well (Yay for early digital!) I like Akane and Gouda though so I could be a little biased. Totally worth it for Ayu Mayu Theater alone though.

Quote:
The irony is that âge seems willing to adapt anything but the core story of Muv-Luv Extra, Unlimited, and Alternative, which is the lynchpin of everything they've done for the last 10+ years. With no anime of that, and no legal way to play the VNs in English, their stuff is all but impenetrable for normal fans.


I think this is the big thing. ML, and most of âge's works in the KGNE/ML continuity, do have that whiplash between comedy, rom-com and serious, aside from Schwarz and KGNE itself, and it may not be a thing everybody likes. Hell, Unlimited itself was pretty lighthearted from what I remember outside of the few really heavy moments.

Quote:
âge's attitude to its English-speaking fans seems like it's somewhere between blatant disregard and outright hostility, so I'm grateful for whatever we get here.


From what I've heard, âge wants to release KGNE over here before even doing ML as that's their current flagship IP. At least that's what I recall as of a few years back.
Back to top
invalidname
Contributor



Joined: 11 Aug 2004
Posts: 2434
Location: Grand Rapids, MI
PostPosted: Mon May 25, 2015 12:22 pm Reply with quote
Lynx Amali wrote:
I've actually seen Akane Maniax. It works, aside from the horribly dated animation which has not aged very well (Yay for early digital!) I like Akane and Gouda though so I could be a little biased. Totally worth it for Ayu Mayu Theater alone though.

I hated Akane Maniax less after playing Muv-Luv Extra. It is far more a Muv-Luv prequel than a KGNE / Rumbling Hearts sequel, although it tries its hand at both.

As for early digital anime, KGNE/RH looks far worse than AM.

Quote:
From what I've heard, âge wants to release KGNE over here before even doing ML as that's their current flagship IP. At least that's what I recall as of a few years back.

I don't know if we should assume that is their current thinking, but it was indeed the endgame of the catastrophic meltdown of the Amaterasu/Mangagamer overtures to âge a few years back: with a fan translation of Muv-Luv ready to go, âge declined and offered KGNE instead, and were refused.

Mangagamer is probably being very diplomatic in saying that negotiating with âge is "quite troublesome".

By comparison, Key/Visual Art's did their own release of Planetarian for iOS, then partnered with Sekai Project for it on PC, to be followed soon by Clannad. And they put all their VN and anime music on the various international iTunes stores for good measure. âge, like Type-Moon, seems unable or unwilling to either bring out their own stuff here or work with a licensor, effectively ceding the market to piracy. It's a damn mess.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
omiya



Joined: 21 Sep 2011
Posts: 1822
Location: Adelaide, South Australia
PostPosted: Mon May 25, 2015 12:33 pm Reply with quote
It's a pity that the anime apparently isn't up to the song:

Signs ~Sakutsuki Hitoyo~ / Minami Kuribayashi (Muv-Luv Alternative: Total Eclipse ED)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDGcH1gwh5c

or get the better sounding live version on Animelo Summer Live 2012 day 2 blu-ray:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animelo_Summer_Live#Set_List_11
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
prime_pm



Joined: 06 Feb 2004
Posts: 2332
Location: Your Mother's Bedroom
PostPosted: Mon May 25, 2015 3:45 pm Reply with quote
Yosuga no Sora: the beginning of the Targaryens
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
JoeQ



Joined: 19 Feb 2015
Posts: 77
PostPosted: Mon May 25, 2015 4:09 pm Reply with quote
Shin Mazinger is finally here! I hope ANN will review it too and not just ignore it like they did with Mazinkaiser SKL and Shin Getter Robo VS Neo Getter Robo.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
Hameyadea



Joined: 23 Jun 2014
Posts: 3679
PostPosted: Mon May 25, 2015 5:34 pm Reply with quote
About Yosuga no Sora:

The anime tried to appear as similar to a VN save system as possible. So much so, that each episode's title screen (the episodes' titles were part of the background) had between 1 to 4 English letters, with each letter corresponding to the character(s) whose story is considered canon. To try and simplify this, think of Fate/stay night - the Fate route focuses on Saber, thus the interactions with Rin and Sakura aren't canon in that route.

The letters are: A for Amatsume Akira, K for Migiwa Kazuha, N for Yorihime Nao, and S for Kasugano Sora. And episodes are ordered like this:

  • #1 - AKNS (all the interactions are canon, think of it as The Common Route)
  • #2 - AK (so Nao's and Sora's interactions in this episode aren't canon, and will be ignored when the show proceed in their routes)
  • #3 - K (you get the idea)
  • #4 - K
  • #5 - A
  • #6 - A
  • #7 - NS
  • #8 - N
  • #9 - N
  • #10 - S
  • #11 - S
  • #12 - S


It wasn't until Episode #5 that I understood that system, and afterwards I was able to keep track of the plot better - since seemingly having what has appeared as a retcon mid-cour can make things more confusing, than when understanding how the story progression goes.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
bobob101



Joined: 28 Jun 2013
Posts: 201
PostPosted: Mon May 25, 2015 6:10 pm Reply with quote
Well, I actually order ninja scroll blu ray on amazon a few days before this posted, but either way that is an amazing movie. I am working on getting as much of the good Yoshiaki Kawajiri stuff as possible in my shelf space, next on my list are Vampire Hunter D Bloodlust and Goku Midnight eye. The very last thing to go there will be wicked city.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
meiam



Joined: 23 Jun 2013
Posts: 3442
PostPosted: Mon May 25, 2015 8:48 pm Reply with quote
Man ninja scroll, that takes me back! Remember teletoon in quebec showing four anime movie (Patlabor 1 and 2, ninja scroll and Honami wing if I recall correctly) those are a huge part of what got me into anime, I taped them and watched them so much the tape was wormed out. I'd get my friend to come over and we'd all watch it together, amazed at the idea that out there there were cartoon with gore and nudity! Really glad to hear it hold up well, really should buy it, they definitely earned my money.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Display posts from previous:   
Reply to topic    Anime News Network Forum Index -> Site-related -> Talkback All times are GMT - 5 Hours
Goto page 1, 2, 3  Next
Page 1 of 3

 


Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group