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Tanteikingdomkey



Joined: 03 Sep 2008
Posts: 2345
PostPosted: Tue Nov 15, 2011 3:40 pm Reply with quote
Konopan wrote:

Criticism for Un-Go is, I think, going in the wrong direction. The cases aren't about suspense- the presence of Rinroku and his truthy overrides ought to make that clear from the first episode- but the circumstances and motivations behind them; the sleuthing feels a lot more natural (disregarding a certain panda-print plot device) than over-dramatized "THE MURDERER IS AMONGST US" fare; actual detective work probably seems quite boring when seen from the outside. I can't be sure how much each chapter of the novel is condensed per episode, though some of the cases are definitely patchy. The political string-pulling and post-war scenario seem more like things to relate to than to expect real answers for, although an exposé ending probably wouldn't be too much to ask for

Mirai Nikki's already far and above the rest of the season in the trainwreck-waiting-to-happen department, and anyone who hasn't read the manga will probably find it either excruciating or completely hilarious, the farther the adaptation gets.

Quote:
On Phi Brain
...Hold the phone. If this isn't the craziest, most ridiculous set up for an anime you've ever heard of...

It's not even the craziest set up for an anime airing this season.

That'd be Ben-To


Quote:
On Persona 4
...Why the kids don't tell the authorities is beyond me. There really is no indication that the cops wouldn't also be able to jump into TV land, other than it would mess up the flow of the video game...

Because the cops don't have magic soul friends and wouldn't get very far with rural JPD standard issue firearms, maybe?


Yes future diary is a disaster waiting to happen but it has been really good so far.
also on persona 4 episode 5 took two of the side social links and put them together in one episode and it actually worked very well I think. they did not finish them off though and I think we will be seeing them again. they also kick started the partners links as well. Episode 6 and the series as a whole has been very faithful to the source material. I love how they made the series so much like the game.
I am sorry but I do find bento to be more ridiculous and funnier in general then phi brain. wish we could get the how to solve the puzzle segments that the japanese get as that would be a huge help to the show

Un-Go I did like the last episode of un-go I am sure it is building up to something about the government. I am sure if it was anywhere else but noitamina it would have more time to expand on it's more political aspects, however the way that they are doing it now is probably very close to the source material since the writing is supposed to not overtly be against the government, since the original writer was trying not to get arrested for breaking the law by speaking out against the government after WW2, since that was banned. I forget the name of the law but I know that post WW2 writers had to be allegorical when speaking out against the government. the author was originally an essay writer, however after WW2 he had ti be more careful about how he spoke out against the government. that is why he set the story in the majin era so that the government would not censor or stop the stories from being published.
I also think that mysteries are A LOT more about puzzles, then they are about suspense. I really see no reason for suspense in mysteries unless you are putting the characters in a place where they are in danger, which ungo has not. and sometimes suspense can harm a mystery a lot more then it helps it. since that takes away from the actual case, or in this case political message as well.

I would really like to see some coverage of hagani (I don't have many friends) though I would like to see the dropped section for C^3 and Maken-ki.


Last edited by Tanteikingdomkey on Tue Nov 15, 2011 3:58 pm; edited 2 times in total
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Botan24



Joined: 30 Apr 2011
Posts: 684
Location: Northern Michigan
PostPosted: Tue Nov 15, 2011 3:42 pm Reply with quote
Taiyz wrote:
I found the symbols' purpose to be rather obvious, personally, and this was my first time reading the column. Just my perspective.

In regards to Phi Brain,
Quote:
I almost stopped watching a few episodes in because I hated every single character except for Kaito and his gal pal Nonoha. But, be it through character development or Stockholm Syndrome, I eventually grew to love even the most obnoxious of them, and then I was hooked. Even boisterous Gammon, the frenemy who was always getting in the way, became delightful to watch
Actually this is the same process that I went through, exactly. It makes me wonder if this phenomenon is common amongst the show's viewers.


Okay, I'll throw my two cents in. I was immediately attracted to all the characters in Phi Brain. Especially in regards to Gammon. I only saw a little bit of him in the trailer posted in the preview guide. But that was enough to know I was going to enjoy watching him. Nonoha is my favorite though! What can I say? I'm either weird, or just like obnoxious loudmouths. Maybe both? Smile

DmonHiro wrote:
20$ for anyone who explains to me what the hell Horizon is about.
Seriously... I'm confused as hell.


How about instead of 20 bucks, you give me the precious moments of my life back that I'd waste explaining Horizon's premise to you? If you need an explanation after how many episodes (four, five?), then the show ain't worth your time or mine.
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ANN_Bamboo
ANN Contributor


Joined: 05 Jan 2002
Posts: 3904
Location: CO
PostPosted: Tue Nov 15, 2011 3:54 pm Reply with quote
Megiddo wrote:

I will say though that the arrows are confusing. One would think that just how Fate/Zero dropped from #2 to #3 and got a down arrow, the same would happen to Un-Go, which dropped from #7 to #9 this week. Inexplicably though, it has an up arrow. So I can understand why there is confusion with the inconsistent use of the arrows.


The positions are relative to each other. It's a race.

Un-Go does not have an arrow. It has a circle with a dash through it. That's because relative to the other shows on the list, it has not moved. Guilty Crown has an up arrow because it moved higher than Persona 4.

We'll all get used to this system, people. It's only the second column. The kinks will be worked out.
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DmonHiro





PostPosted: Tue Nov 15, 2011 4:11 pm Reply with quote
Actually, knowing that the whole season takes place in only 36 hours helps. I thought the timeframe was screwy in Horizon, but I guess it makes sense.
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zensunni



Joined: 05 Mar 2010
Posts: 1291
PostPosted: Tue Nov 15, 2011 4:18 pm Reply with quote
Just curious, but is there a particular reason that you are not including C-3, Maken-Ki, Mashiroiro Symphony, Shana, and Haganai? The first three are caught up with the Japanese broadcast as far as I can tell, and Shana caught up last week. Haganai is only a couple of episodes back at this point, though it is the worst in terms of being a non-simul-cast. I guess Shana could be lumped in with the other sequels that are not on the list like Squid Girl II, Working!!/Wagnaria!! 2, etc...

Anyway, good column. I still agree heartily about Chihayafuru! Great show! Future Diary is a good one too. Disturbing, but good...
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blackseer



Joined: 09 Sep 2011
Posts: 94
PostPosted: Tue Nov 15, 2011 4:20 pm Reply with quote
SakechanBD wrote:

Un-Go does not have an arrow. It has a circle with a dash through it. That's because relative to the other shows on the list, it has not moved. Guilty Crown has an up arrow because it moved higher than Persona 4.

In the chart, both Un-Go and Makenki have the circle, but in the body, they have the green arrow. It's probably just a small mistake, though.
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garfield15



Joined: 06 Apr 2009
Posts: 1515
PostPosted: Tue Nov 15, 2011 4:23 pm Reply with quote
DmonHiro wrote:
20$ for anyone who explains to me what the hell Horizon is about.
Seriously... I'm confused as hell.


Go here. It'll explain much of everything (even though at this point I think it's straight-forward)

http://kyoukaisen.tumblr.com/
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HeeroTX



Joined: 15 Jul 2002
Posts: 2046
Location: Austin, TX
PostPosted: Tue Nov 15, 2011 4:41 pm Reply with quote
Megiddo wrote:
I will say though that the arrows are confusing. One would think that just how Fate/Zero dropped from #2 to #3 and got a down arrow, the same would happen to Un-Go, which dropped from #7 to #9 this week. Inexplicably though, it has an up arrow. So I can understand why there is confusion with the inconsistent use of the arrows.

I think the smileys idea is interesting, and while I agree that the arrows can be initially confusing (depends on what you're comparing to, sports polls use this exact format in many places) they're pretty straightforward once you get used to it. Also, for the initial purpose of the column, I think the format makes sense. The original idea is "if you have X amount of time, start at the top and go down until you can't watch anything else. So for that, I think it's relevant how things are positioned overall and how a given week affected that.

Realistically, "how is this series doing each week" is only relevant as a jumping off point for discussions for people already watching it.
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Spastic Minnow
Bargain Hunter
Exempt from Grammar Rules


Joined: 02 May 2006
Posts: 4595
Location: Gainesville, FL
PostPosted: Tue Nov 15, 2011 4:42 pm Reply with quote
Zac wrote:
Spastic Minnow wrote:

(^_^) This show is better than before
(-_-) This show is just about as good as before
(>_<) This show isn't as good as before
(x_x) This show is dead to me

Using this system you could even consistently use smiley faces for your favorite show if you think it continues to progress nicely and use an apathetic face even if technically rises in rank because ones that had been above it have tanked worse.


Okay, look, the 'smiley faces' you described are literally the exact same thing as the arrows. Up means better than before, Neutral means about the same, Down means not as good, X means dead to me.

This is not that difficult to understand at all, people. Seriously.


Bamboo's asking for opinions to improve the system, so I've giving mine.

It's my opinion that a symbol that reflects improvement more relative to its own progress might be better than one that reflects it's position to the others. That is not what the arrows do. If we have eyes we can see if a show is higher or lower on the ranks, what we really want to know is whether the show itself is getting better or worse compared to what it has been so far.

But there's a separate problem with the arrows. They weren't represented in a consistent manner this week. Saying that the symbols reflect the shows relative position to where they were last week, irrespective of the positions of the new shows, shows a contradiction.

Using relative position the way Hunter X Hunter and Guilty Crown are represented by up arrows despite their numerical ranks dropping is accurate because that's how they would have moved had Future Diary and Phi-Brain not been on the list. Fine.

However, using this system of disregarding the shows that have been added means that Fate/Zero should have a Neutral symbol, not a down arrow. Instead it was given a symbol based on losing a spot to a new show.

So, either abandon the ranking of up and down shows that gets confusing when the number of shows increase, and focus on on more subjective ranking that reflects a shifting opinion of the show itself...

Or explain that it's based on relative position to the shows from the previous week, regardless of new shows, and consistently apply it. Under this system a new show probably shouldn't start off with an up arrow either, it should start off with a neutral symbol, signifying a starting point that can either go up or down. And to be consistent in this system you certainly can't start a show off with a down arrow in the way that was done with Horizon.... If you try to add Maken-Ki next week there's a very good chance it will debut on the bottom of your rankings but in the beginning a show's position in the ranking should be good enough to signify it's worth or lack thereof.
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ANN_Bamboo
ANN Contributor


Joined: 05 Jan 2002
Posts: 3904
Location: CO
PostPosted: Tue Nov 15, 2011 5:00 pm Reply with quote
Spastic Minnow wrote:


But there's a separate problem with the arrows. They weren't represented in a consistent manner this week. Saying that the symbols reflect the shows relative position to where they were last week, irrespective of the positions of the new shows, shows a contradiction.

Using relative position the way Hunter X Hunter and Guilty Crown are represented by up arrows despite their numerical ranks dropping is accurate because that's how they would have moved had Future Diary and Phi-Brain not been on the list. Fine.

However, using this system of disregarding the shows that have been added means that Fate/Zero should have a Neutral symbol, not a down arrow. Instead it was given a symbol based on losing a spot to a new show.


I see your point. However, this is the last week that new shows will be added, so from here on out the arrows will be more consistent. In the future (future seasons), I may devise a new way to introduce late simulcasts.
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ANN_Bamboo
ANN Contributor


Joined: 05 Jan 2002
Posts: 3904
Location: CO
PostPosted: Tue Nov 15, 2011 5:02 pm Reply with quote
blackseer wrote:
SakechanBD wrote:

Un-Go does not have an arrow. It has a circle with a dash through it. That's because relative to the other shows on the list, it has not moved. Guilty Crown has an up arrow because it moved higher than Persona 4.

In the chart, both Un-Go and Makenki have the circle, but in the body, they have the green arrow. It's probably just a small mistake, though.


Ohhhhhhhh okay, I see what you're saying now. That was a mistake; thanks for pointing it out!

FWIW, the colors of the font for "Status" just kind of represents how close it is to being dropped. Green means it's safe. Yellow means it's pushing it.


Last edited by ANN_Bamboo on Tue Nov 15, 2011 5:03 pm; edited 1 time in total
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aereus



Joined: 08 Jun 2010
Posts: 574
PostPosted: Tue Nov 15, 2011 5:02 pm Reply with quote
Megiddo wrote:

I think I read that the first four books are setting up the story.



Good luck. I can only hope that's the four on the bottom and not the top.


Sadly for you, I believe it's the first four VOLUMES. Which are split into multiple books. It's actually the bottom EIGHT books on that pile + the one 2nd from top Wink
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Spastic Minnow
Bargain Hunter
Exempt from Grammar Rules


Joined: 02 May 2006
Posts: 4595
Location: Gainesville, FL
PostPosted: Tue Nov 15, 2011 5:09 pm Reply with quote
BTW, Bamboo, the actual content of the column was great. I really like your reviews even when I don't agree with the opinions or find fault in your grading system.

In my case PHi-Brain didn't last past episode 2, I gave up on Majikoi this week and though it can be boring sometimes Kimi ti Boku is the show I find easy to watch and have kept up with despite its fault, especially with the addition of the blond kid and a couple more female supporting characters.
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PetrifiedJello



Joined: 11 Mar 2009
Posts: 3782
PostPosted: Tue Nov 15, 2011 5:12 pm Reply with quote
SakechanBD wrote:
It's a work in progress, guys. Keep the comments coming; your suggestions are helpful!

Zac wrote:
Up means better than before, Neutral means about the same, Down means not as good, X means dead to me.

I don't want to make a mountain out of a molehill, especially with the current grading debate on reviews, but this is not the interpretation I read with the last column.

The up/down are to signify positions in ranking, and series are shifted accordingly on the list. Personally, I'd like it better the way you described it, rather than a position marker. It makes better sense to me a series is "up/down" based on previous viewing, rather than position on a list. I know it seems the same, but it's not.

For example: Fate/Zero seems to be neutral because nothing really changed per Bamboo's opinion, but yet it received a down arrow, and this implied it dropped in ranking because it didn't fair well. I'm not too confident people will read the associated remarks with the indicator, which is why I know her opinion hasn't changed and the series was given a down arrow because of another taking its place.

We also don't get the previous listing to compare. I know a little work resolves this, but truthfully, I'm just too lazy to look it up and actively compare. It also didn't help new series were thrust in the list, though I can understand why they were.

It would be really helpful if the arrows were placed directly under the title (at the review level), rather than at the bottom of the review. I couldn't escape the notion the graphics were for the next review.

At any rate, there's no escaping the fact I'm very happy Bamboo's back and giving us her witty reviews.
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CrownKlown



Joined: 05 May 2011
Posts: 1762
PostPosted: Tue Nov 15, 2011 5:13 pm Reply with quote
Actually most reader of Maji in manga format like the show primarily for Yamato, and I think he is a very likeable character compared to other harem protagonists. But regarding your comment, any of these shows could be watched with out a brain, these are not documentaries explaining the laws of physics of the foundation of the roman legal system; take in point your top show, chihayafuru, what exactly to you find so hard to digest on that show that it somehow requires you to sport a PHd. This is not to say I equate chihaya with maji, I do prefer maji, but acknowledge chihya is a beautiful show and can see why people would praise it, just that some of your criticism is undeserved.

And I have to say the new Last Exile is such an atrocity to the original, it might not be as bad as say destiny to seed, but its nothing like the original, and why the hell is the cast almost entirely a bunch of school age girls, are they trying to make this moe?

Hunter X Hunter def. could stand to have an uncut version, maybe when it hits dvd, as a manga its def. one of the darker shonen, which shows even when they censor it. Curious to see what route they take with Gon's mom, do they leave it ambiguous like the manga, or do they kill her off like the first series.
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