×
  • 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
REVIEW: Nyarko-san: Another Crawling Chaos Episodes 1-7 Streaming


Goto page 1, 2  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
Animerican14



Joined: 19 Aug 2006
Posts: 963
Location: Saint Louis, MO
PostPosted: Sat Jun 02, 2012 12:38 am Reply with quote
Great review! Man I agree with so much about what Carl likes about the show that it's not even funny. This is probably the first review ever (or at least the first one in ages) with largely C-tier scores where, after reading the review and seeing the grades, I both mostly agree with the grades and don't find my enthusiasm for the series dampened in the least. Having missed the maiden voyages of too many yet-unseen crazy comedies like Hayate The Combat Butler, Ordinary Life, and the second season of Squid Girl, it's been awesome having something new and fluffy like this to enjoy this season.

To those of you reading this that haven't seen the show yet... it's definitely a series worth more than the sum of the parts, as the written review and overall grade generally indicate.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Visit poster's website My Anime My Manga
EmbraceMe



Joined: 17 Dec 2010
Posts: 2013
Location: Growing old and jaded.
PostPosted: Sat Jun 02, 2012 12:40 am Reply with quote
The most merciful thing in Japanese animation, I think, is the inability of the human mind to correlate all its tropes. We live on a placid island of ignorance in the midst of black seas of infinity, and it was not meant that we should voyage far. Anime, straining in its own genre, have hitherto harmed us little; but some day the piecing together of cliches will open up such terrifying vistas of reality, and of our frightful position therein, that we shall either go mad from the revelation or flee from the light into the peace and safety of a new dark age.

Kudos to those who figure where the above comes from. Wink

This review could have been more fun if it written in the Lovecraft style - I can almost imagine it.

The most fun I have with Nyarko-san comes from reading the threads on /a/. The Lovecraft-styled summaries of the episode really help me remember the few Cthulhu Mythos stories I read. I also have a lot of fun trying to picking up the huge amount of references despite how tedious it can be.

Quote:
The closest it gets to a visual signature is its taste for fan-service that emphasizes legs and other slightly odd sources of sex appeal (ankles and knees anyone?) over the usual boobs and butts.


The emphasis on Nyarko's legs has to be a reference to the [true] Nyarlthotep! Afterall, his favorite form was a tentacle monster -a tentacle head, tentacle-abdomen which is also his legs, add a few hooves there too... It's almost like the unnameable except... It's nameable. It's much easier to see a - probably NSFW - picture of him yourself.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message My Anime
Fencedude5609



Joined: 09 Nov 2006
Posts: 5088
PostPosted: Sat Jun 02, 2012 12:41 am Reply with quote
Yep, that review pretty much summed the show up.

Needed more Kuuko though.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
superdry



Joined: 07 Jan 2012
Posts: 1309
PostPosted: Sat Jun 02, 2012 12:51 am Reply with quote
The last two sentences in the review pretty much sum up Nyaruko-san very succinctly.

The show does do an amazing job, though, cramming references from all over the place in each episode without feeling out of place. It's one of the best things about it.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Fencedude5609



Joined: 09 Nov 2006
Posts: 5088
PostPosted: Sat Jun 02, 2012 12:55 am Reply with quote
superdry wrote:

The show does do an amazing job, though, cramming references from all over the place in each episode without feeling out of place. It's one of the best things about it.


I lost it when Nyaruko used a MAP weapon.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
Xanas



Joined: 27 Aug 2007
Posts: 2058
PostPosted: Sat Jun 02, 2012 12:59 am Reply with quote
Hmm... I guess I can't really argue with the individual scores, but I like this show a lot more than any of those factors would indicate, I don't agree with saying the execution is "mediocre" though. The execution is why it works, perhaps I'm misunderstanding what is meant by the term here.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message My Anime
Volibear



Joined: 29 Nov 2011
Posts: 344
PostPosted: Sat Jun 02, 2012 1:15 am Reply with quote
nice review, wasn't expecting such a kind review for Nyarko-san either, the way everyone always hates on anything that lacks originality (personally think originality is overrated) i though for sure this wouldn't struggle to even score a C-, let alone a B-

for me, this is a top 5 series of the season, maybe even sneaking into my top 3 because it succeeds in what it sets out to do, despite being fairly unoriginal, lacking any kind of memorable art, animation or music and having all but no real story to speak of, its fun and its funny all the time, i find myself constantly laughing watching this which is something alot of other comedy series really fail to do on a consistent basis
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
TD912



Joined: 28 Nov 2010
Posts: 274
PostPosted: Sat Jun 02, 2012 2:03 am Reply with quote
Spot on. Sure, there's stupidly overused cliches everywhere. And yeah, the animation budget must have been pretty darn low.

But the tons of jokes and gags somehow make up for most of that. It's almost like the show is making fun of itself.

Great series to watch for some brainless fun.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Mad_Scientist
Subscriber
Moderator


Joined: 08 Apr 2008
Posts: 3011
PostPosted: Sat Jun 02, 2012 2:19 am Reply with quote
Quote:
Sure Mahiro's house becomes a harem, but the second girl to move in has the hots for Nyarko and the third one is a guy.


That statement illustrates one of my favorite things about Nyarko-san, and is why I don't think Carl is giving the show quite enough credit. Oh, I don't really disagree with his review or scores much, but I'd say that Nyarko-san manages to just be a bit... maybe not "original", but not quite typical either. I imagine that just about anyone familiar with anime who watched the first episode of Nyarko-san and saw the intro would think to him/herself "hmm, 3 cute girls in the intro, one is already deeply in love/lust with main character, yep, another harem typical harem series." Yet that's not the way the series went at all.

Nyarko-san isn't especially originally, but it's just different enough from the norm to avoid feeling stale.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message My Anime My Manga
Megiddo



Joined: 24 Aug 2005
Posts: 8360
Location: IL
PostPosted: Sat Jun 02, 2012 2:40 am Reply with quote
Spot on review. I think this is a show wherein the scores don't really matter. You either like the screwball comedy and otaku references or you do not. Personally, as someone familiar with Lovecraft and Derleth's works, I'm loving this show.

However, I do disagree in saying that the execution was mediocre. It's the execution that makes the show enjoyable.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Asterisk-CGY



Joined: 09 Mar 2007
Posts: 398
PostPosted: Sat Jun 02, 2012 3:10 am Reply with quote
Megiddo wrote:
Spot on review. I think this is a show wherein the scores don't really matter. You either like the screwball comedy and otaku references or you do not. Personally, as someone familiar with Lovecraft and Derleth's works, I'm loving this show.

However, I do disagree in saying that the execution was mediocre. It's the execution that makes the show enjoyable.


Better than the Flash version.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
tcdelaney



Joined: 05 Oct 2011
Posts: 169
Location: Mittagong, NSW, Australia
PostPosted: Sat Jun 02, 2012 3:11 am Reply with quote
Basically, if you laugh out loud at the many many references and call-outs in the show, it's a hoot. If you don't, you're probably not going to enjoy it at all.

I've had at least 1 good belly laugh out of every episode, and most have managed more.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Bored_Ming



Joined: 17 Jun 2009
Posts: 242
Location: The Edge of ......
PostPosted: Sat Jun 02, 2012 11:45 am Reply with quote
Excellent review. I watch because it is a "dumb fun" show. Laugh, play a little "spot the reference" and then forget. It does not mire itself in serious drama or navel gazing. The characters act unashamedly goofy and the show revels in its craziness. The execution/production is just good enough not to distract you from the fun. This is one I'd like to share with my Call of Cthulhu playing friends if there is a dvd/bd release.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message My Anime My Manga
RyanSaotome



Joined: 29 Mar 2011
Posts: 4210
Location: Towson, Maryland
PostPosted: Sat Jun 02, 2012 2:28 pm Reply with quote
I disagree with the review. Only thing I'll really agree on is the fact that its budget isn't that great (which is surprising since it was a guaranteed hit from the start due to the popularity of the light novels), but I find it laugh out loud hilarious and easily the 2nd best show of the season after Fate/Zero. I'd even put it over Nise for best ecchi comedy of the year so far. Its very funny, has cute girls, tons of references... so I dunno what else I'd want out of this show.

I also don't get the thing where people say its funny and enjoyable to watch, yet give it low scores... the whole point of how good something is comes down to how much you enjoy watching it.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message AIM Address
Chagen46



Joined: 27 Jun 2010
Posts: 4377
PostPosted: Sat Jun 02, 2012 2:33 pm Reply with quote
Quote:
I also don't get the thing where people say its funny and enjoyable to watch, yet give it low scores... the whole point of how good something is comes down to how much you enjoy watching it.


It's perfectly possible to realize that something's not good yet still enjoyable (to this day I wonder just what kept me from dropping strike witches).
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  Next
Page 1 of 2

 


Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group