×
  • 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
What are you watching right now? Why? (please read 1st post)


Goto page Previous    Next

Anime News Network Forum Index -> General -> Anime
View previous topic :: View next topic  
Author Message
Bright_Spear



Joined: 24 Jul 2012
Posts: 340
PostPosted: Sun Sep 23, 2012 8:21 pm Reply with quote
edit

Last edited by Bright_Spear on Tue May 06, 2014 2:44 am; edited 1 time in total
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Adam Wednesdays



Joined: 24 Jun 2012
Posts: 30
PostPosted: Mon Sep 24, 2012 12:03 am Reply with quote
supercreep wrote:
I'm currently making my way through the original Macross series. I'm 11 episodes in, and I'm considering dropping it in favor of the movie. I assume there are many on here that have seen Macross, so it would be great if someone could guide me in this decision.


I've been doing the same, and I'm also considering stopping. I'm giving it a few more episodes to see if it picks up, but so far it's not really engaging me.

And for what it's worth, I've seen "Do You Remember Love," and so far prefer it hands-down over the TV show.

I've also been rewatching "Mushishi." Still great, but as I'm watching it on Netflix this time I'm watching it dubbed. The dub isn't bad by any stretch of the imagination, but as I usually do I prefer the original language.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
supercreep



Joined: 11 Dec 2011
Posts: 526
PostPosted: Mon Sep 24, 2012 10:35 pm Reply with quote
Thanks for the macros advice everyone that chipped in. I'm also watching Lucky Star subbed but either it's me or th subtitles are going by too quickly and I frequently feel like I'm missing something. I think that I'm going to have to switch to the dub.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message My Anime
Zalis116
Moderator


Joined: 31 Mar 2005
Posts: 6864
Location: Kazune City
PostPosted: Tue Sep 25, 2012 1:13 am Reply with quote
Masakaki wrote:


Yet, the only thing I don't like is the opening, and that is because the song is almost identical to the Another's, which is a show that I didn't like.
No surprise there, since pretty much all Ali Project songs sound the same.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message My Anime My Manga
Errinundra
Moderator


Joined: 14 Jun 2008
Posts: 6516
Location: Melbourne, Oz
PostPosted: Tue Sep 25, 2012 7:39 am Reply with quote
Berserk - The High King's Egg

Saw this tonight as the final instalment in Madman's 2012 Reel Anime Film Festival at Cinema Nova in Carlton.

I'll keep this relatively short as it is fairly faithful to the storyline of the original TV series. Basically it covers the first ten episodes, omitting 1 and 3 while compressing the remaining eight episodes into somewhat less than ½ their original running time. I think it loses nothing by it: all the essential plot elements are present; and the three main characters - Guts, Griffiths and Casca - are well fleshed out. The rapid pace compared with the series also has the benefit of creating a strong sense of impending doom, something that was missing in the series until Griffith has his sudden descent into destruction. (That, of course, doesn't occur yet at this point in the movie trilogy). Most of the key dramatic moments have all the impact you could want.

What is lost is that the minor characters are glossed over: Judeau, Pippin and Corkus barely appear. It's a cost I'm happy to wear. Important minor characters outside the Band of Hawks are disappointing. The Midland King and his brother, Julius, come across as unpleasant, though I suppose the latter is supposed to. Charlotte is a disaster - the moment she opens her mouth the movie shoots itself in the foot. It's a girly voice in the most inappropriate and grating way. The problem is exacerbated by the three leads having an older, more mature feel about them than they have in the TV series. I think that is a good thing. Griffith, in particular, seems much more ambiguous at this point of the story than before. (I wonder if it's simply that this time, I know what his pact with the behelit entails.) There's also a couple of gags having a poke at his campy design. Casca is more believably a seasoned warrior but she does lose some of the elfin nature that made her so appealing previously.

I read here at ANN that the Studio 4°C producer wasn't altogether happy with some of the CG effects. I can see where she's coming from but I think she is being over-critical. The characters appear to be fully CG and have the problem I've notice with similarly produced films - the movements are so smooth and regular that they sometime seem unnatural. It happened in Appleseed and to some extent in The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya. The other films in the Reel Anime festival stuck with more conventional 2D character designs, though that had it's own problem, as I mentioned in my review of Wolf Children. Mind you, at other times this film is as good as anything I've ever seen - generally the fight choreography is brilliant, although, in some of the battle scenes, the NPC combatants too often gave the impresson of being iterations of the same narrow set of elements, rather than independently moving and individual designed. Having said all that, it is still fantastic to look at. It may lack the expressionism of the hand painted backgrounds of the original but the detail, like the other three films in the festival, is a marvel to behold.

The killer problem with the TV series was that the descent into supernatural chaos at the end never seemed properly integrated into the preceding story, which was essentially the personal tragedy of Guts. If the film trilogy can make that calamity a natural seeming part of Guts's story then it will be an improvement. I guess time will tell. In any case, the film is thoroughly entertaining as it is.

Rating good.

Best film of the festival: Wolf Children
Runner Up: From Up on Poppy Hill
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Visit poster's website My Anime My Manga
supercreep



Joined: 11 Dec 2011
Posts: 526
PostPosted: Tue Sep 25, 2012 9:13 am Reply with quote
errinundra, was this the English dub of Berserk? Your comments about the voice acting have me curious.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message My Anime
Errinundra
Moderator


Joined: 14 Jun 2008
Posts: 6516
Location: Melbourne, Oz
PostPosted: Tue Sep 25, 2012 4:35 pm Reply with quote
supercreep wrote:
errinundra, was this the English dub of Berserk? Your comments about the voice acting have me curious.


It was Japanese with English subtitles. Other than Charlotte, the voices were fine.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Visit poster's website My Anime My Manga
jl07045



Joined: 30 Aug 2011
Posts: 1527
Location: Riga, Latvia
PostPosted: Tue Sep 25, 2012 4:59 pm Reply with quote
errinundra wrote:
The killer problem with the TV series was that the descent into supernatural chaos at the end never seemed properly integrated into the preceding story, which was essentially the personal tragedy of Guts. If the film trilogy can make that calamity a natural seeming part of Guts's story then it will be an improvement. I guess time will tell. In any case, the film is thoroughly entertaining as it is.


I guess you haven't read the manga. It ran for 3 volumes of very dark fantasy before going into the Golden Age while the show only covered the first chapter. So the supernatural was very prominent in Guts' story from the beginning. When I watched the series I was disappointed that those volumes were left out, because what you learn in them makes the Golden Arc much more tense and tragic.

What concerns the movie, I felt that too much characterizaton was left out. Hopefully the subsequent movies will show Guts' development better than it was done in the first. If you watch the movie on its own merits, it may be a fine Medieval fantasy piece, but as a manga fan I was disappointed with it.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
kaydub



Joined: 28 Jul 2011
Posts: 318
Location: Cincinnati, OH
PostPosted: Tue Sep 25, 2012 5:40 pm Reply with quote
I put Mobile Suit Gundam on the back burner for now, as I was starting to get bored with it and have barely been watching it lately. I'll finish it eventually, just not in the mood to watch it right now.

Picked up And Yet The Town Moves since I'm always in the mood for some wholesome Shinbo/SHAFT goodness. I like it so far, it's not spectacular or anything but I'm finding it to be pretty funny and enjoyable.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website My Anime
Errinundra
Moderator


Joined: 14 Jun 2008
Posts: 6516
Location: Melbourne, Oz
PostPosted: Wed Sep 26, 2012 1:52 am Reply with quote
@jl07045,

No, I haven't read the manga. Also, I've never been one who judges an adaptation on how faithfully it reflects the source material. I think an anime should only be judged on how it succeeds as a stand alone work. To me the TV series could have solved its problems by either giving much more prominence to the supernatural side of the story all the way through (so long as it's integrated into Guts's and Griffith's individual stories) or tossing out the supernatural shenaningans at the end altogether. That doesn't mean abandoning the overwhelming tone of hopelessness. If, however, that does mean diverging from the plot of the manga then I'm happy with that, so long as I get a good, coherent anime story.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Visit poster's website My Anime My Manga
jl07045



Joined: 30 Aug 2011
Posts: 1527
Location: Riga, Latvia
PostPosted: Wed Sep 26, 2012 3:05 am Reply with quote
errinundra wrote:
@jl07045,

No, I haven't read the manga. Also, I've never been one who judges an adaptation on how faithfully it reflects the source material. I think an anime should only be judged on how it succeeds as a stand alone work. To me the TV series could have solved its problems by either giving much more prominence to the supernatural side of the story all the way through (so long as it's integrated into Guts's and Griffith's individual stories) or tossing out the supernatural shenaningans at the end altogether. That doesn't mean abandoning the overwhelming tone of hopelessness. If, however, that does mean diverging from the plot of the manga then I'm happy with that, so long as I get a good, coherent anime story.


I'm not really saying that it had to be more faithful to the manga. A work succeeds by a multitude of elements working well together. If you adapt the work by using some of those elements and exclude others without replacing them with something of similar or better (more appropriate) nature, it will probably hurt the whole. It did for you and I'm just commenting on that. As for me, since I've read and like the manga the comparisons are inevitable, because my expectations are different. But of course I want the adaptations to stand on their own as well.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Errinundra
Moderator


Joined: 14 Jun 2008
Posts: 6516
Location: Melbourne, Oz
PostPosted: Wed Sep 26, 2012 4:15 am Reply with quote
jl07045 wrote:
...If you adapt the work by using some of those elements and exclude others without replacing them with something of similar or better (more appropriate) nature, it will probably hurt the whole...


I think we are in furious agreement. Wink
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Visit poster's website My Anime My Manga
jl07045



Joined: 30 Aug 2011
Posts: 1527
Location: Riga, Latvia
PostPosted: Wed Sep 26, 2012 4:52 am Reply with quote
errinundra wrote:
jl07045 wrote:
...If you adapt the work by using some of those elements and exclude others without replacing them with something of similar or better (more appropriate) nature, it will probably hurt the whole...


I think we are in furious agreement. Wink


I hate the tonal ambiguity in net discussions. Smile
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
hpulley



Joined: 26 Sep 2012
Posts: 408
PostPosted: Wed Sep 26, 2012 5:44 am Reply with quote
Most of my summer series are over or ending this week, sniff. Faves were Tari Tari, Kokoro Connect, Sword Art Online which continues, So I Can't Play H, Nakaimo my Imouto is among them, Muv Luv Alternative Total Eclipse which continues, Campione, Natsuyuki Rendezvous...

I am still watching Space Brothers but it is too slow IMO. Saint Seiya Omega is silly but I still watch for some reason...

Looking forward to some fall titles, will see which ones I can stream legit.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
RGaspar



Joined: 04 Oct 2011
Posts: 235
PostPosted: Wed Sep 26, 2012 11:40 am Reply with quote
So, I've been watching a lot lately.

Another (12 eps): Very entertaining and final destination-ish (I just laughed my ass off at some deaths) It's not the smartest thing ever, but I really liked that they slowly introduced the plot to you, so some things made more sense once you got to know the reasons. It wasn't particularly scary (even when they tried hard to impose that kind of atmosphere) and there were many annoying cliches (spoiler[everyone jumping in the psycho train in the final two eps], for example). But still, it does a fine job and it's perfectly watchable.

Final Rating: Good (7)

--------

Tsuritama (12 Eps): What a kind show. From the bright colors to the light-hearted story, passing through the wackiness I liked it all.

I'm glad I didn't' really know the premise before starting watching it, because the idea of Fishing friends would have sounded boring. Ah, what do I know? You can't get it wrong with a duck called "Tapioca".

The only downside to it all it's that the story is not very original, and Haru ruins a lot of moments by stating the obvious. The series does a good job at creating sweet moments thaat feel natural, and then the alien guy comes in and say "Everything's better with friends!" or stuff like that. Gah.

I think this is my first time seeing a "bromance" series and I'm calling it a success.

Final Score: Very Good (8)

---

There's more!

School Days (12 Eps): Ugh. I only watched it to see the infamous ending, but I hoped the rest of the series would be up-to-par. I was wrong.

80% of SD is straight and tired harem tragicomedy, with stereotypical characters oblivious of their feelings to each others, love triangles, yada yada. But things take a turn for the ugly when the protagonist becomes a total sex maniac for no good reason and the girls follow suit. Then, there's the ending (spoiler[The prota and one of the girls die horribly)] which is actually the only different thing this show has going for it.

What's even worse is that even the animation is so-so and most characters are just ill-spirited. I didn't like this and do NOT recommend it to anyone.

Final Score: Bad (3)

------

Aaaand the last one...

Time of Eve (ONA - 6 Episodes): This. Is. Beautiful. Now I get why some guys around here are "Enjoying the time of Eve". Just when I thought Madoka was going to be the best anime I've seen all year, here comes a challenger. Why didn't it have more resonance in the fandom?? The characters are great, and although the story is on the thin side I think they treated it with care without going overboard with a "grand plot" of sorts. Although, it feels kinda incomplete too. Specially after the last episode. There're hints of bigger stuff to come.

That's why I think it's almost a masterpiece, almost. The most interesting aspect of the show (Rikuo and Sammy's relationship) it's not allowed to come full circle, due to the very few eps available. At times it feels like ToE was chapter 1, and we're left waiting for chapter 2.

So, the emotional impact of the series is very high already, but I think it could have been even higher (Hope to see a second season someday).

Final Score: Excellent (9)


Last edited by RGaspar on Thu Sep 27, 2012 12:17 pm; edited 3 times in total
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Display posts from previous:   
Reply to topic    Anime News Network Forum Index -> General -> Anime All times are GMT - 5 Hours
Goto page Previous    Next
Page 724 of 1060

 


Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group