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


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Alestal



Joined: 22 Apr 2005
Posts: 605
Location: Dallas, Texas
PostPosted: Wed Oct 10, 2012 8:59 am Reply with quote
I've been getting some use out of my brother's netflix...


RIN - Daughters of Mnemosyne (TV)
This series was interesting. I liked Rin's character and some of the plot lines were exciting. A little too much fan service, but the artwork was beautiful.

Black Butler
This series was alright... very repetitious.

Speed Grapher
Good series, interesting plotline.
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Crisha
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Joined: 21 Apr 2010
Posts: 4290
PostPosted: Wed Oct 10, 2012 10:54 pm Reply with quote
Okay, I'm going through a Chihayafuru withdrawal, so I need to do something to calm the shakes. What better thing to do than talk about the series itself?

Man. Wow. What a series. Boy, where to start?

Okay, so how about I start with Chihaya herself. She is one of my most recent favorite female leads. Energetic, unconventional, passionate, single-minded and driven to a fault. See below image for clarification. She’s pushy to the point of being aggressive, and yet she listens to others and backs off when they tell her that she’s gone too far. She accepts and realizes her mistakes rather than be arrogant. She’s naïve without it being annoying, which I think is largely due to it being played for laughs instead of being some moe quality to adore. Everyone else helps balance her more flighty moments out, especially since their reactions are more of an exasperated acceptance, which helps add humor to the situation.



I love Chihaya for her weirdness. The opening scene where she’s balancing on a chair trying to tack up flyers for a karuta club, pins in her mouth, track pants on under her skirt – it’s priceless. She's oblivious to everyone's comments on her being a "waste of beauty" because such things don't even rank on her list of priorities. She’s not afraid to say what she thinks and isn’t afraid to go against the grain to the point of being bullied (i.e. when she stands up for Arata when she’s younger). She’s got enough balls to make up for the other guys in the group. You go girl.



And did I mention that she has some of the best facial expressions in the series? She’s so expressive and wears her emotions on her sleeve, and oftentimes it’s played up for laughs. Like below, when Taichi’s mother, Mrs. Pressure (as Chihaya calls her), starts giving off negative vibes and corners Chihaya with an angry glare.

[



But the series is more than just Chihaya, obviously. I mean, I could sit here and write a love poem to her about “impassionate gods” and “red Tatsuta Rivers,” but I’d be doing a disservice to the other characters. Don’t worry Chihaya, you’re still my #1.

Okay, so let’s address the other members of the karuta club, starting off with her childhood friend, Taichi. I love Taichi, and I’m strongly a part of the Taichi x Chihaya club, but that’s neither here nor there. He’s the coward who loves to tease Chihaya and is a bit of a sadist at times, and yet he’s almost always behind her or beside her giving her his support. He even helps her when it comes to Arata even though he recognizes him as a romantic rival, and is prone to jealousy because of this. He’s Chihaya’s pillar a lot of the time (even if she doesn’t always recognize or appreciate it), though he’s a bit of a temperamental one. He’s the kind of friend who you can give a hard time and will give back just as hard, but who’s always there at your lowest points to give silent support or comfort.



But there’s more to him than just his dedication to Chihaya. He picks up karuta again in high school to help fulfill Chihaya’s dream, but over time comes to realize his own dreams for becoming a Master. In one episode, he tries convincing himself that he’s okay with losing to Chihaya all of the time and then later on admits after being able to defeat her that it was a lie to make himself feel better. He has a strong desire to achieve in karuta just like Chihaya, though his realization takes longer because he felt that there was no future having such a dream. Unlike Chihaya, he’s an overachiever and genius when it comes to most everything outside of karuta, and his mother feels that it’s pointless getting into something that he can’t be #1 in. So a lot of his development in the series focuses on his enjoyment and passion for karuta despite it not being a practical venture for him to focus so much time and attention on. His struggles are definitely one of the highlights of the series.

The other characters in the karuta club include Kanade, Nishida (Nikuman-kun), and Tsutomu (Desktomu-kun). They obviously don’t get as much development, but they still get their own personal episodes when they’re first introduced, and they’re constant companions throughout the show. Since the show revolves around karuta and competitive matches like any other sport, you get to watch their game styles and get inside their heads as well before, during, and after game time. You come to realize their dreams, strengths, and weaknesses as they grow alongside the main characters. Of the three, Kanade is the most fleshed out. We understand her gameplay, we understand her passion for the history behind the poems, and we understand her dreams to become a professional reader by the end of the series.

But more than just developing the characters individually, the show really shines when we see them interact and work together. The team match near the middle of the series was one of my favorite matches. They all bring different strengths and weaknesses that keeps the matches and their dynamics interesting. I really like seeing the friendship that develops.



And now… the Other Guy. I love Arata, don’t get me wrong. But if there’s one fault of the series it’s that he really doesn’t get much development despite being a part of the main Trio. If Taichi’s the Pillar, then he’s the Idol. He’s mainly there for Chihaya to hold some sort of idolized standard against. He’s the reason that she got into karuta, and she strongly desires to go back to the days when Taichi, Arata, and her played together. He helped her realize her dreams, and because of that she worships him. Now, of course, there’s more to him than just that. He isn’t some sort of karuta god, and finding out the reason why he ended up giving it up for a while is both touching and moving. But that’s really all of the development we see out of him. He forms a friendship with Chihaya and Taichi promising to meet them again when they’re all level A, moves away to help take care of his grandfather, gives up karuta for a while because of a traumatic occurrence, and slowly comes to realize through Chihaya’s continued passion that he wants to play again and regains his dream. A majority of the series is focused on Chihaya’s karuta club, and since he lives in another town far away we mostly only get to see snippets of him during the series. I’m looking forward to seeing more of him and hopefully getting more development.


Best friends forever!

I mentioned how the humor in this show is great? Well, if the humor is great, then the sentimental, emotional moments are amazing! It’s josei, so obviously one can expect it to be infested with emotion and drama, but it’s handled so well in this series. You’ve got the big moments (i.e. Arata’s reasons for giving up karuta, the big Team Mizusawa win) but you’ve also got many small heartwarming moments that add a special touch to the series. Seriously, I can’t have been the only one who teared up a little for the scene below.



And the musical score for this series only helps to further effectively string you along and wring those emotions out of you. Damn, what amazing background music.

So here I am going on and on about the characters and humor and drama, and I haven’t even addressed one of the biggest key players in the show: karuta! I was on the edge of my seat for every card game, caught up in the strategy, game play, and competition. Maybe it’s because it is a foreign game that I’m unfamiliar with, but all of the strategy and rules were fascinating to figure out and learn. And the series doesn’t just go and info dump you about such things. It gives you the basics, and the rest you pick up just watching the characters play against each other.

And there are so many strategies and ways to play that I wasn't expecting. For the main characters we get to see them develop their strengths and learn to recognize and improve upon their weaknesses, but even for minor side characters we get to see how different or similar their game plays are to the main characters. Chihaya has exceptional hearing abilities that she’s able to pick up on the nuances of the readers and pick up on several “one syllable” and “two syllable” cards from just the first syllable. Taichi has great memorization skills and can recall all of the poems already played and the locations of all of the ones still in the field. Kanade knows the poems inside and out like the back of her hand and is able to form a connection based upon the story behind the poem. Desktomu-kun also has great memorization skills, but he’s very studious and takes a lot of notes, so he best learns other people’s strategies. Sudo-kun likes to screw with others minds in order to mess up their mental focus so that they’re more likely to make mistakes (which is why he’s referred to as a sadist). The current Queen has exceptional speedlike reflexes. The previous Queen before her is stubborn and will debate on her touching a card first if both people touched at the same time.



It’s all horribly fascinating. Because there’s so much to playing competitive karuta than what you first imagine. Speed, accuracy, understanding your opponent’s strategy, timing, memorization, playing field preparation (where to place your cards), avoiding faults, physical fitness, mental focus, and even luck all play a part in the game and can determine a win or a loss. With each episode I've become more enamored with the game and. I’ve started doing research online for the things I don’t understand.

I could go on for several paragraphs explaining the rules and strategy of karuta, and I’m still probably only scratching the surface. It is better just experiencing and watching it first hand from the show. And, damn, what an effective sports show it is, building up the drama and tension at the right moments, pulling out all of the stops to keep you engaged in the game.

Jesus, I’m glad I got into this series after hearing the announcement about a 2nd season. I would have pulled out my hair once I came to the end of the series and didn’t know that there was anything to follow up with. I started reading the manga, and so I’m really REALLY looking forward to the anime now after having seen certain scenes. I’m expecting the manga to go at least 50 more chapters (in order to cover the last year of high school, which seems to be the key moment that Chihaya faces off against the Queen alluded to in the first chapter). Damn, I’m really hoping that the entire manga series eventually gets animated.

I cannot endorse or praise this series enough. It is seriously one of the best of 2011, and that’s saying quite a bit considering how many winners there were that year. If you haven’t checked it out yet, then do yourself a favor and try it.

Love, love, love.

Rating: Masterpiece
Score: 10/10


NOTE: I originally ranked this series as a 9/10 (Excellent), but I found I loved it so much that I had to give it a perfect score.


Last edited by Crisha on Mon Feb 18, 2013 9:42 pm; edited 3 times in total
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rosebrook11



Joined: 20 Mar 2011
Posts: 1181
PostPosted: Wed Oct 10, 2012 11:02 pm Reply with quote
Your post just gave me a million Chihayafuru feels!

I'm currently rewatching the last six episodes with my friend and I'm constantly telling her... "I was in tears during this scene!" or "This part gave me so many feels!" But it's true. (Most of them were because of Taichi...)

Your lucky that you didn't have to deal with believing that the series had ended... but at the same time, nothing made my summer better than the announcement of the second season.

I feel bad that my post is nowhere near as awesome and well-worded as yours...
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Crisha
Moderator


Joined: 21 Apr 2010
Posts: 4290
PostPosted: Wed Oct 10, 2012 11:29 pm Reply with quote
I was determined to give this series a long-ass review. That is how strongly I felt about it afterwards. Normally I'm too lazy to type up such reviews, but I felt that Chihayafuru deserved it. This series needs more promotion.

And, yeah, I am really lucky to have watched this after learning the news. It's killing me having to wait just a few months. Not even knowing if this would get another season would have left me in tears.



F*** I want this series licensed. REALLY BAD. NISA would be perfect for this series. I would bend over backwards for them to release the show. A gorgeous big box, an awesome book (that perhaps goes into detail about karuta and the poems), some on disc extras... I would drool all over the release.
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OldCharlieStoletheHandle



Joined: 12 Dec 2009
Posts: 1288
Location: Mastic Beach, NY
PostPosted: Thu Oct 11, 2012 1:10 am Reply with quote
Continuing my attempt to slay my huge backlog I decided to watch a couple of shows on DVD that I had watched originally via fansubs to see if they were less confusing the second time around. Both have been sitting in my collection for over 3 years so I figured it's about time to watch them. It also seemed a good way to insure I would enjoy myself.

First up was sola. As I recall, some of the people behind Kanon and Da Capo got together to make this so it's not surprising the result feels like a visual-novel-based harem show with supernatural elements (there was also a manga and I think there was a game developed from this as well).

The plot concerns a high school boy, Yorito, who is obsessed with taking pictures of the sky. He ostensibly lives with his older sister Aono, but she's been in the hospital since they first moved into the town so he basically lives alone. Not to worry though, because, surprisingly (hah!) he has a bossy female classmate named Mana who takes it upon herself to make sure he gets to school and occasionally cooks for him. Mana's little sister Koyori is in the same hospital with Aono and is friends with her, leading to Yorito and Mana meeting up, as they pay daily visits to their respective siblings. Early one morning, while Yorito is preparing to take pictures of a sunrise he encounters a beautiful girl trying to get a drink out of a vending machine. She disappears after he helps her, but he sees her again at an old church where he witnesses the girl, Matsuri, being attacked by a man with a sword. Despite being warned by the man not to get involved he rescues Matsuri and allows her to hide at his house, where she reveals to him that she is not human; she is a Youkai, an immortal "creature of the night" who cannot go out in the sunlight.

I recall when I originally started watching this show I almost gave up because the first episode was totally boring...until the last 5 minutes when all hell breaks loose at the church. I stuck with it but I think I watched it in fits and starts which is probably why I was a bit confused. The show tells its story in a somewhat non-linear fashion, with flashbacks that are not always clearly identified as flashbacks. Watching the show over the course of a couple of days, it was not confusing to me this time at all.

As the show goes along, we discover that Yorito, Matsuri and Aono share a past that goes back to tragic events that happened centuries before. spoiler[Yorito and Aono lived in a village of superstitious farmers; when there was a succession of bad harvests they decided a sacrifice must be made. Aono was chosen and sent to the cave of the "monster", but instead of finding a monster she finds Matsuri, who appears to be a lonely girl her own age. They become friends and are joined by Yorito, who promises to one day show Matsuri the sky. This idyllic existence is shattered by some sort of natural disaster (an earthquake, I think) that destroys the village and kills Yorito. Aono believes that the disaster is her fault because she did not die as she was supposed to. She confronts Matsuri and kills herself. In despair that she has again been left alone Matsuri resurrects Aono, making her a Youkai. Aono isnot happy with this, and leaves anyway; she then spends years honing her Youkai powers to create a life-sized paper doll of Yorito into which she places his spirit.]

There is also the subplot involving the man with the sword, Takeshi, who travels with a young girl called Mayuko who looks like she wandered off the set of Rozen Maiden (she sleeps in a box and verbally abuses Takeshi when she's not shoveling groceries down her neck-somebody call Jun and tell him one of his dolls is missing). It turns out spoiler[Mayuko is also a Youkai; Takeshi is her childhood friend who is now middle-aged while she is still a child. Takeshi has promised to make Mayuko human again; the sword he carries has a special power that, if he kills a Youkai with it he can then use it to make Mayuko human.]

Although I had originally found this show a bit confusing I still enjoyed it enough to purchase it. I think I actually enjoyed it more this time since I understood everything this time. The show has some flaws; there's what seems to be a huge plot hole which is that spoiler[Aono could spend months in a hospital without any of the medical personnel noticing she isn't human.] In addition, the show relies on a lot of coincidence. Matsuri just happens to show up in the same town that Yorito and Aono are living in; Takeshi happens to show up looking for spoiler[a Youkai to kill, carrying a sword which Matsuri can then use to "make things right".] All in all though, I like this show a lot.

Unfortunately, watching the DVDs on a big TV brought out that the show's visuals leave something to be desired. Characters seem to go off model at times and overall the artwork seems sloppy. Bandai's presentation seems a bit slapdash as well. The DVD menus are hard to read white-on-yellow with a fuzzy picture of one of the main female characters as a background. I guess it's better than not having it at all.

In the end, I saw no reason to change my original rating of "very good". If you like this type of show, with Bandai no longer doing physical media I would not hesitate to get this as I would not count on a re-release (though I recall there was some confusion when Sentai Filmworks announced they were going to release sola when Bandai still had the license).
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Surrender Artist



Joined: 01 May 2011
Posts: 3264
Location: Pennsylvania, USA
PostPosted: Thu Oct 11, 2012 9:33 pm Reply with quote
Last night I noticed that this thread had new posts, so I clicked on the little white box and arrows to see what they were. This took me to the bottom of the page, which as rosebrook11’s post at the time, so I started scrolling up. I noticed immediately that it was about Chihayafuru and I started seeing a lot of images, so I kept scrolling up expecting to see that errinundra had written the post, but then from out of nowhere, Gandhi willag!

It's a welcome relief too with the Talkback forum starting to make me want to cheat at Russian Roulette.

It’s always good to see more people give their opinions at length, especially when, as is the case here, it’s a series that I happen to be pretty interested in. Bamboo did yeowoman’s work of promoting in in The Stream and I already knew that you endorsed it, but doing so at length definitely raised its priority for me

I keep thinking that I should try to get back into the game, but then people just keep raising the goddamned bar. Jerks.

Incidentally, this thing thinks that you wrote your review in the style of Chuck Palahniuk. The Fight Club Guy. Go figure.

willag wrote:
Okay, so how about I start with Chihaya herself. She is one of my most recent favorite female leads. I want to see more like her. Energetic, unconventional, passionate, single-minded and driven to a fault. See below image for clarification. She’s pushy to the point of being aggressive, and yet she listens to others and backs off when they tell her that she’s gone too far (I really appreciate her being able to accept and realize her mistakes rather than just being arrogant about it). She’s naïve without it being horrendously annoying, which I’m trying to figure out why myself. Maybe because it’s played for laughs (and speaking of playing for laughs, the image below sent me into guffaws that I had to rewind and watch the scene again). Maybe it’s because she isn’t cutesy about it.

I love Chihaya for her weirdness. The opening scene where she’s balancing on a chair trying to tack up flyers for a karuta club, pins in her mouth, track pants on under her skirt – it’s priceless. And everyone’s comments on her being a waste of beauty? I love her lack of reaction – f*** yeah, don’t give a shit, ‘cause we got more important priorities. I love how she’s not afraid to say what she thinks and isn’t afraid to go against the grain to the point of being bullied (i.e. when she stands up for Arata when she’s younger). She’s got enough balls to make up for the other guys in the group. You go girl. I wish I could be even half as straightforward and bold as you are.


That’s a very convincing sales pitch for the protagonist. I’ll take eight!

That’s a whole lot of appealing to me. I find your description of her naïveté especially reassuring. It’s a difficult trait to use well because it can be abused as a boorish writer’s way to lazily contrive drama and something that unconvincingly tries to pass for character development or it can come off as exploitative by giving the character exaggerated, artificial vulnerability. If it’s played for laughs, it would likelier fail as comedy, which I doubt that it does, not as characterization, whereas playing it ‘cutesy’ would lean toward the exploitation problem.

I love that picture of Chihaya in the pants-and-skirt ensemble. Besides sounding awesomely admirable in general, I like the idea of a female character who is defined by strong positive traits that emphasize her distinct identity, motivations and desires. It might seem obvious, or almost banal to say so, but we sometimes see characters whose natures are overwhelmed by a single trait that’s too broad or simple to feel complete, so the character either gets stuck in a rut or feels diluted when other traits are added because the character was so strongly defined by that one major trait as to be ill suited to supporting others.

There’s also a tendency, especially with female characters, to frame the character in a way that emphasizes the character’s needs, that is what others do for the character and how the world interacts with the character rather than how the character interacts with the world to accomplish goals or attain fulfillment. If story takes care to really completely and on the character’s own terms, it allows more leeway for incorporating weaknesses and flaws, because they can be integrated convincingly as parts of a character’s identity, becoming a narratively satisfying part of how the character strives toward goals rather than undermining the character. More complete characterization also allows sincerity since convincing sincerity depends not on absoluteness, but a convincing set of emotions and traits that create a possibility for doubt or dishonesty that, when overcome, provide the additional significance necessary to sincerity.

Errrr… yeah. Feel free to call me crazy Nevertheless, Chihaya sounds like a compelling, endearing, deftly realized character.

willag wrote:
I could sit here and write a love poem to her about “impassionate gods” and “red Tatsuta Rivers,”... Don’t worry Chihaya, you’re still my #1.


You totally should. I’ll write verse epic about arguments over sexism and femininity, Blood- can do a bunch of Yeats rewritten to be dirty jokes (“The Second Cumming”, “Eat Her 1916” et cetera) and we can compile the collected haiku of KLAC into an ANN For a poetry anthology.

willag wrote:
But more than just developing the characters individually, the show really shines when we see them interact and work together. The team match near the middle of the series was one of my favorite matches. They all bring different strengths and weaknesses that keeps the matches and their dynamics interesting. I really like seeing the friendship that develops.


There’s something really compelling and absorbing about good ensemble work, isn’t there? Perhaps it’s just because we naturally respond well to seeing what we want or enjoy in life, but so much of what can really deeply endear you to something is wrapped in ‘because they’re friends’ and the path to attaining that. Besides, it gives you a chance to find a dark horse to root for. (Kanade? It's infinitely too early for me to say, of course, but maybe...)

willag wrote:
Seriously, I can’t have been the only one who teared up a little for the scene below.


I bet I will. Sopping wet fish and all of that.

willag wrote:
…I was on the edge of my seat for nearly ever card game, caught up in the tactics, strategy, game play, camera angles, dramatic action, competition. Maybe it’s because it is a foreign game that I’m unfamiliar with, but all of the strategy and rules were fascinating to figure out and learn. And the series doesn’t just go and info dump you about such things. It gives you the basics, and the rest you pick up just watching the characters play and strategize against each other.

It’s all horribly fascinating. Because there’s so much to playing competitive karuta than what you first imagine. Speed, accuracy, understanding your opponent’s strategy, timing, memorization, playing field preparation (where to place your cards), avoiding faults, physical fitness, mental focus, and even luck of the draw all play a part in the game and can determine a win or a loss. Every episode that I learned more about the game I just became more enamored with it…

I could go on for several paragraphs explaining the rules and strategy of karuta, and I’m still probably only scratching the surface. It is better just experiencing and watching it first hand from the show…


The card game element strikes me as the most potentially dangerous part of the show. Having a game or any kind of reasonably complex, systematized thing in a story introduces the risk of drowning in its mechanics; becoming a narrative schematic, which is boring and confusing. Mercy knows that part of the reason that I instinctively don’t like the idea of shows where a card game is central is the prospect of the dialogue being glutted with droning about rules and number. I’ve played plenty of Magic the Gathering in my day, but I don’t want that The Movie! Things that aren’t about games can fall into that trap too. I love Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, but it regularly teetered on the precipice of this cliff.

I imagine that Chihayafuru might not be so susceptible to that because it’s not a highly mechanistic ‘number’ game, so I’d expect explaining to require less grinding of the gears to understand and, as the rest of your review suggests, the characters aren’t so easily overwhelmed. Building the audience’s knowledge gradually so there’s never a huge mound of exposition, allowing the audience to become invested in the gameplay, can correct the problem too. If you can get the audience to become interested in and understand the game, then they can become almost actively engaged with what they’re watching.

My bloviating notwithstanding, it sounds like the show succeeded in making its raison d'être exciting and interesting rather than a confusing bore. I imagine that once I watch it, I’ll agree with you about karuta. Part of what has me interested in Chihayafuru is finding out just what heck it is and how it works.
willag wrote:
I cannot endorse or praise this series enough. It is seriously one of the best of 2011, and that’s saying quite a bit considering how many winners there were that year. If you haven’t checked it out yet, then do yourself a favor and try it.

Will do and you’ll get me to without having to resort to the dark arts, not that that will necessarily stop you.

willag wrote:
Love, love, love.


Some things you'll do for money
And some you'll do for fun
But the things you do for love
Are going to come back to you one by one


willag wrote:
I was determined to give this series a long-ass review. That is how strongly I felt about it afterwards. Normally I'm too lazy to type up such reviews, but I felt that Chihayafuru deserved it. This series needs more promotion.


This, I think, is the true purpose of reviews. To find things we love and cry that out from the minarets. It's what made me put my finger down my speech center's throat many times. Any bad stuff is just a byproduct.

Besides, ANN could always use some more joyful enthusiasm.

willag wrote:
F*** I want this series licensed. REALLY BAD. NISA would be perfect for this series. I would bend over backwards for them to release the show. A gorgeous big box, an awesome book (that perhaps goes into detail about karuta and the poems), some on disc extras... I would drool all over the release.


That does sound good and a book like that would be awesome. That’s the kind of information-rich extra that actually perks my ears up. So, naturally, if we get it at all, it will be from Sentai as a few discs in a case with a fully Fosterized English dub.

Perhaps some day I'll be able to speak from a knowing perspective , but for now, brava, madame.


Last edited by Surrender Artist on Fri Oct 12, 2012 5:17 pm; edited 1 time in total
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bonbonsrus



Joined: 15 Oct 2003
Posts: 1537
Location: Michigan, USA
PostPosted: Thu Oct 11, 2012 11:53 pm Reply with quote
willag wrote:
I’m glad I got into this series after hearing the announcement about a 2nd season.

Thanks to just hearing about this series from someone else the other day and deciding I needed to check it out and then seeing this here, I started it today and am at around episode 11 or 12 (yeah, I SOOO should have been doing other things!) and find this show strongly addictive. It reminds me a bit of Hikaru No Go with a slight hint at some romance in there.
I really like this show and can't wait to see the rest!
And, I too teared up a bit at that scene you specified!
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Masakaki



Joined: 23 Mar 2012
Posts: 166
PostPosted: Fri Oct 12, 2012 8:40 am Reply with quote
[edit]

Last edited by Masakaki on Mon Nov 12, 2012 6:46 am; edited 1 time in total
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Mylene



Joined: 07 Feb 2006
Posts: 2792
Location: Indiana
PostPosted: Fri Oct 12, 2012 10:19 am Reply with quote
bonbonsrus wrote:
willag wrote:
I’m glad I got into this series after hearing the announcement about a 2nd season.

Thanks to just hearing about this series from someone else the other day and deciding I needed to check it out and then seeing this here, I started it today and am at around episode 11 or 12 (yeah, I SOOO should have been doing other things!) and find this show strongly addictive. It reminds me a bit of Hikaru No Go with a slight hint at some romance in there.
I really like this show and can't wait to see the rest!
And, I too teared up a bit at that scene you specified!


Huzzah, another Chihayfuru convert! Anime smile

I'm currently running through a lot of new series for the season as well as finally checking out some from last season, and slowly continuing some ongoing stuff. Things are really starting to blend together in my head.

Tari Tari - After ending up as number 1 on The Stream by the end of last season, I decided to check it out. I'm only an episode in and don't really have much of an opinion yet, but I love that the lead character has the same seiyuu as Chihaya from Chihayafuru, especially given their similar determination in starting a club.

My Little Monster - This one has been a bit of a surprise. The title sounded a bit odd, so I was expecting something a bit more otaku-bait or ero game-based. Instead, I get a fast-paced shoujo rom-com. Thus far it's my "fun" choice of the season, but I'm still holding out hope that Jojo's, Say, "I Love You" and Robotics;Notes might get picked up for streaming.

From the New World - I love some of the different artistic styles they use when the students read aloud in class. The art for the ogre story in the first episode was my favorite. I'm looking forward to seeing where this one goes. Right now since it's building the idyllic concept it's reminding me very slightly of Higurashi, but with more even-keel character designs. It's more of atmospheric-thing than really any relation between the two though.

Blast of Tempest - I can't decide quite how I feel about this one, but it's just interesting enough that I keep watching. Some of the action sequences are really neat, although I'm not fond of any of the characters. Also, the main guy looks like a girl with that haircut which bugged me at first, but it's starting to become kind of endearing for some eason.

Psycho-Pass - I might regret checking this one out. Between the ugly Funimation stream and the violence, not sure it's going to be my thing. I'm hoping they'll move toward a more psychological-thriller mode as it goes forward with less violence and more suspense.

Btooom! - Speaking of violence, this one has me unsure I even want to follow it because the characters are so dumb. However, there are hints of intrigue in it that make me at least want to see if they develop that anymore, or if it will continue to be the characters explaining how the world works.

Kokoro Connect - Another one I decided to pick up because of The Stream. I'm really enjoying the interplay between the characters, and while there have been a few obvious jokes, I don't feel like they're that forced. I mean, realistically, who wouldn't be at least a bit curious?

Space Brothers - I'm really behind on this one. I started it when it started but unlike for most folks, I'm not fond of Mutta or his brother. But I like the overall story, so I'm trying to work my way back through it and get caught up again.

K - I have no idea what's going on after episode 1, but it was pretty even while being mutilated by the Hulu stream (couldn't get Viz to actually play it). I'm entirely too spoiled by Crunchyroll.

Polar Bear Cafe - I moved away from watching this after the first few episodes because I really don't like Panda. However, I've found that if I watch one half of an episode while eating breakfast in the morning, it's actually a pleasant way to start the day, and splitting the episodes prevent overload from the silliness. I'm also planning on doing this with Utakoi and Sket Dance once I get caught up on PBC.

Fate/Zero - My husband is finally back in an anime mood, so we finally finished the first season Wednesday night and started the 2nd season last night. I really feel like this series is vastly superior than Fate/stay night in part because I utterly and completely adore Iskandr. His interplay with Waver is just utterly amazing. He's full of vigor and is just fun. While I may have 3 figures of Saber (and another on the way), what I really want is a Rider figure...but only in his t-shirt and jeans look. Or if he's in King-mode, then it has to involve the chariot.

Once we finish up Fate/Zero, we'll probably move on to completing Humanity Has Declined and then returning to Sword Art Online. He prefers crashing through one series at a time, something that was discovered much too late--if I'd realized that I would have watched these series solo and then watched them again with him later. ^_- And this is why I'm not watching any of this season's shows with him.
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Crisha
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Joined: 21 Apr 2010
Posts: 4290
PostPosted: Fri Oct 12, 2012 10:21 am Reply with quote
@Masakaki - Of the ones you have listed, I have seen Noein, Mushishi, Bokurano, and Dennou Coil. And I think I gave them all a 9/10, so I'd definitely recommend them all.

Noein starts off fast with a bunch of action, scifi, and alternate universes. Then it slows down a bit and is a bit more slice of life about the middle school kids in the show (it focuses more on their friendship and personal issues), but the science fiction aspect is always present. And then by the end the action is ramped up again. I was on the edge of my seat during the beginning and ending, but I also appreciated the middle in order to get to know the main characters. The universe we become most aware of is the control used to compare against all of the other universes, and I enjoyed being able to compare the differences and how relationships and people changed over time.

Mushishi is a calm series series that moves at a mostly sedate place. But don't let that fool you, because it's not boring. There are a lot of undertones of emotion that run throughout the series, and the moods can vary from horrifying to sympathetic to sad to peaceful. It's a series that lingers like a haunting presence in your mind. I think I remember one person mentioning that it was very cathartic - that it helped him come to terms with some experiences that happened while he was fighting in the military. I'd recommend this series when you're in a certain mood to appreciate it. It seems to be a hit or miss with some people. I watched this series for the most part intermittently, an episode here or there when I was in the mood for it, and they really stuck with me when I did that. Occasionally I got through several when I was really voracious for the series. So if it's not working out for you when you watch it, then maybe take a step back and wait for the mood to come along rather than trying to trudge through the episodes. The episodes are mostly standalone with the only reoccuring character being Ginko so there's no need to immediately move to the next.

Bokurano is a tragedy. If you're looking for a dark scifi series which focuses on character introspection (how each character handles the tragedy they're thrown into) with a few twists and turns thrown in, then this is the series you want to go with. I loved it personally. Some endings were horrific while others were hopeful even amongst the tragic situations. This one is also a multi-verse similar to Noein, but I think the scale of horror is even higher in this series because of the way it is presented. I know I was thrown for a loop a few times for some of the twists.

And Dennou Coil is just a very charming scifi series. It's more realistic than the other three with its science fiction in a way where I could actually see some of the virtual reality technology happen in the future. The first half is more slice of life where we're introduced to the characters and the worlds they live in (virtual and real). We are also taught the rules and boundaries of the virtual world. There are two standalone, comedic episodes halfway (the facial hair one is hilarious), and then the plot kicks in double time afterwards and the drama quickly picks up. The first half of the series hints at the plot here and there enough for you to wonder about the mysteries that seem to be defying the laws set know that something really good is coming, and the second half really delivers on the thriller aspect and resolving the mysteries.

So, yes, I'd definitely recommend all four. If I had to recommend one first, I would probably say Dennou Coil, just because it deserves more love and I think is most least known of the four (or at least it's the only one with no R1 distribution... Noein anime was licensed for R1, Funi released the Mushishi anime and Viz released the Mushishi manga, and Viz is currently releasing the Bokurano manga).
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Masakaki



Joined: 23 Mar 2012
Posts: 166
PostPosted: Fri Oct 12, 2012 10:32 am Reply with quote
[edit]

Last edited by Masakaki on Mon Nov 12, 2012 6:46 am; edited 1 time in total
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anime racket



Joined: 26 Apr 2011
Posts: 314
PostPosted: Fri Oct 12, 2012 2:45 pm Reply with quote
Recently finished watching Haibane Renmei. I thought it was very
well made but I don't see how it's so legendary as it seems kind of
like a typical slice-of-life to me. What makes it so much more special?
Still, I really enjoyed it and am glad that I watched it. Now to get
on with FMA: Brotherhood! Very Happy
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nobahn
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Joined: 14 Dec 2006
Posts: 5120
PostPosted: Fri Oct 12, 2012 2:52 pm Reply with quote
anime racket--
If you have already watched Fullmetal Alchemist, then you can skip -- if I recall correctly -- the first 12 episodes.
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anime racket



Joined: 26 Apr 2011
Posts: 314
PostPosted: Fri Oct 12, 2012 3:14 pm Reply with quote
Thanks, but I've already watched them. I've just finished Part 2
disc 1 and everything seems to be new now and I must say it's
very entertaining indeed. I should get disc 2 from netflix
tomorrow. Looking forward to it very much.
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ssandulak



Joined: 10 Feb 2007
Posts: 128
Location: BC Canada
PostPosted: Fri Oct 12, 2012 11:15 pm Reply with quote
Chihayafuru...man that was a good show and such a surprise! Who would have expected something so awesome upon first reading the description? I can't wait for the 2nd season and I was floored when they announced it since I wasn't expecting a 2nd season to ever get made (despite it being so good).

Also...Taichi for the win!
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