Forum - View topicREVIEW: Jinki:Extend 1
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rankothefiremage
 Posts: 516 Location: Michigan |
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Given the way they draw Aoba i'm suprised to hear that she's only 13, this suprises a fan like myself who watched the fan sub, bought the manga (wish adv would release 4+) and got the 1st dvd as soon as he could find it on the shelf.
Given my 1985 birth year Aoba would be 10 years older than me anyway.................... |
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Jadress
 Posts: 807 Location: Seattle. It purdy and nerdy! |
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I graduated from the Gendo Ikari School of Charms. With honors.
Nice level reveiw, though. The title sounds somewhat promising, and it is interesting to throw a girl in that central mecha role for once. |
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Zalis116
Moderator
 Posts: 6867 Location: Kazune City |
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Okay, somebody had to say it... "Jinkies, Freddie, I think I know the real identity of that mysterious ghost mecha pilot who's using the superstitions about the old abandoned mine to scare everybody away!"
Interesting, it seems that ADV is moving to text interviews in extras, either on DVD inserts or the DVD itself, as on Jinki: Extend, This Ugly yet Beautiful World, and Comic Party Revolution. I have to say, I approve, as it allows them to save DVD space and give us a little more value for our dollar--a cost-cutting maneuver that doesn't cheapen the product 
I'd never heard of this series before I read that ADV had licensed it, and I thought it to be "yet another mecha series," but it seems like it's got something going for it with the multiple timelines and female lead. Perhaps I'll borrow the disc from an infrequent poster on these forums. Sounds like the dub is worthwhile, as well; it seems the more dubs I watch, the less of a purist I become, though as you know, I'm still picky about some things  What's the deal with the dub failing it in the Next Episode segments? Are they one of those completely-different-from-the-tone-of-the-series types of previews, á la Diamond Daydreams?
I'm not too sad that it doesn't get into "old-school mecha spirited enthusiasm"... Idk, ever since I watched Martian Successor: Nadesico, the old-school mecha/super-robot genre has been kind of ruined for me. I was never much of a mecha fanatic to begin with, but it seems that recent mecha series like this one and Fafner have enough going for them to escape the shadow of Evangelion. Aaarrgh, so tempting, this Jinki: Extend, especially on only 3 discs, but there's so much else coming out this fall  
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Key
Moderator
 Posts: 18178 Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley) |
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First, understand that I thought DD's Next Episode previews were a major improvement in English, since a) they actually had something to do with the next episode, and b) they weren't just inane drivel. But back on subject, the Next Episode previews for J:E are very short and don't show anything. In Japanese it's usually just a female seiyuu saying straight-up "the next episode is titled xxxxxxx. Please look forward to it!" or something like that. In English they pull out longtime veteran Kira Vincent-Davis to do possibly her worst voice acting performance ever in trying to voice a sultry "You know you want it! <giggle>" in place of the "Please look forward to it!" Ugh! Interestingly, I also just noticed that Monica Rial did the script for this one, and she has a very atypical (for her) voicing job in tackling the role of Shizuka. Actually didn't recognize her at first. Last edited by Key on Mon Oct 02, 2006 3:03 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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biliano
Posts: 956 Location: Cleveland, OH |
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Yeah, I agree. I don't see the point of having Kira do something like that. Anyway, I first saw Jinki:Extend at ColossalCon back in June (this was a week after ADV announced that they acqired the license at Anime Boston). They only showed the first three episodes of J:E, but from what I saw I though it looked like a fairly decent series. However I was skeptical because when I asked about it over at the AoD forum, most of the people that respended to my thread said that the series was a jumbled mess. It could be because the creators are cramming 11 volumes of manga and three different timelines into a 13-episode series, and I see how that could be confusing for some people. The fact that they are switching Aoba's timeline and Akoa's timeline on the fly might cause some confusion, but once I got into the flow of the series, it was pretty enjoyable to watch, at least up to this point. Another factor in determining whether I was going to buy or rent J:E Vol. #1 was who was ADV going to cast as Aoba. Originally I was hoping that they would cast Jessica Boone as the lead role (and yes, I'm showing some bias because she's my favorite VA) because I thought she fits the character's nature. Instead they gave her the role of Akoa, in which she's doing a great job and personally is a character that fits her voice style, probably more so than Aoba. Brittney Karbowski was actually the third actress I would like to land the role (my second choice was Serena Varghese). I mainly know Brittney from her masterful performance as Fuko in Gilgamesh and other small roles that she had. She also played Mone in Yumeria, but I though that role was a wash because she only said one word thoroughout the entire 12-episode series (but she did vary the pitch of the moniker very well in my view). So upon watching J:E in English and knowing how well Fumiko Orikasa played the role in the three episodes that I saw back in the con, I admit that I didn't have high expectations for Brittney's performance. Boy was I wrong! She far exceeded my expectations and completely nailed the role. As for the character Aoba herself, althought I was enamored of her from the beginning, Episode 4 was the one that completely turned me into a Aoba fan. Her determiniation and courage during her rugged training sessions and her desire to become a Jinki pilot despite her age and physical limitations were very inspirational and believable. Sora Naegino would be proud of her; in fact, I see a little bit of Sora in young Aoba. Overall great work on the review, Theron. I completely enjoyed Vol. #1 and looking forward to Vol. #2 come November. |
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Joe Mello
 Posts: 2254 Location: Online Terminal |
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Anachronisms asidde, Shizuka probably graduated Saluditorian, 2nd to only Yuuichi Kiraski from Yakitate Japan, because, well....it's a good reason, though
This may be something you need to watch all at once, because watching 2-a-week still confused the heck out of me. |
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Richard J.
 Posts: 3367 Location: Sic Semper Tyrannis. |
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 That was brilliant! You deserve a Scooby Snack! Rice ball flavored, of course.
Once again, a great review by Key. Gets at the pros and cons well and aside from the minor comments on the "lolicon" angle, it's very balanced. You really do a great job of giving the content of the series a neutral overview while hammering the techical issues. There are a lot of big time critics and reviewers that could learn a lesson from you.
As much as I like Kira Vincent-Davis, I have to sadly nod my head at this comment. That just did not work. I'm putting this title on my "if my wallet gets too heavy" list. It sounds far too condensed and, having seen the first episode on one of those wonderful Newtype preview discs, I think it's a little too clumsy in the execution for my tastes. (Very personal opinion here, maybe it gets better later in the series but it just feels very disjointed in a number of places, especially with the sudden shift near the end of the episode.) The english VAs sounded great and the lead character's design is actually very appealing to me, but this review just confirms my initial opinions of the series. Speaking of ADV and Newtype, anyone know what series will have preview episodes on the October disc? |
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HitokiriShadow
 Posts: 6251 |
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The October issue of Newtype contains previews for Comic Party Revolution, Moon Phase, and Tenchi Muyo! Ryo Ohki. It also contains a centerfold with Akao from Jinki: Extend. While I would have preferred Aoba, Akao is good too.
I'm still iffy on whether or not to get this series. I've already seen the whole TV series (but not the OVA, which I never knew about until this review) and it was disappointing. I think I'll get it at some point when there is a good sale or special, but I'm not in any hurry. Key: Will you be reviewing all three volumes? |
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Richard J.
Posts: 3367 Location: Sic Semper Tyrannis. |
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Thank you for the info! I can not wait to get a taste of Moon Phase. It's been on my brain ever since it was licensed due to it being everything I like all in a perfect package. Vampires and cute girls plus cat ears and, I've been told, great story to boot? I'm there! I'd like to thank Key again for the excellent job on reviews. |
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Key
Moderator
Posts: 18178 Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley) |
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If you haven't seen it already, I wouldn't get your hopes up too much. I saw the first two (dubbed) episodes a couple of months ago and was not impressed. I found it to be quite stupid and blatantly loli. Hopefully it'll pick up after the first two episodes, but I'm not holding my breath. As for reviewing all three volumes? We'll see how things work out. I'll probably review at least one more unless the other reviewers also get involved. (We have a couple of new ones, if you haven't already noticed.) Last edited by Key on Mon Oct 02, 2006 5:47 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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HitokiriShadow
Posts: 6251 |
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Apparently someone new reviewed Air Gear, but I hadn't noticed until someone mentioned it in the forums. To be honest, I usually don't pay attention to the name of the reviewer (I usually assume its you or Zac) unless someone brings it up in the thread. |
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Key
Moderator
Posts: 18178 Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley) |
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Carl, the guy who did Air Gear and Negadon, is one of our new regulars. (Yes, that means we now have a Carl and a Carlo for reviewers, but after reading his first couple of reviews I can see why Zac picked him.) The other new one, whose name is Melissa, I don't believe has had a review come up yet but you should see something from her soon. |
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biliano
Posts: 956 Location: Cleveland, OH |
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You can read Carl's and Melissa's bios in the Staff section. That's how I found out who the two new reviewers are. |
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Zac
ANN Executive Editor
 Posts: 7912 Location: Anime News Network Technodrome |
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There'll be an "official announcement" when we also announce our "a new review every day of the week" program. |
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TheBigN
 Posts: 62 Location: Somewhere in DC |
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Maybe I'm desensitized or something like that, but I didn't really see loli pandering in Jinki:Extend at all (and I've seen the whole series), and since the female characters for the most part look more developed than what I would consider something to be "loli", the statements made about it in the review confused me. But that's for another time, if ever...
I liked J:E, but there were a lot of moments that seemed to scream to me "If you want to know what is going on, read the manga", which I think detracted from my enjoyment and made the show much more confusing than it should have been, especially near the end. But I think it's a solid series, and I'm giving thought on whether or not to purchase the DVDs. |
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