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The Fall 2014 Anime Preview Guide- CROSS ANGE


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Cyclone1993



Joined: 05 Jul 2011
Posts: 947
PostPosted: Sun Oct 05, 2014 11:56 am Reply with quote
I have not seen the episode yet, but I've known for awhile about "that" scene at the end. Of course it isn't actually anal rape, its them attaching a cord to her spine, but from what I understand there is no context for it.

Traumatic experiences as a back story are not inherently bad, the issue arises when it is used as fanservice which some sources seem to suggest the scene is. But if its portrayed as rape perhaps we are supposed to pick up on that and identify it as the same trauma that Ange is currently experiencing.

I've seen some very mixed reactions on it. Some are appalled, and others seem to want more, and I kind of don't know how I feel about humanity at that particular moment.

Of course from what I've heard there are a lot of other squicky things about the episode. But how it pulls together all of these plot lines and disturbing events is going to be where the show either proves its mettle or completely destroys it.

I currently plan on watching it through to the end, but I'm not entirely sure where my expectations are.
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DmonHiro





PostPosted: Sun Oct 05, 2014 12:36 pm Reply with quote
1st: Let's get this out of the way: it wasn't really rape, but it might as well have been. Also, The blood on the dress may have been from the mother.
2nd: Even if it wasn't rape, she was still abused.
3rd: I'm not entirely sure how I feel about it. On the one hand, it was horrible, but on the other.... well... she was absolutely horrible herself. I'm not saying she deserved it, but I'm not really that sympathetic considering how many have suffered the same thing, and she was perfectly OK with it as long as it wasn't her.
4th: The preview was hilarious.
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Vaisaga



Joined: 07 Oct 2011
Posts: 13224
PostPosted: Sun Oct 05, 2014 12:37 pm Reply with quote
Cyclone1993 wrote:
I have not seen the episode yet, but I've known for awhile about "that" scene at the end. Of course it isn't actually anal rape, its them attaching a cord to her spine, but from what I understand there is no context for it.


It's described as a "physical." There is context for it: Ange wasn't quite understanding of her situation, and she was taught the hard way that she is now less than human.

The show portrays it as a horrible thing that's happening to her, and if you recognise that there's no point in worrying about someone being potentially turned on by it.
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Megiddo



Joined: 24 Aug 2005
Posts: 8360
Location: IL
PostPosted: Sun Oct 05, 2014 12:54 pm Reply with quote
A physical is typically not preceded by a strong kick to the gut followed by being forcefully bent over and rectally assaulted.

This show was just plain awful. From its SEED copy-cat opening theme animation to the pointless lacrosse match to the baby-trapped-in-pyramid to the very end.

I wanted mecha vs dragons and well, even in that part I'm pretty sure I saw more views of Angelese's tits and ass than the dragon fighting. 100% pass for me.
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Vaisaga



Joined: 07 Oct 2011
Posts: 13224
PostPosted: Sun Oct 05, 2014 1:10 pm Reply with quote
Megiddo wrote:
A physical is typically not preceded by a strong kick to the gut followed by being forcefully bent over and rectally assaulted.


Obviously, hense my use of quotations.

Again, the purpose was to break her which is the first thing you do when you want to mold a new recruit into a usable underling.
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BlackHowling



Joined: 24 Dec 2006
Posts: 4
Location: USA
PostPosted: Sun Oct 05, 2014 1:28 pm Reply with quote
ANN reviewers, thank you for doing a public service. I was planning to watch this show today and doing so would have ruined my weekend.
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prime_pm



Joined: 06 Feb 2004
Posts: 2333
Location: Your Mother's Bedroom
PostPosted: Sun Oct 05, 2014 2:00 pm Reply with quote
Shocked

1. Jesus
2. [expletive]
3. CHRIST!

I can't believe I was ever hyped to see this shit! What the fudge happened? Goddamn it.

And this is a two-cour anime. Even Random Curiosity isn't giving this weekly coverage. Dropped before I even touched it.
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prime_pm



Joined: 06 Feb 2004
Posts: 2333
Location: Your Mother's Bedroom
PostPosted: Sun Oct 05, 2014 2:05 pm Reply with quote
Vaisaga wrote:
Megiddo wrote:
A physical is typically not preceded by a strong kick to the gut followed by being forcefully bent over and rectally assaulted.


Obviously, hense my use of quotations.

Again, the purpose was to break her which is the first thing you do when you want to mold a new recruit into a usable underling.


The least they could do was have an opening episode en media res. First show her a full-fledged whatever, then flashback to her grueling trial periods.

You don't go right into pretensed rape at the get-go. Berserk knew better than that!
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Shippoyasha



Joined: 28 Aug 2007
Posts: 459
PostPosted: Sun Oct 05, 2014 2:31 pm Reply with quote
Was that overly defensive paragraph really needed to be there? We know you are pretty jaded with some of this stuff Zac. We get it.

I thought the schlock factor was entertaining for what it was and there's no telling how it goes from here. I wish the review staff can focus on some stuff like the direction of the shots which was actually done pretty well. But you guys just seems to totally lose it with fanservice shows. It just doesn't jive with you guys.

The sex assault stuff wasn't even very suggestive compared to the more overt sexual visuals in the show. It's not even correct to say it's all that fetishist in depiction. They screenpanned away and showed the princess broken. That's basically it. I know the topic is a touchy thing with ANN editors, but all these rants are flatout misleading.

Also, I'd rather see then get it out of the way instead of building up constantly towards it.
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Philmister978



Joined: 12 Jun 2011
Posts: 301
PostPosted: Sun Oct 05, 2014 2:31 pm Reply with quote
So, no mention on Sunrise finally caving in and using CGI mecha like every other show? Because between that, the gratuitous fanservice, and whatever... that was at the end, I'm not digging the show.
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Shippoyasha



Joined: 28 Aug 2007
Posts: 459
PostPosted: Sun Oct 05, 2014 2:39 pm Reply with quote
Philmister978 wrote:
So, no mention on Sunrise finally caving in and using CGI mecha like every other show? Because between that, the gratuitous fanservice, and whatever... that was at the end, I'm not digging the show.


The quidditch match wasn't CGI. So it doesn't look all that inundated so far.
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Zac
ANN Executive Editor


Joined: 05 Jan 2002
Posts: 7912
Location: Anime News Network Technodrome
PostPosted: Sun Oct 05, 2014 2:56 pm Reply with quote
Shippoyasha wrote:
but all these rants are flatout misleading.


Your personal opinion not being represented in the published writing does not mean that what's there is "misleading" and that yours is the sole correct interpretation that people are somehow being deprived of.
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Philmister978



Joined: 12 Jun 2011
Posts: 301
PostPosted: Sun Oct 05, 2014 2:59 pm Reply with quote
Shippoyasha wrote:
Philmister978 wrote:
So, no mention on Sunrise finally caving in and using CGI mecha like every other show? Because between that, the gratuitous fanservice, and whatever... that was at the end, I'm not digging the show.


The quidditch match wasn't CGI. So it doesn't look all that inundated so far.


True, but I'm a little surprised that a "first impressions" review of the series wouldn't touch upon the technical aspects anywhere.

Yeah, I get that the content is overly sexualized and that's pretty damn important. But there could have been like, I dunno, a brief mention about the animation quality, music and voice acting.
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Vaisaga



Joined: 07 Oct 2011
Posts: 13224
PostPosted: Sun Oct 05, 2014 3:01 pm Reply with quote
prime_pm wrote:
The least they could do was have an opening episode en media res. First show her a full-fledged whatever, then flashback to her grueling trial periods.


That's what they did within the episode, though.

We get it: sexual assault is a horrible thing. No one is going to argue about that and no one has to go into this huge moral outrage to prove to anyone they think that way. But that doesn't mean it has to be banned from usage in a narrative.
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vashfanatic



Joined: 16 Jun 2005
Posts: 3489
Location: Back stateside
PostPosted: Sun Oct 05, 2014 3:07 pm Reply with quote
And here I was thinking Wolf Girl and Black Prince would be the most tasteless premise for the season... I translated the plot synopsis for this and in doing so watched the trailers, and there was no indication of this level of tragedy porn (useful word, that) from those. If I had decided to tune in, as a viewer I'd feel rather betrayed. Sad And this is speaking as someone who can tolerate a rather high degree of unpleasantness in anime and manga (see: Berserk). You can't pack everything awful into the first episode... assuming this even is everything awful they have planned.

Maybe if the rest of the season is Ange overcoming all the crap done to her in the first episode it might dig some worth out of it, but man, this sounds like a bad attempt to make an unlikable character (due to the prejudices of her society) sympathetic by having her endure things that no conscience-bearing viewer would want wished on someone. Either that, or yeah, some creepy underlying misogyny.
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