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The Mike Toole Show - To Hell and Baki




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Kicksville



Joined: 20 Nov 2010
Posts: 1168
PostPosted: Sun Dec 23, 2018 6:14 pm Reply with quote
I still wonder if it's a coincidence that a few of Netflix's co-productions and pick ups - Devilman, Saint Seiya, Baki - seem so much like shows that should've hit harder in North America, but didn't stick for whatever reason, due to lack of adaptations or bad timing or whatever else.

In any case, I'm glad to see this happening - years ago, I went to a sparsely attended panel at an Anime Expo where one valiant fan attempted to preach the Baki Bible to the masses, and I felt for the guy, reminding me of what it was like to be a Jojo's Bizarre Adventure fan. Boy, things sure have changed since then, huh? I hope this is his moment too.
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Souther



Joined: 22 Feb 2015
Posts: 602
PostPosted: Sun Dec 23, 2018 9:22 pm Reply with quote
Lol, Count Dante.

I was waiting impatiently for Baki to hit finally hit Netflix since its announcement and blew through the first season. I have to retract what I said about not needing to watching/reading the previous parts, you definitely have to if you want to know what drives these characters to fight and their relationships and history with each other. Had I not been read/watched the previous parts, I wouldn't have cared about them and even then, I'd forgotten about a few old minor characters like Suedo. The MC Baki also takes somewhat of a backseat for a good portion of this arc so he especially suffers if you aren't familiar with his past.

I'd also forgotten how much talking there is. Best example is one police officer yapping away to the camera about and during one of the craziest fights in the series and it was breaking up the action too much for my liking. In the manga, you can just read quickly through it, watching it is a different matter. Plus wasn't a fan of the CG in certain fights.

Despite all that, I had a blast. The premise of 5 death-row inmates busting out, starting fights that could take place anywhere, any time and the sheer mauling they inflict is horrifyingly hilarious. Dorian and Speck are the highlights of the arc for me, they are absolutely bonkers. I also appreciated the exploration of the "black side and white side" of martial arts; the pragmacy of the convicts like Dorian vs the idealistic and beautified view of martial arts that the likes of Doppo held, who had dedicated themselves to their craft. I know season 2 begins to enter the arc after the convicts, I'm hoping for them to cover Son of Ogre.


Last edited by Souther on Tue Jan 01, 2019 8:08 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Lord Geo



Joined: 18 Sep 2005
Posts: 2532
Location: North Brunswick, New Jersey
PostPosted: Sun Dec 23, 2018 10:49 pm Reply with quote
I just saw the first three episodes of Baki tonight with some friends, as we had a ball. The funny thing about the series is that, when you really think about it, the story is rather basic, & follows the shonen action manga template that's been around since the 70s to a T, which sounds like a potentially bad thing, as it makes it sound generic. Luckily, Keisuke Itagaki's art style, complete with the violence, gore, & sheer insanity makes you overlook the rather straight-to-the-point storytelling. There's just an earnest love for this kind of absurdity that makes it so easy to love.

I saw the original OVA a number of years ago, and it's one of the last real productions to come from the infamous Knack Productions, before it moved over to live-action & eventually renamed itself Ichi. That being said, Knack's OVAs of the 90s, which also includes the Crows anime, are actually rather good, and show that the studio did improve heavily, compared to its legendarily "so-bad-its-good" TV output from the 70s & 80s. As for the original TV series from the early 00s, I saw most of the first season back when I had the Funimation Channel on my cable service, and it's also a bunch of fun. In fact, the new anime is making me want to finally dig in & watch both seasons of the original TV anime, since I've had the two artbox boxsets that FUNimation put out about a decade ago.
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diet panda



Joined: 13 Mar 2013
Posts: 7
PostPosted: Mon Dec 24, 2018 3:26 am Reply with quote
Quote:
Don't tell me you want anime to be non-political... because all art is inherently political!


We all know darn well "non-political" is a dogwhistle for "pro-right/anti-left." You don't exactly hear them criticizing the politics of Darling in the Franxx or GATE.
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Lord Oink



Joined: 06 Jul 2016
Posts: 876
PostPosted: Mon Dec 24, 2018 8:30 am Reply with quote
diet panda wrote:
We all know darn well "non-political" is a dogwhistle for "pro-right/anti-left." You don't exactly hear them criticizing the politics of Darling in the Franxx or GATE.


Franxx got a lot of criticism here actually.
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fuuma_monou



Joined: 26 Dec 2005
Posts: 1816
Location: Quezon City, Philippines
PostPosted: Mon Dec 24, 2018 8:44 am Reply with quote
Lord Oink wrote:
diet panda wrote:
We all know darn well "non-political" is a dogwhistle for "pro-right/anti-left." You don't exactly hear them criticizing the politics of Darling in the Franxx or GATE.


Franxx got a lot of criticism here actually.


Did it come from the same people who want their anime "non-political"?
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Covnam



Joined: 31 May 2005
Posts: 3629
PostPosted: Tue Jan 01, 2019 8:04 pm Reply with quote
Started watching last night. Lots of mindless fun. I just wish the subtitle job wasn't so horrible. Lots of missed lines (at least 30-60 seconds at one point) and very poor timing.
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