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Shelf Life - Into the Abyss


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neocloud9



Joined: 06 Oct 2008
Posts: 1178
Location: Atlanta, GA
PostPosted: Mon Apr 26, 2010 9:47 pm Reply with quote
erinfinnegan wrote:
neocloud9 wrote:

Alright, her face is really pretty. But her outfit lacks an iconic graphic design element. For example, I think Sakura's outfits in Naruto are really great from an animation and design standpoint.


Oh, I wouldn't know anything about outfits... Confused

[/unfashionable lesbian]
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Swandog



Joined: 04 Feb 2009
Posts: 2
PostPosted: Mon Apr 26, 2010 11:32 pm Reply with quote
Quote:
This whole Icelandic volcano incident has me listening to the Bjork album Debut. I still think it's her best album. I only liked two songs on Post, and her later stuff was too experimental and slow for my tastes.


I have a theory that says that as you go forward in Björk's career, she becomes less and less accessible, until eventually she just leaves you behind and becomes too...well, weird is an imperfect word.

Some people drop off after Debut, some after Post--heck, some people quit when The Sugarcubes ended. I dropped off at Medùlla. Or at least I thought I did--I really liked Volta, which really threw this whole theory out of whack.

I guess what I'm saying is--have you listened to The Sugarcubes? You really should, they're very good.

Oh, and long time reader/listener, first time poster...love the column, keep up the good work.
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YotaruVegeta



Joined: 02 Jul 2002
Posts: 1061
Location: New York
PostPosted: Tue Apr 27, 2010 6:42 am Reply with quote
Just buy the two Bjork Best of albums. I did.
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erinfinnegan
ANN Columnist


Joined: 31 Jan 2005
Posts: 598
PostPosted: Tue Apr 27, 2010 11:03 am Reply with quote
Swandog wrote:
I guess what I'm saying is--have you listened to The Sugarcubes? You really should, they're very good.

It's possible that I used to own that album. Maybe I still do.

neocloud9 wrote:
Oh, I wouldn't know anything about outfits... Confused

[/unfashionable lesbian]

Oh, as a nerd, I don't know anything about fashion. But when it comes to animation character design (and probably for comics too), you want a character to have a couple signature colors and an accent color. Sakura wears red and white, and her pink hair is kind of an accent color. Naruto wears orange and blue with some white. Their bright colors pop against the background, which isn't great for ninjitsu, but it's great for television. The white circle on Sakura's dress is also really great, because it's so simple, yet eye catching. If you made a red button with a white circle on it, anime fans would all know it was a reference to Sakura. It's like a logo.

A character's silhouette is also important; you need to be able to know who it is from only their shadow. The more recognizable the silhouette, the better. Spongebob is the ultimate example of this. American cartoons are big on silhouettes with a lot of distinct character shapes (think of Bugs Bunny standing next to Yosemite Sam), but anime tends more towards the realistic. I think a lot of the spiky hair in anime is meant to make the character's silhouettes more unique (as my old director would say, "it breaks up the silhouette"...like how army guys will stick branches onto their uniform as camouflage to break up their silhouette). Ouran High School Host Club has great design, because even though the characters dress identically, you can not only pick them out by silhouette (which one is Mori vs. Hunny), you can also distinguish their silhouettes from other anime series.
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neocloud9



Joined: 06 Oct 2008
Posts: 1178
Location: Atlanta, GA
PostPosted: Tue Apr 27, 2010 5:03 pm Reply with quote
erinfinnegan wrote:
neocloud9 wrote:
Oh, I wouldn't know anything about outfits... Confused

[/unfashionable lesbian]


Oh, as a nerd, I don't know anything about fashion. But when it comes to animation character design (and probably for comics too), you want a character to have a couple signature colors and an accent color.

[snip]

A character's silhouette is also important; you need to be able to know who it is from only their shadow. The more recognizable the silhouette, the better.

[snip]


Then, I don't really understand... Why did Angelique's black-purple-white dress and long blue hair not fit the bill? I'm not trying to pick a fight or anything, I'd just like to understand this from the POV of someone who has worked in the animation industry.

Angelique's design really stuck with me, far more than the story or the music or the show's many and various prettyboys. I remember being singularly impressed by it, which rather surprised me...
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erinfinnegan
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Joined: 31 Jan 2005
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PostPosted: Tue Apr 27, 2010 6:00 pm Reply with quote
neocloud9 wrote:
Then, I don't really understand... Why did Angelique's black-purple-white dress and long blue hair not fit the bill? I'm not trying to pick a fight or anything, I'd just like to understand this from the POV of someone who has worked in the animation industry.

I shouldn't have spent quite so much time on this but:



The first two silhouettes are immediately identifiable. Angelique, on the end, could be any old princess. Her profile isn't strong enough. At least in season two she gets a sword. (I couldn't find a good full-body image on an all-white background.)

Her signature colors are a little too muted/pastel to pop out at you. The boys in the show all have much stronger profiles and brighter colors. But it's supposed to be that way, if Angelique is the player's avatar, she's not supposed to have a strong personality. At least she's not as boring as that chick in La Corda D'Oro!
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luffypirate



Joined: 06 Oct 2006
Posts: 3186
PostPosted: Tue Apr 27, 2010 6:17 pm Reply with quote
Nice shelves. I use Atlantic Elf as well. Looks great for displaying anime.
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neocloud9



Joined: 06 Oct 2008
Posts: 1178
Location: Atlanta, GA
PostPosted: Tue Apr 27, 2010 6:38 pm Reply with quote
erinfinnegan wrote:
Her signature colors are a little too muted/pastel to pop out at you. The boys in the show all have much stronger profiles and brighter colors. But it's supposed to be that way, if Angelique is the player's avatar, she's not supposed to have a strong personality. At least she's not as boring as that chick in La Corda D'Oro!


Oh, okay. I guess I just chalked up her color scheme to the "period" they were trying to represent. It's something that would probably look good in live-action, but too subtle for animation. Thanks a lot for the perspective, I really appreciate all the time you took to do that!
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Gewürtztraminer



Joined: 14 Nov 2007
Posts: 1028
Location: Texas - Its like whole other country.
PostPosted: Tue Apr 27, 2010 10:50 pm Reply with quote
I enjoyed the first season of Neo Angelique a lot more than I thought I would. Ended up buying it after rental and purchasing the second half.
I might just have a soft spot for reverse harems, since so much time is devoted to the heroine. And as posted before, she was a real subtle beauty. Some of the story lines (besides being discovered in the Rainbow Forest by the Dragon People, or bickering over who cooked at the Sunlit Mansion) were interesting to me. The people's and Angelique's reactions to the government purification mobile tanks struck me as different.

Sadly, the second half was a letdown for me, except for the extras, which were welcome for a Sentai release. As I stated before, this is the first Sentai sub release where I did not spot an error in the subs. Sadly even Nozomi's recent Aria the Origination did not attain that goal. Plus throw in a disc of extras, and it makes up for a lot in my mind. I did not feel ripped off by the price, but given what I felt after the first series, I was a little let down.

Kenichi. I can not put my finger on what I enjoy about the series. As you said it is easy entertainment. Kinda like Ikki Tousen with slightly less graphic exploding skirts and blouses, and no girls involuntarily wetting themselves. Kenichi is a likeable guy whose heart is in the right place but still is attracted to things a normal teenager would be drawn to. But when it comes to serious, he shapes up real quick. You have seen this all before, but the execution is pretty good, and it seems Funimation found a sleeper of a gem sales wise.
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Wooga



Joined: 22 Jun 2007
Posts: 916
Location: Tucson
PostPosted: Wed Apr 28, 2010 12:14 am Reply with quote
Nice shelves! A lot of different publishers in the manga department, a lot of diversity. Oddly enough, I'm most jealous of those Galaxy Angel bricks, they look so compact. And I'm glad I'm not the only one who's watced Brain Powerd.

BTW, what is that green manga on the bottom shelf, next to SZS?
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fuuma_monou



Joined: 26 Dec 2005
Posts: 1816
Location: Quezon City, Philippines
PostPosted: Wed Apr 28, 2010 6:19 am Reply with quote
Dunno if I'd like the Funi dub for Sgt. Frog. I'm partial to Animax Asia's, especially Andrea Kwan as Keroro. Probably the most distinctive voice she's done.

Then again I warmed up to Funi's dub of School Rumble after being a bit blah on it based on just the first episode.
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CaptainAvatar



Joined: 28 Aug 2006
Posts: 381
Location: Saint Louis, MO
PostPosted: Wed Apr 28, 2010 9:43 am Reply with quote
erinfinnegan wrote:
neocloud9 wrote:
Then, I don't really understand... Why did Angelique's black-purple-white dress and long blue hair not fit the bill? I'm not trying to pick a fight or anything, I'd just like to understand this from the POV of someone who has worked in the animation industry.

I shouldn't have spent quite so much time on this but:



The first two silhouettes are immediately identifiable. Angelique, on the end, could be any old princess. Her profile isn't strong enough. At least in season two she gets a sword. (I couldn't find a good full-body image on an all-white background.)

Her signature colors are a little too muted/pastel to pop out at you. The boys in the show all have much stronger profiles and brighter colors. But it's supposed to be that way, if Angelique is the player's avatar, she's not supposed to have a strong personality. At least she's not as boring as that chick in La Corda D'Oro!


While I don't dare consider myself an anime expert, I'd say I am fairly versed in it for the last 5 years or so. I clearly recognize Sailor Moon in the middle, but I have no clue on the first one. Maybe it was because it is part of the discussion, but I immediately recognized Angelique. Familiarity with the show probably helped too. As for the show, I thought it was alright, which is saying something since this is not usually my cup of tea, genre-wise.
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YotaruVegeta



Joined: 02 Jul 2002
Posts: 1061
Location: New York
PostPosted: Wed Apr 28, 2010 10:13 am Reply with quote
The first is not an anime character. It is Yuna from Final Fantasy X-2
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braves



Joined: 29 Dec 2007
Posts: 2309
Location: Puerto Rico (but living in Texas)
PostPosted: Wed Apr 28, 2010 10:15 am Reply with quote
snl67 wrote:
While I don't dare consider myself an anime expert, I'd say I am fairly versed in it for the last 5 years or so. I clearly recognize Sailor Moon in the middle, but I have no clue on the first one.
*points at his avatar*

Looks like you need to play a bit of more Final Fantasy X/X-2, my good sir. :P

EDIT: D'oh!
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YotaruVegeta



Joined: 02 Jul 2002
Posts: 1061
Location: New York
PostPosted: Wed Apr 28, 2010 11:38 am Reply with quote
I was wondering why Yuna was chosen as a silhouette also, because if you are into anime, you are not necessarily into games.
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