Forum - View topicShelf Life - Antiques Rogueshow
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erinfinnegan
ANN Columnist
Posts: 598 |
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I was trying to fit it in with the theme.
Oh no, let's not get into this again. The intended audience for anime is almost never Americans, anyway - isn't that part of the fun? Anyone outside of an intended demographic might like something that isn't aimed at them. Liking something aimed at someone else does not somehow turn you into another demographic. For example, if I liked gay porn aimed at a male audience in Japan, liking it would not turn me into a gay Japanese man. Likewise, because someone likes something that doesn't mean it was aimed at them. I may like Yugioh, but that doesn't mean it was intended to be seen by thirtysomething American women. Far from it. That show was supposed to sell trading cards to 8-10 year old Japanese boys. (The manga is different, I am told.) The fact that I like it is a lucky coincidence. |
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momogoldfish
Posts: 135 Location: New Zealand |
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Erin you need to watch the Kuroshitsuji Jack the Ripper arc (ie. Grell's introduction) if you have missed it! While it has hilarious bits the overall plot is serious and many consider it one of the best parts of the story.
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Mikeski
Posts: 608 Location: Minneapolis, MN |
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Mages who start with Meteor Swarm in round one (as a warning shot) and scale up from there, a world where 99.99% of the population is unaware of the dangers around them (and unable to affect them if they were), powerful magic items left over from lost civilizations of Olden Days, main characters shrugging off attacks that level the buildings behind them... but a modern setting and Clarke's-Law-in-reverse magitek? I'd still call that "high fantasy". (Your choice of the My-Hime or Nanoha franchises.) |
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belvadeer
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Seriously? I'm like agape here. They couldn't have messed it up that badly, could they? ._. |
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dragonrider_cody
Posts: 2541 |
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The dub is extremely faithful to the translation, but I don't really find that a downfall. In fact, I find it interesting how some people are upset when a dub trails to far from the translation (like High School of The Dead) and then some find fault when it stays too close (like Guin Saga). I guess no matter what someone will be disappointed. Some of the dialogue isn't the most natural sounding, however it seems to fit with the old school feel of the anime and I've heard far, far worse. I think saying the dub is one of the worst in years is a HUGE stretch, particularly for the reasons that were given in the review. The dub is extremely well cast and the performances are quite good. David Wald is pretty good as Guin, and I thought David Matranga did an excellent job. I would gladly take this dub over the one for Black Butler which came across extremely uneven with stilted performances to me. However, dub quality is in the ear of the beholder, so the best thing is to try it out yourself. I've generally been pretty disappointed by most dubs within the past couple of years (since the move to boxsets and the shorter recording times required), but I was pleasantly surprised by this one. The only thing that bothered me was Guin's lip flaps, but that issue was present in the Japanese version as well. The animators made no attempt to make the mouth movements natural, so syncing any language to it would have been impossible. I can agree the dialogue is a little dry, but that's a fault of the source material, not the dub itself. Also, don't forget that the Japanese have final approval over the script and translation, and considering the size of the Guin Saga property in Japan, I doubt Sentai would have had much leeway even if they had wanted to change it significantly. |
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ss-hikaru
Posts: 269 Location: Western Australia |
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When Black Butler volume 1 (manga) first came out, I was really surprised at how many people hated on the mansion support staff. I personally really liked them (and think they're really funny). But then again, I knew the 'good reason' behind their incompetence (due to the anime), so that probably played a factor in my reaction to them.
Oh yes, I sooo agree with you on this. Why does she exist? To show that Black Butler is 'not yaoi'?
I...might be one of those ladies you mention here? Well, I don't carry around very large books, but I do enjoy epic fantasy novels. I guess the main thing putting me off reading (or watching) Guin Saga is that there's no way it'll ever be 'complete' in English. I mean, with 130 volumes, and the anime covering (only =P) the first 16, you'll never know the full story! And just knowing the fact that what I've read/watched is not the 'entire story' and that the 'entire story' is unavailable to me, would really really annoy me.
This is interesting... I thought Antique Bakery was aimed at a female audience. And I thought AKB48 was aimed at a male audience. So she got an interview to get guys who aren't really big fans of Antique Bakery to buy the DVDs? Maybe I'm making too many assumptions about the fanbases of both AB and AKB. |
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here-and-faraway
Posts: 1528 Location: Sunny California |
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I have to admit that I'm a little surprised at all the positive reviews for Antique Bakery. I'm not one of those people who thinks that an anime has to follow its manga source with precision and I understand that sometimes things have to be changed for the screen, but I simply don't like how they adapted the series for TV. I felt that Yoshinaga's subtle storytelling style was lost in the translation. For example, I thought starting off right away with what happened to Tachibana as a kid was sloppy storytelling. I guess the script writer thought the series needed to begin with something dramatic to get the viewer's attention, but I prefer how Yoshinaga depicted that part of the story with subtle hints and brief flashbacks.
Once again, I rarely mind anime adaptations, but I felt that this was so clunky compared to the original source. But reading all the positive reviews, I guess I'm in the minority. |
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Moonsaber
Posts: 343 Location: USA |
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Makes me wish I had a fig collection! I saw the KOR ones, jealous of that. Someone else mentioned they saw the Stellvia ones, and I had to hunt, found those in a pic, jealous of that, one of my favorite shows! I also noticed: Cowboy Bebop, Azumanga, K-On, Chobits, Evangelion. I think one or more might be Mospeada. (maybe) Several look familiar and I wish I knew, like the one with the girl with short dark hair and jeans with a sword, and the one with a simliar girl with a gun and cape? |
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ChibiKangaroo
Posts: 2941 |
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I think you are simplifying her commentary a bit. I haven't watched antique bakery yet, but from the reviews it sounds like the allusions to homosexuality are in a way that is very self-aware and possibly comedic. Also, looking at the cover? art presented in the review, we see two handsome guys who are fully dressed, notwithstanding any questions as to their sexual preference. However, the allusions to lolicon in the gunslinger girl series seem to play it more straight, so to speak. Also, you look at cover art for gunslinger girls and you see a young girl in a revealing position who appears half dressed with a hint of panty shot, and an older man standing next to her. Is it really that hard to think that some people might interpret that in a certain way? This is not to say that gunslinger girls is not a good series. I've watched great series that dabbled in "taboo" subjects. However, from first glance it does appear that there are differences between these two series. |
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Saturn
Posts: 513 |
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I dunno, man, you could easily make the argument that Ciel is a pitiful character BECAUSE he can't let go of those things-- I mean, after all, it doesn't matter how cool the demon is, he still SOLD his SOUL and that's one of those can't-really-deny-it's-a-bad-thing situations. I like Ciel, I really do (though a good deal of people can't stand him, I think he's actually got a lot going for him), but I don't think the message of his story is "It's okay to get caught up in a cycle of revenge and hatred." It'd be like saying the ultimate message of Death Note is "genocide is awesome! ... if you have a demon on your side!" Anyway my view on season 2 is that it's just as much fun as season 1, and rather than complain that they should have never made it, I think they should never have given season 1 that crap-tastic ending at all :\ |
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Dessa
Posts: 4438 |
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It'll never be "complete" at all, considering she was still writing when she passed away. I'm actually curious to know how they handled volume 130, since she was working on it when she became too ill to write (and then passed away). One thing of note missing from the review (other than a brief mention of the OP), is that Nobuo Uematsu did the score for it, his first full anime soundtrack. |
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ChibiKangaroo
Posts: 2941 |
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I liked Ciel a lot as a character. His ruthlessness and unwavering dedication to a single goal is kind of refreshing in this world of wishy-washy, unsure of themselves male protagonists that seem to populate a large amount of anime these days. The character that I really hated was the spoiler[other boy with a demon butler that they introduced in the second season.] Yes, I realize that he is meant to be a disliked character, but there were a few things that really turned me off to that character beyond the usual "he's evil" consideration. First of all, it appears like the character is depicted in a way that seems like an attempt to be "pretty," but yet he's kind of disgusting - maybe that's intentional, and if so ok, but if it was just an attempt to create a slick fetishy character, it really doesn't work. Also, too much of his antics seem to be just in bad taste. Villains can be tastefully evil, and I think that often makes them more compelling characters. That being said, I have found some enjoyment in watching the second season. |
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belvadeer
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Ah so it's just the way the lines flow. Thank you for alleviating my fears. |
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erinfinnegan
ANN Columnist
Posts: 598 |
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It floored me that they made that reveal at the end of the first DVD. I was shocked... but maybe the screenwriter felt it added more suspense?
I've been enjoying dubs over the last handful of years; particularly since I took over Shelf Life I've been impressed by lots of dubs I've seen. My remark speaks for the high quality of recent dubs.
I thought the Black Butler performances were very passionate and emotional, even if, at times, the English accents were questionable. It was done with the right heart. I don't think the Guin dub had the same heart or effort behind it.
I almost included a line about this in my review... here's what I was going to say, but it was running a little long:
In the books, it's not clear if Guin has a mask or a leopard head. It's ambiguous on purpose. This came up in my interview with Yani, the editor of the English volumes who is also a big fan of the series. He confirmed that the mask-or-head ambiguity, maybe even in our podcast. I think the lip flap lack of consistency was an intentional choice.
In the extras, her husband says he had to write the preface to volume 130, and it was difficult for him. Yani said that the author had an ending in mind before she died... I wonder if her husband tried to include any of those details in that preface, of if she took the ending with her... |
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Echo_City
Posts: 1236 |
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Also, the Highly Advanced Materializing Equipment wasn't magical by any means, it was (extremely soft) science. Furthermore, if you notice the subtle ties between My-HiME and My-Otome, nanomachines could be involved in the HiME and grant their ability to create matter "out of photons". Nanomachines, and particularly photons, aren't magic. No magic, no alternate world = no high fantasy.
Should that "as Guin" be "in Guin Saga"? Blake Shepard wasn't Guin, as I know that you are "in the know" about Guin's VA being David "Golgo 13" Wald. Speaking of which, would it be fair to blame Guin Saga for the delay in Golgo 13 part 3?
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