Forum - View topicGuilty Crown (TV).
|
Goto page Previous Next |
| Author | Message | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
egoist
 Posts: 7762 |
|
|||
|
Meh, this sort of protagonist doesn't amuse me anymore. So, I hope they got something original awaiting.
"I'm special, but damn, what the hell is going on?" 6 episodes later... "I think I sort of understand what's going on." another 6 episodes later... "What's going onnnnnnnn?" Good first episode, but I won't place my hopes. So far it looks like another Deadman Wonderland but with a higher budget. |
||||
|
||||
Getsuga311
 Posts: 86 Location: London, UK |
|
|||
|
throughly enjoyable first episode, certain aspects are like Code Geass like mecha and killing civis in poor district etc etc but thankfully Guilty Crown isn't anywhere near as pretentious which was the one thing that i really didn't enjoy about Geass
overall production values where great, both music and visual, great character designs, intriguing story and some potential to the characters certainly could be my fav of the year if it lives up to expectations, although it doens't have a whole lot of competition tbh (Gosick, Usagi Drop, AnoHana would be the only ones that i've watched that i'd consider great, might be a couple i haven't seen that were as well) |
||||
|
||||
Veers
 Posts: 1197 Location: Texas |
|
|||
|
||||
|
||||
|
yamata no orochi
Posts: 137 |
|
|||
Another way in which Guilty Crown differs is that it has twenty-two episodes to tell its story, while Deadman Wonderland only had twelve. So the former has a lot more room to breathe, I think, assuming that the people in control of this show know what the hell they're doing. |
||||
|
||||
Yttrbio
 Posts: 3653 |
|
|||
"Revolution because I'm horny," eh? I think I liked Lelouche's "Revolution because of daddy issues" better (he wasn't any kind of nationalist), but the real issue is going to be whether he'll be a compelling character. Lelouche was an ass, but he had a sense for spectacle which made him at least fun to watch. This kid? I don't see anything more than "awkward nice guy who meets mysterious girl he knew but didn't remember from his past, and immediately devotes himself to her because he's got a boner." He could just as easily have walked off the set from any number of romantic comedies. Putting that character into a more seriously-toned show like this is jarring. Maybe he'll grow up fast, rather than just being the guy everyone has to explain everything to as he gets dragged along. I would love to see a story about someone getting caught up in a revolution that he actually believes in, rather than simply doing it to pick up chicks, hippie-style, or getting forced into it involuntarily, but I don't think any professional entertainer dares to even flirt with the idea of a non-cynical take on war. You know, now that I write all that, I'm suddenly thinking about Tide-Line Blue. EDIT: I also noticed that the mechs in Guilty Crown appear to be made of the same explosive metal that Mobile Suits are built from. Once you significantly damage them (and after an appropriately dramatic pause), they explode. It seems like a serious design flaw. |
||||
|
||||
|
Veers
Posts: 1197 Location: Texas |
|
|||
But Shu remembering from his past? I dunno. Maybe that was her in those flashback-like scenes, but it could have been someone else that she reminded him of. Or it might have not even been his own memories. Who knows? Either way, I think he does know her (at least who she is); that much was pretty obvious. And as I mentioned in my previous post, I do think he'll be the type to grow up fast, juding by how much ground his attitude covered in this first episode. Maybe it was a little forced, what with him risking his life for someone that obviously doesn't feel about him the way he feels about her, but nothing Shu did in context of his narration felt unbelievable. He clearly, albiet hastily, set the stage for his actions by telling us how he felt about several things (mostly himself). Anyway, we are obviously taking this way too seriously at this point, so let's wait and see how the writing plays out over the next few episodes before further judgement 
|
||||
|
||||
nightjuan
 Posts: 1473 |
|
|||
|
Shu may not be the most interesting protagonist in terms of attitude and Inori is barely even a character as opposed to a transparent plot device at this point, but the team behind Guilty Crown still managed to put together an effective first episode that provides raw entertainment and even throws a couple of intriguing possibilities into the field, depending on how many risks the staff decides to take further down the line. There's always a chance they'll go for the most straightforward and predictable route though.
The animation was very good, if not exceptional, and the musical cues were mostly adequate. All in all, there's little or nothing to complain about in terms of production values. I'm expecting the main character to go through a reasonable amount of conflict and eventual growth after that last scene, mind you, but otherwise I'm only cautiously optimistic about how this series will develop from this point onward.
I'm pretty sure that Code Geass was always more (melo-)dramatic than actually pretentious, to make a key distinction, but it's true Guilty Crown has a different feel. The setting seems to place more of an emphasis on science fiction than fantasy this time around, in terms of everything from the reason given for occupying Japan or even the general aesthetic style of the city and the machines involved. The character designs themselves are also a little less extravagant. Ironically enough, I'd imagine people would have an easier time reading or imagining politically incorrect subtext here than in that other show, if they really want to do so, but at least as far as the first episode is concerned the story was more interested in setting up the character's dilemma than in explaining the current political or military situation. We get a couple of quick facts and then the story moves elsewhere. Which, at least this time around, is certainly fair game. PS: Lelouch was not Japanese nor a Japanophile, so the term "nationalist" doesn't really describe him. |
||||
|
||||
One-Eye
 Posts: 2261 |
|
|||
|
Visually it looked pretty good to me. Yea, its pulling ideas from a lot of other works but it also depends on what it does with it. Its still early, we'll have to see where it goes. However, there are somethings I'm curious how they are going to explain given that its a Scifi show not a magical girl show.
Oh, and I didn't have any problems with Funi's player either, it all ran smoothly. |
||||
|
||||
ikillchicken
 Posts: 7272 Location: Vancouver |
|
|||
|
Production values: A-
Very sleek. I only subtract a point because the CG robots look slightly out of place. Everything else: D The main character is exactly the type of boring, whiny coward that nobody seems to want but they keep making shows about regardless. He spends almost literally the entire first episode explaining to the viewer what a cowardly, socially stunted, self loathing loser he is. Hey, ya get no argument from me pal! Finally, after an episode of being timid he manages to work up the courage to actually do a thing. You know what would make this show 5x better? If Gai was the main character. Gai apparently murders people with his bare hands at the drop of a hat. That sounds like something I could get behind in a main character. Of course, that's literally all we know about him right now. Still, it would be an improvement. Although really, making that little tachikoma looking robot the main character would be an improvement. Anyway, there isn't much in the way of side characters right now. As I said, Gai only gets about 30 seconds of screen time. The only other character is girl. I call her that because so far it's her only defining characteristic and I don't believe she gave her name. Also, I suppose that this is as good a place as any to mention that the art design is also pretty bad. Girl's costume is absurd and out of place in an otherwise fairly realistic world. The rest of the show, from the main character to the robots, is tremendously bland and uninspired. The plot is...well actually there is no plot. Just twenty minutes of a bunch of people we don't know running around looking for a maguffin. They never really establish the premise or give the slightest motivation to the characters. They're pretty much expecting you to assume right off the bat that these people are evil simply by virtue of being foreigners and that anyone whatsoever who is at odds with them must be good. We quite literally never even get the slightest hint at who the hell any of the good guys are or what they're after. Same goes for the bad guys really. We get a brief monologue about how foreign powers are now running Japan. Apparently there was a virus or something and they provided aide and then somehow wound up running the country. I suppose it's at least potentially better that "evil gaijin forcibly take over Japan just because" although in the short term it's just mystifying and gives the viewer zero reason to assume, as the show seems to, that these guys are bad. As it happens, they do later randomly slaughter an entire district of people for no apparent reason. That at least gives us a clear reason to think they're the bad guys although also really just pushes them into "absurdly evil just because" territory. Anyway in the last moments this all culminates in the main character inexplicably pulling a giant sword out of girl's tits* and then even more inexplicably leaping though the air and cutting a robot in half. *This is, shockingly, absolutely done in the most sexually suggestive way possible. She even whispers "use me" right before and then lies there groaning as he does it. It's pretty hilarious actually. All this said, I'm actually going to stick with this for at least another episode. I feel like the show has shown me so little of it's premise, plot and characters that I can't safely dismiss it. Who knows what it will be like once it actually starts to do so. Maybe next episode, once we're given something of substance, I'll find it at least worth watching. |
||||
|
||||
Blood-
 Bargain Hunter Posts: 23883 |
|
|||
|
Count me among those who could die quite happily if I never encounter another one of these clichéd, socially inept, cowardly, ineffective, vanilla leads who grows into a hero situation again. Sadly, because so many mangakas and anime creators doubtlessly grew up as poorly socialized geeks, we will probably have to suffer through this set-up for many moons to come.
But what really leapt out at me was the incompetence of the villains. So you find this chick you've been looking for who has stolen something supah-dupah important ... and you don't bother searching the premises you find her hiding in? You just assume someone else you find with her is a completely innocent bystander and even though you are clearly an evil prick you don't kill him just for shits'n'giggles? Back to villain school for you, buster! |
||||
|
||||
|
Yttrbio
Posts: 3653 |
|
|||
|
Don't forget spoiler["Kill her... but do it later, after sufficient time for her to make an escape has passed."]
Note for future pop singers trying out terrorism: Don't wear your stage clothes on missions. They tend to stand out. |
||||
|
||||
rojse
 Posts: 234 |
|
|||
|
The first episode of "Guilty Crown" has me thinking that this will be a very entertaining guilty pleasure - the show collides a bunch of tropes together that I either appreciate or find entertaining (or both) and does it rather well, even though it lacks originality, and it's all extremely well-presented. And there are giant robots too.
And I'm glad to see that I'm not the only one that was thinking of Code Geass while watching this. |
||||
|
||||
WhiteHairGirls
 Posts: 4713 Location: New York City |
|
|||
|
So does anyone know the name of the song the girl sings in the beggining?
|
||||
|
||||
Dessa
 Posts: 4438 |
|
|||
|
I'm surprised I'm the only one who likes the inept, doesn't know what he's doing, doesn't want to be involved in any of this hero. I'm personally tired of the heroes who get thrown into a situation and suddenly are gung-ho for it and can fight just fine without instruction. And I managed to find two shows yesterday (the other being Kamen Rider Den-O, as I'm catching up on older series), so it's quite the breath of fresh air.
|
||||
|
||||
|
Yttrbio
Posts: 3653 |
|
|||
The problem is that he is gung-ho and effective in this situation. He's just gung-ho for getting laid, which is entirely oblique to the situation he's in, and effective for no other reason than he's the main character. And this isn't Rideback, where the main character at least rejected her own involvement. All I want is something from the kid. A "screw this, I'm not getting involved in your war." Or, alternatively, a "if this is the way it's going to be, then I'll fight to toss out these foreigners." Or even a confident "that's right, lady, I'm fighting in this war for you." Anything for him to somehow assert his character and suggest he isn't just a blob of mushy wish-fulfillment getting dragged along by circumstances, luck, or his immaturity. |
||||
|
||||
 |
All times are GMT - 5 Hours |
|
|
|
Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group