Forum - View topicShelf Life - Band of Brothers [2009-08-03]
|
Goto page Previous 1, 2, 3, 4 Next Note: this is the discussion thread for this article |
| Author | Message | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
vashfanatic
 Posts: 3490 Location: Back stateside |
|
|||
Hmm...actually, as I look into it, Cookie magazine (where it's published in Japan) is listed by Shueisha (its publisher) as shoujo, but by other groups as josei. Maybe classify it as an older-shoujo then? Who knows... it's got a lot more sexual content than one usually gets in a shoujo. |
||||
|
||||
|
midnighteve
Posts: 114 Location: Chula Vista |
|
|||
|
As soon as I saw that Nana was streaming, I dashed straight over to Hulu. I guess I should've expected as such, but I was really looking forward to at least a small bit of a dub preview. Maybe I'm strange in this way, but I really love a good dub and since I don't buy too many DVDs, it typically work as a selling point for me... It's like a neat little extra or something. *sighs* Oh well.
|
||||
|
||||
pparker
 Posts: 1185 Location: Florida |
|
|||
|
In line with the earlier comments about genre fans, everyone is more forgiving of shows in a genre they like. For me to watch a show (hmmm... mecha) in a genre I don't care for, it has to be really exceptional. I enjoy a great story, regardless, and I want to know from a reviewer specifically if a series "exceeds" its genre.
For fans of otaku/moe/comedy/slice of life, you will definitely "miss something" by not watching Kannagi. Truly one of the better shows in that genre, for more reasons than Bamboo mentions (of course, I've seen all of it). If you don't like them, it probably doesn't exceed the genre, but it's borderline worth a look nonetheless because it inverts or avoids most of the tropes of that genre, and the writing is original and funny. The last two or three episodes in particular will surprise you with where the story goes. They emphasize the the religious/spiritual aspect and deepen and darken the story a bit, but without resorting to melodrama. I'm still hoping for a second season. Since the first ends in a (humorous) cliffhanger of sorts, it seems likely, and lots of questions are unanswered though the ending is one of the best I've seen for a mid-manga adaptation. The first three Japanese DVDs outsold that season's genre winner, Toradora!, as well. The only variable is the health of the mangaka. She was hospitalized, twice I think, and the manga put on hiatus, though she has started producing again, so the producers might be leery of continuing the anime. It really deserves 26 episodes, though. |
||||
|
||||
tasogarenootome
 Posts: 593 |
|
|||
|
I understand what you're saying Bamboo, that's how I felt too, but I think the rushing and lack of emotional punch is because most of the events in the first ten or so episodes were events covered in the first anime and would have lost their impact regardless of how they were drawn out. The events of this week's episode were disappointingly brashly handled, but hopefully now that FMAB is in previously un-animated territory, the studio will slow down and allow events to have the impact they had the first time around. I figure I'll put the manga down for now and wait until about episode 25 or so to really make a judgement because so many early eps were rehashed information.
|
||||
|
||||
bglassbrook
 Posts: 1243 Location: Gaithersburg, MD |
|
|||
|
I would agree with the (I would say majority, but nobody has said Brotherhood is better than the first series, from what has come out yet) posters above on how Brotherhood really pushes the line for a middle-tier on the streaming scale. For disclosure, I started watching to see how it compared plot/art-wise to the first series for once it finally came out, but kept watching (until Stream-gate knocked them off for a week or two, and gave me an excuse to stop watching.) Also, I have avoided the manga so far because a 30+ volume series with no end in sight is scary. Now that things are wrapping up, I might pick it up eventually. My thoughts on the first part were that I was really expecting a bit more difference for another "defense of the manga" OVA series, but when the character designs looked almost exactly the same this thought started fading fast. Call me when it has a dub (and preferably BD release,) but until then I am content to know it is going along its merry way.
Speaking of a dub+ release from a streamed show... Kannagi. *sigh* I'm not taking anything strong enough to make that dream come forth. As to NANA, this was one of those where FUNi is using their broad new powers of VOD to screen only the first episode for free. It really didn't hook me in one, and doesn't make me feel like rushing over to Hulu to get further in either. What can I say, even when ADV pulled back from releasing everything, we still got 2-4 episodes of the new stuff. Good thing they didn't try pulling this nonsense with Baccano, it makes little enough sense as is. |
||||
|
||||
CCSYueh
 Posts: 2707 Location: San Diego, CA |
|
|||
|
Code Geass is a gal-friendly mech title like Gundam Wing. There are a lot of similarities between Lelouch & Light because Light is a villain, but feels his ultimate goal is in everyone's best interest so he's the good guy. He sees the cops/L/etc as the bad guys so he's really delusional.
Lelouch feels he has to play the bad guy to bring about worldwide good & is rather delusional all along They're both fun psychos. Shojo. Josei. Nana's a fricken soap opera. I loved it at first but got tired of it by the time it left Shojo Beat. I have a pretty short fuse for shojo melodrama.
It would make little sense for them to re-cover the ground from the first serties, not unlike Hellsing Ultimate burning thru the stuff that made it into the tv series. However, if it does follow the manga, it's going to turn darker. The whole Cat-n-mouse with the homunculi & the heroes is pretty suspenseful. The big loss would be if one liked certain homunculi. I like Envy so it's no skin off my back he's a bigger presence in the manga. |
||||
|
||||
Charred Knight
 Posts: 3085 |
|
|||
Exactly, the first series dedicated an entire episode to a Lupin the Third homage for pete sake. People act like the first series was some uber serious show, hell the entire purpose of Armstrong, and Mustang's men (INCLUDING RIZA) was for comedy. Riza's entire backstory is only found in the manga and presumably the second anime, in the first anime she's Mustang's nurse maid. When you get down to it, Mustang basically has a few scenes than for most of the series his their for comic relief. I mean he has one hero moment in the entire series, he has the scene at Hughes funeral, he has a couple scenes about Ishval, and the rest is him being comedic. Mustang vs Ed, Mustang and the dog, Mustang and the Warehouse 13, Mustang and Tiny Miniskirts, do you know what every single scene between Mustang and his men. Do I need to remind you of "TINY MINISKIRTS!"? Also it does the cardinal sin that no reviewer should ever do which is compare it to something they have never actually read. In this case the FMA manga, it's clear that Bamboo has never read the FMA manga, so why the hell is she saying that the first series was better. Speedy Boris did the same thing in his review of the FMA anime where he blatantly insults the manga when his clearly never read the manga. |
||||
|
||||
jr240483
 Posts: 4385 Location: New York City,New York,USA |
|
|||
No kidding.That is a series i would definately put as shelf worthy if it had any. Also the death not relight movie don't deserves to be perishable.Probably rental worthy since it's a retelling in ryuk's words cause spoiler[It seems it looked liked he was stripped of his eyes cause of his actions in the series] which had me interested,though it never did say anything about Misa's fate.Either way, it's still a rental shelf at best and definate shelf worthy for death note fans and a must for those fangirl yaoi fans of L/Light fanbase. |
||||
|
||||
ReiClone88
 Posts: 187 Location: Inside a giant tank full of Tang |
|
|||
|
Hang on a second, I've seen these exact same shelves featured on a previous Shelf Obsessed column:
animenewsnetwork.com/shelf-life/2009-04-13 |
||||
|
||||
|
NDenizen
Posts: 70 |
|
|||
|
I have to wonder what the point of reviewing Kannagi is, and then erring over the art and praising the OP animation.
The designs are really nice, the backgrounds are quite detailed and it has some extremely good animation - especially it seems totally bizarre to not point out the awesome animation of the first few episodes. Don't tell me ANN has got some guy to review anime and he has no actual ability to recognise the difference between good and bad animation? |
||||
|
||||
|
vashfanatic
Posts: 3490 Location: Back stateside |
|
|||
It's actually only at 22 volumes, and no way is this thing going to even reach 30 volumes much less "30+." This is clearly a series that was well-plotted out to begin with, and it is definitely in its final act (bad guys are dropping like flies lately). I'm waiting to buy it until it ends; meanwhile, my library has every volume. But by the time you catch up on it, the series might very well be over in Japan and nearly over in America. This isn't Naruto or Bleach, not by a long shot.
Wow, you must be new here. You don't know that this reviewer is a woman, that she's quite capable of distinguishing between good and bad animation (though her judgment on moe series is, in my not-so-humble opinion, somewhat lacking), and that being a jerk to reviewers, while a time honored custom among posters, is looked upon poorly. 
|
||||
|
||||
ArthurFrDent
 Posts: 466 |
|
|||
|
"Don't tell me ANN has got some guy to review anime and he has no actual ability to recognise the difference between good and bad animation?" NDenizen
Don't tell me that we have a poster who can't tell the difference between fact and opinion. Hey, I don't agree with Bamboo all the time, but I look at her reviews as a starting point... after reading her for a while I have gotten an idea of how our opinions differ, and by what degree... what to look for and so forth. You could do that too. |
||||
|
||||
|
Dune
Posts: 223 |
|
|||
|
Apologies, long post... maybe I'll divide this into two posts.
Why not, it was a gag from the manga that was integrated successfully into their version of Mustang's character. Anyway I beg you reconsider the use of comedy with Roy. Sure, there's a lot of it, but it wasn't without purpose. Let's take the first thirteen episodes for example, since they were fairly Roy-centered and much of your criticism is based on those. They ended with a relatively funny duel between Ed and the Colonel (also adapted from the manga), but that didn't provide laughs for the sake of laughs; the subtext was anything but funny. It's best to view that confrontation, comedic though it was, as a climax to the more serious relationship Ed had been building with Roy throughout the previous twelve episodes. The first 'season' basically had a three-act structure- Begin in the present with the brothers in Lior, transition into their past memories to explain where they came from, their goals, etc., then head back into the present. There are a few details which round this out: The Elric imposter storyline features the return of Lust with the false Philosopher's Stone, and an inverse of Lior's situation (from a poor desert city gaining wealth to a rich city that lost its former glory). Etc. If you watched these episodes immediately after Lior, chronologically this would be correct (and Ed's relationship with the Colonel is basically the same as in Lior, just as sarcasm-filled as it was hinted at being), but you would get the impression that the show is much brighter than it actually is, and you would be left in the dark, so to speak, by missing out on everything that gives their present journeys and relationships a more serious context. Though most of the stories take place in the past, thematically it's a pretty straightforward continuation from Lior. In the first episode Ed rants about men being the closest thing to gods, yet in Central he cries that men are nowhere near divine; Cornello is the first villain to be similar to Ed, and these similarities increase in seriousness until Ed encounters Shou Tucker. Likewise Ed's relationship with Roy continues through several stages. Following his appearance in Resembool, Ed doesn't exactly like him but is willing to take him up on his offer for power. When Ed calls him up, he's still pretty nervous-- an attitude which changes when he discovers that he, Bald, and even Al act like pawns before a morally ambiguous Mustang. With the death of spoiler[Nina], Ed's somewhat-negative view of Mustang solidifies into hatred. Ed projects his anger from that incident onto Roy, if only because he was the one who called the shots until that moment and is personally there in the alley to shoot down Ed's hopes (it also doesn't help that he is ordered to continue Tucker's research). This is the basis for Ed's grudge; it's not pointed out explicitly but the dots are all there for us to connect. So when Ed finally gets the opportunity to challenge Mustang and let off some steam, there are a few reasons for why it's so comedic. One reason is because this follows the very emotionally-draining arc in Central but precedes the emotionally-draining rundown of the Ishbal war; comedy is necessary to release tension. Another is that it complements the ambiguous nature of the show- like Hughes, who can be both serious and hilarious depending on the situation, even if it's a lie. We as an audience are also aware of the serious context of what's behind the duel, so it isn't particularly necessary to spell out what's already been established. But the biggest reason is for the comedy to act as a setup for darker dénouements. |
||||
|
||||
|
Dune
Posts: 223 |
|
|||
|
We know this from the final scene, in which Roy and Hughes have a serious conversation concerning the fate of Lior and the murders by Scar, a scene which contrasts heavily with the light tone of the rest of the episode. This is complemented by having the Fuhrer and his entourage being happily present in this episode, so far away from Central, giving the subtle impression that somewhere far off something deadly might be happening. In a similar manner, the comedic duel between Roy and Ed serves primarily as a lead-up to Roy's PTSD flashback.
It is the perfect way to cap off the long-going 'season'- All previous episodes were dedicated to using Ed's bleak memories as insight into his character. Ed certainly wasn't looking to find the same when challenging Mustang, but when it finally happens, Roy earns some of Ed's implicit respect and understanding. Now that I think about it, it's akin to Ratatouille's surprise ending that gives new meaning to everything that came before. There's a lot of subtext involved to make this work- compare this moment to way back when Roy advised Al not to take the State Alchemy exam (in another back alley, no less). Ed agrees, telling Al that dogs of the military live a hard life of hardship and killing, a lifestyle not meant for Al. While he says these things, there's an ambiguous reaction shot of Roy's face harboring a stone-cold expression. Up until that scene the audience had been lead to believe that Roy was a manipulative jerk, so his dead reaction seems a little heartless; but upon rewatching the scene post-duel it becomes clear that Roy is a fallible human being all too familiar with the struggles Ed talks about. Finishing up now, I promise. There was a lot of thought put into Roy's character, especially as a foil for Ed, and writing him off as too comedic is a little unfair. Not to knock the manga, necessarily. Btw, Brotherhood's current arc is IMO the best in the manga, in which Roy is also given an ambiguous dark-or comedic-or heroic plotline; and while the recent episodes have been a huge improvement for Brotherhood, for whatever reason they've decided to make Roy almost thoroughly unambiguous, robbing him of a lot of flavor present in both the previous show and the manga... Anyway, my 2 cents, take it or leave it. |
||||
|
||||
|
CCSYueh
Posts: 2707 Location: San Diego, CA |
|
|||
Summer reruns? I really never saw the first series as everything everyone seems to make of it. It had its moments, but I never saw it as award-winning worthy. Lust & Gluttony never did much for me so the fact that everything from the end of the initial Greed storyline was more or less winged (some manga stuff made it in I suppose. I really don't remember it all that well). I do remember the last couple dvds sitting around forever as my daughter who HAD to have this series lost interest & I had way more to watch I found more interesting. The metal cases I have are cool enough but the set cost me too much for what it delivered. Hughes was pretty much a joke except for a couple important scenes. Armstrong also pretty much is a cardboard cut-out. So yeah, I look forward to Brotherhood on dvd someday. Maybe I'll even be caught up on everything by then. I do expect to enjoy it more than the first series if it follows the manga better. Right now I am trying to talk myself into finishing Saiunkoku, but I have this thing about character deaths so if I don't watch this particular disc, it hasn't happened yet...I've actually watched 4 series since finishing the first dvd. And I put off even starting because I knew someone's dying. (actually lots of people die, but not the one I bought the show for. Until this particular dvd. It's going to be so hard if Bleach kills Aizen & doesn't just wrap up. I'll have to quit it for a month). But I just didn't find anyone in FMA that compelling that their death would depress me so much I couldn't press on, even if it were the main characters. Maybe Roy. (Don't kill Roy) Even the funeral in the rain was rather dull because I didn't find the character being buried that compelling. The death was a bit of a shock because it seemed like an important character, but once dead, obviously the character wasn't that necessary to the plot past a certain point. Saiunkoku tells its tale better. 12 Kingdoms. Kikaider's ending was emotional for me. I've had friends who weren't into anime say they cried at Grave of the Fireflies. My daughter cried at Metropolis. I get more upset at Luffy beating up Zoro than anything in the FMA anime. |
||||
|
||||
 |
All times are GMT - 5 Hours |
|
|
|
Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group