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Blood- wrote:

After reading Erin's review of Ristorante Paradiso, I have just this to say: if anybody ever wants to extract information from me, simply hook me up to one of those Clockwork Orange gizmos that doesn't let a person close their eyelids and force me to watch any given 10 minute stretch of Ristorante Paradiso. I guarantee I will sing like a canary.

*shudders*

Definitely three no-shows this week for me.

A Poor Paraphraser wrote:

Durarara!! is by the same author and shares many traits of Baccano!

Great!

A Poor Paraphraser wrote:

Durarara!! is a lot like Paranoia Agent

*drat*drat*drat* Why must it be the show that seemed to have so much potential, but just couldn't turn the corner and be interesting to me?

I personally cannot believe that "stream-worthy" has been added to Shelf Life. The anime industry already has few enough people actually buying anime because of downloading and streaming and now even ANN is pretty much advertising streaming of even more anime! I find it bad enough that most anime is being streamed on almost any anime website and now anime is being rated as only "stream-worthy" this is just going to lead to the further downfall of the anime industry...

erinfinnegan wrote:

Honestly, the guys in Ristorante Paradiso are a tad old for my tastes.

That's the idea, though. Older guys (with glasses). Personally I thought that aspect was hilarious. I also thought it was extremely refreshing to have a show about adults.

Regarding Durarara: this is far and away my fave of the season. Of course there is very little serious competition. Crying or Very sad

mightymightchell wrote:

I personally cannot believe that "stream-worthy" has been added to Shelf Life. The anime industry already has few enough people actually buying anime because of downloading and streaming and now even ANN is pretty much advertising streaming of even more anime! I find it bad enough that most anime is being streamed on almost any anime website and now anime is being rated as only "stream-worthy" this is just going to lead to the further downfall of the anime industry...

Maybe you haven't noticed, but the Stream Worthy material reviewed are from Crunchyroll or Hulu aka the legal and professionally sponsored streams. So this is actually helping the anime industry.

wandering-dreamer wrote:

vashfanatic wrote:

I'd thought it was only 12.

Yup, confirmed in multiple places (like the DVD count and the broadcasting) that this is a rare BB 2 cour show. And, from what the novel fans have said, it sounds like the first three novels tell one complete story and the VAs have said that episode 12 is the one to look out for.
I'm loving Durarara so far, I have read some spoilers (seriously, it's impossible not to) so it's easier to see the connections, but I can't wait to see it all come together.

Awesome! And that would make sense, it has had a much more leisurely pace than Baccano! And yes, I too have had boucoup spoilers. If you don't want to be spoiled then do not read the manga where it has been posted online, or be stupid like me and look at a fanart site. I now know what happened to Harima Mika and who the slasher is.

egoist wrote:

I'm surprised you can use CR in its HD form. It's been so sluggish lately, and I sincerely can't handle any lag. I usually watch in 480p, just to avoid that grating situation. If it really is a burden I'd rather wait and watch for free.

I'll agree that it has been pretty slow loading, but I'm used to doing that with HD. Once it's buffered enough it plays fine; I just check my email and read a few favorite blogs while I'm waiting. I've enjoyed being able to leave comments and ratings, but yes, I don't think I'll be able to watch the second half in that format.

mightymightchell wrote:

I personally cannot believe that "stream-worthy" has been added to Shelf Life. The anime industry already has few enough people actually buying anime because of downloading and streaming and now even ANN is pretty much advertising streaming of even more anime! I find it bad enough that most anime is being streamed on almost any anime website and now anime is being rated as only "stream-worthy" this is just going to lead to the further downfall of the anime industry...

It's true that you don't want streaming to replace DVD purchases - but I can't really see that happening. For starters, it's much more pleasant to watch things on television and to not have to wait for them to load. You also don't get decent video quality unless you're willing to fork over some cash, part of which goes back to Japanese companies. No, what streaming should hopefully replace are the fansubs we watched to preview anime before we buy it. I have yet, unfortunately, to watch an entire series streamed that I think I'd like to buy, but it did save me from the foolish decision of purchasing Romeo x Juliet based on positive reviews; I found it boring and cliched, without any real chemistry between the main couple. That's money I saved to buy something else I'd rather like, and presumably the advertising gave a little something back in the meanwhile. Streaming isn't a perfect system yet, but I'm convinced in the long run it could help the industry if it can work out a way to be profitable.

Durarara- yes! I'm only 2 episodes in, but I'm so up to take the ride on this series. I have minor quibbles about it (a huge cast, again?) but I liked episode 1, and episode 2 took a tone I wasn't expecting it to.

Erin wrote:

I hate over-reliance on flashbacks. It's not strong narrative structure.

As you might remember, I loved Baccano!.

*bangs head on desk.
Young lady, sometimes you confuse me to no end. I'm at a complete loss on how these two statements don't relate to each other, especially given Baccano was nothing but flashback episodes given the story is told through the vice president (whose name escapes me) and Carol.

Just to note, I'm not criticizing here. Just pointing out an observation which makes it difficult to relate to your comments on Ristorante Paradiso.

In all honesty, having read the commentary three times, I still can't tell if you liked it or not.

If its only (real) fault is the flashback delivery, I may just check this one out simply because it's slice of life, my favorite genre.

Please finish Aria (two episodes a day if need be). Season 3's about to be released (Mar 2) and I've a feeling you'll be writing commentary on it when Zac sends it to you.
Razz

mightymightchell wrote:

The anime industry already has few enough people actually buying anime because of downloading and streaming and now even ANN is pretty much advertising streaming of even more anime!

This is called market change, and if streaming wasn't available, there's no guarantee people would buy the DVD anyway. Also note, Ristorante Paradiso has no DVD to buy at this time.

Quote:

I find it bad enough that most anime is being streamed on almost any anime website and now anime is being rated as only "stream-worthy" this is just going to lead to the further downfall of the anime industry...

ANN doesn't link to fansub sites, ever. As pointed out already, streaming links through a review are by appropriate channels, not illegal ones.

More importantly, streaming isn't going to be the downfall of anime. You should be aware anime merchandising has always been the financier of anime, not DVD sales. Granted, there is some revenue there, but it's pale in comparison.

Anime isn't going anywhere for quite some time, though it is possible some businesses may fail due to a changing market.

By the way, I heartily disagree with the Paranoia Agent - Durarara!! comparisons. PA is an unmitigated masterpiece imo, whereas Durarara!! is a somewhat amusing piece of eye candy. Even for those who don't agree with my opinion, be warned that liking one by no means is a guarantee that you will like the other. The shows are not really alike in content, intention, structure, theme, animation, etc so I really have a hard time understanding the connection.

maxxjulie wrote:

Erin's reviews aren't anything to go by. I remember reading her top 5 favorite things in Otaku USA one time and there was maybe one thing that wasn't in French and/or extremely obscure. i mean like three people in America would know what they were. based on reading her stuff and hearing her podcast, i get the impression she's pompous and high brow. i used to like her podcast years back, but it eventually got insufferable.

Because God forbid they actually enjoy those titles. Not everyone that lists "obscure" things is trying to be trendy. This anti-intellectual attitude that relegates you to a pretentious snob for enjoying anything non-mainstream is what is really insufferable.

Durararararararararararara is far from the only good show this season guys, come on. Bakatesto is easily the funniest show that's come out in a long while, and Dance in the vampire loli is really awesome too. Depending on if you like moe, Sora no woto is up there as well.

Throw in some shows that are at least worth watching too- Hanamaru, Ookikamakushi, Cobra, Oomori Himari (if you're into eechi)- and this season is actually really good.

PetrifiedJello wrote:

Erin wrote:

I hate over-reliance on flashbacks. It's not strong narrative structure.

As you might remember, I loved Baccano!.

*bangs head on desk.
Young lady, sometimes you confuse me to no end. I'm at a complete loss on how these two statements don't relate to each other, especially given Baccano was nothing but flashback episodes given the story is told through the vice president (whose name escapes me) and Carol.

No it wasn't, they were just used to introduce the story. The show may begin with the ending, but after it gets that out of the way, each individual arc runs straight through, with the exception of the Advena Avis episode and the reveal of where the Rail Tracer came from.

Quark wrote:

A young woman in her 20's can date anyone, so long as it's legal. There's nothing creepy about a young woman having an interest in older men.

Er, so suffice it to say, I really want to watch Ristorante Paradiso.

This. I can understand that it's not to people's tastes, but creepy?! Shocked

I can recommend this anime to anyone who likes slice of life sprinkled with a bit of romance which is not about High School kids for once. And no, you don't need an old guys with glasses fetish to enjoy it...

Dorcas_Aurelia wrote:

No it wasn't, they were just used to introduce the story.

And to summarize the delivery, which ended the series.
spoiler[I don't know about you, but I had watched with an expectation the stories would meet, then continue onward. The "story never ends" conversation helped reduce this loss of expectation as I saw it.]

Quote:

The show may begin with the ending, but after it gets that out of the way, each individual arc runs straight through...

What DVD do you have that enabled this? My version kept leaping between years, which is a flashback to me.

Blood- wrote:

By the way, I heartily disagree with the Paranoia Agent - Durarara!! comparisons. (...) The shows are not really alike in content, intention, structure, theme, animation, etc so I really have a hard time understanding the connection.

I think the analogy was intended for the structural format of having each episode focus on a different character and their relation to a mysterious and not-yet-explained series of events in the background, rather than following a progressive unfolding of a chronological plot in which the characters participate. Or, to put it another way, rather than telling a single story with many characters, it tells individual stories of specific characters that fit into an unstated "meta-story" in which all the individual stories participate that's only being revealed by piece by piece.

Thus I do think that, so far at least, there is similarity in their storytelling structure. Not much else is the same, I'd agree, but it does have the same character-focused-and-not-story-focused style.

I see what you mean, vashfanatic. I guess for me, L'il Slugger was the throughline for all the PA episodes so it made the series seem more tightly knit than Durarara!! seems so far. I guess you can argue that Ikebukuro is Durarara!!'s throughline but it is a static element compared to the spoiler[concept of Lil Slugger which changed (evolved) over time.] Still, other than the fact that they don't use conventional narrative engines, I don't find much common ground between the two series, ergo my warning to those who haven't seen both that liking one would not be a reliable guide for how much you may or may not like the other.

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