Forum - View topicThe Stream - These Girls Can Jump Rope Too, Can't They?!
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Tanteikingdomkey
 Posts: 2346 |
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When I said season I meant winter season As long as space brothers corrects itself I will be happy. the show has always been interesting and unique in it's character study if it regains it's steam I will happily continue to watch it. |
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rheiders
 Posts: 1137 Location: Colorful Colorado :) |
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I think I kind of unintentionally dropped Maoyuu at some point. I just wasn't looking forward to new episodes coming out. Sounds like I'm not missing much. Meanwhile, I do need to actually sit down and watch Psycho-Pass now that it's over and I know it ended alright.
What I did end up watching: Chihayafuru 2: Agree with everything Bamboo said. I tear up pretty much every episode. This is such a fantastic series and has been the highlight of this (IMO pretty weak) season for me. I liked that Desktomu got some focus last week; I like him a lot. 
Zetsuen no Tempest: It's rocketing towards an explosive finale, that's for sure. Whatever happens, I can't wait. Every time I think this series is running out of steam, it pulls out another well-executed twist or smart character moment and I fall in love again. The flashback episodes with Aika were some of the best in the series. Magi: I haven't been this into a shounen series since I started reading HxH however many years ago. It's a combination of all my favorite shounen elements, so I can't help but love it xD It makes me feel like a kid watching Saturday morning cartoons again! The animation has been kinda crap for the past couple episodes (though Morgiana's scenes while they were in Zagan's dungeon were fairly well-done), but I'm still hooked. Manga readers tell me it's veering pretty heavily from the source material right now which could either be a good thing or a bad thing, but so far I'm following it just fine. We'll see. Either way, I'll probably pick up the manga after the anime finishes, especially now that Viz has licensed it. The Unlimited: Kind of a bummer that Bamboo didn't follow it, since it's a pretty solid action series. If it weren't for the "COURTESY OF ZETTAI KAREN CHILDREN" plastered all over the title card, I don't know if I would have even registered that this was a spin-off. Overall, it was some good, dumb fun and I enjoyed every minute of it, though I doubt I'd watch it again. The characters were likable and the action (except in episode 11--what happened!?) was good. I think I might be intrigued enough to give Zettai Karen Children a shot now. I rated it decent, but it's straddling the line between decent and good. Hearing people talk about Amnesia makes me so happy I quit xD It's so bad it's hilarious. Of course, I can only call it "hilarious" from an outside perspective, since actually watching an episode is about as fun as shoving scissors in your eyes. |
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jymmy
 Posts: 1244 |
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Did you watch the episode where she got locked in a cage? That was hilarious. It crossed the line from terminally dull, kinda dumb and irritating to flat-out insane - and yet kept it in the same tone. It's not often you see something so-bad-it's-good that's low-key, it made it interesting. |
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kgw
 Posts: 1075 Location: Spain, EU |
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My point, exactly. I cannot care for a story which do not care for their characters, or that ignore them in order to build a nice fictionalized war*, i.e. As for the speech, well, i didn't reach me too. Not only I find the exchange "you're a heretic!" vs "I am a human" illogical (someone might have said "Yeah, you're a human, but a heretic one, so you can die anyway"), but "Inquisitor" gave "Elder Sister Maid" time enough so she could give her long, long speech, unmolested. Why? Because the script said so. About its consequences, well, the war between Center vs. South starts because they blocked food exports from South, so the speech had not many things to do. * usually unexpected surprise attacks do not meet trenched troops waiting for them in a favorable terrain, just saying. |
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hauken
Posts: 1 |
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Mkay, bamboo dog, seriously what the fudge? I mean, why the fudge are you even doing reviews?
To be honest, [insult removed]? During the winter season I believe that Maoyu has been the one anime that varies things the most, and you got the balls to say: "but after watching the same old stuff every single week..." Hey they even twisted the plot several times in ways no one expected. So do me a favor and shut up?
I mean seriously? Like why the f*** are you writing this review? I mean, I finally find a female character that actually acts the part of being knowledgeable, instead of the typical "I know everything"-Klutzes who doesn't. To be honest this is the anime I've been the most excited for for quite a while, since the characters actually have personalities that resemble a human being's. If you don't wish to learn new stuff, go lock yourself in a room or something, because learning new things is part of being human, or rather the will to learn is part of being human. Also if you're having a hard time watching it because you're [insult removed], don't let it get out of hand because YOU can't understand it. It doesn't mean you have to badmouth it in such a manner that other people will avoid the series as well. [Mod Edit: Conduct yourself in a civil fashion or just don't bother posting. You can disagree all you like, but you are expected to be respectful towards others as the forum rules specifically state. - Keonyn] |
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ChibiKangaroo
 Posts: 2941 |
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I take it this guy must be some kind of raging Maoyu fanboy or something... but still, wow... What is with all the extreme rhetoric? Do you really think that makes you look good?
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ANN_Bamboo
ANN Contributor
 Posts: 3904 Location: CO |
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My apologies; I didn't realize that not everyone already had exposure to some of the subjects being taught in Maoyu. If this is the first time you're learning about basic economics, European history, and agricultural farming techniques, you gotta buckle down and finish high school. It'll be over before you know it! Ganbatte! |
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Megiddo
 Posts: 8360 Location: IL |
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Not to mention that guy should definitely watch/read some Spice and Wolf if he wanted to see a similar concept executed quite well.
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tuxedocat
 Posts: 2183 |
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hmmm, .... compensating for something, .... er, .... small-ish in your RL? heh heh.
Nothing new here, little boy. Learned all that stuff in college. Some of us don't need to watch boring anime characters re-hash all that 101 level stuff. It is why I dropped Maoyu after 4 episodes. Surprised that so many people are still going on about it on this thread. oh, wait. Learning stuff. yeah, right. 
He obviously likes fudge. 
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nightjuan
 Posts: 1473 |
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See, while I absolutely agree that hauken here is either trolling or simply making an ass out of him/herself...I also disagree with Bamboo's assessment about Maoyu, more or less. Basically for two reasons:
One, because I think the show has in fact been trying to go in different directions lately and not exactly repeating what came before. The initial formula was definitely starting to grow old by episodes 6 or 7, among other issues, but after that point I think they did add some variety to the proceedings with the last couple of shifts and turns. Two, because the show is right about to end and I don't think there needs to be any sort of additional reinvention under those circumstances. They will simply wrap up the current conflict and finish. At the same time, I will acknowledge that the series has been somewhat disappointing as a whole. The characters could have used more characterization and development, to say the least, and the pacing has proven to be particularly inconsistent. I haven't read the original work, but I do get the feeling they're rushing through the source material out of obligation or necessity. The animation has also taken a dive at certain points. That's not enough to drop the series to the bottom of the list, in my opinion, but surely enough to make the show less than what it had the potential to be on paper. Which is a shame, since the main anime staff was in fact responsible for adapting Spice and Wolf too, but that never came across as being in such a hurry (not that having a far more dynamic couple didn't make a huge difference, of course, but I digress). |
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zensunni
 Posts: 1294 |
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But that is not all that Elder Sister Maid has become. In addition to being trained in "the way of the maid", she has been taught, by Maoyu, to read, write, figure, and, to a large extent, think like a scholar. Her training was so successful that Maoyu trusted her to act in her stead both privately and publicly while she was gone. She was basically told that she was to run the household and, if need be, pretend to be Maoyu if needed. That is far more responsibility and respect than any maid would be given.
I also seriously doubt that the Elder sister maid intended to incite a movement, but that doesn't mean that it didn't result in one. Intention doesn't discount it as character growth or decrease the importance of the actions. To a large extent, the path the story has taken since Maoyu had to go fight her own demons, literally, refreshed the story quite a bit. It was no longer the "master plan" of the strategist, but the people trained by that strategist using their own skills and knowledge to shape the world they will be living in as a result of their actions. This has lead to things that would not have happened if Maoyu was in charge, as mentioned by the Young Merchant. I found it a very nice twist to the story.
I have read a bit of the source material and the anime is doing the parts I have read just fine. The original light novels/online novels were written in "play form". In other words, they are entirely dialog with minimal setting notes and practically zero descriptive text. Therefore, all of the information had to be transmitted through the dialog, which leads to a rather long-winded/preachy style of speech. Given the number of novels in the series, 5 main novels with three side stories about the Mage, Archer, and Knight, I doubt that they skipped much. Of course, I am at the mercy of translators for reading the rest, so I may never know... |
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Mad_Scientist
 SubscriberModerator  Posts: 3011 |
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@ANN_Bamboo
Apologies for the late replay, but better late than never I suppose. zensunni made some good points I agree with, but I'd like to elaborate more on why I liked the last few episodes of Maoyu so much. I actually had a much harsher view on the middle episodes than you did. While interesting in some ways, I felt that the character growth was stagnating a bit. The timeline was also a bit wonky, with large jumps in time occurring without a clear indication, and this just made the character development worse when one considered just how little the relationships and stuff had developed when so much time had gone by. But things started to change a bit these last episodes. We've already talked a bit about Elder Sister Maid, and I'll talk about her a little more in a bit, but I also thought the scene with Female Knight pledging herself to Hero was really nicely done. And it finally resolved, at least a bit, the sort of love triangle that was going on, with her acknowledging that she can't have the Hero in the way she wanted. Also, though it was fairly minor, even the scene with Hero taking Young Merchant to the demon realm was nice, as Hero showed a bit more initiative than he'd been showing lately, as well as a bit of playfulness. Speaking of Hero showing initiative, that brings up what I think is one of the biggest reasons why I thought these episodes were stronger: the absence of the Demon King. Not that I have anything against her, but she was too big a force I think. She was dominating everything, making every decision, and every time there was an issue it was all "well, let's use this new crop called potatoes, or sell my new compass, or use some other invention of mine." But suddenly, the other characters were forced to go on with out her, make their own decisions, and deal with problems that can't be swept away by a nifty invention. (Though the printing press did help them spread their ideals, it didn't stop the war). The other characters finally had a chance to shine. Which brings me back to Elder Sister Maid again. Suddenly, she has to pretend to be the Crimson Scholar, which as zensuni commented on is a huge responsibility given how important a figure the Crimson Scholar. Also, for a character like Elder Sister Maid, who had issues with her self worth, to be given such a big responsibility and trust had quite an impact on her. She had been questioning her value as a human, whether she was truly human, since she was introduced in episode 2, and that story arc finally came to a head with her speech in episode 9. Another reason why I liked these episodes better is because of the focus on religion. To me, it didn't feel like just the same as before, but with faith instead of crops.To me, it felt better handled and also more personal. Personal because I am a Christian, so some of the things that were done by the Catholic Church in the name of God causes me a special kind of horror. Even today, though things like the Inquisition may be over, the stuff done by plenty of "Christians" feel me with shame. And so, even a fairly minor scene in episode 9 where Female Knight rebukes the Messenger from the Church, and says that as a follower of the Light Spirit she's ashamed by his actions, resonated with me a lot more than new ways of crop rotating. Sure, crop rotating is kind of interesting, but horror at the things done in the name of a religion that I myself follow isn't some abstract thing to me, it's part of my daily life. Now, I don't think these episodes were perfect, of course. The whole wheat price manipulation was honestly a bit hard for me to follow, and it also brought back the old issue of large amounts of time passing without it being clear. But small missteps aside, I thought these episodes were a substantial improvement from what came before, and that the show was finally (almost) living up to the potential it showed in that first episode. As a side note, try not to let posts like hauken's (and some of the others earlier in this thread) bother you. Not all of us who disagree with you think you're an idiot because of it. I certainly don't. |
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ANN_Bamboo
ANN Contributor
Posts: 3904 Location: CO |
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Thank you both for your thoughtful replies. They were very thought-provoking, and I do see your point.
I'm a little surprised Maoyu is only 12 episodes (unless it's being extended, and I'm not aware of it?). If it ends here, I'll be a little disappointed, because I think there's a lot of material worth exploring, and not enough time. Unlike Mad_Scientist, I actually really liked the Crimson Scholar episodes, and found the series to be less engaging when she wasn't around. I find the fantastical notion that innovation was planted by one person to be really fascinating. Not only do I think Crimson Scholar herself is a wonderful heroine, but I enjoyed the manipulation behind her actions-- like watching a chess master orchestrate a victory on a large-scale. Maybe that's why I was dismissive of Elder Sister Maid. Between CS's intentional actions versus ESM's accidental actions, I may have put more weight towards the former, but I agree that CS's trust in ESM to serve in her stead was a major development, and regardless, you're right, in that ESM's emotions were significant and real. Mad_Scientist, your comments regarding religion and the portrayal of religion in Maoyu are also interesting. Personally, I was not raised religious, and as such, probably view many aspects of organized religion with more hostility than you. I think that fed into my weariness of seeing Central Church split into Church of the Light Spirit. Although I see the historic parallels, the... I guess...skeptical? cynical? side of me sees this as a bandaid on a larger social wound, that has the potential to grow into a different species of monster. However, I think the great thing about works like Maoyu that dare to go beyond just, "Here's a guy killing a demon" or "Here's a guy going to the beach with some chicks" is that it tends to invoke more/stronger emotions or opinions than your standard, run-of-the-mill, pattern-of-the-day show. Good chat, y'all. I've enjoyed hearing everyone's thoughts on this, regardless of where your opinion falls on this show. |
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