Forum - View topicBest First Episode Tournament: Post-Mortem
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marie-antoinette
 Posts: 4136 Location: Ottawa, Canada |
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Group C-1
Voting for: Le Chevalier d’Eon If it wasn't for the issue of using stills that I mentioned earlier, I might have gone for Nodame here but I just found the anime lacking when it came to energy, I suppose. While I do recognize that drawing such things is difficult and expensive it definitely does take away from the experience of the moment. Unfortunately it really is impossible to separate it from the live action in my mind but there was nothing in the anime that really grabbed me and kept me watching, not in the first episode or in the ones to come afterwards. Group C-2 Voting for: Koi Kaze I've never seen this one (or Eva for that matter) but I've seen reviews of it and so I feel like I have a pretty good idea of what happens and how good it is. Add this to the fact that even die-hard Eva fans are voting for it instead and this decision was not too hard. Group C-3 Voting for: Cross Game This is another one that I know more of by reputation than anything else. And everything I know makes me want to watch this show. And I don't like sports anime. Or baseball. So yeah, it gets my vote. Group C-4 Voting for: Ga-Rei Zero I had strong feelings certain ways in the previous matches but not so much in this one. That was until I looked at the guide and the twist of Ga-Rei Zero won me over quite easily. So here I am, voting. Yay! |
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Aylinn
 Posts: 1684 |
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Group C-1
Le Chevalier d’Eon vs. Nodame Cantible Le Chevalier d’Eon has definitely an interesting beginning. It very quickly makes the viewer curious about certain things, but while it piqued my interest, Nodame has won my heart by the end of the first episode, so Nodame Cantible gets my vote. Group C-2 Neon Genesis Evangelion vs. Koi Kaze I have seen neither of these shows in entirety. However, Koi Kaze seems like a series I would be more inclined to like and watch at some point in time. Group C-3 Cross Game vs. Coyote Ragtime Show Cross Game - it has a strong emotional hook at the end of the episode, which makes it one of the most memorable first episodes. Group C-4 Ga-Rei Zero vs. Noein – to your other self Noein – to your other self shows intriguing promise. The concept is far more interesting than what Ga-Rei Zero offers and the execution is also far better done. Ga-Rei Zero, apart from the hook, shown nothing to compel my interest and attention. I saw this episode when Ga-Rei Zero came out. I have never watched any more than the first episode and I only started to vaguely remember that I have already watched it, when I was reading the guide and looked at the picture of Ga-Rei Zero that it is in the encyclopaedia, which means I can't have been impressed by it back then. |
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infiltration.cru
 Posts: 321 |
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I respect that some of you have a lack of time for watching every single episode but I really think that it should be compulsive to watch them if you are to pass a verdict. I feel that it's quite pointless to establish criteria for evaluating the contestants if all one does is to read the premise somewhere.
Example Ga-Rei Zero. If I would have read through the episode somewhere, my vote would have clearly been for this one. Instead, I found it didn't live up to the memory I had of it or the expectations. Aside from that, the fact that I watched quite a lot of episodes of shows I wouldn't have bothered with(in only the two tournament rounds I've taken part in so far) and thus have been introduced to series that really surprised me is a nice bonus that only a tournament about first episodes can have. |
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P€|\||§_|\/|ast@
 Posts: 3498 Location: IN your nightmares |
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Group C-1
Le Chevalier d’Eon vs. Nodame Cantible Nodame Cantible: Ah man can't get the thought of Nodame out of my head, in how she was introduced as a messy girl with poor hygiene, but that's what also makes her kind of lovable and unique. Yeah I totally fell for the odd couple charms in this series from the start. However it was hard to pick it over Le Chevalier d'Eon, which I just watched a bit ago. I was really interested in this show because of the gender bending aspect, but historical anime is not my thing. I want to see more but the first eppie didn't do it for me as much as Nodame. Group C-2 Neon Genesis Evangelion vs. Koi Kaze Neon Genesis Evangelion: The ultimate mecha show of its time that influenced and shaped a generation of anime that followed it. The first episode delivered on it's unexpected promise to go where no other animated series had ever gone before, while innocently presenting itself as a run-of-the-mill story of a boy and his unwanted and undeserved machine of mayhem. The key players here are introduced magnificently as well as you can portray children their age with a mix of naivety and cynicism that you might expect children of a New Age to possess. Confession: I still have not watched Koi Kaze, but seeing as I voted against both Bunny Drop and Cross Game, I might as well make it 3 for 3 against the drama half of noteworthy action vs. drama matchups. Group C-3 Cross Game vs. Coyote Ragtime Show Coyote Ragtime Show: A very action-packed episode that had a good amount of character development and mystery that compelled you to see what kind of story would develop. It kind of started in a way that a typical James Bond movie starts and I thought the animation quality was on par with many animation theatrical features. Cross Game never interested me in the slightest, but I haven't watched it yet. I will watch it to give it a fair shot, but I have very high reservations about CRS, which I very much enjoyed, and don't think the result is going to change my opinion. Group C-4 Ga-Rei Zero vs. Noein – to your other self Ga-Rei Zero: WTF did I just watch? So likespoiler[ everyone dies???] It's brilliant. Going into this it gave me a bit of nostalgia as I thought I was watching a lost episode of Bubblegum Crisis meets Blue Seed. Yeah I definitely want to see more of this, definitely gets my vote, and Noein doesn't which I watched several years ago and I thought was rather pretentious and corny and was quite disappointed with. Last edited by P€|\||§_|\/|ast@ on Mon Apr 30, 2012 8:52 pm; edited 3 times in total |
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Tris8
 Posts: 2114 Location: Where the rain is. |
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Group C-1
Le Chevalier d’Eon vs. Nodame Cantible Le Chevalier d'Eon is an easy win for me. It is a bit confusing, but that is part of why I like it. No sluggish pace for this series, it jumps in immediately to the thick of things. Plus, the episode ends with one of the most incredible image-line couplings I've ever seen/heard. I shall take my vengeance 
Group C-2 Neon Genesis Evangelion vs. Koi Kaze Several people have already said it here. NGE's first ep is good but mostly set up. There are only the beginnings of hints that it will be different. Koi Kaze presents the beginning of a controversial relationship in its first episode. What I love about this episode is how earnestly it depicts everything. Cherry blossoms blowing is a pretty typical trope used in anime, but when used in this first episode it is fresh and creates a memorable scene. Group C-3 Cross Game vs. Coyote Ragtime Show I haven't gotten around to watching Cross Game yet, but everything I've heard about it makes it get my vote. I have seen CRS, and it is a good first ep but Cross Game sounds great. Group C-4 Ga-Rei Zero vs. Noein – to your other self -Seen all of Noein and just the first episode of Ga-Rei: Zero I just watched the first episode of Ga-Rei: Zero and wow! That was great. Almost everything about it was right up my alley; the cool action, the awesome heart-pumping music that goes with the action, and the fast-paced way we are thrown into the story. The hook at the end was unexpected and of course interesting, but it actually makes me less interested in watching the rest. spoiler[All the people from that squad are dead. What deters me the most is that it goes from a cast of mature and fascinating characters, to a young girl in a school uniform as the main character. From different and unusual main characters, to the epitome of typical for a main character.] I'm definitely going to keep watching because the hook doesn't completely fail. It's gotten me very interested in why that happened. Also, I love how they didn't use an ending song for this first ep. Screen goes black, and all you hear is the sound of fire burning. Chilling. Now I just rewatched the first ep of Noein to see if it was as good as I remembered it. It was better. The intense battle with the men in black cloaks, the mystery of why they are after Haruka, and the intriguing way they seem able to fly and teleport immediately get my attention. And this series, like Ga-Rei also has a big hook at the end of its first episode. When one of the men in black cloaks, Karasu, reveals spoiler['I am Yuu'], it doesn't just shock Haruka and Yuu, but me as the viewer as well. This isn't the only grabbing thing he says either, and when coupled with his spoiler[I am Yuu] statement brings a plethora of interesting possibilities to the table. When he tells Yuu spoiler[it is impossible to protect Haruka, and then reveals that he himself is Yuu..... Is he from the future? When Karasu was a kid, did a different future version of Yuu come and take his Haruka away?] This has been the hardest match for me so far, and unexpectedly so. Noein wins by hair here, because its hook does a better job of building up the story instead of tearing it down. |
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Key
Moderator
 Posts: 18212 Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley) |
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I would point out that CG's concept didn't interest me in the slightest going into it, either. I fully expected to be bored to tears, but the tears in my eyes at the end weren't from boredom. Even if you don't end up rating it higher, I think you'll at least understand why CRS didn't have a chance here. |
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farichada
 Posts: 303 Location: Wisconsin, USA |
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Group C-1
Voting for: Le Chevalier d’Eon Nodame is the far better series, but the first episode of d'Eon is much more energetic and vivacious. Nodame charm really unlocks later on with the budding relationship and character development of the two leads kicks in. D'Eon's mystery, intrigue and plain weirdness also make it a more memorable first episode. Group C-2 Voting for: Koi Kaze Die-hard Eva fans voting for this would probably make Eva win this match on any forum, but ANN. Thankfully, it appears that voters are realizing that first episode of Koi Kaze is something special on a both emotional and thematic level. The feelings of uneasiness mixed with innocence mixed again with consequence and uncertainty make Koi Kaze's first episode very strong. Add on some outstanding writing and some original for anime standards male lead and you have something special even if this anime isn't going to appeal to a broad audience. They take a sensitive subject and approach it rationally and sympathetically. It's too bad the ending blew it for me, but that's a story for a another day. Group C-3 Voting for: Cross Game Cross Game's first episode certainly has sentiment down, and while other posters have said the quality of Ragtime is just plain ol' bad and show large warning signs of mediocrity even if the first episode was one of its shining moments. A shining moment is relative when the series as a whole is just one small step from a steaming pile of defecation in terms of quality. Group C-4 Voting for: Ga-Rei Zero Ga-Rei Zero throws you into the deep end fast with a whammy plot twist ending that make you scratch your head. Also the music really is memorable in GRZ and does much to make it even more adrenaline pumped and memorable almost as much as Noir. The nail in the coffin for Noien is the the hook at the end is so much stronger for GRZ. Noien is probably the better series, but the first episode has a much weaker impact than Gai-Rei Zero even if it isn't necessarily weak. It action just pales against the with full vengeance and pathos that GRZ has in aces. Add in some cool action, some themes that really appeal to me, and the subjective edge also goes to GRZ as well. Too bad GRZ falls flat later while Noien just steadily improves. |
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Key
Moderator
Posts: 18212 Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley) |
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While C-2 and C-3 are the complete blow-outs that I expected them to be, C-1 and C-4 are both very close. With about six hours left, every vote will matter in those two.
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A Mystery
 Posts: 1887 Location: Netherlands |
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Group C-1
Le Chevalier d’Eon vs. Nodame Cantible Voting for: Le Chevalier d'Eon Viewing history: Seen Nodame Cantabile lots of times before 
Le Chevalier d'Eon: It's difficult to compare these episodes, because they both excel in different qualities. The first episode of le Chevalier d'Eon delivers beautiful animation, action, plot and mystery. Nodame Cantabile: Nodame already wins the audience's hearts in the first episode and the comedy is golden. Chiaki might turn some people off with his attitude. It really is a pity that the animation isn't that good, most of the music performances have only small scenes where you can actually see the people play their instruments. Group C-2 Neon Genesis Evangelion vs. Koi Kaze EDIT: Voting for: Neon Genesis Evangelion Viewing history: Seen Koi Kaze. Neon Genesis Evangelion: Wow, again two entirely different episodes! Nice opening song. There's something very cliched about this episode: a young boy with no experience at all gets to pilot a big mecha-thing. What I liked was that his inner conflicts and emotions felt real and genuine. It's not like he just hops in and pilots the thing like it's nothing. We're not even shown if he can really do it. Koi Kaze: This one is definitely the more refined and deeper one of the two. But isn't this series trying to handle too much taboos? I mean, it's not only being brother and sister, but they're twelve years apart as well. The older brother sure looks like an old man, even for 27. The male collegue with his love for high school girls is a bit creepy. Group C-3 Cross Game vs. Coyote Ragtime Show Voting for: Cross Game Viewing history: Seen Cross Game before. Cross Game: Few first episodes have made me teary-eyed, but this is one of them. The characters already feel real and dimensional. The series shows that it's not just a sport show, it's a slice of life with some drama and comedy in it as well. The ending song is beautiful. My only complaint would be that I had trouble telling some characters apart the first time I watched this. Coyote Ragtime Show: Not bad. The Chelsea girl is kind of annoying, but at least she has a brain. The twelve sisters were weird as well. I don't know where the character development is, though Mister and Angelica seem like cool characters to me. The action was nice. I cannot really say that something really turned me off in this episode, but I didn't really like it either. Just not my thing I guess. (I'm not into James Bond films either )
Group C-4 Ga-Rei Zero vs. Noein – to your other self Voting for: Ga-Rei Zero Viewing history: Never seen either one. Ga-Rei Zero: Hahaha, whose idea was it to insert a giant dinosaur in the series? Bad taste. But, the animation, setting, action and music are awesome, the characters likable, there's already an evil villain in the dark with beautiful blue butterflies, an evil ex-girlfriend... WAIT! No! Why are the good guys being slaughtered?? This hooked me more than Noein. Noein - to your other self: Not much is explained - there are more questions than answers in the first episode. Haruka is a likable character and I feel bad for poor Yuu. How the friends at school storyline and weird alien bug/supernatural scenes connect together is still a mystery to me. I'm still interested, I guess that's the purpose of the episode. Last edited by A Mystery on Tue May 01, 2012 2:20 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Spastic Minnow
 Bargain HunterExempt from Grammar Rules  Posts: 4613 Location: Gainesville, FL |
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hmm... two James Bond references, but I think you're missing where the real inspiration is from...
See, they just gave Hannibal B.A.'s body and voila, Mister 
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shadow13
 Posts: 111 |
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Group C-1
Le Chevalier d’Eon vs. Nodame Cantible going by the descriptions Le chevalier for the win. It has a cool setting that blows Nodame Cantible out of the water. Nodame Cantible sounds like something that will put me to sleep Group C-2 Neon Genesis Evangelion vs. Koi Kaze Neon Genesis Evangelion, the first episode doesn't hold anything back, it introduces a good portion of the main characters as well as setting the scenario for the series. Plus plenty of action and a hanger that brings you back for the next ep. Group C-3 Cross Game vs. Coyote Ragtime Show Coyote Ragtime Show
Group C-4 Ga-Rei Zero vs. Noein – to your other self Tough call but Ga-Rei Zero grabs my attention more |
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A Mystery
Posts: 1887 Location: Netherlands |
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@ Spastic Minnow: Haha
. I also liked your summary of Noein's episode, it's EXACTLY what happened!
EDIT: Shadow13, I know it's hard to explain sometimes why you like one series more than another, but maybe you could try a little bit harder? |
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Errinundra
Moderator
 Posts: 6532 Location: Melbourne, Oz |
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@ A Mystery,
You haven't actually said who you're voting for in the NGE v KK match-up. It seems you prefer NGE but it isn't explicit. |
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Dorcas_Aurelia
 Posts: 5344 Location: Philly |
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Seen all but Nodame Cantible and Ga-Rei Zero before this week.
Group C-1 Le Chevalier d’Eon vs. Nodame Cantible Thoughts: I should have looked up the first episode of Nodame Cantible sooner, because just this weekend I started Kids on the Slope, and Nodame suffers greatly in comparison. The animation is limited, and Chiaki isn't particularly compelling. While his rather arrogant and condescending demeanor obviously will allow for considerable growth over the course of the series, it doesn't do anything for generating an early affection for the character and compel one to follow his actions. Nodame does leaven the mood quite a bit and breaks the dour atmosphere created by Chiaki, but she is a little too childish at times. Le Chevalier I recall buying based on the first episode alone. The grim atmosphere, and elements of mystery and horror quickly sucked me into the show (although I did often find the level detail in the background to exceed that on the characters, which I found a little off putting). Voting for: Le Chevalier d'Eon Group C-2 Neon Genesis Evangelion vs. Koi Kaze Thoughts: I've only seen NGE once many years ago, and I don't recall much about the first episode, but it was enjoyable enough. I have re-watched the first episode of Koi Kaze more recently, and I question whether the first episode even really ought to be in this tournament. The tone of the episode is just a slow introduction to the life of a guy with a dismal love life, and a weird connection he makes with a young girl, but it's not really that interesting. The episode relies on the twist at the end of the episode to actually hook the viewer, and pretty much no one who starts watching this show doesn't already know that twist. Voting for: Neon Genesis Evangelion Group C-3 Cross Game vs. Coyote Ragtime Show Thoughts: Coyote Ragtime Show spends its first half building up the reputation of its as yet unseen protagonist, then most of the second half unleashing a huge action scene involving a dozen characters that appeal to multiple (I want to use a different word) fetishes at once, before closing with the anti-hero demonstrating just how insanely cool he is by breaking out of prison despite a massive law enforcement presence and the twelve assassins looking specifically for him. It's pretty much exactly how an action series should start. Unfortunately, it's up against a show that has one of the most emotionally impactful first episodes, ever. Voting for: Cross Game Group C-4 Ga-Rei Zero vs. Noein - to your other self Thoughts: I recall Noein being very obtuse in its first episode. Ga-Rei Zero has a girl killing demons with her motorcycle. Also, that spoiler[the one who killed most of the team at the end of the episode seemed to have been familiar with at least Tooru] raises my curiosity about this series. Voting for: Ga-Rei Zero |
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P€|\||§_|\/|ast@
Posts: 3498 Location: IN your nightmares |
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