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Shelf Life - Basketball Diaries


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whoisfriend



Joined: 06 Oct 2006
Posts: 369
PostPosted: Sun Jun 17, 2012 11:23 pm Reply with quote
Quote:
Seeing the series first didn't help me understand the book either, and vise versa.


I disagree. I found that Boogiepop Phantom made LOADS more sense once I had read the LN. spoiler[The whole fact that the Phantom exists is because of the fallout of the pillar of light incident at the end of Boogiepop and Others.] Once you really understand the events of the novel, it's almost scary how much sense the anime makes.
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RyanSaotome



Joined: 29 Mar 2011
Posts: 4210
Location: Towson, Maryland
PostPosted: Sun Jun 17, 2012 11:33 pm Reply with quote
In theory, if Kuroko's Basketball continues to 50 episodes, then the not-so-great beginning will be only 16% of an overall good show.

Just wanna say its been confirmed at 25 episodes.

Also really happy to see the shelves at the end having Fate/Kaleid Liner Prisma Ilya. I can't wait for that anime to start.
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superdry



Joined: 07 Jan 2012
Posts: 1309
PostPosted: Mon Jun 18, 2012 12:19 am Reply with quote
Seeing Eugen's shelves makes me think that I should do the same thing some at least some of my manga and artbooks - bag'em.

I do have say that is some good stuff on the shelf.
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configspace



Joined: 16 Aug 2008
Posts: 3717
PostPosted: Mon Jun 18, 2012 12:24 am Reply with quote
I just started watching, but man that flushable rating for Kuroko's Basketball is rough.

I like it, despite it combining shounen tropes. That doesn't mean it's not exciting. I'd agree that at least early on, it's about how they win. Not sure about later, especially if it's at 25 eps. I'm sure they'll have to face more challenges.


Quote:
I am extremely sad about the left side of my top shelf, as those three series (Future Diary, Kannagi and Seikon no Qwaser) are now discontinued.

I didn't know Seikon no Qwaser was licensed. I'm surprised it made it over here. I see one volume on the shelf. Was that the only one?


Last edited by configspace on Mon Jun 18, 2012 1:12 am; edited 1 time in total
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Stark700



Joined: 30 Jan 2012
Posts: 11762
Location: Earth
PostPosted: Mon Jun 18, 2012 12:25 am Reply with quote
Although I haven't started watching Kuroko's Basketball yet, my interests are a bit high atm.

Anyways, loved those Madoka goodies, Rosario + Vampire and Vampire in the Bund manga, and some of Clamp's works. Overall, nice shelf Smile
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Key
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Joined: 03 Nov 2003
Posts: 18180
Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley)
PostPosted: Mon Jun 18, 2012 1:35 am Reply with quote
With the Boogiepop franchise, it's first every important to understand that the first novel is essentially a prequel to the anime rather than a source material. Both occasionally reference the same events, which creates some weird overlaps, and there are a couple of common scenes, but that's it.

I also highly recommend keeping a score card; the series makes a whole lot more sense when you can keep track of who's who. The bottom of this old review that I did for my own site has a fairly comprehensive (albeit also somewhat spoiler-laden) guide that I made a few years ago.

Ultimately watching Boogiepop Phantom is like putting a puzzle together, but it's definitely worth the effort.
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belvadeer





PostPosted: Mon Jun 18, 2012 1:52 am Reply with quote
Quote:
I got my money's worth out of the final fight scene, which features a huge demon straight out of “Night on Bald Mountain” from Fantasia as Unico and pals run through a forest fire lifted from Bambi. The forest floor crumbling into lava raises the stakes higher than I thought was possible in an almost-musical about a cute baby unicorn.


The demon in Unico is pretty awesome in design from what I've seen of him (he's a dead ringer for the Nightmare King in Little Nemo). The ensuing spoiler[chase through the forest where the trees turn into dragons] is pretty neat too. Anyone know who the dub actors are for this movie by the way?

I have to echo Eugen's sentiments. I truly hate it when some series get cut short, especially close to their final volumes. Beyond the Beyond and Brave Story are two series that I will never see the endings to. Anime cry
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Sailor S





PostPosted: Mon Jun 18, 2012 2:15 am Reply with quote
configspace wrote:

I didn't know Seikon no Qwaser was licensed. I'm surprised it made it over here. I see one volume on the shelf. Was that the only one?


Two volumes made it out before Tokyopop shuttered. We were just getting some Katja goodness and then we get cut off Sad

I just don't think bagging my manga collection would be very practical. It would be a bit of an added expense too, since my collection is just about 2000 manga strong right now. Besides, they're not getting exposed that much, so I don't see it as being necessary.

Not much of interest to me in the critiques this week, but looking forward to Erin's opinion on the last segment of Madoka next week.
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eyeresist



Joined: 02 Apr 2007
Posts: 995
Location: a 320x240 resolution igloo (Sydney)
PostPosted: Mon Jun 18, 2012 2:35 am Reply with quote
Good column this week - I laughed out loud a couple of times.

Being a big fan of Boogiepop Phantom, I have to insert some comments.

1. I appreciate that you're trying to get this show more mainstream exposure, but I think BP is grim (that's why I like it!), though rarely actually scary. It gave me the impression that being a teenager in Japan must be a relentlessly depressing experience.

2. I found the novel did clarify the background of the show, i.e. the event that triggers the action of the series but is never directly shown. I read the first two books of the series, but find the TV show much stronger in drama and atmosphere. Another way to get the background info is the live-action movie (RightStuf had a boxset that included the anime and the movie).

3. The show is visually very dark, and this was an issue on original American release, so that the final volume was issued with the image brightened. The problem was that people are used to watching in well-lit rooms, which means the shadow detail is obscured. Ideally this show is watched in the dark.

4. The show can be confusing, as has been said, and I think the best thing is to watch it in only one or two sessions. The English audio commentary is interesting, but you should bear in mind that their view of the themes of the show is only an opinion, and shouldn't be taken as gospel.

There aren't many real horror animes out there (for me, demons and exploding heads aren't horror, just fanservice), so this classic is one that fans should definitely check out. (If you dug When They Cry, you should like this.)
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Nagisa
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Joined: 19 Aug 2003
Posts: 6128
Location: Atlanta-ish, Jawjuh
PostPosted: Mon Jun 18, 2012 3:42 am Reply with quote
Key wrote:
With the Boogiepop franchise, it's first every important to understand that the first novel is essentially a prequel to the anime rather than a source material. Both occasionally reference the same events, which creates some weird overlaps, and there are a couple of common scenes, but that's it.


It's also worth noting that Boogiepop Phantom also pulls a lot from the sixth novel, Boogiepop at Dawn (which was also the fourth and final novel Seven Seas released before inserting knife into back and cancelling the series in a move I'm still bitter about, so it's available in English). Chiefly, a lot of the material in the series surrounding the franchise's secondary protagonists, Nagi Kirima & Kazuko Suema, is derived from events featured in At Dawn (spoiler[the main antagonist from the novel, Dr. Kisugi, is directly responsible for a lot of the mutations seen in several episodes' featured teenagers for reasons explained in the novel, and was also the serial killer that stalked Suema, for example]). If Boogiepop and Others leaves some lingering questions, it might be well worth it to pick up Boogiepop at Dawn. Not to mention the fact that it's a damn good read all on its own.

I was surprised to see Boogiepop Phantom appear in this week's Shelf Life, and pleased to see that it both was licensed-rescued and received the praise it completely deserves. It's mandatory viewing for any anime fan who appreciates a little meat on their plot-bones and some well-constructed, moody atmosphere.
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Sakurazuka_Reika



Joined: 19 May 2009
Posts: 527
PostPosted: Mon Jun 18, 2012 4:27 am Reply with quote
This comment has nothing to do with the article per se, rather it is about the submitted photos at the end.

What the? I can understand putting them in a bag so they will not be damaged (granted I do not do that), but never reading them? Seriously? I just feel sad for the books now. It's like having a smart boyfriend/girlfriend but you do not want them to speak as long as they look pretty standing beside you. Books are meant to be read, that's their thing! And you cannot say that you do not want to read them in order not to crease them. I read my manga over and over and they never even crease at the spine, not even the chunky, 4 in 1 omnibuses.

Seriously, if you've never curled up in your bed or sofa with a nice manga to read, you're missing out on what I can see is a wonderful collection (The only thing we have in common are the CLAMP series, though I've heard good things about the others as well.)

Sorry about the rant. I get emotional over books.

*Faraway voice from the internet: Gee, you don't say.*
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bglassbrook



Joined: 29 Aug 2006
Posts: 1243
Location: Gaithersburg, MD
PostPosted: Mon Jun 18, 2012 5:27 am Reply with quote
Sakurazuka_Reika wrote:
I can understand putting them in a bag so they will not be damaged (granted I do not do that), but never reading them?

To be fair, Eugen says they have not been opened, and that is because s/he has already read them. It was the same way with the anime I had already watched OnDemand or on linear TV. Until you want to re-experience the content, why risk exposing it to the outside by unsealing the package?

It would be nice if the first, second, and sixth pictures were rotated clockwise to the correct orientation though, as I was scratching my head for a few minutes trying to figure out how the books in the 6th were staying up (until finally moving on and seeing the wide-shot at the end.)
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pachy_boy



Joined: 09 Mar 2006
Posts: 1323
PostPosted: Mon Jun 18, 2012 6:14 am Reply with quote
Quote:
I reviewed the book Boogiepop and Others back in 2007, although I couldn't make heads or tails of it. Seeing the series first didn't help me understand the book either, and vise versa.

Doesn't this release of Boogiepop Phantom include the live-action film version of Boogiepop and Others? I thought it clarified a lot of things, particularly about Boogiepop's and Nagi's character. The light novel, Boogiepop at Dawn, that's the one that really sheds perspective light on the characters and events that lead to the anime series and helps keep viewers from being so much in the dark at the start. After learning Nagi's background, I understood and cared that much more about her as a character.

And I've watched the series enough times that I now more or less understand what happened and what everything was about, which is more than I can say for Lain (as much as I love that show regardless). Boogiepop Phantom is still very much an atmospheric classic, and I'm glad to have gotten the thinpak artbox set for this series (which does include the movie), which are far nicer-looking and more worth having than their economical single-case releases.
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Gasero



Joined: 24 Jul 2009
Posts: 939
Location: USA
PostPosted: Mon Jun 18, 2012 8:10 am Reply with quote
Has there ever been a time when a manga collection was actually worth a substantial amount?

I can understand wanting to preserve some books, but if you are going to buy to collect them you might be better off just storing them away instead individually wrapping them in plastic and putting them on a shelf.
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Mohawk52



Joined: 16 Oct 2003
Posts: 8202
Location: England, UK
PostPosted: Mon Jun 18, 2012 8:10 am Reply with quote
Boogiepop; By the time I got to see it back in '03 there were no novels available, not that I knew of, therefore I found it more confusing than scary. Some here have slagged SE Lain as being not as good, but at least Lain has a plot flow that one could follow from beginning to end. BP was just all over the shop and eventually I wondered what all the fuss was about and lost interest. BTW power lines in themselves don't hum, transformers hum. If a line is humming it's got a ground leak close by and will eventually burn open, and that would be more of a sizzle. That always annoyed me in SE Lain, and BP was no exception, especially when there was humming sound on a shot of suspended telephone, and CTV cables. I guess the producers didn't think the intended audience would know the difference, or care.
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