Forum - View topicShelf Life - Miracle
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Baltimoron
 Posts: 43 Location: Charm City |
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You are trying to sound like a prick. Otherwise, you would have worded your post differently. Anyway, the contrasting reviews would only be unprofessional or problematic if both were presented as the official opinion of ANN and the writers were not credited with bylines. That is not the case with either review. They are the opinions of the individual writers as presented by ANN. --- I demand more pictures of puppies in future "Shelf Obsessed" features. |
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configspace
Posts: 3717 |
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... but that's like someone who really likes MJ's music (before it became popular after his death) but trashes it in public just so he can avoid the taunts of his friends for listening to that "gay-ass $hit". ... or like an art-house film critic who is ashamed to admit really enjoying a balls out action flick, who finds it awesome despite having none of the qualities he typically looks for, yet gives it two thumbs down just so he can save face with his peers.. |
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bglassbrook
 Posts: 1243 Location: Gaithersburg, MD |
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I ran through the first ep when they put it On Demand a few months ago but only came away with a funny taste in the mouth. After deciding to see how things would pan out in reviews, not tracking down the streams seems like a good choice. As to the shelves, I knew something about pic #18 seemed off... there are too many Mokona. |
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John Casey
 Posts: 1853 Location: In My Angry Center |
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Aargh! I can't believe people are taking what I said into such context. =_= Especially after I tried to word it like I wasn't trying to bash either review...
It's never a bad idea to have multiple reviews from different sides of the spectrum. But this particular case is simply too far apart in the contrast. Imagine going to a tech review site, the best one out there, hoping to buy the new MacBook; one reviewer loves it and gives it five stars, while another hated it and gave it one star. That's absolute hell for the consumer. It's kind of like that; you'd all be surprised how many people turn to ANN for reviews instead of going to anime review websites, simply because ANN hires experienced writers and columnists. Pros, basically. The problem can be alleviated with this particular series since you can just find it online, and decide for yourself. But not every series has that particular luxury, and these widely contrasting reviews have started to crop up something of a pattern. I'm really, really not trying to start a fight, be a prick, or piss anyone off. =_= I'm just saying there should be....I dunno, some kind of balance? Maybe introduce a new form, or review system that works sort of like a roundtable? That's the best way I see for both critics to get their two cents across, and ultimately not send the reader all the way up to Mars. Also...slightly off-topic to what I have to say, but the recent Shelf Life entries have been garnering a whole lot of heat and controversy around here. (And NO...my posts aren't aiming to cut off the column's balls. =_= Not even aiming for them....) What's up with that? I honestly don't see anything wrong with the reviews, so why all the lightning? Last edited by John Casey on Tue Dec 01, 2009 1:42 am; edited 1 time in total |
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jr240483
 Posts: 4378 Location: New York City,New York,USA |
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No kidding. I also watched it on youtube and have the dvds for all of the series of this shelf life issue and i had no problems with them especially with blassreiter. though all the series had it flaws,it's still decent. i give them all rental shelves at best. |
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revial
Posts: 17 |
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Don't post much (looks to the left); just wanted to say keep up the work. Bamboo is a hard act to follow (Genshikan to the bone), but as long as you remember it's all just opinion, and forums are mostly
 you'll do fine.
I mostly only checked the column a few times a year (didn't even post for the first few years) just to get some ideas for any anime I may have missed to try, so it seems I missed Bamboo's farewell. Glad to see the column is still going. 
I was never all that convinced price should be included in the rating system, as the big elephant in the room (fansubs) kind of makes the point moot. People worried about price are likely being less than ethical, while the real otakus (ie: the ones sending you their Shelf Life pics)...well do you really think price was a big factor on those people's minds? Basic math should be able to answer that one pretty quickly. Still, it's been part of the equation up to this point, so why change I guess. And when there are inevitably different releases of the same show, it's hard to argue against price as a factor I suppose.
Anyways, just wanted to post in support of the column. Only show I've seen in this week's was Blassreiter, and I thought it was trash too. That said, I suspect 13 yr-old me would have ate it up. I never envied those who write opinion pieces for such a diverse crowd.
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ikillchicken
 Posts: 7272 Location: Vancouver |
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Okay man. Maybe you were honestly trying not to be rude. You didn't really do a very good job though. I mean look at your original post. You start with "roflmao". Now right off the bat that's just going to piss people off and sour them to your entire post. It's basically saying hey, what you've done is so ridiculous that it's an utter joke. Then you start with the attitude. "Somehow, I don't think it's too great for the consumer to have two completely different/opposite/black&white reviews on the same site; a professional venue at that. =_=;;" You managed to once again act as is your complaint is so obvious that they're idiots for missing it and you've implied they're unprofessional as well. Really man, what would have been wrong with just 'Hey guys. I'm just wondering, is it such a good idea to have such drastically different reviews on the same site? Won't that make it tough for people to know whether to see it?' That would be a pleasant, not confrontational way of addressing your concern. |
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jgreen
 Posts: 1325 Location: St. Louis, MO |
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It shouldn't be, though. Anyone looking to make an informed decision shouldn't just be looking at Theron's letter grade and Erin's "perishable" rating and thinking, "Sh*t, what do I do now?" Read the actual text of the reviews and bounce it off your own opinion. The things Theron likes about it...do you like those things? The things Erin hates about it...do those things rub you the wrong way? Heck, I think having two opinions that are diametrically opposed to each other like this actually helps the consumer rather than hinders them.
It'd be great to get that many perspectives on every show, but it's kind of unrealistic to expect ANN to spend the resources to have multiple people watch every show...just getting one review of each show is work enough, but it's nice to see the occasional second perspective when the formal reviews and Shelf Life intersect. And hey, Blassreiter actually *was* reviewed in a roundtable format--in the Spring 2008 Anime Preview Guide, when Carl Kimlinger, Carlo Santos, and Casey Brienza all reviewed the first couple episodes. |
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ArthurFrDent
 Posts: 466 |
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"Boobanauts" - Blevadeer
much laughter calling it that... Dunno as a dragon kind of person, if you'll like it Erin. A lot of people just don't gel with it in general. I am not distracted by the stacked women, since they are also quite curvy in other places... it's just fanservice, and there are plenty of guys with chiselled physiques for those that like them, as well. Just don't tell me that seeing some tall guy walking around in the buff [as much as allowable on TV anyway] isn't fanservice... all that aside... I pretty much ignored the dragon parts... I treat them like mechs. Their connection to their communicator form is tenuous, though important. Could have done with a bit more exposition at times ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ I liked it, but a lot don't... value though? Nah. Not til it's a single boxset and maybe $40. As you mentioned with exel saga there are a lot of things that are passable if they are cheap enough. I'm sure dragonauts will be that eventually. |
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cloudwarrior7
Posts: 2 |
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I remember them clearly, then it became Ebert and Roeper, When Gene Siskel died. So now I have dated myself to be approximately your age.
People should also be able to apply a similar formula to your reviews. You have been very honest in your reviews and most people should have a good feel on what types of shows you like and dislike. Example: Clannad wasn't the type of show that you would normally watch. Yet you gave it a fair review, and if I happened to be into that genre then I would watch it based on your review. People should also know by now that you set high standards. For those of us with larger anime collections we can adjust your standards to fit ours. I like how in the past you ranked some shows in the Rental Worthy column as borderline Shelf Worthy or borderline Perishable. This may help those of us with bigger wallets and more shelf space to fill, or conversely those of us on a budget living in studio apartment, to determine whether or not we should give a series a try. I've enjoyed your reviews so far and have started early computations on my Erin Finnegan formula. Don't Change a thing Erin, else I'll have to rework my formula 
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sunflower
 Posts: 1080 |
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D) I and some others I've read watch it because it's funny as hell, though in an unintentional way. I watch it when I need a laugh. I kind of feel like the rating here is a bit dishonest too. If you're enjoying watching it, it's not really flushable even if it's bad, because other people might enjoy it on the same level. On the other hand, I sure wouldn't pay to watch this, even a rental fee. But since it's on CR people are only losing time if they try it and don't like it so money doesn't seem an issue. LOL, evidently I'm as conflicted as the reviewer... ^_^; (pssst - it's 'in good conscience') |
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FireChick
 Subscriber Posts: 2392 Location: United States |
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WHAAAAAAAAAAT?!? How in the world can you NOT like Shounen Onmyouji!? It's the best show ever (well, in my book, it is)!! I think the dub is rather great (despite the newbie actors having Korean/Chinese names some of the time)! Sorry if I sound like a fangirl, but Shounen Onmyouji has made such a big impact on me and I have ALL the DVDs! It has a special place in my heart. Yeah, I know, I respect everyone's opinions, but I hate it when people consider my favorite anime of all time terrible and boring. I thought everything about it was epic and great! You should see my review for it on Crunchyroll (along with my Amuri in Star Ocean review)!
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CCSYueh
 Posts: 2707 Location: San Diego, CA |
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Wow. Excel?
No. As someone who pre-ordered the individual dvds & is anxiously awaiting Excel Saga Vol 20 (shipped this week! YEAH!)-no. Excel Saga is so incredible & the reviewer dismisses it as barely worth a cheap box price...Takehito Koyasu (I won't even start, but I love his voice), Kotono Mitsuishi (Sailor Moon title character-damn fast talker), Ryotaro Okiayu (Miracle Train/Shinjuku, Haruka/Akran, Bleach/Byakuya), Shotaro Morikubo (GetBackers/Ginji, Naruto/Shikimaru, Orphen/Orphen), Omi Minami (MS Nadesico/Ruri, Orphen/Majic, Code Geass/Euphenia), Yuko Mizutani (Tenchi/Mihoshi, Black Jack/Pinoko, Saber Marionette/Luchs, Sorcerer Hunters/Chocolate). Unless the reviewer is a FLCL fan. There seems to be a divide. I don't particularly care for FLCL And then Shonen Onmyoji is trashed.
Really? Akira Ishida (Evangelion/Kaoru, Slayers/Xellos, Saiyuki/Hakkai, Naruto/Gara, Haruka/Abe no Yasuaki, SDK/Sasuke) Fumiko Orikasa (Bleach/Rukia, Hellsing/Seras), Jun Fukuyama (Code Geass/Lelouche), Nobutoshi Canna (GetBackers/Ban, Fushigi Yugi/Tasuke, Bleach/Nnoitra, Naruto/Kabuto, Berserk/Guts), Norio Wakamoto (DBZ/Cell, Code Geass/Charles, Bebop/Vicious, Hellsing/Anderson, Cromartie/Mechizawa. The commentary on Cyber City Oeda singles him out from the voice cast, commenting on how good he sounds) Toshihiko Seki (Saiyuki/Sanzo, Yami no Matsuei/Watari, Greenwood/Shinobu, Mirage of Blaze/Takaya, SDK/Benitora, Gundam Wing/Duo) Toshiyuki Morikawa (InuYasha/Naraku, Bleach/Tousen, Berserk/Griffith, Yami no Matsuei/Tatsumi, One Piece/Enel, Kyo Kara Maoh/Conrart, Saiyuki/Homura) Who CARES what the English dub sounds like? It's like SDK-the Japanese voice cast is so incredible, why bother with the dub, particularly when Geneon cheaped out on it? Why all the shonen refs. You know this is shojo, right? It's a harem title just like Kyo Kara Maoh or Fushigi Yugi. Can't you tell by the vocal cast? They're VAs' who do harem & yaoi titles--Ishida (Haruka, Sukisho, DNAngel, Saiyuki, Saint Beast, Miracle Train, Fushigi Yugi, My Sexual Harassment, Meine Liebe, Haruka, Kyo Kara Maoh, Gundam Seed-yeah, it's Gundam, but it's also bishie overload), Morikawa (Yami no Matsuei, My Sexual Harrassment, Saiyuki, Gakuen Heaven, Mirage of Blaze, Angelique, Embracing Love, Junjo Romantica, KKM, Weiss Kruez, Bronze, Hanasakeru Seishonen, Haruka, Legend of the Blue Wolves, Saiunkoku) Seki (Angelique, Saiyuki, Mirage of Blaze, Yami no Matsuei, Meine Liebe, Weiss Kruez, Pet Shop of Horrors, Please Save My Earth, Saiunkoku, Gundam Seed & Wing), Canna (Angelique, Fushigi Yugi, Junjo Romantica, Meine Liebe, Saiunkoku, Tactics) Fukuyama (Vampire Knight, Saiyuki, Saint Beast, Princess Princess, No Money, Kuroshitsuji, Hanasakeru Seishonen, La Corda D'Oro) I was impressed with the animation for a shojo title (I'm used to shojo cutting corners. As long as the boys look good, animators seem to feel the girls will be happy, but even then, they cut corners (KKM & Saiuyuki Reload had some rough eps--sort of like YuGiOh where one ep looks great, but another looks like a back-up studio drew it). I didn't take the "Abe's Grandson" as a negative. He needs to make his own rep is all. The tension between Gurren & the other Shikigami is well played out. The attempt to save the Princess from her fate (Royal concubine) was an interesting plot, although I was a bit disappointed in the save. The motive for the baddie was old, but not badly done. I was one of the poor souls left hanging for a year when the title went on hiatus and of all the titles I was buying, this one was consistantly a pleasure to pop in the player. I was resigned to KKM being left hanging because the title was in wrap-up mode & one knew it wouldn't go south, but this & Saiunkoku I wanted someone to save. And the rating on Miracle Train is a cop-out. Flushable Guilty Pleasure? The reviewer likes it so it should be Streamworthy. The reviewer has already stated rating guidelines so those of us who are detecting our tastes might run opposite will know where we stand. I haven't watched it yet, but I do plan to get around to it & will buy it if it is brought over because it has an excellent VA cast. Why all the worry about people "getting" trains? In America at least trains are part of our history, or at least out here in the West. Haven't most of us grown up with Westerns which often have trains (robberies if nothing else)? Hells bells, I'm headed to Knotts Berry Farm this weekend (law Enforcement & Fire employees appreciation every year around Thanksgiving-free entry) & will probably ride the park's train. Rode the train at Disneyland first of November. Aren't train rides at amusement parks a given?
I tended to disagree with his views. I also have little use for Rotten Tomatoes. I think I agreed with 2 Cleveland Amory reviews in my life. |
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erinfinnegan
ANN Columnist
 Posts: 598 |
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I'm from Michigan, and I've lived in NYC for 10 years, so I have two extreme viewpoints on trains. I don't own a car, so I take the subway every day and "trains" of all types are a big part of my life as an East Coast dweller and a Japanophile. In Michigan, public transportation is an frakking joke (pardon my slang) and your life is your car - that's more typical of the rest of the U.S.. Sure, trains were a big part of U.S. history, but I agree with cartoonist Peter Bagge when he calls Amtrak "America's $30,000,000,000.00 nostalgia toy". Maybe if gas prices keep going up we can have some real high speed rail in this country.
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CCSYueh
Posts: 2707 Location: San Diego, CA |
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That explains it. Yes, there are exceptions (my daughter for one), but when CN played FLCL I noticed a lot of fans seemed to like FLCL or Excel (CN's pres or whoever said Excel gave him a headache & it would never play on CN). FLCL is surreal. Excel is satire. The manga has some great moments such as Il Palazzo dis-ing Christianity. While I usually love the insane stuff like Bobobo, FLCL feels like a lot of empty meanderings--the staff not really going anywhere.
If you listen to the cast interviews, you'll see the VA's refer to this or that project using a mix of older VA's (those from the '90's), mid (those from the early part of this decade) & new (the newer batch of VA's). I'm an old headbanger who gravitated to bands often because of their vocalists. I sometimes get so wrapped up in listening to the cadence of the Japanese VA's & forget to read the subtitles so I have to back up a lot. We have some good voices for American dubs, but not as many incredibly wonderful voices. Another issue is our VA's are pretty much locked up by studio so they're scattered. In Japan, they can hire whoever & for the gal titles they do tend to go back to the same batch of wonderful-sounding VA's. I favor the West Coast VA's for American, but there are a few in each of the dub groups I like
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shonen_Onmyouji This indicates the shojo novels have been run in Kadokawa Shoten's Beans while the shojo manga runs in Asuka which has also given us Angelique, DNAngel, Kyo Kara Maoh, Harlem Beat, Ludwig, Momogumi Plus Senki, Rental Magica, & X. It's similar to Descendants of Darkness & KKM where the female love object has been replaced by a male who is still the center of the characters' attentions. One of the ideas behind yaoi is female leads can bring out a competitive edge in some female viewers. I know I'm much more irritated by idiot heroines than idiot heroes because the idiot heroines are an insult to my gender. Dumb guys are sort of expected.
I've ridden Amtrak. The downtown station is pretty. We're allegedly getting a high-speed train connecting LA & Frisco.
If you were rating snacks you might. You're rating Japanese cartoons. Some aspire to higher levels than others, but at the end of the day they are made to entertain & maybe sell something. Once in awhile they're art. This one is made to sell Japanese Mass Transit. It's like McGruff or Smokey Bear. They have a function here, but if a Japanese station decided to import a Smokey Comic Book & translate it as is-no localization-there might be some stuff that the Japanese audience wouldn't get. Should anyone license Miracle Train, I'd think they might tinker with the education stuff, but maybe not. Don't we get those "Children watch in a well lit room at least 6 feet from the screen" PSA bits? It's really ok to like what you like. |
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