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Your thoughts about eye-catches?


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Iota One



Joined: 10 May 2008
Posts: 7
PostPosted: Sun May 18, 2008 6:05 pm Reply with quote
Just out of curiosity, what do you guys think about those 2-3 second eye-catchers that appear in the middle of an episode of an anime?

I think they're kind of fun to have, especially with shows like Azumanga Daioh and Last Exile. It's good sometimes to know when you're half-way into an episode.

But some people argue that eye-catchers are pointless to have on DVD's or fansubs, because there aren't any commercials to worry about. Plus it distracts them when they're really glued into an episode to see something just pop out of nowhere.
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abunai
Old Regular


Joined: 05 Mar 2004
Posts: 5463
Location: 露命
PostPosted: Sun May 18, 2008 6:21 pm Reply with quote
I tend to view them as part of the experience. Even when they're rote eye-catches (the same for every episode), they're part of the "feel" of the anime, and can carry surprising significance. For instance, the little eyecatch melody from Futatsu no Spica has stuck with me ever since I first saw it.

And they needn't be rote. Some anime, like Hayate no Gotoku, even make the eyecatches into little separate jokes. The same applies to the "afterwords" that anime like Bleach add after the next-episode preview. Sometimes (as in the case of Koi Kaze), the afterwords can even carry information vital to the understanding of the main story.

- abunai
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murph76



Joined: 26 Jul 2006
Posts: 3291
Location: Akron, OH
PostPosted: Sun May 18, 2008 6:27 pm Reply with quote
Most of the time I could do without them. However they can be enjoyable, especially if the series tries to do something different with them.

Kiddy Grade comes to mind, because the eyecatches were different in each episode. If I remember correctly, a different artist drew a different eyecatch for each. Also, I enjoy the eyecatches in series like Excel Saga because the joke sometimes overflows into them, and Pani Poni Dash because most eyecatches parody something else.

However, if it's just the same eyecatch in each episode -- like The Third, a series I really enjoyed -- it gets old.

-Murph

Edit: typos


Last edited by murph76 on Sun May 18, 2008 7:26 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Jih2



Joined: 24 Jul 2007
Posts: 403
Location: East coast
PostPosted: Sun May 18, 2008 6:32 pm Reply with quote
This is a discussion about the bit of animation about half way through any given episode of anime? I'm sorry, I didn't know there was an actual term for that little animation sequence.

Personally, I just like the tunes in the eye-catches from Godannar and Trigun. I've never had a problem where the eye-catches were really annoying or anything so I wouldn't say they've ever distracted me from any given series or OVA I've watched. Their fun, primarily pointless but fun nonetheless.
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Steel Angel



Joined: 19 Aug 2004
Posts: 274
Location: Texas
PostPosted: Sun May 18, 2008 6:45 pm Reply with quote
There are plenty of good ones. I like them for for a few reasons. They let you know how far into the episode you are, and also give various art work for the series. Every now and then you'll see some art work that can't be found anywhere else in the series in these. So it's like an extra bonus so to speak.

I've only disliked one i ever saw and it was more for the music that went with it, that one being in Noir.
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BladeDragoonZETA



Joined: 31 Jan 2008
Posts: 586
PostPosted: Sun May 18, 2008 6:56 pm Reply with quote
I like it when an eyecatch adds to the anime (good examples would be GaoGaiGar or Death Note) but don't ever mind them
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Veoryn87



Joined: 14 Nov 2006
Posts: 808
PostPosted: Sun May 18, 2008 8:14 pm Reply with quote
Sometimes they're fine, sometimes they're not. The ones on Noir really bugged me. Hearing that earsore guitar note in the middle of each episode just didn't sit right for me. What was even worse was that they went by twice in a row.... Why not just edit out at least one for the dvd releases? Not sure.....

Some I do enjoy. The one on Excel Saga could be kind of annoying (and just like Noir, it does it twice in a freaking row), but sometimes the characters would actually continue doing wacky things as the eyecatch was going, which made them more entertaining.

Some eyecatches that are short, cool looking, and don't interfere with the show at all, like on Rahxephon, are the ones that I prefer.
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Murasakisuishou



Joined: 22 Jun 2006
Posts: 1469
Location: NE Ohio
PostPosted: Sun May 18, 2008 8:43 pm Reply with quote
Ugh, these things can be so annoying. I have no idea why they leave them on DVDs; if I've bought the series it's because I want to watch it with nary a trace of the commercial interruption remaining. The ones like in Fullmetal Alchemist (where they just flash the logo briefly) don't bother me so much, but I hate when there's a clip with a really loud noise (like in Loki Ragnarok, to name an example), and then they play it twice. Ghost Hound also had an eye-catch that sort of jumped out at you, but it was more because the episodes were kind of tense and creepy and then all of a sudden there was this loud static crackle. Eek!

And really, who needs a video reminder of how far they are into an episode? That's what the tracking bar on your media player or your DVD player clock is for. Plus, if the anime has you longing to know when you've reached the halfway point, it's not doing its job.
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Monster in a box



Joined: 05 Sep 2005
Posts: 671
PostPosted: Sun May 18, 2008 8:43 pm Reply with quote
I tend to prefer them, even if they add nothing to the show. Though it's preferable for them to be different every episode like Cowboy Bebop, they don't have to be.

Though I have to say, Sailor Moon's is pretty annoying, doubly so as it does it twice in a row. And Nadia's is the worst ever. It's the only eye-catch that I've ever found to really detract from the series. It's that bad.
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zawa113



Joined: 19 Jan 2008
Posts: 7358
PostPosted: Sun May 18, 2008 9:17 pm Reply with quote
For the most part, I cannot stand them.
First example, the marathon mode in Dragon Ball Z on the recent Funimation releases. It completly breaks my marathon mode mindset to see one of those every 20 minutes when the part cut inbetween the episodes to make it flow better works for the better in most cases (it was done better with every set to me at least).

When I see shows that don't have them altogether work so well (like Monster, I don't remeber seeing any in Monster, and I don't remeber any in Noein either. I could be wrong though so please correct me if I forgot), I like how the pace flows more smoothly on the DVD. Sure, if its for TV purposes only, I think that's fine, but on the DVD they annoy me. Mushishi definatly didn't have eye-catches and I think the stories all flowed more smoothly as a result. For drama type shows, I think eye-catches are completly unecesary as they may break story or interest in the story tension.

Darn, now I'm trying to think of a time when I enjoyed them...ironically, the only one I can think of is Puni Puni Poemy, which felt almost necessary if you were catching your breath and in the 2nd episode, the weird little thing at the beach was inserted too, making it not a total waste.

The thing about eye-catches for me is that they make me look at the clock, and if I'm looking at the clock, I know I'm not enjoying the show as much (look at Denno Coil or Bleach, whose eye-catches were sometimes 2 or 3 minutes past the middle of the episode). This makes me look at the clock to wonder when the eye-catch is coming and it detracts me from enjoying it as much.

Sure, I think eye-catches are fun, but not when I'm actually into the show, then they're just annoying and I can't stand them.
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Gingy



Joined: 14 May 2008
Posts: 57
PostPosted: Sun May 18, 2008 9:42 pm Reply with quote
Eye catches are usually good in ecchi type animes...for example, in He is my Master, I always looked forward to the eyecatches of each episode...the ones that tell you its going back to the show anyways.
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Xanas



Joined: 27 Aug 2007
Posts: 2058
PostPosted: Sun May 18, 2008 10:10 pm Reply with quote
Personally I like them, but I think it'd be cool if they were optional or something like that.
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Animastryfe



Joined: 15 Dec 2007
Posts: 152
Location: Vancouver
PostPosted: Sun May 18, 2008 10:28 pm Reply with quote
Are the eye-catchers the things that go before and after a commercial break?
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Iota One



Joined: 10 May 2008
Posts: 7
PostPosted: Sun May 18, 2008 10:36 pm Reply with quote
Animastryfe wrote:
Are the eye-catchers the things that go before and after a commercial break?

Yep, pretty much. Most of the time there are two eye-catches, one entering a commercial and another one going back to the anime. Although I think that might depend on the anime (I've seen a show like Tsubasa Chronicle only show eyecatch in the DVD).
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Kruszer



Joined: 19 Nov 2004
Posts: 7986
Location: Minnesota, USA
PostPosted: Mon May 19, 2008 12:57 am Reply with quote
I find them annoying as they break up the flow of the show.
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