Forum - View topicShelf Life - License to Krill
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erinfinnegan
ANN Columnist
 Posts: 598 |
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You totally misunderstood. I knew I would like a book with such a crappy cover. |
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Charred Knight
 Posts: 3085 |
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What in the hell are you talking about? Why bother to watch anime at all when you can simply get all you need to know by looking at a poster? Are you seriously suggesting that marketing and character designs make an anime? Turn A Gundam, Overman King Gainer, and Eureka 7 must be the same they have the same character designer after all. Are you honestly saying that you have never watched a series that crapped at the end? Here's some Houshin Engi manga. Bleach, Mai-Hime, Mai-Otome, first Fullmetal Alchemist anime, Gundam Seed Destiny, Code Geass, and Gundam 00. You can't communicate stupidity through character designs! Is looking at a picture of Gundam 00 going to tell me that the main message of Gundam 00 is that wars are caused by misunderstandings? Yeah, I don't think the Korean War was caused by the entire North Korean army going south for some nachos. I have known a ton of series that had a great look to them but sucked or was mediocre at best. To put the most obvious example The first anime version of Fullmetal Alchemist and Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood. Share a lot of the same cast, the first anime version for the most part keeps to Arakawa's character designs with only Hohenheim and Scar being really different, but the series are massively different. The first Fullmetal Alchemist was much slower (even when it seperated from the manga), and more melodramatic, while Brotherhood had a lot more romance, and action that was more shonen based. Last edited by Charred Knight on Tue Jun 01, 2010 5:11 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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TheRoyalFamily
 Posts: 62 |
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I too was pleasantly surprised by Vandread. I thought it was going to be a sci-fi harem (why I watched it), but that turned out not to be so (I kept hope for a while though). I was initially VERY turned off by the CG (don't be fooled when described as better than Babylon 5 - it may be technically true, but it clashes horribly with the rest of the show, and just looks absolutely horrid), but the story kept me tuned in. And in the second season, pretty much everything improves (even the CG to an almost acceptable level). I didn't like the "mech in space" stuff (I didn't like it when Robotech/Macross did it, still don't), but the characters and story more than make up for any aesthetic flaws. And as the review said, if it had taken the whole "threat to humanity" think a tad more seriously, it would have been pretty epic (many mecha, or even just anime, fall under this too, so nothing new).
I've never known why people classify Ai Yori Aoshi as a harem. I mean, I know why, but it just seems...wrong. Any romance in the show is exclusive to two people, and nobody else gets any serious attention. Perhaps there is more uncertainty in the manga, but the anime there is none. The other girls are just fanservice. Love Hina kinda falls under that as well, even though it is pretty much the avatar of harem-ness. At least until the latter part of the manga, none of the other girls really has any serious romantic interest in Keitaro (except Shinobu, and she's the only one that couldn't be a potential love interest). I guess, to get to the point (finally), I would loosely define a harem show as one where one guy (or girl) has several (3+) serious contenders as love interests at the same time. None of these need to live with the MC, though the more the merrier. An extreme of the harem would be when the MC actually is with more than one of his harem at the same time (like School Days). |
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Megiddo
 Posts: 8360 Location: IL |
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I think Ai Yori Aoshi is counted as a harem because everyone (except Chika and Miyuk I think) actually lives there in the same house as Kaoru/Aoi/Miyabi.
But as far as love interest goes, it certainly is obvious from the start that he and Aoi will end up together, there are some unexpected discoveries spoiler[such as Tina's honest feelings for Kaoru...]. |
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Ranma824
 Posts: 456 |
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Honestly, you can make the same argument for Love Hina, in terms of 'not a real harem because of clear intentions'. |
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enurtsol
 Posts: 14779 |
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I could usually judge a Hollywood film by its movie poster.
So it is possible, just that the more experience you accumulate, the better at it you become. |
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levonr
 Posts: 812 |
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I don't judge a book by its cover, same with movies. Sometimes a movie like a comedy for example I won't find the trailer funny at all but once I give it a try it ended up being hilarious.
Cardcaptor Sakura is an anime someone might judge by its cover thinking its a silly little girls show about collecting cards. 
Or maybe the Wallflower someone might think its Yaoi so they won't watch when in fact its not and its a hilarious show. 
Some anime can look pretty ugly as well(Initial D), with bad character designs and CG but that doesn't prevent me from checking it out. But I guess thats just me. |
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YotaruVegeta
 Posts: 1061 Location: New York |
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Yay, Vandread!
I watched the first season and got a bootleg on VHS tapes. Yeah, you heard me right. Then I actually had a job so I didn't have to be a stinking thief, so I bought Second Stage for legalz. Really enjoyable show. |
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Brand
 Posts: 1028 |
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Ok, I've read the manga (because I pain myself every few years to see what people like about CLMAP) but if Cardcaptor Sakura isn't "a silly little girls show about collecting cards" then I have no clue what is about. Unless it's about adults having relations ships with underage kids? Because it had a lot of that along side cute girl collecting cards. |
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erinfinnegan
ANN Columnist
Posts: 598 |
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I think you missed the point. Daryl and I were saying that we can gauge our interest in a series based on the art and the title alone. And there are cases (I say 5%, Daryl said 1%) where that isn't enough, but in those cases fan opinion can correct our judgment.
Just by looking at an Initial D poster or DVD cover I could tell that it's a series for guys, about cars, and I probably wouldn't like it. Now that I've seen a season I know I was right. The movie was pretty good (although not Shelf Worthy).
Yeah, looking at the cover of Cardcaptor Sakura I'd guess it was either for little girls or that audience of 30+ dudes who like watching shows about little girls. (This is true of the Pretty Cure audience; I've seen rating charts.) I sometimes like magical girl shows, so looking at the cover/poster, I know my interest level would be about 50/50. Also if it says "Clamp" somewhere on there I know what I'm getting into...
I watched the first few episodes of Ai Yori Aoishi and when I felt it was a harem show I stopped. "Living Under the Same Roof" balances out with "Serious Contenders" at some point, bonus points for living near a hot springs or bathhouse. |
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YotaruVegeta
Posts: 1061 Location: New York |
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I tend to judge a book (anime) by its cover, but much less so since there is so much to give you a sense of how a series will fit your tastes before you invest your time in it.
I think when I learned about Vandread, all I had available to me were stills of it. |
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eyeresist
 Posts: 995 Location: a 320x240 resolution igloo (Sydney) |
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Hmm, well, on my screen, under Shelf Worthy, it says "Dragon Ball Season 4 Vandread - Ultimate Collection", as one line. Re Harems, I don't think it's helpful to be too literal, i.e. insisting that the guy has to be romantically interested in all the girls and vice versa. I'd classify Chobits as a harem. The core relationship with Chi is undeniable, but the other girls are presented as attractive to the protagonist, and potential romantic partners. Re Judging anime by its cover, I don't think this rule is true, at least judging by the number of failed blind buys I've endured! OTOH, Berserk looks like awful macho schlock, belying the intricate political plot and intense character relationships that emerge, whereas xxxHolic looks like it'll be a quirky left-of-centre show due to its art, but is actually painfully generic in content. Gunslinger Girl looks like it'll be woeful loli-violence exploitation, Kaleido Star looks like it'll be emotionally empty My Little Pony-type stuff, Paranoia Agent looks like it'll be a serial killer thriller, and Cromartie High School looks like it'll be funny. And I really liked Initial D, although I don't drive and have no interest in motorsports (or indeed any kind of sports). Last edited by eyeresist on Wed Jun 02, 2010 11:52 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Charred Knight
Posts: 3085 |
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No, I got the point, I just think that's an insanely superficial way of looking at things. If I wrote off every single shoujo because "it's aimed at girls" than I would have never discovered great works like Magical Knights Rayearth, Basara, and Ouran High School Host Club. Your basically saying that plot, or writing ability doesn't matter what matters is art and vague labels. The problem with Angel Sanctuary isn't that its written for girls but that the story is silly, and the characters are stupid. I could say the exact same thing for Zeta Gundam. Camille: I AM A MAN! This is how cartoons died as an art form until the 90's brought it back. Also fan opinion is one of the worst gauges for a show I have ever seen. If I can trust one person than yes reccomendations are fine, but I have been burned far too many times by some person who reccomends something only to find out that the plot is horrible and it gets points because its sad. |
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Covnam
 Posts: 3672 |
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Glad to see some love for Vandread. One of the few shows I've enjoyed watching again and again even with unwatched shows still sitting on the shelf. I was always upset seeing it for sale on RightStuf at lower and lower prices since it likely meant that more people weren't buying it :/
I plan on pickup up this set with the rest of my order with the Funi sale going on at RightStuf now, even if it's just for the OVAs. |
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levonr
Posts: 812 |
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No CCS isn't a dumb children's show just about collecting cards like someone might think looking at the cover. If that's really all it was about then it would be regarded as trash. Its a show for all ages with a lot of heart, much like Ghibli anime. The show has a great cast of characters that's fun & interesting to watch interact & develop. Fun story with some twists added. Great production of the animation, music & voice acting also adds to the fun. Just overall well made. Its not about cards, its about the characters. Since I quoted Chris Beveridge before I'll do it again 
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