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Shelf Life - La Vie en Rogue


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Phantom Roxas



Joined: 23 Jul 2013
Posts: 12
PostPosted: Mon Dec 16, 2013 6:37 pm Reply with quote
DmonHiro wrote:
Phantom Roxas wrote:
…Nevermind, don't answer that. Unless that answer is "I phrased that terribly, and all I meant to say was that it was completely unnecessary."


Yeah... perhaps a better choice of words would have been wise.
Can't actually think of ANYTHING that can be solved through sexual harassment and/or molestation, unless you're in a hentai. Then, it solves everything.


…How does that solve everything in a hentai? A hentai could just have people consenting to sex.
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DmonHiro





PostPosted: Mon Dec 16, 2013 6:40 pm Reply with quote
Phantom Roxas wrote:
…How does that solve everything in a hentai? A hentai could just have people consenting to sex.

Don't ask me, I'm not the one writing it. I haven't checked in a long time, but at least half of hentai in the mid 2000s were about non-consensual sex. I doubt that changed.
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BalmungHHQ



Joined: 11 Feb 2006
Posts: 390
PostPosted: Mon Dec 16, 2013 6:41 pm Reply with quote
Huh...
No offense to Bamboo, but am I the only one who finds her distaste for the pervy antics of Aesthetica's lead character hilarious?

Can't say it was a "good" review of that show, but it was an amusing read at least... Of all the critiques to make about the show, I wasn't expecting the focus to be on taking the lead character's actions so seriously...
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DmonHiro





PostPosted: Mon Dec 16, 2013 6:43 pm Reply with quote
Fronzel wrote:
The sad thing is that the series is missing out on the chance to do "the protagonist is an asshole" jokes, like Blackadder with boobs or something.

I really do think were were supposed to think he's an asshole, cause... well... he is. You telling me he couldn't have just UNLOCKED the damn gym door?

Redcrimson wrote:
the artistic integrity of an industry.

That ship sailed so long ago the port isn't even there anymore.


BalmungHHQ wrote:
No offense to Bamboo, but am I the only one who finds her distaste for the pervy antics of Aesthetica's lead character hilarious?

Some of them were, like how he got a headache the morning after he sleep molested Miyu. To be fair though, he really WAS asleep.
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Mad_Scientist
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Joined: 08 Apr 2008
Posts: 3011
PostPosted: Mon Dec 16, 2013 6:44 pm Reply with quote
DmonHiro wrote:



Did not enjoy some other aspects:
- I get that he means well, but not everything needs to be solved through sexual harassment and/or molestation. I'm not usually the one to say this, but less boobs please.
- I also get the feeling that he wasn't getting that much sexual gratification from his antics, but that he just enjoys being a major DICK.


Wait, I'm confused by this. If I'm reading this right, you're saying the sexual harassment and/or molestation would not have bothered you as much if it was done for the purpose of sexual gratification. That somehow, that would be a better reason than the guy just being a dick.

I find this sentiment puzzling. Perhaps I misunderstood?
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boredandlazy



Joined: 16 Nov 2009
Posts: 189
PostPosted: Mon Dec 16, 2013 6:45 pm Reply with quote
BalmungHHQ wrote:
Huh...
No offense to Bamboo, but am I the only one who finds her distaste for the pervy antics of Aesthetica's lead character hilarious?

Can't say it was a "good" review of that show, but it was an amusing read at least... Of all the critiques to make about the show, I wasn't expecting the focus to be on taking the lead character's actions so seriously...


I think the point that it's apparently (I haven't seen it) dismissed without a second thought is a major part of the problem.


Last edited by boredandlazy on Mon Dec 16, 2013 6:46 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Fronzel



Joined: 11 Sep 2003
Posts: 1906
PostPosted: Mon Dec 16, 2013 6:45 pm Reply with quote
DmonHiro wrote:
Fronzel wrote:
The sad thing is that the series is missing out on the chance to do "the protagonist is an asshole" jokes, like Blackadder with boobs or something.

I really do think were were supposed to think he's an asshole, cause... well... he is.

I don't think that works when everyone seems to think he's a great guy. It's not like they don't see the things that make him an asshole.
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DmonHiro





PostPosted: Mon Dec 16, 2013 6:50 pm Reply with quote
Mad_Scientist wrote:
Wait, I'm confused by this.............. I find this sentiment puzzling. Perhaps I misunderstood?

Yeah, I can't really explain it well, but if he was a perv that just liked groping girls (think Happossai from Ranma) it would be better, to me, then if he was just doing it to be a dick. Like if someone does something not because he enjoys it, but only to be a jackass to someone else.

FronzelI wrote:
don't think that works when everyone seems to think he's a great guy. It's not like they don't see the things that make him an asshole.

I mean that I think we, the viewers, should think he's an asshole.


Last edited by DmonHiro on Mon Dec 16, 2013 6:58 pm; edited 2 times in total
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Northlander



Joined: 10 Feb 2009
Posts: 900
PostPosted: Mon Dec 16, 2013 6:56 pm Reply with quote
DmonHiro wrote:
A woman reviewing Aesthetica does not seem wise. No offense, but I really doubt giving someone who is the exact opposite of the target audience something to review is unwise.

If there's a show where women are treated really badly, how does it make sense to keep women from pointing that out? And really, Aesthetica sounds like a terrible show in that regard just from those descriptions alone. Bamboo even made a few suggestions for other, more harmless fanservice shows, so there's no reason why anyone should put up with this one.

As far as the "you're not the target audience" thing goes: so what? Not being the target audience doesn't mean you're not going to enjoy it. If not for Bamboo's appraisal of the show, I would probably never have checked out High School DxD -- seriously, the trailer did nothing to make me want to watch it -- and she even gave a cautionary endorsement of Strike Witches, another show where she didn't see the fanservice as the problem -- well... not as much anyway -- or the characters in it.

A guy that makes girls pee themselves isn't a boss or a strong guy, regardless of whatever reasons he cooked up. He's a shithead and a bully. And anime in general has too damn many of that kind -- of both genders -- that we're supposed to laugh at or even cheer for, it seems.
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dtm42



Joined: 05 Feb 2008
Posts: 14084
Location: currently stalking my waifu
PostPosted: Mon Dec 16, 2013 6:59 pm Reply with quote
Akatsuki was deliberately created to be the anti-Keitaro (Keitaro being from Love Hina!). For better and for worse, Akatsuki is a complete rejection of the wimpy harem lead. Does that make his show better than Love Hina!? No; Aesthetica of a Rogue Hero is pretty terrible, and I rated it the same as Love Hina!. An entire episode is wasted in a lingerie shop for crying out loud.

But it does make for a refreshing viewing experience, if only because we're not seeing all of the same old tired tropes getting rolled out. It is nice to see a harem lead stand up for himself rather than being continually punched into the sky as a gag (Love Hina!) or being beaten up by a gang of girls for something that isn't even his fault (Majikoi - Oh! Samurai Girls).

Unfortunately, the writers made Akatsuki so over the top is is impossible to take him seriously or think he's a cool guy; he forcefully molests Miu in front of a (non-plussed) shop assistant and steals the bikini tops from an entire beach full of women just for his own amusement. And he is such a Gary Stu that he never gets in any real danger, which makes for some very boring fights.

So yeah, in trying to break the mold of the loser harem lead the creators took him the other way too far. A bit of moderation would have been appreciated.
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HitokiriShadow



Joined: 09 May 2005
Posts: 6251
PostPosted: Mon Dec 16, 2013 7:04 pm Reply with quote
DmonHiro wrote:
A woman reviewing Aesthetica does not seem wise. No offense, but I really doubt giving someone who is the exact opposite of the target audience something to review is unwise.


Aesthetica is a steaming pile and should be incredibly offensive regardless of your sex/gender.
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DmonHiro





PostPosted: Mon Dec 16, 2013 7:05 pm Reply with quote
Northlander wrote:
If there's a show where women are treated really badly, how does it make sense to keep women from pointing that out?

Fair point, but I really don't see any meaning in reviewing something you probably hated before even watching it. On the other hand, giving it to someone who really loves stuff like this wouldn't make a good review either. I guess I just don't see much point in reviews in general.

Northlander wrote:
A guy that makes girls pee themselves isn't a boss or a strong guy, regardless of whatever reasons he cooked up.

Well, in this particular case, he is boss and strong, but that has nothing to do with the peeing. And while the reason was stupid, it did work. Uniting everyone by giving them someone to hate is a legitimate technique. Still could have just opened the door.


Northlander wrote:
He's a shithead and a bully.

Nobody's arguing that one.

Northlander wrote:
And anime in general has too damn many of that kind -- of both genders -- that we're supposed to laugh at or even cheer for, it seems.

I can't really remember any male leads that are abusive though. I can name plenty of females, but males are usually on the other end of the abuse.
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Utsuro no Hako



Joined: 18 May 2012
Posts: 1032
PostPosted: Mon Dec 16, 2013 7:10 pm Reply with quote
BalmungHHQ wrote:
Of all the critiques to make about the show, I wasn't expecting the focus to be on taking the lead character's actions so seriously...


Just because something's a comedy doesn't mean it gets a free pass when it deals with serious issues -- like sexual assault. If that reasoning worked, Jerry Lewis would've released his Holocaust comedy The Day the Clown Cried and just shrugged when people complained about it being tasteless.
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Zac
ANN Executive Editor


Joined: 05 Jan 2002
Posts: 7912
Location: Anime News Network Technodrome
PostPosted: Mon Dec 16, 2013 7:16 pm Reply with quote
DmonHiro wrote:
I guess I just don't see much point in reviews in general.


So stop reading them and stop commenting on them.
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DmonHiro





PostPosted: Mon Dec 16, 2013 7:21 pm Reply with quote
Zac wrote:
So stop reading them and stop commenting on them.

I never said I don't enjoy reading them. They just don't mean anything to me. I judge things by myself.
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