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REVIEW: Robotics;Notes Complete Series (BLURAY+DVD)


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Stark700



Joined: 30 Jan 2012
Posts: 11762
Location: Earth
PostPosted: Fri May 09, 2014 11:30 am Reply with quote
Yeah, I think the story didn't get too interesting and grabbed my attention either although there were a few episodes imo that were quite memorable. Frau on the other hand really stood out among the most and I also liked the premise. But overall, it wasn't exactly what I had hoped for. Not a bad series but nothing too special either I guess.
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DmonHiro





PostPosted: Fri May 09, 2014 11:37 am Reply with quote
The final act of this anime was PATHETIC. I've never seen so much bullshit per second as the final episodes of R;N;. The final "battle" made absolutely no sense, it was deus-ex machina after deus-ex machina. And not never GOOD deus-ex machina. A great premise absolutely ruined by poor direction and abysmal writing. Good riddance.
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darkchibi07



Joined: 15 Oct 2003
Posts: 5459
PostPosted: Fri May 09, 2014 11:41 am Reply with quote
Now here's a conundrum! I wonder if I should check out the English dub to see if I'll get an "easier" experience than when I watched it when it was simulcasted.
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ScarRedTiger



Joined: 11 Dec 2013
Posts: 15
PostPosted: Fri May 09, 2014 11:53 am Reply with quote
The characters definitely were the strongest aspect. I found Akiho's "I LOVE GIANT ROBOTS" attitude infectious. I was also interested in the sci-fi concepts like Augmented Reality. I was awesome to see a fully realized Gunvarrel.
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Shenl742



Joined: 11 Feb 2010
Posts: 1524
PostPosted: Fri May 09, 2014 12:04 pm Reply with quote
I don't have anything to say other than that I find the cover image used to be a little chuckle-worthy.

I don't what it is but just the angle make's the girl's ears looks abnormally low on her head, as though they were growing right out of her cheeks.


Last edited by Shenl742 on Fri May 09, 2014 12:29 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Primal_Sage



Joined: 09 May 2014
Posts: 8
PostPosted: Fri May 09, 2014 12:27 pm Reply with quote
It was right the way you said.

I dropped the show four times during a whole year, and the only moment I felt I wanted to finish it was when I was one chapter closer to the end. It was quite unbearable.

The first half took way too much time to introduce the main characters and the real plot got mixed and lost through the mid-episodes. After that, it couldn't get worse with that lame thing of "my toy will save the world, for teh family".

Srzly?
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nightjuan



Joined: 22 Jan 2008
Posts: 1473
PostPosted: Fri May 09, 2014 12:38 pm Reply with quote
It's always interesting to read JO's reviews, given how well-written they usually are, even if there's no guarantee I'll personally or intellectually agree with her points of view.

In this case, I still haven't seen enough of Robotics;Notes to make much of an argument, either way, but the comparison to Steins;Gate does seem to indicate that my expectations should be kept relatively low whenever I finally get around to properly checking this out.

I do think there's a certain kind of exaggerated super-science context where things like melodrama and out-of-left-field surprises are entirely appropriate, however, but from all current indications it would appear R;N started out as something that was trying to be more grounded than, say, a Super Robot show, with both its technology and its premise. Which might well be undermined by the use of such devices. I guess I'll just have to see it for myself.
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Cyclone1993



Joined: 05 Jul 2011
Posts: 947
PostPosted: Fri May 09, 2014 12:41 pm Reply with quote
There is one thing about this review that I agree in, and that's the fact that the show has great characters. I have to disagree on everything else. Maybe it's because we had different expectations about the series. I had never seen any of the Scientific Adventure series prior to watching this.

I really enjoyed the first half, possibly more than the second. It reminded me of Bakuman, a couple of friends working to accomplish their dreams before they graduate and I really got into that, it was inspirational.

The second half was great too with the introduction of the world threat and everything. But the place where I think the show stumbled was in balancing the two very different aspects of the series. I read somewhere that it was the combination of two great shows into one good one.

I've seen the rest of the series now, and while it isn't as good as Steins;Gate it's still a very enjoyable series.
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GiriOni



Joined: 10 Aug 2012
Posts: 218
PostPosted: Fri May 09, 2014 12:42 pm Reply with quote
darkchibi07 wrote:
Now here's a conundrum! I wonder if I should check out the English dub to see if I'll get an "easier" experience than when I watched it when it was simulcasted.


Watching one episode after another preserves the rather weak anticipation for the next episode, but the same thing can be said about the subs. In general the English dub is good, voices fit characters very well and the script is loyal to the work. But the script is loyal to the work. I mention that as both a positive and a negative, because the English dub brings nothing really new to the series.

Due to the separate routes the VN goes through being condensed into one (Steins;Gate VN had multiple endings instead of routes for the most part, and the only two 'routes' walked the same content with the only difference being cell phone texts and the ending, which was easy to make into an anime) the anime of R;N ended up a complicated mess.

To note: for the author of ;Series, any story of his has plot holes that can be explained by the idea that the story takes place as if the reader is in a realm above the realm the story takes place. As if we the readers are gods simply viewing the events taking place through the eyes of the main character.

Using this explanation it makes sense why Okabe has his Reading Steiner ability spoiler[stronger than the other characters] and why time travel works so strangely, it's what event the reader sees that is cemented into the world line. Next spoiler is for the S;G movie: spoiler[And in the movie why Kurisu has the better Reading Steiner].

I would give some more definitive proof, but even saying where it's from would be spoiler. But I know some people know what I'm talking about. Well that's just my off topic theory anyway. /longofftopicdiscussion
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Takkun4343



Joined: 19 Jul 2007
Posts: 1493
Location: Englewood, Ohio
PostPosted: Fri May 09, 2014 12:51 pm Reply with quote
Guys, you're forgetting the most important thing.

It was better than Chaos;Head.
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consignia



Joined: 06 Jul 2011
Posts: 391
PostPosted: Fri May 09, 2014 1:08 pm Reply with quote
Takkun4343 wrote:

It was better than Chaos;Head.


Like that's any achievement.

I liked Robotics;Notes quite a bit. Yes, it fell short in many aspects, but it also had brilliant characters. It just lives in the shadow of Steins;Gate which leaves it with some absolutely huge boots to fill. Almost anything would have paled in comparison.
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Knight-Hart



Joined: 27 Mar 2014
Posts: 266
PostPosted: Fri May 09, 2014 2:03 pm Reply with quote
The ChaoS;HEAd game was really good though. It's the darkest, most disturbing, almost sickening story I've ever read. But it also has an extreme adrenaline high near the end which finishes it off nicely.

It's really such a shame that the anime was so pitiful. I know it'll never happen, but I wish it'd get a remake with 25 episodes. Even the stuff they did fit in was lacking, like in the end. It really had promise to be good. I hope they do a better job with ChaoS;Child
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DmonHiro





PostPosted: Fri May 09, 2014 2:08 pm Reply with quote
Takkun4343 wrote:
It was better than Chaos;Head.

That's not much of an accomplishment. 90% of all anime is better then Chaos;Head. Mars Of Destruction is better then Chaos;Head. At least that only makes you suffer for 30 minutes.
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dtm42



Joined: 05 Feb 2008
Posts: 14084
Location: currently stalking my waifu
PostPosted: Fri May 09, 2014 2:51 pm Reply with quote
I wish Hope had refrained from extensively comparing Robotics;Notes to the other two semicolon shows. There's no harm in bringing up the links to ChaoS;HEAd and Steins;Gate, and some commentary would have been fine. However, going on and on like that with the comparisons was not necessary and just bloated the review. It wasn't that useful either. I wanted to hear what the show was like when judged on its own merits, not how it fared when compared to two other shows that are thematically and stylistically distinct and made by different companies.

Anyway, Robotics;Notes was a mess of a show that was riddled in every aspect with some gigantic issues. The whole monopoles-falling-from-the-skies business has to rate as one of the most stupid, inexplicable and just plain random plot holes in any anime I've ever watched. Yes, the show wasn't as braindead as ChaoS;HEAd, but so what? And at any rate, it is just as gormless. More disappointing too, because Robotics;Notes did actually possess good potential that it proceeded to squander (if not outright trample upon) at every opportunity.
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Greed1914



Joined: 28 Oct 2007
Posts: 4410
PostPosted: Fri May 09, 2014 3:18 pm Reply with quote
This show ended up about where I had expected in terms of overall quality compared to its predecessors. With the first being pretty bad and the second being fantastic, I was expecting something more or less right between the two. I just wish it had been more even throughout instead of having some really great portions that made the less impressive ones stick out so much. Though I think I would have settled for things not happening at the most convenient times with no explanation like spoiler[the monopoles.]
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