General anime thoughts/discussion thread.

[Girls with Guns]

Not seen any of those myself, personal preference of course but I think I prefer more realism than whacky, and some comedy not all comedy. My favourite type of comedy is more the situational type than the direct I guess. I want a show with some comedy in it, rather than a comedy show

For me the less comedy the better in anime, I prefer more realistic, serious seinen drama series, and anime that are cerebral, psychological, have a good mystery that keeps you guessing to the end, and/or makes you stop and think are mega-pluses. God I hate spoon-fed plots for the mindless. As you say, some smart, situational comedy is OK, But I can't stomach the in-your-face stoopid comedy of stuff like you usually get in comedy anime like Romcoms. And something weird like FLCL or Jojo's would make me barf to have to watch it.

 

[Lordhippos]

Yeah I think we'd have similar taste then in that case, but it's cool, some people watch anime just because they want to laugh with it or whatever, I just don't usually find comedy ones that funny myself (also I'm probably too old to!)

 

[Neil.T]

FLCL for the win.

 

[João Gomes]

I never quite get the whole ‘this is trash yet I love it’ argument, but I think I’m probably too inclined to pick out positive qualities, even from things at the bottom of the barrel. Golden Boy, to take a previously mentioned example, I think is genuinely well produced for what it is - the animation quality and attention to detail in the art design is excellent.

I was, on my own, thinking about this the other day and I agree. I don't know if saying stuff is trash and you enjoy it is a way of preemptively defend yourself and feel like you can watch what you love and not have people annoy you with comments like "but that's hilariously bad" or if it's just next-level awareness that I can't understand.

But like, the example that came to mind was Geass, for me. Trainwreck is a word I see associated with it often but it's such a hugely entertaining series, so much more than the sum of its many, derivative parts, that I fully believe it's a high quality series.

I'm not saying it's the best thing ever made, but there's so much to it that's well done and so entertaining. I don't know. I think a lot of people on the internet need to show they're intelligent at all times, it's weird. Am I projecting here? lol

Bottom line: If I think something is trash, I'll drop it.

 

[Neil.T]

But like, the example that came to mind was Geass, for me. Trainwreck is a word I see associated with it often but it's such a hugely entertaining series, so much more than the sum of its many, derivative parts, that I fully believe it's a high quality series.

"Trainwreck", they say? Really?

I'm with you on it being high-quality, João. R2, with all its changing allegiances, I personally rate very highly from a writing standpoint. It's pretty complex stuff, and convincing too, for my money at least.

 

[Girls with Guns]

I still am open to some trash, or should I say, trashy anime, too, I'm not solely for serious and intelligent anime. I mean, I was the first person in line to pre-order Interspecies Reviewers, Redo of Healer, and Peter Grill, lol. I'm still partly human.

 

[João Gomes]

"Trainwreck", they say? Really?

I'm with you on it being high-quality, João. R2, with its all changing allegiances, I personally rate very highly from a writing standpoint. It's pretty complex stuff, and convincing too, for my money at least.

Yeah, I remember watching it as it came out (don't ask me how thx) (lord, I was still in uni) and following a couple of blogs and reading impressions on a forum I perused back then, and there was definitely a few people that were, supposedly, watching it for its trainwreck value from a certain point on and felt the need to remind others how bad they thought it was, constantly.

Which is why I'm reminded of the possibility that maybe people find it hard to admit that they find it good and appreciate it? For whatever reason.

Geass is just an example, I know it is hugely popular anyway and certainly doesn't need defending.

You need some GTO in your life, Girls with Guns!

 

[Professor Irony]

My memory of R2 is pretty hazy now, but I know a lot of people do/did consider it closer to a super robot series in its execution than the first season, so maybe the change in direction threw them? Considering that they had to write themselves out of a corner to get the story back to a similar starting point as the first season, I thought it was fine.

 

[Aion]

Where is it that this sense of obligation comes from? Obligation to whom?

Why, 'tis an obligation to the God of listing, of course! Everyone fully believes they are a critic on the internet, and are oft so far up their own respective a-hole they cannot smell the stink. This affliction is, sadly, not unknown to meee. For many years, adding 6/10 scores to MAL, dutifully kept me enduring. The folly of only caring to finish things to add them to a virtual list eventually dawned on me. Now, I am what Ayase is to AUKN: an anime forum poster that watches not anime. I cannot possibly deal with low budget modern anime actionwank unless an ufotable appears, and isekais can sod off to another world.

"Trainwreck", they say? Really?

Now you have woken the dragon, Neil. You don't want to wake the dragon. 'Twas the eyebrow raising.

Nothing in this life - besides perhaps existence as a whole - has disappointed me more than the first two-thirds of Code Geass R2. Never was I the same, afterwards~ At the time, I was not so cynical as to anticipate the... sequel contrivances that would forever taint my soul. You see, I had gotten into Geass on the back of Death Note; seeing it as a sort of lanky CLAMP, mini-skirt approving homage to it--a 'what if Light Yagami was allowed to outlandishly cosplay, with robots on roller-skates' spin-off version, one could say. Alas, "they" do indeed say the follow-up is a trainwreck. Not quite My-Hime, 'tis true, but Sunrise are masters at wrecking trains. Always thought it most peculiar rating averages suggest otherwise.

S1 ended on the greatest cliffhanger in cliffhangering history. Wrote themselves into a corner, the clueless writers had, and countless theories were conceived... only for Suzaku to defy time & space to disarm Lelouch with an implausibly silly spinning kick. 'Spinzaku' became a meme, even.. Kallen then abandoned her leader, out of shock he is also the man she loves during a vital operation to retake Japan (before randomly later deciding to rescue him, as a girl, much to smuttists appreciation). And Suzaku opted not to kill Lelouch for revenge, instead taking him as a hostage on a skipped globe-trotting journey All this to reset the story back to zero, with no deaths, and with Lelouch's memories re-written.

I'm hoping the recap trilogy skips over or changes much of the early portions of R2. If so, it'll be watchable. The last stretch of R2 had some nice twists and turns. The rest, not so much.

Spoiler: TLTR/spoilers

The actual start of ep1 was a redux of S1E1, with Lelouch again stumbling across C2, before repeating his suicide command. Just with added Rollo. Then came the most lazy attempt at padding: Lelouch once again hiding his identity at school despite it now being known, Mr. Knight of the Roundtable joining him, again. Repetition and Lelouch arsepulling to the extreme with his plans. Then was China, with that loli desperate for Zero's D, whilst D-less cartoony eunuch's schemed. And Shirley realising who Lelouch is.... AGAIN. And Kallen's midair Gundam upgrade via a submarine. Etc, etc. What Prof Irony said: R2 Went all in on overpowered robots. Also went in T&A fan-service as that doubtless the main reason they returned to school. This I could however appreciate.

Joe is not wrong. In fact, it was likely myself Joe saw complaining back when it aired, elsewhere. That said, R2 did somewhat redeem itself, after Suzaku nuking Nunnally. From that point onwards, around ep17, it felt like how series should've resumed to begin with. The allegiance switching, culminating in an admittedly cool twist end, was good. Just a shame about the rest of the series being a lazy rehash of what was once a much better show.

Spoiler: This was most of R2 for me, represented in image form~

 

[Neil.T]

Why, 'tis an obligation to the God of listing, of course!

I'm pleased that I evidently don't have enough interest in lists to sit through something just for the sake of adding it to one, then.

That said, I do continue to maintain my MAL page for some reason, despite the fact that not even I look at my own MAL page.

Separately, but as you're fully aware of already, it's João you're referring to, not "Joe".

I'm reminded of the possibility that maybe people find it hard to admit that they find it good and appreciate it

I think that definitely exists, but I also think there are people who just genuinely get off on nitpicking and belittling things when they feel like they have an audience to do it in front of.

Something that springs to mind is being at the Scotland Loves Anime screening of the Final Fantasy film Kingsglaive at Glasgow Film Theatre. It's a 3D CG film, and admittedly some of the mouth movement looked rather unnatural. There were these two guys in the audience, though, who started laughing loudly every single bloody time a character spoke. That only lasted until a guy in the row behind me shouted across to them "Will you two shut up!"

We never heard a peep out of them after that. Funny how they could suddenly stop when they were challenged. I can imagine what those two would be like on an online forum, though.

 

[RadFemHedonist]

I don't finish things if I'm not enjoying them I used to be more of a killjoy about other people's tastes then realized that I didn't really wanna be like that and now I'm pretty chill and accepting of what other people like (a few things raise an eyebrow for their particularly iffy politics/misogyny etc. but I still do understand that liking things like that doesn't mean someone is necessarily an asshole or a threat to women). My step-parent was really negative about anime and kept saying everything except Ghibli films was, well, basically, pedo ****. It really hurt to hear that kind of stuff about my hobby (one of the only things giving me a respite from my depression and providing intellectual and emotional stimulation at the time tbh - I didn't have any friends and my education had suffered due to various factors), and I think that's part of why I got so defensive and bitter about things. I'm glad I'm still an anime fan now even if it no doubt makes some people look down on me. I just want everyone to be able to enjoy themselves and have a good time tbh Also, to bring things full circle a lil bit, what are current posters here's opinions of Nana? I would like to watch it but still kinda making my mind up I love Wish the second opening theme I got totally hooked on that for a while

 

[Aion]

I'm pleased that I evidently don't have enough interest in lists to sit through something just for the sake of adding it to one, then.
Separately, but as you're fully aware of already, it's João you're referring to, not "Joe".
That said, I do continue to maintain my MAL page for some reason, despite the fact that not even I look at my own MAL page.

I also think there are people who just genuinely get off on nitpicking and belittling things when they feel like they have an audience to do it in front of.

Something that springs to mind is being at the Scotland Loves Anime screening of the Final Fantasy film Kingsglaive at Glasgow Film Theatre. That only lasted until a guy in the row behind me shouted across to them "Will you two shut up!"

We never heard a peep out of them after that. Funny how they could suddenly stop when they were challenged. I can imagine what those two would be like on an online forum, though.

Firstly, Joe will always be Joe to me. Roy will always be Roy. I have a more informal name for you as well but, alas, I'm much too shy until we get to know each other better. As luck would have it, we can take our time - this, after all, being a discussion thread - even as you try to evade. It is said true love blossoms not at the outset but over time, and passive aggressive eye-rolling emoji-ing makes me swoon. Even more so when quoting someone to use their post as a proxy to respond. 'Tis cute.

When one cites nit-picking yet bows at the altar of 10/10 Code Geass R2, anything and everything will be nit-picking. Love is as hate, and if you are so smitten as to raise an eyebrow over criticism, you are blinded by it. Mine post detailed flaws I have held dear to my heart that make me burn with passionate anger, well over a decade later. To mine eyes, you are the one cowering away; under the veil of me being distasteful to your palette, ignoring everything else. Differing opinions can be hard to swallow, after all~ Of my favourite things, I can love them so much their flaws are endearing. Maturity comes with accepting the bitter with the sweet~

As for your most subtle of cinema examples, you are not the protagonist in your own story, I could not help but note. The person behind you was a hero, of this I have no doubt. 'Tis beyond me why one would pay to watch a Final Fantasy movie, after both Spirit's Within and Advent Children, let alone a FFXV prequel move. If forced to do so, I would opt to laugh at that, rather than lip-syncing. But I digress. Personally, I would not do something quite so classless as talking when watching with strangers. The whole point of forums is to converse. Perhaps I am missing something and you can educate me~

Also Neil: there is no need to be coy. You would not be so brazen as to link directly to your list if you did not want others to see your... refined tastes. 'Tis akin to a street worker feigning modesty.

 

[Neil.T]

quoting someone to use their post as a proxy to respond

For the record, the majority of my post was actually aimed at another member in response to their post, so I'd prefer that my contribution wasn't misrepresented.

To focus on the general Code Geass discussion, though, that YouTube parody video is kind of interesting. For my own part, once I'd gotten past the idea of giant pilotable robots in the series, and the mystic ability to compel someone to do your bidding with a look and a verbal command, it wouldn't have occurred to me to hold something like a flying kick to a different standard of realism. Everyone's individual mileage will vary and all that, though, of course.

 

[João Gomes]

I think that definitely exists, but I also think there are people who just genuinely get off on nitpicking and belittling things when they feel like they have an audience to do it in front of.

Something that springs to mind is being at the Scotland Loves Anime screening of the Final Fantasy film Kingsglaive at Glasgow Film Theatre. It's a 3D CG film, and admittedly some of the mouth movement looked rather unnatural. There were these two guys in the audience, though, who started laughing loudly every single bloody time a character spoke. That only lasted until a guy in the row behind me shouted across to them "Will you two shut up!"

We never heard a peep out of them after that. Funny how they could suddenly stop when they were challenged. I can imagine what those two would be like on an online forum, though.

Love little attention seeking clowns of that sort. When I say" love", I mean it's rather pitiful, of course.

Hate egotistical people like that, who have no problem ruining the experience for a room full of people as long as they get to wear their clown makeup

Yeah, there are quite a few of those characters in forums everywhere, I feel. Mostly ignoring them is the healthiest thing to do ahah

Say, you do love watching your anime at the cinema! Must be cool, I wouldn't mind giving that a try someday.

 

[Neil.T]

Say, you do love watching your anime at the cinema! Must be cool, I wouldn't mind giving that a try someday.

Yeah, I'm kinda lucky where I live. There's my local indie cinema, who are really reliable at showing whatever Anime Limited's latest theatrical release is, as well as taking part in the Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme every February. Also, a 90-minute coach journey gets me to Glasgow for Scotland Loves Anime in October, or to last month's Belle screening with in-person Hosoda Q&A.

Are there ever any anime screenings where you are, then?

 

[João Gomes]

Yeah, I'm kinda lucky where I live. There's my local indie cinema, who are really reliable at showing whatever Anime Limited's latest theatrical release is, as well as taking part in the Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme every February. Also, a 90-minute coach journey gets me to Glasgow for Scotland Loves Anime in October, or to last month's Belle screening with in-person Hosoda Q&A.

Are there ever any anime screenings where you are, then?

Belle must be amazing in a huge screen!

There's the Annecy animation festival which isn't very far at all but there is literally no one I know who's into anime and I'm way past the age and excitement it would take to get me there by myself lol

But there are a lot of showings and even premieres there as I understand it!

 

[Neil.T]

@João Gomes:

Yeah, I keep seeing the Annecy name in connection with accolades for new theatrical anime, so it must be one of the big hitters in the business.

You won't have seen Belle yet, I take it?

 

[João Gomes]

@João Gomes:

Yeah, I keep seeing the Annecy name in connection with accolades for new theatrical anime, so it must be one of the big hitters in the business.

You won't have seen Belle yet, I take it?

I haven't even watched Wolf Children nor Mirai yet!! Got them both casually sitting on my collection because hoarding, amirite

I'm glad Belle is such a huge success, I always love it when anime movies make it big.

 

[Aion]

Neil, if the majority had indeed been a reply to Joe with your quote, that would imply the minority was a less than sly digg at me. Tut, tut.

Back to Geasing, 'tis quite true one has to apply a suspension of disbelief to a a cartoon involving giant robots; on roller-skates, no less! Robots wouldn't work that big in real life as you doubtless know - accursed gravity~ - and robots don't skate as a rule. You make very valid points. I for one am impressed. What's more, a supernatural show with eyeball powers!? Surely, then, it follows as a matter of course that impossible feats of physical ability and established logic be thrown to the wind...

However, the OBJECTION to your sarcastic counter is obvious: stories set up rules early on. Ie, Lelouch can stay at school and act as Zero as long his identity is hidden, so when it's known, the charade ends. People die when they are killed. Women have holes. There is a limit, and if you go beyond that willy-nilly because you wrote yourself into a sequel corner, to reset and start over from zero (pun intended), do you know what happens; do you!? Belief no longer be suspend. Suzaku defying physics & logic kidnapping instead of killing; Charlie rewriting memories... all so Lelouch can remain at school. Maybe you could readily accept this sorry state of affairs, Neil, but 'tis difficult for meeee. One does not build up to the most epic of cliffhangers, then retreat--men push ever onwards~

Also, @Joe : clowning is an art. Your confusion surprises me little, so let me put it this way: is it the clown that plays pretend or the clown that cannot see their own folly, ignoring in ignorance, that is the real clown?
Here I was, supporting your argument better than you ever could, and yet you spurn meeeeee, for Neil's charisma. 'Tis painful.

I don't finish things if I'm not enjoying them I used to be more of a killjoy about other people's tastes then realized that I didn't really wanna be like that and now I'm pretty chill and accepting of what other people like (a few things raise an eyebrow for their particularly iffy politics/misogyny etc. but I still do understand that liking things like that doesn't mean someone is necessarily an asshole or a threat to women). My step-parent was really negative about anime and kept saying everything except Ghibli films was, well, basically, pedo ****. It really hurt to hear that kind of stuff about my hobby (one of the only things giving me a respite from my depression and providing intellectual and emotional stimulation at the time tbh - I didn't have any friends and my education had suffered due to various factors), and I think that's part of why I got so defensive and bitter about things. I'm glad I'm still an anime fan now even if it no doubt makes some people look down on me. I just want everyone to be able to enjoy themselves and have a good time tbh Also, to bring things full circle a lil bit, what are current posters here's opinions of Nana? I would like to watch it but still kinda making my mind up I love Wish the second opening theme I got totally hooked on that for a while

On a totally unrelated, in no way whatsoever snide retort to the above, RadFeminist's post got lost amidst Code Geass and..... male 'bonding' over obnoxious cinema goers. Time to reply, aha... ha.

Nana briefly made meeee feel in tune with my more feminine side. Two women from differing backgrounds, with polar opposite personalities bond and become bffs amidst romantic woes, supporting each other, is nice. Rarely do you see such open familiarity between the same gender without family/same sex relations, so twas quite touching~
Alas, I only read 4 or so volumes, and if memory serves the author-ess either became ill/ded, leaving the series incomplete. That said, the anime is around 50eps and is regarded as one of the greatest shoujo/Josei. Might get the blu-ray set next year.

As it happens, MadhouseOG did Paradise Kiss as well as Nana. I strongly recommend the former, if you have yet to see it and are a ladyperson.

 

[Just Passing Through]

and robots don't skate as a rule, after all.

Make a statement like that and expect someone not to Google? Naivete...