Kuragehime was charming and adorable. Thus far, it seems sort of like an all-female Genshiken, with added jellyfish. I wholeheartedly approve.
Your anime viewing journal
- Thread starter Miaka-chan
- Start date
I'm actually gonna write out my full opinions of these in the "out of 10" topic tomorrow, but yeah. I just got back from one awesome evening of anime on the big screen.
Redline and One Piece: Strong World
Asides from that, and the three for tomorrow(layton, trigun and...summer wars), i've been working my way through Gintama a lot, and also been watching Heroman and i just started To Aru Majutsu no Index 2-3 nights back.
Redline and One Piece: Strong World
Asides from that, and the three for tomorrow(layton, trigun and...summer wars), i've been working my way through Gintama a lot, and also been watching Heroman and i just started To Aru Majutsu no Index 2-3 nights back.
ilmaestro
State Alchemist
To Aru Majutsu no Index II ep 2 - more awesome new characters, and glimpses of older ones we both knew well and had barely been introduced to. Battle lines are starting to be drawn, really feels like it's set up for something epic.
Kuragehime ep 1 - Pretty damn funny, and obvious potential to stay entertaining. There's a reason josou shounen get used so much these days, there's just so much inherent comedy in seeing character's reactions to them and such.
Kuragehime ep 1 - Pretty damn funny, and obvious potential to stay entertaining. There's a reason josou shounen get used so much these days, there's just so much inherent comedy in seeing character's reactions to them and such.
mangaman74
Akatsuki
Rental Magica Episodes 13 - 17
(This is the broadcast order)
(This is the broadcast order)
Another three to add to my movie tally to day:
Professor Layton and the Eternal Diva - Would probably appeal more to me if i was someone who had played the games, but obviously, i haven't Regardless, it was not bad, cheesy certainly. 6/10 worthy, maybe more but we did get one of the first viewings of the show with its dub, so there we go.
Summer Wars - What can i say about this....hah, well...er...10/10. Let's leave it at that for now.
Trigun: Badlands Rumble- Yeah, considering i've never watched Trigun, i was very much happy with this. Great laugh, good action, well paced. The directors wanted it to be a film where you had a drink, popcorn and a good laugh, and he got his wish. i'm not sure on a full rating yet, but i'll estimate it about 8/10 for sure.
Next up tomorrow, Haruhi and Eva 2.0
Professor Layton and the Eternal Diva - Would probably appeal more to me if i was someone who had played the games, but obviously, i haven't Regardless, it was not bad, cheesy certainly. 6/10 worthy, maybe more but we did get one of the first viewings of the show with its dub, so there we go.
Summer Wars - What can i say about this....hah, well...er...10/10. Let's leave it at that for now.
Trigun: Badlands Rumble- Yeah, considering i've never watched Trigun, i was very much happy with this. Great laugh, good action, well paced. The directors wanted it to be a film where you had a drink, popcorn and a good laugh, and he got his wish. i'm not sure on a full rating yet, but i'll estimate it about 8/10 for sure.
Next up tomorrow, Haruhi and Eva 2.0
Aion
Time-Traveller
Rui said:
Cheers for the Two Mirrors C&Ping. I truly had no idea at all what it meant, for there were no mirrors of note - metaphorically or otherwise - and it made me feel ever so slightly dumb. It gladdens my heart that a lengthy paragraph by the translator was required to clear the issue up.
Both S1 & S2 of Hell Girl followed the pattern of poor-good episodic content being made seem better by powerful final arcs. S1 in particular was saved by Ai's back-story because, unlike S2, there had been no Team Hell Girl episodes prior to that and the reporter subplot seemed utterly pointless until the reporter and his daughter got connected to Ai's past. S2's 'spiriting away' finale wasn't quite as good as Ai's back-story arc but it did make me certain that 8/10 was the right score.
For me, S1 has the best continuing, episode-to-episode story/finale and S2 has much better episodic content. And, in my mind, S2 is the better of the two overall due to the Team Hell Girl development episodes and there being no obvious weaknesses; even though it didn't end as strongly.
So far, after watching the first half of S3, though I was overly harsh to begin with - forgetting S2 also opened up with a poorly written school girl vs. teacher episode - I don't think it's anything special. Its episodic content is at around the same level as S2's was, but (if there's such a thing in S3) the main plot thread has been pathetically weak; there still not even having been an explanation about Hell Girl's return and the new character that was presumably created to cover all bases - even straight shota loving middle-aged women called Roy. Even now, I can't escape the feeling that the new Kikuri-lookalike heroine is an excuse for a continuation to have been created, rather than a reason.
The episodic goodness that made the previous two seasons so entertaining and easy to watch due to there being something new every other episode is still very much there, and I had a good time once I got into the mood. However, it feels more restricted now that the events all have to occur around the new school girl character; even more stories involving school kids as a result. With there having been little to no attempts at fleshing out the new heroine, or her friends, it's bothersome...
I get what you're saying; about learning the truth about the characters ruining the mystery. What made Cowboy Bebop's Spike-Julia-Vicious thing so great was how their past relationship got left up to the imagination as much as possible. Had the issue received lots of time, I'm pretty sure most would have come away thinking of their relationship as a cliched gangster one. It was the mystery that made CB's finale so great.
S2's OP really did it for me. I never remember lyrics at the best of times, so I only care for the beat of a song, and I thought it went wonderfully well with the imagery. The glass/images blending in with the main background image and small things such as Ichimokuren(sp?) running in-sync with the music got me going. S3's, on the other hand, is just so-so - the overly bright colours at the start/new character hugging a teddy bear not exactly going well with the themes of the series!
The ending of S2 was a "grower" - you're right. If memory serves, it's a slow-paced song done by Noto, with some very nice images of Ai laying around in her kimono. In contrast to the excitinish OP, I liked how it chilled me out with its relaxing nature - a perfect 'closer'.
If you've got the eyes/experience/TV required to know the difference between JP and R1 DVD quality, why buy R1 DVDs? And where did you buy the first set from, anyhow - PlayUSA?
Eh, I don't buy music - too expensive when my PC speakers play stuff for free perfectly. I'd like to at least own Death Note's three soundtracks but I don't get a rewarding feeling when paying a ton for music. It isn't as if I can get soundtracks for prices equivalent to PlayUSA's DVD pricing!
It seems like Kikuri is just there to appease those with fetishes for creepy girls even younger than Ai. I have no idea. All she's done so far is ask for people to turn the key on her back/rode around aimlessly. Her inclusion was as pointless as S3 itself... unless the new shota-boy calling her 'princess' has some deeper meaning.
Oh, then you have the same fetish as that big-boobed chick from Genshiken; bald old men? (Wanyu is probably my favourite Team Hell Girl Member, too... though Onna's boobs do hold some sway.)
What's been your favourite episode, up to yet? Mine would have to be the black comedy 12th. I mentioned S2's black comedy addition impressing me, and the same is true of S3's. I don't care for OTT punishing silliness but I don't mind an episode or two dealing with death in a more lighthearted manner. Nose-bleeder's competition over who to kill/excitement over putting stickers on a poster's 'special places' amused me.
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That-Bastard-Bad-Guy-Aion said:
I think my favourite episode in season 1 was the one focusing on the old artist (stunning pictures in that!) and the ones which blurred the morality of it all, like the kind nurse. Season 2 had more of the "muddier" moral episodes and the ones towards the middle were pleasantly varied and interesting. Nosebleeder's episode was quite good in season 3 and I also quite liked the kimono one and the novelist. The dog episode was terrible.
I thought the climax of season 1 was much better than its successor's, but the latter finally became marathon viewing when it started its story arc too and I blazed through the last few episodes in one session. The early episodes in Hell Girl tended to imply that the main character's problems would be solved by their actions, but lately I'm feeling that the very opposite is often the case.
The grey, miserable-looking scenes in the opening of season 2 probably reflect this shift, from spiteful to melancholy, but after the visual feast of the other credit sequences I felt the second OP was a let down. Watching it again I can see what it was trying to do but I watch this show to enjoy the twisted, brightly coloured, horrible beauty it has - a bunch of washed out everyday/reused scenes and zoomed in animation felt disappointing and cheap. The visuals in the season 2 ending however were stunning as usual. It's interesting that you found the focus on Yuzuki and the "cute" imagery in OP3 a negative; I thought it was quite nicely sadistic to show how such a bright, friendly girl is being forced into this unpleasant situation. Her pink, dancing, teddy bear-hugging innocence is a lovely contrast with Ai's darkness.
We'll have to put the OP2 song itself down to different taste in music...
I completely agree about forcing all of the stories in season 3 so far to relate to the same area being a problem, that's a valid criticism. I'm hoping it opens up a little more as the problems of families and a more varied set of clients helped the series feel fresher. As one of my favourite episodes listed earlier was primarily set in the past, I'm a fan of them mixing things up. Still, it didn't hurt the season 2 climax and they do manage to focus on things other than squabbling schoolkids occasionally so far.
To pick a favourite character is actually very hard for me. I identify most with Hone Onna's pride, but Wanyuudou is so extremely likeable that whenever he's on screen I decide he's my favourite. Then Ichimokuren's singleminded, honest personality soothes me too. For side characters they are all unusually warm and interesting. I hope that Yamawaro gets to do something eventually (or vanishes entirely and stops taking screen time away from Wanyuudou).
I buy R1 DVDs because I'm cheap. Although I can spot a bad transfer, it takes a lot for me to double dip to improve it. Perhaps one day when I have more money
My discs came from TRSI this time as PlayUSA seems to be failing these days (it worked out slightly cheaper and now they seem to have stopped listing upcoming DVDs at all?). I'll probably stick the second part on my current TRSI order during the next Sentai sale, though it won't get here for ages. Gives me a chance to catch up on other stuff anyway which I sorely need to do!
R
Aion
Time-Traveller
Gah, my brain is too useless to be able to recall individual episodes from way back in S1. The one I remember most clearly is the 'cake' one - when it was still fine for one-dimensional baddies to exist. S2 toned the punishment scenes down a bit from the level of inserting someone into a cake for punishment purposes.
I do recall the artist episode you're referring to, though - vaguely. It was about an old man, on the verge of death, speaking to Shibata about his love woes from long ago; his best friend raping his wife and, in-turn, the old man (old in the present, that is) using the snail-mail version of Hell Girl... right?
My memories of S2 are far clearer; if only because it wasn't THAT long ago that I finished it. The second episode, which involved a murdered little sister coming from beyond the grave to get her sister to use Hell Girl for revenge, was the episode that made me appreciate the episodicness a little more. I suppose it still used the black & white formula but I thought, for a 20 minute short, the story was well-written; the parents not wanting to admit their daughter was gone and the sister going along with them, even after punishing the killer, being quite moving. I also liked how Ichimokuren's (w/e!) past got tired into the sibling drama.
Typing of which, even though he got an episode or two where he got the Team Hell Girl lead role, Ichimokuren's past never got explained... did it? Onna being betrayed as she tried to help a naive woman escape from a brothel got shown, and Wanyu spinning around a mountain as a wheel like an idiot also got shown... but the back-story of the playboy didn't. And that's a shame 'cause he's probably my favourite out of the Team Hell Girl bunch. I've always liked characters who smile on the surface but keep pain and their more complex emotions hidden; Spike probably being the best example of this character type.
About the dog episode in S3, I liked that one until the tone switched from comedy to serious drama. The young woman unwittingly insulting the old hag with every breath was semi-amusing... but once the old hag went all psycho bully, I lost interest. The similar pet episode in S2 was better.
Likewise, the 'novelist' episode was pretty good too, at first. I liked the idea of a murder mystery leading to real world murders and the author suffering as a consequence. But once the three main characters got together and basically went 'Even though it'd be completely pointless and solve nothing, lets get together and use Hell Girl to off three people! lol' it took a turn for the terrible. Overplaying stories that start and end within 20 minutes is a bad idea and, instead of trying out having multiple Hell Girl deaths in one episode, focusing on one is better for characterization purposes. (That's what the voice in my head tells me, anyway!)
I totally agree with what you said about the early theme, way back at the start, seemingly being 'killing is wrong but helpful' then changing to 'killing is wrong and solves nothing.' In S1, there was even a short piece of music that played at the end of the episodes as the characters finished their respective stories with bittersweet happiness. That all changed once the line between good and evil vanished.
Yuzuki's the S3 lead's name? It still hasn't even registered with me. Am I ever glad I wasn't born Japanese and didn't have to remember their back-to-front names...
My issues with seeing Yuzuki cuddling a teddy bear and dancing in a cute manner come more down to me still knowing practically nothing about her than anything else. There hasn't been much of anything in terms of an internal conflict over Hell Girl residing inside her, and the best she's got in terms of 'friend time' came in one of the first half of the series latter episodes; the one where my 2D type got killed off - making me even less inclined to see more of the dull new lead. If there wasn't going to be an explanation for her lead role until the end, I'd have rather have sat through a less restricted, school girl filled version...
The worst thing about Hell Girl is how the writers seem forced to focus mostly on the woes of school girls. It's one of those issues that arises when a story is sold primarily to youngsters; the shallowness/rushed nature of the episodic content making it easier to sell to younger/stupider/more easily pleased lifeforms. Considering the best selling anime are those aimed at perverted old men, such as Fabio and Maes, I'm used to it at this stage... but I would like to see the current school location restriction lifted in the last half. It was fun seeing Onna and the others disguise themselves as office workers, nurses and the like.
In the second half, unless the subtitle is another head-scratcher, we should be seeing two more vessels for Ai to 'infect.' And if that's the case, MAYBE they both won't be ruddy school girls...
PlayUSA: No idea what's going on with them. In the past they randomly priced titles (good for UK people!) and randomly decided not to list certain titles such as the second Seto Mermaid set. Now, it seems they have something against pre-orders - them having deleted all the upcoming titles. My current three or four pre-orders (/Hell Girl 3: Part 2) are still listed on my profile, and Eden was sent the other day, so I guess we'll just have to wait and see...
I'll be kind of screwed if they stop selling 'cause the other options are more expensive; Amazon.co.uk traders aside.
I do recall the artist episode you're referring to, though - vaguely. It was about an old man, on the verge of death, speaking to Shibata about his love woes from long ago; his best friend raping his wife and, in-turn, the old man (old in the present, that is) using the snail-mail version of Hell Girl... right?
My memories of S2 are far clearer; if only because it wasn't THAT long ago that I finished it. The second episode, which involved a murdered little sister coming from beyond the grave to get her sister to use Hell Girl for revenge, was the episode that made me appreciate the episodicness a little more. I suppose it still used the black & white formula but I thought, for a 20 minute short, the story was well-written; the parents not wanting to admit their daughter was gone and the sister going along with them, even after punishing the killer, being quite moving. I also liked how Ichimokuren's (w/e!) past got tired into the sibling drama.
Typing of which, even though he got an episode or two where he got the Team Hell Girl lead role, Ichimokuren's past never got explained... did it? Onna being betrayed as she tried to help a naive woman escape from a brothel got shown, and Wanyu spinning around a mountain as a wheel like an idiot also got shown... but the back-story of the playboy didn't. And that's a shame 'cause he's probably my favourite out of the Team Hell Girl bunch. I've always liked characters who smile on the surface but keep pain and their more complex emotions hidden; Spike probably being the best example of this character type.
About the dog episode in S3, I liked that one until the tone switched from comedy to serious drama. The young woman unwittingly insulting the old hag with every breath was semi-amusing... but once the old hag went all psycho bully, I lost interest. The similar pet episode in S2 was better.
Likewise, the 'novelist' episode was pretty good too, at first. I liked the idea of a murder mystery leading to real world murders and the author suffering as a consequence. But once the three main characters got together and basically went 'Even though it'd be completely pointless and solve nothing, lets get together and use Hell Girl to off three people! lol' it took a turn for the terrible. Overplaying stories that start and end within 20 minutes is a bad idea and, instead of trying out having multiple Hell Girl deaths in one episode, focusing on one is better for characterization purposes. (That's what the voice in my head tells me, anyway!)
I totally agree with what you said about the early theme, way back at the start, seemingly being 'killing is wrong but helpful' then changing to 'killing is wrong and solves nothing.' In S1, there was even a short piece of music that played at the end of the episodes as the characters finished their respective stories with bittersweet happiness. That all changed once the line between good and evil vanished.
Yuzuki's the S3 lead's name? It still hasn't even registered with me. Am I ever glad I wasn't born Japanese and didn't have to remember their back-to-front names...
My issues with seeing Yuzuki cuddling a teddy bear and dancing in a cute manner come more down to me still knowing practically nothing about her than anything else. There hasn't been much of anything in terms of an internal conflict over Hell Girl residing inside her, and the best she's got in terms of 'friend time' came in one of the first half of the series latter episodes; the one where my 2D type got killed off - making me even less inclined to see more of the dull new lead. If there wasn't going to be an explanation for her lead role until the end, I'd have rather have sat through a less restricted, school girl filled version...
The worst thing about Hell Girl is how the writers seem forced to focus mostly on the woes of school girls. It's one of those issues that arises when a story is sold primarily to youngsters; the shallowness/rushed nature of the episodic content making it easier to sell to younger/stupider/more easily pleased lifeforms. Considering the best selling anime are those aimed at perverted old men, such as Fabio and Maes, I'm used to it at this stage... but I would like to see the current school location restriction lifted in the last half. It was fun seeing Onna and the others disguise themselves as office workers, nurses and the like.
In the second half, unless the subtitle is another head-scratcher, we should be seeing two more vessels for Ai to 'infect.' And if that's the case, MAYBE they both won't be ruddy school girls...
PlayUSA: No idea what's going on with them. In the past they randomly priced titles (good for UK people!) and randomly decided not to list certain titles such as the second Seto Mermaid set. Now, it seems they have something against pre-orders - them having deleted all the upcoming titles. My current three or four pre-orders (/Hell Girl 3: Part 2) are still listed on my profile, and Eden was sent the other day, so I guess we'll just have to wait and see...
I'll be kind of screwed if they stop selling 'cause the other options are more expensive; Amazon.co.uk traders aside.
And finally, in reverse order to annoy people
Evangelion 2.0: You Can(Not) Advance - Keep in mind, up until now, i've seen 5 episodes of Eva, but it was certainly enjoyable. Can i rate it? I need to think on it for a while. Until then, it gets a ?/10
and now
The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya - I said this in the chat a minute ago, but i'll say it again here. I kinda put the hate on KyoAni a bit parshly because of K-on!, which is ok i guess...and because of no FMP, but this...this was spot on. 3 Hours worth of brilliance. It's getting a 10/10 from me, and i'm kinda surprised, considering i wasn't expecting it to live up to the novel. I can safely say, I'm glad i was wrong. Buy it on Blu-Ray as soon as you can, a must own.
For Haruhi, i'd really like to write a review for it, after i gather my thoughts, but i can't get my thoughts onto paper. I may consider other methods, hah.
Evangelion 2.0: You Can(Not) Advance - Keep in mind, up until now, i've seen 5 episodes of Eva, but it was certainly enjoyable. Can i rate it? I need to think on it for a while. Until then, it gets a ?/10
and now
The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya - I said this in the chat a minute ago, but i'll say it again here. I kinda put the hate on KyoAni a bit parshly because of K-on!, which is ok i guess...and because of no FMP, but this...this was spot on. 3 Hours worth of brilliance. It's getting a 10/10 from me, and i'm kinda surprised, considering i wasn't expecting it to live up to the novel. I can safely say, I'm glad i was wrong. Buy it on Blu-Ray as soon as you can, a must own.
For Haruhi, i'd really like to write a review for it, after i gather my thoughts, but i can't get my thoughts onto paper. I may consider other methods, hah.
mangaman74
Akatsuki
Rental Magica Episodes 18 - 22
(This is the broadcast order)
&
Toradora Episodes 14 - 18
There are new opening and ending themes that start during the second half of the series. Personally I prefer the original ones (Pre-parade & Vanilla Salt). The show is still enjoyable though.
(This is the broadcast order)
&
Toradora Episodes 14 - 18
There are new opening and ending themes that start during the second half of the series. Personally I prefer the original ones (Pre-parade & Vanilla Salt). The show is still enjoyable though.
Reevothemusefan
Vampire Ninja
Panty & Stocking episode 3
Bakuman episode 3
Fortune Arterial episode 2
MM! episode 3
2 x 2 Shinobuden episode 1
Soredemo Machi wa Mawatteiru Episode 1 - Pretty much got SHAFT all over it, funny episode and a good start.
Arakawa Under the Bridge x Bridge episode 2 - Giant Nino on a horse, firing Lazer Beams throughout a flaming city, Win.
Bakuman episode 3
Fortune Arterial episode 2
MM! episode 3
2 x 2 Shinobuden episode 1
Soredemo Machi wa Mawatteiru Episode 1 - Pretty much got SHAFT all over it, funny episode and a good start.
Arakawa Under the Bridge x Bridge episode 2 - Giant Nino on a horse, firing Lazer Beams throughout a flaming city, Win.
mangaman74
Akatsuki
Rental Magica Episode 23 - only one more episode left
(This is the broadcast order)
&
Toradora Episode 19
(This is the broadcast order)
&
Toradora Episode 19
fabio de lunatico
Claymore
Toradora OP2 > OP1 > ED 1 > ED 2
Obviously.
After the talk about Castle of Cagliostro the other day I decided it was next on my rewatch list. Let's face it, the film kicks the crap out of most of the newer anime I could be watching.
The story is simple enough: Lupin tracks down a counterfeit racket to principality of Cagliostro, suspecting the involvement of the dastardly Count. Not long after arriving he assists a damsel in distress, who it turns out has some connection to Lupin's past, but he's unable to prevent her from being kidnapped by her pursuers. When it transpires that she was taken to the castle, rescuing her from the clutches of the count becomes Lupin's top priority.
The Lupin movies I most enjoy tend to confine themselves to a single location, and Castle of Cagliostro exemplifies this. Cagliostro itself is a vivid, memorable place, characterized by its small town, the huge lake, the palace ruins, and of course the imposing castle. Miyazaki includes numerous beautifully framed shots that capture Cagliostro in all its picturesque glory, and you get a wonderful sense of place. He was able to pull off something similar in Kiki's Delivery Service, and no doubt it contributes towards my love of that film too.
It's a brilliantly paced and beautifully illustrated hundred minutes of pure unfettered joy. Ten out of sodding ten.
Obviously.
After the talk about Castle of Cagliostro the other day I decided it was next on my rewatch list. Let's face it, the film kicks the crap out of most of the newer anime I could be watching.
The story is simple enough: Lupin tracks down a counterfeit racket to principality of Cagliostro, suspecting the involvement of the dastardly Count. Not long after arriving he assists a damsel in distress, who it turns out has some connection to Lupin's past, but he's unable to prevent her from being kidnapped by her pursuers. When it transpires that she was taken to the castle, rescuing her from the clutches of the count becomes Lupin's top priority.
The Lupin movies I most enjoy tend to confine themselves to a single location, and Castle of Cagliostro exemplifies this. Cagliostro itself is a vivid, memorable place, characterized by its small town, the huge lake, the palace ruins, and of course the imposing castle. Miyazaki includes numerous beautifully framed shots that capture Cagliostro in all its picturesque glory, and you get a wonderful sense of place. He was able to pull off something similar in Kiki's Delivery Service, and no doubt it contributes towards my love of that film too.
It's a brilliantly paced and beautifully illustrated hundred minutes of pure unfettered joy. Ten out of sodding ten.
ilmaestro
State Alchemist
Orgun: Have you seen the first season of SRW? I really want to watch The Inspector, but the first season is slow going. Was wondering if I could just skip it and watch the new season.
And mangaman, in case you missed my question before:
Having not seen Rental Magica, what is the alternative to the broadcast order?
And mangaman, in case you missed my question before:
Having not seen Rental Magica, what is the alternative to the broadcast order?