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Eps 1-7 of Freedom...i did like it but the animation of the characters took some getting used to. It just looked amateurish to me. Also it didn't help that there were sync problems on ep7 on the blu ray...with the voice and mouth movements being completely out.
 
Lawrence said:
Still watching Sound!Euphorium, somehow it's managed to pull itself together in time to avoid being dropped. Just barely. I don't particularly care for any of the main characters, they're pretty passive as far as things go, I thought. The real stars of the show are side characters like Asuka, who are far more vibrant than the main characters. To be fair, I kind of get what they are trying to achieve by making Kumiko so passive (for what it's worth, I remembered Asuka's name but not the MC's) and why she does feel like a fairly normal high school student, trapped by the pressures of the various parties around her without any real strength to make a stand for herself, it's never really presented in a particularly meaningful way, some more internal monologue would probably help to really define her as a character but without it, there isn't any real reason to be interested in her. A 'normal' character may be something we can identify with but not necessarily something we want to pursue in a story, after all, the purpose of drama is surely to exasperate the most particular aspects of life and not the most normative?

Also, as an aside, I think the exaggerated faces in episode four really helped to lift the show above that 'mundane' threshold. Used liberally as they are, help to really break up monotonous scenes by injecting a little bit of dry humour and perhaps conveying a little more insight to the character's feelings at the time. Given that the dramatic elements at work in the show fail to engage, a little humour is definitely necessary to give the series some lasting appeal.

Also, Etotama, which to my surprise, was actually pretty decent. I can see what Rui meant about it being a decent show that wasn't necessarily worth pursuing. The humor is done right for what it is and the jabs at typical battle manga cliches seem well levied but it doesn't really go much deeper than that and with the kind of set up the series has, it's hard to imagine it becoming something grander. I do sort of like Nya-tan though, as annoying as she is, it was sort of refreshing to see the viewer's feelings be reflected by the supporting cast themselves, rather than simply shrug off whatever annoying tripe the main character pulls. Well that and the fact that Nya-tan has few, if any, redeeming traits and generally seems to act in a rather narcassistic manner for the sake of furthering her own ambition, her only redeeming quality is probably the fact that she isn't quite as unbearable as Chuu-tan, which, while not an endearing thing in itself is often played for laughs and makes a nice change from characters who want to be everyone's friend. Well, I suppose her energy is appreciated as well, it definitely lends to the show's use visual gags.

I also thought the death of Uri-tan was pretty left field, like, I definitely didn't see it coming and actually thought it was a pretty neat move on the writer's part, since it actually added a little more emotion weight to a show that required little real emotional investment to begin with. And despite happening rather abruptly, it was sort of a welcome change. I've seen too many shows where a character's death has been so obviously flagged that you no longer care by the time it actually roles around. I'm not saying every death should be abrupt and thus shocking but foreshadowing so overtly seems kind of self-defeating as well. The CG is really nice though, like, way better than I'd have expected from a TV anime. I can't say I like it much - hand drawn animation still looks much better in my opinion- but if this is the future we much live with, it might not be so bad. Despite it's mediocre quality, it seems like the animation team working on this project care about what they are doing.


I also watched all of Fate/Zero and some of UBW. My biggest gripes are the fact that no-one seems to act like the blood thirsty killers they present themselves to be and also that battles drag on too long to little real effect, usually because it isn't convenient to have someone die there and then. The combat in Fate isn't particularly exciting to watch and seems to be where most of the padding lies in order to meet the 25/26 episode requirement, which is kind of a shame since the real strength of the writing is in the world building.

Coming back to my first point, I was particularly bothered by the fact that in F/Z, Kiritsugu calls out Kaylith rather than blind siding him when he comes around the corner, giving him the opportunity to react and pull in his defensive mercury rather than just shooting him. Like, really? From the guy who is presented as a mage killer? Like, I appreciate it might not have worked anyway but it felt more like it was done out of convenience so Kiritsugu's true nature could be highlighted in a far more dramatic light. And then UBW, during episode three Archer spends his time plugging at Berserker even though it quickly became obvious that his arrows had no real effect rather than just sniping Illya, even though it was previous established that the easiest way to remove a servant was to kill the master. I mean, given that he was capable of getting a shot on Berserker - who was distracted by Saber - for most of the episode and also capable of pin pointing Illya's familiars in the forest, surely should have been able to take down Illya? Also, the sheer amount of times that character's are given a reprieve because it isn't fun or something to kill them there and then. Like, I thought this was suppose to be a life or death battle, it makes far more sense to remove someone at your mercy rather than allow them to regroup, with further knowledge of your abilities and scheme up some way to take you down. Again because it's convenient for the plot if you don't die or something, maybe everyone is just lacking something in the head. I mean, it's pretty obvious that Rin is supposed to be written as a slightly hapless character who lacks in common sense despite her intellect but I'm starting to wonder if it isn't just a cast wide problem now. Long and short, F/Z and F/SN feel like more of a chore to watch than Etotama. I did like the extended first episode of F/Z though, with an overt focus on world building, it felt more like a segment of a movie than a double episode. The atmosphere was a lot more involving and there was a nice balance between character perspectives to provide an adequate set up for further episodes without lingering too much on one point, it's just a shame that momentum sorta dropped after the first half dozen episodes.
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I wouldn't say Rin lacks in common sense, I've always read her character more as someone who lets their emotions go to their head very easily. She's incredible clever, and often logical to a point - but her superiority is her undoing as much as it is her strength. She's grown up her whole life believing she's the best, so as soon as cracks start to appear in that facade, it completely throws her.

One of the things I've always loved about the Fate universe is that as much as it's easy to dismiss all the lengthy talks and "I'll get you next time!' stuff as talky anime posturing, I suppose you can also take it as the kind of underhanded plotting and politicking that no doubt occurs in real conflicts. The grail wars are essentially a game, played out with life on the line - and machinations like these are a fundamental part of 'games'.

And re. Sound Euphonium - I actually really like that they played Kumiko's character very straight. I think combined with the likes of Miyamori Aoi in Shirobako and Kato in Saekano, we're seeing a real fight back from 'normal' characters in anime right now. Regular girls-done good who don't need to be subjected to fanservice or super-moe tropes to make them interesting. After all, the real world is full of 'normal' people, and I feel like sometimes it's refreshing to see this represented in anime, even if on the face of it they can seem 'boring'.

Those are just my takes on them anyway...
 
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Ore Monogatari ep4

Takeo's sheer level of GAR still suggests he is the displaced protagonist of a mecha show, but I like how this is developing. Now that they've got the main setup out of the way, it actually feels a lot fresher.
 
I enjoyed Perfect Blue A LOT! I didn't see that ending at all which I was happy with. Usually I do in most and that. It literally could be just cause I was ill when I watched it but I like to think the writing is that good and not obvious/cliche hehe.

Still on Love Hina. It's annoying me. I want to finish it and go on to Gantz!
 
Mobile Suit Z Gundam - Episodes 45 - 47 (Blu-ray)

So so good!

Ghost in the Shell Arise: Alternative Architecture - Episode 4
 
Monogatari Second Season (Onimonogatari Episode 4 Complete)-Episode 17

That ending was incredibly well done. Genuinely got to me.

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders-Episode 41
 
Today's viewing

Nisekoi S2 Ep.4
Shokugeki no Soma Ep.5
Urawa no Usagi-chan Ep.4
Assassination Classroom Ep.15
Danna ga Nani wo Itteiru ka Wakaranai Ken 2 Sure-me Ep.5
Dungeon ni Deai wo Motomeru no wa Machigatteiru Darou ka Ep.5
 
Sound! Euphonium ep 4. Oh, so they are actually trying now. Ganbare.

The iDOLM@STER ep 16-17. Episode 16 (the Hibiki one) was a bit too silly for my tastes. Why does she have a pet alligator? :eek: . Ep 17 was back to the kind of fun episode I'm more used to, and let's face it... Makoto is awesome.
 
The Testament of Sister New Devil episodes 5-6.
Triage X episode 4.
Lutga said:
'Hot beef injections' - I needn't say any more...
CD0L-MsVEAASh6Q.jpg
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Why they changed that sentance to that I don't know. In the Manga that sentance is "No matter how many times i f**ked her..."

They have also changed the character designs a little. In the Manga they are more athletic and toned. In this they have increased their chest size a little and made them a tad chubby.
 
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DanMachi-Episode 5
Monogatari Second Season (Koimonogatari Episodes 1-6 Complete)-Episodes 18-23 Complete

I'll write up my thoughts on Koimonogatari and Monogatari Second Season as a whole tomorrow.
 
Emulsion said:
The Testament of Sister New Devil episodes 5-6.
Triage X episode 4.
Lutga said:
'Hot beef injections' - I needn't say any more...
CD0L-MsVEAASh6Q.jpg
Click to expand...
Why they changed that sentance to that I don't know. In the Manga that sentance is "No matter how many times i f**ked her..."

They have also changed the character designs a little. In the Manga they are more athletic and toned. In this they have increased their chest size a little and made them a tad chubby.
Click to expand...

Yeah I was wondering about that - with the manga art you can very clearly tell it's by the same guy that did High School of the Dead, whereas in the anime the look is a tad more generic.
 
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Lutga said:
Emulsion said:
The Testament of Sister New Devil episodes 5-6.
Triage X episode 4.
Lutga said:
'Hot beef injections' - I needn't say any more...
CD0L-MsVEAASh6Q.jpg
Click to expand...
Why they changed that sentance to that I don't know. In the Manga that sentance is "No matter how many times i f**ked her..."

They have also changed the character designs a little. In the Manga they are more athletic and toned. In this they have increased their chest size a little and made them a tad chubby.
Click to expand...

Yeah I was wondering about that - with the manga art you can very clearly tell it's by the same guy that did High School of the Dead, whereas in the anime the look is a tad more generic.
Click to expand...

What happened to that series anyways
 
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Lutga said:
Yeah I was wondering about that - with the manga art you can very clearly tell it's by the same guy that did High School of the Dead, whereas in the anime the look is a tad more generic.
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Guess it's just because the two animes are done by different studios. HOTD anime was done by Madhouse, this was done by Xebec.

At least Madhouse kept the characters closer to what they look like in the Manga. Xebec, very similar but not as close. Apart from the characters not being as toned, Oriha Nashida is the one that stands out the most. In the Manga she is smaller and slimmer, in the Anime she is similar in size to Mikoto Kiba.

Strangly they seemed to have kept Arashi Mikami toned like he is in the Manga.
 
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