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What was it about Basilisk that you didn't like? Next to Gankutsuou it's my favourite Gonzo show (though admittedly the competition is hardly fierce). No kids, no moe-moe ****, just lots of death and tragedy... and some boobage. What more could one want?
 
I didn't find the story compelling enough for me to look forward to the next episode. It just turned into something I was watching to eventually finish the series off (don't like leaving things half done). Gankustsuou was definately the best character but even with the whole sealed eyes situation, he took a back seat in the story. As far as tradgedy goes, I saw the ending coming a mile off and besides... I think my tragedy nerve in my brain broke from watching School Days. Now thats fcuked up. Not saying no one would like it. Just wasn't for me.
 
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Vampire Knight Guilty episodes 2-3
Baka to Test to Shoukanjuu episode 4
Ookami Kakushi episode 4

Episode 4 of Ookami Kakushi was brilliant and I laughed throughout Baka to Test to Shoukanjuu :D
 
Voddas said:
Not saying no one would like [Basilisk]. Just wasn't for me.
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That's fair enough. I was just curious.

As a take on the Romeo & Juliet tale of doomed romance, only with monster ninja, it was never really meant to keep the viewer guessing with regards to the ending. The inevitablility of what was going to happen made it all the more wrenching for me. But it was also fun, in a Battle Royale kind of way, trying to guess who'd be next and how they'd meet their end.
 
Voddas said:
Gankutsuou was definately the best character but even with the whole sealed eyes situation, he took a back seat in the story.
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Do you mean Gennosuke?

I liked Basilisk for the action, mainly, it's a pretty classic set-up in terms of what the story is "based" on (the writer of the original book is a famous author of Ninja stories), and I think a lot of the appeal is supposed to come from knowing they're all going to kill each other and seeing how it happens. I guess it wouldn't have been hard to see the end coming in one form or another, but if you told me you guessed it absolutely to the letter and could see no deviation at all from it I don't think I'd believe you. Also, I thought the part you mentioned in spoilers was a pretty nice way to take the narrative.
 
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ilmaestro said:
Voddas said:
Gankutsuou was definately the best character but even with the whole sealed eyes situation, he took a back seat in the story.
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Do you mean Gennosuke?
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I'm desperate now to draw a 4koma about how the Count would fare in Basilisk. A shame I cannot draw very well.

R
 
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ilmaestro said:
Do you mean Gennosuke?
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Erm, yeah. :p (copy and paste fail)

ilmaestro said:
I liked Basilisk for the action, mainly, it's a pretty classic set-up in terms of what the story is "based" on (the writer of the original book is a famous author of Ninja stories), and I think a lot of the appeal is supposed to come from knowing they're all going to kill each other and seeing how it happens. I guess it wouldn't have been hard to see the end coming in one form or another, but if you told me you guessed it absolutely to the letter and could see no deviation at all from it I don't think I'd believe you. Also, I thought the part you mentioned in spoilers was a pretty nice way to take the narrative.
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I definitely didn't know it to the letter but by the second episode I assumed it would be a Romeo & Juliet scenerio ending. Besides, it was only what I thought about the series. To be honest I had no idea what it was about when I started it. I'd imagine you would enjoy it more if you knew some of the background. Just saw it had a good following and I was craving some ninja action that wasn't naruto based.

Anywho, OT watched Ghibli's Nausicaa again last night. I love that film. ^^
 
Cutey Honey (1973) ep1

Wow. Just wow... Ignoring the fan-service OAV from gainax and the tamer '90s shoujo version, I'd heard rumours that the original Cutey Honey was a psycheadelic, ultra-violent magical-girl series and that seems to be pretty much accurate.

The animation dates it rather badly, being more or less on par with what Hanna Barbara were producing for tv back then (think Space Ghost), as does the crass stereotypical lesbian gag character, but if you can get past that, it's strangely watchable. Honey, the self-styled soldier for love and justice, is endearingly daft and the gratuitous violence comes across as a defiant middle-finger to the face of sanitised magical girl cliches.

Whether it'll become tiresome as the series goes on is another matter, but at the moment it feels like the ideal show for people who cringe at magical girls and the tropes that go with them.

Best line:
"Even if you are a transforming android, you are still the daughter I love".
 
Darker Than Black: Ryuusei no Gemini 10-12 END - I really did enjoy this throughout to be honest. Its flowing episode nature instead of two-episode arcs really did it justice, however there was one wee bit that did bother me, and that what little was explained in the end. My guess is the OVAs which are to fill in the gap between season 1 and this one will shed some light on it, so i look forward to them.

After going through it, i kinda took a huge liking to all the characters, Hei especially. It felt to me that, asides from the obvious storyline it was following, the aim of the series was to show the changes to dolls and contractors as, they aren't all emotionless beings now, they've evolving, and that played a very strong part overall.
I'll write more later, got a bunch of notes i'm going to write up later today if i get the time, 8-9/10 though for the series.
 
The Girl Who Leapt Through Time

10/10
The film is a perfect evocation of those teenage years – perhaps idealised. Excellent animation. Great voice acting. The details and ambience of those summer days playing games and discussing things that seemed important at the time and goofing around. The humour is expertly done with each jump she makes and the way she approaches situations – extending the fun, redoing tests. What it captures is the narcissism of teens – how she can’t see the bigger picture or how she affects others until it’s nearly too late. The ending is the best bittersweet antidote to a lot of films.
 
Wild 7
Has possibly the worst dub ever, which I found so off putting it ruined it for me but to be honest even with a good dub it wouldn't have been that much better.

Suikoden: Demon Century
Didn't make much sense but had some decent action in the last 10 - 15 mins (its only 45mins long) so I would say it was decent but I wouldn't recommend going outta your way to find it.
 
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