UPNetwork  

Go Back   UPNetwork > General Forums > Anime

Reply
 
Thread Tools
Old 07-23-2013, 03:51 AM   #5326
Doppleganger
我が名は勇者王!
 
Doppleganger's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Emina Isle
Posts: 14,198
Send a message via AIM to Doppleganger
VGM, you should watch OreGairu for comparison! I intend to watch Watamote at some point but it bites into one of my most compromising weaknesses...embarrassing situations!
__________________
あなたの勇気が切り開く未来
ふたりの想いが見つけだす希望
今 信じあえる
あきらめない 心かさね
永遠を抱きしめて
Doppleganger is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-23-2013, 08:04 AM   #5327
deoxys
Fog Badge
 
deoxys's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2007
Posts: 6,513
It's only 13 episodes, so I wouldn't be opposed to checking it out. I mean, this genre really isn't my thing exactly. I'm a fan of awkward humor when it's done right, almost like Michael Cera humor, I guess. Watamote has shown me, however, I'm not a fan of unintentionally self-deprecating humor, especially of someone who is overwhelmingly depressed in a very real and relatable manner by the fact that she is ignored by her peers and tries so hard to be noticed and accepted, but doesn't know how to and winds up making things awful for everyone.

I really don't enjoy that. So, already struggling to stick with Watamote (I like the character enough to want to keep going), if OreGairu is anything like that, I don't know if it's for me.
deoxys is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-23-2013, 08:17 AM   #5328
kaisap112
Volcano Badge
 
kaisap112's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Finland
Posts: 2,210
Quote:
Originally Posted by deoxys View Post
It's only 13 episodes, so I wouldn't be opposed to checking it out. I mean, this genre really isn't my thing exactly. I'm a fan of awkward humor when it's done right, almost like Michael Cera humor, I guess. Watamote has shown me, however, I'm not a fan of unintentionally self-deprecating humor, especially of someone who is overwhelmingly depressed in a very real and relatable manner by the fact that she is ignored by her peers and tries so hard to be noticed and accepted, but doesn't know how to and winds up making things awful for everyone.

I really don't enjoy that. So, already struggling to stick with Watamote (I like the character enough to want to keep going), if OreGairu is anything like that, I don't know if it's for me.
OreGairu is not like WataMote. It has pretty much none of the things you've just listed, unless you actually were the main character at some point in your life. I loved OreGairu to pieces, myself.

I showed WataMote to my friend the other day. By the midway point of the first episode she was squealing "OH MY GOD THIS IS THE BEST ANIME EVER WHY ISN'T ANYONE [in her web-circles] TALKING ABOUT THIS?!". And yes, I had shown her Free! earlier and she still utterly fell in love with WataMote. She's actually coming over to see the newest episode tomorrow (she doesn't have her own laptop at the moment).

She's actually incredibly sympathetic toward Tomoko, in a "trying to hug her through the screen cause she's so darn adorable and clueless and totally needs a hug". If Tomoko was a real person, my friend would absolutely be trying to make friends with her. Guess that's why she likes me, I was almost 90% Tomoko in my teen years!
__________________
kaisap112 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-23-2013, 08:48 AM   #5329
deoxys
Fog Badge
 
deoxys's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2007
Posts: 6,513
I think that's Tomoko's charm, because I feel the same way. It's definitely deliberately made so the viewer feels so sympathetic towards her and wants to make friends with her themselves, but at the same time it's so difficult to watch because she really does do it to herself! So with this news I might check out OreGairu.


Anyway, in other news... given that we have a bunch of people already discussing Shingeki no Kyojin and given that I've already picked up/will be picking up a bunch of other anime this season (most past anime I've missed out on) and that the show progresses fairly slowly... there's a very good chance I might go ahead and read the manga. Just as a heads up, I guess. I enjoy Shingeki no Kyojin, but there are quite a number of things that annoy me about the show, and I feel like I'd get more enjoyment from the manga in this case.

If Dangan Ronpa continues to feel like it's leaving me confused and needing to watch parts of it multiple times to understand what's happening (in other words, abridged as hell), I might have to do the same thing and play the game instead, but as it currently stands, I'm not going to because I enjoy the weekly discussions and speculation too much. So we'll see if it gets worse or not in terms of that, but it's certainly something I've been thinking about.
deoxys is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-23-2013, 11:01 AM   #5330
big bad birtha
Volcano Badge
 
big bad birtha's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Posts: 2,878
I liked this week's Ungodly Long Title (only the cool kids don't abbreviate!). It had some of my favorite moments from the manga, and it had voices and animation to help those scenes. The rain scene was really sweet and one of those "small victories". I also find Kuroki's messed up conversations with her brother amusing.

I still can't help but compare Ungodly Long Title with the first part of Kurosawa.
big bad birtha is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-23-2013, 01:16 PM   #5331
Talon87
時の彼方へ
 
Talon87's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Lafayette, Indiana
Posts: 20,578
Watamote: Episode 03 thoughts.

Spoiler: show
I would have totally left the way the boys did after Tomoko gave them that opening after having been so weird and gross. ^^; They definitely outniced me by buying her that umbrella.

I couldn't choose between the grove or the forest. Forced to choose, I ultimately went with the forest. Unpaused the video and ... *sigh* ^^;

Of course Yuu would've picked 3.

I find it hard to cheer for Tomoko. She's topically similar to many other anime girls with paralytic social anxiety but the big difference between her and them, I guess, is that Tomoko doesn't know what she wants, i.e. she's constantly berating the very people (like her brother or Yuu) she supposedly wanted to be like when starting her new life as a high school student. Also, she ruins perfectly good opportunities that fall into her lap. There's a difference between not reaching for an opportunity and it fades away on you (most shy girls) and having it fall in your lap yet you bat it aside (Tomoko). Do you or do you not want a boyfriend at 16? Do you or do you not want to have experienced sex already? Do you or do you not want to make new friends? Tomoko doesn't feel like a girl who wants friends but can't make them: she feels like a girl who is totally capable of making new friends but keeps rejecting opportunities to do so and then bitches about being miserably lonely later. I dunno.
Talon87 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-23-2013, 03:09 PM   #5332
kaisap112
Volcano Badge
 
kaisap112's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Finland
Posts: 2,210
Quote:
Originally Posted by Talon87 View Post
Watamote:

I find it hard to cheer for Tomoko. She's topically similar to many other anime girls with paralytic social anxiety but the big difference between her and them, I guess, is that Tomoko doesn't know what she wants, i.e. she's constantly berating the very people (like her brother or Yuu) she supposedly wanted to be like when starting her new life as a high school student. Also, she ruins perfectly good opportunities that fall into her lap. There's a difference between not reaching for an opportunity and it fades away on you (most shy girls) and having it fall in your lap yet you bat it aside (Tomoko). Do you or do you not want a boyfriend at 16? Do you or do you not want to have experienced sex already? Do you or do you not want to make new friends? Tomoko doesn't feel like a girl who wants friends but can't make them: she feels like a girl who is totally capable of making new friends but keeps rejecting opportunities to do so and then bitches about being miserably lonely later. I dunno.
Having "been there, done that", I'd first like to ask a question:

How exactly have opportunities been falling in Tomoko's lap? Life is not a multiple choice questionnaire; you can want a boy/girlfriend all you like, but that doesn't mean it'll happen. You can try and talk to, say, 10 people, tell them "I want you to be my boy/girlfriend", and see how that works out. Same with sex, takes more than "I WANT" for it to work, unless raping people is somehow a viable solution.

Compared to those two, making friends is something most would call easy. Now, I might be over-analyzing and/or over-relating to this character, but here's my theory: Tomoko has at least some level of Asperger syndrome. To quote wikipedia, "[Asperger syndrome] is an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) that is characterized by significant difficulties in social interaction and nonverbal communication, alongside restricted and repetitive patterns of behavior and interests."

I'll now pick some examples from WataMote and try to establish why I think this is a real possibility. (Note that I'm not a doctor, so my diagnosis can be wrong.) PREPARE FOR WALL OF TEXT WITH MEDICAL MUMBO-JUMBO!
Spoiler: show
I'll remove all the "as a child" bits first, because at least so far we don't know anything about when Tomoko was a little child.

(I) Qualitative impairment in social interaction, as manifested by at least two of the following:

(A) marked impairments in the use of multiple nonverbal behaviors such as eye-to-eye gaze, facial expression, body posture, and gestures to regulate social interaction
(B) failure to develop peer relationships appropriate to developmental level
(C) a lack of spontaneous seeking to share enjoyment, interest or achievements with other people, (e.g.. by a lack of showing, bringing, or pointing out objects of interest to other people)
(D) lack of social or emotional reciprocity


We've seen how Tomoko behaves around people who are not her immediate family (mother, brother) or Yuu-chan (long-time close friend). Her volume goes down to almost nothing, she stutters, she absolutely avoids eye-contact and when she does try to maintain it, it looks very forced and awkward. Episode 3 showed us how she deals with totally new people, even in a situation where they're almost pushed into her lap (social situation wise); "find your own spot" thinking, she "can barely breathe", she feels what I think is immense anxiety and pressure to make small talk and then spectacularly fails at it by making a really bad dirty joke on the basis of "I think/have read or heard this is what guys find funny". This kind of over-analysis of regular conversations and meetings is everyday life for an Aspie. I can personally vouch that eye-contact for an Aspie is not something you just start doing - it is physically straining and painful to do. It's not that you don't want to look people in the eyes and make small talk at strangers, it's that you can't.

First episode also showed a handful of "I had a real conversation! " moments, as well as the part where Tomoko barely gets a "bye-bye" out to the teacher and in the next scene crashes in bed with "that was tiring". Social interactions tire yours truly out as well, it's the same thing with eye-contact, talking etc. Think of it like a trip to X; if a "normal" person can get there in two steps, while an Aspie needs to run a full marathon to get there, guess who's more tired at the end of the day?

(II) Restricted repetitive & stereotyped patterns of behavior, interests and activities, as manifested by at least one of the following:

(A) encompassing preoccupation with one or more stereotyped and restricted patterns of interest that is abnormal either in intensity or focus
(B) apparently inflexible adherence to specific, nonfunctional routines or rituals
(C) stereotyped and repetitive motor mannerisms (e.g. hand or finger flapping or twisting, or complex whole-body movements)
(D) persistent preoccupation with parts of objects


Well, video games and anime are easy to add to this category, but Tomoko also had an irresistible urge to peek at a random girl's underwear for no viable reason. Aspies can get these weird urges sometimes (for touching/smelling/etc. at random things, it's not underwear-specific ). As for routines, it's established over and over and Tomoko isn't comfortable with new things in her routine or impulse decisions ("I'm on a roll today, so I think I'll take a detour", going alone to a burger joint, attempts to talk to people, etc.). Hell, she's using her brother as practice for when she eventually starts talking to people properly! No "normal" person stops looking into the mirror for years and then pukes when doing it after so long, and I'm counting her breakfast-episode here as well: "I shouldn't try to do stuff I'm not used to".

Let's also not forget her total freakout in episode 3 over forgetting her textbook: "I make sure every day that I don't forget it", she does and promptly freaks out. And when she gets scolded for it, the poor thing starts crying. Asking other people to share a book is no small feat for an Aspie, so this is a routine and a communication issue.

(III) The disturbance causes clinically significant impairments in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning.


Do I need to explain this one?

(IV) There is no clinically significant general delay in language (E.G. single words used by age 2 years, communicative phrases used by age 3 years)

(V) There is no clinically significant delay in cognitive development or in the development of age-appropriate self help skills, adaptive behavior (other than in social interaction) and curiosity about the environment in childhood.


Tomoko can talk clearly around people she's close to. She doesn't display any cognitive problems or problems with vocabulary. In fact, she seems to use (even a tiny bit) more advanced vocabulary than her peers. Whatever issues she has with communication can be found in the anxiety and pressure/strain she feels when even attempting to be social.

(VI) Criteria are not met for another specific Pervasive Developmental Disorder or Schizophrenia."

Okay, this can be put under debate, but I personally don't believe Tomoko's schizophrenic.

EDIT: Most of these issues can be worked on, but Tomoko also doesn't seem to be aware that she has a problem. I actually had this too, before I got a diagnosis; I just could not comprehend that maybe other people think differently (as opposed to being dumber than me), I bitched about a lot of things and spent a lot of time in my head making monologues while never talking to all that many people. But Japan doesn't seem like a country where you ask politely about emotional/psychological/other issues that you can't see with your eyes, so of course she's still in her own little world and considers "normal" people a different species altogether.


And that was my 15 minutes as Dr. Kaisap. Thank you for listening.
__________________
kaisap112 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-23-2013, 03:52 PM   #5333
Talon87
時の彼方へ
 
Talon87's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Lafayette, Indiana
Posts: 20,578
No offense, but you seem to see Asperger's in half of all shadows that move. While Tomoko could possibly fit the bill for an atypical Asperger's patient, so could (by your ridiculously generous criteria) 50% of people on this very web forum. Yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaah no. Basically, what I'm saying is that if the author wants to tell me that Tomoko has Asperger's then I'll agree but until such time as the author flat-out declares this I don't really see how the case for Tomoko having Asperger's is any stronger than the case against. She's not at all like most people I've known with Asperger's, even if you keep repeating that she's like looking in a mirror for you and even if you've been diagnosed with Asperger's yourself.

Anyway, addressing how opportunities have been falling into her lap ...

(Episode 03 spoilers)

Spoiler: show
When she forgot her textbook, that was a good opportunity for a normal girl to ask the boy sitting next to her, "Can we share? " Even if she wasn't initially attracted to the guy, an average girl might at least figure that he could be a nice guy and that this could be the start of a long friendship, who knows. In Tomoko's case, though, she can be forgiven for not asking -- because she's paralytically shy.

HOWEVER! When things are kicked up a notch and THE TEACHER DOES THE ASKING FOR HER, out loud saying "Ask the boy next to you if you can share" multiple times, ... well, maybe not just yet. 'Cause that's embarrassing and the boy might still reject her. The ball is still in Shy Girl Tomoko's court.

HOWEVER! When that very same boy then VOLUNTEERS to share his book, whispering over to her, "Do you want to share?", and she just goes "u-um...uh...u-um...ye-yes...", that's where I'm like OH FOR HEAVEN'S SAKE! He's offering to share. There's nothing to be nervous about anymore. And besides! Isn't this what you wanted? Isn't this what you dreamed about in all of your high school fantasies? Isn't this a classic scene you'd see in a visual novel or an anime? The scene that marks the start of a romance between a boy and a girl? C'mon, girl. You say you want a normal high school life but you're going out of your way to reject the balls Life serves you.

That's just one example of this. Things usually start off innocently enough (and the shy girl has my sympathy up through this point) but then Tomoko just takes things one step too far for me to accept.

Here's another, very easy example:

(Episode 02 spoilers)

Spoiler: show
I have pretty much zero patience for her condescending attitude towards Yuu or other girls like Yuu when this is either promptly preceded by or followed by scenes of Tomoko saying how much she wishes she could be a normal high school girl too. Like ... do you like Yuu or don't you? Do you want to become like Yuu or don't you? Because you can. You totally can. Back in middle school (at least in your own mind's eye), you were the one who was socially ahead of her. Yuu was the one who was the school's nerdiest nerd, ugliest girl, etc. Now we fast forward to high school and she's a knock-out beauty, rocking some really stylish clothes, etc. Even if you can't take someone who has a face like a bulldog and turn them into a supermodel, true, you can at least do some other things to fit in. Yuu could help you with those. Why don't you ask her? Oh, that's right: because you condescendingly look down on all of those girls as "trashy whores" while you content yourself with your own lifestyle of ... what, exactly? Being depressed, having no friends, not even having the loving respect of your younger brother? Being the girl who no one wants to partner up with in gym class? Being the girl who no one wants to ask out? You seem to really hate these factors -- you seem to really wish you were more popular -- but then when life throws you a life preserver in the form of Yuu, a trusted friend who has managed to become popular, a girl who could help you to become like her if you wanted, you declare (perhaps rightly so! BUT STILL!), "No, I don't want to become like Yuu. I want to remain true to myself. Look at Yuu. All playdate long, she's been complaining how she has no one to talk to about anime, how she misses the days we spent together in middle school, etc. Clearly, Yuu has at least some regrets about having sold out and become a slut like she has. So no, I don't want to become like Yuu, thanks very much. I'll stay as I am." Well, that's fine, you can do that ... BUT THEN BE PROUD ABOUT IT! @_@ Quit bitching! Quit going, "Oh, woe is me, I am the school's least popular girl. No one asks me out. No one brings me homework when I'm sick from school. Woe is me, alas, alas!" QUIT IT! QUIT IT! You made your choice to stay true to your own interests and hobbies even if it meant being a social outcast -- so be proud about it and stick to it! Either do that or else do change and become like Yuu! But pick one, God, for God's sake PICK ONE! @_@

Yeah. Yeaaaaaaaaaah. Even talking about Tomoko like this is really making me frustrated.
Talon87 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-23-2013, 04:38 PM   #5334
kaisap112
Volcano Badge
 
kaisap112's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Finland
Posts: 2,210
Quote:
Originally Posted by Talon87 View Post
No offense, but you seem to see Asperger's in half of all shadows that move. While Tomoko could possibly fit the bill for an atypical Asperger's patient, so could (by your ridiculously generous criteria) 50% of people on this very web forum. Yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaah no. Basically, what I'm saying is that if the author wants to tell me that Tomoko has Asperger's then I'll agree but until such time as the author flat-out declares this I don't really see how the case for Tomoko having Asperger's is any stronger than the case against. She's not at all like most people I've known with Asperger's, even if you keep repeating that she's like looking in a mirror for you and even if you've been diagnosed with Asperger's yourself.

Anyway, addressing how opportunities have been falling into her lap ...

(Episode 03 spoilers)

Spoiler: show
When she forgot her textbook, that was a good opportunity for a normal girl to ask the boy sitting next to her, "Can we share? " Even if she wasn't initially attracted to the guy, an average girl might at least figure that he could be a nice guy and that this could be the start of a long friendship, who knows. In Tomoko's case, though, she can be forgiven for not asking -- because she's paralytically shy.

HOWEVER! When things are kicked up a notch and THE TEACHER DOES THE ASKING FOR HER, out loud saying "Ask the boy next to you if you can share" multiple times, ... well, maybe not just yet. 'Cause that's embarrassing and the boy might still reject her. The ball is still in Shy Girl Tomoko's court.

HOWEVER! When that very same boy then VOLUNTEERS to share his book, whispering over to her, "Do you want to share?", and she just goes "u-um...uh...u-um...ye-yes...", that's where I'm like OH FOR HEAVEN'S SAKE! He's offering to share. There's nothing to be nervous about anymore. And besides! Isn't this what you wanted? Isn't this what you dreamed about in all of your high school fantasies? Isn't this a classic scene you'd see in a visual novel or an anime? The scene that marks the start of a romance between a boy and a girl? C'mon, girl. You say you want a normal high school life but you're going out of your way to reject the balls Life serves you.


Yeah. Yeaaaaaaaaaah. Even talking about Tomoko like this is really making me frustrated.
Did we watch the same scene?
Spoiler: show
The scene that included: A) social shyness ("can't ask"), followed by B) humiliation in front of the class from an authority figure ("ASK HIM NOW YOU DAMN IDIOT") in C) a story set in Japan, where bullying is kind of a big deal?

And I've actually had the experience of bursting into tears under pressure and then having to do pair/group work immediately afterward with people whose name I can barely remember. That is ABSOLUTELY NOT the time for making friends for life. That's when your brain starts having the same reaction as Tomoko's did in the first episode in the burger joint: "they're talking about me, they're making fun of me, they do not like me". And cue in the flight reaction if at all possible.

This is not logical or rational. I'm fully aware of this. But when you feel like poo poo, start having those thoughts and there's no sign of support from peers (as in already-existing friends!) or authority (teacher)...noooo that is not a time for thinking "I'll get started on a romantic/friendship conquest with this guy who was clearly pushed to my side whether he likes it or not!".

Or maybe for you it was. Maybe you were one of the popular kids at school who never risked making ten new enemies by just standing there, I wouldn't know. I just feel that you put too much trust in a human brain being rational and logical for everyone at all times.
__________________
kaisap112 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-24-2013, 12:52 AM   #5335
deoxys
Fog Badge
 
deoxys's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2007
Posts: 6,513
Figured I'd spare fans of Shingeki no Kyojin from this in that thread so I'll put it here:



Note that there are ZERO spoilers in the spoiler box here, just me ranting out of anger. As I said, I wanted to save the fans of the anime here the trouble of reading my bullshit little rant about the future of the story:

Spoiler: show
I'm up to Chapter 42, and only halfway through - and I'll tell you what if this was on TV I'd probably have thrown my remote threw the screen.


Instantly dropped I don't even fucking care where they're trying to take the story, there's never an excuse for shitty writing, and this just cannot be redeemed. This might even have surpassed Naruto in terms of shit tier writing, honestly.

Sorry, but I'm just so pissed off by this and, well, I wanted to share it somewhere.
deoxys is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-26-2013, 12:45 AM   #5336
deoxys
Fog Badge
 
deoxys's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2007
Posts: 6,513
Stella Jogakuin Koutouka C3-bu Episode 4

Holy fuck I am in love with this show. It is just so fucking adorable in every possible way. I know I previously said it's a little too moe, but... jesus, my heart can't take it. Anyway that's only a side-effect of the show...

Unfortunately the soundtrack has switched up from the first episode so it's not exclusively Jazz, but it's still good. I have to say though, this show took a rather unforeseen turn this episode which completely took it out of the realm of "slice of life" into an 'I-don't-know-what-the-fuck-to-call-this' direction. And here I thought this show was going to be almost completely about the daily shenanigans of a high school airsoft club when all of a sudden...

Spoiler: show
Yura can literally alter time and space. At first we're led to believe this is just her imagination and how she perceives the world around her, but NOPE. Truly a WEIRD AS HELL development.



You guys should give this show a chance! It's actually pretty great!
deoxys is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-26-2013, 02:32 AM   #5337
lilboocorsola
Dragon's Tears
 
lilboocorsola's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Searching for light
Posts: 6,453
Lil' Bluey

More thoughts on summer shows.

Watamote:

Caught up to episode 03. Like others, I can relate to the main character in many ways. That's about all I have to say on the matter.

Monogatari Second Season:

Man, every time I start watching another installment of this series I'm reminded just how much I missed the weird/witty dialogue. It really is kind of a shame my initial experience got pushed to the wayside by Natsume Yuujinchou. This story is definitely more about the (crazy) characters than the monsters.

Spoiler: show
That said, I'm not so sure I'm a fan of Senjougahara's sudden outburst in the first episode. I know it's supposed to represent character development, but it felt a little too over-the-top and out-of-place to me. *shrug*

Anyway, also very much missing Araragi. Hope we get to see him again soon.


Recorder to Randsell Mi:

Forgot to mention I picked this up too. Similar to the above, I find myself realizing I rather missed the bizarreness of this short series as soon as I see it again. It has a certain charm to it, I suppose. ...At the same time, the third episode makes me remember how uncomfortable it can be as well. ^^; XP

As an aside, is this the season of good music or what? Most of the new OPs/EDs I've encountered so far are surprisingly pretty nice. Nothing super-standout, but very few I'd mind not skipping. Even Recorder's new ED is kinda catchy.
lilboocorsola is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-26-2013, 11:57 PM   #5338
big bad birtha
Volcano Badge
 
big bad birtha's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Posts: 2,878
I decided to not pick up the next part of the Monogatari series. Nise's really rubbed me the wrong way with their obnoxious time wasting.

New shows and whatnot.

Gen'ei o Kakeru Taiyou
Dropped. This is basically 11Eyes with lolis. As funny as 11 Eyes was, I don't want to go through another show like that.

Kiniro Mosaic
No real changes. Awkward British/Japanese comparisons with a touch of Engrish. The only real value in this show is how cute it is.

Fate Kaleid Liner PRISMA ILYA
Episode 3 was annoying. It was too damn cliche. While I'm sure that's the point, I still wasn't crazy about it. Also I didn't care for people freaking out about the new girl. The joke made its point the first time, but THEY JUST KEPT DOING IT!

Servant X Service
This hasn't been bad. It's not really funny, but the last two episodes were pretty charming. Also not really a spoiler but
Spoiler: show
I bet Hasabe's father is the one who approved Lucy's name. I figured Hasabe would be related to the one who approved her name in episode one, but yeah, I wouldn't be surprised at that development.


Love Lab
This is still my favorite show of the season. It's still as cute and funny as it was when I started, but with a bigger cast. It's hard to really complement a comedy, but yeah, I really like this show. I can't say it's fantastic, but I like it.

It seems some kind soul is working on a path for If My Heart Had Wings to make it umm....bearable to anyone who isn't a 12 year old French girl. This seemed like a genuinely good VN, so it's good that someone is making this readable.

Also the English patch to part 3 of Monmusu Quest is coming along! Even if I'm the only one who cares, Monmusu Quest is still worth my enthusiasm!
big bad birtha is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-27-2013, 05:06 AM   #5339
Midgeorge
Marsh Badge
 
Midgeorge's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: ELO Hell
Posts: 1,864
Quote:
Originally Posted by lilbluecorsola View Post
Monogatari Second Season:

Man, every time I start watching another installment of this series I'm reminded just how much I missed the weird/witty dialogue. It really is kind of a shame my initial experience got pushed to the wayside by Natsume Yuujinchou. This story is definitely more about the (crazy) characters than the monsters.

Spoiler: show
That said, I'm not so sure I'm a fan of Senjougahara's sudden outburst in the first episode. I know it's supposed to represent character development, but it felt a little too over-the-top and out-of-place to me. *shrug*

Anyway, also very much missing Araragi. Hope we get to see him again soon.
Spoiler: show
To be honest I'm suprised how quickly I've gotten used to Hanekawa being the main character for this book. Probably because I know the character in and out because of the previous series, but the tone of the series seems very much suited to her kind of character. I'm really enjoying it
__________________
Midgeorge is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-28-2013, 03:33 AM   #5340
Kindrindra
大事なのは自分らしいくある事
 
Kindrindra's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Determined
Posts: 5,840
So, watched the three episodes of Fantasia Doll that are out. I wouldn't really say it's anything like Cardcaptors, it's more like a Shoujo version of YuGiOh. Not that I'm complaining about that, because I'm not. Will likely continue to watch, and recommend to my sisters as well. It's nothing special, but it does what it does well enough.
__________________
PASBL(TL: 4 RL: B-) --- FB (Kin Blackstone) --- WF (Adelie Fleur)
Quote:
Originally Posted by captainmisato View Post
People should watch what they enjoy regardless of what others think, even if it's a terribad guilty pleasure.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Doppleganger View Post
Though, I also dislike the concept of lamenting the current day while wishing to re-experience the past. At least, my modern attitude is to try and make each new day magical even if it's not, since exclusively reminiscing about the past is too pathetic.
Kindrindra is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-28-2013, 08:33 AM   #5341
Talon87
時の彼方へ
 
Talon87's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Lafayette, Indiana
Posts: 20,578
It's like Cardcaptor Sakura insofar as ...
  • the protagonist is a schoolgirl with cap
  • there's only one copy of each card (at least with the dolls, anyway)
  • the protagonist has absolutely no idea how to do what she's doing, like Sakura and unlike Yugi or the Spirit of the Millenium Puzzle
  • there's not so much a card game being played with the dolls so much as card battles. There don't appear to be rules in the card game sense. No draws, no discard piles, no life points, etc. It's pretty much "each human has full access to his/her collection of cards and uses them as you would in a real live duel, not a YGO 'duel'"
  • the dolls cause trouble or destruction in the real world, whereas YGO was mostly a hologram card game until Season 5 (with hints in earlier seasons of possible overlap)
I think there's quite a few ways the show feels like CCS and not YGO. I also think there's quite a few ways it feels like YGO and not CCS. Wouldn't say it's right to scratch either off the list completely, but if I had to choose, I'd choose YGO to be the one scratched off.
Talon87 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-28-2013, 11:28 AM   #5342
big bad birtha
Volcano Badge
 
big bad birtha's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Posts: 2,878
So a new VN is translated, and it seems it might have promise. It's called Grisaia no Kajitsu - Le Fruit de la Grisaia. The plot takes place in a school meant to remove troubled kids from society, so it's similar to Cross Channel in that part, but it still seems like it could be really good. Afterall, you can't beat a VN about people with emotional issues! Another plus is the size. 6G and a nice "Very Long < 50 hours" on VNDB means this will give me the time I bargained for. The fact that it's from Frontwing makes me kind of nervous, but who says they can't do good stuff that isn't brutal tentacle rape?
big bad birtha is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-28-2013, 12:44 PM   #5343
Doppleganger
我が名は勇者王!
 
Doppleganger's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Emina Isle
Posts: 14,198
Send a message via AIM to Doppleganger
That's really enticing! I might join you after finals! What's the deal with Frontwing, though?
__________________
あなたの勇気が切り開く未来
ふたりの想いが見つけだす希望
今 信じあえる
あきらめない 心かさね
永遠を抱きしめて
Doppleganger is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-28-2013, 03:43 PM   #5344
deoxys
Fog Badge
 
deoxys's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2007
Posts: 6,513
I watched the first two episodes of Servant x Service.

This seems like a "there's nothing else to watch, may as well watch this" show. It's not very interesting, the comedy is spotty, and the characters are mediocre. I can't believe you guys are wasting your time on this instead of watching Stella C3-bu with me...
deoxys is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-28-2013, 03:57 PM   #5345
Talon87
時の彼方へ
 
Talon87's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Lafayette, Indiana
Posts: 20,578
I can't really believe I'm watching it either. ^^; Would agree that it feels very much so like a show you watch when there's nothing else on. But not everyone feels the same way! :o ;o
Talon87 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-28-2013, 05:19 PM   #5346
lilboocorsola
Dragon's Tears
 
lilboocorsola's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Searching for light
Posts: 6,453
Lil' Bluey

It's just very laid-back in its humor, and I happen to like that. Similar to the ED, I imagine it as a "refreshing drink after a day's work". It's something nice to relax to, and I find the character interactions charming. I spend the whole time watching it with the stupidest grin on my face. -^.^-

It actually kinda reminds me of His & Her Circumstances (which I know plenty of people didn't care for either). Perhaps because of the music. XP Both the OP and ED have "ba ba ba" in them~

Edit- Speaking of the ED, ep 4 spoiler...

Spoiler: show
The rabbit being part of a girls' sleepover suddenly got a whole lot creepier. ^^;

Last edited by lilboocorsola; 07-28-2013 at 05:33 PM.
lilboocorsola is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-28-2013, 06:09 PM   #5347
Talon87
時の彼方へ
 
Talon87's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Lafayette, Indiana
Posts: 20,578
You reminded me to comment on the rabbit! I absolutely loved that they cast {spoiler} for the rabbit's voice!

Spoiler: show
EMIYA KIRITSUGU! That's awesome. hahaha So crazy.

That was definitely the highlight of the episode for me. Can't believe I neglected to mention it.

...... oh I know why I didn't mention it. 'Cause I haven't posted about half the episodes I've watched yet. ^^;; Whoops.
Talon87 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-28-2013, 06:58 PM   #5348
Loki
The Path of Now & Forever
 
Loki's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Posts: 5,304
In my sickness, I've been sitting in my living room watching Netflix almost the entire time and taking naps. Sometimes I played Monster Hunter Freedom Unite while watching Netflix, but in general, as long as I could hear something, I was okay with it.

Then I saw they had FMA:B on Netflix and it looked like they added more episodes! 52 now! So I figured, let's watch it!

After the initial "THIS IS ALL BORING OLD STUFF I'VE SEEN!" part of the series, we started to get into MANGA TERRITORY! And watching FMA:B made it plainly obvious as to which point were the original anime split from the manga's plot (since the manga wasn't finished at the time). And then continuing to watch Brotherhood, it really started to dawn on me exactly how terrible the original FMA was in terms of plot. Especially the ending. So much just didn't make any sense when we look back and see how the actual plot should have ran.

This kind of reminds me of how terrible Chrono Crusade's anime was compared to it's manga. How the animation company didn't know what they were doing and put some crazy shit in and called it a cohesive story when it absolutely wasn't.

Anyway, the show gets really good. I stopped playing MHFU while watching (also cause Netflix allowed me to watch it with Japanese Audio and English Subtitles, so I had to watch). It gets really good. I'm at the last few episodes and then it's "The Promised Day." The last episode. I'm super hyped to see how this all ends.

Then the episode starts to drag on. This is the final episode! How can they waste so much time with this much fighting? Are they really just going to rush some crazy ending with like 5 minutes? What the hell is going on? Then the end credits show up. The episode ends in a cliff hanger. WHAT?

As it turns out, Netflix only has 52 episode streaming. FMA:B has 64 episodes. This means...

Spoiler: show
THE WHOLE FINAL SEASON (12 episodes) HAPPENS OVER THE COARSE OF ONE DAY? THIS IS FUCKING DBZ BULLSHIT HERE! AND I CAN'T WATCH IT! FUCK ANIME!


FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF
Loki is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-28-2013, 07:04 PM   #5349
Talon87
時の彼方へ
 
Talon87's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Lafayette, Indiana
Posts: 20,578
Oh man. ^^;

Well, the good news is that you gave FMA:B a look. It is good, and as someone who read the manga (right? kind of not sure now since you're acting like you don't get to know how the show ends ...) I'm sure you'd really appreciate just how faithful it is. The bad news, of course, is that you're left hanging right as the plot escalates for the final act.

IIRC I watched this via Eclipse back when they were still around. (Good ol' Eclipse.) I'd recommend their subs of this in a heartbeat if you're game. If you'd prefer to keep things strictly kosher, I'm almost positive that you can find the Japanese audio English subtitle series in full on at least one of these:
  1. Funimation's YouTube channel
  2. Funimation's own website
  3. CrunchyRoll
If you can't find FMA:B anywhere, then hmm. ^^;;; That's a pretty crappy place to run out of episodes. (Well, with FMA:B, any place beyond the original series' split with the manga is a crappy place to run out of episodes.)
Talon87 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-28-2013, 09:48 PM   #5350
big bad birtha
Volcano Badge
 
big bad birtha's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Posts: 2,878
Quote:
Originally Posted by Doppleganger View Post
That's really enticing! I might join you after finals! What's the deal with Frontwing, though?
I mostly just know Frontwing for something called Makai Tenshi Djibril. I've never read it, but I did take a look at the CG sets to some of them. The art is really good, which is partly why I took a gander at it. Under the cutesy openings and art is a magical girl eroge where the girls get raped by everything they fight (and in some cases random passersby). After looking at the CG set to one of those, I always assumed Frontwing was like Alice Soft, but with a more cutesy coverup. Maybe the VN I'm about to hit will prove me wrong!
big bad birtha is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Lower Navigation
Go Back   UPNetwork > General Forums > Anime


Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 2 (0 members and 2 guests)
 
Thread Tools

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 10:55 AM.


Design By: Miner Skinz.com
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.