09-29-2010, 01:05 PM | #1276 |
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I actually really like episode 1, even though most people say it's slow. There's lots of subtle little moments that make me pity Misuzu. Like when she asks Yukito if they can play at the beach.
"We can race each other, splash water on each other, then say 'see you tomorrow!' when we're done!" "But that's something that friends would do." "Yup, we're friends! That's why (chokes up) I want to play!"
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09-29-2010, 01:52 PM | #1277 |
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Gotta jet for class, but here's an interjection -
On the subject of amazing character voice discoveries, Natsu no Arashi is probably king (queen?) of this, with almost the entire cast playing roles against their typecasts. When you give episode one a shot, Talon, do me a favour and do not look up the CV's until the characters have been properly introduced (episode one is an 'in media res' episode). It's quite gleeful to listen to CV's one has never heard before, then to Wikipedia the cast and be amazed at how many familiar faces (voices) are running about.
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09-29-2010, 01:57 PM | #1278 |
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I'll eat my hat if that diminutive boy of a main character is voiced by Noto Mamiko.
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09-29-2010, 04:27 PM | #1279 |
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Through Episode 6 of Air. Thoughts ...
It's a little too supernatural for me. I've been thinking about why it is that I feel this way quite a bit considering that Kanon was just as supernaturally-themed and I really enjoyed it. I think that it may be partly due to the fact that the supernatural elements in Air are either less impressive (Kano) or else are concepts which I've already seen before, furthermore have seen before in Key works (Michiru in Air mirrors Makoto in Kanon, the only differences being what they originally were and what their motivations were for incarnation). But I don't know that that really explains it satisfactorily. All I know is, I'm not liking how the story seems to be set in normal seaside 20th Century Japan and yet every other person in this city we meet seems to be paranormal. Shrug. I'm having a hard time getting into this one due to lack of a girl I can either find absolutely adorable (Ayu in Kanon, Fuuko in Clannad) or else I can find attractive (Kyou in Clannad). Minagi is the cutest of the main three girls in terms of her looks, but inferior animation (compared with Kanon 2006 and Clannad) hurts her looks a tad bit. Worse, though, is the fact that she's essentially a clone of Sayuri from Kanon, but she is inferior in most places where they differ. (Sayuri's hair is prettier. Her ribbon is cuter. Her mannerisms are cuter. Her voice is cuter.) Like every single Key main character, I'm finding Yukito to be completely boring outside of the mystery of his backstory. Same thing held true for Yuuichi, same thing held true for Tomoya. (Oh good God was Tomoya boring until the Ushio arc!) That stated, I think that Yukito shows the most promise for an interesting backstory. (Yuuichi vs. Tomoya vs. Yukito spoilers) Spoiler: show So far? I'd rank Air squarely at the bottom of the pack. Ushio > Kanon > Clannad minus Ushio > Air. But I've yet to see the main attraction, so anything could happen between now and Episode 12's end.
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09-29-2010, 06:42 PM | #1280 |
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Through Episode 9 of Air. Thoughts ...
The ending theme song is growing on me. I can't say I'm a big fan of how it opens, but I love the chorus! The opening theme song's okay, but I'm not that keen on it. Sanae-san! The voice actress who lent her voice to the delectable Furukawa Sanae in Clannad returns in this production to voice Uraha, the beautiful lady of the court! Awesome! Although I suppose I have it backwards, don't I? ^^; Seeing as Air predates Clannad and whatnot. I know that this is going to make me sound like I'm being incredibly fickle about the supernatural stuff, but I LOVED the plot development in Episodes 8 and 9! I just knew that Yukito was special! And wow! Right when I was going to complain that Yukito's feelings for Misuzu felt unfounded, Episode 8 comes along and explains to me exactly why it's acceptable for him to feel this way about a girl it seemed he had only just met several days ago. That information is very welcome. Glad that Episode 9 lent us some concrete explanations, finally, as to who/what the "girl in the sky" is and why she's in pain. (Goddamn Buddhist monks! ) My only complaint from the last three episodes is what took place at the very end of Episode 9. Spoiler: show
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09-29-2010, 09:39 PM | #1281 |
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Through Episode 12 (final, discounting epilogue episodes) of Air. Thoughts ...
Disappointment. Ultimately, I'd rate the show as "entertaining but a let-down." It wouldn't make it into my silver medalists list, let alone gold. Planetes ... Kaiji ... I can think of several shows Mcsweeney and I have both loved, so he knows I am not completely without taste. Which is why it pains me, as his online pal, to have to report that I wasn't won over by Air. I hoped I would be, but it just wasn't meant to be, I guess. Episode 10 revealed my worst fear from last post's spoiler box, with Episodes 11 and 12 further cementing that fact. Worse still, however, was that ... Spoiler: show I was also really disappointed by Misuzu's path! Really disappointed!! Spoiler: show But I suppose my single greatest disappointment was that the backstory introduced by Episodes 8 and 9 was all but forgotten in Misuzu's path. Spoiler: show Oh yeah! I almost forgot! Spoiler: show Don't get the wrong idea. I didn't hate this show. But I didn't love it either. Despite marathoning it in one day (which should say something at least for its tolerability!), I was often times bored and towards the end I was frequently confused. Now, the ratings. I'm dreading this a little since I know it'll pain Mcsweeney to see such low scores, but ... well, I gotta be honest, right? And besides: my scores are my own. They're opinions, not facts. And it's that fact which lets fans of this program rest easy. Anyway, here are the scores: Animation: 9/10 (for when it aired; 8/10 for today). The single greatest problem with Air is its faces, something it's inherited from Key. But it's not just their design: the faces themselves seem to be drawn very crudely where the backgrounds are gorgeous. In the backgrounds, I can see the foreshadowing of the great things which were to come in 2006's Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuuuutsu. In the faces, however, I can see the dating of this 2005 program. Characters: 5/10. An abysmal score, I know, but frankly: (a) there are only three routes and thus only three main girls, (b) the main characters and the supporting characters are all pretty uninteresting, reeking of a B-grade OAV's cast and not of an A-grade visual novel's, and (c) the character development is frustratingly confusing and stilted. Would have been a 4/10 but for the characters introduced in Episodes 8 and 9. Plot: 5/10. The plot basically rides on the characters' coattails. So it shouldn't be surprising that the low-scoring characters helped to tell what ultimately proved to be a low-scoring story. High marks go to the story's intrigue early on. Low marks go to the story not living up to that early intrigue and becoming way too bogged down in confusing symbolism and stuff in the second half. Replay Value: 4/10. I have no interest in watching this again, but I would not be pained if you forced me to. Overall: 5/10. Below average. The show could have been great, and I had boosted hopes (as you can see in my last post!!) by the end of Episode 9. Unfortunately, those hopes were dashed by the final three episodes' content.
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09-30-2010, 12:30 AM | #1282 |
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Wow, scathing.
I haven't clicked any of those spoiler-boxes for fear of juicy details (I think I got singed by a Planetes one earlier, but I only read about three words into it, so no major harm...I guess) but I'm also disappointed given that review. It's regrettable your views echo the majority sentiments - that Air isn't as good as the other KEY titles made anime. I'm going to watch NnA's first season again right just to confirm it was as sweet as I remember. I've got to stay up anyway for class, might as well kill some time...
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09-30-2010, 07:09 AM | #1283 |
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Having slept on it, awoken this morning, and read Doppel's reply ("Wow, scathing"), I have this to add:
I think that one of the things which frustrated me most about Air's ending, but which its fans would probably defend as being one of its boldest moves, is the fact that ... Spoiler: show Another thing which I think really killed Air for me was the crow. Spoiler: show I think that if these two complaints of mine didn't exist, that if I were more open to Air's place in the chronology of Kanna's life and if I were more open to the crow's existence, that I would have liked the series more. I still wouldn't have rated it gold, but I certainly wouldn't have rated it a 5/10 either.
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09-30-2010, 11:52 AM | #1284 |
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Gah! It feels like Gilligan's Island is taking a lifetime. Either that or I spend too much time fucking off while I should be reading. Regardless! Like Higurashi, it gets into pretty good detail with the characters (personality, not appearance.) I'm not that far, but I'd like to point out some things I liked about this that the anime annoyed me about. The anime tried too hard to make people look intense. Maria looked fucking freaky as hell, which added to how god damn annoying she is. Rosa's expression looked crazed when she punished Maria for misbehaving, so the anime made you think she was an abusive mother (which she wasn't.)
The menu features in this game are nice too. It gives you a brief description of all the characters, and if they die, it marks them out of the list and tells you how they died and stuff. It also has a TIPs feature where you can go back and read things like a letter or something that you might want to look back on. As far as other things go, I'm not far enough to really say. I'm on the first large murder so I can't compare yet. Hopefully things won't take a turn for full on retarded. This post was presented to you by Battler and Beatrice. Last edited by big bad birtha; 09-30-2010 at 12:00 PM. |
09-30-2010, 02:45 PM | #1286 |
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Yeah, but Ryuuya clearly was more than Kanna's guardian. And she must have felt the same way, considering she kissed him on the lips right before flying up into the sky in Episode 9. So I feel like there should have been something there between Yukito and Misuzu. Funny thing being, there must have originally been in the original eroge, right? Which means you really like Air the anime (which is non-ero), but I wonder how you'd have felt then about the original game itself?
Nah, I still feel that Ayu's scene trumps Misuzu's. Why? Spoiler: show To be honest, I think a major difference between us may be how we view the stepmother. To me, she was a minor character who was suddenly thrust into the role of a major character with Episode 10. I knew as much about her and cared as much about her as I knew and cared about Hijiki (the doctor) or Minagi's mother. So while I'm not a Vulcan or a Nazi, and while I can appreciate that she is a human being with feelings and that those feelings were crushed in Episode 11, then saved, and then crushed again in Episode 12, it just didn't have much impact on me. Yuuichi's suffering in Kanon, by contrast, I really felt bad for the guy because I'd been with him every step of the way. I'm guessing that you don't feel the same way, do you? You probably see the stepmom as being just as important a character as Yukito or Misuzu, and more important than say Kano or Minagi. And so to you, what ended up happening with her in Episodes 10-12 must have been more emotional than it was for me. I dunno. There's just no accounting for taste, unfortunately. I'm really sorry I don't see eye-to-eye with you on this one, but I just don't.
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09-30-2010, 02:53 PM | #1287 |
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I did consider her one of the three most important characters, but eh, oh well. I suppose I can never make you see why Hachi from Planetes was totally justified in the way he was acting during the Von Braun arc either!
Also, Nayuki is totally hotter than Ayu.
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09-30-2010, 03:31 PM | #1288 |
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Hey, guys. Just finished episode 10 of Kanon (Makoto's arc). 'Twas sad and it made me cry (I cry easily, but I knew to expect sadness from Key). I'm still a little confused though.
Spoiler: show On another note, I still can't get over how much Yuuichi reminds me of (a more sadistic) Kyon. They even dress alike. ><
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09-30-2010, 04:06 PM | #1289 |
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Addressing said confusion as best I can ...
Spoiler: show As for the folktale origins to Makoto's story ... Spoiler: show Cool to hear that you're enjoying the show and so far into it already. I might actually want to re-watch it myself, but we'll see. ^^; I may have other things I need to attend to first. Personally, I think Makoto's story is the second or third best of the five, so (imo) you're in for a bit of a lull period coming up, but I would say just hang in there because the best and third best or best and second best stories are the ones dealt with together, side by side, at the very end of the series. I don't necessarily recommend it, but it's not the biggest spoiler in the world either: click the spoiler box to see the order in which the girls' paths are explored. Spoiler: show
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09-30-2010, 04:12 PM | #1290 |
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Also, you've met Sayuri by now, so you'll understand what I mean when I say how much I love her "AHAHA!"
Tell us! Have you noticed anything? I won't be any more specific than that! When BBB first watched Kanon, I didn't spoil it for him then! And I shan't spoil it for you now, either! But I was laughing and biting my fingernails and all manner of things when watching Kanon 2006, because they put in SO MANY CLUES for Ayu's backstory in the remake, but they're SO, SO SUBTLE unless you already know the story. So! Have you noticed anything so far which strikes you as worthy of comment? DO NOT CLICK THIS! Not unless you've already finished Kanon! Spoiler: show But this you CAN go ahead and click on. It's a compilation of all the catchphrases from the show. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tyEUuCMTgqI Stop watching it at around 5:23 if you don't want to go past where you are in the show right now. (Just goes to show you that most of the catchphrase utterances are from the first half of the series!) But skip ahead to 5:33, 5:34ish if you want to see a few of Sayuri's lovely Ahaha's back to back. Be sure to quit as soon as you wish, though, since he does cover the entire series. But since he does it in chronological order, you're safe guaranteed for the first 5 minutes.
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09-30-2010, 05:12 PM | #1291 |
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On Makoto:
Spoiler: show As for noticing things, dunno if I'm on the right track, but... Spoiler: show I'm probably way off. XD Plus I don't see how this would relate to a spoiler I read earlier about Yuuichi.
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09-30-2010, 06:10 PM | #1292 | ||
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Quote:
Spoiler: show Quote:
As for ~uguu...what? XD That's an interesting connection. I always thought if it as something Ayu says when she's troubled. East Asians appear (?) to have similar speech ticks, because when I first heard ~uguu, it sounded disturbingly like my mother's ~ugoi (which I've inherited).
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09-30-2010, 06:23 PM | #1293 | ||
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Quote:
Spoiler: show Quote:
Darn. Now whenever I see the wings on Ayu's backpack I can only think of the phrase: Spoiler: show Edit- New crazy theory! Spoiler: show
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09-30-2010, 09:48 PM | #1294 |
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LOL! Nice crazy theories. But they're pretty crazy. No, I'm talking more about visual observations, not character conspiracy theories. Visual oddities and/or inconsistencies and/or quirks. But I really don't want to say anything more than that.
I'll have to disagree with Doppel on the "she's not really a spirit" bit, but this is just me being a semantics quibbler. Makoto is a spirit insofar as she is a youkai. The spirits Doppel is referring to are a specific subset of spirits called yuurei. See: youkai, yuurei. There's one more thing I'd like to disagree with him on, but I can't say what it is or I feel I'd be spoiling the show for you. So ... we'll come back to it later.
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09-30-2010, 10:07 PM | #1295 |
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XD Sorry. I think you can tell by now my friend's insanity has rubbed off on me.
And I understand the point Dopple was trying to make about spirits. I've heard of the difference between the two. As for visual oddities... Hm... Can't say I've noticed anything in particular that stands out. Would this have something to do with the narration at the beginning of each episode that repeats this is a "dream"? Halfway through the series now, btw.
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09-30-2010, 10:12 PM | #1296 |
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Well, that's not really an observation you can make. I watched Episode 01's beginning on Youtube (when I linked you to it the other day, remember?) and I was stunned by how spoilerific the opening is IF you know what it's about. I remember feeling the same way when it first aired. I remember asking BBB, "Dude! O_O;;;;;;; Do you feel spoilered? What do you think happened?" But he was totally clueless, thank God. Kyoto Animation knew what they were doing. To me, the scene was night-and-day obvious but to him it was full of hazy mystery. I imagine you're much the same way.
The observations I'm alluding to are more concrete and are much less obvious than that. Kyoto makes a big deal out of the Ayu "I'm seeing a dream" soliloquies. They don't make a big deal out of the things I'm thinking about because if they did then even a first-timer like yourself would begin to say, "Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeey, waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaait a second! How come ____________ !?" Forget I said anything. ^^; Just enjoy the show. We'll talk about the clues that made Ayu's path obvious after you finish the story.
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09-30-2010, 10:19 PM | #1297 |
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Well... I feel like I already know the basic idea of what happened to Ayu in the past since I read the first sentence of your "(Yuuichi vs. Tomoya vs. Yukito spoilers)" earlier. ._.;;; So yeah. Will this ruin the series for me?
Oh, and the channel you linked me to only has the episodes up through 12. Time to search for a new source.
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09-30-2010, 10:22 PM | #1298 | |
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Quote:
Oh SHOOT though. As for how to continue, I looked back at our old Kanon posts from 2007, and it appears that I recommended SS-Eclipse. a.f.k.'s sub was the 2nd place one. Apparently neither translation met 100% with my approval, but SS-Eclipse translated fewer things incorrectly and/or they translated more things expertly. But it's up to you which one you try to go with. Alternatively, Kanon should be out on DVD. I should go buy it myself ...
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09-30-2010, 10:25 PM | #1299 | |
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Quote:
But hey, now we're even?
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09-30-2010, 10:31 PM | #1300 |
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I guess? I feel like my spoiler is way bigger than yours was. I feel really bad right now. There are, like, three things one should never spoil. Planetes Episode 24 and Kanon Episode 22 are two of them. And I spoiled both for two different people two days in a row. Despite putting both inside of spoiler tags. -.-;
Note to self: ask Kuno to give us a spoiler tag clone which is the Condense Text tag so that SPOILER TAGS MEAN 100% OF THE TIME "DON'T CLICK ME UNLESS YOU'VE SEEN THE STORY I'M TO DO WITH! *goes to write thread*
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