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Roarkiller
Your Daddy-O
Registration Date: 06.03.03
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quote:
Originally posted by Saddletank
Not currently watching it but lots of people seem to like Sword Art Online. I know a bit about it (real people trapped in a fantasy MMO) and I am not interested in fantasy MMOs such as WoW so I wonder if it'd be my thing.
Can anyone give a thumbnail review please?
I will assume you know the following:
-It is based on a web novel, which in turn is now a long-running light running series.
-It is about the first true virtual reality system, where the system literally hijacks your brain. Which in turn means that unless you personally log out in-game, you will never regain control of your body. Oh, and the game is set up to fry your brain if any external party tries to remove it.
-Basis of the story revolves around Kirito, who decides to run solo, and his interactions with the other players as each try to live/survive in their own way.
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Because the setting is a MMORPG, it's pretty much a fantasy shounen anime, quite similar to the ".hack" series. Imagine Tsukasa's or any other comatose player's situation, and apply that to every player in the game, and you get the idea.
The main draw is probably the idea that the game doesn't recognize respawning (google it); if you die in game, you die for real. Think The Walking Dead, for instance.
Personally, I think it's an okay anime. The average gamer will definitely appreciate the nuances of gaming such as status, heal, levelling and the like. Also, I think it's pretty much every gamer's dream to be able to actually live a game, so the anime pretty much fleshes out that fantasy.
Story-wise, well... it's an RPG. So, yeah. It was born as a web-novel, which means the story wasn't that developed initially. Half the series is based on standalone chapters written after the novel got popular, so don't expect too much.
Personally, I much prefer the Gun Gale Online arc, because it feels much more "real" than the SAO and ALO arc.
Besides, a kuudere in hot pants and sniper rifle is too hot 
quote:
Originally posted by arren18
One thing I wanted to ask others was if anybody else is watching Hamatora. I've watched four episodes and been... kinda disappointed. I want to like it, but it's a bit predictable and the characters aren't all that great. I'm intrigued by the plot and that makes me consider continuing, but I feel like it'll just let me down when I could be watching all-round better shows. So if anybody else is watching, should I stick with it, or let it go?
Psycho Pass + Shounen humour = Hamatora
I think that pretty much sums it up. Pacings were never a strong point for shounen anime, didn't you know?
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Isakaya High RPG Site
quote:
Originally posted by fenkashi
Screw your opinions, they are not relevant ^^.
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 02.06.2014, 12:21 PM |
   
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Calforsale
Totoro
Registration Date: 01.19.10
Location: Sydney, Australia
Posts: 866 |
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Today i watched the new Madoka movie.
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| 02.08.2014, 03:50 AM |
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arren18
Administrator
Registration Date: 08.15.06
Location: Edinburgh
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So in the end I decided to put Hamatora on hold. For now I won't bother, but if I hear anything that catches my interest again I might pick it back up.
I started watching Gatchaman Crowds because somebody I follow on Tumblr keeps posting stuff from it and it seemed like fun. The first episode is a fairly standard main-character-introduction thing, but the style of it is cool and it's all likeable enough.
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| 02.15.2014, 11:15 AM |
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Roarkiller
Your Daddy-O
Registration Date: 06.03.03
Location: Home, resting...
Posts: 6077 |
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quote:
Originally posted by Calforsale
Today i watched the new Madoka movie.
It was in my cinema for one session last weekend. Coincidentally, I was out of the country.
Lol.
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I am me.
I am who I am.
I am Roarkiller.
No one else is me.
Roarkiller.net
Isakaya High RPG Site
quote:
Originally posted by fenkashi
Screw your opinions, they are not relevant ^^.
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| 02.16.2014, 12:03 PM |
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Saddletank
Miyazaki's Best Friend
Registration Date: 09.28.06
Location: On your case
Posts: 10069 |
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Currently watching Rideback. Really enjoying it.
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"An old man like me stands no chance fighting against a high school girl in her underwear" - Oshino Meme, Nekomonogatari (Kuro)
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| 02.16.2014, 01:06 PM |
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fenkashi
Dibs on Supreme Overlord
Registration Date: 08.12.07
Location: Canada
Posts: 5726 |
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Finally catching up on Nagi no Asukara. It reminds me of AnoHana a bit with the crazy polygon of love and childhood friends. But more interesting plot-wise.
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| 02.18.2014, 04:32 AM |
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Orphic Okapi
Baron
Registration Date: 04.08.07
Location: Saskatchewan
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quote:
Originally posted by Saddletank
Currently watching Rideback. Really enjoying it.
Does that mean you never finished Mawaru Penguindrum then?
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| 02.19.2014, 12:51 AM |
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fenkashi
Dibs on Supreme Overlord
Registration Date: 08.12.07
Location: Canada
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Other current shows I'm liking right now: Noragami and Tokyo Ravens.
@arren, I started Hamatora as well. Just watched the first ep so far. It seems decent, though I can see how it might get predictable. =(
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| 02.19.2014, 08:48 PM |
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arren18
Administrator
Registration Date: 08.15.06
Location: Edinburgh
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Yeah, after the point I stopped at there's been two more episodes. It sounds like they didn't really advance the overarching plot, so at the moment I'm quite happy to have put it on hold.
Noragami is probably the best of this season's shows, at least out of what I'm watching. Its balance of drama and comedy is good, and I'm enjoying the characters and plot. Space Dandy is worth watching too, with its shamelessly campy atmosphere.
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Post last edited by arren18 on 02.20.2014, 05:03 AM.
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| 02.20.2014, 12:27 AM |
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Saddletank
Miyazaki's Best Friend
Registration Date: 09.28.06
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Posts: 10069 |
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quote:
Originally posted by Orphic Okapi
quote:
Originally posted by Saddletank
Currently watching Rideback. Really enjoying it.
Does that mean you never finished Mawaru Penguindrum then?
Not yet. Also my HD it was stored on died. I will definitely keep watching it when I get my drive repaired. I tend to have 4 or 5 series on the go at the same time, but Rideback just seemed to "bite me" in just the right way for me to marathon through it.
I also have several anime that I adore so much I can just rewatch them and rewatch them. I'm currently rewatching Beck, Welcome to the NHK, Usagi Drop (for the 3rd time - I just can't get enough of this wonderful story and characters) and I always seem to be watching some episode or other of one of the Monogatari series.
I put Gurren Lagann aside after only 5 eps. It just wasn't doing anything for me 
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"An old man like me stands no chance fighting against a high school girl in her underwear" - Oshino Meme, Nekomonogatari (Kuro)
Post last edited by Saddletank on 02.20.2014, 09:46 AM.
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| 02.20.2014, 09:43 AM |
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fenkashi
Dibs on Supreme Overlord
Registration Date: 08.12.07
Location: Canada
Posts: 5726 |
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TTGL is an acquired taste. Not surprised you weren't into it. That kind of crazy usually works well in short doses, like with FLCL. Though, I liked TTGL too ^^
Anyway, I like Inari, Konkon, Koi Iroha. Not because it's particularly good...? It's very shoujo and has little to it's name aside from decent animation and cute characters. But I really ship Uka and Touka. And I think it's interesting how seamlessly a lesbian love interest is being incorporated into the story. I'm used to mainstream anime joking about it with male characters (and the usual "kimoi" type response following) but not quite this. I know it's hard to comment on the significance of it since anime is where all the taboo stuff happens anyway... but it made me wonder if mainstream anime was getting more permissive and accepting with that kind of stuff.
AKA this is staying up all night rambling and you should probably ignore me
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| 02.20.2014, 09:56 AM |
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Saddletank
Miyazaki's Best Friend
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quote:
Inari, Konkon, Koi Iroha
Is that 3 series, or 1?
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Isakaya High School Roleplaying Info
"An old man like me stands no chance fighting against a high school girl in her underwear" - Oshino Meme, Nekomonogatari (Kuro)
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| 02.20.2014, 01:11 PM |
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fenkashi
Dibs on Supreme Overlord
Registration Date: 08.12.07
Location: Canada
Posts: 5726 |
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Just one
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| 02.20.2014, 06:10 PM |
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Saddletank
Miyazaki's Best Friend
Registration Date: 09.28.06
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Thanks. I checked it out. It looks cute. I'm always a sucker for romances.
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Isakaya High School Roleplaying Info
"An old man like me stands no chance fighting against a high school girl in her underwear" - Oshino Meme, Nekomonogatari (Kuro)
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| 02.20.2014, 06:50 PM |
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arren18
Administrator
Registration Date: 08.15.06
Location: Edinburgh
Posts: 10665 |
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I ended up not liking TTGL all that much ultimately. It was a lot of fun early on, if a little aimless, but then especially after the time skip it became sorta tedious to watch, because the constant upgrading of the robots made every battle feel so inconsequential.
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| 02.21.2014, 12:44 AM |
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husky51
The Old Guy
Registration Date: 03.17.08
Location: Southern California
Posts: 12794 |
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| 02.23.2014, 01:31 PM |
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fenkashi
Dibs on Supreme Overlord
Registration Date: 08.12.07
Location: Canada
Posts: 5726 |
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Wow I dropped Aku no Hana after 2 episodes. It was just too weird for me, and not in a good way.
Watching more Noragami, and about to take a look at Nobunaga the Fool.
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| 02.26.2014, 11:07 PM |
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husky51
The Old Guy
Registration Date: 03.17.08
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| 02.27.2014, 02:55 AM |
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Saddletank
Miyazaki's Best Friend
Registration Date: 09.28.06
Location: On your case
Posts: 10069 |
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The choice of animation style in Aku no Hana has caused a big stir. I think it was made worse by the fact that the manga is extremely popular. If you hadn't seen it, its the one Orphic is (rightfully) enthusiastic about in another thread.
I haven't see Aku and have only looked at still screen shots but I can see why it would upset many anime viewers. Then again we've had anime that has been designed to be more or less realistic since the days of Akira and Jin Roh, and more recently Colourful used a similar "Japanese faces" style.
I don't think the use of rotoscoping was in itself a poor decision, it was perhaps that the director used live actors who were so plain faced and so far removed from people's existing expectations (from the manga) and comfort zone. It was the artistic choices hat caused the problems, not the technical process. Rotoscoping in other times and places can be very exciting such as the intro of the Cowboy Bebop movie.
Manga character on the left, anime character on the right. Reaction of fan at the bottom...
Some good discussion here.
This post I thought was useful:
quote:
In short (note that this is a quick & dirty summary):
- At first Nagahama (the director) refused the offer to direct the adaptation, because he thought that simply turning this manga into a pretty, clean-looking anime would be pointless. He says that he believes that when the mangaka draws this story he's seeing something "else" which he expresses as a manga. So there would be no point in simply presenting it in animated form, at that rate you might as well just read the manga and be done with it.
- He thought if it was to be adapted at all, it should be done as a live drama. When he was offered the job the second time, he pitched the idea of using rotoscope. He was aware that the result would be different from the manga.
- Oshimi (the mangaka) says Nagahama is right about the way he creates the manga: the original story is something that exists in his head, and he draws what he sees in his mind. So basically the anime and the manga are two different versions of the story that exists in Oshimi's head. By the way, he was also aware that due to the rotoscope the anime would look different from his work, and he thought it was an interesting idea.
- Oshimi also says that he thinks Nagahama has a very deep insight into the story, and firmly believes that he's taking it in the right direction. He also very much approves of Nagahama's wish of the anime leaving the viewers with a scar.
- Oshimi was pretty much "in" on the whole thing, they tested the rotoscope method on him.
- The interviewer asks about the impact the visuals would have on viewers, and Nagahama says he's well aware that a lot of people will go "what the fuck" and "this is gross," "I hate this, I'm not watching this." But he's pretty much okay with that, too, because he thinks it's fine as long as it leaves an impact on people. Viewers may dismiss it right away, but some may check it out later and find it interesting, or they may come across the manga, recognize the title, and read that.
- Oshimi says that he once got a fan letter from a high school girl who wrote that when she read the manga in middle school she thought it was stupid, but she tried to read it again when she was older and she found it very good. Nagahama says that this is what he's going for, to leave an impact, even if it's negative. He's trying to create something that one can't just ignore or dismiss.
- Oshimi also says that the anime has many scenes that he wishes he would've drawn the way they are in the anime, for example a scene with Kasuga and Nakamura in the classroom.
- Also, he confesses he's writing the manga with the intention of murdering the readers with it (metaphorically, of course), thinks the anime is doing the same, and relishes the idea of the viewers getting slaughtered, jokingly of course. (lol #1)
They leave the following messages to the fans:
- Oshimi: He guarantees that those who feel very strongly about Aku no hana will enjoy the anime. However, chara-moe types, those who go "Nakamura-san, unf unf" will probably feel betrayed. (lol #2)
- Nagahama: Since it's so different from the usual anime, he can't say that everyone will love it. But those who watch the first episode and think "I want to see more" will not have their expectations betrayed.
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"An old man like me stands no chance fighting against a high school girl in her underwear" - Oshino Meme, Nekomonogatari (Kuro)
Post last edited by Saddletank on 02.27.2014, 08:47 AM.
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| 02.27.2014, 08:46 AM |
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husky51
The Old Guy
Registration Date: 03.17.08
Location: Southern California
Posts: 12794 |
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| 03.01.2014, 01:58 AM |
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