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What are you watching right now? Why? (please read 1st post)


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dtm42



Joined: 05 Feb 2008
Posts: 14084
Location: currently stalking my waifu
PostPosted: Mon Oct 22, 2012 10:41 am Reply with quote
I just finished Future Boy Conan. I believe it was Mike Toole who said that it was the best Anime series he'd ever seen. I dunno how serious he was when he said that but his comment piqued my curiosity and I downloaded the show. And you know what? It isn't the best Anime series ever, not by a long shot. But I can tell you that it is very, very good.

You wouldn't think so just the the beginning, which is pretty standard and not all that impressive. It doesn't promise much beyond a typical children's adventure story with maybe a touch more darkness than you would allow kids today to see. Violence is pretty bloodless but it is there, and of course each episode opens with a seventy-second-long intro outlining how billions of people died in a war which sank the continents. But apart from the darkness, there wasn't much potential here. Or so I thought.

See, this was made by a couple of good mates called Miyazaki and Takahata. Yes, that Miyazaki and that Takahata; they are the founding men behind Studio Ghibli. Of course, this show was made in 1978, six years before Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, but you can definitely see their prototypical ideas here. As such, the story starts off unassuming but grows into a multi-faceted Aesop about the horrors of war, the benefits of environmentalism, the spectre of greed, and a heartwarming (and well-written) arc of redemption for two characters (who, I'm pleased to say, spoiler[marry one another] in a great final episode).

Anyway, I initially wasn't all that into the show, and then I actually liked it. As Miyazaki started to lay his cards on the table, I started to respect it. And then I began to really respect it when he kept on laying more out. Although, the writing is not particularly amazing and few of the characters are defined by more than just their respective personality traits; with a couple of notable exceptions there's actually very little character development.

However, Miyazaki and Takahata were experts in the art of storytelling itself even back before Ghibli. Here they kept things simple, accessible, and above all, fun. The spirit of adventure runs richly through this show's veins, and I found the show to be highly enjoyable despite it being ostensibly aimed at children. It also helps that despite all of the themes to the show, they are always naturally integrated and never detract from the impressive clarity of the story. The show is directed and story-boarded in what would become typical Ghibli fashion, with plenty of quiet scenes to let us take in the setting or the atmosphere. In other words, it's bloody good, far better than what you'll find in many shows made today. I've said it before and I'll say it again; good writing and storytelling are timeless.

I ended up rating Future Boy Conan as Very Good, and I would encourage all fans to watch it. Sure, it's old - 1978 was a while ago, before even Mobile Suit Gundam or Castle of Calgiostro - so it naturally looks old. Yet it doesn't look dated, except perhaps in the noses; the overall character designs are perfectly alright. The music is also fine, even if some tracks are frequently reused (but then show me a series where that isn't the case). So even if you are wary about watching old Anime you should still watch this; there's no excuse. If you want to download a high-quality sub-version then PM me and I'll send you a link to the place I got it from.

But yeah, definitely check this out. Just be sure to give it at least five episodes; Miyazaki takes time to hit his stride but once he does it is quite the delightful trip.


Last edited by dtm42 on Wed Oct 24, 2012 4:58 pm; edited 2 times in total
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zawa113



Joined: 19 Jan 2008
Posts: 7357
PostPosted: Mon Oct 22, 2012 10:59 am Reply with quote
nbahn wrote:
classicalzawa--
May I ask you for your reason(s) for using the "spoiler" tag? I did not see anything that I judged to be spoilerific. I am merely curious.

It was more as a hiding of a very obvious joke, just to make people scroll over it to see it I guess. Perhaps also to draw attention to make people curious enough to watch DUO for themselves as it was pretty damn funny.
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Chagen46



Joined: 27 Jun 2010
Posts: 4377
PostPosted: Mon Oct 22, 2012 4:42 pm Reply with quote
I am currently watching the first episode of Chuunibyou on TAN right now.

Rikka to me seems less like a Chuunibyou sufferer and more like a complete nuts schizophrenic but that doesn't stop this show from being hilarious and moe. And that KyoAni touch, so nice-looking. Also, Jun Fukuyama as the lead is just awesome.
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Errinundra
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Joined: 14 Jun 2008
Posts: 6516
Location: Melbourne, Oz
PostPosted: Mon Oct 22, 2012 5:06 pm Reply with quote
dtm42 wrote:
...Future Boy Conan...


Thanks for the review. Your analysis that the storytelling surpases the the character development could be said of most Hayao Miyazaki anime. That's why I place Spirited Away and Porco Rosso above the rest of his oeuvre, as their plots turn on the development of Chihiro and Porco, respectively.

Anyway, you've put Future Boy Conan on my radar. Speaking of ancient anime I'm up to episode 12 of Space Battleship Yamato - a most enjoyable trip to the Large Megallanic Cloud. More about that when I finish it.
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dtm42



Joined: 05 Feb 2008
Posts: 14084
Location: currently stalking my waifu
PostPosted: Mon Oct 22, 2012 5:58 pm Reply with quote
errinundra wrote:
Anyway, you've put Future Boy Conan on my radar.


I regret that I wasn't able to do it proper justice with my comments; I'm not a good-enough writer to convey my thoughts and feelings as well as I want to. I also regret not mentioning that the show is an adaptation of The Incredible Tide. Although many names, places and plot points are the same, Miyazaki made many, many changes. He streamlined some parts while expanding on others, while also toning it down to be more suitable for children. So although Future Boy Conan is an adaptation it is still Miyazaki's baby.

But anyway, if I at least got the show onto your radar then I consider that a success. I hope one day you will do one of your insightful reviews of it.
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Chiibi



Joined: 19 Dec 2011
Posts: 4828
PostPosted: Mon Oct 22, 2012 8:35 pm Reply with quote
Currently running anime: Sword Art Online and Little Busters! Why? Because SAO kicks ass [*Kirito fangirl scream*] and LB is a Key anime.
A Key anime will always be amazing. And I wanted a LB anime ever since I discovered a figure of Noumi Kudravablabla Anime hyper

But since they both only air once a week, that isn't enough of course. So I started Ginban Kaleidoscope. Got in the mood for plots that have ghosts because of the season. Anime hyper
(Halloween is coming. BOO!!)

The animation sucks but the story's good and the two main characters are fun.
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Botan24



Joined: 30 Apr 2011
Posts: 684
Location: Northern Michigan
PostPosted: Mon Oct 22, 2012 9:02 pm Reply with quote
So much anime... so little time!

Been doing a leisurely re-watch of School Rumble with the hubby. He's never seen the whole series end to end, so it's been very entertaining watching his reactions to stuff I know is going to happen. As for my own opinion of the show? Love it! Always have, always will.

Also going over Code Geass again. I recall very much enjoying the story, but I honestly can't remember much of what happens in it. Hence why it's time to re-watch it. Lelouche is a character that I love to hate. He's so brilliant, yet I don't agree with any of his actions or principles. This is one of the few shows that has a large cast and I don't mind. Personally, I just can't get into most anime that have more than a handful of players. Code Geass is an exception.

Tumbling through a re-watch of Full Metal Panic! Fumoffu as well. It's okay, but I still prefer the more serious Second Raid season. The hijinks in Fumoffu just aren't as funny as say, in School Rumble.

And with that, there's still this Fall season. Right now I'm keeping abreast of:
My Little Monster - this show is cuter every time I watch it.
Say I Love You - Kinda similar to MLM, but leans more to the dramatic side.
Kamisama Kiss - this one definitely has most comedic elements, but seems a little clumsy when it comes to the dramatic.
Blast of Tempest - awkward name aside, this one is looking good. But maybe that's just the Shakespeare influence coming through.
K - wants to be cool and appeal to as many fans as possible. However, unless a good story can be found here, I'm going to bail. The seemingly large cast has me worried too. ^See above for my reasoning on that point.

..... whew. I still don't know how Bamboo does it. And now she's back on Shelf Life. That girl must not sleep, ever.
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Tris8



Joined: 30 Oct 2009
Posts: 2114
Location: Where the rain is.
PostPosted: Mon Oct 22, 2012 11:03 pm Reply with quote
Finished Bodacious Space Pirates, and it was a fun watch. Just as I'd heard, the moniker is a misnomer. There is no fanservice, and the majority of the space pirates are actually male. I was a little disappointed when it is explained that spoiler[they aren't really pirates, more like privateers,] but it ends up fitting with the story. The premise is a little silly (space pirates seek out a teenage school girl with no space or leadership experience to be their captain?) but It's got some moments of really great action and keeps you entertained. Most of all, I love Marika's (the MC) pirate outfit. I dunno, it just hits my awesome buttons and I love it. Except not the version with that oversized bow and weird white over-cape. No like that. And I loved the ending theme, it's now one of my favorite op/ed I've seen (probably makes the top 15).

I'm just starting Asura Cryin', and after that I'll pick something Halloween-y from the very helpful Halloween recommendation thread.
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dtm42



Joined: 05 Feb 2008
Posts: 14084
Location: currently stalking my waifu
PostPosted: Mon Oct 22, 2012 11:29 pm Reply with quote
Just finished Zegapain, which I liked. But unfortunately, the show has some problems that can't be ignored, and that's why I rated it as So-so.

The character interactions are surprisingly strong and there are some notable scenes and scenarios. The idea of spoiler[humanity - or what's left of it - being confined to looping worlds] is an intriguing one, and the way the characters have to deal with and overcome the barriers was well-handled. I also found spoiler[Ryoko's unique situation to be a fascinating one that really added a lot to her scenes in the show's second half.]

You knew it was coming - the "but". See, this show may handle its core cast of character reasonably well, BUT, the writing outside of that sphere is very, very weak. It's so full of innumerable holes that if you simply start to think about them you could rip the entire show into tatters. Seriously, even I don't want to start, because I'm afraid I'd still be hours later trying to expand on just how flawed the writing is.

So where does that leave us? Good character interactions built on a foundation of writing that had some good ideas (borrowed liberally from other works such as The Matrix) but applied so very, very poorly. It also doesn't help that the show's CG visuals were truly awful. They clashed with the non-CG parts and looked like they were lifted directly from a video game.

And here comes the second "but". The show's writing of the setting and the plot was very bad, true, BUT, the characters make up for that. They aren't particularly special, but they are handled competently-enough and I could form an emotional connection. Plus, and this is important, the themes were very strong and well-explored.

In the end I thought I the narrative focus - which was on the characters rather than the plot or setting - was the show's saving grace. Yes, even though it meant an under-developed world, keeping the viewer's attention on the show's good points (characters and themes) was the correct decision. Lord knows that both the plot and setting weren't anything to write home about.

I recommend Zegapain to those who don't mind a character-driven story with some robots in it, and who don't get bugged by plot holes. But for the love of your deity of choice, do NOT listen to the dub. Little effort and practically no love was put into it, and it sadly doesn't get better with time either. Why Bandai, why?
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Areaith



Joined: 13 Jan 2008
Posts: 19
Location: Rialto, CA
PostPosted: Tue Oct 23, 2012 12:42 am Reply with quote
Well I just got done watching Mitsudomoe season 2 episode 8, but now I'm watching K-ON! season 1. I still haven't finished it. I decided to watch Mitsudomoe because it's a very great anime, full of comedy, cute characters, and tons of hilarious misunderstandings. Very worth the watch. And I'm watching K-ON! cause it seems like a great anime also.
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GeminiDS85



Joined: 10 Jul 2009
Posts: 391
PostPosted: Tue Oct 23, 2012 4:44 am Reply with quote
Saturday afternoon I went and saw Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie Part 1 and 2 with some friends, and I was actually quite impressed at how well the movies were adapted for the big screen. The first movie is a recap of episodes one through eight with a few cuts here and there. Besides for certain scenes being cut, there were a lot of changes made to the musical score during the battle sequences. Some of the changes I really enjoyed, but since I am an enormous fan of the TV version, some of them just didn’t sit right with me.

Outside the theater


The second movie is a recap of episodes nine through twelve. I do not believe anything was cut from those episodes, but I could very well be wrong. Furthermore, there was some additional content added to the second movie, but it was mostly just landscape scenes accompanied by a musical score. Lastly, there was a short trailer for the third movie after the credits. The trailer didn’t reveal much in terms of plot, but it still did look quite enticing.

I received a limited edition postcard before each movie.
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kaydub



Joined: 28 Jul 2011
Posts: 318
Location: Cincinnati, OH
PostPosted: Tue Oct 23, 2012 11:34 am Reply with quote
I finished watching Nichijou this morning. I think I now have an inkling of what it's like to take copious amounts of drugs.

But in all seriousness, Nichijou was an absolute blast to watch because it was clear that the staff had pretty much free reign to do whatever the heck they wanted. The fact that there was essentially little to no plot apart from spoiler[Nano's quest to become "normal"] does nothing to detract from the overall picture because everything is just so well done. Kyoto knocked this one out of the park, the animation is superb to the point that even the character animations seem to be just a little different between each character, making each one even more unique than they already are.

A lot of the jokes get reused throughout the show, but surprisingly most of them don't get old. The ones that do usually only last 2-3 episodes anyways. There weren't very many times when I felt like sighing instead of laughing, although some of the jokes aren't always terribly funny. Most of them are, however, and many times I had to stifle my laughter when watching in the middle of the night. The spoiler[deer wrestling] scene was hysterical, and many of the scenes with spoiler[Mio going off the handle] were super funny as well. I was a bit surprised that the spoiler[infamous broccoli bike seat] scene was so short; I actually had to go back and watch it again because I thought it might have accidentally skipped ahead.

The music is awesome too, especially the OP/ED themes. I probably wouldn't put them on my iPod and listen to them like I do with most OP/EDs that I enjoy, but these are perfect for Nichijou and it was almost just as fun to sit through them as it was watching the actual show. In particular, "Zzz" (the first half ED) was super cute and I loved the animation for it. One thing I found intriguing was how much the OPs (specifically, the second OP) reminded me of the OP for Bodacious Space Pirates, so much so that I ended up looking into the similarity... and sure enough, the same guy did both songs (though obviously, they were performed by different groups).

Anyways, I loved Nichijou. A lot. But not as much as I love supercar bicycles.
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ailblentyn



Joined: 28 Mar 2009
Posts: 1688
Location: body in Ohio, heart in Sydney
PostPosted: Wed Oct 24, 2012 4:36 pm Reply with quote
@ dtm42
Future Boy Conan is so good. I like to hear that people have seen it.
I feel I came to it backwards, by seeing Nadia, and Mysterious Cities of Gold first. And after seeing Conan, I was able to say, "Oh, I see. That's the original." (That's how it strikes me, at least.) It's a great sadness that there is no English dub, as far as I'm aware, as I think it's one of the great anime series suitable for little boys.

I'm starting watching The Tatami Galaxy. And I want to say two things. Firstly, after two episodes I love the show. The style combines cool with heartfelt, and Ozu is a great and distressingly believable character. Secondly, I love my U.K. release. I suspect the Australian release is a similarly handsome and sturdy digipak. But does it have my German language DVD menus? Very Happy
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zawa113



Joined: 19 Jan 2008
Posts: 7357
PostPosted: Wed Oct 24, 2012 4:38 pm Reply with quote
Birdy the Mighty
This is the OVA, not the Decode TV series, but now I definitely want to check it out. I was also forced to watch this dubbed, and oh boy is it a late 90s OVA terrible dub! Classically and charmingly so!

So I really liked the premise. I wasn't sure how I'd find a body switching series as most of them are terrible ecchi comedies. But this wasn't played for laughs, not to say there weren't awkward moments, but it wasn't terrible pervert comedy, even with that voice on the main guy. I would really want to check out Decode now, but since I've had both success and failure with Kazuki Akane, I though this would be good to see if I thought it could be a good TV series. And considering that the OVA only ends at the end of a natural arc, as though to say "oh we meant to make more, but PSYCH! No more is ever going to be made!" seeing a full story on this might prove awesome.

And then I went to the trusty random number generator! I use it whenever I'm being wishy washy. Sometimes it will fail me and sometimes it will bring me joy, but it's always impartial and picks stuff at random! Yeah, it gave me Haibane Renmei, which I had kinda meant to avoid for way longer. See, I've not had much success with Yoshitoshi ABe in the past. Lain? Loved the setting, hated the characters and story. Niea_7? Found it ok. So this is my third time, which means everyone is probably expecting me to say I adored it or something, but I found it just.... ok.

So, what I liked was the setting. And the soundtrack, that was awesome too. But with a lot of the setting elements, I can name other anime that have done certain parts of it better. Impassable town/world walls? Princess Tutu please, which I think did it far more brilliantly. Young kids working because they need to for a) some convoluted reason and b) they live in a world without child labor laws? Petite Princess Yucie for me, which mostly played it for laughs, but had a lot of fun with it.

Also, I should mention how much the soundtrack somehow reminds me of semi-obscure Wii game Fragile Dreams, though now any series or game with a sense of loneliness automatically reminds me of this game, but not as good. Seriously, go listen to that OST, it's freakin' amazing! Also, I didn't mean to check out two back to back series with the same music guy but I guess it happened spontaneously. Blame the RNG. But even though I can name other things that did certain elements better, I still like the setting and music overall.

But then for what I didn't like. I wasn't a big fan of the characters. First off, I think only Rakka and Reki got any sort of development. Everyone else felt like filler (ok, maybe not spoiler[Kuu, but she ended up being an angst trigger, not much fun]), one note characters there to fill up space. But then my problems with Rakka and Reki were that I didn't really care about them. I didn't get attached and wish I could have seen them interact with other characters more, it might've made me care more for them in the end. It's why I didn't mind the pointless job eps all over Petite Princess Yucie, it gave the characters more time to interact with each other.

The other thing was the sheer number of unanswered questions. Now, I know that there are times in a series when questions shouldn't be answered. Like the end of Inception, the point of some questions is to make you ponder. I didn't mind not knowing what was outside the wall, it was clearly not meant to be answered. But then there were many other times when I felt information was being deliberately withheld from the audience and characters. Stuff that other characters clearly seemed to know but didn't feel like mentioning. Care to tell who came up with certain traditions for stuff, like only buying used clothes? Someone seemed to know exactly what the Haibane were and what determined if spoiler[they could leave], why not maybe toss a few clues here and there? What exactly is the relation between normal humans and Haibane? I didn't quite get that, only really humans who worked at the shops with the Haibane, who would treat them differently due to being more like co workers. I got that some things were left to be more mysterious, but it also seemed pointless to withhold information on some things. And that just really annoyed me.

I think the drama turn was definitely for the best, but that was mostly because it did keep telling me more things about the world, which was the most interesting part for me to begin with: the setting. I felt like the shift in who the main(s) were was pretty jarring, probably because it only became clear to me with 2 eps to go.

I think I actually liked Niea_7 better. As much as Niea herself annoyed me, I thought she and Mayuko at least made an interesting couple, moreso for me than Rakka and Reki anyway. I think they just bounced off each other more dynamically, even if I liked their actual characters less. They also both had a mysterious forest for whatever reason, and weird random rules for stuff. It was pretty obvious they shared a director, the series felt really similar, but I felt like Niea_7's ending made more sense, or gave it more closure for me somehow. And oh yes, the movie Colorful, (not to be confused with the ecchi of the same name), I felt it did a similar idea, but did it way better and left me satisfied in the end. And I liked the characters better. I think I'll rewatch that when I get a chance.

Anyway, I'm done giving Yoshitoshi ABe time, the only thing left would be Texhnolyze anyway, but that's a 2 cours series, at least everything else was 1 cours.
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ailblentyn



Joined: 28 Mar 2009
Posts: 1688
Location: body in Ohio, heart in Sydney
PostPosted: Wed Oct 24, 2012 4:47 pm Reply with quote
You preferred NieA_7 to Haibane Renmei? I can imagine that statement being the object of numerous double-takes!
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