I think that some of the stuff that people hype up as "super deep" just tends to be somewhat incomprehensible anyway.
And I see I'm not the only one who was both late to the MadoMagi party and didn't much enjoy it. That said, a probably more meaningful question is, what do you feel you disliked about MadoMagi?
I know I wanted to cry but I couldn't bring myself to, in contrast to how I did cry or have tears of awe to a number of other shows (e.g. Strain, Nanoha, Nanoha Strikers, iM@S, E7, KG, Arpeggio, etc.).
I dont think ive ever watched an anime that i'd describe as "super deep"
not that i'd ever describe anything as "super deep", that's kind of silly and pretentious
That said, I do tend to prefer things that are... knotty. Like stuff with multifaceted or multilayered symbolism, clever use of recurring motifs, and a well fleshed-out metaphorical bent (this can become really bad when done poorly though)
...honestly i'm willing to let a lot of things slide if a show can appeal to any of my particular proclivities in that regard.
I wonder if one good rule of thumb about whether I'll enjoy a series is whether it'll make me cry.
Alternatively, whether it'll take me from an initial state of not caring about the characters at all to strongly feeling an emotional connection with at least one of them.
That's definitely something I don't look for a lot, I think because it almost never happens to me so if I looked for it i wouldn't watch a lot of stuff
Man is a most complex simple creature: see what he weaves, and how base his reasons for doing so.
I liked MM a lot when I saw it, but came to dislike it more when I started looking at it critically.
I cry at stupid things. You can make me watch the saddest, most soul-wrenching things and I won't cry. I'll feel very down for a while but I won't cry.
I cried when a giant robot dug deep within itself and found the strength to beat the impossible. When my expectations of sorrow are reversed, replaced with joy, when the two lovers found within themselves the capacity to open up to each other, for once in their lives. When the hero overcomes their fear and uses the very last of their life in one last, desperate struggle. When the friend-to-all fights till they're bloody and breathless and depressed but still declares that they're going to save the ultimate antagonist, no matter what.
they're merely overused from an out-of-universe perspective
just means that there's a little bit more effort than usual needed to really immerse oneself in the story, but that doesn't mean it's at all impossible
wackiness seems to be one of those things that's really, really easy to do badly. If it becomes the domineering factor in a thing it just falls apart and it can get that way really easily.
I think that some of the stuff that people hype up as "super deep" just tends to be somewhat incomprehensible anyway.
And I see I'm not the only one who was both late to the MadoMagi party and didn't much enjoy it. That said, a probably more meaningful question is, what do you feel you disliked about MadoMagi?
Eh, I am not really qualified to give a critique so I am not sure how meaningful this answer can be.
I felt like the characters in MadoMagi were generally not likable or developed (with the possible exception of Homura, it seemed like she got some decent development).
I know the show made a conscious effort to have a darker tone, which is not necessarily a bad thing I guess, but I thought the series was sometimes dark and edgy just to be dark and edgy without the story really gaining anything from it (e.g., stuff that happened to Sayaka, Kyoko's backstory). I am not a big fan of gratuitous suffering and it makes me especially uncomfortable when the victims are young girls in a series apparently targeted towards men (though that last point is perhaps arguable).
That is not to say that I did not think there were any good bits in Madoka. I felt like the animation and art were pretty solid and as I alluded to above, I thought Homura was an interesting and well-developed character. I think a lot of my "issues" with the show come down to my general distaste for the direction the show takes, which is in large part informed by my personal preferences. I definitely will not blame anyone for being emotionally affected by Madoka though; it is an awfully depressing show at times.
@LW that sounds roughly like my criticisms of it as well -- there was too little focus on characterization and too much focus on presenting that darker take on the magical girl genre.
I thought the series was sometimes dark and edgy just to be dark and edgy without the story really gaining anything from it (e.g., stuff that happened to Sayaka, Kyoko's backstory).
y'see, i very distinctly remember that that stuff is very important to the whole moral arc of the series, but i dont quite remember enough to feel comfortable trying to explain
i guess that means it's time for a rewatch soonish
I thought the series was sometimes dark and edgy just to be dark and edgy without the story really gaining anything from it (e.g., stuff that happened to Sayaka, Kyoko's backstory).
y'see, i very distinctly remember that that stuff is very important to the whole moral arc of the series, but i dont quite remember enough to feel comfortable trying to explain
i guess that means it's time for a rewatch soonish
the perils of an idealistic "selfless wish" against the reality they're forced into and have no control over
Honestly I think that one of Magi's main problems is that it tries to cover themes that just won't be afforded the proper respect and complexity in a shonen medium.
Man is a most complex simple creature: see what he weaves, and how base his reasons for doing so.
Folks I talk to say that MM is in no way representative of the magical girl genre at all, only taking surface characteristics such as transformation, magical powers, and mystical animal advisors.
Well yeah; that was kinda its whole point. To take the superficial trappings but use them with a far darker story than is the usual.
I just felt that it did this in a somewhat ham-handed fashion. The ending also seemed to come out of nowhere, though the setting itself seemed built out of nowhere to some extent.
So, finished The Woman Called Fujiko Mine. In contrast to the first half of the show, which features episodic adventures to introduce the main cast, the second half actually has a story arc that ties the show together. There are a lot of little bits of foreshadowing that appear in the first half of the show that you won't fully understand until you get to the second half. The ending in particular is pretty satisfying, tying up all the loose ends and manages to do so in a way that that is actually surprising and entertaining. Plus, even though it's an alternative universe interpretation of how the Lupin gang came together, it honestly feels like all the characters at the ending of The Woman Called Fujiko Mine could easily transition into the beginning of the old 70s Lupin TV show, with the exception of Zenigata. I kind of talked about it in my previous post, Zenigata and Oscar are the most disappointing parts of the show for me, though Zenigata isn't nearly as bad as Oscar. The reinterpretation of Zenigata's character in this show isn't bad, as it's definitely a different take on his character, but in comparison to how easily the characters could all fit into their classic portrayals, the fact that Zenigata's character can''t fit in with his previous portrayals just feels kind of disappointing to me. Oscar, is just a disappointing character overall, with an unsatisfactory character arc and the conclusion of that arc is just boring. Honestly, the show would have been better if Oscar hadn't been included at all.
Overall, it's a good darker reinterpretation of Lupin III that manages to be darker without being overbearing or insufferable about it. Fair warning, there are a few scenes in the second half of the show that are rather disturbing. They're intended to be that way and serve their purpose very well, but a few scenes were very uncomfortable for me to watch. So, just a heads up there. But yeah, all in all great show, though I wouldn't use it as an introduction to the Lupin III unvierse. I enjoyed it so much because I was already familiar with the characters, but if you're looking for an introduction to Lupin III, the classic TV shows and movies are a better place to start.
PS: Also, apparently Shinichiro Watanabe was in charge of music production on this show and it shows. The soundtrack is absolutely fantastic and it's honestly kind of worth watching just for the soundtrack.
no, there is no relationship going on between the main characters of yuri bear storm
i'm gonna have to do that just to spite you all or something
though seriously, the yuri is pretty blatantly clear in cases like symphogear, and nanoha, and railgun from shirai to mikoto.
but i just don't see shipping when it's, say, ruiko flipping uiharu's skirt. ruiko is clearly doing it just to mess with uiharu. now, why she has such a weirdly antisocial hobby as flipping up her friend's skirt...i'll just chalk it up to her being not all that mature or something. despite having a nice mature voice to her at least in the dub
They're basically confirmed to be jerks in the second episode, if the first hadn't already given you strong impressions of their dispositions. It basically bends to their will, as you would expect.
Comments
I think that some of the stuff that people hype up as "super deep" just tends to be somewhat incomprehensible anyway.
And I see I'm not the only one who was both late to the MadoMagi party and didn't much enjoy it. That said, a probably more meaningful question is, what do you feel you disliked about MadoMagi?
I know I wanted to cry but I couldn't bring myself to, in contrast to how I did cry or have tears of awe to a number of other shows (e.g. Strain, Nanoha, Nanoha Strikers, iM@S, E7, KG, Arpeggio, etc.).
not that i'd ever describe anything as "super deep", that's kind of silly and pretentious
That said, I do tend to prefer things that are... knotty. Like stuff with multifaceted or multilayered symbolism, clever use of recurring motifs, and a well fleshed-out metaphorical bent (this can become really bad when done poorly though)
...honestly i'm willing to let a lot of things slide if a show can appeal to any of my particular proclivities in that regard.
Alternatively, whether it'll take me from an initial state of not caring about the characters at all to strongly feeling an emotional connection with at least one of them.
hella knotted though
* characters i can vibe with
* things that make me go "holy shit what did i just see"
* terrible fates
though on the other hand i do like the character art style on par
I cry at stupid things. You can make me watch the saddest, most soul-wrenching things and I won't cry. I'll feel very down for a while but I won't cry.
I cried when a giant robot dug deep within itself and found the strength to beat the impossible. When my expectations of sorrow are reversed, replaced with joy, when the two lovers found within themselves the capacity to open up to each other, for once in their lives. When the hero overcomes their fear and uses the very last of their life in one last, desperate struggle. When the friend-to-all fights till they're bloody and breathless and depressed but still declares that they're going to save the ultimate antagonist, no matter what.
Stupid shit like that.
cliches aren't stupid
they're merely overused from an out-of-universe perspective
just means that there's a little bit more effort than usual needed to really immerse oneself in the story, but that doesn't mean it's at all impossible
I felt like the characters in MadoMagi were generally not likable or developed (with the possible exception of Homura, it seemed like she got some decent development).
I know the show made a conscious effort to have a darker tone, which is not necessarily a bad thing I guess, but I thought the series was sometimes dark and edgy just to be dark and edgy without the story really gaining anything from it (e.g., stuff that happened to Sayaka, Kyoko's backstory). I am not a big fan of gratuitous suffering and it makes me especially uncomfortable when the victims are young girls in a series apparently targeted towards men (though that last point is perhaps arguable).
That is not to say that I did not think there were any good bits in Madoka. I felt like the animation and art were pretty solid and as I alluded to above, I thought Homura was an interesting and well-developed character. I think a lot of my "issues" with the show come down to my general distaste for the direction the show takes, which is in large part informed by my personal preferences. I definitely will not blame anyone for being emotionally affected by Madoka though; it is an awfully depressing show at times.
(The other Jane)
y'see, i very distinctly remember that that stuff is very important to the whole moral arc of the series, but i dont quite remember enough to feel comfortable trying to explain
i guess that means it's time for a rewatch soonish
watching a box of building blocks fall down a flight of stairs and somehow manage to assemble themselves at the bottom into a house
how a beehive functions
what bears do to beehives
polination
dang it
(*these past few posts have been in response to eps 5 & 6 of yurikuma for clarification*)
I just felt that it did this in a somewhat ham-handed fashion. The ending also seemed to come out of nowhere, though the setting itself seemed built out of nowhere to some extent.
Overall, it's a good darker reinterpretation of Lupin III that manages to be darker without being overbearing or insufferable about it. Fair warning, there are a few scenes in the second half of the show that are rather disturbing. They're intended to be that way and serve their purpose very well, but a few scenes were very uncomfortable for me to watch. So, just a heads up there. But yeah, all in all great show, though I wouldn't use it as an introduction to the Lupin III unvierse. I enjoyed it so much because I was already familiar with the characters, but if you're looking for an introduction to Lupin III, the classic TV shows and movies are a better place to start.
PS: Also, apparently Shinichiro Watanabe was in charge of music production on this show and it shows. The soundtrack is absolutely fantastic and it's honestly kind of worth watching just for the soundtrack.
if you think there is, you need to take off your shipping goggles
there is ALSO such a thing as becoming very emotionally invested in a specific goal
madoka and homura are still totally about as in lesbians as you can be without outright stating it
i hear it's insane, though that barely even looks like sayaka and kyouko anymore lol
good friends who sleep naked together and bite one another sometimes
though seriously, the yuri is pretty blatantly clear in cases like symphogear, and nanoha, and railgun from shirai to mikoto.
but i just don't see shipping when it's, say, ruiko flipping uiharu's skirt. ruiko is clearly doing it just to mess with uiharu. now, why she has such a weirdly antisocial hobby as flipping up her friend's skirt...i'll just chalk it up to her being not all that mature or something. despite having a nice mature voice to her at least in the dub
That said, I still watched all of the first episode. And nothing convinced me otherwise.
http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2015-02-19/madoka-magica-fate-durarara-creators-rpg-project-inspire-chaos-dragon-anime/.85161