I am watching Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko and there is a conversation about cattle being mutilated by aliens.
Honestly, if you stepped back and looked at the synopsis, this show sounds a bit like a harem comedy. Really it's more of a coming-of-age story, but that does not quite encompass either how clever or utterly demented this show gets in the details.
I am watching Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko and there is a conversation about cattle being mutilated by aliens.
Honestly, if you stepped back and looked at the synopsis, this show sounds a bit like a harem comedy. Really it's more of a coming-of-age story, but that does not quite encompass either how clever or utterly demented this show gets in the details.
I never did finish that series. I watched like 11 episodes and then got distracted by something else.
I am about halfway through. I like it, although I have some minor issues with it. Like, there are some things about it that don't entirely gel for me, but some of them seem to be intentional stylistic things.
I can deal with the occasional reverse harem setup given that a lot of shoujo series use it as a springboard to do something more interesting (if far from always), but the harem and magical girlfriend subgenres are pretty much no man's land for me, with the rare exception where the results bear little resemblance to the parent (ie. Bakemonogatari).
A final observation for the night: I am watching The Vision of Escaflowne, and I am entering the final third wherein everything comes together. It is at this point we finally get some backstory on the Empire of Zaibach, and you know what? I really like how the writers made the villains' perspective at least understandable, even sympathetic in some respects, while keeping their actions reprehensible and weirdly reflective of real-world history. Megalomaniacal and creepy as they are, these are not moustache-twirlers. They really do think that they are acting for the greater good, and believe that the horrors they inflict upon the world are entirely justified in ushering in their notion of a better world to come. It's actually pretty nifty.
There's really two schools of thought to starting Gundam:
(UC: Universal Century) Watch 0079 (the original series) first, followed by Zeta, then ZZ (there's some disagreement on this one, since Zeta is honestly one of the darkest Gundam series, and ZZ... isn't, which can cause a bit of whiplash.), then Char's Counterattack. These take place over the course of 14 years of the same timeline, and generally share characters as a result. There's 3 compilation movies of 0079 too if you don't feel up to nearly 50 episodes. There are a few side OVAs that take place during the same time period but focus on other characters, too, with 08th MS Team being one of the more popular ones.
(AU) Best entry point here is generally considered to be Gundam 00. After that, it's a lot looser than the UC stuff, but Gundam Wing is popular as a second series.
Outside of just getting into it: G-Gundam is basically "Gundam WITH SUPER ROBOTS." It's ridiculous as all hell, but it's good fun. SEED is decent, but some people find it kind of melodramatic, and the sequel series, SEED Destiny, is pretty much universally considered the worst Gundam show.
Turn A is a very good series, but it relies pretty strongly on prior Gundam knowledge to get the most out of it, despite being set in an AU timeline.
Really, the only series that are generally recommended to be flat out avoided are SEED Destiny, and AGE, but of course, there's gonna be disagreement even there, so.
So I am rewatching Revolutionary Girl Utena, and setting aside the literal Antichrist, Shiori may be the most horrible person in the show. Which is surprising, but really, when you think about it, what she did to Juri (and continues to do to Juri) is monstrous.
So I am rewatching Revolutionary Girl Utena, and setting aside the literal Antichrist, Shiori may be the most horrible person in the show. Which is surprising, but really, when you think about it, what she did to Juri (and continues to do to Juri) is monstrous.
OK, it's a tie between her and Touga, who is loathsome, but taking into account what we see of him in the final arc and what Ikuhara intended to reveal of his backstory (but due to scheduling issues never could in the show itself), even he winds up being more sympathetic in some respects.
Unpopular opinion: The Pirate Rap is not inconsistent with the tone of One Piece.
It's definitely not tonally inconsistent with the programme. It's also great. i mean, seriously, "yo-ho-ho he took a bite of gum gum", that's classic.
There *are* aspects that suggest the writer was not familiar with the programme. Chopper's inclusion is a spoiler for an arc that doesn't even begin until 80 episodes in, Nami identified by gender while male characters are identified by occupation, and the intro states "i left all of it in one piece" while the name of the treasure is never explained in the Japanese version. i know that sounds nitpicky but it kind of adds to the comedy for me.
I think it mentions Captain Flint having said something to that effect? I can't recall.
There are, of course, the pieces of eight, which refer to coins that could be divided into eighths for easier use but would have been fairly valuable in one.
i haven't seen the 4kids dub, but the impression i get is it was well-intentioned, just kind of sloppy
for instance, i don't blame them for wanting to cut the Sennenryu filler, an extremely boring storyline which introduced several continuity errors and in which Nami murdered a random filler villain, but in doing so they cut the stuff about the Calm Belt and Reverse Mountain, which are actually somewhat important to the story proper, and then, yeah, Laboon
when you say the plot . . . are you referring to the myth arc, or just the treasure-hunt premise? The latter is mostly to give the crew a reason to advance, the actual story is much more interesting imo
Araki and Oda are kind of opposites despite both being writers of silly over-the-top action shows. Oda plans things out far in advance, and keeps track of continuity carefully, whereas Araki maybe has future plans, but they are never as important as the new idea for where the plot goes that he came up with in the shower this morning.
I mean, what I said is less true about parts 7 and 8, when it switched to seinen and a monthly release schedule. It's been far more aware of where it's been and where it's going.
Although you still get cases where a character is drawn as a literal baby in his first appearance, and then is a child of eight the next time he shows up.
i feel like the forward planning in one piece shows, and i like the results
Oda has a knack for, kinda, it feels like he starts things in motion and lets them unfold. So seemingly mundane, innocent events or even minor details can have surprising consequences which don't feel contrived.
i feel like the forward planning in one piece shows, and i like the results
Oda has a knack for, kinda, it feels like he starts things in motion and lets them unfold. So seemingly mundane, innocent events or even minor details can have surprising consequences which don't feel contrived.
Comments
Honestly, if you stepped back and looked at the synopsis, this show sounds a bit like a harem comedy. Really it's more of a coming-of-age story, but that does not quite encompass either how clever or utterly demented this show gets in the details.
well, actually not, that's kind of mean to cows
New Tenchi Muyo. Wasn't expecting that.
I can deal with the occasional reverse harem setup given that a lot of shoujo series use it as a springboard to do something more interesting (if far from always), but the harem and magical girlfriend subgenres are pretty much no man's land for me, with the rare exception where the results bear little resemblance to the parent (ie. Bakemonogatari).
also helps that ararrtgi mainly gets horribly maimed by all the "suitors". because fuck him. die, harem er.
Interesting analysis of Yurikuma Arashi and specifically a certain antagonistic group. Spoilers all over the place. Good series of reviews, these.
...can i watch this show without any prior gundam knowledge?
quick question, which gundam series do you recommend? which should be avoided?
(*@ anyone else w/ gundam knowledge if you have opinions on this feel free to chime in*)
- (UC: Universal Century) Watch 0079 (the original series) first, followed by Zeta, then ZZ (there's some disagreement on this one, since Zeta is honestly one of the darkest Gundam series, and ZZ... isn't, which can cause a bit of whiplash.), then Char's Counterattack. These take place over the course of 14 years of the same timeline, and generally share characters as a result. There's 3 compilation movies of 0079 too if you don't feel up to nearly 50 episodes. There are a few side OVAs that take place during the same time period but focus on other characters, too, with 08th MS Team being one of the more popular ones.
- (AU) Best entry point here is generally considered to be Gundam 00. After that, it's a lot looser than the UC stuff, but Gundam Wing is popular as a second series.
Outside of just getting into it: G-Gundam is basically "Gundam WITH SUPER ROBOTS." It's ridiculous as all hell, but it's good fun. SEED is decent, but some people find it kind of melodramatic, and the sequel series, SEED Destiny, is pretty much universally considered the worst Gundam show.Turn A is a very good series, but it relies pretty strongly on prior Gundam knowledge to get the most out of it, despite being set in an AU timeline.
Really, the only series that are generally recommended to be flat out avoided are SEED Destiny, and AGE, but of course, there's gonna be disagreement even there, so.
I actually wouldn't disagree, given what I have seen of that show.
OK, it's a tie between her and Touga, who is loathsome, but taking into account what we see of him in the final arc and what Ikuhara intended to reveal of his backstory (but due to scheduling issues never could in the show itself), even he winds up being more sympathetic in some respects.
There *are* aspects that suggest the writer was not familiar with the programme. Chopper's inclusion is a spoiler for an arc that doesn't even begin until 80 episodes in, Nami identified by gender while male characters are identified by occupation, and the intro states "i left all of it in one piece" while the name of the treasure is never explained in the Japanese version. i know that sounds nitpicky but it kind of adds to the comedy for me.
if so you're probably right
Presumably if it had gone on, they would have just kept doing that.
There are, of course, the pieces of eight, which refer to coins that could be divided into eighths for easier use but would have been fairly valuable in one.
i have been unfair to you, 4kids, i'm sorry
for instance, i don't blame them for wanting to cut the Sennenryu filler, an extremely boring storyline which introduced several continuity errors and in which Nami murdered a random filler villain, but in doing so they cut the stuff about the Calm Belt and Reverse Mountain, which are actually somewhat important to the story proper, and then, yeah, Laboon
when you say the plot . . . are you referring to the myth arc, or just the treasure-hunt premise? The latter is mostly to give the crew a reason to advance, the actual story is much more interesting imo
i feel like the forward planning in one piece shows, and i like the results
Oda has a knack for, kinda, it feels like he starts things in motion and lets them unfold. So seemingly mundane, innocent events or even minor details can have surprising consequences which don't feel contrived.
^ I curse thy ninjutsu! I curse it! May thy dark blue garb be stained fluorescent orange!