I am still, perhaps unreasonably so, pumped for Magical Girl Battle Royale aka Mahou Shoujo Ikusei Keikaku. I don't care whether it's quality or QUALITY (up to a point), but am staying hopeful that it delivers what I want in some capacity, because do I ever.
Again, awesome and awesomely awful are both better than merely serviceably dull in their own ways.
On an entirely different note: I am thoroughly enjoying YuYu Hakusho thus far. It's kind of fun to see Togashi helping lay the groundwork for a lot of what he would violently upend with Hunter x Hunter.
And Kuwabara is such a sweetheart. A total blockhead, but I appreciate characters who really do mean well despite themselves.
I mean, it's still Togashi. The spiritual superpowers in the upcoming arc are apparently nuts, and Sensui, according to all sources, is an extremely complex antagonist who really comes to define the later series. It's just that there's less undercutting the dynamic overall. Hunter x Hunter, after a certain point, has gone so far beyond pulling the rug out from under you that when some normal shounen thing happens it is immediately suspect.
So i finished SAO today and i have further thoughts
The most striking thing to me about season 2 is how MUCH of a step up it is from season 1 (in my opinion). Like, it's still not brilliant, it's not something i'd generally recommend, but compared to what preceded it, it's a considerable improvement
So, OK, season 1 had two story arcs, Aincrad and Fairy Dance. Aincrad had some nice aspects but is mostly bad, and worse, boring; characters are flat, we have some generic gags, fight scenes, fanservice, Kirito is a dick, whatever. Fairy Dance (ALO) is the scummiest scum to ever scum. It's so horrible that i quit watching out of disgust midway through it, and although i resumed it i definitely needed that break, cuz it was a slog. The bad aspects are so atrocious, so offensively unpleasant, that the arc is just distressing to sit through.
Season 2 (broken into three story arcs, Phantom Bullet, Calibur and Mother's Rosario) doesn't jettison every aspect that conspired to make the first season so bad. Phantom Bullet (GGO) is still a pandering, fanservicey thing that suffers as a result of contrived storytelling and the worrisome tendency to threaten its female characters with sexual violence. Having said that, it's actually a lot better than the first two arcs, i think? Certainly from a storytelling standpoint, you can tell they're making more of an effort. There are two actual, coherent character arcs here, Kirito's and Asada's. Of the two, Asada's is definitely superior, as while Kirito remains mostly static, she undergoes definite growth, but both main characters are confronted with past demons that they can't simply hack-and-slash their way through, and forced to adjust their perspectives as a result. Actually, i feel it's interesting to note that you could easily remove Kirito and his arc altogether, and with a few minor plot adjustments you'd still have an equally decent and mostly coherent story revolving around Asada. That's clearly not a *good* thing, but it's striking cuz you really couldn't do that with Asuna in the Aincrad arc or Suguha in the Fairy Dance arc cuz neither has any real goals or motivations independent of Kirito. i'm not saying Asada is particularly deep or complex but she is at least her own character, with her own story to tell, and even if that were the only positive thing i could say about Phantom Bullet it's still a clear improvement over season 1.
So, these two character arcs, Kirito's and Asada's, are woven together around a murder mystery storyline. This is a bit clumsily done, as there's really only ever one character who seems a likely culprit, and the whole thing is spoiled by the intro sequence giving away the solution,but it's still an improvement on the meandering and anticlimactic Aincrad arc. i also liked the way in which they distinguished the GGO scenes aesthetically from the worlds of Aincrad and ALO, with a much more muted, darker colour palette and a sorta nu-metal-ish soundtrack.
So that's Phantom Bullet. The next arc, Calibur, is pretty dull but it's also pretty short, and Klein gets to accomplish some things which is nice i guess? It all feels a bit by-numbers, though. And then after that, we have Mother's Rosario, which is, different. Most of the negative stuff i could say about prior SAO arcs doesn't apply to Mother's Rosario at all. It's a sad, sweet story centred on Asuna, her mother Kyouko, and a new character, Yuuki. Kirito, most unusually, is mostly absent, and when he appears, mostly relegated to a tech-geek support role; his one big action scene this arc is a Lord of the Rings reference. The arc revisits the series' earlier themes of the permeable border between the virtual and real worlds, and also touches on themes of parent-child relationships, growing up and existential concerns. Asuna is a more likeable and sympathetic protagonist than Kirito, straightforward and sincere, compassionate and just generally decent. Yuuki is energetic and brave but has other sides to her personality which become apparent only as the arc progresses; she is one of the better realized characters of the series. Although it is not immediately apparent, a core theme of this arc is terminal illness. i didn't feel this was pure melodrama, i felt it was handled in a way that was surprisingly thoughtful and respectful, and overall i'd say this was the best arc of the series, and while not a must-watch, pretty ok.
I have listened to enough people talk about the second arc with enough venom that I feel like I watched it myself and I want that part of my life back.
I'm continuing to slowly go through Osomatsu-san. It is continually goofy, never fails to betrays my expectations, and is notably consistent as well as able to make me chuckle at things I otherwise wouldn't, two things I rather value. Good stuff, good stuff.
what looks good... the dictionary one, ibo obviously, occultic;nine which i just realized is probably nitroplus, maybe the nazi one. that's not bad. oh, and there's galko and snafu ovas, ok
Four men are assigned to the prison: Jūgo, a man who attempted to break out of prison and ended up extending his jail time; Uno, a man who likes to gamble with women; Rock, a man who likes to get into fights; and Nico, a man who likes anime.
Snort.
Also, Ao Oni, because. Also of course Nyanbo!, even though I'm mostly certain it was pointed out by Inane before, it bears repeating.
There's also about the man who finds the weird mute beast-child in his family noodle house. That could be cute. And the Choujuu-giga show, being the "Turn! Turn! Turn!" of manga-based anime adaptations.
Me on Orange: "This is peaceful, I like it" "Face" "Okay you're losing me" "Oh, this is fun again" "Face" "Losing me" "Waits to be grabbed back in" "Is super focused" "Okay I am enjoying this, it was worth it to all line up like that I suppose" "Face" "Face" "This is sweet, now also sad-sweet, plus face" "I guess I'll continue?"
Other scattered thoughts include:
This show is pretty, and four episodes in, consistently so. That's nice. Although I heard the animation quality drops at least a bit later on which I guess is to be expected.
The designs are nice.
It's not all there for me, but mind you I saw and still see the appeal.
Country music fits I am just Not A Fan of the music used, and the OP is grating. Maybe country isn't the most most correct word. It's guitary, stringy feeling, and I'm rather Eh on what I've heard personally.
So many face shots, it wears at least a little thin.
Still going to catch up, of course.
The group dynamics are probably my favorite part, and I'm decidedly mixed on Naho. Fine with the cuts to the future, and am fine enough with the little postcard parts.
I'm honesty kind of mixed on it. Some parts really grab me, it just can't consistently hold my attention and I think this might be because of Naho not grabbing me like she has apparently so many others.
I guess. None of what I've seen in Orange at least is particularly out there or "hard to explain," per se, though if pretty and obviously meaningful.
(Also I already knew about the face thing given what I'd heard of people talking about anime I'm interested in that he's worked on, but is still amusing.)
I can believe that, as I can for any of his stuff. In any case, with Orange, they're just not how I'd describe them, which to me personally recalls... something less grounded in straightforward if complicated expressions.
Hm. It's like, I can buy Naho and company, particularly Naho and Kakeru and Suwa, having to deal with a lot of difficult and seemingly self-contradictory or just plain hard to personally understand expressions. And I like them, or at least did the first few episodes. Going onto six, though I took a break and might return to it in a day or two, even as a stylistic thing comes off as a bit overmuch here. I think maybe that's part of my confusion, I'm not sure. Like the expected face action sometimes it feels all too... telegraphed? Here is where you feel with Naho, looking at her face; here is where you want Kakeru to be happy, looking at that wistful frown of his, or Naho; here is that charged, friendly yet stern look of evocative of her past and future determination to make her friends happy; and so on. I expect a certain degree of this repetition with these sorts of shows that deal with time, especially the past and regrets, maybe it's coming in tandem with... some other aesthetic element I'm lacking the energy to pinpoint, that makes me her to get excited for how it will handles its themes (though I guess I'm quietly content enough?).
I've noticed I find it hard to become connected with any of the characters, too. I'm continuing to table my thoughts on that. Hrm.
I would say that the light novels best captured the spirit of the mangaka's ideas, but the drama CDs really have the ideal cast. Also, I know this is utter sacrilege, but the 1993 OAV has a real charm to it once you get past the... issues with the plot and animation.
Heh, it's been over two decades and it still stuns me how much nuance there is in Evangelion.
One of Shinji's big flaws that gets dragged out in End is that he only interacts with people inasmuch as they can fulfill his emotional needs*, having been starved of affection for most of his life. While he does it with everyone (see also the "You betrayed my feelings" he gives to Kaworu) the movie's narrative focuses on how women are affected by this. And this works because the women in this show are real, living characters with internal lives completely divorced from him and issues that have very little to do with him.
So Shinji believes he lives in a world where women only exist to cater to his emotional needs and help him resolve his issues...does that remind you of any shows you've watched lately? Or any people you've met?
* This is, incidentally, a flaw he shares with his father Gendo: it's what drives the latter to try and retrieve his wife, abandon his son and manipulate the Akagis in the truly despicable way that he does. It's pretty clear where Shinji learned this behavior from and to be honest he's had the best teacher in the world.
It's also worthy to note the difference between "otaku" as it is perceived in the West and how it's perceived in Japan. "Otaku" in Japan means something like "weeaboo", without the weird Orientalist romanticism inherent in the latter: someone who is unhealthily invested in anime. It'd conjure up images of a fat basement dweller playing hentai VNs, not someone who interacts with other people while dressed up as their favorite character. In the West, it's been co-opted to a more neutral "anime fan", but the original Japanese connotation is very negative.
I kinda genuinely think "the protagonist is supposed to represent the bad things about the audience" is honestly one of the laziest forms of critical storytelling.
Having never seen Eva I can't actually comment on whether or not it's effective there or even on whether or not that's really what's going on, but, yeah.
Mind you if anyone has reason to be bitter about anime fans it's probably Hideki Anno, but, still.
I kinda genuinely think "the protagonist is supposed to represent the bad things about the audience" is honestly one of the laziest forms of critical storytelling.
Having never seen Eva I can't actually comment on whether or not it's effective there or even on whether or not that's really what's going on, but, yeah.
Mind you if anyone has reason to be bitter about anime fans it's probably Hideki Anno, but, still.
I'm pretty sure that Shinji Ikari does a lot more than simply represent the misbehaviour of people who like giant robot anime. If anything, his character arc is meant to ask why people who treat others like objects or crutches act like that in the first place, and ultimately what it looks like when the illusion is gone and you're clawing your way out of the wreckage. If anything, the thesis is far more empathetic to that struggle. It's just not compromising about it.
^^ They could be! They could also be more than that. I do not know the show.
^ Apparently it's the best instalment in the anime side of the franchise (i.e. Actually Pretty Good), but it requires extensive knowledge of either the video game series or the lousy earlier instalments to understand, and death game series give me hives, soooo...
Mari and Kanan from Love Live! Sunshine!!, just that one very gay show I've been fangirling about that is apparently heavier on the subtext than the subtext-heavy OG LL, and has one girl tearfully tell another girl that she loves her while hugging. It's also actually great and fun and I really really love it. Mari herself is already well established as being bestest buds with and constantly looking out for her Kanan, so.
Comments
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEE~!
On an entirely different note: I am thoroughly enjoying YuYu Hakusho thus far. It's kind of fun to see Togashi helping lay the groundwork for a lot of what he would violently upend with Hunter x Hunter.
And Kuwabara is such a sweetheart. A total blockhead, but I appreciate characters who really do mean well despite themselves.
The most striking thing to me about season 2 is how MUCH of a step up it is from season 1 (in my opinion). Like, it's still not brilliant, it's not something i'd generally recommend, but compared to what preceded it, it's a considerable improvement
So, OK, season 1 had two story arcs, Aincrad and Fairy Dance. Aincrad had some nice aspects but is mostly bad, and worse, boring; characters are flat, we have some generic gags, fight scenes, fanservice, Kirito is a dick, whatever. Fairy Dance (ALO) is the scummiest scum to ever scum. It's so horrible that i quit watching out of disgust midway through it, and although i resumed it i definitely needed that break, cuz it was a slog. The bad aspects are so atrocious, so offensively unpleasant, that the arc is just distressing to sit through.
Season 2 (broken into three story arcs, Phantom Bullet, Calibur and Mother's Rosario) doesn't jettison every aspect that conspired to make the first season so bad. Phantom Bullet (GGO) is still a pandering, fanservicey thing that suffers as a result of contrived storytelling and the worrisome tendency to threaten its female characters with sexual violence. Having said that, it's actually a lot better than the first two arcs, i think? Certainly from a storytelling standpoint, you can tell they're making more of an effort. There are two actual, coherent character arcs here, Kirito's and Asada's. Of the two, Asada's is definitely superior, as while Kirito remains mostly static, she undergoes definite growth, but both main characters are confronted with past demons that they can't simply hack-and-slash their way through, and forced to adjust their perspectives as a result. Actually, i feel it's interesting to note that you could easily remove Kirito and his arc altogether, and with a few minor plot adjustments you'd still have an equally decent and mostly coherent story revolving around Asada. That's clearly not a *good* thing, but it's striking cuz you really couldn't do that with Asuna in the Aincrad arc or Suguha in the Fairy Dance arc cuz neither has any real goals or motivations independent of Kirito. i'm not saying Asada is particularly deep or complex but she is at least her own character, with her own story to tell, and even if that were the only positive thing i could say about Phantom Bullet it's still a clear improvement over season 1.
So, these two character arcs, Kirito's and Asada's, are woven together around a murder mystery storyline. This is a bit clumsily done, as there's really only ever one character who seems a likely culprit, and the whole thing is spoiled by the intro sequence giving away the solution,but it's still an improvement on the meandering and anticlimactic Aincrad arc. i also liked the way in which they distinguished the GGO scenes aesthetically from the worlds of Aincrad and ALO, with a much more muted, darker colour palette and a sorta nu-metal-ish soundtrack.
So that's Phantom Bullet. The next arc, Calibur, is pretty dull but it's also pretty short, and Klein gets to accomplish some things which is nice i guess? It all feels a bit by-numbers, though. And then after that, we have Mother's Rosario, which is, different. Most of the negative stuff i could say about prior SAO arcs doesn't apply to Mother's Rosario at all. It's a sad, sweet story centred on Asuna, her mother Kyouko, and a new character, Yuuki. Kirito, most unusually, is mostly absent, and when he appears, mostly relegated to a tech-geek support role; his one big action scene this arc is a Lord of the Rings reference. The arc revisits the series' earlier themes of the permeable border between the virtual and real worlds, and also touches on themes of parent-child relationships, growing up and existential concerns. Asuna is a more likeable and sympathetic protagonist than Kirito, straightforward and sincere, compassionate and just generally decent. Yuuki is energetic and brave but has other sides to her personality which become apparent only as the arc progresses; she is one of the better realized characters of the series. Although it is not immediately apparent, a core theme of this arc is terminal illness. i didn't feel this was pure melodrama, i felt it was handled in a way that was surprisingly thoughtful and respectful, and overall i'd say this was the best arc of the series, and while not a must-watch, pretty ok.
at the end of the day, it's still not a good series, and the characterization remains pretty flat throughout
but what i was most struck by, by the end of it, was how frustratingly inconsistent it is, how variable the quality is
the second arc, in particular, is so dire, and so clearly unnecessary to the overall plot, it's almost maddening
I'm pretty sure that Shinji Ikari does a lot more than simply represent the misbehaviour of people who like giant robot anime. If anything, his character arc is meant to ask why people who treat others like objects or crutches act like that in the first place, and ultimately what it looks like when the illusion is gone and you're clawing your way out of the wreckage. If anything, the thesis is far more empathetic to that struggle. It's just not compromising about it.
^ Apparently it's the best instalment in the anime side of the franchise (i.e. Actually Pretty Good), but it requires extensive knowledge of either the video game series or the lousy earlier instalments to understand, and death game series give me hives, soooo...