Is it one of these try-to-be-deep animes, like Darker Than Black 2 for example?

(07/02/2013 05:41 PM)Assassinator Wrote:  Is it one of these try-to-be-deep animes, like Darker Than Black 2 for example?

I can't really compare given the fact that I dropped DTB2 after a couple eps.

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Anyhoo, I just finished watching Nekomonogatari Kuro, the prequel to the two Monogatari-series anime that have aired so far.

It didn't fail in bringing the delicious combination of animation and dialogue found in the previous titles but comparatively it didn't sit well with me.

Having seen it all-in-one (as opposed to two or four part formats) it felt overly long and - perhaps even - a little exhausted by the final third even when the plot was concluding (which is what I should have been anticipating most, of course) - so ultimately I've come off feeling a little underwhelmed even compared to the generally-considered inferior Nisemonogatari.

Perhaps it's just the format? Twenty-odd minute bites of gorgeous animation and never-ending dialogue might just be the right way to digest this kind of thing but in retrospect I'm only disagreeing with myself - I enjoyed watching its predecessor series' arcs at a time so perhaps this reveals simply a failing of having as engaging (at least to me anyway) a plot compared to anything else I've seen from the series of works so far.

Perhaps it needs a rewatch but I think I'll find myself rather hesistant compared to the first or second season of monster stories.

7/10

P.S. Not enough Shinobu. She's awesome.

P.P.S Tsubasa Cat has a lot to do with it - well particularly because it was better.

(This post was last modified: 23/03/2013 05:21 PM by S7*.)

Outside of EP Anime Club I'm watching Barakamon, which I'm about halfway through.. and I just started Macross, just the first ep so far but boy it has quite the setup.

Barakamon has been enjoyable but it's crazily overrated on MAL. Apparently nobody has seen a decent slice-of-life/comedy before. Or maybe that's just saying something about the state of 2014/2015 anime.

I say that, but I'm glad Anime Club kicked off with Spring 2015 - Plastic Memories and Sound Euphonium have shown a lot more promise than I expected for new anime series. It's good - I've not cared so much for anime over recent years but the wonderful Tale of the Princess Kaguya - which I went to see in cinemas twice last month - rekindled my interest again.

It reminded me of the potential animation has - sure a lot more often than not there is no escaping the tropes any seasoned anime watcher would know but even the simplest stories that can cheer you up have value. Anime does have that in its favour - there's always a couple of good slice-of-life/comedy titles running - a great help usually for this introvert - and any experimental/off-the-wall works can be a real treat but I've not seen signs of them lately (sadly).

I do wonder when the next "classic anime" will come along though. What was the last one? Steins;Gate? Is the recent Fate/Stay Night adaptation considered one? I've failed badly in not getting around to seeing Steins;Gate, definitely, but even still that aired back in 2011! I still consider Clannad: After Story the most notably impactive title I saw last and that was some time ago now. Aria the Origination, that I actually watched last year is another very good shout actually... beautiful, wonderful show... I should re-watch it sometime soon...

(This post was last modified: 09/04/2015 04:20 PM by S7*.)

aaaaah I did vote for it for Anime Club, it did look decent, I'm being careful not to overload though - that's killed my enthusiasm before - perhaps I'll check it and then pick it up after finishing Barakamon...

Thanks for the rec Eku.

Watched Mahou Shoujo Madoka★Magica Movie 1+2 over the weekend.

Production-wise the films are just stunning. There won't be anything like it again, let alone with the story it tells.

It's hard for me to summarize my thoughts on it here because I could go on and on, so perhaps I'll write a short review for them at some point.

But yeah, I really enjoyed them. It had been enough time since seeing the original series for a lot of it to have a fresh impact again even though parts came back to me as I watched it - and the ending is as stunning as I had hoped. Goosebumps.

Who'd have thought our world would allow for a twisted apocalyptic magical girl story, certainly not intended for children, to be made into three actual films? It seems bizarre to me to some degree because I feel this would only appeal to quite a niche audience, but apparently they were successful. Incredible really.

Looking forward to seeing how the heck Movie 1+2 is followed now. Hopefully it's not underwhelming.

(This post was last modified: 19/04/2015 02:16 PM by S7*.)

So over 2-3 months I rewatched Elfen Lied and Welcome to the NHK! Only this time with English dubs, which was a tolerable, if not preferable, experience - there's always one or two particularly annoying voices.

Elfen Lied. Its human characters are fine, the animation is good and I've always been a fan of its violence - there's lots of it sure but it doesn't have the detail to make you feel its really over the top. It's what wee should expect from a girl with that kind of power. I always loved its ending, specifically how things are concluded between Lucy and Kouta. Fourth time seeing it now and I don't doubt I'll end up seeing it again.

Welcome to the NHK. Not so much reliant on tropes but playing to them instead ... the amplification of peoples misery for humour ... the repeated abandonment of hope and an inconclusive ending. Perhaps its right that it ended that way? The show was just teasing hope for Satou all along anyway.

(This post was last modified: 08/11/2015 06:30 AM by S7*.)

Went to see 1973 film Belladonna of Sadness at a cinema yesterday - it was being shown as the film is being released on home media soon thanks to Cinelicious Pics doing a 4k restoration of it.

Basic plot: a newlywed couple have their lives shattered after the bride is raped in a ritual deflowering - soon after the devil appears to her and she finds an opportunity to not only try to help her husband but to exact revenge. The story is based on Satanism and Witchcraft by Jules Michelet - which I haven't read - but the name of the book should give you an idea of where the story goes!

The film looked absolutely stunning. The animation is amazing - especially compared to animated features of today - most of it consists of scenes that look painted flush with beautiful colours and characters are more illustrative than cookie-cutter which was refreshing. It also had a brilliant soundtrack that felt of its time in the best possible way.

I've not yet mentioned how incredibly explicit the film is. It features a lot of nudity and sex - not a lot is left to the imagination. That being said because of the way it's animated the film does feel like an artwork than gratuitous erotica even if it is totally bizarre at times.

Enough of me trying to describe it - here's a trailer for the restoration that will give you a real sense of it (red band, definitely NSFW! :P):
Source: YouTube


But yes - I really enjoyed it and highly suggest anyone with a love for animation and/or psychedelic film experiences check it out!

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I'll be posting more in due course (!?) as I'm currently watching Ghost In The Shell: Stand Alone Complex 1st Gig - about halfway through - which has been very good - and will be seeing the new Makoto Shinkai film "Your Name" and Wild Bunch / Studio Ghibli collaboration "The Red Turtle" next month - I'll be sure to share my thoughts on all three :D

Anyone out there watching anything animated? :P

(This post was last modified: 20/09/2016 02:02 PM by S7*.)