AnimeSuki Forum - View Single Post - ... Back to watching anime after some years... can't find any tile to my liking

Maerskian · 2012-08-22, 17:09

And now... the promised update on what i've seen/i'm watching so far:

Finished
--------

Madoka Magica :
Maybe the most expected review i guess ...

Well... i must agree with most of what has been said so far... definitely worth watching, a most deceiving start ... but with a nice ending. Will summarize the high/low points right now... but in the end... ( didn't expect it, to be completely honest ) .... will keep this one.

On the good side:

- As already said... it's (undeniable ... way too many cliches here... excessively focused on the sole figure of magical girls even defying logic ) on the mahou shoujo genre.... but ( i think ) it's the first one to establish the "mahou shoujo deconstruction" sub-genre, so +1 for being a pioneer, and hopefully a future reference.

- Second half of the series definitely catch you.... or not. This could be a good or bad point, considering it takes 6,5 episodes to start running. First half of the series can discourage most people, episode 7 just give you a hint of what's about to come ...

- Colorful battles, even emulating cut-out & silhouette animation & even some CG-matrix-style , with tons of imagery on the background so you can't cope with everything on the first watch... unless you hit the pause button again & again; this adds an always important re-watch value.

- Animation flows smoothly enough.

- Nice & great plot twist. Deeply Mahou-Shoujish .... it lives up to its genre to the very end.... all the story & possible chances are heavily filtered through mahou-shoujo standards ... . Not nice for those that would rather something a little more.... logical. Personally, i liked it

... and must praise the very fact that they managed to fit the mahou-shoujo standards on a existentialist-leveled plot twist in the end... it even makes sense.... in a mahou-shoujo way LOL

On the dark side:

- Plain generic character designs, out from some ero-game/romance doujin ... mostly boring & forgettable

- 6.5 episodes to start running.... 2-3 more to reach the "need to watch everything in a row" point. It's a pity they wasted so much air time on such a short show.... but that's how it is.

- Mahou-shoujo logic to the very end... everything is seen through the eyes of a magical girl perspective... as i said, this will be bad for those that have a problem with that... i didn't

All in all, would say Madoka shares more points with Steins Gate than Evangelion.... in fact, it's mostly the same thing although in the most Mahou-Shoujish way possible.

Mitsudomoe 2nd Season:

Yes! ... i came through this one almost by accident.... in fact, i skipped the first season by accident and started with the the 2nd one without even realizing until i reached episode 5 .... shame on me .

Long story short: It's GREAT !!!! I hardly laugh watching anime, even if i like what i'm watching.... but must confess i couldn't help it a couple of times.
Seems like an upgraded version of Kyou No Go No ni, that was ok, but not on the same level. Character designs are kinda old fashioned, so couldn't possibly ask more.

Currently enjoying first season

Dropped
--------

BTX: nothing great to say about it.... way too rude on everything: battle moves, plot ....
The eternal Kurumada-flaw ( Typical Seiya-like character beaten to pulp again & again... although everybody praise him & point him as a special being after that and let him pass ... )
Way too many robots on screen for my taste, and boring battles with 80s rudimental animation & poor effects ...
Boring & discouraging in any possible way... with exception of some background orquestal sample melodies in the vein of Saint Seiya .

K-On Couldn't bear more than 2 full episodes. As pointed, this one is bland..... way too bland, way too naive in a deep japanese style. Did quick previews on the rest of the series and yes, as i read on some AniDB comments, this series is more focused on a group of girls sittin on table talking & going out from time to time rather than their musical career ... but the humor here is way too naive... or gentle. Not much SD effects here, nothing out of the mundane is said... a couple of typical cliches here & there... and that's it.

Maybe it's not the worst series i've ever seen ( there's a deep pit with tons of names for that ) ... first-timers introducing to anime could take a liking to this ( or anything else, let's be honest ) ... but IMHO it will hardly cause any impression on people that already watched a fair ( let's say 500+ at least ) number of series.

Shiki

Watched 7 full episodes, and did a quick-watch on the rest.

Nothing good to say on this one either: many generic-looking character designs of nowadays animes ( some of 'em were ok or even nice ) , too bland for its supposed to be genre, lack of charismatic characters IMHO ... and worst of all: very poor animation & effects, something crucial on any series depicting any type of violence.... since ropey animation just make you laugh/cry at any scene with some sort of violence. Current Naruto Shippuuden is a perfect example of it : right now they're animation one of the greatest ninja wars of all history.... but animation is so lame, poor, static ... that everything seems like a bad joke .... most backgrounds are ok, but that's not enough.

Shiki lack too much on this crucial point ... and even worse: the plot is unnecessarily slow ( needless to say at this point, i love slow animes ), characters actions and thinking process looks even kinda retarded... although i think this feeling is encouraged by the poor animation... and several other choices on the creative department ... so 1 plus 1 makes this series twice as hard to swallow.

Ongoing
-----------

Katanagatari

Now i finally understand why this one was pointed as something worth giving a try. Definitely, is hard to put in a few words the reason why...

Seen 6 episodes already ... and will follow through the end... although, right now doesn't seem a keeper, but it's entertaining enough.

It has his own ups & downs:

- On one hand, characters design is quite plain ... concerning the use of lines, but on the other hand doesn't follow the typical stereotypes and that's nice.

- As said, character designs are simple.... not too impressive... not standing.... but on the good side: animation is smooth, and the fact they used a more simple design surely helped .

- The fact that each episode's lenght is twice a regular one is great and leaves you with a different sensation... almost like it has a more relaxing atmosphere than usual.

- This show has ( should say had ) lot of potential.... but they waste too much air time with meaningless matters ( check episode 2 and all the air time they used talking about catchphrases ), introducing naive villains... honestly, most maniwa corps members looks like an excuse to introduce poor jokes, bland lines & ropey moves... or just move locations, show anything else... or just introduce some filler... this is quite clear each time the face a "real" foe, like any sword owner.

The female main character is hard to swallow ( for my taste ) and the male one isn't exactly one to nominate for the Charisma awards, although isn't an obnoxious one like his partner in crime; his sister is quite nice, but doesn't get too much air time.... and there's a big spoil at the end of episode 6 that makes clear that won't get to see her much more.... great !

- Sword's owners are precisely the most interesting part... too bad they intentionally skipped one battle, although it's forgivable since it helped Shichika's sisters to gain some air time.... even if it was sharing the scenario with those aforementioned filler-maniwa characters.

There's more positive random points/approachs through the series, like some side-characters, or even one of the maniwa corps, the flow of the series at some points.... but can't help to feel a certain sadness for everything this show could be and definitely won't ...

Mitsudomoe 1st season Enough said

Kemono no souja

10 Episodes so far ... and not sure what to do with this one at this point.
It's clearly on the league of "classical" tell-tale animes for all the family, not showing too much violence even on violent scenes, with a way too gentle/naive main young character, a couple of insultingly dumb ones here & there, a really bad-bad character on the long road to come.... etc... .

Don't get me wrong: this type of animes are nice from time to time, and already seen many classical anime series. Problem is, that usually this type of series lack innovation and can be way too repetitive for people that, like me, walked a long way already.

As many classical series, character designs are simple/plain and animation is just... enough to get going

Backgrounds are drawn in a way too different style, and at times the moving characters doesn't blend in ... that's a bad point considering nowadays potential, and definitely makes this series looks cheap.

Looks like the plot is segmented in several arcs. After 10 episodes, i have the impression that they aren't doing a good job keeping the intensity on each one, too much air time wasted on random events .... and then, lack of development on what could be more important... this looks like a deadly combination.

At this point, will need to ask you all if this series is worth watching until the very end. Don't have a problem swallowing 30 or so low-leveled episodes if the series finally develops into something greater ( Full Metal Alchemist comes to mind ) ... but if this is going to follow the path of most classical animes.... think it'll be enough to do a quick-watch on my computer...

Fuuma no Kojiro

2 Episodes so far. Far from great... way too many flaws... as rough as many old animes in any possible department.... but for the time being, will keep watching although it'll be just for nostalgia's sake.

2012-08-22, 17:09	Link #36
Maerskian Member Join Date: Jul 2012	And now... the promised update on what i've seen/i'm watching so far: Finished -------- Madoka Magica : Maybe the most expected review i guess ... Well... i must agree with most of what has been said so far... definitely worth watching, a most deceiving start ... but with a nice ending. Will summarize the high/low points right now... but in the end... ( didn't expect it, to be completely honest ) .... will keep this one. On the good side: - As already said... it's (undeniable ... way too many cliches here... excessively focused on the sole figure of magical girls even defying logic ) on the mahou shoujo genre.... but ( i think ) it's the first one to establish the "mahou shoujo deconstruction" sub-genre, so +1 for being a pioneer, and hopefully a future reference. - Second half of the series definitely catch you.... or not. This could be a good or bad point, considering it takes 6,5 episodes to start running. First half of the series can discourage most people, episode 7 just give you a hint of what's about to come ... - Colorful battles, even emulating cut-out & silhouette animation & even some CG-matrix-style , with tons of imagery on the background so you can't cope with everything on the first watch... unless you hit the pause button again & again; this adds an always important re-watch value. - Animation flows smoothly enough. - Nice & great plot twist. Deeply Mahou-Shoujish .... it lives up to its genre to the very end.... all the story & possible chances are heavily filtered through mahou-shoujo standards ... . Not nice for those that would rather something a little more.... logical. Personally, i liked it ... and must praise the very fact that they managed to fit the mahou-shoujo standards on a existentialist-leveled plot twist in the end... it even makes sense.... in a mahou-shoujo way LOL On the dark side: - Plain generic character designs, out from some ero-game/romance doujin ... mostly boring & forgettable - 6.5 episodes to start running.... 2-3 more to reach the "need to watch everything in a row" point. It's a pity they wasted so much air time on such a short show.... but that's how it is. - Mahou-shoujo logic to the very end... everything is seen through the eyes of a magical girl perspective... as i said, this will be bad for those that have a problem with that... i didn't All in all, would say Madoka shares more points with Steins Gate than Evangelion.... in fact, it's mostly the same thing although in the most Mahou-Shoujish way possible. Mitsudomoe 2nd Season: Yes! ... i came through this one almost by accident.... in fact, i skipped the first season by accident and started with the the 2nd one without even realizing until i reached episode 5 .... shame on me . Long story short: It's GREAT !!!! I hardly laugh watching anime, even if i like what i'm watching.... but must confess i couldn't help it a couple of times. Seems like an upgraded version of Kyou No Go No ni, that was ok, but not on the same level. Character designs are kinda old fashioned, so couldn't possibly ask more. Currently enjoying first season Dropped -------- BTX: nothing great to say about it.... way too rude on everything: battle moves, plot .... The eternal Kurumada-flaw ( Typical Seiya-like character beaten to pulp again & again... although everybody praise him & point him as a special being after that and let him pass ... ) Way too many robots on screen for my taste, and boring battles with 80s rudimental animation & poor effects ... Boring & discouraging in any possible way... with exception of some background orquestal sample melodies in the vein of Saint Seiya . K-On Couldn't bear more than 2 full episodes. As pointed, this one is bland..... way too bland, way too naive in a deep japanese style. Did quick previews on the rest of the series and yes, as i read on some AniDB comments, this series is more focused on a group of girls sittin on table talking & going out from time to time rather than their musical career ... but the humor here is way too naive... or gentle. Not much SD effects here, nothing out of the mundane is said... a couple of typical cliches here & there... and that's it. Maybe it's not the worst series i've ever seen ( there's a deep pit with tons of names for that ) ... first-timers introducing to anime could take a liking to this ( or anything else, let's be honest ) ... but IMHO it will hardly cause any impression on people that already watched a fair ( let's say 500+ at least ) number of series. Shiki Watched 7 full episodes, and did a quick-watch on the rest. Nothing good to say on this one either: many generic-looking character designs of nowadays animes ( some of 'em were ok or even nice ) , too bland for its supposed to be genre, lack of charismatic characters IMHO ... and worst of all: very poor animation & effects, something crucial on any series depicting any type of violence.... since ropey animation just make you laugh/cry at any scene with some sort of violence. Current Naruto Shippuuden is a perfect example of it : right now they're animation one of the greatest ninja wars of all history.... but animation is so lame, poor, static ... that everything seems like a bad joke .... most backgrounds are ok, but that's not enough. Shiki lack too much on this crucial point ... and even worse: the plot is unnecessarily slow ( needless to say at this point, i love slow animes ), characters actions and thinking process looks even kinda retarded... although i think this feeling is encouraged by the poor animation... and several other choices on the creative department ... so 1 plus 1 makes this series twice as hard to swallow. Ongoing ----------- Katanagatari Now i finally understand why this one was pointed as something worth giving a try. Definitely, is hard to put in a few words the reason why... Seen 6 episodes already ... and will follow through the end... although, right now doesn't seem a keeper, but it's entertaining enough. It has his own ups & downs: - On one hand, characters design is quite plain ... concerning the use of lines, but on the other hand doesn't follow the typical stereotypes and that's nice. - As said, character designs are simple.... not too impressive... not standing.... but on the good side: animation is smooth, and the fact they used a more simple design surely helped . - The fact that each episode's lenght is twice a regular one is great and leaves you with a different sensation... almost like it has a more relaxing atmosphere than usual. - This show has ( should say had ) lot of potential.... but they waste too much air time with meaningless matters ( check episode 2 and all the air time they used talking about catchphrases ), introducing naive villains... honestly, most maniwa corps members looks like an excuse to introduce poor jokes, bland lines & ropey moves... or just move locations, show anything else... or just introduce some filler... this is quite clear each time the face a "real" foe, like any sword owner. The female main character is hard to swallow ( for my taste ) and the male one isn't exactly one to nominate for the Charisma awards, although isn't an obnoxious one like his partner in crime; his sister is quite nice, but doesn't get too much air time.... and there's a big spoil at the end of episode 6 that makes clear that won't get to see her much more.... great ! - Sword's owners are precisely the most interesting part... too bad they intentionally skipped one battle, although it's forgivable since it helped Shichika's sisters to gain some air time.... even if it was sharing the scenario with those aforementioned filler-maniwa characters. There's more positive random points/approachs through the series, like some side-characters, or even one of the maniwa corps, the flow of the series at some points.... but can't help to feel a certain sadness for everything this show could be and definitely won't ... Mitsudomoe 1st season Enough said Kemono no souja 10 Episodes so far ... and not sure what to do with this one at this point. It's clearly on the league of "classical" tell-tale animes for all the family, not showing too much violence even on violent scenes, with a way too gentle/naive main young character, a couple of insultingly dumb ones here & there, a really bad-bad character on the long road to come.... etc... . Don't get me wrong: this type of animes are nice from time to time, and already seen many classical anime series. Problem is, that usually this type of series lack innovation and can be way too repetitive for people that, like me, walked a long way already. As many classical series, character designs are simple/plain and animation is just... enough to get going Backgrounds are drawn in a way too different style, and at times the moving characters doesn't blend in ... that's a bad point considering nowadays potential, and definitely makes this series looks cheap. Looks like the plot is segmented in several arcs. After 10 episodes, i have the impression that they aren't doing a good job keeping the intensity on each one, too much air time wasted on random events .... and then, lack of development on what could be more important... this looks like a deadly combination. At this point, will need to ask you all if this series is worth watching until the very end. Don't have a problem swallowing 30 or so low-leveled episodes if the series finally develops into something greater ( Full Metal Alchemist comes to mind ) ... but if this is going to follow the path of most classical animes.... think it'll be enough to do a quick-watch on my computer... Fuuma no Kojiro 2 Episodes so far. Far from great... way too many flaws... as rough as many old animes in any possible department.... but for the time being, will keep watching although it'll be just for nostalgia's sake.