(L) Gunslinger Girl -Il Teatrino- (2nd Season)

[aroduc]

Just finished it. Gimme like, 15 to collect my thoughts and post caps/whatnot.

OP for the curious.

[Wavedash]

I have not been in this thread before, but reading over it I see there are a lot of fans here who have put some serious thought into the series. I agree primarily with G.Zeus that GsG is a disturbing series meant to ask some uncomfortable questions, but I fail to see why graphic images can't highlight the moral issues they bring up.

A few of my thoughts on watching ep 1:

Spoiler for ep 1:

This was better than most of GsG's first season run, but hardly at the level of the phenomenal first ep. I'm not pleased with the presentation of the girls here as apparently balanced...in the first they seemed emotionally stunted on the outside from their conditioning. The actors seem to be "happier" as well (for lack of a better word) and don't have the same undercurrent of dark cynicism apparent in the original. Music is unfortunately what I thought it would be: reminiscent of Otani's Shakugan no Shana music. It doesn't fit the gritty feel I think the series should have.

I wonder how many of these changes are directorially mandated or budgetary/broadcast limited.

[aroduc]

Yeah, the shift away from the more 'gritty' style, violins, and pathos definitely gives the series a different feel. The girls also seem a lot more energetic and 'normal' this time around, particularly Rico. It was still overall well done, but the style changes are going to take some serious acclimation. It's hard to really talk about it since I already have a firm grasp of what GSG 'should' feel like and this was pretty different.

Caps:
http://blog.seiha.org/?p=608

[Dagger]

Honestly? I thought it sucked. Production quality is terrible compared to the first season. I really miss Henrietta's original seiyuu... and don't even get me started on the BGM.

[darkchibi07]

Let's put this way! If FUNimation does get a chance to license, we're more likely to have the original English VAs reclaim their original roles!

[Dark Wing]

Seriously this was a huge step down compared to season one. I'm glade I had low expectations going in because I know they would've been crushed.

I'll still give it a chance though hopefully the story telling has suffered as much as everything else...

[Deathbringer_37]

Hum....so far only saw the opening (thanks for the link by the way), the visuals are nice but J-music really doesn´t go well with Gunslinger Girl, ironic as it sounds. Still, i knew that it was probably not going to be as good since the Delgados song that was used mixed with the series´ story in such a perfect way that it was almost impossible to top.

Hope that the shift of ambiance isn´t as bad as you´re saying it is, i really want to like this series.

Just one thing aroduc:

The move away from the artistic style does make it feel a bit more generic overall

Why do you say this, it´s because that Yu Aida style doesn´t translate well into manga making it look more generic?

Edit: One more if you don´t mind.

It’s still blood-drenched, make no mistake about that, but the particularly juicy bullet wounds that sprayed everywhere on impact have been scaled down in favor of just showing blood afterwards.

Could you be alittle more specific?

Are you talking about those short, very fluid scenes where you clearly see a guy getting shot? Or am i way off track here?

I think that Yu Aida´s style as it´s own unique feel, she uses alot of "cuteness" but manages to keep it at a good level, it´s a pretty distinctive art style really even if its roots are obviously from the common "big eyed, small mouth" style in japan.

[MakubeX2]

There's no problem with the flow of the story since Aida is scripting it. He basically mix chapter 12 and chapter 21 of the manga for this debut episode to good effect, though I wish he kept the action sequence to a minimum and had the security team's lines from the manga when they witness Etta entering and later leaving Gioseph's room on the camera.

The problem lies with the animation (evident from the chase Scene), placement of BGM and the CV portrayal. (Too loud and outgoing as oppose to the meek and silent nature from Season 1.)

The comments on Nico and various ota's board had not been too kind either.

PS :- The OP and ED stands well enough on their own. I'll be buying their singles.

[aroduc]

Originally Posted by Deathbringer_37

Just one thing aroduc:

Why do you say this, it´s because that Yu Aida style doesn´t translate well into manga making it look more generic?

It just feels less gritty overall. Bright colors, the characters all seem more energetic and less bipolar, music is more action oriented and less wailing violins, etc etc. It's hard to really pin down since it's a number of things all contributing.

Edit: One more if you don´t mind.

Could you be alittle more specific?


Are you talking about those short, very fluid scenes where you clearly see a guy getting shot? Or am i way off track here?

Yeah, pretty much it. The violent snapping back of the head/limb being shot and its accompanying spray of blood and the noise of bullet exiting meat.

[dfens]

Oh man where do I start. This was a biggest let down ever I'll stick with the manga's.

The animation was shit, they must have been on a budget looks like they had half the money they did last time. It was a step above the first negima series. Not only that the details are gone. As a gun owner/collector I've met and known people who don't even like anime but know of, or seen the first season of GSG and are amazed on how good they got everything down.

Then the story it doesn't follow the manga to a letter word for word scene for scene like last time. You'll only see a small scene and say oh that was in the manga.

And the blood give me a break it wasn't realistic or believe able at all. Triela shoots a guy in the face with a 00 buck shot at only like 5-7 yards and their is almost no blood, hell his head isn't even blown off or chunks missing.

Next we have all the voice actors now here they weren't as bad as I thought they would be but I still believe the previous ones were better.

Character designs were ok, not amazing but they follow the authors newer design style but their eyes seem way bigger than before they look like freaking dolls now.

Music wasn't bad I like the opening don't know if japanese music can work with the show. But the whole still slide show of real world images almost gave me a ceasure.

All in all if I wasn't a die hardcore fan of the series I would have skipped it and any future episodes. I'll still buy it if it's licensed, but man if they needed more money I would have gladley started a donation fund to make the series better.

Four years for this definately not worth the wait, should have procured more funds and much better planning for this season. If you couldn't top the first season fine but if you can't even come close then why bother.

[nojay]

No spoilers (I think)...

Abysmally poor animation. Really astoundingly bad -- shaky-cam shots of still frames to represent motion, bad geometry on vehicles and motion and (worst of all) lack of accurate detail on the weapons, something the manga never permitted and the first season emphasised. As for the art characterisation, bleh. Two-dimensional people...

The audio was also poor, with a rampaging mob of three people muttering "Rhubarb!" in the riot scenes. The character voice-acting, well that's always a problem when you change voice actors between series but they just didn't fit. The OP and ED did not excite.

Locations -- have the girls been moved to the top floor in the dorms? First season they were all in ground-floor rooms.

3/10. Not a happy bunny, may not watch the rest.

[totoum]

The animation was shit, they must have been on a budget looks like they had half the money they did last time

Animation isn't worth the first season's but it's not close to being shit,i just got done marathoning zombie loan,watch that if you want to see bad animation

Then the story it doesn't follow the manga to a letter word for word scene for scene like last time.

episode 12 was an action filler,not to mention angelica never comes close to dying in the manga.
I'm willing to bet all the episodes from now on will stick close to the manga

I really must be the only who enjoys the colorful art,everytime i read the manga,i color it with bright colors in my head.

edit:though don't get me wrong,first episode of the the season 1 blows out episode 1 of il teatrino,not even close,i'm an optimist though,can't judge this without seeing pino first.

[kari-no-sugata]

This might be the biggest disappointment in anime this year for me.

[JarOfMayo]

I mostly just read the forums, but this was a high expectation for me this season;

ugh. I can figure a change of seiyuu's but man... It just feels so different. Joseph is like a hop away from looking/sounding like young harlem lead.

Guess we'll grow into it? Usually 1st episode is better animation then later on so man... tough ride ahead maybe.

[serenade_beta]

OP and ED had boring animation, decent songs.

*sigh*
I'll finish this sequel to the end, even though I never liked the series, disliking the plot of the series in general.

But the animation sure changed... I almost didn't recognize the characters... Though that could be time talking.

[MUAHAHAHAHAHA]

i really really like the VA for Jose in the previous season.......i dont really like how they change the seiyuus but is it that bad?

[yuriblossom]

Originally Posted by JarOfMayo

Joseph is like a hop away from looking/sounding like young harlem lead.

Lol. I have to agree on this point. This was exactly how I felt.

I personally like Kokia very much but the song just doesn't work well with the anime. The atmosphere changed dramatically as a result of the new seiyuu, the music (with no violin), the drawing style (huge pupils...) etc.

I miss the gloomy feeling.

[angel.shade]

wow, this really got me excited, then let me down in a hurry. the dark mood from season one just seems missing.

most poignant letdown? the weapon designs. they just look generic now; while they're still leaps and bounds ahead of most shows' firearms design, they're just very basic compared to the original Gunslinger Girl anime and other similarly-detailed weapon designs (such as those in Black Lagoon).

[Proto]

Hmm.. what can I say. I agree that the animation is shacky at best, the color palette is a little too bright and happy for my tastes but I can say that the sound director was spot on. The use of BGM's was quite nice in emphysizing that the happy moments the girls were living were more of a satire and a false illusion than anything. The VA's, while it will take me a while to get used to them, weren't all that bad, and I think they have potential. The OP was quite nice, and a nice change from the usual "pan over the characters live" usual type of OP's. I quite liked the idea behind it. The art was crap but the scenario designer knew what he was doing.

All in all, I hope that the rest of the production staff can learn a little from the sound team, the series will need it. I won't qualify it as a let off yet since I still see potential.

[khryoleoz]

The tone is noticeably different. It seems a little brighter and the dark, somber feeling is lost. Also lost is the lush, detailed art and character designs with which Madhouse did a phenominal job on the first season. The voice cast being different is also a bit jarring, the sole exception being Takehito Koyasu voicing Jean, which I think is better. But then again Takehito Koyasu is great in any role he plays. Toshihiko Sahashi's great score is also missed. There's also a disconnect in some of the characters' personalities between this and the first season.

Overall, this feels more like an action flick than it does a drama. It's more like Noir than Gunslinger Girl. It's too bad. This Triela-centric season was something I was anticipating a lot.