(L) Red Garden

[AisuruMirai]

Thanks to gg for getting the first episode out so quickly. But I was watching it & had to stop in the middle. Can someone tell me which parts of gg's transcription & translation of Kate's song are correct & not?

約束の明けの日は教えてくれる幸せを
On the promised day of new beginnings please tell me what happiness is.
静かに教えて君を捜そう
Silently, tell me that, as I search for you.
しかない斯くてを君を戻ろう
There's nothing I can do, that is why I hope to get you back.
笑顔と小さい一つの心
My smile and tiny heart are one.
かないて恥じても新た問いたい
When the time comes, even though it's shameful, I want to ask that again.

What I hear is more like this, though it's probably wrong in places, too; that 3rd sentence doesn't exactly make sense to me:
約束の明けの日は教えてくれる、幸せを。静かに教えて。君を探そうしかない過去でも君を思おう。笑顔と小さ い一つの心叶えて。恥じても、あなたといたい。 (On the day our promise ends, tell me what happiness is. Tell me quietly. I think of you even in a past where all I can do is search for you. Grant me your smile and that tiny heart of yours. Even though I feel ashamed, I want to be with you.)

Thank you in advance for your guidance.

Also, if I'm not mistaken, the subs have Claire mentioning to her boyfriend a man named Cless, when she's actually talking about Grace, the group of girls in black at the school (Paula, Jessica, Kate, et al). & Liz rode the Ferris wheel, not the carousel, w/ the man she had just met at the amusement park.

では、
アイスル未来

[Schneizel]

Also, if I'm not mistaken, the subs have Claire mentioning to her boyfriend a man named Cless, when she's actually talking about Grace, the group of girls in black at the school (Paula, Jessica, Kate, et al)

Translator heard "ku-" sound at the front. Tbh, I hear Chris. *shrugs*

[Matrim]

Interesting series. I can't say I like the the character designs too much but they kind of fit the atmosphere. Not much to say except that I hope this will be more than a mystery/thriller than horror.

P.S. On a completely unrelated note Jessica, one of the members of Grace (fearsome private school police), really reminds me of Lucy from Planetes. Thogh Lucy is much better looking.

[Guido]

The supernatural horror facet of Red Garden gives me this compulsion to associate it with the giallo genre of horror films to which Mario Bava and Dario Argento excel.

[v1cious]

was this show made in flash or something? cause that's what it looks like. other than that, the first ep was pretty good.

also is just me? or does the outro suck really bad. it does not fit this show at all.

[yononaka]

Brutal Night is a very fitting title for episode 2. I think I would have preferred a few less back-and-forth cuts, but otherwise the experience and the after-effects were well done. And we get a little hint of what they girls could really do. Maybe because it was less of a surprise this time, I liked the song number more this time (and the whole desperate wait atmosphere probably helped). Still, a horror musical, huh

[Futaba-chan]

Originally Posted by sukreih

One thing that extremely bothered me in that anime was the fact that there were almost no black or coloured folks in New York City

Well, we haven't seen much of New York yet beyond the private school on Roosevelt Island and the police investigation. I can buy an independent school being, er, demographically challenged, but I do hope that they do better at portraying New York's diverse population as the series wears on.

OTOH, an awful lot of anime has rather fanciful ideas about African-Americans....

[Futaba-chan]

Originally Posted by Kaoru Chujo

Twice as ambitious as anything yet except Death Note. Actual emotion. A complex story and strong characters. Lots of esthetic imagination. Detailed animation.

Yes, so far this is the big winner of the season for me, based on first episodes. We'll see how it develops....

[DrewGSR]

Man WTH did I just watch. I'm so not feeling the character designs, seriously I was like omg these are some FUGLY ass character geezus; Its liek really hurting my eyes looking at some of the characters.

Have no lcue wtf is going on, I'll do my usual and give the show a few eps before I decide to drop it or continue with it, but first episode my response = WTF...

[Siegel Clyne]

In the past three years or so of going over millions of posts on Japanese message boards and forus at 2ch, livedoor and the like, I have not come across even a single mention by Japanese fans of any regular English dub anime voice actor by name.

(I have come across a few posts by Japanese fans, though, who found it amusing that Osaka [deliberately] speaks with a Texas drawl in the English dub [by Texas-based ADV Films] of Azumanga Daioh.)

During the same time, however, I encountered on those very same Japanese message boards numerous mentions by Japanese fans of live-action non-Japanese actors, Asian and non-Asian, by name - from Jet Li to Tom Cruise to ... Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen?!

I have seen the non-identical twin sisters Mary-Kate Olsen and Ashley Olsen - and the character they played on the American television comedy series, Full House (1987-1995), Michelle Tanner - mentioned a number of times in anime threads on 2ch and livedoor.

Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, Michelle Tanner, and Full House apparently enjoy some popularity in Japan.

Last month when I saw the name of one of the main characters in RED GARDEN, Kate Ashley, I immediately thought that Mary-Kate and Ashey Olsen may have inspired her name. A little later, a Japanese fan posted on 2ch the very same thought.

Michelle Tanner apparently inspired the name of a main guest character in the latest Lupin III television special, which aired Friday, September 8, 2006 on NTV (Nippon Television Network) in Japan.

In the Lupin III: Seven Days Rhapsody TV Special (2006), "Lupin is planning a race track robbery in six day, but he becomes the bodyguard of one Michelle Tanner."

[Kaoru Chujo]

Gets even stronger, for me. But so strong that I'm not sure I can take it. Powerful voice-acting. A good trajectory of mood.

[orion]

I really don't get the comments about lack of ethnic groups. It's taking place in an exclusive area of Manhattan County. Here is the recent demographics of Roosevelt Island.

Originally Posted by The New York Times

Caucasian 51%
Black 26%
American-Indian 0%
Asian 11%
Other 9%
Hispanic 15%
Non-Hispanic 85%

Add into the equation that this is taking place in an area with a student body household income of prob. >$100,000 (an exclusive school). That means you're dealing with 23% of the population by the 2000 Census, assuming that the income distribution is stable. Is it a wonder that you're seeing alot of Caucasians?

If you want to compare this to NY City demographics from the 2000 Census, look here.


I liked the first episode. Can't wait to see where it goes too.

[Matrim]

Gets even stronger, for me. But so strong that I'm not sure I can take it. Powerful voice-acting. A good trajectory of mood.

So does it get to be more of a mystery or horror?

Good to hear it's getting stronger.

[mintyfresh]

Originally Posted by Kaoru Chujo

Powerful voice-acting. A good trajectory of mood.

I agrizzle.

When I first watched the first episode, I was a little taken aback from hearing seiyuu like Ryoko Shintani or Miyuki Sawashiro sound so ...normal (which I guess sounds weird, but I mostly know them for roles where they're deep in character -- especially Shintani).

However, in this show, we really get to see how great they are at what they do. The scene with their two characters in this ep have the scene where they try to devise an escape was especially good -- animation couldn't even try to match the emotion.

[wao]

Originally Posted by orion

I really don't get the comments about lack of ethnic groups. It's taking place in an exclusive area of Manhattan County. Here is the recent demographics of Roosevelt Island.



Add into the equation that this is taking place in an area with a student body household income of prob. >$100,000 (an exclusive school). That means you're dealing with 23% of the population by the 2000 Census, assuming that the income distribution is stable. Is it a wonder that you're seeing alot of Caucasians?

If you want to compare this to NY City demographics from the 2000 Census, look here.


I liked the first episode. Can't wait to see where it goes too.

But... but... where's the fat people? >_> (Running off sterotypes here, I've never been to America in my life, though my parents did...)

I'm going to watch episode 2 soon, and I can't wait. I can't get that OP out of my head.

[orion]

In a rich school with a population that's more than likely stuck on their image? You're kidding, right? They would more likely be anorexic imo.

You're talking about a population with access to personal trainers, gyms, and goes to exotic places on vacations. Don't forget the dermatologists and plastic surgeons. This is not "normal" America where obesity is a health problem. Of course, obese people in anime aren't portrayed very often positively and would not fit with the trendy image this title is trying to portray imo.

(The principal in ep. 1 was obese.)

[Lost]

Well their lips are obese..

[Sorrow-K]

I'm think I'm going to have to see more episodes before I can form any sort of opinion on this, but this very much looks like more seemingly-normal-high-schoolers-thrown-into-secret-battle-against-monsters crap.

The visuals were great. I didn't mind the character designs... I think they're the type that are jarring at first, but will probably become less noticeable with time. The animation was really good though, maybe the best I've seen from Gonzo since Gankutsuou. Let's hope they won't blow their budget. The music was pretty good as well, even if it did define the atmosphere a lot of times. Atmosphere is something I have to be critical of, though... there were times where it was good, but for the most part it felt forced and I found it hard to really let myself be immersed by it.

I also thought the singing was stupid. It really was jarring and destroyed what little atmosphere they'd established. As others said, that whole sequence was melodramatic. How can they ask anyone to feel anything for these characters when we barely know them? But worst of all was the plot-twist. Trite beyond words. Instantly reminded me of Shakugan no Shana, but arguably even that was done better.

I think it'll be interesting to see what becomes of this anime, since it's way to early to call anything, but I have fears that this is going to be a rather soulless action series of the type Gonzo "mastered" in their early days that people like me had hoped they'd grown out of. That would be fairly close to the worst thing this could turn into. But, to be totally honest, it isn't immediately obvious to me what else it could be.

[MrProphet]

Episode 2 was great.

Regarding the recurring singing bit, does anyone else get the feeling that the singing gimmick is purely metaphoric? I don't think that they are actually singing it (at least, not with Lula singing along!), but the singing scene is a hyperbole, a visual representation of what going on their mind.

In fact, I am pretty sure of that. They would not have had Lula singing as well, unless they were trying to convey the emotions of the scene (and not the actual happenings) with it. Think of it as an artistic vehicle, not a real fact of life.

The direction of the episode was interesting in this and other matter. One might have almost expected them to go the regular shounen/shoujo route and have their mystic powers "awaken" in order for them to kick some monster butt. Well, that almost didn't happen. I say "almost", because in the end, something did come up in Rachael, but everything preceeding to that brief moment was quite believable from the point of view of 4 schoolgirls meeting a monstrous guy alone at night.

So, I would call this episode a success. Great acting, the animation follows the plot fairly well and it was directed in an unorthodox manner.

Here are several screenshots for your pleasure:

[yononaka]

Originally Posted by MrProphet

Regarding the recurring singing bit, does anyone else get the feeling that the singing gimmick is purely metaphoric? I don't think that they are actually singing it (at least, not with Lula singing along!), but the singing scene is a hyperbole, a visual representation of what going on their mind.

In fact, I am pretty sure of that. They would not have had Lula singing as well, unless they were trying to convey the emotions of the scene (and not the actual happenings) with it. Think of it as an artistic vehicle, not a real fact of life.

Indeed, that it's not a fact of life seems obvious. One character might sing for the heck of it like it happened in the first episode, but a number of characters singing in sync at different locations (and without an enabling device such as a song playing on the radio) as in ep 2? Not likely. Well, unless the singing is supposed to be due to some sort of a bond they have now; but this doesn't seem to to be that kind of anime.