AnimeSuki Forums

Vexx · 2009-03-15, 01:20

I think its the eyes... her eyes seem to have lost a lot of the detail that allowed her to pull off the notion of an ancient personality in a young woman's body. They're just a flat simplified red with no depth. I'm sure people remember the way she would look at Lawrence with those eyes in closeups.

Obviously, the first few minutes of the new season will tell us if we've been underbudgeted in the artwork department or not....

0utf0xZer0 · 2009-03-15, 01:55

I'm a little surprised how different the eyes in this design are given how similar a lot of the preview artwork looked to season 1's art.

Definately hoping that Brains Base is going to get the funding to do their best work on this project. The way they handled body language for Kurenai (in particular the way Murasaki moved) is one of the more impressive things I've seen in an anime, but they've also produced some pretty horrid looking stuff...

Ryuou · 2009-03-15, 02:03

Yeah Kurenai and Baccano! are what make me confident in what Brains Base can do. But I guess it does come down to whether or not they get the appropriate funding.

physics223 · 2009-03-15, 04:02

Brains Base is also doing Akikan. Money can do a lot of things.

Ryuou · 2009-03-15, 14:29

Quote:

Originally Posted by physics223

Brains Base is also doing Akikan. Money can do a lot of things.

Haha, indeed. Although I haven't seen Akikan I can imagine it's level of quality.

Vexx · 2009-03-15, 15:58

The art and animation of Akikan are almost ... well it ranges from napkin doodles to an occasional "glamour shot" but then again - they going with the material it derives from which is very vaudeville cartoon sex farce. We'll hope for Kurenai rather than Akikan work

Blank-Mage · 2009-03-15, 16:41

Akikan is on my list of things to do, but I haven't seen it yet. Vexx's description makes it sound... interesting.

Masanori Ota · 2009-03-15, 17:38

It's so bad it's decent.

Ryuou · 2009-03-15, 21:05

Quote:

Originally Posted by Masanori Ota

It's so bad it's decent.

Haha, that's how I figured it would be.

And yes, let us hope for Kurenai/Baccano! level.

FlareKnight · 2009-03-16, 22:05

Yeah here's hoping for the Kurenai level. Now Spice and Wolf animated like that wouldn't bother me at all

.

Though now I just want the second season to be going so I can watch. Besides now that I'm helping out on a blog it means I can talk about this series more than I already do.

Tri-ring · 2009-03-17, 18:12

How many volumes do you think season two will cover?
The first season covered vol.1~3, will second season cover up to vol.6?
If so are they going to consider creating a third season since vol. 8 and 9 are loose continuation of vol.6 as a single arc?

What do you think.

Ryuou · 2009-03-17, 19:55

Hm? Didn't the first season only cover vol 1 and 2? And from what I've heard, the first half of the 2nd season is going to be some weird thing, and then the second half will cover the 3rd volume. That's how I think it's going.

***relentlessflame*** · 2009-03-18, 00:33

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vexx

I think its the eyes... her eyes seem to have lost a lot of the detail that allowed her to pull off the notion of an ancient personality in a young woman's body. They're just a flat simplified red with no depth. I'm sure people remember the way she would look at Lawrence with those eyes in closeups.

I think it's the eyes in that pose, really. The pose is sort of a generic "look at me being cute" sort of pose, and that's a bit out-of-character for Horo. As a result, it gives her a younger look that, as you say, removes that sort of "wisdom" Horo had throughout the first season. The poses on the character page use the same art style, but they're more "traditional" Horo-like poses. So, we'll see.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ryuou

And that Blue ray box set, I'd think about getting that instead of the regular DVDs if I knew they were a lot better. (And of course if I found one at a cheaper price) I downloaded some episodes of the Blue Ray version to try and compare them. But if someone has already been through this, if they could tell me if it's much better and thus worth the extra money. Is there any extra scenes or material? Or is it only higher picture quality?

Well, as someone who purchased both the DVDs and the Blu-Ray discs, I can tell you firsthand that the Blu-Rays are, without a doubt, the best way of viewing the show. I don't think they have anything in particular in terms of special bonus content, but the background art for this show really shines in full HD, and the encoding is near-flawless. So, given that the 6 DVDs and the 4-disc Blu-Ray set cost around the same price in the end (assuming, of course, you're talking about the legit Japanese stuff), it's really a no-brainer to go with the Blu-Rays if you have a player. If I had known for sure that they were just around the corner, I would have waited.

EDIT: I moved future replies to this Blu-Ray topic to the Merchandise thread -- look on page 17.

0utf0xZer0 · 2009-03-23, 22:20

What's Animesuki's policy on linking magazine scans?

I ask because I just ran across a VERY high quality scan of a magazine preview for season 2 and thought it might provide further clues as to what's happening with character designs.

Vexx · 2009-03-24, 00:11

They don't mind the occasional scan as far as I can tell -- informational fair use.

If its one of those multi-megabyte high-res scans - you might JPEG it down to a reasonable size which should skim under the 1.1 rule.

0utf0xZer0 · 2009-03-24, 00:33

I'm hoping this strikes a good balance between 1.1 compliance and providing a solid basis for art analysis:

I'm not sure if this is a good indication of the eventual style for the series, but I do think Horo's eyes are better than in the picture everyone got up in arms about. Although the guy in the middle makes me worry we're going to see a repeat of what happened to the eye designs between the first and second season of Gunslin...

...you know what, I'm not going to say it. I don't want to jinx anything.

Cinocard · 2009-03-24, 01:06

Well, that's an old pic in this topic. Everyone saw it, and still made a fuss, including me. It's our love for Horo

Actually, the eye is not the only thing that is wrong. But it's the biggest problem indeed. And I do hope since that picture is something put at the very front of the website, the eyes are just something to draw new audience in.

0utf0xZer0 · 2009-03-24, 01:22

Yeah I just figured out that Kaguya already posted the scan I found... sorry about that. I'd assumed it was new because it was just uploaded to the site I found it on yesterday.

Kaguya · 2009-03-27, 16:37

The first trailer of Spice and Wolf II was released on the official site.
It is a trailer of Episode 0 "Wolf and Amber Melancholy" released on April 30.
Compared with a first season, I think that there is almost no difference.
I think that it is pretty good.

Trailer
mms://stream.mediaworks.co.jp/spicy-...lf2_vnovel.wmv

Official site
http://www.spicy-wolf.com/special/movie.html

I like this scene.

Ryuou · 2009-03-27, 19:08

What was the deal with this special again? Is it supposed to be the beginning of the new season, or another extra from the first season's timeline?

Never mind, I guess the episode 0 part explains it. I wonder how much importance it'll have to the story and flow of the new season. Cause if it's a lot then I don't like the idea of them separating them.

2009-03-15, 01:20	Link #161
Vexx Obey the Darkly Cute ... Author Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: On the whole, I'd rather be in Kyoto ... Age: 66	I think its the eyes... her eyes seem to have lost a lot of the detail that allowed her to pull off the notion of an ancient personality in a young woman's body. They're just a flat simplified red with no depth. I'm sure people remember the way she would look at Lawrence with those eyes in closeups. Obviously, the first few minutes of the new season will tell us if we've been underbudgeted in the artwork department or not.... __________________ "It Really IS Rocket Science", Novel series rough drafts; vol. 1 thru vol. 3 complete Volume 4 in work, Visit the thread for short stories!

2009-03-15, 04:02	Link #164
physics223 In the Tatami Galaxy ↓ Join Date: Feb 2006	Brains Base is also doing Akikan. Money can do a lot of things. __________________ anime\|otaku - hypotheses, analyses, and musings on The Tatami Galaxy \|\| The REAL first handheld console with color!

2009-03-15, 15:58	Link #166
Vexx Obey the Darkly Cute ... Author Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: On the whole, I'd rather be in Kyoto ... Age: 66	The art and animation of Akikan are almost ... well it ranges from napkin doodles to an occasional "glamour shot" but then again - they going with the material it derives from which is very vaudeville cartoon sex farce. We'll hope for Kurenai rather than Akikan work __________________ "It Really IS Rocket Science", Novel series rough drafts; vol. 1 thru vol. 3 complete Volume 4 in work, Visit the thread for short stories!

2009-03-15, 16:41	Link #167
Blank-Mage Maniacal laughter ensues. Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: My own delusions of grandeur. Age: 35	Akikan is on my list of things to do, but I haven't seen it yet. Vexx's description makes it sound... interesting. __________________

2009-03-15, 17:38	Link #168
Masanori Ota It's Horo, not Han Solo. Join Date: Jun 2006	It's so bad it's decent. __________________

2009-03-15, 01:55	Link #162
0utf0xZer0 Pretentious moe scholar Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Vancouver, Canada Age: 37	I'm a little surprised how different the eyes in this design are given how similar a lot of the preview artwork looked to season 1's art. Definately hoping that Brains Base is going to get the funding to do their best work on this project. The way they handled body language for Kurenai (in particular the way Murasaki moved) is one of the more impressive things I've seen in an anime, but they've also produced some pretty horrid looking stuff...

2009-03-15, 02:03	Link #163
Ryuou 進む道は武士道のみ Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Dying to get back to Japan (but currently near Chicago) Age: 36	Yeah Kurenai and Baccano! are what make me confident in what Brains Base can do. But I guess it does come down to whether or not they get the appropriate funding.

2009-03-16, 22:05	Link #170
FlareKnight User of the "Fast Draw" Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Canada	Yeah here's hoping for the Kurenai level. Now Spice and Wolf animated like that wouldn't bother me at all . Though now I just want the second season to be going so I can watch. Besides now that I'm helping out on a blog it means I can talk about this series more than I already do. __________________ Anime-Evo

2009-03-17, 18:12	Link #171
Tri-ring Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Land of the rising sun	How many volumes do you think season two will cover? The first season covered vol.1~3, will second season cover up to vol.6? If so are they going to consider creating a third season since vol. 8 and 9 are loose continuation of vol.6 as a single arc? What do you think.

2009-03-17, 19:55	Link #172
Ryuou 進む道は武士道のみ Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Dying to get back to Japan (but currently near Chicago) Age: 36	Hm? Didn't the first season only cover vol 1 and 2? And from what I've heard, the first half of the 2nd season is going to be some weird thing, and then the second half will cover the 3rd volume. That's how I think it's going.

2009-03-23, 22:20	Link #174
0utf0xZer0 Pretentious moe scholar Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Vancouver, Canada Age: 37	What's Animesuki's policy on linking magazine scans? I ask because I just ran across a VERY high quality scan of a magazine preview for season 2 and thought it might provide further clues as to what's happening with character designs.

2009-03-24, 00:11	Link #175
Vexx Obey the Darkly Cute ... Author Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: On the whole, I'd rather be in Kyoto ... Age: 66	They don't mind the occasional scan as far as I can tell -- informational fair use. If its one of those multi-megabyte high-res scans - you might JPEG it down to a reasonable size which should skim under the 1.1 rule. __________________ "It Really IS Rocket Science", Novel series rough drafts; vol. 1 thru vol. 3 complete Volume 4 in work, Visit the thread for short stories!

2009-03-24, 00:33	Link #176
0utf0xZer0 Pretentious moe scholar Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Vancouver, Canada Age: 37	I'm hoping this strikes a good balance between 1.1 compliance and providing a solid basis for art analysis: I'm not sure if this is a good indication of the eventual style for the series, but I do think Horo's eyes are better than in the picture everyone got up in arms about. Although the guy in the middle makes me worry we're going to see a repeat of what happened to the eye designs between the first and second season of Gunslin... ...you know what, I'm not going to say it. I don't want to jinx anything.

2009-03-24, 01:06	Link #177
Cinocard Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2008	Well, that's an old pic in this topic. Everyone saw it, and still made a fuss, including me. It's our love for Horo Actually, the eye is not the only thing that is wrong. But it's the biggest problem indeed. And I do hope since that picture is something put at the very front of the website, the eyes are just something to draw new audience in. Last edited by Cinocard; 2009-03-24 at 01:26.

2009-03-24, 01:22	Link #178
0utf0xZer0 Pretentious moe scholar Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Vancouver, Canada Age: 37	Yeah I just figured out that Kaguya already posted the scan I found... sorry about that. I'd assumed it was new because it was just uploaded to the site I found it on yesterday.

2009-03-27, 16:37	Link #179
Kaguya an idler Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Suzuka	The first trailer of Spice and Wolf II was released on the official site. It is a trailer of Episode 0 "Wolf and Amber Melancholy" released on April 30. Compared with a first season, I think that there is almost no difference. I think that it is pretty good. Trailer mms://stream.mediaworks.co.jp/spicy-...lf2_vnovel.wmv Official site http://www.spicy-wolf.com/special/movie.html I like this scene. Last edited by Kaguya; 2009-03-27 at 18:32.

2009-03-27, 19:08	Link #180
Ryuou 進む道は武士道のみ Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Dying to get back to Japan (but currently near Chicago) Age: 36	What was the deal with this special again? Is it supposed to be the beginning of the new season, or another extra from the first season's timeline? Never mind, I guess the episode 0 part explains it. I wonder how much importance it'll have to the story and flow of the new season. Cause if it's a lot then I don't like the idea of them separating them.