AnimeSuki Forums

leongsh · 2006-12-14, 17:17

Wasn't too sure about this OVA but from the looks of it, I tempted to get the DVDs though the single episode count per DVD (par for OVAs) is now the stumbling block. Will wait for more episodes to be out on DVD before relooking into buying them. For now though, it looks interesting.

Lost · 2006-12-15, 07:45

Wow. This is a beauty. Spectacular can only describe the show. Overall; everything was presented really well; and if one could call it eye-candy; it'd probably be more accurate to call it gritty eye-candy.

The characters themselves being in CG took a little time getting use to, but it makes perfect sense, because thinking about it, and having seen the environment surrounding them, it'd be downright weird to see them in real 2D. As Sonhex said, it was a little stiff, but just only barely noticeable IMO. The expressions were different, but still believable and quite no-less colourful.

Story-wise, this episode sets an interesting plot in motion; a return to Earth; though I felt that it could have done more to emphasise the so-called "desolation" of Earth. Still, I suppose this was primarily focused on the race, at least to give some of our characters development first. Which it did, quite satisfactorily. Of course, some might balk at the tried-and-tested character that is Takeru (In fact, Takeru really reminded me of Shu from NTHT), but frankly, I can't get enough of those typesets. Plus, I guess it’s balanced out in his colourful support cast; in the nervous and apprehensive Bismarck and the forthright and steady Kazuma.

But back to the plot about Earth, yes just from this I've got a feeling that this show has much much potential for greatness. Especially sticking in my mind was the last scene; which honestly, couldn’t have been a better idea. To see the Earth coming out of the Moon’s eclipse was so, so symbolically fitting, and graphically done to l33t accompanying music.

Graphics wise; like I said, gritty eye-candy. It is incredibly detailed, from tiny bolts (to the inscriptions on them!) to breath-taking panoramas of the dome. Lighting was okay; I really liked the shadows Takeru and Kazuma cast while out on the EDEN dome; furthermore, seeing the reflections of their face-shields was a nice touch.

On what was ostensibly the focus of this episode, the Race. It was pretty okay with the rest of the episode, nothing especially spectacular but incredibly entertaining. What really impressed me was the sound effects for this segment. I had my speakers on loud; blasting all the screeches and “engine-shrieks,” while my subwoofer was literally creating wind. (My mom, in the kitchen, wasn’t too happy XD) It was a delightfully planned cacophony, to say the least.

The OP is arguably the one of the most creative and original OPs I've seen in quite a while. It was fitting intro to the eye-candy that was to follow it. The way they muxed real-life video and CG imagery was seamless. And it was full of symbolisms too! The desolation of earth with the flourishing of the moon, most ranking, was the last scene, showing first a plain floating canister and then shifting to a scene showing a glass bottle on a shore. In the context of the episode, could it not be more obvious? Song was love. I fail to describe it, just listen to it. All in all, the OP was just so watch-able, more than that; it was an absolute joy to behold. Likewise for the ED. It wasn’t as spectacular; more low-key, but enjoyable too and very nice to follow along with.

'Nuff said, I'm definitely going to follow this one. It has much potential to be a great and memorable series.

Indeed, it is...

SinsI · 2006-12-15, 12:11

While stillshots of this anime might look ok or even good - ugly rag doll movement becames apparent as soon as something non-artifical(i.e. human face) tries to move. It's far better than TANK S.W.A.T. 01, but still wastly inferior to anything done in normal 2D art.

Lost · 2006-12-15, 12:21

Quote:

Originally Posted by SinsI

While stillshots of this anime might look ok or even good - ugly rag doll movement becames apparent as soon as something non-artifical(i.e. human face) tries to move.

Not at all, I have to disagree. Did you see the way Old Alan jumped about? Hardly "ugly rag doll movement" to me. It may be stiff at parts, but not as bad as you make it out to be. Even if you're right, I'm quite happy to put up with it; because such kind of clunky animation really is a distinctive feature of the show isn't it? It's one part that makes the show what it is, unique.

Sonhex · 2006-12-15, 12:39

The technique is clunky in places, it's not 100% perfected, but it does have its charm and like you say, makes it unique I think. The next episodes may see an improvement, but I can certainly live with it; the rest of the high production values more than makes up for it. Having said that there are some scenes that are indistinguishable from traditional 2d stuff which hints at the potential of this technique. That scene of Takeru eating noodles springs to mind.

One thing I was disapointed about (from the prologue)...

Spoiler:

Quajafrie · 2006-12-16, 09:08

Pretty good first episode. I'm not very fond of Otomo's character designs but these were really special, and I think they worked pretty well and had a unique effect. Not only that, I thought the character expressions were very 'human'. Well, some movement was really 'rag-doll', but some other parts were masterfully done, for example the last scene. The race was also pretty good. Why do I have a feeling that Otomo likes race scenes in his anime? (Okay, it's not HIS anime but he has a big role in it)

I liked the premise, and the episode was pretty interesting. Somehow the plot reminded me of Pale Cocoon, even though the similarities are very few. I'm really looking forward to see how the plot will develop; I hope it doesn't end being sterotypical.

Deathkillz · 2006-12-17, 18:15

HAHA! i love cup noodles

first pizza hut from code geass now this

man i knew i heard the OP song somewhere before >.< ahh right its was from the "ultra blue" album

beautiful song imo ^_^

well the animation is most definatly unique...its kinda like 3D CG but at the same time cartoonish O.o really strange...

well the race just reminded me of star wars

but this time the hero looses ~

the plot seems interesting enough...with earth being destroyed by humans (kinda like reality) and humans are forced to live on the moon...

orion · 2006-12-17, 20:35

That bracelet scene was sooo ominous, sort of like A Brave New World or 1999. I mean why is the teen population being monitored and the adults aren't? It doesn't even seem like it's all teens either.

Lost · 2006-12-19, 12:30

The fact that they're assigned careers and have to be "good citizens for the future" or something like that points in the direction you speak of.

orion · 2007-02-15, 01:15

Quote:

Originally Posted by Anime News Service

2-10-07 (4:44AM EST)---- FREEDOM2 Will Stream Free For 3 Days
Yahoo will freely host the 2nd episode of FREEDOM for 72 hours between 11:59AM Feb. 16th and Feb. 19th. The 3rd-6th story are expected be made available freely in the future as well, the release schedule will run through January, 2008.

Do you think that anybody outside of Japan can watch?

Lost · 2007-02-15, 04:18

Woah. Thats tomorrow! I suppose we can but try. (lol I need a Yahoo Japan ID to access the streaming page, I think).

leongsh · 2007-02-16, 08:31

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lost

Woah. Thats tomorrow! I suppose we can but try. (lol I need a Yahoo Japan ID to access the streaming page, I think).

I just checked. Yes, you do need a Yahoo Japan ID to access the page. Hence, it's mainly those in Japan who will get to watch the video stream. Oh well...

Lost · 2007-02-16, 12:21

Yep, not like we really lose out.

orion · 2007-02-17, 19:56

It still sucks. We got to see Reideen and GR-Giant Robo but can't see Freedom.

Grv · 2007-02-18, 07:10

It's not too long to wait. DVD is on the 23rd. Personally I have the ripped stream ;x

leongsh · 2007-02-19, 19:23

Just watched Episode 2. Confirms the conspiracy of control that has been hinted at in Episode 1. Other than that, some action thrown in towards the end after Takeru and Kazuma see the real Earth for themselves.

xris · 2007-03-05, 19:17

License announced in a news article about Geneon to distribute Bandai Visual DVDs in the U.S. Freedom OVA listed as one of the new titles this deal will apply.

MarketWire News Article.

**monir** · 2007-03-06, 23:14

Screenshot for Episode 2:

The mystery is very intriguing. The questions are now:

Spoiler for episode 2:

I'm intrigued!

leongsh · 2007-03-07, 08:51

Quote:

Originally Posted by monir

The mystery is very intriguing. The questions are now:

Spoiler for episode 2:

Spoiler:

Quote:

Spoiler for episode 2:

Spoiler:

Quote:

I'm intrigued!

Yes, it is definitely intriguing to find out more of the conspiracy of control that's in place.

**monir** · 2007-03-07, 15:27

Quote:

Originally Posted by leongsh

Spoiler:

Quote:

Spoiler:

The mystery is killing me. I skipped a beat as soon as the episode came to an end because it felt so abrupt.

Can hardly wait for the next episode.

2006-12-15, 12:39	Link #25
Sonhex Not dead. Yet. Graphic Designer Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: UK	The technique is clunky in places, it's not 100% perfected, but it does have its charm and like you say, makes it unique I think. The next episodes may see an improvement, but I can certainly live with it; the rest of the high production values more than makes up for it. Having said that there are some scenes that are indistinguishable from traditional 2d stuff which hints at the potential of this technique. That scene of Takeru eating noodles springs to mind. One thing I was disapointed about (from the prologue)... Spoiler: ...was that Takeru's jacket was not an heirloom or had some other significance. I guess I was hoping for some personal connection between him and the Apollo Jona mission.

2006-12-17, 18:15	Link #27
Deathkillz ~ You're dead ^__^* ~ Graphic Designer Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: uk, England Age: 34	HAHA! i love cup noodles first pizza hut from code geass now this man i knew i heard the OP song somewhere before >.< ahh right its was from the "ultra blue" album beautiful song imo ^_^ well the animation is most definatly unique...its kinda like 3D CG but at the same time cartoonish O.o really strange... well the race just reminded me of star wars but this time the hero looses ~ the plot seems interesting enough...with earth being destroyed by humans (kinda like reality) and humans are forced to live on the moon... __________________ Siggy: hohohohoho~ \| AnimeHistory welcome to our blog ~ \| Summer2009 early review Under the radar series Summer2009: Kanamemo, GA Geijutsuka Art, NEEDLESS

2006-12-17, 20:35	Link #28
orion Waiting for more taiyuki! Join Date: Jan 2004	That bracelet scene was sooo ominous, sort of like A Brave New World or 1999. I mean why is the teen population being monitored and the adults aren't? It doesn't even seem like it's all teens either. __________________

2007-02-17, 19:56	Link #34
orion Waiting for more taiyuki! Join Date: Jan 2004	It still sucks. We got to see Reideen and GR-Giant Robo but can't see Freedom. __________________

2007-02-18, 07:10	Link #35
Grv 宜しく Fansubber Join Date: Feb 2006 Age: 40	It's not too long to wait. DVD is on the 23rd. Personally I have the ripped stream ;x __________________ Yoroshiku Fansubs: Website \| Twitter \| IRC

2006-12-14, 17:17	Link #21
leongsh Daijoubu! Join Date: May 2004 Location: Malaysia	Wasn't too sure about this OVA but from the looks of it, I tempted to get the DVDs though the single episode count per DVD (par for OVAs) is now the stumbling block. Will wait for more episodes to be out on DVD before relooking into buying them. For now though, it looks interesting.

2006-12-15, 07:45	Link #22
Lost Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2006	Wow. This is a beauty. Spectacular can only describe the show. Overall; everything was presented really well; and if one could call it eye-candy; it'd probably be more accurate to call it gritty eye-candy. The characters themselves being in CG took a little time getting use to, but it makes perfect sense, because thinking about it, and having seen the environment surrounding them, it'd be downright weird to see them in real 2D. As Sonhex said, it was a little stiff, but just only barely noticeable IMO. The expressions were different, but still believable and quite no-less colourful. Story-wise, this episode sets an interesting plot in motion; a return to Earth; though I felt that it could have done more to emphasise the so-called "desolation" of Earth. Still, I suppose this was primarily focused on the race, at least to give some of our characters development first. Which it did, quite satisfactorily. Of course, some might balk at the tried-and-tested character that is Takeru (In fact, Takeru really reminded me of Shu from NTHT), but frankly, I can't get enough of those typesets. Plus, I guess it’s balanced out in his colourful support cast; in the nervous and apprehensive Bismarck and the forthright and steady Kazuma. But back to the plot about Earth, yes just from this I've got a feeling that this show has much much potential for greatness. Especially sticking in my mind was the last scene; which honestly, couldn’t have been a better idea. To see the Earth coming out of the Moon’s eclipse was so, so symbolically fitting, and graphically done to l33t accompanying music. Graphics wise; like I said, gritty eye-candy. It is incredibly detailed, from tiny bolts (to the inscriptions on them!) to breath-taking panoramas of the dome. Lighting was okay; I really liked the shadows Takeru and Kazuma cast while out on the EDEN dome; furthermore, seeing the reflections of their face-shields was a nice touch. On what was ostensibly the focus of this episode, the Race. It was pretty okay with the rest of the episode, nothing especially spectacular but incredibly entertaining. What really impressed me was the sound effects for this segment. I had my speakers on loud; blasting all the screeches and “engine-shrieks,” while my subwoofer was literally creating wind. (My mom, in the kitchen, wasn’t too happy XD) It was a delightfully planned cacophony, to say the least. The OP is arguably the one of the most creative and original OPs I've seen in quite a while. It was fitting intro to the eye-candy that was to follow it. The way they muxed real-life video and CG imagery was seamless. And it was full of symbolisms too! The desolation of earth with the flourishing of the moon, most ranking, was the last scene, showing first a plain floating canister and then shifting to a scene showing a glass bottle on a shore. In the context of the episode, could it not be more obvious? Song was love. I fail to describe it, just listen to it. All in all, the OP was just so watch-able, more than that; it was an absolute joy to behold. Likewise for the ED. It wasn’t as spectacular; more low-key, but enjoyable too and very nice to follow along with. 'Nuff said, I'm definitely going to follow this one. It has much potential to be a great and memorable series. Indeed, it is...

2006-12-15, 12:11	Link #23
SinsI Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2006	While stillshots of this anime might look ok or even good - ugly rag doll movement becames apparent as soon as something non-artifical(i.e. human face) tries to move. It's far better than TANK S.W.A.T. 01, but still wastly inferior to anything done in normal 2D art.

2006-12-16, 09:08	Link #26
Quajafrie Not here anymore! Join Date: Dec 2005 Age: 32	Pretty good first episode. I'm not very fond of Otomo's character designs but these were really special, and I think they worked pretty well and had a unique effect. Not only that, I thought the character expressions were very 'human'. Well, some movement was really 'rag-doll', but some other parts were masterfully done, for example the last scene. The race was also pretty good. Why do I have a feeling that Otomo likes race scenes in his anime? (Okay, it's not HIS anime but he has a big role in it) I liked the premise, and the episode was pretty interesting. Somehow the plot reminded me of Pale Cocoon, even though the similarities are very few. I'm really looking forward to see how the plot will develop; I hope it doesn't end being sterotypical.

2006-12-19, 12:30	Link #29
Lost Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2006	The fact that they're assigned careers and have to be "good citizens for the future" or something like that points in the direction you speak of.

2007-02-15, 04:18	Link #31
Lost Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2006	Woah. Thats tomorrow! I suppose we can but try. (lol I need a Yahoo Japan ID to access the streaming page, I think).

2007-02-16, 12:21	Link #33
Lost Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2006	Yep, not like we really lose out.

2007-02-19, 19:23	Link #36
leongsh Daijoubu! Join Date: May 2004 Location: Malaysia	Just watched Episode 2. Confirms the conspiracy of control that has been hinted at in Episode 1. Other than that, some action thrown in towards the end after Takeru and Kazuma see the real Earth for themselves.

2007-03-05, 19:17	Link #37
xris Just call me Ojisan Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: U.K. Hampshire	License announced in a news article about Geneon to distribute Bandai Visual DVDs in the U.S. Freedom OVA listed as one of the new titles this deal will apply. MarketWire News Article.