(L) Flag - war-documentary style series

[naka]

Spoiler for the people posted before me who complain about the HAVWC being wimpy, not enough power, not enough show:

In Episode 004, it's having a sniper rifle to be added on, aside from further explaination of its armor's composition

Anyway, I think Cruzz did a great job on the script (I only glanced at the .ass, not playing through the whole thing), great that at least some people are interested in translating this show, SHS, Cruzz, and other individuals who would like to contribute their precious time into doing this

I would agree with wao about the ripping off the streaming broadcast and providing it for free on the net, but then again, isn't it exactly the same as ripping off paid cable tv broadcast (monthly subscriptions as well as pay-per-view) in japan as well as all those "DVD" sources fansubs use? Now where do you draw the line, if at all? (now don't stab me as I would rather prefer tv captures than a dvd source for a fansubbed show if possible, unlike people who would prefer the exact opposite)

For the people who complains about subbing this show would be slow as snail, remember this, this show is full of narrations, full of specific names of individuals (fictional or not) aside from the show being shown in a 1ep/2wk schedule in a pay-per-view/subscription-based internet streaming service who uses DRM-ed videos (another technicality here...)

I'm glad the dvd's going to be on sale in september in its 24p non-streaming version tho

[Lost]

Originally Posted by 9mmx19

I do like the camera perspective thing they do, although it seems like its being used a bit too much.

Agreed, it feels kinda weird for people to be talking to each other thru their cameras!! And at that restaurant bit, when the narrator guy kept taking photos of her; it felt voyeurish On the other hand, it was good way to introduce technical realism. That aside;

Very very impressive first epiosde, and not just the Mecha (which was imo so-so, nothing special and it felt real considering the futuristic yet relevant feel of the setting; maybe I play too much Mechwarrior). I got the idea of a photographer lost in trying to find her role in the peace finding process, tho she knows what is peace on the outside is at most a farce; and thats why she wants to find out for herself. (Doesnt make sense does it? I'm not too sure my self). This scene in the ED was especially poignant:



what with the helmet and the camera.

I am going to continue this series. This deals with the real themes (What? "Roadmap" to peace?? I thought of Iraq, and Gaza. The scenes of limp children being carried brought Lebanon to my mind), and somehow I've got a feeling that it won't fail to deliver emotionally and morally. Looking forward to more. Thank you Shinsen for taking it up.

edit: Wah?? 1ep/fortnight?! Coool. No complaints, just thot that was interesting. So it'll take the same time as a 26ep 1ep/week show. Now I get the effort put into subbing. Thank you.

[wao]

Originally Posted by naka

I would agree with wao about the ripping off the streaming broadcast and providing it for free on the net, but then again, isn't it exactly the same as ripping off paid cable tv broadcast (monthly subscriptions as well as pay-per-view) in japan as well as all those "DVD" sources fansubs use? Now where do you draw the line, if at all? (now don't stab me as I would rather prefer tv captures than a dvd source for a fansubbed show if possible, unlike people who would prefer the exact opposite)

Yeah, it's similar to OVAs, that's why Media Factory approached Animesuki and wanted the Akane Maniax stuff taken down. From what I heard it was because Japanese fans were gettin to watch it through this channel without paying for it (as technically you should only watch it if you pay for it). And it's the same with those PPV/premium channel things which is another point of contention with Japanese fans.

Although the thing about PPV/premium channel things is that you are still allowed to tape it for your own personal use or whatever. For streaming though, you can't even do that (hence the DRM). Of course eventually a DVD version is coming out (I admit I'd rather watch that, not cos of quality but because I surprisingly feel bad seeing the bandai channel logo on the current raws... despite being a terrible pirate!)

I think it's good that the mech doesn't try to be special or impressive, cos then it distracts less from the main focus of the show. Yay. I kind of thought the music that went with the introduction of HAVWC in the first episode was kinda cool though >_> And I love the shot with Shirasu looking up at the robot through the camera and the clouds are moving above. The music for that part was really beautiful.

I really love looking at the small details in this show. They're not all there but I appreciate things like when in ep 2, the camera is on a bed and Shirasu sits next to it, the camera moves because of the springiness of the bed. And when she walks into a dark area the camera adjusts for darkness.

[arias]

Originally Posted by Zappster

Sure it's different, innovative, unique for an anime and all that but I found myself yawning at a couple of points(could just be me feeling tired ). It really did seem to drag on for too long. It all looks very nice though and I thought the use of CG was good. I liked the ending song too. It's Lights by Eri Nobuchika in case anyone's interested. I recognized it from Lumines(possibly my favourite and definitely my most played PSP game) as it's the ending song in that game.

Thanks; it took me a long time to find it but I did ; )

She doesn't have that unique of a voice, but the song is excellent.

[Zappster]

Originally Posted by wao

I really love looking at the small details in this show. They're not all there but I appreciate things like when in ep 2, the camera is on a bed and Shirasu sits next to it, the camera moves because of the springiness of the bed. And when she walks into a dark area the camera adjusts for darkness.

Yeah, agreed. Although I'm going by the first episode. I particularly liked the effect when looking at her through the webcam, at least that's what I assume it was. Attention to detail is always a good thing IMO.

[orion]

I actually view it all as equal. We're not paying for TV source, cable source, streaming source or DVD source fansubs. If you want to feel guilty, feel guilty about all fansub sources. Just buy the Region 1 or Region 2 versions when they come out.

I loved the attention to detail also (screen menus, sniper rounds). Gunfire sounds were almost too realistic. I was almost ducking for cover when I heard the gunfire .

[Dark Steno]

Originally Posted by Lost

Agreed, it feels kinda weird for people to be talking to each other thru their cameras!! And at that restaurant bit, when the narrator guy kept taking photos of her; it felt voyeurish On the other hand, it was good way to introduce technical realism. That aside;

Very very impressive first epiosde, and not just the Mecha (which was imo so-so, nothing special and it felt real considering the futuristic yet relevant feel of the setting; maybe I play too much Mechwarrior). I got the idea of a photographer lost in trying to find her role in the peace finding process, tho she knows what is peace on the outside is at most a farce; and thats why she wants to find out for herself. (Doesnt make sense does it? I'm not too sure my self). This scene in the ED was especially poignant:



what with the helmet and the camera.

I am going to continue this series. This deals with the real themes (What? "Roadmap" to peace?? I thought of Iraq, and Gaza. The scenes of limp children being carried brought Lebanon to my mind), and somehow I've got a feeling that it won't fail to deliver emotionally and morally. Looking forward to more. Thank you Shinsen for taking it up.

edit: Wah?? 1ep/fortnight?! Coool. No complaints, just thot that was interesting. So it'll take the same time as a 26ep 1ep/week show. Now I get the effort put into subbing. Thank you.

For sure. This series does give something new for a change.

[kinship]

Wow, i haven't really kept up with this forum, it seems your all on ep 3 or so, but the quality of this show is amazing, the animation is like that of Suzumiya Haruhi but far more sophisticated (tho the mecha was krap to me lol).

Omg and 'light' from lumines as the ED owns!

[Lost]

About detail, I like the way they took the trouble to animate the AnOS and the opening folders/menus. (^) What didnt you like about the mecha? I tot it was portrayed realistically.

[Lost]

Shinsen has subbed episode 2.

[issei]

the attention to detail in this series is amazing. the pacing, too, is pitch-perfect for the subject matter. i'm in love!

[Quajafrie]

I couldn't believe it could be that good. This series is amazing in every way possible, from the jaw-dropping animation and the attention to detail which is extra-ordinary, to the music with its melancholic tones and the fantastic direction. If it continues like that, it could be one of the best series ever made. Seriously.

[v1cious]

is the outro supposed to be Shirasu's house? if so, she's in good shape for someone who drinks/smokes that much.

i personally think the mecha was a good touch for this particular idea. for example:

Spoiler:

in episode 1 when they show the demonstration and it's showing flashes of all these people and their families, it gives you a feeling of dread deep down knowing that a weapon that can do damage like that is being used on people.

[arias]

Originally Posted by v1cious

is the outro supposed to be Shirasu's house? if so, she's in good shape for someone who drinks/smokes that much.

It's an anime ; ) But anyway, smoking keeps your weight down. So, I don't think it's too suprising.. plus, she's young. Takes years for the stuff to take a toll on you.

I think this series is a little overrated by some of the more excitable/zealous fans here. I'll come out and say that so far in episode 2, I really like the main overarching storyline which is more or less realistically grounded with strong political overtones. I also like the nifty idea of showing most of the episode through a camera lens, but sometimes it gets too much when normal, everyday actions are shown through the camera as well.

Like in episode 2, where the camera is held as the person is walking down the steps to the bar and keeps fidgeting with it as he talks to people. That definitely detracts from it being realistic -- journalists put their cameras down to chillax too. No one seriously moves around while looking through their cameras.. they run around freely, sight a good shot and pick up their cameras to shoot. The gimmick was stretched far too much in this instance. Before I get whiny complaints, I'll say that I like alot of the little details and touches they put with the camera movement. It's a good idea, but there has got to be a balance to tell the story more effectively.

Also, from episode 1, I already expected Shirasu to get together with the young chap.. he was the ONLY decent looking one amongst the rest. Seems like it's on its way to being true in ep 2. That was a highly predictable arc that I don't like so much. Regardless, looking forward to future eps to see how this series turns out.



The moozak is sometimes incredible with dense and moving orchestration. The ED is a gem.. took me hours to find it, but it was well worth it ; )

[Aniki Meiski]

Originally Posted by v1cious

is the outro supposed to be Shirasu's house? if so, she's in good shape for someone who drinks/smokes that much.

The ED shows Saeko's mentor Keiichi Akagi's office. He is the one who smokes and drinks a lot.

[physics223]

I really planned to watch this, but because of DotA I wasn't able to. Darn. I will watch this sometime in the future, however.

[Lost]

Watching episode 1 again, I wonder why she still chose to follow the unit even tho the HAVWC brought all those pictures of war suffering to her mind. Its not like she was forced to, she wrote after that, "I will make my own decisions." Maybe that referred specifically to the decision on whether or not to join the unit; and in that case then maybe thats how she was lost; trying to find justfications in her decision, or not knowing why she decided. What her sensei (Keichii) said later "If she let go of it, she would never find herself as a photographer" could be relevant to that.

Or maybe what she wrote meant that she wanted to see the unit for herself, then make her own decisions about HAVWC.

I see two seperate plotlines at this point.. one with Shirasu on assignment, the other with Keichii; about his journalist friends. But I'm not too sure about the timing. Is this a flashback thing? Or is it the present? I think its flashback, i.e. already happened, because we see the OS interface between the vids, and also Keichii seems to be doing a lot of recounting. So far it seems most of the storyline is being told and played back, not playing out in present time. Now the only thing I'd like to know is how those two (Shirasu's and Keichii's) relate to each other in terms of timeline.

Episode 2; the animation of the transport heli flying out, and the way the dust as the heli landed . The end of this episode was beautiful. Interesting focus on the two pilots; with wonderful moozak that was complemented later by the great ED. I like this series.

[wao]

Just watched eps 4 and 5. Well, 4 wasn't as good - probably because I got lost in the tech talk, but the later part of it was good. Regarding what someone else said about Ichiyanagi and Shirasu, I think that while it's "predictable", this show actually does it in a rather subtle manner. I enjoy it a lot more than the "non-predictable" but totally blatant types of interest people show in other shows... anyway, it makes sense - she's in a foreign country and in that kind of situation you're very likely to be curious about someone from your home country in the same or similar situation.

Ep 5 started to raise the heat a bit with the team actually starting a serious mission with Shirasu on board. But at the same time, Keiichi's side of the story is also getting busy because

Spoiler:

the UN forces? are bombing a particular part of the city, and it happens to be near the home of the previous Kufla girl, whom Keiichi is non-romantically very intrigued by.

However, it just had to end in a funny place...

Anyway, it's very clear by now that Keiichi's and Shirasu's stories are parallel here (largely, anyway). As for whether it's a recount or an ongoing narrative, well, you could say the OS bits actually could just mean that Shirasu was looking through the day's pictures and videos on her laptop at the end of the day. But at the same time it could be after the whole thing was over. I guess it's significant that the ED always ends with the OS shutting down and Keiichi's hand closing the laptop in his lab...

Spoiler for speculation:

Perhaps at the end of it all, Shirasu dies... and Keiichi only finds her legacy in her laptop. Because he doesn't use AnOS IIRC, only Shirasu does; which would imply that her laptop was in his lab and he was looking through it. Of course it doesn't immediately imply that she'll die, perhaps she just lent it to him, but the whole mood of it feels like that it's a big possibility. Especially with the last shot of her camera with the cute thingy, and the helmet at the back.

[Lost]

Originally Posted by wao

I guess it's significant that the ED always ends with the OS shutting down and Keiichi's hand closing the laptop in his lab...

Spoiler for speculation:

Perhaps at the end of it all, Shirasu dies... and Keiichi only finds her legacy in her laptop. Because he doesn't use AnOS IIRC, only Shirasu does; which would imply that her laptop was in his lab and he was looking through it. Of course it doesn't immediately imply that she'll die, perhaps she just lent it to him, but the whole mood of it feels like that it's a big possibility. Especially with the last shot of her camera with the cute thingy, and the helmet at the back.

Never thought of that. Oh crap.

[Aniki Meiski]

Spoiler:

Episode 4 marks the end of the first act. There will be more action and UN conspiracies from episode 5 onwards. Both Keiichi and Saeko's narratives are happening the same time.