2011-05-27, 14:26 | Link #1102 |
Seishu's Ace
Author
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Kobe, Japan
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To clarify one point - when I cite Akematsu as a good "filter" for Shinbou, I refer to the OVAs much more than the TV series. In fact, I think the various SHAFT treatments of Negima are a good illustration of the Jekyll/Hyde nature of Shinbou as I see him. The series started beautifully - amazingly stylish and distinctive and still imbued with the spirit of the manga. It drifted away in a mess on plotquakes and sight gags - though I think that was a failure of writing as much as direction. The SHAFT OVAs, by contrast, are wonderfully on-point - very loyal to the manga and alive with energy and visual snap. Negima, BTW, is a much more natural fit for Shinbou than I think people give it credit for. It's sneakily subversive and on close inspection packs a very black-comic world view.
I tend to agree that there really isn't a harem here (no matter how I wish Maekawa-sensei would make it one!) though I think you could make a case that, at the very least, Makkie feels something for Erio beyond fraternal affection even if the feeling isn't mutual. Auntie Meme is just having fun torturing him and Maekawa seems truly indifferent to him romantically, so that leave Ryuushi as the only game in town.
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2011-05-27, 15:26 | Link #1104 |
Senior Member
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I think this anime is managing a pretty good balance between "seriousness" and "craziness".
I can understand why Guardian Enzo would like more of one (seriousness) and why Haak would like more of the other (craziness) but I'm inclined to agree with Kaoru Chujo that humour, moe, and serious business are all interlayered well here, creating a good final product where its various parts compliment each other rather than conflicting with each other. The humor and moe (i.e craziness) keeps things very exciting and fun, but its the seriousness that makes me care about the characters. It is pretty similar to Bake, for me, in that it's just surreal enough to capture the imagination, but just serious enough that it doesn't feel like your standard issue acid trip either. I will say that Bake was a touch more realistic and serious, but Denpa Onna is actually a bit more fun and exciting to me due to just how incredibly over-the-top the moe and style of the female cast members are. If Denpa Onna was a food, it would be a candy apple. Deliciously crunchy and sweet at a surface level (this being your moe and humor elements) but with some actual nutritional value with the apple within (this being the sincere character drama elements).
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2011-05-27, 15:44 | Link #1105 | |
Kana Hanazawa ♥
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: France
Age: 37
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I'd love to hear the opinion of novel readers on this adaptation. They're the only ones who can truly tell us whether Shaft is doing well right now.
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2011-05-27, 16:35 | Link #1106 | |
Beautiful fighter.
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: England, UK
Age: 37
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2011-05-27, 17:16 | Link #1107 | |
Seishu's Ace
Author
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Kobe, Japan
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Quote:
Thing is, I like this show a lot - in fact I find it much more agreeable than Bake. It seems to me that Shinbou, however, is using a much different approach here than SoreMachi. In terms of character and general emotional tone I thought he played it much straighter there than here. What he did do with that one was indulge in some visual trickery - maybe more so even than with Denpa Onna - but not so much wrapping all the relationships in a gauze of cuteness and absurdity. With this show I actually think he's been pretty straight visually - I haven't become exhausted with all the characteristic quick-cuts and discordant shots (though there have been a few). But I don't think he's been as willing as with NnA or SoreMachi to let the character relationships evolve naturally. I should add, for fairness sake, that I've read the SoreMachi manga but have no familiarity with the source material here. And one of the things that I liked about the adaptation of SoreMachi is that it was extremely faithful in my view. It's a true slice-of-life, unconcerned with structure or dramatic convention. It's a series of short and generally hilarious chapters that don't especially need to be read in order - each stands more or less independently once you know the premise and characters. Ishiguro's writing (and Shinbo's direction) really give the sense that things are happening in real-time - you just happened to look in and see what was happening at any given moment. Thus, the decision by SHAFT to adapt the chapters literally as mini-episodes (as Mitsudomoe and Shinryaku Ika Musume did) was crucial to it being a good adaptation. I also love the fact that they chose some of the funniest chapters to adapt, despite the fact that they weren't "necessary" to any larger plot.
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2011-05-27, 18:32 | Link #1108 |
simp for Lyria
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I like Ryuushi, but man, Maekawa is FAR more enjoyable to watch than Ryuushi or Erio. There's always something about those girls whose intentions and focus are generally undefined. I think I would have preferred Maeniwa to be a couple than what they're presenting with Ryuuniwa.
I was actually hoping that, based on the beginning, it would be a completely Maekawa-focused episode. Maekawa's observations and analysis of what's going on around her just seems less straightforward, and...I don't know, I just like it darnit! And I guess that old guy is Erio's father. Not much of any reason to introduce such a character other than that reason. |
2011-05-27, 20:01 | Link #1109 | |
Spoilaphobic
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: USA
Age: 37
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Good episode. The towel scene was a crime though. I don't care if it was described like that in the novel - it should not have been like that. Travesty!
Other than that, excellent episode. I really love the adolescent points at the end. Quote:
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2011-05-28, 00:14 | Link #1110 |
Banned
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For me last episode worked like this:
Don't get me wrong, it's still fan to watch teenagers saying/doing nonsense, but Meme is the most interesting and sexy 40 year old mom ever animated. |
2011-05-28, 01:34 | Link #1111 |
♪~ Daydreaming ~♪
Graphic Designer
Administrator Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Italy
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The scene when they kept passing tea to each other was amazingly similar to a scene played in Kanon 2006 episode 11 (the only difference was that they had obento instead of tea). Coincidence or reference?
I made gifs for comparison: Tea Scene in Denpa Onna episode 7 (GIF - 2 Mb, click to play) Obento Scene in Kanon (2006) episode 11 (GIF - 1,2 Mb, click to play)
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2011-05-28, 04:01 | Link #1113 |
Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Austria
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@ crazy vs. serious: I never felt an opposition, really, with this show. There's some sort of similarity with Arakawa, where Nino claims to be a Venusian. But with Arakawa, the "craziness" only meshed up with the personal problems in scenes that seemed to be desinged for it. For me, Arakawa fell apart because of that - it ended up with jokes that got old - the first season was okay, the second... well, I finished it.
In Denpa Onna, though, the craziness and the seriousness are two sides of the same coin, whether it's background radiation or an explosion. I feel, there's always some sort of connection in the background; it just feels coherent. Take the last episode: there's an image chain to follow: Coke bottles outside the store -- bottle rocket over the buildings -- manager drinking coke bottles - hose spewing water, fountain like -- man making rockets from bottles -- out-of-control hose making a puddle -- ... -- rockets lined up on the beach (along with empty slots) -- sea washing up a sea shell... Then, there are the conversations around these images: reaching spacke, risk vs. profit... [If you become more abstract, you can add layers of meaning: rocket fuel = hot --> tea = hot liquid --> bath = hot liquid; etc.] I'm just watching the show, really. I don't need to think too deeply about this, but - nevertheless - the governing metaphors create a sense of unity, a web of meaning that - sort of - stays with me. So, in the end, the sea washes up a sea shell, but everyone focusses on the rockets - reaching space. "You don't have to understand the language of flowers to admire them." -- Heh, talk about a meta-description of the show. That's exactly how I'm seeing it. So I can take the craziness, and the seriousness, without much caring which is which, and it often occurs in the same scenes, anyway. For me, this show is a sleeper. I'm enjoing it more and more as it goes on. |
2011-05-28, 05:27 | Link #1114 | |
✘˵╹◡╹˶✘
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Australia
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Denpa pairing PS: the show is real close to slice-of-life at the moment...
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2011-05-28, 06:17 | Link #1115 | |
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Belgium
Age: 40
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My main problem is why he does not ask what happened back then. He is living together with Erio and all that, but still he should try to know what happen so he can be able to truly side with her! if he has no idea what happened and in what circumstances then he is in a disadvantage in any possible future conflict! |
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2011-05-28, 10:37 | Link #1117 | |
Member
Join Date: May 2011
Location: somewhere interesting
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2011-05-28, 10:39 | Link #1118 | |
Seishu's Ace
Author
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Kobe, Japan
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Quote:
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Tags |
aliens, ecchi, light novel adaptation, romance, school life, seinen, shaft, shounen, slice of life |
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