(L) Coppelion [anime]

[Allium]

From the first episode, I'm not sure what to make of Coppelion yet, but it seems promising. I hope that the show will delve more into the premise in the future episodes, i.e. the story behind the radioactive disaster, the girls' genetic engineering, and so forth.

Coppelion's strong on the visuals, especially the backgrounds. I found the simple designs of the main trio a bit too contrasting with the complex-looking setting at first, but eventually I got used to them.

Originally Posted by Marcus H.

I really don't get the reason behind this roundabout discussion about the main girls' decision to wear school uniforms.

I personally don't mind the school uniforms at all. Having the girls in special suits is indeed more realistic, but having the girls in normal seifuku - when they are clearly not normal - kind of makes them more relatable and appealing to their target audience. Like DemonOfWrath mentioned, it creates a sort of dissonance.

And again, it's anime, so I'm not expecting the most solid logic all around. I'm looking forward to see how will the show progress go from now on.

[Triple_R]

Originally Posted by Mich666

May I ask what's the best point of this anime for you just for the sake of my curiosity?

I like the premise of the show. And yes, a big part of that is the contrast/dissonance caused by these being high school girls and not a well-trained, well-equipped adult team.

That 'following protocol' was just her being scared...

Being scared is taking things seriously. So what if they're eating onigiri and having a picnic? It's not interfering with their mission in any way.

It's like people want this to be as dour and super-serious as Mass Effect. What's the point of that? There's no shortage of games and shows in the world of fiction that are deathly serious and grimdark like that.

Thankfully, Coppelion aims to be a little bit different.

[Infinite Zenith]

Originally Posted by BBOvenGuy

I haven't read The World Without Us, but I have done a lot of research about a city that really was abandoned by humans after a nuclear disaster - Pripyat, in the Ukraine, near the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. And I'd say the people making Coppelion have studied Pripyat, too. The Vice-Principal's anti-radiation outfit looks like a professional-grade version of the improvised gear that the Chernobyl "liquidators" wore when they had to clear radioactive debris off the roof of the building. The Vice-Principal refers to the epicenter of the disaster as "the coffin," which is a riff on the structure that was built around Chernobyl Reactor No. 4, which is called "the Sarcophagus."

Pripyat and the rest of the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone are teeming with wildlife of all kinds, even an endangered species of wild horse that was specifically brought there to have a habitat away from human beings. The animals have adapted to the radioactivity - but they don't have super-powers.

Now isn't that a lot more interesting than skirts-vs-track pants?

I've absolutely been fascinated by Pripyat and how the area represents what might happen in the absence of people. All of the subtle references to the Chernobyl Disaster in Coppelion are a very nice touch, and I'd say that the team at GoHands are doing their research sufficiently well. I would also concur that talking about historic parallels is easily more exciting than the other discussion

[Haak]

Aside from the double bolded character animations, I quite liked the first episode. I'm not really fussed about the girls being typical high schoolers and wearing high school uniforms because I do see the purpose behind it. It will probably bother me if it turns out that they can suffer from the effects of the radiation after prolonged exposure but I'm fairly confident the show can't possibly be that stupid. I think we can assume that they're totally immune to it.

[Sheba]

Coppelion is the first anime where I don't quite like the HanaKana character. She WHINES! For smaller reason than the Marine Willam Hudson from Aliens.

[Reckoner]

Originally Posted by Triple_R

Thankfully, Coppelion aims to be a little bit different.

Context is important. Within the anime sphere it's bringing in the same-old crap we see everywhere. The overwhelming thought that went through my head during this episode is that nothing is sacred.

[Miraluka]

Well, I can't take this seriously due to the introduction. Are they serious?

[Cosmic Eagle]

Nice to see that GoHands animation style again. It's just so pretty.

BTW, who voices Ibara? Love her Kansai-ben

I've read the manga (if there were any panty shots, I don't remember them), and I gotta say that this episode was every bit as good as the manga was, if not even better, as far as it went. The cinematography was far better than I would have imagined. The "Old Capitol" was very much like it was in the manga, and the girls were very much like I would have imagined. Unlike most 1st episodes of any manga that I've actually read, I've got nothing to complain about here. If I were to rate it, I'd give it an 11 out of 10.

I actually find the anime's art style better. Usually manga has the better art

And eating onigiri and having picnic amongst the wasteland is also pretty 'serious', you know.

You have a point on the other stuff but what's wrong with eating when you are immune to the contamination. It's not as if this is a warzone where they cannot afford to stop

[Marcus H.]

BTW, who voices Ibara? Love her Kansai-ben

It's Haruka Tomatsu. And I thought it's Ryoko "Onihime" Shiraishi.

[Sol Falling]

The high school girls wear high school uniforms because they're on a mission for their school. The two inexperienced girls complain about long walks and being tired because it's very typical for modern high school girls to find hiking boring. One high school girl pulls out a boxed lunch and acts like she's on a picnic because that's what a high school girl would do. People who cry "b-but muh realism!!1!" and manage to have a problem with this have not the slightest sense of aesthetics. Art and literature and narrative have not the slightest inherent obligation to 'reality'. Who the hell decided that "post-apocalyptic drama about nuclear fallout" meant "gritty, logical story about things which make sense and reality"? Fundamentally the point of a story is not to be "believable" , it is to communicate a lasting meaning or feeling to the audience.

The combination of high school girls and post-apocalyptic nuclear fallout is an aesthetic choice. The author (obviously) intends to use it to explore themes of innocence, loss, humanity, and isolation. I think from a technical standpoint the writing in the first episode is pretty damned weak, the pacing/direction rather dry, and the animation kinda weird and not very appealing, but I will probably stick around for the full season (provided it doesn't get too boring) because the aesthetic and potential themes moderately appeal to me. Getting bogged down in irrelevant details ("oh noooo, girls in high school uniforms! Obviously this can only be a symptom of the very worst form of 'otaku' pandering, those disgusting, mythical creatures who singlehandedly embody the ultimate evil of the anime market!") and managing to completely miss any of the higher level details like what an anime intends or what it wants to do is pretty much the most small-minded (and tiresome to read) way of watching anime ever.

[Triple_R]

Originally Posted by Sol Falling

The high school girls wear high school uniforms because they're on a mission for their school. The two inexperienced girls complain about long walks and being tired because it's very typical for modern high school girls to find hiking boring. One high school girl pulls out a boxed lunch and acts like she's on a picnic because that's what a high school girl would do. Who the hell decided that "post-apocalyptic drama about nuclear fallout" meant "gritty, logical story about things which make sense and reality"?

The combination of high school girls and post-apocalyptic nuclear fallout is an aesthetic choice. The author (obviously) intends to use it to explore themes of innocence, loss, humanity, and isolation.

Excellent points. Yes, it's an aesthetic choice. The aesthetics/visuals chosen almost certainly tie into specific ideas and themes that underlie the work.

[NoemiChan]

Originally Posted by Sol Falling

The high school girls wear high school uniforms because they're on a mission for their school.

You serious?! This no way close to any close "highschool activity" I ever knew.

The two inexperienced girls complain about long walks and being tired because it's very typical for modern high school girls to find hiking boring.

They're not normal for God's sake. They're test tube baby's... fresh from the lab.

One high school girl pulls out a boxed lunch and acts like she's on a picnic because that's what a high school girl would do.

Imagine a bringing a bento on a post apocalyptic mission. Please don't laugh.

People who cry "b-but muh realism!!1!" and manage to have a problem with this have not the slightest sense of aesthetics.

Name us please. Anyway... we have those so called aesthetics. We would have no problem if this is pure fantasy.... wait I forgot,... this is fantasy....

Art and literature and narrative have not the slightest inherent obligation to 'reality'. Who the hell decided that "post-apocalyptic drama about nuclear fallout" meant "gritty, logical story about things which make sense and reality"? Fundamentally the point of a story is not to be "believable" , it is to communicate a lasting meaning or feeling to the audience.

You can't communicate if the elements aren't convincing at all. How can we feel the situation of two of this girls are going moe most of the time...

Obviously this can only be a symptom of the very worst form of 'otaku' pandering, those disgusting, mythical creatures who singlehandedly embody the ultimate evil of the anime market!") and managing to completely miss any of the higher level details like what an anime intends or what it wants to do is pretty much the most small-minded (and tiresome to read) way of watching anime ever.

That's what I was saying. So please don't defend it. You agree that it's for otaku pandering right? If yes, then case close.

Originally Posted by Triple_R

MOVE ON ALREADY.

We should be on it together.

[Sound of Azure]

I just wish the skirts were a teensy bit longer if they absolutely must have high school uniforms on. That, and maybe avoid the skeevy low-angle shots.

As for the show, it's interesting enough that I want to see where it is going.

[Random Wanderer]

Originally Posted by NoemiChan

That's what I was saying. So please don't defend it. You agree that it's for otaku pandering right? If yes, then case close.

Umm... no. You quoted that out of context. The original line was making fun of people who said it was obviously just otaku pandering, because they are so hung up on seeing pandering everywhere that they can't step back and see that what they think is pandering is, in this case, being used for an entirely different and much deeper purpose.

[NoemiChan]

Originally Posted by Random Wanderer

Umm... no. You quoted that out of context. The original line was making fun of people who said it was obviously just otaku pandering, because they are so hung up on seeing pandering everywhere that they can't step back and see that what they think is pandering is, in this case, being used for an entirely different and much deeper purpose.

Ok... I might have read it wrong... but I don't get why three girls under a vice principal's supervision is handling this where it should the government or military doing this stuffs. Also.. to don't think schools are allowed to do "genetic manipulations" in the first place.....

[Sheba]

Originally Posted by Random Wanderer

Umm... no. You quoted that out of context. The original line was making fun of people who said it was obviously just otaku pandering, because they are so hung up on seeing pandering everywhere that they can't step back and see that what they think is pandering is, in this case, being used for an entirely different and much deeper purpose.

They could be dressed in school uniforms, or like the MC in S.T.A.L.K.E.R, Mad Max, Agent Smith or the pilots in Muv-Luv Alternative, I don't care. The scenery was much more glorious and that was the very thing that have drawn me in.

[Random Wanderer]

Ok... I might have read it wrong... but I don't get why three girls under a vice principal's supervision is handling this where it should the government or military doing this stuffs. Also.. to don't think schools are allowed to do "genetic manipulations" in the first place.....

Genetic manipulation happens before a creature is born. And after they're born they have to be raised and educated, correct? Thus, they go to a school. A special school overseen by whatever organization was responsible for creating them in the first place, but still a school. As for why it's three girls doing this, I'm not sure why you're confused. Because they can and everyone else can't. They are the only ones who are immune to radiation, so they are the only ones who go in. As for the vice principal, from the information we're given he seems to also be the person in charge of the Coppelion program, so he is the logical person to oversee it. The Special Engineering School he is vice principal for created both the barrier suits and the Coppelion, and possibly also the aether anti-radiation drug Ibara used on the survivor they found, so it seems their focus is in coming up with ways to counteract radiation.

[NoemiChan]

Originally Posted by Random Wanderer

Genetic manipulation happens before a creature is born. And after they're born they have to be raised and educated, correct?

I can assume that they're not the only ones created. Ok, so they're educated on some special school, that doesn't explain they have to wear usual school uniform... a plain looking school uniform being worn by "special" creatures deployed in a very dangerous, hazardous environment....

Speaking of education, why of all... why do we don't have males among those deployed for the mission? And why of all... two of them are so moe... They should be tough looking... I don't think they are capable of self defense...

[Tenzen12]

How being educated in japanese school DOESN'T explain they have to wear school uniform?

Be special never meant to be different in every single aspect.

[NoemiChan]

Originally Posted by Tenzen12

How being educated in japanese school DOESN'T explain they have to wear school uniform?

Please tell me they're normal..... other than being moe...

Anyway.... I'm out of here... White Album is on me now. SAYONARA!