Mari Okada discussion

[totoum]

Originally Posted by Haak

Lol. Anyway just out if curiosity, how involved was Okada in the writing of the recent Lupin III anime? Because I've just caught up to it now and I think it's fantastic.

She's credited with series composition and has written 4 episodes herself (episodes 1,4,6,9)

Though another big name has contributed as well: Dai Sato wrote episodes 3,7,10.

But to me more than anything it's a Yamamoto anime.

[totoum]

And we've got another Okada sighting,she'll be teaming up again this fall with Canaan/HSI director Ando over at Bones on Zetsuen no Tempest ~The Civilization Blaster~

Okada decides to work on a shonen action manga just to piss off DemiSoda

So that's two adaptations coming this fall so far and there's likely going to be another cour of AKB0048 at some point.

[Pocari_Sweat]

Originally Posted by totoum

And we've got another Okada sighting,she'll be teaming up again this fall with Canaan/HSI director Ando over at Bones on Zetsuen no Tempest ~The Civilization Blaster~

Okada decides to work on a shonen action manga just to piss off DemiSoda

So that's two adaptations coming this fall so far and there's likely going to be another cour of AKB0048 at some point.

LN Romcom + Shonen Manga. Can you get anymore generic than that

[Kaioshin Sama]

Originally Posted by DemiSoda

LN Romcom + Shonen Manga. Can you get anymore generic than that

Actually it sounds almost like completely contradictory genres. Welp that's another Bones show I probably won't be watching. I continue to be dismayed by the direction they appear to be going, which seems to lead off of a cliff or at least further and further away from my favorite studios to look out for.

[Archon_Wing]

Shounen is a bit more broad than we'd think, actually; technically To Love Ru is a shounen romance, even though you'd probably give a Minko-face to Darkness being labeled as such.

Also, this is an adaptation, which means she can't just do what the fuck ever. I'm sure some of you fainted when you saw Yoshino writing for Accel World, but since it's an adaptation they're not gonna hold that much sway. Doesn't mean they can't cause damage though.

I'm actually more concerned about the director Ando. While his work for Sword of the Stranger was spectacular, and Canaan was alright, I'm not sure if I can approve of Hana Saku Iroha's directing. If the series is more action focused then we are good. Otherwise...

[Haak]

Originally Posted by DemiSoda

LN Romcom + Shonen Manga. Can you get anymore generic than that

Well it's not like she wrote those herself. Besides, like Archon says, they're straightforward adaptations. I'm guessing the most that's gonna happen is that she's gonna give an otherwise generic storyline, improved characterisation and dialogue.

[Kaioshin Sama]

Originally Posted by Haak

Well it's not like she wrote those herself. Besides, like Archon says, they're straightforward adaptations. I'm guessing the most that's gonna happen is that she's gonna give an otherwise generic storyline, improved characterisation and dialogue.

Wow you have mad faith in Mari Okada and absolutely none in the shonen action genre don't you? The prejudice against Shonen action in general is reaching critical mass these days I swear it.

Like Archon said, it's something that can take many paths, it's not just inherently generic and bad.

[Haak]

I heard it was generic. I don't know if it actually is or not. If it's not then that's even better. I actually like the shonen action genre...

And I still plan on watching it...

[Kaioshin Sama]

Originally Posted by Haak

I heard it was generic. I don't know if it actually is or not. If it's not then that's even better. I actually like the shonen action genre...

Ah I thought you were passing off the whole shebang, but really you're talking about this particular manga. I dunno, Okada is so hit or miss when it comes to original action stuff. It can either be comical yet introspective like Lupin III or comically retarded like Aquarion Evol or AKB 0048. Without the slowly descending into insanity Kawamori or the guiding hands of Dai Sato, Watanabe or whoever that director is that's pretty good though who knows what we'll get.

As for whether I'm watching this...probably depends on how Eureka Seven turns out. If it's yet another waste of time like Bones shows have been of late I might just start screening my Bones shows even more heavily.

[Haak]

Well the director is Masahiro Ando who has experience with Okada and produced two decent shows with her: Canaan and Hanasaku Iroha. Canaan is a pretty action shoenish show so I think that's a good guide to what the direction will be like.

[Kaioshin Sama]

It's funny how important staff announcements have become this day though. It's like at this point you figure there's always a 50/50 chance it'll be either her or literally anyone else with any given project and you have a good chunk of people on the board just like, "please don't be Okada, just please don't be Okada" and then a sigh of relief or grown of agony when the staff news finally comes. New way to make pre-production interesting I suppose.

[Dr. Casey]

tbh I don't find that sort of discourse interesting so much as repetitive and aggravating, I almost wish there was a way that producers and studios could be kept secret until the anime airs, that way the "Ugh this is being directed by Kyoto Animation, those bastards are so overrated" "Mari Okada again? That ho couldn't direct a good anime to save her life, just go look at Hanasucku (lmao) Iroha if you don't believe me" "FUCK YOU DEEN, DAMNABLE RUINER OF ANIME, THERE GOES ANOTHER GREAT FRANCHISE DOWN THE DRAIN" moaning could be prevented.

[Kaioshin Sama]

Originally Posted by Dr. Casey

tbh I don't find that sort of discourse interesting so much as repetitive and aggravating, I almost wish there was a way that producers and studios could be kept secret until the anime airs, that way the "Ugh this is being directed by Kyoto Animation, those bastards are so overrated" "Mari Okada again? That ho couldn't direct a good anime to save her life, just go look at Hanasucku (lmao) Iroha if you don't believe me" "FUCK YOU DEEN, DAMNABLE RUINER OF ANIME, THERE GOES ANOTHER GREAT FRANCHISE DOWN THE DRAIN" moaning could be prevented.

I'd call it a measured response to having something thrust in your face as consitently high calibre and desirable when the individual person might not think so at all. Backlash can't exist without the hype to birth it.

[Archon_Wing]

Originally Posted by Dr. Casey

tbh I don't find that sort of discourse interesting so much as repetitive and aggravating, I almost wish there was a way that producers and studios could be kept secret until the anime airs, that way the "Ugh this is being directed by Kyoto Animation, those bastards are so overrated" "Mari Okada again? That ho couldn't direct a good anime to save her life, just go look at Hanasucku (lmao) Iroha if you don't believe me" "FUCK YOU DEEN, DAMNABLE RUINER OF ANIME, THERE GOES ANOTHER GREAT FRANCHISE DOWN THE DRAIN" moaning could be prevented.

Which is why I sort of questioned the purpose of this thread. Do we need a thread about every staff member that's noted? The social club for her was just for entertainment, but if we're going for serious discussion, all you can really do is focus on her original work. But that's the thing, if we extend the discussion to anything she's involved in, then it gets kind of silly.

Then again I started the Deen thread so...

Originally Posted by Kaioshin Sama

It's funny how important staff announcements have become this day though. It's like at this point you figure there's always a 50/50 chance it'll be either her or literally anyone else with any given project and you have a good chunk of people on the board just like, "please don't be Okada, just please don't be Okada" and then a sigh of relief or grown of agony when the staff news finally comes. New way to make pre-production interesting I suppose.

Remember those Haruhi Season 2 trailers that showed cryptic trailers that consists of long stretches of nothing to hype it up. Then again, season 2 was also a long stretch of nothing, so I guess they were... honest? They need some talking point regardless of how pointless it may seem.

Though you may be on to something with franchises that haven't been established yet? We don't expect people to know anything about the show, but if they're familiar with staff then we can write something... anything. I swear this is how every Shaft show gets off.

And in any case, I occasionally like Shounen and I occasionally like this writer. In any case, I'm not prone to judging an anime before we even know what's it about. I mean sure, Aquarion Evol honestly made me vomit with its preview and concept, but since I've never seen it, I won't say too much about its quality.

[Kaioshin Sama]

Originally Posted by Archon_Wing

Remember those Haruhi Season 2 trailers that showed cryptic trailers that consists of long stretches of nothing to hype it up. Then again, season 2 was also a long stretch of othing, so I guess they were... honest? They need some talking point regardless of how pointless it may seem.

Though you may be on to something with franchises that haven't been established yet? We don't expect people to know anything about the show, but if they're familiar with staff then we can write something... anything. I swear this is how every Shaft show gets off.

And in any case, I occasionally like Shounen and I occasionally like this writer. In any case, I'm not prone to judging an anime before we even know what's it about. I mean sure, Aquarion Evol honestly made me vomit with its preview and concept, but since I've never seen it, I won't say too much about its quality.

Yeah I definitely think this has become a thing. As I sometimes say in my paraphrasing of a Scarface quote, first you get the popular property, then you get the big name, then you get the hype and then you get the money. I think Guilty Crown and Aquarion Evol might be the perfect examples of this. It's like they figured they'd got all the big names they could possibly want for otaku and then just totally forgot that they still need to actually plan out, pace and manage the show properly.

[Dr. Casey]

Originally Posted by Kaioshin Sama

I'd call it a measured response to having something thrust in your face as consitently high calibre and desirable when the individual person might not think so at all. Backlash can't exist without the hype to birth it.

To clarify (If I wasn't clear before), I'm talking about when there's virtually nothing to judge a series by except meta information such as the studio and producer. Judging a trailer, a story synopsis, a promotional image, so on and so forth, is fine; I just think it's silly and annoying to spew out tons of vitriol against a series when nothing about it is known except the studio and/or producer. Why do you consider it measured and levelheaded to have the revelation of a studio or producer stir up a shitstorm that lasts dozens or hundreds of posts when there's absolutely nothing else to judge it on? >_>

[Haak]

I know a lot of people judge but I think a lot of it is just harmless speculation mistaken as judgement.

Originally Posted by Kaioshin Sama

Yeah I definitely think this has become a thing. As I sometimes say in my paraphrasing of a Scarface quote, first you get the popular property, then you get the big name, then you get the hype and then you get the money. I think Guilty Crown and Aquarion Evol might be the perfect examples of this. It's like they figured they'd got all the big names they could possibly want for otaku and then just totally forgot that they still need to actually plan out, pace and manage the show properly.

I don't think GC and AE were bad because of those reasons. In the contrary, I think both shows were planned out rather well. I think the reasons they sucked was because there were serious problems with the concepts that were planned to begin with.

[Reckoner]

The thing with Mari Okada is that she gets assigned to so many goddamn projects these days inevitably a good amount of them are going to have trash concepts to begin with (See Aquarion, BRS, etc.). I don't really blame her for those. Where I do take issue with her when she writes or oversees stuff is when we watch stuff from her like Hanasaku Iroha. An original work that at its best clearly shows she has a talent for writing when she keeps her work focused, but on the other end of the spectrum on this show is some of the most patronizing or lazy writing imaginable that is downright insulting.

Originally Posted by Dr. Casey

"FUCK YOU DEEN, DAMNABLE RUINER OF ANIME, THERE GOES ANOTHER GREAT FRANCHISE DOWN THE DRAIN" moaning could be prevented.

It couldn't be said enough honestly .

[Akito Kinomoto]

Originally Posted by Haak

I know a lot of people judge but I think a lot of it is just harmless speculation mistaken as judgement.

Speculation? Indeed. Harmless? Much of my hesitation to watch Hyouka is leftover regret from Nichijou.

[Triple_R]

Originally Posted by Akito_Kinomoto

Speculation? Indeed. Harmless? Much of my hesitation to watch Hyouka is leftover regret from Nichijou.

So you're saying that if you didn't know that Hyouka was done by KyoAni that you'd be less hesitant to watch it?

If so, that's interesting... I'd say a lot of people are watching Hyouka because it's made by KyoAni.

I like Hyouka myself, but I doubt it would have had anywhere near as much attention given to it if it was a JC Staff or DEEN property.


While I respect Dr. Casey's point, I think you have to take the bad with the good. The cost of pre-airing studio/producer hype (for KyoAni shows, for certain writers like Urobuchi, etc...) is there's also going to be pre-airing studio/producer dread (for DEEN, for certain writers like Yoshino, etc...).

It's probably better to have a mix of hype/notoriety that anime fans can enjoy speculating over than to have a fog of information that is only lifted the moment an anime airs.