Mari Okada discussion

[Archon_Wing]

Originally Posted by relentlessflame

Spoiler for True Tears:

Fundamentally, it's a story about romance, but it isn't a love story. It's a story about making heartbreak a source of strength... and that's pretty heavy. Every show I know that has dealt with this theme has been wildly controversial among the audience, but generally loved by at least me.

Spoiler for True Tears:

Ah yes, that's how I see it too. From a conventional perspective where one expects a romantic struggle and conclusion, the story doesn't seem special at all. What's unique about the narrative is that it was focused on the heartbreak-- note that in the final episode Shin and Hiromi getting together seemed to play second fiddle to Noe's introspection at the end. So it's quite unique in that retrospect.

[totoum]

Just gonna bring back this thread with some news:

Okada Mari will be attending Anime Expo in Los Angeles this year

I'm sure there'll be a Q&A , should be interesting!

[Pocari_Sweat]

Originally Posted by totoum

Just gonna bring back this thread with some news:

Okada Mari will be attending Anime Expo in Los Angeles this year

I'm sure there'll be a Q&A , should be interesting!

In before she makes ppl crossdress (probably in menma's onepiece) before she signs autographs. .

I'm joking ofc.

[Hiroi Sekai]

She's the screenwriter for two of my five favourite series on MAL, and she's undoubtedly contributed to many others that are considered just under my favourites, like Hanasaku Iroha. Of course, recent gems like Sakurasou are nice too.

Pretty darn excited.

[Guardian Enzo]

Originally Posted by totoum

Just gonna bring back this thread with some news:

Okada Mari will be attending Anime Expo in Los Angeles this year

I'm sure there'll be a Q&A , should be interesting!

She made sure no to come to California until I was 6000 miles away, eh? Can't handle the tough questions!

[Haak]

I didn't realise Okada paid any attention to the foreign/non-east-Asian audience.

[sikvod00]

So will you be attending the expo, papermario13689?

Originally Posted by Guardian Enzo

She made sure no to come to California until I was 6000 miles away, eh? Can't handle the tough questions!

Ha! I'm sure your contempt for some of her work\style can be felt from the moon. I'm curious to know how often she does these foregin events? I hope it's a good Q&A!

[Archon_Wing]

Originally Posted by Pocari_Sweat

In before she makes ppl crossdress (probably in menma's onepiece) before she signs autographs. .

I'm joking ofc.

Should have come over to San Francisco; it's way more suiting for her needs.

[Hiroi Sekai]

Originally Posted by sikvod00

So will you be attending the expo, papermario13689?

Definitely. My first expo was last year, and since I had a great time I bought this year's early on. They're finally starting to announce the Japanese guests (which I'll probably use up a lot of my time visiting), so hey, hopefully they can keep them coming now.

[Guardian Enzo]

Originally Posted by sikvod00

So will you be attending the expo, papermario13689?



Ha! I'm sure your contempt for some of her work\style can be felt from the moon. I'm curious to know how often she does these foregin events? I hope it's a good Q&A!

Yes, my "contempt" for her style is reflected that she's had series inb my top 10 lists each of the last three years.

[Pocari_Sweat]

Originally Posted by Guardian Enzo

Yes, my "contempt" for her style is reflected that she's had series inb my top 10 lists each of the last three years.

I know anohana was for 2011 but what was it for 2010 and 2012?

[Guardian Enzo]

Originally Posted by Pocari_Sweat

I know anohana was for 2011 but what was it for 2010 and 2012?

I was thinking Hourou Musuko was 2010, but my memory is faulty - it was actually #4 on my 2011 list. Did she even write any 2010 shows?

Zetsuen should make the list for this year, unless the rest of it is better than it looks on paper...

[sikvod00]

Originally Posted by Guardian Enzo

Yes, my "contempt" for her style is reflected that she's had series inb my top 10 lists each of the last three years.

Whoa. I did include "some" because I know you love some of her works/style and can't stand her input in others. I didn't mean to mischaracterize your view of her, but maybe contempt wasn't the right word. Oh well.

[Reckoner]

Originally Posted by Guardian Enzo

I was thinking Hourou Musuko was 2010, but my memory is faulty - it was actually #4 on my 2011 list. Did she even write any 2010 shows?

Zetsuen should make the list for this year, unless the rest of it is better than it looks on paper...

Why should we credit her for adaptions though? Not that adapting is necessarily easy , but she hardly should receive any of the credit which rightfully belongs to the mangaka IMO.

Yeah she did well with Ano Hana, but as far as her original works go (The ones that matter), she hasn't done too well lately.

[Archon_Wing]

Originally Posted by sikvod00

Whoa. I did include "some" because I know you love some of her works/style and can't stand her input in others. I didn't mean to mischaracterize you , but maybe contempt wasn't the right word. Oh well.

Well, it's ok. I have contempt for her style as of late.

I was dealt a serious blow in Lupin. I mean Oscar was kinda funny but... really here Goemon. >.>

[Arabesque]

Well, I won't deny that I'm sort of jealous, but I suspect that the Q&A session is going to be monitored pretty strictly.

ALso, I don't know much about Anime cons in in the US (outside of what I read online/hear on ANNCast) but:

Anime Expo is happy to announce our first Guest of Honor from Japan

Is she really the first guest they had from Japan?

Originally Posted by sikvod00

Ha! I'm sure your contempt for some of her work\style can be felt from the moon. I'm curious to know how often she does these foregin events? I hope it's a good Q&A!

Having read what Enzo had to say about her writing for years, ''contempt'' is really the farthest thing I would imagine he has when it comes to her style.

Personally, I am a huge fan of hers. Sure there were moments that pissed me off, but on the whole I would say that she had managed to write a lot of shows I personally enjoyed and loved. Reading her interview and seeing the type of shows she works on, I can tell she is someone who is really brimming with creativity and a limitless capacity for creating something interesting.

Which is where the problem really is, since creative people tend to not really know what their limits are, and there was a point in time where it showed that she had been too loose with her writing.

Still, she's still one of those writers who I will always check out her shows and respect for the work she had done.

[Utsuro no Hako]

Originally Posted by Pocari_Sweat

In before she makes ppl crossdress (probably in menma's onepiece) before she signs autographs. .

I'm buying a ticket to California right now .

I'm joking ofc.

Damn. You got my hopes up.

Originally Posted by Reckoner

Why should we credit her for adaptions though? Not that adapting is necessarily easy , but she hardly should receive any of the credit which rightfully belongs to the mangaka IMO.

Look at Toradora -- you have ten novels compressed into a two-cour series. In the hands of most writers we would've ended up with a disaster on the magnitude of ... well, just about every other light novel adaptation JC Staff has ever been involved with. And yet Okada managed to craft an adaptation that was both faithful to the source material and one of the best romance series of the decade.

[4Tran]

Originally Posted by Reckoner

Yeah she did well with Ano Hana, but as far as her original works go (The ones that matter), she hasn't done too well lately.

You didn't like Aquarion EVOL and AKB0048? I thought that they turned out pretty decently all things considered.

Originally Posted by Utsuro no Hako

Look at Toradora -- you have ten novels compressed into a two-cour series. In the hands of most writers we would've ended up with a disaster on the magnitude of ... well, just about every other light novel adaptation JC Staff has ever been involved with. And yet Okada managed to craft an adaptation that was both faithful to the source material and one of the best romance series of the decade.

The aforementioned Hourou Musuko is another good example of Okada at her finest: it skipped the entire first chunk of the source manga but still managed to tell a pretty good story. At the best of times, manga don't translate all that well to anime, but making big changes like this fail a lot more often than they work.

I think that she works best with a either good director who has a firm idea of what they want to do with a work or a director that can out-crazy her. Her weakest work seems to be when she's given too much free reign and the rest of the creative staff are unable to restrain her worst ideas. Basically, Okada is a decent to good writer who needs a good editor.

[Westlo]

Zetsuen started sucking when it followed the manga exactly and okada had stopped writing episodes st the point.... coincidence?

[Hiroi Sekai]

Anyone who can seamlessly pull tears from my eyes in just an 11 episode series deserves some mad credit in my books. That, and I think any negatives can always be outweighed by a great positive. She could write "Sora's Blandest Adventure" and I'd still consider her to be a fine screenwriter from the others.