View Single Post
Old 2010-12-16, 15:27   Link #165
quigonkenny
Sav'aaq!
 
 
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Hyrule
Age: 51
Quote:
Originally Posted by Vanish View Post
For those who think the pacing is crappy: how could they have done it differently? Going from the preview it was either 4/5 girls or 9 girls in one season. See speculations at the start of the anime. But now it's actually to wonder how the hell they are even supposed to fit the latter 5 girls within one season. If that's already difficuilt, how are you going to put 9 girls in one season, as in, change the pacing and add the "villain of the week"-effect? What about animation-wise? Could they have even fit all 9 girls (plus or minus 'fillers'?) within 12 episodes?
And didn't some of those people who feel things are dragged actually think Ayumi and Mio got shafted?
The 'only' thing that people aren't satisfied with is the pacing, and I'd like to understand their perspective more because I'm personally fine with it.
Problems with pacing aren't limited to whether they're doing it too fast (as 9 heroines in 12 episodes certainly would be) or too slow. The main gripe I have with the pacing is its inconsistency. If they're going to keep to the manga pace (as it appeared they were going to do at first) and animate a solid two (normal sized) chapters per episode, then keep doing it. If they're going to add an episode's worth of real filler to a heroine's arc, as they did with Kanon and Shiori (whether it's made-up backstory, expounded omake, or overdramatic CGI), then do it with all of them. When the pacing fluctuates as wildly as it does here, it's never good, no matter how popular the two girls who got the benefit of the extra time are. And now we're most likely left with 12 episodes to cover 5 heroines (most of whose arcs are longer than the ones this season, and none of whose are shorter), so the pace is going to change again.

And pacing is hardly the only issue. Mystifying rewrites that alter the impact of everything from the mythology of the series (Keima's initiation of conversation at the end of episode 1) to the characterization of a heroine (Shiori's meek confrontation with the chairman at the end of episode 11). A pathological urge to throw in overwrought pathos at every opportunity (if Manglobe didn't want to adapt a light-hearted series, they shouldn't have optioned TWGOK). Piss-poor comedic direction during the capture arcs (and spot-on during the "fillers"). Hell, a failure to properly market what on screen is turning into a generic (if high production value) eroge-adaption-style anime. Any other similar series would have flooded the magazines with cheesecake shots of their heroines, instead of setting up a CD of forgettable pop tunes to hit after the series is over... It wouldn't have bettered their adaptation, but it least they might have become more popular...

But the main issue I have with this adaptatioon is that its soul just doesn't feel the same. It's so boring and bland. It's the same kind of problem Hollywood has with so many of its adaptations. X is currently popular. Studio sees a property that outwardly resembles X. Studio adapts property and accentuates its similarities to X while diminishing its differences. That's how you get a (playful at mildest) parody of eroge adaptations and "cute girl" anime turned into a near textbook example.

Hiro Shimono I have no problem with. If they had adapted the manga properly, I might have had more of an issue with him, but probably not. I still think Mamoru Miyano would have been perfect (equal parts Death the Kid and Light Yagami), but Shimono is more than adequate.
__________________
FGO Info: (JP) 055835281 | クワイガンケニー ==== (EN) 952525630 | quigonkenny
quigonkenny is offline