(L+CR) Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Crystal [Anticipation]

[ukulelembo]

Originally Posted by minaku

I've read it on Sailormoonworld.it - one of the few sites who constantly posts confirmed information, one of the first European sites after the revival.

Italian fan site. Very credible. What "confirmed" information they post as the first?

Originally Posted by minaku

I don't complain about the episode as a whole, but the scenes we saw for now are below average DEEN level, which is bad...

How much we actually saw? Minute or two not including Opening and Ending in camrip quality. That doesn't say much. I think you're too pessimistic.

[minaku]

Originally Posted by ukulelembo

Italian fan site. Very credible. What "confirmed" information they post as the first?


How much we actually saw? Minute or two not including Opening and Ending in camrip quality. That doesn't say much. I think you're too pessimistic.

Add the trailer footage and the way she was running like a robot with two frames with Luna... And the way she is running in the first scene from this cam footage - it's ridiculous. We can't help but being negative for now. And all this close ups without little to no motion, it's two minutes, but it's also from the first episode which is supposed to make you thrilled and impress you. Many crappy series has excellent animated first episode. The CGI is just cheap, the CGI used in the opening is good, but the one used in the transformation - her hair is like straw... At the end of the episode Usagi talks with Luna without even open mouth. They have a new in the canon budget saving ability - telepathy. It's not the right way to save budget... I can't predict it, it can turn out really good.

[Kismet-chan]

Originally Posted by ukulelembo

The actual transcript of the title of that song is "Gekkou".

Where is the most recent source for that? Most sites that keep their facts very up to date still have the song listed as Tsuki Niji.

[minaku]

Originally Posted by Kismet-chan

Where is the most recent source for that? Most sites that keep their facts very up to date still have the song listed as Tsuki Niji.

We can't be 100% surre. It can be Gekkou since it doesn't have furigana. There are special readings (tokubetsu yomikata) and it's possible to be read tsukini niji as well. Due to the fact there is no furigana and the song title is spelled like this in kanji 月虹 it might be read both ways. But gekkou means moonlight or moonlight beam when it's spelled like this - 月光 , while tsuki niji means moon rainbow, in the video there is an actual rainbow during the kiss between the heroes. Both readings are possible, until someone actually pronounce it, but most sites I've checked use Tsuki Niji. It's still can be both though. And still we have no first hand information about the duration of the episode - is it really 30 minutes, or less...

[Kismet-chan]

Fair enough.

[ukulelembo]

Originally Posted by minaku

...

Do you know there is nothing new on showing of unfinished work on pre-airing event?

[Ithekro]

Sometime they even show unfinished work before the DVD release.

[minaku]

Originally Posted by ukulelembo

Do you know there is nothing new on showing of unfinished work on pre-airing event?

Yeah, this is something i hope for, although we saw one scene that is corrected from the trailer footage, the scene right after the transformation - they have redrawn her mouth and nose, if they still do corrections till the very end, it can be quite different, but i highly doubt it - they have already corrected some of the footage from trailer for that pre-airing event, but if that's the case - go, go Toei! Make me happy Is it really so common to show unfinished work on such events? I really don't know, please give me some examples, cuz my hope suddenly got high. Faerie was right when she said they still can change some scenes from the extended trailer for the episode. You might be right too.

[ukulelembo]

Originally Posted by minaku

...

It's unnecessary to doubt. Is common practice that animation is edited and corrected until very last minute before deadline which is just few hours before the broadcast.
And as Ithekro says sometimes even aired version isn't final version.
Anyway regarding the current pre-air version, they had almost five days to improving. You can be surprised at what can be done to improve in five days. Not mention, that they could have already prepared some edits which weren't included in pre-air version.

[minaku]

Originally Posted by ukulelembo

It's unnecessary to doubt. Is common practice that animation is edited and corrected until very last minute before deadline which is just few hours before the broadcast.
And as Ithekro says sometimes even aired version isn't final version.
Anyway regarding the current pre-air version, they had almost five days to improving. You can be surprised at what can be done to improve in five days. Not mention, that they could have already prepared some edits which weren't included in pre-air version.

Hope you are right, but I still think it's wishful thinking. It's common practice for Shaft or some small/new studios, who has shorthanded stuff, but Toei has never made changes for DvD/Blu-ray releas (as far as I know). We will see, once again hope you are right.

[ukulelembo]

Originally Posted by minaku

It's common practice for Shaft or some small/new studios, who has shorthanded stuff, but Toei has never made changes for DvD/Blu-ray releas (as far as I know).

I must admit that I have never seen the differences between TV and BD/DVD version of Toei's works, but this practice is common overall. At least you above mentioned deficiencies on pre-aired version like non moving mouth during dialogues, varying quality of CGI and simplified animation in some scenes are typical elements of unfinished work which is highly likely to be further improved and corrected for broadcasting version. The minimum difference between TV and BD/DVD version then can be caused by that Toei can have a strategy create most completed animation already for TV broadcasting.

[Sakuya]

Unfortunately I have to agree with Minaku, there are lots of still frames used and makes the pauses long and awkward (the scene where she's talking to Luna in her room and the screen stays on Usagi's face the whole time as she blinks, although it is a VERY nice shot of Usagi). As well as the part where Luna brings out her brooch (well, it sort of just appears, they don't bother to show how she takes it out) and Usagi reaches off camera and takes it. Maybe they were going for a more manga-esq sort of storytelling...? Hopefully these were just unfinished.

But if the battles will be anything like in the OP, that I'll be a happy camper! But you would think since they profited so much from the manga, the 90's anime, the musicals, all the toys, the VHS/LD/DVDs as well as all the manga reprints, where did all that money go if not here?

[Faerie]

^ pockets, most likely. All sorts of pockets.

And I would suggest people take comments from the staff such as

About CGI, it's not used for saving money on animation but due to technical options. Director himself said in an interview this:
"Since the original work was so gorgeous, we can now use the latest imaging techniques that have developed over the past 20 years to really convey that splendor. In particular, during the transformation scenes I’d like to use CG to capture the movements of the girls from different angles, freely use lighting effects, and have a flashy display of their twirling forms."

With a grain of salt. This guy isn't telling you this out of the goodness of his heart to entertain you with some light reading.
He's trying to sell you his product. Naturally he will gloss over it's weaknesses or advertise them as strengths- it's a basic advertising spin.

Reading between the lines: so, Kotono didn't have to audition? Was the rest of the cast was arranged around her?

If their target audience is females in their late 20s who may not normally watch anime, I'm worried that they are thinking that they can gloss over animation flaws, acting flaws etc because that audience won't mind or notice.
Especially if they're still trying to sell rank CG as "best available technology that we wanted to use specifically because it is so pretty" - most regular anime viewers know that to be nonsense when the CG looks like that. It's a practical necessity in most cases, even where it is used well, and directors have tried to sell it as "amazing technical innovation" since, what... Armitage III?
Sometimes that may be true...but there are different kinds of CG use. There are those that do their best to blend it well with the rest of the animation and those are great.. And then there are those like SMC.

Regarding the animation though: I imagine all the major work is done, it's not the case that they could edit a whole scene now. However, it is always possible that an old version was shown at the screening event and more edits have been made in the meantime for the final version. It happens. But it won't be anything major, just small edits. By now, the episode is done and dusted, most likely- this isn't Trigger. I'm holding out hope that some more small tweaks have been made, although I, too, agree with Minaku- trying to keep my expectations low.

[Westlo]

@ the CGI transformation.

[minaku]

The only hope left is - some edits for the first episode. And if they worked on the first episode till the very end, maybe they were not aware of the actual success of the pre-screening event and the rating levels and they will rise the budget for the rest of the episodes, if they are planning on working on them now. Optimistic much I still feel kind a excited with each passing hour. Let's hope we'll shed tears of joy and not of disappointment...

[Casshern]

I was just like those people in the live screening audience, watching the clip and going "Oooh! Ahhh! Woooow!" So I'm going to assume that the negative vocal majority in this thread is in fact a minority of total viewers. I was a bit disappointed when I came here, gushing with excitement, only to find people still talking crap about this. I'll probably have to find another forum when it starts airing.

[minaku]

qq

Originally Posted by Casshern

I was just like those people in the live screening audience, watching the clip and going "Oooh! Ahhh! Woooow!" So I'm going to assume that the negative vocal majority in this thread is in fact a minority of total viewers. I was a bit disappointed when I came here, gushing with excitement, only to find people still talking crap about this. I'll probably have to find another forum when it starts airing.

Don't worry , I guess we will be happy although not so impressed when it stars airing. It's still Sailor Moon, we love that story. We haven't watched the episode yet. It just could have been better - the transformation could have been everyth everything I hoped for if it was 2d, and we must see the whole episode to judge the animation properly. We still have hope, please don't leave us because of our negativism. In the end we will be happy to see the story of the moon princess again. I am just shocked with their decision to use beautiful hand drawn backgrounds, so delicate and gentle, and 3 D transformation that contradict the traditional feel. We misjudged many things so far - like the opening song, before we heard and saw the whole opening video (many people hated the song, but find it catchy and fitting now, me included. I am quite pleased with the lyrics).

[T-6000]

I think I may have mentioned this before, but this reminds me of when I would ready through the Tsubasa Chronicle manga. People kept telling me online "Why do you read that dull series? It's boring", "That series has poor storytelling", and "The characters are so dull they are just there to serve as fetishes for hardcore Clamp fans". I just shrugged and kept reading, since I enjoyed the series alot. On the flip side of things, everyone online kept talking about how XXXHolic was so awesome when I hated that series with every fiber of my being. I tend to have a bit of...."different" tastes from what others like so I'm use to liking franchises and series dislike. I have a feeling it'll be the same with Sailor Moon Crystal. From the preview videos I've seen, I like what I am seeing. Except for Usagi's transformation into Sailor Moon, that does look a bit ugly I'm afraid. But everything else has me looking forward to the series.

Even though the series seems to stick close to the Manga this time around, there are a few nods to the original anime that I don't mind seeing. Like how Usagi's pigtails bounce up and down when she runs, it's so.....hypnotic. And I wouldn't mind if Rei's Grandfather looked and acted the way he did in the Anime (which was one of the *FEW* things I liked in the Anime better than the Manga).

[minaku]

Originally Posted by T-6000

I think I may have mentioned this before, but this reminds me of when I would ready through the Tsubasa Chronicle manga. People kept telling me online "Why do you read that dull series? It's boring", "That series has poor storytelling", and "The characters are so dull they are just there to serve as fetishes for hardcore Clamp fans". I just shrugged and kept reading, since I enjoyed the series alot. On the flip side of things, everyone online kept talking about how XXXHolic was so awesome when I hated that series with every fiber of my being. I tend to have a bit of...."different" tastes from what others like so I'm use to liking franchises and series dislike. I have a feeling it'll be the same with Sailor Moon Crystal. From the preview videos I've seen, I like what I am seeing. Except for Usagi's transformation into Sailor Moon, that does look a bit ugly I'm afraid. But everything else has me looking forward to the series.

Even though the series seems to stick close to the Manga this time around, there are a few nods to the original anime that I don't mind seeing. Like how Usagi's pigtails bounce up and down when she runs, it's so.....hypnotic. And I wouldn't mind if Rei's Grandfather looked and acted the way he did in the Anime (which was one of the *FEW* things I liked in the Anime better than the Manga).

I don't think that someone here hate it, it's Sailor Moon and we are all fans here. We just don't feel wow and "I love it" like we expected to feel. But it's still not too late to have a happy end after the first episode.

[Baldurkai]

I wished they would cut all the CGI and stick with the standard anime animations, normally looks much better, everytime i see these 3d-ish animations it always looks a little weird when its used for such a tiny bit of the anime - but since its seems to be used for a small amount maybe i wont notice it too much.

Imo either full CGI or no CGI