(L) Shangri-La

[Astrana]

defenitly going to track this show, very gooood.

[DangerMouse]

Originally Posted by orion

Forestation encroaching on civilization with a heavy dose of ecological sermons. Also a group fighting against the forestation while status quo wants to live with it. Not to mention the Minka-esque protagonist. Don't forget the above normal powered protagonists. The forest may not be sentient but this is an ORIGIN sibling imo.

Also, if we were going to get Kurenai-esque designs instead of Murata (eyes are a little too far apart), then they shouldn't have hired Murata in the first place.

Again, Metal-Age is not fighting the forestation, they are fighting government oppression, the forestation is just the trigger that has lead to this situation since it limits where the people can live in relatively modern industrial fashion and they are essentially treated like a lower class and not being permitted into Atlas and the people want to live in modern fashion completely the opposite of the in synch with nature people of Origin. As you can see when the Atlas army shows up in the city towards the end of the episode the people do not want to live with the status quo, even a civilian is almost ready to stand up against the oppression until the soldiers draw their guns, the city and Metal-Age's fight for the city is not about nature it's about the people. In fact in terms of the topic the old lady talking to Kuniko says that Metal-Age (the "hero group") would be against the government's extreme limitation/quotas of carbon dioxide emissions (greenhouse gasses), and therefore the quota on the allowable amount to burn in a given amount of time in a given place and as burning carbon is forcibly limited and yet vital for industrial production such privileges of burning more can be bought or sold on the market with various factors adjusting the price like quality and amount your county wishes to burn which is the rather believable "carbon market," which has also created a haves and have-nots situation being imposed on the various countries of the world so as they are against this extreme regulation basically they are pro-technology and for example cutting down trees to make important things like books and stuff, can you get more opposite than Origin's environmentalist sermons? Kunihito's way of celebrating Kuniko's release is to light a furnace! Atlas is not aiming for a return to nature either, neither side is, unlike the plot of Origin.

Minka-esque, don't see that really, they are both energetic and liked around town and have short hair but Kuniko as a total action heroine has a totally different personality and way she acts when stuff happens so far IMO.

Above normal athleticism yes, "superpowered like a super-seiyan, like Origin" no.

How is Kuniko not clearly a Murata design even in animation form? Sure it's an adapted one but she's pretty similar to the adapted designs in Last Exile which nobody said didn't feel like Murata designs. Over half the cast look like typical Murata designs. You can't get much more distinctly Murata than Kuniko, Kunihito and Takehiko not to mention Karin and Mukuni (and Kunihito) who are close to dead ringers for Murata Last Exile designs.

[Shiroth]

Originally Posted by orion

But we were hyped for a Last Exile and got Dragonaut.

No, just no. We were never hyped for Last Exile --- i mean why would i hype myself just because it's by the same studio and Range character designs? Just reading the summary, and one can tell both shows are extremely different.

& Dragonaut bad? Please. The plot right from the start in that show was pretty bad, though i don't see what the problem here is.

There wasn't much wrong with the first episode --- it's a set-up. Questions were made straight away, and i don't expect to find out all the answers straight away.

[raile]

This anime series took me by interest (the fact that May'n sang the OP is just a tasty bonus). Let's see how Gonzo will fare with this..

[sirn]

Come on, you're watching Sci-fi, you can't expect them to explain everything from the very beginning. (oh hi, Touma)

I thought the first episode was pretty straightforward; it shows all the world settings, factions, characters, and everything just enough for the full understanding of the series later on. Apart from few inconsistent BGMs, I thought it was a pretty decent episode.

Oh, and the ending is awesome. As expected from Kuroishi Hitomi.

[orion]

Originally Posted by DangerMouse

<snip>
How is Kuniko not clearly a Murata design even in animation form? Sure it's an adapted one but she's pretty similar to the adapted designs in Last Exile which nobody said didn't feel like Murata designs. Over half the cast look like typical Murata designs. You can't get much more distinctly Murata than Kuniko, Kunihito and Takehiko not to mention Karin and Mukuni (and Kunihito) who are close to dead ringers for Murata Last Exile designs.

Those sermons were pretty evident with the CO trader. Metal Age fighting forestation is a part of the synopsis. The status quo is pro-forestation. The status quo in ORIGIN was forestation. The sermons were "Lets all get along. Too much industrialism is bad". Similar sermons. It's just that the protagonists are in the opposite camp this time.

Above normal athleticism was a trait of Minka and the citizens living in the border area.

The eyes are more off in the anime version compared to Range Murata designs. It can be seen in the younger cast members clearly. That's why I said Kurenai-esque. The older adults are also close to Kurenai design. Range Murata young adult and teen males look different.

The show can get better I hope. It's only episode 1.

[Molenir]

So, first impression after watching episode 1. Good animation, moronic and pathetic story. Nothing but a sermonizing plot which is more then silly!

De-forestation and books. Apparently theres no replanting in this world. As logging companies are generally known for planting 3 trees for every one they cut. And for owning or leasing large tracts of land they use specifically as tree farms. Although, apparently the writers of this show didn't realize this. Carbon Credits... More silliness.

With this kind of stuff as the premise, I don't know if I can stand to watch, despite the good animation. In fact thinking about it, if I skip this show, I honestly don't think I'll have missed out on anything, apart from some lame sermons spouting eco-nut lines. There are plenty of other shows out there, sans sermons, that are a better investment of my limited time.

[*reira*]

Uhm...do my ears deceive me or is Momoko really voiced by Jouji Nakata, of all people?
(Yes, that's what's been bothering me the most post-watching...she totally sounds like him).

[Shiroth]

Originally Posted by *reira*

Uhm...do my ears deceive me or is Momoko really voiced by Jouji Nakata, of all people?
(Yes, that's what's been bothering me the most post-watching...she totally sounds like him).

Yeah she/he is. That's what made me laugh my arse off. Though seriously, what a perfect role for him.

[Jiyuu]

Uhm...do my ears deceive me or is Momoko really voiced by Jouji Nakata, of all people?
(Yes, that's what's been bothering me the most post-watching...she totally sounds like him).

why did you have to say it out loud T____T

Originally Posted by Shiroth

Yeah she/he is. That's what made me laugh my arse off. Though seriously, what a perfect role for him.

nooooooooo i'm not listening

[Shiroth]

There's nothing wrong with Jouji Nakata voicing a hot woman.

[*reira*]

Originally Posted by Jiyuu

why did you have to say it out loud T____T

nooooooooo i'm not listening

Oh, I meant that as a compliment. I'm used to fawning over his so sexy voice, so it was disturbing, at first, to hear it come out of a busty woman, and yet...as Shiroth says, it totally fits him. I might watch Shangri-La just to hear him, actually XD.

[Hedd]

Originally Posted by Shiroth

There's nothing wrong with Jouji Nakata voicing a hot woman.

Is the character actually female? I was immediately reminded of the drag queens from Tokyo majin.

[Shiroth]

Originally Posted by Hedd

Is the character actually female? I was immediately reminded of the drag queens from Tokyo majin.

Male dressed up as a Female.

[Azure_Peregrine]

Huh, I didn't quite go into this understanding that the good guys were for a more industrialized way of life... Though maybe that's why Kuniko doesn't want to lead Metal Age - she likes the people, but doesn't seem big on their practices (ie carbon production).

So, anyways, could people confirm my understanding of the financial markets in this world for me? From what I got from this show, after the disaster, the powerful nations (prob'ly some form of the G20) imposed a carbon tax on the entirety of the world with the intent of cutting carbon emissions. This sets countries that are attempting to industrialize back quite a bit. In order to make a profit, credit companies develop the idea of carbon credits - that is, they essentially pay the anticipated carbon taxes over a period of time for a nation, and then charge interest on how much they had to pay later, expecting that nation to be able to industrialize and make profits in the meantime. But the problem here is that that causes more carbon to be produced without it being stopped, so it continues to put the world in danger... And then anyone who produces carbon without going through a company or the government gets a squad of mercenaries after them, because it causes fluctuation in the carbon market that the companies don't like... Since rising carbon taxes mean they have to pay more with less of a chance of getting paid back.

I have to say, I'm impressed. Considering the current markets around the world and the credit crisis, this seems particularly timely... And that's not even mentioning global warming.

Originally Posted by Shiroth

Male dressed up as a Female.

But... he had boobs. Were they fake? If so... pretty good fakes.

[Tale]

Somehow, this reminds me of Future Boy Conan. However, it includes lot of interesting ideas such as Ecotax and carbon trade working as a pretty good satire to modern society. I see. A nature child's adventure in a dystopian world is common with Miyazaki's Conan. This seems to be promising.

At least, in this work, idealism seems to have ended up with yet another way of ruling just like in other dystopian settings. Developed companies and global corporations don't care about the green-house effects and use super computers and armies to put things under their powers.

As for Momoko, his voice comfortably suits the role...I guess it's one of the experiments of this work and, at the moment, it seems to be successful, too.

[Chase]

Geaaaaaa i thought it was a decent episode overall. Yuck at the transvestite vibe in it tho.The carbon thing was a little confusing at times, had to re-view parts 2 or 3 times to get a picture in my head as to what is going in that regards. 7/10 for the first episode.

[wOoOzZy]

Originally Posted by Proudleaf

But there's the problem man: if everyone followed the formula that you do, then how can one guarantee the same degree of success for each individual person? Creating a great impression upon first viewing should be something that one should strive for, don't you agree?

lol. I don't understand the problem. I'm not trying to guarantee anything. And yes, it'd be nice if more anime had great 1st episodes. But in my experience, that's not reality. I just like to give a series about 3 episodes before I give up on it. To me, throwing a show away after 1 episode is like judging a book by it's cover.

[achirist]

What a ridiculous, stupid show. There are alternatives to relying on carbon, such as wind, tidal, solar, and geothermal energy; paper and other 'wood products' can be sustainably harvested from hemp, bamboo, coconut. But instead of investigating alternatives, a band of right wing, stupid, ignorant reactionaries want to fight for deforestation and global environmental destruction. If the books aren't available online yet, start typing them up for project gutenberg you stupid slag! And what a surprise that such a know-nothing movement is headed by their messiah of a stupid little girl and her toy boomerang in a childish 'hero-villain' story with that green haired queen that is ultimately no more politically insightful then lelouch of the rebellion wasl.

[qmeister]

^ I actually agree with most of this, think I'll drop it and go watch Saki instead.