Pumpkin Scissors - Overall Series Impression and Total Series Rating

[xris]

This thread is to be used for discussing the entire 24 episodes of Pumpkin Scissors ... your thoughts about the show, overall impressions, speculation on the possible DVD only bonus episodes, etc., etc…

A few subjects you might want to ramble on about:

• General impression of the series.
• Opinions on the overall story, writing & plot devices.
• Thoughts about the animation quality.
• Will there be additional DVD only episodes and what will they contain.
  
  
• How did the anime compare with the game?
• Characters/Character Design
• What the show meant to you.
• What could the creators/animators/writers could have done better.

And so on.

The poll represents your total series rating. In other words, how you would rate all the episodes combined (1-10)? If you'd rather rate the whole series by technical/artistic merits, you can do so. An example:

Animation Quality: 1-10
Voice Actors: 1-10
Script: 1-10
Adaptation from Game: 1-10
Editing: 1-10

Average = Total Series Rating

Or a combination of the two. Or your general gut feeling.

[andrew86]

I'm going to give this series a rating of 8: Very Good. The animation quality was pretty good and the voice acting was excellent. The only problems that I had were the rather boring filler episodes near the beginning. Other than that, the storyline was pretty good and it was one that I enjoyed. Lookin forward to a 2nd season. ^_^

[Sorrow-K]

*Knock knock*

Anyone actually watch the show... want to make some comments...?

I was torn about what rating I ended up wanting to give the show. I've written a review for it, but it hasn't yet been published for various reasons, but it should be within a few days. But, I really wasn't sure if I wanted to give it "Average" (5) or "Below Average" (4), and in the end I decided on the latter, even though I'm still not sure whether or not I'm being overly harsh on it.

But, it certainly was the filler eps that killed this series. Simply too many of them, and hardly any of them added to the story or characters. But the biggest sore point was that only very few of them were actually entertaining. I don't mind filler (provided its not excessive), but can I at least be entertained?

We all know the problems with the story though: it's totally incomplete. Obviously a second series will fix many of the problems with the story, but even if it does come about, I wouldn't be so easy to forgive the sloppy story-telling in the first series. But, I'm still not convinced there ever will be a second series, and until I hear an official announcement saying otherwise, that's my theory on that issue.

So, my overall rating is "Below Average", which is 4 on the NHRV scale, and 5 on the ASuki scale. I wrote what I thought was a pretty profound statement at the end of my review of the series (sorry to toot my own horn ) which went: "There are a few glimpses of a good story here, but glimpses don’t satisfy me" and I think that sums up my opinion of things quite nicely.

[Mentar]

Sorrow-K: You might want to read the vote descriptions once more ... 4 would mean "poor". "Below average" is 5.

Personally, I'm torn between 6 and 7. To offset a potential mistake by Sorrow-K, I'll be gracious and give the 7.

It was a show which could have been done so much better. Unfortunately, the last dynamic part, which I absolutely expected to become the highlight of the show (the ballroom battle) got pretty much talked to death. Fine, this way GONZO managed to nail down all groups' positions and reasonings completely and in full detail, but it also killed the suspense and excitement. Bad tradeoff.

Also, a little bit less pathos would have suited me better, but to be honest - that would have been a deviation from the manga.

What remained was a fairly uncommon setting (a big plus in my book) and some interesting character dynamics. Problematic were the pacing and (in rare exceptions) the deviations in the art.

To sum it up, it was an easy show to work on, and it kept my interest, albeit it didn't really thrill me either (with a few notable exceptions). Partially flawed, but overall solid stuff. Above Average from me.

[Sorrow-K]

Originally Posted by Mentar

Sorrow-K: You might want to read the vote descriptions once more ... 4 would mean "poor". "Below average" is 5.

When I was talking about "4" or "5", I was referring to the rating scale on my site. When I voted, I gave it "5" = "Below Average", but in the review I wrote for it (which will be published later) I gave it "4" = "Below Average". Either way, my final opinion of it is "Below Average". Different rating scales inevitably leads to confusion... although I do like the rating scale on our site better since ASuki's scale doesn't have an "Above Average" between "Good" and "Average" and there are so many titles that aren't quite good enough to be labeled "Good", but still deserve more praise than to be dismissed as "Average".

[Satsuya]

Animation Quality: 7
Decent, not to sharp and not too dull

Voice Actors: 7
Seiryuu cast was good, tone fit the build of the characters (Shinichiro Miki = one of my fav)

Script: 4
Don't know about war but, HAHAHA saw plot/story 5 episodes ahead

Adaptation from Game: -
Never played

Overall: While good visuals and a way to pass the time, left little to what a person call may "Entertaining"

[Ottocycle]

Many a time during this series' run, the episodes from this series were placed on my backlog, showing that it did not have the capability to sustain interest in the viewer(me). As stated above, it was most likely the filler and the poor pacing of the story that caused it.
That said though, the technical aspects(animation, voice acting) of the series were kept constant throughout, in other words there wasn't any lapses in any of those areas that lingered in my head after the conclusion.(Cabbage, you hear me?!)

Animation quality: This time its consistent Gonzo(lol sounds like an oxymoron). Even in the filler the animation team at least provided a semblance of effort. 8/10

Story/Pacing: Within the (serious)episodic encounters of the S.S. III I have no qualms with, the two-parters had enough action and suspense to get me anticipated, and the use of a collective thread(s) to string them together IMO kept the viewers' interests which were about to wane from too much one-off random tank busting action. A little like the (I suppose its the benchmark) GITS:SAC structure I guess, only with the utter lack of conclusion to the complex(pun intended) backbone of the story.
But well its better than a Gonzo-done ending anyhow. 4/10.

Voice Acting: The voice actors, as expected from those who do it for a living, definitely shine. The casting was as good as it could get, from the feisty, to the brooding, to the charming, and of course to the villainy, my only gripe is how the hell Ueda Kana is soooooooo underused...9/10

Music: The music is generally good for general atmosphere setting, but not outstanding, nor it is for listening on its own...6/10

General Rating: 27/40...meh.

[stormy001_M1A2]

Sigh

The series have a lot of promise but it finishes on such incomplete note. I dunno why they bothered to animate it if the manga is not even finished yet. It is frustrating to watch a half hanging anime.

Seriously.

[Sinestra]

Started off pretty strong but lagged towards the middle and didnt really pick back up that much. Even so i was totally addicted to the show I think one of the reasons why i liked it so much was the characters. I dont think they did a great job story wise, but the characters were awsome you couldnt help but to like them. Also, Olands personality despite his size i found very refreshing he was gentle giant. Unless it was mission time then the lantern came out and things went BOOM. I will watch the second season with interest i hope its more serious this time with less emphasis on comedy, but with just the right amount laughter to keep us lighthearted

[Zu Ra]

IMHO the last arc wasnt that great for a season finale otherwise in my books it would 9/10 : D

[Taylor--]

I really enjoyed this series and I think I'd only have a few compplaints about it.. first off the pacing was a little.. strange, I'm guessing it's because of the fillers that were thrown in to the mix.. but it was just how we went from an action paced episode to... talking a whole episode with little to no development in the main plot. Like just about everyone else I did not like the ending either because it didn't even really.. end. I got my fingers crossed for season 2 though, and hoping they take their time get more manga material then filler material in the second time around.

[Zu Ra]

IMHO Season 1 should have ended with Flame Dude Arc then the final arc . The Flame Dude arc the series peaked the intrest of veiwers and more info on elusive Invisible 9 was given . The arc has my fave scene Alice with double bladed sword or Darth Alice Kicking butt . In comparision the last arc wasnt that great which was somewhat of a dissapointment

Though in terms of chracter development Alice and Oland relationship has been taken to the next level with this arc it felt as though Alice too has some sort of dormant / passive feelings toward Oland

[FlareKnight]

Yeah, I'll give it a 7. It had points when I was enjoying everything and looking forward to what would happen, but the filler parts certainly didn't help. Certainly seems like a weird place to end the show since there are still so many questions and things unresolved. (I'm sure there is more to the story, but it seems an odd place to just end off the anime)

But I enjoyed the episodes, and so it was a good show in my view.

[Skane]

I will give it a 6, because there were episodes that captivated me. Problem is, they were far and few between. I can't really be arsed to write up a proper review for Pumpkin Scissors, because I am just not motivated enough for it.

Cheers.

[kauldron26]

this anime really makes me mad when i think about it. why?? because i loved it at first and it hurt like hell when the show lost itself in filler. i wouldnt have been mad if it sucked thru and thru. but there were moments of greatness... and that just hurts. same with jyuosei

[iXenomorph]

I think it's grossly underrated. The fillers weren't so bad, a bit of humor now and then, otherwise it'd just end up like Hellsing - crisis situation, main character busts out super protagonist powers, day is saved, etc.

Also, I think it really shows how war affects society, it isn't just oo we're at war, omg! And then "peace" the next moment. Really shows how war veterans are affected after war.
Ending was drawn out though, and left many questions. I hope they make a season 2.

[alucard13mm]

my only thoughts were.. its pretty bad axx to take out a tank with a 50 cal breach loading pistol. the flame-guy's story was pretty cool. other than that, the series was "ok" ~ 7

[roriconfan]

Incomplete story of an otherwise interesting thematic.
Gets a 5 from me.

[alucard13mm]

Originally Posted by roriconfan

Incomplete story of an otherwise interesting thematic.
Gets a 5 from me.

true.. its been a while since i watched it.. they never did catch that evil guy huh? lol

[Sing4ever9]

I give it a ten.

This anime barely gave off the cliches that I find so irritating of some other animes. For example, there is barely any magic and the science fiction is rather discreet if you think about it. Many an anime I hear my friend talk about either has to do with magic or something that is normally fictional is considered common knowledge.

I like how you don't get the typical group dynamics. Alice is truly a strong female character (alot of females in anime can be, le duh) but she doesn't have to constantly show off her skin or let the guys do all the work; she's perfectly capable of handling things herself (however, she can be a bit proud sometimes).
Randel was not the "dark, mysterious guy with a dark mysterious past" nor was he the overly loud, proud, and rude protagonist I usually see in anime. Instead he's just this passive guy with a troubled past who can take on a tank with a big ass gun and lantern.... and live. Also he likes cats; can't help but like a guy who likes cats. :3
Machs was cute. He wasn't the smart ass of the group; he was just smart. He was also the voice of reason as well as the awkward turtle of the group, but hey his co-workers love him anyway.
Oreld: First thought that comes to mind with him is "Oh my God, it's the perve". Unlike some other pervs in other animes though, Oreld actually is charming and doesn't get himself slapped every single time he looks upon a woman (sure, Alice yells at him but still). Nor does he go crazy thinking about the female anatomy *cough*KonfromBleach*cough*. In fact, there are a few instances where Oreld is shown to be a genuine good guy unto women, even telling a woman that, even after she cut her hair for drug money for her father, she was beautiful. Also, I like how he's just the lazy, regular joe type of guy.
Stekkin was hilarious. Sure, she is that bubbly chick you normally see in some animes, but come on; she works for the military! She's the moral support and the mother or sister (it seems) of the group. The scene where she's driving really hurts my gut by the end because she's concentrating so hard and is so intent on driving (even if she is a hazard on the road).

Not to mention, hey, what can I say? I like animes that allude to different eras in history, especially European (it goes to show that you can go outside of your cultural comfort zone).