(L+CR) selector infected WIXOSS

[Gan_HOPE326]

Originally Posted by Marina2

I have a bad feeling that 'Grandma' will die. Ruko need some motivation to win right?

I also hope I will be wrong.

I have to say, a grandmother who designs a custom Tetris level was the highlight of the episode for me . She looks quite the savvy granny. Though she wasn't characterized much beyond that.

Also, am I the only one who rolled his eyes at "you need to make friends -> here, take this SUPER UBER POPULAR CARD GAME that will surely help you make the truest of friends" ? That smelled of toy commercial so bad .

[ValvraveTruth]

Everthing seems fine and the op not bad at all. As we have watch tons of anime, we can see this anime is going to get very DARK if you know what i mean. Whats more the twin sister love brother cliche, i kinda think the brother will like the MC Ruko and? deadly killing between Ruko and Yuzuki?

[Gan_HOPE326]

Originally Posted by ValvraveTruth

Everthing seems fine and the op not bad at all. As we have watch tons of anime, we can see this anime is going to get very DARK if you know what i mean. Whats more the twin sister love brother cliche, i kinda think the brother will like the MC Ruko and? deadly killing between Ruko and Yuzuki?

What about Yuzuki wishing for her brother to love her back, only to discover that he's now a mindless drone whose only thought and desire is that to be with her but that has lost all his own will and character? That's the kind of wish granting you'd see from Fate/Zero's Holy Grail .

[ookamigirl]

I like Ru's little family ^^
So far it looks nice.
I'm kinda skeptical about the whole card game thing though.
The incident with the card was kinda LOL
Looks like this anime has some serious potential to be great!
The hints they were throwing got me interested.
Think I might give this one a few more episodes before I decide.

[frodonk]

I was more disturbed by the fact that they're playing those cards in the open, at lunch break, at the cafeteria, where presumably other teachers are also eating their lunch a few tables from them.

If it happened in my school, there would have been a week long investigation as to what type of cards those girls were playing, whether it had objectionable content, those who were caught playing it would be interrogated, the cards would be confiscated (without any hope of return), parents will be summoned, announcements about the "offense" will be posted in bulletin boards around the school, until finally a week long suspension will be given out and those caught will be placed on strict surveillance by teachers months after the incident.

that's why we had secret signals, secret spots, false bottoms in our school bags and look-outs whenever we brought our pokemon cards and battle at school

[Birdway]

I know that, my friends gathering at places away from teachers in order to play cards (poker, yo gi oh, etc) or videogames.

[Utsuro no Hako]

Originally Posted by Esclair

It's not so much the setup or the characters that give me a Madoka vibe, but rather the directional style. The camera angles and quick cuts to various backgrounds are highly reminiscent of what Shaft did for Madoka. This is especially apparent because it's not a style that JC staff normally uses for their shows. The show is also paced slower like Madoka.

Then there's the pastel like colors, and the way the lighting is set up for normal/dream-scape shots, the use of various filters. All of it combined just feels similar to Madoka.

The style felt more like Another and Shin Sekai Yori to me, both of which used all the techniques you list without being anything like Madoka. (I also didn't notice any pastels - it was all greys and browns with some reds and all the other colors muted.)

[Gan_HOPE326]

Originally Posted by frodonk

I was more disturbed by the fact that they're playing those cards in the open, at lunch break, at the cafeteria, where presumably other teachers are also eating their lunch a few tables from them.

If it happened in my school, there would have been a week long investigation as to what type of cards those girls were playing, whether it had objectionable content, those who were caught playing it would be interrogated, the cards would be confiscated (without any hope of return), parents will be summoned, announcements about the "offense" will be posted in bulletin boards around the school, until finally a week long suspension will be given out and those caught will be placed on strict surveillance by teachers months after the incident.

that's why we had secret signals, secret spots, false bottoms in our school bags and look-outs whenever we brought our pokemon cards and battle at school

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH THOSE CARDS, MISS?!?"

"I'm... playing a children's card game..."

"UNACCEPTABLE! I'LL CONFISCATE THEM IMMEDIATELY!"

"But it's not like I enjoy it! I'm only doing so in order to get the magical power to grant my wish of having my brother pork me!"

"Oh, then it's okay. Go on."

[Haak]

Originally Posted by frodonk

I was more disturbed by the fact that they're playing those cards in the open, at lunch break, at the cafeteria, where presumably other teachers are also eating their lunch a few tables from them.

If it happened in my school, there would have been a week long investigation as to what type of cards those girls were playing, whether it had objectionable content, those who were caught playing it would be interrogated, the cards would be confiscated (without any hope of return), parents will be summoned, announcements about the "offense" will be posted in bulletin boards around the school, until finally a week long suspension will be given out and those caught will be placed on strict surveillance by teachers months after the incident.

that's why we had secret signals, secret spots, false bottoms in our school bags and look-outs whenever we brought our pokemon cards and battle at school

I'd prefer that to what I got in High school where we were far more likely to be target of jibes from our peers than discipline from our teachers. Thankfully that wasn't too much of an issue since we hung out in the library like the nerds we were. XP

[Triple_R]

Yeah, I also definitely get a Madoka Magica vibe with this show.

Not so much with the characters - They're fairly different from the PMMM main cast, at least so far - But rather with the tone and atmosphere and some of the ideas/terminology being explored. All this talk of wishes, literally fighting for your wish, and achieving an idealized self - This all vividly reminds me of Madoka Magica.

So my hope is that this show might be to "children's card game shows" what Madoka Magica is to "magical girl". Only time will tell, though.

A very solid opening episode that shows a lot of promise, imo.


Edit: When I was a high-schooler in the 90s, it wasn't uncommon for kids to be playing Magic: The Gathering in the cafeteria during lunch hour, for those who didn't go home for lunch. I myself played it some times. Teachers never really had a problem with it, so I could easily relate to the 'out and open' card-playing here.

[NinjaRealist]

Originally Posted by Esclair

It's not so much the setup or the characters that give me a Madoka vibe, but rather the directional style. The camera angles and quick cuts to various backgrounds are highly reminiscent of what Shaft did for Madoka. This is especially apparent because it's not a style that JC staff normally uses for their shows. The show is also paced slower like Madoka.

Then there's the pastel like colors, and the way the lighting is set up for normal/dream-scape shots, the use of various filters. All of it combined just feels similar to Madoka. Whereas if you look at Genei wo kakeru taiyou, even though it has the same kind of light/dark split between the real world and the battle world, the resemblance isn't really strong at all. Finally, the music and sound effects give me the same feel I did while watching Madoka.

When you combine all of these elements, as well as the basic setup, it heavily gives off the Madoka vibe, which is a bit unfortunate as I think people will compare it with Madoka with a bias against the show. The first episode was interesting enough, but I think the show probably would have benefited more by distancing itself from Madoka.

All seriousness aside, Tama is totally the Kyubei of this show.

I agree with you that there are SOME similarities between Shinbo and Satou's directional style, but I personally feel that those similarities have a lot to do with both of them just being good directors and using an efficient style of shot blocking.

That being said, I think there are some HUGE differences between these shows and I think most of them have nothing to do with the visual style:

Spoiler for Comparison to Madoka Magica:

1. The premise is nothing like Madoka's premise. Madoka is about people who give up their humanity in order to have a wish granted. Everyone who gives up their humanity gets a wish.

Selector Infected is a death tournament show in the vein of Fate/Zero, Mirai Nikki, Mai-Hime, etc. All the characters are ostensibly going to battle it out for the last man standing.

Even on a simplistic level the only thing that these premises have in common is wishes. And there are lots of shows that feature wishes as a central plot point but are nothing like Madoka (HENNEKO for example)

2. The characters are nothing like Madoka's characters.

You said that Tama was like this show's Kyubei, in what way? Just because she's also a magical creature that seems to have bad intentions? Because other than that they're obviously totally different characters.

Kyubei is emotionless and amoral. He's a god-like being that uses nothing but cold, calculating, logic to make decisions. He also enters the show as a fully aware, intelligent, being. By contrast, Tama is clearly very emotional. She seems to be driven by the primal urge to fight and doesn't seem to use much in the way of logic or calculation. Unlike Kyubei, Tama enters the series in an infantile state and is incapable of even speaking language when she comes onto the show.

Tama is much more in the vein of Hoshimaru (of Narutaru fame) than Kyuubei.

I could go on with the character comparisons: Ruuko (more introverted) is quite different from Madoka (more extroverted) and her family is nothing like Madoka's family either, but I'm just going to leave it at that for now.

3. Mari Okada's writing is nothing like Gurobuchi's. Does this one even need explanation? In my opinion it does not.

Now I get that there are similarities between these two shows. Selector Infected definitely has a similar vibe/tone to Madoka and I get why people would be inclined to compare them.

But my point is that the similarities are superficial. Selector Infected has a Madoka-vibe but it is, in no way, a Madoka clone. Calling it a Madoka clone is a bit insulting both to Madoka and to the creators of this show. It's also a bit insulting to all the other grim/dark shows, such as Narutaru, Mai/Hime, etc. that have also inspired this show and the genre as a whole. I'm not saying that Madoka didn't influence this show but it's NOT a Madoka clone.

Originally Posted by Haak

For your information, I haven't read any blogs or anything on this show. Madoka Magica was my immediate impression when I watched the trailer and it was further strengthened when I watched the première. And I think it's disingenuous to say the similarities are only superficial. How many shows have you seen start off with young moe girls being attracted to a magical side that turns out to be incredibly dark and suffering? It doesn't help that the whole "cute girls suffering" appears to be a major point in this show, just as it was the whole point in Madoka Magica.

Hmmm, moe characters, magical powers, dark powers, how many others have I seen?

Show about cute characters that are forced to suffer due to supernatural (or super-technological) events?

Spoiler for Comparison to a whole bunch of other anime; spoilers inherent, at your own risk:

- Narutaru
- Mai-Hime
- Higurashi
- NTHT
- Digimon Tamers
- SSY
- Victory Gundam
- Haibane Renmei
- Nanoha
- Bokurano
- Mirai Nikki
- Chirin no Suzu
- Infinite Ryvius
- Chrono Crusade
- Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle
- Alien Nine
- Uta Kata
- Noein

This was all I could think of off the top of my head but I'm sure I'm forgetting some shows. I bolded the ones that feature magical girls.

[Esclair]

Originally Posted by NinjaRealist

I agree with you that there are SOME similarities between Shinbo and Satou's directional style, but I personally feel that those similarities have a lot to do with both of them just being good directors and using an efficient style of shot blocking.

Stein's Gate's first episode feels nothing like Madoka despite using similar techniques. Every thing I said above has been done in other anime, but it's the combination of all of it, and the fact that it's in the same 'genre' as Madoka that make it feel similar.

[quote]

That being said, I think there are some HUGE differences between these shows and I think most of them have nothing to do with the visual style:

Spoiler for Comparison to Madoka Magica:

1. The premise is nothing like Madoka's premise. Madoka is about people who give up their humanity in order to have a wish granted. Everyone who gives up their humanity gets a wish.

Selector Infected is a death tournament show in the vein of Fate/Zero, Mirai Nikki, Mai-Hime, etc. All the characters are ostensibly going to battle it out for the last man standing.

Even on a simplistic level the only thing that these premises have in common is wishes. And there are lots of shows that feature wishes as a central plot point but are nothing like Madoka (HENNEKO for example)

2. The characters are nothing like Madoka's characters.

You said that Tama was like this show's Kyubei, in what way? Just because she's also a magical creature that seems to have bad intentions? Because other than that they're obviously totally different characters.

Kyubei is emotionless and amoral. He's a god-like being that uses nothing but cold, calculating, logic to make decisions. He also enters the show as a fully aware, intelligent, being. By contrast, Tama is clearly very emotional. She seems to be driven by the primal urge to fight and doesn't seem to use much in the way of logic or calculation. Unlike Kyubei, Tama enters the series in an infantile state and is incapable of even speaking language when she comes onto the show.

Tama is much more in the vein of Hoshimaru (of Narutaru fame) than Kyuubei.

I could go on with the character comparisons: Ruuko (more introverted) is quite different from Madoka (more extroverted) and her family is nothing like Madoka's family either, but I'm just going to leave it at that for now.

3. Mari Okada's writing is nothing like Gurobuchi's. Does this one even need explanation? In my opinion it does not.

Now I get that there are similarities between these two shows. Selector Infected definitely has a similar vibe/tone to Madoka and I get why people would be inclined to compare them.

But my point is that the similarities are superficial. Selector Infected has a Madoka-vibe but it is, in no way, a Madoka clone. Calling it a Madoka clone is a bit insulting both to Madoka and to the creators of this show. It's also a bit insulting to all the other grim/dark shows, such as Narutaru, Mai/Hime, etc. that have also inspired this show and the genre as a whole. I'm not saying that Madoka didn't influence this show but it's NOT a Madoka clone.

Well, I was going by episode 1 impressions. At that point you don't know that the girls have to give up their humanity for their wishes, nor do you know that Kyubey is an emotionless logic machine bent on harvesting the girl's despair. I also said 'all seriousness aside' for the Kyubei comment, which meant I said it more as a joke. But Tama does look very similar to what 'human' versions of Kyubei look like in fanart, especially with her colors scheme. The 'nightmare' Ru has of Tama also totally feels like the nightmare fuel renditions of Kyubei you see fanart. All of this could just be a coincidence but with all the other signs it just does feel like they did it intentionally.

Hmmm, moe characters, magical powers, dark powers, how many others have I seen?

Show about cute characters that are forced to suffer due to supernatural (or super-technological) events?

Spoiler for Comparison to a whole bunch of other anime; spoilers inherent, at your own risk:

- Narutaru
- Mai-Hime
- Higurashi
- NTHT
- Digimon Tamers
- SSY
- Victory Gundam
- Haibane Renmei
- Nanoha
- Bokurano
- Mirai Nikki
- Chirin no Suzu
- Infinite Ryvius
- Chrono Crusade
- Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle
- Alien Nine
- Uta Kata
- Noein

This was all I could think of off the top of my head but I'm sure I'm forgetting some shows. I bolded the ones that feature magical girls.

I've seen most of those shows and the only one that resembles Madoka in 'feel' is Uta Kata (at least initially), and in Uta Kata's case the story and theme are quite different. If you score the similarities, out of 10, I'd say most of those shows fall between 2-5, whereas WIXOSS is definitely more like a 7-8.

[Triple_R]

@NinjaRealist - I think there are significant similarities between this show and Madoka Magica that you are overly downplaying. I also think that your assessment of Madoka Magica is simply off on some points. So I'm going to address that now.

Originally Posted by NinjaRealist

I agree with you that there are SOME similarities between Shinbo and Satou's directional style, but I personally feel that those similarities have a lot to do with both of them just being good directors and using an efficient style of shot blocking.

That being said, I think there are some HUGE differences between these shows and I think most of them have nothing to do with the visual style:

Spoiler for Comparison to Madoka Magica:

1. The premise is nothing like Madoka's premise. Madoka is about people who give up their humanity in order to have a wish granted. Everyone who gives up their humanity gets a wish.

Selector Infected is a death tournament show in the vein of Fate/Zero, Mirai Nikki, Mai-Hime, etc. All the characters are ostensibly going to battle it out for the last man standing.

Even on a simplistic level the only thing that these premises have in common is wishes. And there are lots of shows that feature wishes as a central plot point but are nothing like Madoka (HENNEKO for example)

2. The characters are nothing like Madoka's characters.

You said that Tama was like this show's Kyubei, in what way? Just because she's also a magical creature that seems to have bad intentions? Because other than that they're obviously totally different characters.

Kyubei is emotionless and amoral. He's a god-like being that uses nothing but cold, calculating, logic to make decisions. He also enters the show as a fully aware, intelligent, being. By contrast, Tama is clearly very emotional. She seems to be driven by the primal urge to fight and doesn't seem to use much in the way of logic or calculation. Unlike Kyubei, Tama enters the series in an infantile state and is incapable of even speaking language when she comes onto the show.

Tama is much more in the vein of Hoshimaru (of Narutaru fame) than Kyuubei.

I could go on with the character comparisons: Ruuko (more introverted) is quite different from Madoka (more extroverted) and her family is nothing like Madoka's family either, but I'm just going to leave it at that for now.

3. Mari Okada's writing is nothing like Gurobuchi's. Does this one even need explanation? In my opinion it does not.

Now I get that there are similarities between these two shows. Selector Infected definitely has a similar vibe/tone to Madoka and I get why people would be inclined to compare them.

But my point is that the similarities are superficial. Selector Infected has a Madoka-vibe but it is, in no way, a Madoka clone. Calling it a Madoka clone is a bit insulting both to Madoka and to the creators of this show. It's also a bit insulting to all the other grim/dark shows, such as Narutaru, Mai/Hime, etc. that have also inspired this show and the genre as a whole. I'm not saying that Madoka didn't influence this show but it's NOT a Madoka clone.

Spoiler for Comparison to Madoka Magica:

1. The premise is somewhat similar to Madoka Magica. Madoka Magica is not about people who give up their humanity in order to have their wish granted. The Puella Magi didn't even know about how their humanity was arguably compromised before the Soul Gem reveal of episode 6. Madoka Magica is much more about people literally fighting for their wish - In fact, I'm pretty sure Homura said a line much to the effect, if not that verbatim line - "We fight for our wish".
And this show is similarly about people literally fighting (this time, through card battles) for their wish.

2. The characters are significantly different, yes. I agree with you here. However, Ruuko and Madoka are not radically different - They're both generally cheerful, good-natured, family-oriented girls. It's just that Madoka is more extroverted and hence has friends. Also, Kyubey is not god-like. Such an assessment of him flies completely in the face of Madoka Magica Episode 12.

3. Mari Okada and Gen Urobuchi are different writers with different styles, but you overstate the difference. I mean, it's not like they're polar opposites. The Mari Okada-wrote Black Rock Shooter TV series was pretty dark and shared some similarities with a Gen-wrote work, imo.

Hmmm, moe characters, magical powers, dark powers, how many others have I seen?

I think you're missing Haak's point. It's not just these bare ingredients that's key, it's also how they come across when brought together.

Some of the shows you listed don't give anywhere near as dark/serious/sober a feel as either this show or Madoka Magica.

[ReinZwei]

Just watched it a while ago and agree about the similarities in Madoka but just the atmosphere alone and some little bit dark vibes, aside from that instead of a Yu-gi-oh similarity the design are much similar to Angelic Layer before specially when they are battling. So in short it really looks like a darker version of angelic layer..

[Nvis]

Don't think I'll watch this.....this really a card game anime.

And the girls don't give me a "WOW" factor at all.

[FlareKnight]

I think it just reflects the success Madoka had that a seemingly (isn't that bad from episode 1) dark anime with young girls and supernatural elements is going to draw the Madoka comparisons. Not that I don't see where some of them are coming from, not sure I'd say there is a massive similarity either. Plenty of series have got elements that you'd attribute to this show at this early stage.

At this point it's a tournament style series with a dark atmosphere. Right now this thing has more in common with the first season of Yu-Gi-Oh than Madoka.

As things stand this situation hardly seems to be that bad. The only concerning bit is whether some jerk wins who wants to end the world or become a god or something.

[SeaDoor]

I'm not sure that having this show go dark and drive the girls to despair would be the best approach for selling a card game. Perhaps, they only intends to make a few oblique references to Madoka/BRS to up the coolness factor and no one will get so involved they lose their head.

[Triple_R]

Originally Posted by SeaDoor

I'm not sure that having this show go dark and drive the girls to despair would be the best approach for selling a card game. Perhaps, they only intends to make a few oblique references to Madoka/BRS to up the coolness factor and no one will get so involved they lose their head.

Is this an actual real-life card game that we're seeing here, though? As it is in Yu-Gi-Oh? Or is this a purely fictional card game created strictly for this anime?

[Esclair]

Originally Posted by Triple_R

Is this an actual real-life card game that we're seeing here, though? As it is in Yu-Gi-Oh? Or is this a purely fictional card game created strictly for this anime?

According to wikipedia the card game is slated to be released April 26th. I mean, if you're going to include a card game in your anime you might as well capitalize it to sell some merchandise right?

[NinjaRealist]

[QUOTE=Esclair;5069665]Stein's Gate's first episode feels nothing like Madoka despite using similar techniques. Every thing I said above has been done in other anime, but it's the combination of all of it, and the fact that it's in the same 'genre' as Madoka that make it feel similar.

That being said, I think there are some HUGE differences between these shows and I think most of them have nothing to do with the visual style:

Spoiler for Comparison to Madoka Magica:

1. The premise is nothing like Madoka's premise. Madoka is about people who give up their humanity in order to have a wish granted. Everyone who gives up their humanity gets a wish.

Selector Infected is a death tournament show in the vein of Fate/Zero, Mirai Nikki, Mai-Hime, etc. All the characters are ostensibly going to battle it out for the last man standing.

Even on a simplistic level the only thing that these premises have in common is wishes. And there are lots of shows that feature wishes as a central plot point but are nothing like Madoka (HENNEKO for example)

2. The characters are nothing like Madoka's characters.

You said that Tama was like this show's Kyubei, in what way? Just because she's also a magical creature that seems to have bad intentions? Because other than that they're obviously totally different characters.

Kyubei is emotionless and amoral. He's a god-like being that uses nothing but cold, calculating, logic to make decisions. He also enters the show as a fully aware, intelligent, being. By contrast, Tama is clearly very emotional. She seems to be driven by the primal urge to fight and doesn't seem to use much in the way of logic or calculation. Unlike Kyubei, Tama enters the series in an infantile state and is incapable of even speaking language when she comes onto the show.

Tama is much more in the vein of Hoshimaru (of Narutaru fame) than Kyuubei.

I could go on with the character comparisons: Ruuko (more introverted) is quite different from Madoka (more extroverted) and her family is nothing like Madoka's family either, but I'm just going to leave it at that for now.

3. Mari Okada's writing is nothing like Gurobuchi's. Does this one even need explanation? In my opinion it does not.

Now I get that there are similarities between these two shows. Selector Infected definitely has a similar vibe/tone to Madoka and I get why people would be inclined to compare them.

But my point is that the similarities are superficial. Selector Infected has a Madoka-vibe but it is, in no way, a Madoka clone. Calling it a Madoka clone is a bit insulting both to Madoka and to the creators of this show. It's also a bit insulting to all the other grim/dark shows, such as Narutaru, Mai/Hime, etc. that have also inspired this show and the genre as a whole. I'm not saying that Madoka didn't influence this show but it's NOT a Madoka clone.

Well, I was going by episode 1 impressions. At that point you don't know that the girls have to give up their humanity for their wishes, nor do you know that Kyubey is an emotionless logic machine bent on harvesting the girl's despair. I also said 'all seriousness aside' for the Kyubei comment, which meant I said it more as a joke. But Tama does look very similar to what 'human' versions of Kyubei look like in fanart, especially with her colors scheme. The 'nightmare' Ru has of Tama also totally feels like the nightmare fuel renditions of Kyubei you see fanart. All of this could just be a coincidence but with all the other signs it just does feel like they did it intentionally.

Well, to be fair, with those comparisons I was taking what I know of a completed series (Madoka) and comparing it to what I expect to happen in an incomplete series (WIXOSS). We won't really know how similar these shows are until WIXOSS is over.

I've seen most of those shows and the only one that resembles Madoka in 'feel' is Uta Kata (at least initially), and in Uta Kata's case the story and theme are quite different. If you score the similarities, out of 10, I'd say most of those shows fall between 2-5, whereas WIXOSS is definitely more like a 7-8.

My point isn't that those shows are similar to Madoka, my point is that a lot of those shows are more similar to WIXOSS than Madoka.

Spoiler:

Mai-Hime and Narutaru are the best examples of this.

Both of these shows are seminal grim/dark shows and WIXOSS has a lot more in common with both of these shows than it does with Madoka. I could go into greater detail about the similarities between WIXOSS and Mai-Hime/Narutaru but I feel like those similarities should be obvious to anyone who's seen either of those shows.