Author Topic: And You Thought There Was Never an Anime Thread on This Forum! (Read 166161 times)

MoneyLovinOgre4Hire · « **Reply #1320 on:** 29 April 2018, 14:40:14 »

Quote from: MadCapellan on 29 April 2018, 13:54:10

Violet Evergarden's light novel is published by Kyoto Animation themselves with the specific intent of creating the anime. Kyoani does this silly thing where they solicit potential scripts as light novels, grants them "awards", and then animates them. I think it's supposed to encourage people to see them as an artistic studio dedicated to cultivating grass-roots creators, but I can't help but feel like it's just circular self-promotion....

So it's AstroTurf?

MadCapellan · « **Reply #1321 on:** 29 April 2018, 16:29:50 »

Quote from: MoneyLovinOgre4Hire on 29 April 2018, 14:40:14

So it's AstroTurf?

That's my feeling, yes. When you are an animation studio who suddenly starts contracting & printing light novels, host an annual light novel awards competition which you only award to your own publications, & then make anime of said awarded properties, the entire process seems extremely manufactured. While Kyoto Animation unquestionably has some extremely talented animators, particularly in the area of life-like applications of light & shadow in motion, I find find their company as whole comports itself in a very haughty, self-congratulatory fashion that does not endear them to me.

iamfanboy · « **Reply #1322 on:** 29 April 2018, 16:45:42 »

Quote from: MadCapellan on 29 April 2018, 10:15:00

Well I'm happy as a clam this morning!

It seems 2017's best anime, Princess Principal is getting SIX sequel films starting in 2019!

I mean, I liked Princess Principal as much as the next man, and I'm dead excited for the movies (and my wife will giggle in glee when I wake her up with the news), but Made in Abyss was better. Maybe not MUCH better, I'll give you that, but it had the margin in drama - nothing even compares with Nanachi and Mitty's dynamic alone, let alone the moment where Reg stands over Riko, a sharp rock in his hand and tears in his eyes. Yes, there were some good moments in PP, like when you find out the Princess's secret and you feel that visceral terror that must have been her companion for years, but Made in Abyss was just...

Better. It still hurts a little, six months later.

Quote from: MadCapellan on 29 April 2018, 13:54:10

Violet Evergarden's light novel is published by Kyoto Animation themselves with the specific intent of creating the anime. Kyoani does this silly thing where they solicit potential scripts as light novels, grants them "awards", and then animates them. I think it's supposed to encourage people to see them as an artistic studio dedicated to cultivating grass-roots creators, but I can't help but feel like it's just circular self-promotion....

I see it more as a business decision: by keeping it in-house as much as possible, they're streamlining production. By measuring the popularity of their LN sales, they know what they can animate safely without losing money. By treating their own authors with at least some outward measure of respect (Here's a reward for you!) they're encouraging loyalty from their creatives.

If everything they made was bad, and I mean soul-crushingly awful and vapid (as I consider K-On! to be) then you'd have a fair point. But they have produced some fairly good stuff - Violet Evergarden is a decent anime, Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid last year was one of the funnier things I've seen in a while, and I've heard good things about Amagi Brilliant Park.

Wow, I am just disagreeing with you today, MadCap! :p

MoneyLovinOgre4Hire · « **Reply #1323 on:** 29 April 2018, 17:16:07 »

I liked Miss Kobiyashi's Dragon Maid, but the self-award trophy behavior is pretty skeevy.

MadCapellan · « **Reply #1324 on:** 29 April 2018, 18:38:58 »

Quote from: iamfanboy on 29 April 2018, 16:45:42

Made in Abyss was better.

I have no interest in criticizing Made In Abyss, I agree it was an amazing work in nearly every aspect, but I highly value a sense of fun in my entertainment, and for all it's creative beauty, I found Made In Abyss a little too heavy emotionally to still be fun.

Quote

If everything they made was bad, and I mean soul-crushingly awful and vapid (as I consider K-On! to be) then you'd have a fair point. But they have produced some fairly good stuff - Violet Evergarden is a decent anime, Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid last year was one of the funnier things I've seen in a while, and I've heard good things about Amagi Brilliant Park.

Of the three titles you praise, however, only Violet Evergarden was published in-house. Maid Dragon was a manga from Monthly Action, & Amagi Brilliant Park was written by FMP's Shoji Gatoh, who's published by Fujimi Fantasia Bunko.

I admit I may be unduly hard on Kyoani. I have a tendancy to develop an irrational dislike of things I find to be overrated. Most everyone holds them up as one of the best studios in the business, and on their technical merits working within the areas of their expertise, I'd generally agree. In terms of action cuts & choreography, however, I find their work to be rather average, & their penchant for melodrama & dull, empty female characters devoid of personal motivation is something I find really undesirable. That they now largely no longer work with most of the major book & VN publishers that put them on the map in the first place only leads me to believe that they either feel they are too good for those company's properties, or they have done something business-wise to alienate the industry's other major players, neither of which strikes me as complimentary. I have been enjoying more of their works of late, but in general, you can pretty much count on me having the lowest regard for any Kyoani property of anyone in the room.

Dies Irae · « **Reply #1325 on:** 29 April 2018, 20:02:23 »

Quote from: Matti on 29 April 2018, 13:32:55

Got it. Can someone tell me about the light novels and how anime compares to them?

From my perspective, Kyo-Ani actually did a really good job grounding the show, carving out the supernatural elements and focusing on Violet's own emotional state, especially on aspects which were glossed over in the novel.

The light novels actually aren't all that good in my opinion. There's a degree of supernatural fixation with Violet being either the offspring/reincarnation (I don't recall which) of an ancient War Goddess and Violet actually has LESS personality than in the series. Where Violet Evergarden (Anime) is focusing heavily on the cost of war and learning to love oneself again through the lens of an emotionally distraught child soldier, Violet Evergarden (Novel) is more of a fantasy romp in that things just seem to flow around Violet as if she's sort of this overly calm eye of the storm. Though the general plot beats are at least superficially similar; in the anime, Violet grows, matures and changes with each catalytic event whereas in the light novel, she's sort of good at writing, stoic and hits stuff with an axe, and that generally seems to be the depth of her character.

I actually preferred the anime, especially since the followup sequel novel from the same author was in my opinion terrible.

Caveat: My Japanese is bad.

Quote from: iamfanboy on 29 April 2018, 16:45:42

If everything they made was bad, and I mean soul-crushingly awful and vapid (as I consider K-On! to be) then you'd have a fair point.

But... but... I like K-On! :'(

(I might also be soul-crushingly awful and vapid. ;D)

Matti · « **Reply #1326 on:** 29 April 2018, 22:59:17 »

Quote from: iamfanboy on 29 April 2018, 16:45:42

Made in Abyss was better. Maybe not MUCH better, I'll give you that, but it had the margin in drama - nothing even compares with Nanachi and Mitty's dynamic alone, let alone the moment where Reg stands over Riko, a sharp rock in his hand and tears in his eyes. Yes, there were some good moments in PP, like when you find out the Princess's secret and you feel that visceral terror that must have been her companion for years, but Made in Abyss was just...

Better. It still hurts a little, six months later.

I want to see it now! Where is it... Ah-Ha! In HIDIVE!

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FINLAND. - YOUR REGION IS NOT SUPPORTED AT THIS TIME – PLEASE CHECK BACK LATER. THANK YOU!

Well, frak! >:(

And I like K-On! also. I have all the manga (at least 5 of them) and really liked the first season of anime (seen it in anime club).

But: "It is popular, now it suck".
^I don't care!

kato · « **Reply #1327 on:** 30 April 2018, 00:41:49 »

Quote from: MadCapellan on 29 April 2018, 18:38:58

for all it's creative beauty, I found Made In Abyss a little too heavy emotionally to still be fun.

Eh, you really don't want to read the manga then. Think Elevator Scene. It continues like that. And goes deeper.

Anime sequel was announced in December btw, with no word on which format. Next arc could probably be done well in a movie.

elf25s · « **Reply #1328 on:** 30 April 2018, 03:29:52 »

Quote from: Matti on 29 April 2018, 22:59:17

I want to see it now! Where is it... Ah-Ha! In HIDIVE!Well, frak! >:(

And I like K-On! also. I have all the manga (at least 5 of them) and really liked the first season of anime (seen it in anime club).

But: "It is popular, now it suck".
^I don't care!

did you go to place i sent you to? in case you had not noticed they do have manga section >:D

Matti · « **Reply #1329 on:** 30 April 2018, 10:38:54 »

About Made in Abyss:

Quote from: kato on 30 April 2018, 00:41:49

Eh, you really don't want to read the manga then. Think Elevator Scene. It continues like that. And goes deeper.

Between manga and anime, which one do you call better? Or are they both good but different?

kato · « **Reply #1330 on:** 30 April 2018, 11:46:45 »

Quote from: Matti on 30 April 2018, 10:38:54

About Made in Abyss:Between manga and anime, which one do you call better? Or are they both good but different?

They're equally good - and really continuous enough that you could just switch over to chapter 27 of the manga after the anime and not have any plot surprises lurking in previous chapters. The manga provides more detail in ways that often can not really be shown that way in anime: through maps and such. The anime also has original stuff though, mostly in how early battles play out, but also making some scene transitions smoother.

In my opinion the manga seems "visually darker" since the anime uses a lot of vibrant colour (in particular a whole lot of green) whereas the - monochrome - manga does tend to use a lot of shadows. While this sets a different mood, it also works pretty well in estranging people more with the plot than the manga does.

iamfanboy · « **Reply #1331 on:** 30 April 2018, 17:39:12 »

That was my feeling with the manga too: Good and different, with little enough missing that you could easily switch between the two. I think I actually preferred the anime a little bit because of the Miyazakian visuals. At this point in my life, however, I need relaxation and good cheer so I've been doing more lighthearted stuff and I've set aside Made in Abyss for now.

As far as K-On! goes...

I just have an aversion to character design that comes from moe, rather than letting moe come from character design. It's like... Rei Ayanami was original and interesting the first time you see her, but then EVERY anime HAD to have an Ayanami style character "Because she's great" - without regard to what made her great, the fact that she was unique at the time. It's as though that big tank of clones had a dimensional rupture right in the middle, spilling her all across anime-dom.

That's my main problem with K-On!, Girls Und Panzer, Love Hina, and a bunch of other anime that I've deleted over the years and frankly forgotten the names of. It seems like they started writing with, "Well, we need a genki girl, we need a sheep, we need an Ayanami, we need a nadeshiko, we need a geeky one who's a bit genre savvy..." instead of starting with a story and allowing the characters to grow from there.

Hell, I didn't try Haruhi for close to ten years because of that obvious moe-factor in the designs of the main three females, and really only gave the anime a chance because of the novels.

But hey, that's MY personal feelings on the matter, and I can't help what I dislike, just as MadCap has every right to dislike KyoAni.

Dies Irae · « **Reply #1332 on:** 30 April 2018, 22:50:09 »

Quote from: iamfanboy on 30 April 2018, 17:39:12

But hey, that's MY personal feelings on the matter, and I can't help what I dislike, just as MadCap has every right to dislike KyoAni.

It's the internet. :D
Someone's going to hate the things you love and love the things you hate. You're under no obligation to like what others like or dislike what others dislike - they're your tastes.

And seriously. We're watching Japanese animation. Nobody's going to die or lose any sleep over the fact that you don't like K-On, MadCap dislikes KyoAni or the fact that I couldn't finish Made in Abyss because it made me sick to the core.

Different strokes for different folks.

kato · « **Reply #1333 on:** 04 May 2018, 07:26:57 »

Some one-liner observations on this season:

3D Kanojo Real Girl : This would work way better with gals... wait, we've had that.
Akkun to Kanojo : I wonder whether B-kun is an abusive stalker too.
Comic Girls : Admit it, you're humming the OP of Haiyore Nyaruko! too everytime she's on screen.
Full Metal Panic: Invisible Victory : Is there gonna be any plot to tell once the initial continuous battle finishes by like... what feels like the end of the season?
Golden Kamuy : Oh wait, it takes until episode 3 until someone explains that you do not need to skin people to get their tattoos?
High School DxD Hero : Seems to finally have given up any sort of pretense that this is not simply H.
Hinamatsuri : Not-quite-original idea living mostly off its plot has started losing its momentum.
Isekai Izakaya: Koto Aitheria no Izakaya Nobu : Way too long title for what's really a full-fledged advertisement for... the japanese bar industry i guess.
Last Period: Owarinaki Raisen no Monogatari : Now managing to bring the NicoNico memes not just visually but to the plot too.
Otaku ni Koi wa Muzukashii : Bringing us the prejudice that fujoshi like crossdressing guys and not much beyond that.
Megalo Box : Guess when we really want to bash home the this-is-Ashita-Joe-in-the-future feeling we just drop any aliases and from now on shall call the MC... Joe.
Sword Art Online: Gun Gale Online : Three-episode-long flashback finished by ... episode four.
Tada-kun wa Koi wo Shinai : A bit too slice-of-life-comedy-ish for what should be a standard high-school-bu romance story.
Uma Musume: Pretty Derby : Muri.

MadCapellan · « **Reply #1334 on:** 04 May 2018, 09:43:10 »

Man, savage!

I'm enjoying a good number of those shows - 3D Kanojo, Hinamatsuri, Comic Girls, FMP & Wotakoi specifically!

3D Kanojo & Wotakoi share a similar thematic space separated by about 10 years of demographics, but I'm generally in favor of any story that encourages otaku to date each other, & I feel both strike a good balance between making the characters attractive & making them socially awkward. Of the two, I'd say Wotakoi's the clear superior - not only does it tackle adult relationships in an adult setting, it's very character driven & its cast are well-fleshed out & reasonably mature, whereas 3D Kanojo is running with a lot of stock romance drama tropes.

Comic Girls is adorable, & I love the way the characters mesh with their manga - the way Ruki's lewd mind clashes with her prim exterior is great.

I didn't really expect any different from the climax of FMP than a cataclysmic showdown of incredibly destructive proportions. After waiting 12 years for a resolution, I can handle 12 episodes of rapid-fire events!

Hinamatsuri may be mining the same vein as Alive to Zoroku, but

Alice to Zoroku was gold
More gold is good
Gag manga about Yakuza are good
they're mixing two great things
Anzu is adorable, please give her a good home!
Having good girl Hitomi embrace the seedy underbelly of society will never not be funny.

Matti · « **Reply #1335 on:** 04 May 2018, 10:02:22 »

I don't understand enough of Japanese to watch the anime at the source without subtitles. Can you tell what English language sites (like Crunchyroll and HIDIVE) call those anime?

kato · « **Reply #1336 on:** 04 May 2018, 11:02:27 »

Offhand:

Otaku ni Koi wa Muzukashii : Wotakoi - Love is Hard for Otaku
Tada-kun wa Koi wo Shinai : Tada never falls in Love
Last Period - Owarinaki Raisen no Monogatari : Last Period - The Story of an Endless Spiral (not sure, that's the english title of the mobage)
Isekai Izakaya - Koto Aitheria no Izakaya Nobu : Isekai Izakaya - Japanese Food From Another World (and no, that's not the translation)

I think the other stuff is under Japanese names on the usual services.

Matti · « **Reply #1337 on:** 04 May 2018, 13:06:43 »

Quote from: kato on 04 May 2018, 11:02:27

I think the other stuff is under Japanese names on the usual services.

No they aren't: Crunchy has translated Akkun to Kanojo as My Sweet Tyrant.

kato · « **Reply #1338 on:** 04 May 2018, 13:45:07 »

Given Crunchy's penant for not translating title cards within the anime and advertising similarly with original japanese promo cards i tend to ignore their titles.

As for their subtitles, you haven't seen cringeworthy until you've seen Crunchy's German subs. I mean, at least their English, Spanish or French ones are somewhat close to being dialogue translations...

Matti · « **Reply #1339 on:** 04 May 2018, 14:05:44 »

Quote from: kato on 04 May 2018, 13:45:07

As for their subtitles, you haven't seen cringeworthy until you've seen Crunchy's German subs.

I have seen plenty of Finnish subtitles and those are cringeworthy all on their own. And it isn't translations just from Japanese alone either.

Wrangler · « **Reply #1340 on:** 04 May 2018, 20:34:05 »

I ran into this......i'm not very excited about it since it looks like its dumb-downed little bit, Zoid Wild. Plus the Ziods seem to be smaller, with characters (barely teens) riding on the Ziod's collar vs in a cockpit.

Tymers Realm · « **Reply #1341 on:** 04 May 2018, 22:46:35 »

Quote from: Wrangler on 04 May 2018, 20:34:05

I ran into this......i'm not very excited about it since it looks like its dumb-downed little bit, Zoid Wild. Plus the Ziods seem to be smaller, with characters (barely teens) riding on the Ziod's collar vs in a cockpit.

Yea...
I replied to your original posting about this back at the end of February in this thread.
I'm not a big fan of this no cockpit idea either.

VhenRa · « **Reply #1342 on:** 05 May 2018, 07:45:33 »

Does fit the early fluff on Zoids. Before they properly militarized em.

Ruger · « **Reply #1343 on:** 05 May 2018, 15:37:50 »

Picked up "Mary and the Witch's Flower", the first feature film by Studio Ponoc, today...really like it, as it reminds me a lot of Studio Ghibli films...of course, consider many former Studio Ghibli workers are now working for Ponoc and it was founder by a former lead film producer from there as well, I suppose the resemblance stands to reason...

Ruger

Top Sergeant · « **Reply #1344 on:** 05 May 2018, 18:53:21 »

Following Legend of the Galactic Heroes, Darling in the FranXX, Golden Kamuy, Gancrest Senki, GGO. The show I'd really love to be watching is Hisone to Maso-tan but I'm limited in access these days. I will say that this season pales in comparison to last season.

I'm going to see if I can find and catch up on Wotakoi.

MadCapellan · « **Reply #1345 on:** 05 May 2018, 22:55:48 »

Quote from: Top Sergeant on 05 May 2018, 18:53:21

I'm going to see if I can find and catch up on Wotakoi.

Please do, it's a fun & easy watch!

Matti · « **Reply #1346 on:** 06 May 2018, 00:34:10 »

Quote from: Ruger on 05 May 2018, 15:37:50

Picked up "Mary and the Witch's Flower", the first feature film by Studio Ponoc, today...really like it, as it reminds me a lot of Studio Ghibli films...of course, consider many former Studio Ghibli workers are now working for Ponoc and it was founder by a former lead film producer from there as well, I suppose the resemblance stands to reason...

After reading that, I had to look up on Wikipedia:

Quote

On 3 August 2014, Studio Ghibli announced it was temporarily halting production following the retirement of director Hayao Miyazaki

So that is the reason why new studio was founded. By the way, Miyazaki-san came out of the retirement and is making anime again.

Daemion · « **Reply #1347 on:** 06 May 2018, 10:28:03 »

Quote from: Matti on 06 May 2018, 00:34:10

By the way, Miyazaki-san came out of the retirement and is making anime again.

Like writing, I don't think a person ever retires from making anime, or producing in general.

mdauben · « **Reply #1348 on:** 06 May 2018, 10:36:16 »

Just watched the latest episode of My Hero Academia. Another good episode although not up the epic level of the last one. I think I watched last week's episode five or six times, just to watch that big fight scene again!

kato · « **Reply #1349 on:** 06 May 2018, 10:49:25 »

Quote from: Daemion on 06 May 2018, 10:28:03

I don't think a person ever retires from making anime

Most do stop around age 65-70, at least among chief directors and such that were born before or around the same time as Miyazaki (i'm not aware of anyone in the industry who was born more than ten years before Miyazaki).

Some exceptions apply, e.g. Takahata Isao, Miyazaki's co-head at Studio Ghibli, or Katsumata Tomoharu of Toei who has been doing storyboarding and episode direction since he turned 70.