I just finished all of Magikano...
Overall, the series is awesome funny. The ending, however, was both anti-climactic and a little dissapointing...
Yet, Another Anime Thread (The Revivial)
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Magus_Melchior
- Grave Bat
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- Joined: Mon May 22, 2006 11:19 pm
- Location: Indoors
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Magus_Melchior
- Grave Bat
- Posts: 449
- Joined: Mon May 22, 2006 11:19 pm
- Location: Indoors
I guess not a whole lot of people reregistered. Hopefully we'll see more folks.
But in the meantime, a little anime review & preview.
Utawareru Mono (He Who Is Sung) is gearing up to be a thrilling fantasy war anime. A severely wounded young man with a rigid mask is rescued by a village of people with dog-like ears and tails. He is given the name Hakuoro, and through a series of political missteps by the local magistrate and emperor, he becomes the leader of a rebellion. When he is elected as the new head of state, his past (which even he doesn't remember) comes back to haunt him.
Almost halfway through the series, and the story pacing has been just about perfect from the beginning. A few of the cast of characters are a bit cliche, but nothing overly corny or exaggerated. The production ties in a lot of small details in the culture, which in turn reminds one of the medieval cultures of East Asia-- kind of like LotR meets Lodoss War meets Tale of Genji. There are no punches pulled in this war, so it's clear that realism was opted for, rather than the more popular pacifism. The current "War with Mechs" animes can take a few lessons from this and Simoun, which I may review later (interesting anime, that).
The 11th episode aired early this week; the fansub group Yesy is up to #10, but Static-Subs also picked up this series, as have AnimeLito. Yesy may have their series encoded in x264 (at least, the first ep has both x264 and XviD versions), but given the volume of viewers they're getting, I'm guessing they're going with XviD first. Also, you might find it under "Utawarerumono"-- silly, considering that it's not one word in Japanese.
Other News:
Seraph Fansubs is picking up the editing/encoding task of Eureka 7 where Nanashi left off, apparently. Originally they were using Nanashi scripts, but they managed to pick up a translator. They decided to skip ep 39, which is a real shame-- it's a classic breather episode, and to borrow from Tolkien's Gandalf, "it's the deep breath before the plunge". In other words, it's a reminder to the fans that despite all the drama and angst the series has been through, Gekkostate hasn't forgotten how to have fun. Their point is, of course, is that the "soccer episode" doesn't really move the plot forward, but I question whether fansubbers should be more concerned about the plot than the production company or the original artists were.
So, for those of you missing the Eureka 7 fansub fix, do your usual search thing (as animesuki had to drop the series because CN picked it up).
But in the meantime, a little anime review & preview.
Utawareru Mono (He Who Is Sung) is gearing up to be a thrilling fantasy war anime. A severely wounded young man with a rigid mask is rescued by a village of people with dog-like ears and tails. He is given the name Hakuoro, and through a series of political missteps by the local magistrate and emperor, he becomes the leader of a rebellion. When he is elected as the new head of state, his past (which even he doesn't remember) comes back to haunt him.
Almost halfway through the series, and the story pacing has been just about perfect from the beginning. A few of the cast of characters are a bit cliche, but nothing overly corny or exaggerated. The production ties in a lot of small details in the culture, which in turn reminds one of the medieval cultures of East Asia-- kind of like LotR meets Lodoss War meets Tale of Genji. There are no punches pulled in this war, so it's clear that realism was opted for, rather than the more popular pacifism. The current "War with Mechs" animes can take a few lessons from this and Simoun, which I may review later (interesting anime, that).
The 11th episode aired early this week; the fansub group Yesy is up to #10, but Static-Subs also picked up this series, as have AnimeLito. Yesy may have their series encoded in x264 (at least, the first ep has both x264 and XviD versions), but given the volume of viewers they're getting, I'm guessing they're going with XviD first. Also, you might find it under "Utawarerumono"-- silly, considering that it's not one word in Japanese.
Other News:
Seraph Fansubs is picking up the editing/encoding task of Eureka 7 where Nanashi left off, apparently. Originally they were using Nanashi scripts, but they managed to pick up a translator. They decided to skip ep 39, which is a real shame-- it's a classic breather episode, and to borrow from Tolkien's Gandalf, "it's the deep breath before the plunge". In other words, it's a reminder to the fans that despite all the drama and angst the series has been through, Gekkostate hasn't forgotten how to have fun. Their point is, of course, is that the "soccer episode" doesn't really move the plot forward, but I question whether fansubbers should be more concerned about the plot than the production company or the original artists were.
So, for those of you missing the Eureka 7 fansub fix, do your usual search thing (as animesuki had to drop the series because CN picked it up).
Last edited by Magus_Melchior on Tue Jun 13, 2006 11:30 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Magus_Melchior
- Grave Bat
- Posts: 449
- Joined: Mon May 22, 2006 11:19 pm
- Location: Indoors
I don't know. They may or may not have, but I'm guessing their staff is way too busy to continue for the moment.
In any case, I'd nab ep 40 from Seraph, since that's the one where they used a Nanashi script (presumably with permission).
The other thing is, you can probably understand episode 39 without subs, since the plot is fairly straightforward. Then read the plot summary linked off the Eureka Seven article at wikipedia, under section "The Great Wall".
In any case, I'd nab ep 40 from Seraph, since that's the one where they used a Nanashi script (presumably with permission).
The other thing is, you can probably understand episode 39 without subs, since the plot is fairly straightforward. Then read the plot summary linked off the Eureka Seven article at wikipedia, under section "The Great Wall".
Last edited by Magus_Melchior on Wed Jun 14, 2006 10:24 am, edited 1 time in total.
Good stuff, but the series is getting too many characters, it needs more focus on Harima and Tenma, it's almost starting to feel too serious...-
Duran
- Spikey Tiger
- Posts: 1859
- Joined: Mon May 22, 2006 3:11 am
- Location: Grasslands Country, Forcena
I've just finished Fate/Stay Night...
I must say, it was a gorgeous series, overall...While the action in the last ep was pretty short, it made up for it with a beautiful epilogue, as well as an excellent song to fit for the ending credits.
I must say, it was a gorgeous series, overall...While the action in the last ep was pretty short, it made up for it with a beautiful epilogue, as well as an excellent song to fit for the ending credits.
Last edited by Duran on Mon Jun 19, 2006 12:39 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Magus_Melchior
- Grave Bat
- Posts: 449
- Joined: Mon May 22, 2006 11:19 pm
- Location: Indoors
Suzumiya Haruhi ended late last week (or was it early this week?). Seeing as how the original author pretty much oversaw the production, it was a pretty faithful rendition of the original novel (as was the manga).
With as little in the way of spoilers as possible, a plot summary: Suzumiya Haruhi is a first-year high school student (10th grade) who's pretty bored with her life, and only wants to hang out with aliens from other planets, people with ESP-type powers, or people from the future or other universes. Little does she realize that the school club she created after a friendly discussion with Kyon (the classmate seated in front of her and the narrator of the show) ends up with an alien-operated android, a girl from the future, and a boy with hidden talents.
Hardly an episode goes by without some wacky situation that's either an idea of Haruhi's or some unlikely circumstance. Of course, all the funny situations in the series would not be comic gold without the talents of the voice cast, animation/sound/music staff, and the director (and no, I don't mean Haruhi, even though she's credited as "Chief Head Director"). The original author himself has an uncanny sense of humor, evidenced by the seemingly out-of-order sequence of episodes. Although the story progresses more-or-less chronologically in the manga and novel, in the anime they are ordered in such a way to build up to a certain event in Kyon and Haruhi's lives. Every now and then you get hints as to what the event was (I, unfortunately, cheated, having read the serialized manga first), but the cast and crew did a great job at building up the suspense at just about the right pace.
Another notable thing about the anime is the use of silence. There are probably others that have used silence effectively (one of the first was Evangelion), but in this show it's to offset the often blistering pace the scenes are subjected to. It's similar to Eureka Seven in that it's not an easy anime to translate-- only in this case, it's the sheer volume of dialogue (particularly, Kyon's dialogue, which sounds as if it's copied and pasted from the novel-- but that's one of the best parts, as Kyon mentally jabs at just about anything Haruhi says or does in classic Japanese comedy fashion) that makes things difficult for a fansubber.
Now to watch it in chronological order...
In other news, Honey and Clover's second season started last week, and it was a recap episode, with a very brief flash of new content (the main character got his driver's license).
With as little in the way of spoilers as possible, a plot summary: Suzumiya Haruhi is a first-year high school student (10th grade) who's pretty bored with her life, and only wants to hang out with aliens from other planets, people with ESP-type powers, or people from the future or other universes. Little does she realize that the school club she created after a friendly discussion with Kyon (the classmate seated in front of her and the narrator of the show) ends up with an alien-operated android, a girl from the future, and a boy with hidden talents.
Hardly an episode goes by without some wacky situation that's either an idea of Haruhi's or some unlikely circumstance. Of course, all the funny situations in the series would not be comic gold without the talents of the voice cast, animation/sound/music staff, and the director (and no, I don't mean Haruhi, even though she's credited as "Chief Head Director"). The original author himself has an uncanny sense of humor, evidenced by the seemingly out-of-order sequence of episodes. Although the story progresses more-or-less chronologically in the manga and novel, in the anime they are ordered in such a way to build up to a certain event in Kyon and Haruhi's lives. Every now and then you get hints as to what the event was (I, unfortunately, cheated, having read the serialized manga first), but the cast and crew did a great job at building up the suspense at just about the right pace.
Another notable thing about the anime is the use of silence. There are probably others that have used silence effectively (one of the first was Evangelion), but in this show it's to offset the often blistering pace the scenes are subjected to. It's similar to Eureka Seven in that it's not an easy anime to translate-- only in this case, it's the sheer volume of dialogue (particularly, Kyon's dialogue, which sounds as if it's copied and pasted from the novel-- but that's one of the best parts, as Kyon mentally jabs at just about anything Haruhi says or does in classic Japanese comedy fashion) that makes things difficult for a fansubber.
Now to watch it in chronological order...
In other news, Honey and Clover's second season started last week, and it was a recap episode, with a very brief flash of new content (the main character got his driver's license).
Last edited by Magus_Melchior on Thu Jul 06, 2006 9:46 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Duran
- Spikey Tiger
- Posts: 1859
- Joined: Mon May 22, 2006 3:11 am
- Location: Grasslands Country, Forcena
I saw Eureka 39 and 40 before I went to AX...While 39 was mostly filler, I think it was necessary for character development.
Also at AX, I got to meet the Japanese directors and producers who made the series. Prior to that they showed ep 26 in English. I was actually quite surprised with the fact that Ray and Charles were done very well dubbed, as well as the children.
While at AX, I bought the entire OAV series and Movie of Fatal Fury ("Garou Densetsu" in Japan), as well as the last 2 volumes of Geneshaft.
After finally watching all of Geneshaft, I thought it was a pretty cool series and how it had to do with genetic-engineering and alteration of humans in the 23rd century. While that society was a perfect utopia, it lacked all human will and reason, as things like emotion and free will were extremely limited.
Also at AX, I got to meet the Japanese directors and producers who made the series. Prior to that they showed ep 26 in English. I was actually quite surprised with the fact that Ray and Charles were done very well dubbed, as well as the children.
While at AX, I bought the entire OAV series and Movie of Fatal Fury ("Garou Densetsu" in Japan), as well as the last 2 volumes of Geneshaft.
After finally watching all of Geneshaft, I thought it was a pretty cool series and how it had to do with genetic-engineering and alteration of humans in the 23rd century. While that society was a perfect utopia, it lacked all human will and reason, as things like emotion and free will were extremely limited.
Last edited by Duran on Tue Jul 11, 2006 12:28 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Magus_Melchior
- Grave Bat
- Posts: 449
- Joined: Mon May 22, 2006 11:19 pm
- Location: Indoors
Argh, Opera lost the form text... rewriting.
Over halfway done with Honey and Clover II, and I must say that even though I know it doesn't end on a high note, I still think it's a great series (including the first season).
Been watching an oddball yuri called Simoun, and it's not bad, except for the suspicion I have that the yuri-like stuff was tacked on as an afterthought (not that I particularly like yuri...). One thing about the series that I will mention, the show has no compunction against killing main characters.
Aquarion will get a new season in the future called "The Wings of Betrayal". Hopefully it's as good as, if not better than, the first season. Apparently they've only started production, as there are no firm dates anywhere, not even their official blog.
Other than that, I can't think of much to write... There's a ton of new anime from last month and coming up in October, but I'm not very interested in most of 'em.
Over halfway done with Honey and Clover II, and I must say that even though I know it doesn't end on a high note, I still think it's a great series (including the first season).
Been watching an oddball yuri called Simoun, and it's not bad, except for the suspicion I have that the yuri-like stuff was tacked on as an afterthought (not that I particularly like yuri...). One thing about the series that I will mention, the show has no compunction against killing main characters.
Aquarion will get a new season in the future called "The Wings of Betrayal". Hopefully it's as good as, if not better than, the first season. Apparently they've only started production, as there are no firm dates anywhere, not even their official blog.
Other than that, I can't think of much to write... There's a ton of new anime from last month and coming up in October, but I'm not very interested in most of 'em.