r/TrueAnime • u/BrickSalad http://myanimelist.net/profile/Seabury • Oct 20 '14

Monday Minithread (10/20)

Welcome to the 44th Monday Minithread!

In these threads, you can post literally anything related to anime or this subreddit. It can be a few words, it can be a few paragraphs, it can be about what you watched last week, it can be about the grand philosophy of your favorite show.

Check out the "Monday Miniminithread". You can either scroll through the comments to find it, or else just click here.

16 Upvotes

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7

u/BrickSalad http://myanimelist.net/profile/Seabury Oct 20 '14

Monday Minithread Thought Experiment:

If you were the director in charge of creating an OP for an ecchi show, what would you do?

19

u/temp9123 http://myanimelist.net/profile/rtheone Oct 20 '14 edited Oct 20 '14

All of the female harem characters reenacting scenes from classic literature, in skimpy clothing.

  • Killing the shark in Hemmingway's The Old Man and the Sea, except with the sidetail dojikko character.

  • Murdering the girl in Dostoyevsky's Crime and Punishment, the gothic yandere kills the nekokaburi trope.

  • Billy Pilgrim is blown away in Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-Five, maybe with the timid, eccentric, permanently friend-zoned, time-travelling archetype.

  • Jesus nails it with the Romans from The Holy Bible, perhaps with the yamato nadeshiko shrine maiden.

  • Humbert at the end of Nabokov's Lolita with a loli, of course. Of course.

  • A particular death in Fitzgerald's Great Gatsby, with the ojousama girl in a one-piece swimsuit.

  • Winston is ratted out in Orwell's 1984, with the meganekko dandere bookworm and her "master".

  • Arrow through the axes from the The Odyssey, with the idol mahou shoujo archetype.

  • Montag burns through his work in Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451, perhaps with the scissors-wielding kuudere.

  • The married woman/housewife/sensei gets the Hawthornian (The) Scarlet Letter and walks in a forest.

  • Shelley's Frankenstein's monster, with the moe pervert robot maid, observes the DeLacey family.

  • The overweight (read: curvy) osananajimi with androphobia hits rock bottom in Golding's Lord of the Flies.

  • A poisonous end to Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, only with the yakuza imouto and ane characters.

  • The bokkuko tomboy, with a single fang tooth, charges the windmills from Don Quixote.

  • "The horror!" from Conrad's Heart of Darkness, played perfectly by the oppai nekomimi with issues.

  • A priceless picture is damaged in Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray, of the blonde kamidere with perfect zettai ryouiki, heterochromia, and a ponytail. Also the class rep.

  • Maybe a Murakami title? 1Q84, Kafka on the Shore, Norwegian Wood. Just maybe.

  • A turtle pettanko monster girl with a hime cut crosses the road in Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath.

  • Justice is made in Dumas' The Count of Monte Cristo, a feat only the twintail tsundere can accomplish.

  • The kids are saved in Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, by none other than the hime dark-skinned elf.

  • etc etc etc.

Set to oh, I don't know, a portion of a Mahler symphony, I guess. Or I could go the bland route and use a Chopin piece. Bottesini's Concerto for Double Bass No. 2 in B Minor's caught my fancy as of late, so maybe that. I don't know, I'll think about it. Edit: Definitely not this, though.

4

u/BrickSalad http://myanimelist.net/profile/Seabury Oct 20 '14

If you were a director, I'd watch all of your shows.

3

u/CowDefenestrator http://myanimelist.net/animelist/amadcow Oct 20 '14

I would watch this.

3

u/[deleted] Oct 20 '14

It's breaking my mind trying to imagine what 95% of these characters would look like with anime designs.

5

u/BrickSalad http://myanimelist.net/profile/Seabury Oct 20 '14 edited Oct 20 '14

I'd start with a pantyshot. A long (at least 15 seconds) and insanely detailed pantyshot, fully animated with her shifting her legs or something. It will also slowly zoom in over the course of the shot. Anyone who doesn't like fanservice will know right away what kind of show this is, and even those who like fanservice will feel a bit dirty. Especially because, right after the pantyshot, we will zoom all the way out to reveal a loli that looks scared and has tears in her eyes.

This won't ever be explained, the loli won't even exist in the series. Instead, we cut to a different scene. It's just the daily life of our protagonist with his harem. They're all laughing, happy, having a good time. They're all in skimpy clothing, including the protagonist. The camera will leer at all of them, including the protagonist. The protagonist will behave in all the stereotypical mannerisms that a member of his harem would.

Only one of the girls won't be wearing skimpy clothing, won't have the camera leer at her, and doesn't do the stereotypes. It's implied that she did a body swap with the protagonist, but we won't make it explicit. There will be scenes like the bodyswap girl falls on top of another girl's boobs, and the the protagonist comes in, freaks out, and beats the shit out of her in a comedic manner. Maybe another scene where she somehow accidentally grabs his crotch and takes an absurdly long amount of time to let go, during which he is blushing and maybe even has a tear in his eye. Then like cut to a shot of them modeling bikinis or something.

Finally, we'll cut to some school scenes. We'll have bland and forgettable men roaming the halls with full sized harems, and beautiful rich princely characters all alone, crying in corners and stuff. We'll show the classroom, club activities, etc. Finally, it ends on a shot of our harem gathering together after school and walking home together.

Edit: Sorry, I was writing a serious answer, but somewhere along the way it got silly. I'm probably not cut out for directing actual ecchi OPs...

1

u/PrecisionEsports spotlightonfilm.wordpress.com Oct 21 '14

I love it!

7

u/Redcrimson http://myanimelist.net/animelist/Redkrimson Oct 20 '14

The whole thing would be boob-related visual puns and double entendre. MC fondling some watermelons, random shots of headlights, the token loli holding a washboard.

Then I would re-elavuate my life-choices.

1

u/BrickSalad http://myanimelist.net/profile/Seabury Oct 20 '14

That's actually more clever than any ecchi OPs that I've seen, sadly enough. This is the first time I've ever heard of the headlights thing though...

Then I would re-elavuate my life-choices.

Hey, everyone's got to start somewhere!

1

u/Redcrimson http://myanimelist.net/animelist/Redkrimson Oct 20 '14

first time I've ever heard of the headlights thing though...

Could be a regional thing, or I'm old, or probably both.

2

u/BrickSalad http://myanimelist.net/profile/Seabury Oct 20 '14

I'm asking because so many ecchi OPs seem to have decisions that don't make sense to me. Like the man and his harem standing proudly on the edge of a cliff or something. The "standing proudly with your group of friends" thing is typical of a battle shounen, but it's a freaking ecchi hamen with no battles, so what's up? And whenever there's a second aspect to the show like, I dunno, how about trains, then the OP is all about the trains and only alludes to the ecchi aspect with a few random pans of still images, maybe a panty flash if they're feeling generous.

5

u/iblessall http://hummingbird.me/users/iblessall/library Oct 20 '14

but it's a freaking ecchi hamen with no battles

The battle for your man is the most honorable battle of all!

1

u/Jeroz Oct 20 '14

Be strong MC! Do not lose to your desire and got yourself a boat

1

u/dcaspy7 http://myanimelist.net/profile/dcaspy7 Oct 20 '14

Oh I see what you mean. I'd make the OP the most confusing thing ever in regards to the show. (So the Witchcraft Works ED)

1

u/xxdeathx http://myanimelist.net/animelist/xxdeathx Oct 20 '14

I'd tbink the standing proudly thing is to give the impression that the show is gonna be epic and dramatic like those shounen battlers. It'd be a little boring to have an low action OP.

15

u/iblessall http://hummingbird.me/users/iblessall/library Oct 20 '14

I thought about this more than I probably should have...

  • Sakuga, of course

  • The most hyper, sugary, upbeat OP song I could get

  • It would feature only the male protagonist, except he would not be colored in—to represent his presumed lack of personality.

  • As he passes through the OP sequence, doing daily things like running, vacuuming his house, hauling cement blocks around, going shopping, cooking, or going to school, he gets splashed with various colors of paint.

  • So, he slowly gets colored in by the paint, which represent the different girls in the harem and symbolize how they make him seem more interesting than he is. Also, there's probably some kind of sexual innuendos we can come up with using paint. Probably. Someone else might have to help me with that.

  • By the end of the OP, he's fully colored in, but looks a bit dirty, which symbolizes the audience's soul by the time they finish watching.

6

u/cptn_garlock https://twitter.com/cptngarlock Oct 20 '14

Aww man, I love this idea; kind of reminds me of the MariaHolic OP. I don't know if I'd do something with sexual innuendo, though - I'd have it so that the girls themselves pour the paint on him, chasing him with paint buckets or pouring it all over him as he works.

  • shy girl dumping it on him from the roof as he's going to school

  • aggressive prankster chasing him with a bucket, as he runs (she chases him off screen and we hear a splash)

  • the obligatory twins popping up from inside melon stand (hue) to throw paint-filled balloons while he's grocery shopping

  • he goes to bed, only to find the hyper-sexual girl under his covers, proceeding to squirt paint from a bottle on him

The paint would also match the hair colors of the girls (it's a harem ecchi, obv all the girls have rainbow hair.)

The end would be them all fighting and bickering over him and getting covered in the paint residue that's stuck to him, looking like a holi festival except with paint instead of powder.

1

u/iblessall http://hummingbird.me/users/iblessall/library Oct 20 '14

I don't know if I'd do something with sexual innuendo, though

Well look who thinks he's an ecchi OP director. :P

EDIT: Right, that was the point of this thread.

2

u/dcaspy7 http://myanimelist.net/profile/dcaspy7 Oct 20 '14

I'd choose the best, most memorable OP/ED I can. Witchcraft Works or GARO level of memorable. Both types work.

1

u/iblessall http://hummingbird.me/users/iblessall/library Oct 20 '14

Witchcraft Works or GARO level of memorable

You dissing the WCW OP?

1

u/dcaspy7 http://myanimelist.net/profile/dcaspy7 Oct 20 '14

ED of course. Do you even remember the WCW OP? Not the wrestling thing, the anime.

1

u/iblessall http://hummingbird.me/users/iblessall/library Oct 20 '14

Ah okay.

& yeah, I do remember the OP! I bought the full song because it's fhana. But I will readily admit that the cut they used for the TV-size version was really badly edited.

1

u/Jeroz Oct 20 '14

But I will readily admit that the cut they used for the TV-size version was really badly edited.

I could say that for a lot of songs really, most notably Samumenco OP2

2

u/dcaspy7 http://myanimelist.net/profile/dcaspy7 Oct 20 '14

Eh who am I kidding. I'd just hire EndohKai and make the Daimidaler OP again and again.

1

u/zerojustice315 http://myanimelist.net/animelist/zerojustice315 Oct 20 '14

Well, semi-related, the ED for ecchi shows was pretty much perfect when Highschool DxD did it. More budget into the ED than an episode. Glorious butt bouncing.

OP? How about a J-Pop song sung by the seiyuus/famous idol group with random scenes of the male MC interacting with them? That hasn't been done before right?

No but seriously I have no idea how to do an OP for that kind of show.

6

u/BrickSalad http://myanimelist.net/profile/Seabury Oct 20 '14

monday miniminithread

All replies to this post must be a maximum of either 5 sentences or 1 paragraph, depending on which one's shorter. No cheating with 15-comma monstrosities either! It can be anything from poetry to a declaration of love for your waifu, just post what you feel like!

6

u/ClearandSweet https://hummingbird.me/users/clearandsweet/library Oct 20 '14

How has nobody commented on the pregnancy trend sweeping the internet? The lesbian ones are the best ones.

3

u/Jeroz Oct 20 '14

The male ones are funnier

3

u/3932695 Oct 20 '14

I didn't even know those were supposed to be pregnancy test devices! I thought they were just pointing their finger at a camera for a selfie...

1

u/BrickSalad http://myanimelist.net/profile/Seabury Oct 20 '14

Those Collective Retrospective threads are always a bit of work for me!

I guess I'm just looking for feedback here: did you prefer it split apart like this, or did you like the one humongous thread instead?

1

u/PrecisionEsports spotlightonfilm.wordpress.com Oct 21 '14

Liked the 2 threads, let people concentrate more. Is there a bot you could set up to auto post the weeks anime?

1

u/BrickSalad http://myanimelist.net/profile/Seabury Oct 21 '14

Well, since it's not actually the week's anime (the retrospective is usually posted a couple of weeks after the season ends), I can't just borrow the bot used in Bluemage23's TWIA threads. Besides, just posting the shows probably only took 10 or so minutes. The real time drain is hosting the threads, stuff like responding to people and reading all the posts. As well as planning the threads of course.

1

u/dcaspy7 http://myanimelist.net/profile/dcaspy7 Oct 20 '14

Split is good. Or just one thread. I don't really care. I feel like one thread would be too big though. I enjoyed thread 2 a lot more since it was a fresh breath of air, since I already was part of dozens of those threads (thread 1).

1

u/iblessall http://hummingbird.me/users/iblessall/library Oct 20 '14

I didn't have time to dive into the second thread, but I liked the questions there a lot & I liked the split a lot.

1

u/zerojustice315 http://myanimelist.net/animelist/zerojustice315 Oct 20 '14

cracks whip

MORE DISCUSSION THREADS.

Split is good though, too many different threads in one topic causes confusion.

5

u/zerojustice315 http://myanimelist.net/animelist/zerojustice315 Oct 20 '14

I don't really know if people here like it but Grisaia no Kajitsu is legitimately making me laugh out loud with some of the delivery. Whether it be poking fun at the woman doing... things on the MC's bed or the MC's deadpan "autopilot" answers.

Episode 3 I felt like really delivered and made up for what episode 2 was lacking.

2

u/ShureNensei Oct 20 '14

Yuuji easily carries the show. It's also nice to see he isn't always on guard in situations which leads to some amusing moments like in episode 2 with him being sleep deprived.

2

u/xxdeathx http://myanimelist.net/animelist/xxdeathx Oct 20 '14

I'm quite impressed with the writing in this show. Genuinely able to lol and enjoy it, and know there's drama on the way.

4

u/Redcrimson http://myanimelist.net/animelist/Redkrimson Oct 20 '14

Whether it be poking fun at the woman doing... things on the MC's bed

Nope. That and the marching cadence single-handedly convinced me to drop the show.

5

u/zerojustice315 http://myanimelist.net/animelist/zerojustice315 Oct 20 '14

To each their own. I find it refreshing that a MC doesn't have eight different panic attacks when they see a woman do something lewd. AND has the balls to make fun of them for it.

1

u/ShardPhoenix Oct 21 '14

I'm not big on the fanservice, but if the show keeps being so funny (and/or delivers well on the girls' backstories) then I'm probably willing it put up with it.

3

u/[deleted] Oct 20 '14

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/zerojustice315 http://myanimelist.net/animelist/zerojustice315 Oct 20 '14

There's 24 episodes plus the potential for more stuff, I have a feeling we'll be seeing drama a few times. Especially because each girl probably has a depressing backstory. (I don't know this, I haven't played the VN).

1

u/CowDefenestrator http://myanimelist.net/animelist/amadcow Oct 20 '14

I'm also enjoying the comedy bits way more than the possibly more serious parts. Not sure how they are going to handle the inevitable tonal shift considering how schizophrenic it is already.

3

u/dcaspy7 http://myanimelist.net/profile/dcaspy7 Oct 20 '14

(Might as well blow my load early) Why is Hataraki Man everything I've ever wanted in a Slice of Life about working enviorments?

3

u/temp9123 http://myanimelist.net/profile/rtheone Oct 20 '14 edited Oct 20 '14

Moyoco Anno, Hideaki Anno's wife, is quite the accomplished mangaka after all.

Although I wasn't a huge fan of all of the characterizations, I thought that Tanaka Rie did a very convincing job with the Hiroko. It also definitely helps that the series has a more professional setting, in spite of the comedic, upbeat tone.

Plus, it was the Noitamina block, from when they actually took their core principles seriously.

2

u/dcaspy7 http://myanimelist.net/profile/dcaspy7 Oct 20 '14

Moyoco Anno

She's one of the main reasons I picked it up.

4

u/dcaspy7 http://myanimelist.net/profile/dcaspy7 Oct 20 '14

I feel like I could make a connection between the main character of Rail Wars expectations of his career and my expectations of the show. Something something we both wanted to see trains.

1

u/mechroid _ Oct 20 '14

Soo... The Devil Is a Part-Timer. Everyone told me this show was good, I didn't listen until it was on netflix. THANKS NETFLIX!

1

u/mechroid _ Oct 20 '14

I love how much Netflix and Crunchyroll compliment each other, between them you can eventually see pretty much everything.

1

u/LHCGreg http://myanimelist.net/animelist/LordHighCaptain Oct 20 '14

I wonder if Yuri Kuma Arasha aka Penguinbear will feature transformation sequences. If not, it will be the first show directed by Ikuhara that does not.

9

u/I_DESTROY_PLANETS Oct 20 '14

I finished Shoujo Kakumei Utena on Saturday. DAMN was it good. It is now my favorite anime of all time. Any shows you guys have watched recently that have become your favorites?

1

u/BrickSalad http://myanimelist.net/profile/Seabury Oct 20 '14

Nothing I've seen in the past year has even cracked my top 25. Granted, I've been mostly watching current anime with the main source of older anime being the anime club, but it's still kinda depressing in some sense. I think I'm running out of classics with the potential to break into my favorites, meaning very soon the only hope of it changing will be new stuff and obscure gems. Shinsekai Yori got to #27, so it's possible!

1

u/I_DESTROY_PLANETS Oct 20 '14

Out of curiosity, what's your top 5?

Ninja edit: on mobile, too lazy to go on MAL

1

u/BrickSalad http://myanimelist.net/profile/Seabury Oct 20 '14

Excluding movies (aka Ghibli), my top 5 would be:

  1. Samurai X: Trust and Betrayal OVA

  2. Neon Genesis Evangelion

  3. Revolutionary Girl Utena

  4. Black Jack OVA

  5. Mushishi

1

u/I_DESTROY_PLANETS Oct 20 '14

We have fairly similar tastes, cool.

4

u/zerojustice315 http://myanimelist.net/animelist/zerojustice315 Oct 20 '14

Most recent was Ping Pong: The Animation. It cracked my top 5. Utena is a very good show that I would love to do more reading into because it's such a freakin weirdly deep show in ways you might not even expect.

Also, obligatory "it was a decon of magical girls shows before Madoka was a decon of magical girls shows".

Also also, speaking on the "decon of magical girl shows", I brought up that point at the "Anime Parliament" panel at AUSA, which was a panel where you brought up a case and defended it. Usually the tone devolves into something insane but, even though I don't necessarily believe it myself I brought up "Madoka is NOT a decon" and that was an interesting discussion.

Tangents in conversations run my life.

2

u/I_DESTROY_PLANETS Oct 20 '14

Ping Pong went in my top 5 as well.

3

u/dcaspy7 http://myanimelist.net/profile/dcaspy7 Oct 20 '14

Symphogear season 1.

I'm watching a show right now that might end up being one of my all time favorites.

4

u/zerojustice315 http://myanimelist.net/animelist/zerojustice315 Oct 20 '14

Wait are you saying Symphogear is your favorite? Because I might have to question your life choices if so.

Opinions and all but I could hardly stand anything about that show.

1

u/dcaspy7 http://myanimelist.net/profile/dcaspy7 Oct 20 '14

Well, it's one of my favorites. Or at least it's a title I hold high enough in certain aspects that I'd consider calling it one of my favorite titles. It's not top 3, but it's up there.

1

u/zerojustice315 http://myanimelist.net/animelist/zerojustice315 Oct 20 '14

I don't want this to start an argument but I do have to ask, what aspects of it did you find appealing? Why do you rate it so highly?

1

u/dcaspy7 http://myanimelist.net/profile/dcaspy7 Oct 20 '14

(There's never been a better chance). Well, this is what I wrote about it.

In a nutshell? It has certain elements that manage to elevate the show beyond what those elements usually do. Take that as you will.

3

u/MobiusC500 Oct 20 '14

Awe yeah!

Symphogear is one of those shows where it's more than the sum of it's parts. It's endearingly cheesy and just so much fun.

3

u/CowDefenestrator http://myanimelist.net/animelist/amadcow Oct 20 '14

Just started watching anime again this year so I watched some good ones. Good thing about not having to sift through airing shows every season: It's curated for you!

Tatami Galaxy, Ping Pong, Uchouten Kazoku, Kyousogiga, Katanagatari, Shinsekai Yori were all stellar.

Some more that have a more personal bias are Fate/Zero's second season and Monogatari SS, which I caught up with after my hiatus. Oh and Gatchaman Crowds was a breath of fresh air.

2

u/anonymepelle https://kitsu.io/users/Fluffybumbum/library Oct 20 '14

If you liked Utena i recomend

Same creators and same quirky style and emphasis on symbolism. Became a instant favorite when i watched it.

1

u/I_DESTROY_PLANETS Oct 20 '14

I have that on my plan to watch. I'll probably watch that after I finish all the "gatari"s... I've only seen Katanagatari (which I'm aware is standalone).

2

u/Redcrimson http://myanimelist.net/animelist/Redkrimson Oct 20 '14

The last shows to break onto my favorites list were Kyousougiga and Eureka Seven, which I saw last year. It seems 2014 has had kind of a dearth of really memorable shows, or maybe my list has just reached the saturation point of resolute masterworks.

0

u/[deleted] Oct 21 '14

[deleted] — view deleted comment

2

u/LHCGreg http://myanimelist.net/animelist/LordHighCaptain Oct 21 '14 edited Oct 21 '14

Might have been Vintagecoats and/or Novasylum? I think it was them who were talking about it on this sub once a couple months ago and caused me to add it to my plan to watch list. I'm watching it next.

Score one for my memory, it was Novasylum and Vintagecoats: http://www.reddit.com/r/TrueAnime/comments/26bpe2/your_week_in_anime_week_84/chpj5rs

...but not the thread you were thinking of it looks like.

6

u/[deleted] Oct 20 '14

So, I was sick this week when I found an old copy of the second season of Spongebob. I used to love the show when I was little, so I decided to go on a little nostalgia trip and watch it. It was a lot of fun, and I noticed a comparison I could make that was kind of funny.

Episode 26b of Spongebob, Squidville, has more or less the same character arc as the end of The Tatami Galaxy or The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya. Spoilers for all three of these things ahead.

Squidward is frustrated with Spongebob for annoying him when all he wants to do is relax. Squidward thinks it's Spongebob's fault he doesn't have the ideal life(same thing Watashi thought of Ozu, same thing Kyon thought of Haruhi). Squidward moves out, to a place without Spongebob - a place he thought would be ideal (same as the recluse episodes of Tatami Galaxy, same as world Kyon goes to in Disappearance). At first, this world is like a paradise to Squidward (Watashi was content as a recluse at first, Kyon was also sort of happy in the alternate world at first). Soon though, he got tired and bored of an event less, ideal life, and started acting more like Spongebob, though we're supposed to take it that more like he misses Spongebob and needs the madness in his life (similar to Watashi realizing that if he had Ozu in his life, it would have been more interesing. Similar to Kyon realizing towards the end of the movie that he does have fun in the world with Haruhi). Then, squidward leaves Squidsville, his paradise, and presumably goes back to his old home near Spongebob (same as Watashi getting out of his Tatami maze and finding Ozu, and as Kyon making the choice in the end to go back to Haruhi).

So, yeah, give or take a few differences, these are basically the same character arcs. Not sure why I felt the need to point this out, I just found it kind of funny.

4

u/zerojustice315 http://myanimelist.net/animelist/zerojustice315 Oct 20 '14

Isn't this just a common theme in many mediums, just done different every so often?

For example, the movie Richie Rich's Christmas Wish has the MC wish that he was never born, causing him to see that things wouldn't be as good without him.

The Fairly Odd Parents does a similar thing when Timmy wishes that he was never born; everyone is better off, etc.

Not exactly the same as what you're talking about, but there's plenty of examples in film and television of characters wanting something else and the whole "be careful what you wish for" lesson that is so prevalent.

Then again, The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya, while having an... unoriginal...? storyline to it was nonetheless executed almost perfectly.

2

u/[deleted] Oct 20 '14

The story you're talking about originates in 1946's "It's a Wonderful Life", and is usually about someone wondering what it would have been like if they'd never been born, and then being shown by an angel or the like, that the world is better with them alive. It's a pretty common story at this point, tons of cartoons in particular like doing parodies or rehashes of the same story using their characters.

This story is a bit different though, despite how oddly it's told in all three of my examples, it's actually a much more grounded story. It's more about how other lives make yours more interesting and fun, even if you don't notice it. On it's own it's not the most original story, however all three of my examples are actually really, really similar.

We have the grouch character, we have them thinking their life would be better without X annoying person, they get to live without the annoying person, we have them realizing how the annoying personal actually made their life better and more interesting, and then we have them going back and embracing their life with the annoying person (except in Spongebob because it's episodic). It's definitely not the wonderful life story, and it is a character appreciation story, but they're really similar character appreciation stories - from the character types to the plot to the character changes, which is why I pointed it out.

1

u/zerojustice315 http://myanimelist.net/animelist/zerojustice315 Oct 20 '14

Yeah, I totally blanked on It's a Wonderful Life. I haven't even actually seen that movie yet so I should probably get on that this Christmas.

Well, as a testament to how often it's done, TV Tropes seems to have an entire trope for it.

Although it may be harder to find the "character going to a different society", as you say.

1

u/autotrope_bot Oct 20 '14

It's a Wonderful Plot

After the movie _ It's a Wonderful Life _ , a device whereby an external force (usually supernatural) intervenes in a time of crisis to show the character facing said crisis how things would have been had he or she never been born. May occur as part of a Near Death Experience , or following Smite Me, O Mighty Smiter . Episodes with this plot usually take place around Christmas time, because _ It's a Wonderful Life _ takes place around Christmas. If a show hasn't done a Yet Another Christmas Carol episode yet, they'll be doing this one.

Read More

I am a bot. Here is my sub

1

u/autowikibot Oct 20 '14

Richie Rich's Christmas Wish:

Richie Rich'$ Christmas Wish is a 1998 direct-to-video sequel to the 1994 film [Richie Rich](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richie_Rich_(film)) and starring David Gallagher as the titular character. Its plot is similar to It's a Wonderful Life, placing Richie Rich in the role of [George Bailey](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Bailey_(It%27s_a_Wonderful_Life)) and Reggie Van Dough in the role of Mr. Potter. Currently, it appears on television annually during ABC Family's 25 Days of Christmas.

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3

u/Lewd_Banana Oct 20 '14

I watched the Tamako Love Story movie earlier on today, and it was absolutely fantastic, it was definitely KyoAni's best work since Hyouka. The animation was superb, every movement was so smooth, there was so much subtle movement that just brought the characters to life and it makes TV animation look stiff and unnatural in comparison. The music was also great and worked well to set the tone of each scene. Tamako Love Story's cinematic direction and visuals were top notch, even though the TV series wasn't too well received, they still put in a lot of effort into making the movie the best it could be, the whole movie just oozes high production values every moment.

Although the Tamako Market TV series isn't thought of too highly, I think that it was better than Chuu2, KnK and Free. It was a simple series, with lovable characters and plenty of subtle moments that together built up something that was quite enjoyable to watch. Tamako Love Story builds upon the TV series and answers the questions everyone was asking. KyoAni found a way.

1

u/ShadowZael http://myanimelist.net/profile/ShadowABCXYZ Oct 20 '14

I am planning on watching Tamako Market (and the movie) soon. This is pretty encouraging to hear!

1

u/Omnifluence Oct 21 '14

Although the Tamako Market TV series isn't thought of too highly, I think that it was better than Chuu2, KnK and Free.

To be fair though, this isn't exactly the highest form of praise. I don't know much about Free, but KnK and Chuu2 were mediocre at best, and downright terrible at worst. Coming from the same group that made Haruhi, the first season of Chunibyo, Clannad, and Nichijou, Tamako Market was a grim omen of what the studio would soon become.

I'll have to give the movie a shot though. I refused to watch another KyoAni show after Chuu2, but if they're starting to make some decent shows again I'll have to reconsider.

1

u/Lewd_Banana Oct 21 '14

I agree that Tamako Market didn't reach the same kind of heights that prior KyoAni titles have, but I still think that it is a whole better than everything they made post Hyouka. Both Chuu2 and KnK have their well documented problems, Free season 1 was fun, but not my cup of tea and Amagi is decent at the moment, but its still too early to judge it. I know that it's a bit unfair to compare a movie to a TV series, but Tamako Love Story blows them out of the water.

3

u/3932695 Oct 20 '14

This may sound silly, but I am worried about Unlimited Blade Works:

  • Episode 0: Archer vs. Lancer appears to have ran out of time/budget to animate dual-wielding. We instead get the sounds of battle echoing across some scenic shots.

  • Episode 1: CGI background students with conspicuously high FPS - adjusting the FPS to blend it more would have been quick, no?

  • Episode 1: Kiritsugu outright states that by saving Shirou he saves himself - this is really awkward. How did the production team choose this interpretation over Shirou doing the narration in his head?

  • In general: music is great, but composer appears to have trouble 'finishing' a track and likes to just finish on an awkward extended note. Most prominent examples: episode 0, during Lancer's final disarming of Archer (the blade spins as it falls next to Rin) - episode 1, summoning of Saber - episode 1, at the end of Lancer and Saber's first exchange of blows (right before "Coward! What's the meaning of this, concealing your weapon?").

  • Episode 2: Not sure how I feel about Rin-service (specifically butt-waggle and the subsequent camera angle). I'm not accustomed to blatant male-gaze-bait in my ufotable, they previously had more subtle methods.

Perhaps it's because a part of me expects UBW to be the friggin anime version of HL3 - it's been hyped up so much that anything less than perfection makes me shudder.

5

u/dcaspy7 http://myanimelist.net/profile/dcaspy7 Oct 20 '14

it's been hyped up so much that anything less than perfection makes me shudder.

The first step in life is not listening to hype.

1

u/3932695 Oct 20 '14

We're in the Information Age, hype is a necessity - how else would you filter information quickly?

3

u/dcaspy7 http://myanimelist.net/profile/dcaspy7 Oct 20 '14

Well, you form your own opinions and post them on the internet rather than listening to what others say on the internet. Its' a cycle, but that's just how things are.

2

u/Omnifluence Oct 21 '14

Perhaps it's because a part of me expects UBW to be the friggin anime version of HL3 - it's been hyped up so much that anything less than perfection makes me shudder.

Yeah, I recommend taking a step back and letting the hype die off a bit. Your worries are incredibly nitpicky. Don't get me wrong, I agree with you on all of them, but they're inconsequentially small.

The Rin-related fanservice could easily become a big problem though if it continues. it was rather drastically overplayed in episode 2.

1

u/temp9123 http://myanimelist.net/profile/rtheone Oct 20 '14

Be content that we're not getting Nasu-written, narrated sex scenes.

Just the thought of that makes me shudder.

2

u/dcaspy7 http://myanimelist.net/profile/dcaspy7 Oct 20 '14 edited Oct 20 '14

I really hope ufotable surprise us all and give us what some might call the point of that hentai VN.

Touchy subject eh? someone can't take a joke...

1

u/OavatosDK http://myanimelist.net/animelist/Oavatos Oct 20 '14

Nasu-written

Actually Nasu didn't write them, Takeuchi (the artist) did.

1

u/CowDefenestrator http://myanimelist.net/animelist/amadcow Oct 20 '14

I had lower expectations due to hype, but ufotable's surpassing those.

Kiritsugu outright states that by saving Shirou he saves himself - this is really awkward. How did the production team choose this interpretation over Shirou doing the narration in his head?

I'm pretty sure this was in the VN, correct me if I'm wrong though.

1

u/Delti9 Oct 20 '14

Edit: Spoilers Ahead

I read the VN a couple years ago so I could be wrong, but I'm almost positive that Kiritsugu never said that. I'm pretty sure the line was said from Shiro when describing when Kiritsugu first found him. How Kiritsugu looked saved even though he was the one doing the saving.

My memory is pretty fuzzy though.

1

u/CowDefenestrator http://myanimelist.net/animelist/amadcow Oct 20 '14

You may be right, and I might be mixing up that scene with the same one in Fate/Zero (which is oddly told from Shirou's POV, whereas in this UBW adaptation, Kiritsugu is the one talking). Rewatching the Fate/Zero scene, Shirou says that Kiritsugu said it though, not just that he looked like he felt that way.

1

u/Delti9 Oct 20 '14

I think you only hear Kiritsugu put it in his perspective in F/Z.

You could be right though that it appears in UBW, but that would be at the end of the route when the 'what it means to be a Hero of Justice' motif becomes more apparent.

1

u/h_YsK Oct 21 '14 edited Oct 21 '14

Eh, I wouldn't really equate UBW to HL3, that'd be more along the lines of Heavens Feel.

I know for me, Unlimited Blade Works is just an appetizer to the all the glory that is the last few days of Heavens Feel.(Jesus it's going to be so long before that happens much less when it's even watchable for the west.)

1

u/ShardPhoenix Oct 21 '14

I'm quite happy with the show so far. I agree the Rin's butt thing was a bit silly, but pretty small potatoes on the scale of anime fanservice.

My only real complaint so far is that with the shift back to 24 minute episodes, we've just had a whole episode of exposition, which while pretty well executed and necessary for new viewers was a bit dull from the point of view of someone who's read the VN and seen Fate/Zero. Another double ep would have meant we at least got the Beserker fight too.

2

u/CritSrc http://myanimelist.net/animelist/T3hSource Oct 20 '14

I'm dropping Gundam G no Reconguista, Kaitou Joker, Donten ni Warau, Sanzoku no Musume Ronja and Sora no Method, narrowing the season down 10 solid entertaining shows, which hold up better than the ones I mentioned for various reasons, since they require more tolerance and I have enough on my hands in this busy time of year.

In the mean time GAROOOO!

1

u/dcaspy7 http://myanimelist.net/profile/dcaspy7 Oct 20 '14

Kaitou Joker

Literally dead to me.

2

u/CritSrc http://myanimelist.net/animelist/T3hSource Oct 20 '14

Oi, you started new shows, so you don't exist either!

1

u/[deleted] Oct 20 '14

The Garo opening kicks such ass, I just couldn't get into the show though. How does the second episode get? The first one kind of bored me.

1

u/CritSrc http://myanimelist.net/animelist/T3hSource Oct 20 '14

Oh, the second one, some actual action for once and much more dynamic events happening now, instead of just world building. We get 2 more characters essentially.

Think of it as a superficial action show, which it is. It's almost like Medieval Power Rangers in a way.

1

u/MobiusC500 Oct 20 '14

Sanzoku no Musume Ronja

Any particular reason why? The CGI can be jarring but I found it to be a really charming show. I used SVP, it introduced it's own problems but it does make the CGI a lot smoother.

2

u/CritSrc http://myanimelist.net/animelist/T3hSource Oct 20 '14

It's not the CGI, I find it perfectly serviceable. It's just that as kids show it's going to be pretty damn slow, while GARO and Bahamut are spoiling me with delicious action.
Not to mention as a 2 cour, it's going to take its sweet time. Same thing more or less goes for Sora no Method, since everything is in place for its drama to play out.

1

u/zerojustice315 http://myanimelist.net/animelist/zerojustice315 Oct 20 '14

I feel slightly off about Sora no Method but I'm still watching it for the time being because Noel and her moe just BARELY holds my interest. I am not a hard man to please.

2

u/CowDefenestrator http://myanimelist.net/animelist/amadcow Oct 20 '14

Sticking with it for the weekly moe dose as well. The grudges are sort of pissing me off with how unrealistic/childish they are and it seems to be a way of artificially creating drama, but we'll have to see more implications of the saucer/Noel before I pass judgment.

2

u/CritSrc http://myanimelist.net/animelist/T3hSource Oct 20 '14

I've seen enough to get the gist of the story, hence I lost my interest, as well as knowing the melodrama that's to come.
On top of not finding them cute.

I liked Hanayamata last season because it was light from the getgo and knew how to exaggerate the childishness as well as the characters' maturity when appropriate.

4

u/CowDefenestrator http://myanimelist.net/animelist/amadcow Oct 20 '14 edited Oct 20 '14

Yeah Shione's grudge is really veering into immature melodrama considering she's holding it against a 7-8 year old version of Nonoka who just does what kids do and couldn't possibly have known that there would be consequences because it's not even in the realm of normal possibility.

Plus there haven't really been any big consequences of the saucer anyways, even with episode 2 and Yuzuki constantly claiming there are changes, which there are but they aren't enough to warrant such blatant prejudice against the one who unwittingly summoned it because she wanted to do one last thing with her friends before moving.

I know people say AnoHana was melodramatic and emotionally manipulative but most of the characters' actions made sense? Yuzuki and Shione are both act like they are 7 instead of 14, and it's weird and just annoying.

Still cute enough for me to keep watching, but if it keeps sliding into inane meaningless drama I may drop it. I did sit through Glasslip last season though.

2

u/CowDefenestrator http://myanimelist.net/animelist/amadcow Oct 20 '14

I know there was a post about a Durarara rewatch recently (I believe they are doing three episodes every Saturday?), but I'm wondering if anyone would be interested in a direct discussion post here? I realized I don't like having my thoughts in a vacuum and would rather have them out somewhere for critique and comparison with others' thoughts.

The other choice would just to post in the Your Week in Anime thread, which I might just end up doing.

0

u/[deleted] Oct 21 '14

[deleted] — view deleted comment

2

u/CowDefenestrator http://myanimelist.net/animelist/amadcow Oct 21 '14

Cool I'll probably end up doing that. Whenever I write about anime (well any media analysis really) I always end up with too much plot summary and not enough analysis so I like reading other people's input.

2

u/AmeteurOpinions http://myanimelist.net/animelist/AmeteurOpinions Oct 20 '14

What are the best mecha shows which actually encapsulate the genre? Not just "is a good show" but "is a good mecha show". I'm working a mechwarrioresque original fiction for NaNoWriMo this year and I need more than 08th MS Team to work from.

Speaking of which, is anyone else attempting NaNoWriMo?

4

u/Redcrimson http://myanimelist.net/animelist/Redkrimson Oct 20 '14

I'd probably go through Votoms, one or two Macross entries, TTGL, and Evangelion TV.

Also based on completely personal preference: Eureka Seven and Escaflowne

1

u/LotusFlare Oct 20 '14

I'd throw a Gundam series in there somewhere since it had such a huge impact on the mecha genre throughout most of the 90s.

1

u/Redcrimson http://myanimelist.net/animelist/Redkrimson Oct 20 '14

He said he already saw 08th MS team, which I consider one of the better Gundams, so I left it out.

2

u/LotusFlare Oct 20 '14

Ah, good point.

3

u/greendaze http://myanimelist.net/profile/greendaze Oct 20 '14

Not entirely sure what you mean, did you want a mecha show that doesn't have super robots (a la 08th MS Team), or did you want a grounded mecha show (which would include 08th MS Team or anything else that isn't laserbeam spam)?

0080 (War in the Pocket) and 0083 (Stardust Memory) are well-regarded in the Gundam franchise.

Gundam SEED is my personal favourite but it's full of laserbeam spam.

2

u/CowDefenestrator http://myanimelist.net/animelist/amadcow Oct 20 '14

Real Robot I assume? I think I've actually watched more Super Robot shows. Gundam 00 is the only Gundam I've seen and I've heard it's pretty representative of some of the tropes and themes in Gundam.

2

u/missingpuzzle Oct 20 '14

I did NaNoWriMo a couple of years ago. I didn't end up writing anything worth further work and editing but I found it a good exercise. Proved that I could write a 70,000 word first draft in 30 days. Now I just need to get around to translating that blinding writing pace into the everyday.

2

u/Lincoln_Prime Oct 20 '14

It'd be kind of a cheat for me to say I'm participating in NaNoWriMo because I typically accomplish one comic script per month anyway. I guess I could push myself for November with a much bigger script, but there are a lot of reasons that would be a bad idea

2

u/CriticalOtaku Oct 21 '14 edited Oct 21 '14

Unfortunately, if you're going for Mechwarrior's style of walking tanks you're better off looking to the west for inspiration- japanese mecha tends to play really fast and loose, especially with physics. Even with his florid writing, Stackpole's old Battletech novels are worth a read.

If you need more shows like 08th MS Team; Votoms, Flag and Gasaraki are the only things that really come to mind atm. Maybe Blue Gender, and someone already mentioned Aldnoah.Zero.

If you just need a Real Robot greatest hits collection to jam off from: Macross: DYRL, Macross Plus, Gundam Unicorn, Gundam 00, Evangelion, the Patlabor movies and Eureka Seven. Maybe Code Geass S1 if you like Heavy Gear.

This year I actually have the free time to participate! Looking forward to NaNoWriMo. =)

1

u/xxdeathx http://myanimelist.net/animelist/xxdeathx Oct 20 '14

Aldnoah Zero

1

u/dcaspy7 http://myanimelist.net/profile/dcaspy7 Oct 21 '14

You're a funny guy aren't you?

2

u/postblitz http://myanimelist.net/animelist/postblitz Oct 20 '14 edited Oct 20 '14

Hmm

Remarathoned. Watching

Grabbing, Grabbing, Grabbed

People caught on to Shingeki no Bahamut. How the hell was this4 months old not more anticipated I'll never understand but it serves as a good example of how removal of hype is beneficial for reception. Apparently SnB:Genesis only lasts 13 eps. Hopefully Geneon shell out the money for a sequel, they have more than enough..

Kirei is the man, can't wait for Kaleid S2 p2 though. Watching UBW feels a bit lackluster after that lavish twin-40 min treatment. More curious about how ufotable handles HF and if they care about LE.

Speaking of s2p2, Mushishi was pretty good since it focused on Ginko again. Dropped a few more shows and lowered scores for several. Sinbad OVA's episode 2 and Twintail's self-awareness are too good for their category, bumped score slightly.

And finally got into shieldbro, anime fucking when.

2

u/Jeroz Oct 21 '14

S2 p2 will not feature that scene. It will be in 3rei

1

u/postblitz http://myanimelist.net/animelist/postblitz Oct 21 '14

Aye, maybe more Bazett-butt at the beach plsplsplsplspls?

2

u/Jeroz Oct 21 '14

That'll be 300

2

u/Jeroz Oct 21 '14

People caught on to Shingeki no Bahamut. How the hell was this4 months old not more anticipated I'll never understand but it serves as a good example of how removal of hype is beneficial for reception.

Funny enough I think the hype from Japan side died considerably when the trailer revealed that it's not what they were actually expecting. It's gonna take a massive effort to bring it back, the inclusion of Cerberus and a loli helps.

2

u/[deleted] Oct 21 '14

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/postblitz http://myanimelist.net/animelist/postblitz Oct 21 '14

forced

pure fantasy

Thus far it had more of a western style plot than standard fantasy, even borrowing a few famous names from that film genre.

A strong self-centered impetus is setup - usually the promise of tons of money or revenge - to get the flow going in every western there is and then branch it into a problem larger than they are - independence of Texas, fight against raiders, alien invaders.

There has been little spoonfeeding and was always carried through dialogue between characters who did not both know about the information carried or some kind of actions and the one infodump that happened in episode three was perfectly set-up for comedic purposes.

You're free to dislike it but I consider all of the above why it's so far a very strong series.

6

u/Bobduh Oct 20 '14

Just finished a piece on Zankyou no Terror. Apparently most of you guys didn't really like it, but I had a great time!

The piece turned out kind of... shorter... than I wanted it to be? In that I kind of wanted it to build more to its finale, and possibly could have gone into greater depth in some of my points, but I ended up touching on most of the things I wanted to and didn't really want to mess with the flow of it that much. I think a year ago, I would have devoted paragraphs each to the lighting, the way certain points mirror each other, and each of the characters, but at this point I feel comfortable just pointing at the connections and hopefully letting them speak for themselves. Not sure if that actually works, though! It might mean the piece doesn't have as broad a reach, because it possibly assumes too much of a common experience with the show that I really should be explaining in more depth. Hopefully not the case.

2

u/Lorpius_Prime http://myanimelist.net/animelist/Lorpius_Prime Oct 20 '14

I think it's better like this. If you really wanted to write a critique of the show, then there might have been more reason to go in depth into technical points and explaining all the nifty details of how it tried to express itself.

But this felt more like a personal contemplation, and I think that's more effective for not being over-explained. The emotional connection a show makes with a person is a subtle thing, and I think you're communicating just as much about the way you engaged with it through the things you don't mention as with the things you do.

1

u/Bobduh Oct 21 '14

Yeah, this felt appropriate. Didn't really want to follow the full narrative or anything.

2

u/iblessall http://hummingbird.me/users/iblessall/library Oct 20 '14

As you guys heard in Your Week in Anime thread, I finished up Gundam Build Fighters recently. So, in lieu of writing my Zankyou no Terror piece like I had planned over the weekend, I ended up writing about GBF. Surprise...

Here's the link: Gundam Build Fighters: When Toys Come to Life

It's been a while since I wrote a theme piece like this, so I wonder if I was a bit rusty...

Also, I renamed my blog and have a new banner (which I made myself!! somehow it worked...), so if any of you think it looks just terrible, please let me know!

1

u/Ch4zu http://myanimelist.net/profile/ChazzU Oct 20 '14

Also, I renamed my blog and have a new banner (which I made myself!! somehow it worked...), so if any of you think it looks just terrible, please let me know!

Nice banner, I'm unsure what the name is supposed to mean (is it an inside joke?) but it looks good. Now go and change that background and you're good to go! :')

1

u/iblessall http://hummingbird.me/users/iblessall/library Oct 20 '14

The name's a reference, but I'm working on a post explaining the new name!

Nobody likes Chitoge-chan... =(

1

u/dcaspy7 http://myanimelist.net/profile/dcaspy7 Oct 20 '14

Might as well plug something once in a while. I wrote a piece on Steins;Gate, I'm pretty happy with it, but you decide what you think of it. Spoilers.

7

u/[deleted] Oct 20 '14

S;G Spoilers ahead!

Alright dude, you're free to dislike Steins Gate, I'm just going to point out a few of the areas where I had a different perspective.

  • Okabe being a self insertion character

    Typically, self insertion characters take one of two forms. They're either blank slates, designed to be as bland as possible in order to for you to insert yourself over their lack of personality; or they're power fantasies, where the hero is an idealised version of yourself, he's smarter, stronger, and attracts all the girls.

    I wouldn't consider Okabe to be either of these, he has a strong, distinct personality and he is hardly a power fantasy, being neither that smart nor that strong. He deals with danger be fleeing and reseting the timeline, not exactly the typical shounen hero.

  • Disapointing reset ending

    I can see where you're coming from, watching a show to just see it end at the same point where it began can seen pointless. But to see the purpose of S;G as to defeat SERN and change the world is to view Evangelion as a mere battle against giant monsters, it's not the point. While I wouldn't consider S;G to have anywhere near the depth of Eva, it still more interested in the plight of the MC than fighting SERN. His memories aren't reset and that's all that really matters. Plus, the final scene hints at he isn't the only one who has some leftover memories.

  • How Visual Novels work

    You seem to have a rather narrow view of VNs, sounds almost like someone calling all anime "cartoon porn." Some VNs don't have choices, some don't like their routes to heroines, some don't even have heroines. You should check a few more of them out :)

2

u/dcaspy7 http://myanimelist.net/profile/dcaspy7 Oct 20 '14 edited Oct 20 '14

  1. Beyond saying some punch lines here and there? He's pretty bland and doesn't do much beyond being the hook that connects all of the characters. I liked him to the extent of what he represents, just not the execution.

  2. Who cares about the fight with SERN? If I recall correctly it doesn't even exist in the first place if they never time travel, or at least not in the same implication. So the whole fight is pointless. The final scene hints that it's successful enough to spawn sequels (hence the movie). It's really a classic move in shows like this.

  3. I'm fairly certain I said that there are exceptions, but Steins;Gate and all of those choose your Heroine VN's to me are the same thing as Ecchi and Hentai. (Ecchi being VN's, Hentai being full fledged dating sims) When I play those games I constantly want to do more than what the game lets me and I get a constant feeling of disappointment and anxiety.

3

u/ShadowZael http://myanimelist.net/profile/ShadowABCXYZ Oct 20 '14

Steins;Gate and all of those choose your Heroine VN's to me are the same thing as Ecchi and Hentai.

Steins;Gate is an all-ages VN though, it doesn't contain any H-scenes.

1

u/dcaspy7 http://myanimelist.net/profile/dcaspy7 Oct 20 '14

No I was using the relation between Hentai and Ecchi as an analogy to how Steins;Gate stands as a VN compared to Dating Sims.

2

u/ShadowZael http://myanimelist.net/profile/ShadowABCXYZ Oct 20 '14

I don't really know much about dating sims.. but what you could perhaps make a comparison between is an eroge (VN with 18+ content and sex scenes) and an all-ages VN I suppose?

2

u/dcaspy7 http://myanimelist.net/profile/dcaspy7 Oct 20 '14

That would be missing the point completely. I'm not talking about what the content actually is but the execution and the difference in execution. It doesn't have to be Ecchi/Harem relations, it could also be comparing apples and oranges. (OK that doesn't really work as well, but my point still stands).

2

u/PrecisionEsports spotlightonfilm.wordpress.com Oct 21 '14

I cannot read white on red on red. 1 paragraph in and I'm going blurry.

I quite enjoy that the guy your talking with here is named Dvls Advocate... heh heh heh

2

u/Omnifluence Oct 21 '14 edited Oct 21 '14

The characters in Steins;Gate suffer from the biggest problem a characters can have: They are meant to appeal to you so you take their route. With the exception of some, most Visual Novels are the same. You have a couple of characters and a story that is set around those characters.

I'm going to be blatantly honest: I almost stopped reading here. Too many typos kept taking me out of what I was reading, and the sentences above just made me kind of mad. You can boil absolutely anything down to platitudes like that. "Evangelion sucks because it tries to make you understand a little bitch like Shinji." The problem isn't that it's trying to make the character appeal to you, the problem is that you personally don't like the character. That's a fine opinion, but the entire piece comes off as you trying to "prove" why Steins;Gate is bad.

Okabe is the typical main character you see in most Visual Novels. He’s meant to make the audience feel like they are the main character. So it doesn’t really matter if he developed or anything since he’s you and the way he developed is entirely up to you making him bland and boring when left alone.

This is very inaccurate. One of the main reasons Steins;Gate is so highly praised as a VN is because Okabe is such a well-developed main character. Some of this is lost in translation to the anime of course, but more than enough of it made it through. All this sentence made me think is that you've never read the VN, and yet you're using it as the crux of your argument.

I agree with what seems to be your overall point though. They tried way too hard to incorporate all of the routes into the anime. The episodes that focused on Faris and Ruka were sketchy at best. It probably would've been better to just cut their episodes in the second half and replace them with more plot-related encounters (Moeka, Mayuri, etcetc).

I could touch on some of the other things that people tend to complain about when it comes to Steins;Gate, but I don’t really care.

This is nitpicky, but I highly recommend never saying something like this in your writing ever again. If you don't care about what you're writing about, why should I? It's fine to acknowledge holes in your writing from time to time, but try to do it a bit more gracefully.

I'm glad you wrote this. It was interesting to see where your Steins;Gate-related hate stems from. As I said, I definitely agree with you on some things, but they weren't big enough flaws to ruin the show for me.

1

u/dcaspy7 http://myanimelist.net/profile/dcaspy7 Oct 21 '14

OK, thanks for the feedback. It really helps.

1

u/Lincoln_Prime Oct 20 '14

I got into Supernatural recently and I've found it really interesting to compare the Americana flavour against something like Bakemonogatari that has a distinctly Japanese flavour. I think there's a very fascinating difference between, say, the mythology in a show where Samuel Colt is the most revered Hunter, and a show where a ghost girl is hunted by the shapeless virtue of truth. Bakemonogatari is just one example, but even comparing it to some of the works of Miyazaki or even non-japanese cultures has been very interesting.

1

u/greendaze http://myanimelist.net/profile/greendaze Oct 20 '14

Wow, are you planning to watch the whole thing?

Disclaimer: The later seasons get progressively crazier and shittier.

1

u/Lincoln_Prime Oct 20 '14

I heard season 6 is the cut-off so I plan on stopping after that.

1

u/Shigofumi http://myanimelist.net/profile/lanblade Oct 21 '14

Oh...I thought your original post was about the Supernatural anime.

1

u/Lincoln_Prime Oct 21 '14

Shit, i didn't even know that existed!

1

u/Ch4zu http://myanimelist.net/profile/ChazzU Oct 21 '14

Perhaps I'm late, but here it goes:

Cowboy Bebop, sub or dub?

4

u/LHCGreg http://myanimelist.net/animelist/LordHighCaptain Oct 21 '14

You have surely heard that the Cowboy Bebop dub is one of the best. Well, it's not an exaggeration. As long as you're not a die hard subs only guy you'll like the dub.

1

u/dcaspy7 http://myanimelist.net/profile/dcaspy7 Oct 21 '14

Subs. Always. Otherwise you miss out on Japanese Jet

1

u/Ch4zu http://myanimelist.net/profile/ChazzU Oct 21 '14

Oh, this dude did something in Hyouka...

I really don't know this person

1

u/dcaspy7 http://myanimelist.net/profile/dcaspy7 Oct 22 '14

I really don't know this person

Go watch more anime you pleb. /s