Japanese Cartoons

[Silverdream]

Terra Formars Episode 2:

I have to say that this show's censorship is pretty bad. I recommend either waiting for the uncensored version to come out later or reading the manga.

[Theblackdog]

So, after an epic marathon I'm finally done with Eureka seven. Friendly tip: Once you start episode 35 or so you won't be able to stop.
So, TL:DR: Eureka Seven is about a gang of hippie revolutionaries who use sky-surfing mecha to FIGHT THE POWAH. Also there's a love story that alternates between touching and incredibly sappy.

Also this:

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I tried to find one with Holland's and Dewey's faces photoshopped on, but amazingly it seems like nobody had done it.

I compared this to pretty much every show Gainax ever made while I was watching it. It has the characterization (or lack thereof) and sense of humor of FLCL; the slowly-revealed mythos and crazy mindtrips of Evangelion; and a touch of the same irrepressible spirit that would go on to animate Gurren Lagann a few years after E7 first aired (personally, I'd say that it's better than FLCL but worse than Eva and TTGL). But in the end the hippie aesthetic and ethos are the best way to describe the show. It can be both silly and philosophical; it may get dark and disturbing, but light and goodwill always win out.

The animation is brilliant; the mecha were done by Shoji Kawamori of Macross fame and he probably directed the fight scenes as well, because most battles (especially later in the story) are more like dogfights, in which the villains throw insane amounts of firepower around while the heroes dodge it all at ludicrous speeds. Some of the animation is repeated, but you really do get the sense of flying and speed that Kawamori is famous for. Also, the color palette is insane; the explosions are pink, the contrails are lime green, and one battle takes place in, and I wish I was making this up, "The Sea of Rainbow Clouds". The soundtrack... isn't Hiroyuki Sawano, and there's no Libera me from Hell, but even if it seems underwhelming on its own it works brilliantly within the story.

Bad stuff: Like I said, the love story between Renton and Eureka can be very touching at times but, especially towards the end, seems really saccharine. Also, this show isn't paced all that well. Some sections tend to drag and go over stuff that's already been established - most notably the end of the first half and one particular plot thread at the climax. Some of the reveals feel like sudden infodumps, and some characters get too little screen time. The ending -- it had an amazing buildup, as good as TTGL's, but the payoff wasn't that great. I felt like much of the final conflict was over issues between Renton and Eureka that they'd already resolved by that point. Also, those fucking kids. Can somebody just throw them off the ship while it's flying over an orphanage?

All in all, though, this was a beautiful show. I genuinely liked and cared about most of these characters and the action was beautiful to watch. There really isn't much more you can say than that.

Best moment:

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Episode 32. All of it. Renton's Grandpa is such a badass. The ending almost made me cry too.

Best character:

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Talho. She's loyal to Holland but still refuses to put up with his shit. She pilots the Gekko, and doesn't afraid of anything; when shit gets real, she's usually the first one to push ahead.

Best mech:

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It was a close call between the Devilfish and the Nirvash Spec-2, but I have to go with the Devilfish.

It looks badass as hell, and its final mission involves flying into Dewey's flagship and slicing it apart from the inside with laser cannon fire in probably the best-animated sequence of the entire show. If the T.L.A. used large-scale mecha, this is what they would design.

Stuff I want to steal:

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This universe's version of the Second Impact is called the Summer of Love... which leads to our diabolical villain, arguably the only irredeemably evil character on the entire show, boasting about how he's going to start a Second Summer of Love. And shots of people panicking and stampeding as news announcers tell everyone "Please don't panic... but it's the Second Summer of Love." And when we actually see it, it starts off with a giant rainbow laser being fired into the planet... yeah, the Pwnies will definitely be using this.

I may put my DTRs on sky surfboards if I run out of dropship space for them. Not, like, magic sky surfboards that can cut people in half; just ordinary metal boards with a jet engine underneath. But still.

The whole "Everything is Scub" bit at the end. Couple it with the "Skub" from the Perry Bible Fellowship strip above and I can see this being the ultimate reveal of a Quantum Surfer storyline: everything and everyone in the Brikverse is really just Skub, there to ignite conflict and make the world worth living in.

[Silverdream]

Here's an old interview from '96 with Hideaki Anno. Did you know he animated the scene of the giant monster firing at the Ohm in Nausicaa?

[Silverdream]

Fate/Stay Night Episode 0

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Holy shit, that was awesome. I turned down my hype because I thought it couldn't be as good as Fate/Zero, but the animation was fantastic. I also pegged Rin as an Vriska ripoff, but she seems to be a pretty interesting character in her own right.

Also, I found this episode's first minute heartbreaking.

Edit:

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Here's an old interview from '96 with Hideaki Anno. Did you know he animated the scene of the giant monster firing at the Ohm in Nausicaa?

Good thing I told you that, huh? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eh0qbJAQhgk this video, Blue Blazes the TV drama and Insufficient Direction manga are my personal otaku guidebooks.

[Silverdream]

No, you told me he animated the Ohm.

[Insert_blank]

Here's an old interview from '96 with Hideaki Anno. Did you know he animated the scene of the giant monster firing at the Ohm in Nausicaa?

Yeah... anyway read that manga and watch that TV show then watch Ultraman '66 (available on dvd!)

[IVhorseman]

I went and re-watched Cowboy Bebop all the way through. Had just as much fun watching it this time, that is a great all-around series.

Meanwhile, I started watching Outlaw Star, which is... less good. I still like it, but watching it Immediately after Cowboy Bebop really hurts it since it's nowhere near the same quality. I'm on episode 8 but I'm not sure how long I'll actually stick with it.

[Silverdream]

Grisaia Episode 1:

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I wasn't expecting much other than a stereotypical harem show with some violence mixed in, but I'm pleasantly surprised by the mood set, and I really want to know the background of all of these characters. Also, I have to praise the equal opportunity fanservice.

[Zahru II]

Checked the 1st episode of Cross Ange out of sheer curiosity and it's kinda bad, probably not worth picking up. Feels like a show for 15 year olds written by a 15 year old.

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Also ep1 ends with the protag getting forcefully stripped, chained up and shoving up stuff in the butt is implied. Mind you this is not supposed to be a H-title so idk what they tried to accomplish with this.

Apparently it's the same guy who did gundam SEED.

[Insert_blank]

I went and re-watched Cowboy Bebop all the way through. Had just as much fun watching it this time, that is a great all-around series.

Meanwhile, I started watching Outlaw Star, which is... less good. I still like it, but watching it Immediately after Cowboy Bebop really hurts it since it's nowhere near the same quality. I'm on episode 8 but I'm not sure how long I'll actually stick with it.

I bought Outlaw Star on DVD years ago. It is in no way good but it's the most fun 90s anime out there. I loved the Space Race arc, ep 18, I think (Between Man and Machine) and Aisha Clan Clan is best girl. It's full of horrible anime cliches but it was the first show I saw as a kid with all those cliches. The McDougal brothers are badass and the 7 Pirate Lords or whatever are sweet.

[Battlegrinder]

I just got around to watching Halo Legends. My reaction was....mixed.

Good shorts: Prototype, Origins
Average: The Package
Fair: Homecoming, The Babysitter
Bad: The Duel, Odd One Out*




*Yes, I'm aware that it was supposed to be parody. It still sucks.

[cleanupcrew]

Despite interesting me on some level, I had to ditch A Certain Scientific Railgun 8 minutes in due to explicit fondling which, according to Insert_Blank, happens too often for me to ignore.

[Tzan]

"Well then we don't want you either, Misaka said with a hint of disdain".

[Insert_blank]

"'I forgot how annoying this speech pattern is' said Misaka, remembering how annoying this speech pattern is."