for like the.... 6th time?
so... considering i've already written reviews on the show why am i talking about it again?
cause... it's my blog and i do what i want?
Well there is actually a real reason... 2 reasons.
1. this is the NISA special edition dvd/blu-ray and it's really pretty and completely worth the money... it came with a bookmark as a pre-order bonus and it just happened to fit in my kindle case so... if i ever need a bookmark at least i'll be able to grab on quick.
2. since i've been reading the manga while i wait/hope for season 5 something happened that changed my entire perspective on the series as a whole.... and i moreso wanna talk about that then i do the anime.... so... i'm using this as a good excuse.
However if you aren't completely up to date with the manga (chapter 63) stop reading here and just go pick up the dvd if you haven't already.
so...
The one thing i always told people about this show was "it's a little on the slow side.... i mean the antagonist isn't even shown till season 3.
I can't tell people that anymore cause it is no longer true... it was never true... i just didn't realize.
When you look at the characters on face value alone one is INFINITELY more creepy looking and even sounding.
so naturally being the judgmental asshole i apparently am (thank you show for showing me my true nature) i figured the one who is willing to use human and yokai alike to further his goal would be the antagonist.... not the case.
See through out the series Natsume has done a good job of keeping the book of friends a secret cause any exorcist who saw it would probably want it since it would give them power over many powerful Ayakashi/yokai
however in one of the later chapters someone sees him... kinda.
Okay i need to talk about the once difference between the anime an manga.
In the anime Natori sees a bit of the book in the hot spring episode... it's never brought up again so i thought maybe natori was being a good guy and just keeping it a scret to preserve the friendship...
well i was half right...
in the manga though he didn't see him at all... instead it just happened in these last few chapters and he even said "don't worry, we both have secrets, no need to tell me"
so at this point i'm relived cause yeah... when natori saw the book i let out a loud gasp. but it was all good right?
r...right?
NOPE
in one page.... with a few lines of dialogue i felt my heart break.
"nastume seems to have some important secret thing he keeps with him, find out what it is, maybe he's not fit to keep it"
you... son of a...
He trusts you, he's willing to confide in you now and you are going to throw that away just to further your stature as an exorcist... natori... all along... he has been the antagonist.... he's not evil per-say.. he didn't go into it thinking "i'm gunna screw this kid over cause he's inexperienced and quick to trust".... no he's just Greedy which in my opinion is a million times worse. he would always use natsume, who has been established to have an immense amount of spiritual power despite his frail appearance, to do seals or set things up and then he would take all the glory. so the fact that this kid may have a book full of spirits real names is just too much for him to stand... his title and beating the matoba clan who look down on him will end up being far more important then his friendship and the trust natsume has given him.
and i can just see it now... it's going to completely crush natsume and kill his ability to trust anyone.... and it'll probably be where natori loses his leg.
in an earlier point of the story it's mentioned that natori's mark never goes down his left leg since he's probably going to lose it at some point...
so.... now knowing who the true antagonist is when i was re-watching season 4 something horrific dawned on me.
In the bottle episode... Natori meets Tanuma.
Natori sees how close natsume and tanuma are and how they are both willing to put themselves in danger for the other.
Natori wouldn't be above using that friendship in order to get what he wants.
then i read some translation of part of the Natsume's book of friends Novel.
and keeping in mind that it may or may not be canon (depsite the slight difference i consider both as canon) if it is canon and natori has yet another scary thing.... He knows natsume is friends with someone named Taki Tooru... that this person knows natsume can see things and that they would probably also rush into danger if things came to that.
so lets recount...
Natori knows where nastume lives, has spoken to his guardians and knows about ll his closest friends.
HOW COULD THAT GO WRONG?
and who knows.... maybe.... maybe nothing comes of it.... but considering the look on his face... and the way natori acts... i just know he is going to absolutely shatter natsume's faith in humanity.
in one page Yuki midorikawa proved that they could be more evil and cruel then i could ever imagine... they gave me an entirely new way to look at this show.
and i loved every minute of it... i just hope one day i can be even half as cruel to my characters.... (anyone who writes stories probably knows what i mean by this)
but yeah.... great show, great manga... i can't wait to see where it goes from here (cause i mean it only took 10 years for the antagonist to truly be revealed... so good times....)
Wednesday, 10 July 2013
Tuesday, 9 July 2013
Ramblings on crowd funding
I just watched the latest episode of Thumb wars
in short it talks about mostly the controversy with how double fine potentially misbudgeted for their game which is already over budget and are now asking for more money....
i'm not really going to talk about that but it was the spark that made me write this so i felt i should mention it.
i will say that in the episode the co-host Yousif (i hope i spelled that correctly) made some points they were shut down by the host in ways i don't completely agree with.
"As an investor i want to see a good finished project."
This is shot down because purchasing anything is a gamble and you aren't really an investor you are just buying a product on delay.
I respectfully disagree... i mean yes... buying anything is always a gamble, kickstarter or not you never knew what your going to get/if you are going to get an experience you enjoy... you just have to hope that they fufill their promises.
HOWEVER... lets say i fund something, and it doesn't do well/live up to the promises it made/out right sucks.
I am going to be a lot less likely to fund something cause i've been screwed in the past and theres no way to hold the person accountable other then not give them any more money.
and this is my opinion based on fact.
I have funded 4 projects through various crowd funding things.
1. a website known as Anipan which pitched as a place where you could put larger art without the worry of theft.
2. Aaron Pogues kickstarter to put his story into public domain rigth away(essentially an experiment) and one of the tears was an autographed book from him (i thought it was an interestign cause but i was more interested in the books)
3. LA game space/ a handful of indie games.
4. An art book/interview book which just got funded a week or two ago.
so what happened?
a) anipan is a website where you can post larger images if you want... i doubt it stops theft that much though.... the community is disjointed because of the lack of features like an inbox and the way the front page is set up is messy and favors 'popular' art so it's hard finding lesser known artist.... and even if you do findthem talking to them is a pain. one of the perks i paids for was a paid subscription to the site for a year... the sites been up how long and i have yet to see that pay off...
i feel ripped off by a site that barely works... and i knew that was a risk but it doens't change the fact that i would need something special to fund something again.
b) the prize was awesome (and already done) but the project didn't reach it's goal : (
so this time i was more annoyed cause i got excited for something i'll probably never have.
c) been hearing about the gae packs we are getting for la game space and it seems like if i were ever in LA it would be a neat place to visit... i don't feel ripped off by this cause i gave very little and it sounds like if nothing else i'll have a ton of indie games to talk about.
d) this was my gamble... it was not cheap.... but with the promise of interviews from people at Falcom and even art done by someone who works at falcom in the early days i had to give it a chance... if this doesn't end up working i will be pretty upset.
because like it or not i do feel like an investor, i gave you money.... i am hoping to get what you promised in return... and for it to be good.
because when things are bad people will not trust you so easily in the future.
It is nice to see people start taking the publishers side because that feeling of "i gave you money, how can you ask for more" is true in every medium... and while that is not always the case it may break the trend of praising the poor visionary who just wants to get their dream across when in reality they just need to be kept on a short leash lest they go crazy with power... which is good in my books...
near the end of the video it feels like they are arguing about two different things.
Yousif is arguing that he feels double fine has not lived up to their promises and even asked for more money for another game and a second round for this one and how thats not cool considering he raised 1000% more then he asked for.
Shawn seems to argue that this wont take down kickstarter.
ummm of course it wont... it's just one little failed/failing project.... BUT stuff like that will make the buyer even less likely to spend money and then the smaller less popular indie developers who actually NEED the money probably wont get any....
the way i see crowd funding is the way i look at grants.... when you apply for a grant you give a budget and a pitch and if they like it enough they will give you money under a bunch of stipulations...
if you dont' produce on time or try to ask for more money or produce something they see as being poor in quality then they will never give you funding again....
how grants continue to be given out every year despite some failures.
i think kickstarter is the same.... you burn me then no.... no more money for you..... but will KS care? no... they made their cut already.
i wasn't a backer of the double fine game, even though my earliest gaming memory is Full throttle... i feel that larger names using kickstarter is a bit.... ugh.... i don;t think they shouldn't i just wont support it... i'd rather give money to the little guy cause i think they need it a bit more.
anyways thats my opinion... i liked the video i just didn't feel like they were arguing the same thing... if that makes sense.
in short it talks about mostly the controversy with how double fine potentially misbudgeted for their game which is already over budget and are now asking for more money....
i'm not really going to talk about that but it was the spark that made me write this so i felt i should mention it.
i will say that in the episode the co-host Yousif (i hope i spelled that correctly) made some points they were shut down by the host in ways i don't completely agree with.
"As an investor i want to see a good finished project."
This is shot down because purchasing anything is a gamble and you aren't really an investor you are just buying a product on delay.
I respectfully disagree... i mean yes... buying anything is always a gamble, kickstarter or not you never knew what your going to get/if you are going to get an experience you enjoy... you just have to hope that they fufill their promises.
HOWEVER... lets say i fund something, and it doesn't do well/live up to the promises it made/out right sucks.
I am going to be a lot less likely to fund something cause i've been screwed in the past and theres no way to hold the person accountable other then not give them any more money.
and this is my opinion based on fact.
I have funded 4 projects through various crowd funding things.
1. a website known as Anipan which pitched as a place where you could put larger art without the worry of theft.
2. Aaron Pogues kickstarter to put his story into public domain rigth away(essentially an experiment) and one of the tears was an autographed book from him (i thought it was an interestign cause but i was more interested in the books)
3. LA game space/ a handful of indie games.
4. An art book/interview book which just got funded a week or two ago.
so what happened?
a) anipan is a website where you can post larger images if you want... i doubt it stops theft that much though.... the community is disjointed because of the lack of features like an inbox and the way the front page is set up is messy and favors 'popular' art so it's hard finding lesser known artist.... and even if you do findthem talking to them is a pain. one of the perks i paids for was a paid subscription to the site for a year... the sites been up how long and i have yet to see that pay off...
i feel ripped off by a site that barely works... and i knew that was a risk but it doens't change the fact that i would need something special to fund something again.
b) the prize was awesome (and already done) but the project didn't reach it's goal : (
so this time i was more annoyed cause i got excited for something i'll probably never have.
c) been hearing about the gae packs we are getting for la game space and it seems like if i were ever in LA it would be a neat place to visit... i don't feel ripped off by this cause i gave very little and it sounds like if nothing else i'll have a ton of indie games to talk about.
d) this was my gamble... it was not cheap.... but with the promise of interviews from people at Falcom and even art done by someone who works at falcom in the early days i had to give it a chance... if this doesn't end up working i will be pretty upset.
because like it or not i do feel like an investor, i gave you money.... i am hoping to get what you promised in return... and for it to be good.
because when things are bad people will not trust you so easily in the future.
It is nice to see people start taking the publishers side because that feeling of "i gave you money, how can you ask for more" is true in every medium... and while that is not always the case it may break the trend of praising the poor visionary who just wants to get their dream across when in reality they just need to be kept on a short leash lest they go crazy with power... which is good in my books...
near the end of the video it feels like they are arguing about two different things.
Yousif is arguing that he feels double fine has not lived up to their promises and even asked for more money for another game and a second round for this one and how thats not cool considering he raised 1000% more then he asked for.
Shawn seems to argue that this wont take down kickstarter.
ummm of course it wont... it's just one little failed/failing project.... BUT stuff like that will make the buyer even less likely to spend money and then the smaller less popular indie developers who actually NEED the money probably wont get any....
the way i see crowd funding is the way i look at grants.... when you apply for a grant you give a budget and a pitch and if they like it enough they will give you money under a bunch of stipulations...
if you dont' produce on time or try to ask for more money or produce something they see as being poor in quality then they will never give you funding again....
how grants continue to be given out every year despite some failures.
i think kickstarter is the same.... you burn me then no.... no more money for you..... but will KS care? no... they made their cut already.
i wasn't a backer of the double fine game, even though my earliest gaming memory is Full throttle... i feel that larger names using kickstarter is a bit.... ugh.... i don;t think they shouldn't i just wont support it... i'd rather give money to the little guy cause i think they need it a bit more.
anyways thats my opinion... i liked the video i just didn't feel like they were arguing the same thing... if that makes sense.
Monday, 8 July 2013
Completed: Oberons Dream (the godlanders war) by Aaron Pogue
So... a quick little story.... followed by a different kind of review.
today i went to the dentist cause i broke one of my wisdom teeth, while in the waiting room i pulled out my lovely kindle and sighed "i never get to spend time with you anymore... i'm too busy working on things.... i'm only halfway through this book by my fav author" *insert sadface here*
so i started to read and by the time i could leave i was at 70%.... not bad.
we get home.... about 30 mins later the power goes out...
and.... since i couldn't use my comp at all.... i figured i may as well keep reading my book.
then i finished it.
and was all
"but.... i write reviews right after finishing these.... but no computer"
*moment of silence*
then a lightbulb went off.... from the yeasteryear of highschool i did still have lined paper stashed away.
and even though my writing is chicken scratch.... i figured for this book... it's the PERFECT way to review it.
too messy: don't read;
i loved the book and this series is probably going to end up one of my favorites of his... you can get it for your ebook for 4ish bucks.
ok... onto the 'review'
told ya.... cursive chicken scratch...
is it true that they don't teach cursive anymore? so sad if true : (
but yeah... another great book, can't wait for the next one.
today i went to the dentist cause i broke one of my wisdom teeth, while in the waiting room i pulled out my lovely kindle and sighed "i never get to spend time with you anymore... i'm too busy working on things.... i'm only halfway through this book by my fav author" *insert sadface here*
so i started to read and by the time i could leave i was at 70%.... not bad.
we get home.... about 30 mins later the power goes out...
and.... since i couldn't use my comp at all.... i figured i may as well keep reading my book.
then i finished it.
and was all
"but.... i write reviews right after finishing these.... but no computer"
*moment of silence*
then a lightbulb went off.... from the yeasteryear of highschool i did still have lined paper stashed away.
and even though my writing is chicken scratch.... i figured for this book... it's the PERFECT way to review it.
too messy: don't read;
i loved the book and this series is probably going to end up one of my favorites of his... you can get it for your ebook for 4ish bucks.
ok... onto the 'review'
is it true that they don't teach cursive anymore? so sad if true : (
but yeah... another great book, can't wait for the next one.
Thursday, 4 July 2013
Completed: My Teen Romantic comedy SNAFU
AKA: My youth romantic comedy is wrong as i expected
but i'm just call it SNAFU.
1. I was dreading this show, the title was incredibly stupid
2. The art look pretty odd with strange designs and face placement on the characters which always puts me on edge.
3. it just looked like you typical Harem show.
Then i watched it.
boy was a surprised at how much i enjoyed this.
So the main character is Hikigaya, Hachiman. he was injured for the first chunk of highschool so he didn't have a chance to join a group at the same time as everyone else... therefor he decided that it was just better to be left alone... since most people find him odd or creepy to begin with... and no one can remember his name.
this isn't good enough for his teacher though and after one too many snarky papers being handed in she decided to fight back by forcing him to join the service club, a club dedicated to fufilling requests from students.
Thing is it only has one member... Yukino Yukinoshita. a lovely girl with class and bueaty and the personality of a robot... she is equally as lonely but unlike hikigaya she still stands out quite a bit even if she isn't well liked.
one of the people they help, Yui Yuigahama ends up joining the club because she has a crush on hikigaya after he helped her in the past.
so yes... this show has a romantic/haremesque feel....
BUT
Hikigaya is so dense and such a martyr and can't comprehend the idea of anyone being nice to him out of anything more then pity....
so that creates a more interesting relationship dynamic between the three of them... and unlike oreshura which added too many charcaters this stays small while still having quite a few reoccurring characters.
there is an open ended feel to how this series ends... it could easily have a second season.
I kinda hope it doesn;t.... this is slice of life and even though not everything is completely resolved i really enjoyed the character arc over the 13 episodes and if it goes any more things are just gunna go into same old same old territory.
The good:
memorable cast of characters.
Decent animation (though the style may take some getting used to)
The not so good:
if your not a fan of slice of life high school drama it may bore you.
stupid title is really stupid.... like i said it almost turns me off of it...
the bad:
could have used a bit more closure cause it does feel like it's left itself open for a season 2... and i just worry that that may be too much....
but seriously it's a really cute show and i think everyone should give it a shot.
but i'm just call it SNAFU.
1. I was dreading this show, the title was incredibly stupid
2. The art look pretty odd with strange designs and face placement on the characters which always puts me on edge.
3. it just looked like you typical Harem show.
Then i watched it.
boy was a surprised at how much i enjoyed this.
So the main character is Hikigaya, Hachiman. he was injured for the first chunk of highschool so he didn't have a chance to join a group at the same time as everyone else... therefor he decided that it was just better to be left alone... since most people find him odd or creepy to begin with... and no one can remember his name.
this isn't good enough for his teacher though and after one too many snarky papers being handed in she decided to fight back by forcing him to join the service club, a club dedicated to fufilling requests from students.
Thing is it only has one member... Yukino Yukinoshita. a lovely girl with class and bueaty and the personality of a robot... she is equally as lonely but unlike hikigaya she still stands out quite a bit even if she isn't well liked.
one of the people they help, Yui Yuigahama ends up joining the club because she has a crush on hikigaya after he helped her in the past.
so yes... this show has a romantic/haremesque feel....
BUT
Hikigaya is so dense and such a martyr and can't comprehend the idea of anyone being nice to him out of anything more then pity....
so that creates a more interesting relationship dynamic between the three of them... and unlike oreshura which added too many charcaters this stays small while still having quite a few reoccurring characters.
there is an open ended feel to how this series ends... it could easily have a second season.
I kinda hope it doesn;t.... this is slice of life and even though not everything is completely resolved i really enjoyed the character arc over the 13 episodes and if it goes any more things are just gunna go into same old same old territory.
The good:
memorable cast of characters.
Decent animation (though the style may take some getting used to)
The not so good:
if your not a fan of slice of life high school drama it may bore you.
stupid title is really stupid.... like i said it almost turns me off of it...
the bad:
could have used a bit more closure cause it does feel like it's left itself open for a season 2... and i just worry that that may be too much....
but seriously it's a really cute show and i think everyone should give it a shot.
Wednesday, 3 July 2013
Little princess - From start to finish -
so the say after i finished my third Estelle series pic.... i realised i couldn't move/use my thumb/right arm at all.
being that i am right handed that really sucked... .
being that i'm a work-a-holic made it even worse.
still i knew it wouldn't heal if i tried to use it....
SO i claimed a mini hiatus, i would ice and heat and drug the shit out of my hand in the hopes that it would quickly heal and i could get back to drawing cause the instant you can't do something is the instant you get all the ideas.
this lasted a day.... and it was a brutal day... but i was good and didn't pic up any kinda of drawing implement (mostly cause i physically couldn't....)
The next day however i had gained movement back and some gripping strength so i did a quick 2-5 min sketch
Dawww i do love drawing chibi usa/small lady/princess serenity
still it was a success in my books.... i made it through without pain.
I didn't want to risk it though so i took the rest of the day off and inked it the next day... by this point some swelling had returned so again... called it quits and today i did the flat colour..... and then very carefully and switching to my left hand frequently i finished it cause dammit i have been working on this for 3 days and that's a long time for me (even if it was only maybe 2.5 hours total.)
still here's the finished product, i took some liberties with the colouring of the manga version of the dress cause.... well cause i can.
and i really just wanted to draw her holding a helios plush toy.
done in Paint tool Sai with some final touch ups in photoshop.
Redbubble
being that i am right handed that really sucked... .
being that i'm a work-a-holic made it even worse.
still i knew it wouldn't heal if i tried to use it....
SO i claimed a mini hiatus, i would ice and heat and drug the shit out of my hand in the hopes that it would quickly heal and i could get back to drawing cause the instant you can't do something is the instant you get all the ideas.
this lasted a day.... and it was a brutal day... but i was good and didn't pic up any kinda of drawing implement (mostly cause i physically couldn't....)
The next day however i had gained movement back and some gripping strength so i did a quick 2-5 min sketch
still it was a success in my books.... i made it through without pain.
I didn't want to risk it though so i took the rest of the day off and inked it the next day... by this point some swelling had returned so again... called it quits and today i did the flat colour..... and then very carefully and switching to my left hand frequently i finished it cause dammit i have been working on this for 3 days and that's a long time for me (even if it was only maybe 2.5 hours total.)
still here's the finished product, i took some liberties with the colouring of the manga version of the dress cause.... well cause i can.
and i really just wanted to draw her holding a helios plush toy.
Redbubble
Tuesday, 2 July 2013
Completed: Arata The Legend
aka Arata Kangatari.
so when i watched one ep of every show (minus the obvious fan service shows and 3 min shows) at the start of spring season this one caught my eye.
nice character design, bright and colourful as well as decent music.
Also it was a story of someone being thrown into a completely different world which is one of my favorite storylines (right next to normal world with slight supernatural elements)
Hell it was two people getting thrown into different worlds cause they essentially switched places.
so.... why am i kinda bummed out?
Why did i just not connect with this show the way i expected to?
1. Reminded me a lot of Escaflowne... which is a million times better then this.
Okay other then person gets sent to another world and main character is a sprinter the two shows have nothing in common. but they bring up the sprinting thing damn near every episode.... it was bad enough that when a certain 'twist' was revealed most of the human race could have figured it out in the first episode. I know compairing it is unfair but honestly i can't help that it reminded me of it.
2. Made up worlds and bullshit terminology.
Okay... so even though 90% of what i read is fantasy i still HATE made up terms... to a point.
I didn't mind it in Night angel trilogy cause you know what any and all terms mean... but in this has so many terms and yet you know what they are but you never are told why.... the reason why things are like that is as important as what the thing is... i can't give a shit about the world if every two seconds your throwing shit at me that i'm supposed to care about but i can't since i am lacking the context.
3. 12 episodes and i don't care about anyone/stupid motivations.
there is no reason for me to get behind any characters... they are all EXTREMELY shallow.
the main antagonist hates arata simply becasue they tied in a race and he took that as taking pity on him. he is willing to kill for this.
no
NO
NO ONE IS THAT SHALLOW!
"oh but he's just being possessed by the evil spirit of his hayagami!"
so what, he was willing to kill arata before he got the dumb sword.
and arata is no better "i guess i will do this cause people trust me and i don't want to lose that trust"
how about "i'll do this to better myself and those around me"
or "i'll do this cause the fate of the world kinda sorta is resting on my shoulders"
4. i was expecting two fish out of water stories... not one.
Arata in fantasy world is the main focus.....
but there is still arata in real world which to me sounds like a much crazier less pity party story... we maybe get 20 minute total of arata in real world and i'm sorry his actions should be affecting something in fantasy world....
5. it's all been filler.
no seriously.... except for maybe the first and last episode all the others have just been "here is arata doing shit and helping people and moving on"
6. it's not really over.
it's going to have a second (and third and fourth season at it's current pace) season eventually.... but these 12 episodes are not enough to make me wanna continue the story... it just wasn't enough to make me care.
7. Shonen-ai overtones instead of furthering the plot.
I have nothing against shonen-ai or shoujo-ai overtones if it works with the world and story but this is just "lets get these guys so close that their lips almost touch and make the fangirls squeal and hope they don't realize we haven't given them any story yet" it feels like hakkenden all over again. and we know it's just fangirl baiting because there is a canon love interest though that relationship happened really fast.... how do you go from "your not who i thougth you were, you are a stranger" to "omg i luv you so much!" that quick?
Anime needs to be more then just fanservice.... i am so damn tired of shows that use fanservice instead of plot or characterization.
Again going back to escaflowne, that show has love interest and even some fanservice but it works in that world to develop the characters... this just has it and at the same time pretends it doesn't.
i'm sorry i'm just annoyed cause after 12 episodes.... nearly 5 hours... i should care more then this.... and i just don't.... will i watch season 2? i dunno... if there is nothing else when it airs... otherwise i'll probably just continue to be bored with it.
however if you like fish out of water stories with lots of colour give it a try... yo uwill probabyl enjoy it more then i have
so when i watched one ep of every show (minus the obvious fan service shows and 3 min shows) at the start of spring season this one caught my eye.
nice character design, bright and colourful as well as decent music.
Also it was a story of someone being thrown into a completely different world which is one of my favorite storylines (right next to normal world with slight supernatural elements)
Hell it was two people getting thrown into different worlds cause they essentially switched places.
so.... why am i kinda bummed out?
Why did i just not connect with this show the way i expected to?
1. Reminded me a lot of Escaflowne... which is a million times better then this.
Okay other then person gets sent to another world and main character is a sprinter the two shows have nothing in common. but they bring up the sprinting thing damn near every episode.... it was bad enough that when a certain 'twist' was revealed most of the human race could have figured it out in the first episode. I know compairing it is unfair but honestly i can't help that it reminded me of it.
2. Made up worlds and bullshit terminology.
Okay... so even though 90% of what i read is fantasy i still HATE made up terms... to a point.
I didn't mind it in Night angel trilogy cause you know what any and all terms mean... but in this has so many terms and yet you know what they are but you never are told why.... the reason why things are like that is as important as what the thing is... i can't give a shit about the world if every two seconds your throwing shit at me that i'm supposed to care about but i can't since i am lacking the context.
3. 12 episodes and i don't care about anyone/stupid motivations.
there is no reason for me to get behind any characters... they are all EXTREMELY shallow.
the main antagonist hates arata simply becasue they tied in a race and he took that as taking pity on him. he is willing to kill for this.
no
NO
NO ONE IS THAT SHALLOW!
"oh but he's just being possessed by the evil spirit of his hayagami!"
so what, he was willing to kill arata before he got the dumb sword.
and arata is no better "i guess i will do this cause people trust me and i don't want to lose that trust"
how about "i'll do this to better myself and those around me"
or "i'll do this cause the fate of the world kinda sorta is resting on my shoulders"
4. i was expecting two fish out of water stories... not one.
Arata in fantasy world is the main focus.....
but there is still arata in real world which to me sounds like a much crazier less pity party story... we maybe get 20 minute total of arata in real world and i'm sorry his actions should be affecting something in fantasy world....
5. it's all been filler.
no seriously.... except for maybe the first and last episode all the others have just been "here is arata doing shit and helping people and moving on"
6. it's not really over.
it's going to have a second (and third and fourth season at it's current pace) season eventually.... but these 12 episodes are not enough to make me wanna continue the story... it just wasn't enough to make me care.
7. Shonen-ai overtones instead of furthering the plot.
I have nothing against shonen-ai or shoujo-ai overtones if it works with the world and story but this is just "lets get these guys so close that their lips almost touch and make the fangirls squeal and hope they don't realize we haven't given them any story yet" it feels like hakkenden all over again. and we know it's just fangirl baiting because there is a canon love interest though that relationship happened really fast.... how do you go from "your not who i thougth you were, you are a stranger" to "omg i luv you so much!" that quick?
Anime needs to be more then just fanservice.... i am so damn tired of shows that use fanservice instead of plot or characterization.
Again going back to escaflowne, that show has love interest and even some fanservice but it works in that world to develop the characters... this just has it and at the same time pretends it doesn't.
i'm sorry i'm just annoyed cause after 12 episodes.... nearly 5 hours... i should care more then this.... and i just don't.... will i watch season 2? i dunno... if there is nothing else when it airs... otherwise i'll probably just continue to be bored with it.
however if you like fish out of water stories with lots of colour give it a try... yo uwill probabyl enjoy it more then i have
Monday, 1 July 2013
Completed: Flowers of evil (part 1)
Aka: Aku no hana.
so... this is part one... which i didn't know till the end.
now.... if you will indulge me... I'm gunna go grab my first impression of this show.
how did i go from only lasting 5 mins to watching all 13 episodes.
1. People were claiming it to be the best anime this season. (which started to make me curious)
2. a good friend of mine who has similar yet extremely different taste was surprised she was enjoying it as much as she was.
If she enjoyed something i am more willing to give it a try cause I trust her taste.
So i asked why?
i don't remember the exact answer but i think it was along the lines of "it's interesting" she showed me the ending song (which honestly the first time i listened to it without the context of the show i didn't like it) and said the same thing everyone else said. "it's good, you'll hate it"
and i do mean EVERYONE told me this.... in almost those exact words every time.
which got me curious.... why would i hate it? people are saying what a breath of fresh air it is but then saying "Kat don't bother"
my friend did explain based on the fact that i don't like certain things being used as plot elements i would hate the show cause even though no one actually has that happen to them (yet) it gets really close to it on a few occasion.
so i said, fine... i will give it another shot.... knowing i can bail at any moment and knowing that my friend would instantly warn me if the thing i hate happened.
So... did my impression change?
...
A little?
I Still do not like the rotoscoping as a whole BUT this show would not work as a traditional anime... this show HAD to be rotoscoped (or live action but i don't think it would work that way).... i just wasn't a fan of the frame rate and the lack of details at a distance... but there a slow mo crazy scene near the end of the middle bit and it looked like it was so much fun to make.... followed up by a 15 min long establishing shot in the next ep but hey... can't win em all.
actually i will be honest... i never called this flowers of evil or aku no hana.... i called it "establishing shot: the anime" cause that's what it is. not a pro or con just an observation.
i still find it a little.... uncomfortable that these are drawn based on real people because knowing that the actors had to, to a point, go through what was animated is just.... it feels almost like voyeurism and yeah... just made me uncomfortable... it's the point... i get that... but that doesn't mean i have to like it.
The characters however were interesting, possibly because of the way the art was handled they felt more real. (to a point) i felt like a teenager could possibly be going through emotions like that (to a point) and that someone with unchecked mental issues could be that obsessive (to a point)
there was a scene where the show kinda lost me.
the show is about being "perverted" (gross oversimplification but whatever)
so near the end a character claims that they are going to be the pervert the other character needs.
I.... I just have a hard time buying this.
I can't comprehend this glorification of the pervert, it didn't feel like a natural progression in their character arc. It took me completely out of the story... maybe it's resolved in part 2.... i dunno... i probably can't watch part 2... or at least not all of it.
but yeah at that moment the story stopped being "you know this isn't that far fetched" to "i don't buy it" in an instant.
Now, i will make a point that maybe i just don't get the show.
I am not the target audience.
this was not made for someone like me...
but... i still feel like i have the ability to express my opinion and explain why i feel that way.
a quick note on the music.
the intro changes every 3 episodes with one of the shows not having an intro song.
I love this... it gradually gets a little crazier with each version and it fit the mood perfectly. the artistry is simple but works in my opinion.
The ending, which again, i didn't like when one it's own
in the context of the show though... that is one of the best fitting ending songs i have ever heard... and they way it changes slightly depending on the tone of the episode... wow is that well done.
the music in the show is very cinematic and subtle to fit the rotoscoped feel. it was never distracting and is mostly discordant notes on piano to give that 'horror but not scary' vibe.
Now... i haven't talked much about the plot have i?
I'll be brief.
Kasuga, a bookworm in highschool, likes the prettiest kindest girl in class Saeki.
One day he forgets something in the class room and when he grabs it her gym uniform falls out of it's cubbyhole... in a way that seems more like a set up in my opinion then anything else.
Curiosity gets the best of him and he opens up the gym bag.
When he hears a sudden noise behind him, worried he'll be thought a pervert, he runs away with the uniform under his shirt.
Problem is the crazy girl in class, Nakamura, saw him do it... somehow and it now blackmailing the poor kid and claiming that she will remove his mask and expose him for the sicko/pervert he is.
all while being way to happy about whats going on.
normally i go into the good and bad but i think i already covered that... i am really on the fence about this show... i think it is interesting but then there's that part of me just just doesn't buy it.
So instead...
if you like things done for the sake of art and pushing boundaries, give it a try though it'll probably make you uncomfortable... that is it's goal.
if you don't like the mention of sex or being perverted probably a good idea to just avoid.
there could also be possible triggers in the show (more so in season 2 if it happens) so if you are sensitive to that... avoid... just flat out avoid.
some messed up stuff happens in this season but the next season looks a million times worse so if you can't handle it then just don't bother i guess.
Best show of the season? not in my opinion.
A good and interesting show that pushed a lot of boundaries? hell yes. I think it's wonderful that this show was made especially in a season so full of Moe.
Anime (well media as a whole) needs to realise that it can be more then just fan service... it can make us uncomfortable but still get us to come back for more. It can give us LONG shots of quiet walking with piano in the background and still tell a story with no dialogue. It can be more then impossible breasts and panty shots.
I will probably watch part 2.... whenever it is made.... though right now... at this moment.... I'm still not sure what i think about it.
so... this is part one... which i didn't know till the end.
now.... if you will indulge me... I'm gunna go grab my first impression of this show.
Flowers of evil: first rotoscoped anime AND apparently really good but really messed up.... i will try but based on art alone i probably wont watch more.SO.... pretty scathing right?
so I've tried it, wow is this show ugly, the rotoscoping is interesting in concept but it's so jittery... if i wanted to watch a show where the people looked like people.... I'd watch a live action show...
And in the end i only make it 5 minutes in, I'm sorry but it' just too ugly and I've already been informed that it's messed up and i will more then likely hate it.
and yeah the rotoscoped girls in bloomers at ass level doesn't help...
how did i go from only lasting 5 mins to watching all 13 episodes.
1. People were claiming it to be the best anime this season. (which started to make me curious)
2. a good friend of mine who has similar yet extremely different taste was surprised she was enjoying it as much as she was.
If she enjoyed something i am more willing to give it a try cause I trust her taste.
So i asked why?
i don't remember the exact answer but i think it was along the lines of "it's interesting" she showed me the ending song (which honestly the first time i listened to it without the context of the show i didn't like it) and said the same thing everyone else said. "it's good, you'll hate it"
and i do mean EVERYONE told me this.... in almost those exact words every time.
which got me curious.... why would i hate it? people are saying what a breath of fresh air it is but then saying "Kat don't bother"
my friend did explain based on the fact that i don't like certain things being used as plot elements i would hate the show cause even though no one actually has that happen to them (yet) it gets really close to it on a few occasion.
so i said, fine... i will give it another shot.... knowing i can bail at any moment and knowing that my friend would instantly warn me if the thing i hate happened.
So... did my impression change?
...
A little?
I Still do not like the rotoscoping as a whole BUT this show would not work as a traditional anime... this show HAD to be rotoscoped (or live action but i don't think it would work that way).... i just wasn't a fan of the frame rate and the lack of details at a distance... but there a slow mo crazy scene near the end of the middle bit and it looked like it was so much fun to make.... followed up by a 15 min long establishing shot in the next ep but hey... can't win em all.
actually i will be honest... i never called this flowers of evil or aku no hana.... i called it "establishing shot: the anime" cause that's what it is. not a pro or con just an observation.
i still find it a little.... uncomfortable that these are drawn based on real people because knowing that the actors had to, to a point, go through what was animated is just.... it feels almost like voyeurism and yeah... just made me uncomfortable... it's the point... i get that... but that doesn't mean i have to like it.
The characters however were interesting, possibly because of the way the art was handled they felt more real. (to a point) i felt like a teenager could possibly be going through emotions like that (to a point) and that someone with unchecked mental issues could be that obsessive (to a point)
there was a scene where the show kinda lost me.
the show is about being "perverted" (gross oversimplification but whatever)
so near the end a character claims that they are going to be the pervert the other character needs.
I.... I just have a hard time buying this.
I can't comprehend this glorification of the pervert, it didn't feel like a natural progression in their character arc. It took me completely out of the story... maybe it's resolved in part 2.... i dunno... i probably can't watch part 2... or at least not all of it.
but yeah at that moment the story stopped being "you know this isn't that far fetched" to "i don't buy it" in an instant.
Now, i will make a point that maybe i just don't get the show.
I am not the target audience.
this was not made for someone like me...
but... i still feel like i have the ability to express my opinion and explain why i feel that way.
a quick note on the music.
the intro changes every 3 episodes with one of the shows not having an intro song.
I love this... it gradually gets a little crazier with each version and it fit the mood perfectly. the artistry is simple but works in my opinion.
The ending, which again, i didn't like when one it's own
in the context of the show though... that is one of the best fitting ending songs i have ever heard... and they way it changes slightly depending on the tone of the episode... wow is that well done.
the music in the show is very cinematic and subtle to fit the rotoscoped feel. it was never distracting and is mostly discordant notes on piano to give that 'horror but not scary' vibe.
Now... i haven't talked much about the plot have i?
I'll be brief.
Kasuga, a bookworm in highschool, likes the prettiest kindest girl in class Saeki.
One day he forgets something in the class room and when he grabs it her gym uniform falls out of it's cubbyhole... in a way that seems more like a set up in my opinion then anything else.
Curiosity gets the best of him and he opens up the gym bag.
When he hears a sudden noise behind him, worried he'll be thought a pervert, he runs away with the uniform under his shirt.
Problem is the crazy girl in class, Nakamura, saw him do it... somehow and it now blackmailing the poor kid and claiming that she will remove his mask and expose him for the sicko/pervert he is.
all while being way to happy about whats going on.
normally i go into the good and bad but i think i already covered that... i am really on the fence about this show... i think it is interesting but then there's that part of me just just doesn't buy it.
So instead...
if you like things done for the sake of art and pushing boundaries, give it a try though it'll probably make you uncomfortable... that is it's goal.
if you don't like the mention of sex or being perverted probably a good idea to just avoid.
there could also be possible triggers in the show (more so in season 2 if it happens) so if you are sensitive to that... avoid... just flat out avoid.
some messed up stuff happens in this season but the next season looks a million times worse so if you can't handle it then just don't bother i guess.
Best show of the season? not in my opinion.
A good and interesting show that pushed a lot of boundaries? hell yes. I think it's wonderful that this show was made especially in a season so full of Moe.
Anime (well media as a whole) needs to realise that it can be more then just fan service... it can make us uncomfortable but still get us to come back for more. It can give us LONG shots of quiet walking with piano in the background and still tell a story with no dialogue. It can be more then impossible breasts and panty shots.
I will probably watch part 2.... whenever it is made.... though right now... at this moment.... I'm still not sure what i think about it.
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