February 13, 2018
Random Anime Pictures #145: Stadium
-Kizumonogatari III movie
I'm not much of a fan of the Monogatari series. Oh, I watched the first one, sure, but now that there's... what? Two dozen of them? I lost track of what was next in the order and didn't enjoy the first one enough to bother. After that, I didn't much care. Until the Kizumonogatari series of films which I watched recently, and therein lies a tale.
As you may or may not be aware of, I have a job that requires mental distraction lest I go completely insane. I started out listening to music, graduated to a weekly podcast or two, and then matriculated to audio books (which my mind
still calls "books on tape"). Recently, I've begun listening to endurance races via
Radio LeMans and their archived broadcasts. A 24 hour race lasts me a good three or four days, depending on how hard I hit it... but I digress. Back to
books on tape audio books. At one point, I wondered if any of the
Haruhi Suzumiya light novels were available on Audible, so I went a-searchin'.
While the answer was "nope", I did find something vaguely interesting... there was an audio version of the chronologically first, but released... what, 254th?... book of NisiOisiN's Monogatari series, entitled Kizumonogatari. Now, I would not call myself a fan of this franchise... I watched most of the first season, realized I was spending more time reading the show than watching it, and just sort of... let it peter away. I basically watched it until I didn't anymore. Eh, it happens. However, I was incredibly bored so I picked up the audio book. It's only nine or 10 hours long, so it took me two days to listen to it. Decent enough, read and performed by three voice actors that I'm pretty sure worked on the English dub of one or another of the silver platter releases.
When I remembered that there was a movie release of Kizu, I tracked it down, discovered it was in three parts and nearly four hours in length, and settled in to watch it. And... I dunno how I feel about the thing. It's awful durn purty at times, like most of the SHAFT adaptations of the franchise, but it's also... um... well... it made me feel kinda greasy.
It's bloody, it comes close to hentai, violence is common, and in-between all that are characters that are, essentially, unlikable. Having said all that, or perhaps more because of it, the thing is actually rather brilliant more times than not. But I couldn't shake the feeling that it's one of those things you like because you're supposed to like it because that's what people say you're supposed to do.
So what does all this mean in the end? Well, I won't be recommending it to anybody that isn't already a fan of the Monogatari franchise, that's for darn sure. It's an art film, really, with all that moniker entails and suggests. But as I've written this post, I've actually rewatched the whole thing twice and not just because I was choosing screenshots. It just kept me watching.
Take that for what it's worth.
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"reading more than watching..."
Nailed it. It's great stuff, if you take the time to follow it...but if you can't really follow Japanese and have to dig and dig to understand the wordplay and the mile-a-second references, you just get tired.
And there's the size of the media universe now. I'm pretty sure the latest series was Gogogadgetmonogatori.
Posted by: Ben at February 13, 2018 08:18 PM (h8yX6)
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Okay, WHEW, I'm glad I'm not the only one who went from "this is brilliant" to "this is... getting out of hand" to "this... can wait for another day" to "this is no longer my jam."
Everyone "with taste" is supposed to love this franchise and I just couldn't bring myself to keep going, for many of the reasons you covered. Ah well. We're just more wired for fluffy feel-good stuff like that camping show or whatever. (Also, they're not releasing Food Cook/Show episodes nearly fast enough.)
Posted by: GreyDuck at February 13, 2018 10:07 PM (h8yX6)
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The Monogatari series have always struck me as a much nicer concept than execution. Just trying to read the Wikipedia article about it was enough to cause my head to spin.
I went to Audible to take a look and see that Cristina Valenzuela (AKA Cristina Vee.) does provide voice-work for it. It is nice to see a fan gone professional (Anyone who use to read the Anime on DVD forums might remember her from when she was the member who was doing covers of anime songs.).
And then I stumbled onto the Legend of Galactic Heroes audiobook (Which I had known about.), which led to the audiobook for Crusade by David Weber and Steven White (Which was a complete surprise.). Wonder what else I will find?
Posted by: cxt217 at February 13, 2018 11:51 PM (h8yX6)
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CXT, I recommend the audio version of
The Moon is a Harsh Mistress. Apart from being an outstanding novel, one of Heinlein's best, the performer is
excellent.
In fact, he even managed to clear up one line that I never understood... late in the book, Our Hero is being harangued by a waste of space on the ruling council of Free Luna. Some minor insults are hurled back and forth, and then Our Hero, Manuel Garcia O'Kelly-Davis, says "Yammer... Prof, get this idiot off my back!" or something like that.
I never understood what that "Yammer..." was doing there. It made no sense... until the audiobook made it obvious. Earlier, I mentioned the minor insults... Our Hero was calling the Waste of Space a "yammerhead." When asked to refrain from saying that, he does.... but only by stopping himself in mid-word. "Yammer..." was just him saying "Yammerhead" and remembering that he's not supposed to do that.
It's good. You'll like it.
Posted by: Wonderduck at February 14, 2018 02:19 AM (h8yX6)
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Monogatari is a pretty generic name for a novel or series, I wonder why it didn't acquire something more distinctive. On the other hand, I suspect quite a few people would have associated Tom Cruise with Ridley Scott's
Legend.
Posted by: Katle at February 15, 2018 12:16 AM (h8yX6)
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My approach was to watch an episode and refuse to pause it. Then I could go back a second time and read all the cards. Getting interrupted the first time through ruins the flow.
That said, I sure wish I could find the original movie, where the protagonist first meets the vampire, because I have this stupid urge to watch things in order, and they pile up if I can't.
Posted by: Mauser at February 15, 2018 07:42 PM (h8yX6)
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I wonder why it didn't acquire something more distinctive.
Well, the first two series were more distinctive, in that they were portmanteaus. And they would have worked as portmanteaus in an English translation as well, except they didn't translate the titles for release here.
Bakemonogatari is "bakemono" plus "monogatari", sharing the "mono" kanji between the words. So "Monster Story", written as something like "MonStory".
Nisemonogatari was the same; "Imposter Story" written as something like "ImpoStory".
After that, not so much, but the series name was set by then, so it just started looking like chutzpah. "Yes, this is The Story". Kind of like when Prince decided he should be called "The Artist".
Posted by: mikeski at February 15, 2018 11:28 PM (h8yX6)
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January 07, 2018
Random Anime Pictures #144: Camping Witch
-Yuru Camp, Ep01
Let me ask you a question: does the idea of spending 10 minutes watching a girl dressed like your grandmother demonstrate the correct way to assemble a camp site, complete with a simply adorable talking pine cone, sound like something you'd go out of your way to see? Then, my friend, have I got a show for you! It's called Yuru Camp, and most of the first half of Ep01 was exactly what I just described. And it was wonderful.
This shot is from the OP. We've only officially met the girls on the ends, Pinky and The Quiet One. The other three are apparently the members of the Outdoor Living Club (or whatever they call it) that appeared only briefly. It's quite easy to see that Pinky will be the linchpin of the entire show. This may not be a good thing.
She's loud, dumb as a box of hair, has probably never been camping before, and it's clear she'll be the viewer insert. If she stays loud and dumb as a box of hair, this is going to suck. This has the opportunity to be this year's version of
Flying Witch, all contemplative and comfy as hell, but if Pinky doesn't snap to, the whole thing is doomed.
...and then the axe/saw/shaving tool will come out, and it'll become a whole different sort of show.
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Although watching Pinky slurp cup ramen
in time to the background music, which has a lovely Scottish highlands feel, was amazing. And that shot of moonlit Fuji-san...
Maybe this series has peaked already. But I hope it can continue with at least half of what ep. 1 had to show.
Posted by: Ben at January 07, 2018 09:04 AM (h8yX6)
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I think I'll await later judgement before picking this one up.
Hopefully there's more than just CCS to keep me interested this year, but. *shrug*
Posted by: GreyDuck at January 07, 2018 02:13 PM (h8yX6)
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This looks fantastic. I found the soundtrack evocative of Aria... and even heard an "are, are!" at one point.
Very high hopes.
Posted by: Clayton Barnett at January 07, 2018 02:13 PM (h8yX6)
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The very beginning of the OP... The Jackson Five called. They want "ABC" returned to the garage after the camping trip.
Posted by: Suburbanbanshee at January 10, 2018 08:32 AM (h8yX6)
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I liked the show. Very realistic about winter camping!
Wallyworld has self-inflating sleeping bag pads for something like twenty bucks. Warmer, easy to pack, and generally a great invention. But you still need a groundcloth if you don't want to be damp!
That was the one thing I did not believe about camping by a lake. It was not damp enough.
Posted by: Suburbanbanshee at January 10, 2018 11:40 AM (mX3O4)
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Grandma did put down a base of some sort before she put up the tent, and let me tell you something... it's been a long time since I last went tent camping, and the way that tent went up in the show was like black magic to me. But there was a base... maybe that counts as the groundcloth?
But I'll betcha there was a good layer of dew/moisture over everything in the morning!
Posted by: Wonderduck at January 11, 2018 01:24 AM (h8yX6)
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Yes, a lot of tents now have a floor that is sorta layered inside, or they are doing weird polymer magic. And even I can put up tents these days, as long as it isn't too tall to handle.
Technology like that is awesome.
Posted by: Suburbanbanshee at January 12, 2018 03:34 PM (h8yX6)
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December 25, 2017
Random Anime Pictures #143: Merry Christmas 2017
-Amagami SS, Ep16
I hope all my readers, the joyously-named "Pond Scum", had a great Christmas and/or a relaxing day off! I very nearly ruined ours single-handedly, but I managed to pull my chestnuts out of the roasting fire at the last moment.
Y'know, I forgot just how much fun Amagami SS was. And just how weird it could be, come to think of it. But that's another post for different day. For today, it's just Merry Christmas.
And that's plenty good enough.
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Merry Christmas to the Ducks and Scum everywhere.
Posted by: mikeski at December 25, 2017 09:19 PM (h8yX6)
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December 23, 2017
Random Anime Pictures #142: Love Live! Alpaca Watch
-Love Live!, Ep04
So the Alpaca seen in the first episode, which I mistakenly called a llama, is officially part of the school. They, for there are two where we only saw one previously, have their own stable and are cared for by at least one student.
Just why this Japanese high school has two alpacae on campus has yet to be explained. This will bother me until its explained, and probably beyond because the explanation is going to be either stupid or non-informational, I can just tell.
The series is still entertaining as hell, though the budding alpaca rancher up there really got on my nerves... her timidness was painful to witness. She didn't snivel, but that's only because she was too timid to do so. Except around the alpacae... them, she can handle. Watching will continue.
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If you are watching Love Live! because of Hanayo, you are watching for the wrong reasons.
Posted by: cxt217 at December 23, 2017 11:06 PM (h8yX6)
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Did you miss the part about her getting on my nerves?
Posted by: Wonderduck at December 24, 2017 10:58 AM (h8yX6)
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Yes, but there is a demographic that actually does watch the series for her, just like there is a some demo that watch it for Niko, which is even worse.
Posted by: cxt217 at December 24, 2017 04:14 PM (h8yX6)
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December 09, 2017
Random Anime Pictures #141: Now THAT Was A Surprise!
-Love Live, Ep01
I actually really enjoyed the first episode of Love Live! I can only assume all the "idol sh*t" starts in the next few episodes, but there was practically none in Ep01. Instead we focused on the characters, and as a result I was laughing for most of it. I did very little of that when I watched iDOLM@STER or the not-entirely-sequel, Cinderella Girls. Half-grins, yes. Smirks, sure. Head-shaking "oh, you" moments, okay. But laughing? Nope.
I'm not expecting much in the way of depth here, but hey, one of the main girls is Kaga Jr, gotta love that. And yes, I know that if I'm going into an idol show hoping there won't be much "idol sh*t" I'm gonna have a bad time, but at least the first episode was fun.
And maybe they'll explain why there's a random llama on the school grounds.
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I enjoyed Love Live!, though it is one of those titles where you really should watch the seasons back to back.
Posted by: cxt217 at December 11, 2017 05:48 PM (t0UX2)
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There is no explanation needed. EVERYTHING is better with a llama in it!!
Posted by: Ed Hering at December 11, 2017 06:08 PM (kublq)
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November 19, 2017
Random Anime Pictures #140: I Did NOT Expect That
As I've gotten more interested in the past months about anime-based figures, I've seen a bunch based on characters from something called "To Love-Ru." They've mostly been very good-looking, and there's a series of figures that are probably the best-looking I've ever seen... ridiculously expensive, waaaaaay out of my price range, but the best-looking. But I knew nothing about the series except that one pink-haired character wears a weird hat. So with so little to look at this season, I decided to give it a shot.
-To Love-Ru Darkness, Ep01
Never mind the zombies being attacked by giant plants. A careful eye will notice that the pink-haired schoolgirl is... um... crouched in an interesting location. This is not by accident. TLRD is perhaps the single-most ecchi anime I've ever seen that isn't flat-out hentai. And it was broadcast! "But Wonderduck," I hear you say and really, are you using whitening strips, your teeth look great, "if that picture is representative, it isn't that over-the-top, right?"
No. It's even more than that. Remember the
High School of the Dead OVA? That was nothing in comparison to this show. Now, nothing I've shown you here is out-of-the-ordinary... or even particularly worth commenting on. That's because I don't dare put the NSFW stuff on the front page. I warn you again: if you click "more", you're going into NSFW-land.
Last warning: beyond here is NSFW.
more...
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I vaguely recall watching the first
To Love-Ru series. Harem fluff, wasn't the worst thing I watched back then, nor was it the best.
I'm guessing you've got shiny-platter rips there, since (IIRC) the version that hit CR was heavily light-beamed.
Posted by: GreyDuck at November 20, 2017 06:18 PM (rKFiU)
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Everything I've read suggests that, when originally broadcast in Japan, it was totally uncensored. What CR did with it after, I cannot say.
I mean, there was a whole legal fooferraw about it apparently. Tokyo had just passed a "decency and morals" thingy, and went after TLRD. It eventually wound up in court, with a judge saying "yes, there's nipples. No, it doesn't violate the decency and morals thingy."
I'm paraphrasing.
So they were clear to do whatever with the anime. And they clearly did.
Posted by: Wonderduck at November 20, 2017 08:39 PM (EVb8m)
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To Love Ru Darkness is the sequel to the first series, that ran two seasons IIRC. And the hero is a total zero in the show. Aside from him, it's Urusei Yatsura with the serial numbers filed off, and all the quality sandblasted away.
Posted by: Mauser at November 20, 2017 08:40 PM (Ix1l6)
Posted by: Pixy Misa at November 22, 2017 12:06 AM (2yngH)
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Wonderduck, IIRC, the satellite version of the show was less censored than the broadcast version, so depending on which raws a group used while it was airing, you saw nipples or censorbeams. And of course they all went back and used the less-censored version when the discs came out.
-j
Posted by: J Greely at November 23, 2017 06:52 PM (tgyIO)
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Way late to this party. Rito (the doofus male) has a cosmic-level power to land in a compromising position with cute females, no matter how unlikely. Even the Deviluke girls' mother (the queen - she finds it hilarious. Al Franken, your publicist is calling....). No, seriously, it's a power. He actually has to suppress it once in order to deliberately molest Darkness (the blonde assassin's boss) in the manga.
Posted by: ubu at December 13, 2017 10:46 AM (SlLGE)
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November 17, 2017
Random Anime Pictures #139: Ohfertheluvva...
-Aquarion Logos, Ep05
See, now they're just pandering. A beach episode. The fifth episode of twenty-six, and already it's a beach episode. Then the best shot of the whole thing is also the one where the Tagonist is most fully dressed. I don't understand how this show thinks at all.
Well, okay, maybe I do a bit.
This was the episode where everybody that wasn't a die-hard Aquarion fan jumped ship... and apparently, some of the die-hards did, too. I know I'm not going to go any farther with it. What's the point? I don't like giant robot/mecha as a rule, I don't like shouted special attack names, and I really don't like shows throwing in beach episodes less than a fifth of the way through the run. I mean sure, the fanservice is nice, but if the series is this desperate this early, the trainwreck that's coming is going to be immense. No thanks.
Nope. Ain't gonna work.
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That's kind of a shame, but I can't blame you. Man, it's a dry season isn't it?
(Okay, I'm digging the MMO junkie show. But... that's not the same as saying I
recommend it.)
Posted by: GreyDuck at November 18, 2017 11:56 PM (rKFiU)
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In terms of brainless entertainment for the season, Two Car is pretty good stuff for that category.
Posted by: cxt217 at November 19, 2017 04:27 PM (kS3Mo)
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Please tell me Two Car got better after the first episode. I
hated the first episode.
Posted by: GreyDuck at November 20, 2017 06:19 PM (rKFiU)
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October 27, 2017
Random Anime Pictures #138: Took Me Long Enough...
Seriously, what took me so long? I'm not even gonna talk about the show. If you've ever watched a superhero movie, cartoon, or read a comic book, you've gotta watch this.
"It's Plus Ultra!"
-All Might.
Yes, yes it is.
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I tried. Yegods how I tried. But it's just too much... whatever it is. Too 'shonen' maybe. That half the characters so far annoy me and half the jokes fall flat doesn't help.
Posted by: GreyDuck at October 28, 2017 05:56 PM (rKFiU)
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It took me a bit to get into My Hero Academia, partly because people kept telling me how good it was. But after I marched my way through the first few eps, it suddenly clicked and I loved it.
I'm not sure who my favorite character is.
Posted by: Suburbanbanshee at October 30, 2017 05:16 PM (BYYJV)
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Your favourite character is Froppy. Really, there's only one correct answer here.
It is the very essence of a Shonen Jump series, but the first season at least does everything right.
Posted by: Pixy Misa at October 30, 2017 07:24 PM (2yngH)
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I haven't seen the Froppy episode yet... I've stopped around ep07 or 08... but I'm looking forward to it.
I do find the Invisible Girl to be funny, however.
Posted by: Wonderduck at October 30, 2017 11:36 PM (i5Suc)
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Froppy is indeed awesome.
Posted by: Suburbanbanshee at October 31, 2017 06:12 PM (BYYJV)
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October 10, 2017
Random Anime Pictures #137: Kettenkrad!
-Girls Last Tour, Ep01
I've always thought that halftracks were neat. It's a truck with treads! It's a tank with the front of a truck welded on! It's chocolate in peanut butter! They really were a great idea, but overly complicated to keep running and much more expensive to build. I mean, sure, they had better off-road skillz than a wheeled vehicle... until they threw a track. At least with a truck, you can keep moving with a flat tire. All you could really do when you were missing a track on one side is go in circles. While halftracks are actually still in use by militaries here and there, particularly Israel, for the most part they stopped being common by the '60s, when the surviving WWII-era vehicles finally wore out. The Kettenkrad, above, was the smallest halftrack in common use, the Wehrmacht using it as a tractor for light artillery pieces and as a tow vehicle for the Me-262 jet fighter. It looks like a tankette and a motorcycle had a child. What I didn't realize until recently was that it didn't entirely steer using the front wheel. Turn the handlebars past a certain angle and the inside tread locked, allowing the other tread to push the kettenkrad into the turn. That's kinda good thinkin'!
Oh, the show? It was the only series this season that I was really looking forward to, because I've seen the manga here and there and it looked interesting. Turns out to be the cutest, most relaxing post-apocalyptic journey story ever! I mean, except for the picture above, but even that's adorable... mostly. Other than the gun part. The situation isn't quite as serious as it looks. Mostly.
This is going to sound strange, but
Girls Last Tour feels
a lot like
Flying Witch. Oh, they're really nothing alike, but they both have a sense of calmness to them. Which is quite surprising, considering the two are travelling through a country devastated by war. We don't know where they're travelling to, and it's not clear they do either. At the moment, they just are. There's probably a serious story lurking underneath it all, but I kinda hope not. Sometimes, two moeblobs travelling around in a kettenkrad is all you need.
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It's the first thing I've watched this new season which I immediately decided to queue up for the full duration.
The rest has been somewhere between "eh, maybe?" and "oh eff no." Sigh.
Posted by: GreyDuck at October 10, 2017 10:29 PM (rKFiU)
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Yay, some fresh potatoes to replace
Made in Abyss!
Posted by: Pixy Misa at October 13, 2017 02:12 AM (2yngH)
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There's a Kettenkrad in one of the books in
The Laundry Files. Might not be exactly to spec because I think they retrieved it from an alternate universe, but the book does reference the steering.
Posted by: Pixy Misa at October 13, 2017 02:14 AM (2yngH)
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I will freely admit to not getting the appeal of Girls' Last Tour. Even the military hardware does not get my interest in it.
I already started dumping series, but so far, Just Because! has the greatest potential of the season for me.
Posted by: cxt217 at October 13, 2017 02:24 PM (kS3Mo)
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September 21, 2017
Random Anime Pictures #136: Smile Again
-ARIA the Avvenire, ep01
I've felt better of course, but the march of time slows for no man. As easy as it would be to continue to feel miserable, I have to get back to what passes for life around Pond Central. Thanks for indulging me for a few days.
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September 10, 2017
Random Anime Pictures #135: Moe Shipgirls, Mo' Problems
-Kantai Collection: The Movie
There was a disturbing lack of
Mutsu in the Kantai Collection movie. The production staff appears to have added Hideaki Anno, as that's the only way I can explain the second half. Any of the lighthearted elements of the series were removed, actually making it kinda grim in tone.
As you would expect from a film, what with its bigger budget and all, it looks wonderful. Almost all of the awkward CG work from the series is gone (there's one moment that's clunky though), and the action on the whole is really good.
We do finally get to find out the nature of the Abyssals, and there's at least one moment in the film that made me gasp in surprise (more along the lines of a jump scare than anything else). On the whole, if you enjoyed the series or the game, you'll like the movie. I'm trying to decide if I want to do a full writeup or not... it doesn't immediately lend itself to such things. A fully half of the 95 minute run time is combat, kinda mindscrewy, or both.
It's very confused fighting, for that matter. At one point, there's five different fleets doing five different missions and the film tries to follow all of them before it becomes Evangelion Jr. Good looking, but confusing. Oh, and most of it is at night. Historically accurate, sure, but somewhat less than perfect for viewers.
I guess I'm a little disappointed.
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Meh.
KanColle didn't leave much of a lasting impression on me as a show so I think I'll give this a pass, especially since I'm not a big fan of
Eva-style endings...
Posted by: GreyDuck at September 11, 2017 07:58 AM (rKFiU)
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I could be way off base here, as there's all sorts of argument against this idea such as context, intent, audience, Japanese bureaucracy, etc; but I did wonder if Anno's *success* with that Godzilla movie would have an outsized impact on Japanese movies and anime. I can't watch
Shin Godzilla without, well, basically just seeing
Evangelion up on the screen. He even lifted music cues from the series for the Godzilla movie. I just wondered if there was going to be a "Oh, Anno's style is what the kids wanna see these days..." response.
Posted by: Ben at September 11, 2017 11:07 AM (S4UJw)
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I really doubt that Shin Godzilla's success had anything to do with the KanColle film, if for no other reason than there's only a four-month span between actual release dates (July 25, 2016 for 'Zilla, November 26, 2016 for Shipgirls).
Not exactly easy to reanimate half a film in that amount of time!
Posted by: Wonderduck at September 11, 2017 06:39 PM (1zQhi)
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August 31, 2017
Random Anime Pictures #134: Ah! An Adventurous Abecedarian Abruptly Approaches.
-ARIA the Avvenire, Ep02
There are people out there who don't like ARIA. I get that. I don't understand it, but I get it. They probably think it's too slow, or that nothing happens. And they're right... and wrong at the same time, as anybody who's watched the franchise can tell you.
But one almost universally held opinion is that Kozue Amano sure does draw 'em purty. And singularly so at that: you won't find any other characters that look like the ones from ARIA. This is a good thing.
Usually.
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If all goes according to plan I'll have Blu-Ray copies of The Animation and the first half of The Natural in my hands some time around the middle of next year.
I'm squeeing about this, let me assure you, friend.
Posted by: GreyDuck at September 01, 2017 07:27 AM (rKFiU)
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August 25, 2017
Random Anime Pictures #133: Best Laid Plans
I had a fantastic idea for a post involving one of the last scenes from
New Game!, I'd been working it over in my brain all day at work, had it nailed down perfectly. You would have gotten a look inside the brain of Wonderduck while connecting it together with the show. I think it would have been a really good post.
And then I got home, watched the scene again... and realized it had absolutely nothing to do with what I had been thinking. Total fail, and there's no way I could twist it to fit. So here's a picture that fully fits my mood.

It's the weekend, at least.
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Kinky, but she should be able to slip out of that.
Posted by: Mauser at August 25, 2017 10:13 PM (TYvUn)
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I've had that happen. Work up an entire post that I think will be brilliant; but when I review I realize I was wrong about something or missed another point that screws everything up.
Posted by: Ben at August 25, 2017 10:54 PM (S4UJw)
Posted by: Wonderduck at August 26, 2017 11:51 AM (ojeh3)
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August 12, 2017
Random Anime Pictures #132: That Was Surprising
-New Game!, Ep02
We've all had one of those series... you expect nothing from it, and you get pleasantly surprised. Well, New Game! is one of those. "New girl starts working at small video game company, hijinks ensue" is not exactly either the most original concept, nor the most promising. Yet for whatever reason, there's actually something good coming out of this.
The animation is nothing overly special, true, we've met all these characters before in dozens of other shows (not literally, but you know what I mean), and the plot is "main character perseveres and gets stronger". It may be "New Game!" but it's really "Old Retread." And yet, I'm amazed to discover that I LIKE this show... a lot.
It's got just the right balance of seriousness to humor (maybe 1:50, but it's there), and as of episode five there's not even a hint of acrimony between any of the characters. These people are likable goofballs that are also professionals, putting in a ton of work and effort into making the newest entry in a video game series. While we're not exactly witnessing people coding and boring stuff like that, we do get to peek behind the curtain, so to speak. I'm sure it's dumbed down and not really like what we're seeing... it's anime, after all... but it's being handled better than anybody could have really expected.
That is not how you sword.
The purple-haired one is the main character, and honestly she's kinda the worst part of the series. She falls into the "earnest try-hard" camp, and is kind of annoying at times, at least to me. Fortunately, she's surrounded by other, more interesting, characters at all times.
Let's see... from left to right we've got: Quiet Geek, Earnest Try-Hard, Clothes Horse, Genki Girl (all four of whom work in the same pod), The Legend (she's the original character creator for the video game series), and The Level-Headed One (the Art Director for the game). The first three are artists for the game, Genki does motion work, and the other two... well, their jobs are obvious enough. The two older women actually have depth to their characters, too. The other four, eh, not so much.
There hasn't been any laugh-out-loud moments as of yet, but a good smile or chuckle is common enough. None of this should be taken as me saying that this is a GOOD series that I wholeheartedly recommend, just an entertaining one. Sometimes, that's enough.
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I've never seen a yuri anime before that was watcheable, until
New Game. It's great. Funny thing though, I remember how people were saying that
Shirobako was too sugary. Well... Both are workplace dramedies and
Shirobako is downright gritty in comparison. It is also a masterpiece, while
NG is merely a competent series, but it's great at what it is. And you know what, you're selling Aoba short.
Posted by: Pete Zaitcev at August 14, 2017 05:02 PM (pjL8P)
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Why is the second season not called
New Game Plus?
Anyway, I'd been meaning to try this, so thanks for the recommendation. Currently only watching
Made in Abyss.
Posted by: Pixy Misa at August 15, 2017 01:51 AM (2yngH)
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I'm probably going to be feet-on-the-footrest most of the day today and possibly also tomorrow, so... maybe I'll dive in on this one.
Posted by: GreyDuck at August 18, 2017 07:56 AM (rKFiU)
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I've finally found a show where I can't bear to read the episode comments on CR. Not because they're rude or whatever, but because it's about video games so a bunch of dudes have to chime in with some variation of "that's not how game dev works." Like. Dudes. You're watching a comedy, just for
starters.
The temptation to simply add the MST3K Mantra to each episode's comment section is very, very strong.
Posted by: GreyDuck at August 19, 2017 07:04 PM (rKFiU)
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August 05, 2017
Random Anime Pictures #131: Hi! My Name Is...
Makoto Shinkai. It wouldn't be overly controversial to say that he's the best known anime movie director not named "Miyazaki" today. His films have all been successful, thought-provoking, and a little sad. To a certain subset of people, though, the wild popularity is a little confusing. His films have all been good, but have left me a little cold. It may be a cultural thing, I don't know. Except for "She and her Cat," that one worked with me on almost every level. One thing nobody will debate is that, going all the way back to his earliest works, Shinkai's films have been beautiful.
His newest film, Your Name (Kimi no na wa), pushes the bar even higher. It's absolutely the best looking piece of animation of any type that I've ever seen. I'm sure a lot of it has to do with progress in the use of CG, but my lord it's beautiful.
Even something as simple as a sliding door and the border of a tatami mat is given the full treatment... a simple, throwaway shot that lasts a second looks better than anything that's come before it.
And the story. The story. Holy crepe on a stick... but no matter how good it is, if you don't like the characters, the story doesn't work. And, unlike the way Shinkai's earlier films sat with me, Your Name hits just all the right notes.
I refuse to say any spoilers, not even about the plot. If you haven't seen it already, go watch it immediately... and go in blind. I intentionally avoided reviews and comment threads about it, and I'm very glad I did. And you will be, too.
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Where to find? CR or torrents?
Posted by: Mauser at August 06, 2017 01:44 PM (TYvUn)
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While aware of the basic premise, I'm looking forward to it. But, I'm waiting until my family returns from vacation on the 15th so we can watch it together.
If I'm still sane.
Or alive.
Posted by: Clayton Barnett at August 06, 2017 02:47 PM (ug1Mc)
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Well, I raised the black flag, Mauser, but only because I wanted to know if I was going to buy it or not.
I'll be purchasing it from the Official Anime Retailer of The Pond,
Robert's Anime Corner Store on payday.
Posted by: Wonderduck at August 06, 2017 09:29 PM (N8AOb)
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I was unable to catch the local(-ish) theatrical showing. I will definitely purchase it; Shinkai's stuff is definitely pretty-but-a-bit-cold mostly, so if he's actually managed to fire on all cylinders then I must check this one out.
Posted by: GreyDuck at August 07, 2017 07:45 AM (rKFiU)
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Nothing wrong with "Try before you buy". I've bought many movies after renting them. Although these days, my anime backlog is such that by the time I've watched something they're either in the remainder bin, or collector's items on eBay.
Posted by: Mauser at August 07, 2017 07:56 PM (TYvUn)
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I managed to catch a showing of Your Name back in March, and I can not stress how much anyone should watch it when they have the chance. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and while FUNimation (Not my favorite publisher by a long shot.) is handling the physical release in the US, I still strongly recommend watching it. It is probably my favorite Shinkai release, at least since Voices of a Distant Star, and it does largely avoid his usual narrative style.
Shinkai also wrote a light novel of Your Name, about the same time he was working on the film. It tells the same story, but with added parts and being different due to the difference in medium. Yen Press released it in the US in May, in a hardcover version that is really nice.
Posted by: cxt217 at August 15, 2017 08:00 PM (kS3Mo)
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...And in case anyone is curious, the US physical release will be on November 7, which is under 4 months after the physical release came out in Japan.
Posted by: cxt217 at August 26, 2017 11:42 AM (kS3Mo)
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July 18, 2017
Random Anime Pictures #130: From The Screen To The Page...
-Hibike! Euphonium the Movie
The good folks over at Yen Press recently released the original light novel for Hibike! Euphonium, translated of course. Since that was probably my favorite anime series in years, of course I eagerly picked it up... I wanted to see how it differed and how it stayed the same from the material I knew. And the result?
It's not as good as the anime. And no, I'm sure there isn't any "first come first served" bias going on here... KyoAni just did a better job with the source material than the source material did. For example, let's use what I think was the best sequence from the anime, the mountain scene with Kumiko and Reina. Much of the dialogue is the same, and a lot of the details as well (Reina's white dress, or her ankles getting rubbed raw). However, in the novel they don't take their instruments and thus the duet on the mountaintop doesn't occur. That simply amazed me. In another big difference, the "secondary leads," Hazuki and Sapphire, get almost no character development. Also, and most painful to yours truly, Asuka's personality is more obviously a facade and her nasty side is more evident. The wacky part of her that made her an instant fan favorite is almost totally missing.
But the obvious difference is the music. For a story about a concert band, there's a total lack of music involved with the book. Which is natural of course... a book is words on paper, and the author isn't talented enough to overcome that handicap in comparison to the anime. Please understand, the book is still quite entertaining and well worth the small amount of time it'll take you to read it.
But you'll be hearing the music from the series in your head when you do.
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Hmm. If nothing else, this proves that when the KyoAni writers are on their game, they're some of the best storytellers working in the animated medium today.
Posted by: GreyDuck at July 19, 2017 07:43 AM (rKFiU)
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Reminds me of how disappointing the
Angelic Layer manga was. All the best material was invented for the anime.
-j
Posted by: J Greely at July 19, 2017 11:06 AM (tgyIO)
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One of the best anime series I've ever seen is Android Announcer Maico 2010, based on the manga Maico 2010. The anime is about a robot ai that is procured by a radio station as a cheap alternative to hiring a live dj (just go with it). Along the way, she learns about love, life, and death; along with dealing with some absurd comedy.
The manga is about Maico, a sex doll that her created wanted to be as human as possible rather than simply for sex. Maico rescues her "sister" sex droid Rei from evil controllers, after which the two become a crime-fighting sex doll duo called "Cherry Bombs". As Wikipedia puts it: "The anime version differs from the manga, with less sexual themes, and
no crime fighting involved. Also, there is no mention of her being a
sexdroid, and Rei is never introduced."
Posted by: Ben at July 19, 2017 08:53 PM (S4UJw)
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Haven't thought about Android Ana Maico in years. That was a fun little series.
Popotan is similar. The anime was delightful, the game they took it from was garbage.
Posted by: Pixy Misa at July 20, 2017 12:17 AM (2yngH)
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June 25, 2017
Random Anime Pictures #129: While We're Waiting...
Over at Reddit today, I was involved in a little slice of funny. The Original Poster (OP) put up a very cute picture of a sugar glider in a box of fruit snacks. Of course, this being Reddit we're talking about here, someone berated OP for being "cruel to this rodent" for the sake of electronic approval points. Which is where I came in:
OP: "This isn't a rodent it's a sugar glider which is a marsupial. Also it's a joke people!"
ME:
-Rio Rainbow Gate, Ep07
Today... today was a good day.
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That wonderful moment when you have exactly the right anime screencap for the occasion...
Posted by: GreyDuck at June 26, 2017 07:36 AM (rKFiU)
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May 21, 2017
Random Anime Picture# 128: Ridiculous School Outfit
Even from a medium where over-the-top school uniforms are the norm, this has got to take the cake:
-Roku de Nashi Majutsu Kōshi to Akashic Records, Ep01
Seriously? Come on, Japan... really? The best and oldest magic academy in the most powerful country in the world, magically, and they dress their female students in that? Forget about the practicality or lack thereof of a uniform like that, how in the world could the school expect the male students to concentrate?
Unlikely uniforms aside, there's not much new to this show. Which doesn't mean it's not entertaining, because I'm enjoying it a lot. It's just that we've seen it before. It's a relatively pretty series when it gets the chance to be, but again, nothing earth-shattering. It's one of those titles that will be forgotten shortly after the last episode airs. It will serve its purpose, selling light novels, and that's all it'll be. There's no shame in not being an awesome, awe-inspiring, game-changing series... most of them aren't. Still, I like it.

I'm not sure why. I'll have to keep watching to figure it out.
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Pretty mystifying.... Definitely merits further investigation and careful analysis.
But that's not a combat arena, is it? *shudder*
Posted by: Mauser at May 21, 2017 03:12 PM (m1WSx)
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Eh. Seeing as how this season is mostly leaving me cold, I might as well give this a shot.
(WorldEnd: This Title Should Be Banned By International Convention For Being Overlong is probably my "favorite" so far, but that's in a purely relative-to-the-rest way. Granblue Game Tie-In is nice enough but also super-generic, animation style notwithstanding. I'm giving Re:Creators a whirl over on the Amazon service and we'll see how that goes.)
Those are
ridiculous outfits, seriously though.
Posted by: GreyDuck at May 21, 2017 03:23 PM (rKFiU)
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Mauser, I said there was not much new in this show, didn't I?
Posted by: Wonderduck at May 21, 2017 04:51 PM (dnQ6B)
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I'm starting to build a list of anime cliche's I could live without. I think Arena Combat will be added next.
Posted by: Mauser at May 21, 2017 09:20 PM (m1WSx)
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Little Witch Academia, people! It's an absolute joy.
Posted by: Pixy Misa at May 22, 2017 03:55 AM (2yngH)
Posted by: Wonderduck at May 22, 2017 07:42 AM (dnQ6B)
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I understand your objections to those early episodes, but, without spoiling anything, let's just say that the writers knew what they were doing when they put that stuff in. It gets better, and watching it get better is a lot of fun.
Posted by: Pixy Misa at May 22, 2017 06:41 PM (2yngH)
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I really don't want to spoil anything for you, because it's so good. The episode where Akko spoilers her spoiler and has to jump in after it, or the one where she has to rescue Sucy by spoiler into spoiler, or the one where she teams up with Constanze (the wrench witch from the second movie) to build a spoiler and the damn thing actually
works!
This show is amazing. Most fun I've had with an anime series in years.
Posted by: Pixy Misa at May 22, 2017 06:49 PM (2yngH)
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March 05, 2017
Random Anime Picture# 127: Just For The Record
-Interviews With Monster Girls, Ep09
Still the best thing airing this season, and an early contender for Anime of the Year. It has yet to put a single foot wrong, and I can't imagine how it would given where the story stands. Just a marvelously fun series.

And when the character I expected to be the weakest of the bunch is the one that's quickly becoming the MVP? That's just a bonus. Really, you need to be watching this.
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This and
Miss Kobayashi haven't failed to put a smile on my face yet. I'm going to deeply mourn the ending of the Winter '17 season at this rate.
Posted by: GreyDuck at March 06, 2017 08:40 AM (rKFiU)
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February 11, 2017
Random Anime Picture# 126: Cheesecake Too!
-Hatsukoi Limited, ED
There are days when you plan and scheme and get everything you need to accomplish done. And then there are days like today, where I got nothing done at all except sleep, and not even much of that. The plan was to finish up the requested "Why A Duck?" post. Instead, I did bupkis, and you get this post.

I mean, there are worse things that could have happened, I suppose. It's just not what the plan was. A lot of that going around, I think.
Posted by: Wonderduck at
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That's a well-drawn set o' gams, gotta be said.
I've been re-watching
Mouretsu Pirates and for a show without much actual overt fanservice, they still love drawing schoolgirls' legs. (Barring spacesuits, the only thing most of the girls end up wearing is some kind of skirt or another...)
That's not a complaint. Let's be clear on this.
Posted by: GreyDuck at February 12, 2017 12:12 AM (rKFiU)
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