Re: Autumn 2010 Anime Thread

[Kiskaloo]

Yeah I already have my flight to Tokyo booked to grab the P&S&GB OST on release day.

[SPARTAN 119]

Yeah I already have my flight to Tokyo booked to grab the P&S&GB OST on release day.

If you can book an international flight just to buy a soundtrack, I'm guessing you get some serious discounts on flights.

[Totoum]

Yeah I already have my flight to Tokyo booked to grab the P&S&GB OST on release day.

If you can book an international flight just to buy a soundtrack, I'm guessing you get some serious discounts on flights.

doesn't kisk work for boing?

[Kiskaloo]

Yeah I already have my flight to Tokyo booked to grab the P&S&GB OST on release day.

If you can book an international flight just to buy a soundtrack, I'm guessing you get some serious discounts on flights.

Generating half a million frequrnt flier miles a year helps.

[Robert Frazer]

Wow. It sounds as though you spend more time in the air than actually on the ground, Kiskaloo. To think that my brother considers himself hot stuff just for merely being able to use the BA silver lounge...!

[Kiskaloo]

Wow. It sounds as though you spend more time in the air than actually on the ground, Kiskaloo. To think that my brother considers himself hot stuff just for merely being able to use the BA silver lounge...!

It gets pretty ricidulous. I don't fly BA that often (I'm a Star Alliance man), but I have hung out in the Concorde Room at T5 - pretty swanky.

[Professor Voodoo]

my brother considers himself hot stuff just for merely being able to use the BA silver lounge...!

I wish I had taken a picture of the VIP Lounge at Tchibanga Airport for you guys...it was terrific.

It was a single room with a sofa, 2 arm chairs and a bunch of plastic patio furniture. On the wall was a portrait of President Ali Bongo Ondimba, in the corner a television that may or may not have worked (nobody checked). We were counselled not to utilize the bathroom...necessitating a short walk into the bush to attend to such matters. Most importantly there was a working air-conditioner!



Expect Monty & Jethro to make a visit in an upcoming E&M episode...

[Kiskaloo]

Stop it, Voodoo. You're making Kara cry.

[Alfisti]

I wish I had taken a picture of the VIP Lounge at Tchibanga Airport for you guys...it was terrific.

It was a single room with a sofa, 2 arm chairs and a bunch of plastic patio furniture. On the wall was a portrait of President Ali Bongo Ondimba, in the corner a television that may or may not have worked (nobody checked). We were counselled not to utilize the bathroom...necessitating a short walk into the bush to attend to such matters. Most importantly there was a working air-conditioner!



Expect Monty & Jethro to make a visit in an upcoming E&M episode...

Strangely enough, J+M would probably be perfectly at home in that sort of environment (just sort of be-suited... or be-safari-suited in Monty's case). The old bloke used to do a fair bit of remote-area construction work, so as a kid I spent my fair share of time on light planes and sitting around weird little airfields. Some of that probably rubbed off on them.

[Professor Voodoo]

Stop it, Voodoo. You're making Kara cry.

Bonus points to anyone brave enough to write a scene requiring Kara to go into the bush to attend to matters.

Kara: MICHELE!!! There's a spider the size of a volleyball and it's looking at me!

J+M would probably be perfectly at home in that sort of environment

The way I have it worked out it'll be the action-intro setting up the rest of the episode (the usual SWA characters follow up on information acquired by J&M). I just need to construct the rest of the episode first.

[Robert Frazer]

I remember Nouakchott Airport in Mauritania... that was, aha, "provincial" to say the least. There were cubicles for arrivals to be searched in for Bibles and other seditious documents at passport control, outside a woman tried to hand me her baby, and to create the departure lounge they pushed away the passport desks and pulled in plastic takeaway seating from an outside shed. A very nice picture of "Marlboro Country" up on the wall though, I'll give them that.

[SPARTAN 119]

Stop it, Voodoo. You're making Kara cry.

Bonus points to anyone brave enough to write a scene requiring Kara to go into the bush to attend to matters.

Kara: MICHELE!!! There's a spider the size of a volleyball and it's looking at me!

I suggested a "Kara Michelle vs. Wild" scenario a while back, but not that my attempts at OCs are dead and I have moved on to other projects, it never got off the ground.

I suggested these other scenes taking place in a rainforest somewhere in South America/ Africa/ Asia, and you are free to use them. But don't tell Kara!:

OC trained in wilderness survival: *grabs Kara's XM8 and aims into the forest canopy, fires a single shot. A snake roughly seven feet in length falls to the ground*

Kara: What are you doing with my rifle?

OC: Getting dinner.

Kara:

------------------

Later:

OC: *building a log platform in a tree*

Kara: Why are you up there?

OC: I'm building a platfrom in a tree to sleep on, if you sleep on the ground, you'll be covered in snakes and spiders.

[Totoum]

Because it HAD to be done

[Kiskaloo]

Because it HAD to be done...

Awesome.

Went on an anime watching binge this weekend to catch up on all my shows.

Still loving Shinryaku! Ika Musume and Tantei Opera Milky Holmes and enjoying Soredemo Machi wa Mawatteiru and Otomoe Youkai Zakuro.

Yosuga no Sora is now starting what I assume will be the "Incest Arc" (*blech*). Haruka sure is a hound-dog - if this show doesn't have a "Bad End", I expect Chris Hansen will be asking him to take a seat soon enough.

[Totoum]

Yosuga no Sora :1-6

Started watching it a little while ago,i'm up to episode 6

So first off,the omnibuss format,what I don't like about it is that it takes away any kind of suspense,you know every girl will get her moment.However it might bring some rewatchability value since in some arcs you learn info about a girl you didn't know about in other arcs that might make it worth rewatching with that knowledge in mind.In fact after 2 arcs I kinda wish there was more of that:playing around with what the audience knows about after having watched an arc but the character doesn't because to him it never happened.

I'd like it also if we'd see some drama from "after he gets the girl",though I guess that's a problem I have with most anime,most stop ounce the couple is formed and don't show anything after that.

Also,big family conflicts seem to be resolved very casualy with no real struggle in just a couple episodes,yet the pace isn't that fast,it really is hard to describe how that makes me feel,in a way I find that things get solved too fast but would lose interest if things were slower...

What I really do like so far though is the male lead,if anything I find him more interesting than any of the girls so far,props to his VA,don't have the name off the top of my head but he's a guy I thought could only do very noisy characters that are prone to yelling,so i'm glad i'm proven wrong.
I also really like the production values,especialy the music,one thing in particular that i like is the use of pans instead of cuts from time to time,you don't see that much in anime.

As for the sex scenes?There might be there but you know what,when I look at this pic of motto to love ru:

Spoiler:

The girl might have clothe on but it makes me go WTF a lot more than anything in this show.

Finaly two random remarks:
-coolest maid in anime
-what's the point of the 2nd ED?there's hardly any actual credits on there,don't get me wrong i think it's made of win and love it but is it there for any other reason than being awsome?

[Kiskaloo]

I am finding Yosuga no Sora very disappointing, but again, it's nothing like I expected so that is more my fault than the show's fault since I went in with the wrong set of expecations, evidently. I should have bailed on it six episodes ago, but at this point I'll ride it out (pun), but I won't be archiving it.

And yeah, the sex is not all that off-putting. If anything I kind of have to give them credit for actually showing it instead of dancing around it for 13 or 26 episodes like most anime do.

[0utf0xZer0]

I think the main issue with Yosuga no Sora is simply the massive plotline compression needed to fit each arc into four episodes... as has been pointed out in the relevant Animesuki thread, there's actually a lot of talent going into this production (lots of subtle touches and such), but it gets lost under the breakneck pacing and sex.

I also agree that somehow, Haruka is a much more interesting lead than is typical for this kind of show. Akira is my favourite of the girls, I loved the fact she had absolutely no qualms whatsoever about bathing with Haruka, LOL. And while she is a bit of an airhead, she doesn't seem as utterly stupid as many characters of the type are.

The sex scenes are a mixed bag, Kazuha's was nicely done with the violin and all, others just came across as "meh". I'm not sure I'd say this approach is any better than EF's, where they just make it abundantly clear that sex occurred without actually showing it.

[Kiskaloo]

Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt - 11

I guess even these geniuses have an off week in the writing department...

[Kiskaloo]

Katanagatari - Episode 12

And so ends what I personally found to be one of the most entertaining anime series of 2010. It had great comedy and great tragedy. Villains you cheered and villains you jeered. And some major plot twists and surprises along the way.

[Totoum]

Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt - 11

I guess even these geniuses have an off week in the writing department...

Yeah and that was last week (the exception was the music video) this week was pretty fun!


I'll marathon Katanagatari pretty soon,enjoyed the first 2 episodes early this year.

[Kiskaloo]

Yosuga no Sora 11 - The "wincest" (a word that should never have been allowed to enter the lexicon) payoff episode for the otaku.

Kinda karmic it aired at the same time as the TMG passed their new ordnance.

[Totoum]

Kinda karmic it aired at the same time as the TMG passed their new ordnance.

True,and I've been thinking "wow,the subjects that were aborded in the early episodes of ore no imouto suddenly got a whole lot more relevant"

Speaking of ore no imouto,episode 11 was pure win,from the OP (wish I could play that game) to the end it was enjoyable non stop.

Kuroneko is turning into one of Hanazawa Kana's best roles in her career so far.

[Kiskaloo]

I wanted to smack Kirino with a pillow in Ore no Imouto 11 and I agree Kuroneko is now the awesomest girl in that show.

[SPARTAN 119]

I wanted to smack Kirino with a pillow in Ore no Imouto 11 and I agree Kuroneko is now the awesomest girl in that show.

It seems variations on Ore no Imouto are rapidly becoming a new meme:

One for all the characters (from various sources, in order of appearance):

Kyousuke's dad: My Father Can't be This Tsundere

Manami: My Childhood Friend Can't be This Friendzoned

Ayase: My Ayase Can't be This Yandere

Kyousuke: My Protagonist Can't be This Dense

Kuroneko: My Escapism Can't be This Delusional

[0utf0xZer0]

Yosuga no Sora 11 - The "wincest" (a word that should never have been allowed to enter the lexicon) payoff episode for the otaku.

Kinda karmic it aired at the same time as the TMG passed their new ordnance.

Go out with a bang, not a whimper.

Actually, I personal think they should have gone for a more moderate sex scene count (although even that would probably have run afoul of the new regs due to the incest angle). That went beyond "needed to convey that they're letting out long surpressed feelings" straight into "like bunnies" territory.

Also, I still think Akira is my favourite girl in the show.

On a completely unrelated note, Zakuro had another "wham" episode this week. Anyone else have flashbacks to the past sections of Air (particularly the two OVA specials) in the flashback with Zakuro's mother and father?

[Kiskaloo]

Yeah, Zakuro was excellent.

If Yosuga no Sora takes the "Not What I Expected - For the Worse" award, Zakuro is going to win the "Not What I Expected - For the Better" trophy.

[theprodigalson]

Ore no Imouto 11 = EPIC AWKWARD

Seriously. I spent most of the episode cringing. It was painful...in the best way possible. I haven't laughed so hard and consistently in a long time. Gonna be sad to see this one go.

[Piero]

My initial reaction to Ore No Imouto 11 was that Kirino was being a total bitch. Later parts of the episode were freaking hilarious though (albeit also quite WTF).

I think I'm way overdue for a general report on the shows I've been watching, and since I have a cold and feel too crappy to work on my time consuming fanfic here's one:

Amagami SS: A bit of a disappointment overall due to how weak most of the episodes after the first two arcs were (though there were some good ones on occasion). I think the problem was more in execution than concept though. I actually found doing an alternate reality arc for each possible pairing allowed for much better relationship development than the usual "hero must interact with all girls, but can only ever hook up with the first one" format.
Index II: First story arc sucked, most of the rest can be described as a mixture of epic win meets epic suck.
Iron Man: A bit hit and miss due to variations between episodes, but overall not too bad. Though the enemy designs tend to be rather ridiculous.
Ore No Imouto: Bit hit and miss but has delivered pretty well on multiple occasions.
Samurai Girls: Why did I like this show again? I think it might have had something to do with thinking it was knowingly messing around with anime cliches or something. Anyhow, my opinion on this one has gone downhill big time since my someone showed me the first couple episodes. It has an interesting art style, but it seems to largely be another dumb fan service fest.
Star Driver: The novelty has of the show's fabulousness and production values has worn off, and the show's story and characters are lacking. Yet another addition to the list of shows that have lost their thunder.
The World God Only Knows: Second episode was hilarious, but past that most of the stuff hasn't impressed me that much. There haven't been that many story arcs yet but considering that none of them have impressed me very much, well...
Yosuga No Sora: Initially seemed like it might be a gloriously over the top trainwreck, but then turned out to be a porno. Stopped watching this one a while back.

[Kiskaloo]

I guess i'm the only one here who's going to watch Sora to otoshimono forte?

I could not get through the first episode of the original Sora to Otoshimono, so I have no interest in the sequel.

Oh I remember,especialy since it's like one of the only times you and piero agreed on something

It's certainly not a specific hate of Sora to Otoshimono, it's just that I can't stand this type of anime where the male lead is a hyper-pervert who is then presented with an attractive girl with gallon-milk-jug breasts who will do absolutely anything his perverted head desires and he won't touch her with a ten foot pole.

Not that I want to see a hard-core animated porno, mind you, but take the frackin shot, kid!

Boy. this comment sure came back to haunt me with Yasuga no Sora.

[rusty-spring]

Boy. this comment sure came back to haunt me with Yasuga no Sora.

Hindsight is always a bitch.

[tsundere9kagami2]

I am finding Yosuga no Sora very disappointing, but again, it's nothing like I expected so that is more my fault than the show's fault since I went in with the wrong set of expecations, evidently. I should have bailed on it six episodes ago, but at this point I'll ride it out (pun), but I won't be archiving it.

And yeah, the sex is not all that off-putting. If anything I kind of have to give them credit for actually showing it instead of dancing around it for 13 or 26 episodes like most anime do.

Yosuga no sora........I watch it.....because I like the music......right...the music.

I'm not actually all that fond of the show. Its not really, well, good. Embarrassing to watch with other people in the room and embarrassing to watch alone.

Confession. I was playing that lil violin insert song that always pops up at church as a warm up and some kid came up to me and was all Yosuga no sora this and yosuga no sora that and I was like pervert. The moral of this anecdote is that I need to stop playing anisongs at church.

[Totoum]

[quote="Kiskaloo"]

Boy. this comment sure came back to haunt me with Yasuga no Sora.

To be fair you never asked for incest,rape and girls masturbating.

Sora no Otoshimono has been a pleasant watch,continues to introduce me to some 80s and 90s japanese classic songs that it uses as EDs

some kid came up to me and was all Yosuga no sora this and yosuga no sora that and I was like pervert.

So wait,if you're a pervert then didn't the kid think of what that makes him since he obviously also watched it?

[tsundere9kagami2]

some kid came up to me and was all Yosuga no sora this and yosuga no sora that and I was like pervert.

So wait,if you're a pervert then didn't the kid think of what that makes him since he obviously also watched it?

Possibly. It sure makes me a pervert for still watching it. But at least I'm not open about it at Friggin church. ......I want Churches Chicken.

[Robert Frazer]

To be fair to Yosuga No Sora, it does have an appealing and suitably langorous, soothing soundtrack... the only trouble being, it bombards you with it constantly. I can understand its appeal to be played by itself, but in the actual show in every other shot those bloody violins swell up to flood us with just how serene and peaceful everything is, and it's suffocating.

That said, I did love Nao's expression after she emerges from the burning bus shelter and hands Sora her doll. It was silently screaming, "Look, you clingy, bitchy saboteur. I've burnt myself to a crisp to save your precious bunny rabbit. IS THIS GOOD ENOUGH FOR YOU?!?!"

Moving on, PSG pulled out the stops with a cracking penultimate episode. "D.C. Confidential" was your typical cheap clip show, but it was actually quite cunning in that the format of the demon sisters' report to Corset actually suggested a build-up that was never present in the earlier episodes, slyly slipping in a sense of moment to proceedings. "Panty + Brief" was also another splendid demonstration of PSG's ability to shift moods and surprise the audience. The episode was full of little kinks and twists, whether it be Stocking's unceremonious rocketing exit, or a sex scene's soft-blur cutting sharply back into focus again with Panty's restored virginity spoiling proceedings (and the "ALART" reference was worth a chuckle, as was Brief channeling Leonardo Di Caprio in the aquarium). Panty's actress was also able to express some good range, showing creeping vulnerability towards the end - and for a show with such a well-regarded soundtrack, the absence of music was just as important in certain scenes, too. It's always been fascinating how smoothly this show switches gears, being able to evoke tragedy and tenderness even in the midst of all the scat.

Someone's also pointed out something to me. Panty is now a virgin... and the final episode of this show broadcasts on Christmas Eve.

DUN DUN DUN...

[Kiskaloo]

Sora no Otoshimono has been a pleasant watch,continues to introduce me to some 80s and 90s japanese classic songs that it uses as EDs.

I have not been watching the show, but when I picked up the Ending Theme collection, it was both a surprise and a treat.

[Robert Frazer]

Oh, and by the way...



Pira. Pira. Pira. Pira. Pirarararararararararararararararararararara...

Predictably the fangirls have gone wild over Bishie Brief. It's scarcely been 24 hours since broadcast and there are already three separate Panty-x-Brief art groups on DeviantArt and Pixiv is flooded. This isn't just a ship, it's Noah's Ark!

[Totoum]

That artwork is fail,brief's eyes are GREEN!!

[Kiskaloo]

Ore No Imouto - 12

This the "good end" arc, as the series will continue via Blu-ray OAVs, including the "True End". As befitting the show, it was comedic and light-hearted. All in all, I enjoyed this show a good bit.

[Kiskaloo]

Yosuga no Sora - 12 (End)

Spoiler:

[Robert Frazer]

Apparently the production staff of PSG had a live streaming Q&A session today. I wasn't there for it (and could hardly fathom anything even if I was, what with not speaking Japanese), but this was a summary of the salient points posted on 4chan. I thought that it might be interesting to share:

-The production for final episode is completed.
-Sushio, Animation Director of the final episode, is really fucking exhausted; he hasn't bathed in a week, they say. However, he says that he is really proud of his work and that he is expecting to WOW people in the same in which he WOW-ed people with Gurren episode 15.
-They flat out called the Demon Sisters' scene yuri.
-To make up for the recap episode, they're going to add a BD/DVD-exclusive episode on the final BD release.
-The DJ at the Rock Foundation party is Taku Takahashi drawn in P&S style.
-Brief's VA said that while playing Brief in episode 12B, he made sure to feel like if he was "piloting a Gundam". ("In case anyone didn't catch it, Brief is Allelujah from Gundam 00. Allelujah also had a rather awesome scene in the first season where he swept his hair back and became awesome. Take a WILD guess who voiced Soma/Marie in Gundam 00.")
-The staff actually checks out Pixiv's fanart; they were happy when they saw today's top 10.
-To make sure to draw Panty's feelings accuratedly, all the scenes with Briefers and Panty were left to the female animators.
-They're releasing an art-book at the Talk Live Animated event.
-Wakabayashi and Nishigori are looking forward to the doujinshi fans come up with for C79: "Please work hard, everyone!"

The ending to this show is either going to be a stunning and mesmerising tour de force or a catastrophic trainwreck - either way, it's going to be memorable.

[Kiskaloo]

Shinryaku! Ika Musume - 12

And my favorite show of the Fall season goes out with one of it's best episodes.

Dead or Alive should have beach volleyball games this intense.

[Kiskaloo]

Angel Beats! OAV - Knocking on Heaven's Door

And the cast loses it's minds...

Spoiler:

[rusty-spring]

Dead or Alive should have beach volleyball games this intense.

It tops the DOA film's V-ball scene? I dunno...

[Guest]

The movie had other interesting scenes...

Spoiler:

[Kiskaloo]

Dead or Alive should have beach volleyball games this intense.

It tops the DOA film's V-ball scene? I dunno...

Hey, it's Laine and Kara!

Clearly, I need to add this film to my Netflix queue.

[rusty-spring]

Clearly, I need to add this film to my Netflix queue.

It's so bad, it's enjoyable (not going to go so far as to call it "good"). Definitely an amusing 1 1/2 hours. Plus tons of good looking women in it. The fights scenes aren't too bad either.

[Kiskaloo]

Panty & Stocking - 13 [End]

Solid, but not their best episode.

Soredemo Machi wa Mawatteiru - 12 [End]

I don't know why I liked this show as much as I did, but I'm glad I gave the first episode a shot.

[Totoum]

While I enjoyed the P&S finale,I think I enjoy the reactions on 4chan even more

[Kiskaloo]

While I enjoyed the P&S finale,I think I enjoy the reactions on 4chan even more

[Kiskaloo]

Closing them out, one by one...

Iron Man - 12 [End]

Standard comic book formulaic ending, but overall the show was entertaining enough and it was beautifully animated. Looking forward to Wolverine next month.

[Kiskaloo]

And finishing off the Fall 2010 Anime Season, we have:

Tantei Opera Milky Holmes - 12 [End]

I admit I am not really sure what the central plot of this show was - or even if it had one. But it was just laugh-out-loud silly and I am always a sucker for those kinds of comedies.

I also liked how Milky Holmes recognized the "big bad" was actually their school's Student Council President by the bounce of her boobs. Normally, I'd roll my eyes something fierce, but with this show, it made perfect sense.


Otome Yokai Zakuro - 13 [End]

This show really surprised me - and in a good way. I honestly thought I would drop it two or three episodes in, but it became one I'd actually download from whomever fansubbed it first because I looked forward to seeing what happened. The final battle was totally anti-climatic, but then that should not really be surprising considering the mis-match of power between the two.

[Totoum]

first off,this is awsome,hopefully will be the basis of an episode of the 2nd season of Panty& stocking , if they make one:

Spoiler:

As for other shows:



Otome Yokai Zakuro

Nice ending,even got a kiss!Zakuro turned into my favorite tsundere of 2010.

Shiki

Last episode was as HARDCORE as ever,it doesn't just kill its characters,it kills them while sadisticly enjoying it,but I guess that's what makes it good.
The episode wraped up most plot points pretty well and the ones that weren't probably will be in the 2 extra dvd episodes.Looking forward to it.

[Kiskaloo]

Zakuro turned into my favorite tsundere of 2010.

She's my favorite tsundere of all time because she had the absolute perfect ratio of tsun and dere, so she balanced out as pure awesome.

[Totoum]

She's my favorite tsundere of all time because she had the absolute perfect ratio of tsun and dere, so she balanced out as pure awesome.

My favorite remains Tsukishima Aoba from Cross Game

50 episodes spent on making a perfect balance after starting out all tsun tsun (and having valid reasons to be that way) she quickly grows a dere side but without too much dere.
Not to mention she's a girl and still probably better at baseball than nearly the boys at her school which makes her awesome.

Also,the most triomphant exemple of the stereotypical tsundere isn't even japanese,there's probably some childhood nostalgia factoring into this since I grew up watching this,but Helga from Hey Harnold was always fun to watch

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