I'm assuming it's only going to be worth watching when it hits blu. I got four or five episodes into Terra Formars before I just stopped. It wasn't worth it with all that censoring.
I agree with what appears to be a consensus that many of the problems with this series are due to the source material. Not all of them, of course, with some serious pacing problems at several points, but the hard-to-relate-to protagonist, the simple relationships that often lacked any real depth, the convoluted plotting by several characters leading to nonsensical decisions...there are a lot of issues that just come from the original visual novel. There are many great moments, however, and the characters are usually pretty likable, if often shallow. The decision to try and make this a sequel to Fate/Zero rather than just this standalone thing probably helped more than it hurt, but it wasn't a panacea to the issues with starting on the second route, something the game doesn't allow you to do. Still, it was never truly hard to watch even if some parts did drive me up the wall -- the conflict with Shirou and Archer was just clumsy in both its setup and its execution -- and on the whole, I do have some affinity for the story even if its flaws are only more glaring now than they were to my high school-aged self. 6/10
Plastic Memories
This didn't crush me the way I might have expected it to. I suspect the buildup from the 1/3 mark helped soften the blow in many respects, even if it was still hard to watch sometimes...in a good way, mind you. Isla was very well characterized, as was Tsukasa, making them two of my favorites this season. Some of the peripheral and supporting cast felt like one trick ponies some of the time; that the plot made use of them in some interesting ways did help mitigate that. The story had an interesting structure and admirably resisted going down some more obvious paths. It explored some of those ideas, of course, but by letting the main cast see those trails traversed by others rather than themselves, leaving that final path for the leads to take in the final three episodes. There were some serious emotional gut punches and some great questions asked both of the characters and of the audience and that the answers varied from character to character lent the proceedings some credence, letting the world feel more formed for it. The setting never did make a ton of sense to me, as the concepts of Giftias and why they are needed in the first place felt a bit off and the plot never really questioned it; not the only glaring issue with the loose threads in the plot. Still, just as an emotional look at the nature of death and coping with it through this sci-fi mechanism, Plastic Memories was by and large a success. 8/10
The industry unfortunately is in a position where much of it feeds on itself. Tropes beget tropes and directors build on those same tropes over and over again because thats what they know as "anime". An outside perspective is sorely needed and slow to develop but I have faith that it will happen more.
There are shows, or in this case LNs that do it in a small way that counts, and a lot of us here praise it. SNAFU's brother-sister relationship is amazing because it doesn't do what all anime does with the incestuous stuff. Just a small example but it's refreshing when you see shows break out of the same tedious mould that we have seen countless times. I wish directors would realize that breaking away from tropes can do so much good sometimes, if done well.
I've seen a lot of complaints about UBW since the last episode aired, and they've inspired me to make the following public service announcement:
Do you appreciate the setting, aesthetics, and high-quality sakuga of ufotable's Fate anime, but feel that Unlimited Blade Works was plagued by stretched out pacing, dull introspection, abstruse philosophical debates, and Shiro being super lame? What if I told you there was a Fate anime that was animated almost as well, ran much tighter, had almost no Shiro, and replaced all the talk-talk-talk with wacky hijinks and underage lesbianism?
Well I've got good news for you folks, because that show already exists, it's called Fate/kaleid liner Prisma Illya, and a new season is starting in the summer. Catching up is easy, as previous seasons are only ten episodes apiece! Check your local legal streaming services for details.
I've seen a lot of complaints about UBW since the last episode aired, and they've inspired me to make the following public service announcement:
Do you appreciate the setting, aesthetics, and high-quality sakuga of ufotable's Fate anime, but feel that Unlimited Blade Works was plagued by stretched out pacing, dull introspection, abstruse philosophical debates, and Shiro being super lame? What if I told you there was a Fate anime that was animated almost as well, ran much tighter, had almost no Shiro, and replaced all the talk-talk-talk with wacky hijinks and underage lesbianism?
Well I've got good news for you folks, because that show already exists, it's called Fate/kaleid liner Prisma Illya, and a new season is starting in the summer. Catching up is easy, as previous seasons are only ten episodes apiece! Check your local legal streaming services for details.
Prisma Illya is the only Fate anime I've ever watched. I've just never been motivated to watch any of the other stuff, and I think the over-saturation of Saber is a big part of why I don't particularly have an interest.
FIne example of how cute this show is. I was kind of turned off by the art style originally since it was kind of derp but it turned out to be rather charming.
Prisma Ilya is great but sometimes it can be kinda wack... almost dreading seeing a particular upcoming scene animated. Ilya Drei is going to be amazing though.
So the whole conceit of the Zetsuborg imprisoning dreams works far better when it's on a character the show is highlighting as opposed to incidental character C on the street. Who knew?
I'm really liking the non-chronological order of things as it feels like it ties the episodes tighter a as a whole. The interconnected nature of all things on display etc.
Feels like the sort of show that'd be alright to watch with others while it's airing so you can chuckle about this or that but is lacking on it's own to the point of being disposable. Or maybe that's just this episode, poi.
Excluding Cobra this lone ep of of Mushishi was more engaging and substantial than everything else I watched today combined. No wonder I watch this so infrequently. It's not that it's too good, there's a certain intensity to it all that's belied by the usual rural aesthetic. It strikes me this is the level that Death Parade was trying to attain and that maybe the resemblance between Ginko and Decim wasn't entirely unintentional.
Blessed Team G. For real though, it's nice to see this picks up where the previous left off with the spot on visual humor and that added extra if you catch all the references.
Dominique learning of the fates of her sisters is really sad. It's a far cry from the surreal telepathic inheritance of love for Cobra that went on in the movie.
Looks like I was a lot further along than what I thought in this show. Don't remember shit but it'll come back. I do still wish the Noise had better visual designs because in practice they're terrifying in how easily they eradicate people but they look like generic toys. I suppose that's less of a draw than the music and the hot blooded action between Symphogears.
I feel so bad for Shakti in this show as she's consistently getting a raw deal such that I'm getting shades of Sochie from her. The bit with her mother is the sort of thing that solidifies her role as the show's emotional core but those moments are too far and few between.
Uso's separation anxiety from Shakti is becoming more apparent as he grows increasingly reckless. I thought he was one of the more well-adjusted Newtypes (because c'mon, most have some sort of disorder) but it seems Shakti was a true calming influence for him even when he was first dragged into working with the League Militaire.
Maximum goofiness in this one and I wouldn't have it any other way while Mashymere Cello a.k.a. best gundam char ever is around. I figure his expiration date is coming up since the Argama is leaving the colony though.
I'm not saying it's not good, I just don't think it's as good as its reputation. I tend to enjoy the Nasuverse's characters, but not necessarily its plots, and tend to think the universe is at its best when it's making fun of itself in things like Carnival Phantasm. The entirely serious Nasuverse work I like the most is probably Kara no Kyoukai, which is really rough around the edges, but is more earnest and straightforward than a lot of the subsequent stuff. Ironically, I think Prisma Illya is actually better in its more serious, emotional moments than something like UBW approaches in its entirety.
I'm not getting my hopes up. I mean, I just don't see how they can adapt a series like this for television. Hopefully they can manage it without compromising the integrity of the source material. At least it's not the only thing I'm looking forward to next season. Also excited about Monster Musume.
Yeah, though I think it's because after those first few episodes none of the human characters ever get brutalized like they do in episodes 2-4. They never censor the cockroach deaths
Holy shit.. Mophead-Waver is actually in Prisma Ilya as well. He is the one who briefs the card collection assignment to Luvia and Rin on behalf of the Grand master.
I had no idea that was Waver back when I first saw Kaleid.
lulz, this was my #1 reason for picking it up in the first place. Seeing Bazett Fraga McRemitz later on was a huge bonus as well. It helps that she is equal to Terminator-Maid in being practically unstoppable. Kinda speaks volumes of how fucking dangerous Kirei is...
This one was a lot of fun to watch. Kazuya, our main character of the anime starts getting cyber dolls one by one forming a harem by the end of the anime and a whole lot of fun starts to occur.
I went into Hand Maid May because I wanted to watch some ecchi and Hand Maid May delivered, but only slightly; we have pantsu shots and bouncing breasts for more of the show and in the beginning, there is skin shown, but aside from that, not much going on in the ecchi category.
The story actually caught me by surprise. I didn't expect much to happen in Hand Maid may, I was expecting a slow slice of life about a hand maid and the issues that may happen with a small maid, but the twist when
May has her memories and data transferred into a normal sized body
was really really nice. I also didn't expect a harem to be formed at all. Kazuya was a little too passive, I would have preferred if something actually happened. I did like how there was a story and plot for the most part, it made sense for the most part, but the
future/past
characters and plot line addition was a little wild and not really necessary. The anime is entirely funny though, it's a good comedy that should get several nice laughs and a lot of smiles.
For the girls, we have Rena, a super adorable, mega cute loli. Kei, a super extra smart girl who wears cute glasses and has beautiful long hair. Kasumi, Kazuya's neighbor, a really pretty girl who takes care of Kazuya. Mami, who says "ara ara" all the time (really cute), has large bouncy breasts and is good at everything you could think of and lastly Sara, a foxy girl who loves to eat tons and tons of ramen while wearing an erotic Chinese dress.
Art Style is nice, even if the anime aired way back in 2000. The animation was good and the way everyone was drawn is really nice, even if a little simple. I can't say there was a lot of detail in the environments and things of that nature, but for a show from 2000, I can't exactly fault it. I enjoyed the way it looked and that's what matters.
Sound design was actually good. A lot of songs and BGM that took place made sense, most of the songs were really good upbeat songs, but there were some slower paced music. The OP and ED are both fantastic, with the OP being really upbeat and happy, almost makes you want to sing along! The ED is slower and more calming, a nice relaxing song to calm the spirits down.
I enjoyed Hand Maid May a lot, but I think for an ecchi comedy, it was.... well it could have been better. I would have honestly preferred it if Hand Maid May was a 4-6 episode OVA hentai or something...... What we ended up with was good though, if you're looking for a fun and cute anime to watch, this could be it, but if you really hate MC's that get all shy and nervous around girls, probably not for you; Kazuya always blushes and stutters and gets all ditzy around the girls so...a little annoying.
Well that was just as emotional as I expected it to be. The use of silence in this episode was really well placed and made the raw feelings of the scenes magnify.
Tsukasa retrieving Isla on the Ferris Wheel was the best way to end it as it shows that even on the downside life continues spinning on to new ups. It must really suck though if Tsukasa is actually partnering up with a new version of Isla.
Overall, this was an unexpected series that showed a really well done relationship between two people.
Holy crap, talk about pulling one from the archives. I actually own this on DVD. Bought it years back when anime companies were still selling discs one by one with 4 eps per disc (lol 13 volume Fullmetal Alchemist tv series). I think I remember enjoying it.
This one was a lot of fun to watch. Kazuya, our main character of the anime starts getting cyber dolls one by one forming a harem by the end of the anime and a whole lot of fun starts to occur.
I went into Hand Maid May because I wanted to watch some ecchi and Hand Maid May delivered, but only slightly; we have pantsu shots and bouncing breasts for more of the show and in the beginning, there is skin shown, but aside from that, not much going on in the ecchi category.
The story actually caught me by surprise. I didn't expect much to happen in Hand Maid may, I was expecting a slow slice of life about a hand maid and the issues that may happen with a small maid, but the twist when
May has her memories and data transferred into a normal sized body
was really really nice. I also didn't expect a harem to be formed at all. Kazuya was a little too passive, I would have preferred if something actually happened. I did like how there was a story and plot for the most part, it made sense for the most part, but the
future/past
characters and plot line addition was a little wild and not really necessary. The anime is entirely funny though, it's a good comedy that should get several nice laughs and a lot of smiles.
For the girls, we have Rena, a super adorable, mega cute loli. Kei, a super extra smart girl who wears cute glasses and has beautiful long hair. Kasumi, Kazuya's neighbor, a really pretty girl who takes care of Kazuya. Mami, who says "ara ara" all the time (really cute), has large bouncy breasts and is good at everything you could think of and lastly Sara, a foxy girl who loves to eat tons and tons of ramen while wearing an erotic Chinese dress.
Art Style is nice, even if the anime aired way back in 2000. The animation was good and the way everyone was drawn is really nice, even if a little simple. I can't say there was a lot of detail in the environments and things of that nature, but for a show from 2000, I can't exactly fault it. I enjoyed the way it looked and that's what matters.
Sound design was actually good. A lot of songs and BGM that took place made sense, most of the songs were really good upbeat songs, but there were some slower paced music. The OP and ED are both fantastic, with the OP being really upbeat and happy, almost makes you want to sing along! The ED is slower and more calming, a nice relaxing song to calm the spirits down.
I enjoyed Hand Maid May a lot, but I think for an ecchi comedy, it was.... well it could have been better. I would have honestly preferred it if Hand Maid May was a 4-6 episode OVA hentai or something...... What we ended up with was good though, if you're looking for a fun and cute anime to watch, this could be it, but if you really hate MC's that get all shy and nervous around girls, probably not for you; Kazuya always blushes and stutters and gets all ditzy around the girls so...a little annoying.
Plastic Memories-End
Ok, first I had to clear my mind and capture some anime moments on PS4 from the past week and once I stopped, I started to try and think of why the story of Isla made me feel the way it did, but I still couldn't figure it out. Isla was amazing in the end. Everything we knew was going to happen did, but the way it was presented was beautiful IMO.
Yes, the story was confusing at first, almost dramatic to a fault, it got crazy after that, then settled on both character and relationship development for not just Isla and Tsukasa, but everyone involved. Isla made everyone feel at peace and her
letter to everyone helped set their mind at ease with it.
I don't know what else to say, it's definitely not for everyone, but it pulls at your heartstrings in a special way, not quite Clannad, but on part with Your Lie in April. It's a winner in my book. It's pouring outside now, damn rain..
And wait...
When do we get to meet the new Isla? They did that on purpose, right? right?
Probably not, but it could be cool to see it all play out again in full..
Plastic Memories-End
Ok, first I had to clear my mind and capture some moments on PS4 from the past week and once I stopped, I started to try and think of why the story of Isla made me feel the way it did, but I still couldn't figure it out. Isla was amazing in the end. Everything we knew was going to happen did, but the way it was presented was beautiful IMO.
Yes, the story was confusing at first, almost dramatic to a fault, it got crazy after that, then settled on both character and relationship development for not just Isla and Tsukasa, but everyone involved. Isla made everyone feel at peace and her
letter to everyone helped set their mind at ease with it.
I don't know what else to say, it's definitely not for everyone, but it pulls at your heartstrings in a special way, not quite Clannad, but on part with Your Lie in April. It's a winner in my book. It's pouring outside now, damn rain..
And wait...
When do we get to meet the new Isla? They did that on purpose, right? right?
Probably not, but it could be cool to see it all play out again in full..
there was an earlier episode that I couldn't find that went over the refurbished process, buy I believe it was 9 months, so it would make sense
Cruel, nope, he didn't seem to mind one bit, as well as everyone else for that matter.... those happy glances and smiles of anticipation all waiting for a reaction from him...
Thanks brotha, that's a beautiful image, and A happy memory indeed... lol. Not SAO follow up hate posts please.... shheeesshh
Sorry of those images on twitter drove you guys crazy, I was trying to capture some good spoiler free shots.. The share option on PS4 is awesome for that!
I can't believe he returned the favor, that got me... It's ok if it's raining outside because the rain makes you sad, or if you get dust in your eye... ya know...
Thanks brotha, that's a beautiful image, and A happy memory indeed... lol. Not SAO follow up hate posts please.... shheeesshh
Sorry of those images on twitter drove you guys crazy, I was trying to capture some good spoiler free shots.. The share option on PS4 is awesome for that!
Thanks brotha, that's a beautiful image, and A happy memory indeed... lol. Not SAO follow up hate posts please.... shheeesshh
Sorry of those images on twitter drove you guys crazy, I was trying to capture some good spoiler free shots.. The share option on PS4 is awesome for that!
You guys realize that Tsukasa is pretty good at keeping a straight face. It took him 13 episodes to finally cry, in example. He probably mentally prepared himself for the "reunion".
Saikano will come soon after I finish Full Moon and Itazura na Kiss (Barakamon as well since I'very put it off for a long time now, lol) I probably won't be able to get a lot watched for the next two weeks, but I'll be back at it after my vacation time. .