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Post by Kyubey on Jun 10, 2013 15:44:31 GMT -5
Well hi kids! It's that time again! The most wonderful time! Time we all gather together, and watch what can only be described as nobody's favorite show! That's right, kids. It's time for Ky Watches Anime and Talks About It Here! From the itty bitty chatbox all the way to here, so I don't bother people in the chatbox any more than I already have! Yay! For those of you who are just tuning in, this is a segment where I watch whatever anime happens to catch my eye, and then give a very brief review of it! When will new installments be released? Whenever I finish a show! What sort of anime specifically will I be reviewing? Whatever I think I might like! I'm most certainly not gonna watch a whole show of something I don't like just for this thing here, unless you guys wanna pay me. Uh, you probably won't be seeing a lot of shows longer than 26 episodes here, unless they're really good, and if shonen action shows or fluffy comedies are your thing... I'm sorry. Also, 95% of the things I watch is available on Hulu or any other legal streaming site, so if something sounds interesting to you, that's probably where you'll find it. Anyways, without further ado, let's dive into the wonderful world of anime!
This week: Now and Then, Here and There.
HOLY DAMN is this show heavy! Like, wow. What starts off looking like your typical run-of-the-mill lighthearted romp turns into a really complex and striking show that boldly ventures into subjects that lesser anime shy away from. There's not a whole lot I can say about this, actually, without ruining it forever, but take my word for it, this is some pretty deep stuff. I wouldn't say it's for everyone, but for those of you who it is for... uh... it's... for you. The only bad points I can say about it are that it was pretty obviously made on a budget, even though the writing and direction do rather skillfully make up for it, and some of the voice acting in the dub is kinda weak. Not to say all the actors are bad. Lisa Ortiz gives the sort of remarkable performance that one would expect from her, Dan Green and Rachael Lillis both do solid jobs in their roles, and though it takes him a while to get there, the guy who plays the lead does grow into his part over time. Yeah. It's a good show, and it kinda surprises me that more people haven't talked about it. Probably because, like I said before, it's not for everyone, especially amongst the anime crowd.
Okay, that wraps it up for this week! Next time, I'll talk about... the thing I'll watch next. I dunno. Got any ideas, anyone?
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Post by Shark a' Pult on Jun 13, 2013 3:39:59 GMT -5
Do you not make new posts in this thread?
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Post by Kyubey on Jun 13, 2013 4:10:04 GMT -5
I'll make new posts after I finish watching a show. Right now, I'm not watching anything though. Nothing's really caught my fancy. New posts could happen in a matter of days, or maybe years, depending on how fast/often I see things and form coherent opinions about them. But yeah. New posts will happen. Feel free to reply to my posts as well also, there's no need for this to be a one-man show.
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Post by Morcombe on Jun 13, 2013 13:39:06 GMT -5
Sure I got some ideas. Thoygh avoiding the shonen actiona nd light herated comedy stuff is kinda tough but I've gt a few.
Shingeki no Kyojin/Attack on Titan is an absolute must watch. seriously everyone should be watching this fantastic show.
Toaru Majutsu no Index and toaru Kagaku no Railgun are both brilliant. Index has 2 seasons of 24 eps and Railgun's second season of 24 eps is currently airing.
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Post by Kyubey on Jul 6, 2013 3:47:39 GMT -5
What's that? Carried in the wind? Could it be? Is it? Is that really another installment of Ky Watches Anime and Talks About it Here? Oh, it is! What could it be today?
Last Exile!
Now, for those who've been following this little review... thing... of mine, you'll notice that this differs from my usual taste, but I gave this show a chance, purely because, well, I like the aesthetic, and had never heard of this little series before, so I thought I would take a leap of faith and see what it did for me. The result was... eh? But on the upper scale of "eh."
Last Exile is set in this sort of vaguely old-timey European fantasy setting, think FMA kinda, but with more planes. These airbound contraptions are what really take the spotlight for most of the show, and the writers and animators certainly seem to love the various planes and airships almost as much as the characters do, which works out quite well for the fantastical adventure story promised on the tin. And the flying scenes themselves turn out to be really good! The action sequences move at a good pace, are well directed, and, most importantly, kept me excited throughout, with only a few moments that left me wondering what exactly was going on and where the characters were, which is fairly impressive, considering how frantic the nature of these scenes are. There aren't many action moments that don't take place in the air, but there is one on-foot fight scene in particular which happens near the end that I found to be remarkably interesting, and even beautiful in execution. If airborne action sequences and flying ship battles are your thing, then Last Exile is certainly worth your attention. One thing I must mention, and I can't really useit as a mark against the show considering how it mainly comes down to style preferences, but I'm not a huge fan of how this show, and several other anime in general, tend to overuse CG, particularly in the depiction of machinery. Yes, I get it! That vehicle looks very detailed and three dimensional! It also doesn't look like the thing crafted in such loving detail even occupies the same space as the characters and backgrounds! I can see why animators do it, but I'm not a fan, myself. Also worth noting is the wonderful soundtrack, which adds several levels to all aspects of the show, and help to carry both the exciting bits and the quieter moments.
But while I did love pretty much all the action scenes, it's when the characters step out of their fabulous flying machines that Last Exile begins to hit some turbulence. The plot itself is riddled with cliches, and lacks any real strong points or ideas to justify them. One of the major themes is war itself, the differing attitudes towards it, and how those attitudes shape the lives of both those who fight and those who don't, and those themes are explored in a solid fashion... in the first couple of episodes, after which, those themes just start to be there. Still there enough for me to recognize it, but not handled nearly as interesting as similar themes were in certain other anime I could name. Worse than that, though, in my opinion, is the rather weak interaction between the characters themselves. Don't get me wrong. There are a couple of relationships amongst the characters that do manage to work, enough to show me that the story does have a heart, but there are other interactions that just fall flat, and there were still others that I felt should have been included and were obviously edited out at some stage of development. Not all the characters are interesting, and, criminally for a show centering around a crew of any kind, I never truly felt the bond between the ensemble as a whole. Romantic subplots are brought up on more than one occasion, and, bafflingly, are almost always completely forgotten by the very next scene. However, the plot also does things I thought were very good. The anime seems to follow the "show, don't tell" reasoning when it comes to building the universe, preferring to let the important points come out naturally with exposition only when it's necessary, which I absolutely love, but it does have some drawbacks. Often, vital aspects of the world or characters aren't fully made clear until late in the game, if at all. For instance, a large part of the story revolves around a great war between differing countries, but aside from an obvious disconnect in technology and culture, it's never really stated what any of the sides actually stand for or why they're at war with one another. And because the details mostly just come through when it becomes natural for them to be clarified, there are several important conversations that went completely over my head because I wasn't given enough information to fully follow them. Still, I would take things like that any day, over having to listen to long, drawn out descriptions of everything as soon as it's introduced.
So the dub was available on Hulu, so guess what, I get to talk about voice acting, too! It's... uh... there! It's a Cali dub, so of course, Johnny Yong Bosch plays the lead, and while he's one of those guys with tons of roles and even more loving fans, I dunno, he's very hit and miss for me, and this show, sadly, counts as a miss for him. He's a good actor, but I could tell he was acting a paycheck here and not the role he was given. Likewise, most of the cast also followed suit, and I was left with the impression that they never really cared about the show itself. Note that I said most. Kari Wahlgren does a lovely job as the female lead, considering what little Mr. Bosch gives her to play off of. Joshua Seth quite clearly put a lot of effort into his role as the Rival Guy, which makes it that much more unfortunate that I thought his character was annoying. He did manage to completely nail a few scenes though, including a final moment that surprised me with how much I wound up caring. As a final point, Spike and Jet both play supporting roles! That alone is enough to give it a few more marks, and would have earned it even more if their characters ever talked to one another.
And now, final verdict. Despite being shaky on a few points, ultimately, Last Exile is a skyworthy ride, and, if you like your explosions and daring up in the sky like I do, it's well worth your time. It's good enough for me to both finish it and be interested in checking out the sequel series, so do what you will with that knowledge.
Now then, what's next for KWAaTAIH? As I mentioned before, there's a sequel show, so that's the obvious next thing for the list. But... I dunno. I can't stay up in the air for too long, I get motion sickness, y'see. Hm. Maybe now's a good time to take a really quick movie break...
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Post by Kyubey on Jul 6, 2013 21:57:20 GMT -5
Pardon the double post... D: Ring ring! It's your cellphone! Who's calling? It's another installment of Ky Watches Anime and Talks About it Here! Like I said before, I'm taking something of a movie break between my viewings of the two series in the Last Exile franchise, so it only took me roughly two hours to view our next subject, compared to a series, which, under most circumstances, takes longer. So grab your popcorn, but don't silence your phones, because this movie is, in fact, the final part of a brilliant little series you may or may not have heard of yet. Have you guessed what it is? That's right, it's... Eden of the East: Paradise Lost! Now, I don't think I've said this before, but I really fucking love Eden of the East. It's a great show, with a lot of great things to say and some absolutely great aspects to it. Ah, if only I was doing this little thread way back when I first came across this gem. I would have been thrilled to share it with all of you. Honestly, it makes me so sad that not more people are as fond of Eden of the East as I am. Well, time to make up for all that! I only just realized the movie was on Hulu, and, wanting very much to see it and at last know all the answers, jumped at the chance to finally talk about it with everyone. Now, like I said, this movie, Paradise Lost, is the ending of the series, with the 11 episode anime and the first movie, titled The King of Eden, coming first. So if you aren't already familiar with EotE, go watch those before moving on. Also, watch Paradise Lost while you're at it too, because reading reviews is dumb unless you've already seen the thing. That's right, go ahead. I think you'll like it! Okay, we done? Yay! Let's get to talking about the good stuff! Apparently, the end of EotE caused some debate amongst fans, some liking it, some not. Personally, I thought Paradise Lost was a fine conclusion, all things considered. It tied up all the really important ends, fully brought the themes to their rightful stopping points, completed the formation of Akira Takizawa as a character, and generally just gave the finish that both the series and the first movie had been dangling in front of our faces. Perhaps not all the questions are answered, but at this stage in the game, do they really need to be? This is just as much the journey of a hero as it is a tale of Japan as a whole, and I don't feel the need to know all that much more than the protagonist himself does. Another thing is that it ends mostly on a "what-if" than any concrete solutions or conclusions, a tool used by several masters of writing in the past, but one that might leave some unsatisfied. There's also a post credits scene that struck me as being rather strange, as if it's alluding to a sequel that we know is never gonna happen. Ah well. At the end of the day, in both EotE and real life, the issues discussed here can't just be settled in a three act structure after all. But I'm getting ahead of myself. About the movie. Well, I can happily say that it's everything I liked about Eden of the East in the first place. The subdued yet compelling excitement, the likeable cast, the pretty backgrounds, and oh, that delicious, delicious commentary on society are all still there, precisely where they should be. What more can you want? On a technical level, it's pretty good too. I dig the art style. It's not nearly as garish or huge as other anime, but it fits both the story and my personal tastes rather well. I would like to point out that this movie marked the first time in any anime that I actually noticed the effect of light reflecting off a window, which is a simple thing to mention, but one I thought was worth mentioning nevertheless. As one comes to expect from an EotE feature, it has a trippy but interesting opening sequence, and while most of the soundtrack isn't all that noteworthy, there's one song played towards the end that had a very Cowboy Bebop sorta vibe that complemented what was going on really nicely and by itself put a whole bunch of emotions onto that scene. As for the dub? It's a solid Funimation production, with the stand-out performances being from Jason Liebrecht, Stephanie Young, and John Gremillion, as they were in both the TV series and the first movie. I'm also gonna note the great performance (as always) from one of my personal VA heroes, J. Michael Tatum. (Hi, Tatum!) Now, onto the good good part: the message. This is the sort of anime that goes ahead and says the sort of things that not a whole lot of anime do these days, so of course, I enjoyed myself thoroughly by the end. Anything that makes me think as much as stuff like this does is part of what gives me my enthusiasm for anime and stories in the first place, and honestly, discovering more things like this and encouraging others to check them out is a huge part of why I even made this thread to begin with. The ideas brought to attention in EotE are important, and they're treated as such fully, with multiple angles presented, and a satisfying message delivered by the end. Whether these themes and messages will stay timeless is a question that can't be answered right now, though I certainly believe they are, but these issues are certainly important now, in the place and time they were presented, and that's what matters. The story is one that is possible to examine with several different interpretations and readings, with a distinct final point that left me with a swelling sense of optimism about the future and what we can do to shape it. And while the story is, first and foremost, about Japan, focusing on the problems and challenges that particular country is facing, I still feel like what the characters, and by extension writer, has to say can and should be heard by people of any country, especially in an age where we're constantly seeing things like this: img.timeinc.net/time/magazine/archive/covers/2013/1101130520_600.jpgAs an aside, this movie also contains a Shakespeare reference, so automatically it gets 10/10 and a million additional points. So, final verdict? Uh... do I really need to elaborate on what I thought of this movie at this point? But wait! I do have something negative to say! Hulu has too many ads. That is all. And now, what's next for Ky Watches Anime and Talks About It Here? Well, like I said in my last post, next on my list is, naturally, the sequel to Last Exile, titled Fam the Silver Wing. Will it live up to the "Eh" standard set by its predecessor? Time for me to find out.
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Post by Shark a' Pult on Jul 7, 2013 16:37:49 GMT -5
I watched the Eden show.
Or as everyone calls it, Johnny Quest.
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Post by Kyubey on Jul 13, 2013 14:31:24 GMT -5
Look! Up in the sky! It's a bird! It's a plane! It's another segment of Ky Watches Anime and Talks About it Here! And it's brought a message for you! What's the message about?
Last Exile: Fam the Silver Wing!
Silly animators, the previous installment was supposed to be the Last Exile! How could it have been the last when there's another one right here? Your titles are telling me lies, animators! Ah well, this actually does seem like it's the real real ending, so it's all gooood.
Now, the first Last Exile I thought was pretty okay, although I couldn't exactly see how there could be another series, considering the stories of the characters seemed all wrapped up with nowhere really to go. Well, Fam the Silver Wing answers that by moving the plot elsewhere, to a completely different war between some brand new nations that weren't mentioned at all in the old show, and starring mostly new characters. In fact, at the very beginning, I thought this was going to just be some sort of weird, alternate universe story. However, I was quickly corrected by an early appearance by an established character, which, despite confirming the setting as being in the same universe as the First Last Exile, only manages to raise more questions than answers. Still, FtSW does find a way to make the new setting work, so any confusion is mostly cleared up before the second act.
So how does Fam the Silver Wing compare to what came before it? Well, like the First Last Exile, it has its share of problems, though now with a totally separate set of problems and things to like. As in First Last Exile, there are plenty of planes, and planes fighting, and planes exploding, now with even better animation! Fam the Silver Wing is notable, in that it was the first anime series ever to be broadcast in 3D, and it really shows. The abundance of CG that I mentioned being distracting in First Last Exile is still present here, but done much more smoothly, to the point where I never felt like the CG-animated airships weren't in the same space as the traditionally animated pilots that operated them. FtSW quite clearly had a much bigger budget than its predecessor, that went towards making the battles bigger and crazier than ever. This turned out to be both a good thing and a bad thing. There are some really amazing sequences that just wouldn't have been possible before, including one moment early on in particular involving the heroes using a small plane to infiltrate a much larger airship that completely stunned me with how epic it seemed. If all the action scenes were like that, I would place FtSW much higher than First Last Exile, but alas, not everything can be so grand. There are a couple of neat sequences shown during the opening theme, including a swordfight on top of a burning airship as gunfire flies all around, which ultimately end up being something of a let-down, as nothing nearly as cool ever happens in the show itself. Rather than the tight, focused airship battles that the first series did so well, the sequel focuses more on huge fleet conflicts, as if they were trying to put as many planes, cannons, and explosions on screen as possible. While this does look impressive, and leads to some incredible shots, these battles lack the intense direction and flow that the first series had, and as a consequence of the grander style, both clarity and emotional investment during the fights are lost in all the fire and metal and explosions all over the place. As a related but separate note, the action scenes also tend to rely on the old trope of characters heroically coming in to save the heroes just as all hope seems lost. Like, a lot. To the point where, by the end, I was amusing myself by trying to guess just who was going to suddenly appear to save the day this time. Out of the sky, the animation's decent, as good as one would expect at least, with nothing exactly mind-blowing, aside from some admittedly pretty cool scenery. The colors are brighter and more vibrant than they were in the old series, and while there is a reason for there to be something of a disconnect in that regard, it did make me miss the more down-to-Earth tones of First Last Exile. The soundtrack is still as good as ever, using plenty of familiar tracks, with a few neat new ones, including some bombastic songs that sound like they came right out of Pirates of the Caribbean.
But how about the story? Well, like before, there are some issues. I would say my biggest problem with Fam the Silver Wing is, well, Fam herself, who, I wanna mention, is, at no point, referred to as "The Silver Wing" by any of the characters. Fam is supposedly a Sky Pirate, which is not only strange in that we never ever see her or her fellow pirates do anything remotely piratey and are never treated like pirates by anyone else, but gives her very little reason to be so involved in the political matters the plot focuses so heavily on. That's a minor gripe though, the major gripe being that she's, well, kinda a brat. As a character, she's irritatingly simple, and infuriatingly reckless and irresponsible, often putting both herself and those close to her in unnecessary danger with very flimsy logic. If it wasn't for other characters constantly mentioning how good she is both as a pilot and as a person, I would never have been able to tell, because of all the nonsensical decisions and abysmal judgments she makes almost every episode. And while her "Aw shucks, let's all just get along" attitude may be endearing to some, it's not for me, and demonstrates a lack of common sense that just seems out of place in the world she lives in. I wouldn't go so far as to say she's a Mary Sue, however, as both she and other characters do acknowledge her flaws and how she needs to grow. During the whole thing, I couldn't help but feel like if the leads from First Last Exile were put in her position, they would have done a much better job. But what I found even worse than that is, Fam really isn't the main character at all. The title of protagonist should have rightfully gone to Fam's friend, Princess Millia, who, more than any other character, is the most invested in what's going on, has the most to lose, and is forced to undergo the most development, and the truly tough decisions all fall on her. If she had gotten more screentime and the place as lead she deserved, the whole story would have been better for it. The supporting cast is pretty varied as far as likeability, with a few interesting ones and a few one-dimensional characters the story could have gone without. It was also nice to see some of the old cast returning, even if most of them only get, like, five lines. One of the true stand-outs in the cast, though, is the villain, who is complex and has believable motivations, taking him several notches above the previous series antagonist. A strong point in favor of Fam the Silver Wing is a strong female cast overall, with an abundance of good female characters placed in important roles, leading it to easily pass the Bechdel Test, with very little fanservice (aside from a baffling scene where Princess Millia puts on a maid outfit for absolutely no reason.) First Last Exile also passed the Bechdel Test, but less notably, leading FtSW to far surpass it in that regard.
While First Last Exile went with a naturalist method of introducing the world and plot to the audience, Fam the Silver Wing went with the more conventional exposition approach. There's plenty of scenes with characters going into long descriptions of the various aspects of the story, including several moments where people go out of their way to tell other characters all about things that they logically should already know. It does help making things a big clearer to the audience, and there were a lot of things I know now about the Last Exile world that I completely missed before, but like I said earlier, I still like the way First Last Exile did it better. Although you can't fault FtSW too much, seeing as it's an approach taken by 90% of anime out there today, and it's needed more here considering the bigger scope of the story. While the sequel does attempt to tackle more issues than the last series, it only sometimes actually works, and there are some points that just fall flat, including the ending. This is probably in no small part due to the need for the "optimism and cute giggling friendship is the best!" attitude it pretty much needs to take for the sake of Fam (and, more likely, for the sake of the Otaku audience that has come to expect such things).
So, now, the big question: Is Fam the Silver Wing a better series than the predecessor? And I've gotta say... eh? While watching, I did feel like I liked it better, but upon reflecting and writing this, I've found that the first series holds up just a tiny bit better, mainly due to the plot issues and its lack of a recap episode, which Fam the Silver Wing did have. Twice, in fact. But really, they're both so close in terms of quality, it falls more on the individual viewer to decide which is superior. I guess. I mean, when you think about it that could apply to any two things really, but... meh, that's another question for another time. They're both okay. I don't hate that I watched either of them, so that's good enough.
Well, that was quite a flight! Good tailwinds to you, Last Exile! So what's next? Ooooh, do I have a treat for you! Or just something horribly self-indulgent, whichever you prefer to call it. As many of you know by now, my personal favorite anime of all time is a series called Legend of Galactic Heroes, which spanned for several episodes and had several little side-stories created for it. Despite loving the main series to bits, I've never had the chance to see any of these side stories. That is, until I noticed that some kind person uploaded all of them onto Youtube. So why not talk about those? Considering this is my thread for talking about anime, I might as well take this chance to share with you my enthusiasm for my favorite show. So, in the future, I will alternate between watching LoGH and various anime movies for the side segments in between talking about longer series. So... yeah. Look forward to that. Next time we dive into Legend of Galactic Heroes: Silver-White Valley!
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Post by Kyubey on Jul 15, 2013 4:24:12 GMT -5
In every age, in every place, Ky Watches Anime and Talks About It Here remains the same. And in July 15, 2013 CE, Ky wrote a segment on...
Legend of Galactic Heroes: Silver-White Valley!
As I've said more than enough times, I'm incredibly fond of Legend of Galactic Heroes. Like, it's the best. And nobody can tell me otherwise. And to this day, it pains me to no end that after all these years, it still hasn't had an official English release in any form, and probably never will. If you haven't seen it yet, or if you have but found that it wasn't for you, then this segment here and the future LoGH segments are absolutely skippable, as most of this is just going to be me gushing about it probably. Because I like it so fuckin' much. So, having finished the main series long ago, you can imagine how happy I was that not only are there several small Gaiden series of LoGH, but they're all available on Youtube. While I would love to just watch them all in one go and just surge forth with pages upon pages of my enthusiasm, I gotta spread these out, so as to not bore you lovely reader(s?). So, first Gaiden, the four-episode Silver-White Valley!
One familiar with LoGH might wonder how such a sprawling epic of a universe could possibly contain a story that can be told in merely four episodes, but this manages by scaling the scope far down, and only focusing on a few characters, dealing with a singular event contained on one lonely little planet. Specifically, Silver-White Valley is a prequel, telling the tale of a small but still significant event, the first battle of series protagonist Reinhard von Lohengramm, in which he not only gains valuable experience, but finds that danger doesn't always come from the opposing army, something he would have to deal with many more times later in life. Seeing his first conflict, before the experience and glory, gives some fascinating insight, and shows an image of him we rarely saw in the main series. The four episodes were focused almost exclusively on both him and Kircheis, leading to the two of them sharing some moments of genuine friendship, and also shows how well they work together as a team. These things in of itself should be enough to satisfy any fan, and it is, generally being a solid experience. Does that mean there are no problems? Sadly, no.
One of the more interesting facets of Silver-White Valley was showing how Reinhard dealt with problems when out of his normal element. For one thing, all the action takes place on the ground of an icy world, with nary a spaceship or a strategic fleet conflict to be found. Rather than him being the experienced and influential Admiral that we see him as at the beginning of LoGH, he's a mere soldier here, subject to the commands of superior officers, with only Kircheis to support him, and none of the other close friends and allies he would gain later. In fact, in Silver-White Valley, the cards are actively stacked against both him and Kircheis, making the two something of underdogs. While this is an interesting change, one part of what made Reinhard so compelling as a character was the power and weight he held as a charismatic conqueror. As a mere man and not a fearsome commander, suddenly he loses a lot of that gravitas. The tighter focus also hurts it a little as well. While a large part of what made the main series so great was the multiple perspectives it showed of the central war, with each respective side getting a fair part of the spotlight, this is purely the Legend of Singular Galactic Hero. And that causes some problems, including the lack of any sort of different view on what's going on. While there were some very clear cut villains in the main series, they were very spread out, and could at least be believed for the most part. Here, as there's no fleshed out opposition for Reinhard to deal with in such a short amount of time, he's forced to deal with a straight-up antagonist, that the story is centered around him overcoming. That alone is unfortunate, considering what I'm normally used to from LoGH, but what makes it worse is that the villains were admittedly written very poorly. As in, they were of the variety that actively gloat to the heroes when they think they've won, giving Reinhard both valuable stalling time and information in the process. Poor form, Silver-White Valley, poor form. There are also some implausibilities in the story that no doubt cropped up because of the limited time given. (Seriously though, are distress signals just not a thing on this planet? On either side? Really?) And as a final nitpick, its mere nature as a prequel takes away a lot of suspense. Of course we know they're gonna make it, we see them alive and successful in the main story that takes place years later! It's a problem that all prequels are burdened with, so I can't fault Silver-White Valley too much, but it kinda sorta takes away from the sense that anything could happen at any time that might change everything that normally LoGH does so freakin' well.
But still, for all its faults, it's still LoGH, so there's bound to be some good things about it. While the villains were pretty-one dimensional and, for lack of a better word, bad, the main commander guy did have one effective scene in the first episode, in which he casually disregards a report of an attempted sexual assault committed by his subordinates. The scene might have been dismissed as unbelievable for how blatantly villain-like it is, except the simple fact that such things really do happen in the military makes the moment incredibly chilling. And though he's not the glorious leader he later becomes in the main series, it's still really really cool to see Reinhard and Kircheis working together to solve a problem not through complicated fleet maneuvers and military might, but by them actively taking the role of fighters themselves, to beat unfavorable odds. And the fact that, even while directly fighting themselves, it's still Reinhard's brain that pulls them through pleased me to no end. A full-on land battle was a welcome change as well. And... uh, it's Legend of Galactic Heroes. I like watching Legend of Galactic Heroes.
Is it as good as the main series? Fuck no, but hey, nothing else is either. And with only four episodes, it's a worthy little addition to the LoGH canon.
Oh, and one last complaint I have. While Reinhard's cool and all, I much prefer the Free Planets Alliance to the Imperial Forces. And yet, here the FPA only showed up as faceless soldiers! C'mon! Hopefully we'll at least get an appearance from some Free Planets Alliance officers in the next Gaiden, The Mutineer.
Well now, what's next for Ky Watches Anime and Talks About It Here? So glad you asked! Next time, I step far away from the future, away from fleets and wars, and take a journey into a past, exploring the quiet and haunting land of the strange and mysterious. Join me, as I experience the ethereal world of Mushishi.
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Post by Kyubey on Jul 25, 2013 19:06:27 GMT -5
But I would walk 500 miles and I would walk 500 more, just to be the man who walked a thousand miles to... write another installment of Ky Watched Anime and Talks About it Here. So, what show have I come across today? Well, right here is something special. It's...
Mushi-shi!
In our fast-paced world of constant communication, bright lights, bit conflicts, people traveling to farther places faster and faster, and people building faster than things can grow, it's oftentimes all too easy to forget the wonders and mysteries the world around you can provide. But still, even in the world we've created for ourselves today, there are times when everything seems different, when time appears to slow down. Have you ever just sat outside, quietly ruminating by yourself, as a bright evening gives way to night, and a strange indescribable feeling creeps into your mind? You know those times when you're alone, isolated, perhaps, at at time when all seems still, and suddenly you feel as though perhaps you weren't as solitary as you thought, even though there are no other people in sight? These are the sort of times when your mind and senses may start to play tricks on you, but if you look hard enough, maybe, just maybe, you might notice the things that you couldn't before.
But anyways, enough about that. Let's talk about Mushi-shi! Honestly, this might be a bit hard. It's not the sort of story that can be defined so easily, at least not by one with my meager abilities. If I had to give a completely honest description of the story, it would be "just watch it for yourself because it's really good." But still, I watched anime, so I'll at least try to talk about it here.
Mushi-shi introduces us to the strange world of the Mushi, enigmatic lifeforms that can't be seen by most. Not quite supernatural, and yet not like any other form of life, these creatures subtly interact with our world, sometimes affecting it in various ways. Some don't even notice their effect, and yet are shaped by it without even realizing it. For others, the Mushi are a curse. Our protagonist is Ginko, a wanderer who studies the Mushi and helps those who have been impacted by them. Each episode sees him at a new location, visiting the places where the Mushi's presence is most strongly felt, and finding an answer for those whose lives have changed because of it. But all Ginko can do in the end is hand out a solution. The true outcome is up to those afflicted. Sometimes, the people he visits end up content. Other stories only end in sorrow. Most, however, end in a balanced mixture of the two, and all of those graced by the Mushi are, inevitably, changed forever. It's not a grandiose series, but it's an effective one, that takes just as much time as it needs to in order to tell the stories it provides. It's worth saying that of the 26 tales in the series, there wasn't a single one I didn't like. The episodes are quiet and subdued in nature, dwelling mostly in the relaxed, still moments, but it's easy to become lost in them. By no means does that imply that Mushi-shi forcefully drags you in. It simply offers its hand with a smile, and lets you follow along, immersed in the world it offers.
Oh and what a world this is! One of the things Mushi-shi does best is the vivid scenery and backdrops. The animators did an incredible job at painting a captivating portrait of an older Japan, where the natural was still rampant, showing the beauty of even the smallest of things. The colors especially are brilliant, eye-catching without being garish, and provide just the right atmosphere needed, sometimes dazzling, otherwise just doing all it needs to in order to set the mood for the action of the story. The music is very much the same way. The score is simple, with only a few instruments playing at any given time, but it manages to be every bit a part of the atmosphere as the visuals, standing out just enough to be noticeable, without taking anything away from the other elements. Truly, balance is the key to making this series come to life, and the directors understood that quite well. All these parts seem to come together most perfectly when showing the Mushi themselves, using both visuals, sound, and movement to make these lifeforms and their effects fascinating and compelling, whether these effects are beautiful, disturbing, or haunting. The one unfortunate thing I will say about the art is that the character designs for the humans aren't always that great, but apart from that, artistically, it's a masterpiece.
As for the dub... it's alright, for a cast with only one truly recurring character. Most of the recognizable Funimation regulars get to star in the various episodes, and while most of them are good, some of them are not quite so much. The series definitely as a calm, subdued tone to it, which some of the actors take to heart a little too well, leading them to basically mumble through their lines. Still, there are some really good VAs who manage to do really well, being as reserved yet emotional as the show demands. As for Ginko himself, Travis Willingham does a fine job as our guide through the setting, speaking with the relaxed certainty of a man deeply experienced in the weird life he lives. All the more impressive, considering how difficult a role it must be.
From what I've gathered, Mushi-shi as a show seems to leave different impressions onto most people. For me, watching this felt like a lonely reflective walk through some old woods. It's an experience I really liked, and I encourage you to try it out, and see what it does for you.
It's sad, but now that journey has come to a close. Now, where will my travels lead me to next? Well, it's time for another movie once again, the film this time being Fullmetal Alchemist: The Star of Milos. As I can't say enough, I love the original FMA manga and place it highly amongst my favorites, so I'm looking forward to this. Let's all clap our hands together, and see what can be created from the tale of the Elric Brothers.
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Post by Kyubey on Jul 27, 2013 23:42:55 GMT -5
Finally. The promised day has come. Everything has fallen into place. And now, it can begin. At last, another installment of Ky Watches Anime and Talks About it Here. What is it we'll be discussing today?
Fullmetal Alchemist: The Sacred Star of Milos!
Oh, FMA. What a fantastic manga, doomed to be forever known mostly for its less-than-fantastic anime adaptations. When I heard there was going to be a movie telling the further adventures of the Elric Brothers, I wasn't all that excited, to be honest, even though I love the manga to death. For one thing, I thought it was highly unlikely that, after spending so much time failing, anime studios would finally properly convey Hiromu Arakawa's solidly written, expertly thought-out story. Not only that, but these sorts of anime movies based off of already existing manga have a long, long history of being not very good. So how good could this movie be? Well...
Like all anime movies vaguely related to the series they're based off of, The Sacred Star of Milos sort of feels like the source material, and kinda, well, doesn't. If you're looking for further continuation of FMA characters and lore, outside of what the manga or anime series gave, you won't find much, beyond the fact that alchemy is used, and Edward and Alphonse are in it. To be fair, the writers did give a fair shot at making this feel like an actual FMA story, as several plot elements from the original, such as philosophers stones and chimeras, do make a prominent appearance, but that's about as far as it goes. Apart from Ed and Al being the heroes, the connection to the manga is pretty weak. The story takes place in a location made up purely for the sake of the movie, so already the investment to the greater universe presented is pretty weak. Apart from the leads, other important characters from the main series, like Winry and Roy Mustang, do show up, but they play very supporting roles to the point where they're barely of any consequence at all, and it's all too apparent they were mostly just there for the fans who wanted to see them, and not for what they could have potentially contributed to the story. The main characters of Sacred Star of Milos, apart from the two protagonists, are all entirely new people, who are really the ones the central story conflict focuses on. As such, it becomes difficult to make fans of the manga that invested, as we know for a fact that no matter what happens or what's said, we'll still never see these people again, and nothing they could possibly do would have that great an impact on the canon characters, a fact that severely lessens the impact of the story, the ending in particular. That being said, there are some distinct plot elements there to remind us that it is indeed FMA, such as active, prominently featured female characters, some pretty dark imagery, and a strong theme of how good intentions can lead to terrible actions, and there hardly ever being one true easy answer. Of course, these things still weren't to the extent that they were in the series, but it's good enough for movie length.
The story, as a stand-alone thing, is actually fairly decent. The plot was obviously fairly thought out, with plenty of detail given to the backstory in a way that makes sense. The main setting is fairly interesting, both visually and in the provided history, and for the most part I did care about what happened to the people in it. I was actually surprised by how multi-layered the background was, even if that did have the drawback of giving the cast too much to explain during the runtime. The characters were also decently written even if they weren't particularly deep, a step above what you would expect from filler movies like this, though the plot did suffer from having too many villains, most of whom were rather one note. The entire motivation of the primary antagonist, for instance, wasn't fleshed out all that well, and I never fully understood what he really hoped to accomplish. The story also had some problems in conflicting with the rules of the FMA universe as given by the source material. For example, many alchemic feats are performed that, according to the laws of equivalent exchange, should not be possible. Also, and this is a personal thing, but I feel like more could have been done to explore Ed and Al's characters. They were given a good reason to be invested in what was going on, and I liked how both brothers had distinct and important roles to play, but it would have been even better if most of the their motivation wasn't near solely reacting to the actions and problems of the other characters. Still, to make up for these, there are plenty of cool plot twists especially towards the end, and the writing has enough substance to hold my attention. One extra thing in this film's favor is that it thankfully leaves out much of the forced, ill-fitting "humor" that was a huge part of why the Brotherhood anime fell so short. There are some lighthearted moments to this one, but, like in the manga, they come naturally and don't distract from the story, which is the really important thing.
The visuals were excellent, and in many ways the high point of the movie. A neat, fluid style is used, that both looks good and dynamic, and fits FMA near perfectly. There was plenty of detail in the artwork, making much of the scenery stand out. The action scenes are plentiful in this one, and they're all wonderfully entertaining, utilizing a good variety of setups and interesting circumstances for each of the extended fight moments.
As for the dub, it's FMA, so, well, whatever you thought of the dub for that, you'll probably think the same way about this. Vic Mignogna, of course, returns once again as Edward, and it's easy to see how this is the sort of role that led to an actually very versatile actor getting constantly typecast into rather similar roles for most of his career. It's clear that he really understands the character, and he brings a lot out of the part. Maxey Whitehead is a worthy Alphonse, doing a splendid job with his emotions, though she gets points marked off for not even attempting to sound like a 14 year old male. The movie-original cast does alright for the most part, but I've gotta admit, I didn't care much for the actress who played the lead female that most of the story revolved around.
If you've been following Hiromu Arakawa's story for years, or if you're new to the world of alchemy, The Sacred Star of Milos is decent harmless fun either way. It doesn't come close to achieving the high standard set by the original manga, but it does everything expected of it, which is more than good enough. If you like Fullmetal Alchemist and have a couple of spare hours, this ain't a bad way to spend it. Definitely one of the better vaguely-related anime movies.
So, what's next. In the next installment of Ky Watches Anime and Talks About it Here, I'll check out a series I've heard a lot about, but have no idea what to expect from it. Come on and join me, as I discuss Welcome to the NHK.
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Post by Kyubey on Aug 7, 2013 19:52:28 GMT -5
Welcome to the Ky Watches Anime and Talks About it Here! The penalty for not reading is one million yen! What will today's lecture be about? You've probably guessed it...
Welcome to the NHK!
Hoo boy. This is gonna be a tough one to talk about. Though it's a comedy, there's quite a lot of substance in this series, and I wouldn't feel right if I took it lightly. Then again, my reaction was highly personal, and it's likely that not everyone will see this the same way I did. Therefore, talking about this fairly might be a little challenging. Still, I did put my name on this thread for a reason, so remember, this particular review is only about my own reaction, and should not be seen as an absolute judgment of the work as a whole.
Welcome to the NHK is, more or less, an adventure into the mind of a troubled young man, terrified of the world, outside of a few friends, and even with them, he is often confused by his own thoughts and feelings. As is repeated several times throughout, he is, put simply, the sort of person that the Japanese refer to as hikikomori, or, in English, a shut-in. Not only are the most ordinary of social moments insurmountable obstacles for him, he is also led to think that his circumstances are brought about by a conspiracy by a nefarious corporation called the NHK. He understands that he has a serious problem, but at the same time sees no real way out of it, and is thus left to make the most out of the few interactions he has. The people he's closest to during the story aren't exactly the most well-adjusted types either, and all of them are broken in some way or another. The individual problems faced by these characters are all well fleshed out, and for the most part, the challenges of no one character are exactly the same over the course of the 24 episodes, at least for the recurring cast. The way these things are handled can get a tad overblown at times, but it fits the somewhat warped style well, and makes sense considering who's perspective we're seeing everything from. While the style falls mostly under personal preference, the underlying message is real, and comes from a place of actual understanding. When speaking about Welcome to the NHK, the original author of the Light Novel said, "In truth, I still can’t read this story objectively. Each time I reread it, I start to have light hallucinations. I break into a cold sweat. Each time I approach one of a few specific places in the plot, I start wanting to throw the computer out the window. At other particular points, I start wanting to run away from home to live deep in secrecy in the mountains of India." Even if he didn't directly say this, I would still believe it just from watching the anime. The emotions are too genuine to not come from experience.
There are plenty of other anime and manga starring the loner everyman type, to the point where it's basically its own category, but Welcome to the NHK takes the cake by being both far more dark and surreal than most other series in this genre, and by it's brutally honest portrayal of how pathetic the lead is. I've heard it compared to another series called Watashi ga Motenai no wa Dou Kangaetemo Omaera ga Warui (It's Not My Fault I'm Not Popular), but even in that case, the protagonist of WataMote, though also lonely, introverted, and socially awkward, is seen as more tragically endearing, and than anything else, and ultimately falls into the trap of trying too hard to create a self-praising fantasy where such flaws are seen as more cute, loveable and fun. WataMote is light and fluffy (generally speaking). This show ain't. There's nothing cute about the protagonist of Welcome to the NHK. His situation, and the fact that he is given opportunities to get out of it and then rejects them, is seen as nothing but sad and unfortunate. If I was forced to compare Welcome to the NHK to anything else, it would have to be possibly a Yokota Takuma manga, such as Onani Master Kurosawa, for their similarly honest portrayals of the mindset shown, although the exact nature of the mentalities of the protagonists in both manga are completely different, and Welcome to the NHK takes much more unorthodox choices in its execution.
Despite being labeled as a comedy, there are many anime fans who probably won't find much to laugh about in Welcome to the NHK at all. However, despite all the things I've said about it, I will still insist that the labeling is mostly correct. Though the humor is often dry and always at least a little morbid, that doesn't mean it's not there. Despite it encourage the viewer to mostly empathize with the characters, there are moments that are detached enough to the point where they can safely laugh at the situations that the protagonist gets himself into, or be amused by his bizarre thought processes. These moments happen more often than you might think, and it takes skill to be able to introduce levity without breaking the tone at all. Many people seem to think that just because something is a comedy, it means it can't be taken seriously or talked about with any sort of depth. Welcome to the NHK fiercely defies that, with enough prevalent themes and symbolism to encourage plenty of discussion. The writing is impressively clever, in how it neither coddles nor needlessly mocks its characters, and in the way that, at certain points, it subtly leads you to suspecting that the lead might really be stalked by a conspiracy after all. Occasionally, the words "NHK" flash onto the screen in huge letters, and each time it happens, it marks another shift in the protagonist's story. There's lots of other symbolism too, such in the name of the story itself, but I'd hate to go too much into that and ruin it for everyone. There's some parts that are just plain ridiculous, like the absolute implausibility that is the lead's relationship with the main female character, but even stuff like that can be justified by its necessity to the story. If you were to watch Welcome to the NHK purely for the strength in the writing, it's a fine choice of anime to watch through.
But now, it's time I stop putting things off, and start writing the part of the review that's gonna be the hardest for me, the personal impact it had. After thinking about it, I'm not going to go as much into this as I had initially planned, but I'll try to hit the main points. I found that I could relate to this story far more than I might like to admit. Certain scenes and lines hit me like a slap to the face, and there are parts where characters go to places mentally that I myself have spent more than my fair share of time. There's even one character in the story that's way too much like me, albeit with vastly different tastes. Without giving too much away about the story or myself, there were a few astoundingly specific details that hit too close to home for me to be comfortable. Just writing this much is making me uneasy, so I'm gonna take this moment to wrap up the review.
If you like your slice-of-life type comedies with a heaping helping of darkness on the side, Welcome to the NHK should suit you well. There are lots of anime worth talking about in detail out there, and I'd say that this is one of the most unappreciated of those. And while there are many anime based on Light Novels, this is one of the few that has made me really interested in reading the story that inspired the animation.
DISCLAIMER: I really dislike putting this in here, seeing as we're pretty much all adults here, but I still feel obligated to include this because I have no idea if someone would take offense or not if I didn't. In short, there's some nudity in this. It's only a couple of scenes, but it's there. Sexual themes are explored. Be aware of that if that's the sort of thing that makes you not watch certain anime. Also, a cultural note: The show expects you to already be familiar with what hikikomori and NEETs are, and also expects at least a basic knowledge of otaku culture. Shouldn't be too hard to figure out even if you don't know about these things, but yeah.
Whew! That was something, wasn't it? I think I might need to get away for a while... far away... in fact, I think it's time to go... TO SPACE! That's right, it's Legend of Galactic Heroes time once again! Welcome to the next Gaiden in the series: The Mutineer! See ya then!
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Post by Kyubey on Aug 9, 2013 3:54:30 GMT -5
If only Ky was alive, he could Watch Anime and Talk About it Here. And the next thing he would talk about would be...
Legend of Galactic Heroes: The Mutineer!
While Silver-White Valley was something of a unique change from the norm of LoGH, The Mutineer gives something of a return to form for the series, showcasing a true space battle that fans of the series would be used to by now. And though, like in Silver-White Valley, the perspective is locked once again pretty firmly onto Reinhard and Kircheis, it's now with a wider scope, and a vastly bigger supporting cast. It's another big adventure for Young Reinhard, and, in my opinion, one that is far superior to the first Gaiden I watched.
As the action of Silver-White Valley was kept near entirely to a single planet, The Mutineer sees everyone's favorite ambiguously gay duo Reinhard and Kircheis working aboard a single spaceship throughout. But unlike in Silver-White Valley, where the two spent most of their time alone to fend for themselves in an unfriendly setting where nearly everyone is against them constantly, they now have to work with their fellow soldiers to solve the conflict at hand. However, as they're newcomers aboard this ship, Reinhard still has to prove his ability to a doubtful crew, which comes across as no easy feat. And, like before, the true battle isn't always the one fought against the opposing army. Thus The Mutineer gives a fine balance between Reinhard in a similar situation to what he was faced with in Silver-White Valley, and giving him a chance to show off the leadership and charisma that made him a cool character in the first place. Kircheis also has some enjoyable moments in this, and there are certainly plenty of scenes showcasing how well the two characters complement one another. The Mutineer is also supported by a strong secondary cast, that Silver-White Valley had unfortunately lacked. As far as characters go, I have to give special mention to the closest character The Mutineer has to an antagonist, who turned out to be impressively well-developed and believable.
That these four episodes only give attention to the story of a singular spaceship ends up being the thing that works out best in its favor as a companion to the greater LoGH storyline. Unlike in the main series, we're given a good deal of insight into the workings of a common Destroyer ship, including the people that operate it, and the sort of work that goes into keeping it functional during battles. It's not highly-ranked commanders with the fate of armies resting on their shoulders that are given the most focus in this, it's the common soldiers, whose lives are at the mercy of said commanders. The crew of the Destroyer, and how they relate to the two protagonists, is, by far, the best part about it. And, from these characters and their struggles, we're given a much better feeling for the lives that are lost during the epic fleet battles that happen on a regular basis in the main series. Those aren't just empty empty targets that explode across the screen, folks, they're vessels filled with scared, desperate men, with people back home who love them, and hopes and wishes that are all too easily lost from a single order by those appointed over them. It's a harsh reminder for the viewer, and even moreso, for the leads. The simple details of the ship interior is brought to attention much more in The Mutineer than we've seen before, giving it a feeling of being lived-in. The Mutineer, if nothing else, is world-building at its finest.
The strongest theme in The Mutineer is the conflict and contrast between the aristocratic class and the commoners, a class difference that features as the entire Galactic Empire. Because so much of the four episodes revolve around the everyday soldiers, their struggles, and their motivations, a great deal of weight is given to them, making for a strong and definite shift from the main series. Likewise, as a noble in a ship full of commoners, Reinhard is directly forced to look at his position differently, and is even put at a disadvantage because of his important family. After all, how much respect can you gather when everyone thinks you only have your position because of your birth? The differences between these two classes, how they relate and interact with each other, the roles they play, and the importance and power both of them hold is explored and examined brilliantly here. While these themes were most certainly present in the main series, in both the Galactic Empire and the Free Planets Alliance, they're only really placed in the forefront here.
Sadly, The Mutineer suffers from the same problem Silver-White Valley does, in that, as a prequel, we know that no matter what happens, Reinhard and Kircheis at least are going to get out alright. In fact, this issue is even more glaring here, especially during a climactic sequence centered around a huge risk taken that, due to Reinhard and Kircheis being not dead during the main series, we already know the outcome of. However, this issue is lessened a bit by the solid original supporting cast, who do manage to get some surprises in where Reinhard and Kircheis can't, and they even have some rather moving scenes. Also, there's still no Free Planets Alliance in this! Yang Wenli was even in the opening, but not even mentioned in any of the episodes! What the crap? Still, these problems aside, The Mutineer features the excellent writing that LoGH is known for, which is more than enough, with plenty of excitement to go on top of it. For both the development to the world and characters provided, The Mutineer should be a must-see for anyone watching Legend of Galactic Heroes.
So, that's that for this Gaiden, and now I'll go back to counting the days until I watch the next one. Ooooh, it's gonna be painful. But in the meantime, hopefully I'll have some wonderful series to help ease my appetite. I sure did have a couple of great ones last time, and I'm looking forward to seeing what the future brings. Speaking of which, what's up for the next installment? Well, since I had such a great time up in space with The Mutineer, might as well stay up here! Next time, I'll be tackling an acclaimed series, by a beloved author. Join me, as I watch the classic Leiji Matsumoto work, The Galaxy Railways. See ya then!
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Post by Kyubey on Aug 18, 2013 23:21:50 GMT -5
What is destiny? Along the winding tracks of life, a path is forged ahead for us amongst the countless and beautiful stars. Some as destined to protect the peace and safety of tomorrow, while others are given the equally noble destiny of simply bringing a smile to the faces of small children. Meanwhile, others, such as a solitary man named Ky, are faced with the unfortunate destiny of Watching Anime, before he Talks About it Here. But no matter what your fate, you can't get off the train you've boarded, and it's a one way ride. But the question is, what's the next stop for Ky today?
The Galaxy Railways!
I have something of a confession to make. Despite being an avid watcher of anime, as well as talking about it quite extensively, in all my years of anime fan... uh, being, not once have I ever seen a single anime by the well-known creator Leiji Matsumoto. It's criminal, I know. So The Galaxy Railways was a distinct first for me. However, even if one hasn't seen any of his works, any anime enthusiast worth their salt could at least recognize at least a few of his stuff, such as Captain Harlock or Space Battleship Yamato. Thus, even though I was really being introduced to Matsumoto for the first time, I knew a little about what I was in for. I had expected an over-the-top bombastic space opera with serious faced heroes with really defined noses, comically thin women, and everyone having tons of hair. For the most part... I got that! But I also got a few things I didn't know I was in for.
The Galaxy Railways is a mostly episodic 26 episode series about an intergalactic police team, featuring a lot of trains and plenty of heart. Right from the beginning episodes, the show makes abundantly clear what sort of story it is. This isn't some grandstanding serious epic, or a gritty look into a potential future. This is a show purely in the nostalgic style of older, classic animation, barreling forward on its firm sense of adventure, just doing its own thing throughout. Many details of its universe, like how the future got to be the way it is, or even if it's our future at all or another universe entirely, are not explained. There are even recurring elements of the supernatural in the show, that aren't given much explanation or justification either. They just show up, fulfill their purpose, and then leave. Heck, the show never even bothers to tell us why the spaceships look and function like trains in the first place! And y'know what, that's absolutely okay, because that's what sort of story it is, and at no point does it make any attempt to hide that. The ships are trains because Matsumoto thinks that's what's cool, and when he does it, fuck yeah it is. TGS also gains much of its strength from not falling prey to much of the pretensions and attempts at being taken seriously that have affected many newer shows. TGS is unafraid to go into the realm of the melodramatic, or otherwise stray completely away from any sort of realism to tell the story it wants to tell. And while at times it does get a little too ridiculous to enjoy properly, more often than not TGS is comfortable right where it is, and doesn't change for anyone. However, by no means am I trying to say that this show is nothing more than a silly bundle of nothin' but zaniness. There is a strong story behind it all, with many of the most effective episodes focusing less on the space adventure and more on the themes of loss and destiny, or spending a good chunk of the episode being relatively quiet and thoughtful. Every episode has at least shades of this, really, with a Twilight Zone-esque narrator giving some contemplative words on the themes of the story at the beginnings and endings of the episode. There are plenty of episodes that are just plain sad, others that are bitter and intense, defying the conventional stereotypes surrounding the classic-style space opera. Don't let the melodramatic coat of paint fool you, this is a solid train that's capable of going places.
As far as episode quality goes, some are definitely better than others. While many stories are fascinating and well written, or at least have enough interesting concepts or moments of development to pull the story forward, some fall flat, or simply fail to make their one-off characters compelling, which is fatal in the plots that rely on the viewer caring about what happens to them. Also, while I did just defend the over-the-top nature and extremely fantastical elements of the show, sometimes it can be a bit much, first example that comes to mind being the episode with the old woman on the dying planet. The final act of the story also suffers, from shifting away from being an episodic, character-focused story, and suddenly trying to pull off a sweeping, highly Star Wars like narrative. That in of itself isn't a bad thing, but the painfully dull villains introduced (the main antagonist of that part of the story can be summed up purely by her massive shoulder pads) and the sharp and jarring deviation from the story that it was before really hurts it. Not to say the ending is all bad, however, with the main strong point I can think of being a fun, fast-paced really exciting extended action sequence in the final episode, but I do wonder what the story might have been like if it had a smaller-scale, character-focused conclusion instead. TGS also suffers from a poorly done romantic subplot, but I won't go too much into that, partly because the story itself doesn't (hence part of the reason why it doesn't work) and because crappy love subplots are more or less a requirement for this genre anyway, and it would feel weird without one.
The main focus of the story, the Sirius Platoon of the Space Defense Force, fit neatly into the typical character roles of most stories of this type. There's the wide-eyed newcomer hero, the stern, focused fatherly captain, the arrogant hotshot, the kindhearted doctor, the laid back wisecracking guy, and the completely useless girl character. While one might criticize the show for its predictability in that regard, these characters are nevertheless fleshed out on their own, and the show makes it clear that these protagonists are more people than archetype. Despite the episodic style of TGS, the overarching character development is it's strongest recurring theme by far, with every major cast member's characterization going through a logical and consistent progression over time. My favorite character would by far be Bruce, for how well he in particular was fleshed out. The main fault I would find with the central leads would be the protagonist himself, for just how much the common average anime lead he is, but even he does little to diminish the ensemble as a whole. Plus, this is one of the only anime I can think of that has a black guy as one of the central characters, so that nets it some points as well. I must also give plenty of praise to how well the cast works together as individuals. At one point, a character compares their platoon to a family, and I can totally buy it. Their interactions and mutual development feel almost completely natural. How close these characters are, and how real their moments together feel, I think it says quite a lot when one of my absolute favorite episodes was just the major characters loafing around at a vacation house, solely because of how it showcased both the more lighthearted side of the story, and the strong chemistry shared by the cast.
But what really did help to draw out the strength of these characters was the excellent dub, done by Funimation. Both the writing of the dialogue and the acting was as good as you could expect, featuring some top-notch stand-out performances by Mike McFarland and Luci Christian. It was also nice seeing John Gremillion as one of the primary roles for once, Chris Patton did a lot to salvage the rather flat character he played, and though most of the cast was played by the standard Funimation regulars, there were a few surprisingly good performances from some lesser-known VOs, like Markus Lloyd, who I haven't seen in anything else since then. A few of the minor roles could have been better, but the wonderful leads really nailed it where it counted. I would also like to give special mention to Troy Baker here, for the completely amazing performance he gave, even though his character only really appeared in one episode.
The Galaxy Railways can be a bit silly at times, and falls firmly into many of the standard conventions of the genre, but if you wanted anything different, you were probably in the wrong neighborhood to begin with. And while there are some bumps on the track, like some story elements that clearly just weren't thought out and a few distractingly weird character designs and choices, it has its heart in the right place regardless, with a wide range of emotions to offer. People who would like this would probably be those who are looking for a high-spirited, fanciful space opera with some substance, people who yearn for something reminiscent of the anime of old, or whoever can get a kick out of cool trains with lasers on them.
Well, that's it for The Galaxy Railways! I have a feeling that it might not be the last Matsumoto work I see. But for the moment, what's the next stop for Ky Watches Anime and Talks About it Here? This next installment will be a very special one, as I talk about something close to my own heart, that I'm sure you all are familiar with. Climb aboard with me, as I set a course for One Piece Film: Z. I'll see you next time... on the Railways.
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Post by Kyubey on Aug 20, 2013 1:35:19 GMT -5
Ahoy, mates! All hands on deck, we've got another installment of Ky Watches Anime and Talks About it Here coming up over the horizon! Man the cannons and hoist the colors, we're setting ourselves a course for...
One Piece Film: Z!
I've been watching anime and reading manga for a while now. Looking back, I must have been about 10 or so when I was really getting into it. I had always liked things like Pokemon and Totoro and the such since early early childhood, and whenever I could watch something new, I did. However, it wasn't until I stumbled upon a copy of American Monthly Shonen Jump back in 2003 did I start to become the avid reader of manga I am right now. And one of the stories in that copy was a quirky but popular little story about pirates, called One Piece. When I first read it, I liked it okay, but I wasn't exactly a huge fan. I couldn't exactly see a whole lot in it. But over time, it grew on me, and by the Arlong arc, it had become one of my absolute favorites of any manga. I read OP enthusiastically, yet still fairly casually, until maybe the summer of 2007, after I had gone and suffered through an unpleasant move to a city that didn't (and still doesn't) agree with me in any sense. Looking back now, I was a pretty bitter, depressed kid at the time, upset with more or less everything and everyone around me. It's not uncommon for a kid just about to start high school to be like that, but due to my circumstances, it hit me rather hard. It was in this time that, on a whim, I decided to forget everything that was making me miserable, and escape into the open, whimsical, piratey world of One Piece, by marathoning all that the series had to offer at the time. Luffy and the Straw Hats presented a world beyond the bleak, intolerable desert that was now where I lived. The characters and their adventures gave me something to be invested in besides my own self-pity. My condition improved even better once I ventured online and found a community that actually shared this interest and made me feel like I wasn't completely alone, and I even participated in an RP and stuff, but none of you guys care about that probably. And for a while, I was pretty okay with that. And I think it goes without saying that because of these reasons, OP has always been a hugely significant manga for me. But then, fairly recently, I'd say a couple of years ago now, things began to change a little. Try as I might, I couldn't muster the same enthusiasm for One Piece that I used to have. I still read it every week, and I still got a small sense of enjoyment from most new additions, but the chapters didn't really hold the same value for me that they used to. Even when I went back to the earlier chapters, that I used to be able to read over and over and still love to pieces, I didn't react the same way. Maybe this was because I was growing up, maybe this was because of Oda's changing style, but One Piece had lost its magic, and I wasn't sure why. Honestly, this distressed me a little. But, mostly due to the communities I joined, I kept up with it, following all the latest bits of OP news whenever I had the chance. It was because of this that I noticed an upcoming movie called One Piece Film: Z. I knew all along that I would get around to watching it eventually, but I wasn't all that excited for it. After all, Strong World, while good by its own merits, had still been something of a let down. And with my dwindling interest in silly pirate comics, how good could Z be?
I think it would be fair for me to just come right out with it: Film Z has made me love One Piece again.
The storyline in this movie is amazing, far above the standard fare for anime movies. It stays true to the things that made One Piece good in the first place, many of the things that I had forgotten about, in fact, without being afraid to closely explore the things that make the themes, characters, and the world they inhabit work in the first place, while also changing things up enough to keep things interesting and making the movie take it's own little place in the OP universe. It's the same OP as before, but... it's new.
One of the most memorable aspects of this movie is the titular antagonist, Z. Not only is he an intimidating character right from the outset, he's also surprisingly three dimensional, and stands out amongst the long lineup of OP villains for his stark lack of cackling dastardliness or a blatant absence of morals. Over time, we see that Z is a character with a sympathetic history and clear, although misguided, motives. Perhaps more than anything else, this movie is really about him, and the Marines in general. Speaking of which, the Marines here are portrayed really well, with a focus on many canon characters from the manga. Unlike in Strong World, where Garp and Sengoku only showed up just long enough to make a cameo, the characters here play an integral role to the story, and many of their appearances are vital to the themes and plot, even the small ones. The movie does a lot to show the beliefs and philosophy of the Marines in a new light, and even serve the manga in further fleshing out that part of the story. In specific, I might go so far as to say that Kuzan has greater development as a character in this movie than he did in his appearances in the manga itself. And of course, Luffy and his crew get plenty of attention as well, serving as a great contrast to Z. Luffy's own classic variety of heroism is showcased fully in this movie, leading to a nice counterpoint to the ideologies of both Z and the ordinary Marines. I could potentially go scene-by-scene and discuss all the little moments of the story I found meaning in, but I wouldn't want to ruin it for those who haven't seen the movie yet and want to formulate their own thoughts. One specific moment I will point out is the scene with the final reprise of that one Marine Sea Song (sorry, I don't know what it's called) that, for me at least, ranks up there with many of the other famously emotional moments in OP, in terms of impact. Z is fun for everyone, but with plenty of greater meaning for those who look for it. Hey, just like the manga!
The animation, by any given standards, is fuckin' awesome. The whole team behind this really pulled out their a-game here, to great effect. If the regular anime adaptation of the manga could look this good, I'd be the first to catch the new episodes every week, that's for sure. For the first time in a long while, I felt like Oda's art style was faithfully recreated for the animated expansion of his story. The fight scenes and action sequences that One Piece is so known for are painted beautifully through the animation, often resulting in tight-paced, high speed crazy battles or fun sequences of battling hordes of underlings. The opening battle, for example, was some of the most fun I've had with a fight in the anime for a long long time. And while I'm on the subject of fight scenes, I guess I should mention my thoughts on the final clash between Luffy and Z, that some are rather conflicted about. As I said before, I don't want to go into too many details lest I risk spoiling those who might be reading without having seen the movie, but it was clear that the animators, directors, and writer of that sequence made a very strong and deliberate choice in how to depict that climactic moment of the story, and in my opinion, they made the right choice. It wasn't what one would normally expect from something of this genre, especially not from One Piece, but that's part of why it was effective. Going for intensity over flair isn't normal for the series, but it's not exactly foreign to it either, and I was a big fan of it. The scene really wouldn't have worked as well any other way, and the fact it was unexpected is a part of why it had such impact. It was a great scene, and one of my top OP fights.
Also great were the backgrounds and settings of this movie. While not quite as dynamic or adventurous as the scenery in Strong World, Z features some beautifully drawn backgrounds and expertly put together shots. The dramatic moments are made to feel large and intense, and are drawn from the best possible angle to make the stakes feel that much higher. The life and feel of the islands the Straw Hats visit are conveyed very well also, with a range of different environments, drawn with the same amount of detail that Oda often puts into his own original settings in the manga. Everything has an enjoyable atmosphere, and depending on the scene, can go from grandiose epicness to uplifting humor to some scenes that I think are the closest thing we'll ever get to seeing what a colorspread would truly be like animated. The soundtrack is as good as ever, with the composers, as always, giving that distinctly OP spin to the score and making it all feel complete.
Still, as much as I enjoyed the movie, it would be wrong of me to not talk about its faults, as there were faults. The one thing that constantly is brought up whenever there's a new movie is the fact that, inevitably, some of the Straw Hats are put to the sidelines in favor of others. In this case, Franky is more or less a background character during the meat of the story, and Brook is really just a joke in this. Even so, while some Straw Hats were more prominent than others, everyone got to have at least one memorable moment, and, due to the limited amount of time a movie has, it's rather inevitable that things would turn out that way. In fact, the only movies that have successfully avoided that problem entirely were Movie one and, arguably, two and six. Seeing as there are now nine primary characters demanding attention, I don't see this as an issue that will be resolved any time soon. Another complaint is the fanservice, and yes, there is fanservice, and yes the movie would be better without it. For those who are worried about these things, as you probably should be, assuming you've read OP up to this point, and are continuing to stick with it, there is nothing worse than what we've already seen and learned to tolerate. There is one scene near the end that is particularly excessive in that regard, but I will actually kinda defend it, as it did build up to one of the most amusing gags in the movie. From a narrative standpoint, the plot elements brought into this movie are obvious and blatant plot devices we'll never see again, some of the dialogue can be repetitive, and there are some exposition scenes where the characters are speaking more to the audience than to each other, which admittedly does detract just that much.
All things considered, everything put together, I was blown away by One Piece Film Z. I think it should be apparent by now that this is my new favorite OP movie, and is likely to stay that way for some time. For the happy moments and the sad, the fun, bombast, and the deeper things underneath it all, Z has managed to capture what makes One Piece what it is, while adding enough of a twist to make itself unique and a solid tale on its own merits. And, above all, it's the movie that reminded me that the story of the Straw Hat Pirates, as well as all the good things it's brought me to over the years, have yet to fail me when it counts.
Now, what's next for Ky Watches Anime and Talks About it Here? Well, mates, I think now's a good point for me to drop anchor and take a break for a while. It's been a wonderful voyage, for sure, but classes will start up again fairly soon, and I can't keep spending all this free time watching cartoons. I'll still watch anime when I can find the time, and when that happens, you can bet I'll talk about it here. In the meantime, I'll be here here waiting for the day my Log Pose sets, and I can move on to the next island. May the winds be at your backs, me hearties, and I hope we meet again soon.
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