Lynxara
3201
The really dark shadows are a feature of the original animation style. It used a really high-contrast look that Sunrise played with in a lot of shows circa 2002 or so. I want to say Infinite Ryvius and Scryed also use it.
It’s probably jarring because anime has gone overwhelmingly since then to what I call a “thin-line” style. You just don’t see heavy manga-style blacks regularly in anime anymore, you tend to instead get really delicate color work.
I think I’ll tune in for SEED HD when I hear about some substantial changes. I can see why you’d leave SEED’s first ep alone, it’s probably one of the strongest first eps in the franchise, but I felt kinda bored watching it again.
One of the things I love about the Fukumoto adaptations is that they keep the heavy lines to better preserve his unique look.
Lynxara
3203
Hah, I almost mentioned the Fukumoto shows as one of the few big exceptions going now. Generally shows meant for non-traditional (read: not teenagers) audiences are most willing to defy anime art style conventions.
I think the movies only cover the Golden Age arc which is what the anime series did. It will still have to be condensed, and it will probably have the same cliffhanger ending at the end of the third movie that will leave newcomers to the series royally pissed off that it ended right there.
Murbella
3205
AniDB is confusing me but i think you’re right after reading the following:
I don’t get why people like to watch movie adaptions of tv series. Cramming 25 episodes in to around 300 minutes probably won’t have a positive effect and if you’ve already seen the longer version, why watch the shortened one?
It would be one thing if it was unique content, but yes, this does not sound like unique content. So i will be skipping this i guess. I already watched the berserk anime. It was good, but i don’t really have any desire to watch a CI remake of it.
Perhaps aniDB is saying they plan to make movies covering the entire manga eventually…
I’ll watch the new Berserk movies mostly for the animation. Oh, and Puck! As much as I love love love the original series, the animation wasn’t that great. There were lots of times every episode where they would simply pan/zoom over a still image, or show a still with minimal animation or visual effects. I guess they didn’t have the budget or time back then. I’m looking forward to seeing how the fights and large scale battles are done in the movies.
I really hope this is true. I think I read till about volume 30 in the manga before I became uninterested and stopped. After the Golden Age arc I remember it just dragging, just fight after fight with the occasional development. If the movies compress the long-winded fights it might be beneficial.
I’m not into anime, but I received Cowboy Bebop as I’m told it’s a lot like Firefly, so I am excited to watch it.
Miramon
3208
The relation is distant and tangential at best, but both are good.
First, it’s not an adaptation of a tv series. But an adaptation of a manga. And it’s not a movie, but three, as you have written.
10 volumes, which is more or less the length of the Golden Arc, in three movies is very possible to do. They will have to shorten and condense a few scenes here and there, but not as much as to mangle the story.
Miramon
3210
I watched a few episodes of Persona 4 on Hulu.
Hulu. God. If I wanted to watch ads, I’d have cable TV service.
Anyway, I’m enjoying it, but mainly I think because it recalls the game so directly, even including the personal quality rosette page and the calendar display screens. I wonder if someone who hadn’t played the game would get it at all… I do kind of want to replay it now. Really, I want to play Persona 5 or SMT 4 or some new Atlus RPG, but for some reason I can’t.
Lynxara
3211
The thought behind these things (on the Japanese end, anyway) is usually that the movie version makes the property accessible to adult audiences. Remember that most anime in Japan, by default, is thought to appeal mainly to people who are college students at the very oldest. (There are exceptions to this, of course, but it’s a still a useful rule of thumb.)
Adults are generally thought to be too busy to find the idea of reading a long manga or watching a long anime series very appealing. Most adults can make time to watch a film or three, though. If they like what they see, then at least some of them will go seek out the manga and longer adaptations like TV series.
The “boil it down for busy people” approach is also what leads to stuff like Gundam’s compilation movies. Fans very rarely find anything of interest in these boiled-down productions because, well, the producers usually don’t care about entertaining them. It’s more a way to pitch the property to a new audience.
TurinTur
3212
In general, movies are more a money maker than tv series.
I just finished watching 5 centimeters per second and all I can say is that it was beautiful.
MatthewF
3214
Goddammit HxH remake – you had to include the “recap episode every 13 episodes” shit from the original (and many other anime at the time)? Fucking annoying.
Ok, so I’m doing a Penguindrum marathon from 14 on to catch up, and just finished 15. Do I need to be warned about how much fucking crazier and fucked up this series is going to get? I mean, 15. The. Fuck?!
Watched the original Berserk all over again. Those last four episodes are some of the most intense episodes of any television I have seen. Even having seen the series multiple times and knowing the scenes by heart, it still affects me. I’d give anything for a live action adaptation of it on cable, though the budget would be insane.
Recorder to Randoseru: You’ve seen anime where one person has their appearance not matching their age but this time it is a brother and sister with it! That is pretty much it. Expect lots of jokes about the Japanese justice system and the younger brother who looks like an adult getting arrested when people assume he is a pervert/molester.
I am again reminded why i don’t watch short episodes.
Kill me baby: I watched this because it sounded similar to a manga i liked (alyosha), but kill me baby is just your typical cute girls at school anime with a few kicks added in.
It seems highly unlikely i will continue watching either series.
Nisemonogatari: It is exactly like the previous series. I watched the first episode and i don’t have any idea what happened in it. My guess would be nothing and while it was somewhat common in Bakemonogatari for characters to sit on a bench talking to each other the whole episode, this first episode didn’t really pull me in at all, even though i liked bakemonogatari (although i admit i liked the plot focused parts more than the random ones and wished it had more of a plot).
Hopefully Mouretsu Pirates is better, but i must admit that i don’t hold any hope for an anime which appears to be an adaption of a manga whose english name is “Miniskirt Pirates” being anything more than an enjoyable B class anime at best.
It looks almost certain that the best series last season, future diary and guilty crown, are going to be the best this season too. I still have a number to check out though so maybe i will be pleasantly surprised. In any event, there are a number of B and C class anime so maybe quantity > quality will be the theme of this season.
Thasero
3218
Mirai Nikki continues, and word is that we’re now in the “Shit Gets Real” portion of the story. I’m looking forward to it.
Guilty Crown also continues, and word is that the rumored “Shuu Dies in a Fire” portion of the story does not, in fact, exist. I’m disappointed. Still, it’s an extraordinarily pretty show with great music.
Do As Papa Says had a first episode with no real flash, but I found myself more and more impressed as I thought about it afterwards. Play this drinking game: Every time the show reveals important backstory or premise information by slipping it naturally into the flow of the script, take a shot. Make sure you start with a full bottle or you won’t get to the end of the episode. I subtract points for using the “It’s been X months since I entered college” line on too many scene cut-ins, but they’re still ahead by a lot.
I have some free time to brush up my Japanese. On the one hand, I could try to translate the Ruby Hacking Guide, a dense, highly technical book about the internals of the Ruby programming language. On the other hand, I could watch Nisemonogatari. I was going to wuss out and read the 500-page manual of specialist technical information, but it turns out Crunchyroll is streaming Nisemonogatari this season, so I can read the English subtitles to find out what happened! Time to raise the bar.
That shit had then a bit of sense, it served to stall some time (and budget) because the manga was being published weekly and they would catch up in a few months.
Now? A recap after only 13 episodes? Even if there is enough manga to make a 100 episode anime? They are being just lazy!
Nisemonogatari: I liked it! Good art style, nice visual cuts, entertaining, snappy dialog, Senjou being crazy (You would think she would soften up after being together with Arararagi… nope), good sense of humor, and a seed of a theme behind all that fanservice, with the MC having to hide his vampire condition to protect his dear ones. Bad: this time, i fear we will have even more tasteless fanservice.
I still have to watch Another, I am hearing good things.
Another is great. It easily has some of the best visuals I’ve seen in recent years. And it’s nice and spooky to boot!
