Bartimaeus

IIRC, there were alternative and deleted scenes, including a different ending where Will Smith survived after coming to an understanding with the "zombies" and realizing they were intelligent and just exactly the damage that he was doing to them, that were originally in the movie...but apparently American test audiences didn't like them not being stupid zombies, so they rewrote and reshot to end with a big stupid bang instead.

Congratulations, you thought of another...that I've already been called probably by 4-5 other people over the last decade, . However, I do not have the same overwhelmingly negative Pavlovian response to that as I do to the other one. I was half completely joking, half deadly serious...but for the record, my preferred shortened version is actually "Barty" - I've never felt like much of a "Bart", but that's perfectly fine too if anyone prefers that. Literally just calling me a completely different name would be better than the one - the memories associated with that particular spelling are somehow legitimately that bad.

I don't know if you're doing that on purpose, but for the love of all that is good and holy, please, don't be a complete psychopath and just have mercy on me... This, unfortunately. @Sakura: I'm making progress! It's happening!

No way, it's on my list of bookmarks of things to eventually check out. Mind you, it is super weird looking to me, but it's just that its style looks very distinct and that's immediately what I was reminded of when I saw Queen Millennia. Turns out, there was good reason for that, .

Probably the same time-frame as was expected for Nadia...sometime within the next few days to maybe next week. If there's an afterlife where you can just sit and binge anime literally as much as you want, perhaps... Exactly my thoughts re: watching Attack No. 1 (or something else much more likely to be appealing to me than Captain Tsubasa, like 1981 1989's Yawara which is available on a seemingly pretty good-looking bluray that I will have to check out at some point!). Trust me, I know. I'd been preparing for Nadia for literally weeks now and finally getting myself into the idea of watching it after Miyu, and suddenly I had my chair pulled from under me in exchange for another Utena. What joy.

Great looking backgrounds and scenes are...just that: great looking, . When used to punctuate particularly important moments, they can really give depth and gravitas and tickle the imagination. Consider, though, that I am actually quite happy with art that much more simply looks like this (though that's not to say the art you posted isn't great in of its own self, I'm just making an example to demonstrate a point here): ...so long as I'm into the style of the designs and enjoy what's written. For this Miyu manga, it was "sometimes" to the former (I like how these panels in particular look, others decidedly less so) and "not particularly?" to the latter (...just the writing here in this ultra-basic entrance/introduction scene somehow manages to feel inexplicably choppy and unnatural for no good reason, and that's kind of how the entire book was). I grew up on Calvin & Hobbes where there very often literally were no backgrounds and instead it was only basic character graphics and poignant dialogue - characters and how they're written and stylized will always be king above all else for me. Very often, I seem to prefer minimalistic, understated, and more "boring" art over the crazy and out there stuff, even though the latter is more visually interesting...perhaps because of how it affects the "language" of characters, but I'm not one hundred percent sure. Good looking pieces, thank you! I can't really talk specifics in regards to what I dislike about Bleach...except that I had a couple of close friends that were super into it and One Piece and both of them seemed to be suuuper long and I couldn't understand the appeal. That's essentially the extent of my knowledge!

You remember how I said we were going to watch Nadia next? ...I mentioned to my other party that a friend was watching Princess Tutu and how it apparently had a lot of similarities to Utena but was maybe a little bit better and they were like "oh yeah, I've heard of that one too, let's watch that instead". For the record, for as much as I had serious problems with Utena, my impression outside of the movie was still overall positive (if only just barely)...in contrast, they borderline hated Utena by the end of it, so I was not at all expecting that response. So now I'm being strong-armed into watching Princess Tutu instead, and I kind of feel bad because I don't want to outpace you on your own show or anything like that, but I could easily see that happening if we at least sort of like it, . I apologize in advance if that ends up happening...and I'll let you know how that goes. Yeah, there's no way. Even just Bleach had nearly 400 episodes and a number of movies. How could you even consider it given your OCD problem? Queen Millennia looks so much like Galaxy Express 999. And I've looked at both Captain Tsubasa and Captain Future before as well...prooobably not something I'm ever gonna try, . @Sarex Okay, now I can see why people say Dark Souls was Berserk-inspired, because if I hadn't been given any context, I would've a hundred percent assumed that at least the first one was actually a Dark Souls drawing. Those are danged nice-looking, .

Yeah, that was you, me, InsaneCommander, and KP. Am I forgetting someone? If so, yikes! Yeah, it's very weird how...different stuff can inherently speak to us. What's especially weird in my case is I was actually exposed to a number of different animes during some very formative years like Naruto, One Piece, Bleach, Inuyasha*...stuff of that nature from the late 90s/early 2000s. Instead of taking a liking or even just a tolerance to it, I had the exact opposite reaction: an absolute burning hatred that closed me off from it entirely. If instead I had been born ten years earlier...and especially twenty years earlier, it could've been a completely different story. Well, if I had been, instead of trying to broaden my horizons and find oddball things that I like such as Miyu right now, I guess I'd have already seen all of it already and instead be totally "Old Man Yells at Clouds"-ing it up and constantly complaining about them not making it how they used to, . So I guess, in a sense, it's good to be young, . (P.S. Cartoons with that kind of Bojack Horseman-style, and there are a few of them that have it or something very similar to it, are still literally disgusting to look at to me. In comparison, something like Invincible is generally displeasing to look at, but not actually DISGUSTING.) *Funnily, when I look at that early 2000s Inuyasha now, I can almost...kind of tolerate it, particularly in comparison to the other three I listed. Makes a kind of sense - it seems to be a little bit of a throwback to the late 80s kind of style. So my horizons have been broadened somewhat indeed, .

It's certainly not about level of detail, because I literally like the style of this better than the style of the manga you suggested. No, this is not a good or even okay style by any means (not even for something drawn up in literally 10-15 minutes like this quite probably was, it's really bad - it would look a lot better if it got even more minimalistic than it already is and the artist started focusing purely on making better shapes and cleaning up their linework), but somehow, it doesn't offend the very core of my being like the other one. So if that doesn't tell you how drastically different of a perspective I have in my approach to cartoons and art styles, and how utterly alien my and your perspectives must be to each other, I don't know what will! It's a good reminder that I come from an extremely anti-anime background, and it's only within the past couple of years that I have become even kind of open to anime. I grew up my entire life actively hating all things anime...MODERN anime, that is, because I'd never really seen anything older because, well, yeah, modern popular stuff takes up all the air in the room, and I was never exposed to anything earlier than the late 90s at best. Until I accidentally chanced across a poster of Nausicaa a couple of years back... ...and felt such an instant swell of "holy crap, that looks INCREDIBLE, I need to watch that!". So I did, and then I started investigating anime and its different eras and styles more, watched the other Ghibli movies, saw a few Satoshi Kon movies that I had chanced across (starting with Perfect Blue, ye gods what a first non-Ghibli anime film that was, and to watch it without doing any investigation at all just because I *also* adored the poster I saw of it*), eventually saw clips of the original Sailor Moon and realized I liked that too and started watching it (it's what lead to us resurrecting this thread, the original of which was created back in like...2014 before I started watching Sailor Moon and talking about it on here, leading to multiple of us watching it at the same time!). I could go into at least some of the specifics of what I dislike so much about that style (though there's probably more that I would fail to be able to put into words because I am by no means an artist with any kind of art training/knowledge to be able to understand everything that I'm seeing), but what would be the point? As you said, it's all subjective anyways, so no point getting worked up about it, . Suffice to say, I very much stay away from more modern stuff - virtually none of it works for me as a medium, it really just doesn't, and that's that. I don't want to beat a dead horse here, but I cannot understate how insanely particular and specific my sensibilities about...well, really, most everything are. It's what makes almost everyone unable to successfully recommend anything to me. I really truly am just that much of an absolute heartless, mercurial, and nebulous bastard, and for that, I apologize to everyone basically ever...but also, I'm almost definitely not ever going to change. I will try to at least keep apologizing for it when appropriate, though, . *I mean, how do you see this poster and not immediately go "holy ****ing ****"? Because that was my reaction.

I really do. I took one look at that manga and thought to myself... ...But then I read the premise and was like "ok, actually, at least this sounds like a neat premise...but boy do I hate high fantasy anime stuff, and doggone me if this ain't the ugliest manga I ever seen". Not that I've seen many mangas, but still. Roger that, keep me updated, it looks and sounds kind of interesting, but so did Utena. I'm now 30 episodes (out of 51) into Eriko. At this point, it'd be difficult not to recommend that to specifically you as well, especially given your background of having watched shows like Heidi and this really kind of feeling like a moderately more adult, interesting, and dynamic take on something from that era. I feel fairly certainly you'd at least like it. But maybe something to check out sometime in the future when your plate isn't nearly so full, . Even worse news yet: I've been strong-armed into watching Gainax's Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water next, probably starting next week. Pray for me. Maybe not, more on this later...

Oops, good call, I spoilered the Evergarden-specific stuff. I'd come across Princess Tutu before - I had to check my browsing history, because I couldn't clearly remember what I'd seen about it or why it hadn't made my list of bookmarks. Then I saw the screenshots, and I was like, oh yeah, because it looks really weird and uncomfortable! I think I'd probably be correct in assuming that I would not enjoy it?

I edited this in to the previous post: I consider myself someone that's pretty sensitive to framing. If a character is having an emotional moment and then suddenly you unnecessarily cut down to her chest, congratulations, you've ruined the scene as well was whatever was going on with her, I simply no longer care just as the show obviously doesn't care if it's going to pull that crap. If two characters are supposed to be in love, but never freaking show it and instead they just tell you it over and over instead, I'm not going to buy it. If a character is a child (either literally or even just personality-wise) and starts getting involved with someone that should really clearly be a parent figure but instead inexplicably takes on a creepy sort of adult love interest, you better either avert that somehow or I'm probably going to barf. And...(Evergarden movie spoilers)

lmao wtf, that Evergarden stuff sounds like a hilariously terrible trainwreck, everything about that sounds wrong. Character, plot, theme, scene framing stuff matters, guys! You can't just ignore that stuff! I mean, I've only seen the first episode, but dang.

Um, oops, I accidentally and mindlessly read the first couple sentences in your Evergarden spoiler here, and since I've actually watched the first episode, I know whom that is... Her and her psychotic doll, too, . CCS stuff:

Miyu is over. Feel a little drained, as is always the case when something important and unique to you ever so suddenly reaches its termination. Dark shoujo doesn't exactly seem to exist in spades, and especially not before the 2000s. The restraint of the show would no doubt make it ludicrously boring for modern audiences, not to mention our "hero" Miyu herself being so withdrawn, soft-spoken, and gentle in such a weird, sad, and almost kind of contradictory yet fitting way (after all, she herself is a creature of intense internal conflict). Never mind animation styles so drastically changing and making this kind of dark, surreal, but grounded aesthetic all but impossible, never mind character types used for shows like these changing, never mind voice acting styles changing, never mind...all of that. Like I said before, the show feels like such an odd, ultra-specific cross-section of genres and ideas made at a specific time that probably nothing else quite like it exists or is likely to ever exist again. If it's not for you, that's perfectly understandable...but it was for me, it was inherently appealing on just about every level in a way that other shows simply almost never can be for me. Thanks for coming to my TEDx Talk, and I'm sure @majesticand I will be talking more about it at length in the coming days as he watches more of it, so buckle up for getting spammed about it in this thread. Also, triple-posting is bad form, but these posts should really stay separate for sanity reasons.

Yeah. One thing I did notice from reading the first chapter of the manga is that...actually, wait, no, what I'd say wouldn't make sense to you yet, I guess I should wait until you're further in. Sakura, Kero, and the Mysterious Teacher. There have been a number times where I have gotten full-body chills while watching this show. Isn't that so incredibly bizarre how a show like this could do that, while stuff that is deliberately trying to elicit that reaction could never even dream of doing the same to me? Yet another measure of how much I'm into the show. Anyways, that happened again during the pre-intro for this, when Sakura was having her premonition again for the umpteenth time...but for some reason, it felt different than all the other times, and then boom, suddenly a third person(?) appeared. Somehow, the show clued me in to expect something different this time and then delivered. TOYA: "There is no such thing as coincidence." MIZUKI: "There is only the inevitable." Um... Yeah, if you two could like, not creepily say stuff like that right before the end of the arc, that'd be great.

I totally meant to type "she"... ...Uh, wow, what the hell was that? The line between 90s jpop and 2000s jpop has never felt so harsh as it does right here. Jeeze, and I thought the second one was a big step down. Guess I'll wait and see if Sakura can somehow make me like *that* too...good luck!

If we all start speaking only in Star Trekisms, perhaps he'll become a permanent resident.

Me too, will be going straight into the trash just like the Sailor Moon manga if I'm not pleased with it. In other news, I'll be finishing Miyu tonight. I'm a little...concerned about how this is shaping up to end.

I always feel bad someone puts time and thought into trying to recommend me something and I inevitably don't care for it at best, so I almost prefer that people don't ever try to recommend anything to me unless I have specific criteria that I can give (...and to be honest, I'm not really sure what I would even be looking for out of a manga to begin with*). It's especially almost impossible for someone who doesn't already have a good pulse on my specific likes/dislikes - out of anyone on the Obsidian forums, majestic has had some luck with anime but that's probably mainly because he just happens to love the same specific kind of silly girly stuff that I do...but even then, that's not by any means a guarantee. Whether it's movies, books, music, shows, games, it doesn't matter - I am simply the biggest and most persnickety bastard about what I enjoy across all mediums, . *I was specifically investigating Miyu because not only do I already really like Miyu the character, but I also really like its dark yet understated contemporary setting, its horror being largely character or concept-driven than any attempt at being "scary", art and dialogue being in styles I like, etc. The only thing I think I know him her from is scoring Satoshi Kon's Magnetic Rose, and though I liked the film (and I plan to re-watch it at some point), I've listened to the soundtrack a dozen-plus times, so I can't disagree with your analysis, . @KP the meanie zucchini Maybe...more likely it was just because I like Miyu and wanted to give it a chance to get better by the end. I'm not sure if I will try the second book or not.

1. Wouldn't that kind of hinge on actually really enjoying it? 2. I read most of the Dragon Ball (not Z) manga years ago, which I also only sort of enjoyed. 3. Now Codename Sailor V, if I ever get around to trying that, that will be the true test.

I tried reading it right-to-left for the first couple of pages but then I figured out it must've been mirrored because it really literally made no sense right-to-left at all, and the dialogue bubbles just didn't flow that way anyways. Um...I like both the OVA and the TV show a lot better, Miyu is a bit more silly and immature as well as kind of...clingy(?) in the manga (they seemed to have aged her up a couple of years in both the OVA/show at least personality-wise), and the artwork was...inconsistent. There were some pages where I was like "hey, this actually looks pretty good", and then others where I was like "...what am I even looking at here? whatever, read the dialogue and go to the next one because I ain'ts got the patience to spend more than a few seconds to decipher these scribbley drawings". I really like the aesthetic of the OVA, but the fidelity/transfer quality is poor, which is sad. If only that was in HD...the fidelity of the later show is much better, but while I'm FINE with the art style, I definitely don't like it as much as the original OVA's. Oh.

Yeah, silver would've made a lot more sense. I'll try another episode either today or tomorrow...or never, . In other news, I read the first manga (book, chapter?) of Miyu, my AMA (ask me anything) starts now...and it thus concludes, because I don't think I could answer any questions about it anyways because that was just about impossible to make sense of* - I think the TV show and even the OVA do a better job of communicating than the manga does (particularly because many of the action scenes are just haphazard scribbles that I can't really follow). Thank you all for coming, have a wonderful day! *It's also distinctly possible that I am just the bad at reading manga.

Alright, fine, here we go, I'm going to watch the first ten minutes of the first episode (or maybe more if I feel like it). First observations: 1. These CGI pans are terrible and distracting. 2. "Why did you pick the puppy?" "The Major's old brother called me Gilbert's dog." Whoops. 3. The character animation isn't as bad as I expected...most of the time. Though unfortunately, depth of field always has the opposite of its effect intended on me - instead of focusing on the non-blurred object, all I can see is the fact that everything else is a disgusting smeared mess...and this show has already been making liberal use of it in just this first episode. 4. Adamantine arms? ...I feel like it would've been better not to specify that, given how out of place fantasyland "adamantine" sounds. I finished the episode, and it was okay, it didn't really make me want to kill myself, but I have some...inherent stylistic issues with the dialogue and premise that also don't make me too terribly enamored with it either, .