Anime - Do you Understannnnnnndu?

[majestic]

Princess Tutu... humm...

Spoiler

Everything about this is a fairy tale, or a story, and is based on stories. Ahiru is throwing stones at Mytho's window to get his attention in an episode named Fantasie-Ouvertüre für Romeo und Julia, which by the way, is this piece by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky:

Ahiru wants to meet with Mytho, who has so far been secreted away and shielded from outside influence by Fakir after the "fear" incident.

Fakir might behave like the show's antagonist, but I don't think he is. He's harsh and often threatens Mytho, Ahiru and Rue (who by the way seems to be unaware of her Krähe alter ego) and wants to prevent Mytho's heart from being restored, but seeing how Drosselmeyer is spinning up a tragic tale and the obvious reference of this episode to Romeo and Juliet, I think he might just be trying to prevent Mytho from participating in the story that will not have a happy ending for him.

Which would also mean that Fakir isn't actually part of the story, but someone outside of it. Like Edel* and Drosselmeyer seem to be.

*Not sure what Edel is supposed to be, other than a creepy travelling exposition doll doing Drosselmeyer's bidding. She's acting as a constantly appearing Deus Ex Machina that corrects the story in the way Drosselmeyer wants it to go whenever things don't exactly progress as they "should".

edit:

Edel's presence in the story might actually really indicate that Fakir is someone outside who can influence it, and is necessary to correct it according to the author's wishes. I'm not sure if that's making a point about the readily made mistake of authors in making the plot drive the characters, instead of the other way around, but probably something like that.

Man, I hope this will not be the bummer it shapes up to be. It also really doubled down on the metaphors, but it's still a lot easier to digest than Utena was, at least from my point of view, but that's... because of the different focus. As much as I know what Buddhism is about, I have only a cursory knowledge of its forms and goals, not any actual education. Fairy tales on the other hand, yeah, well, I grew up with them.

@Bartimaeus good luck with watching that, I guess.

Edited August 12, 2021 by majestic

[majestic]

1 hour ago, Bartimaeus said:

Now that I think about it, that sort of makes sense, because this particular character trait can really manifest in a number of different character types. The constant state of being so overwhelmed and confused by your own emotions that you're unable to express or talk in anything approaching a normal manner can manifest in both the sweetest AND ill-tempered of people...but regardless, it's a trait that I find particularly maddening and unpleasant in entertainment. Well, real life too, but I subscribe to the belief (although admittedly I sometimes fail to always properly exemplify it) that all those who respect and tolerate others deserve respect and tolerance themselves, even if I find them very difficult to deal with. Plus, people who are actually legitimately like that are already dealing with enough as it is - undoubtedly more maddening for them than it is for the rest of us.

(not actual spoilers)

Spoiler

As someone who (still) suffers from social anxiety attacks that seem utterly unreasonable to people on the outside I do have a certain appreciation for characters like her*, when they're well done (which Erica sort of is, for as little as she actually is in the anime - episode 2 is the most you'll see of her). I understand why they're frustrating for others, but it's hard to properly imagine the amount of inner turmoil Erica was probably going through before barging in and telling them to not remove Violet from her job yet - and why what she says comes out the way it does.

Erica most likely doesn't act like that from being overwhelmed or confused by her own emotions as a whole though, she's being overwhelmed by fear of rejection and ridicule to a point where she completely shuts herself off from any unnecessary contact. That's why she could not stand up to her customer when he was being aggressive, and why it took Violet's predicament to overcome it. If she doesn't at least try to help her at this point, it will kill all her hopes and dreams for the future, so she decides to act. It's equal parts being selfish (or more like standing up for what she wants, for once) and wanting to help Violet here.

Now we could debate whether or not someone like her would even get a job as auto memory doll in the first place, and that seems really unlikely, but it's equally unlikely for Violet to have mechanical arms. Some concessions are to be made in the end, and to be accepted by the audience.

Oh, and we had a case like this in high school, someone who would not talk, not even when talked to, and if actively prodded would respond with a sound similar to a quack. He had to talk to teachers every now and then, but even that was hard for him. He was in the class I got transferred to in second grade after being removed by my wonderful former teacher. I was too caught up in my own issues to pay much attention to him, to be honest, and even if I wasn't, I don't think I would have the mental and emotional fortitude to try and break through a barrier like that.

He did manage to bond with the guy sitting next to him (also mostly due to being caught up in the inetivable bullying that happened) and it got better through the years. I wish schools would have better psychological programs. Or any psychological programs for students who struggle, like, at all. There really are none.

*That's not to mean that I was like this, or am like this. There are similarities, but I certainly don't have avoidant personality disorder. I did shut part of myself away from outside influence to cope with my situation, I do have a certain anti-social streak insofar as that I can live without social interactions for a while before it becomes bothersome and that being in extended social situations in general is exhausting, but these were all in reaction to rejection or trauma, not ever attempting to integrate or interact because of a fear of rejection or trauma, or are just something that happens "naturally" in response to being around other people (dealing with people is exhausting for me, and will most likely always be - that's just something that seems hardwired).

 

1 hour ago, Bartimaeus said:

Regardless, the show is just not really working for me on a number of fronts, and I don't think I'll be returning to it.

You'll be missing a lot more drama then. A lot. Episode 2 is harmless... really.

1 hour ago, Bartimaeus said:

Sorry! It really is something I think about, though...basically not ever being able to experiment with TV shows (or similar things) out of an absolute dread of disliking them and yet forcing yourself to finish them. The amount of shows, movies, books, albums, whatever I try just a small portion of am immediately like "yeah, nah, that's not going to work, into the trash it goes" - I would never try anything new ever again if I had to finish all of them. Just the thought of operating that way is enough to send shivers down my spine...

That was meant as a joke, not as a complaint. Funny that you would mention albums, I really don't have that problem with music. I do have a need to keep my record collection complete, so even if an artist moves away frrom making music I like, the records are still going to be on my shelf, but I'll not listen to them, like, ever. Books, movies and TV shows? Yes, yes.

Here's a fun example I like to bring up. Theatre of Tragedy!

Whose YT-Links for some reason refuse to embed themselves. Stupid forum software (oh, look, it works in editing).

They went from making music like this - spoilered because album artwork NSFW:

Spoiler

 

 

To... this:

 

So while I still have ['mju:zik] and Assembly, I never really listened to them. In fact, I turned off ['mju:zik] almost the moment I pressed play. Yep. I mean, what the hell, how can you go from making gothic metal to 80ies inspired electro pop in an album? The hell is wrong with you people, at least have the decency to change your band name.

Edited August 12, 2021 by majestic

[Bartimaeus]

Music: Ha, I used to suffer from the "I have to keep getting their new stuff even if I hate it" syndrome as well. At some point, I realized that if I was well and truly done with an artist and that there was nothing more I'd ever want from them (either because because I've changed or because they've changed), I can simply treat them as if they had disbanded and that there would never be any more to collect. It was a very liberating moment when I realized I could do that and I've made great use of it on artists who simply no longer appeal to me for whatever reason...but whose older stuff I still want to have around. I'll just pick a specific album that was the last one I liked and be like "everything post-this simply does not exist - begone!". I would heartily recommend it to you as well, .

Erica: So I said there were two extreme ends of the spectrum here - those who are easily and frequently overwhelmed by what they're feeling (whatever that is) and can't find a way to express themselves...and those who are inexpressive because they don't feel anything. There's arguably another extreme: like the first group, they have way too much going on internally, but will instead *constantly* express anything and everything they feel or think immediately to the point of overloading others. Maybe there's another extreme end or two of the communication spectrum I'm not thinking of as well. Anyways, it's a weird thing, but I am specifically greatly frustrated by the first category - I may not always like the other two, but they don't draw the same sort of "get outta the show" reaction that the first type does.

Spoiler

I am sure that there are written reasons for her acting the way she did...but I don't know this character, she was just introduced like at the end of the last episode. What I'm seeing over and over from a character like her is that she's about to react to something done or said by someone else...nope, she's just going to sit there with her pouty face and not say anything. Okay. Oh, something else happened and she's going to...nope, she instead just made some kind of mouth sound and we're back to the pouty face without saying anything again. Alright. Okay, finally, here we go, she's...finally actually saying something but is very clearly beating around the bush and not saying the thing that she wants to actually say. ...Fine, I guess. "So we should probably fire Viole-" and she barges into the room (that she just demonstrated to be eavesdropping on but I guess nobody cares about that either) and makes a huge emotional display after repeatedly failing to communicate at every possible opportunity up until now. I am sorry that you don't know how to talk or express yourself, but please, exit stage right, I don't want to see or listen to you anymore.

If she had been a character that we'd had more time to see in some other context where she was more herself, or if she was a character that had been developed to show some kind of depth or nuance, or even just some additional breathing space in between each of these occurrences happening...maybe things would've been different. As it was, I was barraged by a series of uncomfortable and failed attempts at communication at the hands of a character that was literally just introduced whom I don't know anything else about all within literally like a 10-15 minute span, and I'm supposed to find this...touching, convincing, interesting? Something? That is just not how you write that, especially not in a serious character drama like this. Have to get me at least a little invested into the character, make them at least a little likeable before you pull something like that...otherwise it's going to feel like an incompetent and fraudulent moment...which, yeah, that's how it felt. I've said before that I don't generally respond well to faux drama or emotion, and this was so transparently written to be exactly that that it literally hurt me. That's when I knew the show was broken for me and that there wouldn't be any point continuing, .

 

Edited August 12, 2021 by Bartimaeus

[majestic]

7 hours ago, Bartimaeus said:

I'll just pick a specific album that was the last one I liked and be like "everything post-this simply does not exist - begone!". I would heartily recommend it to you as well, .

If I can ever convince myself to do that I'll let you know.

7 hours ago, Bartimaeus said:

Spoiler

I've said before that I don't generally respond well to faux drama or emotion, and this was so transparently written to be exactly that that it literally hurt me. That's when I knew the show was broken for me and that there wouldn't be any point continuing, .

 

 

Spoiler

That's perfectly fine, you know. I'll not hold that against you. Much! It's perfectly understandable if you don't like Erica (who really does?), or dislike her intensely. You certainly don't need to feel bad about not liking something we all seem to have enjoyed. You could of course lighten up a bit and just roll with it, you know. It's just a character drama, not serious art. I went to the cinema with my family and it was a riot watching Yoda's force ghost set tree to a fire! No, wait, something's wrong with that sentence. #hurlshotdefense. I'll go make myself some linguine with zucchini in a nice cream sugo.

I mean, sorry, just kidding, I'm not sure if that is meant to be as defensive or as apolegetic as it comes across. I'm suspecting my reasons for enjoying Violet Evergarden are different from everyone else's, and for those people whose reasons are similar, I'm quite sorry. 

The anime keeps doing that, by the way, I don't mean the faux drama as such, but introducing new characters you're supposed to at least feel some form of sympathy for in the span of an episode, it's part of of the way the story is being told. Of course there's no breathing space in between the scenes when you're seeing everything from that character's point of view. For me, it worked out well enough, mostly because of Violet though. I also don't really care about Iris, Leon or Princess Charlotte, even if I somtimes sympathized with their situations. Oscar and Ann were different, but that's later in the series.

Erica I also don't really care for (and she's nowhere near enough in the show to actually start caring - and while Cattleya or Benedict aren't in it much more either, they're much better written characters), but I can sympathize with her situation. She probably suffers the most from having her arc crammed into 25 minutes, because it really is utterly ridiculous for her to go from not being able to communicate to a display like that in the span of a day*.

That takes a good deal longer. However, I don't have a fundamental issue with characters like her, but I understand why you do.

*The others don't get more screentime either, but a much longer timespan in the setting. It's a good deal easier to imagine more to have happend than we see if time passes properly in between scenes. The also get to have actual dialogue with Violet. At the end of the day, it still is what it is, though. You only have 25 minutes for the character to do what they're supposed to.

 

I've also watched some more Vampire Princess Miyu, but it's going really slowly. I find watching the anime to be quite emotionally draining. I love it to bits, but watching more than one or two episodes in a row is pretty demanding.

Plus I need to keep my Princess Tutu game up.

[Bartimaeus]

1 hour ago, majestic said:

You could of course lighten up a bit and just roll with it, you know.

It's not like I want to be the way I am! Emotional moments that fall comically flat are like instant death for a show or movie, though - there's no recovering from that for me.

Miyu's something that probably is better taken slow anyways, especially given that it itself is pretty slow. I would've definitely watched it slower if it were myself.

[Sarex]

Evangelion 3 + 1.01 The Acid Trip. Every animation style and the kitchen sink. I am happy it's over.

[PK htiw klaw eriF]

11 minutes ago, Sarex said:

Evangelion 3 + 1.01 The Acid Trip. Every animation style and the kitchen sink. I am happy it's over.

Bad or good?

[majestic]

  

3 minutes ago, Bartimaeus said:

It's not like I want to be the way I am!

You're telling me that, of all people? The nerve. The gall!

Okay, I'm out of ideas on how to make this a ridiculous theatrical speech, sorry, plus it's already 02:30, so yeah...

Spoiler

...we're still joking, right? It's late and I'm completely incapable of forming a coherent thought right now after watching too much Princess Tutu. Quack!

If you ever see me #hurlshotdefending something in earnest, I expect you to whack me in the head with a sufficiently large blunt instrument.

 

24 minutes ago, Bartimaeus said:

Emotional moments that fall comically flat are like instant death for a show or movie, though - there's no recovering from that for me.

Yeah, understandable, happened to me whenever Star Trek Discovery tried to get emotional. There's a character death in the second season that is pretty much on the level of what you experienced with that emotional outburst of Erica. She was such a non-character and everyone on the crew was really, really sad about her dying that I just sat there and started laughing, because hey, before you ask us to feel something for a cast member, perhaps make sure we're at least sort of invested. Still finished watching all of it, of course.

Funny, out of all the terrible things I've watched because I had no choice (well, not really, at least), Star Trek Beyond was the one I came closest to actually giving up. For a brief moment, right at the beginning of the film, I considered walking out of the theater - and it ends up being considered the best of the Nu Trek films. Even the Hack Frauds kind of liked it, which was the most baffling bit about it. 

30 minutes ago, Bartimaeus said:

Miyu's something that probably is better taken slow anyways, especially given that it itself is pretty slow. I would've definitely watched it slower if it were myself.

 

Spoiler

I've just watched the episode where a little boy died and Miyu drank the blood of his younger sister. I could say Reiha is pretty cold, but that could be misconstrued as a pretty lame joke. Even when the episodes have a less that completely tragic ending for the actual people involved they're still far from even a bittersweet one.

Miyu's friends are so going to die eventually, aren't they?

 

5 minutes ago, Sarex said:

Evangelion 3 + 1.01 The Acid Trip. Every animation style and the kitchen sink. I am happy it's over.

"I am happy it is over" doesn't sound so great. Bad acid trip, then?

[Bartimaeus]

54 minutes ago, majestic said:

"I am happy it is over" doesn't sound so great. Bad acid trip, then?

Hey, could just be because it's been a long and arduous journey, not because it was bad! When Sailor Moon finally ended, I had a similar feeling even though I loved it and really enjoyed Sailor Stars - it was just such a long journey to get to the end of it. Now whenever I hear Heart Moving or Moonlight Legend, I'm always filled with such a sense of nostalgia...even though I watched it literally less than a year ago.

54 minutes ago, majestic said:

I've just watched the episode where a little boy died and Miyu drank the blood of his younger sister.

It sounds so horrid when you put it that way. Which it was, but still, .

Spoiler

Hope I have the right episode here: that's the one where Reiha turns him into ice and he gets yeeted straight off the roof of a building and shatters into a million pieces literally right in front of his little sister in the most simultaneously horrible and hilarious deadpan scene, right? I laughed so hard when that happened and I felt so terrible for laughing. That was some true tragic comedy there.

(e): Also, bonus points that this show manages to somehow build up its randos in a more believable manner to me than Violet Evergarden, .

 

54 minutes ago, majestic said:

Even the Hack Frauds kind of liked it, which was the most baffling bit about it. 

I've noticed that when there's a new "revival" or "reboot" of something starting, they have over the years tended to initially try to stay positive (e.g. Star Trek, Star Wars, The Hobbit)...but by the time the second one comes out, they're basically like "yeah so in retrospect, this has been a complete disaster". Can't blame 'em for trying to be positive and like something new from their old favorite series, I guess.

54 minutes ago, majestic said:

...we're still joking, right?

I know you were mostly joking, but I was not. Why would I want to be as demanding and picky about these sorts of things as I am? It means I have to spend exponentially more time and effort to find the stuff that I like while getting super annoyed and displeased by the waves of stuff that I don't. There's no joy in that: much better to be like HS and happily enjoy almost everything you see.

Edited August 13, 2021 by Bartimaeus

[Bartimaeus]

Episode 1 of Princess Tutu. ...Uh, that's being put on the backburner for now. Not abandoned, definitely going to it out again at some point, but the backburner for the time being. Looks like you don't have to worry about me getting ahead of you on that for the time being, @majestic, .

Episodes 1+2 of Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water. Ugh. Unfortunately, this is an instant recommendation for feeling like something between a Ghibli movie and kind of something almost Looney Toons-esque in a way, which may not sound good but is surprisingly great so far, especially with the incredible art style and animation and good dialogue/characters. (...Using some of the same stock sound effects for stuff that literally Spongebob uses, on the other hand, has been inducing a little bit of a Dr. Phil seizure at times.) I didn't realize it before starting to watch it, but apparently Nadia, the titular character, is actually supposed to be black/African, and there's already been some light racist elements making direct reference of that fact (never mind that she's an orphan who was forced into the circus). This seems...a little less Gainax-y than other stuff I've seen, but I guess we'll see what happens. Had the option between an English and Japanese dub, did a lot of switching between them, but it seems as though I have been fully assimilated because I can't help but shake the feeling the Japanese is significantly better even though the English is fine, . A big heap of thanks to Sakura for teaching me how to appreciate Japanese VAing - very cool.

Edited August 13, 2021 by Bartimaeus

[majestic]

4 hours ago, Bartimaeus said:

Episode 1 of Princess Tutu. ...Uh, that's being put on the backburner for now. Not abandoned, definitely going to it out again at some point, but the backburner for the time being. Looks like you don't have to worry about me getting ahead of you on that for the time being, @majestic, .

Very quick post before I go and complete my morning ritual the usual things I do after getting up, then I'll reply some more.

To use the words of a poster* who once had half a forum eating out of "her" hands by pretending to be a pretty anime nerd girl:

PLEASE EXTRAPOLATE?

Spoiler

"She" meant elaborate, of course, but nobody corrected that nonsense because LOOK GIRL IN OUR COMMUNITY WHO COSPLAYS. *swoon*

So, I guess the question is, why is this on the backburner instead of the abandoned pile?

*While "Ms. Goldenbell", otherwise also known as "Rei Ayanami" elsewere, was a fun concept and had me equal parts laughing at the ridiculous posters who didn't even notice that the blonde women "she" posted as pictures of her weren't even featuring same anime cosplayer girl in each, and feeling shame by mere association with the posters who just immediately made her the center of attention, he also registered on other forums with other people's poster names, including mine, and copy/pasted our posts (sometimes with slight alterations) there.

Which was decidedly less fun.

[Sarex]

7 hours ago, KP the meanie zucchini said:

Bad or good?

It was 2 am when I finished it so, I wanted to sleep on it. Without going in to spoilers, the movie held me till the end, I didn't fast forward through any parts which is praise from me. As for if it's bad or good, at one point in the movie it was going in to bad category for me (or at least not good) as it really was just an acid trip and I had no idea what was going on, but then it started opening the plot and even offering explanations (almost as if someone came in and said they need to start explaining things from that point on). I personally liked the ending and I would say even the movie overall. It certainly was and Evangelion experience through and through.

I'll spoiler the next part just in case

Spoiler

The movie did a lot in explaining not just what happened in the Evangelion series but also the Neon Genesis series, thus pretty much confirming the 2 are connected. He also managed to include the original ending experience of NG:E in the movie, but this time his intention was much clearer. I really liked the ending and how it closed the story of both the series.

 

7 hours ago, majestic said:

"I am happy it is over" doesn't sound so great. Bad acid trip, then?

At one point in the move yes, but it started going up after that and ended on a good note for me.

Spoiler

I wasn't left wondering wtf was going on and with any burning questions.

I'm happy it's over, was perhaps a tad over-dramatic from me, but I meant it in a positive way and it was simply how I was feeling when the credits rolled in.

 

The only big gripe I have is that I think the subtitles were not good.

Edited August 13, 2021 by Sarex

[majestic]

9 hours ago, Bartimaeus said:

Hey, could just be because it's been a long and arduous journey, not because it was bad! When Sailor Moon finally ended, I had a similar feeling even though I loved it and really enjoyed Sailor Stars - it was just such a long journey to get to the end of it. Now whenever I hear Heart Moving or Moonlight Legend, I'm always filled with such a sense of nostalgia...even though I watched it literally less than a year ago.

For me, the only thing I felt at the end of Sailor Stars in the rewatch was this incredible sense of emptiness. That was decidedly different from the first time, however, mostly because of the different circumstances. I randomly fired up the Heart Locket version of Moonlight Densetsu (which is where a lot of nostalgia is attached to for me - thanks a bunch for changing the theme song, TV station!). That was a really bad idea.

Miyu:

9 hours ago, Bartimaeus said:

Spoiler

Hope I have the right episode here: that's the one where Reiha turns him into ice and he gets yeeted straight off the roof of a building and shatters into a million pieces literally right in front of his little sister in the most simultaneously horrible and hilarious deadpan scene, right? I laughed so hard when that happened and I felt so terrible for laughing. That was some true tragic comedy there.

(e): Also, bonus points that this show manages to somehow build up its randos in a more believable manner to me than Violet Evergarden, .

 

Yes, that's the one.

Spoiler

You haven't met any randoms in Violet Evergarden, so I'll just disregard that.

Speaking of laughing at inappropriate moments, at least that's "just" during a terrible moment in an anime. I once went to the funeral of a colleague from work who we've worked with for several years, and his family hired someone to give a speech and perform the rites, he was part of the "Old Catholic Church" which is a somewhat obscure splinter church that formed in the late 19th century and is so small here that there are barely any actual priests to do that.

He was a nice guy, but he didn't have the easiest life and wasn't the brightest of characters either. A recovered alcoholic and heavy smoker, he did die of lung cancer and while he, to his credit, tried often and hard to change his lot in life by attempting to finish some sort of formal education, he failed every single time.

I have no idea who thought it would be a good idea to recount that during the funeral, but the speech sort of went over the myriad of times he actually tried to finish his education or a course or some job training and failed, and every time it kept getting funnier and funnier. It didn't help that she was talking in the most deadpan voice imaginable.

"He went to high school, but dropped out, worked as <unskilled menial job here> for a while, until he tried to finish his education, but he never took the final exams. He continued to work as <menial job>, then tried his hand at <apprenticeship for skilled labour> but dropped, he then went to work on <project here> but he was fired."

It went on for what felt like almost half an hour. Really, it was... horrible. There was nothing funny about his death, or the tragic life he led, desperately trying to get out of it all but failing every single time, only to die horrifically from a disease that literally ate him from inside out, but the delivery was so incredibly hilarious that by the end I had to actually bite down on my hat to muffle the giggling.

The worst part is, I'm thinking back writing this and started laughing. At least I wasn't the only one.

 

9 hours ago, Bartimaeus said:

I've noticed that when there's a new "revival" or "reboot" of something starting, they have over the years tended to initially try to stay positive (e.g. Star Trek, Star Wars, The Hobbit)...but by the time the second one comes out, they're basically like "yeah so in retrospect, this has been a complete disaster". Can't blame 'em for trying to be positive and like something new from their old favorite series, I guess.

Mike called Star Trek 2009 his guilty pleasure, which is "fine" (it isn't), Independence Day is mine and I completely disagree with his assessment of the film, and to be honest, it feels less fraudulent to enjoy something that's stupid but was never smart entertainment before, and it's exacerbated by the fact that he passionately hates Star Trek: First Contact, which was about as much a stupid action movie as Star Trek 2009 was.

No, scratch that. Compared to the feast of inanity that 2009 was, Star Trek: First Contact is highly intelligent action entertainment.

Star Dreck: Beyond, on the other hand, is... just wrong, on every level, and like with 2009, it's the beginning that soured everything for me. You know, when you say that Violet Evergarden lost you with that emotional moment that fell flat for you, I totally get that.

My mind immediately rejected Star Trek 2009 based on the opening narration, and Star Trek: Beyond based on this horribly dumb comedic intro with the little aliens rolling at Kirk. Dear God, what the hell was that? Take that and get out of here, and please make sure that nobody involved in making this works in film business like ever again.

In case you're wondering, Into Darkness wasn't any better, why would you hide the Enterprise under water? It's not going to be visible from any sort of geostationary orbit, and the chance that someone sees you rising from the sea is so much higher... the hell is wrong with your sense of perspective, Jar Jar Abrams? And where are the people who should be telling you "That's a stupid idea, Jar Jar. Go back to making a motion to give Palpatine dictatorial powers."?

For that matter, what the hell Leonard Nimoy, should you not have read the script and went: "Screw you, I'm not taking part in this pile of crap!" like you did for Star Trek: Generations? What, did old age diminish your sense of integrity, or was the paycheck not big enough for Generations? Not that we could ask him now, anyway, but...

...holy crap that became a rant. Sorry. Or should I say sumimasen, at this point?

Eh, but that still doesn't account for why and how the others liked Star Trek Beyond. Even if you would divorce it from being Star Trek, it would still be a horrible mess of a film. Less of mess than Into Darkness was, perhaps, but a mess still.

9 hours ago, Bartimaeus said:

I know you were mostly joking, but I was not. Why would I want to be as demanding and picky about these sorts of things as I am? It means I have to spend exponentially more time and effort to find the stuff that I like while getting super annoyed and displeased by the waves of stuff that I don't. There's no joy in that: much better to be like HS and happily enjoy almost everything you see.

That's not what I meant.

I don't want to have to finish everything I start either (who in their right mind would). It all eventually comes back, I can keep myself busy for a bit by starting new things, but that invariably leads to issues down the road. There are shows that I would like to try, but just can't - like Supernatural. That looks like something that I could like and was directed, produced and written by people whose work I generally enjoy (like John Shiban and Kim Manners), but 327 with a 45 minute runtime episodes in 15 seasons? Are you kidding me?

Or, ideally, it wouldn't just cover entertainment and give me the necessary drive to, I don't know, maybe put more effort into working. I was quite happily abandoning my studies after all, and I feel no need to go back and finish. Yet there's still John Milton's Paradise Lost sitting half-read on my Kindle, for me that's merely bible fan fiction disguised as poetic pseudo-intellectual wankery, and I hate every second I spend on it, but I'll get through it. Eventually. Sigh.

Spoiler

I get why the prospect is frightening for you, really. It's... yeah. I just need to take care not to start anything that I'm going to hate completely and then hope it never gets a terrible reboot. Funny how that was much less of an issue even as much as a decade ago. Horrible reboots are a fairly recent thing. Sigh. I mean there were always reboots, but they often were good, or at least decent. Sometimes better than the original.

Besides, what I meant was that I got a slightly apolegetic vibe from some of these prior posts, and there's really no need to apologize, if that was actually really the case*.

Spoiler

I'm like the last person you'd ever need to apologize to for not liking something. Seriously. I know that most likely won't really stop you from feeling bad about not liking a recommendation, but Violet Evergarden wasn't one in the first place.

I often find myself in similar situations, not liking the films everyone else did, for instance. I got free tickets to the Rogue One premiere through my friend at the theatre where they did promotions, and I was quite frankly the only one who did not think it was the best Star Wars film since Empire.

It was a decent fan film. Bit too dark, for whatever reason (dark as in lighting and contrast issues in the film, not dark as in content). But sure wasn't Star Wars. More like Faux Wars. As much as I hated the prequels, I find myself despising them less than the Disney Star Wars stuff.

*Slight explanation, perhaps, I sometimes get really, really self-conscious about my posts and how they come across, and my mind starts racing through the myriad of possibilities a word or a sentence here and there could be understood. This is just one of these moments. Sigh. Yeah. Wow, I really need to stop typing. Jesus.

 

7 hours ago, Bartimaeus said:

A big heap of thanks to Sakura for teaching me how to appreciate Japanese VAing - very cool.

Looks like I'll be adding Nadia to the list then.

Edited August 13, 2021 by majestic

[Bartimaeus]

3 hours ago, majestic said:

So, I guess the question is, why is this on the backburner instead of the abandoned pile?

Because it wasn't bad, it was just...well, am simply not ready for something like that yet. Maybe after completing another show or two. Needs more time after having gone through Utena, in other words - that's all.

Just going to spoiler the rest of this since literally all of it only concerns what majestic wrote above.
 

Spoiler

3 hours ago, majestic said:

LOOK GIRL IN OUR COMMUNITY WHO COSPLAYS

Literally the worst kind...sort of.

47 minutes ago, majestic said:

The worst part is, I'm thinking back writing this and started laughing. At least I wasn't the only one.

I've been in a moment kind of similar to that before, in church (but not at a funeral) no less. Was in my early teens in a super evangelical church, pastor was on the subject of the different types of sins and eternal damnation and all that...and I don't really know what happened, but I burst out laughing in the middle of all of it. Got some real strange looks and a talking to after, and I couldn't even explain why it happened - whatever it was that I had noticed or thought was so funny apparently disappeared from my memory the moment I started laughing. At least it wasn't some poor bloke's funeral like you, .

Star Trek: I made it through about fifteen minutes of whatever the first one was called (was it just called Star Trek?), and that was the end of that. Therefore, my knowledge of Star Dreck is entirely limited to what RLM and others on here have said about it. Based on my analysis of all information coming from these two sources, I have been able to make the following conclusion: it is bad and everyone should stop watching it.

1 hour ago, majestic said:

Besides, what I meant was that I got a slightly apolegetic vibe from some of these prior posts, and there's really no need to apologize, if that was actually really the case*.

*Slight explanation, perhaps, I sometimes get really, really self-conscious about my posts and how they come across, and my mind starts racing through the myriad of possibilities a word or a sentence here and there could be understood. This is just one of these moments. Sigh. Yeah. Wow, I really need to stop typing. Jesus.

Astute: I literally erased then undid said erasing of everything in that Evergarden spoiler two or three times (plus absolute tons of re-writing and re-structuring) because I was like "I don't need to go into the specifics of what is not working...it's just not working and I'm not going to continue it and that's what matters, right? ...but this is one of my especial writing and character pet peeves and I should probably explain it fully...but is it really worth being so cantankerous over? UGH, I DON'T KNOW!". So yeah, I totally do that too, .

 

1 hour ago, majestic said:

Looks like I'll be adding Nadia to the list then.

I'd be very shocked if you (...or most anyone else in the mood for what seems like a wacky, fun, heartfelt adventure story) didn't at least like it based off of what I've seen in the first two episodes here.

[majestic]

10 minutes ago, Bartimaeus said:

Because it wasn't bad, it was just...well, am simply not ready for something like that yet. Maybe after completing another show or two. Needs more time after having gone through Utena, in other words - that's all.

Yeah. MAJOR Utena vibes right from the start. It doesn't thelp that it quite literally (in a truer sense of the word than usual, even!) begins with the same opening narration as the first Utena episode. Then there's a prince and the general look and feel of the story narration part of the anime, the setting, the surreal look and feel of the backgrounds, everything is so Utena. Except for the character models, these are rather distinct. Ahiru in particular really looks very signature Ikuko Itoh. Kind of.

I'm kind of close to finishing the first season, by the way.

Spoiler

Turns out Rue now remembers being Krähe, and she said she really is a crow. While she hasn't been seen being an actual crow, unlike Ahiru who often is a duck, it seems I was at least partially right (plus she often drops black feathers). I'm no longer sure Fakir isn't a part of the story. Even if he isn't (or was not), he has by now fully embraced his role in it, so it makes no difference any more.

Drosselmeyer's story narration (which is separate from the ongoing fairy tale narration) summed the moving parts of the story up in this episode:

A prince without the heart to love. A knight who fears death. A villain without resolve. A princess who cannot express her love. But something's missing.

 

24 minutes ago, Bartimaeus said:

Star Trek: I made it through about fifteen minutes of whatever the first one was called (was it just called Star Trek?), and that was the end of that.

Yes, it's only called Star Trek, which is why it is often named Star Trek 2009 or Star Trek '09 to distinguish it from the actual Star Trek, although at this point I don't know what that is any more. The Mr. Plinkett Review on it was really disappointing. What do I watch Mr. Plinkett for when he suddenly starts being positive about something. Geez. And positive about that dreck, no less.

[PK htiw klaw eriF]

4 hours ago, Sarex said:

It was 2 am when I finished it so, I wanted to sleep on it. Without going in to spoilers, the movie held me till the end, I didn't fast forward through any parts which is praise from me. As for if it's bad or good, at one point in the movie it was going in to bad category for me (or at least not good) as it really was just an acid trip and I had no idea what was going on, but then it started opening the plot and even offering explanations (almost as if someone came in and said they need to start explaining things from that point on). I personally liked the ending and I would say even the movie overall. It certainly was and Evangelion experience through and through.

You've convinced me to watch it. Congratulations. 

[majestic]

3 minutes ago, KP the meanie zucchini said:

You've convinced me to watch it. Congratulations. 

But isn't that like the third or fourth entry in the NGE reboot movie series?

[Bartimaeus]

8 minutes ago, majestic said:

But isn't that like the third or fourth entry in the NGE reboot movie series?

Yeah, that's what I was thinking... Would have to watch the first however or so many before even being able to watch that one, and it's not like Evangelion is a light watch. Maybe KP has already been keeping up, though?

22 minutes ago, majestic said:

Yeah. MAJOR Utena vibes right from the start. It doesn't thelp that it quite literally (in a truer sense of the word than usual, even!) begins with the same opening narration as the first Utena episode. Then there's a prince and the general look and feel of the story narration part of the anime, the setting, the surreal look and feel of the backgrounds, everything is so Utena. Except for the character models, these are rather distinct. Ahiru in particular really looks very signature Ikuko Itoh. Kind of.

From what I was able to tell, it at least seemed like the characters would likely be more fun than Utena's...and also not, um, "BIG BROTHER!!"-ing it up and such, which should help a lot.

Also, I forgot to reply to what you said about Star Wars regarding the prequels and sequels when I meant to. The prequels may be disasters on just about every single level from a technical, casting, storytelling, and character level...but at least they aren't completely exhausting and numbing while having absolutely zero creative pulse, .

Edited August 13, 2021 by Bartimaeus

[PK htiw klaw eriF]

1 hour ago, majestic said:

But isn't that like the third or fourth entry in the NGE reboot movie series?

It's the 3.0+1.0 entry.

[Sarex]

31 minutes ago, KP the meanie zucchini said:

It's the 3.0+1.0 entry.

*3.0+1.01

[PK htiw klaw eriF]

6 minutes ago, Sarex said:

*3.0+1.01

I guess I just got kicked out of instrumentality.

[majestic]

Finished the first season of Princess Tutu.

That was indeed bittersweet, even though not at all what I expected to happen. Well, there's still 13 episodes for it all to completely go to hell.

Spoiler

When Edel, Drosselmeyer's puppet (quite literally, that is - she is a life-sized wooden puppet), first appeared after Ahiru turned into a girl, she said:

May those who accept their fate be granted happiness. May those who defy their fate be granted glory.

Fate, as it were, demanded that Fakir dies trying to save the prince, and Princess Tutu to sacrifice herself by confessing her love for Mytho, thus restoring the prince's heart. Fakir accepted his fate willingly, and told Ahiru to defy hers at a moment when Ahiru was all set to do what fate demanded of her.

He fought Krähe, and lost, but not before breaking the prince's sword, the very weapon Krähe needed to make Mytho shatter his heart once more, and restore everything to the way it was. Krähe doesn't care if Mytho actually loves her of he's just a soulless shell doing what he's told. Fakir at this point is seen sinking to the bottom of the lake ("the perfect stage" for the ending, as Drosselmeyer put it - an underground lake) the final confrontation of this season is set at.

Tutu manages to fulfill her destiny without saying her feelings, i.e. finding a loophole in the story's wording by expressing her love for Mytho through ballet. Krähe exits the stage (sort of dramatically), realizing that she has lost.

Mytho and Tutu follow a light in the darkness of the underground lake back to the surface. After they reach the surface, they see the source of the light. Fakir is lying - hurt but still alive - next to a blazing bonfire. The bonfire, upon closer inspection, turns out to be Edel in her literal blaze of glory, neatly fulfilling her cryptic prophecy. Mytho, who willingly accepted the hardship that is to follow after restoring his heart. Fakir, who accepted his death for his prince, and Tutu, finally, who accepted that she might vanish to restore Mytho's heart.

Edel, who found glory in defying Drosselmeyer's orders. Her last wish is to see Mytho and Tutu dancing, which they do as the closing credits for the season. Drosselmeyer shows up and cryptically muses whether or not everything went according to his wishes, for the story, you see, is still unfinished (well, duh, there's a second season, after all).

Now, it also needs to be said that Edel was always nice to Ahiru and helped her, in more ways and sometimes differently from what was asked of her. Drosselmeyer repeatedly warned her against showing too much interest in the fate and emotion of others, so this doesn't come from nowhere, and Edel was always Drosselmeyer's way to adjust the story to his liking. So while Edel still is a bit of a Deus Ex Machina character, it's really... a really great example of how a proper setup means that is doesn't feel cheap when they're used.

And possibly a cautionary tale against them, for what would really happen when they defy their fate?

So far Princess Tutu is not at all what I expected, but it is really, really good.

There's one absolutely inexplicable thing though. I have no idea what Neko-sensei's deal is. I wonder if that will be explained in the second season, along with why there are antropomorphized animals in the first place. If not, then I wonder what the point was, if any. Seems odd to have them show up all the time, even in minor roles, for no apparent reason.

On the other hand, perhaps even Princess Tutu needs a stopwatch, and if that sentence makes no sense to you, then perahps you should watch Revolutioanry Girl Utena too.

 

Edited August 13, 2021 by majestic

[InsaneCommander]

Sony closes $1.175 billion deal to buy Crunchyroll from AT&T.

Not sure if this was posted before. I can't keep up with this thread.

[HoonDing]

 

[majestic]

Whelp.

First episode of Princess Tutu's second season was a bit of a letdown. It was a decent setup episode for what seems to be the arc of the second season, but coming directly from that high of the ending of the first one, it just felt off.

Off-topic talk for @Bartimaeus

Spoiler

I just watched Lindasy Ellis' new video. I think it's time to cancel her for good!

Spoiler

Calling Corona "beer" is on my list of unforgivable capital offenses.

Almost died of laughter when she was talking about Sargon of Akkad, but generally her writing videos are the ones I enjoy the least, mostly because the subject itself isn't really interesting for me.

And one more episode of Vampire Princess Miyu.

I kind of wish the anime wouldn't use girls from her class as victims. It just reinforces that feeling that her friends are all in for tragedy by association.

Edited August 13, 2021 by majestic