Anime - Do you Understannnnnnndu?

[majestic]

4 minutes ago, KP the meanie zucchini said:

I have a hard times rating stuff on a numerical scale. Like, what does 8/10 actually mean when put on a subjective scale? That you loved 80% of it and hated 20%? I prefer to just say whether I like it or not and talk about why, because I figure that's more helpful for recommending something to others than tossing numbers at them to see if they'll get it. Admittedly I'm a weird guy and don't think of anything as favorite.

It's not easy coming up with ratings for me either, mostly because I usually tend to be the odd one out. I noticed that in the Music Club, even if we had universally beloved picks (interestingly enough they were almost always from the guys introducing classical music) I was the one liking the things the most that the others enjoyed the least.

But in general, it's just a number instead of words, I guess. Average, above average, good, great, outstanding and once in a lifetime experience, for instance, could just as well be 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10. Like grades at school. Just with numbers, like we have (although for us, "1" is the best grade you can get).

9 minutes ago, KP the meanie zucchini said:

Anyways, I've been watching TOS lately and haven't watched anime in a few days. I think I'll end up watching the Violet Evergarden special next but wait until the movie isn't the bootleg edition with soda slurping to see that.

Have you ever seen the animeted Trek? If yes, is that anything good? Should I close that gap in my Trek knowledge?

[Sarex]

28 minutes ago, KP the meanie zucchini said:

I think I'll end up watching the Violet Evergarden special next but wait until the movie isn't the bootleg edition with soda slurping to see that.

You don't want the cinema experience?  It should be out by the end of October.

[majestic]

52 minutes ago, Sarex said:

You don't want the cinema experience?  It should be out by the end of October.

I'd love to get the cinema experience for this one, just like, in a real cinema. Looking at Germany in envy here. Guess there's a first time for everything, huh.

edit:

Our film and TV rating system keeps being ridiculous when it comes to animation. Not only did they put Grave of the Fireflies into the FSK 6 category (i.e. suitable for children of 6 years and older), but they did the same for Violet Evergarden. Hilarious. How inept can you get?

Edited August 2, 2021 by majestic

[Bartimaeus]

1 hour ago, KP the meanie zucchini said:

I have a hard times rating stuff on a numerical scale. Like, what does 8/10 actually mean when put on a subjective scale? That you loved 80% of it and hated 20%? I prefer to just say whether I like it or not and talk about why, because I figure that's more helpful for recommending something to others than tossing numbers at them to see if they'll get it. Admittedly I'm a weird guy and don't think of anything as favorite.

Anyways, I've been watching TOS lately and haven't watched anime in a few days. I think I'll end up watching the Violet Evergarden special next but wait until the movie isn't the bootleg edition with soda slurping to see that.

I think I talked about this before when ratings last came up in here, but I really think ratings only make sense when you have the context of a person's entire list of ratings to compare again. Me saying Cardcaptor Sakura is a 9.5/10 doesn't mean a danged thing unless you can look at my other ratings and see hey, he's only given literally one other thing out of literal hundreds of other things he's rated a 9.5 or greater before, so that must really mean something. Meanwhile, other people give out 10/10s constantly just because they thought something was good and they're used to giving perfect scores for literally anything that they think is just good. Not me - like I said, my average score is 61%, and out of the hundreds of movies I've watched, I've only given an 8/10 (what I consider to be "great") or higher a total of 26 times, so that rating really means something within my rating system. But you can't see all of my ratings since they're on a private site, hence why I was trying to give some quick context with the list I made, .

As for what an 8/10 means...like I said, it means "great" - how it gets there is irrelevant. Some might just be consistently great but never go beyond that for whatever reason, others might be utterly perfect in some aspects (e.g. Steven Universe's main cast are my idea of "perfection") but fall short in other ways (e.g. average to poor filler episodes that feel kind of irrelevant and inexplicably drag down later seasons). Earlier, I said I rate stuff roughly 75% subjectively (how much everything appeals to me specifically in terms of characters, themes, plot, setting, world-building, style et al.) and 25% objectively (how well-constructed all the elements are, attention to detail, competent writing, acting, and so on). For movies, I don't usually give out anything more than a 7.5/10 if a work has what I would consider to be some kind of large bugbear or hangup that markedly took away from its enjoyment unless it really truly was consistently great except for that - I'm a little kinder towards longer TV shows like Sailor Moon purely because of their length and the quantity of good times given outside of that, so I don't usually penalize e.g. something like SuperS quite as much as if the equivalent were to happen in a movie.

2 hours ago, Sarex said:

The thing with Akira is like with many other old stories. When you look at it today, after already having read and watched a bunch of sci fi, it's nothing special, but you have to understand that back then there was nothing like that really and it was an inspiration for so many of the things that are popular today.

That's usually not an issue for me either, especially considering a lot of my favorite stuff (including anime) is often quite aged, so clearly I have some kind of appreciation and fascination for older stuff. It's just that...I'm a really tough person to appeal to, and I usually have excellent (but by no means perfect) intuition for what will appeal to me based on how a film/show is communicating to me right off the bat. How themes are being communicated, the types of characters used (and even the way characters just look, talk, or express themselves), art or filming style, setting - everything like that has a sort of unconscious language to it. My intuition for anime is still admittedly a work-in-progress, since it's not a medium I've had extensive experience with and so I'm still forming heuristics for it, but it feels like it's getting better, and when I take just even a super quick look at Akira, it seems like a very masculine (in the worst sense) main character that I'm probably going to hate, an edgy almost cyberpunk-ish setting that I'm probably not going to care for, looks way too action-oriented for my tastes... It just doesn't look like it's going to appeal to me. I'm very particular about what I like, and these are already setting off red flags for me - I'm still going to give it a chance eventually, but that's my perspective going into it.

20 minutes ago, majestic said:

Our film and TV rating system keeps being ridiculous when it comes to animation. Not only did they put Grave of the Fireflies into the FSK 6 category (i.e. suitable for children of 6 years and older), but they did the same for Violet Evergarden. Hilarious. How inept can you get?

lmao - while I'm usually a bit of a proponent for darker stuff (up to a limit, of course, and given the right kind of kid who can handle it) being suitable for younger audiences because of how meaningful and formative such works can be at that age, I think that's a bit much...

Edited August 2, 2021 by Bartimaeus

[Sarex]

28 minutes ago, majestic said:

I'd love to get the cinema experience for this one, just like, in a real cinema. Looking at Germany in envy here. Guess there's a first time for everything, huh.

edit:

Our film and TV rating system keeps being ridiculous when it comes to animation. Not only did they put Grave of the Fireflies into the FSK 6 category (i.e. suitable for children of 6 years and older), but they did the same for Violet Evergarden. Hilarious. How inept can you get?

Hahahaha, you just reminded me about Princess Mononoke and when it showed in cinemas over here... Parents were bringing children to watch it and right of the bat the protagonist was taking off limbs and heads with a bow and arrow, queue parents leaving the cinema... Pretty sure that is what killed anime in cinemas over here...

[Malcador]

Only got time to start Bebop (also forgot BluRay on PC isn't as easy as it should be).  First episode was fun enough to watch, but felt a bit short.

[PK htiw klaw eriF]

2 hours ago, Sarex said:

You don't want the cinema experience?  It should be out by the end of October.

The cinema experience would involve getting overcharged for some water and listening to half an hour of commercials so not really.

@Bartimaeus @majestic

I'm on my phone right now and there's too much to quote without the forum software having a snack, so I'll try to be brief here. It's a personal thing and influenced by US education where everything lower than 70 is considered a failure, but it's just difficult for me to rate stuff numerically even to myself. Like I really enjoyed both Sailor Moon (except for Super S and the end episodes) and JoJo (note to majestic, it gets a whole lot crazier in Egypt. D'arby, not Barbie Mr. Jousturrr) but I can't quantify them numerically or anything. I can say I loved them and tell you why, as well as recommended then on those lines, but for the life of me I can't break out a calculator and explain why I rate JoJo 1999/2000 or Sailor Moon Pharoah 90/100. I just don't think of stuff like this in terms of numbers, and I don't think I'll ever really be able to.

And I've never seen TAS, but it has a catgirl so if this thread would be the place to talk about it.

Edited August 2, 2021 by KP the meanie zucchini

[Amentep]

IMO, if you're going to do anything with Akira (1988), I'd recommend reading the manga.  The movie isn't really a great movie, IMO, and while I can appreciate the technical virtuosity of the film, I think the story is far, far too condensed in the film version.  

Then again, I thought the Ghost in the Shell manga was the weakest work by Masamune Shirow I'd read, and didn't like the anime adaption either, so my tastes don't seem to align with everyone else when it comes to anime...

 

[Malcador]

15 minutes ago, Amentep said:

The movie isn't really a great movie,

At least we got this from it

 

[Bartimaeus]

19 minutes ago, Amentep said:

IMO, if you're going to do anything with Akira (1988), I'd recommend reading the manga.  The movie isn't really a great movie, IMO, and while I can appreciate the technical virtuosity of the film, I think the story is far, far too condensed in the film version.  

Then again, I thought the Ghost in the Shell manga was the weakest work by Masamune Shirow I'd read, and didn't like the anime adaption either, so my tastes don't seem to align with everyone else when it comes to anime...

 

The Ghost in the Shell anime was really mediocre. Sorry, not sorry: I'm still out there looking for my perfect android-related media, GitS ain't it.

@KP the meanie zucchini Fair enough, .

[Sarex]

Heretics the lot of you...

Even if you disregard the story, the art in GitS is something that few anime today achieve.

[Malcador]

More proof this forum is full of people with no taste.

[Bartimaeus]

As always, I'm a characters kind of guy first and foremost, and those characters fell really flat for me and it was difficult to care about anything else as a result. Characters first, themes and plot second, thank you very much. Great soundtrack, though.

[Sarex]

But they are supposed to be flat they are robots.

[Bartimaeus]

25 minutes ago, Sarex said:

Heretics the lot of you...

Even if you disregard the story, the art in GitS is something that few anime today achieve.

Also, I don't watch any "anime today", because "anime today" looks...well, the way it does - i.e. literally revolting to me or simply trash, or a combination of both. Virtually all of the anime I watch is 90s or earlier, and while GitS's art is good and I like it well enough, it doesn't really...like, scream outstanding or anything. For more "realistic" art styles, Satoshi Kon's Perfect Blue or Millennium Actress are more my speed, .

4 minutes ago, Sarex said:

But they are supposed to be flat they are robots.

#NotMyAndroids: I don't need this lousy Blade Runner knockoff, .

[Amentep]

1 hour ago, Malcador said:

At least we got this from it

 

The visuals are great, I'm not disputing that.  Back in 1989(?) when Streamline put it in theaters I was impressed with the visuals of the film, and I think a lot of it is still top notch work today. Story...eh...

1 hour ago, Sarex said:

Heretics the lot of you...

Even if you disregard the story, the art in GitS is something that few anime today achieve.

Again visually its a solid film, but narratively - well, I didn't like the manga.

1 hour ago, Malcador said:

More proof this forum is full of people with no taste.

I never claimed to have taste!  Have you seen some of the z-grade films I've liked?  

48 minutes ago, Sarex said:

But they are supposed to be flat they are robots.

*resists urge to make jokes regarding the sexy lady art in Shirow's work* 

[InsaneCommander]

On 7/30/2021 at 1:59 PM, majestic said:

Jesus Christ, did you just peek?  

Just a bit, to see if you were talking about Violet Evergarden.

I watched the first 3 episodes and I really like it. But I'm glad I watched the third now, since things get a bit happier in it.

I haven't had much time to watch anime in the recent weeks, but it's time to catch up.

[majestic]

15 minutes ago, InsaneCommander said:

Just a bit, to see if you were talking about Violet Evergarden.

I watched the first 3 episodes and I really like it. But I'm glad I watched the third now, since things get a bit happier in it.

Yeah, I'm afeared I can't really say anything yet. But do keep watching, glad you like it.

Also, what the hell, I leave for like an hour and this thread blows up.

1 hour ago, Sarex said:

Heretics the lot of you...

Heretic beats sociopath, I guess. I'd call that a win. Heh.  

Edited August 2, 2021 by majestic

[Sarex]

50 minutes ago, Amentep said:

*resists urge to make jokes regarding the sexy lady art in Shirow's work* 

Cough cough...Oh!Great...Cough cough

I would post some pictures, but they are borderline. That man needs a story writer to partner with, although I did like and was engaged in his previous works. Well I guess him working on the Bakemonogatari manga would count as partnering with a story writer.

[Malcador]

1 hour ago, Sarex said:

But they are supposed to be flat they are robots.

I dunno, some are at least a C cup.

[Sarex]

1 minute ago, Malcador said:

I dunno, some are at least a C cup.

No you did not just say that...

[Malcador]

No.  I typed it.

[majestic]

Mrs. Evergarden had nice cups too, but Violet ruined them.

See?

 

[Amentep]

Nope, I don't see cup.

[majestic]

4 minutes ago, Amentep said:

Nope, I don't see cup.

Cup't help you with that, then.