Anime and Manga - I respect the first human to have eaten a mushroom

[Bartimaeus]

Texhnolyze, episode 1:

We go an entire ten minutes (actually for real ten minutes, I checked) without a single spoken word of dialogue or action...finally broken by a couple of lines from a side-character, followed by another seven minutes or so of silence, and then a little dialogue and a small burst of brutal violence right at the end. Nevertheless, I was drawn in by the extra-strange Madhouse animation and visuals (even the violence shown was more thoughtful than most)...but I have no idea what this show is supposed to be.

Didn't match my expectations of what I thought the show would be like at all after I watched the intro.

Edited May 4, 2022 by Bartimaeus
much -> match

[uuuhhii]

there is another season of black rock shooter

isn't the last one 10 years ago

all these old show restarting might give audience too much hope

[Amentep]

11 hours ago, Bartimaeus said:

@Amentep There's something kind of funny about the horribly gangly-looking Cobra standing right next to Lady in that first image.

Not his most flattering look, particularly next to ridiculous Lady. Guess that's the 80s for you.

Hahah, yeah.  Not sure if it was the upload to Youtube or what, but I couldn't get a shot of Cobra from this sequence where Cobra and Lady didn't look really awkward.  So I was torn between using that one or this one (where it looks like he's wearing the ball as a hat):

Lady isn't animated for much of the sequence with Cobra goofing around with the Soccer ball. There's a slight head turn, maybe 2-3 frames when Cobra finally kicks the ball, but otherwise looks like  a static cell.

[Bartimaeus]

Texhnolyze, episode 2. Alright, so this is what I can figure from the first two episodes:

Spoiler

• Post-apocalyptic or maybe just dystopian futuretech setting - we start in some sort of crumbling underworld city, but then we move to the surface which appears to be a bit wrecked. I don't think you want to live on the surface if you have power/wealth, from the looks of it.
• "Texhnolyzed" means being turned cybernetic (organ and limb replacements?) or possibly even straight-up into an android - those who have power and the resources get texhnolyzed when they need to, those who don't...don't. There also appears to be some sort of ongoing ideological war between the texhnolyzed and the so-called "flesh fundamentalists".
• Two main characters? The first one, the guy, is a mentally broken and borderline mute "game dog" (fighter?) that seems to just...not want to really do anything or maybe really even exist at all. He's brutally dismembered at the end of the first episode for stepping out of line in some fashion with what appears to be some kind of powerful Yakuza-like group that he belonged to hailing from the city. You might say that things are not exactly going well for him. The second one, the girl with the mask, is Ran, and she is a flower seller(?) that has the ability to see horrific visions of the very near future - somewhat similar to Hitomi in Escaflowne, but less reliable because her visions don't appear to be guaranteed, just...what will happen if no action is immediately taken to change it. I kind of like both of them right off the bat.
• Even at DVD quality and in 2003, Madhouse really knew how to animate 'em - I don't necessarily love the early 2000s style character art, but I'm certainly willing to forgive it if the show looks great otherwise, and it does. Some intricate shot composition and well-done animation on display here.
• There's a much more normal amount of dialogue in the second episode, which is good, because doing the whole experimental silence thing for an extended period of time probably would've gotten old quickly...but I still have no idea what's going on story-wise, not really. I am much more intrigued by this show than I expected to be. Stupid Madhouse and them making decent stuff.

• This dude's hair, which we see unfortunately little of, is like he couldn't decide between a bob and an afro, so he did both:

1 hour ago, Amentep said:

Hahah, yeah.  Not sure if it was the upload to Youtube or what, but I couldn't get a shot of Cobra from this sequence where Cobra and Lady didn't look really awkward.  So I was torn between using that one or this one (where it looks like he's wearing the ball as a hat):

Lady isn't animated for much of the sequence with Cobra goofing around with the Soccer ball. There's a slight head turn, maybe 2-3 frames when Cobra finally kicks the ball, but otherwise looks like  a static cell.

Hah. With most any traditionally-animated work, it can be pretty amusing to resist watching what is clearly supposed to be the focus character that is actually moving around in favor of someone in the background staying completely still. Something I occasionally do with just about every show where it applies, which is the vast majority of them.

Edited May 4, 2022 by Bartimaeus

[Bartimaeus]

Texhnolyze, episode 6. Okay, I think I'm officially recommending this to @KP wants Blue Velvet, because this show, content and stylistically speaking, seems like something that would be much more up his alley than anything I'd ever watch myself...and yet, even though that's absolutely true, I'm still very much enjoying it, and that tells me it needs to be recommended to somebody...particularly seeing as it's a 2003 show. 2003, people! Only issue is, I guess I'm not exactly sure how to sell this. I guess the best way to describe it would be a dark and violent dystopian thriller that also has some rather interesting themes and characters*...and though I haven't really been able to capture it in screenshots, it also a nice art style and even better animation, plus some genuinely nice writing. I'm sometimes very surprised by the stuff that I only very begrudgingly check out (usually with only the intent to do so for a minute or two on just the off-chance that it's able to quickly capture my attention), and this was one of them. In fact, I told majestic that this show was going to be terrible - well, I think my prognostication days are over.

*

Spoiler

Six episodes in, and I still don't even know who the "bad guy"(s) is supposed to be, if there even is one, because people that I thought were decent maybe aren't quite as decent as I initially thought, and the people that I thought were the bad guys are turning out to have their not so bad points and seemingly some reasons to motivate what they're doing.

 

Edited May 4, 2022 by Bartimaeus

[Amentep]

3 hours ago, Bartimaeus said:

 

Reminds me of Andro from Tekkaman: The Space Knight (Uchū no Kishi Tekkaman)

[majestic]

Komi reached a new low with insane stalker girl wondering out loud how to get a peek at Komi‘s undergarments.

[PK htiw klaw eriF]

2 hours ago, Bartimaeus said:

Texhnolyze, episode 6. Okay, I think I'm officially recommending this to @KP wants Blue Velvet, because this show, content and stylistically speaking, seems like something that would be much more up his alley than anything I'd ever watch myself...and yet, even though that's absolutely true, I'm still very much enjoying it

It seems I have succeeded in being a good or bad influence.

2 hours ago, Bartimaeus said:

guess the best way to describe it would be a dark and violent dystopian thriller that also has some rather interesting themes and characters*...and though I haven't really been able to capture it in screenshots, it also a nice art style and even better animation, plus some genuinely nice writing

You had me by dystopian. Time to add to the watch list.

21 minutes ago, majestic said:

Komi reached a new low with insane stalker girl wondering out loud how to get a peek at Komi‘s undergarments.

That doesn't sound as bad as the sausage scene.

[majestic]

1 hour ago, KP wants Blue Velvet said:

That doesn't sound as bad as the sausage scene.

It doesn't, until she tries to lure Komi next to a giant puddle to see her panties in the reflection, gawks under her skirt when the wind blows (but only catches a glimpse at Dog Girl's underwear) and finally just lies on the ground to make upskirt pictures with her mobile.

[majestic]

3 hours ago, Bartimaeus said:

In fact, I told majestic that this show was going to be terrible - well, I think my prognostication days are over.

Hah. So that's essentially how my attempt to predict how much I would like StrikerS ended up being wrong when Wikipedia told me that it had more of a focus on team action than the first two seasons, and it ended up being the best of the bunch and genuinely good for the most part, assuming one likes the genre (and can forgive the occasional boob rub).

edit: Wow, I just unironically double posted for no reason!

Edited May 4, 2022 by majestic

[PK htiw klaw eriF]

31 minutes ago, majestic said:

It doesn't, until she tries to lure Komi next to a giant puddle to see her panties in the reflection, gawks under her skirt when the wind blows (but only catches a glimpse at Dog Girl's underwear) and finally just lies on the ground to make upskirt pictures with her mobile.

 

30 minutes ago, majestic said:

Wow, I just unironically double posted for no reason!

naughty majestic ! surly you need a spanking from a sexy south american woman ?

[Bartimaeus]

15 hours ago, KP wants Blue Velvet said:

It seems I have succeeded in being a good or bad influence.

Eh, as I've said before, this is why I continue to try weird things that absolutely nobody, including myself, would think that I'd ever like - sometimes, you find something that does things just a little differently from the other shows of the same type that you didn't like, and it clicks for whatever reason. Can't just spend all yours days watching the exact same kind of shoujo, after all...you try the other weird stuff so the shoujo always stays fresh, .

Episode 10 of Texhnolyze: act one of the show appears to be over. It ended as suddenly and brutally as it began. I'm starting to get the feeling that this might not turn out to be a lovey dovey happy nappy show after all. The guy that I initially thought was going to the villain turned out to be the closest thing to a "hero" that this show will probably have, and I spent the last few episodes telling the show to please not kill him because it sure looked like the show was going to kill him.

[PK htiw klaw eriF]

53 minutes ago, Bartimaeus said:

Eh, as I've said before, this is why I continue to try weird things that absolutely nobody, including myself, would think that I'd ever like - sometimes, you find something that does things just a little differently from the other shows of the same type that you didn't like, and it clicks for whatever reason. Can't just spend all yours days watching the exact same kind of shoujo, after all...you try the other weird stuff so the shoujo always stays fresh,

I guess I'm lucky in that I look less for genre (as much as shoujo can be considered a drama, because stuff made for teen and pre-teen girls is a pretty big grouping) and more for an interesting experience when I watch stuff. Oh, and a general distaste for cgi animation because it usually looks like ****.

I'm going to try Texhnolyze out for sure, but I'm having trouble finding it.

[Sarex]

25 minutes ago, KP wants Blue Velvet said:

I'm going to try Texhnolyze out for sure, but I'm having trouble finding it.

Need help?

[PK htiw klaw eriF]

5 minutes ago, Sarex said:

Need help?

Always. I've found a few places and someone else itt already pmd me, but you can never have too much help.

[Bartimaeus]

1 hour ago, KP wants Blue Velvet said:

Always. I've found a few places and someone else itt already pmd me, but you can never have too much help.

If it at all possible, try to make sure whatever you watch comes from the Japanese region DVD - apparently, the non-Japanese ones have a problem with crushed blacks that makes it hard to see what's going on in certain scenes, and not in a good way.

Edited May 5, 2022 by Bartimaeus

[majestic]

Surly you naughty boys are suggesting import places that carry licensed goods ?

[PK htiw klaw eriF]

26 minutes ago, Bartimaeus said:

If it at all possible, try to make sure whatever you watch comes from the Japanese region DVD - apparently, the non-Japanese ones have a problem with crushed blacks that makes it hard to see what's going on in certain scenes, and not in a good way.

  Reveal hidden contents

Pariah or Kuchikirukia would be my suggestions.

 

I'll keep that in mind. One of the worst experiences I've had was getting into a show then running out of subs and quitting because the dubs I could find was such low quality in terms of both audio and visual.

2 minutes ago, majestic said:

Surly you naughty boys are suggesting import places that carry licensed goods ?

Excuse you, I'm bringing freedom and democracy to those licensed goods.

[Amentep]

15 minutes ago, KP wants Blue Velvet said:

Excuse you, I'm bringing freedom and democracy to those licensed goods.

Spoiler

 

[Bartimaeus]

39 minutes ago, KP wants Blue Velvet said:

I'll keep that in mind. One of the worst experiences I've had was getting into a show then running out of subs and quitting because the dubs I could find was such low quality in terms of both audio and visual.

I'm still waiting for the sub group to do the last handful of episodes of a shoujo show I was watching, Emi. It'll probably be a year or two before they finish. Not exactly super happy with that myself, .

42 minutes ago, majestic said:

Surly you naughty boys are suggesting import places that carry licensed goods ?

Apparently, Texhnolyze is only on AppleTV to stream from...and it costs $31 to buy the 22 episode season, which is, uh, well, that's pretty expensive as far as streaming short DVD quality 2003 animes go.

Also, just giving out a warning...first episode was pretty freaking weird, hence the "wat" I posted after I watched it, when I was very much unsure whether I liked it or not. May or may not be an issue for you others deciding whether or not to watch it - by the time the second episode ended, I was pretty sure I was getting into it, though.

  

23 hours ago, KP wants Blue Velvet said:

Top comment on that video: "The image of Donald Trump watching a David Lynch movie seems like a scene out of a David Lynch movie."

Edited May 5, 2022 by Bartimaeus

[majestic]

Trapped in a Dating Sim: The World of Otome Games is Tough for Mobs, episode 1.

I figured it would be time for more Isekai after The Vision of Escaflowne proved to be such a wonderful anime to watch. In this one, a salesman hits is head, dies and is reincarnated in the game world of an Otome game he played. Using his knowledge of the game world, he manages to snag some loot and becomes wealthy, being able to defy the mandate of the world that all men either become obedient husbands, or playthings for the female royalty. A setup you could probably make a decent anime out of, actually, if it wasn't some 少年 nonsense, right?

Well, if that doesn't make you want to watch immediately, then I don't know what does. It's the best thing since My Dress-Up Darling!

Well this was... I think it's time for me to enter my safety cupboard:

 

So, now, for real, Texhnolyze, episode one, which is something new. Watched the first episode, and really, can't say anything at all, other than what's been posted before, so hey, yeah, can't add anything, other than that design of the characters reminds me of something. I feel like I've seen that character design before, but I can't put my finger on it, and I'm really sure I haven't watched Texhnolyze before. Or even caught a glimpse of it. Or anything, really.

This be really accurate for the first episode.

Edited May 5, 2022 by majestic

[Bartimaeus]

Did it match your expectations of the show after you watched the intro?

And...did you actually watch the first episode of that other show, and if so...why?

[majestic]

31 minutes ago, Bartimaeus said:

Did it match your expectations of the show after you watched the intro?

And...did you actually watch the first episode of that other show, and if so...why?

It didn't match any expectations at all even after your description of it, and no, I did not watch that other anime. I just saw this is one that started to air fairly recently, one of these where I have to wonder why this is even a thing. Baffling.

[LadyCrimson]

I gave in and finally made an account/resubbed to HBO/Max after they stopped letting me do it through Prime. >.>

Which means I finally get to watch that whole Noblesse anime series someone made. I'm about half way through and what I read on the 'net is correct - it's not very good. It has moments that aren't too bad but overall it matches neither the manga or that much shorter animated start/short episode (test episode? no clue) that came long before this "full" series. Frankenstein is still tops tho.

Also: is Bungo Stray Dogs - assuming one likes it at all initially ofc - worth trying to cram-watch it, before HBO removes it a few weeks from now? I mean it looks sorta like something I might like but time and attention span constraints....

Edited May 6, 2022 by LadyCrimson

[PK htiw klaw eriF]

6 hours ago, majestic said:

It didn't match any expectations at all even after your description of it, and no, I did not watch that other anime. I just saw this is one that started to air fairly recently, one of these where I have to wonder why this is even a thing. Baffling.

Reported for treating Trapped in a Dating Sim: The World of Otome Games is Tough for Mobs as a joke.