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kajnrig

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Everything posted by kajnrig

  1. kajnrig
    Yeah, I... think... I am, too. I don't regret skipping on the series during that six-episode stretch the first time around, nor would I beleaguer anyone for doing the same, though. Those five episodes are BAAAAAAAAAD. Those were some of my favorite things even the first time around. I'm surprised more shows haven't copied that same tactic for world-building. EDIT: Y'know, I don't think I mind that too much... if it's done well (and what politics I've seen so far I have decidedly not liked). If the show is all about literal and metaphorical monstrosity, then monstrous social policy could be something to look forward to.
  2. kajnrig
    Okay, so it WAS just those middle five or six episodes. The rest of the season flew by in comparison, though Those last ten episodes still have their share of annoying, incopetent side characters and Anime Moments, and even dabble in the "Let's Explain Things Retroactively Instead of Properly Setting Up Clues Beforehand" trope, but it's never egregious and far FAR preferable to "Let's Whinge About Literally Everything for Five Minutes to Pad Out the Runtime." I get what @Seto Kaiba was saying about characters becoming progressively more and more monstrous, and for several characters it feels like an unbelievable shift. It has been something of a running theme, though, so I'm not going to hate on it for that. What I will hate on is that it's not explored particularly well. Or rather, it presents an interesting situation where the characters have to choose between two morally gray decisions... but then paints one as inherently "humane but leads to defeat" and the other as inherently "monstrous but leads to victory" (and this is where I can easily see the perhaps intended/unintended comparisons to fascist ideology) This is most obvious in the final battle of the season, which is part of the reason why some of the characters feel so off. Anyway, now it's on to season 2 and 3, then Gridman.
  3. kajnrig
    Boy, they are REALLY running empty in the creative well, aren't they?
  4. kajnrig
    I'm reminded why I stopped watching AoT: Right at the 9-episode mark, the show just loses all momentum. It has its share of "typical shounen anime" moments throughout the first 8 episodes, but then episode 9 hits and all of a sudden everyone goes on minutes-long monologues about who they are and who they want to be and this and that and the Anime Levels shoot up to 11. Events which should have resolved in a single episode suddenly stretch into two or three, and characters and entire factions start acting like complete idiots for no reason whatsoever. I have a feeling it's indicative of the unique qualities of Japanese politics, but for like six full episodes I just wanted to slap every single character. Now that the "Distrust Arc" is finally over and Eren's out in the forest, hopefully the story can get going again. I'm also reminded of just how much the manga/show apes Evangelion. It sure gets the body horror right, but it's not as effective as far as purely horrifying goes. It starts with the horror dial already at 11, and it doesn't really know how to ratchet it up from there. Eva starts off pretty mellow, establishing the Eva as a bionic entity early in the show, and touching on that aspect briefly every other episode or so before hitting us with the WHAM trifecta of episodes 16, 17, and 18, where those earlier throwaway biological aspects are suddenly thoroughly examined. I remember thinking this way back during the season 1 premiere, too, that it was winning everyone over by shock value alone. Kind of like Goblin Slayer, expect it has narrative meat on its bones.
  5. kajnrig

    Macross figures

    kajnrig replied to CF18's topic in Toys

    Remind me again what the versions are? A = red B = blue C = ??? D = ???
  6. kajnrig
    Not sure if this is the same as the above, but I'm just seeing it now: The 1:23 mark gave me eerie flashbacks to ScarJo in the Shell: "We made you a new body. A synthetic shell. But your mind, your soul, your "ghost," it's still in there." *snerk*
  7. kajnrig
    I'm not sure which if any are in-house projects (ie a Netflix studio creates it) and which are simply licensing exclusives (Voltron I know is animated by Dreamworks and distributed exclusively by Netflix), but yes, the ones I've seen have been good more often than not. Speaking of, if you have a kid you might be interested in a cute little show called "Hilda," after the book series of the same name. Yeah, I was in a mood writing that. I assumed that the fans of the show might be of a particular type, and wanted to preempt an argument. Been a bit stressed lately due to lack of steady internet access. A lot of work I've been able to take care of at the library in the meantime, but there remains a lot that's on hiatus at home with deadlines getting closer and closer until AT&T finally get off their butts and fix their own mistake. I found the magitek-y elements - specifically, Violet's artificial arms - to be among the most interesting things in the show. I didn't have a problem with those at all. In fact, I wanted them incorporated more. I wanted to see Violet learning to use them, and how that journey reflected or contrasted with her journey through her trauma. I was extremely disappointed that they didn't spend more time on her learning to use her arms to type and/or on the other characters learning to deal with someone with such unique augmentations - from literally every character's initial response to her, it's clear that the level of magitek used on her is very much not the norm for this world. But really, what irritated me the most was the aforementioned storytelling, the contriving of drama and the barefaced manipulation of the viewer's emotions. The episode I finally called it quits, where Violet's fellow Auto Memory Doll and Objectively Best Girl Iris was tricked into coming back home, had a quick scene where Violet introduces herself to Iris's relatives, and her little curtsy gets a full ten, fifteen seconds of focus. Time slows down, a dramatic localized wind kicks up, everything is all very pretty, but it made me want to punch the phone. There was nothing, NOTHING, justifying that shot, and nothing, NOTHING, gained from it, but boy it sure did look pretty didn't it? Yeah, I guess. Pretty and vapid and empty. Just like a doll, ironically enough. It's like the creators didn't understand their own creation. blaaaarrrrrgggghhhkla;sdjflkasjfd anyway. I'm picking up Attack on Titan again, starting from the beginning and hoping I'll make it further than I did last time. I think it was the... 13-episode mark? I have a feeling I'll probably like it better this time around, but who knows. After that, once I get internet back again, it's onto Gridman: Attorney at Law.
  8. kajnrig
    If you have young kids, you'll probably have a good time with them with Hilda, apparently based on a graphic novel series of the same name. I thought it was pretty cute.
  9. kajnrig
    My 5-year old nephew couldn't sit still, either. I chalk it up to them being kids with short attention spans.
  10. kajnrig
    I didn't say the CGI character Shank looks like Gal Gadot. I said Shank is a damn gorgeous character design.
  11. kajnrig
    Shipping the bleep out of Vanellope and Shank. ...or maybe I'm just projecting, because damn Gal Gadot looks great be it real life or CGI.
  12. kajnrig
    Yeah, the story fell flat to me, too. There's a lot of "JUST TALK!!! SAY SOMETHING!!!" running through my head, and it's fine if it's isolated to just one or two characters, but the entire cast seems afflicted with the inability to say a single thing of consequence. It was infuriating for the episodes I sat through. For a story all about writing and the expression of emotion, you'd think they would be able to do so beyond more than just melodramatic outbursts. Sorry if that rubs fans the wrong way, but eh. Just not for me, I suppose. On another note, the Castlevania (not-)anime was surprisingly great. So... There's that. Happy Thanksgiving.
  13. kajnrig
    Not wrong. Edit: Specifically needs more gainax.
  14. kajnrig
    Gridman, yep, that's the one. I was thinking it was something like RRRR Birdman. :/ Thanks.
  15. kajnrig
    Thanks for the insight, all. Two episodes in, I'm put off by the characters - a bit too generic, too melodramatic - but that animation remains top notch. The world is the more interesting thing here, it's a shame we're so limited in what we see of it. I'll give it another two episodes, see how/if it ramps up. What's that super robot anime that just recently came out that people were gushing over the last few pages?
  16. kajnrig
    Yep, that's Obari, alright. Good to know his style still holds up after all these years.
  17. kajnrig
    Or it was a cynical ploy on the writers' part to drum up something to keep the audience's interest because the writing itself sure couldn't cut it.
  18. kajnrig
    No, it's the regular PS2 version emulated on the PS4's built-in emulator. It also doesn't come with the Deluxe edition specifically, it's a preorder bonus in general that unlocks once the game launches.
  19. kajnrig
    "Atlantis needs something greater than a king: A hero." That sounds profound at first blush, and it's certainly staged to be the big thematic statement of the movie, but my reaction was decidedly "Really? That's the best you could do?".
  20. kajnrig
    Anyone have thoughts/insight on Violet Evergarden? I watched the first episode last night and didn't find it all that interesting, though the art sure was top-notch. I'm wondering if there's a reason for such a high-budget first episode...
  21. kajnrig
    I saw this a couple weeks ago and really enjoyed it... until I had to leave with ~45 minutes left after a family emergency (that turned out to be neither family nor emergency) came up. Will definitely try to catch it again in cheapo theaters if I can, or on BD/streaming if that's what's left.
  22. kajnrig
    Turned way around on this whole Re-Edited for PG-13 Deadpool thing. They just know how to keep sucking me back in...
  23. kajnrig
    I'm pretty sure it was always $89. What I'm not sure on is what "digital preorder bonuses" implies. Going back a few pages, that phrase seems to cover all the preorder bonuses... - F-4 Phantom playable craft - F-104 "Avril" scheme - 3x additional skins - AC5/6 ...and excludes the season pass from the deluxe digital edition and the physical items from the Japanese/European collector's editions (physical patches, emblem stickers, the Arsenal Bird), but I'm still not certain.
  24. kajnrig
    I thought all the Walkure sans Freyja's VA had done work in the anime/singing industry pre-Delta? I thought that was kind of the point? Hold an audition for the new talent that would mirror the audition for the new talent in-universe, meanwhile the seasoned vets are voiced/sung by seasoned vets? No---- *looks at Yoko, looks at C Viper, looks at Rei HIno* .......yes. Was that ever a thing? I remember her bringing up her past career no more than thrice over the course of the series, and I don't remember her ever being bitter over it. A bit wistful, perhaps, and maybe being part of Walkure is a bittersweet "consolation prize," but she's not, like, trying to sabotage things in order to get back her old life or anything. This too I feel like it's more something that we read into the characters in lieu of anything else to do. Again, when she talks about being a "failed idol" (which... I dunno, seems maybe she was something of a one-hit wonder? which doesn't seem all that bad, really?), she doesn't sound overly bitter about it. Her worrying about Mikumo usurping her role reads to me more as her seeing the danger that Mikumo's immaturity brings to the team's cohesion. I know they play with it in the movie, her rivalry with Mikumo, but even then it's shown that she's clearly the better leader of the two, Mikumo's just got more raw power. Like Leonardo and Raphael, so to speak. Not to say I wouldn't enjoy a story where this is the/a central conflict.
  25. kajnrig
    Say what you will about the show and the characters and the singing groups, and I've said plenty, but I will never say no to more fanservice-y promotional art of Kaname or Mirage. I just wish the merchandise would go beyond that. What hints? Your implication is that there was a Sheryl/Ranka-style idolization/infatuation/lust/love thing going on, but I'm not sure if the material supports that thinking. Mostly I remember Mikumo just being a bitch to Freyja and oblivious about it. (On account of her being three years old and all.) Maybe I just don't remember it... Personally, I'd like to see a story arc where Kaname DOESN'T become an idol... and is perfectly okay with that. Like Myung, but with a happy ending. That was the vibe I got from her anyway... at least until they stopped giving any of them any vibes at all. She seemed to be perfectly settled into her role of mentor(/producer?) of the group, and her story seemed to be the burgeoning workplace relationship with Arad, yeah remember that? the interesting story thread they scuttled in favor of Moody McAngstface creeping on her and then awkwardly contrived what passed for them as drama? Blargh, I'm getting sidetracked again.
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