Author Topic: General Anime Talk/Reviews  (Read 44241 times)

FLYmeatwad

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Re: Sam Watches Anime
« Reply #40 on: December 29, 2014, 08:18:56 PM »
Those games aren't connected. While both of them, from what I have watched, haven't been amazing, they are fairly good adaptations of two of the best games ever made. And each are streaming, so probably worth checking out.

Sam the Cinema Snob

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Re: Sam Watches Anime
« Reply #41 on: January 05, 2015, 04:36:11 PM »
FLCL



4 Full Swing

For whatever reason, Haruko takes up baseball and ends up being amazing. She also decides to play for the opposing town’s team, irking Naota. One of Haruko’s home run balls ends up hitting a satellite in space which comes hurling down towards the town.  Naota also meets Commander Amarao (Kôichi Ôkura) who claims that Haruko is dangerous and simply using him for her own ends.

This episode begins to give us a bit more context into who Haruko is and what is to be made about some of this stuff. There’s still a crazy amount of unexplained weirdness, for instance the Gibson Flying V that grows out of Naota’s head which he can use similarly to Haruko’s own instrument weapon. Oh yea, and for some reason Naota’s dad was being impersonated by a robot and the body of his real father is revived by hot water. Wut?



5 Brittle Bullet

This episode is all about sexual jealousy. Both father and son have a thing for Haruko and when Kamona finds Naota and Haruko making out he decides that this can only be resolved in the manliest of fashion: airsoft fight. For a show that’s already over the top, this feels like the show’s high in terms of bonkers action and downright absurdity. It culminates in the coolest fight of the show.

For a setup as creepy as this, FLCL’s refusal to take any of this seriously makes it work. It’s far more about the payoff of insane, silly action and having Haruko make Naota as nervous as possible. The show’s dealt a lot in sexual content, but with such a sense of irreverence that it’s far more silly than creepy.

Commander Amarao gives the show that much needed context to make the absurdity feel like it actually was building to something instead of simply being all non-sequitors (althought, the shows still has plenty of those). All in all, this is probably the best episode of the show in terms of variety of animation, the general conceit, and the final, dramatic reveal.



6 FLCLimax

I’ll avoid discussing any of the plot of this episode because I think part of the enjoyment of this series is unraveling some sort of meaning from the craziness that is FLCL. In spite of the overwhelming absurdity, it’s worth mentioning that this episode does give some dramatic weight to the relationships in the episode. Mamimi’s decision in this episode makes sense after being marginalized in the last episode. The moment where the show resolves Naota and Haruko’s relationship has a weight even amid how dismissive Haruko is in general. There’s a softness to it that isn’t expected.

As it all comes to a close, I’m still left wondering what I think of FLCL. It’s such a unique, bizarre experience that I think I can recommend it to fans of the genre solely because it’s a memorable ride. The intensity and frequency of the bizarreness leaves the whole experience a bit disorienting, but there’s something wonderful about that. I’m left with more admiration than affection for the show.  Its ability to find enough order in the randomness while fully committing to absurdity is impressive, but it fails to win over my heart.

roujin

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Re: Sam Watches Anime
« Reply #42 on: January 05, 2015, 04:55:18 PM »
Will post our discussion of Kids on the Slope. One day.

Sam the Cinema Snob

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Re: Sam Watches Anime
« Reply #43 on: January 05, 2015, 05:19:43 PM »
HYPE!

Sam the Cinema Snob

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Re: Sam Watches Anime
« Reply #44 on: January 06, 2015, 04:46:40 PM »
Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood



1 Fullmetal Alchemist

Edward (Romi Pak) and Alphonse (Rie Kugimiya) Elric are two of the most talented fighters in the land. Ed is an alchemist, someone who through intense study of the sciences and rigorous training is able to transmute the physical world, allowing him to manipulate metal. Al is a soul bound by alchemy to a suit of armor, able to battle beyond the strength and endurance of a regular man.

The two of them work for Fuhrer King Bradley (Hidekatsu Shibata) and are called upon to hunt down Isaac McDougal, an alchemist who is able to manipulate water. Isaac insists that his quest to destroy Central (think the pentagon) is an attempt to stop the evils being done by the military, but Ed and Al are skeptical that this accusation has any truth.

For a first episode, there’s a decent amount of action mixed with a lot of setup. We get a decent sense of what the world is, the form of government and the state of the world. This doesn’t give us a whole lot of time for the characters to fully form yet and it feels like we’re still missing a bit about what makes Ed so special. His youth is obviously part of that, but for some reason it’s made a big deal that he can use alchemy without a transmutation circle, although I have no idea what that means.



2 The First Day

This episode delves into the origins of Ed and Al and it’s a dark, tragic tale. Sons of an alchemist, the two boys took an interest in their father’s work and library at a young age and began transmuting before the age of ten. When their mother dies, the two boys attempt to do the forbidden: human transmutation in an attempt to resurrect their mother. The cost is dear as Al loses his physical body and Ed loses a leg. However, in the process Ed is given a glimpse into the secrets of the universe, part of which gives him the knowledge to bind his brother’s soul to a suit of armor at the cost of his own right arm.

For a show about two young boys, the tone here is surprisingly dark and dramatic. The price they pay is dear, but combined with the hubris at work, even as children, makes the tragedy a bit dampened. Ed in particular has an arrogance about him that costs him a lot. This loss leads both to seek a way to regain their former bodies and when offered a job working for the state, it seems like a good opportunity to gain the resources to find what they are after.



3 City of Heresy

Ed and Al investigate Father Cornello (Seizô Katô), a man from the Church of Leo who gains a following by the ability to transmutate without observing the law of equivalency, which says matter can be changed, not created. This leads the boys to believe that Cornello may possess a fabled philosopher’s stone, an item that allows one to amplify transmutation’s power. Their investigation becomes entangled with Rose (Satsuki Yukino), a devout follower of Cornello who believes he will resurrect her dead lover.

This episode is an interesting examination of science, faith and the hubris of man. The idea of resurrection is core to many religions and Ed’s conversation with Rose teases out a lot of ideas about how the two differ in their respective worldviews. Adding yet a whole other interesting dimension to this is the appearance of two characters named Lust (Kikuko Inoue) and Gluttony (Tetsu Shiratori) who appear to be the puppet-masters behind Cornello. While certainly dealing with ideas of naturalism, there are heavy religious overtones to the show so far as well.

Wrapping up this set of episodes, the biggest takeaway is that the show works best when it’s at the most dark and dramatic. The story takes the characters and story to dark and twisted and explores the negative effects of the pursuit of power. However, the flip side of this is the horrendous attempts at comedy. There’s a lot of typical twee anime humor at work with that minimalized, exaggerated style for a lot of gags and it doesn’t fit the show at all. It’s consistently unfunny and occasionally ruins what should be a dramatic moment.

philip918

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Re: Sam Watches Anime
« Reply #45 on: January 06, 2015, 05:02:05 PM »
I’m left with more admiration than affection for the show.  Its ability to find enough order in the randomness while fully committing to absurdity is impressive, but it fails to win over my heart.

Oh, man. This show won my heart in a big way. It may be one of my favorite pieces of visual entertainment of all-time. Everything about it works for me and perfectly captures the energy and emotion of those early teenage years.

Sam the Cinema Snob

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Re: Sam Watches Anime
« Reply #46 on: January 12, 2015, 09:40:41 AM »


4 An Alchemist’s Anguish

Ed and Al search for more clues to the Philosopher’s Stone by studying with Shou Tucker (Makoto Nagai), a life alchemist who made a chimera that was able to understand human speech. The episode them moves to a surprisingly sweet episode as Ed and All bond with Shou’s daughter Nina (Sumire Morohoshi) and her dog, Alexander. It’s a nice break from the darkness of the boys’ lives, a reminder that they are still children at heart.

This would be a sweet episode expect that Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood wants to continually drive a stake through the audience’s heart. The final act is gut-wrenchingly cruel when Shou goes to desparate lengths to keep his title as a state alchemist. Meanwhile, a mysterious new figure who is going around murdering alchemist, claiming that alchemists have profaned god’s natural order. The ending leaves Ed aware of how little power he has in the world even as one of the world’s most talented alchemists.



5 Rain of Sorrows

The mysterious alchemist killer from the previous episode becomes known as Scar (Kenta Miyake). He attacks Ed and Al, leading to a short, vicious battle. In the battle, Ed shows little resolve to live, actually asking Scar to kill him at one point as long as he will leave Al alive. Central forces arrive before Scar kills Ed, but he does swiftly escape. The battle leaves Ed’s metal arm destroyed and Al’s armor half obliterated.

Not a lot happens this episode, but it’s the mood more than anything that makes the episode memorable. The continual rain, Ed’s dower mood, and the sense of desperation as Ed actually runs from a fight for once. The sense of defeat from the last episode lingers over the episode. It fails to move the story forward, but it’s superb as a character episode that fleshes out the Ed and Al relationship.



6 Road of Hope

Ed and Al head home with Armstrong (Kenji Utsumi) as an escort/guard. Along the way, they encounter doctor Marcoh (Masayuki Omoro) who used to research the philosopher’s stone before he went into hiding. He initially refuses to give them any information but eventually reveals a hint for where they can find more information about the stone. The main revelation they get is that the philosopher’s stone is something that you make. With this knowledge, they return home to Pinako (Miyoko Asô) and Winry (Megumi Takamoto), childhood friend and the mechanic who built Ed’s leg and arm. The trip gives them a chance to heal physically and emotionally.

Perhaps even more than the last episode, this is a downtime episode, but it once again does a good job of reflecting both the youthfulness of the boys while also showing that they’ve lost the innocence of youth. Perhaps the best moment is when Pinako explains the boys burned their home before leaving, a gesture that they had nothing left but each other going forward. The downside to this episode is the continually atrocious comedy which is always worse when Armstrong is added into the mix. He’s unbearable for most of the episode.

Sam the Cinema Snob

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Re: Sam Watches Anime
« Reply #47 on: January 15, 2015, 09:19:33 AM »


7 Hidden Truths

El and Al return to Central to discover the library that housed the doctor’s research on the philosopher’s stone has been burned to the ground. Fortunately, they discover Sheska (Chika Fujimura), a girl who worked at the library and has an amazing memory of everything she’s ever read, including the doctor’s research. Sadly, the discovery they make is that the key component to make a philosopher’s stone is a living human.

This is a dry, exposition filled episode. The show does try to make it livelier with a lot of comedy, but it’s still consistently the weakest element of the show. I do enjoy the banter between Denny (Yuki Hayashi) and Maria (Kaori Nazuka), the two new escorts for Ed and Al, a small consolation prize for a poor episode.



8 The Fifth Laboratory

The doctor’s research leads Ed and Al to The Fifth Laboratory, an ostensibly abandoned facility that the brothers find heavily guarded. Against orders from their military friends, the two sneak inside. They discover souls tied to armor similar to Al. After Ed defeats the suit of armor he battles and refuses to kill him, the owner of the armor agrees to tell him all he knows. But Lust kills him before anything is revealed.

Picking up the slack of the last episode, this one achieves a much better balance between pushing the plot forward as well as delivering some great action. Both the Ed and Al fights are strong. The Ed fight in particular ends up with quite a few interesting twists. This is also the first time Lust and Envy reveal themselves and it’ll be interesting to see how the show moves forward now that Ed has met two of the people behind the scenes pulling the strings.



9 Created Feelings

Ed recovers from his battle in the previous episode. Winry arrives and scolds him while Al seems out of sorts. In the previous episode, Barry the Butcher (Hideyuki Umezu), the armor Al fought with, suggests that Al has no way of knowing that he’s really a person and not a creation of Ed. Eventually, Al has it out with Ed and the two end up getting in a fight before reconnecting over mutual memories of their childhood.

Getting another episode about Ed recovering so quickly after episode six means the show dragging its legs. Also, the conflict wedged between the brothers feels contrived and unfounded. Having Al’s loyalty to his brother so easily shaken seems implausible. Also, this is another comedy heavy episode and it’s just as unfunny as ever. It’s a disappointment to get two lackluster episodes bookending such a fantastic episode. The show loses its momentum every time an episode like this is thrown into the mix.

Sam the Cinema Snob

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Re: Sam Watches Anime
« Reply #48 on: March 18, 2015, 03:47:08 PM »


10 Separate Destinations

This is the episode we should have gotten instead of episode nine. Furher Bradley himself appears and warns the brothers to be careful about talking about what they’ve discovered. Hughes investigates the fifth laboratory while Ed, Al and Winry begin a journey to go visit Ed and Al’s old alchemy teacher. Hughes makes a major connection, but Lust and Envy, quick to hide this secret, end up killing Hughes.

It’s nice to see the show begin to expand the story involving the characters in the military even as it brutally murders the most wonderful and kind character in the show thus far. It’s a shocking death this early on and the way the episode executes it is absolutely gut-wrenching. Intercut with his death is Ed, Al and Winry wistfully enjoying their train-ride, unaware of Hughes’ fate.  As usual, Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood wants the audience to suffer.



11 Miracle at Rush Valley

Winry convinces the brothers to stop at Rush Valley, center of the automail industry. Initially, this is another lame comedy episode where Winry runs around gushing and fetishizing technology. The back half turns into something more wonderful. A pickpocket leads the trio to a family of automail mechanics and they just happen to arrive in time to witness the miracle of birth.

This is yet another detour episode that grinds the story to a halt. However, the back half where Ed and Al are able to forget their quest and contemplate something both everyday and amazing provides a nice little bit of grounded storytelling. It’s a little slice of life story amid the grandiose, complex, and tragic story of the Elric Brothers.



12 One is All, All is One

Returning to their mission, Ed and Al visit Izumi (Shouko Tsuda), their old teacher. Since this is the first time they visit her after their accident, it’s a harsh reunion. The story is intercut with how they first met and trained with Izumi, surviving a month on their own on an island while contemplating the titular statement of the episode. The last act gives a couple of potent revelations, the biggest one being that Izumi once attempted human transmutation.

Izumi is a wonderful character. Her brutal edge hiding a deep grief is a beautiful and poetic mirror image of the brother’s own grief, one the film uses to bond the characters in the final moment. Also, she’s a total badass and her declaration that she’s just a housewife is quite amusing. Also, seeing more of the brother’s past here is also a delight. The episode is a nice balance of past and present woven together into some great character moments.



13 Beasts of Dublith

Al gets tangled up with some bizarre creatures after they capture him. Ed ends up hunting him down and the two encounter Greed. They discover that the creatures are intelligent chimeras, successful implementations of what failed so horribly in episode four. They also discover Greed is a special homunculus granted advanced healing powers and an ultimate shield by a tattoo. Meanwhile, Ray and his crew transfer up to central.

As the show expands alchemy, it’s interesting that these new, seemingly impossible techniques are found out alongside the characters. It helps the exposition feel less forced and also adds to the core mystery of the film about the secret organization. This revelations also leads to a downright awesome fight. While it works great visually, it becomes even better because it becomes a fight where Ed has to use his wits even more than his powers to keep in the fight. And Izumi’s scene stealing scene is one of the best moments in the show so far. This feels like a game-changing episode that could help the story gain more forward momentum.

Sam the Cinema Snob

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Re: Sam Watches Anime
« Reply #49 on: March 23, 2015, 02:22:34 PM »

14 Those Who Lurk Underground

Fuhrer Bradley and a team of troops show up to rescue Ed and Al.  As the troops hunt down and kill the chimeras, Bradley hunts down Greed and the two get into a vicious fight. It’s revealed that Bradley is also a homunculus and his tattoo gives him the power to see everyone’s weakness. Bradley takes Greed back to the leader of the homunculi, someone referred to as Father, and Greed is melted into a philosopher’s stone that Father drinks.

It’s no surprise that Bradley is a badguy, so it’s nice the show gets it out of the way. However, the nature of his character as similar to the homunculus is something I didn’t expect. He’s considered Wrath from the deadly sins, which makes some sense as people occasionally comment that he’s increased war in the kingdom since he started reigning. Now that he’s out as on the enemy team for the viewers, it’ll be interesting to see if we get more glimpses into their plans.



15 Envoy from the East

Scar ends up joining forces with some strangely talented girl named May Chang who is seeking Ed. Ed and Al end up fighting the bodyguards of Ling Yao, a prince from the eastern kingdom of Xing seeking the secret of immortality. Roy and his crew detain Barry the Chopper, the armor that Al fought outside the fifth laboratory.

This is a big wait and see episode. The show pulls back and gives a glimpse of a lot of characters, but doesn’t follow much of plot arc. It is worth noting that these past couple of episodes, the show has started toning down the comedic aspects. Ling is a goofy character, but the show makes the comedy work a bit better as it’s integrated more into the dramatic style and less amplified as previous episodes. I still don’t find it funny, but it’s not grating anymore.



16 Footsteps of a Comrade-in Arms

Ed and Al return to central and no one has the heart to them that Hughes is dead. Eventually the brothers discover and go to talk to Hughes’s wife and daughter. Ed blames himself for involving Hughes in something dangerous. Meanwhile, hoping to sate Roy’s curiosity, Envy and Lust work to frame Ross (the woman who was bodyguard for the brother’s for a brief period) for the murder and she is taken into custody.

This episode lingers on Ed and Al processing the grief of losing a friend and also contemplating whether or not they should continue their investigation if it means putting lives at risk. It’s good to see these events have real weigh for the characters and the show does give a decent amount of screentime to the wife and daughter to a character. I appreciate the show’s willingness to take time off to explore simple human drama and try to connect with characters another show would simply ignore.