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I think Index is pretty solid as well. Ultimately, the best way to form an opinion is to check it out for yourself, though I will say one flaw it has compared to Railgun is that it's cast is much larger and even the 'focus' characters don't get a ton of development.
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Jun 4, 2013 01:52
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Knowing absolutely nothing about your tastes, I can't make any hard suggestion about whether or not you should watch it. I can say that I don't think the average ADTRW poster would enjoy it, and that I don't think anyone here who's watched it has thought it was particularly awesome or a must-watch. Personally, I did like it. I think it does do some things very very well. The setting is great, and the possibilities it establishes work well into solving the conflicts the story presents. It also has one of the best-voiced, funniest characters I have seen in a long time, but I wouldn't begrudge someone being offended by her. The first season, at least, is a generally lighthearted romp through the setting established by the show's parent franchise (Railgun itself is a spinoff), elaborating on some of the more day-to-day issues and conflicts that can crop up in it. You can check the Railgun S thread OP (courtesy of yours truly) for more information on the setting and characters. The OP contains minor character and plot spoilers. If you want to give it a shot, three episode testing it should be enough. The tone doesn't deviate significantly from those first three episodes (apart from some pretty nice actiony stuff that happens a couple times), and the show's failures don't really get any worse. fake edit: Also being a fan of the franchise as a whole, I'm going to be contrary to Nate RFB here and say that if you end up liking Railgun, Index (i.e., A Certain Magical Index, the parent story that Railgun is a spinoff of) offers you more of the setting but with a vastly different tone and a focus on totally different characters and conflicts. That said, the two seasons of the Index anime that currently exist do not cover the parts of the original light novels that I personally think make the franchise enjoyable. Come back and ask for more info if you decide to go for it 
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Jun 4, 2013 01:54
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I enjoy Index somewhat, but objectively speaking, it's awful. Edit: To elaborate, none of the characters have much depth, Index herself is really annoying when she's around Touma (although she isn't actually that important a character), and the author has obviously done no research about anything. Also, there's a fair amount of sexualization of ~14-year-old girls. Edit 2: Also infodumping. I normally have a fairly high tolerance for that sort of thing, but in Index the infodumps often don't even really explain things so much as introduce new plotholes for no reason. Silver2195 fucked around with this message at 02:18 on Jun 4, 2013 |
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Jun 4, 2013 01:59
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For it's genre, Railgun is pretty solid. Pros: * Surprisingly complex characters for an action series * Likable cast * Interesting setting * Intelligent use of superpowers * Crisp and fluid visuals * Good OPs Cons: * Relatively low on the action for an action show * Fanservice. Not ridiculous levels, but it can definitely be off-putting * Not much in the way of over-arching narrative * Inevitably linked to Index
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Jun 4, 2013 02:17
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I'll fully admit that I have a bit of a knee jerk reaction to Index. It's mostly that Railgun on its own has more or less shown itself to be an entertaining enough story at the best of times, and Index just muddles it. You come away from Railgun thinking that there's plenty there for potential stories or world building, but it's just a drop in the bucket compared to the confusing mess that is Index (30+ light novels and still going with no end in sight). Almost everything I read or watch in Index (and yes I've even read a bunch of the light novels) makes me like Railgun less by proxy. Mikoto is kind of a generic dumb tsundere in it, for starters. The only saving grace for Index I suppose is that the three male main characters' stories rarely crossover. So you could just ignore everything related to Touma and bypass a good amount of the dumb by simply skipping his chapters.
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Jun 4, 2013 02:24
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Silver2195 posted:I enjoy Index somewhat, but objectively speaking, it's awful. I never finished it, but from what I watched of Index it seemed to me like all the infodumps would only be important for the current arc, and then when the next arc would come along 99% of the infodumps from the previous arc would never be relevant again. It's not like Index is unique in that regard but boooooy there were a lot of long, uninteresting infodumps.
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Jun 4, 2013 02:55
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I'm watching Railgun season 1 now and really enjoying it (having finished the first arc). It's not super deep but it's well made and lot of fun. Redcrimson's post seems right on the details. I'm particularly impressed by the way they show how people behave very differently in different settings and circumstances - something that even much more serious shows don't always do well. Kuroko is a great example - at first she seems like she's going to be a 1-note joke character, but soon we find she's a real person with depth and a joke character .
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Jun 4, 2013 15:00
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Not strictly a topic for this thread, but you guys recommended me Bambino a while back which I thoroughly enjoyed. But what's the deal with the sequel? I can't find it anywhere.
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Jun 5, 2013 08:26
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You guys convinced me to watch Railgun, so here's my understanding of the first few episodes: ATTACK OF THE PSYCHO LESBIAN. And thank god for Misaka wearing shorts.
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Jun 6, 2013 19:14
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pandaK posted:Not strictly a topic for this thread, but you guys recommended me Bambino a while back which I thoroughly enjoyed. But what's the deal with the sequel? I can't find it anywhere. So far as I know, it is entirely untranslated. Yeah, I was disappointed, too.
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Jun 6, 2013 19:54
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My friend is working on an illustration project for his schooling and was asking me about Anime because he knows almost nothing about it beyond what most people who really like animation know (Ghibli, Paprika, Redline, etc). He's comparing and contrasting comic book characters from different countries and how they are similar different. So he naturally asked me who the top 5 most important Manga heroes in history were. This is the tentative list I'm giving him but you people seemed like legit folks to run this question by: 1) Kenshiro 2) JoJo 3) Yabuki Joe 4) Astro Boy 5) Amuro Ray Does this seem right or at least serviceable? It seems weird to not have Goku on there but I was trying to avoid things that were also big in other cultures and were instead unique in their popularity to Japan.
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Jun 7, 2013 06:39
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Monkey D. Luffy and Son Goku are two obvious candidates. Amuro is more 'anime' than manga.
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Jun 7, 2013 06:51
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Yeah, I'd swap Luffy in for Amuro. Also, which Jojo -- I assume Jotaro?
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Jun 7, 2013 12:17
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Your list needs more Oscar.
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Jun 7, 2013 13:02
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If they only have to be 5, your list is very good. It's a hard decision on the fifth one, though, because as much as I dig on the White Devil, the aforementioned Goku and Luffy are more well known... yet, at the same time, Astro Boy's presence on that list pretty much makes them redundant. Maybe a Koji Kabuto or Akira Fudo?
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Jun 7, 2013 13:47
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Your list is very specific for Anime in America. But that might be what you are intending. An even there you are basically missing the last generation of Anime with Dragonball or Sailormoon. In Japan the most recognizable and popular Anime characters are almost certainly Doraemon and Nobita. For example here is a list where random Japanese persons were asked,instead of American fans of Anime: http://www.japan-talk.com/jt/new/25-most-popular-japanese-cartoon-characters 1) Kenshiro -> Place 22 2) JoJo -> Not on the list 3) Yabuki Joe -> Place 24 4) Astro Boy -> Place 5 5) Amuro Ray -> Place 17 Even if you include Europe you will get other lists, because some series were aired there but never in America. Or even Japanese/European Co-Productions like Biene Maja or Wickie which are more recognisable as Micky Mouse in the German countries..
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Jun 7, 2013 14:59
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He asked for comics and for "heroes," which probably influenced the selection process. If the comparison is (I'm guessing) to American and European superhero comics, then a lot of the results in that poll (including the top four!) aren't applicable.
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Jun 7, 2013 15:50
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It seems like Sailor Moon should be included because she's an action/adventure hero written and drawn by a women for a female audience. I'm not sure if her popularity matches those others though.
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Jun 7, 2013 18:05
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That is a pretty difficult question, because manga's not a genre, it's a medium (obviously) - so it's your call as to whether that means heroes in manga full stop, or superheroes in manga. What's more interesting to him?tonberrytoby posted:Your list is very specific for Anime in America. But that might be what you are intending. And here's the top 20 superheroes: http://www.japan-talk.com/jt/new/20-greatest-Japanese-superheroes - most seem to be live-action Ultraman types, but Sailor Moon, Astroboy, and Son Goku are there. So is Spiderman.
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Jun 7, 2013 18:13
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a kitten posted:It seems like Sailor Moon should be included because she's an action/adventure hero written and drawn by a women for a female audience. I'm not sure if her popularity matches those others though. That again depends if you are restricting yourself to American releases/popularity or not. In Germany or France Gundamn was never released, but Sailor Moon was fully released and very popular. And in Japan it is probably bigger than JoJo at least.
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Jun 7, 2013 18:13
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Is Oreimo worth the watch? I watched a couple episodes and while it seems well written and has decent art and animation, the premise is a bit hard to deal with. Does the whole shameful otaku beauty pervade the rest of the show or does it change later on?
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Jun 9, 2013 01:59
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ViggyNash posted:Is Oreimo worth the watch? I watched a couple episodes and while it seems well written and has decent art and animation, the premise is a bit hard to deal with. Does the whole shameful otaku beauty pervade the rest of the show or does it change later on? Oh, it changes alright. It actually gets worse. It has pretty much dropped all pretense in the second season and crashed straight into otaku incest fantasy. Which is a shame considering it actually started rather strong. But you gotta move them Blu-Rays and LNs, I guess.
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Jun 9, 2013 02:03
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ViggyNash posted:You guys convinced me to watch Railgun, so here's my understanding of the first few episodes:
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Jun 9, 2013 07:49
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Yeah its supposed to contrast with popular hero characters from different countries, so like Spiderman and Superman types for America. He however wanted to really focus on characters that were uniquely popular in their own countries and didn't have a lot of cross-cultural fame which is why I didn't put Goku or Sailor Moon since those are pretty rooted in the mainstream culture of the USA and Mexico as well as Japan (Saint Seiya as well). And when I think of characters that are extremely well loved in only Japan I naturally think of Yabuki Joe and JoJo who are pretty much unknown outside their native countries except by big anime and fighting game fans. I'll probably swap out Amuro for Luffy if only because that list is super weighted towards older comics and shows. The problem is that I think he really wants characters who are cultural icons in the way some American heroes are, guys who any random layperson will know a bit about which puts a big emphasis on the classic era of late 70's and 80's shows and I debated if Harlock or Lupin should be on there as well.
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Jun 9, 2013 10:10
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Then like I said you need to have Oscar François de Jarjayes on your list.
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Jun 9, 2013 12:39
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El Estrago Bonito posted:Yeah its supposed to contrast with popular hero characters from different countries, so like Spiderman and Superman types for America. He however wanted to really focus on characters that were uniquely popular in their own countries and didn't have a lot of cross-cultural fame which is why I didn't put Goku or Sailor Moon since those are pretty rooted in the mainstream culture of the USA and Mexico as well as Japan (Saint Seiya as well). And when I think of characters that are extremely well loved in only Japan I naturally think of Yabuki Joe and JoJo who are pretty much unknown outside their native countries except by big anime and fighting game fans. I'll probably swap out Amuro for Luffy if only because that list is super weighted towards older comics and shows. The problem is that I think he really wants characters who are cultural icons in the way some American heroes are, guys who any random layperson will know a bit about which puts a big emphasis on the classic era of late 70's and 80's shows and I debated if Harlock or Lupin should be on there as well. Which would give you something like: Astro Boy, Mario Mario, Son Goku, Lupin, Arale, Amuro Rei, GeGeGe no Kitaro, Kenshiro, Ashita no Joe. The next problem is that if you say popular heroes in Japan instead of popular heroes in Anime in Japan you can't leave out Ultraman or Kamen Raider. They are probably more recognizable to mainstream audiences then most Anime heroes on the list. e: Actually you should take out Batman from the list of American heroes. He is also pretty popular in Europe. VictualSquid fucked around with this message at 14:24 on Jun 9, 2013 |
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Jun 9, 2013 14:21
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I really liked the first 14 episodes of Death Note. I wanted to watch something else with a magnificent bastard of a main character, so I watched the 3 episodes of Code Geass. It's like everything terrible about anime except pedophilia combined in one gigantic clusterfuck, and so far it is the worst anime I have ever seen. Does it get better or what?
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Jun 10, 2013 13:26
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Mercrom posted:I really liked the first 14 episodes of Death Note. I wanted to watch something else with a magnificent bastard of a main character, so I watched the 3 episodes of Code Geass. It's like everything terrible about anime except pedophilia combined in one gigantic clusterfuck, and so far it is the worst anime I have ever seen. Does it get better or what? Code Geass has one of the best first episodes in anime, and Death Note is mediocre trash. Sorry. v  vEDIT: In fairness I thought exactly the same thing the first time I tried to watch it, but my opinions back then were stupid. Tuxedo Catfish fucked around with this message at 13:32 on Jun 10, 2013 |
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Jun 10, 2013 13:29
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Mercrom posted:I really liked the first 14 episodes of Death Note. I wanted to watch something else with a magnificent bastard of a main character, so I watched the 3 episodes of Code Geass. It's like everything terrible about anime except pedophilia combined in one gigantic clusterfuck, and so far it is the worst anime I have ever seen. Does it get better or what? Here's the tip for how to enjoy Code Geass: Do not take it seriously one bit and enjoy that it's intentionally trying to be as over the top as possible in a fun way.
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Jun 10, 2013 13:38
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Mercrom posted:I really liked the first 14 episodes of Death Note. I wanted to watch something else with a magnificent bastard of a main character, so I watched the 3 episodes of Code Geass. It's like everything terrible about anime except pedophilia combined in one gigantic clusterfuck, and so far it is the worst anime I have ever seen. Does it get better or what? Is there anything besides Death Note you enjoy? You're probably the most cynical poster I've seen in ADTRW, dude. Lighten up with your posts at least, every single one I've seen reads like an angry rant. Like you came in expecting the Citizen Kane Of Anime, but instead got Deuce Bigelow: Anime Gigolo. Your expectations seem like they're astronomical.
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Jun 10, 2013 13:38
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What's with people not liking Code Geass? That's hands down one of my favorite shows of all time, and honestly it has some of the best plot writing I've ever seen. I;m not sure what you didn't like about the first episode because I thought it was a fantastic introduction to Lelouch, his Geass, and the setting.
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Jun 10, 2013 13:47
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The final four episodes of Geass season 1 are pretty great, but the rest (especially season 2) are a bit of a train wreck. But it sure is an entertaining train wreck. That said, I like Code Geass way more than Death Note. E: Seriously, so many good things came out of the Geass era. I think my favorite was gg intentionally putting in long comments in their subs that would completely break VLC. Nate RFB fucked around with this message at 13:58 on Jun 10, 2013 |
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Jun 10, 2013 13:52
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Captain Invictus posted:Is there anything besides Death Note you enjoy? You're probably the most cynical poster I've seen in ADTRW, dude. Lighten up with your posts at least, every single one I've seen reads like an angry rant. Like you came in expecting the Citizen Kane Of Anime, but instead got Deuce Bigelow: Anime Gigolo. Your expectations seem like they're astronomical. Tuxedo Catfish posted:Code Geass has one of the best first episodes in anime, and Death Note is mediocre trash. Sorry. v Also the early parts of Death Note are really good cheesy fun, like the early parts of Dexter. The rest is crap though.
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Jun 10, 2013 15:31
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Mercrom posted:Can you elaborate? Does the show get better, or did you suddenly learn to enjoy the things I listed? I love (most of) the things you listed. Code Geass doesn't give a gently caress about plausibility, it's pretty much a Greek tragedy disguised as a robot anime. The only thing I don't like about it is that the second season kind of goes off the rails and has characters behave in ways inconsistent with who they were in the first season, for the sake of drama.
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Jun 10, 2013 15:47
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Tuxedo Catfish posted:I love (most of) the things you listed. Code Geass doesn't give a gently caress about plausibility, it's pretty much a Greek tragedy disguised as a robot anime. The only thing I don't like about it is that the second season kind of goes off the rails and has characters behave in ways inconsistent with who they were in the first season, for the sake of drama. I must have missed something because I didn't really get that sense at all.
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Jun 10, 2013 15:55
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Tuxedo Catfish posted:I love (most of) the things you listed. Code Geass doesn't give a gently caress about plausibility, it's pretty much a Greek tragedy disguised as a robot anime. The only thing I don't like about it is that the second season kind of goes off the rails and has characters behave in ways inconsistent with who they were in the first season, for the sake of drama. The studio heads had them rush out a rewrite of everything from scratch for R2, if I remember rightly - That's why it's so disjointed. And it's such a shame too, considering Season 1 ends with what was quite possibly the mother of all cliffhangers.
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Jun 10, 2013 15:57
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ViggyNash posted:I must have missed something because I didn't really get that sense at all. The biggest example to me is (huge ending spoilers, beware) Lelouch committing suicide right in front of his sister, who he loves more than anything and who was in part his motivation for changing the world in the first place. I mean, it's almost right, because we knew from day one that Lelouch is crazy self-destructive. But the execution is all wrong.
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Jun 10, 2013 15:59
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Neddy Seagoon posted:The studio heads had them rush out a rewrite of everything from scratch for R2, if I remember rightly - That's why it's so disjointed. And it's such a shame too, considering Season 1 ends with what was quite possibly the mother of all cliffhangers.
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Jun 10, 2013 16:00
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Tuxedo Catfish posted:The biggest example to me is (huge ending spoilers, beware) Lelouch committing suicide right in front of his sister, who he loves more than anything and who was in part his motivation for changing the world in the first place. I thought the ending was perfect. I get what you are trying to say, but you're seeing it wrong. His goal was to create a world where Nunally could live a good life. That doesn't require him to be alive in that world. He has already accepted his death since his original plan (kill father, take over as Zero w/ Black Knights) got hosed, so instead he creates a personal ultimatum. He will become the perfect villain in order to contsruct the perfect hero, someone who will win over everyone and bring the empire together. He accomplished exactly what he wanted to all along.
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Jun 10, 2013 16:42
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Mercrom posted:I guess that's just my posting habit. I just don't post something if someone else already has, which means I basically never post praise. All I wanted from Code Geass was to be entertained by some guy making people do crazy poo poo with his mind control powers like I saw in a AMV Hell clip. That's literally it. So far it feels like I've wasted an hour on a Japanese victim complex, technobabble, politicsbabble, robots, high school, and a shower scene. I watched the first episode of Valvrave and I enjoyed that way more. The problem is your getting your recommendations from AMV hell. You also can't talk about death note simultaneously being the best thing you've ever seen and "parts are good cheesy fun but the rest is crap" on the same page of a thread.
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Jun 10, 2013 16:43
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