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Post by Carzy on Aug 3, 2014 10:21:51 GMT -5
Girl standing outside on her mech shooting as her mech also fires at the enemy. I'm interested now.
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Jin
Lower-High Tier Otter
Posts: 318
Likes: 310
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Post by Jin on Aug 3, 2014 14:16:35 GMT -5
That's fucking retarded in so many ways. YOU KNOW WHAT'S A GOOD IDEA? IF I GET OUT OF THIS GIANT ASS DEATH MACHINE THAT CAN PROTECT ME BECAUSE IT WAS DESIGNED BY SOMEONE WITHOUT A BRAIN AND DIDN'T INCLUDE PROPER AIMING COMPENSATION WHEN INSIDE THE COCKPIT. I hope that scene ends with a her getting sniped and there's just brains scattered everywhere. Seriously, why the fuck would you do that when you can properly pilot? That shit doesn't any god damned sense.
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Blueshift
Lower-High Tier Otter
Veteran ARKS Member
Posts: 260
Likes: 110
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Post by Blueshift on Aug 3, 2014 19:52:38 GMT -5
First thing that crosses my mind when I saw the suit... Strike Freedom.
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Post by boozy on Aug 3, 2014 21:11:06 GMT -5
Shut up Jin, it's a about giant robots fighting dragons with girls in skimpy outfits you will like it
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Post by Carzy on Aug 3, 2014 22:58:42 GMT -5
It's anime Jin. I thought you of all people would know that
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Jin
Lower-High Tier Otter
Posts: 318
Likes: 310
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Post by Jin on Aug 4, 2014 13:41:00 GMT -5
Shut up Jin, it's a about giant robots fighting dragons with girls in skimpy outfits you will like it If it was giant girls in skimpy outfits fighting dragons it'd be better
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Ulyses
Lower-High Tier Otter
Posts: 275
Likes: 315
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Post by Ulyses on Aug 4, 2014 16:51:24 GMT -5
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Post by Noble Cactus on Aug 12, 2014 13:39:54 GMT -5
Just finished watching Ruin Explorers and... it's alright, by Fantasy standards.
Ruin Explorers falls somewhere between Lodoss and Slayers in terms of, well, everything, with the faithfulness to a traditional D&D setting more resembling the former and the humor more resembling the latter. It strikes a balance between these two ends of the Fantasy spectrum, yet it doesn’t really excel at either. The plot is nothing to write home about, being the standard “a band of adventurers sets off to find the conveniently-named Ultimate Power, stopping an evil wizard along the way” for which the Fantasy genre is all too well-known. The animation is smooth and crisp, especially for 1995. It doesn’t take many budget shortcuts when it comes to portraying the battles, and the show’s production values are probably its most distinctive feature when paired alongside other entries in the genre. The characters are bustling and full of life, but aside from the main character, aren’t anything to cherish over a decade later (though catgirl fans might find a new sweetheart in Fam). I just finished watching the show and aside from the simple glib yet wistful credits song, I can’t remember any of the music at all. Ruin Explorers a decidedly-above average show overall; it does everything in the genre well enough to stand out amongst its peers, yet not enough to stand out amid the grander canon of mid-90s fiction anime. This is mostly to do with a lack of character development, or rather, a knowledge of where the characters are coming from.
At only four episodes, Ruin Explorers doesn’t have much room to expand beyond telling the plot. We see the two main characters grow and overcome their convictions in one episode, but we are never shown why the main character began studying magic in the first place, or how she met the catgirl and why she decided to take her under her wing, or what the sorceress’ motivations are to obtaining the ultimate power and why she is so flighty at times, or any number of other background details that would have helped solidify the party’s goals for doing what they do. Nor do we see good closure to any of the characters except for the prince in the conclusion (the rush to finish the show in four episodes really shows here, since the credits is a series of still vignettes revealing what happens to each of the characters). This alone makes the ending both somewhat satisfying and very lacking, and it’s another one of the show’s big weaknesses. Still, RE manages to be tender through the character interactions between the two heroines in spite of the absence of necessary character-building details. Though bumping the show’s episode count to five would likely have allowed the story to briefly explore the cast’s past, it is easy to see where the money for a fifth episode went when you look at the quality of the show’s animation.
As an aside, the third episode is spent entirely on a ship. While this would have been acceptable filler (hah) in a longer show, this segment somewhat dilutes the heroes’ journey when a fourth of the show is spent in a static environment. This is probably handled much better in the manga, as usual, as is the character development.
Ruin Explorers doesn’t do anything remarkable, nor is it a landmark in the realm of Japanese Fantasy. Perhaps what sets it apart from its peers is that, while often goofy, it’s not as over-the-top as other comedy Fantasy and manages to hold onto a strand of sweetness in its four episode lifespan. For passing watchers of Fantasy or for those who don’t take much interest in it, you can probably pass up Ruin Explorers and not miss anything significant. For those who are invested in the genre, it’s worth a watch because it instills you with a warm and fuzzy vibe that just needs a little more push to really be successful. It’s short and touching, but could have felt complete if it just had that small spark of the past spurring its characters onward.
The lack of any elves also puts a bit of a cinch on Ruin Explorer's success. This is a very serious matter that should not be taken lightly.
—
I'll be watching Dragon Half next. It's only two episodes, but for some reason I never got around to watching the second.
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ps i'm ando
Upper-High Tier Otter
Posts: 708
Likes: 595
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Post by ps i'm ando on Aug 14, 2014 1:16:40 GMT -5
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Jin
Lower-High Tier Otter
Posts: 318
Likes: 310
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Post by Jin on Aug 14, 2014 4:22:14 GMT -5
Working!! Season 3 motherfuckers
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Post by Noble Cactus on Aug 14, 2014 5:27:52 GMT -5
This is an unfair, unfounded stereotype that uses the worst examples of a community to judge its innocent individuals as a whole. Classic armchair racism.
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chirp
Upper-Mid Tier Otter
Posts: 144
Likes: 189
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Post by chirp on Aug 14, 2014 10:35:50 GMT -5
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Post by Carzy on Aug 14, 2014 12:00:51 GMT -5
So is Working!! the slice of life with moe girls I need to watch
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Jin
Lower-High Tier Otter
Posts: 318
Likes: 310
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Post by Jin on Aug 14, 2014 14:18:05 GMT -5
Working!! is something I don't get tired of watching
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Post by Noble Cactus on Aug 16, 2014 14:37:38 GMT -5
I finished Dragon Half and... uhh... it was short? I said earlier that while TWHE starts using its Fantasy setting to loosely ground its comedy about three or four episodes in, Dragon Half uses its cliches to lampoon the genre itself. And I still stand by that statement. It's a shameless 90s gag comedy replete with visual absurdities and silly dialogue (and probably a load of puns that didn't make it into the subs), about a half-dragon girl who sets off with her elf and dwarf girlfriends to win the heart of the dragon slayer who wants to kill her. Hilarity in a shoe. One questions how a dragon can peacefully raise her family in a nation whose media culture is almost entirely dedicated to slaying dragons, but social reflection is not one of Dragon Half's strong points. The animation constantly shifts between three or four levels of super deformity from which the shoe draws most of its humor, which is a carryover from the manga that actually ends up working out well in practice, if you can say such a thing about constant chibi interjections. The animation is pretty typical for a show with chibis jerkily bouncing around everywhere but doesn't cheat too much with the more action-oriented scenes, so it's not terribly jarring. The dub is actually pretty decent; while the voices are hammy, they're not grating and actually fit the show's irreverent mood and pick up on a few language subtleties that the subs cannot (*I forgot to mention that TWHE's dub isn't all too bad either for the same reason, though the voices of the random elves get irritating very quickly, i.e. upon hearing them*). Plus most of the girls sound like bratty teenagers, which is appropriate, and I don't know enough about the intricacies of the Japanese language to know if the original voices do the same. I don't want to say too much because the show is only two episodes long, and because everything about it is self-explanatory. No need to take it past face value. Still, it's heartwarming and funny in that distinctly cheesy 90s anime way, something you could sit down with a friend or significant other and at together on a Saturday night. There's just one issue. It's unfinished. The end of the second episode and the after credits sequence both imply that there were going to be more episodes that covered the rest of the manga. But there aren't any other episodes. After a bit of searching (going to wikipedia), I found this: Oh well. It's not something you can remake, either, or would want to remake. It's far too 1993 to be translated into any other point in time. But Dragon Half could really have used those last two episodes to round it off. The manga also commits a cardinal sin by having the main elf girl get turned into a human near the end due to a magical mishap. That just ain't right. So maybe I'm better off not seeing the animation's conclusion. For the one hour that it lasts, Dragon Half is good mindless fun. It's cute and doesn't take itself seriously at all, so if you're bored and looking for something to do at 2 in the morning, go download this show and turn your brain off. I'm sure this was plastered all over anime angelfires at one point in time. - I'm watching Ozanari Dungeon next. It seems like I've reached the point where Fantasy anime can only go so far before they all start looking the same, so I'm not expecting all too much out of this one. Let PE guide me. At least it's only three episodes. After that I'll get around to Dragoon.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 18, 2014 22:06:20 GMT -5
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Blueshift
Lower-High Tier Otter
Veteran ARKS Member
Posts: 260
Likes: 110
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Post by Blueshift on Aug 18, 2014 22:18:09 GMT -5
Now that it would be gone, what would you suggest for this boring, mundane world?
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Post by Carzy on Aug 19, 2014 11:10:53 GMT -5
Fuk u auto. Anime is mai lyfe
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Diveman
Low-Mid Tier Otter
Posts: 72
Likes: 67
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Post by Diveman on Aug 19, 2014 20:15:16 GMT -5
I wish there was another anime like "Another", they don't make more horror anime these days
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ps i'm ando
Upper-High Tier Otter
Posts: 708
Likes: 595
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Post by ps i'm ando on Aug 20, 2014 1:51:14 GMT -5
Commie's Hanamonogatari release is out
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wne
Lower-High Tier Otter
dope smangin
Posts: 227
Likes: 200
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Post by wne on Aug 20, 2014 4:35:28 GMT -5
MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM good. time to dl. also anyone here read Girls of the Wilds? I binge read that 2 days ago it was pretty harem-y and cliched at times but I really came to like the characters. Diveman what are your fav horror mangas of late?
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Diveman
Low-Mid Tier Otter
Posts: 72
Likes: 67
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Post by Diveman on Aug 22, 2014 22:59:13 GMT -5
I haven't read that many horror mangas honestly, I'm still looking for something like Another or Ibitsu but no luck.
Also you guys should watch Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun. I'm usually not into romance animes but this one is really funny, it feels more like comedy.
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Post by Noble Cactus on Aug 25, 2014 14:23:45 GMT -5
So, finished Ozanari Dungeon. All three episodes of it. Nothing special.
There's not much to say about it because it's average in pretty much every way. Animation, sound, music, voice acting, character designs (except for the antagonist, his design looks lazy as hell). The mc is a feisty elf amazon but other than her and the silent dog magician that accompanies her, nobody is memorable enough to make a lasting impression after everything's said and done. The plot itself is a very typical RPG "three adventurers set out to find treasure and get bank but accidentally unleash horrible destruction on mankind," though because the show is only three episodes long it all unfolds in a superficial rush. Oh, and the creator of the series is/was probably a furry, since most of the people that inhabit Ozanari's nondescript landscape — save for a few regular humans, a couple elves, and these sorcerer-robot things that also happen to turn into swords — are anthropomorphic creatures, for no particular reason. Not that that's a bad thing. If they were just regular people, I think the show would lose what little character it already had.
So why watch this show? It's important to note that this series started in 1988, which is a year before Slayers and two years after Lodoss became novelized. The ova is from 1991, 4 years before Slayers and right around when the Lodoss ova was finishing up. So Ozanari is actually an old relic from the early years of High Fantasy in anime/manga. For that reason, its formulaic plot can be somewhat excused, as can the fact that it doesn't really bring anything new to the table. It's lighthearted and attempts to be fun, so for the time this probably contrasted with Lodoss in an interesting way, even if it's rather forgettable. It's also apparently difficult to find on DVD, which could account for its relative obscurity. I'm sure this show is dear to someone's heart out there, though, but only because they stayed at their aunt's house one summer and the only things to watch there were three VHSes of The Land Before Time and Ozanari Dungeon, so they watched it ten times over before they went back home.
The manga itself ran for 60 issues, and goes into far more detail than the ova. Obviously. I might read that just because it's easy and because it probably gives more depth to the world this takes place in. As much as a standard RPG has to offer, anyway. It also probably explains why the mc carries around a sword who runs away on her again and again because it also happens to be some magician... thing. Why she never keeps a better eye on it, or gets a better sword that doesn't run away, or how she found it is never explained for time's sake in the show. Makes you scratch your head, but you accept it. Just because.
Anyway, I'm glad to have gotten that out of the way. Ozanari isn't bad, but it's unremarkable, and it's easy to see why it got brushed aside during those formative years.
-
I guess I'm watching Dragoon next, which is based off an old PC-98 game. There aren't any elves, but there are naked women. So it must be pretty decent.
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Post by boozy on Aug 30, 2014 22:26:05 GMT -5
Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun is literally a parody of shoujo of course it's a comedy
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Post by delephantz on Sept 2, 2014 21:08:46 GMT -5
huh
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