Discuss Anime and Mang

[Knuckle 484]

It's much more entertaining than you are. :|

Much much much more.

Impossible. My writing skills have no equal

[Sahaqiel 1232]

This should be counted as a separate post for my discussion with pheo:

It never really occured to me that you only dislike something wholly for one reason. You have on multiple occasions conceded, but that was more in the past, and now it's mostly insincere mockery, which is where my worries come from. Sometimes you do complain about things that would really call for suspension of disbelief, which is why I asked you to watch Gurren Lagann with a suspension of disbelief. But I do agree. The latter half of Penguindrum was full of Deus Ex Machina, and I have said multiple times that I don't blame you for thinking the second half of Penguindrum was dumb. The magical girl sequences weren't that bad honestly. But that's just me.

I understand in full that there are some things that people just can't get into despite them still being pretty great contributions to the entertainment arts. The problem that I have with you dissing on magical girls so much is that you haven't even seen any magical girl series and will criticize them based on implied truths. Sure, they have cookie cutter elements, but the concept as a whole can be extorted in any direction. I honestly don't really think the concept of magical girls is all that interesting, but who knows? I haven't seen a whole lot of them either. And that's where I am annoyed at your lack of concessions where you are ignorant.

The reason I enjoy animation so much is that anything can happen in it. There aren't situations where you would call something bad CG if it's all cel animation, because it would fit no matter how they drew it. It gives producers a large amount of creative freedom, I don't have to worry about bad [non voice] actors, and it can span just as many genres as live action with the possibility to do anything it wants stylistically. For live action, it's so easy to break the veil of suspension of disbelief based on an annoying actor (Useless Girl from Inception), bad special effects, bad locations, etc. etc. Pretty much, everything Hero of Time does. And it's hard to do everything right that Hero of Time does wrong. With animation, there are so many different interpretations of anatomy, color, texture, emotion, and so forth. There's just so much more flexibility, which means I get much broader horizons. I used to watch live action American TV, and it was just a bland mishmash of recurring actors, dialogue written by all the same people, similar situations, similar presentation, false plot progression, etc. Live action isn't as free as animation, and I want to be captivated by a different, distinct experience each time that I can feel resolved in, and animation offers just that.

That's me, showing that through my humorous insincerity, I'm sitting down and watching this with you, if only because you asked me to.

And I appreciate this greatly.

I really don't want to spoil it for you.

That's what spoiler tags are for. I admit I'm interested in Berserk. I was more interested when you were really compelled by it. It would have helped if you were like "hey Saha this has a really comepelling plot and should watch it" instead of just posting artwork as your only point for liking it. For all I know when you spammed "holy squid" you could have been referring to a really well animated violence sequence. I don't know. That's why it helps to elaborate on what you mean, even if I don't see it. I just wasn't paying attention in chat because I was doing other things.

And you continue to make ridiculous assumptions like "I will put something down just because it's popular."

Sometimes, alluding to the ignorance thing, you do sometimes bash on something that is popular and well known for having a dumb fanbase. Or things with premises like Bakemonogatari's, where the main character is kind of a vampire, it's kind of a harem, and it's kind of a fanservice anime. When you sat down and watched Nisemonogatari with us without complaining at all, I was pretty astounded. I kind of assumed it was because it's really well animated and has a cool style, but I was hoping you were paying attention to how witty the dialogue is and not just thinking about the seeminly dumb premises. In the case of vampires, harems, and fanservice, yes. They are seen as dumb just because of how popular they are. Vampires, harems, and fanservice are just elements. They can be any amount of good they want to be, if the author is competent enough.

They're talking about the manga.

Muffin actually told me this, and I kind of suspected it from the get-go. But like you said, "I won't read a manga because why would I read a manga?" Manga can be any length. You did not specify that you wouldn't read a manga because why would you read a forty volume manga during school, you just said that you wouldn't read a manga.

I would much rather see really any protagonist be homely and only modestly attractive on a good day, just once. Mind you, I hold this same complaint against practically everything that does feature that, knowing full well that it's such a widespread ploy.

Yeah, so there's not much point in complaining about it unless it's dramatically the case. Like in a series where ugliness is actually the cause or source of a problem, and it relates it to real life happenings, in which case yeah, this is an extreme case of really lame writers. I'm glad you intend to make a homely main character. As long as he isn't pumping testosterone through his veins I think we're set. I'd be glad to help you with that.

Yes I am quick to dismiss and never revisit, but not just because "I don't care." I don't care because I don't want to worry about watching an entire series just for the sake of watching it.

So you're saying that you favor video games for what purpose? They are both entertainment, and cynically speaking, are at their roots wastes of time better spent on being productive. But the defining factor in favor of video games is what? The interactive, personal nature? Maybe a feeling that you're less idle just because you drive the action? What?

What I really, really want to touch up on before I continue is this ridiculous idea you keep pegging on me that I only like brown and grey things.

Really the reason I get on you for testosterone and brown/gray is a snowball effect from just lightlly joking about you playing Gears of War, combined with your "high adrenaline" tendencies. It shouldn't have gotten as pressing as it did, but you do say your favorite color is brown, and you do tend to get really raucous, so it's just a common thing that pops up. I am mistaken in the assertion that you favor brown ridden testosterone. I admit this.

To conclude all of that, I don't walk into an anime, or really any form of entertainment, with any large biased beforehand. [...] I wanted to watch an anime on my own for once like you two have been urging me to, and this "I'm not surprised you liked Berserk, you art student," is the response I get? After deciding that I should bother with that anime at all? It really makes me not want to put up with any of it. Because after all of this, we still haven't watched Fantasia. Don't tell me we haven't watched it because there hasn't been any time. There was still time for Penguin Drum. But I'll probably just watch it for the art, right? I could probably mute the entire thing and just watch the art, and enjoy it just as much, right? That was my only complaint about Fantasia 2000, right? The art.

I apologize sincerely. I do appreciate that you went out of your way to watch an anime. It's not that serious a thing, I understand. I wouldn't mind if you didn't go out of your way on your own at all, as long as you'd watch and enjoy it with me sometimes. I acknowledge that we could have watched Fantasia 2000 a long time ago. I think the main problem was preparedness and motivation. As you can tell, I'm not in the right equipment for streaming. So if someone else doesn't already have the file, and a set date, and good streaming quality, and the motivation for playing it, then I just won't go out of my way to stream it. Because I can't. I don't want to try convincing anyone else to stream it if they don't want to. It's just that kind of deal. T1G often asks me to set aside time in order to watch something with him. He has the files, he has the time, and he'll stream if necessary. So yeah, we have time for that. It would be a lot easier if you were like "Hey, Saha, I have Fantasia 2000 on me. You should come over so we can watch it, or maybe we'll watch it some time when I'm streaming it." Like with you did with Thief and the Cobbler.

when you claimed you were the only person who ever intermittently used ebonics in his speech, and no one else.

Well if you thought that was any kind of serious, that would be very wrong. I meant in the channel, and I thought you knew that. No one else in the channel at that point intermittently used ebonics when they talked. I was the only one. Yes. Nowadays, folks have started to use "erryone" and "curr", just the slurred things that I use, because they're just silly things. So yeah, I'm not the only one anymore. And I know we're both not serious in the sense of that statement, but wouldn't simply saying that I would be a 14 year old white suburban girl for using ebonics in my speech be directly stating that I am not the only one who does it? It's a self contradiction, so I didn't think you would ever revisit it when you knew I was just being silly. So why, when I see a quite grave criticism of me following an affectionate ploy, would I think back and say, "Oh, he's probably making fun of me for that time I said I was the only person in the chat to use ebonics intermittently in my speech and when I said no one on Facebook understands IRC?" We'd never even discussed antics before. It just looked like a slap in the face, so I took it as one.

Also, I mean on my Facebook status, that a large amount of people that I have added to Facebook don't understand IRC that well. And it's true. There are people on my Facebook that would read our usernames as if they were part of the dialogue, rather than an indicator of who is speaking. And a large amount of people on Facebook are casual internet users. So yes. I assume that most Facebook people don't understand IRC. One time I saw one of my friends putting a hash tag in front of something, and I assumed they were quoting something from an IRC channel. They were doing something with Twitter. So there are facets of the internet I don't understand, but even less people understand the facets I and my similar friends do. Why would I think I'm the only Facebook user to understand IRC, despite having all of the Hyrule.net #zelda users added too?

Tool is a word that I take more offense to than a lot of things. When you say I'm a tool, I can't help but think you are saying that I'm a tool for the things that I like, or worse, someone who is easily manipulated and used. I admit that I care about what people think a lot, but only because I like to make people happy. I don't change myself to make them happy, but when you say I'm a tool, you're touching a sensitive spot with me. Like you're calling me weak. In fact, I would prefer that you call me weak, because I can at least admit to being weak to things, and it's specifically just pointing out my inadequacies, of which I know I have many and work every day to eliminate. With calling me a tool, if could be a lot of things, and I never know which one. You could be saying that you look down on the things I do, or the way I act, or the things I like, or just who I am in general. It's a very personal attack through my eyes. I agree that dick has been getting stale, and as a pretty self aware person, my language fluctuates a lot. I've been calling people jerks or cocks or whatever kind of fringe profanity that I can come up with. I called people douchebags but I thought that was dumb, so I went to dickbag because no one was using it, which I used a lot until I got tired of it. I'm digressing pretty hardcore. Just know that I know how it feels to use stale words. But tool just sets me off.

It's funny to me, when there's a character somewhere that talks about how manly someone has to be to do something. So I joke, and shout that at things. I do the same with "coward." It's also why I add "pfeh" to some statements. Not unlike intermittently inserting ebonics into my speech. Or how I named myself "king" of the forums, in lieu of Leader, or Captain, or Final Boss, etc.

This is a thing that I can only say I took seriously because you did it so much. I knew it was an ironic kind of joke, but the joke part just didn't click with me? I knew it was ironic, but I somehow ignored the hidden implication? Call it faulty interpretation. I don't know, it's weird. Chief.

Did I hold Simon's reaction to Kamina's death against him? In the three episodes of Eva I've seen, did I get mad at the protagonist for being "whiney" as is the typical reaction half the people who watch is seem to have? I'm asking that rehtorically, assuming the number is half.

No, and good point. I almost expected you to tell Simon to stop being wimpy. But to be fair, Shinji's desperation had definitely not reached max by episode three. There was a lot more to go. I almost forgot you watched the first three episodes. Crazy.

I do get tired of having to annoy you to get your attention sometimes, and I don't want you to think that our friendship is just me trying to get on your nerves to get you to talk to me. I wish we could discuss things, which is why I want to experience some entertainment with you, which is why I got worried over all these things that I shouldn't have taken as seriously. It was just a lot of mixed signals that I didn't want to call out as serious because of the mixed part. But I do worry about the art thing still, because your frequency of criticizing things for the art or anatomy or functionality or originality has increased since you became an art student.

Like hey, it fits into the rest of the style, and unobtrusiveness is pretty much the defining factor in something being good visually, I think. If it's consistent and just doesn't look bad, then why complain about it? If you can make awful anatomy look pristine and unnoticeable, then I would think that's actually pretty awesome? I'm not even talking about chibi/superdeformed stuff or anything. I mean somehow making horrendous anatomy that somehow registers in our minds as completely normal until someone points out that it's distorted. It's almost a skill. Like something you notice actually accentuates something and is better for it. QUALITY is only jarring because you can notice it easily. But say things like SHAFT's extremely uncomfortable neck turns that make the necks look like they're on a ball and stick joint. They pull those off crazily. I didn't pay any mind to that at all until someone pointed out that they do it all the time, and then I tried the neck thing and was like man, their necks are pretty hardcore. I digress once more.

I was just put in a bad mood when you insulted me in the status, and I took the opportunity to point out my worries. Like the one time I asked about what happened to the pheo that would ask why I forsake you if I didn't respond in IRC immediately, and you were just, like, "dead". I worry about whether or not that was true, and some cynical pheo was born from the ashes. I don't want to paint you as the "bad guy of anime" or anything, and I realize that I am the source of many of your griefs. (Close-eyed pheo, brown/gray, testosterone, phrases like "(x)sux", watermelon surprise, pheo and honor etc.) so I worried that people might take to my words again and bash you needlessly for it, because yeah, it's happened in the past and I'm not proud of things like that spreading past my exclusive use. I guess both of us were on edge from the opposing mixed signals. idk

By the way, I'll take advantage of the it's-a-kind-of-serious-discussion-so-the-surrounding-people-give-it-temporary-off-topic-immunity-tolerance again to say that we should endurance train for the next possible round of Nerf capture the flag that might happen in the future. I don't want to be stupidly out of breath every time I'm shot and have to respawn. These are the joys of youth, pheo! When you make the world your playground, or BFF coaster, or snowmen, or adventure cave!

Sahaqiel

This is a new, separate post unrelated to my discussion with pheo:

I didn't really label Shinji as much of a whiner when I watched a bit of Eva.

I should finish Eva one of these days. Or watch the new movies.

Eka, the series and the movies are like two completely different things. You should watch the series, then the Rebuild, then Gurren Lagann, because chronologically, that's how they're set.

Also lol I still have the round cat anime episode tab loaded Saha, I'll get round to watching, soonish.

I haven't even watched it yet lol.

But I want to. ):

Sahaqiel

[T1g 1503]

you know i am going to tell you what i told multiball

JESUS SQUIDDING CHRIST I DO NOT HAVE THE TIME TO READ THIS RIGHT NOW

I saw it and thought "if i have the time to be reading this i have the time to be reading 8 pages of norse mythology readings"

which i started doing as soon as i saw the post

[Sahaqiel 1232]

watch roundcat

it's three minutes each at three episodes

there is no disappointment

http://www.anime44.com/poyopoyo-kansatsu-nikki-episode-1

[T1g 1503]

no seriously everytime i see one of these things i drop everything i am doing to do homework you guys are doing me a favor by arguing

watch roundcat

it's three minutes each at three episodes

there is no disappointment

http://www.anime44.c...nikki-episode-1

hahaha why was that great

[Teto 2609]

on Nisemonogatari:

BIIITCH :C

Araragi: “But how did you manage to persuade Senjougahara?”

Hanekawa: “It was nothing really. When I heard her voice, I guessed most of what was happening. So I just made a small request.”

Araragi: “A small request?”

Hanekawa: “‘If you won’t be a good girl, I’ll ask Araragi-kun to be my boyfriend.’”

[2356 23]

watch roundcat

it's three minutes each at three episodes

there is no disappointment

http://www.anime44.c...nikki-episode-1

The cat's roundness made me want to eat it. /droolface

[Chimetals 344]

gonna have to watch that roundcat, but after work times.

@saha

i completely sympathize on the taboo word/"tool" business...ive got the same thing for the words "weaboo" and "fangirl" ("fanboy", for some reason, doesnt do that, though)

[2356 23]

I'm a fangirl, not gonna lie.

[pheonix561 2080]

"So you're saying that you favor video games for what purpose? They are both entertainment, and cynically speaking, are at their roots wastes of time better spent on being productive. But the defining factor in favor of video games is what? The interactive, personal nature? Maybe a feeling that you're less idle just because you drive the action? What?"

I dunno. All I know is that I'm more inclined to pick up a controller. Videogames interest me more against anime. That's all.

"Really the reason I get on you for testosterone and brown/gray is a snowball effect from just lightlly joking about you playing Gears of War, combined with your "high adrenaline" tendencies. It shouldn't have gotten as pressing as it did, but you do say your favorite color is brown, and you do tend to get really raucous, so it's just a common thing that pops up. I am mistaken in the assertion that you favor brown ridden testosterone. I admit this."

No, look, I gotta meet you halfway here. I enjoy brown ridden testosterone. Whenever someone asks me why I like Gears of war, I tell them I want to find the guy who just unloaded two clips of ammo into my back, tear his arm off, and beat him in the head with it until the game says "Woah, hey man, that's enough." Part of why I enjoyed Berserk was the brown and testosterone, too. I just don't enjoy having it thrown in my face all the time.

"This is a thing that I can only say I took seriously because you did it so much. I knew it was an ironic kind of joke, but the joke part just didn't click with me? I knew it was ironic, but I somehow ignored the hidden implication? Call it faulty interpretation. I don't know, it's weird. Chief."

No, I really am King of the Forums. That's not a joke or an irony thing. I am King.

"But I do worry about the art thing still, because your frequency of criticizing things for the art or anatomy or functionality or originality has increased since you became an art student.

Like hey, it fits into the rest of the style, and unobtrusiveness is pretty much the defining factor in something being good visually, I think. If it's consistent and just doesn't look bad, then why complain about it? If you can make awful anatomy look pristine and unnoticeable, then I would think that's actually pretty awesome? I'm not even talking about chibi/superdeformed stuff or anything. I mean somehow making horrendous anatomy that somehow registers in our minds as completely normal until someone points out that it's distorted. It's almost a skill. Like something you notice actually accentuates something and is better for it. QUALITY is only jarring because you can notice it easily. But say things like SHAFT's extremely uncomfortable neck turns that make the necks look like they're on a ball and stick joint. They pull those off crazily. I didn't pay any mind to that at all until someone pointed out that they do it all the time, and then I tried the neck thing and was like man, their necks are pretty hardcore. I digress once more."

Speaking as an art student, It's not "almost" a skill, it is a skill, and its one you have to learn through years of study and practice. Whenever I'm looking at some anime art and pointing out the flaws, that's one part me trying to teach myself anatomy (very difficult to learn), and one part me pointing out that this is a person who does not have a strong concept of a figure. If an artist can effectively stylize the human body without making it unnatractive, it's because they're damned good at anatomy. For example, and this is another thing I picked up off /ic/ shamelessly, I'm citing the works in Odinsphere, a game I have never played(yet have the artbook downloaded).

Effective knowledge of the body can even be seen in less detailed works, like those of the internet popular artist 3angledblue, known for his /v/ saga.

Don't think it doesn't surprise me that the examples I'm using I've picked up off 4chan. I should stop browsing as much as I have been.

Make no mistake. Attractive stylization of the figure is a skill, and one that needs to be learned by studying the body firsthand. It can be awesome, and I'm not going to say it can't. But when It's awful, I am going to point it out. /art student.

[T1g 1503]

WELP TIME TO READ MORE NORSE MYTHOLOGY

[2356 23]

WELP TIME TO READ MORE NORSE MYTHOLOGY

WHO SAID YOU COULD STOP TO BEGIN WITH. >:|

/norsebuff

[Chimetals 344]

i will admit that occasionally ill pick out a broken neck or three in a series/episode, but its not a real turn-off for me. more like an ego boost, that i can spot it. and that i dont typically have that problem myself. i recently bought a volume from an artist in jordan that ive kainda taken ques from, tbh, and when i was reading it, i realized that there were a lot of broken necks. but will i buy volume 2? hell yes.

but i still think that the plot should be more important than any one aspect of a series. is HoTD animated well? yes. is it good? nope. is sayuki pretty? not really. does it have awesome screenplay? yes. are there shows that look like eyecrack? always. but is that a reason alone to keep watching them? not at all.

ive picked up some series for the level of crack the box art promises to deliver to my eyes, but ive dropped several of them, with no regrets. the way i see it, the quality of art should be rated as +>0. if its good, its an added bonus. if its average, no bonus. the only time art/screenplay would count against a series would be if it was so awful that its literally distracting, and keeps you from giving any squids at all.

[Cascade 741]

I'm a fangirl, not gonna lie.

^^^^ mememe meee

I've never really understood the vitriol some people give to dedicated fans of series and stuff I mean, I can understand that a minority of fans go to the extreme and are kinda creepy regarding their chosen 'fandom', but like, most fanboys/fangirls are perfectly sane people lol They just happen to hold a bigger interest in something you'll probably never reach the level of, or even understand when you think a series is kinda dumb (glee would be the example of one most people here think I'm quite obsessed with). idk, /rant it always bugs me, and this isn't directed at anyone specifically.

Also everyone go watch the 4 episodes of Round Cat if you haven't alreadt!!! ;-; poyopoyo I want him for a cushion okay ;-; They're like, 3 minutes long so lol you have plenty of time. so moe.

http://www.anime44.c...nikki-episode-1

:3 meow i mean when do I recommend any anime ;-; so cutee

AND ALSO; people who watch Persona 4 wasn't the latest episode where they finally get the plot back on track so gud? <3 naoto is best. I did really love the summer episodes, soooo funny ahhhh, yet sooo cuteee and d'aww ;; the Inaba Scooby Gang are the best. also Loveline still needs to appear in the P4 remake OKAY <3 nanako.

[pheonix561 2080]

Oh look this cat is so round its so adorable

Everything is adorable ever

That's the plot

it was dumb until the one cat started humping roundcat