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Kingtheninja posted:Is orguss or braiger worth a blind buy at all? I was looking for info on discotek's site and saw they were available for pre-order. Both look pretty cool and I do enjoy some vintage robot stuff. Braiger is a weird show. It's only technically a mecha show - there is a robot, but the robot animation is kind of lame, the enemy robots are unmemorable, and almost every mecha battle in the show ends moments after the Braiger is called out because it's so overpowered that nothing can oppose it, and this usually only happens at the very end of a story arc. That said, the rest of the show is pretty great. It's kind like the anime A-Team, where a colorful cast of hypercompetent societal outcasts work as underground do-gooding mercenaries. The cast interactions are halfway between Lupin III and the A-Team, the episodic nature of the show means it's easy to pick up without having to keep a running plotline straight in your head, and most of the stories are interesting. I'd say it's worth a watch if you're okay with the robot action being an afterthought and are interested in the character hijinx.
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Oct 9, 2021 16:17
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I really like Braiger. It has a fantastic setting, great characters, and some really fantastic episodes... but a lot of episodes are dull, the series ain't that great as a whole. Like, the heroes are just too invisible.
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Oct 9, 2021 16:44
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Orguss has a fantastic OP https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zW_SSGnbk7Q
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Oct 9, 2021 17:06
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Braiger rules. Even some of the duller episodes manage to be really weird or memorable in other ways. It might have the first tv anime sex scene? It's a fun episodic ensemble romp for two thirds and then manages to have a pretty wild end arc that manages to pull everything that happened before together AND go on to inspire the planetary scale adventures that later hits like Gunbuster would push to higher extremes.
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Oct 9, 2021 17:21
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i like that one ep where they just help some children take revenge and maybe kill a dude?(my memories are hazy but that sounds right) and the ending where it's like a bunch of people are just gonna long haul off into outer space y'all wanna go with?? good tunes, too https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7o7n37PHjHU
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Oct 9, 2021 21:17
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Gripweed posted:Orguss has a fantastic OP And ending. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0PkL7QFys-Q
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Oct 10, 2021 05:46
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Here's better quality rips of those songs; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztw3EaoxPJM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3BdFLuaZ1A And a short documentary about the American born musician who sang them; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ggUJLMcAN4E
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Oct 10, 2021 06:27
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Gripweed posted:Orguss has a fantastic OP ELO was popular in Japan huh
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Oct 10, 2021 13:36
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I was gonna say it had more of a Chicago sound to it but same idea.
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Oct 10, 2021 15:55
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So, up to episode 2 of Kyoukai Senki and Megaton Musashi. (And 86, but that's good and it has its own thread, so there seems to be less need to discuss it here.) Megaton Musashi apparently has fansubs now, so I'll be keeping track of those instead of watching the raw as long as I keep going. Second episode was almost all action, which isn't ideal with its CG style, so there's not much to say beyond "curious if decent subs will elevate the first episode". Kyoukai Senki has subs, so I can comment in more detal, and yeah. It's not a good show. Half of this episode was just the main character staying with a nice old couple in the country, doing honest farm work, before he steals their boat and gets it wrecked. This is, of course, a dick move. More than that, though, it's a dick move that doesn't make the protagonist more interesting. Guys like Joe Yabuki and Shotaro Kaneda (or, in mech anime, Domon Kasshu and Lieutenant Manning) would totally pull that poo poo, yes, but they embrace it. They're assholes, we know they're assholes, and their assholishnesh is what makes them work as characters, with their development forming a key part of the narrative. Meanwhile, Amou is a generically nice guy, so it doesn't really form a compelling character beat. It's just a dick move that feels more like a dick move because there's no compelling reason for it, either in terms of characterization or plot. We also get a fight against the Chinese forces, who have the cool devil horns mechs, and who beat the protagonist by just having enough dudes and putting ID locks on their guns. (Which strikes me as a bad idea. With drones, most opponents won't be salvaging off the battlefield. Meanwhile, if your ID locks malfunction, your whole squad winds up unarmed.) This is followed by them just lighting his mech the gently caress up when it's on the ground for an extended period without causing any real harm or anyone giving a standard "What is this armor?" line, which suggests that guns in this show suck quite a lot. Oh, and at the beginning, the Australians threaten to kill the main character's friends, but he stops them by claiming not to care about them. A good character beat in Jojo, where it further established Joseph Joestar as a scoundrel with a heart of gold, but a real stupid move here. If it was the Titans, you know they'd kill a hostage or two in response, just to show they weren't loving around. (And if it turned out they killed people with no connection to the target? Well, eh. Happens.) It's a major gamble, but the show just presents that as a straightforward clever gambit. Meanwhile, Gyakuten Sekai is hitting a surprising number of similarities, just... more self aware. Set in an alternate Japan that was invaded by an army from a different alternate universe Japan, it shares the VR interface and superdeformed virtual copilot of the other Senki, but it plays things meta. The hero mech is powered by hot blooded passion, and modeled after a popular in-universe mech anime, one the "battery girl" initially piloting the mech loves, and which the pilot of the mech uses for his ringtone. Speaking of our protagonist, he's a somewhat unusual type for the lead in these things. Instead of a brilliant mechanic or a hot blooded martial artist, he works at the last host club in japan, earning his paychecks with superficial charm. And it actually plays into the resolution of the first battle, with him syncing with his copilot by faking the hot blooded passion for justice of a classic mech pilot when his initial response to the attack was "No-one's guarding the cash register! Score!" And then his success gets him recruited by a resistance organization trying to save anime from the tyrannical rule of alternate universe Japan. Definitely a more interesting start than Kyoukai had, and we get the other resistance cell members in episode 1 rather than saving them for the very end of episode 2. And hey. I laughed a couple times, which is worth something. We've got a lot of options for mech anime this season. After such a long drought, this year has really been a nice change of pace. (Edit: That explains the familiar feeling. Gyakuten Sekai has the same writer as the Konosuba anime. I thought the lead had a bit of Kazuma's scumbag energy to him.) chiasaur11 fucked around with this message at 05:39 on Oct 12, 2021 |
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Oct 12, 2021 05:27
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So why exactly is Japan occupied in Kyokai Senki? Are they doing a Code Geass situation or is it just because every other nation on earth knows Japan is the destination location for Mech on Mech relations.
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Oct 12, 2021 20:42
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everyone wants a piece of japan's rich natural resources, such as
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Oct 12, 2021 22:20
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Anime
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Oct 12, 2021 22:24
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based on the first episode of Garanndoll, can confirm anime is so powerful even Japan knows it must control itself with military force
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Oct 12, 2021 22:34
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gimme the GOD drat candy posted:everyone wants a piece of japan's rich natural resources, such as Sakuradite, Super Alloy Z, Getter Rays...
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Oct 12, 2021 22:45
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chiasaur11 posted:Sakuradite, Super Alloy Z, Getter Rays... It's always really amusing when an anime has to invent a miraculous super technology resource that is *only* found in Japan to provide an excuse for why all of the villains desperately want to conquer/occupy Japan.
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Oct 12, 2021 22:59
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Kanos posted:It's always really amusing when an anime has to invent a miraculous super technology resource that is *only* found in Japan to provide an excuse for why all of the villains desperately want to conquer/occupy Japan. Or just make it the only land left.
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Oct 12, 2021 23:02
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Arc Hammer posted:So why exactly is Japan occupied in Kyokai Senki? Are they doing a Code Geass situation or is it just because every other nation on earth knows Japan is the destination location for Mech on Mech relations. Only watched episode 1 so far but honestly that's so far the only major issue I have with the show, there really is no good reason for anyone to bother to occupy Japan as presented so far
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Oct 12, 2021 23:46
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drrockso20 posted:Only watched episode 1 so far but honestly that's so far the only major issue I have with the show, there really is no good reason for anyone to bother to occupy Japan as presented so far It gets even more confusing in episode 2, where it's further confirmed that there is a central Japanese civilian government, accepted by all parties, that doesn't do anything about the border conflicts for... reasons.
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Oct 12, 2021 23:49
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Honestly I'm now just imagining the writers trying to come up with a good reason for the occupation and just giving up after five minutes cause they know that a better reason will be given from another series whenever it makes it into Super Robot Wars so why bother
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Oct 13, 2021 00:35
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I could see a coalition of anti-communist nations forcefully occupying Japan to use as a staging area during a USA China conflict but that might be a little too topical.
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Oct 13, 2021 00:36
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Arc Hammer posted:I could see a coalition of anti-communist nations forcefully occupying Japan to use as a staging area during a USA China conflict but that might be a little too topical. That or the reverse with China occupying Japan are literally the only ones that make sense without some sort of Phlebtonium or other McGuffin hanging around Japan
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Oct 13, 2021 00:39
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chiasaur11 posted:It gets even more confusing in episode 2, where it's further confirmed that there is a central Japanese civilian government, accepted by all parties, that doesn't do anything about the border conflicts for... reasons. This made me look it up, and to be fair all we have there is a scene over the news which doesn't exactly say how much power Japanese officials have anymore. Since it was discussing that faction rebuilding things it could have just been PR for them without the government really having much say.
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Oct 13, 2021 01:22
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drrockso20 posted:Honestly I'm now just imagining the writers trying to come up with a good reason for the occupation and just giving up after five minutes cause they know that a better reason will be given from another series whenever it makes it into Super Robot Wars so why bother So Sakuradite, because that series will be Code Geass.
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Oct 13, 2021 02:59
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I hope it is like Z2 where there are two Japans and one is the Code Geass one and one is Kyokai Senki just to make it confusing.
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Oct 13, 2021 03:04
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Ethiser posted:I hope it is like Z2 where there are two Japans and one is the Code Geass one and one is Kyokai Senki just to make it confusing. They took it over because they're jealous of Britannia.
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Oct 13, 2021 03:06
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Arc Hammer posted:So why exactly is Japan occupied in Kyokai Senki? Are they doing a Code Geass situation or is it just because every other nation on earth knows Japan is the destination location for Mech on Mech relations. They're vague about it, but the anchor baby conspiracy theory genuinely seems to be the most textually supported explanation. Declining birth rates and a stagnating economy (presumably from an ageing population) led to them bringing in lots of foreigners, who then set up shop and effectively took over.
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Oct 13, 2021 03:22
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Darth Walrus posted:They're vague about it, but the anchor baby conspiracy theory genuinely seems to be the most textually supported explanation. Declining birth rates and a stagnating economy (presumably from an ageing population) led to them bringing in lots of foreigners, who then set up shop and effectively took over. Well that's mildly xenophobic. Declining birthrate turns into hostile military takeover by foreigners.
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Oct 13, 2021 03:26
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Kyoukai Senki has that nationalism smell to it, yeah. It's got some neat animation work but it's just boring and the nationalism vibes have put me off from continuing it.
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Oct 13, 2021 04:31
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Like, 'this anime is about the dangers of anchor babies' would normally be a ludicrous reach, but I don't believe that Kyoukai Senki has detailed any more sane and palatable explanation for why its setting is the way it is, has it?
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Oct 13, 2021 04:48
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why make such a heavy assumption when it currently seems as much like a stupid half-baked setting than anything else like ep1 didn't really spend its time making the realities of the occupation felt beyond some people being harassed by the soldiers. it just feels particularly bad at big picture.
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Oct 13, 2021 04:55
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Ethiser posted:I hope it is like Z2 where there are two Japans and one is the Code Geass one and one is Kyokai Senki just to make it confusing. And when they fight, it results in Gyakuten Sekai no Denchi Shoujo. (One thing about that show? Despite it being kind of a goofy comedy, the first episode does a lot more to show the impact of the Japanese occupation of Japan occupation on regular civilians.)
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Oct 13, 2021 05:36
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Or maybe the Australians decided to invade a country with less venomous animals.
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Oct 13, 2021 06:03
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Darth Walrus posted:Like, 'this anime is about the dangers of anchor babies' would normally be a ludicrous reach, but I don't believe that Kyoukai Senki has detailed any more sane and palatable explanation for why its setting is the way it is, has it? hold on has the show mentioned anchor babies at any point
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Oct 13, 2021 06:07
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Siegkrow posted:Or maybe the Australians decided to invade a country with less venomous animals. Aussies have a natural immunity to Venom but they're still susceptible to poisoning and toxic substances. Feed them blowfish and wipe out the occupation forces, no mecha needed.
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Oct 13, 2021 06:16
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They need to build an emu-shaped mech.
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Oct 13, 2021 06:53
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What about Kyoukai Senki is making it so boring that everyone watching it has mentioned that and talked about how it feels pretty half-baked but also so interesting that people are deeply examining the first two episodes to find out the smallest details about its setting.
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Oct 13, 2021 07:38
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SyntheticPolygon posted:What about Kyoukai Senki is making it so boring that everyone watching it has mentioned that and talked about how it feels pretty half-baked but also so interesting that people are deeply examining the first two episodes to find out the smallest details about its setting. There's a minor form of torture where a prisoner is placed in a room with markings that almost, but don't quite, form a pattern. The closer you look, the less sense it makes, but the victim is convinced that just a little more attention will reveal everything. It's kind of like that. The show is boring and lovely, but it has a plot that looks just enough like it makes sense that the viewer keeps looking closer in the desperate hope that this time, it will finally come together, giving some degree of completion.
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Oct 13, 2021 09:50
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Endorph posted:i The opening exposition leans uncomfortably close to the subject in a way that just... never quite gets contradicted by any saner interpretation. "Japan was on the brink of destruction during the 21st century. Failing economic policies, the aging population combined with low birthrate... problem after problem pushed Japan to the verge of collapse. To help, powerful countries and allied powers stepped in. In the name of economic aid, medical support and peacekeeping, each nation deployed a vast number of people, slowly expanding their territory, until finally, an armed conflict arose. Later, this battle was called the Boundary War. The nations deployed humanoid war machines called AMAIM. Unmanned AMAIMs with tactical AIs became the main players on the battlefield, engaging in battles all over Japan. Japan was virtually divided up and ruled, and its people fell under outside control. In the year 2061, this is Japan's current situation." So we've got declining birth-rates forcing the acceptance of foreigners into Japan, which then leads inevitably to violent neo-colonialism. That's a very... uhh... specific chain of logic. Like, it's no secret that this is a nationalist show. It's called 'Warrior of the Borderline', and it's about a kid in a red-and-white robot with a katana fighting to assert Japan's dignity and independence against foreign invaders. The leads' animal companions are classic yokai (a komainu, a kirin, and a kitsune - ironically, all three of which are shared with China), and the ED is about them enjoying traditional Japanese hobbies. Now, all of that can be relatively benign and harmless, as many other action anime attest (and other adventure shows from around the world, let's be real here), but stuff like the opening monologue paints a somewhat more sinister picture. Can't help but wonder how much of the setting is vague because it's just not fleshed-out, and how much is vague because it's built on 'oh, you know what I mean' dogwhistles.
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Oct 13, 2021 12:48
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That explanation is nothing close to what anchor babies are. It’s just saying that Japan was weak so imperial powers showed up and took over under the guise of just trying to help.
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Oct 13, 2021 12:55
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