|
 So what's this, then?  Mekakucity Actors is an animated adaptation of the "Kagerou Project", a quote:Vocaloid song series created by Jin (also known as Shizen no Teki-P) What   Well, okay, but what is it about?  Oh come on  Well, it's a little hard to give a clear answer to that just yet. This is one of these series that likes to just throw out plot elements shotgun style and then make sense of them later. We're I think I may have heard this story before.   Though, in fairness, all of the magic eye powers actually seem to have something to do with eyes. I find it sad that I am awarding points for achieving basic competence, but here we are.  Oh, and it's animated by SHAFT.  Oh no  No, that's a good thing you philistine.  Well, alright, but is it any good? You seem pretty down on it. I am enjoying it enough to want to keep watching it, and to start a thread about it. I think we can say if it's good or not before it shows its cards, though. Could you tell me who these goons are, at least?  Why not?  Kido Tsubomi is a magic eye person and a member of the magic eye club (Mekakushi Dan). That's it, that's all I've got. I could go looking for promo material but I'd probably just find spoilers. She seems nice, in an elder-sister sort of way? Her magic eye power is concealment, allowing her to hide herself and things around her from the sight of others.  Seto Kousuke is another magic eye person. He seems pretty quiet and laid back, maybe? His magic eye power is mind-reading. But he doesn't like to use it much.  Kano Shuuya is- I think you can probably guess. Seems to be the talky-talky jokester character of the group. His power is deception, allowing him to change the way others perceive him.  Kozakura Marry is a moeblob klutz. Her power is "locking eyes", allowing her to freeze anyone that meets her eyes in place.  Kisaragi Momo is an idol, and not terribly happy about it. She entered the industry because she wanted to support her family after her dad ran off and her mother got sick.  Her power is captivation, allowing her to draw the attention of those around her.  Ene is a vocaloid. Okay, seriously: she is some sort of AI girl thing that lives in Shintaro's (below) computer. What's up with that? Her primary character trait appears to be that she likes loving with Shintaro.  Kisaragi Shintaro is one of them hikki types, Momo's elder brother, and (maybe?) our primary protagonist. So why the hell did I put him at the bottom of the list?  Anyway, he seems to spend all day locked in his room, bitching about anime on the internet and arguing with Ene. His eye power is... ??? Oh, like he's not going to get one.  Amamiya Hibiya is younger than the other characters and is crushing on Hiyori something fierce (a doll?  ). He seems to be an overly-excitable romantic, entirely too easily caught up in fantasies and what-ifs. Konoha is some guy in Hiyori's uncle's house. Doesn't say much, eats a lot. Seems floaty and disconnected.  Asahina Hiyori is self-absorbed and abrasive. Has a crush on Kotonoha. Anything else? That's all I've got, I think. If anybody has some actual content to put in this OP then, for the love of God, send it my way. KOGAHAZAN!! fucked around with this message at 15:41 on May 4, 2014 |
#
?
Apr 26, 2014 23:08
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 2, 2024 13:21 |
|
|
I still have very little idea about what's going on here, but episode 1 was pretty good, episode 2 was neat too (perhaps the most SHAFT-y of them), although 3 was a bit too much babble and exposition. I like how Ene is more or less Anime Nyarlahotep (hey that's the VA!) stuffed into a computer.
|
|
#
?
Apr 26, 2014 23:22
|
|
|
I like the OP. No parallels to nose eating or face wearing either.
|
|
#
?
Apr 26, 2014 23:22
|
|
|
I had to read the wikipedia article on this anime which is actually under the label Kagerou Project. Shintarou, apparently, is the main protagonist. He does have an eye ability, but I'm a tad confused as to how it works or even if it does work. I don't think it will be immediately apparent. Eight and nine are Hibiya Amamiya and Haruka Kokonose (Konoha), to put names to faces. Episode 3 begins to clear things up, a bit, but I'm confused even after reading paragraphs of info on the characters on Wikipedia and the Kagerou Project Wiki. I'm hoping the anime will make what seems incoherent at least a tad more coherent. So far, the show hasn't been offensive or boring. So, I'll keep watching at least for a while. I hope Marry becomes less annoying in the future, too.
|
|
#
?
Apr 27, 2014 00:04
|
|
|
Partially inspired by the above post, a warning: don't look up stuff for the Kagerou Project. Spoilers will be goddamn everywhere, and this early on, they'll confuse you more than they'll actually explain things.
|
|
#
?
Apr 27, 2014 00:30
|
|
|
For anyone who was 3 episode testing this, wait until the next episode. Heat Haze Days is when the story actually starts to begin.
|
|
#
?
Apr 27, 2014 00:55
|
|
|
This entire thing is so much better as an LN/Anime adaptation. A lot of the music this entire story is based on is really hit-or-miss, and only a few of the songs were really notable on their own merit as opposed to people following just to key in to the story that was being told. Vocaloid! 
|
|
#
?
Apr 27, 2014 01:09
|
|
|
I'm actually pretty impressed with this interpretation of the songs. I'm not a big fan of most of the music (Mekakushi Code, Kagerou Days, Otsukimi Recital, and Outer Science are the only ones I really like), but plot-wise I think there's a lot of potential for clever adaptation here, and episode 3 has made me very hopeful. That said, I prefer Pandora Voxx as far as Vocaloid song series go (I like everything in the main series!), so if we ever get an anime of that I am so in.
|
|
#
?
Apr 27, 2014 01:47
|
|
|
Totally did not know that this was a Vocaloid thing. Not my kind of stuff but the anime itself is awesome. It's pretty much straight up Bakemonogatari in a different setting and characters.
|
|
#
?
Apr 27, 2014 02:47
|
|
|
It's not really a 'vocaloid' thing, it's just based on songs someone made using the Vocaloid software. I'm not usually super into the random shotgun style of storytelling, but the animation/artstyle's pretty nice (if pure SHAFT) and it manages to incorporate the songs pretty well. Also the OP is awesome. I also liked how (Episode 3) Momo's plan was actually pretty clever and made use of her and Marry's powers in an intelligent way. It would have been way too easy to just write her as a complete idiot.
|
|
#
?
Apr 27, 2014 12:51
|
|
|
Finally got around to this series today. It's good and fun so far, though I know absolutely nothing of the source material. Very SHAFT.
|
|
#
?
May 1, 2014 03:59
|
|
|
I'm diggin the non-offensive powers.
|
|
#
?
May 1, 2014 04:25
|
|
|
Rewatching the 3rd episode it looks like (speculation) Shintarou fainted because got shot by a terrorist, judging by the bullet hole in the laptop screen behind him as he uploaded Ene.
|
|
#
?
May 1, 2014 12:58
|
|
|
Sydnesider posted:Rewatching the 3rd episode it looks like (speculation) Shintarou fainted because got shot by a terrorist, judging by the bullet hole in the laptop screen behind him as he uploaded Ene. Why spoiler that when it was in the first episode?
|
|
#
?
May 1, 2014 16:00
|
|
|
The Heat Haze Days are upon us. Well that was kind of a disappointing adaptation. Kind of poorly directed...
|
|
#
?
May 3, 2014 20:00
|
|
|
Was the goal to make me hate everyone in this episode? Because they succeeded.
|
|
#
?
May 3, 2014 20:03
|
|
|
pandaK posted:Well that was kind of a disappointing adaptation. Kind of poorly directed... I agree, but the episode ended on definitely the best line possible. The other real option wouldn't have been as good, I think. Non-spoilery stuff: the other day I noticed the first line of the chorus to Mekakushi Code sounds eerily similar to the first line of the chorus to Touhou's Lunatic Red Eyes. I can only hope that was the point, given the title
|
|
#
?
May 3, 2014 20:07
|
|
|
Relambrien posted:I agree, but the episode ended on definitely the best line possible. The other real option wouldn't have been as good, I think. I feel like it being produced by Shaft kind of backfired this episode because that midway scene was supposed to be pretty jarring but to anyone familiar with the studio it was just "oh it's Shaft being Shaft."
|
|
#
?
May 3, 2014 20:10
|
|
|
Yeah, I think you're right actually. I don't really know how to put it, but Shaft works seem to have this ever-present air of something being off due to the abstract backgrounds and color. Maybe it's just me though, because I feel that's true even of Nisekoi and I don't think that's a common impression of Nisekoi. Regarding that scene, it felt like it was supposed to introduce a growing sense of tension or wrongness, but that sense is already there in the rest of the presentation. So the payoff that should've happened, when the tension reached its climax and things went very very wrong, wasn't there because the whole thing just felt like the usual level of "wrongness."
|
|
#
?
May 3, 2014 20:20
|
|
|
Though the whole crows signifying how many times he's gone through the cycle was a really great visual indicator of the time loop he's stuck in. I almost didn't catch that. Here's the original MV (preview doesn't spoil anything). I do like how [spoiler=the otherwordly scenes did really well in matching the visuals from the original song[/spoiler] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONyfbDPc7y0 Futaba Anzu fucked around with this message at 20:36 on May 3, 2014 |
|
#
?
May 3, 2014 20:31
|
|
|
I was kind of hoping we'd go back to the mall and see the results of the mall rescue plan. Well, I guess we had to introduce the last two characters, though. Still confusing. I'm still hopeful for a coherent story sometime soon.
|
|
#
?
May 3, 2014 20:35
|
|
|
Dan7el posted:I was kind of hoping we'd go back to the mall and see the results of the mall rescue plan. Well, I guess we had to introduce the last two characters, though. Still confusing. I'm still hopeful for a coherent story sometime soon. To clear things up, it was pretty much just as confusing a third of the way into the original music videos too since all we've gotten really are just the character introductions. This is the point where things start coming together to form a plot.
|
|
#
?
May 3, 2014 20:38
|
|
|
Does episode 4 show a return of (Mankind has Declined spoiler) time paradogs?
|
|
#
?
May 4, 2014 10:30
|
|
|
Qwertycoatl posted:Does episode 4 show a return of (Mankind has Declined spoiler) time paradogs? What exactly are you comparing to the paradogs?
|
|
#
?
May 4, 2014 14:29
|
|
|
pandaK posted:To clear things up, it was pretty much just as confusing a third of the way into the original music videos too since all we've gotten really are just the character introductions. This is the point where things start coming together to form a plot. We're four episodes in and it hasn't gelled yet. That's slow as hell and the show is suffering for it. I don't think it helps, either, that they've decided to run these introductions serially rather than in parallel- as soon as I start getting invested in a plot thread, the show janks and drops us into something completely different and I have to start all over. To be fair, when you have to split focus between multiple concurrent plot threads it can feel even slower, but I don't think it would have felt anywhere near as... fragmented. Anyway, this episode was fun but not arresting. EDIT: updated the character list. KOGAHAZAN!! fucked around with this message at 15:14 on May 4, 2014 |
|
#
?
May 4, 2014 14:47
|
|
|
I felt that this was the episode that really benefited from the SHAFT visuals. In the other episodes the imagery felt cheap and pretentious, but here, the endless repetition of the same scenery and objects came together nicely to portray an endless world. Some of the details were pretty subtle, like the number of crows perched on the power lines. The repeating notes and unsettling noise gave the scenes some pretty heavy atmosphere as well. Also, pay close attention to the cat's eyes and shadow. Hmm... By the way, the robot albino is named Konoha, not Kotonoha.
|
|
#
?
May 4, 2014 15:35
|
|
|
Ryas posted:By the way, the robot albino is named Konoha, not Kotonoha. Whoops! Fixed, thanks.
|
|
#
?
May 4, 2014 15:42
|
|
|
That's alright. If I saw someone pouring mayonnaise into a rice cooker I'd want to hurry up and forget all details about him too.
|
|
#
?
May 4, 2014 15:45
|
|
|
Ryas posted:That's alright. If I saw someone pouring mayonnaise into a rice cooker I'd want to hurry up and forget all details about him too. This is not all that uncommon in Japan. Putting Mayo on Rice, cooking Rice with Mayo, etc. I've done it a few times, and a lot of the people I live with have as well. 
|
|
#
?
May 4, 2014 17:48
|
|
|
Ryas posted:That's alright. If I saw someone pouring mayonnaise into a rice cooker I'd want to hurry up and forget all details about him too. Japanese mayo is a light, sweet condiment unlike the flavorless glop that American commercialized mayo usually is.
|
|
#
?
May 4, 2014 18:31
|
|
|
pandaK posted:Japanese mayo is a light, sweet condiment unlike the flavorless glop that American commercialized mayo usually is. It is literally used as sandwich lube in the US.
|
|
#
?
May 4, 2014 21:35
|
|
|
ViggyNash posted:What exactly are you comparing to the paradogs? Outside, when the guy's chucked out of the house for suggesting summer school.
|
|
#
?
May 5, 2014 00:38
|
|
|
Qwertycoatl posted:Outside, when the guy's chucked out of the house for suggesting summer school. Oh. I'm pretty sure that wasn't literal and was more for comedy, but maybe.
|
|
#
?
May 5, 2014 01:01
|
|
|
The doggies reminded me a lot of my very first anime, Ginga - Nagareboshi Gin:  So uh. Yeah. They called it Silver Fang here, though. Super awesome show when I was 6 years old. darkgray fucked around with this message at 01:38 on May 5, 2014 |
|
#
?
May 5, 2014 01:35
|
|
|
|
|
#
?
May 5, 2014 02:26
|
|
|
I don't see how this show can be thought of as confusing. Kyousogiga, that was confusing and slow to show it's hand. On this show, so far what we've been shown is a totally straight-forward X-Men sorta plot where there are people with powers who have banded together for support. They pretty much wrapped up all of that in the third episode. Obviously there's more going on, but that's basically just implications at this point. Yeah, now they introduced some new characters and we don't know how they fit but they've only just introduced that plot.
|
|
#
?
May 6, 2014 15:44
|
|
|
darkgray posted:The doggies reminded me a lot of my very first anime, Ginga - Nagareboshi Gin: This is the best thing from that episode. Such an obscure reference to make.
|
|
#
?
May 7, 2014 09:55
|
|
|
Looks like the preliminary pieces are falling into place. e: VV I was hoping someone would gif that. I don't mind the Sentaro/Konoha bits as they are. So far everything has felt initially disjointed, and the connections between things are revealed at their own pace, and I actually like it. It gives the whole thing an air of mystery. ViggyNash fucked around with this message at 23:22 on May 10, 2014 |
|
#
?
May 10, 2014 23:18
|
|
|
This was an episode. That I liked. That'll done, Mekaku, that'll do.  ahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha Okay, okay, serious talk: I could see what they were trying to do with the visual metaphor stuff in Shintaro/Konoha's scenes, but I didn't think it worked very well. It didn't flow very well with the rest of the episode, and rather than coming off (as I'm assuming it was intended to) as dramatic and arresting it just felt kinda... limp and disconnected. But hey! Things are happening! To characters that I'm invested in! Exciting times.
|
|
#
?
May 10, 2014 23:18
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 2, 2024 13:21 |
|
|
Fun episode. Good humor throughout and the cliffhanger at the end made me want to see more. Next episode should be a real eye-opener.
|
|
#
?
May 11, 2014 23:40
|
|