Constantryan: When watching an anime do you feel the colour palette helps create atmosphere. For example as you’ve been watching Cowboy Bebop, I think that it’s desaturated (is that the right word?) look helps convey it’s Old West feel, even though it’s set in space.
I definitely do think the palette’s important to creating atmosphere and it’s something that’s often overlooked. Interestingly, Cracked had an article addressing something similar to this (although I disagree about the negative assessment they give.) GURREN LAGANN has a very lively, saturated palette that stands in marked contrast to the more muted, subdued palette DEATH NOTE used – - and that really isn’t rocket science. The former’s an encouraging 10,000 watt dose of fun and sun while the other’s a thicker-than-soup serving of gloom and doom.
…and contrast.
However, I wonder sometimes if the mood of a show’s specific palette is sometimes just a reflection of the time it was made. In the case of COWBOY BEBOP, for instance, the blown-out, washed-out palette reminds me of life in urban Asia. If I close my eyes when I think about it, I can almost feel the buzz of the kind of halogen lights. I have similar synesthetic associations when watching CASTLE OF CAGLIOSTRO and GALAXY EXPRESS 999, though. Both shows’ flat color choices evoke a specific mood from me. However, I’m not sure if that’s just a by-product of the coloring technology they had at the time. Maybe they were just trying to go for 1:1 “normal” color scheme, without any agenda, and I’m just having these associations on account of where I was when I first watched them.
Maybe these same technology advances I mention have also allow animators to make more deliberate decisions when it comes to their color choices. Maybe that’s it. Hell, JIN-ROH had a nigh-omnipresent bleached-out overcast look that covered every single with a sense of dread. I’d be curious if the previous entries in that anime’s universe had the same kind of flexibility.
I’m sure you Anime Vice lunatics have got a greater context than I do. Can you think of cases where the color scheme enhanced or diminished your viewing experience with a specific anime? Or is that all ephemeral?
makes_me_mad: How do you prefer an anime handles things when it catches up to the Manga? Filler episodes, making up their own ending ala Claymore, or just ending like Berserk?
Considering how much longer it takes to produce a cartoon than it takes to make a comic, I’ve always found this thing kind of amusing. I suppose it’s usually a case of an individual artist’s workflow (which can be sidetracked by whims, sickness and other circumstances) faring against the relentless production machine of an animation studio – - a train that must have new tracks laid in front of it once it gets moving.
As a fan, I say that, once again, this is obviously something that must be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. You’ve already got the usual concerns-of-change that come with any sort of adaptation, but an adaptation-in-progress introduces many more angles. Sometimes the portions that the anime makes up is worse than the source material, sometimes it ends up being better. I’m sure that, a lot of times, the producers end up kicking themselves when they see what the manga does when it finally comes out – - because they liked it better than what they came up with, themselves. And vice versa. Wasn’t that part of the reason for FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST: BROTHERHOOD? A second go-round that could afford to be more faithful to what the manga ended up becoming?
Regarding filler, I find DRAGONBALL Z KAI especially hilarious because it’s an answer to something I noticed for years, but never really understood. See, if you were an American kid watching DBZ as you grew up – - even if you were an ardent defender of the show – - you had to admit that its pacing was slower than molasses. Fights were stretched over 30 episodes, entire episodes were devoted to Goku getting his constipated face on while he powered-up to throw just one punch… I just accepted it at face value until I found out later on that all of that was a result of the animators stretching the available material they had once they caught up with the manga. In other words – - it was padding. It was such a problem that they had to go back and recut the thing for KAI so it’s actually paced reasonably, now.
So yeah, I guess the short answer is that I don’t like filler. Who does? If you run out of material, then go in some bold new directions. Do some gaidens, but do them quickly, please.
Go on and send me more questions as private messages, everybody. I’ll answer all of them… within reason.
fullmetalgeass What video game/ movie/ whatever franchise do you think REALLY needs to get adapted into an anime?
We did something about what movies should become anime a while back, so I’ll focus on the vidya games, here. Right off the bat, there should definitely be a GEARS OF WAR game, as it’ll finally broker a truce between the camps who want manly men or pretty boys as their heroes. It would be absolutely grin-inducing, gut-busting hilarious to see a thin, androgynous Marcus Fenix with highlights in his sole patch. Kidding, kidding… nobody freak out.
I also ought to mention, again, how thoroughly I dislike ADVENT CHILDREN. Good lord…
Back on topic… this is kind of tough question. There’ve been so many adaptations already. Even just recently we got DEVIL MAY CRY and that HALO LEGENDS DTV project. I have strong memories of watching the STREET FIGHTER and FATAL FURY animes on VHS when I was a kid, and those might be examples games maybe not having enough story or context to make for an interesting toon. I think the issue a lot of times is… of how compelling is the story, in itself, and how much of it just works in the context of the game mileau? For instance, I love the BROTHERS IN ARMS games, but that’s because they’re interactive. An anime based on them wouldn’t be that special. It’d just be a BAND OF BROTHERS take-off.
Alright, alright, alright… enough beating around the bush. Here’s a quick list…
DEUS EX – - coincidentally my favorite video game of all-tiime. Its conspiracy-filled world is so complex that it’s just begging to be minned. And since the entries are so few-and-far-between (we’re only just now getting a third game) I really feel like the surface has only just been scratched. Plus, I’m pretty sure GHOST IN THE SHELL fans are going to dig this… a lot.
METAL GEAR SOLID – - with 40 minute long cut scenes, Konami obviously wants to make this an anime. They should just go ahead with it and make it official.
CAPTAIN COMMANDO – - an odd choice, perhaps, but the arcade beat ‘em up made a HUGE impression on me as kid. I think the MARVEL VS. CAPCOM games have shown everybody how fun CC and his posse are. I could easily see a toon with all the ridiculous set pieces and wild,manic, contradictory sci-fi and fantasy ideas colliding in one place. C’mon… you’ve got a baby piloting a mecha suit! That’s an anime in itself.
MARVEL VS. CAPCOM – - this is kind of no-brainer. Both companies have had anime adaptations (or they’ve got ones in the works) so why not combine the two? It’d finally put my loves of comics, anime and video games together in one tidy place. And just look at the cinematics for game #3! They’re just begging for a full length feature in that style.
GOD OF WAR – - Another favorite of mine. It’d be great to see an anime getting a little more into the story of Kratos, now that he’s, you know, wiped out all the Olympians. As I said with GOW3, they totally need to do more adventures where he puts the hurt on all the other pantheons of the world. Easy choices are the Norse and the Egyptians’. This might a fun way for Kratos to take on the weirder or less well-known mytholgoies like the Maya’s while delving a little deeper into the psyche of this rage-embodying warrior.
This is fun! Let’s keep going. Give me your picks, Anime Vice lunatics!
kashif1: Here’s my question, what do you think is a good length for an anime? On one hand you have Bleach which is now almost 290 episodes, Then there are the fullmetal alchemist animes which are both around 60, and then you have stuff that is 27 or even 14 episodes long. What is the best length to tell a story?
This is the fundamental dilemma of all serialized entertainment, isn’t it? When do you stop and when do you keep it going? The standard length seems to be somewhere around the 26 episode sweet spot (which none-too-coincidentally corresponds to a half-year, or two seasons. )That’d seem like the easy answer, but this obviously a little more complicated. Anime and manga are notable for generally being more disciplined about staying finite, even despite pressure from fans. This definitely isn’t a case of one size fitting all.
I’d have to stay up for a day and half straight to watch all of this show.
We explored a similar topic a while back – - when have shows jumped the shark? – - but this one extends a little broader; it encompass shows that were actually too short. If you like something, your first thought once it’s finished is that you want to see more of it - – or, at least, something like it. That’s just natural. And I think I’ve definitely seen some cases where brevity actually works against something.
I thought FLCL, for instance, was something that was cut off a bit too earlier. I think it could’ve been twice as long. I realize the whole thing was supposed to be a less-stressful goof for Gainax, but I still think the show could’ve used more space to explore all the relationships and crazy ideas it only just broached in the show. Eri, in particular, got short-shifted a bit and we really didn’t get to see enough of Haruko’s added interstellar intrigue at the end. As a result, the whole thing felt like a glimpse of a story rather than full-fledged experience.
On the other end of the stick, I’m honestly hesitant to pick up watching FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST: BROTHERHOOD because 60 episodes is just so daunting a number to get through. That’s at 20-30 hours of material! Then again, considering how complex the world is, only 17 episodes in, I’m sure they need that many episodes to explore the Elric brothers’ universe. I don’t begrudge ‘em for that, but that’s just a sign of it being a different animal.
I don’t know. Sometimes series get long-in-the-tooth and drift too far from what made them interesting in the first place. Other times, an extended run allows for interesting complexities and “happy accidents” when creatives play round robin with an idea. And sometimes stories are squished into a box that’s too confining. Like I said, no one size fits all.
What do you lunatics think? When has a series go on past its natural life span? When has it been cut before its reached its prime? What’s the ideal length for a show?
Pokemon Black www.play-asia.com Pokemon White www.play-asia.com [ENGLISH] Pokemon Black USA www.play-asia.com Pokemon White USA www.play-asia.com The games are not region-locked and will work on any Nintendo DS, Nintendo DS Lite, Nintendo DSi, or Nintendo 3DS system. Pokemon Black and White Versions are the highly anticipated 5th generation Pokemon games. They will be coming out on September 18th in Japan and in Spring 2011 in the US, and will be playable on the Nintendo DS, Nintendo DSi and the Nintendo 3Ds. The games take place in the vast land of Isshu, located far away from the previous 4 Pokemon regions and over 100 new monsters will be present! Be sure to subscribe for more updates relating to the upcoming Pokemon Black and White game Music by PokemonRemixStudio Video Rating: 5 / 5
AgentJ: Something that gets brought up frequently, and surprisingly, with a lot of emotion, is that many anime (and video game) characters that come out of Japan don’t look “japanese”. The idea is that it is common for characters to have facial structures or hair colors more closely resembling the west. What are your thoughts on this?
I also got a PM from Nanashi about this. Apparently it’s the topic du jour on the internet? Obviously, this is a sensitive topic. I’m going to tread carefully…
Years ago, when I first got interested in watching anime as a teenager, I read one of those “primers for newbies” in some magazine. I don’t remember what the name was, but I do remember that it ascribed anime’s crazy, rainbow-colored hair to the Japanese wanting to differentiate the characters – - even if giving them all the same hair color was more realistic. I accepted that explanation at face value until my sister asked me the same “crazy hair” question a few years later. When I repeated that explanation, she snorted, “What, are you saying all Japanese people look the same?”
It’s a thorny thicket to get into, saying how races should look in art.
This cartoon resembles billions of people.
I think an answer may lie in the fact that the more you abstract a human form (or “cartoonize” it, if you prefer) the more people it resembles. Scott McCloud actually had a whole chapter about this in his theory book, UNDERSTANDING COMICS. Basically, a smiley face looks like everybody on the planet. Two eyes and a mouth; that describes every person you know. A photograph of me only looks like one person on Earth – - me. In between the two, you have all degrees of abstraction and similarities.
Light Yagami’s supposed to be a Japanese student. Does he look white because he’s got sandy blond hair? A lot of people say he looks like Zac Efron. Sure, I agree, but doesn’t Light also look like Tatsuya Fujiwara, the actor who played him in the DEATH NOTE movie? The resemblance between the real life guys might not be that great, because they’re human beings with thousands of distinct details, but they both resemble the cartoon, because it’s an abstraction that’s much more open to interpreation.
Anyway, I’m sure you’ve all got stronger and better-informed opinions about this than I do, so go ahead and discuss. Also, keep coming with the questions. I’ll answer anything here in this column.
Anime fans are always looking for a new series to sink their teeth into. Thankfully, the start of the Fall season is sure please those who are eagerly awaiting for something different. New Anime is fast approaching, and I’ve been working hard to give you all a small preview of the notable pieces I find interesting. Note: the trailers, if any, are under the spoiler tag.
2010 Anime Fall Season Preview
Star Driver
Bones Genre: Mecha Summary: In the South, on a cross-shaped island, an odd item is discovered in the underground ruins. It’s a gigantic humanoid robot known as “Cybuddy”. The Order of the Glittering Star Cross decides to abduct a girl called Wako Agemaki as she is the key to activating the robot. This is when Takuto Tsunashi shows up with his own Cybuddy to rescue her. Air Date: October
Ore No Imouto ga Konnani Kawaii Wake ga Nai (My Little Sister Can’t Be This Cute!) AIC Genre: Comedy, Drama Summary: Kousaka Kyousuke is an average high school student who doesn’t get along well with his younger sister, the cute and popular Kirino. Then one day he makes a startling discovery: Kirino’s secretly an otaku. Air Date: October
Madhouse Genre: Action Summary: Anthony Edward Stark, usually called Tony, is an industrialist playboy and an ingenious engineer who surfers a severe heart injury during a kidnapping in which his captors attempt to force him to build a weapon of mass destruction. He instead creates a powered suit of armor to save his life and escape captivity. Air Date: October 1st
J.C Staff Genre: Romance Summary: It's the Meji Era in a slightly alternate Japan, and the Gregorian calendar has just come into effect. The fox-eared girls living in the youkai part of town are about to be put to work together with a delegation of young human soilders, to promote interracial understanding. So what will happen when Zaruko's strong personality collides with human sensibilities? Air Date: October 4th
A-1 Pictures Genre: Action, Shounen Ai Summary: After being devastated in the third World War (known as The Third Division), Japan was divided in two. Several years after the end of the war, a crime organization called Vischio has taken control of the destroyed city of Toshima (formerly Tokyo, Japan's capital city), where they are holding a battle game known as "Igura". The game's main character, a young man named Akira, is fasely accused of a crime. Once arrested, a myterious woman appears before him, offering him freedom if he agrees to participate in Igura and defeat Igura's strongest man: the king, or "Il-re". The story follows Akira's life in the harsh, lawless Toshima as he fights both to survive and to unravel the mysteries developing around him. Air Date: October
SHAFT Genre: Comedy, Slice of Life Summary: Clumsy Arashiyama is a girl with a love for mysteries and a knack for getting into trouble. She works for an old lady's lackluster maid cafe in a small shopping district. The cafe is largely unsuccessful in attracting costomers aside from Sanada, a regular and one of the Arashiyama's classmates (who has a secret crush on her). One day Arashiyama's clever friend Tatsuno is invited to the cafe, and upon seeing the miserable state of things (and Sanada, whom she has a secret crush on), decides to work there. Don't miss the crazy antics of Arashiyama and friends, mismatched love stories, and all the hilarity that is created as a result, in Sore Machi. Air Date: October 7th
Bee Train Genre: Mystery, Horror, Supernatural, Shoujo Summary: This series revolves around Yakumo Saitou who has a unique power. He was born with a red left eye which allows him to see ghosts. Yakumo (a tad reluctantly) helps the spirits to rest in peace by helping them deal with whatever issues are binding them to the living world. The story starts when his class mate, Haruka Ozawa comes to him and asks for his help. Air Date: October
Brains Base Genre: Romance, Comedy Summary: One Tsukimi Kurashita is a jellyfish otaku and she just moved into an apartment complex filled with fujoshi who has a strick ‘no-men-allowed’ policy. But one day, Tsukumi invites a highly fashionable woman to stay in her room only to find out that “she” isn’t who she seems to be. Air Date: October 14
J.C Staff Genre: Slice of Life, Comedy, Drama, High School Summary: The story follows two high schoolers Moritaka Mashiro and Akito Takagi as they strive to become popular mangaka in the popular Shounen Jump Magazine. Air Date: October
Feel & ZEXCS Genre: Romance Summary: A story that revolved around the male protagonist Hasekura Kouhei, who transfers into a prestigious public school in the style of an English six-year school encompassing junior-high and high school students. The school is on an island named Tamatsu Island off-shore from mainland Japan, and the only way to get there is by boat. Soon after transferring, he discovers that one of the student in the class next door to his, Sendou Erika, is in fact a type of vampire. Air Date: October
Manglobe Genre: Romance, Comedy, Harem Summary: Kamina Katsuragi is a diehard gamer and a master of Galgae (Girl Capturing games), so much so that he’s hailed as the Capturing God. What happens when the Kami-sama of capturing virtual girls has to make real girls fall for him in an effort to capture the evil spirits that escaped the spirit world and hid inside their hearts? The real challenge has begun! Air Date: October
Pierrot Genre: Fantasy, Mystery, Steam Punk Summary: Picking up where the last season left off, Letter Bee ~Reverse~ continues the tale of Lag Seeing as he strives to become the Head Bee and find Gauche Suede, a treasured friend and Letter Bee who has gone missing. Air Date: October
SHAFT Genre: Comedy, Romance Summary: Continuing the story of the strange courtship of a successful executive in life called Kou and a mysterious woman called Nino who lives under a bridge. Air Date: October
J.C Staff Genre: Action, Fantasy, Sci-Fi, High School Summary: Continuing the story of the human Magical Grimiore Index and high schooler Touma, as they live in the Scientifically advanced Academy City and have to make sense of the chaos that results in the clash of magic and science! Air Date: October
MM!
XEBEC Genre: Comedy Summary: Because of a certain incident, Sado Tarou is masochistic. He won't have a "normal" love if he's like this forever. So to cure his body and so that he could confess to his love "Shihori Hime", he goes to the Voluntary Club which he heard can fulfill students' wishes. He goes there seeking help, only to find Isurugi Mio, a girl with a gross misunderstanding that she is a god, and Yuuno Arashiko, who's the cause of his masochism. Air Date: October
Hyakka Ryoran Samurai Girls
ARMS Genre: Action, Comedy, Ecchi Summary: The story takes place in Japan in the early 21st century, in an alternate reality where the Tokugawa Shogunate has remained in power. In this reality, student councils are tasked with oppressing schools. Yagyuu Muneakira is a high school student who rebels against his student council with the help of girls who’ve had the names of famous samurai heroes passed on to them. Air Date: September 9th
XEBEC Genre: Romance, Ecchi, Harem Summary: The story is about Rito Yuuki, a high-school boy who cannot confess his love to the girl of his dreams, Haruna Sairenji. One day when coming home and sulking in the bath-tub a mysterious, nude girl, appears out of nowhere. Her name is Lala and she comes from the planet Deviluke, where she is the heir to the throne. Her father wants her to return to her home planet so she can marry one of the husband candidates, but she decides that she wants to marry Rito in order to stay on Earth. Air Date: October
Studio DEEN Genre: History, Fantasy, Feudal Japan Summary: We continue following Yukimura Chizuru as she remains with the Shinsengumi after they have fled Kyoto. Air Date: October
Yosuga no Sora
Feel Genre: Seinen, Romance Summary: The story is set in the distant mountain village of Okukozome-cho. Haruka Kazugano and his twin sister Sora have fond chilhood memories of going to the village to visit their grandfather during their summer vacations. However, after loosing their parents in an accident, the two must move in with their granfather. The twins get reacquainted with their old childhood friend Nao Yorihime, their new classmate Yuohei Nakazato, the miko Akira Amatume, and Akira's friend Kazuha Migawa. All seems peaceful and familiar. However, beneath the surface is a secret promise that the twins made with each other long ago, the whereabouts of an important lost item, and the real reason they chose to come back here. Air Date: October
Tantei Opera Milky Holmes
J.C Staff Genre: Mystery Summary: The anime adaptation of the PSP game, the story takes place in an imaginary world in "the Age of Detectives", where private detectives and phantom thieves overwhelm the cities. It's about four girls who aim to be great detectives. Air Date: October
Karl and the Mysterious Tower
Nippon Animation Genre: Varies Summary: Every morning, noon and evening, an old timekeeping man rings the bell in a mysterious tall tower built from a stack of building blocks. However, one day at noon, the tower bell fails to ring, leaving the townspeople confused about when to eat lunch. Air Date: TBA
Nougyou Musume (Agricultural Girl)
Toei Animation Genre: Slice of Life Summary: The story centers around two sisters, Koshino Hikari and Hikaru, who take care of the paddy they inherited from their parents. Together the sisters grow rice and hang out with their friends in the local area. Air Date: TBA
Panty and Stocking With Garterbelt
Gainax Genre: Varies Summary: The story centers around a teen-celebrity-like blond-haired girl named Panty and a black-haired Goth Loli girl named Stocking. The two are angels sent from the heavens to battle the Ghosts on Earth. Air Date: October
Shinryaku! Ika Musume (Invasion! Squid Girl)
Diomedea Genre: Comedy Summary: The comedy centers around a squid girl who vows to invade the beaches of mankind since humans have polluted the seas. However, her invasion is less than successful, and she ends up on dry ground. Air Date: October
Super Robot Taisen OG The Inspector
Asahi Productions Genre: Mecha Summary: A bunch of giant robots beating each other up. Air Date: October
Phew! That is a lot of new anime... So what's on your "Must Watch" list? -- Geo (sora_thekey) long time user, blogger, wiki editor of the Whiskey Media sites, and an all time geek!
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