| The idea here is to create a panel of around 5 or so people with strong writing skills who will supervise and help with the creation of club reviews. We will still have review teams created for each show like before, but now each team will be assigned a person from the Review Panel to help with the writing process by providing tips for structure, proof-reading, and adding general polish to the completed reviews. If a review team happens to stall or become inactive, the Review Panel member would then be able to step in and finish the review based on the material produced up to that point. The role of the Review Panel member is simply to assist with the writing, not to come up with content. This will allow Review Panel members to work on any review regardless of whether they have actually seen or read the material being reviewed. What I would like in this thread is for volunteers to post their interest and include a sample of writing with their post. This sample of writing can be whatever you want, a review or a short story or whatever you want. It should be long enough to show your talents, but try keep it under 2,000 words. After 1 week, I will create a new thread with all the volunteers and their writing submissions and have the club vote for their 5 favorite people. These people will become the Review Panel. tl;dr We are looking to create a team of editors to fine-tune the drafts of club reviews before final submission. Volunteer here and provide an example of your writing. Something to keep in mind: --------------------------------------------------------- The amount of anime you have seen or manga you have read is irrelevant. The number of reviews you have written is also irrelevant. What we are interested in here are your basic writing skills. So for anyone who hasn't seen that much anime or written many reviews, don't let that deter you from volunteering. Example submission: Hey I want to be on the panel! (submission 500-1,000 words.... no more than 2,000 words) **Just for reference, the average CriticsClub review is roughly 1,000 words so feel free to check them out here to see the length I'm talking about. |
HiroM_Feb 1, 2022 6:14 AM
| Sample of writing: Edit: The Fuhrer said this wasn't long enough. :( Will post a new submission later. |
BlackMagicJan 30, 2009 3:00 PM
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| Alright, I'll submit this one; The second season of Black Lagoon is really a story of two different anime; the underwhelming, uninspired first six episodes, and the spectacular, engaging last half of the show. The former is a 5, while the latter is very close to a 10. The returning characters and excellent opening are largely the same as the first season (mentioned more in my review of that season), which is a good thing. The art is as stylish, vivid, and colorful as ever, and adds a definite flavor to all the gun battles. Now, there are three different story arcs, each completely independent of one another; the murderous twins, Greenback Jane, and the Yakuza fighting back in Japan. The series starts off with the Romanian siblings, two eight year olds with white hair carrying a mini-gun and an ax larger than they are themselves. These two little children love to kill, and are so dangerous that they wreak havoc upon Roanapur, killing dozens of high-level, powerful gangsters, including those from Hotel Moscow. Now, I understand suspension of disbelief, and I realize that the gun-wielding heavies in the Black Lagoon universe are supposed to be bizarre, unorthodox characters, from chain-smoking nuns to chambermaids wearing glasses, but this is absurd. Even in the Black Lagoon universe, it doesn't make sense for two FRAIL CHILDREN to single-handedly cut through droves of gangsters and expert gunmen like so much confetti. The only way to pull this off is to inject humor, but there is none of that in the first three episodes. The emotional melisma surrounding the end of this arc is both unnecessary and poorly executed. Next up is Greenback Jane, a straightforward action arc about a counterfeiter on the run, with all of Roanapur's deadliest criminals after her, and only Eda and the Black Lagoon company around to protect her. It's mostly action, with several funny scenes, and little character development, an Eda flashback aside. It's decent fare, but I found a few key moments disappointing. Without revealing any spoilers, there are several notorious gangsters fighting against Eda and Revy. A few of the less important ones die, but the main ones, with significant backstory, curiously survive, only one with serious injuries of any kind. Now, I understand they wanted to save them for Season 3, but it's anti-climactic, a cheap device from the creators. In the ruthless Black Lagoon universe, when two heavies battle it out, one should die. Finally, we come to the last six episodes, which cover Hotel Moscow's quest to destroy several Yakuza families in Japan, quality time spent between Revy (fully-clothed even!) and Rock near the latter's home, as we are also introduced to a cute schoolgirl named Yukio and honorable swordsman Ginji, who can slice bullets in half. This might very well be the best story arc in the entire series, Seasons 1 and 2, and corrects many of the things I disliked about the earlier episodes. If you read my review for the first season, one of my biggest complaints was the character of Revy, that she was a character with no depth or reality, and was boring and stupid to boot. Well, by the end of Season 2, she has been transformed into a much more understandable and most importantly, FUN individual. No longer is she hysterical, crazy, nor does she talk as much ridiculous shit. She's far more competent, rational, and even her character is developed, as we see her interacting with children, and she shows genuine compassion and love for Rock. The overall character development in these last six episodes is excellent. A lot of attention is paid to Miss Balalaika, as she cements her status as the coolest, most competent criminal in the series. Her blend of stoicism with charm, humor, and the ability to do whatever is necessary to crush her enemies is entertaining to watch. Even the minor characters, like the violent, insane Chaka, with facial piercings, blonde hair, and a purple suit, are well done. He is a neat reference to Kakihara from "Ichi the Killer", minus the love of sadomasochism. The story itself drags a little with overly abstract, emotional dialogue, but it's not terrible, and is at least relevant to the central theme, which concerns the transition and choice between criminal or peaceful life. The last six episodes make up for the beginning of the Second Season, but not enough to propel it into "great" status. Highly recommended for anyone that enjoys action and a fast pace to one's anime, as well as unusual personalities. |
| For the people that don't have the time, are too lazy, or lack writing skills (I fall in with the last two), I would like to offer this. An added section at the end of /insightful/ (definition up to debate) comments that don't really justify an entire review. Whether or not these are added may be based on a vote similar to the 'you decide'. "FSN's animated series did the game proud", etc. More complications for the win? |
“Don’t let yourself be blinded by fear or anger. Everything is only as it is.” Story Mushishi is essentially a series of stories styled after East Asian legends and folktales. In lieu of gods, spirits, and demons, the paranormal phenomena are attributed to more primitive yet no less enigmatic creatures called “mushi”. Dealing with their kind is the expertise of “mushishi”; professionals whose role may be thought of as an amalgam of healer, exorcist, biologist, X-Files investigator, and Jedi master (well, sort of). Ginko happens to be one of these mushishi and he wanders from town to town, looking for interesting cases and lending a helping hand to those adversely affected by these mushi. As formulaic as its premise may sound, no two incidents are alike and every episode features not only different mushi but a different setting and cast as well (with Ginko as constant exception). Because of these, the series is able to experiment with various concepts and human relationships and none of the stories ever end in a predictable manner. As such, there is little room for stagnation as each tale manages to be unique and refreshing. The title is often mentioned in the same breath as Kino no Tabi though Mushishi’s oriental setting and animistic influences give it a more distinct flavor and theme. Whereas Kino limits herself to exploring “what if” scenarios by visiting different countries, Ginko takes it a step further by providing possible solutions and emphasizing the importance of living in harmony with nature, with fellow men, and most importantly, with the self. Characters: While not exactly an anti-hero, Ginko’s personality is an unusual mix of benevolence tempered with common sense; a combination of “grace to accept with serenity the things that cannot be changed, courage to change the things that should be changed, and the wisdom to distinguish one from the other.” Saving lives is part of his job but he also knows when there’s reason still to hope and when it’s time to move on. He may break his own code at times for the well-being of the majority and he’s not above fooling the gullible either just to get by. His expertise stems not only from his knowledge about mushi but also from his understanding of human nature. Similarly, none of these supporting characters are shoved into stereotypes which plague most anime and manga. No catgirls, lecherous geezers, or single-minded youngsters (Believe it!); just regular folks in unusual circumstances due to encounters with mushi. Consequently, it doesn’t require much effort to empathize with these characters even if most only appear in their respective episodes. Art: Not only is the theme “everything is only as it is” evident in the content but it also permeates the manner in which the stories are presented. Mushishi doesn’t try to impress; it simply delivers. While other shows of this era tend go overboard with the fancy CG animation, Mushishi’s visuals remain spare yet aesthetically pleasing. Rather than filling up the screen with explosions and fanservice shots at every possible moment, vivid scenes of natural beauty such as raindrops falling from the heavens, cherry blossoms drifting in the wind, and sunlight penetrating the dense foliage are shown instead. Of course, the viewers are occasionally treated to fantastic scenes showing the surreal characteristics of the mushi but these are shown only when called for in the stories and nothing is done in excess. Even the character designs are relatively plain but perhaps these also contribute to the story in their own way since the audience is less likely to judge the characters based on their appearances. Sound: Likewise, the audio takes the minimalist approach. The soundtrack is comprised of simply melodies which are surprisingly effective in evoking various thoughts and emotions. Ranging from haunting and heart-rending to hopeful and bittersweet, the music often eliminates the need for more words in the most crucial scenes. Also worth noting is the lack of exaggerated voice acting which makes the cast sound more like real people rather than cookie-cutter characters. Overall: In addition to its enchanting audio and visuals, Mushishi also serves drama and thought-provoking content in balanced amounts. Its subtle content and execution never insult the intelligence and present several interesting ideas without drowning the viewers in philosophical jargon or sophistry. All in all, Mushishi truly is one of the finest anime specimen out there. It took an entire week to write this one but editing another person's work usually takes up only a few hours. |
| Does this have to be completely new writing? |
| It can be any writing you want and in any format. Whatever you think does the best job of displaying your basic writing talents. |
| Legend of the Galactic Heroes is an epic tale of the rise to power of two men born at the right time on opposite sides, leading to a clash of brilliant spectacle that could only be executed with care in as an animated original. Animation- 9/10 Though Legend of Galactic Heroes is 20 years old the visual quality and care is quite priceless. As a viewer who is reluctant to watch series over 40 episodes or over 10 years old, I was taken aback by the engaging art ranging from Ancient Rome, to Victorian England, to Blade Runner-esque futuristic set-pieces and costuming. Both factions, The Free Planets' Alliance and the Galactic Empire, had its own distinctive look, engaging the eye in nearly every direction. Add to these looks, the numerous space battles waging between the two factions and you have a piece of art that is timeless. Sound - 10/10 Legend of Galactic Heroes boasts over 100 individual voice actors with, I believe only one person, doubling up. This show is a veritable "who's who" of the time's voice talent, and many of these talents are still working today. The quality of performance from this cast is overwhelmingly great. The actors take to both comedy and drama with a meticulous sense of intelligence, and there are few, if any times I found an actor to have either over or under-played a scene. Musically, this anime uses very well-placed classical music as the aural backdrop for the series, and perhaps the only flaw musically are the opening themes, rife with pitchy, technically abominable singing, but because it is so little of the sound content, then I can personally overlook it. Characters - 10/10 In this show you would be hard-pressed to find a character that does not serve a definite purpose. There is a large cast of characters ranging from princes and generals to whores and religious fanatics. Each character plays his part in the machine of this show, all believably true to their actions. The only flaw with the characters I suppose is names. While the show is good on giving viewers subtitles to serve as a reminder, because these are German names and those of nobility (which also includes titles) there is a double edged sword that both breeds authenticity and becomes mnemonically troublesome. Story - 9/10 LoGH is a magnificent space opera that delves into philosophy and politics with an unmatched ease. It is clear where shows like Death Note, Code Geass and creators such as Clamp get their influence from when watching this show. While the writing suffers a bit in the final 15-20 episodes, the slack is picked up by the extraordinary momentum the writers and voice cast from the previous 90 episodes created. Even with those flaws, there are no instances of stagnation in the narrative. The show is always distinctively going somewhere, elegantly leading the viewer with excellently written narration to help with suspense. LoGH also manages to integrate fictional technology into the story with out it overwhelming the viewer, or being an excuse for trite deus ex machina. Enjoyment - 10/10 For someone who is very picky about show length and characters, I was truly stunned by the way this show was tightly managed as a narrative. The pace is a very consistent and mild to help go back and forth between raising questions and finding resolution. LoGH was a highly satisfying experience, and its a shame it was never brought to English so that it could find a bigger audience. I think it's the type of show that Adult Swim, or G4 (when it was TechTV with Anime Unleashed) would have eagerly consumed at the beginning of their respective launches. Overall- 10/10 |
noteDheroFeb 2, 2009 9:51 AM
| I respect Nagaru Tanigawa. I really do. That's because he is a very smart person. One day, I imagine, (and I also imagine that what I imagine is not far from reality) he looked around a bunch of anime magazines, and- this is crucial- he got a perfectly clear vision of the very trend that was going to shape japanese mass media for the coming decade: moe. And it would seem that Nagaru Tanigawa was perfectly aware that even he could do moe. The truth is, anybody can do moe, most people are simply not as much dedicated to achieve success via moe, or simply have more decency. Now this sounds like I wouldn't actually be giving Tanigawa credit. The thing is, Tanigawa not only can do moe, he also knows that he can do all of moe. So he decided to make money via moe. I'm saying this because this way of thinking gets reflected all troughout "The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya". And this is the reason that at the same time, while I respect Nagaru Tanigawa, I fucking hate Nagaru Tanigawa. TMoHS was designed to get money out of retards who are into moe, atheits and anarchists. Really, the thing about this show that gives the aforementioned line of thought away are the characters. Now, shows like Kiddy Grade would have us think that it's easy to make all the characters in a given story unrelatable and unlikable. Or, more exactly, Kiddy Grade would have us think that it's easy to make unlikable characters. Well that's not true. The Haruhi Suzumiya franchise proves that Kiddy Grade is nothing more than a terrible accident getting even worse due to it's upcoming sequel. It proves this with it's main character, Haruhi Suzumiya. Her character shows us that there is no way there was any intelligent design at work when Kiddy Grade's characters were concieved. And that is because the characters in Kiddy Grade are merely annoying, and as I've said previously, impossible to relate to(for more reasons than one). This makes the entire chast of Kiddy Grade bad, in terms of character quality. However, Haruhi Suzumiya is at the same time worse and better than the entire cast of Kiddy Grade combined. To say that Haruhi Suzumiya is unlikable would not be an adequate description of what a well- brought up, moral, just, kind, caring person(the kind of person that, like me, finds no joy in torturing his/her Sims) would think of her. Besides, the term "unlikable" is geeting worn- out these days by people like Yahtzee. To put it bluntly, Haruhi Suzumiya makes Lina Inverse look like Tokiha Mai. That's Lina-fucking-Inverse and Tokiha-fucking-Mai. It's not that she is a tsundere. If she was just a tsundere, shed just be a crappy character, and would not rise above every single character in any Gonzo show ever. But, she is much worse. She blackmails people with sexual abuse for their computers. She puts peoples lives in danger for web- traffic. She frequently sexually molests others. She expects those around her to think of these things as simple, innocent "fun". Simply put, there was never a more hateable, detestable, spiteful, vomit- inducingly repulsive character than her. Which is the very reason she is such a great character. And if we here at My Anime List would have to name a single thing that encompasses the genii of Nagaru Tanigawa, we would name her. See, characters in Kiddy Grade are simply boring because there was no care put into them (well, that and the fact that most of them are so god damn overpowered it turns any attempt at creating tension a waste). Anybody can see that the reason any normal person would get so immensly repulsed from Haruhi is because there was so much effort and care put into making her so repulsive. "But Dozer", you ask, "Haruhi Suzumiya is the forth most favorited character on My Anime List! She can't possibly be like what you just described her!" Well, this is the real reason why she is the very thing that show just how smart Nagaru Tanigawa really is. He knows that lot's of people nowadays have no moral values whatsoever. He noticed how society was declinig, and he simply decided to cater to the valueless masses that make up a large portion of the population today. In fact, I will get back to the relationship between Tanigawas audience and Tanigawas work, but I'll just save that for a later paragraph. If you are so immensely interested, I have marked that paragraph with the numpad star(*) at the beggining. Now that I've written about Haruhi, I could end this review right here and now, because after so many paragraphs it might really feel pointless to write about a show like this even more. Alas, I have mentioned that Tanigawa decided that he can do all of moe. Now, both times I wrote that, I lied a bit. That would imply that every single minor aspect of moe fandom is contained within the show. Or maybe it does, I don't know. The day that I realise that I have put effort into attaining encyclopedic knowledge about the nuances of moe fandom with no urging reason to do so will be the very day my existence on this Earth will end, and no, people will have no idea why I'm suddenly dead. But back to the show, tanigawa carefully incorporated other moe aspects into his "masterpiece", though wether it was necessary plotwise.... well, I am not the person who is going to make the decision on that one. The first minor character encompassing a certian moe archtype is Nagato Yuki, a glasses- wearing bookworm with purple hair, virtually no discernable facial expression, a speaking voice that couldn't be more still if she was whispering. She is practically your typical Rei- clone, except unlike other Rei- clones she has even less lines than her original peer. Yuki is an Alien, sent from some- sort of intergalactic monitoring entity to keep an eye on Haruhi. She is able to phisically manipulate objects, re- write the source codes of video games while playing them and changing the file extensions of rooms. And that's about it, as far as her character goes. The second minor character is Mikuru Asahina, a time- traveller agent who was sent from the future in order to, you guessed it, watch over Haruhi. The thing is, she is the textbook definition of shy. She get's nervous about everything, she's reluctant about doing anything. At the same time, she has ginormus breats. She is mostly used in scenes of sexual abuse. The last minor character is a guy. Tanigawa knows that there are at least as many female anime fans as there are male, so he knows that it's a smart thing to cater to them. So we have the ambiguously gay Koizumi Itsuki, a near- useless esper and Mr. Exposition. Now is the time when we talk about the second main character and the actual story. Our hyphotesys is that we will not like one of the two very much. Our other main character is Kyon. We never get to know his full name, just this nickname of his. He is the kind of guy that who leads a completely normal life, and the kind of guy who TvTropes editors would call a deadpan snarker or a straight man and some such (the only reason I am not calling him an "Author Stand In" is because I do not want to think that I've just written so much about a guy who would like to be in situations such as the ones depicted here). Haruhi is in the same class with this guy. She is eccentric, and constantly bored. She declares that she wan't to meet (this is a very important, "epic" order of the three) "aliens, time- travellers and espers", so she can play with them. Kyon one day remarks that it's a sad truth that such things don't exist, and besides, people who lived interesting lives did not wait for interesting things to come by, they made their own lives interesting. This gives Haruhi an idea, so she forces Kyon to form the S.O.S. brigade with her. (The meaning of the acronym will not be revealed in this review, as I am already violating good taste by discribing this story.) The brigade is basically her private club, to see interesting, "extraterrestrial" , "supernatural" and some such things. She finds Yuki in the room she decides to use for the club. Being the emotionless doll she is, she just goes along. Mikuru get's dragged in with force by Haruhi because she has moe appeal and it will make more people want to join the club. No, I'm not making this up. That's Tanigawa. Itsuki just appears in one scene and stays. Pretty soon, wird shit starts happening, and the main "crux" of the "plot" comes into play. Haruhi is practically god. Whatever she desieres to happen, it happens. However, she is not concious of this power of hers, in fact, she, and anybody not in the S.O.S. brigade, is completely oblivious to it. Thing is, when she get's bored, she decides to make the world interesting for herself. By adding big, blue, world destroying giants. So the brigade has to constantly keep her interested with something, so as the world doesn't get destroyed. Not like this get's put in front of you in an obvious way. The very thing that poked so much interest in the show in the first place was Tanigawa's decision to show us events in an anachronistic order. The first episode comes second, the tenth or so comes first, the ninth comes fifth and so on. In retrospect though, it only serves to have the climax at the end of the season. What in theory may sound artsy, is in execution merely irritating. Now, did you notice something? While you were reading the paragraphs about the secondary characters and the plot? Remember when I said Haruhi is such a well made character (no matter how detestable) because so much work had gone into her? It is apparent that there was no such amount of work put into any other literal aspect of the show. The secondary characters are either boring or irritating, and the story is either just well written enough not to be dismissed as sci- fi hogwash, or outright insulting. Let me elaborate a bit further: *Here we are! This is the point from which onward, I will explain why I detest Nagaru Tanigawa. The thing is, he wants to not only make money, but while he is at it. Tanigawa want's to be considered a respectable auteur. And this is where things start going haywire. Let's look at this from an outer perspective now. The manga/anime series Ikkitousen is about japanese high- schoolers (mostly teen girls) fighting amongst eachoter to gain control over the area where there schools are. Supposedly, this is because every single character that fights in that show is supposed to be the reincarnation of an ancient chinese war hero from the "three kingdoms" period. The proof of this is a special shaped earring they wear. Each of them is a martial arts expert. Each of them loses an ungodly amount of clothing during each fight. There is panty shot galore. One character in particular has an eyepatch that houses a dragon, a maid costume as a battle suit, complete with combat boots, and a dress that seems to end at the very top of her thighs. Why she is dressed like this is never addressed. As can be seen, Ikkitousen takes pride in hardly making any sence in everyday terms. It never, ever tries to take itself seriously. Though the characters may act like what they are doing are very serious, gruesome things, you never get the feeling that you should consider what happens on screen a deep, convention- defiyng new chapter in the history of the medium or some such. So of course it get's laughed at. Because it doesn't ask you to take it seriously, and because it features high- scholl girls blasting ki bombs at each other until only their panties are left on them, it get's treated as mediocre or shitty. But Nagaru Tanigawa know that the audience he caters to takes things as they are told to take(This is very important, more on this later). So he fills his shameless attempt at money- making with promises of "underlying storylines" and "character development". And wouldn't you know, almost instantaineously, the show in which the narrators hardly-ever-mentioned-before-female-classmate becomes a psycho killer who is out to kill Kyon, and who has to be stopped by Yuki in a fight involving dimensional manipulation or some shit, becomes the best thing since sliced bread. Right now, I'll start going into the worst of the worst, so here we go! But first, something positive! The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya includes perhaps the greatest japanese litmus test ever created! Take a look at this video. Once your done, answer me this: what did you feel rightafter watching that scene? Did you find it a hillarious, or at least genuinely amusing piece of comedy? Did you find Haruhi funny? Or did you rage at that scene, get an impulse to punch Haruhi in the face, find the concept of making fun out of false rape charges terrible, and feel sorrow for the the guy on the floor? If you answered with a yes to my last question in the last paragraph, congratulations, there is a high possibility that you either are or may still become a productive, respected, beloved member of a moral, sane society. However, if you have found that scene to be funny, and found Haruhi to be appealing, than I advise you to urgently sell off your belongings(this includes your house and non- vital organs) for money, and give all but one set of your clothes to charity. After that, take all the money you have made from selling off your posessions, and by as much as you can of the strongest, finest quality heroin you can find. Gradually overdose on said heroin and die. Believe me, in the long run, both of us will be thanked by your peers. (And if you chose neither you are just as selfish as Haruhi, in which case I advise to you the same thing I advised to those who like her.) The scene which you can find in that video is downright awful. It's unfunny, it's painful to watch, and if you laughed at it, you should be ashamed of yourself. And now we are finally back on track, the point to where that little numpad star was leading to: Despite that scene, and despite the fact that Haruhi's character never changes during the cours of the show(remember this line), people still like her. Why is that? Why would anybody want to like a despicable, mean selfish bitch like Haruhi Suzumiya? We could simply argue that whoever likes her is evil and bring up the aformentioned scene as proof, but would be too easy and I wouldn't get to write any more about them. Besides, you can tell by my favorite characters list that I always have the best of hopes toward everyone, and people first need to proove that they are evil before I consider them evil. So, why on earth do people find the scene in which Haruhi extorts the president of the computer club to hand over to her their most valuable computer, unless the club president wants Haruhi to tell everyone theat he and the whole club tried to rape poor Mikuru- chan? When it's all just a setup she made? Because it's made to look funny! The colors are all warm and strong, cheery synthetised horns play in the background, camera work is reminescent of high- school comedy. So naturally, it doesn't matter what actually occurs in the scene, it must be comedy, and therefore funny. THIS IS WHAT HARUHI- FANS ACTUALLY BELIEVE!**(These stars do not lead to a paragraph directly relevant to the review.) Tanigawa knew that that are loads of people, if not (to his knowledge) all around the world, but at least in Japan, that are so stupid they actually think by the above paragraph, that he exploits their retardation with ease. We can safely speculate that Tanigawa knows that what he is writing is terrible, and that anyone who likes it is an antisocial idiot, or as stated at the beggining, a retard, an atheist or an anarchist (maybe even some sort of combination of the above). (It's still possible that they are just evil.) Which is why I hate him: by exploiting the retarded masses of the world, he simultaniously causes intelligent, well- behaived people in tuch with the anime scene (the ones who still have morals) constant irritation not only because of how their beloved medium is praising a mediocre cash- in on the most base instincts of people who, among other things, if they had the chance, would tear of all their wallpapers and fill the walls with wallscrolls of female characters from Code Geass and Type-Moon visual novels, but because of how those people make the outside world think that this is supposed to be good anime. It's not. And it is highly possible that the world may never realise this. Not with the way people are turning out to be these days... Now, Tanigawa probably knew this, but by this point his sence of pride, stemming from the fact that he could devise a way to irritate every single well- meaning person who comes into contact with his work AND make money off of it, grew so big, that he actually started believing that his story could be good. Here's a rundown of how this way of thinking of his affected the story: In episode twelve, Haruhi stands in as a replacement singer in a school band, and after a concert they hold, Haruhi has a talk with Kyon. She is spacing out, as if she had a life changing experience or something. The following will be an edited version of an earlier post of mine discuss(t)ing this scene:(Warning: spoilers(even though you're better off)!) ...Since Haruhi is God, it is perfectly plausable that she gets to participate in the concert. Whatever she desieres, it happens. No, what I have found absolutely uncredible and insulting was her post- concert conversation with Kyon. Never mind that the writer tries to build simpathy for Haruhi by having her explain that she realised the she wasn't at all so special at the baseball stadium. Never mind that this just proves her more childish and stupid then she would already have you believe. Never mind that we are supposed to like a girl who couldn't go trough a phase everybody goes trough without even noticing(I'm being very self- absorbed/condescending with this sentence, I don't know shit about psychology, though I wish i would). But all this is coming out of her mouth in a calm, collected demeanor. Now, when the show tries to tell me that a psychotic bitch like Haruhi, who endangeres the computer club president's life for fucking web traffic, who shows no signs of mental sanity for eleven consecutive episodes, is suddenly, out of the blue, capable of behaviour reminiscent of a civilized human being; when the show tries to tell me that the sudden change in the way she acts is bacuse that day marked the first day she was ever thanked for something in her entire life, when we know that she is around the age of 16-18, THAT is the point when I say: Fuck this shit! What the hell does does Nagaru Tanigawa think I am?!... Now for some positives. I figured that they are so few and far between that they deserve a block quote: Animation- wise, the show is astounding. I hereby praise Kyoto Animation for making the firt japanese animation series that looks better than the third season of Tottaly Spies! Altough Japan should have reached this level in 2004, given all the things wrong with this show, we'll just chalk this one off as a good thing nontheless. And the voice work is also great, every single voice- actor doing their best to portray the various (non-) personalities of the various characters. You could say Hirano Aya does a too good job as Haruhi, but we will just be kind to her too, and say that that's what you call professionalism. Our guess is that whatever unwanted implications that role may have had for her, she can live with them. They probably teach this to voice- actors. I don't have anything left to tell. Perhaps in the dimly lit theater. (If you understood this reference then I automatically believe you have good taste.) Maybe I could comment on the "parody" thing people think the show is. This is where the world has gotten to. A few quick references to Detective Conan and Phoenix Wright can turn almost anything into a parody. The people who think like this are probably the ones who, before 2012, will surely elect Ultimate Showdown the greatest parody ever! Which in turn, will make Ultimate orgy the greatest parody of a parody ever. And this is the way the world will end: Not with a bang, but with a whimper. **It is worth noting that the makers of Death Note used this same knowledge to generate drama within the audience. Notice how Light get's filmed from angles and with effects normally reserved for Big Bads. Now notice how many people think he's evil. Now look at how many people think Light's copy- paste, Lelouch (no offense to the character) is evil. Now look how he never get's a latin chorus, or a palette swap. Now think about what both of those characters do. Do you see a difference? No? But how? Light is clearly evil! He get's that omnus music and latin chanting, and Lelouch never get's glowing red eyes, so they must be different kind of characters... Oh wait. Oh, so that's the trick! (The worst thing is, it will probably never fail.) |
DozerFeb 2, 2009 12:15 PM
| SAO review: Berserk review: |
PolyphemusJun 29, 2013 1:38 PM
| I am important. I have a girlfriend. Check out my podcast |
| I'm interested in proof-reading ad/or editing reviews after they're submitted. I have extensive experience in professional writing. I wrote for two newspapers, and three gaming websites, as well as a blog for a resort. I've also done fiction writing in my spare time. Will edit with an example when I'm not on an iPod. [= EDIT: Chaa Creek Blog Gaming (an article about Pit, from Kid Icarus): Pokemon Fanfic (lol): Box Office Gaming (an article written for a military newspaper): |
DoajJun 30, 2013 4:27 AM
 Vengeance of everyone's grudge. "I didn't add it to my list so I forgot I was watching that." - lpf |
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