Planning to watch too much and making progress on none of it. The day of montage is coming...
Time for a SCORE BREAKDOWN CHART because this is a profile and you gotta have it, baby! This is MAL, and I need to aim to be maladjusted! Tell me if I got this right, okay?
10: AKA if you love this show so much why don't you marry it?
9: AKA nobody understands this show but me!
8: AKA but I didn't like what so-and-so did or whatever.
7: AKA this is where critics say "triumphant", Imma say it, too.
6: AKA I'd feel safe showing this to friends. Hypothetically, of course.
5: AKA they didn't make it for me!
4: AKA this generation doesn't know anime!
3: AKA I can use words like "tedious" or "monotonous" or just words that are smart-sounding.
2: AKA the art and sound was good, though!
1: AKA it was probably fun and I hate fun.
-: AKA I don't know.
"He'll be okay. I know he'll be okay, because...because he owes me 500 yen!"--- Yoko, Bastard!!
"People like you walk your paths believing that something you desire is waiting for you. I walk it to confirm that there is nothing there." ---Rau Le Crueset, Gundam SEED.
Thing is I actually enjoyed it mostly. I am very lazy with anime right now and am really hesitant about watching anime with 52 episodes. LOGH is one of the show I actually marathoned. I even enjoyed the battles. Even though I said Reinhard was a massive mary sue, I enjoyed watching his rise to power. But it got really annoying about how every character that intelligent worshipped and only the idiots mocked him. For the talk about democracy, I couldn't helped but feel Reinhard is the creator's ideal ruler. Even Yang wenli, the advocate of democracy had a crush on Reinhard. The galaxy under his rule seems to be implied a near paradise, with the only flaw being the citizens being pissed about losing their republic, but they were better off since their last leaders were fascists. The real message o f LOGH is that the best government is a constructional monarchy under monarchs like Reinhard.
Hey, I wanted you to know I agree with you on everything about LOGH. Its the war and peace everything thinks it is. Reinhard is the biggest goddamn mary sue I've seen in a show.
"Haha wow you write books or something?" Oh, no, no, not at all. I'm not very gifted in this area, I can't create a plot, for example.
"Art done with digital art tools just can't compare to physical materials to me. I miss water colors and such the most. If it didn't become socially unacceptable by first grade for some reason, I'd still be saying crayons are delicious". It did? Oops. I understand you completely - I tend to dislike digital or computer art. It's sort of vice, 'cause it often makes me judge some films very harshly only because I can't stand their CG. For me, the special effects in Lang's "Metropolis" (movie from 30') was much better/climatic than those in "Avatar", though I'm aware, of course, that the latter is far better technologically (I'm not sure if it's the best word - I mean the progress in technological field is a fact and sure, "Avatar" is better from this point of view). But CG always looks plastic, artificial [to me] and it's prevent me from suspending of disbelief. Back to main topic: I think I miss the flaws, they make work seems... human for me. And the texture. And the changing in time, wrinkles, furrows and faded colours.
"I don't know what secession still glasses are?" It's my fault, I should used "stained glass", I made a mistake. My mind mixed up "stained glass" and "still art" probably. ; - )
"I played FF7 when it came out and I was incredibly young, so...I mean, I couldn't have been the only one who thought he was a woman at first, right? Man, I'd love to see that, but searching for traps of anime males is a downward spiral, passing yaoi and much worse!" He had it coming. Dixit. But such a beautiful girl would he be (surprisingly, there is NOT much fics fixing this problem)! [sight] If by "that" you meant "Muchasque Seph", then I'll try to find it for you.
I don't mind yaoi, yuri, hentai and all that stuff (though I prefer "gen"), as long as it is:
a) good, deep, psychological work, in which case it probably wouldn't be labelled as "yaoi", but "good example of [insert genre]
b) just pure PWP, which not trying to pretend it's deep, psychological and "it's-not-about-sex-at-all-it's-about-destiny". Because that kind of pretensions to grandeur are one of the rare things I REALLY hate. Besides, they make me laugh and it's hardly a purpose of whole genre (or maybe I shouldn't be so sure..). There was a one man about which I know, who managed to put in one book pornography (though one may argue he tried to write caricature) and philosophy, but that was marquise de Sade and let's face it, dear yaoi/yuri/whatever-fancy-name-it-have-now writers: you are probably not as interesting, intelligent person as de Sade.
So, as I'm sure you guessed, most of y/y/h disappoints me. Maybe I expect to much (but, well, I don't expect plot or logic or anatomical possibility - fantasies are fantasies I know - I just want them to stop pretend they're saving the world or writing book of the century, when they're only making a porn).
"Gotta say, if you were a marketer for Mononoke you'd certainly have gotten a sale. =P " Maybe I should reconsider my career's choice. ; - )
"Definitely, and its a shame that its descendant works, sequels (Advent Children, ergh), prequels, and tie-ins, have failed to capture that level of livelihood, at least to me". I think that part of the problem was nothing else than ambition. And pretensions to "high culture" (or just not-quite-popculture). They tried to make deeper, ambivalent movies, ask some important, yet rather unanswerable question, put some real, grim politics into it etc. - that could be great. But it didn't work and it destroyed this innocent charm of "old trilogy", which, sure, was tropes-driven, but damn, what a trip these tropes gave the viewers! And, besides, archetypes are universal. They speak to people in any age, from most countries etc.; "new trilogy" was, in my opinion, "tangled" in affairs of its time and place (USA or West) and while I was enjoying it, it lacked the power or, as you called it, livelihood.
But, of course, that may be simply the matter of "tale about redemption" and "tale about corruption" - the second would be always seemed as less energetic, powerful one, because it lacks optimism. I like that kind of stories, though, so the problem with SW "expanded universe" is probably more... complex.
"learning to empathize better is what every human being should do" as a zealot what can I say? I believe it to be a good solution, but if somebody else believe in "kill-them-all" option, then his opinion isn't worse than mine - though society will have right to put him into prison at least, because the society could force its beliefs too. ; - )) I'd wish people empathy, but not relativism; it's cruel mistress, who, damn, always tell you that the cruelty is a subjective matter, cultural agreement too, so what are you whining about? ; - ))
"I plan to read it over the summer" Let me know after you finish it, I will gladly discuss it then. : - )
"I wish they had a MyOperaList, then, because by the time I get through my Plan to Watch here I'll never remember! MyGameList would be splendid, too" Hmm, I've never heard about MyOpera, but I'm pretty sure there are few MyGameLists. One on gamefaq, if I recall correctly.
" Hilarious as in cheesy or hilarious as in absurd?" Unrealistic to the point of absurd? ; - ) Y'know, all this heroes dying with "high C" on their lips. Well, nobody cared about our modern "realism" in XVI century.
"ROFL, wow I never thought I'd hear THAT kind of support for AC!". It is not a support. It is a voice of despair, lament, accusation and grief! ; - ) I feel a pang of guilt every time I look at my list and see this "6". For the sake/in memoriam of original game I should gave it 1. But damndamndamn, these waists&coats (and suits, we can't forget about suits - I watched AC with my friend, who loves them, and she was really concerned, when this pretty white suit of Rufus was in danger - no, the fate of the characters didn't bother her at all)! And, as I said, I watched it with friends. Friends raised to interpret everything via everything, just like me - and interpreting works without plot it the easiest, funniest thing in the world (filling the empty bottle is not a hard task). So we had fun. And alcohol, which explains a lot. In the end we managed to take it as modern, fandom, very symbolic and simplistic version of Polish romanticism poems; this gave film some sense (if analysed with books in hand) and moved us to tears [from laughter, but tsss]. So I had many happy memories tied with AC. Still, I wanted to kill somebody in SE, e.g. whole board of supervisors, after seeing it - but the worst had yet to come, now we have Sephiroth's fan and it's not even fighting one.
"On women or men, or just in general?" Corsets? On man and women, I love slim waist, not gender. Perhaps it's linked with my weak spot for triangles. ; - ) "There were no glasses, no pink outfits. I mean, big swords are sexy, but I'm 100% straight so that can't work." Oh, so they didn't fit in you tastes, that's unfortunate. Luckily for me, I'm indifferent to glasses, pink (there were Aerith, right?) and big swords. Yes, to big swords [and cars] too (Freud'd be displeased). Cutting people. slaughtering villages and playing games with human minds though... it's entirely different matter. ; - )
Yeah, papa generally looks like "normal" Vincent. However, when he is angry... ; - )
As. "Avatar" - I'm afraid I must give you the most subjective, taste-driven answer of all. It bored me. Totally. And boredom is in my opinion the cardinal sins of action-oriented blockbuster - I don't expect especially deep plot or philosophy, I just want to have fun. But the question "why somebody finds something boring" is probably one of the greatest mysteries of the universe. Of course, I may try to guess - my dislike of CG, rather generic, typical soundtrack, the fact that I love Disney's "Pocahontas", just decent choreography of fights, too many almost-deadly situations (because of that, the threat of dead completely lost its weight and tension for me - and then fights got boring), no interesting shots. But it all is just the blind searching for THE ANSWER: "what can change the nature..." wait, "why something bores me?". ; - ) There is a matter of plot and physic, but SW wasn't realistic or innovative too, and yet I love it. I even love "The Avengers" and "Iron man" so the predictable. schematic plot probably isn't the source of problem. Maybe dialogues or lack of charismatic evil. Or charismatic protagonist, but it is, once again, the matter of taste.
It's almost "on-topic" reply! I'm so proud of myself. : - )
The problem I had with LOTGH was that it wasn't easy for me to immerse myself into the world when every 2nd character has a pseudo-German name (I often laughed about them !) or when they use ancient weapons and 2D maps in space all the time, it's a little bit unintentionally funny.
Personally I find it annoying when hipster bash anime like DeathNote or CodeGeass and say LOTGH is the only masterpiece out there. For me they are all great shows with their own own strenghts and flaws.
Interesting review for LOTGH ! I have rated this show with 9/10 and saw all eps from it, but you are right that all these battles aren't that interesting, nor are the characters. I mostly liked it for the dialoges.
Let me sum up, and re-phrase that last part. The main attraction for Legend of The Galactic Heroes is the ability for one to say "I watched something from the 1980s that nobody's heard about or cares about". Then one can say "It was mature and intelligent, despite the fact I learned nothing". This show is a waste of time as entertainment, this show is an example of what NOT to do with a show about the future, space, philosophy, politics, and the human condition. There's a reason only MAL and hipsters care about LoGH, and everyone else knows Star Trek and Star Wars. Star Trek and Star Wars had vision and creativity that inspired generations and scientists. LoGH has 110 episodes nobody watched, flat characters nobody would recognize or identify with, and a literal universe of wasted potential.
Now I realised how long post I created, oh my. I apologise if it will bore you; I should probably just write a few coherent interpretations of "Mononoke"/other show and upload them on my blog or publish it for some fancy PhD points, not torment you. ; - ) If you find it too long or redundant, simply skip to the last five paragraphs, I started writing about "Gankutsuou" there. And I will steal "taste the rainbow" from you; I fell in love with that phrase.
Ad rem.
It would not be Warholian at all because /"word salad that's sure to dazzle the neurons of our high-handed, raised-eyebrow art connoisseurs" mode on/ Warhol focused on ordinary, plebeian even things or symbols, primitive, but manufactured by men, while your breathtaking works would be dealing with abstract, purely intellectual forms. Geometrical forms - this, which is objective, transcendental and eternal - as opposite to subjective, temporary, everyday life. /mode off/ Oh my, I definitely enjoyed thinking it up. : - )
"I'll make the necessary arrangements, and give you your fair share". Just try not to... "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned". ; - )
Oh, it was probably my fault - maybe I had chosen the less popular term. I always feel terribly stupid, I never know any subject as well as I'd like to - e.g. even though I like Art Nouveau, I know literally nothing about Scandinavian "Jugendstil" besides its name.
Yeah, when designers try to imitate Secession now the effect is rather boring - the whole purpose of Art Nouveau was doing fresh, new things (such a surprise, looking at the name ; - )), so when after 100 years one does exactly the same works, it's diametrically opposite to the spirit of that style. For some reasons, such blasphemy irritates me. ; - ) And, of course, there is this "Muchasque" manner, great, when done for comical purposes*, but terribly redundant, when done seriously. If you like the contrasting colours, then you may like Secession still-glasses (if you not love them already).
* Fanarts for example, I almost died from laughter when I had found "Muchasque" Sephiroth - but well, he had it coming, with hair this length and such beautiful, androgynous hips/waist.
I'm not sure if "Mononoke" may be called philosophical or psychological show. At least not in most popular meaning. The show touches many "big themes" like revenge, desires, greed, need for justice etc., that's for sure, but does it, as everything, in folklore/fairy tales manner. Which, one may argue, is flat, especially considering that modern definition of "deep psychology" is close to "done in psychoanalytic style". Well, anthropologists and c.o., would say fairy tales/folklore tales are in fact very deep, complicated and teach us most important truths, not to mention their [tales] other merits, and I may agree with that statement, but, let's face it: tropes are clichés. Sure, archetypes may create a breathtaking masterpiece (now, together: "STAR WARS!"), that's their forte, ability to moving hearts by calling to our most basic instincts. But there is always a danger that one of viewers would be heartless bastard. Or higher being, who have evolved above such trivial things like feelings. ; - )
For me, "Mononoke" is one of the bests works about humans and their personalities I've seen in whole animated pop-culture, beaten only by FFVII (I was 21 while playing, and it literally devastated me, more than any psychoanalysis ever could). As any other masterpiece, it can be easily interpret via Freud, psychoanalysis, all this stuff, but, in fact, it's not Freudian by nature. We will know many things about characters and their motives - except the "explanation of motives". "Somebody did something because he was scared" that's suffice explanation for "Mononoke". It never gets deeper, never tries to find why people are afraid, why people usually act in some ways, why the society looks, like it looks etc. (at least not directly, one may argue - heck, even I may argue - that shows hides some answers in its visual forms and narrative structure). I find it great - somebody may called it a defect.
Nah, before I write too much - I find "Mononoke" flawless in what it tried to accomplish. But, like in LoTGH case, its admirers hurts it, by trying to prove it's flawless from any perspective - nothing is flawless from every point of view. And if one tries, it always ends as neutral, boring, which itself is a vice. "So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth". ; - ) One shouldn't watch "Star Wars" expecting Bergman's movie and vice versa, though they are both examples of masterpieces. So I warn you only for the sake of your enjoyment (oh, and show's rating as well, you caught me) - there is only as much neurosis in "Mononoke", as much viewer wants to put in by interpretation of tropes ; - ) (and art - art in "Mononoke" is, for me, a very beautiful tale about human mind, close to modern view of psychology, even though all this theatre allusions).
I guess it looks like "trying to sound like old, angry you" again, eh? It's a habit of mine, finding faults in things I love, advantages in works I hate and imagining what people with totally opposite opinions may think about something. Kind of exercise. It has three main merits:
1) is good brain-illness prophylaxis
2) helps me understand conventions and empathise with people better, which is, as we all know, main life-goal for every good Christan and every good relativism zealot ; - ) (incidentally, I'm both)
3) and makes winning the discussions easier, 'cause you may predict your opponents arguments and prepare counterattack. ; - )
/Eastern-European elitist mode on ; - )/ "Gankutsuou" is a blasphemy! To destroy classical, sacred book of our childhood - how dare they? Original is always the best! Book is always better than movie! Quidquid Latine dictum sit, altum videtur! Every creator of adaptation should be burn at stakes - wait, it's too merciful, because he'd die from suffocation... /mode off/. But, seriously, even knowing it's more "variation about" than adaptation sensu stricto, I find the deviations from source material wrong. Not because they are deviations (though it certainly plays a part - one cannot completely ignore subconscious screaming "it is wrong, he should do something completely different and this slash-goggles? Milady, they are raping our childhood!"), but because, in my opinion, they are very bad ones. This modern work is far more conservative than XIX century ones. BTW, it's more clichéd and over-dramatic than Dumas' original too - and it's very hard task. On the other hand, it's strangely toned down in some places - it's probably a matter of what is found "taboo" nowadays, but still, when such brave work (in terms of art and setting, for example) milds or avoids some themes, it looks hilarious and cowardly for me. However, animation style is stunning and very fitting, its reflects Dumas' senior manner of writing quite well (or rather manner of translation I've read ; - )).
I'd love to discuss more - as you see, I'm talkative one too - but I'm not sure if you read "The Count of Monte Cristo" and I don't want to spoil it for you.
Many of the operas can be found on YT, if you're interested, the quality isn't always perfects, but good enough to recognise story and the music ; - ). Most of librettos are available in English on web-sites as well, but I really dissuade you from reading them without music... Plots may seem hilarious. If you read "Chanson de Roland"/The Song of Roland (I'm not sure which title is more popular in English) or Tasso's "Jerusalem Delivered/La Gerusalemme liberata" or any similar book, then you know what I mean.
Miscellaneous: I finally read your tags and they are very funny - in clever way. And, of course, I totally agree with you miniature review of Advent Children, which leads me to THE QUESTION: why you scored it as 5? "average" it's definitely too high, especially in comparison with The Game.
OK., I know, I gave it 6. But only because I treated it like ecchi/light porn. With help of my long coats, long boots and slim waists fetishes (corsets oh damn how I love corsets), Electra complex (Vincent looks like red-eyed, shorted, little less anorectic copy of my father) and few more leverages, AC managed quite well. ; - ) And I had given Cameron's "Avatar" 3 - to be fair, AC is less boring, has better soundtrack and CG (in my opinion) - so I concluded "shiny random fanservice"/bad fic with high budget deserves a 4 (+2 points because of... ehm, sensual merits). Moral? I should change "Avatar's" score, it's ruining my rating system.
"Clearly, it belongs in a museum!"
If you would make a few more, all in different colours, then you might call it a "series" and exhibit it your local art gallery. It's all about description, call it a "bridge between formalistic suprematism and community involvement, gender art; it's revolutionary resolution of style-substance primacy conflict" and you will earn some money. And fame. ; - )
My avatar? It's one of the illustrations - sort of "logo" - from Art Nouveau/Secession (Young Poland to be very precise) Polish art-literary periodical "Chimera" (1901-1907); whole periodical it's digitalised now. Although I'm not the biggest fan of Young Poland literary, I love its art, craft and visual imagination in general.
But the primary reason for choosing this picture was my laziness - I had used it before in other places and, therefore, I had it on my PC properly formated. ; - )
You definitely must see "Mononoke". It's interesting experience - very odd, climatic and experimental in terms of art (and oh, this soundtrack!) - although I can't guarantee you will like it. It's my all-time favorite, one and only TV series, which left me wishing for more episodes*, but nothing is flawless. "Mononoke" is episodic, so one can have problems with attaching to characters, especially since the show is heavily inspired by Japanese traditional art and, as we all know, old art isn't something for everybody. Conventions get outdated in time. ; - ) Back to the subject: in simplified general ; ), traditional Japanese art (in fact, European as well) tended to be more archetypes/tropes-driven than modern one, so, if you like modern approach to character development/building, you may be disappointed. And experimental visuals mean controversy, one would love it, one would hate it. I can easily imagine someone who would judge "Mononoke" as a "flat show without real plot or characters, but with odd, crazy, irritating art and non-linear narrative, which tries to hide the lack of depth in mentioned plot" - and he would be right from some perspective.
I guess "Mononoke" has the same problem as old operas - some of my friends can't stand it, because they find the plot ridiculous, overdramatic, not realistic, unoriginal and simply stupid. I personally love opera, but, well, they get a point. ; - )
Nah, I'd better end, before I put you off. ; - ) And sorry for my English, I'm tired and when I'm tired I make hundreds of stupid mistakes.
* Coming from me, it is a huge compliment - I don't like movies, watching them is a torture for me, so first feeling which comes to my mind after credits is always relief (I registered on MAL to force myself to watch more movies - I hoped it would help me understand visual culture better and I succeed... a little).
You changed yours "about" section, why? The previous was very... informative. Though I like new one too.
I'm not sure if I've seen better - at least not in this genre - I prefer shorts or experimental works, for me they are... the easiest way to find an interpretation/some sort of understanding of their convention (which, for some reason, makes my reward system very pleased). But I love politics, so there still is a reason to try LoGH - chances are I'll like it. Or find it terribly one-dimensional and lacking subtlety. No risk no fun. ; - )
Your review changed/broadened my expectations (I know that during watching I'll be searching for flaws you mentioned) and for that I'm really grateful.
Oh and of course your profile picture is sexy. It's big pink hole, how can anyone, after years of psychoanalysis' bastardization - did by popculture, lef-and-right-politicians, feminism, churches etc. - and galaxies of porn Internet gave us doubt that any circle, sphere, ball or hole is sexy? More than that, it's universal, fundamental symbol of sex itself (especially pink one)! The ultimate sexy avatar! ; - )
