>>37916
I wonder if that's because loli isn't truly Japanese in origin, it's itself shortened from Russian "Lolita". And the natural loaning into English from there would use it more as an adjective (as in "lolita complex").

>>37917
Boy do I feel stupid for not remembering that. Another good point nonetheless, and even "lolitas" doesn't sound too bad as well.

>>37913
It seems that for many Japanese people アニメ = animation in general and 漫画 = comics in general, so depending on the context, the English words "anime" and "manga" may be too narrow to be used as translations, because the speaker might not be strictly referring to works of Japanese origin.
But I kind of dislike the translation of "アニメ" as "cartoon" because "cartoon" might be ambiguous and doesn't necessarily imply the presence of animation unless it's used in a phrase like "watches cartoons".

>>37917
>I wonder if that's because loli isn't truly Japanese in origin,
"Anime" isn't either.
Neither are "futon", "kanji", "ramen", or "tofu" for that matter, but these words also lack a plural form in their languages of origin.
>it's itself shortened from Russian "Lolita".
Doesn't the nickname "Lolita" come from Spanish? Nabokov was born Russian, but he later became an American citizen and wrote Lolita in English.

>>37919
Somewhere in Japan there's a marvel comic book otaku lamenting his language's butchering of English via wasei-ego.

>>37919
Oops yeah you're right, I only remembered the author's name so misattributed the origin.

>>37912
>>37913
>less desirable types
>casual fans
I'd disagree, I think we've come full circle. 10 years ago casual fans may have said "animes" and "cartoons" but nowadays casual fans are the ones insisting on "anime" and pronouncing manga with the 'a' in 'father'. I've always been on the side of 'it doesn't matter' anyway though. You aren't judging anyone based on the use of a single word.

"weeb" is another thing though. Why is it that a stupid joke from 2005 is now the name I have to use is beyond me. Use Otaku, coined by otaku for otaku since time immemorial. (Yes, I know it means 'house', the otaku coined the other meaning to describe themselves)


We are otakus...

>>37923
>but nowadays casual fans are the ones insisting on "anime" and pronouncing manga with the 'a' in 'father'.
Seems like good news to me, assuming this is an actual trend. Haven't seen it myself though, but I mostly hang around places where this isn't a problem.

>Why is it that a stupid joke from 2005 is now the name I have to use is beyond me.
You should ruminate on this, because the answer is one you will not like.

the real question is, is it "otaku" or "otakus"?>>37916
i've seen people say "lolies". i don't know if that one's better or worse than the alternatives.

>>37925
Neither, it's "otaki."

>>37925
"otaku" is actually one of the words mentioned in the SE post, at least to that user
>otakus sounds better than otaku as a plural to me but this word hasn't gained much currency in English as yet
Of course since it's partly used as a shibboleth (otherwise wotaku wouldn't have been coined as a replacement after "otaku" became too mainstream in Japan as I understand), having the word resist english pluralization makes sense.

>>but nowadays casual fans are the ones insisting on "anime" and pronouncing manga with the 'a' in 'father'.
I've always said it this way instead of "a-ni-may" because in my mother tongue words are pronounced phonetically as well.

>>37928
I held myself back from writing the same thing you did because they were talking about English speaking anime communities. Since you already mentioned it, let me also add that we call anime fans here "otaku" and adding an S to make it plural is just as common as the usage of the word. I've yet to see someone correcting others for it, probably because it's an old word and we all grew up adding a S to pluralize it. It works as a general way to refer to anime/Japan fans but it can also be used as an insult by itself, similar to how Japanese use it (I think). It carries a strong negative connotation, like "nerd" in English but worse since we also use nerd and gamer here.

>>37924
>assuming this is an actual trend
My only source is being outside and then overhearing conversations between kids talking about the shounen of the month, or coworkers (ew... he works...) talking about one piece. For some reason they think that because they like Japanese media they are now the authority on all things Japanese including pronunciation and grammar.

>You should ruminate on this
Hmm... /a/'s influence on western otaku culture spread past their insular community until it became a bastardized version of what was originally an inside joke between a few people? From my understanding it was popularized with its current meaning because "wapanese" was wordfiltered to "weeaboo"... fuck, this mindless early 00s trolling is what defines the internet now? Why can't young people create their own culture?

>>37928
>>37929
I guess there's no real answer because what defines grammar rules in languages isn't consistency but agreement. Foreign words can obey foreign grammar or native grammar with no real pattern. This is interesting though, to have words for different levels of nerd.

>>37321
I just watched Texhnolyze.
I feel like I would have to watch it again right away to properly make sense of it. But it's a bit too grim and depressing for me to do that.
There's some real intellectual meat on this show, so actually writing a proper review would take me much more time than I'd care to invest.

In the last episodes, Ichise plays out the role of Orpheus, who goes to the depths of Hades and back again for the woman he loves, only to lose her in the end. The surface world is in fact full of references to the French 1950 film Orphée, which you can watch here:
https://youtube.com/watch?v=1IZIwV7c3os
Some of the radio broadcasts are taken verbatim from this movie.
Orpheus was a central figure in the mystery schools of ancient Greece, which had strong influence on Plato and the Gnostics.

I still wonder what Chiaki J. Konata wanted to symbolize with this girl holding a white ball, if anything.
She shows up both in Malice@Doll and in Technolyze, in both cases as the main character glimpses into the "outside" world.
The white ball reminds me of a pearl, which is an important symbol in Gnostic Christianity:
http://thepearl.org
https://odysee.com/@altrusiangracemedia:1/the-song-of-the-pearl-a-gnostic-metaphor:f
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+13%3A45-46&version=NIV

ON YOUR MARK [Studio Ghibli]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_Your_Mark
A short music video about two police or soldiers rescuing a winged (angel?) girl from a religious cult. The girl is then transfered to a lab where she is held captive. The two men that rescued her from the cult then plan to release her from the lab. They get some hazmat suits, immobilize the lab staff and carry her into a truck. A chase ensues but they manage to escape. Later, they ride in a convertible and she flies into the clear blue sky.
Great animation, no dialogue and quick; there is so much packed into this short clip. A masterpiece to any animation fan. If you haven't seen it, watch it. If you have seen it, it makes for a good reminder on the power of sublime anime.

I re-watched Parasyte over the last few days. It's one of my favorites and this is my third full viewing. That said, there are things I can criticize about it.

First the stuff I like. It's one of the most engaging anime for me. I can easily pick it up at any point and rewatch part of it. Death Note is also like that. I think good pacing is responsible. The soundtrack is pretty good, but gets repetitive. Binging Parasyte will get a few tracks stuck in your head. The philosophical stuff is interesting enough.

The animation is serviceable, although inconsistent at times. The CGI used in crowd shots has aged very poorly, though I doubt it ever looked good. The atmosphere can be weak at times and although I haven't read the manga, I bet going from black and white to color didn't help.

The romance love triangle thing sucks. Pretty much every(human) female character is kinda annoying, but glasses girl and Kana especially take it up a notch. Kana is confusingly stupid to the point where I wonder what the writer was going for with her.

I felt like the "scope" of the story wasn't decided upon in advance, and was going in a larger direction, but at some point the mangaka decided to greatly minimize it. The second half feels weaker than the first and the resolution is somewhat anti-climactic.

I would recommend Parasyte is you like thrillers or stories about inhuman characters learning about humanity.

Hinamatsuri is a comedy anime adapted from a manga. It is pretty funny, so it serves its main purpose. There's also continuity and something of a story, but it's messy and not really important. The psychic power gimmick of the show also rarely comes up. Apparently a lot of manga chapters were skipped, so that probably doesn't help matters. The emotional moments were pretty well done. The animation is really good.

I'd recommend Hinamatsuri if you want to watch something light. It's a shame the blu-rays didn't sell well, so a season 2 isn't likely.

I'd like to recommend a show that recently finished airing, Mayonaka Punch. I saw it without too many expectations but it surprised me a lot. It's an odd show that's hard to define. The basic premise is that it's about vampires who form a youtube channel, but that doesn't do justice to how lively and odd it can get. Without overexplaining the story, what I enjoyed about it is that the cast is memorable and full of life, and the show itself is really well directed and drawn.

>>33365
Stopped reading at "Felt very real and human." I don't know why would anyone on a place like this care about "realism" and 3DPD resemblance.

>>38432
Yay someone else watched this show! I posted about it a bit on the season thread >>38431. I still have several episodes left to watch, but yeah I was expecting some sort of standard comedy trope show, but many of the episodes were really sincere and heartfelt. (Of course the best comedy shows will always have touching moments, but mayopan has an almost inverted balance: it's not an intentional comedy show which happens to highlight friendships but rather a show about friendship with wacky characters that naturally results in comedy).

On that thread there was also a behind-the-scenes with some of the cast.

Post edited on 27th Sep 2024, 6:23pm

>>38433
Not that anon, but that's not how I interpreted it. Saying that characters "feel human" is another way of saying that they "feel authentic". This is not taken to mean "authentic" in the sense of "true to real [3D] life" but rather "authentic as rich characters with their own depth and personality" rather than "cardboard cutouts" that have no life.

ReLife is not my cup of tea, but speaking instead of a genre I know well, in SoL/CGDCT characters that "feel real" is the principle aspect that can make or break a show. And it is particularly difficult to get right because what you're portraying is not a sense of "authenticity" to real human life but rather authenticity to an idealized human one. I don't really know how to define it well, but just look at almost any kirara show: they have the "kirara magic/charm". It's not solely about moe (although they tend to correlate well), but it's about exhibiting the most positive and pure qualities of mankind. And doing so in a way that still feels believable rather than an idealized sugar-coated fairy tale.

See the posts somewhere on /an/ that take Hoshikuzu Telepath as an example. The characters are not perfect, they have faults, but they are not irredeemable ones. Unlike real-life, characters give each other second chances. While things may go wrong, they never go tragically wrong. Trust, friendship, and sincerity are ever-present pervading themes, while it is not so in real-life.

>>38434
I'm glad you saw and enjoyed it, it feels like not a lot of people did. The youtube uploads have low views and there's not much art out there. What caught my eye initially is that this is the first anime since Dennou-Gumi that Kotobuki Tsukasa has done character designs for.
>it's not an intentional comedy show which happens to highlight friendships but rather a show about friendship with wacky characters that naturally results in comedy)
Very good way to put it.
>On that thread there was also a behind-the-scenes with some of the cast.
I liked seeing those, they were fun and interesting. There's also some short extra anime episodes on youtube.

>>38436
> The youtube uploads have low views
Could you link/clarify what you mean by youtube uploads here?

>>38437
The OP/ED and supplementary materials like the short anime, behind the scenes stuff and drama shorts.

>>37236
>dreadful childish comedy that is usually crudely sexual in nature – it's barely a step above toddler-tier toilet humour
>crude sexualization in this, mainly in the form of tits and ass prominently featured
>Most of the female characters have huge bolt-on gattling-gun tits that are borderline comical
A fellow 同性愛者, I see.... Hehe... Not much of us around here.... Isn't it? It can't be helped...

>>38436
>>38432
Ah I just finished the last episodes, what an ending!

Given that we had development of the other characters, it's only fitting that at the end Masakichi's issues were revisited as well; after all, that's what started the whole thing. With this theme, it also very closely parallels YoruKura – and I think the two pair together nicely, with slightly different takes on the same topic.

But man does this just reiterate how much I hate online "engagement baiting" culture.

SPOILERS FOR SHOW BELOW...

So as mentioned, one of the major underlying themes (esp. in the first/last few episodes) is the effect of incendiary online comments and "trolling" – "enjou suru" I think it was called in Japanese, aka attracting the attention of the internet pitchfork mob – has on the person receiving them. Both in YoruKura and MayoPan, they serve as a sort of trauma that prevents the respective MCs from re-engaging with the medium they used to love.

Now the show makes it clear Masakichi isn't a saint. She's definitely an asshole who's the worst possible big sister and has a short emotional temper. But she's not _evil_ (well maybe modulo stealing her sister's otoshidama money). She is earnest in the sense of hard-working and dedicated; time and time again she does eventually do the right thing with regard to helping her newfound friends. And while she's not opposed to stretching the truth a bit with some white lies, she's sincerely opposed to actively misleading the viewers.

But becoming part of the "youtuber" sphere is a bit dangerous, especially if you intend to use your own identity rather than hiding behind a (possibly pseudonymous) facade. It's one where you actively attract attention both good and bad. Online netizens have no stake and while the bulk may not be actively malicious (e.g. to the extent of stalking and harassing users), the information asymmetry makes it easy for netizens to raise pitchforks from a safe position. Or some just like stoking the flames.
The fact that Masaki doesn't approach it dispassionately but is rather emotionally invested in "want[ing] to feel wanted" and "want[ing] them to enjoy watching [her]" makes this a risky endeavor though, given that she's easily affected by the negative comments.

While the last episode has this neat visual moment where she cathartically "overcomes" the effect of those negative comments, in reality I think the situation would be a bit more nuanced. While it's easy to brush off negative online comments when both the commenter and target are anonymous, the less of a facade you have to hide behind the potentially greater effect those comments can have. Becoming an "online personality" as it were, would then seem to require a dispassionate attitude coupled with strong mental fortitude (e.g. Tokage) or a strong support group of friends/colleagues. Without either, it might be easy to get swept away by those comments.

While one can't really _blame_ the online netizens who engage in this behavior – trolling and gossipping has basically been there since usenet – it is of course quite rude and certainly at least in bad taste. But by itself though I don't think it would be too much of an issue, as individual comments usually don't gain too much mass. What should be scorned is the "engagement farmers" who prey upon such drama like vultures to really throw gasoline into the fire.


In the show, we have the Harikiri Sisters. While we don't know the exact circumstances under which the group split, it's clear that they have no qualms about milking the situation and painting Masaki as a villain. (I'm sure such acts have been orchestrated on the real-life (3D!) YouTube as well). What's notable though is that they don't even _realize_ how this could affect Masaki – that is, they're not actively malicious, but rather just seem to consider such drama fanning as part and parcel of the youtuber game. That they seemingly apologize in the ED credits doesn't negate any of the above, since for all we know they may just consider it as an opportunity for more views.

I do wonder whether the fact that we had two shows about the same topic aired in back-to-back seasons means that this is a theme which happens to resonate with people in the real-world. I.e. that with the shift to more attention-bait dominated forms of entertainment we're seeing people increasingly hurt in crossfire....

Anyway I am happy that Masaki found a group of true friends that will support her.

>>38459
Masakichi is such an interesting character because of her disposition. The show really makes you sympathize with her even if she causes some of her own issues. I'm glad it all worked out for them.

>>38462
Yeah I really liked Masaki as well. I posted upthread on >>38435 about what it means to have characters be "human". I think Masaki's a good example of a "human" character who's a bit rougher than the usual innocent kirara one.

She has sharp edges, but she really does care about her work and it's just painful to watch her trying to take everything on herself instead of reaching out to her friends (who very much want to help). She keeps everything bottled up, and when things reach a breaking point she always ends up lashing out at her friends and becoming isolated [in that way she's a bit like Raimon from Hoshikuzu Telepath].

But you can tell she does care about them, because she goes back to make amends. And she does have personality flaws (e.g. her relation with her sister), but she does slowly progress throughout the show, and by the end she has at least recognized those as issues.

>>38466
I agree and I'm really glad to see someone share this perspective. Her character flaws are also part of what makes her so funny to watch.

Kusuriya no Hitorigoto is a 2-cour anime about a poison-loving apothecary fixing problems and solving mysteries within the Chinese imperial palace. She does so while working under the beautiful head of the inner palace, who finds her distaste for him refreshing. Everything about it is good. I don't need to belabor that. Watch Kusuriya no Hitorigoto if you want to watch a good anime.

Terminator 0 is an anime addition to the Terminator franchise. The setting is the same, but none of the characters are. This time, it's about a guy in Japan who created an AI to compete with Skynet, a terminator being sent back to stop him from releasing it online, and a human from the future being sent back to... also stop him, or something. It's not great.

The production value is serviceable. There is some bad CGI at times, but that's nothing out of the ordinary. It's Studio I.G., so that should give you a good idea of what to expect. The writing is messy and strange. There's lots of hokey stuff you would expect from a Hollywood action flick. Dumb things the characters do to move the plot in a certain way. Then there's all the baggage of the Terminator series and how it doesn't make that much sense.

Nonsensical character motivations, like I have no idea what the Terminator is actually trying to do. How threatening the Terminator is, is also inconsistent. The scientist guy does nothing the whole time, except try to convince his own AI to help humanity through philosophical debate, which was kinda funny. On top of all that though, there's weird "twists" I guess. And the atmosphere is pretty depressing, and not in an interesting, artsy way. Not unusual for Terminator, but those are contained within a movie-sized time slot. This is 8 episodes of that.

I've only seen the first two Terminator movies, but I've heard this is the best thing to come out of the franchise since the second film. I buy that. I don't recommend it though unless you love the Terminator franchise, or think the idea of an anime based on a western ip is interesting enough on its own. The animatrix did that better.

Side-note: the official subs aren't the most accurate. Expletives are randomly added in, so I guess they're based on the dub, even though the upload I picked had a separate track for "dubtitles"

Post edited on 27th Oct 2024, 12:27pm

>>38528
I hope he says "sayonara baby" instead of "hasta la vista"

10/10. This is an incredible gem and I regret missing it for so long.

This is one of the most, if not the most, cruel, soul touching and soul crushing anime I've ever seen in my life, where drama is not some petty ridiculous stuff sucked out of thin air, but a real, tangible and extremely touching drama. This is one of the best of the best I've ever watched.

This is story about ghosts, phantoms, people with a terrible fate, but without destiny, hope, meaning, choice, future, purpose. Openings and endings are top notch and unlike in many other anime strike right in your hearth by being so very relatable to what is happening in the anime itself. These lines "Transparent... Transparent... Transparent" in the end still have my head spinning and hands shaking. There was never anything but an illusion. Illusion of life of people that never really existed, who have not left anything behind, except blood. Letting them alone, not even blood they shed will be remembered. All in an unforgiving, merciless and defiling environment, where good memories are counted on one hand, and half of them you made up yourself, just to cope.

This anime is godly. From the very beginning to the very end. This so rare, almost non-existent. Even if I could remember everything I've ever watched I wouldn't remember 10, heck, 5 stories so strong as this one. Maybe none at all. There isn't a point of failure. There isn't a hasty or jammed or spoiled ending. This story tells everything it wants to tell and is entirely complete. This story touched my core. My applause.

Post edited on 28th Oct 2024, 6:28pm

I can't rank this because I don't know how. After phantom (Phantom: Requiem for the Phantom :') I watched this more or less "forcibly" just to hold onto remnants of my sanity. Slice-of-life therapy, you know...?

This is very warm slice of life anime. Very comfy atmosphere. I find it to be better than Girls' Last Tour, because of how characters interact with each other and how their personalities manifest. And the general impression about the atmosphere is just as peculiar. The girls have typical (standard, cliche, you get the meaning) personalities, but somehow here it was exactly the right decision and everything looked perfectly in place.

Also reminded me of Haibane Renmei, though there isn't that enthralling atmosphere of isolation, still interactions between the girls somehow reminded me of Haibane.

This is a cheerful and reassuring story which you might use to cure your soul after the phantom whatever has made you feel uneasy or disturbed.

>>38535
I need to watch it someday, it seems up my alley. Thanks for the review, for some reason in my mind I had it confused with girls und panzer.

I am not sure how to rate this. It is the kind of show that appeals depending on your tastes, but all in all it's pretty good.

Somehow my expectation was to see a paced story that drives needles under your nails, setups up a scene, develops a play and then blasts the hell out of you, but no. It does have a darkish feel to itself, because kawaii girls kill people and are happy to kill people, but it's not oppressive or indulging like phantom.

First season does not have a story line at all, it just develops characters, exploring the relationships inside fratellos, depicting internal struggles of the girls and of their Handlers. It somehow manages to set an easygoing pace and I stayed relaxed during the entire time. I have a strong impression that this season quite appeals to people, who are not above fantasizing being a goshojin-sama to an obedient loving loli.

Second season continues the job of further developing characters and bringing on surface their hidden feelings, though it explores characters that were mostly off screen in the first season. I like it more, because a lot of screen time is dedicated to Triela, and she's the only girl that I felt attracted to (she is a cutie!). On the other hand, second season actually has a story line and even sets up an unexpected drama! The idea of confronting two evils is a very good one and I honestly appreciated what they did, unfortunately, I didn't feel anything, because after phantom you're doomed to be left somewhat dead inside. It is amazing that there is an anime where the antagonists are not some opaque hit boxes that induce absolutely no feelings at all, but have a strong backstory and you can actually emotionally connect to them.

OVAs continue the second season and explore Jean and Giuse more thoroughly and I discovered them to be very insightful and useful to the setting and story.

In summary, I found it to be somewhat easygoing with a bit of creepiness that stems from unabashed ruthlessness of the girls mixed with their genuine tender feelings and cuteness. It is not an action, it is about relationships. It is good on its own, but you will find it especially appealing if you're fond of petting kawaii shoujos.

Mattaku it's unfinished... Watching this has been a mistake and a surprise at the same time. Mistake because I got baited by some cute screenshots. Surprise because it turned out to be interesting, in a way.

If Saya no Uta wasn't enough of a mindthwack, you can safely give this anime a try.

On one hand, it is very twisted and ugly. It takes depiction of mental illness on a new level. It shows the disgusting side of humanity in an unhinged and abominable way. It is not unrealistic, but at moments I wondered why I keep watching.

On the other hand, characters somehow resonated with me. There were some small details I found very cool and the general atmosphere felt not-so-alien. I guess watching other mentally ill people has its appeal when you're in the mood.

One of the details I liked is how Asagiri has her magic shaped as heart because she missed love, Yatsumura stopped time because she spent her life living through fear, Nijimin controlled people because she's mentally an idol, Shioi changed appearance because she's a hypocrite and so on...

It's not all dark and gloom, by the end some brighter landscapes emerge and the ending somehow felt "right" for a mahou shoujo anime, even if it wasn't anything impressive. Too bad it's unfinished. It's not bad, but I can imagine why it's unlikely to get a continuation.

I'm not into the mahou shoujo genre, so I can't compare it to anything. I see some people compare it to Madoka. Not sure. Madoka had an altogether different feel to it.

In summary, careful with this one, but don't shun it needlessly.

This reminds me I wanted to watch flip flappers the other day, huh. But they say it's complex to understand. Not sure if I enjoy mahou shoujo.

>>38568
>This reminds me I wanted to watch flip flappers the other day, huh. But they say it's complex to understand.
Ooh even just reminiscing about flip flappers makes me instantly warmed inside. I could write 10 entire theses about it, (and I'm probably responsible for all the TC posts about it here). It's not really a mahou shoujo anime, if I had to summarize it in one word I'd say it's about "perception" in all forms. Just the most thought-provoking show I've watched.

As to whether it's "complex to understand", actually I'd say on one level the story is quite straightforward if you take it for what it literally is. But leaving it at that surface level would really be a waste, most of the beauty and core of the show is in those deeper layers. If you were ever interested in psychology, psychodynamics, spirirtuality, occult, shamanism, etc. then Flip Flappers is the show for you. If you just want a mahou shoujo or a yuri, then Flip Flappers probably isn't it.

>>38569
> If you were ever interested in psychology, psychodynamics, spirirtuality, occult, shamanism, etc.
Or rather, if I could understand a thing... I make the entire post a spoiler because it reeks of frustration and self hatred. The webm is from Magical Girl Site and spoils some of its plot!

I don't know if it shows in my reviews, but I really have to try very hard to find any "deeper" meaning in what I watch. Most of the time I omit 90% of details others would notice and discuss. It will sound very lame, but even with Requiem for the Phantom, which impressed me very very much, I was only able to understand and enjoy it because another person "pre-warmed" me with a brief explanation "how I should watch it". Otherwise I can imagine myself being disappointed with it, as many other people were. I'm a really dense person, and mostly emotionally blind. I can't enjoy most of the things unless somebody tells me what exactly is enjoyable there and only if I find the what enjoyable as well. It's hard to explain. My understanding usually always stays on a very surface level.

It is a miracle I could somewhat enjoy Magical Girl Site, but even such it felt a bit forced. I don't know how to explain. If the value of Flip Flappers is in finding hidden meaning, it is likely I will never understand it unless somebody spoonfeeds me.

>>38570
>I'm a really dense person, and mostly emotionally blind. I can't enjoy most of the things unless somebody tells me what exactly is enjoyable there and only if I find the what enjoyable as well.
Hmm I find this a bit sad, because to me what makes anime a form of art is its subjectivity. Someone else telling you what to enjoy means you're not really making the show _your own_. As you watch anime, have you never resonated with any of the themes or plot elements? Felt that some characters or plat was "relatable", because it reminded you of facets of your own life?

You mentioned that you're "emotionally blind": that might well be (there are surely some mental "disorders" which might prevent one from introspecting or analyzing things at an emotional level). And as for denseness, I think it's something that can be trained over time if you want to. Although if you've accepted it as an immutable fact, is it also possible that you've never really tried?

I am not you so I cannot say, but to me being told "how to watch" something would be insulting, I like adopting anime as my own and I see what I want to in it. There are some objective themes in most shows, but the beauty in shows is how you adopt those themes as your own: what you see about yourself in them, and by merely watching the show and adding it to your collective knowledge how the show in turn shapes you.

>is in finding hidden meaning, it is likely I will never understand it unless somebody spoonfeeds me
With Flip Flappers in particular, there isn't one specific hidden meaning. I think there is some "analysis" doc somewhere which calls it a rorschach, and I think that's a great metaphor. You can see in it want you want to see, explore it however you want to explore it, and relate to whatever is relatable to you. And in fact (at least in my interpretation) that's the _point_ of Flip Flappers. If it's a show about perception, could you really have one objective way to "view it"? The whole thing is delightfully meta, in a way that would take me pages to properly articulate my thoughts.

Someone who's really into Yuri will interpret all the events of the show through that lens, and that's a valid interpretation. Someone who likes Mahou Shoujo will see mahou shoujo references and homages everywhere, and that too is valid. Someone who has deep roots as a Christian is going to see biblical metaphors all over the place. Someone who has had childhood issues of abandonment, or a feeling of inability to express emotions will see themselves in Cocona. So at least in my (meta) interpretation of Flip Flappers as fundamentally about perception, where the underlying theme is about narratives and the interplay between art, ideas, and the psyche – then it's not something that someone else can convey to you. By virtue of watching the show and adopting it as your own you create your own "pure illusion".

You can read about how other people interpret the show, but that's like traveling to other people's "pure illusions". And those interpretations can again influence your own, but it would be mistaken to simply adopt that as your own.

Post edited on 10th Nov 2024, 12:23pm

>>38571
>Felt that some characters or plat was "relatable", because it reminded you of facets of your own life?
Yes, but I could never put it in words unlike many other people on the wired.
>You can read about how other people interpret the show
But I won't because it will only make it worse.

Though I've seen a Flip Flappers paper somewhere, in PDF format, but I probably did not save it.

Anyway I don't feel ready for it.

>>38569
>I'm probably responsible for all the TC posts about it here
You're not, because I'm responsible for all the posts criticizing it. I don't hate it, but it's neither a character driven nor plot driven show. It's like a colorful, nicely put together vegan dish. It's sorta enjoyable and there's things to appreciate about it, but it can't compete with steak or sushi imo.

edit:
About the whole yuri thing; I'm not into it, but if I was, I think this is how I'd feel if I went in expecting yuri
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLoRO87lu_8

Post edited on 10th Nov 2024, 12:52pm

We need an offtop thread in /a/ that would save threads like this one from being cluttered. How is a visitor supposed to read reviews when half the thread's contents are irrelevant?

>>38572
>Yes, but I could never put it in words
That's almost certainly a skill that can be trained. I think most high schools in the US do a terrible job at actually cultivating a skill for artistic analysis. Most times people are reading about stuff they don't care about, already have a predisposed point they have to arrive at to please the teacher, and thus most "analysis" is reduced to the point of writing down pages of bullshit. If there's even a chance that you can get a "bad grade" for an "incorrect interpretation" of a novel/show, then true exploration isn't being encouraged.

>in PDF format, but I probably did not save it.
I think it's in /ddl/.

>>38573
Ah we've probably conversed before. To me flip flappers is one of the slowest-burning shows, unique in that most of the enjoyment from the show is only realized years after you actually watch it. I do agree that in the short-term it's not the most interesting show in terms of making an impact. It necessarily requires you to go "wait hold on what exactly did I just watch", realize there's more than meets the eye, and to reconnect the dots yourself. This requires one to be interested and to put the effort on your end to dig up what others have said, and effectively "rewatch" the show with these interpretations in mind. And that's just the beginning, then you let those ideas simmer for years until you've distilled down what the show means to you and sorted out your own interpretation.

I do accept that not many people are really excited by or interested in doing this, it's a show mainly for people interested in playing with the world of ideas for its own sake, without any end to the means

>>38574
>How is a visitor supposed to read reviews when half the thread's contents are irrelevant?
ctrl+f?

>>38574
>Half the thread's contents are irrelevant?
I apologize if my post is deemed irrelevant. But I thought it was on topic, it's a continuation of upstream dialogue on Flip Flappers review, and more generally shouldn't discussion be welcomed, if one solely wanted to read/write reviews without the ability to invite a conversation and go back/forth, one may as well just post on MAL or something.

>>38577
It would be better if reviews were in one thread and discussed in another. It would be easier to navigate and people could discuss reviews more freely without fearing to derail the reviews thread unto offtop.

I say this mainly because I think of the reviews thread as a of a place to find something to watch and also get some honest opinion on it.

>MAL
That's the problem, reviews on MAL are unusable garbage. I tried reading them a million times but there is never anything useful in them. They're absolutely useless for deciding whether I want to watch it or not. Imageboards, tohno in particular, are far superior to MAL in this regard.

I just don't like when reviews get swiped away by discussion and it's even worse when the discussion itself is actually a good and insightful one. Though maybe it's not an issue since this thread is not very active anyway. Just thoughts.

Great Pretender is an organized crime anime about con artists going around the world, deceiving the morally bankrupt through convoluted plots that probably cost almost as much as they make. The main character is a naive, wannabe crook who gets roped into these plots against his will.

Great Pretender is good at creating a sense of suspense and surprise. A lot of the time, you don't have much more idea of what's going on than whoever is getting scammed. The character dynamics are also serviceable, but lack a satisfying conclusion. Abigail, who's kind of a more down to earth Revy, especially could have had more in this department. The main character's arc though is good.

The art style is a little unique and the production value is decent.

This is a Netflix licensed anime. I don't know how much, if any influence that had on creative decisions. If you look for it, maybe you'd get that sense from a few things. It didn't affect my overall enjoyment and nothing was egregious. I would recommend Great Pretender if you liked Black Lagoon, or anime with multiple, mostly self-contained stories.

Post edited on 10th Nov 2024, 4:14pm

Last anime I saw was Magical Canan.
I feel like there's not a lot to say about it. It's an extremely cliché magical girl anime with every trope you can imagine, and what seemed to be a low budget. So low they didn't even have an OP done till the show was half way aired. I checked it out after seeing the art which gave me some nurse witch and pop-tan vibes, and sure enough Watanabe, Akio was attached to it. That and I've seen a lot of older magical girl anime, and this one some how slipped under my radar.
It's a bit of a monster of the week with seeds infecting trouble making people, turning them into monsters. Like with Nanoha it's got a mascot that turns out to be humanoid, but not before the protag does some embarrassing stuff with the mascot.
One thing I didn't really see coming is that they actually kill one of the girls.
For the most part it does follow pretty typical formulas and patterns. There's an ojou-sama type magical girl who was pretty fun and a nice reveal.
It was a bit more pervy than I expected with panty shots all over the place, but for the time it comes from it isn't really abnormal.
...I'm really struggling to think of anything mention worthy from this.
Can't say I'd recommend it, it's really dull. It might be a magical girl anime but it isn't particularly cute and can look down right ugly at times. It's also not much fun either, with a lot of it revolving around family drama. I'd say watch literally any other magical girl anime and you'd probably have a better experience.

>>38581
>I'd say watch literally any other magical girl anime and you'd probably have a better experience.
Even Meguca?

>>38582
No. Being Meguca is suffering.