Anime & Manga Teh CX Anime Review Thread

[Val the Moofia Boss]

I get that while NERV and SEELE were both apparently working to destroy the attacking "angels" and keep them from reaching Lilith that they were always planning to begin "Third Impact" all on their own, apparently. What I don't understand is why.

Of course, maybe I missed something. I still don’t get why any of them wanted to end all life on Earth and turn every living creature into Tang to begin with. In fact I was pretty much under the impression that they were trying to prevent that. There was a lot going on, though, so maybe I just missed something. Which, while I appreciate complex stories and all, I just didn't understand this one.

The series' thesis is that humanity's suffering is caused by the fact that people are individuals with conflicting thoughts and desires. Some people keep their real feelings to themselves out of fear of rejection or ostracization, hurting themselves. Other people have desires that conflict with the desires of another person, so thus there is a clash and someone (or both) will walk away unhappy.

SEELE wanted to "fix" human suffering by trying to merge everyone's souls/consciousness into one, monolithic soul/consciousness. There would no longer be any division between people. There would be no conflict between people. No one can hurt each other or feel hurt. There will only be one consciousness, one thought. Understanding. Peace. (Or at least, that was their rationale).

At the end, Shinji decides to break out of the single consciousness, and live as an individual separate from others, and embrace the suffering that will come with that.

SEELE's motivations and plan were one of the more interesting ideas of the series, IMO, for how out there, coherent (on a surface level), and nihilistic it was. SEELE's motives and plan became pretty popular after Evangelion came out. A lot of JRPGs and manga that came out after have done variations of the idea (to varying degrees of success).

Spoiler: Naruto example

Madara, the villain of Naruto, comes to the same conclusion that human suffering is caused by people being individuals with conflicting desires, meaning that not everyone is going to get what they want, and some people will hurt others trying to achieve their desires. So, he tries to satisfy everyone's desires by lulling everyone into their own escapist fantasy dream world, where they will get everything they want and live happily ever after. Again, the heroes come to a similar conclusion as Shinji did, and reject that idea and decide to embrace the hardships that come with being individuals living in a world where not everyone is going to get what they want.

 

[Terthna]

As for Slayers, it's funny, because it and Evangelion seem to be everyone's special shows, which is how I ended up watching them back to back and reviewing them. Come to think of it, I think the anime club I was part of picked them to watch during the same semester just to see what the big deal was about, and ended up not minding as my friends and I ended up making fun of them as we watched them MST3K style. No, Pretear was their sacred cow. "Can't you tell from the music that it's serious?"

Personally I thought Ergo Proxy was pretentious garbage when I tried to watch it, and I would give it a 0/10 if I were reviewing the show; so if you'll do me the courtesy of not holding that against me, I won't hold you not liking Slayers against you. At least we can agree that Evagelion is massively overrated.

 

[Robovski]

I think we can all agree Evangelon is overrated.

 

[Lord Sovereign]

Just repurposing a reddit post of mine (which was initially an explanation for Evatards as to why some people might not like the show), that strangely enough, I reckon actually surmises Evangelion's key flaw.

"Now, I say this as someone who's never liked Eva, but can be charitable. Shinji has his moments of bravery, Asuka has her moments of kindness, Rei has her moments of introspection.

Eva first and foremost is a character study that wants to get under the hood of its cast. As a character study, it really dives into these characters with a focus more towards their flaws, which makes these prominent and overshadow their more positive qualities over time. You can't blame people for disliking characters when their worst attributes are shoved in your face more and more as time goes by. Indeed, it should be the other way around in a traditional story, but Eva is not traditional. Granted this was done for thematic purpose, as part of a focus on depression and how it affects people, but there's also meant to be a plot going on and people would like to get back to that after a while. "Message received and understood, Anno-san, but could you tell us who these SEELE people are?"

Eva got so invested with its character study that it somewhat stunted the growth of its characters, which the audience mistakes for petulance on the part of the cast (and you can't really fault them for making that mistake). Shinji routinely going over his problems, because that's what the show is interested in, can get tiresome for an audience that "got the message" in the first few minutes. That's where the "get over it, Shinji" sentiment comes from. They want him to grow and progress, so that their investment in him can have payoff.

Luke Skywalker began as a whiny little bastard, but he grew as a person (if you discount the Sequels, which I think everyone does anyway).

Shinji's started similarly (for arguably more justified reasons, because Gendo Ikari is a cunt), but his growth got stunted because Anno wanted to batter his audience over the head with themes, hence why he's one of the most divisive protagonists in history."

TL;DR: Evangelion's character study element spiralled out of control and consumed the rest of the story.

 

[ATP]

I accidentally found parody song which show Evangelion in summary.Here:

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwjMxZL07ufvAhUhiYsKHejyCoQQFjAAegQIAxAD&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DlP9DKGhUiaY&usg=AOvVaw37b0AwxW2HI0QMakEBq8bM

 

[Bear Ribs]

One thing worth commenting on in Evangelion is that all it's pilots are genderbent. No really, if you reverse there genders you perfectly get a fairly generic set of anime 'mech pilots, with Asuka being the brash hotshot pilot hero, Shinji being the token girl who's secretly in love with the hotshot, and Rei being the shellshocked grizzled veteran.

 

[Captain X]

Still a lot more straightforward than the weirdest interpretations I've seen so far. For example, one I saw was determined to make the show about how the Japanese felt following WWII with the American occupation, and so cast Shinji as the poor, downtrodden Japanese male and the angels as the tall Americans. I've kind of forgotten where they sent with that, but that interpretation of the angels and Shinji has always stuck with me because of how hilariously out of left field it was.

 

[Lord Sovereign]

I've kind of forgotten where they sent with that, but that interpretation of the angels and Shinji has always stuck with me because of how hilariously out of left field it was.

"Hilariously out of left field" is a good way to describe Evangelion in general, in my view.

That aside, to the topic at hand, Eva fans do come up with some very strange ideas, don't they? I've noted that about them more than some other fandoms, which I reckon is to do with how "interpretative" (IE, disorganised mess that they're subconsciously trying to fill in the holes for. Mauler would be furious) the franchise is. And they get very committed to these ideas, and often have theological schisms over them.

Yes, observing the Eva fandom in the wild has been a hobby of mine these last few years. How did you tell?

 

[Captain X]

Honestly Kubrick fans can be just as bad, especially the ones that think he secretly encoded a message that he helped fake the moon landings.

 

[ATP]

Rune Soldier,24 episodes.
slice-of-life in fantasy settling,but good if you need something easy.And hot chicks,too.
Well,formally there is some plot,but for me it is good slice-of-life.

 

[Captain X]

The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya
(14 episode series)

And this is pretty much one of those shows that manages to both annoy and entertain me at the same time. That and be confusing as hell.

What I liked about this series is that its story was actually kind of interesting. It revolves entirely around an a-typical high school student, Haruhi Suzumiya, who apparently has the power to destroy and re-create the world. She is odd to say the least, and treats people like objects. She also seems to enjoy molesting people, or at least one person in particular. Still, I can't help but laugh at the idea that the world actually would revolve around such a self-centered individual. Then there's the other aspect of this series I like, which is the comedy. There is definitely plenty to laugh at, whether it was intentional or not. The antics of Mikuru Asahina in particular were both funny and annoying, although the whole moe-blob thing was intentional and even lampshaded early on. Her patheticness and cutesy little voice somehow managed to make me laugh and annoy the hell out of me at the same time, and that's something, I guess.

As for the story, as I mentioned, it was somewhat interesting. It wasn't hugely interesting, but it was interesting. I wasn't really interested by the thought exercise that revolved around Haruhi and her mysterious capabilities so much as what was going on as a result of it. I guess I just found the strangeness of it all to be appealing.

Then there were the characters. Kyon, the narrator, was pretty effective as someone the audience could relate to. He was pretty much an everyman, though he probably took all the weirdness that was going on around him and the expository explanation that was given to him by all the other members of Haruhi's SOS Brigade a lot more in stride then most people probably would. He also seems to be something of a ladies man, because it seems like every female member of the SOS Brigade seems to be attracted to him on some level, and the feeling seems to be mutual. I mean, he even seems to have something for the emotionless robot girl, Yuki, and right back at him, I guess. His attraction to Mikuru is kind of the obvious 'ship, being as she's the designated Ms. Fanservice and all. Hell, even the only other male character in the SOS Brigade, Itsuki, seems like he has a thing for Kyon. Then there's Haruhi herself, who also has a thing from him, although he doesn't seem to make up his mind about her until the last episode in a moment I'm sure everyone was supposed to think was cute. I just laughed, personally, the cliché of it all. I will say, though, that Haruhi really wasn't all that interesting herself in my opinion. Her appeal was mainly in her eccentricity. She actually seems like someone who could use some psychological help, but luckily she's a funny kind of crazy instead of a scary kind of crazy. Except of course that she can apparently destroy the world.

That does beg the question, though, why don't they just kill her? I know that she's not visibly a threat, and while she's amoral and likes to treat the moe-blob like she's a doll, it wouldn't really be the most humane thing to kill her, but it would be the pragmatic thing to do if she's really such a threat to humanity. Of course, this is a comedy, and I wasn't supposed to think of that, but I really am a horrible person.

I guess this was an okay series, and while it's not a favorite by any means, it was okay to watch. Mostly it's just fluff with a bit of philosophizing and plenty of comedy. The series was apparently broadcast out of chronological order just to make things a bit more confusing I guess, and that's the order I watched it in. I know there's some argument among fans about whether it's better to show in broadcast order or chronological order, so if you watch this you'll pretty much have to decide for yourself. Either way there are guides online you can look up to help you watch it in whichever order you decide to. I think the main argument for watching it in broadcast order is that it presents everything the way the people who made it intended to have the information in it revealed. Things might make more sense in chronological order, though, so it's up to you which argument is better. 7/10.

 

[Bear Ribs]

Whichever order you watch it in, don't watch the Endless Eight in Season 2. The first time I ran into that I dropped the show entirely and I've still never made it through them all.

I don't know what the producers were smoking to republish the same episode eight times in a row with only minute changes in each episode but the should get their money back. One of the worst creative ideas in fiction.

Ironically in the light novel the author realized that actually describing the time loop that way was stupid so Endless Eight is a short story that doesn't actually repeat much. The show runners deliberately deviated from the novels in a way that made it staggeringly boring.

One thing worth noting is that Haruhi Suzimiya is basically a parody of the Chuunibyou types... who predated the Chuunibyou movement by several years which is pretty impressive.

 

[Captain X]

For me, probably the most hilarious aspects of the show is that one of my friends absolutely hates the show in general and the character in particular.

 

[Bear Ribs]

I do find Haruhi rather unlikeable but... ultimately Haruhi is a stupid teenager and she's a fairly realistic rendition of a stupid teenager. It rather well-models the personality of a stupid teenager who is given unearned authority and nobody is willing to ever tell her "no."

 

[Val the Moofia Boss]

I watched 3 episodes of Haruhi and couldn't take it anymore. The characters were either boring (MC and the book girl. There was a kuudere who read books, right? Maybe I'm misremembering and conflating it with the two billion other generic KyoAni high school dramas) or obnoxious (everyone just standing around doing nothing while Haruhi forced the girl into the bunny suit), and the plot that "she is a god" was exposited in a really boring way.

 

[Terthna]

That does beg the question, though, why don't they just kill her? I know that she's not visibly a threat, and while she's amoral and likes to treat the moe-blob like she's a doll, it wouldn't really be the most humane thing to kill her, but it would be the pragmatic thing to do if she's really such a threat to humanity. Of course, this is a comedy, and I wasn't supposed to think of that, but I really am a horrible person.

How? She's a reality warper. Even if they could kill her, that doesn't necessarily mean she'd stay dead, or suddenly become unable to use her powers. There's also a non-zero chance that she's actually God; meaning that if she were to die, reality itself may very well cease to exist. Or she'd just be upset that they killed her mortal incarnation; all in all, it's just not worth the risk.

 

[prinCZess]

All I really remember from Haruhi besides general plot is the fun dance closing and Tits McGee in a bunny-suit firing an airsoft-AK...And eventually skipping some episodes because of repetition (I forget how many...because what jackalope thought EIGHT near-identical episodes was a good idea?).

I've always been kind'a baffled why it was/is famous or a thing. It's pretty, I suppose. But it just kind'a floats at the edge of being interesting without ever accomplishing it? Seems like an interesting supernatural-y premise wasted on a thing that wanted to do slice-of-life instead so all the stuff that'd be interesting (at least, to me) is just fodder for Japanese high school shenaniganry.
*shrug*

 

[Bear Ribs]

All I really remember from Haruhi besides general plot is the fun dance closing and Tits McGee in a bunny-suit firing an airsoft-AK...And eventually skipping some episodes because of repetition (I forget how many...because what jackalope thought EIGHT near-identical episodes was a good idea?).

I've always been kind'a baffled why it was/is famous or a thing. It's pretty, I suppose. But it just kind'a floats at the edge of being interesting without ever accomplishing it? Seems like an interesting supernatural-y premise wasted on a thing that wanted to do slice-of-life instead so all the stuff that'd be interesting (at least, to me) is just fodder for Japanese high school shenaniganry. *shrug*

Mostly the greatest advertising campaign ever. But there's more.

Like a great deal of older anime that remain popular, it established a lot of tropes that seem boring now because they've been imitated so much. And it does do a few things right. The show is good at establishing Waifu bait but avoids the typical harem antics and gives them some development as characters instead, Kyon's not a brick-thick oblivious harem lead with the personality of cardboard and the girls don't all fawn on him, and normal harem shenanigans are avoided.

The show was also quite advantaged by the exact time it came out. It came out in the US just as legit anime streaming sites on the internet got it in gear and thus was a hot new show at the exact perfect moment to take advantage of the new medium.

On top of that it was produced right as animation was transitioning from hand-drawn to fully CG cel shades, and it pushed the envelope significantly further than any previous show had without being obvious bad CG. You can't tell today because tech has moved on but at the time it was crisper, smoother, and had difficult-to-draw rotating scenes and dramatic shots that simply hadn't been possible in an anime without a Disney-tier studio before. Comparatively the background scenes are incredibly detailed and realistic, and actually reference real places, so much that people are able to find the stores and shops the SoS-Dan visit in real life. The "Anime Pilgrimage" people sometimes make to visit tourist locations from their favorite animes got it's start here because this was the first time they made such detailed sets that you could pick out exactly which 7-11 equivalent they were getting soda from.

But in my opinion, the biggest answer by far for why this is famous and a thing is that the marketing team were absolute geniuses. The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya had a brilliant multi-tier marketing campaign that hit every level and did it well. The dance was one of the highlights of the show, and they organized "spontaneous" street dances of it like real life was becoming a musical. After a while people starting organizing their own dances because it was so fun.


The SoS-Dan's crappy website they made on the show? It existed on the real internet as well. On the face of it it looked exactly like the one in the show, just some poorly organized pictures of the crew and nonsensical egotistical messages by Haruhi. But if you looked closer, it was full of secret and hidden pages that could be reached if you leveraged knowledge from the show to find passwords and hidden links. During The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya the page generated a 404 error but it was fake, and if you used knowledge from the episodes you could still get in and find out more behind-the-scenes information on what was actually going on during the Endless Eight.

SOS Dan web site

www.haruhi.tv

That's on top of a ton of other stuff, some merch, some things like the Haruhi bus, and some just hiding easter eggs everywhere to build excitement and mystery for the show as people uncovered them. For the Bamboo Rhapsody episode where the kids break into the school, they hired actual kids to break into the school in real life and generated a fake news/conspiracy theory using faked security footage of it. This intimated that the episode was actually happening in real life and the animation was somehow just imitating the real-life SoS Dan to get them out of Haruhi's head.

As those things have now been uncovered and aren't there to find, much of the massive blitz it had isn't apparent anymore but at the time it was head and shoulders above other shows.

 

[Captain X]

I only ever watched the first season incidentally.

 

[ATP]

I arleady told about Hidamari sketch - now,short fragment to show why i like series :