The Week in Anime, Fall 2013 #1 — Shipping Them Ships

I am going to copy Mr. Flawfinder (and the people he copied) and try to write a weekly post discussing the anime I am not blogging. This is partly because all the series I want to blog air on Thursday and partly because there are some series which I would like to write about, but don’t have enough to discuss every single week. For example, Ars Nova falls into this category. By writing these weekly posts I’ll be able to discuss the series I normally wouldn’t be able to, and publish something early in the week when I’m less busy. If these posts turn out well this season I may continue them in the future.

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Ars Nova: I don’t understand all the hatred directed towards this show’s animation. I think the CG looks great. Admittedly I know next to nothing about art, but when everyone’s complaining about this, and Haganai and Denpa Onna’s style barely garnered any reaction… it’s beyond my ability to comprehend.

I was slightly disappointed that a new ship wasn’t boarded and added to the harem fleet, but oh well. Starting in the middle of the story has the potentially confusing result that the show is referencing events in the past we aren’t familiar with, but it just adds to the mystery so I don’t mind. The battles are pretty cool even if I’m not entirely sure what’s going on all the time. I like it when shows keep me on my toes. The submarine warfare here is much better done than in Ozma.

Nagi no Asukara: Here I’m shipping hard for the main character to be forever alone. What a douchebag. All the teenage angst is great though. I’m kind of amazed that none of the kids were aware that dating people from the land leads to banishment though.

Log Horizon: It’s refreshing to have characters who don’t play MMOs solely due to social incompetence in the real world, like in SAO.

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Gingitsune: This has got to be the first impressions post I was most mistaken on. I thought it was a show for kids— it isn’t. Turns out the girls are even in high school. They seemed so cute and innocent (even the bullies) that I jumped to conclusions. Anyway, the show is great so far. The second episode had a trio of girls become friends whom you normally would never expect. I like those sorts of unlikely friendships. Still can hardly get over the fact that the characters are in high school, not elementary school, though.

Walkure Romanze: This is what my Sword Art Online fanfiction would be like if it were turned into an anime. Not to toot my own horn, but a work of purest genius. So many awful sexual undertones. The first episode was just warming up, apparently. This will probably be one of my most anticipated shows each week for the rest of the season.

Kyousougiga: I tried the second episode. Still have zero interest in it. Sorry.

14 thoughts on “The Week in Anime, Fall 2013 #1 — Shipping Them Ships

  1. Hopefully main dude in Nagi no Asukara will undergo some development, otherwise he’s going to be added to the never-ending list of f*cking annoying main characters.

    Walkure Romanze… Oh god. The lance thing made me lol hard. Although all the jokes were the same, and it’s soooo contrived. But what am I expecting though, it’s basically a porno without sex.

    1. Oh, I don’t think the problem is lack of development. I don’t even think there’s a problem, actually. He’s an asshole and I hate him. Not a problem with development or characterization, that’s just his character.

      Lance thing was the best part. I honestly don’t think they need any other jokes, they can make the whole twelve episodes on bad sexual implications alone.

      1. I missed the lance implicaiton, and now I’m Lol’ing. I watched Walkure Romanzed based upon how much supposed hatred it was getting, and it turns out just to my tastes– and now as an afterthought it is no surprise in comparison with the outcry vs Ars Nova as well.

        Barbie babes with tearable clothing & ecchi Mr. Ed. I am totally enjoying that method.

        Funny the Machine like qualities of CGI get noticed here. I didn’t notice, because I was completely immersed and accepted that as part of the nature of the show. Robots acting like robots to begin with, no, say it isn’t so?

        Nagi kid being alone, I can see that, and I am ok with that too. He deserves it at that point of his life. Douche-y little kid needs to that kicked in the butt to grow up with, and the show seems to be going in that direction. Kid acts out, gets his butt kicked, but he’s smart enough to grow little by little until he’s less douche. Room for character growth, via school of hard knocks.

        Log is refreshing in general for me. Good solid fun. I also like intelligent tactician main character leads, though Code Geass’ Lelouch was in a league of his own for the drama. But for some sick reason, I want to see the enchanter’s glasses fall off– would he, should he be blind? It’ll never happen, but he adjusts his glasses for no other reason than stylization. I want to see them fall and see the resulting chaos that ensues as they should be knocked around in battle.

        1. WHAT, how is it possible to miss the lance implications?! That was really heavy handed, not like the subtlety I came to expect in my sexual insinuations from Sword Art Online.

          I thought the machine-like aspect of the animation was perfect, especially for the ships. It’s just like you’d expect them to act.

          I can see it now, the main guy from Log Horizon on his knees, grasping at the ground, asking, “Megane… megane… doko…?”

  2. With Ars Nova its the animation of the people that looks incredibly robotic. There’s a stutter when they move, and even the so-called humans look just like the “robot/girls.” Rather than body parts flexing you have tweening…cardboard cutouts floating across the screen, and eyes that don’t dilate organically but mechanically.

    I could live with the 3D ships, but the humans…look like those early 3D miku videos. I dread the day when cheap 3D CGI (a.ka modern day claymation) replaces the expressiveness of what I am used to. Its a shame because I usually like this sort of story.

    1. Yeah, I guess I just have no eye for art. The motion looks fine to me. The ship looks a bit robotic but I assumed that was intentional.

  3. The so called douchebag anime gets a high rank on myanimelist, though.
    Why, God, Why?

    Log Horizon should better introduce some real threat, because at this point, it’s not much different from watching someone else playing video game.
    >_>

    1. Well if you recall, the biggest issue with Naoyu is that it had no conflicts whatsoever. The heroes always won fights, all the antagonists were pathetic and barely showed up, their romance was so fucking pristine and efortless they could have gotten married in the first episode….

      So the fact I am seeing a romance that doesn’t appear to have conflicts, featuring a bunch of brilliant people easily solving problems? Not really all that surprising. Disappointing, but not all that surprising.

      1. True, there doesn’t seem to be much of a conflict yet. But as this is a video game, I’m a bit more sympathetic than I was with Maoyuu, since that’s how video games actually are.

        When it’s a show about actual history, and the point is that someone with modern ideas can solve all the world’s ills easily… then it’s absolutely infuriating. But when it’s about a party of gamers working together to beat the boss, it’s less upsetting.

        Still could probably benefit from more of a conflict though.

        1. The plot of this series appears to be that brilliant main character person and head over heels for him ninja are in charge of remaking society though. Isn’t that sorta just a gender flipped version of Maoyu that takes place in an MMO?

          1. It doesn’t seem to me like they’re remaking society at all though? Just playing an MMO…

    2. I like the douchebag anime, actually. I think the guy is a dick but I’m still enjoying the show. Just I do not sympathize much with the main character. I kind of assume that’s the show’s intention anyway.

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