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I just finished Humanity Has Declined, which is a satire-comedy-post-apocalyptic-surrealist thing. A lot of the satire went over my head (probably will watch it a second time), either because it was kind of Japan centric or because they never really made any meaningful argument, so I focused on the main character. She's smart and capable while having realistic flaws, and serves as a weird reserved but biting straight man to the whole world. She's written in a kind of nondescript logical way that's usually reserved for potato-kun male type characters, which is refreshing. I don't think she has much depth; her backstory arc was just about how she learns to balance social skepticism and empathy to alleviate her loneliness, which would be an interesting thing to tackle if she had more time to develop as a character. Her design is interesting without being distracting though it's still very moe: http://cdn.myanimelist.net/images/anime/4/45704.jpg which...more or less worked with her character? I dunno. Still looks very gratuitous.

 

It just strikes me as kind of without a point, but kind of indicating that it does have a point.

 

Overall it feels refreshing while still being relatively shallow in its criticisms, which results in me giving it a slight thumbs up with an apprehensive face on. It left a good enough impression on me because of how weird and whimsical it is, and how unique the writing is, but I'm at a complete loss when it comes to me trying to understand/justify what I liked about it on balance with what I didn't like about it. Never really experienced that before.

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I just finished Humanity Has Declined, which is a satire-comedy-post-apocalyptic-surrealist thing. A lot of the satire went over my head (probably will watch it a second time), either because it was kind of Japan centric or because they never really made any meaningful argument, so I focused on the main character. She's smart and capable while having realistic flaws, and serves as a weird reserved but biting straight man to the whole world. She's written in a kind of nondescript logical way that's usually reserved for potato-kun male type characters, which is refreshing. I don't think she has much depth; her backstory arc was just about how she learns to balance social skepticism and empathy to alleviate her loneliness, which would be an interesting thing to tackle if she had more time to develop as a character. Her design is interesting without being distracting though it's still very moe: http://cdn.myanimelist.net/images/anime/4/45704.jpg which...more or less worked with her character? I dunno. Still looks very gratuitous.

 

It just strikes me as kind of without a point, but kind of indicating that it does have a point.

 

Overall it feels refreshing while still being relatively shallow in its criticisms, which results in me giving it a slight thumbs up with an apprehensive face on. It left a good enough impression on me because of how weird and whimsical it is, and how unique the writing is, but I'm at a complete loss when it comes to me trying to understand/justify what I liked about it on balance with what I didn't like about it. Never really experienced that before.

 

I think Humanity Has Declined is mostly a personal story, framed by an apocalypse. The most interesting thing to me is the chronology, which is inverted by episode order. Instead of a bitter and isolated girl slowly finding herself and finding friends as the world around her falls apart, the story is rearranged to be the protagonist regressing as the world reverts to something more recognizable to us as the audience. The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya did it first, to rearrange an episodic gag show into a love story, but here I think it serves the central themes of the show better, namely the criticism that modern society can prevent innately good people like Watashi from being properly socialized and that the "decline" of humanity is not necessarily the end of its good works. I'd like to watch the show again, in true chronological order, but the thought of putting off the third episode, by far the best in the show, until the end is too much for me to bear.

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The main character does have an interesting arc. I guess it never really sunk in because I was mostly paying attention to the wacky stuff happening, though I did get the sense that her character as it was presented is the result of some kind of balanced coping and troubled but more or less resolved past. I guess I didn't recognize the narrative punchline of the main character getting more and more well adjusted the farther away from a specific social structure she was.

It just boils down to me not really seeing past the cute wacky stuff I guess, or that I was looking in the wrong place. I dunno. It strangely just washed over me and I couldn't really think of the main character as anything but an audience vessel, which maybe prevented me from being exposed to her character arc.

Also it's not like she's presented as anything but a cuttingly smart, world wise person, even as a child. You never get to see the moment where her aloofness and skepticism is put up as a defense mechanism against society. But maybe it speaks more to my ability of perception that I need that kind of narrative cue to figure it out.

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ps this movie gun b gud

 

 

(from summer wars guy!!!)

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The poster for that movie was really evocative when it came out but seeing the trailer kind of turns me off, since it kinda just looks like karate kid with bears. Not to say that's a bad thing, but I was totally expecting something different.

 

Speaking of anime movies that look good but may be different when they come out:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lR9mg3arVBo

 

Animated magical realism and personal stories make me into goo. Something in the back of my head is telling me that this is going to be a bad love story with a lot of yelling at somebody in the rain and staring into the distance but I'm holding out hope.

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Ahh I love the animation with the wind there.

 

I dunno anything else about it, though. That kid sure looks sad about that baseball.

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I just watched Yurikuma, because a show about lesbian bears has to be awesome, right? It's rather adorable to see them say "Growl" and "Chomp" and apparently they eat girls in more than one way? A certain scene was so ridiculously suggestive that I don't know what to expect of the show. :blink:

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We don't have a manga thread, right? Just the comics thread? If so, I think this is probably the best place to ask:

 

Between N1njaSqu1rr3l's generosity and a book token Christmas gift, I got the first two volumes of Death Note for free. I enjoyed it enough to second-guess my original plan to read those two volumes then switch to the anime. So, what are people's recommendations? Spend something like £20-30 to get the manga, or watch the anime on Netflix for free (outside the monthly fee I pay anyway, of course)?

 

No spoilers, please!

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We don't have a manga thread, right? Just the comics thread? If so, I think this is probably the best place to ask:

 

Between N1njaSqu1rr3l's generosity and a book token Christmas gift, I got the first two volumes of Death Note for free. I enjoyed it enough to second-guess my original plan to read those two volumes then switch to the anime. So, what are people's recommendations? Spend something like £20-30 to get the manga, or watch the anime on Netflix for free (outside the monthly fee I pay anyway, of course)?

 

No spoilers, please!

 

The first "half" of the anime is very well done, but then the second half is rushed and somewhat incomplete. If switching from one to the other or stopping short bothers you, I'd recommend reading the manga all the way through.

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Cool, thanks. I think I will stick to the manga! It's my first, and I'm really enjoying it. I love the way that the peculiar rhythms of dialogue and emotion I've seen in anime are present in this too.

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ah, death note

 

It's a real gateway drug. Even now I go to conventions and see lazy-ass L cosplays.

 

Also, if you don't mind reading it online, you can totally read it online for free, even with minor illegalities. like it being illegal. But if that doesn't bother you, batoto.net is your man!

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I try not to pirate stuff if the studio/publisher/whatevs hasn't made it impossible for me to obtain reasonably. Of course, I might end up getting it from ebay which doesn't support them directly either, but I guess it encourages sales overall if people know they have the option of reselling.

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Is there anyone who can offer a verdict on whether Sound! Euphonium is worth my time? I have a soft spot for KyoAni after all these years, but if it's just K-On: Big Band Edition, then I'm going to pass.

 

I'm still watching Crest of the Stars. Guys, it's really good, really inventive space opera from a Japanese author with serious chops. I'm a little stunned that it even exists.

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Well I like it anyway. I dunno K-On at all.

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Well I like it anyway. I dunno K-On at all.

 

Haha, that's okay. What do you like about it, is it relaxing or funny or what?

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Hard to say. It's not super funny, but it has moments. It's not very relaxing, cause they're in a constant state of stressing out about band. But it's not really about the band. It's more about the relationships within the band. But when it goes into the band stuff it goes in hardcore. It's charming and sometimes cute and sometimes why don't you just use your words Kumiko. Goddamnit Kumiko!

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Finally got to (and through!) my first Serious Arc in Gintama. Next episode opens up with the vice-chief emptying a pound of mayonnaise on his food. We're back!

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Finally got to (and through!) my first Serious Arc in Gintama. Next episode opens up with the vice-chief emptying a pound of mayonnaise on his food. We're back!

 

Wow I can't believe you're still watching. Anyway there's more mayonnaise to come.

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Haha, that's okay. What do you like about it, is it relaxing or funny or what?

 

It's mostly just boring. There's only one character, maybe 2, who I really like. The main lass is annoying, and worries over literally nothing. It's pretty, but that's not really saying much from KyoAni, as it's their generic anime style they've been perfecting for years now. K-On is better, but neither of them holds a candle against Sakamichi no Apollon as far as musical anime is concerned.

 

Personally, I wouldn't bother, but I'm also still watching it, so what do I know?

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Latest episode reminds me of when I was given first chair (as trumpet!), which meant i'd be playing all the solos, and I turned it down because I was too scared, and the band director had no choice but to give it to someone else, who we all knew was worse than me. Not to toot my own horn (EHEHEHEHE) or anything. But he was willing to do the solos, so I guess he was better in the end. ):

 

God I'm the worst.

 

Reina is my hero!

 

I so badly wish I'd stuck with playing trumpet.

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Reina is definitely the best character in the whole show. I can't stand the rest of the main 4. Especially Sapphire/Midori. She can moe the fuck off.

 

I never got so good at trumpet that I played any main parts, partly because half way through the school year I got braces and couldn't play, so I swapped to Euphonium. I prefer the trumpet though.

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I played Flute & Piccolo through middle school & high school and watched episode one this weekend, and will likely continue as I don't yet have enough anime under my belt to determine what I like and what I don't yet, and the premise alone will sustain me for at least a few more episodes.

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