Just did an anime review for FLCL, check it out y'all. What did you guys think of it? Both the anime and the review?
The captions that pop up on the screen really blend in with the background. Also, the constant not-quite-looking-at-the-camera make you seem a bit less engaged than you could be. And a bit high. You're looking at a screen for your notes, right? Other than that, good review. I liked the not-so-subtle dig at Bleach. Maybe go into detail about the colourful cast and what makes them unique. Why is the dad comedic relief in a big way?
lol ****, why do I always get this? I dunno, I always look high. Imagine my face when I actually am. Anyway, thanks for the feedback.
FLCL was an OVA not a standard run series, which means its goal was to show off animation. That's why the animation is generally of such a high quality. I feel like the review was a little short and scant on details. FLCL is actually something that deserves a lot of attention and analysis as far as the message and the localization. Both were mentioned but kinda just stated and then dropped. It might be because it's old now and people usually know it, but it still could have been said. FLCL is still one of my favorites and I'm actually one of the people who prefers the Japanese dub. But I'm a fan of Sayonara Zetsubo Sensei and Joshiraku also so the references being unlocalized really doesn't bug me. The manga adaptation is a lot more explicit with some details and paced a little slower. It's also great. I seriously wonder what you'd give a 10/10 now. While you pretty much nailed formatting here I think content could have been more complete. If you're still looking for suggestions try something a little more obscure since you've only done big stuff so far except for Neptunia.
Good point. I mean, I did want to analyze it in greater length, but I wasn't sure how to do that without coming off as pretentious since there isn't much for me to work with. I mean, the themes that the show had going on were the dangers of egotism (Brittle Bullet), the importance of taking chances or "just swinging the bat" (Full Swing), the fact that your actions affect other people's lives as well (the whole Ninamuri episode, what with her dad's scandals affecting her everday life and how Ninamuri affected Naota's every day life by rigging the votes and making him Puss in Boots, a role which he detested) and the fact that you have to fight for those that you love (Full Swing and the last episode). BUT, there was no real motif that connected these themes. Perhaps the monsters coming out of Naota's head (and Ninamuri's, after Naota headbutted her) represent the immature qualities coming out of Naota's personality, which as a result, turns him into a man? But, that might be a stretch. What do you think? Well, here's a hint. Spoiler It starts with an "M" Spoiler and ends with a "adoka"
Actually, it's not a stretch as much as you'd think, it's a fairly common thought about the head monsters. People running panels about this series have said that. Anyhow, I think it's fine that you were a little scant with this because like I said a lot of it is an old series and a lot of the stuff has already been said. I actually wouldn't give Madoka that score. I personally rate it best of 2011 followed by Steins;Gate and Nichijou, but I think that it really wasn't game changing enough to warrant a perfect score. It was a Faustian story and it was Shaft tier artistry which means it was very analysis friendly and tonally perfect but it's really just a riff off of something else in the end. But yeah, that's really just me.
Hmm...I mean, not many anime that I've seen have given me such a great impression as Madoka, and even has a bittersweet ending that couldn't have been more perfect for the tone of the anime. For a show to have excellent animation, a great plot, etc., then it'll be a 9/10 to me. If it has that etxra "wow" factor, like Madoka did, in my mind at least, then it deserves a 10/10. Just my opinion. What would you consider to be a 10/10?
I dug it. Only thing I'll say is, the cut-in clips were sudden and loud; you may want to bump the volume down a bit, and anything that'll smooth out the transition would be a help, even a simple fade-in. And yeah I was kinda surprised at the 9/10, but FLCL resonated with me a lot so I may be a little biased. It's a good instinct when you're reviewing to keep things bare-bones. If you wanted to do longer, more analytical looks at certain shows, it might be worth a side video or separate series, but it's definitely worth it imo. While each episode has its own smaller theme, I think what really ties them together is how off-the-wall and overwhelming they are. I say that because Naota feels that way too; and I always got the impression that the reason for telling the coming-of-age story with all these weird sub-layers about giant robots and galactic pirates - things that could be their very own series, yet see almost criminally distant and detached treatment in this one - is because that's what growing up feels like to us. It feels like all these amazing things are happening all around us, things so much bigger and harder to comprehend than us, and much as we want to be a part of it we feel so totally underwhelming and powerless in the face of it. And let's be clear, I'm not tryna say Naota imagined it all; I'm just saying that the reason those concepts are barely explored is because it's not the strange, vaguely sci-fi universe that's being set up here. It's Naota's place in those events - at times a distant bystander, at times the unwitting eye of the hurricane - that matters most. I first started to suspect this in... Firestarter, I think? when Haruko crashes into the Medical Mechanica building, Naota comes to pick her up, and he treats the guards there with a weird sort of knowing disdain, like... Yeah, I know this hooligan. We lead pretty interesting lives. But you wouldn't know anything about that. Naota's always talking about how his town is ordinary, his school is ordinary, his whole life is ordinary. Whether or not it's true at the start of the series, it certainly isn't by the end. And that, I think, is the crux of the story: not just the struggles Naota goes through as he matures (And as far as the robots representing his hang-ups, I think you hit the nail on the head), but the fact that they're so insane and out-of-this-world compared to the life he's led up to this point that it feels like he's in a picturebook, or an 80's music video... or an anime. :L And Naota can't help but be caught up in that. He may pretend it's a pain in the ass, but deep down he's thrilled. It's exciting. Intimidating, maybe even frightening at times, but exciting just the same. In the same breath as he chastises the people involved for dragging him into it, he'll brag about it to people out of the loop. Like in Brittle Bullet, for example. Anyway, just my two cents. Well, more like fifty, but. :v v: :v v:
I dunno. If we're talking about films Tokyo Godfathers and Millennium Actress definitely hit the 10/10 mark but if we're talking about series it'd be tougher to decide since nothing I've watched so far seems pretty much perfect. I've only watched a couple dozen series ever anyways and I've missed a lot of the really big ones like Evangelion. But if I were to pick a favorite anime series I'd probably go with Samurai Champloo. It's been years but I still remember it quite fondly.
Well said. The whole backstory could easily be interpreted as one huge metaphor for the overwhelming aspects of growing up.
I think that FLCL one of the few things that has to be taken exactly at face value to "get it." It's not deep or cerebral, it's a fun show about a kid growing up and a woman fighting monsters that come out of a portal in the kid's head. The deepest message to be gotten out of the whole thing is that life is totally unpredictable and whether or not something makes sense to you has no bearing on if it's possible. Everything else is just people overthinking it. In fact, I kind of think that much of it is Evangelion style symbolism. There's always a way get meaning out of it, but it means little to nothing in the context of the work itself.
