I'm not even sure they're going to get around to the prequel. Although making the credits all about it is probably a good sign.
So yeah, this was pretty much everything I'd hoped it would be. Slapping a healthy dose of Utena-tastic architectural shenanigans helps keep the intense dialogue focus visually stimulating.
As I suspected, this material is pretty much a perfect match for Shinbo's stylistic excess; he'd far rather depict the characters wandering through a flickering film frame as hand written keywords dance beside them than waste his time trying to oversell the humor. The constant rapid fire patter is still there, and delivered in with an understated confidence virtually no other anime director has the sense to use.
Plus, we know exactly what the main lead's brain is made of.
It remains to be seen if there's an fansubbers - or professional translators - up to the staggering amount of work involved in translating both Shinbo's word on screen spam and NisiOisin's bracing word play deluge, but even raw this sucker's a visual tour de force, and an absolute must see.
It looks very pretty, but it doesn't click like SoulTaker did, where every single frame just seemed perfect. I get a slightly worrying feeling of "wrongness" when watching Bakemonogatari. It kind of plays in its favour once our sweet lady presents her tools to the hero, mind you.
ReplyDeletePersonally I'm sick of the flapping words. They've been overdone now, over the past X years since Shaft first introduced the technique (?) to the anime world, and I'd have been happier if they had the sense to move on. Maybe it really fits the original work, but I wouldn't know since I haven't touched the books yet.
It was funny to listen to Horie's lovely performance in this show, compared to the torture session she created in Umineko, but Sakurai sounds a bit young for his character.
All in all, positive impression. Hate the ED.
"Slapping a healthy dose of Utena-tastic architectural shenanigans helps keep the intense dialogue focus visually stimulating."
ReplyDeleteSold.
Is that a new record for "start to panties" time? I don't think I've even seen porn start that fast.
ReplyDeleteI actually refused to even consider watching another Shinbo show for years after SoulTaker, the first episode of that was so FUCKING BAD.
ReplyDeleteHe's come a long way.
Hm. So this is filled with Shinbo's annoying excesses after all? Count me out then.
ReplyDeleteIt's the most consistently effective application of them I've encountered.
ReplyDeleteIt honestly felt more like Ikuhara than Shinbo.
"the first episode of that was so FUCKING BAD"
ReplyDeleteSeriously? I've seen pretty much every show the past five years, and with the possible exception of Casshern Sins, no (televised) anime is as visually stunning as SoulTaker's first two episodes. Of course, after that they ran out of budget and had to slideshow the rest of the series. And then they did it again with Tsukuyomi.
It was visually stunning. In much the same way as Batman and Robin was.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure I'd have had less issues with the visual excess if there had been a single solitary redeeming element to the horrific, cliche ridden story, but it ultimately felt like the visuals were an attempt to distract from the complete lack of writing. It was stunning because they'd just clubbed you in the forehead.
With Bakemonogatari, the story is actually pretty strong, so they end up enhancing it.
Yeah, Joe and Andrew hate the hell out of SoulTaker.
ReplyDeleteThey still mock me for being the one that actually liked it quite a bit. The visual style and shots were enough to keep me entertained even if the story was a yawner. It just took itself to srsly.
One man's "visually stunning" is another's "pointlessly busy and arbitrarily-colored". There is a point where the main character is CRYING BLOOD, and the other characters need to POINT THIS OUT IN DIALOGUE because otherwise no one would be able to distinguish this intentionally-miscolored element from the hundreds of other things he slathered in meaningless visual noise.
ReplyDeleteI certainly wouldn't argue with that, but then I'm simply much more entertained by some of the visual excesses anime has produced lately, like Gankutsuou and Mononoke.
ReplyDeletePlus I'm a sucker for sharp, high-contrast artwork shrouded in brooding shadows. And striped panties :)