Kiri ☂ (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
taotrooper) wrote2011-06-22 04:17 am
taotrooper) wrote2011-06-22 04:17 am
Entry tags:
The ratings have never been higher?
Okay, first of all, I feel like an ass for not replying the comments in the previous post. I've been feeling unwell these past two days, and when I had a chance I was in this silly extra-shy mode. I do want to say that I appreciate a lot that you took the seconds to say hi ♥ You are all great. I just feel too timid at the moment to drop an individual comment, but thank you so much!
The day itself was boring, but I expected it. I didn't ask for presents because my mom has a lot of crazy expenses this week and I felt bad. My uncle and grandma promised money and still owe me. As tempting as 3DSs and gazillions of books might be, I should invest in a new HDD.
And since I haven't used this journal for anything in forever, how about my thoughts in the latest episodes of Tiger and Bunny, which is the only show I'm following right now?
Honestly, I don't know how I feel about this series. I think I finally know why. I think it's the plot being so... indecisive. Half the series in, and I really can't tell what the main conflict is. It just keeps adding more stuff and putting aside the ones introduced earlier.
So in the first episodes, it looked like it was going to be meta about what superheroes truly are and the issues with reality TV and consumerism in pop culture. Then they started leaking about Barnaby's Batman backstory and it seemed obvious that they had to touch that (I need to add that I really hate that subplot). But then Lunatic was introduced and Ouroboros was forgotten for a while. Although he's a really boring villain, I much preferred him as conflict source to My Parents Are Deeeeeeeeead. It was more interesting to have lawful good/neutral vigilantes colliding with a lawful evil antagonist, and different ways to use Next powers for justice. But then! Lunatic was tossed aside unresolved and they went back to Ouroboros!! And now we have these guys going all terrorist over the city and Martinez bullying the heroes into cockfights, which sort of distracts from both Barnaby's chances for revenge and the boring X-Men Villain ideals of the organization.
I really don't like this development. It's not only because they're hurting adorable characters left and right, and putting Barnaby's annoying subplot in a pedestal. It's not only because I feel so ugh about Martínez and his gothic lolita henchwoman and their godmoding. It's because this conflict is building up all suddenly, and it goes so fast, and it devours aspects of itself (hurr because it's an ouroboros hurr), and tosses aside the other main plots to fuck knows where. Why isn't Lunatic asking permission to use the bathroom and lets them do what they want? Why is the tiny trust that was building between the protagonists going backwards? Why the stupid one-on-one duels if they're going to pit Barnaby and Martínez in the fourth match?
There are still 13 or 14 episodes left, and with this pacing the Martínez subplot can't last more than 3-5 more episodes tops. Then what, we're back to Lunatic? I'm at a point where I don't know what's the fucking point of this anime. It's all over the place! They can't commit to a single plotline at a time. I'm all for foreshadowing of future antagonists, but normally you divide stuff in arcs. If you mix everything up, subplots and villains and worldbuilding, it's confusing and badly written. If you go back and forth with character development, it's annoying. I still dislike the shit out of Barnaby and I can't get into the blooming buddy relationship with Kotetsu because they never go anywhere and revert to their older selves.
So, I don't know. I'm still going to watch because I'm fond of most characters, and it's cool when they focus on the secondary characters' motivations, but the main plots! God, such trainwrecks.
The day itself was boring, but I expected it. I didn't ask for presents because my mom has a lot of crazy expenses this week and I felt bad. My uncle and grandma promised money and still owe me. As tempting as 3DSs and gazillions of books might be, I should invest in a new HDD.
And since I haven't used this journal for anything in forever, how about my thoughts in the latest episodes of Tiger and Bunny, which is the only show I'm following right now?
Honestly, I don't know how I feel about this series. I think I finally know why. I think it's the plot being so... indecisive. Half the series in, and I really can't tell what the main conflict is. It just keeps adding more stuff and putting aside the ones introduced earlier.
So in the first episodes, it looked like it was going to be meta about what superheroes truly are and the issues with reality TV and consumerism in pop culture. Then they started leaking about Barnaby's Batman backstory and it seemed obvious that they had to touch that (I need to add that I really hate that subplot). But then Lunatic was introduced and Ouroboros was forgotten for a while. Although he's a really boring villain, I much preferred him as conflict source to My Parents Are Deeeeeeeeead. It was more interesting to have lawful good/neutral vigilantes colliding with a lawful evil antagonist, and different ways to use Next powers for justice. But then! Lunatic was tossed aside unresolved and they went back to Ouroboros!! And now we have these guys going all terrorist over the city and Martinez bullying the heroes into cockfights, which sort of distracts from both Barnaby's chances for revenge and the boring X-Men Villain ideals of the organization.
I really don't like this development. It's not only because they're hurting adorable characters left and right, and putting Barnaby's annoying subplot in a pedestal. It's not only because I feel so ugh about Martínez and his gothic lolita henchwoman and their godmoding. It's because this conflict is building up all suddenly, and it goes so fast, and it devours aspects of itself (hurr because it's an ouroboros hurr), and tosses aside the other main plots to fuck knows where. Why isn't Lunatic asking permission to use the bathroom and lets them do what they want? Why is the tiny trust that was building between the protagonists going backwards? Why the stupid one-on-one duels if they're going to pit Barnaby and Martínez in the fourth match?
There are still 13 or 14 episodes left, and with this pacing the Martínez subplot can't last more than 3-5 more episodes tops. Then what, we're back to Lunatic? I'm at a point where I don't know what's the fucking point of this anime. It's all over the place! They can't commit to a single plotline at a time. I'm all for foreshadowing of future antagonists, but normally you divide stuff in arcs. If you mix everything up, subplots and villains and worldbuilding, it's confusing and badly written. If you go back and forth with character development, it's annoying. I still dislike the shit out of Barnaby and I can't get into the blooming buddy relationship with Kotetsu because they never go anywhere and revert to their older selves.
So, I don't know. I'm still going to watch because I'm fond of most characters, and it's cool when they focus on the secondary characters' motivations, but the main plots! God, such trainwrecks.
no subject
I could think of some examples of better, flippant/silly criminals from Japanese animation that worked better. Ladd Russo from Baccano, Gauron from Full Metal Panic, and - a borderline case - Ali Al-Sarchez from Gundam 00. Each had something that made their flippant demeanor work out.
Ladd Russo had style. He's a gangster-sociopath who you love to hate, and definitely love to watch on screen. Gauron was not only menacing, but he was creepy, and basically his flippant behavior came from him being very easy about his nature - which was animalistic and crudely driven. Ali Al-Sarchez was a Gauron lite: a mercenary who didn't take himself seriously, and is more easily remembered by his over-the-top, memetic nature. However, he had nothing special to him, and the only reason he wasn't like Martinez is because he was menacing without needing to godmode.
Also I don't like Martinez' visual design.
Let's visually compare Gauron,Ali, and Ladd side by side with this thing. Seriously.
no subject
I only know Ladd from those, but I agree he was fantastic as the batshit sociopath. Intimidating, elegant, fun in his cruelty. But the only thing these two have in common is the same seiyuu (who is also Ali Al-Sarchez's, what a small world). I feel sorry for the guy for landing such a lame villain role after Ladd. Fun fact: Barnaby's seiyuu is also Claire's.