Favorite Digimon season?
I never watched Digimon. I didn't really watch anime at all until I started watching Toonami in middle school.
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Does Kizu's lack of internal monologue hurt its narrative? I've heard complaints that the film skipped over important details from the novel like Araragi's identity crisis. Oh, and that abrupt ending to pt. 1 is unbelievably frustrating.
The Kizu movie is intended to be a strong, all-encompassing sensory experience. What is conveyed through monologues in the original text is conveyed through pacing, visuals, and sound in the anime. It makes for a very different experience, but that's not a flaw - the film is simply a robust and creative adaptation that's trying to tell the best story possible using the tools its medium provides.
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DIGITAL@MUGI
Eelz
Apparently A Silent Voice will be 2.5 hours long! How are you surviving the wait to see it?
WITH CLENCHED TEETH AND GREAT DIFFICULTY.
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GJ Corban
invalidname
Shahzeb Mangi
Eelz
Related users
Would you rather have Iroha or Kanbaru as your kawaii kohai?
It's questions like this that keep me up at night.
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GJ Corban
Pablo Romero
Shahzeb Mangi
Rm
Student no.0
Eelz
What would you consider to be the worst error a critic can make when assessing a film/show?
There are a lot of them, but one I try to personally keep in mind is avoiding either pole of "seeing the work as a sterile object not created by human beings" versus "assuming you totally understand the psychology of the show's creators."
Another good spectrum to consider is "evaluating a show according to its own goals" versus "acknowledging and embracing the fact that you as a critic cannot avoid injecting your own preferences into your evaluation of media."
And a good general piece of advice is "critique a show, not your impression of its audience."
One more: "everything is problematic. Approach media created by human beings with a sympathetic eye and a precise pen, not a torch."
Alright, one extra one more: "the less you acknowledge your own biases, the more those biases will overwhelm all other elements of your criticism."
Another good spectrum to consider is "evaluating a show according to its own goals" versus "acknowledging and embracing the fact that you as a critic cannot avoid injecting your own preferences into your evaluation of media."
And a good general piece of advice is "critique a show, not your impression of its audience."
One more: "everything is problematic. Approach media created by human beings with a sympathetic eye and a precise pen, not a torch."
Alright, one extra one more: "the less you acknowledge your own biases, the more those biases will overwhelm all other elements of your criticism."
Do you think there is any particular element of storytelling most often overlooked in people's experience/analysis/evaluation of a work?
I guess maybe the raw narrative function fundamentals? Where you have to place scenes and introduce concepts in what order in order to create a dramatically effective composition, establishing character through minimal representative details, how drama is in large part a product of pacing and release, that sort of thing. It's ugly and messy to do, because it's harder to talk about how half a spleen is particularly great than the overall qualities of the creature it belongs to, but it's vitally important stuff that in large part dictates our gut reactions to stories.
Do you think Yohane will be a trashier idol than Nico ?
It seems unlikely Yohane will be able to match Nico, though Dia being a Nico who wants to be an Eli is still a pretty great replacement.
And to actually dig into this a bit, Nico specifically was great because she was petty and arrogant and a goof, but also incredibly dedicated to what she did, and almost certainly the most earnestly committed member of the group. There's a legitimate passion and sense of actual desperation in Nico's commitment that made her likely the most human member of the original cast, and that's a big part of why everyone lovingly dunks on her all the time.
And to actually dig into this a bit, Nico specifically was great because she was petty and arrogant and a goof, but also incredibly dedicated to what she did, and almost certainly the most earnestly committed member of the group. There's a legitimate passion and sense of actual desperation in Nico's commitment that made her likely the most human member of the original cast, and that's a big part of why everyone lovingly dunks on her all the time.
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A
Eelz
Tiago Coutinho
Kori (Jonas)
ShadowZael
Even when a story is 'cliched', 'something you've already seen' or doesn't break out of conventions spectacularly, does that always necessarily stop you from enjoying it entirely? Are there times where you can still enjoy it in way that doesn't feel like a total time-waster?
Almost no story is truly original in a meaningful way. What defines a story is how well its execution lends beauty, emotive power, and individuality to stories we've all heard before.
https://twitter.com/kyoani/status/758590882232737792
It may finally be kicking in that these are the times that we live in.
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invalidname
Eelz
Recently finished Grimgar. It annoys me. I enjoyed it, it's good, it has unanswered questions and stuff to look forward to, and I really DK if it's getting Season 2. :/ What did you think of it?
I liked it a lot! I actually reviewed it for ANN:
http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/review/grimgar-of-fantasy-and-ash-episodes-1-12-streaming/.100611
But I guess the gist of my feelings is that I really liked its more meditative and character-focused approach to fantasy storytelling, which helped make its world feel like a living place. It was a messy show, but slice of life crossed with fantasy action made for a uniquely compelling mixture.
http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/review/grimgar-of-fantasy-and-ash-episodes-1-12-streaming/.100611
But I guess the gist of my feelings is that I really liked its more meditative and character-focused approach to fantasy storytelling, which helped make its world feel like a living place. It was a messy show, but slice of life crossed with fantasy action made for a uniquely compelling mixture.
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Shahzeb Mangi
Do you have any tips for starting a story?
Don't try to make anything perfect, just try to get stuff on the page. Most ideas come while already writing, and we all write a huge pile of junk for every page of good stuff, so just look up some writing prompts online and have at them. Don't worry if you don't feel entirely confident in some given story - write what you can, see if it prompts any ideas or contains good pieces, see where they lead you. Just keep on writing.
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Kittykatstar
Eelz
Jick Johnson
Another Bystander
Flying Witch manga getting an official translation, apparently! (based on Amazon listings)
Good yes excellent. Flying Witch's one major flaw was that I couldn't carry it around with me.
When it comes to popular shows which have a large subjective flaw, you seem to lean heavily on said fault like it's your duty to play the devil's advocate, do you disagree with that? I like that kind of view on things, but in these kind of cases, it's a bit silly how much it sways your opinion.
I can't really recognize what you're talking about. I would be wary of trying to gauge my "overall feelings" on a show by how much I discuss one or another positive or negative attribute, though. I'll often just talk about the stuff that's interesting to talk about, regardless of how much I'm personally enjoying a show. I used to try to and present text whose overall tenor matched my final review scores, but I've realized that just leads to much less interesting criticism.
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Another Bystander
You keep saying that humor is the weakest thing about Mob Psycho but given the episodes of Mob Psycho you covered and OPMs writing highlights, would you consider ONE as a very good writer ?
Not really. Maybe if Mob Psycho continues to impress on that front, but so far I've just seen a couple nice ideas from him, and much of Mob Psycho's "character writing" comes down to how well it visually portrays Mob and Reigen's feelings.
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Another Bystander
While I see your point about the DNC do you really think that the media was pro-Hillary? To me they seemed to treat the race as incredibly tight when in reality she won quite easily by a huge margin. Their bias seems to be treating things as a close horse race to draw in more viewers/readers.
I was unclear in my tweets earlier - there are two "medias" I could be referring to, and each of them have their own goals.
The "media" as it exists on broadcast television has one goal - make things look incredibly exciting all the time, and go where the drama is. Their only loyalty is to viewership numbers, and so that's why they play up the drama of the democratic race, and give Trump so much screentime. If Trump wins, they will probably be livestreaming their own march to the firing squad.
The media I actually meant to refer to was the liberal journalism media - stuff like Vice or the New York Times or whatnot. That media is more specifically dedicated to promoting Hillary, and their consistent villainizing of anyone further to the left is what I find frustrating.
The "media" as it exists on broadcast television has one goal - make things look incredibly exciting all the time, and go where the drama is. Their only loyalty is to viewership numbers, and so that's why they play up the drama of the democratic race, and give Trump so much screentime. If Trump wins, they will probably be livestreaming their own march to the firing squad.
The media I actually meant to refer to was the liberal journalism media - stuff like Vice or the New York Times or whatnot. That media is more specifically dedicated to promoting Hillary, and their consistent villainizing of anyone further to the left is what I find frustrating.
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Alejandro Colon
Eelz
Another Bystander
i don't get what that hamilton piece is trying to say, beside the point on media elites living in a bubble of their own. people shouldn't like the play because it sidesteps the fact that its protagonists were ardent slave-owners? i mean, so what? what nuance am i missing here?
It's about how the neoliberal platform that is basically the democratic party and its media surrogates has settled on a veneer of inclusivity over actually addressing the fundamental political/economic institutions that promote structural inequality/racism/etc, and how the love of Hamilton is basically a perfect metaphor for that. All the happy times of "we're progressive!" without any actual engagement with meaningful issues.
Do you believe in objective reality? A common theme in a lot of outstanding shows--Eva, Tatami, Monogatari--is that "reality is what you make of it." While I believe your perception of reality can drastically change how you interact with it, I still think reality exists independent of an observer.
Yeah, the world actually exists. The point being made by shows like those is more that all of us will interpret the world in a different way. The existence of an objective reality does not change the ambiguous nature of our personal interactions, because we cannot escape the ways those interactions are filtered by our perspectives.
I'm from a country where tactical voting is common, so I'm curious: why are some Sanders supporters unwilling to vote for Clinton despite the risk of a Trump presidency? Do they think Trump won't win anyway? Or would they honestly prefer Trump as president if that means not compromising on ideals?
I honestly don't think most leftists unhappy with Clinton's nomination will end up protest-voting for someone else - people are focusing on the protesters at the convention and whatnot, but that's a tiny, tiny percentage of Sanders' audience, and I feel even that's an understandable act of attempting negotiations. It's basically what Sanders' campaign started as, before it became apparent he had a real chance of winning the nomination - harry Clinton in the primary, and by doing so force her to tack somewhat left on key issues in order to maintain party unity.
I can also understand why people are upset. Not only is Clinton's platform deeply unsatisfying to the party's left wing (her hawkish foreign policy, her absolute lack of interest in structural reform, her clear ties with the country's corporate policy makers, her decades of general uneven support for progressive issues), but this election has also clearly exposed the corruption of the existing party officials and liberal news media, both of whom were dedicated to ensuring a Clinton presidency from the start. Sanders' supporters and their concerns have been invalidated from the beginning when it comes to open discourse, so their only recourse is to make their voices heard in spite of the establishment trying to silence them.
In the end, I'm assuming Clinton will get most of Sanders' votes. The polls already indicate that's true, and we're currently months away from the election and in the middle of a scandal that directly exposed the truth of the party's bias. I am guessing most people understand that a Trump presidency could literally be the end of the world.
I can also understand why people are upset. Not only is Clinton's platform deeply unsatisfying to the party's left wing (her hawkish foreign policy, her absolute lack of interest in structural reform, her clear ties with the country's corporate policy makers, her decades of general uneven support for progressive issues), but this election has also clearly exposed the corruption of the existing party officials and liberal news media, both of whom were dedicated to ensuring a Clinton presidency from the start. Sanders' supporters and their concerns have been invalidated from the beginning when it comes to open discourse, so their only recourse is to make their voices heard in spite of the establishment trying to silence them.
In the end, I'm assuming Clinton will get most of Sanders' votes. The polls already indicate that's true, and we're currently months away from the election and in the middle of a scandal that directly exposed the truth of the party's bias. I am guessing most people understand that a Trump presidency could literally be the end of the world.
with all the attention Re:Zero is getting, dont you feel a bit tempted to catch up?
I actually do, but I've just got so much other stuff to do. I don't really have time to get to it.
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GJ Corban
What do you think of Mile getting banned from twitter? Do you think it is a matter of freedom of speech or did he got what was coming to him?
It should have happened long ago. There could be a discussion of whether twitter has some kind of obligation to tolerate hate speech, but Milo is not relevant to it. He was banned for actively inciting abuse, something that should have gotten him kicked off long before he targeted a highly visible celebrity. Milo is a sadistic abuser, and twitter has no obligation to facilitate his witch hunts.
Judging by your retweet of that Current Affairs article, I'm guessing you're not a Hamilton fan?
I don't really care about Hamilton one way or the other, but I do think that article is a very accurate critique of current party/media royalty.
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Eelz
does suffering enhance creativity?
Suffering can imbue a creator with deeply felt personal experiences, give them a sense of urgency, and leave them with a need for an emotional outlet, all of which can contribute to creative works. It's not a one to one ratio, but there's a variety of reasons troubled people seek to express themselves in art.
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Eelz
Another Bystander
How much for a game that'll take around 12 hours to complete?
Hm, that's tougher. I need a livable hourly wage for these things, and twelve hours is a long time to dedicate to a game for the sake of an article. It's doable, but we might want to set that one up through email, similarly to my editorial projects.
What would the rate for a game like VA-11 Hall-A Cyberpunk Bartender Action be?
If it's a game that only takes a couple hours (like Beginner's Guide), then it's the same as a movie - $100.
Do you think that Baccano works better as an over the top western style action show than stuff like 91 days because it takes itself less seriously, or is it just better executed? Honestly, I could see arguments both for and against its self-seriousness.
Baccano is just better-executed. I feel the tonal differences are more just a style/genre choice than anything that reflects either show's quality.
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