Stuff watched on vacation
Jul. 20th, 2010 12:36 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mllelaurelSo, I've been playing the Xenosaga games with ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
wired_lizard, and am in love with the story and characters. Unfortunately, 'you should totally play three long CRPGs' does not make for a good rec for people unfamiliar with it.
Then, I learned there was an anime version of the first game, and I cheered, ready to recommend that to people.
Ah, but my cheers were premature...
Mostly because the anime seems to be godawful. The animation is puke-worthy. Everyone looks like lumps. The CGI is really obvious and really laughable -wired_lizard could do better on Photoshop. The music director should be shot. Here's a hint, don't cue the violins during a sad moment; there's a reason it's comedy gold at this point.
But all of this pales beside the fact that they made the female lead a wimp! In the beginning of the game/tutorial, Shion has her weapon (MWS) and fights alongside KOS-MOS (her awesome female battle android). In the anime, she's unarmed and KOS-MOS has to rescue her butt. In the game, when rude individuals harass her or others, she fights back. In the anime, she...kind of stands there and accepts it. In the game, when her ship gets attacked by things she has no hope of fighting, she sneaks around and is clever. In the anime, she gets knocked out after having her life saved by another character.
ARGHH! This was the point that drove me to ranting in-character. I wish I remembered what I said, cause apparently, it was funny. And all about how Shion wanted her damn MWS so she could show these fuckers how it's done.wired_lizard and I only got through the first episode before quitting in disgust and watching Baccano! instead. It's possible it gets better as it goes, but MAN! I'm not sure I dare to watch any further. If they fucked up Shion this much, imagine what they might do to MOMO.
Seriously, folks, play the games instead.
Meanwhile, Baccano! was awesome! So many great characters - of both genders! So much twisty crack. The plot just kept on thickening. The series even managed to do something I never expected: namely create two characters who were dumber than a post and another post and make them utterly lovable. Seriously, I actually choked up a bit during two particular scenes. It also managed to have numerous het couples I genuinely cheered for and was interested in. That like never happens. I highly recommend this series - provided you're ok with a fair bit of violence, some played for dark laughs, and some not.
Man, positive reviews are so much harder to write than negative ones.
wired_lizard, and am in love with the story and characters. Unfortunately, 'you should totally play three long CRPGs' does not make for a good rec for people unfamiliar with it. Then, I learned there was an anime version of the first game, and I cheered, ready to recommend that to people.
Ah, but my cheers were premature...
Mostly because the anime seems to be godawful. The animation is puke-worthy. Everyone looks like lumps. The CGI is really obvious and really laughable -
wired_lizard could do better on Photoshop. The music director should be shot. Here's a hint, don't cue the violins during a sad moment; there's a reason it's comedy gold at this point.But all of this pales beside the fact that they made the female lead a wimp! In the beginning of the game/tutorial, Shion has her weapon (MWS) and fights alongside KOS-MOS (her awesome female battle android). In the anime, she's unarmed and KOS-MOS has to rescue her butt. In the game, when rude individuals harass her or others, she fights back. In the anime, she...kind of stands there and accepts it. In the game, when her ship gets attacked by things she has no hope of fighting, she sneaks around and is clever. In the anime, she gets knocked out after having her life saved by another character.
ARGHH! This was the point that drove me to ranting in-character. I wish I remembered what I said, cause apparently, it was funny. And all about how Shion wanted her damn MWS so she could show these fuckers how it's done.
wired_lizard and I only got through the first episode before quitting in disgust and watching Baccano! instead. It's possible it gets better as it goes, but MAN! I'm not sure I dare to watch any further. If they fucked up Shion this much, imagine what they might do to MOMO. Seriously, folks, play the games instead.
Meanwhile, Baccano! was awesome! So many great characters - of both genders! So much twisty crack. The plot just kept on thickening. The series even managed to do something I never expected: namely create two characters who were dumber than a post and another post and make them utterly lovable. Seriously, I actually choked up a bit during two particular scenes. It also managed to have numerous het couples I genuinely cheered for and was interested in. That like never happens. I highly recommend this series - provided you're ok with a fair bit of violence, some played for dark laughs, and some not.
Man, positive reviews are so much harder to write than negative ones.
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Date: 2010-07-20 04:49 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-07-20 05:01 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-07-20 06:12 pm (UTC)But yeah. Baccano! is probably one of my favorite series.
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Date: 2010-07-20 06:14 pm (UTC)no subject
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Date: 2010-07-20 06:33 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-07-21 04:37 am (UTC)I'm a masochistI want to see what they do with the Kirschwasser subplot for potential novelization porpoises. And the epic Shion-FAIL has continued. The failiest fail ever? Breaking down crying in the escape pod after the Woglinde. SHION. Crying for something that isn't KEVIN'S DEATH or something of that magnitude. WHUT.The only vaguely redeeming moment she's had is when Tony was hitting on her...she cutely obfuscated into "no, I live on Second Miltia, I don't need a hotel room," and then when Tony said something about meeting her family, she just smirked and said "you mean my brother who waves a sword around?"
Ziggy so far has been crankier than game!Ziggy, to the point of picking a fight with KOS-MOS when he thought she'd delay his mission. MOMO has been...odd, but not actually horrible. Maybe it's just the VA, but she seems a little more removed and robotic than your standard issue MOMO. Which is frustrating, but not rage-inducing. We'll see.
chaos blew the Hyams-U-TIC connection wide open and has already implied that he's had military/operative time. He doesn't seem to be playing quite as conservatively as game!chaos.
KOS-MOS sent Allen and Shion to the escape pod by scruffing them and throwing them down a chute to the pod. Which was kind of hilarious. (Well, Allen she scruffed. Shion she picked up carefully in her arms and slid her down.)
The Testament uniforms look demented with this crapimation.
That is all.
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Date: 2010-07-21 04:45 am (UTC)FAIL! The level of wimpitude is retch-worthy. On the other hand, rage is inspirational. 2,858 words of fic so far.
Giving Jin shit never gets old.
Huh. Cranky doesn't really make sense for Ziggy. Either he's resigned/suicidal, in which case he doesn't give enough of a fuck, or he's a generally affable, if taciturn guy.
Weird choice for MOMO, but better than I feared.
Ok, I can see KOS-MOS doing that.
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Date: 2010-07-21 05:49 am (UTC)Excuse me, I have to go die LOLing right now. Also, King cameo, striding down the street with a cyborg bodyguard and a very smug looking gray cat on his shoulder. Also, MOMO being greeted on the Durandal bridge by six friendly 100-series and Jr. Pile of itty cute things. MOMO is being a little more her cheerful self; these 100-series seem to be more emotionally developed.
The scenes involving Shion have been sticking closer to canon recently, but that doesn't make up for earlier fail.
This version on Virgil is on record as saying he hates all non-humans--Realians, cyborgs, mutants, whatevs.
Kirschwasser had tried to run away from Albedo, disguised herself as a 100-series (the only way she can exist in the outside world, as Albedo put it.) Albedo threatened Shion's life (god, Shion spent forever passed out right then) to get her to return, and has since been charging around with her in tow. She has been very silent and reluctant, holding on to the bunnie charm Shion gave her.
This has also been giving Shion some epic twang around MOMO; she thinks that 100-series died, and has much guilt and sympathy towards MOMO as a result. Which is a nice touch on things, I must say.
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Date: 2010-07-21 05:53 am (UTC)*DIES AND IS DED*
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Date: 2010-07-21 02:34 pm (UTC)More ShionFail, alas.
The 'hate everything' stance makes sense with Virgil's demeanor at first, but not with his background as we learn it later. He has genuine foo with Realians on so many levels. Other stuff just dilutes it. Of course, I doubt the series gets far enough to deal with anything, so Virgil may be used as Ignorant Bigot 1, instead of a specific character.
Interesting stuff with the Kirschwasser. However, giving Albedo this much exposure this early on means he won't be scary at all later. Y'know, when he's supposed to be scary.
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Date: 2010-07-21 02:34 pm (UTC)