Notes From Winter ’09-’10 Covers
I never thought it would happen, perhaps because I never actually thought about it, but in the case of Seikon no Qwaser the censorship actually ruined a scene. Granted, it’s not a huge deal, but it is not like the usual case when T&A are fogged out for the sake of lowering the amount of exposed female organs. While the point of censorship remains the same in this case, fanservice scenes often are tangential to the overall experience, even in shows where the T&A are the reason why you watch it. For example, when battle damage causes Leina to expose her underpants or breasts in Queen’s Blade I don’t really care if they fog that out. But when Leina symmetrically docks with Melona and causes the infamous acid explosion, they can’t really fog out what exactly Leina did. At least, without confusing the viewer. Or even in the example where Melona shoots those acid attacks from her chest, we need to know how that mechanic works. Cover up her breasts would effectively censor the plot. As far as the particular scene in Qwaser goes, the censoring happened during the climax of the one and only battle sequence in the pilot episode of the thing, and it had all this emotional and shock factor to it. That is down-right terrible.
That said, I have nothing particularly bad to say about a show with hype predicated on breastfeeding, and that is just yet another bullet on a list of not-bad things to say about Qwaser. The ending could be viral if people want it to be. In some ways, this is the kind of production that I had been expecting Dulalala to be.
Dulalala, of course, is better thus far. The source material is simply a whole mile ahead, so the comparison only highlights the trashiness of Qwaser. The Baccano production team is up to the task, and I already love how they were able to express much of their version of Ikebukuro through only one episode. I guess unlike So-ra-no-wo-to, they were able to build on what we already know about a real location.
I hear people are generally underwhelmed about Sora no Oto, and that’s fine. Right now it’s doing something that anime does well, so I’m content. A lot of what I hear seems to be related to people’s expectations as much as the actual show itself. Reading the credits, I wasn’t particularly excited about the series compared to what some others might have been feeling. Again, it says as much about you as it does with a show that is only 2 episodes in. [Side note: can we get a counter on number of English-language podcasts that calls it "sora no woto?"]
Hanamaru Kindergarten is a win in my book. I skipped Potemayo when the first episode or two failed to capture my attention, but it seems the addition of adults have balanced the humor equation for my liking. I am notably less excited about that aspect than WAH, considering he probably found an anime parallel to his real life ego in episode 1. Simply, I am in for the luls. That might present a small problem, partly because there are more than just the funnies in this show, but I trust the source material and production.
I wish I could say something positive about Chu-Bra, but that would be akin to saying something sexist about Bayonetta. It’s a low-hanging fruit, to use an euphemism. The interesting thing about Chu-Bra is it is difficult to criticize it beyond its cheaply-made exterior and unreal and unrealistic content. It’s just different and awkward enough that it would be hard to find a way to criticize it so early in the game. On the other hand, there is always that one positive factor, especially from a female perspective. It might just be too much for my squeamish self, but I am trying to hold on until at least when Yoko Hikasa’s character appear. Until then this show has to entertain beyond merely shock and awe in order to be a keeper.
It might be best that I keep my mouth shut about the rest of my new anime palette; there isn’t a whole lot to say anyways. Well, lastly I guess I have my hopes for Ladies x Butlers up still, as a survivor of Kanokon.
I decently agree with you here, feeling the same about the shows in general. Except for Chu-Bra. I think my co-blogger MetalSonic700 has captured my changing view on Chu-Bra as of ep 2 perfectly, and i’d like to know what you think about the issue.
http://suspendedanimationdreams.wordpress.com/2010/01/12/running-back-to-chu-bra-embracing-episode-2/
I stopped at “It’s because, in my heart of hearts, I have always wished I was a little girl.”
:V
They’re writing it as Sora no Woto because that’s how it’s written in Katakana in the promo stuff. ヲ not オ Also writing it as such （as opposed to So-Ra-No-Wo-To) seems to make it show up better in search engines ^^; I’ve seen about 8 different groups using this romanization.
As far as writing and SEO, personally I’m going to just write it all three ways. Which is why I want to see if people actually /say/ it on podcasts, not knowing better. Because I’m 90% sure it isn’t suppose to be pronounced that way.
I thought Sora no whatever gave off some real mellow vibes. One thing I can say for sure is the background art is friggen gorgeous imo.
It’s a shame about Qwaser. I was kind of intrigued by the Eastern Orthodox flavor.
Found your blog through koda who linked me to it a few days ago and I’ve been keeping an eye on it ever since then. Basically commenting to give you a HIGH FIVE, since you must be one of the few bloggers who I actually feel like I can agree with most of the time. I have the feeling others end up presenting very biased opinions about some shows, Soranowoto taking the lead spot here, since everyone seems to call it “Military K-ON” right now.
For me, at least, aside from the characters, which is also arguable, nothing in there reminds me about K-On that much. The setting is way more interesting, as is the world they live in, and if the various little clues they included throughout EP2 will be picked on later to give a more detailed explanation about whatever happened in the past, I expect the show to get even better.
Anyway, yeah, that’s it. Keep up the good job!
lol /high5
thanks
2dt: Japan cannot do Orthodoxy in any satisfying way IMO. I think Catholicism seen in Marimite was as close as it gets in the medium.