[DreamSword]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fish Sandwich

DreamSword watching Gridman Universe:



Fish Sandwich watching Gridman Universe:

I won't lie, this is probably the best response I could've hoped for, haha.

I'm glad you found enjoyment where I couldn't!

[Daikaijuman54]

I'll spare you the details on how much I loved this movie and just say that I loved this movie.

Sure, there's some things that could have been done better, but overall, I think Trigger understands and respects the source material which shows. It's really neat to see Anime going the extra mile with Tokusatsu references and details.

Also, Universe is an amazing song.

[DreamSword]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Daikaijuman54

I'll spare you the details on how much I loved this movie and just say that I loved this movie.

Sure, there's some things that could have been done better, but overall, I think Trigger understands and respects the source material which shows. It's really neat to see Anime going the extra mile with Tokusatsu references and details.

Also, Universe is an amazing song.

By all means, please do not spare me on details!

But I will say, as someone who's typically not a fan of the stuff Studio Trigger produces, this movie was a major step up by comparison to be sure.

[Fish Sandwich]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DreamSword

By all means, please do not spare me on details!

This wasn't directed at me, but if I might elaborate a bit myself -- since I've used this thread to talk about my weirdly intense personal history with the anime Gridman stuff before -- I thought the movie was an extremely heartfelt and thoughtfully constructed love letter to the entire concept of fiction itself.

You seem to believe you might be overthinking the subplot about the script, but if anything, you're *under*thinking it, because if you start looking at the story more from that perspective, especially keeping in mind the creators in this case are fans in their own right, you'll quickly start to see that most of the things in the film are commenting on similar themes in some way or another.

Whether or not that improves your overall view of the movie is a choice only you can make, but speaking for myself, the fact they decided to take the story in that direction resonated with me in a way that's definitely going to be greater than the average person. SSSS Gridman ended up teaching me a lot about myself and how I view stories to begin with, so to have a big movie epilogue come along with this sort of meta narrative going on felt like a perfect culmination of a personal journey I didn't even realize wasn't over after already loving Dynazenon.

It actually prompted me to rewatch not only the film itself several times over, but to go back and watch ALL the prior stuff -- the OG show, both anime, and all the voice dramas -- which was fun just on its own merits, but also gave me an even greater appreciation of just how intricately crafted the anime stuff actually is. This was during that whole Geats/Gotchard period where I was barely on the forum (hence why I could make the time for that!), and the thought that I one day want to get some of the thoughts I have about this stuff out there genuinely helped motivate me to try getting back into the swing of things on here. Which I suppose is just one more thing on the increasingly huge list of things I should be thanking SSSS Gridman for.

[DreamSword]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fish Sandwich

This wasn't directed at me, but if I might elaborate a bit myself -- since I've used this thread to talk about my weirdly intense personal history with the anime Gridman stuff before -- I thought the movie was an extremely heartfelt and thoughtfully constructed love letter to the entire concept of fiction itself.

By all means!

Quote:

You seem to believe you might be overthinking the subplot about the script, but if anything, you're *under*thinking it, because if you start looking at the story more from that perspective, especially keeping in mind the creators in this case are fans in their own right, you'll quickly start to see that most of the things in the film are commenting on similar themes in some way or another.

Hey, entirely possible. I admitted that alot of stuff that Dynazenon seems to be getting at went way over my head back when I watched it, so it wouldn't surprised me if it happened again with Universe here. While the story serving as an allegory for authors and the stories they create is something that I would be totally down with, from my perspective the idea just seemed abandoned once the third act hit and most of it just sort of became an extended action sequence. Not to say those things can't coexist, mind you, but the "story about stories" aspect just seemed to be shoved aside.

Quote:

Whether or not that improves your overall view of the movie is a choice only you can make, but speaking for myself, the fact they decided to take the story in that direction resonated with me in a way that's definitely going to be greater than the average person. SSSS Gridman ended up teaching me a lot about myself and how I view stories to begin with, so to have a big movie epilogue come along with this sort of meta narrative going on felt like a perfect culmination of a personal journey I didn't even realize wasn't over after already loving Dynazenon.

I've said before, I'll say it again. I will never blame anyone for finding a story that really resonates with them, even if it's one that I'm not a super huge fan of. Heck, I'm just as guilty on these very forums. I'm the only fan of stuff like Power Rangers and Samurai Flamenco, afterall!

As for trying to see everything under the lens of the meta commentary though... I dunno. Part of me feels like if I were to try and rewatch the film with that lens anytime soon that I'd just be forcing it. Not saying your view isn't totally valid, just that, with my own mental space, it'll take me some time to sort out.

Quote:

It actually prompted me to rewatch not only the film itself several times over, but to go back and watch ALL the prior stuff -- the OG show, both anime, and all the voice dramas -- which was fun just on its own merits, but also gave me an even greater appreciation of just how intricately crafted the anime stuff actually is. This was during that whole Geats/Gotchard period where I was barely on the forum (hence why I could make the time for that!), and the thought that I one day want to get some of the thoughts I have about this stuff out there genuinely helped motivate me to try getting back into the swing of things on here. Which I suppose is just one more thing on the increasingly huge list of things I should be thanking SSSS Gridman for.

Frankly, that's incredible. And it surprises me that you came back into the swing of things with Kamen Rider Wizard rather than Hyper Agent Gridman, actually(not that I don't appreciate that thread as well). Given how you initially weren't too keen on SSSS.Gridman, this (possible) turnabout is rather nice to see, even if our graphs ended up going in opposite slopes, so to speak.

[DreamSword]

Together we are Pretty Cure!

I've always said that one should keep the time period that a show was made in in mind when watching it.

Because if you go into a show from, say, the 30s and expect it to be built the same as a show from the modern era, you're only setting yourself up for disappointment. And I feel like Futari wa Pretty Cure serves as a good example.

Make no mistake, the original Pretty Cure show became immensely popular and spawned a franchise that continues over 20 years later for a reason. But, if someone comes in with the latest installment of the franchise and expects the first to hit the exact same beats, well, it's just not gonna happen.

For example, despite the Precure franchise having a big reputation for its Dragon Ball-esque fight scenes, the first entry in the series only delivers on that roughly half the time. Many fights are more akin to that of Sailor Moon, wherein our heroes spend the entire time dodging out of harm's' way until they can find an opening to get their finishing attack off.

The animation is pretty standard for the time period too, and as such will almost look lacking or slow when compared to the stuff found in later seasons. And in terms of storytelling everything is kept rather simple for the most part, with maybe only an episode or two going a bit deeper than a baseline moral of the week. If we're talking technicals alone, then Futari would easily be considered one of if not the weakest season in the franchise.

But that all being said, there is a very positive flipside to all of this. The more simplistic storytelling means that the more dramatic or involved episodes stand out all the more. Likewise, when a fight scene is well animated, it too very much stands out. And keeping in mind that this originally aired in 2004, such fights existing in a Magical Girl anime was unheard of, and given the back and forth the franchise has had with parents over the years, it's a bit of a miracle that Together was able to get away with them in the first place. And that's not even going into various other subversions it'd make to the genre, big or small.

In the end though what matters most to me is the characters, and despite how simplistic they all are, I did enjoy most of the cast. Most characters play off one another rather well ontop of being likable in their own right. And true to how the show is advertised, the most likable of the bunch are our two leads: Nagisa and Honoka. While Nagisa definitely gets more focus than Honoka, the two's' dynamic really is the show's' main highlight, with the episodes specifically focusing on that dynamic being among the show's' best. It's the classic tale of polar opposites finding a way to come together, and Pretty Cure pulls it off wonderfully.

Is it perfect? Not by a long shot, and the short of it is that there are various aspects that very much wouldn't become refined until later seasons. But one definite advantage to its age is just how unique it is compared to what came after it. So for what the show is, and especially for the time it came out in, I can definitely see why it became such a big hit. It can be rough, but it also has a lot of heart put into it, and that's apparent nearly all the way through.

In the end, I give "Together we are Pretty Cure!" a 4/6. Yes, there are many aspects to it that I personally would've liked to have seen done differently, but it's still a rather enjoyable entry into a franchise I've grown to really appreciate all the same.

[Enchilada645]

Now this is a show I have watched and I agree with these points tbh

It's very much the first of its kind, and that comes with all the little bumps and hurdles that come from creating a new magical girl show that would eventually manage to push its way forward into a franchise.

Nagisa and Honoka are obviously the highlights, and it's nice to see these two girls who felt like strangers turn into a powerhouse duo who managed to save multiple worlds twice over within a single season. Eventually I'll get to Max Heart, but for my third Precure season, it was pretty solid despite its faults.

[Sunred]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DreamSword

Gridman Universe

That is awesome.

[Androzani84]

PreCure fandom can be split into three different eras of preference: Those who prefer when it was more of a parody of magical girl tropes (Futari wa through GoGo), when it became more standard magical girl fare (Heartcatch through Star Twinkle) and when it started simulcasting (Healin’ Good to now).

[Mesnick]

The episode where Nagisa searches for and saves Honoka, who was consumed by darkness, is amazingly strong.