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03-26-2021, 08:29 AM | #291 |
Some guy. I'm alright.
Join Date: Sep 2019
Location: Michigan
Posts: 4,411
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Episode 23: Scorched Earth After an actual good episode, we're back to the normal garbage. Yeah, apologies if I don't exactly sound enthused, but hey, atleast the show is almost over, right? Victor is somehow still alive despite getting physically fused into the Zwolf mainframe, and oh man am I glad that genocidal maniac who wants the exact same thing as Xargin is still around! The USA also totally alters what it meant about invading Germany. Instead they just opt to nuke the country entirely, and while our biggest takeaway of this event is meant to be the moment when Shido sacrifices himself to delay the attack, really all that stood out to me was how it continued to point out how dumb this all is. Both Xargin and Victor are easily every bit as bad as one another in this scenario, with the claim that "It's okay if I destroy the entire planet, but if anyone else does it it's wrong." And I'm supposed to sympathize with them and what happened to them in the past? If Victor really wants everyone dead, why would he bother to save his grand-daughter? And as for Xargin, he laments that people like Sasha shouldn't have to die, yet never seems to cue in that causing the apocalypse would include killing her too, and all this despite him claiming two episodes ago that Sasha was already dead and thus not worth worrying about anymore. Oh, and this episode goes back to glorifying Xargin's' mindset too, by having him easily take down Malek who is spouting the values that Hermann did last episode. And before you ask Urobuchi wrote this episode too so I don't even know what the hell is going on anymore. Anyway, the anti-nanomachine program is complete, and Sasha for some reason decides that turning it into a pill would be the best idea and has it delivered to Joseph. Now, far be it from me to expect this show to make any sense, but wouldn't ingesting a pill made from something designed to kill nanomachines do nothing but kill Joseph? Even if you figure Joseph's' blood would splatter onto Xargin, Joseph openly talks about and takes said pill right infront of Xargin, so Xargin should clue in unless he's an idiot--Actually yeah. But yeah, final battle is tomorrow. Who's ready for death and letdowns?
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03-27-2021, 11:43 AM | #292 |
Some guy. I'm alright.
Join Date: Sep 2019
Location: Michigan
Posts: 4,411
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Episode 24: Promised Land Please forgive the drop in quality when it comes to the screenshots used here. I had to swap to a different source for this episode and I didn't care enough to look for a better quality one. Now, I know this might come as a total shock to you all. But the ending of Blassreiter is, infact, complete garbage. To the point that even it kinda just gives up on itself. Look, let's just get into the events here. When it comes to the bombing of Germany, there's nothing of substance to really speak of. Everyone in Zwolf ends up dying to prevent the US from nuking the entire country, the end. During this it's revealed that Mei Fong is a clone and that somehow, Joseph's' blood was key to completing the Blassreiter project, despite the fact that the project was already in full swing way before Joseph and Sasha even met. Heck, why not say Xargin's' blood was used? It'd make way more sense. Speaking of Xargin, he and Joseph are busy having their final battle, all the while pretentiously quoting scripture at each other, and no matter how hard he tries, Joseph seems to be no match for all powerful Xargin, and it's here that I absolutely lost it due to what happens as Joseph lay dormant, presumably dying. You are not ready for this. Gerd and Hermann appear from the afterlife to give Joseph a hand! They proceed to possess Joseph's' body, allowing Joseph to take on their forms and use their weapons. But even this isn't enough to beat Xargin, but thankfully the two managed to stall for an hour so that way the anti-nanomachines are now fully active within Joseph's' body. And rather than outright kill Joseph then and there it gives him yet another power-up. But it doesn't matter! Joseph still loses anyway! Because of course we can't have anyone even hope to match Xargin, who gained all of this immense power by... anyway! I hate this entire thing because all it serves to do is validate Xargin's' nihilistic viewpoint, while still somehow managing to contradict itself. Like, we have this afterlife sequence flying in the face of one of the anime's' major themes, for starters. That being that God is never there for you(real nice by the way, thanks Blassreiter). And ontop of that, we have Joseph preaching an optimist viewpoint only to get slapped down with ease, and Xargin's' viewpoint that death is the only thing that holds any value in life is made completely true when, as Joseph lay dying, the anti-nanomachines spread out thus taking out the Amalgam hoard, and Xargin with it. I think it's very telling that Xargin all but outright proclaims that he's won as his body begins to disintegrate. I honest to goodness have zero idea what this show is trying to say or do at this point and frankly, I've stopped caring. It's all trite regardless. We then flash forward to five years later, where Amanda and Malek now work together in the New XAT, and just... look, I'll just straight up say what happens. Amanda is visited by the spirits of her "friends" congratulating her on a job well done and all of them urging her to continue to carry a torch of hope for the world to come. So you might be thinking "Oh, so the show is airing on the side of optimism afterall" right? Exceeeppt. These are literally just holograms, and even if they weren't, what in the heck would people like Wolf, Victor, and XARGIN of all people even come close to caring about anything that Amanda has to say or do? It's so cheap, so tacked on, and so out of tone with the rest of the show that it's blatantly just there to have a forced "happy" ending at the end of all of this. Undeserved, unearned, and completely badly done. Now, at the end of all of this, you might be expecting me to say that no one should watch this and to avoid the show at all costs, but no, actually. Infact, I dare say I encourage someone, anyone out there to go through this mess and try telling me I missed something vital, that this show is infact way smarter than I am, and that everything it does is some subtle, brilliantly woven masterpiece. Because at the end of the day, I honestly can not tell what in the HELL this crap was trying to accomplish, if anything. It really makes me wonder: Just what sort of headspace were all four writers in when making this? Final thoughts post will come later today, because frankly I just wanna be done with this piece of filth already.
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Last edited by DreamSword; 03-29-2021 at 05:51 PM.. |
03-27-2021, 02:15 PM | #293 |
Veteran Member
Join Date: May 2019
Posts: 2,551
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This is definitely none of the writers I’m familiar with’s finest work.
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03-27-2021, 06:05 PM | #294 |
Some guy. I'm alright.
Join Date: Sep 2019
Location: Michigan
Posts: 4,411
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Hope vs. Despair or How a Show Made for Children is Better Done than a Show for Adults It certainly has been an interesting time for me in terms of the media I've consumed over the past month. The two main shows being Kamen Rider Wizard, of which I came out enjoying despite its shortcomings, and of course, Blassreiter, which had potential but ultimately fell very, very short. To me this was interesting, because both of these shows have messages they wish to spread about life and how to go about it, but take entirely opposite approaches to it in just about every way. Add onto that that what few people I've actually seen talk about the shows in question have to say about them, and I really felt the need to do a bit of a deeper compare and contrast between said shows. In short, most of what I've read from others about Wizard has been pretty negative, stating that the show is bland and forgettable, whereas the few people who have seen Blassreiter seem to sing praises about the show being gritty and realistic. So, let's take a look, and by the end, I'll be sure to give you my idea about which show I feel is not only better, but seems to have a much better handling of its themes, its ideas, and is just overall a better way to spend your time in 2021. To that end, let's start with the absolute face value of any show... Action and Visual Flair Now, I'm in no way saying Blassreiter's' visuals are out and out bad. For their time, the CGI models do their part in getting across what they need to, and the animation itself is for the most part competently done. However, exactly how these visuals are utilized is rather lackluster. Almost every fight scene ends in about 30 seconds, the character designs, while nice, are almost never shown off in any spectacular way, and even if you accept that the fights are meant to be swift, they're very rarely ever stylish to compensate. Meanwhile contrast Wizard, where even nearly 10 years later, the set design, the spell effects, and the overall direction of the production still holds up. Almost every fight is well choreographed and has a distinct visual flair to keep the viewer engaged, and despite the somewhat dated CG monsters, they're still utilized in a way that makes you believe they fit into the universe of Wizard as a whole. I was bored of most of the action scenes in Blassreiter. I never became tired of the conflicts in Wizard. Music and Atmosphere With Blassreiter, all I can even remember about its score is a few piano strings being strung here and there. And not even very effectively. Meanwhile, it attempts to have an atmosphere of dread all throughout the story, but fails to deliver due to all of its other shortcomings ontop of not having any sort of consistent direction. Meanwhile with Wizard, I never forget its own use of the piano cover of "Life is Showtime" during somber moments. It also knows just how to direct a scene and what performances the actors need to give in order to carry the emotions and world building required to suck the viewer in and get them to want to see more. Oh, and it also has this. I rest my case. Characters All throughout its run, Blassreiter has this idea in its head that death automatically makes for good drama, and thus nearly every character it introduces is treated as nothing more than cannon fodder. Heck, some characters are introduced just for the explicit purpose of dying in some tragic way. Very little attempt is actually given to giving anyone a character arc, or a backstory, or a two-dimensional personality. No, Blassreiter is instead more concerned with preaching philosophy to its audience, and as such characters end up inconsistent, boring, and doing things so out of character that they barely even have a "character" to begin with. Meanwhile with Wizard, it knows the strength of focusing on a core cast of characters with a circulating cast of side characters for introducing new stories and aspects of the core cast's' personalities and backstories. Nearly every character is consistently written, has an enjoyable and well-rounded personality, and an actual arc with which they follow all throughout the show's' run. Sure, some characters are redundant, but even so, I could see what the show was aiming for and hey, they went for it, mostly with success. Plot, Messages, and Themes Blassreiter is a show that likes to pretend that its plot holds gravitas; thinking that preaching a nihilistic viewpoint on life, religion, and people as a whole automatically makes it smarter than the average anime. And you know, while I personally don't agree, fine. If that's your angle, then I expect you to atleast be able to argue your case effectively. Blassreiter, however, does not. There are so many times where the show seems to double back on itself, or tries to pretend that certain events in what is essentially a shallow war plot didn't happen, or to re-double back and keep showing support in favor of doom and gloom. It honestly feels like none of the four writers who worked on this show(Itano, Urobuchi, Kobayasi, and Ota) could ever actually come to a consensus on what exactly this should should be other than "A Kamen Rider show FOR ADULTS!!!" Even when the show is consistent about its preaching of nihilism, it never bothers to actually examine any of the various angles of the concept, the consequences of such a mindset, or even how it could be seen as an advantage over those who believe otherwise. It is very single-minded in that respect. The only thing that really remains consistent is that death is glorified, and life is not. Wizard's' overarching theme is Hope, and moving forward with your life regardless of what setbacks you might experience. While it could be easy to have an equally single-minded viewpoint like Blassreiter does, Wizard actually does a fairly good job at examining the idea of hope from various angles, and just how far people will go to preserve their hope in life. From people valuing objects that others would find cheap or useless, to grand ideas of the future that might never come to pass, to just how far people can fall when their hope is taken away, Wizard goes all in on showing just why hope is important in everyday life, and that even if it's something others would see as minor, if something keeps you going, you should cherish it. Whereas Blassreiter can't be anything other than blunt, Wizard, while not exactly a subtle show, does do a great job in terms of symbolism and allegory. For example, the way that Phantoms arise, by a person being driven to such despair that they die and are therein literally replaced by their inner demons, can be seen not just literally, but also as a metaphor for suicide. This in turn reinforces another message Wizard has, in that sometimes, the biggest thing someone needs is another person who genuinely cares about and believes in them. Something very true to life, I've found. In short, Blassreiter tells you to wallow in your own misery, whereas Wizard encourages you to overcome your self doubt, and fight for a better day. Overall In the end, I ended up giving Wizard a 4/6. Is it by any means perfect? No, but it emphasizes quality over quantity and does alot of rather smart things, ontop of simply being a rather entertaining watch in its own right. But with Blassreiter? As tempted as I am to give it a 1, there were still a handful of aspects I did like about it, and it's such a shame that writers who are often celebrated ended up turning out something that frankly, I can't exactly endorse anyone watch, especially given the times we currently live in. As such, I end this off by giving Blassreiter a 2/6. It's not the worst show I've ever seen, but oh my goodness do I never want to experience it again.
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Last edited by DreamSword; 05-29-2021 at 10:43 AM.. |
03-27-2021, 09:31 PM | #295 |
Kaiju or Hero?
Join Date: Jan 2021
Location: Even I Don't Know Anymore.
Posts: 1,397
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Tried to watch Blassreiter last week but... stuff happened, couldn't find the episodes subbed, find time to watch them, plus the site I "watch" Anime has been giving me issues. But from what I've glossed over here (so as to not spoil myself) it appears you really weren't into it, and now I feel somewhat guilty for recommending it (heck, I wasn't able to watch it yet because of issues).
Then again, I haven't really heard anything really about this show, other than it looked Toku/Henshin inspired and Urobuchi wrote it. Though it appears I was somewhat proven right that his works are hit or miss, and I was afraid it might have been one of the misses, which was made clear by how NOWHERE has there ever been mention of this series in any single one of his resumes, so I was bracing for the worst. Yet despite what I'm seeing here, I may yet still watch this at some point I have better time management on my hands, if anything to see some guys in suits punch each other (or at least just suits in general, if there is any, not that I mind). So I apologize for bringing this series up (but hey, I guess that's what we're here for, checking out things that might interest us spandex-loving weirdos) but here's hoping the next series you cover will be better, and hey, Dynazenon premiers soon, so there's that to look forward to. |
03-27-2021, 09:43 PM | #296 |
Some guy. I'm alright.
Join Date: Sep 2019
Location: Michigan
Posts: 4,411
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Quote:
Tried to watch Blassreiter last week but... stuff happened, couldn't find the episodes subbed, find time to watch them, plus the site I "watch" Anime has been giving me issues. But from what I've glossed over here (so as to not spoil myself) it appears you really weren't into it, and now I feel somewhat guilty for recommending it (heck, I wasn't able to watch it yet because of issues).
Then again, I haven't really heard anything really about this show, other than it looked Toku/Henshin inspired and Urobuchi wrote it. Though it appears I was somewhat proven right that his works are hit or miss, and I was afraid it might have been one of the misses, which was made clear by how NOWHERE has there ever been mention of this series in any single one of his resumes, so I was bracing for the worst. Yet despite what I'm seeing here, I may yet still watch this at some point I have better time management on my hands, if anything to see some guys in suits punch each other (or at least just suits in general, if there is any, not that I mind). So I apologize for bringing this series up (but hey, I guess that's what we're here for, checking out things that might interest us spandex-loving weirdos) but here's hoping the next series you cover will be better, and hey, Dynazenon premiers soon, so there's that to look forward to. And yeah, Dynazenon is coming up soon, so maybe we can all discuss it together soon. I know I defnitely wanna cover it if it ends up getting a SimulDub like Gridman did.
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03-27-2021, 09:46 PM | #297 |
Reiei
Join Date: Sep 2018
Posts: 3,691
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Dreamsword and co. watches SSSS Dynazenon soon...
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03-28-2021, 05:42 AM | #298 |
The Immortal King Tasty
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Every diner you've ever been to.
Posts: 3,833
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Quote:
Uh, hopefully that last statement wasn't pouring salt in the wound, by the way. You did good to hang in there this whole time! It was fun following along, and I mean, ending it all by talking about how much better Kamen Rider Wizard is??? What an unexpected and delightful present that was. (Even if personally I'll always prefer Just The Beginning to Missing Piece, but of course, they both slap, so it's not like it matters.)
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03-28-2021, 04:05 PM | #299 |
Fangirl-Type Humagear
Join Date: Jun 2017
Location: Massachusetts, USA
Posts: 703
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I'm a simple woman. I see Missing Piece, I click play.
I hadn't been following this thread too closely, since I was considering watching Blassreiter myself and didn't want to get too spoiled, but after seeing your final review I think I'll skip it, that kind of shallow nihilism just sounds like a slog to me. So thanks for saving me the trouble! And for giving me a new appreciation for Wizard!
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The mask you wear by choice shows more about you than the face you were given by chance. |
03-28-2021, 05:54 PM | #300 |
Some guy. I'm alright.
Join Date: Sep 2019
Location: Michigan
Posts: 4,411
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Right?? Considering a SimulDub was just announced, I hereby declare this the official "SSSS.Dynazenon Discussion Thread." It's goin' down April 2nd! Quote:
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but any thoughts I have of actually trying to watch it are quickly crushed by the knowledge that there are so many things I'd rather be doing with my time instead.
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Uh, hopefully that last statement wasn't pouring salt in the wound, by the way.
Quote:
You did good to hang in there this whole time! It was fun following along, and I mean, ending it all by talking about how much better Kamen Rider Wizard is??? What an unexpected and delightful present that was. (Even if personally I'll always prefer Just The Beginning to Missing Piece, but of course, they both slap, so it's not like it matters.)
And because you mentioned it. Quote:
I'm a simple woman. I see Missing Piece, I click play.
I hadn't been following this thread too closely, since I was considering watching Blassreiter myself and didn't want to get too spoiled, but after seeing your final review I think I'll skip it, that kind of shallow nihilism just sounds like a slog to me. So thanks for saving me the trouble! And for giving me a new appreciation for Wizard! Also if you really want a deep appreciation of Wizard hit up Fish instead.
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