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| THIS IS AN ANIME ONLY DISCUSSION POST. DO NOT DISCUSS THE MANGA BEYOND THIS EPISODE. ---------------------------------------- So, this movie has some of the best visuals I've ever seen. Actually, I'd even say that the fire dragon scene is the greatest animation out of all the anime I've watched. I didn't blink or close my jaw until it was over. It makes some of those great scenes from Gurren Lagann (the ones done with a similar style) seem like second rate imitations in comparison. The other scenes were really pretty too, I especially appreciated the lighting and use of color. I know the plot isn't anything to write home about, but complaining about that in light of the great visuals and direction just seems like whining to me. Still though, I can't give it a perfect 10/10. It had half the equation down, but was lacking in some areas, so ultimately I give it an 8/10. It's definitely a lost classic, and no fucking way does it deserve a 5.31 rating. Are you dweebs insane? |
| “Money can't buy dere” |
Seabury said: THIS IS AN ANIME ONLY DISCUSSION POST. DO NOT DISCUSS THE MANGA BEYOND THIS EPISODE. ---------------------------------------- So, this movie has some of the best visuals I've ever seen. Actually, I'd even say that the fire dragon scene is the greatest animation out of all the anime I've watched. I didn't blink or close my jaw until it was over. It makes some of those great scenes from Gurren Lagann (the ones done with a similar style) seem like second rate imitations in comparison. The other scenes were really pretty too, I especially appreciated the lighting and use of color. I know the plot isn't anything to write home about, but complaining about that in light of the great visuals and direction just seems like whining to me. Still though, I can't give it a perfect 10/10. It had half the equation down, but was lacking in some areas, so ultimately I give it an 8/10. It's definitely a lost classic, and no fucking way does it deserve a 5.31 rating. Are you dweebs insane? Really, dude? I'll agree that some of the scenes were well animated here and there, but the animation was awful in most places: too many still shots, recycled animation and limited animation. Heck, the scene of New York being flooded was a series of paintings by Katsuhiro Otomo. That's not animation, that's just cutting corners. Akira felt more alive than this. Also, an incredibly boring plot, forgettable characters, and generic psychic fighting won't do the movie justice, even with the nice animation. And this rule should apply to all animated movies. |
| I know Kung-Food! |
| It's been a year and a half since I saw it last, so I can't say I remember too much about the animation aside from the fire dragon. I do remember lots of still shots though. In my memory those were all appropriately placed to drive home a surreal feeling that was fitting in light of all the psychic activity. Or maybe I'm thinking of slow shots, not still shots. Anyways, I never would claim that this was the best-animated film out there. It ultimately lacked the budget, or perhaps they had the budget but they blew it all on the fire dragon scene. I wouldn't actually say that it's *bad* though. Not up to Akira levels is hardly a damning criticism! Like I said, I really liked the lighting and use of color. Animation isn't the only visual element, and I think that all of the other visual elements were extremely impressive. |
| “Money can't buy dere” |
| Well designed (thanks to Otomo), drawn and animated (with some highlights like the aforementionned lava/fire dragon). I think the directing was also pretty good (sublimating the apocalyptic sceneries in the later segments), only the music score placement and the cuts and (lack of) ties made to tell what looked like an intended long epic story in a two hours compressed movie. Some music tracks were also pretty bad (compared to their 70s style, not to nowadays). The japanese hero's introduction (by the way, good performance for the classic ESP voice actor, Furuya) was the part who stood the best but looks like it should have get a full movie until he fully joins the ESPer forces. The second half was full of shortcuts when there should have been one or two movies worth of content (the recruiting of the others , the post-apocalyptic Japan with the final clash). I wonder how much of the story/time problems came from Ôtomo's writing and how much from the constraints. Enjoyment: 4/5 I would like to get this story more properly rendered. The author was published in the USAs, too bad it wasn't the Genma cycle. Score: 5/10 Spoiled resources (money, staff, source material) I actually went in, expecting a manga adaptation with visuals imitating Ishinomori's style but was gladly surprised by a novels adaptation with its own style. Also, I said it was fine technically, but there is no doubt it pales in front of movies produced later in the 80s (the peak of hand-drawn animation in Japan) @St0rmblade I had read somewhere he participated to it, altering the old story. |
Rei_IIIDec 30, 2021 9:07 AM
| This was abysmally bad. I'm going to sleep now and wake up thinking this was all some weird dream I had. I can't believe such a competent staff would make a movie this bad. Definitely one of the worsts things I've watched in a while. |
| Great party movie. Watch it with friends. |
| Legitimately don't get how this is one of the worst anime ever made. Some sequences look outright beautiful (dragon scene, Jo running through that trippy chase scene, the entire sequence of him discovering his powers) and even the more poorly animated parts have some striking design to them. As for the slideshow sequences, that's certainly a flaw, but it's not a huge one. Isao Takahata's Horus: Prince of the Sun is a fairly well-regarded film with the same problem, and nothing's insultingly awful about it in either film. The story is definitely a bit of a mess once you get to the second half, and it drags for a bit there, but the ultimate message of loving the world and not letting the pain of the loss of one person lead to destruction, that's all very touching. Not a masterpiece by any stretch of the imagination, but a pretty solid film that definitely does not deserve to have a 5/10. |
| these character designs feel a lot like junji ito's. I wonder if this is an influence on him. |
| Objectivity doesn't exist. Subjectivity is an excuse. Beautiful world of online discourse. |
| The staff list showed all signs of this movie being great, but it just didn't work out due to the weak story, like it happens sometimes. Still, the Kanada dragon is so influential, and was even accompanied by Emerson's music (Rintaro's projects always have really interesting music choices, often jazz), wow. The dragon wasn't the only impressive bit of animation, of course, pretty much every explosion and fire scene was good. Though I agree that the movie felt stiff occasionally (compare it to the Dagger of Kamui, for example). The shading of occasional mechanisms was also unique and recognizable. Pleased to hear some classic voices, like Kaneto Shiozawa (who sounds pretty different from his usual self). Totally unexpected Akihiro Miwa as Froy. Rei_III said: I wonder how much of the story/time problems came from Ôtomo's writing and how much from the constraints. Also, I said it was fine technically, but there is no doubt it pales in front of movies produced later in the 80s (the peak of hand-drawn animation in Japan) Otomo didn't have anything to do with the script here, judging by the staff credits. It was too long for its rather shallow plot, though. P.S. Luna's sudden change to a cool punk look with bits of red hair felt like something out of Umetsu's mind with a mix of Otomo. |
St0rmbladeDec 24, 2021 10:20 AM
| Going by the score I expected this to be bad. It was long, slow, and the plot was kinda basic and cheesy (won by the power of love), but I still don't think it deserves a score this low on MAL. The animation was indeed very nice for the time and there were a lot of comparisons to be made to Akira, which everybody loves. So why is this one picked on? Very interesting to read up on that in here. I think most people have just not seen many 80s movies/OVAs besides those from Studio Ghibli or Akira, so to them everything else does seem worse and bad, but they don't know how bad it can really get. |
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| Been watching Anime for 16 years now and forever and a day I've heard nothing but derison and jokes about this film and yet now I've finally watched it I can only say that I liked it? Like I actually genuinely liked it. I admit the first third of the film is rough and the film is certainly filled with flaws and underdeveloped characters, which with a running time of 132 minutes is quite absurd. And yet I liked it, I enjoyed the story and I enjoyed where the story went throughout. Some of the animation in places was jawdropping and the backgrounds were similarly so. I totally understand why many don't like this film but I also feel this film has a reputation in general that it doesn't quite deserve. More people should give it a try. Oh and I'm not a sub only guy by any means but fuck the dub on this one, some roles are done well but overall sub is really the way to go for this. |