Movie, TV, Web Series, and Music Hot Take(s).

[BrawlMan]

The 1990s had the biggest drop for anime character designs. All the problems of the '00s (and yes, it was an ugly period) are built on the problems of the '90s. That was when they started getting the really weird sharp angles, minimized features and crazy hair.

Nah, I still give it to the early to mid 2000s, when the whole medium switched to digital. No decade is perfect, and there will always be trends, but each trend is built of off each other. As much as I like anime from the 80s, they weren't perfect either and had plenty of trends that got dated or became run of the mill. Crazy hair colors were already there. Maybe not that angular, but still there. Remember, when every Tom, Dick, and Harry was trying to copy either Fist of the Northstar or Akira? Some post-apocalyptic anime not doing much to stand out, other than gore and being as shocking as possible. Or a lot of the sci-fi anime taking influence from Alien and some times The Thing, but most sucking at it.

You forget that during the 70s, 80s, 90s, and some the 2000s, the industry was in the Wild West. Everything varied in quality. Sure I am not big in to homogenization, but not everything was better as a free-for-all everyone shoot each other okay-corral. Sturgeon's Law still applies. For every art house director, or visionary with passion, there was plenty of bad shlock, hacks, pretentious wannabes, and bandwagon jumpers. Your hot take is nothing more than delusion blinded by an art style you don't like.

Now YMMV, and all that jazz, not every 90s anime went angular. Also, I like the character designs in Outlaw Star. They're unique and the show has plenty of cool/good looking character designs. Not to your tastes, but seeing all of these characters makes me smile.

It's not true that old anime was better - kukuruyo

Not long ago, me and a friend did a panel at a geek convention in which we defied the idea held apparently by most old anime viewers that anime in the past was better than now. Our idea was to[…]↓ Read the rest of this entry...

www.kukuruyo.com

I can't help but think that she was really turned off by TROS. I should pick her brain about it once I have some time. Yeah this is an incredibly small sample size, but considering that Disney has put out all the stops to make Star Wars NOT about the Sequel trilogy, I see today's kids more or less forgetting about the sequels.

I know I was. Considering Disney had no plan and was flying by the seat of their pants, I can't blame her. I care more for Star Wars Visions than any of the spin-offs people keep harping on about. I care for the Last Jedi, but that's about it. I was always a casual SW fan, and Disney constant fuck ups, lack of commitment to any idea, and constantly trying to please idiotic fans and the Chinese government whims made me less affectionate for the ST as a near whole.

 

[Gordon_4]

People often say that it's only a matter of time before the Star Wars sequels get the same treatment that the Prequels are getting now.

I don't know how true that is. My baby sister was really into The Force Awakens. She bought lightsaber toys, doodled blasters in her notebooks, dressed up as Rey for Halloween (one of my mother's best works). She even read the novelization, which really surprised me. She begged me to buy the cash grab Lego game they released for TFA.

Fast forward 7 years later, she doesn't give a shit. It could totally be her growing up and rejecting things she sees as childish, but I can't help but think that she was really turned off by TROS. I should pick her brain about it once I have some time. Yeah this is an incredibly small sample size, but considering that Disney has put out all the stops to make Star Wars NOT about the Sequel trilogy, I see today's kids more or less forgetting about the sequels. Baby Yoda alone seems more memorable to me than the entire Sequel trilogy, for better or worse.

I think it’s going to depend on if a really, really popular bit of interquel fiction crops up to sort of spackle over some of the gaps. Speaking for myself only, I was happy to consign the prequel trilogy to the ignore bin until I managed to get into The Clone Wars. Because those five or six seasons of TV add so much meat and more importantly space (haha, pun) between Atrack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith. Suddenly Anakin Skywalker isn’t a whiny *****; he’s a man who’s been through several kinds of hell and betrayal and has finally snapped.

Now one could argue the ST has more cracks to spackle over and even as a fan of them overall that’s a fair assessment - looking mainly at you TROS - so it may take more than one excellent cartoon to do it.

 

[Bob_McMillan]

I think it’s going to depend on if a really, really popular bit of interquel fiction crops up to sort of spackle over some of the gaps. Speaking for myself only, I was happy to consign the prequel trilogy to the ignore bin until I managed to get into The Clone Wars. Because those five or six seasons of TV add so much meat and more importantly space (haha, pun) between Atrack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith. Suddenly Anakin Skywalker isn’t a whiny *****; he’s a man who’s been through several kinds of hell and betrayal and has finally snapped.

Now one could argue the ST has more cracks to spackle over and even as a fan of them overall that’s a fair assessment - looking mainly at you TROS - so it may take more than one excellent cartoon to do it.

Yeah. I'd have to agree that it was the two Clone Wars cartoons and the bajillion books, comics, and games they made set in that era that really sold me on the prequels as an adult. I guess only time will tell if the sequels will ever get the same treatment. At this point though I'm guessing that Disney is going to make Thrawn the next big thing and will somehow tie the sequels into that.

 

[Ezekiel]

It's not true that old anime was better - kukuruyo

Not long ago, me and a friend did a panel at a geek convention in which we defied the idea held apparently by most old anime viewers that anime in the past was better than now. Our idea was to[…]↓ Read the rest of this entry...

www.kukuruyo.com

'80s girl was best. More nose, better iris to sclera ratio, more shading over the '00s and '10s, line under the lip that makes it appear shapelier, hair not as fluffy as '90s and not as unkempt as '10s, lower jaw isn't concave like '90s and '10s. '90s is worst girl, actually.

 

[BrawlMan]

'80s girl was best. More nose, better iris to sclera ratio, more shading over the '00s and '10s, line under the lip that makes it appear shapelier, hair not as fluffy as '90s and not as unkempt as '10s, lower jaw isn't concave like '90s and '10s.

Once again, your mileage may vary. Beauty is subjective and all that jazz. That picture you're showing me is already in the article. I've seen more times when I care account. That little comparison chart don't mean shit in the grand scheme of things. I love '80s and '90s anime, but I'm not going to act like everything was perfect. There's plenty of anime aesthetics I don't like, but most of it is not decade specific. Now I admit that the '80s and '90s tend to have more detail with their drawings, but not every anime did this. There's plenty of anime from that decade where they had to cut corners or simplified designs. This is nothing new to the industry and medium it has always been there. It just became more frequent as the years went on. That is why it's always best to find animated as you need comment instead of constantly trash and Anime just because it's not to your specific taste or you only keep looking at the ones that are the standard and not out of the north. That's why I look for anime that is unique to me or has a unique art style. Why not the biggest fan of homogenization, just because something that's homogenized design is an automatically make it bad. Besides homogenization always formed in one place or another, no matter the decade. All we're seeing is a another different type of trend in standard. Your argument is nothing more than glorified nostalgic goggles. Besides, there's plenty of animated 90s that didn't have all angular styles. I'm not a hardcore fan of angular styles, depending on how well it's done it is of course. But once again, everything is subjective. I'm under no stupid illusion of how "anime was better back in my day or those days!". You can go on all day about consistent art style or less detailed art style, but that still doesn't change quality control or lack of quality control. Once again, for every good anime out there there was a lease over a dozen mediocre or crappy ones out there. It didn't matter if the art was detail or not. If the story is bad, the characters are bad, the art style is bad, for all the above, then there's not much to stand on.

 

[Ezekiel]

That picture you're showing me is already in the article.

That's why I only quoted the article. I didn't just pull the pic from some place randomly, but refuted your own source.

I love '80s and '90s anime, but I'm not going to act like everything was perfect.

Neither would I. But I don't ignore frequency. Post '80s has a higher frequency of bad art.

But once again, everything is subjective.

And? Should that stop a person from giving their two cents?

Once again, for every good anime out there there was a lease over a dozen mediocre or crappy ones out there. It didn't matter if the art was detail or not. If the story is bad, the characters are bad, the art style is bad, for all the above, then there's not much to stand on.

Which is all irrelevant. Your first response began with, "when the whole medium went digital." But even digital is irrelevant. I was talking about art styles, not any of the other things.

 

[Xprimentyl]

Speaking of actual 80’s movies, it’s sad to realize how stupid The Goonies really is. Like it’s spoof-bad at times, but not a spoof. I guess sitting down and legitimately watching the theatrical version in its entirety as an adult vs catching bits and pieces on cable here and there makes a big difference.

Operative phrase there is "80's movies." Most of them are mind-numbingly dumb in retrospect. Doesn't mean they're not enjoyable, but many of the classics from that time are predicated on the "just go with it" ideal. An undiscovered pirate ship, booby traps, and countless riches discovered just down the street from the suburbs by a ragtag band of minors? Why not? Happens all the time. I love '80s film if only because they don't ever deign to tax me mentally.

 

[BrawlMan]

Which is all irrelevant. Your first response began with, "when the whole medium went digital." But even digital is irrelevant. I was talking about art styles, not any of the other things.

That part is true. I'm not saying that when everything when digital, everything automatically became bad, but during the early years it was super rough.
.

Neither would I. But I don't ignore frequency. Post '80s has a higher frequency of bad art.

So? The '80s have plenty of bad art too; you don't see me whining about it.

That's why I only quoted the article. I didn't just pull the pic from some place randomly, but refuted your own source.

And once again, all that picture shows different design trends that are now the norm, instead of what was back then. Walk them to real life. Trends change all the time for the better or the worst. I like every single anime under the 2010s, but once again that's why I go for ones that are unique and are not of the norm. Besides, I'm sure the 2020s and 2030s will have different design trends from the 2010s. There will be some people that are hyped up on early 2000s or 2010s anime will go on about how anime was all better back in those days. Everything is relative. History repeats and nothing changes.

And? Should that stop a person from giving their two cents?

I never said nor implied that. You know better. I'm just pointing out that not everything is as bad as you think it is or want to believe. Then again, I don't see every single anime under the sun, for a good reason. Not that I could back then. I can now, but it's mostly not worth it. Doesn't matter which decade it is for me. If I'm not interested in the anime, and I'm not interested. Though I still have seen a lot.

 

[Phoenixmgs]

It's a pretty accurate read on the series, which you could easily pick up from reviews and general chatter.

Like, nobody saw Morbius but it's pretty clear Morbius isn't some secret hidden gem.

I'm just mad Stranger Things went from "the military's up to some shit" to "go US, get those Russians"

The 1st season of Stranger Things is great and can be watched as standalone (it ends basically). The last 2 seasons were OK I think, I don't really remember them well but I do remember that 1st season.

Just so we're clear @Phoenixmgs, @Dirty Hipsters, and Dwarvenhobble, I watched the first season of Stranger Things and it did not interest me. I watched it and I did not like it. Never going back to it, so deal with it. I find Fear Street the better, because it does not pander so hard on the nostalgia it becomes distracting. Fear Street remembers to have characters and story first.

You said you didn't watch it. Why would I have do "deal" with you not liking something I like? I hate Star Wars, it's not like I go around telling people to "deal with it".

 

[BrawlMan]

You said you didn't watch it. Why would I have do "deal" with you not liking something I like? I hate Star Wars, it's not like I go around telling people to "deal with it".

I only say that because the thumb of approval you gave Dirty Hipster.

it's not like I go around telling people to "deal with it".

No, but you do spreading around false info about COVID, and give out crappy and fake medical advice about how the shots and masks do nothing. And you try forcing those opinions on others, when they want it. So there's that.

 

[Phoenixmgs]

I only say that because the thumb of approval you gave Dirty Hipster.


No, but you do spreading around false info about COVID, and give out crappy and fake medical advice about how the shots and masks do nothing. And you try forcing those opinions on others, when they want it. So there's that.

No I don't. I never said vaccines do nothing, I said you don't need one if you had covid previously, which is backed up by literally every single study on the subject. The good quality mask studies say mask either do nothing or do very little. Hilariously the CDC recommended masks for monkeypox, which will 100% do nothing.

 

[BrawlMan]

So back to actual important matters.

Hideaki Anno. I still don't like the majority of his works, and it's obvious evangelion got lucky when you looked behind the production of Gainax. Thanks Bennett! With all I have said, he is a respectable and a good guy. He clearly cares for his team and those around them. I know you went through a lot of mental troubles, and those death threats from fans back in the late 90s did not help. I'm glad he's gotten better and move his properties from greedy fucks in the anime industry.

 

[Phoenixmgs]

So back to actual important matters.

Then stop lying about what I said.

 

[Cicada 5]

People often say that it's only a matter of time before the Star Wars sequels get the same treatment that the Prequels are getting now.

I don't know how true that is. My baby sister was really into The Force Awakens. She bought lightsaber toys, doodled blasters in her notebooks, dressed up as Rey for Halloween (one of my mother's best works). She even read the novelization, which really surprised me. She begged me to buy the cash grab Lego game they released for TFA.

Fast forward 7 years later, she doesn't give a shit. It could totally be her growing up and rejecting things she sees as childish, but I can't help but think that she was really turned off by TROS. I should pick her brain about it once I have some time. Yeah this is an incredibly small sample size, but considering that Disney has put out all the stops to make Star Wars NOT about the Sequel trilogy, I see today's kids more or less forgetting about the sequels. Baby Yoda alone seems more memorable to me than the entire Sequel trilogy, for better or worse.

The reappraisal of the prequels didn't happen over night. It took two decades and a reexamination of those movies as well as the criticisms of them. It might take longer for the sequels but it isn't impossible. They arguably have more defenders now than the prequels initially did.

 

[BrawlMan]

The reappraisal of the prequels didn't happen over night. It took two decades and a reexamination of those movies as well as the criticisms of them. It might take longer for the sequels but it isn't impossible. They arguably have more defenders now than the prequels initially did.

Aside from Attack of the Clones, I never hated the prequels. Phantom Menace is mediocre, and Revenge of the Sith I consider a 7/10 good.

 

[hanselthecaretaker]

No I don't. I never said vaccines do nothing, I said you don't need one if you had covid previously, which is backed up by literally every single study on the subject. The good quality mask studies say mask either do nothing or do very little. Hilariously the CDC recommended masks for monkeypox, which will 100% do nothing.

Lemme ask something pretty relevant though:

If I’m sick and sneeze directly in your close proximity, would you feel it more on your face if:

A. I had no mouth covering at all
or
B. I had a medically approved mask on

Multiply this by several orders of magnitude to account for public spaces like say, a busy grocery store. If masks don’t do anything then I suppose we could also say washing hands or hell, throwing firecrackers at people don’t do anything either.


The rather pathetic failure of such a vast portion of the population to acknowledge and understand it’s merely about setting aside personal pride and doing each individualistic part to minimize risk and exposure doesn’t bode very well going forward in the face of possibly worse pandemics.

 

[Specter Von Baren]

Lemme ask something pretty relevant though:

If I’m sick and sneeze directly in your close proximity, would you feel it more on your face if:

A. I had no mouth covering at all
or
B. I had a medically approved mask on

Multiply this by several orders of magnitude to account for public spaces like say, a busy grocery store. If masks don’t do anything then I suppose we could also say washing hands or hell, throwing firecrackers at people don’t do anything either.


The rather pathetic failure of such a vast portion of the population to acknowledge and understand it’s merely about setting aside personal pride and doing each individualistic part to minimize risk and exposure doesn’t bode very well going forward in the face of possibly worse pandemics.

Setting aside the debate on masks, I should hope you wouldn't be a damn troglodyte and sneeze into your arm at least.

 

[Thaluikhain]

The rather pathetic failure of such a vast portion of the population to acknowledge and understand it’s merely about setting aside personal pride and doing each individualistic part to minimize risk and exposure doesn’t bode very well going forward in the face of possibly worse pandemics.

Or anything else. Good luck getting people to change their actions to combat climate change.

 

[hanselthecaretaker]

Setting aside the debate on masks, I should hope you wouldn't be a damn troglodyte and sneeze into your arm at least.

Can we rely on people to follow through on that public courtesy though? How many people might have their hands full or simply think nothing of what’s being expelled from their breath holes?

 

[Specter Von Baren]

Can we rely on people to follow through on that public courtesy though? How many people might have their hands full or simply think nothing of what’s being expelled from their breath holes?

Which is why I specified that my statement was made separate of the discussion here. I more wanted to use this as a excuse to use the word troglodyte.