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INS: 「エウテルペ」 (Euterpe) by EGOIST
Watch the INS!: Streaming ▼
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「発生 genesis」 (Hassei)
If there’s one thing that I was worried about coming into Production I.G’s sci-fi post-apocalyptic original noitaminA series, it would be the inadvertent reader hype created by my own anticipation, both in the Fall 2011 Preview and the site’s banners. The series topped the seasonal poll with 68% of all voters including it in their top 5 picks, so the last thing I would wanted is to read a bunch of disappointed comments about a dismal first showing. No, I’m not arrogant enough to believe that my personal impressions are that influential in the anime fan community, but I do always seem to get flack about something I’ve said in my one of my posts. Big red and bold disclaimers about personal taste don’t even save me from people getting in their shots in at every opportunity. In the one and a half years since I’ve taken over this blog, I’ve let all the “downhill” boycott remarks fall upon deaf ears; however, I would feel somewhat responsible in this case since I didn’t maintain the usual reserved stance toward all new shows. I was cautiously optimistic about last season’s BLOOD-C so I didn’t get any backlash about it topping the summer poll and turning out the way it did, but if Guilty Crown somehow turned out to be a real stinker, I don’t think I’d ever hear the end of it. Vehemently vocal first-time commenters would surely be asking that I just close the site right away. (You bastards know who you are.)
Luckily, the premiere of Guilty Crown should satisfy most viewers, saving me from having to deal with remarks about how I’m a terrible blogger, how I should die in a fire, and how they’re never visiting Random Curiosity again. (The anime blogosphere is a very unforgiving place.) For the most part, I can just let the three-and-a-half-minute opening scene with the theme song “Euterpe” sung by 17-year-old “chelly” (i.e. EGOIST) speak for itself. This includes Yuzuriha Inori (Kayano Ai) and her extremely revealing and unbelievably mesmerizing outfit, which realistically, only stays on with the power of anime magic. There’s no denying that she’s the main attraction of this first episode (and likely the rest of the series) with her plunging front slit and exposed back, but I was actually most captivated by the tenacity she showed as a member of “Sougisha” 「葬儀社」 (i.e. “Undertakers”), the resistance group fighting to liberate Japan from its false peace under GHQ’s armed rule. Inori gets injured, abused, and threatened yet we don’t hear so much as a whimper out of her. She’s a very uncharacteristic terrorist, which is ultimately why I’m so intrigued by her character.
The same could probably be said about our main protagonist, Ouma Shuu (Kaji Yuuki), whose voice and mannerisms alone remind me too much of NO.6’s Shion. Shuu has resigned himself to life under GHQ’s military rule and spends his days peacefully away from society — including his classmates Menjou Hare (Shimamura Yuu), Samukawa Yahiro (Mizushima Takahiro), and Tamadate Souta (Sakaguchi Daisuke) — and doesn’t break from that even when his favorite Internet singer (who ended up flashing him) gets dragged off by Keidou Shuuichirou’s (Inoue Kazuhiko) “Anti Bodies” special unit — sent to retrieve the “Void Genome” that Inori stole. In moments like that, especially in a first episode, I would expect our “hero” to at least get roughed up trying to save the heroine, but Shuu cowers in fear instead and ends up kicking himself over it. Normally this would be somewhat irksome, but given the flashbacks of what I presume are the victims of the “Apocalypse Virus” from ten years ago, I’m a lot more forgiving of his cowardice. I even think it adds a deeply-rooted complexity to his character, which he made strides toward overcoming when he went to rescue Inori.
At the moment, there are a lot of unanswered questions as to why Shuu possesses “The Power of Kings” in his right hand, allowing him to extract weapons from the “Void” within a person’s body (which is comprised of their essence according to the eyecatch), and why Inori’s commander and co-star of the series, Tsutsugami Gai (Nakamura Yuuichi), sent Shuu to go and rescue her. From the look of things, Shuu obtained his special ability when the Void Genome capsule was shattered, but it’s almost as if Gai and Inori were both expecting this power to awaken within him. Whatever the case, the exciting way everything played out at the end made me overlook the fact that Shuu somehow knew exactly what to do just as he was about to be killed. Things are off to a great start on the production and story side of things, and we’ve only been informally introduced to some other resistance members, such as Tsugumi (Taketatsu Ayana) and wheelchair-bound pilot Shinomiya Ayase (Hanazawa Kana). In many ways, the story itself is pretty reminiscent of CODE GEASS — right down to the main protagonist with the Power of Kings, the resistance group trying to liberate Japan, and the prevalent use of mechs — which isn’t all that unexpected given that we have the same screenwriter on board. Seeing as GEASS was ridiculously popular, I don’t think that’s necessarily a bad thing though.
* The official spelling for the insect-like robot’s name is Fyu-Neru, which is presumably a play on the word “funeral” since their group is known as the Undertakers.
* The opening theme, “My Dearest”, will be performed by Supercell with their new vocalist, 15-year-old Koeda, who was picked from a 2000 person audition. For a sample of her singing, see Nicosound here, here, here, and here. (Care of Patrik.)
* Full-length images: 06, 14, 27, 41.
ED Sequence
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ED: 「Departures 〜あなたにおくるアイの歌〜」 (Departures ~Anata ni Okuru Ai no Uta~) by EGOIST
Watch the ED!: Streaming ▼
Preview
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Watch the Preview!: Streaming ▼
I’m just going to repost the comment I left over at Enzo’s place, since its just about everything I want to say about this show.
“Ghost in the Bubblegum Geass” is how someone on another site put it, and its really quite true. I don’t think there was a single original idea anywhere in the writing of this episode.
But, and this is a huge but, it was executed flawlessly. Every single aspect of this production was pitch perfect. The designs by Redjuice, the music by ryo, the luscious animation, the fantastic voicework by relative newcomers Kaji Yuuki and Kayano Ai. Even such standout shows this season as Fate/Zero and Horizon couldn’t match this show’s production.
Now, will the plot manage to hold up its end, and deliver at least something serviceable, if not unique? Who knows, but I’m along for the ride.
Also, while Kayano Ai’s been around a year or so by now (I first noticed her as Isana in Yumekui Merry, but it seems her first notable role was as Itsuwa in Index II), I haven’t paid a huge amount of attention to her, but damn was I impressed here. Especially her singing, her songs were hauntingly beautiful.
Kayano Ai doesn’t sing the songs for Inori though. As mentioned in my post, they’re sung by 17-year-old “chelly”.
Yeah, I realized that after reading a bit more closely. I’d actually just assumed she sung them, since thats what I always assume for stuff like this. Teach me to make assumptions at 3am!
Anyway, that aside, I’m very impressed by Kayano regardless, I’d put her forward as the breakout seiyuu of the year.
I’d been wondering about who sang those songs; assumed it had to be Kayano, guess I was wrong- great music, though…
If it really does resemble code geass, then first episode and maybe first season will be a bust…
As you can recall, R2 was what made Code Geass famous. SO maybe there is hope in season #2 if Season #1 failed to meet expectation…
Most people I know loved Season 1 of Geass more so than Season 2.
I just love Code Geass, it’s all 1 thing to me lol
i have no idea where you got that idea from…
and it was R2 which made Geass infamous with its plot twist but the ending made up for it in my opinion
and season 1 was well received by almost everyone
Yeah I definitely agree to this. It was executed pretty well (animation/music wise), but it just felt so cliche I ended up feeling bored. Main protagonist finds girl, sees girl get captured, decides to be a badass and gains some power. Too much hype can be a bad thing
Couldn’t agree more. Every aspect of this show had a very ‘been there already, done that!’ feeling. The only exemplary aspect of this show were the sound effects and of course the animation, which is unparalleled, to be honest.
Hopefully with 21 more episodes the story will flesh out, as well as the characters, but I can’t say I was very attracted and stunned to the story line as much as I was dazzled by the fluid and gorgeous animation. That and the fact that it’s directed from someone like HOTD’s director makes me worry- HOTD had very moe tendencies, and I certainly don’t want such a serious show like Guilty Crown getting riddled with boob jokes and all of those things. But I won’t deny that I’m excited- I’m just praying for this show’s story to be as good as the animation right now.
The Code Geass comparisons are apt (I make them myself), but the difference is in the protagonist. Ouma is so different from Lelouche in personality, in goals, and in thematic resonance that I can’t help but think that the series will have to change accordingly. Lelouche is forced by chance into a role he always wanted. Ouma deliberately chooses a path he never expected for himself. That difference should completely shift the tone and outcome of the series.
And if it doesn’t … well, another season of Code Geass is hardly the worst thing in the world. Let’s hope they keep the mecha on wheels for the entire time. (Rollerskating mecha = cool; flying mecha = done to death.)
Visually stunning and the music is great. I’d say it lived up to the hype.
Take it!!
LOL!
I am surprised Divine didn’t put up the OP or END song from Guilty Crown on the side bar seeing how hyped up he was about the series…
o_O
I thought it was rather good. Inori’s voice is definitely a win, but then again she IS the Egoist Singer.
Watched live earlier.. Not disappointed! 😀
Music is good, animation is good, screenplay is good.. I just hope the whole story is good too. 🙂
Good, but not great, right?!
I can’t say it’s great until I see the whole picture.. I’m not the fanboy type, if it suck half-way then it sucks. Right now, what I can say is that the set-up was good and that “good” can turn out “great” if the follow-up is also good. :p
Looks absolutely GORGEOUS
second to that! nothing less! *thumbs up*
By gorgeous, you must have mend this:
https://randomc.net/image/Guilty%20Crown/Guilty%20Crown%20-%2001%20-%20Large%2017.jpg
Lol Divine, do not worry about those “bastards”. 😛
Overall, everything was good but the protagonist is a bit lame.
Yeah but many do start out lame and turn super badass later. I didn’t actually think he was lame though.
I clearly can’t see Shuu as a badass…
He lacks the badass body like Goku. He lacks the cool persona like Spike. He lacks the genius intellect like Light and Lelouch.
He worry like a little girl and coward in fears. Lost and Confused. It is worth mentioning that he did overcome it and willing to sacrifice himself to undo his cowardice earlier. In fact, if it wasn’t for the magic of Guilty Crown, he would have been dead from the gun shot. So maybe he can man up, but he still lack all the great features of a badass hero…
Emphasis on “start out”. Right now I still think it’s too early to be judging his character, we really don’t know a lot about him yet. What I’m saying is that he MIGHT eventually turn into/out to be a badass through a thing called “character development.” You see all those flash backs? It obvious even without those that they’re going to try to add more depth to his character to explain why he is the way he is now and how he can grow from that.
Coward? I don’t think it’s cowardly to be you know, a little fearful when this organization comes in captures a girl, beats/bloodies her up in front you and starts to threaten to kill you too. He didn’t seem to have any way to defend himself alone let alone Inori. And like you said, he jumped in to sacrifice himself for her later so at the very least he was man enough to protect her from getting shot, though having the Power of Kings he took it one step further and saved them both.
Simon from Gurren Lagann was a huge wimp at the start. He turns into one of the most BAd ASS GALAXY dESTROYERS AROUNd
People seem to mistake cowardice for natural fear. You normally fear big guys with big guns. You normally fear bear animals with big claws. It’s not cowardice, but people seem to think so. Only in Anime do people survive those kinds of encounters.
Oh yeah forgot to say this before but all the dudes you mentioned Chaos, they all actually started out pretty badass. (:
Fear in itself isn’t evil. It makes us aware of our weaknesses so that we can become stronger.
I don’t know, I just do not feel this protagonist but we will see later on how he will change.
@Hrmmm & Cyber,
Fear is an inborn program that exist in all animals. Its single purpose is not to make us stronger. It does what it does, it make us afraid. Fear is known as a paralyzing agent both in its effect and mindset that it induces. I practice it every now and then. I do it over a bridge and looking down. With all my might, it is almost impossible to think straight or move quickly. The body only respond to one thing and one thing alone: to get away from that danger.
In textbook, fear is describe as a submissive behavior used to ensure an animal’s survival by making sure it doesn’t foolish waste its life before it is able to produce an offspring.
Then what does make us stronger? Testosterone, the anti-fear agent. In order to understand fear and courage, you have to understand the biology and biochemistry of the body as well as the genetic programing of human and animal. On the fear chemistry is in effect in the body, it is useless to try to overcome and reason with it. Only through the higher dosage of testosterone can you change from fear into courage. Too much testosterone and you become reckless and uncontrollable…
@Chaos,
You’re mistaken on the fact that “Fear is known as a paralyzing agent” if you’ve studied biology then you must known of the “Fight or Flight Response” which is the end result of fear. The fight or flight response is induced by the hypothalamus as it activates the sympathetic nervous system and adrenal cortical system thus starting a chain of chemical reactions such as the release of several hormones which would regulate/or control the various systems of our body (blood pressure, heart rate, glucose level, muscle contractility release of adrenaline etc..) The reason for these changes is to allow us to react quickly for our survival whether by “fighting” or “fleeing” the danger.
Also testosterone is not an “anti-fear agent” though it is shown that it can reduce unconscious fear in animals (*NOTE Unconscious fear = that means the lack of consciousness or responsiveness to people and other environmental stimuli) when administered (*note administered not naturally produced) however it does not reduce the consciously experienced anxiety/fear “which was the circumstance SHUU was in”. Therefor i believe you’ve mixed up the excited effects of adrenalin which is naturally released during the biochemical process of “fear”.
and although what @Cybersteel said “Fear in itself isn’t evil. It makes us aware of our weaknesses so that we can become stronger.” may not be scientifically proven it can be justified philosophically
The so-called flight or fight feeling has more association with anxiety than fear. Anxiety can be described as a hyperactive agent giving the person’s a heighten sensories of his surrounding. Human do experience more than one emotion at a time. It is because of this mix that make it almost impossible to distinguish one emotion from another. That is why unhappiness, sadness, misery, and depression all “feel” alike. But they are different by degree and chemistry.
It is to be noted that the mind effect the body, but empirical researches have shown that the law of cause and effect apply both way. By that I mean, the body can become a cause, thus effecting the mind in return. Together they form a complete circle. So in completion, the mind effects the body and the continued body continue to re-inforced the mind’s mental state. AKA, a change in body will produce a change in mindset. That is the hidden part of the law of cause and effect.
My most anticipated series of the season and it did not disappoint. The music and production quality was just breathtaking, the thing I’m only thing I’m worried about are these Code Geass comparisons and how the writer is going to go about making Guilty Crown unique. I’d be very disappointed if he really just did a rehash since everyone else on staff is near perfection for me. I have hope for this series to turn those doubts around though and its seems many others do too with the plans already in for the VN from Nitroplus, a manga serialization and and Inori figure already coming our way.
And thanks for showing your anticipation about the series Divine, I actually first heard about it through here when you put the first banner up. Being the supercell/redjuice fangirl that I am it really got me hyped for this season.
Too bad they don’t animate the whole thing.
Actually, I enter watching this series without prior knowledge of any other anime, especially Code Geass. It made it more enjoyable.
You can never really escape your past. People will always compared your past works with your next work. I find it is better to consider the next series in isolation rather than comparison. While there were noticeable resemblance, it wasn’t much. It is still too early to say…
Agree on seeing this series in isolation. The show has just started, but even before then people were like “oh just another Code Geass/insert any other similar anime here”. They have similar tropes but it’s all about the execution for me. So far I think it’s done pretty well for itself and call me ignorant but I’d rather put my focus on all the positives rather than the little negatives.
I love the show!!
Liked it Divine, didn’t love it. I’m normally OK with derivative as long as it’s well executed, and this was superbly executed. It’s just that I can’t remember many premières where just about every character and plot element felt like it could be directly linked to an earlier anime. And am I the only one who thinks Kaji Yuuki is very one-note? I’m getting a bit tired of him, and it’s not so much that he’s become ubiquitous but that he has so little variation in his performances.
For all that, this thing is drop-dead gorgeous – every element of the visuals is in the 99th percentile. We’re talking one-step below Moribito quality stuff, I.G. at it’s stunning best. That’s enough to keep me watching, but I hope the story and the characters grow into an element that I can be interested in, too.
Kaji Yuuki’s not the most versatile male seiyuu around, but I think the real problem is that we’re coming right off his performances as Kou (Hanasaku), Sion (No.6) and Subaru (RoKyuBu), all of which used essentially this same voice.
Looking over his work, I can point to several roles where I’m actually surprised to realize it was him (I don’t follow male seiyuu as assiduously as female ones), most notably Yumasaki Walker (DRRR), Hanakiri Ganryuu (Otome Youkai Zakuro) and Kaoru Kurusu (Uta no Prince-sama).
Not saying he would have been my first choice for this role, but I think he works well enough, and he’s using the appropriate voice for it, its just one we’ve heard a lot recently.
“drop-dead gorgeous…”
o_O
So…which part of her body WERE you staring at, Enzo?!
The character designs were stunning, especially Inori’s which really emphasizes elegance over overt sexuality. I think we can all safely agree that the animation is pretty much one of the best ever seen, (in my opinion, on par with the breathtaking visuals in Casshern SINS).
Yuuki’s lack of versatility is quite annoying though, I’ll admit, but surprisingly, despite me usually disliking weak bland protagonists, I enjoyed watching Shu. I feel like the main thing that this anime steered off doing was making its typical characters annoying, which was really important for me. That said, I do think Inori and Shu are interesting protagonists; they definitely hit the mediocre, typical characters, but there’s that spin to them that doesn’t make them all too bland and unoriginal to watch.
But in terms of story, it’s pretty generic as generic can get. Hopefully we’ll see some development!
Great show. It’s pays good on it’s hype.
I would that this hype was half your fault and half PV2’s fault xD
Can this anime gets better than this ? I don’t think so! It’s beautiful! gorgeous! The animation, backgound and character design are incredible (thanks to Redjuice!), the music is awesome (thanks to Ryo this time!), there’s nothing to say bad about this series so far, though I don’t really like the main character, but we will see if he will get better or not.
Sounds like Shion from No.6
That would be because he is.
Though personally, he sounds most like his performance as Subaru in Ro-Kyu-Bu.
It wasn’t that great, but it definitely need to be better…
I agree with you.
Not only was it beautifully animated it was accompanied by glorious soundtrack.
Loved the setting as it reminisce the Ghost in the shell atmosphere which I missed dearly
Though the characters may be cliched as long as they develop properly their weakness can be overlooked.
Above all it was masterfully executed introduction and I hope it’ll only get better.
I would say*(damn im sleeping)
Show Spoiler ▼
I think that could be explained as he did expect it to happen, but when it did happen, he had mixed feelings about it.
Or perhaps he was shocked by the sheer magnitude of it all; i.e. he expected something to happen, just not for it to be that big and flashy- or maybe he simply didn’t know what would happen…
I’m gonna be the odd one to say it didn’t live up to the hype for me. But it’s the first episode and I have really fussy taste in anime so I can’t say much lol. Animation was gorgeous! Character design was visually stunning. I really like Inori’s outfit. But I did have a few problem, and these were the things I looked forward to the most so it really dissapointed me.
– Inori’s voice and singing was not as good as I expected. I feel this way because we have so many amazing anime music like Macross Frontier, Nana and K-on, and to me Inori’s singing ability SO FAR has not convinced me she is a famous, popular pop princess. It’s not something I want to download on my I’pod if this sort of song was released in real life by a real life artist. I was really looking forward to her voice so it was slight disappointment but this is only 1st ep so maybe they are saving something. ED music by her was okay I guess
– So far I am not liking Shuu’s character at all. I can tell why you related him to Shion (although I liked Shion’s honest, friendly personality. Cannot see that in Shuu so far). Hopefully he will develop A LOT later on.
– I’m a fluent Japanese speaker and found some of the conversation and narration by character quite awkwardly done and scripted. I guess the “flow” in normal conversation was not there if that makes sense…
But it was a good episode. I think the trailer and the teaser got me too hyped up and that was it XD I’ll keep watching it though 🙂
What you say about the awkward dialogue is interesting. My Japanese is elementary at best, and I still need to rely on the subs for any complex conversations. Quite enlightening, I must say- made me realize that many shows, including this one, may have issues that I am unaware of simply by virtue of my poor Japanese…
LOL, Not great, but not bad for a first episode…
The animation quality is definitely top edge. The storyline is a little shaky and lack the “ka-boom” most anime try to accomplish in the first episode to capture its audience. They say you never have a second chance to make a first impression.
As I suspected, our main character is a bit of a wimp. However, it did make up for it at the end unlike Ganta from Deamman Wonderland who took an entire season to man up.
Man, if I get a nickel for every time a hot,half-naked girl tell me to “use her” and I have to reach in her chest to magically pull out a gigantic sword twice my height and weight and use it to cut a massive robot 50 times my size…then I would have one nickel. LOL!
The story is definitely promising, but my bet is that the most loveable character will be no other than…Inori herself. Kinda remind of me of how Shiro from Deadman Wonderland was so favor over Ganta.
I have a sneaking suspicion Inori is a lot kinder and gentler than she appear and Shuu is weak on the outside, but a real demon on the inside. Just speculations…
Show Spoiler ▼
a picture’s worth a thousand words, so I’ll just leave this here to demonstrate the show’s watch-ability.
So in how many more episodes will the comparisons to Code Geass (and various other shows such as Macross and Fate/Zero…) go away? xD
anyway, some theories about those “VR control chairs” (Animesuki based spoilers – please reply accordingly):
Show Spoiler ▼
I just assumed that the mechs were all controlled with brain waves. GHQ’s pilots seem to be safely tucked away in a distant location too.
YF-21 anyone?
kinda remind me of darker than black, informer (some kinda spirit) that use to spy on other via brain wave
well, I was assuming better technology was being used by GHQ…so IDK.
or maybe GHQ technology is safer for the pilot but the remoteness makes it less effective in combat.
Fairly ho-hum. The action scenes that were animated were great, but when did Production I.G start doing still-shots for the other half of their action scenes? Demure damsel in distress female lead. Generic shonen male lead. Japanese oppressed by wicked foreigners. Gosh, how did Code Geass’ writers decide writing the same story would be better with more generic characters? :/
The singing was great though, so hopefully they really push that. The female characters were sexy without slapping huge boobs and on them. That’s always a plus. Still, despite my criticisms, I’ve been watching anime long enough to see that this will be a big mainstream hit.
But, it’s depressing to think this is EXACTLY the type of show the noitaminA block was supposedly made to combat. LoL. I can only assume there simply wasn’t any studio with a non-mainstream otaku-pandering show that could fill the timeslot for the next two cours.
OMG, what have I just watch? Thats my first reaction after just the first 4 mins of this ep. LOL
My second thought was that this is the next Code Geass, and lo and behold the ton of comparisons to code geass that I’ve seen online already. LOL
FYI, not only is this an Production I.G project, it also has the director of Death Note and the screenwriter of CODE GEASS/Macross Frontier.
So yeah, Code Geass + Macross singing. LOL Instant mega hit.
Ok, as much as I love Code Geass, this show is not going to be one because Lelouch was Code Geass.
On the other hand, this first episode introduced the main characters in a very exciting manner. And I love that OP song. I MUST HAVE IT.
Yeah, this look like it will be by FAR my favorite show this year already.
And thats saying something with both Fate/Zero and Persona 4 in the same season. This episode just blew me away. I kind of fear they blew the budget on this first episode.
As for the characters, too early to tell. This was a fast paced action introduction episode. I will have to wait to form an opinion since we really did not see much at all of a lot of the characters.
Gai theme was somewhat jarring but it was still good. All the music looks to be top notch. I do hope they pull a Macross and continue to include songs being sung during battles.
“So yeah, Code Geass + Macross singing. LOL Instant mega hit.
Ok, as much as I love Code Geass, this show is not going to be one because Lelouch was Code Geass.
On the other hand, this first episode introduced the main characters in a very exciting manner. And I love that OP song. I MUST HAVE IT.”
^ u speak the truth sir ^
Already my favourite show of the season, have potential to be my favourite show of all time.
Divine,
I know that you’re upset and that you receive a lot of flak–but it’s true that the blog has declined since Omni left. I’m not saying it out of spite, but as a longtime observer who has read it for years now.
You settle for the bare minimum. You blog series that end up being duds (not your fault entirely) and simultaneously have allowed harem series to be overwhelmingly covered by guest bloggers. There isn’t near enough diversity on this site. Looking back to your Fall Preview, you dismissed series like Mashiro-Iro Symphony for its generic and unoriginal scenario but choose to blog it anyway. You’re pandering to the moe fanbase and not branching out into the unknown. Not to mention that oftentimes, shows are blogged long after they’ve already been subtitled; Omni at the least would write a post as soon as the episode aired.
Omni’s posts at least would cover series that were worth watching–I feel like I couldn’t care less about the shows that you watch. Kiss x Sis? Koe de Oshigoto? It’s like you don’t give a fuck about artistic integrity; half of the stuff on this blog now consists of titles dudes would twist their rods to. What happened to following shows that were considered adventurous for anime and genre-breaking? The Star Crossed Anime Blog at the very least gives the first episode of every show a chance. But here, only niche titles are followed. It’s like only low-grade otaku bait is written about.
blogging about genre breaking anime all the time is kinda hard cuz there arent exactly alot of them to go around. plus, i like that divine blogs your normal harem or rom/com. sometimes the anime may be better than what you thought it would be and it’s always nice to hear other thoughts on it.
altho i know it takes alot of time and it isnt easy, but i do agree that blogging about other shows such as classics or jus some random obscure shows would be a good thing. since you brought up psgels, i will admit that i like how he blogs classics and shows people might not have heard about. altho sometimes i feel like he’s biased towards non-mainstream lol. in any case, i heard bout one of my fav animes, the third; aoi hitomi no shoujo, from star crossed so maybe divine can do the same!
How is covering both ends of the spectrum less diverse? Omni was often criticized for only covering “mainstream” shows so I find it odd how some people want to see the site go back to that. I covered a lot more niche shows than Omni, which were arguably very good but had very few viewers (e.g. Senkou no Night Raid, Sarai-ya Goyou, RAINBOW). This has come up so many times in the past that I don’t even know why I’m repeating myself here.
Anyway, a lot of readers use this site to get an idea about shows that they’re not watching. If something catches their interest, either from the images or my impressions, they might feel inclined to check it out themselves. That is one of the appeals of an anime blogger with diverse tastes. They’ll find out what a series is all about because you don’t have time to yourself.
If you look at the shows covered on RC now, they actual encompass everything that Omni would’ve covered, plus a whole lot more. I know because I still talk to him and know what he’s watching/not watching.
If I purposely ignored mainstream or potentially good shows in favor of run-of-the-mill romantic comedies, then you’d have a point but I don’t. I just try to make the most of whatever comes each season. Kiss x sis was a venture because I couldn’t find a single English blogger cover it objectively, so I took it upon myself to do so. Koe de Oshigoto was never covered here, so you might have some gaps in your memory of what goes on at this blog (which may explain your predetermined misconception of it).
As for speed, I still strive to cover shows within 24 hours after they air, but I sometimes push them out when I have too many shows on a given day (like today). I have a full-time job, so I can’t exactly cover shows while I’m at work. Believe it or not, I have done so in some cases for the sake of speed though.
Subs are fast now and many shows are simulcast, so the notoriety of beating them out has worn thin. Besides, even if were to beat them out (which I still do at times), I’d be the only person on this site able to do so since all the other writers rely on subs. I have long since removed the Japanese requirement for new writers.
P.S. I’m only blogging Mashiro-iro as Snapshots. I won’t be continuing regular coverage of it but I will be watching it and chiming in if something interesting happens.
P.P.S. I find it interesting how there’s no talk about how posts are completely impressions-oriented now and lengthy summaries that most people probably don’t read are a thing of the past. Where’s the objectivity these days? It’d be nice if I got even half the amount I give to anime.
don’t pay attention to what I said dude. i was toooootally drunk when i made that post.
Oh, Mantle. You know should never drink and post. Look like you just got a DUI when you made a head on collision with Divine…LOL!
Yeah I think the guy is heart broken about Omni so he’s too blind to see what you’ve done for this site. Not diverse? Haha Divine’s the reason i watched an odd anime like Giant Killing and absolutely loved it.. As a matter of fact i picked up soccer because of it.
And as for “good” series that he ignores, it’s all a matter of opinion really.. One person may think he skips out on all the good series, while others thinks he picks up the best.. You can never please everybody. Personally though, all my favorite type of series are covered by him, it’s as if he reads my mind 😛 (Mawaru, Fate/Zero, Guilty, Idolm@ster sort of, Shinryaku) The only anime that i really like not covered by him might be Persona, but he didn’t have game knowledge so it’s better Verdant got the job.
“P.P.S. I find it interesting how there’s no talk about how posts are completely impressions-oriented now and lengthy summaries that most people probably don’t read are a thing of the past.”
Wow, I remember those lengthy summaries. Just letting you know, I really enjoy the newer impression-based posts. Thanks for all your hard work! As a reader, I’m really satisfied with the site. I check it daily and depend on it to find out what’s good this anime season. Sometimes I’ll even follow the coverage of a show I’m not watching just because the reviews are so entertaining..
I feel that people are more likely to leave a complaint than a compliment, so please don’t forget about us in the silent majority that really appreciates what you’re doing!!
Shorter Mantle:
“Divine doesn’t cover the shows I think he should cover”
I’ve read Star Crossed for years and I’ve noticed a few errors:
*He barely pays attention to the shows he blogs, leading to many inconsistencies in reviews
*Doesn’t watch previews or after credits scenes because they “spoil” too much, thereby not seeing crucial scenes
*rates reviews by uniqueness and not actual quality (example: Basquash getting the same score as Cowboy Bebop)
So yeah…I wouldn’t either blog is perfect in “liking artistic integrity” as you put it.
I have to disagree with you completely. The whole experience at RandomC has improved tremendously since Divine took over the helm and I never quite understood why someone would even say otherwise. The quality (and quantity) of the impressions, the season previews, the embedded pictures, the site banners, the video player, the comment sections, essentially everything gone up a few notches for the better. The success is probably reflected in the number of visitors to the site too and it’ll be hitting 80 mil any day now. Comparing RandomC to Starcrossed is like comparing an iPhone to a Nokia. Psgel has a pretty good blog but it’s very apparent who has the better product as well.
Sorry to respond to this again, but I missed this line when I read his post the first time:
But here, only niche titles are followed.
He says this in the comments for one of the most anticipated titles of the season!
And what non-niche shows aren’t being covered? Horizon, Persona 4, Fate/Zero, Guilty Crown, Haganai, Shana…what in the world do you think is being skipped out on?
He’s probably referring to never-ending-shounen shows…exclusive fans of this stuff tend to be rather, errm, “close-minded,” putting it lightly…
Let me clarify–the reason why I replied in this zone to begin with is because of how Divine directly addressed criticism. I also couldn’t care less about shonen shows.
Let’s not feed the troll…
The articles here at Random Curiosity, especially the ones by Divine are the pinnacle of anime blog quality and consistency, as far as I’m concerned. And his diverse tastes are one of the largest contributing factors to this quality. Diverse tastes eliminate preference bias, and as a result of this, Divine’s articles are pretty much the most objective and even-handed that I’ve ever read just about anywhere on the web by far; they are also some of the deepest and most engaging, owing to his extensive knowledge and understanding of anime that is second to none. I’ve learnt more about anime from reading his articles over the years than I have from any other source.
Back in my younger years, I started out just like any other teenager, sticking to popular shows and your typical shounen fare (e.g. Bleach, which was why I started following Random Curiosity in the first place). Then eventually, Divine came along and joined the crew; his diverse blogging encouraged me to venture out of my comfort zone and try watching other kinds of shows- and it was only then that I began to realize how much I’d been missing out on all along. There is so much more to anime besides never-ending-shounen and the popular stuff, and I would have never been exposed to all of that without Divine.
It’s thanks to Divine’s blogging that I’ve learned to enjoy virtually ANY kind of show, regardless of genre. In the current season, I’m watching virtually everything on the site’s Fall 2011 Schedule, minus two or three, and enjoying everything that I watch. Looking back, I can hardly believe that there was a time when I wouldn’t even consider watching shows like MM!, Ika-Musume or Idolm@ster, shows which I enjoy(ed) a lot.
And on the matter of objectivity; objectivity is a rare and valuable quality which few people possess, which I value highly and strive for at all times. As I mentioned above, Divine’s articles are by far the most objective and even-handed that I’ve ever read on any anime site. I was really impressed when he decided to blog Kiss x Sis considering what a controversial show it is- quite an undertaking; the zenith of objectivity, as far as anime blogging goes. Divine and Random Curiosity are the best examples of objectivity in anime blogging, which is one of the biggest reasons why I love this site.
I’m relatively new to Anime, but a striking thing I see is how (most of
the time) the Anime characters are generally a reflection of the underlying
Japanese culture that created them; it’s an over-simplification I know.
An Anime character is appreciative of their peers’ efforts even if those
acts are not up to their personal standards. There’s also a hierarchy of
respect, and with rare exception, those lines are not crossed in the story’s
execution. When they are, it seems to be in a constructive manner
(yes, I realize it’s make-believe). I believe that for many, that may be
the core appeal of Anime – the heart of Anime. I could easily go on…
Obviously, those thoughts reflect my personal insight. I’ve considered
the time it would take to duplicate the effort put into this site, and
I gotta say, I’m not up to it. Doing a full time job, site administration,
writing, spell checking, editing, watching, doing caps, reading comments,
working with other bloggers to form a cohesive environment, responding
to the community – unless there’s magic involved, I couldn’t do it as
effectively and as consistently as is done here. I’d burn out for sure.
If I can’t offer anything to build the site or its community, I shut up.
But I’m not perfect…
You comment provides too many opportunities that I decline to take advantage of.
Thank you for burning an hour or so of Divine’s time that could have been
spent on personal matters that needed attention or matters related to the
Anime community. You did your best.
dude chill out. animes are not that serious
First off: Divine isn’t Omni.
Second: As previous and more frequent posters to the site have said, RC posts on many a different genre. That is what makes RC one of (if not) the best in information and impressions when it comes to blogging anime. Omni did it before, and I am one of many who appreciate the fact that Divine took up his mantle, and has not disappointed yet.
Your mileage may vary, and you have indeed voiced your opinion about this, but if you’re really not satisfied about what goes on here, either don’t visit, or blog everything at your own version of RC.
….do we have to compare Star Crossed to this site every time ? let it be, man. each to their own. if you don’t like Divine’s opinions, then you’re free to leave, you know.
Mantle:
“…don’t pay attention to what I said dude. i was toooootally drunk when i made that post”, “dude chill out. animes are not that serious…”
Drunk? Sure… These rebuttals seem more petty than your initial post, better off posting while your “drunk”. Take it like a man… say ya screwed the pooch and flamed away horribly.
Whoa, now here’s a show with a budget! You can tell that they really pumped the $$$ into the production of this first episode- may this level of animation quality never waver.
Before watching this first episode, I was quite apprehensive about how Guilty Crown would turn out; it was relatively low on my most anticipated list due to the overhype and the apparent genericness of the two leads. Inori initially seemed (to me) to be your typical “ming vase” damsel in distress (pretty to look at, useless otherwise), while Shuu looked like he would almost certainly fall into one of the several shounen-hero archetypes. The setting looked promising, but I had no idea how the atmosphere would turn out, so I decided that I couldn’t make any early evaluations based on that.
But after seeing episode 1’s stellar quality, I have to say that my apprehension about Guilty Crown has nigh completely evaporated. Inori turned out to be anything but your typical, fragile female lead; instead maintaining her composure under threat and torture. Shuu on the other hand does seem to fall into one of the several shounen-hero archetypes; i.e. angtsy and aloof, but even then there is significant depth to his character, as Divine so astutely pointed out. Also, the atmosphere of this show turned out to be a good match for the setting; there was a constant sense of urgency and danger- far from the typical lighthearted shounen fare that I had expected.
About the only gripe I have with the first episode of Guilty Crown is it’s pacing. It did feel a little rushed; going from “grand escape” to “genocide” in little more than 15 minutes- but the mitigating factor is that even at the points where things were slightly rushed, they never really felt incoherent , and stayed quite fluid (except, perhaps, for that convenient escape from the APC). A necessary evil of introductory episodes, I suppose, and a minor problem if at all; I’m really just nitpicking because I can find so little wrong with this first episode.
What Guilty Crown lacks in originality, it certainly more than makes up for in execution, as Fencedude pointed out above. The fluidity of this first episode’s plot progression says a lot about the quality of the writing for this show, and I’m convinced that the writers should be able to handle Guilty Crown’s complex setting competently- and I’m sure the pacing will improve progressively as the groundwork is laid.
If Production I.G. keeps up what it did in this first episode, (along with some solid character development) then this may just end up as my favorite of the season…
Oh, and kudos to Divine, you certainly have a good eye for quality; picking out a good show with only trailers, flyers and articles to go on- that’s quite a feat! 😉
Nobody mentioned a ton of flashbacks being spoiled at the near-end of episode? Well, that’s kinda cheap method of telling “hey,this character will have a good development/depth later on”, but at least I’m a bit relieved that Shuu should be developed well and have some depths behind his flashback.
No comments about music and arts, they were brilliant as expected from the staffs behind them. Now, give me ep. 2 so I can hear “My Dearest” so my expectation will be satisfied (Since the story and directing department aren’t too good for now…But it’s still ep 1)
I don’t think that was as much flashbacks as flashes of memory due to his reaction. And the obvious implication is that they have met before and she remembers him, which is why she did the string bridge to make him remember.
first, i wanna say divine if u can and want to, u should always keep writing reviews (especially for anime) cuz your writing rox and is personally my favorite. try not to let vehemently vocal first-time commentators get to u too much!
second, i jus wanna say that guilty crown is AMAZING! admittedly, shuu was a bit too shinji-like, but it was prolly done on purpose so we can monitor his growth and prolly end up cheering for him later on. and even tho he was a scaredy-cat about the whole kidnapping incident people forget he accidentally did the right thing. if he tried to save her he woulda jus gotten beatup and probably killed. but now he can get the power of kings, save the world, get cute inori, and all that jazz lol.
it also seems people care a bit too much bout guilty crown doin things other animes have done before. one, completely and truly original anime r probably really really hard to make well (maybe impossible?) at this point. two, granted, originality is definitely a plus, but using well received ideas is fine. i mean, we liked em before so why cant we like em again? for example, flame of recca was pretty much yu yu hakusho except with different characters and flame dragons instead of a demonic heritage. i loved both anime and jus like how guilty crown is similar to code geass ill prolly end up loving guilty crown jus like how i ended up loving code geass.
Originality… that’s a philosophical debate. Nothing is ever, truly, original. We can only add in something, from something or somewhere else, to take an idea to another direction. That’s the main reason why we see elements of other anime in the shows that we watch. That’s what I think anyway.
The female lead is most alluring. Rarely do I see female characters with such luscious lip color. The ones that I’ve seen so far are not so natural looking. The visuals are very good nice. I’d like to compare it with Fate/zero, but I wouldn’t be able to decide which was better.
Liking it so far. The hype you’ve made was not for nothing!
Actually, I retract the statement I made regarding the quality 😛
Fate/zero is clearly superior. This one is very good regardless!
Great first episode. Definitely lived up to its hype. Hot Girls, great music, giant robots and lots of explosions it got it all. The biggest draw for me is the fact that its an original work. The other hyped shows this season, Fate/Zero and Persona 4, I’ve read/played them know how it ends. This on the other hand is all new territory so I can get excited about what happens next.
Fence pretty much nailed it, it takes every cliche and executes it very well. Everything just looks gorgeous. There is clearly effort put into this original show since it mixes both the atmosphere and the action well. And of course it has giant robots.
Guilty Crown…what an odd title
What exactly is a guilty crown?
The still shot said, “Guilty Crown: the boy who acquire a special ability to fight his enemies with the essence of the person essence material as a weapon…”
Where is the guilt? Where is the crown? Maybe becuase Guilty Gear title was already taken. Like I said, very odd title, but catchy…
They should have called it by its real name “My Big Badass Sword”…
Guilty Crown is explained in the promo material: “The right to use my friend as a weapon, that is a sinful crown I will adorn.” What that means about how the ability interacts with its “hosts”, I have no idea. Doesn’t sound good, though.
Someone let me know if anybody tries to cosplay this. I’d like to see how it holds-up in reality. 😐
i mean this.
There`s always fashion tape, though you`d neat a crapload of it.
Any shade of red is gorgeous in my opinion…
Then again, I am a Scorpio and we do love our red. AS for the outfit, it is possible, but you either have to design it perfectly in the cosplayer’s proportion or use invisible strap. I see the best idea is to make a skin-color like suit underneath and add the outfit over it.
I’d love to cosplay her Show Spoiler ▼
…but I think I’d do a different outfit(that black promo one is what I have in mind if it ever shows up). I’m not bold enough..and my friends would probably stay away from me if I ever tried.
Yuumei: true dat.
I’m hoping this won’t come off the wrong way but I’m almost certain it will:
I love character designs with Inori’s proportions. I actually really hate overly busty girls like those seen in Maken-Ki this season (hence why Kodama is my favorite) and prefer much more realistic curves. They only need to be a handful! That goes for real-life too!
Inori is by far and large the most attractive anime character I’ve seen in a while, which is why I had to put her in the site banners (header and sides).
You have awesome tastes Divine. That’s all I can say ;D
im with you on that divine
How can you like small tits divine you pedophile!! Kidding of course but I’m suprised the trolls havent had a field day with this one already ^_-
I too like small proportional breasts.
“Inori is by far and large the most attractive anime character I’ve seen in a while, which is why I had to put her in the site banners (header and sides)…”
LOL! Look like it was love at first sight for Divine…
umm.. Jin. I don’t think Divine meant he likes them small.. “realistic curves” and “hate overly busty” doesn’t mean small. I think he means just right and proportional, not small and not super big. :p
Ok, I’m not gonna beat around bush and just say Inori’s attactive. Felt a slight surge in my peeker. That’s a first for a cartoon, this normal?
That was a promising first episode and I can’t to see how the series will turn out. The songs and the visuals are already amazing. I really enjoyed chelly’s performance so far. Also Kaji Yuuki is a really good fit for Shuu.
Also, I totally didn’t notice the text on the eyecatch. Thanks for pointing that out.
very impressed 0_0 ( music, art, voice over etc )
on a side note.. its so sensual >_<
Yummy, this fall season’s full of win.
-cough-
You are an A-awesome blogger who should die in a harem with plenty of cute little anime girls and I will be visiting Random Curiosity the next time I open my browser!
-cough-
I will echo what rummy said, this fall season’s full of win! 🙂
Pros: Elegant and colorful character design (at least with the pink haired one…), great music
Cons: CLICHES OUT OF THE WAZOO (wimpy amnesiac protag, totalitarian government no doubt linked to the plot, classmate supporting character who probably has crush on protag, singer idol with weapon inside her is actually protag’s childhood friend, etc.)
Conclusion: Shiny, good looking, but bland as duck. Mass public will likely still enjoy it because of it.
For the record the BGM is actually not by Supercell but by Hiroyuki Sawano of Ao No Exorcist and Gundam Unicorn. Supercell only handles some of the theme songs. Just want to throw this out there since nobody seems aware of who they actually should be praising for the music.
Subtle difference yeah. I only said “theme songs by Supercell” in the season preview, but I probably should’ve made that more clear.
I actually don’t think the dress looks that magical. The collar should be able to hold it up and there is some visually obvious reinforcements (they stand out quite a bit from the rest of the dress), notably above the cleavage and below the breasts, that help keep it close.
As for reusing stuff, everyone does it, it’s just a matter of picking up the bits and pieces of it.
I highly agree with you there…
Every great ideas that we all deem as “original” actually is an evolved form of a reuse idea from somebody else. In short, original anime derived from used anime, but add a new dimension to it or simply bring it to the next level.
So if people say Guilty Crown is not original, then maybe it haven’t reach its evolutionary point yet that make it stand out. If you recall, Code Geass was highly mocked for its usage of Mecha similar to Gundam. The only noticeable differences were it has wheels on its feet and radar sensors on its head.
I like how you spent the entire first two chapters talking about yourself…
I’m going to assume you’re being sarcastic…..
You do realise that it is _his_ site right?
If I had a site I’d talk about myself how ever much I’d want and not give a fuck.
Chapters? You mean paragraphs, right?
From what you said stuff, it look like Inori is not the only egoist here…
Can I say that the set-up and the plot seems like been there done that. . .but the eyegasms that we get from the production team is what we are praising? That’s my first impression. The visuals were awesome but the story itself seems a bit bland. . .not to mention. . . .the concept has been use repetitively for other stories. . .childhood friend, japan trying to liberate itself, and magic that can pull stuff the voids and etc. . .yup yup we know where they got all their ideas from but hey. . .why not right? I mean incredible visuals!
Okay I’ll re post what I posted on MAL
Overall I love this one… Tsugumi, Gai, Inori, Shu
I already love their char…. Music is epic…graphics is above average
Yeah the story is somewhat generic….But man don’t always expect a unique show(how many years since the 1st anime aired?)
What important is how well they delivered that “story”
Good episode (great visually) but I can’t say it’s won me over completely just yet. The animation and BGM are one of the best we’ve seen for quite some time but the pacing and character development were a bit of a mess. It seems like the creators were trying too hard to sell the show in episode 1 but with visuals like that and 2 cours to work with, I don’t see what’s the rush. It takes time to get used to Kaji Yuuki as the male lead too (his high pitch yelling *shudders*). Miyano Mamoru completely won me over after Steins;Gate so I hope Yuuki leaves a better impression with GC too.
Good start, the music was great, let’s just hope it doesn’t drown in any shonen-esque shenanigan and keeps it’s serious undertone
Decent. Un-Go was between for me, but this one’s pretty good as well. Character designs are generic, but the animation quality is stunning. Almost movie-level. I’m hoping I.G has some major funds for this so that they can maintain the quality throughout.
Typo:
between= betterLoved the opening scene & music. I’m a sucker for that kind of dark, night city theme.
So far so good. I’m fairly certain this anime will be average at least. The real question is whether it’ll break out of mediocrity and show us something epic. Don’t let me down.
Btw, “who ended up flashing him” – good catch Divine.
I have been following this site for quite a long time now (at least 3 years)… I love the coverage and the only thing I can say is “keep the good work Divine… haters gonna hate.”
Code Geass eps 1+ macross singing + shining tear sword system+ command spell+ghost in the shell mecha+ erementar gerad sword…………….. Did I miss something?
It was so fucking good but somehow feels like a lot of deja vu^^
Try to describe what you just said, but don’t use any other anime title and see what happen…
Was really anticipating this show, especially because of the sci-fi and bit of romance mixture and of course the fact that Supercell are in it as well. However, as much as I liked the beginning (not loved, u see I’m a girl, boobies, especially exposed, are not really my thing, but what’s an anime without it, right guys:D), the end was a bit too rush… The fact that everyone was kind of anticipating from a scholar to save the girl, him participating right away in dangerous operations, where blood is spilling all around and so on. But, I bet there will be a proper explanation about the power of Sho’s, his past and am looking forward for a connection between all of this, otherwise, even the beautiful animation won’t help…
I really loved the opening with the character singing. The ED theme was beautiful, too.
Although the action music sounded blah (for lack of a better explanation).
I’ve noticed that, except for some very simple concepts, 1 cour series always seem rushed
to me. So I’m happy this will run more than 12/13 episodes.
I like the immediate pairing of the characters – now we can watch their development instead
of guessing if they’ll ever Boy x Girl. I’m more impressed with the girl at this point
as the boy seemed uncommitted and weak (sorry about not mentioning their names – in a rush
to look them up).
I’m hoping for a well-paced thoughtful development through this series – good start so far.
to put it simply…. i had the same impression as i had while watchin fate zero ep 1…. couldnt resist watching it a few more times
and i must say… there’s 2 BIG reasons for me to watch the show and its ayase and inori
I want to watch it again too even just parts of it, right now I’m just looping the songs…
I always restrict myself from rewatching for any anime. That way I can marathon any great series later in their 1080p glory. I watched Guilty Crown on my actual TV, it’s been a while since I’ve bothered but I think that made it so much more exhilarating.
This episode left quite a good impression on me. But there’s this tiny little bug…
…
After rising that BFS (is there an official name for this yet?) up, while looking all high & mighty, Shuu’s “What is this?” quote is just so… lolworthy. Just saying.
i cant get enough of the music
To early to judge if this will be a hit or miss. Watching this ep just reminded me how i hated C.G. when it started but eventulallly loved it near the end.
@Divine
It is out of topic but I wanted to ask this for a while now, Would it possible for randomc to use html5 instead of flash for streaming? I prefer reading this site with my ipad on the bed rather than sitting at my desktop but as everyone knows, ipad can’t show flash content. I think there might be a few more people on the same boat too.
I enjoy this first episode and looking forward to see more development later on. Visual is very good and I love op song instantly, too bad it was not Kayano Ai’s voice. She is new seiyuu but became one of my favorite quickly after Ano Hana, she sings very well too (from Ano Hana & KamiMemo chara song).
Lastly, thank you all randomc staffs for maintaining this great anime review site, I’ve been fan of this site for a couple years now, when it was still at animeblogger. Keep up the great work!
Same. I also like to browse the site on my iPad, so HTML 5 support for the videos would be appreciated.
The episode was okay for, I guess. Have to see how it continues in episode 2 and if it develops an “original” story. So, not surprisingly, Fate/Zero stays my favorite series of the season, so far.
Pretty generic and the main character is annoying but… Pretty well made. LOL.
Lelouch still alive?? , but ….. not this way
Shuu shared no resemblance to Lelouch…
The only thing that link the two together is the power of kings. Maybe they should have called it, “Power of Gods” to avoid the Code Geass comparison…
That was ab-so-lute-ly gorgeous!!! I wasn’t disappointed in the slightest!
Incredible first episode. This show definitely has the potential to be my favorite series of the year, or at least one of my favorites. And Inori sure seems like a very intriguing character.
I want to hear more from that “chelly”. Her voice is simply mesmerizing.
First off, the blog’s doing fine as it is as far as I can see. Then again, a lot of my opinions and tastes seem to be similar to Divine’s (except for the harem shows). I did sort of miss the summaries of what happened that were in Omni’s posts, but that stopped bothering me a long time ago.
As for the episode, production wise it looked great in terms of design and music.
The plot thus far isn’t very original though and I hope it can manage to find its own unique identity as the show goes on.
Shu isn’t the most likable protagonist I suppose, but honestly I can’t blame him for some of his reactions when those military guy showed up. I’d be pretty damn scared too if some guy was threatening to kill me like that. Curious as to whether this ability is something he was always capable of and was simply unlocked or if it was just one of those chance things with him being chosen. That Gai seemed to trust him that much despite seemingly just meeting him seems to be some sort of indication they can trust him.
Those little flashbacks were interesting and seem to indicate either repressed memories or amnesia. Like that’s new. If Inori is an old friend, it’s funny that he has no memory of that though. Maybe that could be part of the reason he seems fascinated by her.
Inori doesn’t seem to have much in the way of character just yet, though she does seem to have some inner strength as Divine pointed out. I just hope she expands a bit. Though I could have sworn I saw the seemingly child Inori get swallowed up in some crystal things during Shu’s flashback.
The Anti-Bodies seem too blatantly evil with how they seemed to decide to kill everyone simply because Inori wouldn’t talk.
I still find the whole Void ability to be quite interesting and hope to see more of it, especially with other people to see what he takes from them. Shu seemed to have a moment where he was completely different and knew exactly what to do before snapping out of it.
They seemed to be trying too hard to make Gai come off as cool. That BGM when he was beating those guys up felt a little ridiculous.
Curious how everyday school life is going to factor in here. It feels blatantly obvious Shu’s friend from school has some sort of thing for him. Wouldn’t it be great if for once she didnt?
Happy Birthday Divine!
It’s Divine’s birthday? LOL how do you even know this? For a second I thought we had the same birthday, then I realized that Oct 15th just rolled over…If this is true then:
Happy Birthday Divine~ Hope you can get a break from RC/work in general, even if it’s for a day. (:
I don’t know about Divine but happy birthday Saya.
14th for me. Thanks everyone.
Happy bday Saya.. you should also get a cake and light it on fire to make a wish!
Oh LOL then we do have the same birthday, I’m Oct 14th too~ Double awesome.
And thanks guys! CX
Well, Happy Birthday then Divine and Saya
Why not?! It couldn’t hurt to be wrong…
I was preventing myself greeting him on the comments because it might turn into a greeting frenzy.. Oh well, cat’s out of the bag..
HAPPY BDAY DIVINE! Get some cake, light it on fire then make a wish! 😀
You guys are seriously pretty negative about this- it’s an anime- enjoy it. The animation was solid, the protagonists aren’t pathetic, and they didn’t shove tons of information into the first episode.
It’s not Code G.
It’s not Ghost in the Shell
It’s Guilty Crown. Now please, lets move on to then next episode
I didn’t like the first episode but I like the music and it rocks. Maybe if i watch the next episode, I might like it. 😀
P.s. I support you Divine and you know how loyal I am to the site. :3
I absolutely loved it! The visuals were stunning and the music was fantastic. I can’t wait to hear “My Dearest” in the next episode. I love, love, love Inori’s character design. I guess the only complaints that I have are that it felt a bit rushed to me and that Shu kind of annoyed me in the begginning. I didn’t mind so much that he was scared (I’d be too if those guys were pointing guns at me), but… I don’t know. Something about him just rubbed me the wrong way. I think he redeemed himself by the end though. I’m really looking forward to the next episode.
I really hate all the Code Geass comparison. What really made that anime legendary, as opposed to just a good anime, was Lelouch… Shu can’t even touch Lelouch. He’s your typical clueless teenager who’s only characteristic is drooling over a hot girl.
Everything about the anime looks awesome. And it certainly has the potential to be epic. I just hope the story and characters will help this anime reach its potential. Otherwise, it will just be great eye candy with no substance.
The only thing that was legendary about Geass was how it was an instant meme generator.
I am loving this show but it makes me think about wanting another Code Geass series 🙁
DAMNIT! what is that song they used in the second half of PV2?! That song has been permanently stuck in my head and it was neither the OP or ED of the show.
It’s called “My Dearest”. It’s the opening which I guess will start in the next episode. At least, I hope it does because I love the song.
My Dearest is actually the very first song the third song in pv2 however. I guess we’ll hear it in insert songs sooner or later. Yay for more music.
@saya what are you saying?
My dearest is the 2nd song on PV 2 and PV 3
the other song on PV are performed by(EGOIST)
LOL geez sorry sorry. Just found that out was about to ammend it.
Also went a bit engrishy. It’s early morning forgive my constantly sleep deprived brain. As for my mistake: I was listening to the songs and I guess the uploaders named them wrongly? I didn’t mean to feed the wrong info.
Wait… so the song that was played at the start of Episode 1 is not ‘My Dearest’?
Ahh, I just realized the answer to my question is on the blog post.
Now I have to spend another week looping the PV to listen to the song 🙁
@saya lolz don’t worry about that.. I’m just clarifying things
and yeah the 1st song on episode 1 is not my dearest it’s “Euterpe”
And yeah a lot of youtube uploader named it my dearest =.=
Cant say it is bad
neither can i say its very good
reminds me of ghost in the shell(robots) + dantalian no shoka(chest thingy)
Shu is an introvert; one may suppose he’s the worst kind: one who keeps himself insulated from others as much as possible because he’s afraid to get hurt. At the very least, he acknowledges that he’s not satisfied anymore with that, and proceeds to become an anime protagonist.
Typical of an anime lead, but I’m currently watching this for the spectacular music and visuals, and Inori of course. She is beautiful.
As for Shu, either he will grow into his role and find his place (and we’ll give him props for it) or deny it and go back into his shell / comfort zone. Obviously he’ll do the latter first (which is what typically happens, and this induces rage in anime watchers) and then the former.
It’s only been the first episode. Let’s enjoy the ride, shall we?
The only striking thing I find this series and Code Geass have in common is strong female lead who gives the protagonist an amazing power. The other elements can be found in many titles, I guess.
I find the protagonist to be alright, not as lame as I thought he would be. It is very natural be to shit scared if you are threatened by government for helping terrorists out of nowhere, and he even proves that he got balls by finally taking whatever that thing is to Gai, although I highly suspect most of his real motivation has something to do with sublimely beautiful and sensual girl. What bothers me the most is actually his self pity monologue which becomes increasingly irritating every minute.
But hell yes he needs to become much more badass to make this series stand out in the run.
Production wise, AWESOME is the best way to describe this. It is like, the studio tells the animator to make it as beautiful as possible, while not giving a shit about the cost. On the other hand, I am not buying the story. Yet. Let’s enjoy the ride 🙂
There is so much brain control for the unwashed masses in this anime its hard to filter them all -_- but i like the high quality so ill probably watch it.
I have to say that this impressed me. More than Geass, it reminds me a little of Zeta Gundam in the aspect of the one entity to control everything (Titans in Z) and the neutral civilian answering the “Call of Destiny” (something that I really miss in the current Gundam Age). It may have several clichés, but this first ep have more substance than many of the other series this season without being cheap.
Shu had the balls to decided to take action when it required, something that 99% of MC’s don’t usually do lately. Inori is truly mysterious, and I’m waiting to see the science aspect of the series, especially when she can use a GitS Thermo-optic Camuflage.
Great write up Divine. You are one of the only people that have accurately described Shu’s abilities. Almost everywhere else I have game people have said “hurr durr this is so Generic the MC meets a girl with special powers and givs him a sword” I cant wait until he manifests other peoples personalities as a tool/weapon. Apparently it can be things other than weapons like a camera or a musical instrument.
It’s like they made this show purely for my viewing pleasure. Enjoyed pretty much every aspect of the first episode. One gripe I have is what a big faggot the main character is. Then again, thats a complaint I have for a lot of shows where the main character is either a bamf or a social retard.
Guilty Crown… what an awesome anime, It was all what I was expecting of it, blowed my mind… I`m still speechless, but when I read @DIVINE’s coment I was really surprised hearing about complains… @DIVINE I say that you don`t have to worry about, you do always a really good job in this awesome webpage, If people doesn`t want to read your blogs so they should go somewhere else, or create their own blogs (if they think that is easy)… nothing more to say for now .. ahhh @DIVINE rule’s
The last scene reminded me of a RF online. Shuu looked like a tiny Bellato wielding the monstrous Maneater relic sword.xD
I guess I expected too much.
Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed the episode but there was not anything new at all. It looked pretty and that’s about it.
But – and it’s a big one – there’s nothing too bad about that. It’s a first episode, being generic is alright here. They have two cours to work with this and it got a bit more intruiging in the end with the flashbacks and whatnot. So I still have hopes for this series. I am just going to turn them down a notch because I seriously doubt presentation will be able to stay on this level.
And the story will probably need a few more episodes (I recon around 9-10) to get going.
What is the meaning of psgels?
The blogger of Star Crossed Anime Blog.
It’s Productiong I.G.!
Of course it’s going to be good!
Very beautiful, as expected from Production I.G.~
I especially love the song in the first scenes of the episode. It really melted my heart.
I’ll expect even more better from the upcoming episodes. Can’t wait to know what will be the fate of Shu from here on.
And really, Ai Kayano and Kana Hanazawa. What’s there to miss? XD
It was good, but not thrilling. Definitely not Code Geass level…yet?
It feels like I know nothing about the main character; I think it could have struck a better balance between action and exposition.
I enjoyed the episode and it has great music and visuals, but when I saw the ending flashback scene when Shuu activated his power something just clicked. It made everything come together despite only raising more questions and made me really interested. Why Gai said “Protect it this time”, Why Inori and Gai seem to know who Shuu was (possibly even looked for him specifically, which would be why Inori was at the school’s closed off area), why Shuu can use the Void Genome, all these questions were fulfilled by that scene even though none of them were actually answered. Whatever stuff it “stole” from other anime or supposed cliches it contained, I really enjoyed this premiere.
Comparisons with Ghost in the Shell or Code Geass are there and far from negatives for me! You want to take ideas from 2 of my favorite shows, put together an amazing director, and production staff, and then ad character designs by Redjuice?! Oh yeaaaa THAT’S JUST HORRIBLE! I’m sorry did anyone see that opening???! Flawless. How often does anyone get to say that about anime anymore. So when I see some no name punk who has never created anything. Be negative on the 1ST comment (setting the tone by the way) of this article I have to take aim. This is some of the best anime to come along in years! I’m gonna dismiss it cause one character reminds me from another from Macross etc. If I were to do that, then everything that’s come out pretty much after say Macross or Gundam. I would therefore have to HATE! Which is pretty much everything today wouldn’t you say? Anime has always reinvented ideas. People! We didn’t pay $13.50 to watch this. Let’s just sit back and enjoy! Or.. You can choose not to watch for those very reasons (stated above) and leave the rest to those who can appreciate all the hard work it took to put together this piece of Art! Cause that’s what I saw last night. Moving Art!
loved the music, loved the animation and visuals — really did match my expectations (seems like many are dissatisfied- not sure what they were expecting there huh lol)
and loved the character designs from the beginning.
People keep comparing this to other stuff, but I think it’s fine nonetheless- in fact, it’s prob still too early to judge.
I think this will turn out to be a great series (and no, not because of Divine’s words or anything), just my very own personal opinion+evaluation.
Aside from the typical bland lead character and the overused premise, I love everything about this show. Though, In my opinion, it was just so over-hyped
Good animation quality and looks like it’s coming with an interesting story too.
But honestly, if Shuu didn’t decide to man up at the last minutes of the episode, I might not bother continuing it since I can’t stand coward main characters. Yes, I know that judging the show only with first episode is bad. And I know the coward mains won’t stay like that for more than 2 episodes but it’s still very annoying… unless with good reasons, which might be related to the virus incident 10 years ago as we’ve seen in the flashback scene.
I am so glad Divine is blogging it. I haven’t been this excited about an anime in a LONG TIME. I showed a few people the “summary post” you put on the season preview for the show and instantly more people wanted to watch Guilty Crown after they saw your post. So I thank you for it.
I think this show will be amazing, but let’s see how it goes. For once the hype didn’t disappoint.
I would also like to add that people should give the main character a chance. You can’t aspect the main character of an anime to be some sort of god or badass from the first episode. It leaves more room for development if we can see Shuu “grow” so to speak.
Anyone else looping the first 3 mins just to listen to the insert song? Love it so much…
The only unique thing about this series is it’s name, I’ll give it 2 more eps before dropping it.
Best comment EVER.
“I’m a lot more forgiving of his cowardice.”
Sigh.. I’m getting really angry because I keep hearing people blaming him, even worse is the blonde guy blaming him and even he himself.
What was he supposed to do against some 20 armed soldiers? Rush in and kick their asses for a stranger he met 5 minutes ago? I would like to see you in the same situation.
Aside from that I was very underwhelmed this episode. The writing is very lacking, the music very disappointing (I got so hyped up after hearing the opening) and feels misplaced. At the very least the art delivers and it was interesting enough to keep me watching for now.
That’s actually the other reason why I didn’t knock Shuu for not rushing to Inori’s aid. It was a lot more believable to see him do nothing.
Lol a hanakana character named shiomiya now where have I herd that before??? 😀
QQ about the supercell thing I really liked Nagi as their main female lead but I’m hoping this new girl will be just as good
In my opinion, its not really up to the hype.Its good but not great.There are a few things i dont really like.
– The music during the scene that introduce Gai is annoying.Not to mention that wierd sudden stop and restart of that music when they introduce Tsugumi.I think it would leave a bigger impact on how awesome he is if there is a different music or none at all.
– The scene where Ayase suddenly hold her chest is…well arousingly wierd. Is there an explantion on that or was that just fanservice? Hopely explained in later episode.
– The mechs looks kinda bad. Not the design,its that 3d CGI render stuff. I mean I was expecting something like in Code Geass or Break Blade but I got something like from Macross Frontier.Not that its bad, but…meh
– The cliches. Not that cliches are bad, since you cant tell a story without a few of them, but its kinda predictable, leaving that huge gap between the hype and the final result.But it is the first episode of the series, so this i dont really mind anyway.
Now for what I like about the episode…
– The music other than the one used on introducing Gai. The opening is just..eargasm
– The characters looks great. Espacially Inori. I was wonder how are they going to change Redjuice design to something more animated, but they did a good job.
– Inori. She is hot, cute, and tough like steel. I mean I am suprise on the beating she got thru the episode. I just LOVED her. She is going to be the first reason I’ll be watching the series.
– Inori…
– Did I mention Inori?
For Ayase, I assume she felt the impact of colliding with the other mech since she’s neurally linked to her own. At least, that’s the impression I got from that scene (in addition to the obvious fan-service element).
One word, InoShu…
All the celebrities got their couple nickname, why not Guilty Crown, too…
Although this is beautifully animated, this is beyond generic.
Will stick around for 2 more episodes at most.
It doesn’t stop me from saying this series is highly overrated and overhyped. (Otherwise this review wouldn’t begin with self-defense, now would it? The banner was in fact unncessary considering the series premiered yesterday)
So… I was re-watching some scenes and Shu’s apparent flashbacks got me thinking (especially when I saw this girl in the falling snow environment). 10 years ago the apocalypse virus caused the “Lost Christmas” event. Could it be that people forgot what happened, branding it “Lost Christmas”? hmmm..
Not bad, watchable. The story with the flashback seems interesting. Cloning, test subject or simply family of some researcher?
The animation is fantastic, the colors and shadows were done perfectly, the characters are cool and the music+ENDsong are soo AMAZING, beautiful and a very good start but not really fan of to much Sci-fi 😛 😀 :))
I’m interested in how they control mechs, and I wonder how they are going to insert the high school elements now that they’re terrorists?
Watched the first episode. Yeah I can see why a lot of people are comparing it to Code Geass. In any case it was ok, definitely going to continue watching to see if this is going to be a hit.
Well since people are already comparing the first ep to Geass then I guess I’ll just say that I like Geass ep1 more. 🙂
You know, it’s kind of depressing that almost everywhere I look I see people talking about how bad the first episode was in terms of execution and originality. I don’t really know why. I guess that’s why I’m kind of glad there’s at least some positivity here.
Yeah..everywhere you read about the first ep of GC you will notice an absurd amount of comparison…depressing indeed.
I actually think Ayase and Tsugumi are more beautiful than Inori, but to each their own.
That being said, this episode get’s a solid 7/10 for me. While I adore the art, music, and most of the characters, the Shuu’s a bit boring. But he can always get better much like Simon so that along with the fact more episodes could be better has me hooked already.
I think this was a pretty impressive first episode. Definately got my attention.
Although this seems to be one of the shows where characters have unreasonable expectations. Both the hero of himself and the others of the hero. Nobody seems to think an unarmed student fighting against serveral armed soldiers seems like a bad idea. Go figure. At least he got his superpower in the end.
This is just oozes of awesomenewss. I did not feel the hype initially because I wasn’t paying attention but wow the first episode is just great. And… audio porn lol.
Now that was seriously one hell of an introduction to this series! The animation, character’s and their designs, OST, everything! This here is probably gonna end up being the anime of the season! While not truly the most original anime I’ve seen since it feels like a combo of Code Geass, Final Fantasy, Ghost in the Shell and Deus Ex, Tetsuro Araki and Production I.G. do a brilliant job in bringing this to life! I’m certainly counting on Hiroyuki Yoshino to help use these concepts to deliver one of the most compelling stories that we’ve seen yet in an anime!
Oh forgot to add but seriously what could Shu have done if he was in that situation where the guys were capturing Inori. What COULD he have done.?Stupidly run in and save the damsel in distress and getting himself killed? He had nothing that could have helped him saved her and even trying is just stupid. What makes it interesting and shows that he’s not a total wimp is that after kicking himself over that, he tries to find what he CAN do to help. I think it’s not about doing something you have no power or ability to do but rather doing something that you can do. If he had the fighting ability of Gai and the soldiers had no guns, then I would say he’s a coward if he did not do anything but even if he had those fighting skills like Gai and those soldiers have guns, I still think that’s not a smart choice to run in and fight especially when you don’t even understand the circumstances around the soldiers and the girl.
Pretty decent, the awesome animation won the episode for me. The writing was lazy at parts, lots of cliches and a few plot holes and contrived parts How come that blonde guy knew who the kid was? Never explained. I guess it’s implied that he saw it through the robot but… Still. Not a good sign.
Plus a few things felt like borrowing. Code Geass w awesome let’s put in a scene where people are being massacred in the city, but with no real explain action why except its implied it’s for keeping a virus away or something. Hey, people like MAcross, let’s put in a singer girl but give her no personality.
…actually looking back, it’s not looking so good, though really, when I’m watching I just go along for the ride, XD and lately I’ve seen enough ad anime lately that this one is looking pretty good in contrast. Will keep watching, hoping the writing improves, they can do much better. Since we’re past the contrived beginning, hopefully the plot can stretch a bit and grow into tis own. ALOT of series I like have meh beginnings but glorious ends.
That was actually… pretty bad. It feels like a less cool Code Geass with Shinji Ikari as the protagonist. Don’t get me wrong, I liked it and I want Guilty Crown to succeed, but I found quite a bit of things which were pretty annoying. I think it’s just easier to line up what I thought was done right and what was done wrong.
The positives:
+ The music; fantastic! Seriously, bravo!
+ The animation, incredibly smooth action scenes
The negatives:
– The pacing was downright awful all throughout. Should’ve been split into at least two episodes
– Shuu is pathetic. It isn’t his cowardice, which I understand since most people would stand on the sidelines given the situation, but the self-loathing was absolutely unbearable.
– The whole “Ima pull a knife on you” confrontation between Shuu and the gang was just stupid and very random imo.
– I just find it absurdly difficult that the resistance instantly trusts Shuu immediately after threatening him.
Maybe I’m being too harsh, but I just disliked a bunch about this particular episode. I predict that the overall result will get better, but for now I’m a bit let down.
“the self-loathing was absolutely unbearable.”
It wasn’t that long…
Also I think the resistance “trusts” him right away probably due to the circumstances. They don’t have the time to figure out whether he’s good or bad since the soldiers are coming in slaughtering people left and right. They just know that he have no choice but to listen to them and try to live.
“I just find it absurdly difficult that the resistance instantly trusts Shuu immediately after threatening him.”
Another reason…. A man who bother going to their meeting spot just to give what inori failed to give….add the little speech of shu while the thugs trying to get fyu neru
I find the self loathing silly as I actually had more respect for him at that time rather then later when he snapped and charged the guns unarmed. It takes more guts to admit your weakness and the title of coward to do the best in a bad situation. Understandably so is this an anime where people power up randomly, but it doesn’t make it less of a stupid act. It’s a bit more understandable I guess if we assume he had only planed to get the girl out of the danger, rather then assaulting mechs with his fists.
yeah the self-loathing was short.
They could’ve made more character dev. out of it but ah well
Well, I guess since it’s the first episode, a lot of answers are still to come – but surely I felt the episode sometimes rushed and clichéd – they could’ve done some stuff better. Maybe there’ll be explanations for these on the next episodes, who knows.
I just feel like this should have been split into two episodes, especially since it’s a 2-cour. But as you said, this is only the first episode, so there’ll be more answers and hopefully better episodes to come. I just really want this series to succeed.
“The whole “Ima pull a knife on you” confrontation between Shuu and the gang was just stupid and very random imo.”
Shows that he was in a slum-like area, i’ve been to those kinds of places and it’s more common than what we in good areas would like to think.
I’ll actually take that one back. While I still think they could have gone without that scene, it wasn’t actually that foolish of a scene and helped introduce the resistance.
I guess I was just being a little to critical, haha.
The reason why they portray Shuu as cowardly is that later on, as he undergoes more experiences , you will see the changes that happen to him. Its called contrast. Its called change.
The reason why they show the confrontation in the slum is to introduce the “Cool and Aloof” character, Gai. Gai serves as a contrast to Shuu.
It seems like everyone complains about cliches, but most people dont even understand the most basic plot devices in storytelling. Instead they whine about the details. It’s like taking someone to an opera and hear them complaining about how a male is playing a female character, or how the costumes look stupid.
Wow. I really like the series so far. It’s been a while for an anime to captivate me with the first episode. I especially like, Shu, because maybe he reacted like a normal human being would–probably be relieved that he was away from danger instead of automatically thinking “IM A MAN I MUST SAVEEE HERRRRR” Anyways, great episode.
wow just wow, i havent watched it yet, but the screencaps, OP Seq and your summary divine, AS ALWAYS, have intrigued me into loving this series already. I was already hyped by the banners, preview, and polls, but i also read anime-take forums and such to find out whats good per season.
So far random c has not failed me yet, if a series fell short of hype its the veiwers fault and the direction of the story and pacing (using blood-c as my example, i still like it alot though)
I personally love artisitic quality and creativity in anime, of course story and development have much more to do with anime success but when both go hand in hand, a series can surpass phenomenal levels (Ano hana, Madoka, Steins Gate, Code Geass)
P.S.
Divine do not let anyone on this site even faze you, ive also been a long time follower of this site, since about 1yr before omni left and have seen the amazing work and progress you have made with this site, i visit this site religiously every single day (no lie). You have done some outstanding work blogging the various animes per season, especially with the increase in the number for a few of the past season, and i take your opinions with high regard. Yes you are human and you make mistakes, and not every word out of your mouth is gold (lol) but you are also maintaining this site with your increasingly busy schedule for the most part for free (i dont see this site polluted with ads so…).
To sum up you have done a fantastic job with the site and i know Omni is freakin proud of you, and every good anime otaku who’s been part of this site will agree with me.
Keep up the good work dude and remember
HATERS GONNA HATE
Couldn’t have said it better Fractal…I too almost religiously visit this site every day; and I will never get tired of saying a big THANK YOU Divine for everything you’ve done and are doing for this site!
Catchy intro (mecha stuff + an hot girl singing and flirting with a fucking Espada? That’s cool!) but messy episode. I don’t know what to think, everything seems a little too confusing. By the way, picking a sword like that (damn, it seems the futuristic version of Gatsu’s Dragonslayer) from the chest of a girl is clearly symbolic. I can’t decipher it yet, but it’s sooo symbolic.
I hardly ever bother to comment, due to mostly my own laziness but I feel that you are still doing a great job holding this blog together, keep it up and don’t let people bother you.
Other than that, I found it very similar to GEASS but like you said it’s not a bad thing. Here’s to hoping the females will carry this series like how C.C and the others did for GEASS(especially considering Shuu isn’t nowhere near as awesome as Lelouch).
So i have just checked out the OP theme…
I am curious and might check this out just because i’m curious….
Why the hell would that rebellion send their star figure/ambassador to such a dangerous mission?! Does not make much sense. 😐
BTW. Dear Divine..
Please, please don’t let those haters affect you… RandomC is the only animeblog site that i subscribe to… because for me this is the most reliable, unbiased, anime blog i’ve ever been. From the past till now… And that makes you one of my most favorite blogger.
Please continue blogging! :3
Ai Kayano is amazing.
haters can always hate, but don’t let that bother divine. I have been visiting this site since the first episode of code geass R1 and never got tired of reading your awesome bloggings !! I won’t quite on this blog unless it decides to quite on me ( metaphorically of course ^^)
Thanks for the concern everyone, but I’m not so much bothered as I am amazed by where these predetermined misconceptions come from. I couldn’t understand the rationale behind them and figured I’d seriously respond at least once so that anyone who legitimately thinks the same gets their facts straight.
I’m open to criticism, but only the kind that makes sense and is from regular readers that I actually care about.
To be frank, I thought that the Guilty Crown banner and background came about a month a too early. I don’t even remember a series that got both a banner and a background before it even premiered, except for maybe Infinite Stratos if my memory isn’t failing me. Series’ with banners have always been ultra popular ever since the shift to Randomc.net from the old site, so I guess it’s a bit unfair to the other series.
Anyways, that isn’t really much of a problem. I actually thought the Fate/Zero spoilers on future events were worse, and those weren’t even that bad.
I have to agree. It would have been nice if Divine had edited his Fate/Zero ep. 2 post, considering how many complained about the spoilers.
Divine, just ignore them.
It’s your site and you can do with it as you please, the banner/sidebars don’t affect anyone really so I don’t see why they’re so butthurt.
you put whatever banner you think looks sexy on this site. I’ll still come even if you pick favorites before they premiere, you don’t listen to them haters you hear?
Divine you’re doing just fine. Keep posting your personal opinions and tastes. That’s what I’m here for.
I love watching Anime and it’s even more enjoyable when people share their viewpoints and opinions with others. Doesn’t matter if those opinions are different or the same as mine. That’s why you have to ignore those haters.
This is awsome! That´s all I can see after seen this episode. If every episode from this on is like this then I have a winner for the best anime I´ve seen in a while. The character designs are beatiful, especially Inory and the personality of the main ones is really interesting.
Shuu is very different form your typical heroe and that might be good since I don´t think he is a hopeless coward, at the very least he has the determination to improve, shown in how he came back for Inori dispite it was almos suicide. I love when Character has grows and matures in the development, makes curious of how Shuu will turn out at the end.
Next Inori, I don´t words to discribe he, she has some kind of aura of determination around her that make imposible to judge her true character at first sight. She doesn´t seem you typical anime heroine at all, never seen someone take so much damage without saying a word.
I don´t think is possible to predict where the story is headed but I´m getting a lot of vibes similar to Code Geass and that´s a good thing in my books. For now, what has me intriged is the behavor of Gai regarding Shuu, everything points out that he knew he was key for his plans, but his expressions afterwards don´t seem to indicate that. Oh weel, I fell in love of this show after the first minute so I´m exieted for what is coming.
“…Yuzuriha Inori (Kayano Ai) and her extremely revealing and unbelievably mesmerizing outfit”
Seriously, I had to keep skipping back while watching because I found myself captivated by Inori and not paying attention to the episode. Took me a while to get through the whole episode. xD
Kayano Ai… Kayano Ai. She almost blew me away, if only that was her singing. Wished I coulda added her to my looong list of seiyu-singer favs.
what’s with japan and guys sticking their hands inside a female character’s chest?
srsly, last season was dantalion and now this.
plus ao no exorcist (if you disregard it being a female doing the plunging)
for a grand total of THREE series. it’s halfway towards being a meme already… CHESTSPACE
Stupid Apple, releasing the iCloud.
The future is not in the clouds, it’s in females chests!
Based on my poor knowledge of anime, I would guess it all started from Utena. And since then Japanese just got really fascinated with the idea of pulling a sword from a woman’s chest.
Divine is a horrible person and should die in a fire at the bottom of the bottomless pit and RandomC’s servers should be tossed in with him and all copies of everything ever on here should be blown to pieces as target practice at the nearby gun range since divine is a horrible person for having any thoughts about this show while in the anime-blog world /sarcasm
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😀
I was so worked up for this series since the PVs came out that the first thing i did when i got home from work was to download the HD version!! At the same time i’m always nervous that i might be disappointed with this series because the PV was so well made that i figured they can’t get any better than that! Well, i was wrong. I have to disagree with all the haters out there. I find Guilty Crown VERY PROMISING. The way the series started with the insert song was nicely executed. The animation, needlessly to say is flawless. Nice, crisp and the colour was breathtaking! The CG used was subtle so you get a feel of good old fashion anime but in HD. Everyone is entitled to their own take on this series but in its defence, please watch this series without prejudice. A LOT of you guys immediately compared it with Code Geass so of course you’ll think this series sucks and lacks originality. If you think about it, aren’t ALL anime series have the same sort of plot? storyline? I could compare the first episode almost identical to Gundam Seed where Kira pilots the Gundam and kicks his first ass by the end of the first episode. Macross Frontier too!! And Linebarrels of Iron and must i go on? In this first episode, we have the classic normal student Boy A meets mysterious and special pretty Girl B and shit happens and somehow Boy A gets the power to save the world and the girl. This is NORMAL in the anime world folks!! GET OVER IT!!! A lot of you guys dislike the main character cuz he’s a wuss but if you look at those flashbacks…..(kinda Gundam Seed Destiny ‘SHIN’ style) and the dying girl kinda looks like our heroine……one can derive and this is purely my guess is that she was supposely killed or got ‘infected’ (hence the lack of normal communication and mysterious invisibility and not to mention a giant ass sword pulled from her insides) and DID know our main character back then and he just had amnesia or blocked his memories from the tragedy. There’s no doubt that there will be A LOT of character development from hereon as the plot reveals itself with the next episodes.
So people, please take off your Code Geass glasses…..and watch this series with naked eyes!!
WANZERS!!
I realised we all make comparisons, it’s human nature and allows us to make decisions day in and day out BUT DAMN! All I hear these days is “This is better” or “omg it’s just another <enter successful game/anime/movie title"
I seriously think 2012 is going to be the end of the world, I bet God made another world and because they don't go on about comparisons all the time he'll give up on us and end all life as we know it. (lol that was random)
[The above post does not condone the belief in God, only the Incubators]
／人◕ ‿‿ ◕人＼
the beginning looks like how an RPG would go. normal kid, meets destined girl, runs into an underground org and finds some special power. gogogogo final fantasy!
Errr.. The story was really too cliche for my liking. Lots of stupid decisions all through out the whole ep that I can quite fathom why the character did it. Great animation though. Following this one throughout the season.
Gotta admit, this blew my mind…. in a bad way. I was going into it expecting something high-quality in terms of plot and characters, maybe on the same level as Cowboy Bebop, Ghost in the Shell, or Fullmetal Alchemist. Instead I got a cliche storm that thought that large hams were are on the menu for dinner. I won’t even try to list all the many things I found out to be predictable. But those stories can still be good, like One Piece did. It was cliche and hammy as hell, but it turned into awesomeness (for the manga anyway). This however, is simply trying too hard. It wants to be awesome, but it ends up a horrible mess, like wanna-be rappers who make the worst song rhymes you’ve ever heard.
The pacing was horrible, scene to scene, like Click said. For example, it’s obviously an episode that is trying to pack a lot into a small space, but then why do they need some scenes like the typical three bully guys getting beat up? What was the point of it? To show a guy has kung-fu? They could have done that at any point of time later when he’d actually contribute to something besides saying to a kid (who the kid has never met him before), to go be a big damn hero.
And I definitely agree that Ouma Shuu is like a clone of Shinji Ikari, except that Shinji had valid excuses for his deep depression and angst. This guy however does the logical thing and now has the chance to save her later, as well as get that plot artifact to it’s destination, instead of having bullets through his body, yet everyone, including himself thinks that he’s just a coward? lolwut?
A lot of the faults I see in this are simply anime being anime though, for good or bad, like the plot-key girl who is gentle, sings, and stands unaffected by her surroundings, like a knife to the throat or a giant street-smashing mech about to blow her to hell, the pathetic low self-esteem guy who wants “to be a real man!” by protecting the girl, and the villainous group specifically trying too hard to be evil, or the random songs that come up to try to be a drama enhancer. So, I will bear it, that’s simply a personal preference that hurts just me, others can ignore it though unaffected. After all, who comes to Gundam expecting a boy to not man the most technologically advanced military machines in war?
There are some things I did like though. The animation was spot on with everything, mostly fluid and clean. The environment, backstory, and social atmosphere were nice too. In fact, the whole setting felt realistic, besides the bit where international aid takes over the sovereignty of Japan in it’s state of vulnerability. Lol, I can’t even imagine the U.N. doing that. They don’t even have the guts to take over a small regional dictator (well, unless they visible bomb their own people). But to take over a nation that obviously has good behavior relatively and has economic power that would greatly benefit all if left alone, would not sit well for many international and national bodies. But I can ignore that “small” bit. I’ve seen far wilder sci-fi settings.
Anyway, overall, if I could rate episodes like video games, I’d give this a 7/10, average. It wasn’t utter shit, but it was nothing to remember either. It’s the stuff people don’t even like to hate, simply because of how unmemorable it was.
TL;DR. I just read some points of those freaking long paragraphs. What’s all with the rants? The producers decided to go with the “Basic of most basics”. These “Stereotype beginnings” have proven to be successful over the years so I don’t see a problem with them using it. Actually, IT’S NOT THAT BAD if you think of it. You were just expecting something bigger that you were disappointed when it didn’t meet your expectations.
And it seems that you didn’t even read the comments below Click’s post. He himself admitted that he judged too quickly. That scene was created to introduce a new character and their group. Or you’d rather have them chat to introduce each other?
IMO you’ve watched too much anime that you compare it to other big names. It’s only been an episode dude, it’s too early to tell. Get a life first then wait for the second one. Geass too was criticized on its first episode, complaining on how stereotype it was to show a “Fallen Japan” etc etc but it turned out great.
Ahh, yes, “Get a life” comments and other material directed at the commenter. If you have a problem with my review, take me down on my logic, rather than at me. I have nothing more to say on that stance. Regardless, this show came to me as something high standard, so I judged it by how it advertised itself. That’s why I even reviewed it at all here. But for the record, I couldn’t stand Code Geass, the characters and designs were unbearable to me, enough that plot was of little value to me, to save it. I kept imagining I could just chip their chins off and use it for a razor blade. Their personalities were horrifyingly stale and one/two-dimensional for me to take it seriously too.
Based on your other assumed talk about me, yes I did read below his other comments, and I think his second thoughts about it are misjudged. It could have simply been talked though by meeting them. The fighting and music along with it was totally pointless and random. I can see no reason to put it there. They could have introduced the organization in dozens of more notable ways that actually meant something in the long-term.
But since you didn’t seem to read the whole thing, you’d not know I don’t judge a work solely on one episode. I said One Piece redeemed itself in the long term, despite initially being everything I hate, but you wouldn’t know that. So hopefully this too redeems itself. Unlike One Piece however, it didn’t overhype itself like an egotistic asshole.
Sorry TheOrangeOne I thought came to this site to read Divine’s reviews, not yours.
Anyways per your “come at me with logic”, here we go:
“Regardless, this show came to me as something high standard, so I judged it by how it advertised itself.”
This show didn’t advertise itself, Divine advertised it via banners and popular community feedback. If you perceived it as high standard, you overhyped it yourself. Thus I think there’s only one other candidate for egotistical asshole here if it didn’t live up to your expectations.
Lol, then don’t read my comments if you don’t want reviews! I comment to comment about what the subject is, and that’s what I did. And I like going in-depth in what my opinions are! But no one’s forcing you to read what I say.
Who said I was judging it by RC’s advertisements about it?(the preview talk, the banners, background, and other images) You too are assuming things about me. I meant by it’s own quality of production, it’s own “try to be awesome” image about itself with tons of cool graphics and fashion designs and kung-fu action scenes with big mechs, a future world, big swords with crystals, neon cyber lights on hologram displays, and shit.
That’s what I meant by “advertise itself”? It’s like FFXIII all over again. Insane graphics and gameplay made by huge levels of money flung at the project, but the world lacks, no in-depth exploration of characters or setting in the slightest. It just doesn’t feel real or immersive. I feel no emotion or attachment to any of the characters at all.
The whole point of first episodes is to do that; to make an intro that makes an real impact in my mind, and then really add depth to it in later episodes. But all I saw were dolls moving in predictable ways. Not once throughout the whole episode did I feel in my mind “Wow, that was fucking awesome”, or “My God, I’m starting to tear-up here….”, or “Damn, this shit’s the real deal”. But yet it itself thinks it is like that with the constant scenes of angst, big guns, and rock/singer music. To all this I truly thought “Wow, they’re actually taking all this seriously to be something big, what a failure.”
I actually agree with you. To be honest, I didn’t read your whole review, but it just about sums up my thoughts. It seems as if the story lets down the potential of the animation and other amazing aspects. In this case, I think a first episode premiere meant to blow away the minds of viewers would have been fantastic, and may have even been attempted, but it didn’t work on me beyond the visuals. Your connection to One Piece is interesting, but I’ll have to offer my disagreement of One Piece starting out as a cliche’. Perhaps it can easily be generalized into the category of shonen, but Oda originated the story out of originality, have a protagonist being made out of rubbers, etc. As he has stated himself, he’s had the ending in mind since the beginning and I think the progressions you consider as “the story becoming better” has all been apart of his original intent. Anyways, again regarding Guilty Crown, I hope you’re right in that it can launch off with something more tasteful, because I too believe it’s perfectly possible still. Here’s to episode two~
stop comparing an anime with other ppl
that why many doesn’t enjoy a kind of anime because always says ‘ah this reminds me of x and y”
so what? if it does good for them
i one enjoyed this first episode, the music the animation were great
is one of the fall animes of the fall season i had high expectations
maybe a bit cliche on few times but i didn’t let me bother
well each with their taste
is animes for each of us lol
thanku for blogging this divine
lol i’ll never say that :O
Hey, just here to say that you shouldnt feel too bothered with people calling you a terrible blogger or something else. if by any reason this show happens to suck, its not your fault, you saw something that looked good, you got hyped, you got your hopes up, and then you told people “hey, this just might turn out really good…..” so you did good, humanly good, all else is dust in the wind
Well this anime isn’t bad and its quality is definitely top class. But I feel like this plot has been used before. The whole premise is WAY too similar to Code Geass, while the whole weapon extraction thing is almost identical to Shining Wind (a Sega PS2 Action JRPG that had an anime). So I guess because I saw both of those animes, I dont get as WOW’d as other people watching this.
I’ll still watch this series of course, but I guess its not gona be as exciting for me as it may be for some other people, since I’ve seen similar stuff already.
This isn’t directed only to you but if you are predisposed into thinking that it’s not going to be exciting then it’s probably going to be just that.
I don’t think many of you are even bothering to give the show a chance. One freaking episode has aired. One. There seems to be a lot more negativity than necessary just because the series was hyped. This was far from being the worst premiere. And yet, people are already making stupid assumptions like how the story is going to like “this anime” or how this character is going to be like “this character”. Just sit down and try to enjoy the bloody show. Some may not end up liking it in the long run and that’s fine, but there’s really no need to be so nitpicky when the show has only just barely defined the setting of the story.
And clearly you’re being even more negative with your butthurt responses. This show being hyped had nothing to do with my opinion, because if you bothered to read, you’d have known that my reasons for not being impressed is due to the fact that everything has been done and predictable thus far. The only thing different from Code Geass so far is the whole weapon extraction from other people’s soul, and even that has been done in Shining Wind, which I’ve seen.
Now get off your high horse, because other people’s opinions are just as valid as yours.
“This isn’t directed only to you”, the second paragraph was more of a general response to the whole thread. Funny you tell me to get off my high horse when I was thinking the same for some others here. I’m just saying that people need to give the show more of a chance, hold off the assumptions that the rest of the series is going to be like “this” or in you case “not as exciting” just because it has a few cliches or things that have been done. They are obviously there but like it’s been said before, it’s all about the execution of the story and Guilty Crown has only just laid out the ground work. It’s too early to judge anything properly.
I’m just suggesting that if you or anyone else are going to go into the rest of the series, it wouldn’t hurt to be a bit more positive about it.
I dont think I’ve ever seen a character turns his head so smooothly lol
Good production value so far, still it’s riding on some of the most annoying clichés japanese animation has providedv those recent years, masturbation.
Do you know who won the this years Japan Media Arts Award for animation? Yojouhan Shinwa Taikei. Do you know what was one of the most unprofitable Noitamina Shows ever?(same time slot as Guilty Crown) Yojouhan Shinwa Taikei. All of you who complain that the anime nowadays are too cliche and there’s not enough artistry, dont realize that its a failed model that almost brought the industry to bankrupt. Until you guys start paying for your art, it’s going to continue to cater to the general public. Sorry the niche days of evangelion, Ghost in the Shell, are gone. You guys just dont make enough money for the time and investment. Welcome to the age of the Internet and Harry Potter.
Personally I’d rather create something that is less creative but enjoyed by everyone, rather then something so creative that noone else enjoys. Something that ONLY you, yourself enjoys, that my friend, is the true definition of masturbation.
Nice animation, but the characters just doesn’t make sense. You just met a cute terrorist(as far as you’re concerned), and you’re chastised for doing the most logical thing to not throw away your life by charging into a gun totting soldiers just to save said terrorist? I can’t take the blond guy seriously anymore after that chastising scene lol. Still gonna follow this though since animation and music-wise, it’s excellent. I just hope I won’t face-palm too many time until the end XD
I’ve watched the first episode of Guilty Crown, I say this might be one of the biggest release this season of so many good shows. Being an “Original Anime” is the icing of the cake.
At least in Guilty Crown, I wouldn’t be reading comments from self proclaimed gurus how keep on spoiling people and bugging people who aren’t interested in playing/reading the visual novels because they think we are left out of the party and wouldn’t understand what that series in question is all about.
I might as well watch UN-GO.
That is 12 series this season alone, not counting completed series I am watching currently or the carry overs from previous seasons.
So far for Guilty Crown episode 1…
– Nice Animation CHECK
– Post-apocalyptic story that is intriguing CHECK
– Young boy with sudden awakening of superpowers that is NOT being annoying/not decisive. CHECK
– That is a cute girl with a nice singing there…CHECK
– Indiscriminate killing of the populace CHECK
^ Awesome OP & ED CHECK 😀
But no one’s seen or heard the OP yet…
True, the Fate/Zero comments are a spoiler mess. This being an original show is definitely a plus.
Well awesome first ep only OP 🙂
Wow – I’m been embarrassed that I though some of my comments (from this and other series) were wordy –
but this is great to see 2 pages of comments! And the episode’s only a few days olde!
Divine, I have a request, though. I noticed the 4 music links and they are very, very appreciated
(as I really enjoy this music and Anime music in general).
However I’m not even a newbie when it comes to navigating those Japanese pages – is it possible
to provide a direct link to the mp3 itself that each RC link above references (I assume it’s
an mp3)? Maybe the Japanese text of it so we can pattern match which to click would be excellent.
None appear to point directly to an mp3 – is an account required? TiA…
Hmm, I’d like to but it looks like the songs have been taken down.
Most overhyped anime of the season. Not bad, but not OMGSUPERAWESOME as the ads would have you believe.
Not it’s divine’s fault, of course, it’s not like he wrote the script or anything. Anyway, seriously:
1. Wimpy kid encounters mysterious girl and gets mystical powers. Oh god, where to begin – why, why, why a high-schooler? I thought notaiminA targets audience outside your typical demographic, so why the need to include this shounen cliche?
2. The “Japan gets mistreated by foreigners” bit, as previously used in Code Geass and Infinite Stratos (novel only, and even that only mentioned in passing). I live in a developing country instead of a developed country and even I think this portrayal is silly. Heck, now that I think about it, isn’t Japan an advanced country itself? Why must its writers always pretend that they’re being oppressed by others?
3. (Noble) rebels fighting against the (blatantly evil) system. It was fun back in Star Wars because it’s relatively fresh by film standard, but now? Unless they pull a subversion in the middle by showing that the rebels have their own skeletons in the closet and that the GHQ actually has some good points, I’m not impressed.
As I said above – not bad, but nothing stellar. I guess my criticism was harsh mostly because of the hype surrounding it which made me believe for a moment that Guilty Crown was truly special – otherwise I would have just wave off the whole silly bits and just accept this as a popcorn movie.
I’m going to follow it for a while, but unless there’s suddenly something exceptional showing up this won’t become anime of the season for me, let alone anime of the year.
It has a lot of potential. A good contrast of characters within it that can lead to very good character development. Like lets get real, he’s an introvert, that’s figured out how to interact with people by assumptions. He’s not very good at communication in the first place, and of course he’s never changed this habit. Of course, it’s pretty cliche-ish when he pulled out the sword (Shining X Wind reference anyone) and presumably slices a mech without a single problem, but it’s not that big of a deal to me. I really like the music is another plus. Perhaps the pacing was a bit too fast, but it wasn’t entirely a bad thing. There is a lot of good things, and at the same time it’s a lot of bad things. It has a lot of potential to be a very good anime though.
there was nothing to like in this episode. The trailer also gave the impression of something different.
Inori reminds me of Althea from Luminous Arc 2.
Shuu have the same powers as that guy from Shining X Wind?
Here are some of the quotes from the previews…
“shuu plz use me” hints at the women being a weapon.
“10 years, the Apocalypse Virus messed up this country” there’s your setting.
Gai,”What happened to the women who was with this, did you abandon her?””Ouma shuu is a coward?” There’s your hint of the main character’s personality.
“what the heck am I trying to do here…maybe this is the last chance for me not to start to hate myself.” “Don’t let her go, this time, show me you can protect her!” “Occasionally, do something unlike myself!” Hints at redemption
I mean, everything is in the previews…
Most of the negative comments are from people that just pirate and dont even put forth the effort to know wtf they stole. The reason why people hype things up is cause they have SOME knowledge of what is going to happen beforehand. This is the number one reason why the response is so different out of Japan, versus native Japanese watchers. And yes the response is overwhelmingly positive there so there’s going to be even more hype.
Several years before, the majority of foreign anime watchers are just the “oh it’s free, i’m curious so i’ll watch type”. Now there is clearly two types. Those who just watch anime to waste time cause its free and don’t really care much about and those who have clearly become fans and are immersed in the culture or enjoy watching the shows. If you actually go the sites that stream and read the forum responses, most it is “constructive”, where as if you read comments from sites from supposed “experts” it’s mostly filled with trolls.
I only use this site for the calendar to keep track of when shows come on. This site, myanimlist, and animenewsnetwork, seems to congregate people who spend more time ranting, engaging in pissing/ranking contests, then actually watching the shows. This is probably one of the number one reasons why divine is “burned out”. There is a distant “unpleasant” faction among white otaku.
don´t let some idiot haters bother you, Divine………now, if only i could find out what the song that plays on the BG as Gai makes his entrance is….
I really liked the music in this show. I’m curious about Shu and Inori’s past because of those flashbacks.
I don’t think it’s fair to call Shu a coward. He only acted like any normal human being would under those circumstances. A school boy has no chance against a unit of trained armed soldiers. Then, I found it quite stupid when he just ran in against a huge robot. It might be brave, but stupid.
He didn’t run in so he could fight the robot. He went in to
hugprotect Inori.Imagine if somebody made clothes that only fits one person. Would you pay 5.2billion dollars for that shirt? Cause that’s how much the anime business makes per year. Since you’re a foreigner, so only about 20% of that, would you play 104 million? Cause if you can, then they will definitely make an anime catered only to you. No cliches, wait do you even know what you would like in an anime? Not what you don’t like, what you actually like. Then take that idea, and tell everyone you know, and ask them their opinion.
It seems that Shu may have a forgotten history with Inori based on Shu’s visions. Same way that Ganta has a forgotten history with Shiro in Deadman Wonderland.
Also, there is a girl piloting the rebel mech. Kallen 2.0?
Starts like Code Geass in that you barely know what’s going on. You just know that Japan is screwed up and that some kid has just run into some fugitive chick that gives him superpowers.
The resistance may have trusted Shu because they may know who/what he is, something he may not be aware of. Inori went directly to his hideout, may have been looking for him. It’s likely Shu may have amnesia or something.
This is a great anime. I mean the animation, the opening story, the song and especially the song. I don’t really listen to Japanese songs on every anime I watch or any other Japanese song but this particular one I really liked. <3 Hope it gets better! Can't wait for the next episode!!
And I thought Gundam, as the most venerated franchise running this season would have the most posts…really, the post count here at RC is good tool for making quick and dirty measurements of any one show’s popularity…
… Wait RC does PAGES of comments ?? I did not realize this >>;. Series is indeed awesome. I loved the BGM, and the sci-fi within a fairly realistic post-apocalyptic japan made things quite interesting. I look forward to following this series and seeing how things play out.
Also: Hanazawa was one of the roles?? o_o;; and I DIDNT NOTICE? …*turns in his fanboi card* … hopefully I can reclaim it next week orz. Noticed Taketatsu Ayana right off the bat, though. ^_^;… orz….
I originally set the comment threshold really high to avoid pages unless absolutely necessary since there’s no way to show all comments on one page, but recently dropped it down to 100. Note that nested comments don’t count towards the 100 threshold though.
Whether this series becomes great or not, it’s going to make some GREAT wallpapers 😉
I’ve had them on rotation on my laptop for the past month or so :3 And I get a lot of people at Uni asking what anime it is cause you know, redjuice’s awesome is universally approved.
Peope, lets stop comparing this with other anime’s such as geass or death note. We’re often so busy comparing we forget, is the anime any good or not
/like comment
Splendid animation story and music so far. I hope they can keep it up.
“Ghost of the Bubblegum Geass…”
If Guilty Crown is such a thing as all you critics out there stated, then by definition…it it a good thing.
Ghost in the Shell
Bubblegum Crisis
Code Geass
What does all these shows have in common?! There were all great shows. SO if Guilty Crown model after then, while it may not be original, it is without a doubt be a great in and out of itself. It too will follow these shows’ path. LOL, so Divine wasn’t too far off after all. 😀
Does anyone know what the song that was playing during Shu’s “awakening/extraction” scene is and if it will be included in the supercell album coming out in Nov? Or will I have to wait for the OST?
Everyone who is saying this is like Code Geass, just wait until you see episode 2. Complex plan that goes off perfectly down to the second and leads to total victory through the magic of reflected lasers. Only difference is Lelouch isn’t the main character, just an important secondary one.
More intriguing about the series itself is the historical setting. GHQ’s excuse to occupy Japan was because of a virus and when they want to make a “clean-up”, they just need to put the blame on it, claiming that the victims were infected. Makes me wonder if the virus was a creation of them to justify their invasion, and if there is actually a virus at all.
What can I say about this premiere?
Well, all in all, the visuals and quality were very well done. The music was also stunning, and some of the characters are actually pretty interesting. However, this show has some problems too.
The pacing was atrocious and I could barely get a hold onto some characters. Inori was your typical, vapid, singing, female lead, right down to her pacifist ideals and bubblegum-pink hair. Shu was barely a character in my opinion; by the end of the first episode I could only say two things about him: he’s a whiny coward and has low self-esteem. That was it, and that’s a horrible thing to say about a show’s main character.
Some might say, “that’s because it’s the first episode!”, but the problem is, that would be a fine excuse for anyone other than the lead character. For example:
By the end of the first episode of Code Geass, I knew Lelouch had a past, was non-confrontational when he was put under pressure, was a tactical genius, and wasn’t afraid to take the initiative when provided with the right tools.
By the end of the first episode of Gundam Seed, I knew Kira was smart, could do things others couldn’t do, was shy around others, cared for those around him, was a pacifist at heart, and didn’t like to be pushed into pressuring situations.
Shu in this episode is very bland and almost one-dimensional. I winced every time he was whining about what a coward he was on screen. I can only hope that he gets better with time, but if he continues in this vein for the rest of the show, a la Kamille (from Gundam Zeta), I will drop this show like a hot potato.
As for all the other characters, especially the Undertakers and their enigmatic leader, I look forward to finding out more about them.
For those comparing it to Code Geass, I do see the similarities even though I really didn’t find myself comparing them in my head until the last scene with Inori and Shu. I however, didn’t feel the same grab for this episode as I did for the first episode of Geass. With Geass by the first episode, I had a liking for the main character, I could understand the main plot, and I had a hate for the villains; I could actually care about the characters that I was being shown. I just was getting that from Guilty Crown.
I can only hope it gets better from here. I really do want to like this story.
LIKE LIKE LIKE!!!
*stares at Inori* preeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeety…(♥‿♥) lol I didn’t realize Shu was flashed until Divine pointed it out XD
also, anyone else reminded of Shitsurakuen http://www.mangafox.com/manga/shitsurakuen/ by Shu’s power?
I’m not that impressed with chelly and Koeda’s singing. I feel that Nagi’s voice can give more feelings on the song. I’m a Nagi fan BTW so I take that I’m a bit biased. :3
So-so episode 1. Will continue to watch more eps because of the epic musical arrangements.
Drawing a sword out of a girl..
Reminds me of Shinning Tears X Wind.
I like mysteries!
Shu, who is he?
Another one of those with a mysterious past.
Sealed memories?
Past life? 😛
Crystallized girl, genome..
Could Shu be the cause of that virus epidemic thing?
Or a victim?
Whitecoats and Blackcoats.
Seems like Gai knows a lot.
A lot of obvious hints that Shu is more then he himself knows or remember.
Why so? Someone sealed his memories? A consequence of a failed attempt at something?
One can only guess with so little info at this point.
Really love the music
Outstanding animation and music.
(Wow 300 comments)
Yep, it’s an promising anime. It gets even better in episode two with the Funeral Parlor in action. Gai’s got guts
Its like you read my thoughts! You appear to understand a lot approximately this, such as you wrote the guide in it or something. I feel that you just can do with some % to force the message home a little bit, however instead of that, that is excellent blog. A great read. I will certainly be back.
What an amazing show this has become. In many, many ways.
I pulled her thong down to her knees and instinctively knelt down to lick her pussy (from the front, from behind, sat on top, I adore oral sex), she hissed “NO, just fuck me”, but as she was tentatively balanced, stood up, but with her panties around her knees, I gave her a light push forward onto the bed and was rewarded by a sodden and strangely reddened looking pussy, framed between her bum, legs and lacy panties. This was a target I couldn’t resit, I dived into her, tongue straight in, nose nuzzled against her arsehole, it was amazing, she responded by pushing back, her pussy lips unusually pushed straight over my mouth (her pussy usually needed a bit of work to get her full loosened up). Stacey was grunting, subconsciously rubbing her pussy up and down my face, I had each of her hands held tightly, clamped next to my face, which allowed me to pull her deeper onto me and didn’t allow her squirm forward. I’d been too horned up to notice the obvious signals, but the realisation suddenly hit home.