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Forum - View topicShelf Life - Anohana
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SHD
Posts: 1752 |
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I don't know. Maybe I'm just too jaded or cynical, but I think that in many many places it's absolutely cheap, maudlin melodrama, designed to punch the viewer's "sad" buttons as strongly as possible. (I mean, starting from the whole "cute innocent little girl" thing. If I never again see anime use cute innocent little girls as a shortcut to pull the viewer's emotional strings it'll be too soon.) But then again this is Okada's thing so if you're into melodrama you probably won't feel it cheap or manipulative, and if you're not it'll bother you. Also, maybe it's just me but I think that nicknaming a young girl "Anal/Anus" (Anaru) and then going on and on about it like a broken record for cheap laughs is not smart or funny. Then again, this is also Okada's thing. Me, I think the show is overrated. There was only one plotline I found interesting in it (whatshisname the pudgy kid whose angst was about not helping the girl) but of course that part was never explored. Last edited by SHD on Mon May 07, 2018 10:26 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Kougeru
 Posts: 5542 |
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I rewatched AnoHana last year and loved it just as much as the first time. Really is a classic, IMO. That said, no anime, no matter how good or perfect it is, is worth Aniplex's MSRP of $149.99 or even "just" the $119.98 that rightstufanime is selling it for. One of the reviews on rightstuf rightly mentions that the NIS of America version also came with the artbook, so you're really getting the same product with a dub, for double the price. 11 episodes for $120 is just insane, unless it comes with the movie, artbook, and both the TV anime soundtrack AND the movie soundtrack. More on the actual product....If you already own the NIS of America version, there's no reason to get this version. The dub isn't even good. And it's not the "average" dub that I generally complain about. I actually find this one to be bad. Menma's voice especially. Ai Kayano is perfect so just stick with her.
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Merxamers
 Posts: 720 |
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All i've seen of Anohana was a climactic scene shown in a "Top 10 Moments That'll Make You Cry" panel i went to, and oh boy did i get misty eyed. I'm sure watching the rest of it with full context would force masculine tears from my chiseled visage.
(the other "sad" moments i can remember from that panel were: Plastic Memories (episode 1) Wolf Children (opening) Assassination Classroom (final episode) Erased (the breakfast scene) Angel Beats Garden of Words Grave of the Fireflies (of course) The bit of Plastic Memories they showed f-ed me up good, in particular) |
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Raebo101
 Posts: 806 |
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How about no. As someone who has watched Anohana in Japanese first and then English, I think that's a bunch of baloney. The Japanese cast was quite good, but the English cast is equally as strong. |
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MarshalBanana
 Posts: 5423 |
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SHD
Posts: 1752 |
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Sure, but there are different ways of doing that. There's doing it in a more organic way where the characters or events resonate with the viewer and that leads to the viewer feeling emotions; and there's laying it on really thick, with the writer going "THIS IS AN EMOTIONAL SCENE AND YOU ARE GOING TO CRY, DAMMIT" while the actors chew the scenery as hard as they can. AnoHana, but actually everything I've seen by Okada so far, barring actual adaptations, tends to fall into the latter category. Maybe she can be subtle when she really wants to, but... there's a reason why Okada's writing is stereotyped as "people crying and screaming about their emotions to each other". |
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meiam
Posts: 3442 |
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I'm not the biggest fan of Okada stuff but I quite liked Anohana, I think what makes the show work is that it's mostly grounded and doesn't feel to fantastical (for most of the show you can just assume the ghost is just an illusion rather than an actual ghost) and that help makes the story feel relevant and real.
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Angel M Cazares
 Posts: 5466 Location: Iscandar |
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I already own the NISA release, but I double dipped because I have always wanted an English dub for Anohana. And the $120 I paid for the Aniplex USA set are TOTALLY worth it because it has an EXCELLENT English dub. Definitely Shelf Worthy. |
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Joshua Zarate
Posts: 2062 |
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It’s been a while since I’ve seen Anohana and while it’s style of storytelling will definitely not work with everyone mainly due to how it’s all executed, I still feel that it’s worthy of a recommendation for most people. It’s surely melodramatic, but from what I’ve seen in various parts of the internet, I feel that sometimes people use that as criticism itself rather than just a method of how a show gets its point across and that’s a bit unfair. The characters are for the most part likable and the animation is pretty nice. While I don’t feel as attached to it as I did a few years back, I definitely don’t regret watching this show. I personally have this as my favorite Mari Okada show, though I admit that I haven’t watched all of her works yet.
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invalidname
 Contributor Posts: 2464 Location: Grand Rapids, MI |
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Aw man, don't tempt me. I've got con season starting in two weeks and I don't need to be spending $120 on a double-dip if I can possibly resist it.
Hear, hear. Honestly, people in a culture dominated by costumed superhero movies shouldn't be allowed to use "melodrama" as a put-down in the first place. |
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Scalfin
Posts: 249 |
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MEANWHILE, ON X-MEN |
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Zin5ki
 Posts: 6680 Location: London, UK |
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The term certainly has a derisive thrust to it, usually to show dissatisfaction in an emotional appeal being all too familiar. Now familiarity, of course, is something that varies from person to person, and so too is the degree to which familiar devices still impart their intended effects, which is why disputes on these matters tend not to be resolvable. |
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xchampion
 Posts: 370 Location: Idaho Falls, Idaho |
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I've heard of this show but never heard all the good things about the show before now. I searched to find if it was streaming anywhere and the full english dub is available for free on the go90.com. Since it's only 11 episodes I might have to go check it out. Thanks Shelf Life.
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meiam
Posts: 3442 |
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Not... really... I don't know where you got the familiar part from. Melodramatic is when character exaggerate the dramatic situation to make things appear more important than they actually are, ex: A: OMG!!!!!!!!!!! Were out of soap! B: NoooOOOOOOOOOOOOO! How will I ever wash my cloth now for my interview! I'll just kill myself instead. A: You can't! I'm pregnant of 8 months! And so on. Character tend to become cartoonish over exaggeration of peoples, which makes them less relatable. It also usually tend to involve people ignoring simple solution to problem (in previous example, just buying more soap) in favor of more dramatic one which tend not to resolves anything, typically making character appear very moronic in there action. |
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Spoofer
 Posts: 356 Location: NY |
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A: Oh, I'm dead.
B: Oh, I'll channel all of that grief for years to come by spoiler[donning your dress and running wildly through the woods.] A: Oh okay thanks. |
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