[ShadowBlazer3000] go
[BeyondTime] go
[forlornhope] go
[Noirlax] Go~!
[MartAnimE] Go~! :penguin:
[Noirlax] Think Bee Train animators are masters of the micro-expression :v
[MartAnimE] yeah lots of focus on the faces
[MartAnimE] they're not around anymore :frowning:
[forlornhope] aww what happened to his cats :frowning:
[MartAnimE] I don't wanna watch this show anymore -_-
[Noirlax] I think there was a big reveal about Phyllo
[Noirlax] but I won't say it I kinda remember
[MartAnimE] yeah...
[MartAnimE] I gotta hug my pets :dog: :cat:
[Noirlax] :dog::cat:
[ShadowBlazer3000] those pesky translation inconsistencies again
[MartAnimE] aww he likes Tabby
[MartAnimE] I kinda like Tabby too, she's not wise, but she's honest
[MartAnimE] it's refreshing when every other character is cynical
[Noirlax] lol true
[MartAnimE] cool bgm
[MartAnimE] I'm gonna listen to the OSTs after the rewatch ^^
[MartAnimE] yeah confess Ovan :V
[Noirlax] mysterious duo those two
[MartAnimE] yeah I can only make sense of it because it's my second time watching it
[MartAnimE] they are very cryptic
[MartAnimE] dog boy :dog:
[Noirlax] good ol dog boy
[MartAnimE] that message noise sounds like Madlax's eyecatch XD
[Noirlax] oh yeah
[MartAnimE] what a glitchy place
[ShadowBlazer3000] Glitch City
[ShadowBlazer3000] well that's a Pokemon glitch but it works the same
[BeyondTime] I take it phyllo is dying in the real world?
[MartAnimE] kick her off the cliff Tabby, no one has to know :V
[ShadowBlazer3000] Tabby can become the next Terror of Death :V
[Noirlax] lol
[MartAnimE] that's a good guess James
[BeyondTime] they seem to be hinting at that.
[MartAnimE] can you actually feel pain in the game?
[ShadowBlazer3000] if your soul becomes trapped in the game
[Noirlax] possibly
[MartAnimE] your soul?
[ShadowBlazer3000] well that's the best way to explain people becoming trapped in the game
[MartAnimE] well this is some metaphysical stuff :open_mouth:
[ShadowBlazer3000] their physical body remains outside in a coma
[ShadowBlazer3000] but their soul is transported into the game
[ShadowBlazer3000] like Tsukasa
[MartAnimE] right
[Noirlax] :open_mouth:
[ShadowBlazer3000] I think he gave a bit of a heavy sigh there
[ShadowBlazer3000] good voice acting
[ShadowBlazer3000] something they kind of overlook in voice work
[MartAnimE] what a downer this episode is
[MartAnimE] but at least Tabby is remaining positive
[MartAnimE] it's kinda nice to see Haseo back to the way he was at the beginning of the show
[Noirlax] It maybe a downer but it's very poignant
[MartAnimE] his voice sounds much better already
[forlornhope] I like his original design better at least :p
[MartAnimE] yeah
[Noirlax] His original design is nice
[MartAnimE] and the anime couldn't really end on a happy note, I guess
[Noirlax] Still have the last episode
[MartAnimE] also, I'm starting to get the feeling that Tabby has some feelings for Haseo
[MartAnimE] I guess she can be one of the love interests in the game? :V
[Noirlax] I guess it's part of growing up, unrequited love and friends changing/moving away as well as you can't play a RPG if you're dead :v
[ShadowBlazer3000] yeah you can make Tabby your waifu in the extra marriage events
[forlornhope] lol nice
[ShadowBlazer3000] or Ovan our husbando
[Noirlax] lol cool
[forlornhope] going to marry ovan in the gu games now..because I ship it :v
[MartAnimE] cool :smile:
[ShadowBlazer3000] I did that too when I played the extra vol 4 on the remaster
[ShadowBlazer3000] frankly with how Haseo kind of obsesses over Ovan it's so easy!
[forlornhope] yeah :smile:
[MartAnimE] I would ship Shino/Tabby but they're not important in the games :V
[Noirlax] that could be fanfic material
[MartAnimE] yeah XD
[Noirlax] much better than Haseo in a harem setting
[MartAnimE] yeah screw that :V
[Noirlax] XD
[MartAnimE] go watch Sword Art Online XD
[ShadowBlazer3000] I never read any of the 4-koma manga of .hack but it wouldn't surprise me if that's a thing there
[MartAnimE] is it a comedy manga?
[ShadowBlazer3000] yes
[MartAnimE] yeah 4-koma generally are
[MartAnimE] though .hack// isn't really known for its humour :smile:
[ShadowBlazer3000] funny the games release model was inspired by a 4-koma
[MartAnimE] maybe legend of the twilight
[ShadowBlazer3000] a very expensive 4-koma
[MartAnimE] but sign, liminality and roots are all fairly serious
[ShadowBlazer3000] yeah LOT is the most light hearted and comedic of any of the canon entries
[ShadowBlazer3000] at least I'm pretty sure the manga and the anime are both tonally similar
[Noirlax] GIFT is pretty light hearted
[MartAnimE] I'm still up for watching that if there's enough interest
[ShadowBlazer3000] LOT not my favorite but it'd be fun in a group watch
[MartAnimE] don't have high expectations, but I'm curious
[MartAnimE] got it on DVD but haven't checked yet
[MartAnimE] so might save it if you all wanna give it a go sometime
[MartAnimE] don't think it's something I would watch twice :V
[ShadowBlazer3000] I will say I remember not liking it much when I first saw it on Cartoon Network way back when but watching it all the way through it did warm up on me just a wee bit
[ShadowBlazer3000] still not great but far from awful
[MartAnimE] yeah it's not a priority, we have Quantum first
[MartAnimE] and then the poll winners :smile:
[Noirlax] Mars of Destruction!
[MartAnimE] not in a million years is that gonna win XD
[MartAnimE] unless you create fake accounts to vote :V
[ShadowBlazer3000] once was enough, twice was too much but THREE TIMES? just kill me if that does happen
[Noirlax] The only saving grace is it's 20 minutes XD
[BeyondTime] I think it suffers from a structural weakness because it seems like it was really intended for a commercial purpose.
[BeyondTime] In a way it may be as good as it can get given that it seems to be here to setup the games.
[ShadowBlazer3000] Roots you mean?
[BeyondTime] Yes
[MartAnimE] that might apply to Mars of Destruction too XD
[BeyondTime] I have to say if it wasn't Bee Train I'd probably have droped it for being on the dull lside.
[Noirlax] lol yes
[BeyondTime] At the same time though it feels like Bee Train sold out.
[BeyondTime] Unlike with TRC where they went ahead and did their own thing even as the manga fans spit venom.
[Noirlax] I don't think it's too dull after this rewatch. I dare say they tried something pretty clever with Roots considering they had to deal with commercial realities
[ShadowBlazer3000] they did video game works before
[Noirlax] They easily could have made Roots a fan pleaser
[BeyondTime] Yeah but the original .hack seemed more like Bee Train being Bee Train
[MartAnimE] I dunno about selling out, I do genuinely care for a couple of characters, and even the ones that don't get much exposure feel like they have depth to them, just weren't given a chance to explore it
[MartAnimE] it does feel very limiting
[ShadowBlazer3000] really all .hack has served to promote the larger franchise in one way or another
[BeyondTime] I mean it feels like they simply made it to order rather than making art.
[Noirlax] I think they are being Bee Train, in Roots they are limited not just by the franchising, but by Sign as well.
[forlornhope] yeah was a little frustrated that it was more set up than a fulfilling story on it's own like .hack//sign but now I have the means to continue the narrative so I'm not as bitter :v
[BeyondTime] lol
[MartAnimE] it feels to me like they had a goal to reach, to much to cram in and not enough time
[ShadowBlazer3000] even with TRC some of that was brought on by the network
[BeyondTime] I kind of want to play GU and the original games, but I don't want to play a game as Haseo.
[BeyondTime] I like him less than Sora and that is saying something.
[Noirlax] what do you mean Marta?
[ShadowBlazer3000] the original is different character but those are much harder to find nowadays
[MartAnimE] I basically mean there are too many characters
[forlornhope] crossing fingers for an hd collection of those too :v
[BeyondTime] Well to be fair we don't know how it might have played out if they had made a self contained story.
[MartAnimE] and the show tries to treat them as relevant
[MartAnimE] but there's not enough time for each of them
[BeyondTime] Maybe this was just destined to be the Yakumo of their .hack work under any circumstance.
[ShadowBlazer3000] most of them are relevant
[MartAnimE] so you get but a glimpse
[MartAnimE] I am very character driven when it comes to fiction
[Noirlax] yeah I think the number of characters and lack of focus probably forced their hand but I think the thematic exploration and aims were still achieved
[ShadowBlazer3000] but it's the nature of making a show based around an MMO
[MartAnimE] so I think I would have preferred less characters and more time with each characters
[Noirlax] So basically they still managed to explore what they wanted but the story was weaker
[Noirlax] due to commercial constraints for me
[BeyondTime] So far I find Phyllo and Tawaraya to be the most likable characters..
[MartAnimE] in a way, if you liked the characters, Roots leaves you wanting for more, which I guess was the point
[ShadowBlazer3000] they walk the tight rope of art-commerce
[Noirlax] I think they had to yeah Alex.
[Noirlax] I felt this show isn't giving me a good vibe but satisfying from a character study POV
[Noirlax] so I appreciate it in that way
[MartAnimE] well we still have one episode to get through, maybe we should save some thoughts for then? :sweat_smile:
[Noirlax] lol yeah let me check lunch time though
[MartAnimE] sure
[ShadowBlazer3000] Haseo is a kid with little direction in his life who finds someone who gives him purpose and meaning and a bit of love. he loses the love, he's lost, he's confused and angry and lashes out
[Noirlax] sorry won't have enough time for the last ep atm
[MartAnimE] it's ok
[MartAnimE] go get some food~!
[MartAnimE] :bento:
[Noirlax] :spaghetti:
[ShadowBlazer3000] he's not the controlled stoic killers we saw in Noir and MADLAX or naive creature born out of genetic engineering
[Noirlax] Doesn't make him the most loveable Alex but I appreciate he's made that way
[MartAnimE] more on the characters, I don't like Haseo, but he's actually more interesting than Ovan
[MartAnimE] Ovan at this point just feels like style over substance
[MartAnimE] he's way too over hyped
[ShadowBlazer3000] I don't think he's intended to be loveable
[MartAnimE] and he doesn't seem to do anything
[Noirlax] lol took me sometime to get you were referring to Ellis
[MartAnimE] or at least not anything we can see
[ShadowBlazer3000] he's a flawed character
[Noirlax] yeah exactly Alex
[Noirlax] I appreciate that
[forlornhope] I think my problem with haseo is we only get part of his arc
[forlornhope] not a lot of pay off so far
[MartAnimE] yeah we get a little character development during the first half of the show
[MartAnimE] then he goes insane
[Noirlax] It's funny for me atm this is nearly the complete opposite of SAO for me.
[ShadowBlazer3000] these characters never seem to be handled well and as I joked earlier they're for the girls to make a woobie out of I think Haseo is the antithesis of that a deconstruction of that trope even
[ShadowBlazer3000] characters in stories like these always tend to be Kiritos or Edge Lord Cloud Striffes
[Noirlax] ah that's an interesting way to look at it Alex
[BeyondTime] I think I am going to hate SAO. I already despise Kirito, and I haven't seen a single episode yet.
[Noirlax] lol you should see it for yourself
[MartAnimE] I saw only one episode and I got that same feeling James
[forlornhope] sao's not really worth it imo ^^
[Noirlax] As I said it's Twilight for boys :smile:
[MartAnimE] it's just wish fulfilment
[Noirlax] but it feels good because it is wish fulfilment
[MartAnimE] and while Roots might be seen as a cautionary tale about spending too much time in the game and disregarding your real life, SAO seems to reward that kind of unhealthy obssession
[MartAnimE] achievements in the game become achievements in real life
[Noirlax] yes I think you captured that
[MartAnimE] that's a dangerous thought
[ShadowBlazer3000] well in fairness to SAO they are also trapped in that game so not sure that completely applies
[Noirlax] I feel it's a generational gap too Marta
[ShadowBlazer3000] it's easy to forget because the anime seems to forget about that by the second episode
[Noirlax] People younger than us in their teens want to be validated about their online life and obsess more than us in our late 20s plus
[Noirlax] and SAO seems to fit that
[forlornhope] lol alex
[MartAnimE] lol
[Noirlax] lol
[Noirlax] ok I got lunch
[MartAnimE] enjoy
[forlornhope] very true :v
[forlornhope] ok enjoy
[Noirlax] cya soon thanks for waiting everyone
[MartAnimE] sure ^^
[forlornhope] only have one more ep so it's fine :smiley:
[MartAnimE] I think Roots portrays Haseo's isolation very well at least
[MartAnimE] he's obsessed with getting stronger to the point where he's not even concerned about the social aspect of the game anymore
[MartAnimE] he's not having fun
[MartAnimE] and it takes a toll not only on his real life, but his online social life aswell
[MartAnimE] he starts pushing people away
[MartAnimE] him growing stronger really becomes meaningless
[MartAnimE] especially after he gets pushed back to level 1 :V
[MartAnimE] on another note, I'm gonna miss Phyllo :frowning:
[ShadowBlazer3000] poor Phyllo
[MartAnimE] he really was one of the best characters in this
[forlornhope] me too :frowning:
[MartAnimE] really liked his english dub too
[MartAnimE] it sounded convincingly old
[ShadowBlazer3000] yeah it's pretty good for Canada eh :flag_ca:
[MartAnimE] oh this is from Canada :smile:
[MartAnimE] I'm not very good at telling english language accents apart
[MartAnimE] aside from British
[ShadowBlazer3000] yeah this was that odd time when companies like Bandai started expediting their dubs to Canada and Singapore
[ShadowBlazer3000] which is weird the DVD market for anime was still pretty good in 2006
[MartAnimE] do any of the characters sound Canadian?
[ShadowBlazer3000] not really
[ShadowBlazer3000] it's the same with Mai-Hime which was also dubbed in Canada
[ShadowBlazer3000] other than giving Shizuru an American Southern
[MartAnimE] cool show, it's been years
[MartAnimE] lol yeah I remember that, I saw some parody clips that kept her southern accent XD
[ShadowBlazer3000] you think they'd go French :flag_fr:
[ShadowBlazer3000] Kansai characters always get Southern or New Yorker accents
[MartAnimE] yeah like Osaka in Azumanga Daioh
[ShadowBlazer3000] darn pleased to meet ya, y'all
[MartAnimE] it's very amusing :sweat_smile:
[MartAnimE] back on the topic of Roots, I think it was one of the few animes I've seen that portrays a character dying of old age
[MartAnimE] though you could argue Phyllo died of disease
[MartAnimE] was it cancer?
[ShadowBlazer3000] well Cancer to be specific but yeah really a rare thing
[MartAnimE] right, but he was fairly old?
[ShadowBlazer3000] 62 so up there in years but not terribly old
[MartAnimE] yeah not really :frowning:
[MartAnimE] without spoiling, other examples I can think of are dog of flanders and Ronja
[MartAnimE] but it still seems like in anime most characters die fighting or in some sort of tragedy :sweat_smile:
[ShadowBlazer3000] yeah sudden accidents usually
[MartAnimE] I appreciate their portrayal of Phyllo
[ShadowBlazer3000] or unnamed illness
[MartAnimE] not only is it more realistic, it's also a rather recent thing that people are starting to have to deal with: the death of an online friend
[ShadowBlazer3000] like Nadeshiko in Card Captor Sakura just died of a "unnamed illness"
[MartAnimE] thinking back, you did lose an online friend relatively recently, didn't you Alex? :frowning:
[MartAnimE] I think I recall you mentioning it at the forum
[ShadowBlazer3000] yeah I did last year
[MartAnimE] yeah, I have not experienced that yet
[MartAnimE] it might feel rather surreal
[ShadowBlazer3000] it is
[ShadowBlazer3000] it's very off putting
[MartAnimE] the internet has this way of pulling us away from our everyday lives
[MartAnimE] it does create an illusion of immortality, invincibility, eternity
[MartAnimE] it's quite shocking when death invades that otherwise "safe place"
[ShadowBlazer3000] you do forget it's just another person on the other side of the screen just like you
[MartAnimE] yeah I find that really interesting
[MartAnimE] normally I'm used to online friends either staying forever or just gently fading away
[ShadowBlazer3000] I feel lucky to have meet all of you and been friends with many of you for the better part of 10 years now
[MartAnimE] yeah isn't that something :smile:
[MartAnimE] I'm really thankful for Bee Train Fan for bringing us all together :dog:
[ShadowBlazer3000]
https://youtu.be/YRjWoDB-VkY[MartAnimE] and we even got to meet in real life :smile:
[Noirlax] back
[MartAnimE] lol
[MartAnimE] wb Riki
[ShadowBlazer3000] wb
[Noirlax] ty
[MartAnimE] we got kinda emotional lol
[Noirlax] yes I noticed :smile:
[MartAnimE] how was lunch?
[Noirlax] yeah lunch was fine it filled me up :v
[Noirlax] I think Phyllo is fine he's like an uncle/maybe gramps compared to Bear so he's got a few old people bugbears to young people too :smile:
