Author: Lenlo

Vinland Saga – 20/21 [Crown/Reunion]

by Lenlo, posted in Vinland Saga

Once again, this week we have a double feature as I catch up on a week of missed Vinland. We have a lot to cover, as Canute meets his father, Thorfinn meets a blast from his past and Askeladd sees Bjorn off. Let’s dive in!

As always, before getting into the story, we have to open on Vinland Saga’s production. And in my opinion, there is a lot to love here. From Wits flowing fight animation, to some fantastic cinematography and detailed line work. For the first, you can see it most prominently when Thorfinn is training with the bucket. A short but sweet dash of combat in an otherwise dialogue focused episode. For cinematography, I am spoiled for examples, so much so it’s hard to pick from. It ranges from the obvious, with viewing Askeladd through the spider’s web, to the inspired. Such as how the assassination attempt was cut at the start of Episode 21. Really helping to sell what was happening until Askeladd revealed it all to us. And none of this is mentioning the detailed linework in the closeups. Suffice to say, I think Vinland Saga looks good. Continue reading “Vinland Saga – 20/21 [Crown/Reunion]” →

Dr.STONE – 22/23 [The Treasure/Wave of Science]

by Lenlo, posted in Dr.STONE

Hello all, and welcome to a double feature for Dr. STONE! Apologies for the missed week, but work called and I had to fly to Brussels. Such is the busy life of an adult. Regardless, it’s time to catch up! Onto the last two weeks of Dr. STONE.

Starting off, a general overview of the two episodes we are covering this week. It was a lot of the more human focused bits. Once again dialing in on how Science changes the villagers lives, giving purpose and such. From creating stoves to stay warm during winter to the “brain vs brawn” dynamics. Along with some just plain weird stuff, like Gen’s little working song. Still, while I don’t agree with all of these messages, that they exist at all makes for some interesting topics to talk about this week. As far as production goes, Dr. STONE once again keeps it all rather static. Lots of still shots, occasionally very pretty ones, with speed or focus lines to give the illusion of motion. It should be rather obvious by now, but Dr. STONE is not a particularly good looking show. But that doesn’t mean it can’t be fun. Continue reading “Dr.STONE – 22/23 [The Treasure/Wave of Science]” →

Neon Genesis Evangelion – 4 [Rain, and After Running Away/Hedgehog’s Dilemma] – Throwback Thursday

by Lenlo, posted in Neon Genesis Evangelion, Throwback Thursday

You know, I wasn’t expecting Neon Genesis Evangelion to actually give me exactly what I asked for. Typically I want something from an anime, and I am ignored, because I am some random guy on the internet. But this week Evangelion decided to listen, just once. Man, am I awesome. So without further ado, lets jump in and start talking about Shinji’s mental breakdown!

Starting, let’s clarify what this episode is about. This week Evangelion focuses in on Shinji’s character, really diving in to his issues from the first 3 episodes. Not just showing them to us, but helping define both sides of the problem. Showing us both Shinji’s insecurities and how he deals with things, and how Misato is coping and trying to connect with him. Showing a very real issue of miscommunication. and really making it clear how little they know each other. Its exaggerated a bit at times, but hey that’s drama. And my favorite part about all of this is that Evangelion didn’t just sweep it under the rug in a single episode either. Sure, I am not the biggest fan of whining Shinji, but whining Shinji with progress is a whole other beast. And that is exactly what we get, the start of Shinji working through his issues. Continue reading “Neon Genesis Evangelion – 4 [Rain, and After Running Away/Hedgehog’s Dilemma] – Throwback Thursday” →

Vinland Saga – 19 [United Front]

by Lenlo, posted in Vinland Saga

Another week, another fantastic episode of Vinland Saga. If last week dialed in on Canute, then this week was all about Thorkell and by extension Thors. And boy did I enjoy it. As Vinland Saga dives into their shared history, Thorkell’s regrets and Canute’s future. So without further ado, let’s dive in.

Before we get to the meat however, like always, PRODUCTION. WOOOOO TECHNICAL STAAAAAAAATS. Everyone’s favorite I know, but it’s something I love, so I am gonna keep talkin about it. Once again, Vinland Saga gave us two ends of the spectrum this week. From the fantastic animation of Thorkell’s short fight with Thorfinn, to the CGI boats on the ocean. Now to be fair, the CGI boats actually weren’t the bad. The pan out really helped hide the lack of detail, and there was enough going on on screen to distract you while they were there. The same can’t be said for the CGI soldiers in the background for a number of scenes, but hey. At least they were standing still so it might pass your notice if you weren’t paying attention. For the most part though, I enjoyed the picturesque visuals of it all. Now onto the meat! Continue reading “Vinland Saga – 19 [United Front]” →

Dr.STONE – 21 [Spartan Crafts Clubs]

by Lenlo, posted in Dr.STONE

Welcome one and all to Dr.STONE and my first post on the new site! I hope its working well for anyone, and if you have any issues, please leave a comment somewhere. We want to make it the best we can. That said, let’s get into the episode.

So really quick, lets run through Dr.STONE production this week. There were a number of picturesque scenes throughout I feel. From the Christmas tree to the dawn of the New Year. Like always, I think Dr.STONE pulls these off well. Instilling a good amount of emotion into what are otherwise pretty basic shots. Something about the music, the framing and the characters all comes together to make them greater than they otherwise would be. The big thing though from this week I think is actually how the science is presented. As we are starting to get into very small things, science which requires precision. Unlike the water wheel or the generator or even the ramen stand, the lightbulbs and such are to small to really show off building. At least to do so easily I feel. So I think Dr.STONE did a fine job depicting scale and precision here. Continue reading “Dr.STONE – 21 [Spartan Crafts Clubs]” →

Neon Genesis Evangelion – 3 [The Silent Phone/A Transfer] – Throwback Thursday

by Lenlo, posted in Neon Genesis Evangelion, Throwback Thursday

Another week, another episode of Neon Genesis Evangelion, possibly the last one before the site move. A nice dash for finality, I think. As this week Evangelion continues to explore Shinji’s mental state, what living in this world is like, and a dash of exposition. Lets dive in!

Starting off, this was the first episode of Evangelion to not wow me. Don’t get me wrong, it looked fine, but compared to the first two it was pretty static. For instance we saw the general 90’s explosions of simple circles overlaid onto the object itself. Or the same repeating image of the Angel in the fight at the end. Flashing back and forth as the characters count down. Or Shinji’s face during it all, with heavy red filters and such. I understand the attempt, what it was going for there, but for me it felt almost… overdone? At least when combined with the screaming and other noises going on at the time. Still, its not like it was bad, there is still a good amount of direction and decent cuts going on here. It just feels like all the good cuts will be limited to the Eva is all.

Continue reading “Neon Genesis Evangelion – 3 [The Silent Phone/A Transfer] – Throwback Thursday” →

Vinland Saga – 18 [Out of the Cradle]

by Lenlo, posted in Vinland Saga

Ah it’s good to be back after a weeks break, as Vinland Saga gives us another fantastic episode. This week sees Thorfinn fight for Askeladd’s life. Meanwhile Canute kills the boy so that the man may live. Lot’s to talk about, so let’s dive in!

Starting off, I have to comment on how Vinland Saga looked this week. It was downright fantastic, both in terms of animation and style. For the first bit we of course had Thorfinn vs Thorkell, with some Bjorn on the side. There is a lot to love here and only so much space, so lets rattle some off. There was the use of slow motion throughout the fight, combined with the snow. Or the dynamic animation throughout, or the effects of snow and wood. Clearly Wit knew how important this episode was, similar to episode 14. On the artistic side we had some beautiful landscapes and framing throughout Canute’s segment. With the sky and snow being rendered fantastically, and when combined with Vinland Saga’s backgrounds, becomes stunning. I think the “perfection in death” sequence is one of the best examples of it here. Still this is all obvious, onto story.

Continue reading “Vinland Saga – 18 [Out of the Cradle]” →

Dr.STONE – 19/20 [To Modernity/The Age of Energy]

by Lenlo, posted in Dr.STONE

Hello all, to this double feature of Dr.STONE, as this lazy bones plays catch up. Apologies for missing last week, but a combination of factors made getting the post up in time… difficult. Enough excuses though, onto the episodes!

Starting off, since I missed two episodes, let’s talk about the production for a second. As in these two episodes we saw both what Dr.STONE does poorly, and what it does really well. For the first, the obvious answer is of course action. Quick, fluid movements, simply don’t play well with Dr.STONE’s visual style. Nor does it really fit the series itself. For as I have said time and time again, Dr.STONE is not an action series. However what the series does well, in my opinion, is filling tiny scenes with large emotions. Scenes that, in the grand scheme, mean nothing yet Dr.STONE fills them with human emotion. The easy example of this being Homura and the cotton candy in Episode 20. A simple thing, meaningless in the greater story, but to me it speaks of Dr.STONE’s true strength. That being its portrayal of humanity.

Continue reading “Dr.STONE – 19/20 [To Modernity/The Age of Energy]” →

Neon Genesis Evangelion – 2 [An Unfamiliar Ceiling/The Beast] – Throwback Thursday

by Lenlo, posted in Neon Genesis Evangelion, Throwback Thursday

Hello all and welcome to week 2 of Neon Genesis Evangelion! I know a lot has been going on lately, what with the site scare, but don’t worry. A lot of work is going on in the back and we have plans. In the meantime, how about we just jump into this week’s episode of Giant Murder Robots?

Starting off, Evangelion continues to look good. There were some really nice shots this week, both in terms of direction and animation. For the first, I actually want to look towards the aftermath of the opening battle with the Angel. And how Evangelion really sells us on the scale of everything, not forgetting a single detail. What with the guns the size of buildings, and the bullets the size of cars. All with humans in the same shot, it establishes the scale of the conflict really well. For animation, I need look no further than the brutal fight itself. From the destruction of the arm to the almost fluid movements of the Eva. Most of all though, it was the impacts on the skull that sold it for me. Perhaps in the future this will become a bit much, but I think it sets the tone well this early.

Continue reading “Neon Genesis Evangelion – 2 [An Unfamiliar Ceiling/The Beast] – Throwback Thursday” →

Neon Genesis Evangelion – 1 [Angel Attack] – Throwback Thursday

by Lenlo, posted in Neon Genesis Evangelion, Throwback Thursday

Welcome all to the next series of Throwback Thursday, Neon Genesis Evangelion! Apologies for the late start, I sorta lost track of time this week. Won’t happen again though, because after this I am excited to keep going. Because if nothing else, I know it’s going to look good. Let’s dive in!

Starting off, we need to talk about production, because Evangelion looks gorgeous. I had seen a few clips or screenshots prior to this, but always assumed those were one-offs. Or came from the movie, End of Evangelion. However this entire episode looked really good. From the explosions to the almost organic movement of metal during the Angel’s introduction. Of course its the first episode, so this could easily go downhill from here. But visually its a very strong start. This of course goes for the background art as well. The opening shot of tanks along the bridge is beautiful, as are many of the backdrops. Really, Evangelion is showing off the best of what Cell animation can do. With bright popping colors, all of it with the imperfections that make hand-drawn anime beautiful. Something that is often lacking in modern digital series, sometimes to perfect for their own good.

Continue reading “Neon Genesis Evangelion – 1 [Angel Attack] – Throwback Thursday” →