Supernatural The Animation
Short Synopsis: Our lead characters are a bunch of detectives.
So, finally the first episode of the Supernatural Animation has popped up. A very badly encoded version, so I wouldn’t recommend it, but nevertheless this was quite good. The visual style of the designs and the animation all look wonderful, and especially the animation in the action-scenes is stunning and imaginative. As for the story, this episode started off with a random case, which was a fairly straight-forward thriller until it started to get quite creative with its climax. Overall, I’m very interested in this show at this point. The characters are pretty interesting as well, though my one point of criticism is that the acting (especially the way in which the characters are animated) feels a bit stiff. A typical Madhouse problem. There is also this point where one of the lead characters gets hurt, only to completely heal again only hours later. Right after his co-lead specifically points out that that’s impossible. Continuity, guys.
ED: English with a bit of an accent, instead of the usual Engrish. It’s still a bit of a boring ballad, though.
Potential: 80%
Some Quick First Impressions: Supernatural The Animation
Wait. Is this an anime version of Supernatural the TV show? http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0460681/
If so, why?
@Ncrdrg: why not? It’s one of those few american Tv shows that could work as an anime.
psgels, did you know that the lead characters are brothers, btw?
What Gottis said you didn’t mention it at all lol. I’m looking forward to buying this when it comes out in America since one of the leads will voice his animated counterpart.
I saw the first episode as well, probably from the same source as you. What was so bad about the encoding? It looked fine to me.
@Roldan
Sorry, I was a bit unclear. I meant to say: Why would any of us want to watch that when we can watch the TV version instead which has real acting? Good actors will always do a better job than voice actors for an animated version.
For a Japanese audience, I guess it’s a nice way to reach them though. And I guess for NA viewers too ashamed of their own culture to watch the TV show.
@Ncrdrg: Whaaaa? Why? You know a lot of voice actors do movies and tv series and vice versa?
And I still don’t see why a real-life tv series is comparable/better to/than an anime.
I think it is not a bad idea. If they manage to give back more or less the feeling of the real-life tv show, than it’s fine. I watch Supernatural and although the actors are good and the interaction between the main cast is enjoyable, the action scenes and a few other parts are, in my opinion, lacking. Anime has more freedom, you can achieve much more stunning and better effects. So I’m looking forward to check the anime out.
Of course I do, but you’ll never have the subtlety of real acting. Something you’ll just never be able to get from any anime ever. Thus, voice acting with an animated character can’t be compared to real acting even if the actor voices its character. It’s outclassed every step of the way. Which is why I don’t see any point for any English viewer to watch the anime version when there’s a TV original version.
Anime is a medium that I believe shouldn’t be meant to try copying TV but rather doing its own thing. For example, one of the things I love the most about Anime is that it has a set # of episodes the vast majority of the time. Obviously, I’m opening myself to harsh critics from anime fans here but I don’t care, this is my honest opinion as a guy who loves both of them equally.
Ncrdrg: I agree that origianl stories are often better than just adaptations, but what makes Supernatural different from, say, a manga or light novel adaptation?
psgels: Ncrdrg even gave you a first answer for your question and you pointed it also out in the review for the 2nd episode: stiff acting at times, the importance of the actors in the live action. Some of the best tv series would never work as anime because the characters and the acting are so much more important that everything else. We talk here about two very different mediums, adapting a manga/novel to anime is so much more easier that adapting a tv series to an anime.
Anyway, I am looking forward to watching this, it will be impossible not to compare it with the live action but I am sure I will enjoy it.
Pax said pretty much what I was thinking. Adapting from comics is different because it’s not already animated. That’s not to say the anime will be bad and un-enjoyable but rather to say that the TV original will be better.
BTw, that “ballad” as ending of episode is the cover song of the shows original main theme.
While the original tv show has no opening(apart from SUPERNATURAL title screen that changes every season to reflect the season’s thematic) or ending, Every season has at least one recap montage of ~1 minute, set to famous rock songs and the pre-season finalle recap montage always comes with “Carry on My Wayward Son”by Kansas.
IMO it was a very nice touch for them to have that as ending theme for how.
Speaking of the ending, here a link to the famous pre-credits outtake that inspired the image used in the ending http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DvrfQiYS1pc
Having just caught up on the start of S6 of the TV series I’m enjoying this adaptation and look forward to seeing what Madhouse will do with the rest of the story.