Flawfinder

Flawfinder

A guy who is harsh against pop culture because he loves pop culture.

Junior Contributor II

  • Lurker
  • ?
  • Articles
    1
  • Featured
    1
  • Comments
    7
  • Ext. Comments
    4
  • Processed
    0
  • Revisions
    0
  • Topics
    0
  • Topics Taken
    0
  • Notes
    1
  • Topics Proc.
    0
  • Topics Rev.
    0
  • Tides
    4
  • Tides Proc.
    0
  • Tides Rev.
    0
  • Tide Comments
    1
  • Points
    197
  • Rank
    X
  • Score
    92

Latest Articles

Sorry, no topics are available. Please update the filter.

Latest Tides

123
∼∼∼∼∼∼∼∼∼∼∼∼
Tidearticle
anime

The Emotional Manipulation of ERASED

Ever since it first arrived on the anime scene, Boku Dake ga Inai Machi aka ERASED has taken the community by storm. A little more than halfway through the series and it’s already regarded as one of the greatest anime in years. Which makes sense because it has a lot of positives that make up anime: good animation, intriguing premise, and dynamic direction. It seems like the noitamina that fans wanted back after a recent string of mediocrity over the last year or so.

But there’s no getting around the fact that ERASED is an emotionally manipulative drama. This is not a negative or a positive in of itself because all good/bad dramas set out to force the viewer to feel something. What matters is how said feels occur and ERASED has made both good and bad choices in regards to its execution. Whether or not this will pay off in the end remains to be seen, but recently there’s been more bad than good. The amount of focus in regards to one of the girls has gotten ridiculous considering there have been other victims as well, and prevalent problems that were easily dismissed at first have started to become impossible to ignore.

  • I've only just started watching thsi series on Crunchyroll. Thus far, it's kept me entertained. It was this article and one other from another blog that pointed it out to me, so thank you for that. – mattdoylemedia 8 years ago
    0
135
∼∼∼∼∼∼∼∼∼∼∼∼
Tidereview

Guilty Crown Review

Upon release, Guilty Crown quickly became one of the most controversial anime to exist amongst the fandom and still withstands a considerable amount of backlash to this day. Part of it has to do with the huge amount of hype surrounding the talent behind it. Part of it has to do with it airing on the noitamina timeslot back when it was well-respected. A lot of it has to do with its incredibly cliche writing, lackluster/stupid characters, and awkward plot turns combined with a self-serious tone that never once acknowledges its stupidity.

And yet, most people watched it. Most people laughed at it. Why? Because there was something about stupidity taken this seriously that really compelled us. And over time, this reviewer has come to appreciate Guilty Crown on its own terms whilst understanding that it’s less a bad anime and more a well-made show that wasn’t what fans wanted at the time. It’s fast-paced, all the important characters are developed well enough, the technicals are consistently good for the most part, and most of all, it’s a show that seeks to offend on purpose. Guilty Crown is an anime that seeks to challenge the fanbase without losing its identity as a genre piece, not unlike Metal Gear Solid 2. And whilst it’s not a perfect one, shaping your viewpoint in that direction allows Guilty Crown to stand on its own as a solid satire piece in a medium full of weak entries.

Rating: 4/5

  • It was interesting to see the "fanbases ruining everything" point in the full article. I often try to avoid things for a while if I hear too many people harp on about it, as I find that overhype prevents me from giving it a fair crack. How far does the show go in trying to offend? – mattdoylemedia 8 years ago
    1
  • I have to agree with your take on the series. I wasn't a total fan of the plot when the series was airing, but with hindsight the story was actually more effective than what I initially thought. I was probably too distracted by the audio/visual aspect of the series which still stands with me as being one of the best series I have seen in that regard. – CheesyJ 8 years ago
    0
152
∼∼∼∼∼∼∼∼∼∼∼∼
Tidereview

Blood Blockade Battlefront Review: Pure Unentertaining Energy

Blood Blockade Battlefront (also known as Kekkai Sensen) is Bones’ biggest hit in several years, selling over ten thousand DVDs/Blurays on the first volume with a bright future ahead for the remaining ones. With the director of Kyousogiga, the original manga being written by the man who brought us Trigun, and a well-respected studio who has produced some of anime’s biggest hits in the past, it seemed like a dream combination for all the nerds to fanboy over. But whilst the result has achieved a large fanbase thanks to its madcap energy, the actual quality of the show is anything but ideal.

Including the opinions on this review, the show has achieved a not-so insignificant amount of fan backlash for its decision to focus on style at the expense of substance, its shallow characterization, and the three-month delay between the penultimate episode and its finale due to scheduling/production issues. And despite the show’s visual and technical positives, BBB managed to actively throw away everything that could have made it a good time to the point that it became one of the worst anime the writer managed to finished this year.

It’s a show that thinks that as long as it looks cool, it doesn’t have to actually try. Well it’s right, given its popularity. But that won’t stop this reviewer from calling it out on its fundamental failures.

Rating: 3/10

  • I have not seen the show but from thise Tide Review, obviously I am curious to see it. I would like to follow up and measure what the reviewer has evaluated as a film in which style trumps substance while the film manages to be popular. – JeffinAurora 8 years ago
    2
  • From what you've said about it focussing on style over substance, it sounds like an unfortuantely missed opportunity. That's a shame really. – mattdoylemedia 8 years ago
    0
  • Actually did a first impression of this series on YouTube. – Joseph Manduke IV 8 years ago
    0
134
∼∼∼∼∼∼∼∼∼∼∼∼
Tidearticle

Examining Planetes' Ending Credits

Planetes is a great show on the whole, but certain parts of it aren’t looked at enough, particularly its ending credits. Through a triumphant-sounding song combined with visual imagery and impressive time-skipping techniques, every time you finish an episode, you’re treated to cheery reminder of what drives the main character despite everything he goes through. Whilst he may grow older and suffer setbacks in his life, his childhood dreams still exist. And although he is far from fulfilling them in his current position, that doesn’t mean he can’t grab whatever he can get whilst waiting for the day said position now longer restrains him.

Whilst the ending only captures a small part of what humans go through whilst growing older and is never given physical form within the actual show, it is still an impressive piece of animation that shows exactly what you can accomplish with credit rolls. Most anime credits, whether they be openings or endings, are lifeless on a visual level – telling us nothing other than "this exists" without any actual meaning to its existence. Always saying "hey, this character is in the series" or "hey, we’re foreshadowing a plot twist that will totally become relevant nine episodes in". Planetes’ ending credits rises above those trappings and not only breathes life in its visuals, but even if you don’t know the main character on account of never having actually watched the show, you can still get an idea of who he is and what you have to look forward to as you follow his journey of making it as a space garbageman just by watching said credits alone.

Most people skip ending credits after finishing an episode. If more of them were Planetes’, they’d be less likely to do so.

  • Agreed. I hate when the credits are just clips of the actual show. I don't like the spoiler scenes and I don't like just watching things that already happened. I am a huge sucker for a lot of the music though haha. – Tatijana 8 years ago
    1

Latest Comments

Does Ocarina of Time Still Hold Up By Today's Standards?
Flawfinder

Not when it keeps re-using the formula every installation.

Does Ocarina of Time Still Hold Up By Today's Standards?
Flawfinder

I’m a big fan of Majora’s Mask and Wind Waker personally. The latter in particular deserves preservation for its cel-shaded graphics and exploring mechanics, plus Link and Ganondorf are more interesting characters in it.

Does Ocarina of Time Still Hold Up By Today's Standards?
Flawfinder

That was a joke. I probably should have made that clear.

Anime for Dummies: What Starters Should Watch
Flawfinder

Love Hina still wins points for me by being generally funny, even with its age. Whilst it did popularize a terrible trend, it was also very tongue-in-cheek about it. That’s something I can’t say of most harem stories.

Love Hina Manga (1998) Review: A Dose of Silliness for Patient Readers
Flawfinder

As a guy who does his fair share of criticizing, I prefer to see the practice not as something that influences opinions but as something that makes the reader think about what they like or don’t like. It’s very easy to go for the cheap shots, but the problems that plague entertainment usually go beyond that and on the whole, I think most people just misunderstand cinema.

The Glaring Importance of Critics in Filmmaking
Flawfinder

What, no Fist of the North Star? How can you get into shonen without seeing Fist of the North Star?

Anime for Dummies: What Starters Should Watch