You know what sucks? Starting a trace, then watching more of a show and discovering you absolutely hate the character. 
Here’s Paraietta. I’m running out of girls to do, and eyecatches to choose at the same time. I want to finish doing all of the girls individually before I do a few of the multi-character eyecatches. I definitely intend to do 13-1, 15-2 and 21-1.
So this leaves me with Kaimu, Floe, Rodoreamon and Limone to go. I’m not really sure what order I’ll do them in. Probably Kaimu or Limone first, since they have better eyecatches. Rodoreamon’s eyecatches so far have all been paired, except the one with her hugging that mutant plushie, and I prefer her with short hair. Floe’s eyecatches are all horrible, really. I’m hoping some good material for those two shows up in the last 5 eps.
Hahahaha. I’m still hoping for Paraietta to redeem herself… I have faith that she will…
*squee 21-1* 15-2 is adorable too.
21-1 is like a dream come true, but what about 21-2? That is one hawt Yun (and Onashia’s hand). Enough about my requests, feel free to disreguard
If anything, spend some time getting those raws and .ass files working and catch up already! I hate how the larger fansub-viewing-blogging community is still stuck at like, 14. I can’t even talk about 16 with people and to me that’s ancient history. So much good stuff ahead of you.
I have caught up, as of last night.
Personally I thought 21-2 was horribly wierd looking, so don’t expect to see that traced any time soon.
What? How can you not love 21-2? ;_;
Well, the angle is a bit wierd, I’ll give you that. But it’s Yun! How can you not love it?
But thanks for the hard work, as always. Keep them coming, but don’t burn yourself out with the pace ;-P
I’m stopped at 13 presently. Love the show up to now, despite its pandering. I’ve drooled a few times. But, 21-1 is a problem. Is this another typical eyecatch tease which doesn’t occur in the episode? Doesn’t this one image just kill a potential USA license? Granted, they could change any potential “controversial” eyecatch images. But Marmite seems to have a better chance now, and even it’s remote.
C’mon- this image (by itself) panders to the wrong crowd. 21-1 could be a completely platonic situation, but I don’t want to have to explain an image that immediately causes this much of a “wrong” impression.
American TV is a sea of slop with occassional gems. I was hoping to share this show with my Dad, who enjoys a good story that keeps him guessing. He sat through all of Noir with me, and adjusted to it’s light yuri theme - they were growed-ups, after all, you could imagine what you liked. Now I’m just not sure how much extra explanation I’m gonna have to do about Simoun at every halftime break, it may not be worth the trouble.
To be honest, it didn’t really have much of a chance of a license to begin with, as hard as it is to say it. Some stuff that’s a lot wierder and off the beaten track has been, for sure, so it’s still a possiblity.
I don’t think that the 21-1 eyecatch is playing to the wrong crowd at all. There’s nothing obviously inherently wrong with it, especially given that their relationship is very much a mother/daughter thing. Besides that, if blatantly lolicon stuff like Ichigo Mashimaro is not just licensed but funded by one of the big US companies, then 21-1 isn’t going to put many of them off. What is a lot more likely to put them off is that they’d have trouble pitching the content of the show to idiot Joe Sixpack Americans, something that they seem to be fixated on.
I’m still surprised that no one ever picked up on Marimite, but I suspect that it may be potentially for some of the same reasons (and possibly the added worry that some Catholic group go up in arms at the suggestion that catholic girls schools are filled with Lesbians :P).
I’d actually say that Simoun has possibly got a greater chance of licensing than Marimite, because I doubt it would cost as much to license, plus it’s got a fantastic rather than mundane setting, something which is more likely to be sellable.
I want both.
Yes to both!
I think Marmite is more accessible with it’s non-fantastical setting. Simoun has a steeper learning curve, because the world has to be explained.
For both shows the first eps are a tough watch: Marmite throws all the characters at you in one dizzying introduction, before the OP! Then you get the French words.
Simoun has more characters, more terminology. Starts with a bang, though, teases a general audience with great action, but makes ‘em work for the rest.
To the same general audience, nothing dramatic seems to happen in Marmite. The OP music (love it) is enough to put many people to sleep before the show’s started!
Only Sei is clearly lost to the world of guys (sigh, one of the most fun characters to watch) but her obviousness and wrenching backstory fuels the “it’s a lesbian commune!” fire. I think Catholic groups would be more critical of how religious practices are buried in the background, for a supposedly Catholic school. Yumi is so messed up, the only time she’d get out of confession or counseling would be for lunch.
“Forgive me Father, for I have sinned. I bruised one of the chocolates I intended to give to my onee-sama, and then I ate it, at first not wanting her to see the blemish, but then selfishly I enjoyed it, and in a few minutes regretted that I enjoyed it, but ran out of time to make a WHOLE NEW BATCH of chocolate to replace the missing piece, and so had to give unto my onee-sama only eleven chocolates in a box I made to hold twelve, that I wasn’t sure she would like. And then… “
I disagree with Marimite being more accessible.
I’m going to second NegativeZero and say that it’s the complete opposite, that is, Simoun is way more accessible because of the fantastical setting - For all the strangeness to it, the oddjob gender-bender world with its war backdrop actually serves to create a more belivable, plausible, and thus also easier approachable setting for all the character drama.
Marimite, as dearly as I also love its characters and subtle (and not-so-subtle-at-all) drama, is very much built around ‘tempest in teapot’ plots and a certain level of drama queen-itude. Lot’s of fuzz about things that you don’t normally really make a fuzz about. While I personally enjoy it in the shape that it is, I do see where the people are coming who just walk away from its overt melodrama with rolling eyes.
This is a shortcoming that Simoun avoids by effectivenly employing a setting that creates a more ‘justfiable’ and belivable scope for the drama to be held at hand. Angst and drama are easier to swallow & take in when there’s something clear and concrete, but above all, understandable, that drives the thing.
As for learning curve, yeah, Simoun does a good job of shooting itself in the foot at the start with all the oddjob terms it throws in your face at regular intervals, but if we’re to compare again, Marimite’s not really doing that much of a better job with about a billion rosagiganteaenbutondeptitesouers that it splats right in your face at the start, don’t you think? ;-P I know I needed to watch the first episode two times before having half a clue what was going on :).
Reason why no one’s picked up Marimite; It’s shoujo. Shoujo does not sell in the states. At all. Shoujo anime that is - Ironically, shoujo manga is what’s been all the rage for a while.
In that aspect, Simoun stands a way way higher chance of being licensed; As much as the series channels shoujo-y drama in itself, it’s substantially different enough not to fall into the niché or pit-trap. It’s not a series for everyone, but I’d say it has the chance for rather broad appeal within a certain demographic (which is why I weep over the low signal/noise ratio the series is having :/).
And well, by the end of the day, it’s still cute girls kissing each other on the hood of a war machine. Always easier to sell than “well, there’s these scholgirls, and they talk… a lot… And cry… and talk some more”. And takes way less effort, too ;-P
As for the 21-1 Eyecatch, it does sort of rub me the wrong way. Yeah, it’s definitively ‘in character’, but I the arrow on the ‘dubious double-edged pandering’ scale inches just past the ‘tolerable’ limit for me :/
I’ve said this elsewhere, but loose either the nekkidness, or have them both be sound asleep (no loli-raep eyes for you!) and I’d probably adore that image to death :p.
Oddly enough in contrast, the recent Dominura & Rimone Megami poster has me going all squee without problems~ http://heiseidemocracy.com/wp-content/uploads/megami77/16.jpg Mommynura~
On the Simoun art bbs page, the poster of 21-1 said (Excite TR) “It is AS too enthusiastic.” Even the natives raised their eyebrows at this one. AS seems to be working extra hard to keep up with the risque side of the male dominated commercial Anime industry.
Megami - Maxim for Anime. Yeah, that’s much less problematic than 21-1. But - where is her hand? Oh, nevermind. We expect this sort of thing from Megami!
I didn’t oversell Marmite in my missive, and I agree with the points in your 2nd paragraph. But those same points are not as much work to explain in 5 mins to a target audience as the epic amount of stuff underpinning Simoun. I’m just expanding or expounding on the “content” negative which NZ pointed out.
So I think they’re both hard sells, Simoun seems to me more work to explain because of the additional characters (not that you would explain them in a sales pitch, just the fact that there are TWELVE of them is daunting enough at first glance) and completely new terms (Latin more obscure than French.)
I guess the typical “just don’t go there” solution is pretty easy (though it could cause some to get frustrated; I’ve sure been frustrated by some movies that are sold to me by punched-up trailers) - push the action, show that everything needs a good kiss to turn on, and duck the mad rush. After that line, I’m definitely going to duck.
Actually, while the Marimite novels are well and truly shoujo, the creators of the anime revealed that they’d deliberately pitched it towards a male audience rather than a female one. Just an aside.