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Un-Go (TV).


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ShinobiX



Joined: 03 Jun 2005
Posts: 889
Location: NY
PostPosted: Sat Oct 22, 2011 12:51 am Reply with quote
errinundra wrote:
... And what is Inga, really? I look forward to uncovering the mysteries.


I too would like to no what ever the hell he/she is.

Anyway, my favorite anime this season so far.
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Unicorn_Blade



Joined: 18 Jul 2010
Posts: 1153
Location: UK
PostPosted: Sat Oct 22, 2011 1:48 pm Reply with quote
Um, all right. Episode 2, and I am not thrilled. the show seems to be lacking something. 22 minutes, and what I saw wasspoiler[ a case exposed, then two potential killers being shown briefly, and then ta-da! the killer is someone else, 5 seconds of their motivation and the end.]
Does not seem any less rushed than the first episode really. The case felt a bit like something from Hell Girl, but with a lot less time spent on showing how things actually happened.
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dtm42



Joined: 05 Feb 2008
Posts: 14084
Location: currently stalking my waifu
PostPosted: Mon Oct 24, 2011 11:09 pm Reply with quote
So many plot holes in the first two episodes . . . I should keep a running tally.

Ugh, I love smart series, I really do. But I absolutely hate it when series try to be smart and fail, as it is worse than if they had just been another mediocre story. NoitaminA has being doing this a lot this year, as UN-GO is sadly the fourth series in a row to fail because the writers simply weren't good enough to handle the material. The other three were of course Fractale, [C] and No. 6. Some interesting ideas in all of them, but the execution has ranged from bad to worse.


Last edited by dtm42 on Tue Oct 25, 2011 1:11 pm; edited 2 times in total
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dirkusbirkus



Joined: 10 May 2008
Posts: 699
Location: Manchester, UK
PostPosted: Tue Oct 25, 2011 1:05 pm Reply with quote
I'm with dtm42 on this one. I was also hoping noitaminA would get it right this time, and they haven't. Beyond the hideously annoying Murder-of-the-Week format they've started with, the conclusions are shoddy, there are too many winks and nudges towards backstory we're not privvy to as yet (I assume this is a device to build anticipation for the actual revelation; sadly, I don't care about the characters, much less any revelation) and the cast is already bloated.

Unless this does a complete 360 within the next 2 episodes, this'll be my first dropped of the season.
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yamata no orochi



Joined: 23 Jan 2009
Posts: 137
PostPosted: Tue Oct 25, 2011 4:26 pm Reply with quote
Hey, to anyone having problems with Un-Go, 2DT wrote a pretty interesting article on it over on his blog:

http://2dteleidoscope.wordpress.com/2011/10/24/un-go-and-the-japanese-crime-novel/

It helps not to think of Un-Go as a traditional western mystery, I think. Gosick or Sherlock Holmes it isn't. The thing is, though--I don't think it's trying to be! But if you look at the show as a way for the writers to deal with character interactions/social issues in Japan and elsewhere, than I think the show from the second episode onwards has been doing a pretty good job.

EDIT: another neat article:

http://blog.hachimitsu.org/2011/10/21/un-go-02-the-digital-ages-illusion/#more-3299


Last edited by yamata no orochi on Tue Oct 25, 2011 6:40 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Unicorn_Blade



Joined: 18 Jul 2010
Posts: 1153
Location: UK
PostPosted: Tue Oct 25, 2011 5:35 pm Reply with quote
The article is interesting, but it more of a wishful thinking of what this series COULD be if it were executed properly. Because of poorly written mysteries, the social context is pushed back into the background and actually, for me at least, very simplified. The cases are presented in a rushed way, without spending much time on introducing the characters we could care for, and most historical details are presented as super fast flashbacks. So all in all, the series neither goes into detail about social/political issues, nor is it a good detective story. So far, I still hope for improvement.
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Unicorn_Blade



Joined: 18 Jul 2010
Posts: 1153
Location: UK
PostPosted: Fri Oct 28, 2011 5:02 am Reply with quote
Ok, so episode 3 was some sort of a joke... I think. The whole case did not look as bad really at the very beginning, but the explanation- I could hardly believe my eyes. the fact that it involved a spoiler[wardrobe with AI] really did not help- and this time there spoiler[did not seem to be a criminal at all]. Also, the supposedly important social context got lost in translation.
Me thinks I am going to be dropping it soon.
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Errinundra
Moderator


Joined: 14 Jun 2008
Posts: 6532
Location: Melbourne, Oz
PostPosted: Fri Oct 28, 2011 5:10 am Reply with quote
I thought it was the best episode so far. At least the death happened early and I really liked the sting at the end (which is one of those I should have seen coming). Bear in mind, it's the first half of a two episode story. There are mysteries to solve. spoiler[Why did the father die seven years ago? Why did the AI pretend to be human? (Perhaps to hide that it was breaking the law.) Why did it fake its own death?] I thought the face-off between Rie and Seigen was pretty cool also - see this week's snapshot in my OP.

Realistically, so far I'd rate the series either decent or so-so but I'll persevere. It's different and it's clever and it's aiming for a slightly older audience than most anime. And there are no school girls. Yay!
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Unicorn_Blade



Joined: 18 Jul 2010
Posts: 1153
Location: UK
PostPosted: Fri Oct 28, 2011 5:45 am Reply with quote
I did not even pay attention whether it was a two part episode, in that case, I suppose it makes it a bit better. I am still not thrilled and too fond of the Inga routine, but I will give it another go next week.
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JaffaOrange



Joined: 01 Apr 2011
Posts: 251
PostPosted: Fri Oct 28, 2011 8:02 am Reply with quote
I find it really odd that even before the Inga routine to get out a confession, the case has usually already been solved.
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dirkusbirkus



Joined: 10 May 2008
Posts: 699
Location: Manchester, UK
PostPosted: Mon Oct 31, 2011 10:01 am Reply with quote
There are just too many liberties being taken with this series. I think it's probably trying to build the viewers' curiosity by only revealing small snatches of the 'bigger picture' but there's very little going on in the episodes outside of that to hold interest.

Three episodes in and still in the mystery-of-the-week format. Inga is still annoying as hell (Episode 3, spoiler[the daughter of the family is maybe a little distraught at seeing someone she thinks is her adopted brother burn to death in front of her... Inga duly lies in the chalk outline, starts making jokes... What's more annoying, the girl actually seems to smile]). Her transformation speech is always along the same lines, and outside of being a magical one question wonder, there's no depth to her/him/it. The defeated detective guy somehow finds himself on the inside of all these mysteries and spends 90% of screentime looking bored or keeping his brat in check. It'd be nice if it would make its mind up about being a serious detective show or some kind of shounen claptrap.

Dropped, I'll replace it with Guilty Crown.
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Yttrbio



Joined: 09 Jun 2011
Posts: 3653
PostPosted: Mon Oct 31, 2011 10:48 am Reply with quote
I actually like Inga screwing around, as if reminding the viewer, "you're not taking this seriously, are you?"
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dirkusbirkus



Joined: 10 May 2008
Posts: 699
Location: Manchester, UK
PostPosted: Mon Oct 31, 2011 11:02 am Reply with quote
Mm, but that's what grates with me; They set up these serious situations with political undertones then chuck in this really annoying brat with a supernatural twist. I think too many balls are being juggled. I can't judge it as a serious show because of Inga, can't judge it as a detective show because it's got the supernatural twist, can't judge it as light entertainment since it's obviously trying for more.

Maybe it's just a really slow starter, and it'll hit its stride soon. Alas, I won't be watching long enough to find out.
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ArsenicSteel



Joined: 12 Jan 2010
Posts: 2370
PostPosted: Mon Oct 31, 2011 1:20 pm Reply with quote
Quote:
I can't judge it as a serious show


Maybe it's not a serious show or it's the type of show that is only serious to a point to want to include characters with non-serious attitudes. Seriously, you're watching a cartoon are you really going to hold not being serious enough for your tastes against it?
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dirkusbirkus



Joined: 10 May 2008
Posts: 699
Location: Manchester, UK
PostPosted: Mon Oct 31, 2011 4:51 pm Reply with quote
Well yeah, I kinda get the impression that it wants to be taken seriously. They set up these 'serious' cases, usually involving some form of murder (That's pretty serious, right?). They give us a brooding male lead and an ambitious daughter, a conspiratorial subplot. I think it's going for the 'serious' angle, which is why Inga goes against the grain so much.

I just think it's all a little bit confused at this point, which is enough of a turn-off for me. I enjoy a good thinking man's anime, but Un-Go isn't as smart as it seems to think it is.

*shrug*
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