Topic: Angel Beats! My quest for the perfect anime series is complete
Blayne Bradley
unregistered
posted
I can't even begin to figure out a way to even begin to explain this series AND do it justice at the sametime, suffice it to say that I've seen alot of anime, and alot of it was pretty emotionally draining to watch which is good, but while I would have in my mind a "top ten" vaguely defined only though.
As I could never really bring myself to say that "this series is better then this series" many have their places, though I can recognize and say "Okay, these 10 to 15 are in a class of their own, but I withdraw from proper judgement in determining which one is best".
Until now, now I have watched in a 2 day sitting the 13 episodes of Angel Beats!, it has a great cast of incredible characters, awesomely recognizable cast of voice actors, hilarious black comedy, violent swings in mood, superb animation and terrific music along with a great deal of symbolism and imagry to fully satisfy anyone's tastes and most important of all it made me cry both from the tragic sadness of some of the moments in the series and from a sort of tragic bittersweet joy some of the scenes had.
The story, as best as I can describe it follows Otonoshi Yazuru who has woken up "dead" with amnesia in what appears to be Purgatory in the shape of an idealistic highschool, a place for lost souls to shed lingering attachments and regrets to the youth they could never properly enjoy and Otonoshi gets upon waking up immediately gets drafted by Yuri, a girl who can be described as a Haruhi Suzumiya expie who due to the unfairness of her life has formed the "Afterlife War Front" and is rebelling against "God" and joins up with the quirky and enjoyable cast of characters.
Terrific, absolutely fantastic, it is worth every minute of ones time to watch, my only regret with the series is that its only 13 episodes long when it was intended to be 26, so not quite perfect but close enough that it might as well be and am looking forward to reading the Light Novel and Manga tie-ins.
Enjoy. 7/5. Number One on Blayne's top ten anime list of all time.
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How is posting on a free blogspace unprofessional to the point you don't want to do it, but doing the same exact thing here, on a web site someone else pays for, isn't? I am not making fun or anything, just wondering......
Check out Lyr's blog about GRRM's books. It is very well done, and looks a lot more professional than posting a blog here as a thread.
Posts: 15082 | Registered: Jul 2001
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Just read some more about this and realized that some of the people involved in making this anime also were involved in my #1 anime of all time: Clannad.
So...thank you for the heads up. Posts: 194 | Registered: Mar 2003
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Blayne Bradley
unregistered
posted
quote:Originally posted by Ryoko: Just read some more about this and realized that some of the people involved in making this anime also were involved in my #1 anime of all time: Clannad.
So...thank you for the heads up.
This is my reason for doing it here, I'm unlikely in a blog as of now to get as many people to get to watch it.
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Can I add my name to list of people who'd check out your blog if you would stop using this site as a personal playground?
Posts: 1733 | Registered: Apr 2005
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Yes, Blayne. You have two people who would do so, already.
And as for the unprofessionalism... seriously? I would really, really, really not worry about appearing unprofessional if I were you. Especially to people around here.
I have a blog I'm a part of for a class, for example, using blogspot. Lyr is using blogspot too, to create something absolutely awesome. I dare you to make something just as interesting.
Seriously, go for it. Link it to us, we'll be happy to read it! Heck, you can even mention in your personal thread when the next update is up. You will be doing everyone a favor, and we shall be able to enjoy your blog posts in the format they are designed for.
Posts: 1577 | Registered: Sep 2005
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Anyway, Blayne: Actually, yes, you are as likely to get as many people. After all, I'm going to put your blog in my "watched" list anyway, and I am connected to a number of other bloggers who have a chance to look at it.
Also, I think everyone here who would read this and enjoy your comments will definitely watch your blog. Especially if you provide a link whenever you give a new update.
Posts: 1577 | Registered: Sep 2005
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Not exactly following the "Blayne make a blog" trend in the thread, I just thought I'd throw out that if you really liked Angel Beats, there is an ongoing manga about what the SSS was doing before Otonashi showed up. I've only seen 7 or so chapters translated so far, but it's definitely been good if you liked the anime.
posted
Blayne, I accept that this is pretty much pointless, but I'm still waiting for my work computer to come back from repair and I'm stuck with a lot of time on my hands, so what the heck.
You should really consider learning how to set up blogs and such with the highly configurable stuff that's out there. There's a big market out there for people who can set up blogs and more complete solutions. You'd greatly improve your marketability if you really got into this or even something more complicated like drupal.
I'm not sure how to say this nicely, but I doubt you are ever going to be able to make a living as a programmer. You're not any good at it. But something like this is something that I think you'd be able to handle and there's a big market for it.
Posts: 10177 | Registered: Apr 2001
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Blayne Bradley
unregistered
posted
Not only was there no nice way to say it but was pretty much the most irrelevant thoughtless thing you've ever said, and it is completely without basis.
If there was a single way to sum up "ignorant" it would be your post, maybe you don't frequent sakeriver or something but seriously is that little "am I going to get punched for saying this?" filter broken? Did you maybe think for a second that there could be a story or reasons for whatever that may paint a different conclusion then the one you pulled from your nether regions?
Its like a completely random person walking up to me while I'm randomly drawing some scenery and judging my career prospects from that one encounter alone.
It is completely unforgivable and without reason, I am enraged to the point that I can't even express how enraged I am.
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Actually, it's more like you repeatedly showing someone your work, and eventually they tell you "your aptitudes and interests don't really suite your stated goals very well. Consider these, instead."
Posts: 2907 | Registered: Nov 2005
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Blayne Bradley
unregistered
posted
quote:Originally posted by Juxtapose: Actually, it's more like you repeatedly showing someone your work, and eventually they tell you "your aptitudes and interests don't really suite your stated goals very well. Consider these, instead."
Once again, opinion without basis. Sure I occasionally had asked for help, but usually only because I procrastinated until the last minute, when I fully use the abundant time alloted to me I get it done and rarely needed help unless it was something obscure like a .net error.
I did perfectly fine in my Java programming course and my algorithms course.
At most one could say I am not very good with planning and using my time effectively to get important goals done, to state that I am not any good at programming is demonstratively false and ignorant and said in ignorance.
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Even IF I grant that everything you said is true, it does not warrant the invective you've indulged in. You should strongly consider apologizing.
Incidentally, I suspect that effective time use is pretty important to a programming career. I can't say I have experience in the matter, but I do know some very smart people who do work in the field, who are quite good at managing their time, and still have to work really long hours. This is what you're competing against.
EDIT - I also hope you'll look past the slight to your programming abilities in Squicky's post, because it seems to me he gave some advice that could be pretty rewarding for you.
Posts: 2907 | Registered: Nov 2005
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Blayne Bradley
unregistered
posted
quote: Even IF I grant that everything you said is true
Then the conversation stops right here, if your not willing to grant what I say is the truth then it is pointless discussing it.
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Uh, if these threads are so bothersome to people, why on Earth do any of you even click on them? Blayne doesn't force you to read this stuff. It doesn't take up too much space on your screen. Just ignore it.
Posts: 1515 | Registered: Feb 2002
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Blayne: How convenient of you. If he doesn't necessarily agree with your every opinion, ignore whatever he says.
You know what? I'll do it. I'll say "I will definitely take what you said as true, or at least that you believe it with reason."
Now: What would be opinion with basis? Whose judgment on your skills would you take as having merit? Please name someone, for I am curious.
Also, are you ignoring the useful advice? Throwing out the good with the bad isn't always wise. I've gotten terrible criticism before, from someone who held a grudge against me and was intentionally trying to insult me.
Seriously, way worse than anything you've gotten in this thread.
But when I got that criticism, I still noticed the kernels of truth piled along with the dung. Throwing away everything in a rage isn't smart, Blayne.
Try to be a little less thin-skinned.
In response to Foust: Why do I click on these? Eh. It can be entertaining?
Posts: 1577 | Registered: Sep 2005
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I'm entertained by clicking on troll threads, but this doesn't seem like a troll thread. Actually, it does, but the trolling didn't begin with the OP.
Posts: 1515 | Registered: Feb 2002
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Okay, you know what? I wasn't going to say anything, Blayne, but you're being smug here where there's absolutely no call for smugness.
Right now, you are not any good at programming. I am not saying that you might not become good at programming; I'm just saying that you are not currently good enough at programming to make even the barest living at it, much less be considered "good." (You don't need to be good to make a living at it, in case you're wondering.)
Whether or not you become good at programming does not depend as much on the classes you choose to take, in my opinion, as it does on your ability to retrain yourself to think and react like a coder. Right now, you do not think like someone who writes code. (This isn't an insult, either. Thinking like a programmer isn't always an advantage, and I've worked very hard with only limited success to learn how to switch back and forth between programmer-brain and regular-brain.)
An example: Just a couple of days ago, you encountered an error while installing a PHP portal package. After consulting with people on another forum, you had to Google the term "deprecation" and, once you understood what it meant, decided to roll your installed codebase back to an outdated version instead of refactoring the forum software you were installing to work with the newer version.
Someone who thinks like a programmer would not do this. A programmer thinks, "Let's break this problem down into discernable chunks. First, let's figure out what this error means. Secondly, now that I know what it means, let's find a good way to identify and isolate all the code that needs to be changed. Finally, let's figure out how to quickly script a way to change all the code that needs to be changed, so that I don't need to worry about missing a piece that isn't updated. And then let's save the script and, moreover, submit my final changes to the common codebase with an explanation of why they were necessary."
It is not a character flaw that you did not have this reaction. But your reaction -- to roll the codebase back and install the package as given to you -- was the reaction of a web designer, not a programmer. There is a lot of overlap between these two skillsets, especially nowadays, but the biggest difference between the two is mindset. You exhibit the mindset of a designer, Blayne; you do not exhibit the mindset of a coder. And that's okay.
Moreover, if you really want to exhibit the mindset of a coder, that's okay, too. But you need to start working on acquiring that mindset, and that's a lot harder than it sounds. IIRC, you want to program games -- and those are among the hardest things in the world to write well. Game design isn't hard. Even building art assets and applying modeling tools to lay out a game world using an existing engine is more a test of your project management skills than anything else. But coding a game engine is extremely, extremely tricky, and the people who do that are not people who just got okay grades in their Java class.
Posts: 37449 | Registered: May 1999
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Blayne Bradley
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posted
I'm pretty sure Squicky used programmer as a shorthand for any kind of computer science related profession, since I certainly hadn't mentioned programming at all in my op, and his statement was as such a complete non sequitur, I also don't see any real distinction between a designer or a programmer, a designer needs to know how to code in order to know the technical limitations of his design and a programmer needs to have some degree of designing skillset in order for his code not to be a trainwreck.
As for programming I've been out of practice for about a year and a half and working myway towards reacquiring that skillset, starting with webprogramming as working on my parents website allows me to avoid "real" work around the house.
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quote:I also don't see any real distinction between a designer or a programmer...
I'll be blunt as well: The fact that you don't see the distinction means to me that, quite honestly, you're neither.
(ETA: OK, Tom... Maybe he's a designer... )
Programmers need to be designers in order to be any good. Designers do NOT need to be programmers. At all.
(NOTE: I'm using the term "designer" because you did. The proper term for what you're talking about, at least in the industry, is an "architect". A "designer" these days implies graphical ability. My point stands: an architect doesn't need to know how to program either.)
I'm from the school of thought that programmers aren't made... they're born. Being a "true" programmer isn't merely knowing the syntax or its application, but the application of it in unique ways. That's the sort of thing that is either taught late in the CSC curriculum or inherently acquired.
This might sound like I'm bragging... I've only taken FIVE computer science courses in my life (three of them were essentially syntax - Pascal, Ada and Prolog - and one was data structures. I forget the fifth), and I don't have a degree. Yet I've been doing this for over twenty years, have worked for IBM as a software engineer, and am currently making six figures. Why? Because I feel I have been able to think like a programmer since I was in my teens.
If you can't think like a programmer, you will never be an "upper tier" software developer. And, in my opinion, I don't think any school on this planet could teach you, or anyone, to think at that level. It's a gift... and a curse.
Now, whether you want to be an "upper tier" programmer or not, that's up to you. You sound like you might want it, but whether you can get there is still up for debate.
Posts: 3486 | Registered: Sep 2002
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Blayne, I suggested a computer science related job for you. And we have a somewhat long, involved history on this topic. Enough that I feel pretty confident in saying that you're not going to make a living as a programmer, especially a game programmer. You don't have much in way of skills and you lack the orientation and discipline to ever get them. Also, you apparently have a mental disability serious enough that you are collecting money from the government for it.
I'm trying to point you towards a career in a similar area that I think you may be able to handle and have a chance at being successful at. I went into this not expecting anything from you, but you may grow up and face reality some day. If you do it soon, this is still going to be useful advice, but you should know that the window for this for you isn't going to stay open forever.
Posts: 10177 | Registered: Apr 2001
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Blayne Bradley
unregistered
posted
It is a completely irrelevent to the thread, has nothing to do with watching a particular anime and has nothing to do with setting up a blog, WHY are you giving me completely out of the blue this kind of advice? I can't even begin to imagine the mental leap to go from "waiting until I purchase a webserver*" "Your not cut out to be a programmer" I can't figure out WHERE it could have possibly have come from, why you think saying it HERE and NOW was somehow important enough to force it in.
It makes no sense, its not rational, it's just insulting, it may have made sense had I posted the website I was working on and asked for critique it just doesnt make any goddamn sense here.
IT DOESNT MAKE ANY SENSE!
*Speaking of which, very noticible hypocrisy there, so apparantly I shouldn't be spending any of the money I recieve on any self gratification but the second it could be used for your own convenience ie not posting blog like stuff here, that advice goes out the window?
Cause and effect, cause and effect, everything should have a cause every effect has casuality, casuality MUST have a cause and effect, but where's the cause!? WHERES THE CAUSE!? WHY DOES THE EFFECT!? HAVE NO CAUSE!?
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I have no idea about whether or not Mr. Bradley has aptitude to be a programmer or whatever.
The only reason I read this thread in the first place was because of the words "perfect anime" in the title.
As an anime fan, I clicked and learned about what turned out to be a wonderful series.
If his recommendation had been on a blog, it is unlikely that I would have ever found out about it until much later.
So, for me, I'm very thankful that it wasn't on a blog and was instead in what I consider a very appropriate place: a post within "Books, Films, Food and Culture".
Posts: 194 | Registered: Mar 2003
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*grin* Yeah, for what it's worth, I don't have a problem with Blayne posting this sort of thing here. I do think he should also post it to a hypothetical blog, not least because Hatrack isn't much of an audience and I actually suspect that Blayne could attract a real audience if he put his mind to it.
Posts: 37449 | Registered: May 1999
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Blayne Bradley
unregistered
posted
You should already know Tom that I've already been working on making a blog.
posted
But then only people interested in anime would find his blog. If he had only posted it on his blog, I wouldn't know what an awful sounding anime series I was missing:
quote:In a world after death, angels fight for their fate and their future. Yuri, the leader of the Shinda Sekai Sensen, rebels against the god who destined her to have an unreasonable life. On the other hand, Tenshi, the chairperson of the student council for the world after death, battles against the SSS members...
posted
I have no problem with people stating threads here about anything they are enjoying -- comics, books, games, etc.
I have never looked at any blog and cared whether or not the blogger ran his own server.
I can TOTALLY envision "Blayne Bradley's Anime Blog" being immensely popular, and can absolutely and sincerely envision you being invited to Comicon, making money through affiliate advertising, and having publishers send you free issues hoping that you'll boost their sales by mentioning their products.
Posts: 270 | Registered: Apr 2009
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Blayne Bradley
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posted
quote:Originally posted by Nighthawk:
quote:Originally posted by Blayne Bradley: You should already know Tom that I've already been working on making a blog.
Now I'm smug. *smug*
"Making" a blog? You creating one from scratch or something?
Heck, if it's an issue I'll give you a free Wordpress blog on one of my subdomains...
I'm trying to merge together phpnuke with word/comicpress so I'ld have a portal /w forums that can lead people to either the main blog or to whichever webcomic/webmanga I was working on.
So you'ld go to the site, see the main page which would have things like news, the link to the forums, downloads, other stuff and then links to each webcomic hosted on the site.
So right now I'm designing it on my hard drive using WAMP to test it, once I'm satisfied I'll find a webhost.
Hopefully neither of my names for the domain have been taken.
quote: But then only people interested in anime would find his blog. If he had only posted it on his blog, I wouldn't know what an awful sounding anime series I was missing:
Japanese Anime is entirely based on the notion of "Better Than It Sounds" and making all sorts of weird ideas work.
I'ld more accurately describe it as a "moving on" (as opposed to coming of age) story on how people deal with grief and loss while in what's essentially Purgatory shedding all prior lingering regrets before moving on and reincarnating/ascending.
I'll give you this one time the benefit of the doubt.
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quote: Even IF I grant that everything you said is true
Then the conversation stops right here, if your not willing to grant what I say is the truth then it is pointless discussing it.
That didn't come out right. I meant to say that your objections were beside the point, and made a mess of it. I'm sorry I gave the impression I thought you were being dishonest.
I really do hope you'll listen to the people giving you advice in this thread. They mean you well.
Posts: 2907 | Registered: Nov 2005
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