...Anime reviews

[Takuya]

Someone told me that you're not allowed to review anime here unless you've seen the DUB...

Not to sound like a common flamer, but this is STUPID...

I ran into an anime recently, Elfen Lied, so after studying the information on Wikipedia, I decided to come here and get a review from a christian POV...

NOTHING!!! There was nothing up for EL... so I had to go ask...

Now imagine someone else coming along, looking for similar, not getting it, and walking off thinking that no one knows anything about it...

They watch the show and end up SCARRED (I'm not kidding... at all) because:

1.) Elfen Lied is EXTREMELY violent. I've seen violence, but EL is murderous, desmembering 14-year olds and civilians, and there's one scene of a kid literally beating a puppy to a bloody pulp.

2.) The guy told me there's about 9 minutes of graphic nudity while Nyuu/Lucy's walking around stark naked... not from the back either... and unlike Chii/Elda's hair in Chobits, Nyuu/Lucy's isn't so conveniently placed.

---

See? Like I said... any young kid would be SCARRED... it hurt ME...

___

That having been said, I don't think that things like that should be overlooked, ever, for any reason. Be it the worst, most satanic anime on earth, I think it's our duty to post even a PARTIAL review to warn about it...

And for Christian anime... actual Christian anime... I think that we should have info on those, no matter how incomplete, for reference... heck, even a specific sticky topic if anyone finds some...

And no, posting a topic is not enough, there's no topic for EL anyways... the only effective place for anime reviews is in the obvious area... because everyone knows it's there... at least, most people... and the review will always be there...

I hope you guys seriously consider this, because the way I see it, it IS a life and death situation... and if you don't see how, know how fragile some people are and scroll back up to "scarred."

[Tenshi no Ai]

Whoa whoa whoa...

Ok, first off on the anime review topic you asked mostly on the sexual content of it and from assumption, you KNEW it would be violent (with you saying "I already know alot about it, especially that it'd likely get a 10 on the violence scale.")

And ok guess there was no topics on Elfen Lied, but you COULD have asked in say an actual topic where more people would reply. And besides, if people walk blindly into an anime, then it's sort of different than if they actually went LOOKING for a review themself, right? And if not they could ask...

And I wouldn't concider this a "life and death situation". It's like saying you go watch a movie that is obviously controversly violent, and expect not to get scared or whatever. And even if there's no Christian review on it, it's simple enough to look up any other review, because even THOSE will tell you just what you are getting into...

Simply, no one's done a review or possibly even one's pending. I don't know.

Oh, and the rule (assumingly you meant "sub" instead of "dub") was really that you have had to have seen the anime UNCUT and not the TV dub, since they take stuff out...

Yeah, kinda went off there...

EDIT: One quick thing... Not sure why a little kid would be watching something rated "TV M", if they weren't willing to take a risk :/ Because yeah, basically rated as something for people 18 and over to watch.

[Takuya]

Whoa whoa whoa...

Ok, first off on the anime review topic you asked mostly on the sexual content of it and from assumption, you KNEW it would be violent (with you saying "I already know alot about it, especially that it'd likely get a 10 on the violence scale.")

And ok guess there was no topics on Elfen Lied, but you COULD have asked in say an actual topic where more people would reply. And besides, if people walk blindly into an anime, then it's sort of different than if they actually went LOOKING for a review themself, right? And if not they could ask...

And I wouldn't concider this a "life and death situation". It's like saying you go watch a movie that is obviously controversly violent, and expect not to get scared or whatever. And even if there's no Christian review on it, it's simple enough to look up any other review, because even THOSE will tell you just what you are getting into...

Simply, no one's done a review or possibly even one's pending. I don't know.

Oh, and the rule (assumingly you meant "sub" instead of "dub") was really that you have had to have seen the anime UNCUT and not the TV dub, since they take stuff out...

Yeah, kinda went off there...

...I just said that even a small, partial review should suffice. Uncut or not...

And also like I said, or at least implied, some wouldn't know TO look on the forums or ask.

And by life-or-death... yes, it can be. The way I see things, if you truely look at life, everything is. Especially when someone doesn't know it's violent and they end up getting caught off guard. Who's to say it won't wound them so bad that they kill themselves? Not me, not you. I already made this at least a tiny bit clear.

Yes, I knew it was violent, especially when my sister, who likes lots of blood, watched episode one and said she was wondering whether or not to continue with the rest of the episodes...

That last part having been said now, it should be obvious that I'm not the target here. I don't care now whether or not I get a posted review, I care that others do. No matter how small the review, one SHOULD ALWAYS be available, even if it's based on the uncut version.

I can say now that Eureka Seven is unfit for my nephew even though I watch it on the Adult Swim. It's still too violent on there. Now imagine how bad the uncut would be, supposing that Adult Swim broadcasts a cut version. Don't bother fuming that they do post partly cut or uncut or whatever, I have no interest.

The entire point of this and my previous post is that some people need obvious access to a Christian review.

And I wasn't interested in the sexual content of EL, as I don't know of any except Nyuu being a little too naieve in episode 7 (again, data from sissy) and her nudity in episode 1... that doesn't concern me... I wanted an answer on whether or not it was indeed too violent for me to handel (this was before my sister watched it...)...


Now say I went off. Besides, I'm only interested in a yes or no answer from the administration.

If you look from my eyes, you'll see my logic, and you'll see it's true. I only wish to make things safer the best, easiest way I know how.

[Mangafanatic]

Alright. Let's all sip some tea and calm down a notch.

*slips tea*

First: Let's start by reminding everyone that the moderators don't get paid for what they do here. This is not our "job." It's something we do both for fun and as a ministry. With that said, what we're able to provide is far above what we are "compelled" to provide. Which is nothing. We try to be a thorough as we can, but we're not God. We can't do everything.

Second: We don't provide partial review, and I'm not ashamed of that decision. Here's why: Suppose we gave a partial review of. . . say Elphin Lied. That might have helped you out. I'm sad we weren't able to prevent you from being subjected to something that was detrimental to you. On the other hand, however, what if we allowed a partial review of Higurashi no Naku Koro ni, which seemed pretty darn innocent and slice of life upon watching the first episode but turns out to be a very violent and somewhat disturbing little anime. We cannot allow partial review because they can't represent the content. The same damage that you claim was cause by our dismissal of partial reivews could also be caused by the acceptance of the partial reviews. The sad truth of the matter is that when you find yourself at the tip of a two edged sword, you have to choose what side of it to fall upon. We've chosen, I feel it's the best decisoin. Futhermore, I'm afraid that as a somewhat knowledgable fan of anime, I'm surprised by a claim that you didn't know that Elphin Leid was a graphic title. Have you ever seen the cover of the first volume? The opening episode features the infamous "Naked Lucy" scene. Why didn't you just cut the thing off immediately? More importantly, there are other resources for finding out about anime. If you had wanted to know about it, you couldn't have posted a thread or PMed someone. Most people in the anime circle would have known enough to say "stay far away from that."

Lastly, there is no way to have every title reviewed, even partially, on our site. I know that Gypsy hasn't even been able to be around CAA because she's so under the pile on reviews. I too am swamped by them, and finals are coming up.

When I first came to CAA, we had ten review. I believe we now have more than 150. Those reviews are a gift from our members and the staff-- PARTICULARLY the lovely and gracious Gypsy-- to the site. We just can't review it all. How many thousands of graphic titles are out there? For all practical purposes, they're innumerable. That's part of why we have the boards, so you can ask specifically about the anime that concern you. We give you the resources to make informed decisions. Afterall, how is someone saying "Oh, yeah, you made a thread about Elphin Lied. It's very graphic and sexual. You won't like it." any different from a partial review?

I am very sorry that this title affected you so much, and that we didn't have a review that could steer you away from it-- but please try to appreciate how impossible it would be for us to try to do everything. We're always only human, and we're moderators even less of the time. Still, we are trying to do our best to protect you, I promise.

Someone told me that you're not allowed to review anime here unless you've seen the DUB...
Not to sound like a common flamer, but this is STUPID...

I have to agree with you, that would be stupid. Our decision whether to accept an anime review or reject it has nothing to do with its being dubbed or subbed. Someone who told you didn't know what they were talking about. We accept or reject reviews based on whether they are of the cut or uncut anime, not concerning whether they are dubbed or subbed. (A review of an a version of an anime that had had everything cut out of it wouldn't do any good, since most people read reviews to decide whether to buy the DVDs, which are, almost without exception, uncut.

[Takuya]

Sorry, I thought I made myself clear. I didn't watch the show, so I never saw any nudity. The only naked Lucy I saw was the cover-art which is nothing to me, it's her completely nude with everything explict covered up.

What I meant by watching AMV's was I went on Youtube and loaded about 10 seconds of about two AMV's (Anime music videos) so the only thing I saw was Lucy thrash the SAT soldier and the kids killing the puppy...


Yes, perhaps watching part of the cut is pathetic to all of the uncut...

I believe that partial reviews should be banned in the way that innocent looking stuff can't be posted, but I think that someone should post a review if they find highly objectional material in the animation...

Say I watch Nyuu being cute... ...pft... nothing... no review quality...

But if I'd seen nothing but the opening and first episode, I should be able to review that just the first episode was INCREDIBLY violent and extremely disturbing, as well as very graphic along the lines of nudity... so 10/10 on both violence and nudity... or whatever the nudity gets...


Just like reporting a thread... you don't need to read the whole post... if you find a short rule-breaker mid-way just by luck, you still report it because it's breaking the rules...

If the anime needs a warning, it needs one ASAP... partial review or not...


I hope you understand what I mean...

And just incanse it seems to contradict, I'll make clear again that all I have seen is short clips of music videos as well as heard some things about it. I have not seen the actual anime nor have I seen the opening.

~T.K.~

[GrubbTheFragger]

I have to agree with you, that would be stupid. Our decision whether to accept an anime review or reject it has nothing to do with its being dubbed or subbed. Someone who told you didn't know what they were talking about. We accept or reject reviews based on whether they are of the cut or uncut anime, not concerning whether they are dubbed or subbed. (A review of an a version of an anime that had had everything cut out of it wouldn't do any good, since most people read reviews to decide whether to buy the DVDs, which are, almost without exception, uncut.

Well i guess i was mistaken. I was told also that you hade to watch the released dvds of the series in order to review a certain series. I was the one who told Tukuya that information. I have only seen the series bootlegged and it was only japanese so i didn't think i could do a review for the series. I am sorry Takuya for giving false information i was mistaken. I do think you overreacted a little this was a subject would have been handled best through a PM to a mob. Again i apologise for miss understanding Takuya I should have had my info straight and as of tonight i will get a review sent and done for EL.

[Yumie]

It's OK, Grubb, we know you didn't do it on purpose, it's not a big deal.

[Mangafanatic]

Yes, it was nothing more than a misunderstanding. No harm done. Keep in mind, however, and Gypsy and I are quite behind on the reviews. We're working on them, but I don't anticipate much progress to be made on my end before Christmas break on the 15th.

[Mangafanatic]

Say I watch Nyuu being cute... ...pft... nothing... no review quality...

But how are we to know what's truly cute and what's truly not unless we've seen it all? Perhaps you a see a two second clip of nudity from a 52 episode anime that is otherwise clean. Would it be right to blast a "Don't see this anime, because it's from Hell" warning on it?

Again, this is what the anime forum is for. When you're interested in an anime or you have an issue with an anime that you believe needs to be addressed, make a thread. Partial review, however, are not the answer, IMHO.

[Mr. SmartyPants]

Even of CAA did not have a review, you should have taken the time to view the reivew on animenewsnetwork.com or animenfo.com

Let's see aht Animenewsnetwork.com says

Age rating: Mature (May contain sex, drugs, and extreme graphic violence)
Genres: Drama, Horror, Psychological, Romance, Science Fiction

The fact that it says "Mature" says enough. But it also tells you it may contain sex, drugs, and extreme graphic violence.

[Takuya]

*Sighs* Apperantly my strong EL reference fouled up the fact that I was merely using it as an example.

Indeed, I meant this thread to reffer to general anime, only using EL as an example.

And I'm not saying that one shot of nudity should kill the show for a review, but some things are B&W, others are grey-scale.

Let's look at another anime for which I need to write my own review, as I don't recall seeing one here.

-Generator Gawl-

This anime has likely a 7-8 for violence. It is indeed very violent at times, and almost every episode has a fighting sceen resulting in the somewhat graphic removal of a crystaline orb from the chest, or back, of a creature known as a generator. Generators are metaloids, meaning they carry metalic and non-metalic traits, in this case, biological, meaning that the removal of this crystaline orb, known as the "Core" results in a fairly large gush of blood.

I appologize for such a huge line, I'm thinking like water-vapor again, somewhat dilated.

Also, there's one small scene of non-graphic nudity. Gawl storms out of a public bath-tub, dragging his friend and brother, Roh, by the arm. It shows his crotch, but it's highly undetailed and about as explict when his carapace is dilated, barely.

All that having been said, overall, Generator looks violent, and is, from episode one. If someone caught sight of that one sceen with "nudity," they might be offended, I was a little surprised as I recall.

But watching the patterns, one may make this conclusion:

The one "nudity" bit is very unlikely to be repeated, regardless of having seen prior or further episodes. It's something that should be put down, however.

How to handel this: If you've not seen the entire series, a "procede with caution" should be marked down. If you have only seen that particular episode, yet again, "procede with caution."

How to handel one episode of violence: Mark it down at an estimate, as other episodes can be expected to have the same level of violence, but warn that it may increase, as GG's last two episodes were particularly violent.

This isn't what I'm talking about though...

What I'm truely targeting is that if something had a particularly disturbing level of violence or nudity, it should be warned as quickly as possible in the most visible way possible.

As I believe I pointed out, the reviews will always be there, but a threat will eventually die in the crowd, being pushed to the very back of the line. Also, some may not know to go searching aside from the reviews.


Generator Gawl isn't honestly something I'd put urgency in, and I hope big-time that no one else here either has seen it, enough of it to review, or has any interest in reviewing it, as I REALLY want that spot. >>...

><....... I GOTTA FIND MY FIRST DVD!!! T_T I forgot where I put it... (someone lost my case and second disk, now I have the case and second disk back, but I lost the first in the time T_T)

[Takuya]

Even of CAA did not have a review, you should have taken the time to view the reivew on animenewsnetwork.com or animenfo.com

Let's see aht Animenewsnetwork.com says

The fact that it says "Mature" says enough. But it also tells you it may contain sex, drugs, and extreme graphic violence.

I never got any of those ratings. And I've never been to ANN or Anime Info in my life, the closest to such being passively catching sight of an ANN link, so in the past I've never even been aware they existed. Seeing as how I've now had them on my mind for a minute or two straight, I'll likely remember.

Yes, yes, yes. I DID get the official rating of "mature" in the info. That's irrelevant, as I've played, and thuroughly enjoyed, multiple Mature rated games (17+), which is the SAME age rating as EL, even the EXTREME VIOLENCE factor, as seen in Mortal Combat: Deception (Right on the label), which I beat the story-mode for. Now you see why I doubted its maturity. The only difference is WHO'S getting killed here, civilians.

As for sex and drugs, someone made mention of it having graphic nudity, but sex and drugs, I never read/heard anything about that.

The point of my scepticism having been made, I now depart.

My tollerance level: EXTREME violence, graphic blood, medium gore. Military, dangerous non-humanoids and other potentially armed/dangerous persons only.

[Stephen]

Do not double post. Use the edit feature.

[GrubbTheFragger]

*cough http://www.christiananime.net/reviews.php?display=30 cough*

[Mangafanatic]

We can't be held accountable for people not knowing how to use the search functions. Just as we don't send every new member a PM explaining every rule, we don't have to take the blame for people not knowing how to use the search function to find threads about the anime they're curious in. It is simply understood that ANY time you watch a movie or watch anime, you are to proceed with caution. Furthermore, if these hypothetical people can't use the search function, why would they be able to find this partial review? If there's anyone who's frequenting message boards who has never used a search function. . . well, I've certainly never met or spoken with them. Regardless, this is the point: We already do partial reviews. They exist in the form of threads. A review is not a review in the staff's book unless it is comprehensive.

[rocklobster]

OK< let me weigh in. Sometimes, you get an anime that seems one way, and then one or two episodes comes in and totally changes it. Kikaider is an excellent example. Up until the 11th ep, it is almost devoid of sex. Then in ep. 11, [spoiler]Kikaider has sex with Mitsuko. It's a very well-done scene, but still...[/spoiler] That's why I'm glad we have the must see whole thing rule.