Board 8 > SaveEstelle/LeonhartFour in Different Houses: Contest Edition [SELF]

(+) Yeah! (+)

lol lions indeed
---

made it to the "it just got real" point in the main story of Spider-Man

The combat definitely gets more fun as you're able to upgrade Spidey's skills and craft new gadgets. You can really feel the Insomniac influence here because it's reminiscent of Ratchet & Clank in some ways.
---

Good ol' Lions.
---

LeonhartFour posted...

either that or Darnold might actually be good

I think he might be.

but not good enough yet for that to be an excuse here
---

Team Rocket Elite posted...

That reminds me that I just finished watching the ChoS;Child: Silent Sky episodes and it made me wish the adaptation was better than it was since I'm never going to play the game.

So. I said I'd probably do this eventually back when I played the VN and promised I'd report back when I did. ...I didn't quite expect it'd take this long so I apologize for that!

But I just marathoned the Chaos;Child anime (and Silent Sky.)

Thoughts: I enjoyed it, but I definitely have to say I feel the VN is superior. That said, given 12 episodes, that was probably about the best they could do in adapting the Normal Route (+2 episodes for the True End/Silent Sky.) Well, the Normal Route with elements of Kurusu's Route blended in. It's just they can't really avoid the problem that with only 12 episodes they have to fly through the story super fast. The VN is 10 chapters so they're basically going at a rate of 1 episode per chapter (and given that Kurusu's Route blends in it practically is that rate) and that's... just not enough to really pace it properly IMO. It'd be like trying to compress Steins;Gate to 12 episodes pacing-wise. Basically, they have the ability to hit the main plot bits but at the cost of basically expunging any character scenes which is just a shame IMO, it's a great cast.

I also think the VN-to-Anime transition loses a lot of the atmosphere at various parts. The VN could build some incredibly tense and creepy atmospheres and the Anime doesn't really have the time to do that. Some key points where that happens (Episode 1 Spoilers: You get scenes from the PoV of the first two victims in the Return of New Generation Madness and the first one especially does an incredible job of being creepy as hell. Then later, at the site of the third victim/the hotel Takuru and Serika go to, the VN has plenty of time to build up the sheer creepiness of it all through the descriptions and atmosphere building.)

Some of the scenes they cut I can understand (More general spoilers, first half of the anime) There are two trips to the hospital in the VN. The anime covers the second. In the first, Takuru and Serika try to find the Sumo Sticker creator and stumble into what they think is that person's room/cell and end up running like hell because it's basically a room of nightmares. Taku loses his phone there which comes up periodically since Uki picks it up and its a source of paranoia since at the time Taku saw Uki and thinks she's involved/can ID him and Aoba Dorm from it. A number of subplots that don't end up relating directly to the main plot in the end but expand on the characters are also dropped.

That said, there are definitely some scenes that got cut that I think the anime is lesser for not having. A lot of them are the "investigation" scenes in the VN where you have to select what goes on the newspaper club room's investigation board/map. The anime generally either has someone else point out the information or just skips/glosses over it. The very final investigation scene of the Normal Route in particular is one that I think is a shame that it was cut.

I also think that a lot of scenes, even if still good, lost some of their emotional punch because of the pacing. I mean, I still teared up in some of those scenes but they still lacked the power the VN had.

One that they still absolutely nailed though was (Silent Sky 1/Episode 13 Spoilers) Serika and Taku's conversation in the hospital room. Not ashamed to say I started crying there. They definitely nailed that scene. Silent Sky probably needed a third episode though because the beginning of Silent Sky 2 was almost comically rushed.

Oh dear, I seem to be at the character limit. I hoped to get this all in one post, but it seems I'll need two!
---

(continued)

So, overall, my conclusion is that I'd recommend the VN if at all possible to anyone interested. I think the anime could still be enjoyable but it would definitely be a more hollow/lesser experience. By contrast, while I do think the Steins;Gate VN is superior thanks to the scene expansions and alternate routes, in that case I'd say the anime is an excellent adaptation and you could absolutely be satisfied watching the anime first or even just the anime.

With Chaos;Child I feel it's compounded in that a key component of the VN's interactive parts are those investigative sections I mentioned. Not to say it's all ruined if you go in knowing the answer to the mystery - indeed I actually believe there'd be some replay value in viewing everything through the lens of knowing the whole truth - but I think it'd just be a far better experience to go through it initially piecing it together like you do in the VN.

The various character routes are also a great draw in the VN's favor as well IMO they're excellent and do some fleshing out of things that the anime doesn't/couldn't. Both for the characters and the plot.

And, of course, the VN has more of best character Arimura.

tl;dr: I enjoyed the anime but would definitely stress to anyone interested in Chaos;Child that I think they'd be better off playing the VN first if at all possible. And if that isn't an option, aside from me just being sad because it's incredible, to at least be aware that it's an imperfect - if still serviceable - adaptation.

So uh... I dunno, I'd be glad to answer questions or comment or whatever but I think only me, TRE, and dowolf have played/watched the VN/anime. Of course they - or anyone interested - is still welcome!
---

Chaos;Child is on my "to read eventually" list, at least.

Do I have to have played or seen Chaos;Head first? My understanding is no but figured I'd double check.
---

pyresword posted...

Chaos;Child is on my "to read eventually" list, at least.

Do I have to have played or seen Chaos;Head first? My understanding is no but figured I'd double check.

I mean, I haven't played or seen Chaos;Head (though I've read some summaries) and I was fine! There are some references that you may miss but anything from Chaos;Head that you'd need to know you are told in Chaos;Child.
---

I got a new screen protector because the other one got cracked after I dropped it

so of course I cracked the new one as I was trying to apply it and work out all those stupid air bubbles
---

Ive never bothered with those specifically because of the air bubbles. I guess Im pretty careful with my phone because Ive never had a cracked screen or anything on any phone Ive ever had.
---

I'm usually pretty careful with my phone, but it only takes one drop. Oh well, the screen protector has a lifetime warranty so you can get it replaced for free if it ever breaks, but I wonder if the warranty still applies if you break it trying to put it on.

Guess I'm about to find out.
---

I never used a protector.

Cases are way better for protecting against falls.
---

Yeah, a case works fine until you get unlucky and it lands flat.

Or you drop it on a rocky surface.
---

Is that what happened to you
---

Well, I cracked my old phone's screen by dropping it in a parking lot.

The screen protector cracked on this one when it landed flat on the screen.
---

Oh, I didn't expect you to like it as much as you did. I think I mentioned this before but I had a hard time following what was going on and how the powers worked due the anime just flying through the material. I guess that wouldn't be a problem if you were already familiar with the material. I did end up liking a lot of the characters anyways. It's too bad Senri exits the story fairly quickly after revealing her true identity.
---

oh hey my PS4 just downloaded a patch for Spidey

wonder what they fixed
---

Hmmm, I guess I can post about this here.

So I started reading Umineko last night. Well, rereading, sort of--I first tried to read through it about 4-5 years ago, but I ended up hard-dropping it about halfway through chapter 3. (By this I mean that I closed out of the VN and actively made a choice that I wasn't going to read any more.) I'm pretty sure I've talked about my feelings on Umineko in this topic before, but in brief I really liked most things about the VN but really really hated the logic battles...which unfortunately are a rather large part of the story. Anyways for various reasons I've thought for a while that there's a good chance of my enjoying it if I attempted to reread it, so I finally bit the bullet and did it.

An interesting twist this time around is that shortly after dropping it the first time, I spoiled myself on nearly everything about the remainder of the story. I've forgotten a lot of the details (such as how some of the adult characters fit into things, in particular), but I do know the general trend that the rest of the story takes as well as what I guess would be the main "answer" of the games? (MAJOR UMINEKO ENDGAME SPOILERS In fact my knowing this is likely a contributing factor in my decision to reread it, as the two relevant characters were pretty noticeably my two favorites during my first readthrough)

Anyways I don't have much to say about the readthrough itself at this point--I started chapter 1 and read up until everyone gets to Rokkenjima, which at this point is basically just introductions to characters I'm already familiar with. I am looking forward to reading more though, which is nice.

Also if anyone's wondering why now is when I decided to do this, it's because I listened to Ricordando il Passato about 10 too many times over the last few days >.>
---

If you gave up because of the logic battles in Episode 3 of all places, hoo boy I can only imagine how the rest of the episodes will go over for you.
---

Also this reminds me that I should get back to Higurashi one of these days.
---

Leonhart4 posted...

f you gave up because of the logic battles in Episode 3, hoo boy I can only imagine how the rest of the episodes will go over for you.

I have to get to episode 7 somehow okay jeez

Also part of the "various reasons" for doing this that I mentioned is that I think I'll be more okay with the logic battles this time around.
---

I mean Episode 3 is probably the best overall episode anyway. It's either that or 5.

Although the good parts of 4 are the best thing in Umineko. It's just that the bad stuff is also some of the worst things about it.
---

I suspect I didn't get to what most people would call the good parts of episode 3, for the record. I stopped relatively early on I think. Just shortly after people started dying, and I think there was some battle between Beatrice and the white-haired witch, or something? I will say the stuff at the very beginning of episode 3 was quite good, though my favorite part I'd read so far was the very beginning of episode 2, actually.
---

Team Rocket Elite posted...

Oh, I didn't expect you to like it as much as you did. I think I mentioned this before but I had a hard time following what was going on and how the powers worked due the anime just flying through the material. I guess that wouldn't be a problem if you were already familiar with the material. I did end up liking a lot of the characters anyways. It's too bad Senri exits the story fairly quickly after revealing her true identity.

Yeah, it occurred to me, and I had initially planned on mentioning in my posts (cut for editing then never rewritten once it went over one post anyway lol) that my knowledge from the VN may have been helpful in allowing me to automatically fill in/overlook some blind spots the anime had.

In a way, half of what I meant by saying I was open for questions was that I could help fill in/explain those to you/anyone who watched the anime. The other half just being general discussion/rankings.

You're definitely right on that being something the anime more or less threw its hands up on. I recalled thinking that (Second half of the anime spoilers) There's a scene dedicated to Mio getting agitated over what/how Uki escaped Freesia but then they never revisit that point. In the VN they eventually conclude/discover that Uki's power is to make reality the delusions of those around her (rather than making her own delusions reality) and further speculate that that is the true reason she stopped growing - that it was the subconscious desire of the patients she watched over.

Furthermore, there was time spent between (middle of the anime spoilers) Taku getting the Gigalomaniac explanation and the pyrokinetic attack where he tried to control his powers, but kept failing. The pyrokinetic attack was where he (accidentally, out of desperation) used them. Then after the pyrokinetic attack until about the time the pyrokinetic died there was time spent where he essentially tried to train his power and figure out its limits in case he needed to defend himself/others from another attack.

A more specific and detailed overview that draws more on the VN would be (Major Spoilers for the VN and Anime): Arimura's power is to be able to detect lies, Serika can read minds, Senri had the ability to perfectly take on Kurusu's appearance, Uki could make real the delusions of those around her, Hana was a more complicated case where if two or more people imagined the same thing from something she said, it would become real, and she had no control over it. Which is why she didn't speak and only communicated in grunts and gestures. Sakuma's artificial power was mind control/brainwashing. Furthermore, Yui was discovered to be a Gigalomaniac around the time the pyrokinetic supposedly came to Aoba Dorm. Her power was the ability to sense where Yuuto was/how he felt. A kind of extreme empathy. It also showed how she still fit the pattern of psychics being targeted and since the group knew it, Yui was included in the Taku/Arimura/Uki group they knew might be in danger. Of course it still ended the same way.

Finally, there was more explanation on "True Gigalomaniacs" or what exactly separated Taku from the others. In the anime the term is used by Sakuma at the end but never elaborated on. It's explained that while the others are limited in their powers to the above, Taku has the ability to make any delusion real. He actually speculates that Gigalomaniacs "should" have this power based on Mio's explanation much earlier but doesn't have the pieces to know that the others are "failed" attempts to make True Gigalomaniacs until much later. Wakui is also a True Gigalomaniac but it's implied his being so is unrelated to the Shibuya Earthquake/White Light and he had the power beforehand.

...Crap how is this post going over the limit too.
---

Yeah, Episode 2 is probably one of the weaker ones overall, but it's got a strong opening.
---

(continued)

If you mean a more general explanation of (middle anime spoilers) how Gigalomaniacs powers work in the first place, the anime more or less hit the key points. The VN has the time and space to go into more detail of Mio's explanation but they key points were all there. Essentially, Gigalomaniacs have the ability to manifest Di-Swords. Those Di-Swords, aside from being able to be real-booted as actual weapons, basically connect elsewhere by quantum mechanics magic (The Dirac Sea that Mio talks about is an actual concept) and cause the target to perceive the delusion the Gigalomaniac has. There's some shared consciousness going on too so once that happens it "becomes" real. Taku challenges Mio on whether this is really real but as she says, if the delusion is shared by every person the question becomes moot. It's basically "the mind makes it real."

Another takeaway there is that since it relies on the shared consciousness thing, a Gigalomaniac needs another person present to make the delusions real. It's why Taku drags Gen (that homeless guy) to Serika's house to unlock the door. He needed someone else present to use his power to unlock the door.

And yeah, a lot of character background and moments are sacrificed because they don't have time. As for the one you specifically mention (Late VN/Anime spoilers) The Senri stuff comes off as incomplete, IMO, because that's the Kurusu Route stuff I mentioned. In the Normal Route it never goes into that. The hints are all still dropped, like Arimura picking up that she lied about seeing Senri crushed (though this is handled a bit differently and becomes part of the investigation around the time of the pyrokinetic.) Along with additional ones like what the deal was with Senri's ID Card. But it isn't unless you go on Kurusu's Route that the reveal that Kurusu is actually Senri happens. The anime instead takes that part of the Kurusu Route (but almost none of the rest of it) and tries to cram it into the Normal Route which makes it comes off as awkward and Senri ends up disappearing because none of that happened in the Normal Route so it presses on and there's no real way to fit her in there. In her actual route in the VN she most certainly does not disappear and things go very differently. Taku arrives at the duel between Serika and Senri before Serika can win and Serika flees before Senri even drops her disguise for instance!
---

Sherlock episode 4 beated. That was excellent. They did a good job of making Irene Adler every bit as formidable as she was in the original story this episode was loosely based on.

Also, I enjoyed the punny allusions to other Sherlock Holmes stories on Watson's blog ("The Geek Interpreter" and "The Speckled Blonde" being my personal favorites).
---

Sherlock ep 4 possibly my favorite one. So amazingly good.
---

Also just watched P5 ep 23. Everything actually felt well-executed here, oddly enough! I guess the anime makers are just big fans of Akechi or something.

Oh, and one thing I actually like about the show in general is how much more villainous Sae seems here. I didn't really buy it in the game, but in the anime she's credible as an antagonist.
---

oh nice both of my Spider-Man videos I posted got shut down for copyright infringement

cut down before I could even get off the ground
---

we're already back to 4 pages of topics

contest fever ain't what it used to be
---

Hopefully once we get the actual bracket we'll have more discussion.
---

Okay, these Taskmaster challenges are pretty fun. I usually don't like races against the clock, but the tense feeling you get trying to beat them is pretty good.
---

Might as well bring back the Fourpack of Fun to encourage some contest discussion.
---

Oh wow, look at all these FF games coming to Switch

and FFVIII is not among them

darn it Square
---

Obviously waiting to announce it alongside Squall in smash
---

FFVIII was lost in Time Compression.
---

3 more hours until Torna... or so I am told. I'm new to this digital scene. But I have been told that's when eShop updates.

hype

Unfortunately I am getting tired. Or rather, I can feel that I will be tired in the coming hours. This is unacceptable. Coffee is required.
---

Wait, I thought the eShop updated at noon EDT? I intentionally stopped following Xenoblade updates a few days ago. Did they announce a midnight release for Torna?
---

Team Rocket Elite posted...

Wait, I thought the eShop updated at noon EDT? I intentionally stopped following Xenoblade updates a few days ago. Did they announce a midnight release for Torna?

I've read its noon JST which would translate to 11 PM ET. Though I've read it from other people not a release from Nintendo so I'm not 100% sure of it.
---

From looking around the normal update time is noon EDT. Sometimes special releases are released at midnight. Japan's eShop seems to update at midnight Japan time. That doesn't match with either US update time. It's possible Japan just gets the game 1 or 13 hours before we do.
---

=(

what a crushing blow for me
---

Wait! Salvation! Unless this image is fake in which case that's just cruel of whoever made it.


---

7am CEST is 1am EDT. I guess I can play for like 5 minutes before I need to sleep. >_>
---

I'll take two hours later than I thought over noon though. >_>

but yes that is not ideal for my being awake
---

ravens wtf are you doin
---

Are there any differences between the PS3 and PS4 versions of the FF10 / 10-2 HD Remasters? I have the PS3 version but never played it and I assume the Switch is getting something similar to the PS4 version.
---

Team Rocket Elite posted...

Are there any differences between the PS3 and PS4 versions of the FF10 / 10-2 HD Remasters?

The option to choose between the original OST and the remastered one IIRC. And some slight performance boosts of course.
---

Yeah, the ability to switch between the soundtracks is the big one.

also LOL Ravens what a bunch of frauds

and good work AJ Green
---

starting my fantasy week with a nice -1

thanks ravens
---