Supernatural Anime episode 1: "The Alter Ego"
Originally posted in my journal while watching.
Spoilers
Thoughts on Episode 1: The Alter Ego
Well, the opening shot is beautiful, with the eye.
Oh my...What is going on? Apparently nooooot an anime adaption of the show's pilot.
Heee! The show's font!
Skinwalker?
Yeah, them eyes aren't human.
Jeeze, I've been watching "Baccano," and this isn't too far from "Baccano" levels of violence.
METALLICAR!!!!!!!!!
OMG anime!Dean is so ugly *cries*
Sam has an incredible memory.
AAAAH AZAZEL!!!!! MARY!!!!!!!
Jared's voice!!!!
They got a good double for Jensen. I can tell it isn't him, but he's very good. I wonder who it is.
I'm having a hard time getting passed how the art bounces from beautiful "Death Note" look into just total fug. I mean Dean is disgustingly horrifically ugly. WHAT THE HELL?!?!?! How do they take a face as beautiful as Jensen Ackles's and draw it like THAT?! Go to Deviant Art and you can see hundreds of anime-esk SPN drawings and most of them are better than this. UGH.
Live action actors aren't always very good at voice acting, but Jared is doing great. I already know Jensen is terrific from the parts of "Under the Red Hood" I've seen. I wish he had dubbed this too. But again, this double is just fine. Actually, he's terrific. His voice is better than the guy who played teen!Dean on the show who had that really weird accent. I just wish the art was better :( But as I was saying, Jared could do voice acting if this live action thing doesn't pan out.
This seems to be made for people who know the show already. We aren't given any backstory (aside from Sam's dream/memory), just dropped into a case. Which I guess is kind of like FMA, actually. And I don't particularly like it there either. I say that show starts with episode 3, "Mother." I hope the SPN anime gets a backstory episode like that.
Well, didn't take Sam long to get tied up. I must be watching "Supernatural"!
Oh, so it's a different version of "Skin," I see. And again, it takes Sam next to no time to realize that it's not Dean. Go, Sam!
Designs aside, the animation itself is quite lovely at times. I would compare it to "Death Note," though MUCH less dialogue. I'm watching the shifter change right now, and it's beautiful animation, imho. Now I'm watching Dean doing amazing things with rope? Um, yeah, I'm definitely watching an anime.
So in the anime, vampires aren't believed to be extinct.
Oh interesting twist that the show didn't do with them. Scene in the car. It's great stuff, I like that scene a lot.
AAAAAH THE HORRIBLE "CARRY ON, WAYWARD SON" COVER! NOOOO!!!!!
"Family business," hee!!!! <3
AAAAH ENDING CREDIT DRAWING IS WIN!!!!!! WIN!!!!!!
Huh, there's stuff after the credits.
Final Sum Up: The script has none of the punch the show has. The storytelling is just fine, they do a good job of abbreviating a 42 minute show for 22 minutes, but there is nothing in the script and when they try to be quoteable and clever it's just awkward. I hope the scripts improve. They aren't weird like translations sometimes are, it all sounds very natural. It's just that the show is known for being quoteable and punchy, and this script was noooot.
The animation is pretty great, like I said. Reminds me of "Death Note." The designs are sometimes hideous, but the animation is solid and beautiful.
The voice acting is solid, from Jared and whoever is doubling Jensen (who is that?!) down to the guest cast.
The music is also great, I wonder who scored it.
First episodes of any show, anime or live action are sometimes rocky. And this was...Not memorable. Aside from the climactic scene in the car which the show didn't do, it's basically an animated shorter shallower version of "Skin." It's not as bad as the first episode of "Baccano," but it's just not a great introduction to the series.
EDIT: I'm reading that someone named Andrew Farrar dubbed Dean. Looking at a cast list I am unfamilliar with everyone involved, which isn't a bad thing. I wonder what company dubbed it. It's not Bang! Zoom! or Funimation cause I would be recognizing names (I'd like to think). Wait, is it whoever did "Death Note"? I know it was done in Canada and also had many people I didn't know. That is a fantastic dub, so yippee if so.
Spoilers
Thoughts on Episode 1: The Alter Ego
Well, the opening shot is beautiful, with the eye.
Oh my...What is going on? Apparently nooooot an anime adaption of the show's pilot.
Heee! The show's font!
Skinwalker?
Yeah, them eyes aren't human.
Jeeze, I've been watching "Baccano," and this isn't too far from "Baccano" levels of violence.
METALLICAR!!!!!!!!!
OMG anime!Dean is so ugly *cries*
Sam has an incredible memory.
AAAAH AZAZEL!!!!! MARY!!!!!!!
Jared's voice!!!!
They got a good double for Jensen. I can tell it isn't him, but he's very good. I wonder who it is.
I'm having a hard time getting passed how the art bounces from beautiful "Death Note" look into just total fug. I mean Dean is disgustingly horrifically ugly. WHAT THE HELL?!?!?! How do they take a face as beautiful as Jensen Ackles's and draw it like THAT?! Go to Deviant Art and you can see hundreds of anime-esk SPN drawings and most of them are better than this. UGH.
Live action actors aren't always very good at voice acting, but Jared is doing great. I already know Jensen is terrific from the parts of "Under the Red Hood" I've seen. I wish he had dubbed this too. But again, this double is just fine. Actually, he's terrific. His voice is better than the guy who played teen!Dean on the show who had that really weird accent. I just wish the art was better :( But as I was saying, Jared could do voice acting if this live action thing doesn't pan out.
This seems to be made for people who know the show already. We aren't given any backstory (aside from Sam's dream/memory), just dropped into a case. Which I guess is kind of like FMA, actually. And I don't particularly like it there either. I say that show starts with episode 3, "Mother." I hope the SPN anime gets a backstory episode like that.
Well, didn't take Sam long to get tied up. I must be watching "Supernatural"!
Oh, so it's a different version of "Skin," I see. And again, it takes Sam next to no time to realize that it's not Dean. Go, Sam!
Designs aside, the animation itself is quite lovely at times. I would compare it to "Death Note," though MUCH less dialogue. I'm watching the shifter change right now, and it's beautiful animation, imho. Now I'm watching Dean doing amazing things with rope? Um, yeah, I'm definitely watching an anime.
So in the anime, vampires aren't believed to be extinct.
Oh interesting twist that the show didn't do with them. Scene in the car. It's great stuff, I like that scene a lot.
AAAAAH THE HORRIBLE "CARRY ON, WAYWARD SON" COVER! NOOOO!!!!!
"Family business," hee!!!! <3
AAAAH ENDING CREDIT DRAWING IS WIN!!!!!! WIN!!!!!!
Huh, there's stuff after the credits.
Final Sum Up: The script has none of the punch the show has. The storytelling is just fine, they do a good job of abbreviating a 42 minute show for 22 minutes, but there is nothing in the script and when they try to be quoteable and clever it's just awkward. I hope the scripts improve. They aren't weird like translations sometimes are, it all sounds very natural. It's just that the show is known for being quoteable and punchy, and this script was noooot.
The animation is pretty great, like I said. Reminds me of "Death Note." The designs are sometimes hideous, but the animation is solid and beautiful.
The voice acting is solid, from Jared and whoever is doubling Jensen (who is that?!) down to the guest cast.
The music is also great, I wonder who scored it.
First episodes of any show, anime or live action are sometimes rocky. And this was...Not memorable. Aside from the climactic scene in the car which the show didn't do, it's basically an animated shorter shallower version of "Skin." It's not as bad as the first episode of "Baccano," but it's just not a great introduction to the series.
EDIT: I'm reading that someone named Andrew Farrar dubbed Dean. Looking at a cast list I am unfamilliar with everyone involved, which isn't a bad thing. I wonder what company dubbed it. It's not Bang! Zoom! or Funimation cause I would be recognizing names (I'd like to think). Wait, is it whoever did "Death Note"? I know it was done in Canada and also had many people I didn't know. That is a fantastic dub, so yippee if so.