May 27, 2010

Be still, my heart!

There's going to be a live action version of Maria-sama ga Miteru.

If you want my opinion, this is the stupidest idea since the live action version of Negima.

UPDATE: May as well make this a "linky" post. THAT has their preview of summer 2010, and they've included several shows which weren't in the other one.

A couple of days ago I downloaded and watched the teaser for High School of the Dead. I had two "No, my disbelief won't suspend that far" moments when watching it. One was when a girl took on a zombie using a bokke, a wooden practice sword.

The other was the simple fact that all these kids were hanging around at their high school during the zombie apocalypse, wearing school uniforms. Wouldn't heavy jeans and jackets be more reasonable? better protection? Lord knows I'm as big a fan of seifuku as the next otaku, but they're really, really not practical during the zombie apocalypse.

And in any case, wouldn't they be better off heading for the hills? Why stay at the high school? (So it can be called "High School of the Dead", silly!)

UPDATE: There will be a second series of Baka to Test to Shoukanjuu. Is this good news? Damned if I know. I only watched one episode of it.

UPDATE: Pete, something can be done better without being done well. And something can be done well without being worthwhile. (J.C. Staff really did a pretty good job on the animation of Eiken, but it's still trash.)

Posted by: Steven Den Beste in linky at 09:10 AM | Comments (16) | Add Comment
Post contains 259 words, total size 2 kb.

1 1. The bokke: Aside from the "anime cliche" angle, I'd probably reach for a good length of metal pipe, or an axe.  On the other hand, if I had a modicum of practice in swinging a wooden stick, I might go with that too.  I understand those things can break bones, if you're not padded. Fortunately, zombies rarely wear armor.

2. Clothing: I'm not really familiar with the story, but at some point early on, the government panics and seals off sections of the city, writing off anyone who's still trapped inside with the zombies.  The kids are trapped at the high school for a while, though they later seem to have living quarters with heated running water, in an apartment building.

It's the zombipocalypse and they can sustain hot and cold running water?  Now that, I have a problem with. 

Posted by: ubu at May 27, 2010 01:18 PM (i7ZAU)

2 You have to have hot running water so you can have bathing scenes with the girls, silly.

Posted by: Steven Den Beste at May 27, 2010 01:41 PM (+rSRq)

3 Well, of course!

Posted by: ubu at May 27, 2010 03:20 PM (RSYfi)

4 Steel Angel Kurumi wasn't particularly good; remaking it as an anime made it better than the manga; remaking it as live-action birthed an abomination which consumed souls.

When it comes to Japanese students, not only would I expect them to wear their school uniforms to school even after the zombie apocalypse, but I expect that they -still change into indoor shoes- at the entrance. Habits are hard to break!

Posted by: Avatar_exADV at May 27, 2010 03:27 PM (pWQz4)

5 Ha, reminds me of an episode of Dexter (the serial killer, not the cartoon) where they know the killer is some Asian dude  because there were sockprints...he took his shoes off before entering the victim's house.

As for the bokke, if you're trained in kendo, kenjutsu, or any other style of swordsmanship for that matter, it would probably be more effective than a heavy pipe or axe.

Posted by: Jordi Vermeulen at May 27, 2010 06:10 PM (5EMw1)

6 Worst season ever.

Posted by: Pixy Misa at May 27, 2010 06:44 PM (PiXy!)

7 It is the kind of season that makes Sock Monkey Loves You look like a good bet.


Posted by: ubu at May 27, 2010 07:05 PM (RSYfi)

8 I guess it's all in what you like. For me, summer season looks to be better than spring was.

Posted by: Steven Den Beste at May 27, 2010 08:00 PM (+rSRq)

9 "bokken". The "bokke" is the "idiot" partner in a Kansai comedy duo. ;p

Posted by: Avatar_exADV at May 27, 2010 08:03 PM (pWQz4)

10 Oh, dear. You're right. (rats)

Posted by: Steven Den Beste at May 27, 2010 08:59 PM (+rSRq)

11 Although using that weapon in that situation is the act of a bokke, wouldn't you think? (he says, thinking quickly)

Posted by: Steven Den Beste at May 27, 2010 08:59 PM (+rSRq)

12 I was tempted to say "Hey, that's not what a bokke is!", but honestly my tsukkomi needs a lot of work...

The bokken is perfectly capable of maiming someone; its biggest advantage is that the shape makes it usable by people who've put some training into sword or kendo skills. Against zombies, however, it's pretty crappy, simply because zombies take a lot more maiming than people do. You can't stop a zombie by causing a greenstick fracture or dislodging a patella; you need to smash face. (And conversely, the biggest disadvantage of large blunt weapons is that they're clumsy... but a zombie isn't usually going to out-agile you even if you're armed with a maul.)

The other advantage of the bokken, though, is that it's at least plausible that a student could lay hands on one easily. As much as I'd prefer a fire ax or a good length of steel chain, there's never one around when I need one!

Posted by: Avatar_exADV at May 28, 2010 01:01 AM (mRjOr)

13

Not only are blunt weapons clumsy, they also require more effort to do less damage than sharp or pointed weapons. Even if a person is strong enough to use a maul to good effect, they would be able to keep fighting much longer if they were to use an axe or rapier than a maul or bokken, without significantly more mechanical assistance than simple hilt leverage. If there's one thing classical zombies (not the "fast zombies" aka "bald werewolves" that seem all the rage these days) have an advantage in, it's numbers, making survival an endurance test more than a one-on-one duel that a bokken can end as quickly as an actual sword.

As for "hanging out at the high school" instead of "heading for the hills," in a zombie apocalypse establishing a "safe house" the zombies can't enter (and therefore can be safely slept in) is critical to survival. A survivor who flees into unfamiliar territory, even if there aren't as many zombies there, will eventually find himself in more danger than he would be in by staying in familiar territory where there are resources to construct permanent barricades or moats with.

Of course, keeping that "safe house" free of zombies can actually be harder than one would expect, what with the other survivors you offer shelter to that keep hiding their bite wounds until you wake up with your "friends" cracking your skull open to get at your spicy yummy braaaaaains...

Posted by: Tatterdemalian at May 28, 2010 08:15 AM (TaHHC)

14

"Of course, keeping that "safe house" free of zombies can actually be harder than one would expect, what with the other survivors you offer shelter to that keep hiding their bite wounds until you wake up with your "friends" cracking your skull open to get at your spicy yummy braaaaaains..."

Or semi-non-stupid zombies like in Land of the Dead, that can figure out how to walk underwater or pull down weak fences.

Posted by: RickC at May 28, 2010 12:11 PM (dTTYB)

15 Actually, the story starts with them at their high school on a normal school day when SHTF.  So that is why they are in their school uniform.  Later they change out of it, but never into full protection clothing.  Well, non of the zombies movies I watched ever did except '28 days later'?

Posted by: stonecold at May 28, 2010 01:21 PM (GU8PF)

16 The comments about removing shoes remind me of the Jinnai Tomonori sketch where he's playing a zombie game à la House of the Dead.  At one point the zombies breaking into the house sit down and remove their shoes before attacking the player.

Posted by: EYanyo at May 28, 2010 06:58 PM (wZCd9)

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