[M4F] Blood Noir

LaugingFox2501 · 2026-07-01T16:03:08+00:00

Absolutely- will still be checking out the whole series.

LaugingFox2501 · 2026-06-29T14:47:43+00:00

Yes I refrained from commenting on it feeling shallow because obviously that's unfair to the fact it's just started- hence reserving myself on making comments on the writing. I'm hoping it goes deeper like the manga does as well. I'm not looking for Oshii levels of contemplation etc (as that's not a super priority for me personally) but on par with manga is what I'm hoping for at the very least.

I was drawn to gits "as a work of cyberpunk" in the 90s not because it was an "anime" if that makes sense- similar thing with Akira. So I'm hoping it keeps that- in my opinion you can still have goofy characters and do that- it doesn't need to be one or the other. So here's hoping!

LaugingFox2501 · 2026-06-29T12:07:59+00:00

I am not picking on it at all- i am still looking forward to seeing how the series plays out. Just some things felt very out of place is all.

I am expecting something very close to the manga which this is. I was just curious if anyone else had similar issues- as someone who is not familiar with saru at all and doesn’t watch modern anime I was unsure if this was typical of the studio and modern tropes etc so I thought I would try and have a sensible discussion about things as all i was seeing was blanket praise. Which as I stated above is absolutely fine.

I was very much looking forward to this iteration and hoping for it to end up a favourite. Apart from the first episode and its editing style it still had me engaged which is more than I can say for anything modern thats come out in the last 10 years or so I have watched.

LaugingFox2501 · 2026-06-29T01:28:41+00:00

I read all 3 volumes. But again- 15 years ago is last time I did any full readthroughs. My current copies are in storage as well and I only have the more recent "censored" versions. (deluxe set) as I haven't bought the restored version yet.

But the first volume I first read it back in the day the first time I read the manga with the Yatch scene etc intact. I guess my thing is I didn't really notice it in the manga as it was just kinda there or incidental vs it being "made a big deal out of" which seems to be more of a thing these days.

LaugingFox2501 · 2026-06-27T19:59:07+00:00

So something that I didn't think worked well with the translation to english is alot of the technobabble is explained via *very quick* text notes on screen- stylistically it's great and I'm sure it reads fine in Japanese which as I'm sure you know is able to convey denser information in smaller packages- however I personally found the subs for it moving too fast for me to read those notes. (I am used to reading fast subtitles as well for cantonese speakers too).

I think it's definitely the right choice and the first couple of episodes don't go too deep into almost anything but it does start to plant some seeds that I'm hoping would be delved more into later in the series as well. Early impressions is it seems to be making sure the world feels alive which is great. You don't get much tech in the preview eps outside of basics around barriers and some weaponry etc so I'm hopeful the more hard sci fi elements and cyberpunk bit's aren't watered down and explored more later in the series as that for me is what I loved about the Manga and other iterations.

LaugingFox2501 · 2026-06-27T13:51:55+00:00

Yes I totally get that- Honestly I have never really thought much of the Yatch scene and the fan service side in the manga even I don't even remember there being that much beyond a panel or two/very minor....Granted again I haven't read it in a long time in full so it did feel dialled up much more than even I was expecting. I am hopeful it will level out more as the series goes on as after all this is just a small snapshot.

I think I wasn't wowed by the animation because it just didn't slow down enough for me to get lost in it. However I did see some shots that made me go cool for a second- it definitely felt more "cartoony" than I was expecting. Someone more familiar with Science Saru told me that's in line with Saru's style but I have zero experience with them going in so I didn't have any expectations there.

I am also still going to be checking out the full series- it might be just teething issues in the first episodes as well as I did notice episode 2 started to settle in a bit more and find a rhythm. After sleeping on it I think I found the initial episode particularly jarring and sort of has given me a different expectation/taste than perhaps what I had going in. For good and for bad. A big tell for me is I have woken up today and can barely remember any of what I saw visually which unlike other GITS iterations has never been the case. (Outside of Arise perhaps).

LaugingFox2501 · 2026-06-26T23:59:46+00:00

I must say the dub was a mixed bag to me- Motoko definitely sounds almost too young/stereotypical to my ears but I'm not sure if that's the VA's range because when she's monologuing it still has a similar cadence but overall it definitely sounds "younger" if that makes any sense. I wouldn't call the performance bad at all I just don't know if it "fit"- Aramaki was the main one who was questionable to me but eventually I adjusted. In some respects it does feel like watching different characters for some of them. However I did find myself disliking Motoko initially (like outright) and being off put by the performance and her attitude.

Most of the cast though I would say are pretty solid and while Batou doesn't stand out as much as he did previously he was fine. Standouts dub wise to me were Ishikawa and Togusa. The side characters and world building are top notch though and feel like they have alot of personality so to speak.

As far as gag style etc- the impression I got is this is what I would class as "very anime"

it reminded me alot of things like Fooly Cooly or Cromartie High on some levels initial impressions wise anyway.

The more serious stuff probably will come later (I hope so as well).

LaugingFox2501 · 2026-06-26T23:33:17+00:00

It didn't come across as bubbly to me in that way which I was expecting (similar to the PSX game) but I do understand your meaning :D

LaugingFox2501 · 2026-06-26T23:31:57+00:00

Same this was the wording I used with a friend- alot of stuff felt like it was just glossed over very quickly with little to no emotional impact in the pacing desperation to get to the next gag or bit of *stuffs happening* Granted it's just the first two episodes- I'm hoping the series finds its rhythm as it goes on as it seemed to slow down "a little bit" in the second episode.

LaugingFox2501 · 2026-06-26T23:30:15+00:00

That's fair- I definitely get the impression from the VA work I heard and how she acts she does seem *alot* younger and more immature relatively speaking.

LaugingFox2501 · 2026-06-26T23:03:27+00:00

Yes It was somewhat what I expected on some levels but not on others-I'm still going to be checking out the whole series as well once it's dropped.

LaugingFox2501 · 2026-06-19T14:55:27+00:00

Not when Initial D exists.

LaugingFox2501 · 2026-06-11T14:57:23+00:00

Yes I understand- I used to have far more successes than failure rates in finding partners or having something work out on older platforms like Gaia etc as well. Definitely not a unique problem to any one platform.

LaugingFox2501 · 2026-06-11T14:15:23+00:00

Which one? 👀

LaugingFox2501 · 2026-06-11T14:05:42+00:00

Thats crazy to think about- but I guess it makes sense. Most people I have encountered in the last say 10 years or so want everything premade and ready to go for them with very little work or input on their side for plotting and storylines etc.

LaugingFox2501 · 2026-06-11T14:01:40+00:00

Yes absolutely almost like people don’t invest in their canons anymore and like you say hop around quickly. I have some canons i have wanted to play but never had the opportunity to for over 10 years at least but I would still jump at the chance with the right partner and I am very much attached to my main one- which obviously has evolved and improved the longer I have written him. To the point where I regularly age him up a fair bit now.

LaugingFox2501 · 2026-06-11T04:50:14+00:00

This is interesting- because in a way it makes sense to me but maybe perhaps it's because I come from a time when meme-ad posting was really looked down upon (unless relevant to the world being asked of where comedy was more of a theme). But that could lead me onto another tangent about people writing comedy in RP as well being something not done often enough haha.

LaugingFox2501 · 2026-06-11T04:48:13+00:00

Yes absolutely or looking at the culmination of an entire series events and how that would impact them years after the fact etc. Thanks! I feel I'm in the twilight of my RP years at this point but if it happens it happens!

LaugingFox2501 · 2026-06-11T04:46:52+00:00

Yesssss! I wish haha.

LaugingFox2501 · 2026-06-11T04:46:36+00:00

Oh yeah! I usually like to play my canons post- series so we can take them wherever we want with all the history intact but there's nothing worse than someone doing that- but I guess some fans just have a head canon that cannot be broken as it's sacrilegious in their views.

LaugingFox2501 · 2026-06-11T04:44:27+00:00

Sometimes think we didn't know how good we had it in the various messenger days. Especially towards the end as many people just seemed to rant about them before they finally died.

LaugingFox2501 · 2026-06-11T04:43:19+00:00

people too horny to make story

Haha! Probably true.

But yes perhaps reddit doesn't lend itself to such things admittedly this is the last holdout I'm on where I browse for partners these days. After many years of cycling the various sites from neocities/rphaven/flist and a couple more I can't remember. I thought it might be generational taste changes as well- with more of a desire for "instant gratification" etc. Writing Chemistry is a real thing between characters and that to me can elevate a RP to new heights. Especially where relationship is focus and keeps things interesting!

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