Penguin Highway šŸ§ simulwatch [RS] (28/12 - 04/01)

If I had to pick between nice art and weak story, or nice story and weak art, I'd pick the latter (to a point, anyway).
Couldn't agree more, and as nice as it is to have Shinkai level visuals, I'd happily pick a better story/plot over a bland but visually impressive work. Unsurprisingly the best ones do both well heh. I do think there is substance in this movie though it probably doesn't translate as well as intended. It's another one that I've appreciated more with each repeated viewing. Again I too think the raw animation styles of Tatami Galaxy and Ping Pong do serve those series quite well, as does Mob Psycho's which I did enjoy as that comedy was definitely up my street.
 
Mob Psycho's which I did enjoy as that comedy was definitely up my street

It's so odd that I like the visuals on Yuasas work but the ones on Mob Psycho I can't get on with. I tried a bit more of MP 100 and it's gotten better. The first 2 episodes were kind of weak but it's improved as I've seen more of it, up to episode 8 now.

The comedy for the most part isn't landing though, but the visuals on the fight scenes are good, and the art still doesn't work for me at all most of the time o_O

I think I'll never be able to sit there and say I like the art in MP 100 but the show overall is getting better, and I'll probably carry on with it, on the strength of the first couple of episodes I'd not continue, but I watched up to 4 or 5 and I was at least liking it more.
 
Sorry, I hadn't finished heh, have my kiddo running circles around me and I pushed the wrong button ...

No, I didn't hate it, but that's the problem! It landed straight in that awful middle of the road which just makes me go "eeeeeeeh". It really didn't make me feel anything strongly in any way. I'll file it under "come back to it later" thanks to your post.
I know the feeling dude, but you never know you may like it more if you had time (ha!) to come back to it. And it's probably better to be meh about something rather than very pissed off at having your valuable time wasted.
I'll say, the premise with the ocean and the penguins made me think it could've worked as horror under Junji Ito lol, maybe because the penguin storm made me think of Gyo.
You know what, I had the exact same feeling at points, that this could make for a high sci-fi or sci-fi horror movie in a different setting! Was certainly reminded of Interstellar, Event Horizon, and something else I've forgotten now, whilst watching heh.
As you've read, I've actually made peace with A Silent Voice. The bespectacled girl annoys me to a point I didn't think possible in anime but maybe that's because she reminds me of real people... Trash. But yeah, I enjoyed it a lot more this time around.
Yes I didn't say but I'm glad you like it more! I know what you mean about the specs girl and likewise Ueno, though at least the latter is honest about her feelings and actions. What I love about A Silent Voice is how these flawed human beings are portrayed non-judgementally, warts and all, without ignoring the good in them all, of course most in the case of the main protagonist. Never have I felt such sympathy with an ex-bully of such horrific proportions, and that is down to how well his humanity and contrition are portrayed. In my grumpy older years, being pissed off with people for just being people, it's works like these which I try to use to empathise with others and take a chill pill, especially as I'm myself probably far more annoying to be around than most.
It's my second time watching and though I'm in a clear minority I really like this film.
Woohoo, I have company!
A big part of that is that I really like the way the main character is presented. His innocent narcissism is such a fascinating character trait to explore.
Likewise, whilst I found him insufferable initially, he certainly piqued my interest enough regardless to keep watching. Very interesting points on narcissism. However, I wouldn't call him a narcissist though, and very much read him as a character study of Asperger's syndrome. His inability to process emotions and his dogged determination with resulting ability to excel at his preferred interests would fit with that. Coming back to the whole boob obsession, it's probably one way of demonstrating his lack of emotional understanding, when directly compared with his buddy who otherwise understood and therefore implied it not being an appropriate subject to be obsessing over, in public at least. That he is clearly more intelligent than most of his peers is a fact and given the lack of emotional understanding, he sees no reason why he shouldn't state this in public as he would any other trivia or fact. I've been watching the Scandi thriller The Bridge recently with another Asperger's character so it's been interesting to compare.

Though having two kids in an elementary class reading Stephen Hawking would be unusual! Which is where I suspect there is more to the story of this university town with who-knows-what the researchers and scientists have been up to and whether they may have a role in the creation of the space/time defect?? Also we are never told/shown what Aoyama's dad does exactly.

I think I'll never be able to sit there and say I like the art in MP 100 but the show overall is getting better, and I'll probably carry on with it, on the strength of the first couple of episodes I'd not continue, but I watched up to 4 or 5 and I was at least liking it more.
It's a good show but I can certainly see it being quite trying if you aren't a fan of its idiosyncratic art style and comedy! Fortunately they worked very well for me, though I too initially wondered why the animation was so highly rated heh.
 
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I really dislike the art in Mob Psycho 100, and I couldn't get on with the show when I tried it partly due to that. Between the art and the comedy falling totally flat to me, I think it's not just my thing!
Again I too think the raw animation styles of Tatami Galaxy and Ping Pong do serve those series quite well, as does Mob Psycho's which I did enjoy as that comedy was definitely up my street.
A classic case of "Your mileage may vary": I love the art style and comedy in Mob Psycho 100, as well as in The Tatami Galaxy, but I don't at all get on with Ping Pong.
 
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