At least, that's what Japanator's Zac Bentz says, and I'm inclined to agree with him. Okay, so this Halo anime stuff looks a bit silly, but it's guaranteed to be a hit. Some believe that the "fratboy" fans who make up a considerable bulk of the game's fanbase won't like this, but those people underestimate Halo's ability to draw in a crowd, methinks. I reckon, if anything, it'll just make those fratboys suddenly decide they're now anime fans.
Anyway, you came here for a trailer, and that's after the jump. Despite the nonsensical nature of it all, I'm actually quite hopeful that this will turn out well. I can't say I've ever been interested in Halo lore, but these short films could be well worth a watch.
That said, I now have the M.A.S.K theme tune stuck in my head. M-M-M-Mask, MASK!
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It actually doesn't look as bad as I was expecting. Unfortunately that just makes me even more mad that it wasn't a better video game series chosen like Metal Gear, Personna, Metroid, Zelda or any of Telltale's games. Who wouldn't watch a Sam and Max anime!
They chose Halo because it's Frank O'Connor's/Microsoft's idea. And I wouldn't watch a Sam and Max anime. As much as I like Sam and Max, anime is too formulaic and stupid to me.
Before I have a rant, can one of you Americans tell me what a fratboy and/or college bros are exactly. Are they just guys who like sports and getting pissed?
Eh, gotta agree that trailer was pretty awful except for the last 5 seconds or so. But, in my experience, I've yet to see a halfway decent anime trailer so it doesn't really mean anything as far as I'm concerned. Some of those scenes actually looked pretty good, anyways. And I hear Mamoru Oshii, the guy who did Ghost In The Shell, is directing one of the shorts. So, I remain optimistic about this project.
As for you anime bashers, you're right to do so. There is a LOT of crap anime out there. But, you gotta admit western movie-makers crank out just as much crap as the japanese do. However, in both cases, the trick is simply to know what to look for to find the good stuff ;)
If you are going to put together a 'sizzle reel', don't fill it with a giant, cheap-looking, shiny black space rock! The difference in quality of the animation in that trailer is appalling. I think Halo fans just eat whatever is fed to them. Also, where is the Bungie logo in all of this? I think they have become the mark of approval and quality for most Halo fans (including myself), I know that they are game developers and not anime creators, but surely they have some ownership of the 'cannon' of the series.
My favorite M.A.S.K. toy was the '57 Chevy that turned into a tank!
Amazing....ly bad. Especially when you mix up the cg animation with 2d anime, messy and ugly, no consistency. The only familiar thing was master chief, other characters, not familiar with. It continues to blow me away, 20-30 years ago, anime was "ahead of it's time", today, it still looks the same if not worse. What the hell!
So basically it's a mix of different animated shorts with a different team doing each. Like Animatrix and the ones they did for Batman just before The Dark Knight came out.
If that's the case then this trailer is useless when deciding on the actual quality of it.
lol Halo "anime". Are they trying to go for the Japanese market with this, because of their lack of interest in the series? I think it will be mostly watched by Japanaphiles and dorm room jocks, personally :P
What Static said, it's made by five different studios. So, that's why it looks so "all over the place", which should've been in Jim's article to prevent falsities.
It isn't that silly that their making a HALO anime, considering that anime is just japanese animation and western franchise holders just realized that japanese animation is sophisticated enough to hold it own in the world market. Plus, looking at the state of payments for some of the animators, I'm delighted that they get the chance to make money of HALO and put in into projects that were conceived independently from the ever demanding fandom that has the sick need for new loli shows. urgh...
By the by, stop being ignorant and perceive anime separate from the fandom. You don't have to be japanophile to enjoy anime like you don't have to be an american to enjoy a Disney movie.
If my eyes don't deceive me, I noticed several distinct animation styles (one 3D). Does that mean this will be somewhat like the Animatrix and Batman Gotham Knight (both of which were awesome)?
I just read the rest of the comments... yah I comment before I read!
Apparently the pedestal climbing and self proclaimed gaming aficionados above haven't the will nor the patience to develop a half decent taste for an animated film form that is in most respects far superior to its western counterpart.
There is no denying that you'll find trash everywhere, but as someone above mentioned (not stupid, see?) you just have to know where to look and what to look for. Naruto is probably not a good start... how about Noein, or Black Lagoon, or Mnemosyne, or Berserk (Berserk manga are usually shrink wrapped in book stores because there is too much awesome for just previewing!). Or how about the studio Ghibli films, like Princess Mononoke or Nausicaa, that are just gorgeous (Mononoke was purchased by Disney for release in North America!).
I'm sorry, but calling something stupid, without even a followup sentence, makes you appear stupid. Anime is too formulaic? Show me western movies or tv shows that are not, and I will show you twice as many anime that top them.
Yo, Kojuki, I share your sentiments, but you might not go too far. Far superior is a tad to strong, because the early animes were influenced by american and russian animation. Otomô went clearly the disney route with his last movie and I guess to make it short, you've to view animation as a whole with many different ideals and approaches. So, there shouldn't be the exotication nor the discrimination towards anime. And people, especially kids, should start with Naruto or One Piece. It might not be the deepest and artsiest, but if it attracts new fans than it should be supported by any means.
And, yeah, that Anime is to formulaic comment was a bit off.
Anime is an awesome medium, love it or hate it. I think MS have another hit on their hands. Styles will be selected to suit the Halo series, and beyond that it should hit home nice
Agreed with Kojukinator, but, like SpilledMilk said, I wouldn't go so far as saying anime is superior to american cartoons. It's just that the japanese take their animation more seriously than westerners, so they end up with more mature, adult-oriented shows/movies, but that doesn't mean western cartoons are any worse. Look at the animated Spawn. That was awesome, and I haven't seen anything like it in anime yet. The problem is there aren't many like it so we're stuck with Disney movies all the time. I mean, Disney does good work, but it's mostly marketed at kids, so us adults don't take it very seriously.
You're right about Black Lagoon, though. Personally, I think it'd be a great choice for a beginner who's looking for something more serious and mature than Naruto or Bleach. The show's pretty americanized and has a similar concept to western shoot-em ups, but the visual style and storytelling is very japanese.
Actually, Halo Legends may have that same kinda vibe to it. Who knows, maybe MS will pull off something similar.
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Contest:
9:20 AM on 07.24.2009
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Encase you didn't notice, I'm not impressed.
i have the first season on dvd. such a fantastic childhood orgasm.
As for you anime bashers, you're right to do so. There is a LOT of crap anime out there. But, you gotta admit western movie-makers crank out just as much crap as the japanese do. However, in both cases, the trick is simply to know what to look for to find the good stuff ;)
You mean, you haven't heard of this?:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0125646/
Fratboys are kind of like chavs. Kind of.
[b]@Kif[/b
Not even Halo could make me play a videogame. C WHUT I DID THUR?
My favorite M.A.S.K. toy was the '57 Chevy that turned into a tank!
I wonder why I was never into M.A.S.K. as a kid, none of this looks familiar.
If that's the case then this trailer is useless when deciding on the actual quality of it.
It isn't that silly that their making a HALO anime, considering that anime is just japanese animation and western franchise holders just realized that japanese animation is sophisticated enough to hold it own in the world market. Plus, looking at the state of payments for some of the animators, I'm delighted that they get the chance to make money of HALO and put in into projects that were conceived independently from the ever demanding fandom that has the sick need for new loli shows. urgh...
By the by, stop being ignorant and perceive anime separate from the fandom. You don't have to be japanophile to enjoy anime like you don't have to be an american to enjoy a Disney movie.
That aside, most of that looked a bit wrong, considering it's an art form that's very japanese, yet Halo is distinctly american.
Still, I love both, so I'm fucking getting this day-one.
Apparently the pedestal climbing and self proclaimed gaming aficionados above haven't the will nor the patience to develop a half decent taste for an animated film form that is in most respects far superior to its western counterpart.
There is no denying that you'll find trash everywhere, but as someone above mentioned (not stupid, see?) you just have to know where to look and what to look for. Naruto is probably not a good start... how about Noein, or Black Lagoon, or Mnemosyne, or Berserk (Berserk manga are usually shrink wrapped in book stores because there is too much awesome for just previewing!). Or how about the studio Ghibli films, like Princess Mononoke or Nausicaa, that are just gorgeous (Mononoke was purchased by Disney for release in North America!).
I'm sorry, but calling something stupid, without even a followup sentence, makes you appear stupid. Anime is too formulaic? Show me western movies or tv shows that are not, and I will show you twice as many anime that top them.
And, yeah, that Anime is to formulaic comment was a bit off.
wwwoooooOOOOO0000OOOOOoooooooowww
You're right about Black Lagoon, though. Personally, I think it'd be a great choice for a beginner who's looking for something more serious and mature than Naruto or Bleach. The show's pretty americanized and has a similar concept to western shoot-em ups, but the visual style and storytelling is very japanese.
Actually, Halo Legends may have that same kinda vibe to it. Who knows, maybe MS will pull off something similar.
They need to learn how to blend the 3D and the 2D, no excuse for poor compositing, Futurama had that shit down years ago.
Well the Halo movie would have cost over $100 million. This probably only cost a few million. Big difference in investment there.