C&C - Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit - "Balsa, the Female Bodyguard" [8/23]

[Mugen]

Another new AS anime series makes its American television debut today. However unlike shows like Code Geass and Death Note, there was no hype for this show. In fact, when this show was announced to air on the block, most people hadn't even heard of it. Moribito is based on a series of Japanese fantasy novels, with this TV series based on the first novel. The show aired last year on Japanese TV and Production I.G. did the animation behind the show.

The buzz around this show(at least around TZ) seems to be mixed. Since its not action in all the episodes, most seem convinced that the show will fail in the ratings. Adult Swim seems to agree as well. Still, watch the show and judge on your own merits. It could be a sleeper hit.

It airs today at 1:30 AM Eastern. Its not going to stream on AS Video, so television is your only choice at this point(until the DVD's come out).

[Kitschensyngk]

Previously licensed by Geneon Entertainment before they went belly up. Now it's a Media Blasters show.

Admittedly that's all I knew of this anime up until now.

[Speedy Boris]

Unfortunately, since it's apparently not going to ASV, I won't be able to watch this. Sorry, Kitschensyngk.

[Beat]

While I'm not expecting a Gurren or Black Lagoon level actionfest, it would be nice to have something with consistent thrills each ep, especially on this block. Judging by what others have said, that is not the case.

[ShadowGUN]

Whoa, thanks for reminding me about this show premier Mugen. I almost forgot it starts this weekend.

[Thorn]

This actually looks good from what I've heard and seen. Nice japanese-fantasy setting, lush backgrounds, high line-count characters and a pretty cool protagonist. I'll be staying up to give this a look and gauge the dub quality. I love tough heroines.

[GWOtaku]

While I'm not expecting a Gurren or Black Lagoon level actionfest, it would be nice to have something with consistent thrills each ep, especially on this block. Judging by what others have said, that is not the case.

I'm expecting and hoping for a good show. At this point, I couldn't care less if it's action-packed or not.

[Kitschensyngk]

Welcome, Moribito, to [adult swim], where the people who schedule the shows are twice as stoned as the people who make them.
You East Coast people should consider moving to the Central time zone. Watch your favorite [as] shows, get an extra hour of sleep every night.

Sweet animation so far.

[garfield15]

First time watching

Engrish opening=Massive Win

[Bunai]

Previously licensed by Geneon Entertainment before they went belly up. Now it's a Media Blasters show. does that mean only half of it was English dubbed and the other half is Japanese lang only?

as long as it doesnt have the pace of BeeTrain
i think i will watch this to see what is up

[Kitschensyngk]

Mind the oxen!

Were they both just saved by a river spirit?

KENJI KAMIYAMA! Director of Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex!* I though I saw that name somewhere before.

*Both seasons and Solid State Society.

[Game Freak 4]

Balsa: You're too slow!
The gaurds need to step it up.

[Kitschensyngk]

The bigger the bed, the better night's sleep, I've always thought.

Based on my logic, that boy must have slept on a cot half his size.

Naruto meets Lelouch. The boy has a spirit inside him, and his father doesn't give a flying fig for him.

[Malykoth]

This anime is certainly one of the best looking ones I've ever seen. The art is truly beautiful, with lots of amazing detail and color. Such a pity they put it on so late.

[LordTerminal]

How many boys does this make it that Mona Marshall has voiced in anime now?

[Bunai]

that poor Ox -_- it died for the sins of the boy.

that futon is HUGE!

[garfield15]

How many boys does this make it that Mona Marshall has voiced in anime now?

I know. When that kid talked I was like "Is that freakin' Izzy again?"

[Kitschensyngk]

Is that a gun in her robe, or are you just happy to--OKAY we'll stop there.

His mother dies in the next episode, doesn't she?

Whoa. Blink and you miss the credits.

[NelStone]

Good animation. A bit boring, though.

[GWOtaku]

Hmm, not bad. Not much actual action here in this first episode, but I like the premise. We'll see where it goes from here.

[garfield15]

This show has four more episodes until it loses me.

I mean, the first episode was fine and all but it just didn't grab me you know? I'll see where it goes.

[Ryan227]

I think I'm going to really like this show! For some reason it reminds me a bit of Otogi Zoushi which is one of my favorite anime ever. It's just the feeling of it or something. It probably has something to do with them both being animated by Production IG and dubbed by Media Blasters XD As for Mona Mashall I know she's done a lot of voices but it's really been a while since I've heard her...

[Game Freak 4]

This anime is certainly one of the best looking ones I've ever seen. The art is truly beautiful, with lots of amazing detail and color. Such a pity they put it on so late.

Yeah. The more polish, rarer gems tends to get neglected and pushed aside while the bigger, roughed edges get phraised beyond worthy. Kind of makes you ask "why?"

EDIT: Seriously, is Balsa the ancestor of Major Motoko Kusanagi?

[macattack]

You know, Adult Swim isn't even pretending to care anymore. They chopped up the beautiful OP so the lyrics, if you understand Japanese, makes no sense, and the credits are cut to five seconds, so there goes the otaku. Next to no promotion and a crappy time slot that will prevent the casuals from coming, they're giving Moribito no chance.

*also notes TV-PG moniker* This show is tamer than Inuyasha for God's sake. What's it doing at 1:30 EST?

What was there that was inappropriate for normal CN? The use of "hell"? Please, that could be redubbed like they do to Naruto all the time. Otherwise, really nothing normal CN has never shown before, whether it was Rurouni Kenshin, Naruto, Samurai Jack, whatever.

Anyway, enough whining from me.

Cindy Robinson was NOT my first choice for Balsa, but she did a decent job with the character. Makes Balsa sound like a smoker, but Robinson's a dead ringer for the Japanese VA when she yells.

Yeah, I heard Mona Marshall there. First time in a long time I've heard her in an anime.

This is an enriveting story, but you need to give it two, three episodes before it nabs you. The first episode by itself isn't that special. It is, within the context of episodes two and three when the show truly shows how special it is. Moribito is a wonderful show, from animation to storytelling to characterization to backgrounds to the action in there. Give it time, the polish and care in this show will eventually grab you.

If this is anime's swan song on AS, this is a good anime to represent that. Show an underappreciated new classic of sorts.

[Master Moron]

The bigger the bed, the better night's sleep, I've always thought.


That's only because you can fit more hookers in a bigger bed.

What was there that was inappropriate for normal CN? The use of "hell"? Please, that could be redubbed like they do to Naruto all the time. Otherwise, really nothing normal CN has never shown before, whether it was Rurouni Kenshin, Naruto, Samurai Jack, whatever.


Do you really think this would work on Cartoon Network? Kids would be bored out of their minds.

[Ana]

Hooray, something to watch after Code Geass. Kinda surprised that I never heard about this show before. I thought it was pretty good, and I'm already a Balsa fan. :D I'll definitely stick with this one.

[TacoHunter]

Before I go reading any comments that might taint my thoughts. I have to say, this was pretty god damn awesome.

I'm a part of the many that have not heard of this series. And I was a little concerned, especially when I saw it was about a samurai woman with some little kid side kick. But uh...this was awesome.

Just watching the opening, a million anime cliches ran through my mind. But...I'm thinking this might not be so cliche after watching it all.

Our leading lady it seems is almost 30, a number that seems to imply that you're a senior citizen in anime. After all Jet Black was "old" and was 36. Very refreshing to see a female lead that's not 17.

Of course when it started up. I thought to myself, "Well, sure its pretty. But doesn't mean the story is going to be good." But to be fair...I think it might be. I like this idea, a warrior trying to atone for their sins by saving the lives of others. Cliche, but in this case, she says its to save 8 lives of equivalent value. Its not like Rurouni Kenshin, "I was a murder, now I'm going to beat the snot out of people without killing."

I'm pretty sure Baisa is going to be okay with killing people, and not bring all the very lame and hypocritical moments of Kenshin, so I might really REALLY enjoy this series.

I just wish it was on at a better time. Seriously, I had to wait until 2:30 in the bloody morning to watch this! And I know there is no way I'm going to be getting up early to watch the second run of this at 5:30.

PUT THIS ON THE DAMN FIX!

[zoid9000]

Well it's great to see this on TV, I can really appreciate the beautiful animation and attention to detail on a big screen.

A shame it's in a death slot though...late for us west coasters. =\

How many boys does this make it that Mona Marshall has voiced in anime now?

Too many? I mean she has done a good job in some roles, Izzy comes to mind, but she is not ideal for Chagum at all. In the Japanese cast they actually used a boy to voice Chagum and it worked great, too bad they went with the annoying female VA here. It won't work as Chagum matures through the series. Oh well. v_v

Not much actual action here in this first episode, but I like the premise.

It may be on [as]'s "action" block, but you won't see an over-abundance of action in this series. I'd definitely stick around for episode 3 which has one of the best animated fights I've seen, but after that you're in for a drastic slow-down if you are watching for action. There are great instances of it in the series, but the focus is definitely on character development and the plot, not the action.

I'm pretty sure Baisa is going to be okay with killing people, and not bring all the very lame and hypocritical moments of Kenshin, so I might really REALLY enjoy this series.

Actually, Balsa tries to avoid killing people (so as not to counter-balance the number of lives she's saved) but she's certainly okay with harming them. The series isn't over-bloody, but you will be seeing wounds. Balsa takes her job seriously.

As for the Fix, well, [as] did not get the online rights to Moribito so it won't be streaming anytime soon. An admin over on the ASMB said we should "hold out hope" however, so maybe it will be added after or during the premiere run. It'd be nice for those folks without cable.

Anyway, not as much praise as I would've hoped to hear here, but some people seem to be appreciating it. I encourage everyone to stick with it, its quality to the end. Can't say as much for the dub however...but we'll see. Hopefully it sparks some actual discussion too, would be a shame to see the talkbacks reduced to being a one-pager every week.

[Disco Pete]

Our leading lady it seems is almost 30, a number that seems to imply that you're a senior citizen in anime. After all Jet Black was "old" and was 36. Very refreshing to see a female lead that's not 17.
I'm glad I'm not the only one who noticed it. The thought that ran though my mind: Oh my God, an anime lead who's actually an ADULT! Bonus point in my book.

I think I'll keep watching.

[Game Freak 4]

I'm glad I'm not the only one who noticed it. The thought that ran though my mind: Oh my God, an anime lead who's actually an ADULT! Bonus point in my book.

I think I'll keep watching.

What and when was the last anime to have an adult(either gender) as the main lead?

[Mackaybear]

I loved it.

Great OP, beautiful art, and I too loved the idea of an adult heroine..Tough and cool, yet feeling. And the idea of saving the number of people to balance out the number she had had to kill is an awesome motivation.

With Anime I judge a lot of first episodes by how the time passes. Moribito flew by...I was so engrossed in it before the Second Queen showed up. I have a feeling that it's going to be relatively slow paced but well worth following regular. If CN/[as] give it a chance to finish it's run.

This is going to be one I'm going to follow and I know I'll enjoy.

[Mackaybear]

What and when was the last anime to have an adult(either gender) as the main lead?


Ghost in the Shell most probably is the last Adult led anime....

[Anubis C. Soundwave]

As Light was about 18 when the series started.

[Speedy Boris]

What and when was the last anime to have an adult(either gender) as the main lead? Okusama wa Mahou Shoujo? (the lead was 26)

[Djm912]

I really enjoyed the first episode of this show and will be tuning in next week.

I just it doesn't turn into something wacky, now that they're on the run, and there's a kid with an undoubtedly crappy "I'm a prince!" attitude.

[Beat]

It may be on [as]'s "action" block, but you won't see an over-abundance of action in this series. I'd definitely stick around for episode 3 which has one of the best animated fights I've seen, but after that you're in for a drastic slow-down if you are watching for action. There are great instances of it in the series, but the focus is definitely on character development and the plot, not the action.

Then this show is already a failure. How many times must Adult Swim get these disasters before they realize slower shows don't work?

Apparently just one more, since this is going to be ASA's swan song. And what a sad song it is. I mean, I don't think anyone here was rooting for an anime block to fail, but the decisions that they made seem to set the block up for failure, again, and again, and again.

The only smart thing they did in the past two years was air Bleach, and at times it seemed like they didn't think it was such a good idea.

[Malykoth]

A short rant...nothing ground breaking or new to anyone here, though...

Why do they (CN) even bother? Have they ever answered their many detractors concerning their complete mismanagement of their late night shows? I mean, they make me watch the same "The Talented Mr. Bixby" wedgie 100 times a week, but they can't be bothered to put on even a single commercial for this anime? I've been watching their late Saturday night line-up fairly regularly for years, and I had no idea this was going to even be on. If a faithful watcher is unaware, how do they expect to get new viewers? It makes no sense...why even show it in the first place if they want it to fail? Why not just show more episodes of "Johnny Test" or "George of the Jungle" or "Total Drama Island" (though I kinda like TDI)...they seem to be extremely in love with these shows and have no problem forcing them down our throats the other 20 hours of the day. :mad:

I thought I'd feel better after the rant...but I don't...:sweat:

[warnerbroman]

A short rant...nothing ground breaking or new to anyone here, though...

Why do they (CN) even bother? Have they ever answered their many detractors concerning their complete mismanagement of their late night shows? I mean, they make me watch the same "The Talented Mr. Bixby" wedgie 100 times a week, but they can't be bothered to put on even a single commercial for this anime? I've been watching their late Saturday night line-up fairly regularly for years, and I had no idea this was going to even be on. If a faithful watcher is unaware, how do they expect to get new viewers? It makes no sense...why even show it in the first place if they want it to fail? Why not just show more episodes of "Johnny Test" or "George of the Jungle" or "Total Drama Island" (though I kinda like TDI)...they seem to be extremely in love with these shows and have no problem forcing them down our throats the other 20 hours of the day. :mad:

I thought I'd feel better after the rant...but I don't...:sweat:I was aware but I had a guide and a DVR

[Speedy Boris]

Then this show is already a failure. How many times must Adult Swim get these disasters before they realize slower shows don't work?

Apparently just one more, since this is going to be ASA's swan song. And what a sad song it is. I mean, I don't think anyone here was rooting for an anime block to fail, but the decisions that they made seem to set the block up for failure, again, and again, and again.

The only smart thing they did in the past two years was air Bleach, and at times it seemed like they didn't think it was such a good idea. Nothing personal, but save it for the Anything Else thread. These threads are for discussing the episodes, not ranting about AS's choice in anime.

[XOMiss_Samantha]

...wow... I had no idea this even aired last night. I suppose that's kind of proof that, well, AS does one hell of a bang-up job promoting their series? Way to go XD
Although from the sound of it I guess I didn't miss anything all too important? Is it worth it?
Hopefully I can catch up and post my opinions later on.

[Raditz]

Wait, wha-

Oh **** you AS. You and your lack of advertising. Dammit. I'll just have to catch this next Saturday.

[AlphaPrime]

I thought this was pretty good(Balsa's character design reminded me more of Saya from the blood the last vampire movie though) the art is very well done, the voices for the most part were good(i like Balsa's VA) and yes, its very nice having an older lead for a change heh.

Sad they chopped up a L'Arc song though hehehehe :p

[Kiryu]

I rather liked this first episode, definitely interesting enough to keep watching. I don't know why some people think the only way an anime will succeed is if its zomg wall to wall 22 minutes straight of fights like naruto and bleach. Most adults don't have the attention span of a gnat, and this is *adult* swim after all. FMA, FLCL, Big O and things like that weren't exactly crammed full of non-stop action and they had alot of the highest anime ratings ever for AS didnt they?

Anyway! To stay on topic, I thought the production values in this seemed almost movie quality, thats always a good sign. And I'm glad I'm not the only one who thought she was channeling some Major Kusanagi distant ancestor vibes :anime:

[tb4000]

I rather liked this first episode, definitely interesting enough to keep watching. I don't know why some people think the only way an anime will succeed is if its zomg wall to wall 22 minutes straight of fights like naruto and bleach. Most adults don't have the attention span of a gnat, and this is *adult* swim after all. FMA, FLCL, Big O and things like that weren't exactly crammed full of non-stop action and they had alot of the highest anime ratings ever for AS didnt they?

Anyway! To stay on topic, I thought the production values in this seemed almost movie quality, thats always a good sign. And I'm glad I'm not the only one who thought she was channeling some Major Kusanagi distant ancestor vibes :anime:

In entertainment when the term "adult" is used, ironically it's geared towards the most immature type of things. :sweat:

[sparkykandy]

I remember seeing the first episode through the anime club at school, so I was pretty excited when I heard it was coming to Adult Swim.

I really wished that they would put this on an earlier time or at least put it on the Fix. I ended up falling asleep waiting for it air even though I live in the Central time zone. Thank god, I decided to go ahead and record it just in case something like this happened.

Anyways, the first episode was pretty intriguing. I don't mind that there may not be much action in this series, plot and character development/interaction can make up for that. Anyways, I look forward to seeing more.

[Captain Highwind]

Wait, wha-

Oh **** you AS. You and your lack of advertising. Dammit. I'll just have to catch this next Saturday.

It'd be nice if they'd upload it to ASV, but I can understand it if Media Blasters is being stingy...

(Not like there's a whole lot of Media Blasters shows on)

[Thorn]

It is, as people have said, nice to see another competent adult lead, especially one who's more hard-edged and savvy than the starry-eyed pollyanna protagonists I often see. I just worry that the lush production values and good choreography will be ignored if the late-night audience doesn't care for a little political intrigue with its action. I like me some multilayered plots though, so I'll play night-owl for this. Glad I live in the central time zone.

[johnny139]

Wow, very nice. Beautiful animation, interesting plot (almost seems like a movie), little bits of action to spice things up... good stuff. Definitely going to watch this one.

So, our cast is Balsa, who's kinda like a female Kenshin only far more specific in her save-lives pact, and Prince What's-His-Name, who was either drowning or asleep most of the time. Wonder if we'll get any more additions.

So, yeah. Now I have some action/anime/TV to look forward to on Saturday. Well, other than Samurai Jack, anyways...

[warnerbroman]

it almost felt like watching a movie

[XOMiss_Samantha]

Yay. I'm caught up now with last nights premier. I wish they had advertised better. Would have made a huge difference.

So I love the opening. The second I heard the first few lines I had a little fangirl moment.
The show it's self isn't bad. It'll take some time for me to get into it but for now I don't have any really big complaints. The setting reminds me of Samurai 7 for some reason, and the characters as well. I like the design/art. It's pretty, and so is the music played in the background.

Balsa is alot older than I had expected, but I think it's a nice change compared to young Lelouch and basically all the cast of Bleach on before.

[bigdeath]

Wow, I miss this show. I'm going to have to use "magic" to watch this episode now. :sweat:

[Captain Highwind]

Wow, I miss this show. I'm going to have to use "magic" to watch this episode now. :sweat:

Good luck with that.

It's all French and Spanish magic.

[email2003]

AGhhh. I almsot missed this if it wasn't for my Dish Network tv guide. When the heck did this series come from? I wasn't expecting any new anime this week.:confused:

[Beefy]

Production I.G once again proves they can make anything look good.
Very beautiful scenery, I almost thought I was watching a Studio Ghibli movie.

I'm interested to see what kind of assassins Balsa and the prince will face. Maybe ninjas who actually wear black?

[thenewme93]

Good show but the girl had more of an attitude ala Mugen off of Samurai Champloo then Kenshin...

[The Tyrant]

Wait, wha-

Oh **** you AS. You and your lack of advertising. Dammit. I'll just have to catch this next Saturday.

That's what I said. Oh well, ads don't matter anyway from what I am told.

[Dub C]

Sigh, looks like I'll have to setup my VCR again, I don't think I can stay up for this show at the 1:30 timeslot every week, and it not being on ASV sucks!

Anyways, a very interesting opening episode. Gotta say I'm liking the lead character. Female, 29 years old, hardened warrior, good looking without giving off the fanservicey vibe, yep Balsa alright in my book. (Though what a horrible name to have :p)

Interested in seeing Balsa & the prince interact with each other with this sudden relationship.

[JTurner954]

Yeah, this show certainly looks nice but I'm not into it just yet. The highlight for me was hearing Tony Oliver's Lupin voice coming out of a villager.

How long is the ED for it to be cut like that? I heard a Viz show is coming to Adult Swim (Monster or Buso Renkin, I don't remember) so I doubt Moribito is a "swan song".

[{Shadow}]

How long is the ED for it to be cut like that?
It's the standard 90 seconds. However, each episode originally runs about 25 minutes, so the trimmed OP/ED were most likely done for time.

[bigdeath]

Good luck with that.

It's all French and Spanish magic.

I found that special english magic. My kung fu is STRONGER than yours! :p

Its seems like an interesting show. Not much happened but the episode was clearly just to set up the setting for the show. Finally an anime that does revolve around teenagers. And a strong women that isn't sultry is a plus.

[peterg14]

Wow, I'll have to watch this episode "some other time", because I don't think I can stay up 'til 1:30 AM every Saturday for this show, even though it was pretty good.

Hey, I didn't know Izzy from Digimon was a prince. I guess his real parents were royalty! Balsa sounds pretty good, Mary Elizabeth McGlyn, if my guess is right. Nothing really happened, but I guess it's to set up the plot. But I wonder what happens when she saves the 8th life...

[{Shadow}]

Balsa sounds pretty good, Mary Elizabeth McGlyn, if my guess is right.
Nope, according to the credits, it was Cindy Robinson.

[purplehairedwonder]

I wasn't able to stay up for the episode so recorded it. And I've got to say, I really liked the episode a lot. A strong female lead is always a plus in my book; a strong female lead not being abused for fanservice is even better. The art was absolutely gorgeous. The plot seems like it should be interesting. I'm big into the whole fantasy/period pieces, so this seems right up my alley. I'll definitely be following this.

And I knew I heard Yuri Lowenthal in there xD

[Jayngfet]

A futon that big kinda defeats the purpose the futon.

[bigdeath]

A futon that big kinda defeats the purpose the futon.

Nonsense, bigger is always better. :p

[MC_X]

What's all this I hear about this being adult swim action's swan song. Has adult swim ceased acquiring any more anime?

On another note, the odds of this finishing its run are pretty good, I hope. I think there's should be some good character development in the show and I'd really like to see all the episodes air. I was really surprised to see no hype here on the boards but it looks like almost no one knew this show existed.

[herbkir]

After seeing the opener, this is definitely a series I will follow. Strongly reminds me of Samurai 7 and of GitS. (Gee, was Balsa an ancestor of Major Kusanagi?)

I like Balsa being an actual adult at 30, an anime female who's pragmatic and competent and who is presented without gratuitous fanservice. And the artwork is gorgeous, full of intricate detail that brings life to each scene. As an episode, this was basically a setup for the story to come but it still had its action moments, like when Balsa decided to jump in the river to save the prince. And when she fought the retainers in the alley. And there were the character moments like when Balsa explains why she's a bodyguard.

I also wasn't too clear on why the emperor wanted the prince dead, but it was obvious the boy's life is in danger and his mother wanted him to live. So we have the beginnings of an interesting plot.

Even if [AS] trimmed openings and endings, that means no major time cuts to the episode itself. I can live with that.

The [AS] folks must have liked this show because they bought it for a TV run, but it still mystifies me why they gave this virtually no promotion. If promos work for Family Guy (which is an acquisition), why wouldn't they work for Moribito? I hope it ends up a sleeper hit. It's got the potential. (^_*)

[Captain Highwind]

What's all this I hear about this being adult swim action's swan song. Has adult swim ceased acquiring any more anime?


No, people just say that when a new anime gets announced, and again when it premiers.

They'll say the same thing when Buso Renkin hits the air.

[D Dubbs]

No, people just say that when a new anime gets announced, and again when it premiers.

But the difference now is that whenever a new anime premiered in the past, we always had confirmation that [as] had picked up another show for later down the road. This time we have nothing.

[Beat]

But the difference now is that whenever a new anime premiered in the past, we always had confirmation that [as] had picked up another show for later down the road. This time we have nothing.

Not to mention we have no renewal confirmations outside of R2 of Geass.

I saw the show. Yes, it looks gorgeous, but it's S-L-O-W SLOW. On its own merits, the show seems to be a decent if not spectacular dialog-heavy show.

[Dark Moridin]

Ok, first the praise...

This is a show that looks very promising. At first I thought it was another Mizanagi (sp?) movie with it's visuals, but learning it was an actual weekly show brightend my spirts. Characters that are almost refreshing (the lead-Major-esque role has been used before ) was nice to see, as everyone here has already expressed. The fact that there is actually a good deal of compent story is also a nice touch. Hopefully we get the whole run.

Now for the not-so-praise.

It is a good thing I use a VCR to record the whole block and not a DVR, or else I would have totally missed this. Not only that, but also the fact that anime with great story (GITS, Paranoia Agent, Witch Hunter Robin, Wolf's Rain, etc...) rarely ever get good promotion/ratings, I feel certain dismay for AS/CN. As an advertised 'action block' they seem to always pick the nice cult hits that they know or want to fail. This show has great promise, but we are subjected to surprise premires and lack of sleep just to catch it (again, glad for the old school VCR).

I hope this show does make it, as it is a refreshing difference from Gaess and Bleach (both of which I like, btw.)


Sorry for being off topic some.

[SSJPabs]

I guess I'll have to give this one a try when I am not busy. I'll have to miss it next time too sadly. The show is also on at a good time for me as I will have sobered up enough to make sense of it, all the Bleach episodes aired in 2007 are tinged green in my head...

[Linkpre]

This seems like a pretty good show. I've grown to like the more quieter shows, so I wasn't turned off by the little amount of action. I still don't understand why Adult Swim got this show though. It's not all that violent really. I do suppose kids wouldn't understand some of the dialouge though so that might be a reason.

[FireStarterLE]

Early information has Moribito coming out in December in the following forms:

Volume 1
Volume 2
Part 1
Part 1 with art box

My guess is the part 1 thing is just like how Code Geass is being released: 2 volumes one low price (cheaper than buying 1 and 2 separate)

[Ultra8]

Looks promising. Balsa is like a low-tech Matoko, charged with protecting the life of a prince(I find it funny that the queen stated it around the terms"for the rest of his life", I'm guessing she took into account not just the Emperor but also the would-be emperors). Interested in seeing what she'll be up against in the future.

Actually there was a promotion for this show in one of their shows bumpers like a week or 2 ago, but it was pretty much a "blink & miss it".

[Malykoth]

It's kinda sad...they'll show promos for "Secret Saturdays" twice in the SAME COMMERCIAL BREAK (for five to six identical promos in a single half-hour show), even though the show won't premier for over a month, but they can't be bothered to show even one commercial for this show, even on its premier night. :sad:

[{Shadow}]

It's kinda sad...they'll show promos for "Secret Saturdays" twice in the SAME COMMERCIAL BREAK (for five to six identical promos in a single half-hour show), even though the show won't premier for over a month, but they can't be bothered to show even one commercial for this show, even on its premier night. :sad:
The Secret Saturdays is a CN original series; AS has no control over how much promotion CN gives it. But naturally, they'll want to promote it as much as possible. Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit is just an anime acquisition for AS, so they're not as motivated to promote it, especially since they believe it won't help the ratings.

[Malykoth]

The Secret Saturdays is a CN original series; AS has no control over how much promotion CN gives it. But naturally, they'll want to promote it as much as possible. Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit is just an anime acquisition for AS, so they're not as motivated to promote it, especially since they believe it won't help the ratings.
Then why show it at all? :confused:

They could just as easily put on some repeat episodes of TDI or Johnny Test, no? Then they wouldn't even have to spend money on aquisitions "no one" is going to watch...

[Neo Ultra Mike]

Originally posted by Malykoth
Then why show it at all? :confused:

They could just as easily put on some repeat episodes of TDI or Johnny Test, no? Then they wouldn't even have to spend money on aquisitions "no one" is going to watch...

Cartoon Network and Adult Swim are at this point two DIFFERENT networks that happen to share one channel. There is a whole different team that produces AS that does CN and they don't share shows anymore at this point. AS dosen't have the rights to show any actual CN shows and wouldn't anyway since they aren't adult toons or part of they're demographic at all. They will only show adult shows (or shows they want to show anyway) and it wouldn't be those two shows.

Furthermore despite the fact AS dosen't promote Morbito dosen't mean that they think "no one" is going to watch it. There will be some people who will watch it? Maybe just over 200,000 but it's still a group of people. Furthermore anime acquistions are actually quite inexpensive for AS to acquire, even when compared to some of the more low budget originals. So they're not spending too much money on them anyway so they don't care as much if people aren't watching them. I guess that's why they don't promote them at all: to not have to do ads for them and "waste" money on promoting the show. Which I feel is a rather stupid idea but AS does have it's pretty retarded moments espically when it comes to some of the shows they have on and how they promote them. This isn't the thread for that though. This is to talk about Moribtio so I will go and do that.

I was worried this would be one of those series that'd take awhile to get into, espically considering this one was only 26 episodes long. I mean they had to introduce a unique fantasy world as well as the prinicpal character and the storyline entailed within it. Even the most succesful shows can take some time in to try and get to know the characters and they're world and appreciate the unique pacing of the plot. Luckily like the better shorter shows on AS's run (Cowboy Bebop, Samurai Champloo, etc) this one gets a run out of the gate all thanks to Balsa. She kind of reminds me of a more grown up Zola of Blue Dragon. Partaily thanks to the same VA but also due to the strong female character who dosen't need to be violent, very meanspirited annoying or high strung to make a voice for herself. But rather be strong but in a calm assured way. To be intellegent onto what's going on and actually be humbled by what's around her. It was a bit too laid into really but I like the idea of Balsa going around being a bodyguard to make up for her past sins and realizing just what the propsoition she was getting in taking Chagum, being smart enough to accept the offer in a way that wouldn't give away the game plan to the enemies. That to me makes her the most compellign and it's rare that we get that kind of nice compelling main female character in anime espically one who dosen't seem to have that heavy a chip over her shoulder. I'm guessing the point of character development though will not focus around her but rather Chagum. From the bits we've seen he's kind of the annoying kid type who will be whining a lot being seperate from his home and being forced to travel around with Balsa. Which seems like a raw deal but apparently tis' because he's spirit possessed. Which explains how he was able to save him and Balsa from the river but how that will factor into the plot will probably be one of the mysteries of the show. For now though this is defintley a servicable story (mainly thanks to Balsa). I can see why they say it won't be too action oriented since I'm sure chunks of it will be more developed on Chagum and Balsa's interactions and him learning not to be such a royal pain and such. Like most premieres had it's defintley slow moments and took awhile to get a good feel for the show but one that will be worth tuning into this next half month.

[Sanosuke]

Well, I for one will definitely be sticking around to watch this how, the first episode was really good, imo.

What I liked about this show so far is 1. The Art(lolz, yeah, it does kinda look like a Miyazaki movie. Which, by the way, are awesome-PRINCESS MONONOKE FTW!!!) 2. Balsa(Am I the only one who thinks she's pretty hot? Come on now.;) And good to see another strong female lead.) 3. The setup for the story (Somethin' about it just tells me that it's not gonna be a very happy ending.:crying: Guess we'll see, though.)

[Malykoth]

Thanks, Ultra Mike...you made that a bit clearer for me...and I didn't mean to imply that no one would want to watch it, just that it appeared that's what AS expected (hence the zero promotion). I, also, will continue to watch it...I'm looking forward to the next episode! :p