[YMVV] Endless Eight would have been improved if it had been lemon-scented. [/YMMV]
edited 22nd Feb '11 9:20:20 AM by Anarchy
I've always personally held the idea behind it was interesting enough to make it worth giving a try, especially since there's pretty much no risk involved for them, but eight episodes were too many. Six would've been acceptable; and even seven could've been tolerable, but eight was overkill.
Certainly, the idea, as such, couldn't have worked with less than four episodes.
Who appointed you the grand arbiter of what should or should not be criticized? Seriously. Don't like it, don't fucking read it. It's not like someone is going to sit you down at gunpoint or anything.
See. It works both ways.
If there would have been more variety, that would have been boring, as it would feel like a failed attempt at being interesting. I would be complaining that the second season was wasted on it.
This way, it's obvious that they weren't even trying, so it's not just a "somehow boring arc", but an absurd, unique phenomenon.
I also believe that Endless Eight could have been done a lot better if they would have added more variation, but I guess the argument against that is that it would have "ruined the point" behind the unbelievable amount of boredom the audience was supposed to feel.
There were a bunch of other factors too, though. The second season was heavily marketed as having Disappearance in it from a lot of the promotional art that trickled out over the years between seasons. People wanted to see Disappearance badly, and when it became obvious that this season wouldn't really have it, rage ensued until the movie was announced.
There's also conflicting accounts of just who was responsible for the whole mess. There are various instances where both the seiyuus and the animation staff were reported to be visibly angered from having to do what they did. While I think that Kadokawa did have a role to play in it, I also don't think that Kyo Ani is completely innocent either, because at the very least someone could have put their foot down and given a firm "No, we're not doing this because odds are it won't turn out well." but apparently no one did.
Most famously perhaps, Yutaka Yamamoto who was the director for the first season of Haruhi called the entire thing inexcusable, saying that it should have lasted two episodes at the longest. Even though he was no longer with Kyo Ani he felt compelled to apologize, and apparently also said that this idea had been floating around for a while before the production of the new season started. Of course, that comes from Sankaku, so I can't guarantee validity.
This. Much of the rage created during EE arc was because people noticed that this would mean no disappearance. That is also why most of the rage toward the franchise vanished as soon the movie was announced.
So the idea was actually to build up sympathy for Yuki for Disappearance?
...Huh. That actually gives me new respect for it. It certainly did that for me, and I actually read the Disappearance novel just after watching the animated "Endless Eight". (Of course, already knowing the ending of Disappearance kind of ruined the effect.)
To be honest, I didn't really mind "Endless Eight". Eight was too many repetitions, though.
Edit: Incidentally, "Endless Eight" has in fact been dubbed. The Disappearance movie hasn't, though.
edited 22nd Feb '11 12:00:09 PM by Nyktos
I guess it is.Johnny Yong Bosch said, 'No Sir. I don't like it.' Not the first actor to get annoyed at reciting the same lines over and over.
I think they already dubbed the movie. We just never saw any advertising for it yet.
edited 22nd Feb '11 12:06:51 PM by kyun
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Supposedly, the reason that it took three years for the second season was becuase, Kyo Ani didn't wanted to do it and Kadokawa kept insisting on it(plus Kadokawa wanted them to make the episodes with the most stock footage they could), and they finally compromised and let Kyo Ani animated every episode completely different. Of course nothing of this can be verified so take it with a grain of salt.
edited 22nd Feb '11 5:10:40 PM by shark33
About the delay, if I am not mistaken, Kyo Ani is (in)famous for never doing two series at the same time. After Suzumiya Haruhi they made Lucky*Star, Clannad, Clannad After Story and K On, alternately. It was just in 2009 that they started doing more then one project at the same time (with K On and Suzumiya Haruhi 2009).
Haruhi was delayed because there were other project in the between. All very profitable projects.
My personal theory is fandom figured out the "Kyon is the actual god" plot twist and he had to rewrite his ending from scratch.

^I've seen fanfics of stuff like that happen, only lemon-scented.
nishishishi~ Nii-nii no baka... .__.