So have Geeknights suggested anything you've really hated?

Sean

So I had this idea for the thread when I was at Borders buying that Prince of Nothing book. With all of the good things that the guys have suggested (German Board Games, Watchmen and Sanctuary to name a few) I thought it might be interesting to find out if anyone has tried something that the guys have suggested and really hated it.

So I'll start things off with something that might be a little controversial, and thats Revoutionary Girl Utena. I really wanted to like this show, and the guys made it sound like a complex, intelligent show. But on watching it I found it to be obtuse, dull, and ultimately a terrible waste of time.

So how about it? Anybody else tried something that Geeknights (or the forums) have suggested and really disliked it??

ironzealot

I agree with you about Utena, but beyond that they've never suggested anything I've absolutely hated.

Rym

Revoutionary Girl Utena. I really wanted to like this show, and the guys made it sound like a complex, intelligent show. But on watching it I found it to be obtuse, dull, and ultimately a terrible waste of time.

Did you watch it to the end?

Apreche

Revoutionary Girl Utena. I really wanted to like this show, and the guys made it sound like a complex, intelligent show. But on watching it I found it to be obtuse, dull, and ultimately a terrible waste of time.

Did you watch it to the end?

Did you watch GaoGaiGar up to the part where it gets good?

Rym

Did you watch it to the end?

Did you watch GaoGaiGar up to the part where it gets good?Heh.. I just wondered. I think Utena stands on its own from the very beginning (unlike GaoGaiGar), so it really shouldn't be an issue.

I just really feel as though he describes Utena as "obtuse" and "dull," yet was expecting, based on our recommendation, something "intelligent" and "complex." That's almost like saying "I thought this apple would be sweet, but instead it was red."

With Utena in particular, I usually find that people who express non-taste-based dislike for it tend not to have understood it. You can get deep meaning from the show right away, but it's much more difficult. By the end, the meaning of what had transpired is much more apparent, even to people who otherwise wouldn't have gotten it.

HMTKSteve

WarioWare: Smooth Moves

Funfetus

WarioWare: Smooth Moves

I think they roundly rebuked that one.

Kate Monster

Spice and Wolf is boring. I know that most of the other member of the FRC are into the show, but I find it dull and poorly paced. It may go somewhere great, but it just isn't for me.

Oh, and I love Utena with a passion that will never die.

kage_rod

I quite enjoy Utena myself, but I know for sure it is definitively not something everyone would like. I know a few people who would have to put down their head and go, "Why, oh why do you fangirl over that thing?". Thing is, even though I've had the complete series for several months now, I still haven't finished watching it, but I have seen the movie - which I had to put down my head and scream and rant about how horribly confusing that shit just was, where my friend chuckled and said, "I love that."

There will be tons of things, I'm sure, that Scrym suggests that just isn't that good to you or someone else. Just how tastes and life work.

Railith

Nobody in our group liked Tigris and Euphrates. The other boardgames like Colosseum and Ticket to Ride caught on quickly, but not T&E.

Rym

Nobody in our group liked Tigris and Euphrates. The other boardgames like Colosseum and Ticket to Ride caught on quickly, but not T&E.;

Ticket to Ride, while fun, is pretty random and involves very little critical thinking... ^_~

T&E;, Puerto Rico (4 and 5 player only), and Caylus are some of the very few games we've played repeatedly that have yet defied being solved or reduced to arbitrary/random wins.

Eryn

Advance Wars. Damn you, Rym and your endlessly catching enthusiasm, making me think I might like it when I've never liked games like that before. XD;;

ZakoSoldier

Nobody in our group liked Tigris and Euphrates. The other boardgames like Colosseum and Ticket to Ride caught on quickly, but not T&E.;

Ticket to Ride, while fun, is pretty random and involves very little critical thinking... ^_~

T&E;, Puerto Rico (4 and 5 player only), and Caylus are some of the very few games we've played repeatedly that have yet defied being solved or reduced to arbitrary/random wins.

Honestly, the only games that people consistently like in my group are Ticket and games like it (e.g. Thurn and Taxis). Some of us like T&E; and those more critical games but the ones that people like most are the ones that involve randomness (e.g. Ticket to Ride and more so Ticket to Ride Europe, Battlelore, etc.) I haven't yet found a game that has been suggested on the show that the more critical board games don't like.

One Sin

I don't really hate anything that GN suggested, but I think they give Gundam SEED, Trigun, and Eva way too much credit.

Bronzdragon

I didn't really like watchmen. I disliked the style it was in. I might also have liked it more if it wasn't overpriced when I bought it. Other then that, there might be a couple of things of the day I didn't like, but nothing major so far.

Rochelle

I didn't really like watchmen. I disliked the style it was in. I might also have liked it more if it wasn't overpriced when I bought it. Other then that, there might be a couple of things of the day I didn't like, but nothing major so far.

How much did you pay for it? Did you buy the trade?

I'm almost done reading it Watchmen myself. However, at first the art style didn't appeal to me, but I got used to it and I really don't mind it so much. The storyline makes up for it and the more I think about it, the art is pretty decent.

Li_Akahi

Neon Genesis Evangelion. I don't know why, but I really dislike this show. I guess I subscribe to more of the over the top giant robot shows than the deep(?) philisophical ones, besides Gundam which is mostly awesome.

Infinity

I dunno if anything specific comes to mind, but I do hate the "we're awesome so do what we say" tactic that a lot of the shows take. I'm sorry guys, but you really come off as being arrogant, which in turn causes me to take quite a bit of your advice with a grain of salt. Whether or not I should is another question.

Dkong

The one thing that just popped into my mind is Daft Punk. Geeknights regards them pretty highly, but IMO they are mediocre. Some songs (harder better, one more time, da funk, few others) are insanely awesome, yet some (rollin 'n scratchin, alive, phoenix, a few other drum-centric songs) are flat out awful, IMO.

Sail

The one thing that just popped into my mind is Daft Punk. Geeknights regards them pretty highly, but IMO they are mediocre. Some songs (harder better, one more time, da funk, few others) are insanely awesome, yet some (rollin 'n scratchin, alive, phoenix, a few other drum-centric songs) are flat out awful, IMO.

I agree and I don't like many songs outside what's on Discovery, but I still hold them in high regard because those particular songs are so good.

Zeehat

Can't think of anything off of the top of my head.

Funfetus

I'm almost done reading it Watchmen myself. However, at first the art style didn't appeal to me, but I got used to it and I really don't mind it so much. The storyline makes up for it and the more I think about it, the art is pretty decent.

Dave Gibbons is a really solid artist. His stuff does look old, and it's not fancy or particularly stylish, but it gets the job done very effectively -- good storytelling, and his draftsmanship is spot-on.

Dr. Timo

Cowboy Beebop.

I don't really care about the money I spent, but I want my nine hours back! 80% self-repeating episodic content and 20% generic mafia meta plot does not a good show make. Also the main characters are hard to emphasize with and the characters you actually get attached to have no bearing on the meta plot and get dumped out of the series unceremoniously. Finally the only interesting feature of the background universe (the gate accident), despite being referenced several times, never has any bearing on anything. That's just a completely unnecessary axe on the wall, as is the data corgi.

One can probably argue some artistic merits regarding music and/or visual presentation, especially if you compare it to more generic shows. From a dramatic storytelling point of view though, or regarding discourse of a philosophical concept, this series has no merits.

Rym

From a dramatic storytelling point of view though, or regarding discourse of a philosophical concept, this series has no merits.

I cannot express how much I disagree with you on this. One of the shows greatest strengths is that it's character-driven, the setting being just an interesting backdrop and nothing more.

Also, I believe you meant "empathize, not "emphasize."

Bronzdragon

I didn't really like watchmen. I disliked the style it was in. I might also have liked it more if it wasn't overpriced when I bought it. Other then that, there might be a couple of things of the day I didn't like, but nothing major so far.

How much did you pay for it? Did you buy the trade?

I'm almost done reading it Watchmen myself. However, at first the art style didn't appeal to me, but I got used to it and I really don't mind it so much. The storyline makes up for it and the more I think about it, the art is pretty decent.

I did not mean style as in art, but I couldn't put my finger on what exactly it was... also, I paid about $40

Sean

Did you watch it to the end?

Did you watch GaoGaiGar up to the part where it gets good?

Heh.. I just wondered. I think Utena stands on its own from the very beginning (unlike GaoGaiGar), so it really shouldn't be an issue.

I just really feel as though he describes Utena as "obtuse" and "dull," yet was expecting, based on our recommendation, something "intelligent" and "complex." That's almost like saying "I thought this apple would be sweet, but instead it was red."

With Utena in particular, I usually find that people who express non-taste-based dislike for it tend not to have understood it. You can get deep meaning from the show right away, but it's much more difficult. By the end, the meaning of what had transpired is much more apparent, even to people who otherwise wouldn't have gotten it.

The problem that I have with this show is not through a lack of understanding, I just felt that it didn't have anything interesting to say. Normally I would not have a problem with a show that you can just enjoy on a shallow level, but Utena had pretensions of being something incredibly meaningful, but ended up being incredibly dull and uninteresting. I felt that the of symbolism and abstractness of the show is there purely to distract you from the fact that it is a uninspired story with woefully inadequate characterisation.

For me, a much better show that tries to explore a similar concept is Paranoia Agent. Obviously the subject matter is markedly different, but they seem to have a similar purpose. They both try to get past a simple narrative and comment on something more profound. But the difference is that Paranoia Agent does a much better job of drawing you in to the universe that it creates, and the payoff is very satisfying. It is meticulous in bringing ideas and concepts in gradually, so that as soon as you think you have a good understanding of the show, it shifts and takes it in to a different area. Whereas, Utena seems to go the opposite way and keeps you at arms length for a good majority of the show and when the conclusion does come around, it is very unsatisfying.

Kate Monster

I don't really hate anything that GN suggested, but I think they give Gundam SEED, Trigun, and Eva way too much credit.

Trigun can never have too much credit, in my opinion... but that is a personal taste issue.

...

The one thing that just popped into my mind is Daft Punk. Geeknights regards them pretty highly, but IMO they are mediocre. Some songs (harder better, one more time, da funk, few others) are insanely awesome, yet some (rollin 'n scratchin, alive, phoenix, a few other drum-centric songs) are flat out awful, IMO.

I agree and I don't like many songs outside what's on Discovery, but I still hold them in high regard because those particular songs are so good.

Agreed, I too like that one album, but I already listened to them before GeekNights.

As for the topic, not _hate_, dislike at most. Scrym talked a few times about some metal bands and concerts and stuff. I generally dislike/hate the genre so I never followed their excited talks about it. The moment the idiot behind the mic starts screaming or grunging or whatever the fuck it's called the song is fucked up. I want to hear what you're saying damnit!

On the anime front GeekNights loves themselves some mecha/giant robot. I had seen some episodes of a Gundam (iirc) when I was young, and did not like it. One of the pilots was screaming in his mecha, whenever that happens I cringe. I really do not understand that stupid trope, it's not like the robot will punch harder if you push the buttons with all your might. Hence I always tend to avoid any anime that has a lot of mecha/giant robot stuff in it (Eva, Eureka Seven, Bokurano). And then GeekNights talked about Neon Genesis Evangelion. And I watched it. And I cringed whenever someone started shouting inside their Eva. But at least there was a reasonable explanation for a change! WOOHOO! Though I still find it an annoying trope. Though now I do not instantly ignore robot anime when I pass one. And most likely there's some part in my psyche fucked up as to result in me disliking random and useless shouting. And I have yet to watch Trigun or Utena. I'm not looking forward to either of them. Don't like the art style of either of them, and Rym hammering on the fact that there was a small budget and lots of stock animation doesn't help Utena's case at all.

Board games, eh, haven't bought any of the games that have been discussed on the show (greedy Dutch guy going to uni, you do the math). Video games, same taste as me thus far, RPGs, Burning Wheel, sounds awesome, but haven't bought it yet. No use for it. None of my friends have any interest in roleplaying.

Cowboy Beebop.Finally the only interesting feature of the background universe (the gate accident), despite being referenced several times, never has any bearing on anything.

Did you listen to the GeekNights episode about Cowboy Bebop? I recall Scott saying (paraphrased): Cowboy Bebop fucks those people who love their stories to have gargantuan universes. Are you one of that kind?

Dkong

I generally dislike/hate the genre so I never followed their excited talks about it. The moment the idiot behind the mic starts screaming or grunging or whatever the fuck it's called the song is fucked up. I want to hear what you're saying damnit!

If you think all metal is screaming and indiscernible lyrics, you're understanding of the genre is mistaken.
There is metal where you can understand the lyrics just fine...

As for other stuff, I can't think of any anime off the top of my head that you said was awesome that I thought was shit. All in all, most people I've talked to don't really speak anywhere near as highly of Utena as you guys do...other than that, I can't think of anything.
Oh, dominion tank police sounds like fail (haven't watched it, though). Cat girls in general are fail, IMO.

HMTKSteve

I generally dislike/hate the genre so I never followed their excited talks about it. The moment the idiot behind the mic starts screaming or grunging or whatever the fuck it's called the song is fucked up. I want to hear what you're saying damnit!

If you think all metal is screaming and indiscernible lyrics, you're understanding of the genre is mistaken.
There is metal where you can understand the lyrics just fine...

I used to love Metal. Now my earing is a bit shot so all I hear is the screeching.

...

If you think all metal is screaming and indiscernible lyrics, you're understanding of the genre is mistaken.
There is metal where you can understand the lyrics just fine...

Oh I know that, take Through the Fire and the Flames for example. Good song, however the majority is still screaming and shouting last time I checked. And you can understand parts of the lyrics in almost every metal song.