I try to make a point to watch anything involving Gen Urobuchi and was not disappointed
Amen. Madoka Magica anime really disappointed me and I thought Urobutcher turned to a pussy. Then I watched the movie trilogy and the 3rd movie was built on top of the anime ending so well now I refuse to rate Madoka Magica as I consider 10/10 would be insulting. (An honor I've given to Matrix, Evangelion, GitS(Minus Arise and the feature length character assasination), Steins;Gate (minus the movie) and BBC SHERLOCK minus S4E1)
As polarizing as Guilty Crown was
It's not polarizing really. If you only watched the first half you'll be thinking it's one of the greatest anime ever made. Then the second half and especially the final episode was one of the worst I've ever seen. Thankfully we had a protagonist like Inaho for ΛLDNOΛH.ZERO who is like an existential middle finger to piece of garbage that was the lead of Guilty Crown.
Urobutcher only worked on S1 and the movie of Psycho-Pass. Season 2 was done by the guy behind Heroic Age (one of my favorites). If the series had ~15 episodes to tell the story and with bit more polish to it, it would have been as good as S1. It had so much good stuff and even took some stuff to the next level from S1. But ultimately it was an Star Wars EP VI but this time it was't because unnecessary stuff added but because the series didn't have enough time to flesh itself out well.
Currently I'm at
Madoka Magica
Psycho-Pass
Fate/Zero
ΛLDNOΛH.ZERO
Expelled from Paradise
Psycho-Pass 2 and The Movie (which are still better than some of the best Hollywood has to offer)
Ha, I like your taste in ratings. I personally put Eva, Madoka, and Stein;s in my top 5 anime of all time. Trying to scroll through your blog, but have you written any articles on them as well? I always enjoy different interpretations of Eva, and I'd also be curious as to why you disliked Deja Vu. I'll say it did feel rather cliched at times and I think they could have upped the ante a bit with a movie budget, but I did appreciate what it was trying to accomplish with the circle and creation of Kyouma
And thanks for the clarification on Psycho Pass 2, I read somewhere he was involved and just assumed directed. Good to know. Out of curiosity, is Gen your favorite writer and if not, who is?
Use this site to find my previous works: https://coffeesource.net/vimukthi/
I haven't written any posts about the 3 you mentioned But I've had many conversations with few people like @durzo
Evangelion was more of a puzzle than something to interpret. Most things about it had solid but vague story. Some things could have been interpreted in different ways. But most things were solid but also meta much like my B&W Photo Challenge submissions: https://steemit.com/photography/@vimukthi/no-rules-broken-seven-day-black-and-white-photo-challengewhite-photo-challenge-3rd-circle-in-h
I didn't dislike Deja Vu or even GitS Arise. But both of them were below the quality of the rest of the franchise. Deja Vu totally felt like an OVA episode while the OVA actually felt like a part of the franchise. In the case of RahXephon the OVA was practically my favorite episode.
I wouldn't call Gen my favorite writer. I don't really have a favorite writer. But Gen feels to me as the most relatable writer. He's like that actor you love that also kind of looks like you. For an added plus, he understand his own characters. When I watched Monster (some time after finishing both Psycho-Pass Seasons) It felt like Naoki Urasawa (the creator) didn't know know shtick about his own creation which was acutally created through indirect means (I suspect). When I watched Monster I could swear I knew Johan better than the creator and later I came to think that Gen Urobuchi felt the same. Namae no nai Kaibutsu (Psycho-Pass) ending is a term that's deeply related to the entire story and Themes of Monster. Since Naoki Urasawa didn't get the character he ended up creating, the final ark of Monster was a complete nose-dive. Psycho-Pass on the other hand not only directly took on its chaotic neutral antagonist (Not Villain) but also tried to show the full extent of the being by pitting him against the Sybil System Which was again expanded upon the second season (Artificial Idiosyncrasy and its ultimate failure resulting in above 800 Psycho-Pass)
Gen had both the intellect and the balls to confront and explain what made Makishima, Makishima. I'm only disappointed about him not talking much about what Psycho-Pass actually mean (A form of self-judgement which Makishima makes peace with resulting in his Idiosyncrasy.) Makishima is a witness without judgement.
Monster talks about a world without names (Nameless Monster). What are names but labels. One who makes peace with his/her individuality (Like Howard Roark from Fountainhead which is a character inspired from an architect who designed a home that looks much like the home of the professor that Akane and Kougami visit) stands out without the constrains of the society and become unfit to be judged by existing labels and moves on to the Blue and Orange scope of morality.