I'm liking Akashic Records a lot this season. Granted the school uniforms are ridiculous, but the characterization is a lot more nuanced than you'd expect from such a show.
Spoiler:
The hoarding food thing and attaching to Radars as a brother surrogate are good examples of that, imo.
It's pretty cool. I can see where Artorias's moveset came from
Spoiler:
Didnt you know that Berserk was the influence for Dark Souls and that Artorias is based off guts? With the dodgy arm, massive sword and a wolffish personality.
I enjoyed it, but the animation is still choppy. Gotta wait for the blu Ray.
RRRAAGRG! Why is Fate/Zero so gooood!? And then Fate/Stay Night (both of them) are just... average. So far, anyways.
Anyone, does Unlimited Blade Works get more philosophical at any point? More serious? Less high-school rom-com? I mean, Zero had kings discussing the meaning of kingship, and Masters willing to do literally the most heinous acts to secure their victories, but so far UBW is just... Tsundere and Determinators and high-school hijinks. And an inexplicably evil Ilya.
Anvildude wrote: RRRAAGRG! Why is Fate/Zero so gooood!? And then Fate/Stay Night (both of them) are just... average. So far, anyways.
Anyone, does Unlimited Blade Works get more philosophical at any point? More serious? Less high-school rom-com? I mean, Zero had kings discussing the meaning of kingship, and Masters willing to do literally the most heinous acts to secure their victories, but so far UBW is just... Tsundere and Determinators and high-school hijinks. And an inexplicably evil Ilya.
I will defend the DEEN anime. I am in a minority on this.
You don't sound very far into UBW, but things get serious near the end of the first cour, but then again I'm a massive Fate fan so my opinion comes with a grain of salt (and a set of Black Keys.)
Oh jesus that Berserk animation...I mean the show isn't pretty, but that looked like an after school CGI project. Massive visual clipping errors, offtempo movements, and editing that looked panicked, I wonder what on earth this studio is spending its budget on...
It's pretty cool. I can see where Artorias's moveset came from
Spoiler:
Didnt you know that Berserk was the influence for Dark Souls and that Artorias is based off guts? With the dodgy arm, massive sword and a wolffish personality.
I enjoyed it, but the animation is still choppy. Gotta wait for the blu Ray.
Yeah, it's no secret that Miyazaki is a Berserk fan boy. And it only got more obvious over time. The animation still isn't great. There were some pretty derpy looking character designs too.
Why did no one just say Look, we're all heroes of our stories, we wouldn't have killed a kid. Stop believing the person you already know is an evil liar. She's just annoyingly obtuse at this point.
Actually they all aren't heroes of their story. The guy with the ghost is his game's antagonist, Magane is her novel's antagonist and Blitz is an anti hero. We know Selesia and Meteora are heroes, but Alice doesn't. Like a good soldier she is she believes everything Altair told her, and she clearly believes that her world is suffering for our enjoyment, when its much more complex than that. I thought that scene with her and Sota was a nice touch.
That, and Alicetaria doesn't seem to be the thinking sort. All honor no brains, you know the type. They do seem to be turning her into a tragic hero though, which could be interesting.
I recently watched Your Name (Kimi no Na wa) and A Silent Voice (Koe no Katachi), both very good — with tiny pacing issues but otherwise wonderful — movies that stick to your brain like an octopus helmet (in a good way).
So Hinako Note ended, and while it was my cute show for the season, it just didn't click for some reason. Not sure why.
Not sure about the new season, although I'm hoping for Fate to end up on Crunchyroll, and Little Witch Academia is gonna be on Netflix starting June 30! Huzzah!
Blue Exorcist is turning out to be more entertaining and interesting that In originally thought. A classic Shounen plot, but with enough original stuff to keep it fresh.
Something I like about Blue Exorcist is also something I liked from Helsing; it's bizarrely entertaining watching Japanese creators try to represent the Christianity in fiction XD It's like they can take a lot of misconceptions I recognize but take them to odd new places
Yeah, its great. They some how make it more entertaining to watch than when the US tries to do it. After a while, Supernatural got boring. :(
Though that said, there isn't really much about Blue Exorcist that's christian. A lot of it is more about Eastern lore, such as from Onmyoudou, Buddhism and Shintoism. The only reals biblical elements are the names of demons and the fact they use the old testament / Judaic word for hell, Gehenna. Other than that, not much christian lore. Like, the exorcists are supposed to be a Christian themed group, but you can't really tell.
D Grey Man is closer to the mark, as they make it very clear that the weapons they use come from some heavenly element, they take orders from the Vatican, and the Exorcist uniform has a cross on it. But they also take a lot of liberties with christian lore.
Spoiler:
Like, the Noah are actually the offspring of Noah, and they consider themselves to be the "true" humans and creations of god. Demons, rather than beings from hell, are weapons created from the souls of the dead possess the weaponized corpse of the loved one they murdered when summoned back to the world. I'm pretty sure there's nothing like that in any of the scriptures
Anyway, I watched the last episode of Shuumatsu nani...WorldEnd / Suka Suka. Wtf is with light novel titles I swear.
Spoiler:
I was not expecting it to go full tragedy. Like damn, I guess we aren't getting a sequel then, at least not with the main characters
Automatically Appended Next Post: Also, I read the new Berserk chapter. This sums it up
Been watching Granblue Fantasy. They had their obligatory fan service beach episode this past week. Sure, whatever, that's a thing I guess. Where it got weird was they retconned the story to make the main male protagonist a different female version for it, as well as having had all the different female characters they'd met had joined the team. Like it was this weird pointless AU episode in the middle of the story.
This is a big thread so im sorry if this has already been mentioned, but anyone JoJo here?
Also, I highly reccomend Samurai Flamenco. Its about a male model who really wants to be a hero, to the point of stopping people jaywalking and smoking in no smoke zones etc, but in classic anime fashion, things end up getting worse and worse crime and enemy-wise. Fun characters, interesting side stories, great Intro themes and it subverts or plays with toooons of classic anime tropes and pays homage all over the place
Also, Afro Samurai. One of my all time favorites, rewatched it again recently
Watched part of JoJo Diamond, but haven't finished it yet.
DiU has some of the best intro songs of any JoJo arc, my personal favorite is Chase
Afro Samurai makes the best warhammer building/painting accompaniment. Action sounds, music by the RZA, and Justice just screams heretic inquisitor or something to me. I actually started writing a homebrew SM chapter that the chapter master bears a status symbol marking him as number one, and theres a number 2 that continually changes hands. Less murder each other for it, more, "I challenge you to X"
So everyone in the chapter is constantly striving to be the greatest, and it gives the chapter master a constant voice of dissent/ a foil
Vaktathi wrote: Zeta was an allright show, Double Zeta was...awful. I absolutely could not deal with it.
ZZ is okay if you skip the entire first half of the series and only start watching during the colony drop episodes. That's when they bring in the mentally-conditioned child soldiers, psychologically damaged cyber-newtypes, smack an asteroid into side 3, and cull the villain roster as if the show was still Zeta Gundam.
On an unrelated note, I've been watching Flying Witch (apologies if this has been mentioned before; I haven't been following this thread as closely as I perhaps could) for the last few weeks. It's a slice of life anime about a teenage girl in high school in a small town in Japan, and she happens to be a witch. Nothing much happens at all for 12 episodes, but I really, really like the show. It's very relaxed and super low-key. It's the anime equivalent of watching Bob Ross paint some happy trees. I can come home after a rough day at work, pop on an episode, and feel my stress just bleed away.
On an unrelated note, I've been watching Flying Witch (apologies if this has been mentioned before; I haven't been following this thread as closely as I perhaps could) for the last few weeks. It's a slice of life anime about a teenage girl in high school in a small town in Japan, and she happens to be a witch. Nothing much happens at all for 12 episodes, but I really, really like the show. It's very relaxed and super low-key. It's the anime equivalent of watching Bob Ross paint some happy trees. I can come home after a rough day at work, pop on an episode, and feel my stress just bleed away.
Flying Witch is one of my cute happy anime that I rewatch every now and then, along with kiniro mosaic (kinmoza) k-on, yuyushki, and non non biyori.
I of course end up getting the manga of all those, too (except non non biyori -i don't like how renge was translated.)
Speaking of witches, Little Witch Academia is now on Netlifx, and it is adorable and colorful and totally Trigger.
Note the the series is not a direct continuation of the two movies, but rather a separate story line AU using the same characters.
Watched the first episode of Castlevania. So far I'm rooting for Dracula and feel he has valid a valid reason, though his response may be going a bit too far.
Watched part of JoJo Diamond, but haven't finished it yet.
DiU has some of the best intro songs of any JoJo arc, my personal favorite is Chase
Afro Samurai makes the best warhammer building/painting accompaniment. Action sounds, music by the RZA, and Justice just screams heretic inquisitor or something to me. I actually started writing a homebrew SM chapter that the chapter master bears a status symbol marking him as number one, and theres a number 2 that continually changes hands. Less murder each other for it, more, "I challenge you to X"
Isn't that more of a chaos thing? Anyway, watched Isekai Shokudou. Good so far. Not sure where its going to go though, since its just a show about otherworldly critters coming to dine at a Western Styled Japanese restaurant.
Watched part of JoJo Diamond, but haven't finished it yet.
DiU has some of the best intro songs of any JoJo arc, my personal favorite is Chase
Afro Samurai makes the best warhammer building/painting accompaniment. Action sounds, music by the RZA, and Justice just screams heretic inquisitor or something to me. I actually started writing a homebrew SM chapter that the chapter master bears a status symbol marking him as number one, and theres a number 2 that continually changes hands. Less murder each other for it, more, "I challenge you to X"
Isn't that more of a chaos thing?
Anyway, watched Isekai Shokudou. Good so far. Not sure where its going to go though, since its just a show about otherworldly critters coming to dine at a Western Styled Japanese restaurant.
Itd probably work better if their recruiting planet did that then, maybe
Yeah, probably. The whole intrachapter rivalry between members is something of a chaos thing, as warbands tend to have officers trying to one up each other in order to get to the top (hence the "aspiring" in aspiring champion.) I think it would be very rare to see that sort of behavior in a loyalist successor chapter, as they tend to be more regulated. If it were some sort of tradition heralding from their recruitment world, then it might get a pass, as chapters do have some odd traditions here and there. It could be that duels of honor in this chapter are commonplace, and whilst they don't end in death, it could end in demotion depending on how poorly one of them fights, the logic being that if said demotee is a poor fighter he isn't fit to lead.
The stuff done by Netflix so far is very consistent in animation quality. Nothing disappointing so far. Looking forward to seeing how Little Witch Academia goes.
BrookM wrote: The stuff done by Netflix so far is very consistent in animation quality. Nothing disappointing so far. Looking forward to seeing how Little Witch Academia goes.
Yeah, crunchyroll hardcore guys are bagging on Netflix for taking forever to give up the goods, but darn if it ain't worth the wait.
So... second cour when? Also Trigger is talking second season of Little Witch, to which (heh) I can say only: Yesssss.
Does anybody care to share what there early summer season simulcast watchlist is?
Just based on one episode these were the ones that standout to me
Knight's & Magic - For some reason I feel like I am watching the mirror of Tanya the Evil. Mind you not as good as that show, but still enough to it commit the at least the first 3 episodes
Restaurant to Another World - interesting premise but not much to sink teeth into yet and not sure where the plot is heading.
Fox Spirit Matchmaker - Looking very doubtful I will make it to the 3rd episode of the is comedy/romance/fantasy as the animation is mediocre and the plot seems a mess
Elegant Yokai Aparment Life - maybe my favorite so far
18if - accidental hero stuck in a fantasy (dream) land.....sounds familar for some reason
Katsugeki TOUKEN RANBU - premise of defending history seems interesting, but it looks like it's going to devolve into just a series of copy and past fight sequences
Tsuredure Children - high school angst / slice of life......not sure I have the patience for this
Lord of Deeds wrote: Does anybody care to share what there early summer season simulcast watchlist is?
Just based on one episode these were the ones that standout to me
Knight's & Magic - For some reason I feel like I am watching the mirror of Tanya the Evil. Mind you not as good as that show, but still enough to it commit the at least the first 3 episodes
Restaurant to Another World - interesting premise but not much to sink teeth into yet and not sure where the plot is heading.
Fox Spirit Matchmaker - Looking very doubtful I will make it to the 3rd episode of the is comedy/romance/fantasy as the animation is mediocre and the plot seems a mess
Elegant Yokai Aparment Life - maybe my favorite so far
18if - accidental hero stuck in a fantasy (dream) land.....sounds familar for some reason
Katsugeki TOUKEN RANBU - premise of defending history seems interesting, but it looks like it's going to devolve into just a series of copy and past fight sequences
Tsuredure Children - high school angst / slice of life......not sure I have the patience for this
Elegant Yokai... wait, this sounds similar to Raiders of the however you spell those tiny apartments...
Wait again, is the main character voiced by Shirou Emiya (who is apparently Erin in UBW...)?
I'm... intrigued. Also upset at how cheap apartments are in Japan.
So, Vatican Kiseki Chousakan is shaping up to be a disappointment.
The pacing is super messed up, it can't decide whether it wants to be slow or rapidly jump around.
All I wanted was a X Files style show where a couple of priests go around disproving miracles, but instead I get a rather poorly made show about a satanic murder mystery at a suspicious church.
Is there anything worth watching currently on in a more "dark" tone? Not necessarily as grimdark as Attack on Titan or Berserk, but something even in the Iron Blooded Orphans category?
Everything I've found so far currently airing has been...disappointing. Either including far too much cutesy stuff or just barely shy of being porn (and I don't need to actually follow and watch a whole series for that), and I just haven't found anything currently showing that's worth watching.
I'm excited for more AoT, Kabaneri, and Berserk next year...but what to watch in the meantime?
Vaktathi wrote: Is there anything worth watching currently on in a more "dark" tone? Not necessarily as grimdark as Attack on Titan or Berserk, but something even in the Iron Blooded Orphans category?
Everything I've found so far currently airing has been...disappointing. Either including far too much cutesy stuff or just barely shy of being porn (and I don't need to actually follow and watch a whole series for that), and I just haven't found anything currently showing that's worth watching.
I'm excited for more AoT, Kabaneri, and Berserk next year...but what to watch in the meantime?
Maybe Re: Creators? That has a minimum of cutesy nonsense.
Katsugeki is a bit bloody as well, though the animation style is weird. Not sure I like Ufotable's character design. Reminds me too much of Clamp's. Gorgeous scenery though.
Yeah, I don't like the super ecchi stuff as well. Like, if you're going to make a hentai, make a hentai. Don't cop out and just barely skirt the line.
Automatically Appended Next Post:
BrookM wrote: Kabaneri has been renewed for another season? Eesh..
To be fair, it kind of needs it. The first season's ending felt really weak.
BrookM wrote: With an ending like that, it doesn't deserve another season. Hell, it started off so promising and went off the deep end so swiftly imho.
I really liked the world, but just found the plot lacking in so many ways, so I'm quite happy with another season, as long as it doesn't relate to the first season at all and has a plot that plays on the world, instead of a generic villain arc copied and pasted from any other show, with no real justification.
Vaktathi wrote: Is there anything worth watching currently on in a more "dark" tone? Not necessarily as grimdark as Attack on Titan or Berserk, but something even in the Iron Blooded Orphans category?
Everything I've found so far currently airing has been...disappointing. Either including far too much cutesy stuff or just barely shy of being porn (and I don't need to actually follow and watch a whole series for that), and I just haven't found anything currently showing that's worth watching.
I'm excited for more AoT, Kabaneri, and Berserk next year...but what to watch in the meantime?
Castlevania, the first season has only four episodes but on release got a deal for a second one of eight (I think).
Kabaneri absolutely had a weak ending and the whole Biba thing was awful, but the world and premise was cool, and the animation was gorgeous. I'm totally willing to give it another shot, albeit understanding that it is not going to be a narrative masterpiece.
Honestly, most Anime really do have crap endings, it's almost a tradition. Iron Blooded Orphans still bothers me somewhat, I'm sure AoT will have some dumb ending, Berserk will never get an ending, etc
It starts out a bit slow (there are many characters to introduce) but becomes really fun after that (if you have doubts, try to survive to episode 8) and has one of the best recap episodes.
Castlevania was sweet. Definitely want to see more of that. The last fight scene was exceptional. **whipsnap noise**
Little Witch was definitely good, I've heard the Netflix subs are not though.
Creators has been good. I even watched and enjoyed the recap episode due to the way it was narrated.
New Fate started up. It's ok so far. They really like making male people/characters from the past turn out to actually have been female though.
Episode one of Abyss was cute. Will check out more of that.
Knights and Magic was ok. Kind of wish it ditched that whole person from here reincarnated there angle and those Magic gun rods are kind of dumb. I assume this will be my overly cliche show of the season.
Been busy and haven't had time to watch everything new yet. Will have to check out more.
Yeah, the recreators recap was great. You can tell they were having fun with it. It actually reminds me a little of NGE's recaps, which added new stuff instead of just retelling the series.
Knights and Magic is shaping up to be one of the isekai wish fulfillment series with an OP main character who's good at everything and of course is in the body of a child, because god forbid we have a series with an adult. Overlord was interesting in that the main character, whilst OP, is a freaking skeleton instead of some kid or bishie. Skeletons are cool.
I've been searching for an anime for years, saw it once on cable circa 1997/98. Maybe Dakka can help me. From what I remember:
Involved two prototype machines that could "acquire" any other mechanical/electrical devices or parts and use them to upgrade themselves
One machine was a "civilian" model and the other was the "military" model
The end of the movie was the two prototypes bashing each other, both of which were huge, with their own unique abilities thanks to the different parts they had acquired.
Any help would be appreciated, I wish I remembered more.
BrookM wrote: Sounds familiar, like it was part of an anthology movie or something.
I've been wracking my brain for years trying to find out what it was called, I remember it being very well done with a cool concept, and it obviously had an effect on me if I saw it +20 years ago and still think about it. Maybe someday...
Has anyone seen Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind? Watched it last night and was really impressed, wonderful movie. I believe the prototype for Pikachu was also there
BrookM wrote: Sounds familiar, like it was part of an anthology movie or something.
I've been wracking my brain for years trying to find out what it was called, I remember it being very well done with a cool concept, and it obviously had an effect on me if I saw it +20 years ago and still think about it. Maybe someday...
Has anyone seen Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind? Watched it last night and was really impressed, wonderful movie. I believe the prototype for Pikachu was also there
I don't think there is a Miyazaki movie I didn't like. though not saying some are not better than others. They all have been worth the watch.
As for your search, the premise sounds familar to me to. Do you remember if the protagonists were male or female and their ages, i.e. child/teen/adult? Also are you sure it was released then? I ask because I know for my part I tend to date an anime based on when I saw it and learn only later that it was actually released several years before watching it, especially thoughs from further in the past when the US release could legimately be several years after it was first released in Japan.
BrookM wrote: Sounds familiar, like it was part of an anthology movie or something.
I've been wracking my brain for years trying to find out what it was called, I remember it being very well done with a cool concept, and it obviously had an effect on me if I saw it +20 years ago and still think about it. Maybe someday...
Has anyone seen Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind? Watched it last night and was really impressed, wonderful movie. I believe the prototype for Pikachu was also there
I don't think there is a Miyazaki movie I didn't like. though not saying some are not better than others. They all have been worth the watch.
As for your search, the premise sounds familar to me to. Do you remember if the protagonists were male or female and their ages, i.e. child/teen/adult? Also are you sure it was released then? I ask because I know for my part I tend to date an anime based on when I saw it and learn only later that it was actually released several years before watching it, especially thoughs from further in the past when the US release could legimately be several years after it was first released in Japan.
It very possibly was older, as the movies that came out on television usually were, especially animes, which were a rarity to begin with. I believe it was a younger female protagonist, but memory is hazy around that part, as the prototypes were the main interest. It was definitely set in the future.
I asked about on Reddit. Hopefully someone recognises it.
Automatically Appended Next Post: Like, I know this is an idiot question but might as well make sure, it's not Gurren Lagann you're thinking of, right?
Honestly? The ending (the whole thing, really) was kinda disappointing after Fate/Zero. Zero was just... such a strong, compelling tragedy, while UBW is just another run-of-the-mill fighting anime.
I mean, the Fate concept has such a fantastic capacity for philosophy and introspection, combined with awesome action. Historical figures fighting each other? This was showcased perfectly in Zero, with the 'feast of Kings' episode- all the characters had their own goals and personal philosophies, and all of them were rather worthwhile in their own ways- add to that the interactions with the Masters, and you got a Grade S drama. But UBW just... didn't use its characters to the fullest.
Now, I haven't seen the Deen/Fate line, or the Heavens Gate that's going to be coming out, so maybe that lack of coverage is fixed in some of those (for example, Lancer's story, or Archer's interactions with Shiro were just... under cooked) but I just feel like adhering to the Visual novel's plot really weakens the use of the franchise.
Here's hoping that Grand Order is another 'freeform' from Unfotable, where they get to write their own story.
Fate's origins as a choose your own adventure definitely weaken its potential. Following any of the 3 main arcs leaves you with unnecessary characters and dangling plot threads. Zero shines because its focused on its single story beginning to end. I'd love to see the original story somehow reimagined as one cohesive tale that covers all the main points (identities of all the servants, Gilgamesh, and a good conclusion to the 3 love interests).
There has been exactly ONE good VN adaptation and it was called Steins;Gate. The structure of a VN simply does not lend itself to anime adaptation, which is why after all these mangled attempts they moved onto Light Novels instead.
I think Fate/Stay Night's plot lines could be resolved into a cohesive single plot line that would be really good, but you couldn't do it in 24-26 episodes. You wouldn't need a full fifty, but the standard anime season is too short. I think Unlimited Blade Works botched Shirou/Archer's conflict in large part because there just wasn't time to fully flesh out the underlying moral contradiction that it was intended to represent (a contradiction you really need to know the details of the Stay Night line to actually even start piecing together so that just botches it even more) and was made worse by some really bad translation decisions in the official sub/dub.
I personally liked the ending to Unlimited Blade Works a lot, but mostly on an action level cause that version of the final fight between Shiro and Gilgamesh was pretty damn epic XD
Lancer unfortunately is the franchises constant butt monkey. Every line of the story has him somewhat underplayed despite his raw awesome at every turn. The only line where he really gets his credit is Hollow Ataraxia which I doubt will ever be adapted in anime form.
Of course there's also the new abridged series that came out recently by Blazing Azure Crow (featuring Something Witty Entertainment of SAO Abridged) which is pretty great XD and Lancer finally gets recognized as "basically Irish Hercules."
Spoiler:
Though for those unaware of Irish folklore, Lancer gets a pretty bad ass moment when he dies in Unlimited Blade Works. In legend when killed by a spear piercing his heart Cú Chulainn still managed to continue opposing his killer with his "heroism" inflicting a blow that would later result in his death. This plays out pretty straight in Unlimited Blade Works with how he kills Kotomine, getting back up after piercing his own heart with Gae Bulg (which is supposed to be an instant killing weapon) and striking Kotomine down.
I asked about on Reddit. Hopefully someone recognises it.
Automatically Appended Next Post: Like, I know this is an idiot question but might as well make sure, it's not Gurren Lagann you're thinking of, right?
welshhoppo wrote: One of my favourite abridged series isn't actually abridged at all.
It's the English Dub of an anime called Ghost Stories, and it changes a moody and darkish anime into a comedy.
It's also official, and it is the official dub.
Oh I know of that.
Its like that time the staff goofed around with the original berserk anime, except this time its the official version.
Apparently the anime did so poorly in Japan, that when they gave it over to the US to localize they basically said "we don't care what you do with it, just go nuts.", so they did.
So, a recommendation from Digibro of all people: Made in Abyss. He said the first 3 episodes were good with the opener being a solid 9 (and from "12 Part Analysis on why Asswar sucks" Digibro thats saying something") I watched them and have to say I am digging it. I haven't read the source material (Actual opinion that might count as spoiler?)
Spoiler:
but from the hints it's dropped from the effects caused by the curse and the circumstances of the mother's death I can see it pulling a 180 like Madoka Magica
Made in Abyss is growing on me as well. The cutesy art style put me off at first, but after watching it it seems that its just to serve as a contrast to the very dark subject matter, similar to Madoka Magika.
I just rewatched Kill La Kill again, one of my favorite 3rd act twists in all anime, anyone here enjoy Trigger's work?
Also, has anyone here seen Soul Eater? Its kinda goofy the first few episodes (and the first 3 episodes are all intro episodes for the main character Triumvirate) but it gets really dark and heavy in some parts, but always reels it back, usually with Excalibur
While I really enjoy the Soul Eater series, I skip the Excalibur episodes. Just can't stand em.
After four episodes of Isekai Shokudou I think I'm done. There's been no real overarching story line, barely even indivigual episode stories, just long detailed descriptions of food and it's just gotten boring.
I've been really enjoying Made in Abyss as well. It's got a pretty decent story happening, and I love the world idea of the abyss and exploration.
The latest episode of Isekai Shokudou was funny in a stupid way though. 10-15 minutes of nature documentary about a lizardman training and making himself the most powerful, attractive male in the tribe, and prepping himself for some hot, steamy... oh wait, nope, just getting take out.
AduroT wrote: Who Doesn't enjoy Trigger's work anymore?
While I really enjoy the Soul Eater series, I skip the Excalibur episodes. Just can't stand em.
After four episodes of Isekai Shokudou I think I'm done. There's been no real overarching story line, barely even indivigual episode stories, just long detailed descriptions of food and it's just gotten boring.
Yeah, I'm losing interest too.
It was fun at first, but then it just became food porn. If I wanted food porn I'll...cook I guess? I don't know where to go with that, but anyway.
Battle Brother Lucifer wrote: I just rewatched Kill La Kill again, one of my favorite 3rd act twists in all anime, anyone here enjoy Trigger's work?
Also, has anyone here seen Soul Eater? Its kinda goofy the first few episodes (and the first 3 episodes are all intro episodes for the main character Triumvirate) but it gets really dark and heavy in some parts, but always reels it back, usually with Excalibur
I feel it's a strong 8 but the anime original content is a bit lacking in my opinion.
Trigger's work has been, to be diplomatic, slipshod at best lately. Kill la Kill was very much a high point.
Made in Abyss episode 4, both blistering fast and a little slow in terms of story progression if you'll believe that. But, still a good breather episode and lots of juicy plot foreshadowing and setup. I really liked it.
Another week, another Made in Abyss. Still a great show and starting to show the messed up-ness it was hinting at.
So I've started watching Evangelion since bizarrely I never got around to watching it. The first half seems a bit light hearted compared to what I've heard.
If you're watching the series I would advice not and watching the three movies instead, 1.11, 2.22, and 3.33. Better animation and story. The series has a notoriously messed up and not good ending.
See, I've seen the three movies, but not the series, and I find myself wanting to watch it. The longer format of the series gives a lot more time for character development, I think, 'cause I missed a lot of the characterization that people tend to discuss/complain about/fetishize, due to fewer intimate scenes. Not to mention, fewer Angels and thus not as many action scenes.
Don't get me wrong, the movies are amazing. Higher quality everything. But I'm wondering if the series might not be worthwhile in terms of getting to know the characters.
BaconCatBug wrote: Another week, another Made in Abyss. Still a great show and starting to show the messed up-ness it was hinting at.
So I've started watching Evangelion since bizarrely I never got around to watching it. The first half seems a bit light hearted compared to what I've heard.
Wait until you're like 10 episodes then. It gets really messed up. I think episode 16 is when things start to get really nuts.
AduroT wrote: If you're watching the series I would advice not and watching the three movies instead, 1.11, 2.22, and 3.33. Better animation and story. The series has a notoriously messed up and not good ending.
I'm planning on watching all of it, series and movies, warts and all. I know episodes 25 and 26 are basically trash.
The frequent nudity and discussions of genitalia by the children is a bit off putting, but hasn't really gotten me too bothered because of how casual and generally non-sexualized they are about it. The robot's the only one who really seems bothered by it generally.
Watched a few episodes of Princess Principal. It's really fun if you like cute girls doing badass things and being spies in a steampunk alternative history version of an early 20th century divided England. The animation and story are also done quite well.
If it's making people uncomfortable, I wouldn't call it fan service. Fan service is cheesy/embarrassing, but what we're talking about here is born more from disgust than shame
I mean, the worse animation is a given. It's a series, rather than an OVA.
Pacing and characterization...maybe? I've not seen the whole thing, but I'm wondering if they're trying to set it up for a full run- maybe even a long-running show if possible. And for that you need to leave things... open. Loose.
Anvildude wrote: I mean, the worse animation is a given. It's a series, rather than an OVA.
Pacing and characterization...maybe? I've not seen the whole thing, but I'm wondering if they're trying to set it up for a full run- maybe even a long-running show if possible. And for that you need to leave things... open. Loose.
I do recall hearing about a second season in the works (not the one Netflix released but a real one.)
Hoitash wrote: n other news, Gamers has piqued my interest.
I picked up Gamers!, and it's been throwing curveballs left and right. It's basically the trope of "This problem could be solved if anyone actually talked to each other" taken to 11, with the characters actively sabotaging themselves and making things worse through various misunderstandings.
Hoitash wrote: n other news, Gamers has piqued my interest.
I picked up Gamers!, and it's been throwing curveballs left and right. It's basically the trope of "This problem could be solved if anyone actually talked to each other" taken to 11, with the characters actively sabotaging themselves and making things worse through various misunderstandings.
hotsauceman1 wrote: Im watching "A Centaurs Life" for some reason, it its a fun show to watch.
It has it's really specifically funny details (how do glasses stay up if you don't have human ears, how do certain clothes work,…) in addition to regular funny moments. Then there's the more serious social commentary that gets just thrown in (also certain more authoritarian bits and pieces) and this feeling that something happened in the history of this world. The last episode had an actually really nice and simplified explanation of how art developed during the 20th century, and the one before that had that "drastic scene transition" that made sense in the end but where you feel in the moment like somebody spliced the wrong clip into the second half of the episode.
It's comedy/slice-of-life for the most part but also sometimes just odd and even really serious and I quite like this combination.
I haven't watched much anime in a while but i heard 'gamers' was good and i watched a bit of one today that looked really amazing. I think the good anime was called 'I can't understand what my husband is saying'. It's about a woman and her otaku husband. I may have to watch it in its entirety at some point.
"I Can't Understand What My Husband Is Saying" is good stuff and easy to watch, you'll burn through it in no time, as each episode is only around three minutes in length.
Not sure what to look forward to myself with the new season almost here, Sakura Quest and New Game!! are (almost) over now and the only thing that caught my eye for the new season is the second season of 3-gatsu no Lion.
There's also the Godzilla CGI movie and another Girls und Panzer movie coming, but those are still some ways off sadly.
Proof that cartoons are just for kids yes there is no body horror here no sir. First time in a long while I've felt actually uncomfortable watching a series and that's not a bad thing.
I Can't Understand What My Husband Is Saying is legitimately one of the best anime ever created imho.
The fifth part of Gundam the Origin was released recently and there's also a series of animated Blade Runner shorts ("Blade Runner Black Out 2022"), of which the first episode has been released just now.
BrookM wrote: The fifth part of Gundam the Origin was released recently and there's also a series of animated Blade Runner shorts ("Blade Runner Black Out 2022"), of which the first episode has been released just now.
I was under the impression that Blackout 2022 was the only animated Blade Runner short. It doesn't exactly leave much room for a continuing plot.
I caught Origin 5. I was kind of hoping for a Shiro Amada cameo during Operation British. I thought Zeon had gassed more than just the one colony, too. I was also hoping to see more of the actual battle at Loum, but I guess they ended it the way they did to tie back into the first episode. Here's to hoping that we get a proper Origin TV series/0079 remake.
Yeah, I checked and Blackout is the only animated short, muh buhd.
As for the Origin.. it was just brutal. Gassing an entire colony as an "act of mercy", damned brutal. Then the whole colony drop, which did not go as planned either, but still wiped out half of the earth population.
"If we fail here, we'll all be tried as war criminals" is some motivation to keep on fighting alright.
Excellent show but not for the faint of heart. I really, REALLY hope some of the idiots in upper management accidentally have a unique thought episode and commission a season 2 because Made in Abyss is one of the shining examples of why animation can be so powerful and beautiful. If this turns out to be another Spice And Wolf like situation I will be extremely upset.
But instead we have more SAO gak because edgy pre-teens apparently have all the disposable income in the world. Makes me genuinely angry and upset at the state of things.
Cannot agree more about Made in Abyss. Powerful ending. The show had great animation, above par world building, and a story that just kept sucking you in. By the way, the animation style seemed similar to Oban Star Racers. Did anybody else think so?
But instead we have more SAO gak because edgy pre-teens apparently have all the disposable income in the world. Makes me genuinely angry and upset at the state of things.
Hey man. If they hadn't made SAO, we wouldn't have the Abridged Series and the SAO Abridged is my favorite Abridged series!
By and large I think the only truly good Abridged Series are DBZA, Hellsing Abridged*, and Sword Art Online Abridged. EDIT: And among those I honestly think SAOA is the one that actually manages to stand head and shoulders over its source material. It maintains the same plot, the same basic characters, and it's just better in every way which I think says a lot about how mediocre SAO really is XD Unlimited Bladeworks Abridged by Blazing Azure Crow is also good so far but there's only two episodes at the moment. Other than that I find most abridged series to either be unfunny, bad, or start off good but go unfinished or loose their momentum because the person(s) making it ran out of steam. None Piece is a good example, cause PurpleEyesWTF seemed to lose his inspiration and enthusiasm for the series rather quickly.
While I give a lot of credit to Yu-Gi-Oh Abridged for kicking off the genre, I haven't found it to be funny for a long time. Indeed Little Kuriboh seemed to realize in Season 3 and outright admit that the whole thing had become tired and repetitive, but people still watch it so he keeps making new episodes. It's not that it's bad it's just not particularly well refined and I feel like his lack of enthusiasm comes of in the series.
*Episode 8 just came out btw, and while not as funny as usual it manages to touch a shocking number of dramatic notes...
Spoiler:
Anderson: Reminds me of my favorite Bible verse.
Alucard: Which one is that?
Anderson *recites verse*
Alucard: What book is that from?
Anderson: Boondock Saint *hacks up blood* mah favorite movie.
Aluard: *lamenting sob* fething called it.
As if that moment wasn't sad enough in the original series...
I think my favorite part was the short bit with Herr Doctor and the Major.
"Our men are being slaughtered."
"Who cares? They're fething nazis."
I stared at the screen for about fives seconds and then hacked up my drink and couldn't stop laughing. I don't even know why it was so funny. The delivery was just flawless.
the Major really didn't care about his men getting killed. To him it was all just a bait to lure out Alucard's true form so he can poison him with Schrodinger
So yeah "who cares" is pretty accurate concerning his character. It was great seeing Anderson too. I liked him in the anime and I like him in the abridged series. My favorite line from him has to be "you don't have to follow orders if your boss is being a daft witch"
TFS is a good crew, but the long waits do kill it in some cases. Episode 8 was okay, but not good. Though I did enjoy the polite and soft spoken Dracula as opposed to the coarse Alucard.
Also, not sure what kind of drama is going on right now, but it's going to be a long wait until the next DBZA.
Toei seems to have taken up TFS reaction to a cease and desist order at a con two or three months back rather harshly and is jumping down their throats about it.
Another good example of bad PR I think but it also just convinces me more that current IP law is archaic and overly restrictive.
I'm personally loving Bleach Abridged- I mean, if there was ever a show that needed an Abridged series, it was Bleach. Sadly, BlazingAzureCrow seems to be having issues with copyright. They do an awesome Digimon Adventures Abridged as well.
Really? I always though Gundam Seed had one of the better dubs. Not perfect by any means, but it wasn't terrible. At least the actors tried putting some emotion and emphasis into their lines.
Watched some of Ajin, holy crap the english voice acting is...beyond terrible, it sounded like they literally had bots doing half the voices. Beyond that though its interesting.
Made in Abyss was...excellent. That got....reallllllllllll dark, particularly so for a show centered around little kids. That was the first show Ive had a hard time watching because of content in a loooong while.
Might as well do a small rundown of what I've seen this season --
Black Clover - Shounen crap with an exceedingly annoying main character. If earrape is your favorite type of voice acting, then by all means have a gander. Dropped after one episode
Ousama Game - More trash, this time of the horror variety. It has like, all of the worse aspects of a horror. Torture/Gore porn? Check. A nonsensical antagonistic force that causes bs to happen? Check. nearly every single character being an irrational and overall unlikable waste of skin, thus undermining whatever dramatic impact their deaths might have held? Check. Higurashi did this sort of thing way better. It actually made sense, the characters had at least a pint of charisma, and the fethed up bits were juxtaposed to light bits, thus providing a contrast instead of an endless stream of misery.
Inuyashiki - Not a bad start, actually. Its about a 58 year old man who looks 70 and has like, the worse luck ever. Then aliens happened and replaced everything in his body with a weapons system, becoming something of a hero I guess. The CGI was a little jarring, but that's in short supply, thankfully. I kind of want to see where this goes.
Girl's Last Tour - Slice of Life anime about 2 girls traversing a wartorn winter wasteland. Not as dark as made in abyss, but I have a feeling that it's going to get very depressing later on. For now its pretty cutesy.
Dies Irae - Its uh...well, the aesthetic designs for some characters / places look pretty cool. Like there's one place that looks like its straight out of the Imperium of Man. In terms of story though...well, its either going to be absolute crap, amazing, or amazingly crap to the point of being enjoyable to watch. Also Nazis. Possibly of the Thule society type.
LordofHats wrote: Really? I always though Gundam Seed had one of the better dubs. Not perfect by any means, but it wasn't terrible. At least the actors tried putting some emotion and emphasis into their lines.
Yeah its a fairly decent dub, especially compared to some of the horrors of other Gundam shows
I guess there's some re-editing going on along with the HD master so they figured it was just as easy to re do the dub then try and make the old one fit.
I always watched in utter confusion of the Gundam 00 Dub, where Setsuna is voiced by someone who sounds like an old man, and Aeolia Schenberg was voiced by someone who sounds like a little kid.
Like wtf. You had a young kid, and an old man and what did you guys flip them each the wrong script?
Honestly? I like Hellsing Original better than Ultimate. The animation and cinematography is better, I think, and instead of going Shonen Action with ~~NAZIIIIIS~~ brings in even darker and more mysterious characters.
I have seen the first Haven's Feel movie. It was awesome.
Spoiler:
This route is made or broken by how much you believe in the Shirou/Sakura pairing and the Shirou/Ilya familial relationship. Ilya looks to be a major part of the next movie, so this movie focused mostly on how goofed up this route is compared to the others and the Sakura/Shirou relationship. I think they did a good job but they did make one major change that I'm okay with, but kinda wonder what it woulda been like if they hadn't done it..
In non spoiler news, I'm enjoying Magus Bride. Very pretty and deep without being depressing.
Okay, time to restart the Anime discussion. Apoligies if this should really be a new thread, but since it was still on page one of the forum.....
2017 is done and the 2018 Winter season is underway. Anything stand out to you in 2017 and what are you looking forward to most in 2018?
For me Youjo Senki was my favorite, and Kobayashi-san Chi no Maid Dragon was my personal surprise of the year. Houseki no Kuni gets special mention for being not only a good show, but probably the best use of CGI I have seen in a TV seris. No seriously, it was great CGI! My other recommendations and personal likes from 2017 are Made in Abyss, Konosuba 2nd season, Re:Creators, 3-gatsu no Lion, Youkoso Jitsuryoku Shijou Shugi no Kyoushitsu e, Little Witch Acadamia, and ACCA: 13-ku Kansatsu-ka. Looking back I would say Winter 2017 had the most standout shows for me.
There were others I watched and more or less enjoyed, but these are the shows that I would watch as soon as the episode was available and would recommend in a heartbeat to anyone.
As for 2018 Winter, shows on my early watch list are;
Overlord S2
Darling in the FranXX
I would put Violet Evergarden on that list, but since it want officially debut in the US until Spring 2018 (I hate anime on Netflix), I won't include it.
Yep thats it. Nothing else is really sticking out as must see this season. I am sure I will "find" some other shows to watch, but my expectations are low. Is there anything you think I am overlooking or would suggest I check out? Come on Dakka Dakka
Anvildude wrote: Where are the Heaven's Feel movies coming out? Can I watch on Crunchyroll?
I doubt they'll be on Crunchy roll. The first of the films aired in Japan in October. It was originally planned for US release in November (EDIT: Apparently did get a limited theater release Nov 3), but that got pushed back to December and then didn't happen... And no I don't know. International release has been continually pushed back, but only a few countries have loose dates for the release (and the US isn't one of them). EDIT: Basically I wouldn't expect anything for a few months to maybe a year? Type-moon is notoriously fickle with international releases (like seriously we have maybe 50% if that of the Fate Franchise actually having been officially released outside Japan, less if we expand to the entire Nasuverse). I won't be shocked if we see the anime adaptation of Fate/Extra before we see Heaven's Feel so bright side Nero?
My current picks for this season are, though this can be subject to change:
Basilisk
Kokkoku
Overlord S2
Pop Team Epic
Sora yori mo Tooi Basho
Yuru Camp
I have high hopes for Yuru Camp, which looks to be a nice slice of life thing paired with insight on how to camp. Overlord 2 will also be fun, I'm reading the manga but the anime will be fun as well for sure. Odd one out is Pop Team Epic for me, which is a bit hit and miss for me, but interesting enough for me to see if it can keep itself fresh enough.
Oh, cool, Overlord's continuing! That show's got such potential, I think, for some intriguing storytelling. Especially interesting will be how Ainz' servants will react once they realize their master is a "Nice Guy"- or if they'll manage to push his morals down.
It's funnier (or outright horrifying in the novels) when you start to see the results of his off-hand remarks to his servants. In the first season he mused how this new world was like a box of jewels ripe for the taking, or something along those lines. Cue one of his servants picking up on it and sharing it with the others, which will no doubt come to bite someone in the arse somewhere down the road.
If the upcoming season will be the full lizardman arc, we're in for some fun sure enough.
I have high hopes for Yuru Camp, which looks to be a nice slice of life thing paired with insight on how to camp.
Yeah, those two look like fun, I've only seen the first episodes but they already had some funny expressions and the themes look rather mellow and maybe somewhat informative (about the Antarctic and camping).
First off, what's with all the "Academia" animes? Is that just a common mistranslation of "school"?
But on the show... I'm liking how the kid's not the classic Determinator- he's stubborn, but he's got, like, zero self-confidence, which makes sense for his social situation growing up. I'm curious to see if he gets more of a spine after his All-Might encounter or not.
Overlord S2 kicked off yesterday with a massive information dump. At least they're doing some world building again, even if it's mostly a recap.
AduroT wrote: I did not make it thru the first episode of pop team Eric. It just, wasn’t funny.
For me it was very much hit and miss. Some bits were funny, but a lot wasn't, as I said before, I'm curious to see if they can keep it fresh enough for a full season.
Anvildude wrote: First off, what's with all the "Academia" animes? Is that just a common mistranslation of "school"?
They do have a massive fixation on stuff taking place at schools.
I figured All Might was just gonna be a sort of Powers MacGuffin, but he's a fascinating "Superman" style character in his own right- and the stakes are high without being out-of-place or unrealistic.
I wish Izuku was just a liiiitle more confident, though. Like, dude, you might not have complete control of your powers yet, but you're still in crazy good physical shape for a, what, 15 year old? And it's not like there's not other Heroes without physical combat quirks. Use what you got.
Season 1 is nice and season 2 is even better (animation, story, …), have fun. By the way: How many episodes have you seen?
I figured All Might was just gonna be a sort of Powers MacGuffin, but he's a fascinating "Superman" style character in his own right- and the stakes are high without being out-of-place or unrealistic.
Yeah the series also handles the whole "superheroes are real" thing quite well (extrapolating consequences of such a society).
I wish Izuku was just a liiiitle more confident, though. Like, dude, you might not have complete control of your powers yet, but you're still in crazy good physical shape for a, what, 15 year old? And it's not like there's not other Heroes without physical combat quirks. Use what you got.
He deifies heroes and while he does get powers he can't just turn of that adoration (and muttering and taking note).
First off, what's with all the "Academia" animes? Is that just a common mistranslation of "school"?
But on the show... I'm liking how the kid's not the classic Determinator- he's stubborn, but he's got, like, zero self-confidence, which makes sense for his social situation growing up. I'm curious to see if he gets more of a spine after his All-Might encounter or not.
Academia was likely chosen for the title because, well one it sounds cooler I guess, and two because "Academia" as a term refers to the community/environment of learning which doesn't strictly mean school. It's a bit broader and focused less on place and more on people you interact with and learn from (as was the style of education in the ancient world before formalized schooling came to be). It's actually a really fitting title given the style of the story and where it's focus is XD A strong display of understanding Latin on part of the author. It fits really well with a common motif in the Shonen genre (camaraderie, forged friendships, and learning through experience) which is probably why it's such a fad.
The more you know!
And yes. It's a great anime/manga. I think it's set to take over some of the void that the culture has had these past few years since the end of Bleach and Naruto (Baruto ain't up to the same speed).
I hope so. I could see it becoming a Big 3 anime. It's got the Shonen, it's got the depth, it's got all sorts of places it can go. No idea about how/where the manga has gotten, tho.
I'm binging through it- up to the Fun'n'Games bit of the tournament.
Automatically Appended Next Post: In the midst of the Hero Killer arc- I keep getting Zuko flashbacks now that Shoto is using his fire. Like, seriously.
Not that it's a BAD archetype, but still. Scarred face, fire powers, daddy issues (and a dad with an awesome beard and BETTER fire powers!) Sorta-kinda missing mom...
Going to add another one to my watch list for this season: Violet Evergarden. I've seen a trailer for it a year or so ago and visually it looked good. Quite surprised to see the Netflix label attached to it as well. I think this one is going to be a feels train all the way.
Anvildude wrote: I'm binging through it- up to the Fun'n'Games bit of the tournament.
Spoilers for anyone who hasn't seen the first half of season 2 (the tournament):
I love the tournament arc, it was over comparably quickly, didn't waste too much time, and was just so well done. It had a lot of good development and I really love Uraraka’s fight against Bakugo (with a nice Obito feint) and her phone call after the fight even though Todoroki was kinda the small main focus for the character development in this arc. Episode 23 even ends with the title Shoto Todoroki: Origin (after the fight) instead of showing it before to drive the point home that Midoriya "provoking" him was needed for him to realise that he's not just somebody his dad made but his own person (and he remember the good times with his mother and how much of a fan of All Might he was/is before getting there). It's okay to become who you want to be… even if you want to be an ambulatory supernova.
In the midst of the Hero Killer arc- I keep getting Zuko flashbacks now that Shoto is using his fire. Like, seriously.
Not that it's a BAD archetype, but still. Scarred face, fire powers, daddy issues (and a dad with an awesome beard and BETTER fire powers!) Sorta-kinda missing mom..
I think Shoto might have been rather heavily inspired by Zuko. Of course with his own quirks to make him more unique and not just a bland copy. After the tournament he does reconnect with his mother in the hospital (even though his sister's still scared of their father) and Endeavor's is technically correct in that Shoto is in "a rebellious phase" but it was his abuse that caused it. Him being happy and proud that Shoto finally uses the fire is on the one hand justified and it makes him right (in a twisted way) but on the other hand it was literary his behaviour that created those problems in the first place.
They had so many good fights towards the end of Naruto and I always appreciated that they upped the budget a little to make them look good on screen XD Compare some of the stuff they were doing towards the end of Shippuden to earlier fights in the series and the quality really went up.
LordofHats wrote: They had so many good fights towards the end of Naruto and I always appreciated that they upped the budget a little to make them look good on screen XD Compare some of the stuff they were doing towards the end of Shippuden to earlier fights in the series and the quality really went up.
Yeah I love quite a few of the fights but I do dislike the use of too many spirit/daemon mecha ex machina solutions in the later fights. I rather like the early fights like this one, quite a few of the tournament fights (Shikamaru's fun, Gaara vs Rock Lee just piles layers on top of each other), and the second half of the first finale. The second show has some cool fights, Sasuke vs Bee, Sasuke vs. Itachi, Jiraiya vs Pain, Naruto vs Pain (especially the later part of that one when the animation goes completely off-model to synchronise with Naruto's mental state), and of course Madara's dance can't be topped easily. The final fight is also really good (but more interesting if one knows the history of the characters) and then there's this master piece too. Kakashi has some really smart fights (with Team Asuma vs Hidan and Kakuzu), vs Obtio, and that smoke dude in the one flashback. Of course the movies too (more money to spend), and Sakura also gets a nice
fight once in a while, Orochimaru too.
When they have time and money (and don't need to rely on world ending magic mecha) they can animate and choreograph some really nice fights.
Yeah the ending definitely started throwing out random bits as it went one, with the giant space flea of *spoilers* being the most glaring. Like seriously, an overarching series villain who up until that point had never once been mentioned? Madara kind of came from left field imo as a big villain but at least he was mentioned here and there before taking center stage. Whatsherface literally showed up out of nowhere. EDIT: And yes. It was awesome to see Sakura finally do something other than heal Naruto for a change. I don't think she had a single good fight in all of Shippuden save for her fight against Sasori. Helps that her fight with Shin was the first good fight in Boruto.
I feel like a lot of that end stuff suffered from Cultural Baggage issues.
Like, us watching a Medieval royal fantasy epic, and then at the end there's a bit where the main character throws their sword into a lake, but later gets it back when they most need it.
Taken in a vacuum, that's completely out of left field. But to someone who's grown up with Arthurian legend- yeah, throwing swords in water, and getting them back- it makes perfect literary sense. You actually get something like that in the ending of Harry Potter, with the Sword of Gryphindor in the forest, even.
Japanese mythology has a TON of stuff about moon spirits, and moon demons, and moon-faced rabbits and all that, so I expect that, for someone raised in that culture, all the MOON'S EYE stuff was a sort of, 'yeah, makes sense' sort of thing.
LordofHats wrote:Yeah the ending definitely started throwing out random bits as it went one, with the giant space flea of *spoilers* being the most glaring. Like seriously, an overarching series villain who up until that point had never once been mentioned? Madara kind of came from left field imo as a big villain but at least he was mentioned here and there before taking center stage. Whatsherface literally showed up out of nowhere. EDIT: And yes. It was awesome to see Sakura finally do something other than heal Naruto for a change. I don't think she had a single good fight in all of Shippuden save for her fight against Sasori. Helps that her fight with Shin was the first good fight in Boruto.
Spoiler: I think the first time Madara gets mentioned (indirectly?) was quite early, even in the first series, when Sasuke senses Kurama inside Naruto and Kurama at first think it's Madara's Sharingan that messing with him (he feels some evil chakra) again, and then later with the Tobi switcheroo. That's about when they should have started dropping hints for the final boss lady and not after she removes Madara (and yeah, he also felt a little bit crowbarred into the villain role).
Sakura did accidentally poison Naruto which was funny and they didn't just ignore the poison but used something that was initially serious (her assassination attempt with poison) for comedic effect. But otherwise: All three were trained by Sennin and she initially even had the best chakra control but she just wasn't allowed to become in any way comparable to the main pair. The Sarada arc in Boruto with less SOL stuff was better than the start of the show (which felt a bit too slow). I hope they get some interesting fights and I would really love to see how she would react to a more detailed version of her clan's "history". Konohamaru does well as team leader and has shown potential (and that he's much smarter and less impulsive than he was as a kid), but Kakashi is hard to top.
I also really like Hashirama and the other Hokage and how they were re-introduced. His first thoughts of Tsunade were great (who would have though she got her gambling addiction from him) and I love that he was a bit of a crybaby and very emotional while also being so strong. Boruto's grandpa was handled really well and I like his personality and how he gave new techniques odd names (his team was also really fun).
Anvildude wrote:I feel like a lot of that end stuff suffered from Cultural Baggage issues.
Like, us watching a Medieval royal fantasy epic, and then at the end there's a bit where the main character throws their sword into a lake, but later gets it back when they most need it.
Taken in a vacuum, that's completely out of left field. But to someone who's grown up with Arthurian legend- yeah, throwing swords in water, and getting them back- it makes perfect literary sense. You actually get something like that in the ending of Harry Potter, with the Sword of Gryphindor in the forest, even.
Japanese mythology has a TON of stuff about moon spirits, and moon demons, and moon-faced rabbits and all that, so I expect that, for someone raised in that culture, all the MOON'S EYE stuff was a sort of, 'yeah, makes sense' sort of thing.
The Harry Potter sword thing is a bit odd (I've only seen the movies) and even if you use tropes and archetypes you need some way of introducing it or it'll just look like a non sequitur or a deus ex machina (depending on how it's handled). The final boss lady doesn't even get a good introduction, it's all about the Black Zetsu having retroactively manipulated everybody and rewritten the stone tablet because (my guess) they had no way of removing Madara who was curbstomping everybody with the half a dozen upgrades that he got.
Buuuuut back on topic:
All three of these: Karakai Jouzu no Takagi-san, Sora yori mo Tooi Basho, and Yuru Camp△ are comfy and fun shows and Nadeshiko from Yuru Camp△ looks like a young Yoshino from Sakura Quest. Then there're Darling in the FranXX (Trigger) and Violet Evergarden (KyoAni) but I also still need to watch Houseki no Kuni and Made in Abyss from last season. Both series apparently got a lot of hype and I didn't even have the time to start them.
Does Darling in the FranXX even count as a metaphor anymore?
I like the characters, their design, and the series looks interesting but I do laugh a few times each episode because either somebody spend a lot of time on the symbolism and whatever foreshadowing they have worked into this (and it'll only make sense later on) or they didn't care at all about that and are just trying to see how far they can push it. Anything in between would feel a bit disappointing.
It reminds me of another sci-fi mecha show from years ago, Vandread, which also had an "interesting" cockpit setup, but nowhere near as weird as this one.
Also, revising my statement on Killing Bites. The main character has her genes spliced with that of a Honey Badger. Meaning.. she don't give a feth.
I decided to read the manga to see how far off the deep end it goes, but this isn't as horrible as I had feared, so sitting through this may not be as much of a chore as I originally dreaded it to be.
Trigger gave us Kill la Kill and Gurren Lagann, So I expect the interesting cockpit controls are entirely intentional and will make for an interesting deconstruction of tropes in a similar over the top fashion. Their track record at least means it’s quite high on my priority list to watch.
Killing Bites on the other hand is fairly low. That first episode already gave me flashbacks to the annoying naration style of Terraformers, but the initial premise isn’t nearly as intriguing.
Killing Bites is bottom of the barrel and why it was chosen for our chicken thing this season, I'm just glad it's not as off the rails as I had initially feared.
I didn't even bother with killing bites. To me it looked like another one of those visual novel adaptation edge-fests, like that taboo tatoo crap.
I glanced at the manga, and my suspicion was pretty much confirmed when I saw
Spoiler:
there was a tournament deathmatch arc. Because every gakky "dark" series needs a tournament somewhere.
About the only reason it's so popular is because it was one of the first Shonen titles to get a major release in the West. Had it been, say, Soul Eater instead, everyone'd be going gaga over that and dressing up with white hair and pointy teeth.
Also watched SAO for the first time all the way through. I was pretty hooked while watching it but now that it's finished I can't help but notce all the stuff that made no sense at all.
Finally, finished The Devil Is A Part-Timer. This was fantastic, except whenever it got into the fantasy parts, which were terribly dull. The slice-of-life portions were exceptionally good.
Finally, finished The Devil Is A Part-Timer. This was fantastic, except whenever it got into the fantasy parts, which were terribly dull. The slice-of-life portions were exceptionally good.
That's the only series I have the anime, the manga, and the light novel.
The light novels and manga expand the fantasy elements quite a bit, so fair warning there. On the other hand it adds a lot of depth and intrigue, and mixes it in with the slice of life for comedic affect.
Overlord today was delightful, I quite like that we're blazing through the Lizardman arc without any of the padding these arcs usually bring with them in other shows.
BrookM wrote: Overlord today was delightful, I quite like that we're blazing through the Lizardman arc without any of the padding these arcs usually bring with them in other shows.
AduroT wrote: Hard to say. I was expecting a Kill la Kill, but apparently Trigger’s only involvement is animating the action scenes.
Yeah, the fact A1 pictures is involved makes me wary. I think the character designs are from Nishigori Atsushi, who also did designs for Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, Panty and Stocking and Idol Master. So at least the horny teenagers will be pretty.
Also watched SAO for the first time all the way through. I was pretty hooked while watching it but now that it's finished I can't help but notce all the stuff that made no sense at all.
Just move on to watching SAO The Abridged Series, universally hailed for being funny as feth and fixing all of the things that didn't make sense
Like that guy in episode three who was dual wielding axes that no one ever commented about in the entire series
Co'tor Shas wrote: I loved it personally. Still think the original is better but it was a fun ride. Although neither holds a candle to the manga.
That gets to the problems I had with it. It was totally preoccupied figuring out how to tackle the legacy. But how would it fare as its own thing, with no legacy propping it up?
Watched through episode 14 of Melancholy of Haruhi Suzmiya ... and I'm not sure why. Watching all this anime at once, I get the feeling that inertia is the main force propelling me through episodes.
SAO for me was a mixed bag sort of ride. The first arc of the first season was good, the second arc less so. First arc of the second season was meh, but the second arc was pretty good. All IMHO of course.
I certainly enjoyed the SAO arc of SAO more than the ALO arc. But even so, I keep thinking about stuff from the death game portion like ... well, it just seems bizarre how the game works. I don't get why Kirito is so powerful. I guess this is stuff you are supposed to ignore because deep down it's just a romance plot. But even at that level, Kirito is so relentlessly boring.
Started SAO II but have given up on it so far.
Automatically Appended Next Post: Thinking about it, way back when SAO first came out for some reason I decided to jump into the middle of the series. The episode I watched is the one where Kirito goes on an adventure with Asuna's friend the weaponsmith Lisbet. It obviously didn't impress me much at that point because I didn't watch it again until 5+ years later ... but now I think that episode is one of the stronger ones in the series.
The on-line shooter arc is horrible at times, it has some good bits in there like Sinon's backstory, but ffffffff- it's drawn out at times. The second arc of the second season puts a focus on Asuna and boots Kirito to a supporting role, a great arc with some feels in there as well.
Another issue is performance. I watched dubs for both SAO and Devil Is A Part-Timer. SAO was fine (probably really helped the characters, TBH) but The Devil Is A Part-Timer is simply superb on this score. I was actually rewinding episodes as I watched them because the performances were so great.
Can't comment on that, I only deal with subs myself, for some reason I am a mutant who is capable of keeping up with what's going on while reading the text in the bottom.
Manchu wrote: Watched through episode 14 of Melancholy of Haruhi Suzmiya ... and I'm not sure why. Watching all this anime at once, I get the feeling that inertia is the main force propelling me through episodes.
It's a great show. It boils the noodles in all the right places. Season 2 is a mindfeth.
FranXX is aparently good-ish. Someone I talk with on Discord sometimes was watching it, liked it enough. It's the steampunk-y looking one, right?
And SAO... I think I managed to figure out why it's so polarizing.
My hypothosis is that those who significantly enjoyed it are also big fans of classic Science Fiction, while those who didn't enjoy it as much are more Fantasy fans.
This is a little side-bit, too. When I say "Sci Fi" and "Fantasy" I don't mean whether or not there's magic or technology in the world, because that isn't, I think, the true determinator.
Science Fiction should, perhaps more appropriately, be called Speculative Fiction. The point of it is to take society, introduce something that doesn't exist, and ask "What would happen". It's things like "Ringworld" or "The Mote in God's Eye" or "I, Robot" or "Dune". "What if there were crazy aliens that didn't think like humans", or "What if we had true AI" or "What if Spice". But properties like "Tales of MU" or The Chronicles of Recluse, despite having Fantasy settings with magic and mysticism, are ALSO Science (or Speculative) Fiction.
Whereas properties like Star Trek, Star Wars, Conan of Hyboria, Harry Potter, all of those, are slap-dab in the Fantasy side of things.
And the big difference is this: Fantasy doesn't care about the changes to the culture and world except inasmuch as they impact the narrative. The fact that someone is throwing fireballs, or shooting a laser pistol, doesn't matter as much as the fact that they are attacking something.
Science Fiction asks WHY, Fantasy asks WHAT (drama asks HOW, mystery WHO.. etc etc...).
And SAO is hardline SCIENCE FICTION. (yaaay, back to the main point!). It doesn't care that the video game they're stuck in has magic, or guns, or Mr. Mime... it cares that FULLY IMMERSIVE VR EXISTS, and how that effects society.
This is why the GunGale arc is actually very, very important. Yes, the SAO arc is the introduction, but the action isn't a focus, the focus is people given the 'freedoms' of a non-modern society, suddenly. The Elfheim arc is important, not because what's-her-face is being imprisoned, but because it asks the question of "In a VR world, does who you are outside important?". GunGale is important, because it asks "What is the extent of a game, when you can live a life inside one?".
It's also why the Excalibur arc is utterly extraneous filler that doesn't matter.
But yeah. SAO is hardline scifi, whereas almost every other anime out there (popular, at least) is Fantasy of one kind or another.
And that's why I like it. And that's why I don't think the characters matter one whit.
Functionally there is no meaningful difference between Fantasy and Science Fiction except for the surface motifs, which is probably why you'll often find both in the same section at Barnes and Noble and both are generally classified under Speculative Fiction.
I think the big difference for SAO really comes down to how much can you enjoy a sappy teenage love story and can you like it enough to overlook all the bad writing in the series itself. Kirito was pretty Mary Sue throughout the whole series, so that rubbed lots of people the wrong way. Asuna came off as naive a lot of time. Worst of all there was only kind of iffy character development for either or them. Consider for a moment that Sword Art Online was turned down for publication when the author first wrote it, and only got released at all following the success of the much more well written and engaging Accel World.
Doesn't help that for a show about people stuck in a video game the series was very clearly not written by someone who'd played any as opposed to the ever popular .Hack franchise and the not that long after Log Horizon.
That's also in turn why I think SAOA ended up so successful for Something Witty. They rewrote the entire series with Kirito as an internet troll and ran from there filling the series with the kind of characters and behaviors you'll actually find in online games.
I've always viewed Science Fiction as a sub-category of Fantasy.
I think Fantasy has been incorrectly interpreted as narrowly meaning classical "Wizards and Knights" type settings because that makes up a huge chunk of the overall Fantasy genre. Sort of a stereotype if you will.
I believe that Fantasy is itself a subtype of fiction which takes place in a setting which does not exist. And that itself can then divide into a myriad of sub-types. Completely fictional worlds and settings. Worlds based on the real world with some "magical" elements added in. Settings in the far future with fantastic levels of technology such as to be indistinguishable from magic.
AduroT wrote: Speaking of Log Horizon, are we getting more seasons of that one?
If there was any justice or benevolent deity in this universe, the answer would be Yes, along with Spice and Wolf season 3. Afaik there isn't anything concrete.
Unfortunately when adapting other works the Anime is often seen as a merchandising/advertising opportunity and there is rarely an interest in adapting the full series unless it's something monstrously popular.
I don't agree that you will like SAO if you like, for example, Dune. I love Dune mightily but thought SAO was pretty darn poor. It really does come down to characters. If you liked SAO, it might be because you
Although, specifically with regard to Dune, I kind of see the point. Quite a few of the characters of Dune are not very interesting in themselves; they're more interesting in the sense that they represent the major institutions of the setting.
Wow maybe anime would be a good medium for telling Dune!
Anvildude wrote:FranXX is aparently good-ish. Someone I talk with on Discord sometimes was watching it, liked it enough. It's the steampunk-y looking one, right?
I think you might be confusing Darling in the FranXX with Violet Evergarden (kinda steampunk-ish). FranXX started with a lot of sexual innuendo and allusions but it calmed down (I don't laugh at the strange dialogue and phrases anymore). It's well animated (Trigger's working on this with A1 Pictures), character and mecha design are cool, and it could make for a good series but it's in that awkward world building stage where any other progress is a bit slowed down. It'll apparently have 24 episodes so they don't have to rush it.
Violet Evergarden seems to be about a child soldier/woman and her life after the war in a society that has steampunk elements. She also had a hard time understanding emotions and takes stuff a bit too literal. It's really, really slow paced and while she's trying to understand stuff it feels a bit like we are learning more about the people around her and not her. It's really beautifully (Kyoto Animation) with lots of subtle character animation (not too exaggerated). Maybe it's something to binge for people who don't have the patience for every episode to be so slowly paced.
AduroT wrote:Speaking of Log Horizon, are we getting more seasons of that one?
LordofHats wrote:Unfortunately when adapting other works the Anime is often seen as a merchandising/advertising opportunity and there is rarely an interest in adapting the full series unless it's something monstrously popular.
Boku no Hero Academia's coming back in April (I think).
There's one of the cool things about SAO. Apparently everyone gets something different out of it.
I totally agree with Templar on "Fantasy" being a wider genre than most believe, but I still think that Speculative Fiction (scifi) is its own thing, characterized by a focus on what-ifs and the differences between the fantastical world and the 'real', whereas more general Fantasy is more focused on the classical narrative. Like Manchu said, many of the characters of Dune aren't particularly important due to who they are, but more for what position they fulfil in the society of the story.
And that's what I liked about SAO. It was the intriguing questions and explorations of what reality is in a setting with full VR. The love story was sweet and sappy, but not the focus.
To that end, I actually significantly disliked the SAO abridged series- and I normally love Abridged series'. It just... removed everything I enjoyed about SAO in favor of turning it into a snarkfest. Similarly, I couldn't get into Log Horizon, even after a full 12 episodes.
I really ought to watch .hack// one of these days. I've seen bits, but it seems to me one of those anime that requires beginning-end watching for plot reasons.
So is FranXX the one with the awkward sex-sling piloting rigs for the mecha, then? 'cause that one looks like a strange combination of Eureka7 and Evangelion, with a nice heaping helping of Infinite Stratos.
Dune would be fantastic as an anime, as long as it's one of the slow ones. Though I shudder to imagine Baron Harkonen.
And yeah, My Hero Academia is definitely the next "Big Three". We still have One Piece, so I'm curious what else will step in to fill the gap.
My problem with .hack is you don’t get the end of the story in the anime. It ends on a giant cliffhanger and you have to play thru four JRPGs to get the rest of the story. Also annoying amount of the action happens off screen.
LordofHats wrote: Black Clover might end up there as well. I find it rather generic in pretty much every way but it's pretty popular in Japan.
The only thing that isn't generic about it is the godawful voice acting by the person who plays the main character. I cringe every time he opens his goddamn mouth (which is all the fething time). It is easy watching though.
I haven't seen Overlord but have heard repeated, good things about it, should I check it out?
Has anyone watched Rage of Bahamut or Rage of Bahamut Virgin Soul? The latter is exceptional (though the sequel, the Mrs and I watched them in the wrong order) and the first season seems decent so far.
I enjoyed the first season of SAO and watched some of the second season (maybe all of it, I forget) but it was the same story rehashed.
Apart from the aforementioned Overlord is there much else considered excellent that I may have missed/are recent releases? I've seen the usual suspects; Bleach, Naruto, My Hero Academia, One Punch, Attack on Titan, Cowboy Bebop, Trigun, Parasyte etc
Overlord is ok. It’s basically an anime of level capped players setting up shop in the newbie starting area and curb stomping everyone. It teases awesome fights but then they always end up So one sided.
Full Metal Alchemist, Gurren Lagann, and Kill la Kill are all quite exceptional. I’m fond of Soul Eater but that ones not as widely loved.
Overlord is ok. It’s basically an anime of level capped players setting up shop in the newbie starting area and curb stomping everyone. It teases awesome fights but then they always end up So one sided.
Full Metal Alchemist, Gurren Lagann, and Kill la Kill are all quite exceptional. I’m fond of Soul Eater but that ones not as widely loved.
Lol apologies, I should have been more clear before as I've seen all of those you've mentioned. FMA Brotherhood I consider to be the best anime that has ever been made bar none. To me it is perfection. FMA isn't bad either.
Gurren Lagann is up there also.
I tried Kill la Kill but I felt there was too much unnecessary fanservice?
Soul Eater I really enjoyed.
Thanks for the response mind! Overlord seems less interesting now lol.
Anvildude wrote:So is FranXX the one with the awkward sex-sling piloting rigs for the mecha, then?
Yeah, that's FranXX. It looks good and is animated well. I'm still optimistic even though some metaphors and naming schemes feel a bit simple/forced/uninspired (I don't really know how to describe it). I hope there's an actual interesting in-world reasoning for that and not just the type of half-assed "reason" Kojima had for Quiet in MGS5.
Thanks for the response mind! Overlord seems less interesting now lol.
That was a poor description he gave.
The "Main Character" is uber powerful and is basically a level capped player curb-stomping noobs. But what is really interesting is the dynamics between all the NPCs he is in command of and encounters through the season. And really its easy to forget this is a "Trapped in a video game" anime. Meanwhile, the main character is grappling with losing his humanity and becoming his avatar.
It's barely even a 'trapped in a game' anime. It's more "What if the Big Bad were competent?", since the menus and stuff haven't been showing up that much.
Anvildude wrote: It's barely even a 'trapped in a game' anime. It's more "What if the Big Bad were competent?", since the menus and stuff haven't been showing up that much.
Yeah. Which is something I like about it.
Its more of a "What if the game is real and you were part of it?"
It also helps to point out that the player character is anything but competent when it comes to certain aspects. He may have a creepy understanding of how skills, abilities and magic work, but social interactions and thinking ahead in terms of how certain remarks or actions may affect things long term.. NOPE!
I'm trying to figure out if he's actually trapped in the game or if his consciousness split or something once the server was "shut down".
Is it complete, are there multiple seasons?
Bit dodge when he's sitting there fondling his NPC boobs mind lol
Its based off of an on going manga, so there will be more seasons depending on how well the manga performs. From what I observed, Anime adaptations are seldom based on a finished product; they only do a few chapters at a time per season. If the manga doesn't sell then there will be no more seasons as its considered to not be a viable investment. Overlord seems to be pretty popular, so it might get several seasons.
Its based off of an on going manga, so there will be more seasons depending on how well the manga performs.
The series started as a web series and was published as a Light Novel. Apparently (as I have not read it) the original story barely contains Momonga at all, and focuses almost exclusively on the NPC characters with the "Overlord" as a background figure. That actually sounds more interesting to me but I ain't complaining. Overlord is fun.
From what I observed, Anime adaptations are seldom based on a finished product;
As I suggested earlier, from a business standpoint they're often viewed only as advertisements/merchandising opportunities for the original work. Ratings for the anime have to be high for anyone to invest in subsequent seasons as the anime is rarely viewed as a end unto itself. Having ongoing adaptations is a big sign of just how popular something is usually as you can count the number of actively ongoing anime adaptations on one hand most of the time.
Overlord seems to be pretty popular, so it might get several seasons.
The ratings for season one were pretty high, but I'd be doubtful it'll get more than two. Very few light novel adaptations make it past two series/seasons, and Overlord isn't remotely close to the popularity of Full Metal Panic, Monogatari, or Slayers.
That said the anime has already apparently made marked departures from the source material so they're hardly bound to it. They could come up with their own ending or material to give the anime closure.
Considering The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, a show that literally saved the anime industry and ushered in the light novel adaptation boom that lead to stuff like SAO, only got two seasons and one movie, leave little hope anything should get more.
The exception is the Monogatari series but that's exactly what it is, a freakish exception.
They are in the middle of season two, which is a little different. Its being told more from the perspective of other characters in the setting and not the main character. It is quite good so far, so here is hoping they continue it to a third or fourth season.
Okay. So the second half of Fate/Apocrypha hit Netflix and all I can say is damn did they really pour effort into some of the fights at the end of the series. Even if you don't like the Fate franchise if you like cool fights the series is damn worth it.
Pretty much everything in episode 22 is made of win.
Watched the first six episodes of two new shows, both of which have great production values and are embarrassing to watch.
Darling In The Franxx: This is a show that asks how close to literal a metaphor can get before it stops being a metaphor. The character designs are really nice. The mecha designs feel like jokes and, in episode six (the latest one) they might actually have been confirmed to be jokes. There's a sudden GF plot complicated by the notion that the sudden GF might be killing the protagonist, who wants to be with her nonetheless because (and here's where that metaphor is super strained) he can't get it up with anyone but her. I guess the worldbuilding might make watching a few more episodes worthwhile but ehhhh ... probably not.
Citrus: Superficially, this show is just lesbian exploitation yuri bait. Yet deep down it isn't just about two step-sisters foolin' around. I think this is a story about horny teenagers confusing the basic human need for emotional sympathy and companionship with, ya know, being horny teenagers. What's nice about the show is how the protagonist is sufficiently self-aware to wonder about what she's feeling and why. The main character and her friend are pretty charming. Is that enough to keep watching ... ehhhh, probably not. But that's where the close ups of chicks making out comes in, I suppose.
I wound up adding Mahoutsukai no Yome to my watch list, which is a nice is a nice blend of slice of life (of some sort) with a good helping of the whimsical and fantastic.
Now if only Chise could stop passing out and coughing up blood all the time..
There's also Dagashi Kashi S2, which is enjoyable when you ignore the candy promotions.
Darling In The Franxx: This is a show that asks how close to literal a metaphor can get before it stops being a metaphor. The character designs are really nice. The mecha designs feel like jokes and, in episode six (the latest one) they might actually have been confirmed to be jokes. There's a sudden GF plot complicated by the notion that the sudden GF might be killing the protagonist, who wants to be with her nonetheless because (and here's where that metaphor is super strained) he can't get it up with anyone but her. I guess the worldbuilding might make watching a few more episodes worthwhile but ehhhh ... probably not.
I thought about watching this, but pretty much gave up the moment I saw the mecha design. It's seemed to me so lazy that I assumed the entire thing would be lazy.
The mecha designs are silly and - franxxly speaking - ugly compared to the slick character and set designs. What's downright lazy are the monster designs.
Well it's just turning out to be a great month for fans of Kinoko Nasu. Fate/Grand Order (a mobile game) recently did a crossover event with one of his earlier visual novels Kara No Kyoukai (Garden of Sinners) and apparently as part of this Type-Moon just released the film series based on the game onto Crunchy Roll in the form on a 10 Episode Anime series.
This isn't an action packed series filled with zanny characters and wacky powers quite like Fate. It's slower and focuses more on paranormal mysteries and the psychology of its primary character who is able to "see death" but it is part of the same universe as Fate and many of the concepts of the series concerning magic apply. If you'r familiar with the third wheel of the Nasu-verse, Tsukihime, Touko Aozaki is a major character early on in Kara no Kyoukai (EDIT: She also might appear in Heaven's Feel depending on how the films follow the visual novel's routes).
Manchu wrote: I certainly enjoyed the SAO arc of SAO more than the ALO arc. But even so, I keep thinking about stuff from the death game portion like ... well, it just seems bizarre how the game works. I don't get why Kirito is so powerful. I guess this is stuff you are supposed to ignore because deep down it's just a romance plot. But even at that level, Kirito is so relentlessly boring.
Well if you think Kirito in death gun is powerful you won't like what he'll end up in Alizia arc if they ever get to make it into anime!
I thought the first half the second season was stronger than the second half of the first, but weaker than the first half of the first. Shion was a decent enough character, but Kirito's Mary Stuishness was on full burn for the entire arc after it had already overstayed its welcome.
And the last 2/5 of the second season is just... wow. Really, really powerful. What the whole series should have been, if it had had a larger budget, I think.
Ironically that's the one part i have zero idea. Haven't watched much anime lately and the book that covers it is the one i forgot to buy. Well i'll get it sooner or later
Apparently that episode from Violet Evergarden is based on material from the light novel. Everything up to that point was more like an anime only introduction (with some smaller pacing issues).
I'm just getting into anime, I've watched season one of Konosuba over the last week and I'm binging season 2 now. One of the funniest things I've ever seen.
I've seen both seasons of Attack on titian, Prison School (which I found hilarious too) and I've been keeping up with Darling in the Franxx.
Basically I like kind of rude comedy and fight scenes. Any recommendations?
(I watched the first half of SAO season 1 and I didn't like it, that means I'm in, right?)
Anvildude wrote: Rude comedy and fight scenes? Kill La Kill. Also probably that one that is about people fighting back against it being illegal to be lewd.
You mean Shimoneta? That show is lewd. Hilariously lewd.
Violet Evergarden today was good, really good, season finale episode good, but wait a minute.. we still have five episodes to go in this season (IIRC), so it'll be interesting to see where we go from here.
Latest episode of Overlord was also quite pleasing, watching Sebas to go work like that.
And yay, always good to see more folk enjoy Konosuba, it's a bag of done to death tropes, but done quite well and presented in a fun way. Now if they'd hurry up with the third season already..
The first half of Season 1 is good. The second half is so-so. The First Third of Season 2 is blech. The second bit of S2 is worthless, the last third of Season 2 is genius-level science fiction.
Latest episode of Overlord was also quite pleasing, watching Sebas to go work like that.
Is it wrong that when Sebas murdered the feth out of that corrupt cop (like, holy gak 0_o) the first thing I thought of was that scene from Kung Pow where a mook gets a perfect cylinder punched out of him? You know, this one (go to about 1m13) -
Proceeds to give him the back of the hand a good five times.
He kicked out all of his blood and left him to die in agony.
He doesn't balk at murdering people, but unlike his underlings, he does not view humans with outright disgust like some almost everybody else out there.
Putting the next bit in spoilers, because it's from the novels.
Spoiler:
Thing is, Sebas is one of the few characters in the cast with a positive alignment rating (everybody else is EVIL), though this shouldn't be surprising as his creator was Touch Me, who despite being a massive armoured bug monster, was someone who always believed in doing good wherever possible.
Proceeds to give him the back of the hand a good five times.
He kicked out all of his blood and left him to die in agony.
He doesn't balk at murdering people, but unlike his underlings, he does not view humans with outright disgust like some almost everybody else out there.
Putting the next bit in spoilers, because it's from the novels.
Spoiler:
Thing is, Sebas is one of the few characters in the cast with a positive alignment rating (everybody else is EVIL), though this shouldn't be surprising as his creator was Touch Me, who despite being a massive armoured bug monster, was someone who always believed in doing good wherever possible.
Yeah, I gathered that from him too. Of course, this would put him at odds with the rest of the minions, who would feel baffled by his moral compass. I think Ains will let him go though. Sebas will probably spin it as him getting into the government's good books (he did help shut down a crime cell, after all), which would enable him to infiltrate and spy on the nobles, and Ains would understand his morality.
So, I have a prediction about what's going to happen in Overlord -
- Its evident that the guardians are developing a free will of their own, instead of being automatons. This is encouraged by Ainz
- Its also evident that Deimiurg is already up to something (not to mention you see him fighting Ainz in the opening. Thanks for the spoilers!), and even Albedo is questioning his orders
- The series (both animated and paper) is probably going to build up to a civil war between Ainz and the Guardians. The former wants to subjugate humans in a relatively humane manner, and the latter wants to exterminate / enslave them. Sebas, Cocytus and the human heroes will help Ainz. That's the only way I can see how Ainz's power could be threatened, because Nazarick is considerably stronger than anyone in the world. Even a basic lich can cast high tier magic.
CREEEEEEEEED wrote: I'm just getting into anime, I've watched season one of Konosuba over the last week and I'm binging season 2 now. One of the funniest things I've ever seen.
I've seen both seasons of Attack on titian, Prison School (which I found hilarious too) and I've been keeping up with Darling in the Franxx.
Basically I like kind of rude comedy and fight scenes. Any recommendations?
(I watched the first half of SAO season 1 and I didn't like it, that means I'm in, right?)
Tengen Toppa Gurren-Lagann is a classic in that genre.
More recently, Space Dandy could be worth a go. Redline is a good film, too. Jojo's Bizarre Adventure might be something for you, too, but I can't personally vouch for it since I'm still putting off watching for no reason.
Then there's of course many decades of shows that are anything from excellent examples of the genre to outstanding and worth consideration regardless of your tastes. If you want comedy, Cromartie High School and Nichijou are all-stars.
