General anime discussion thread

Glad to see some anime lovers here and a discussion of Madoka to boot? Awesome.

Agreed, waiting on those last eps was kind of frightening. IIRC there was some debate as to whether the production team was okay. Scary times.

On a similar freaky anime note, anyone watching Aku no Hana?

anne_tedeton said:

Glad to see some anime lovers here and a discussion of Madoka to boot? Awesome.

Agreed, waiting on those last eps was kind of frightening. IIRC there was some debate as to whether the production team was okay. Scary times.

On a similar freaky anime note, anyone watching Aku no Hana?

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Sorry, had to go to google to figure out what show that was (I watch most stuff on Hulu which uses the English translated name).

Anyway. Watched the first episode only.

Not only was it uninteresting, but it was almost painful to watch with the way that they animated it.

So I probably won't be coming back to that.

anne_tedeton said:

On a similar freaky anime note, anyone watching Aku no Hana?

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I am. It's my second favourite show this season (after Dansai Bunri no Crime Edge). I even like what they did with the animation. I was worried that they'd try to do the rotoscoping well; luckily they decided to go low on detail [zooming in and out as necessary] and focussing on movement - which has a very creepy effect. I love the soundtrack, too. And Nakamura is just scary.

Dawnstorm said:

I am. It's my second favourite show this season (after Dansai Bunri no Crime Edge). I even like what they did with the animation. I was worried that they'd try to do the rotoscoping well; luckily they decided to go low on detail [zooming in and out as necessary] and focussing on movement - which has a very creepy effect. I love the soundtrack, too. And Nakamura is just scary.

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You and I seem to disagree on everything lol.

Is it supposed to be a scary anime? Because I like horror.
Just couldn't get into this show based on the first ep. (I never read the manga)

kyocrisis said:

You and I seem to disagree on everything lol.

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Heh. It's not as bad as it could be. There seems to be enough overlap to make communication possible.

Is it supposed to be a scary anime? Because I like horror.
Just couldn't get into this show based on the first ep. (I never read the manga)

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No, not really. It's the epitome of teenage angst anime. Everything's blown up way out of proportion. Nakamura is scary because she's an anarchist with nothing left to lose and lots of frustrated energy. In a run down Japanese town, where everyone's trying to be polite.

Who knows what will happen once the "flower blooms". I'm getting David Lynch vibes from the show.

anne_tedeton said:

Anyone watching Aku no Hana?

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Zexcs fucked themselves over by filming it and converting it with rotoscoping. It would have been so much better if they just stuck to the manga's art design.

LOG said:

One Piece is so much better as a manga than an anime. Way too much filler in the anime--not even the filler episodes themselves, just the way they waste space within episodes. It's not worth the few extra shots of action within intense scenes. I think the manga translation is better too.

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I don't know why you're popping up with this, but I fully agree. It also sucks that Toei Animation are cutting all the corners they can with the anime. A lot of Oda's scene designs and directing is fantastic, but Toei is just chopping things up to ship out.

WillSauger said:

Zexcs fucked themselves over by filming it and converting it with rotoscoping. It would have been so much better if they just stuck to the manga's art design.

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I kinda like it as it is, though I'm no fan of rotoscoping in general. Would it have been better had it stuck to the original designs? Possible. I'll never know.

LOG said:

It's been a slow process, but over time I've come to the conclusion that I like One Piece best of the so-called "big three."
I originally liked Bleach the most, and it took until the Hueco Mundo Invasion arc for me to realize how crappy it was becoming.
Naruto I've always liked. Like all the big three I think it does better as a manga than an anime, but its only big problem is usually filler arcs, and even those tend to be somewhat interesting. Still, Naruto doesn't the same level of drama, adventure, action, and just plain creativity that One Piece does.

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I've had some of the best moments as a reader with One Piece.
Lately, Bleach has been thrill after thrill. The end is coming for the manga and it's starting to go "full circle". The last thirty chapters have just been a complete ride.
After the Exam Arc, I couldn't stand Naruto. Still can't. I'm just waiting for it to die by this point. The end is coming, just the same speed as Bleach, but it's just not as powerful and it seems that there's a complete disregard for the entire story in general.

Dawnstorm said:

I kinda like it as it is, though I'm no fan of rotoscoping in general. Would it have been better had it stuck to the original designs? Possible. I'll never know.

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The story is unique and interesting if you can get over the awkwardness of it all. And the manga's character designs are great. But, I just don't see how the art direction is doing it all justice.

Now, granted, there is some interesting work in the directing, and they're sticking as close as possible to the manga's scenes. Yet... don't help me overlook the rotoscoping.

LOG said:

It's been a slow process, but over time I've come to the conclusion that I like One Piece best of the so-called "big three."

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Same for me, though I've long grown bored of Naruto and Bleach (well, I will admit that the Vandenreich stuff in Bleach is more interesting than the last several arcs). I didn't read or watch One Piece for the longest time. I can't really put my finger on the exact reasons- it just didn't appeal to me. My best friend started watching it and thought I might enjoy it. She told me that One Piece takes the common shonen tropes and does them really well. I watched a few episodes with her and was hooked. So now I'm watching the episodes (though skipping the filler arcs) and reading the manga, and kicking myself for not getting into it years ago.

WillSauger said:

The story is unique and interesting if you can get over the awkwardness of it all. And the manga's character designs are great. But, I just don't see how the art direction is doing it all justice.

Now, granted, there is some interesting work in the directing, and they're sticking as close as possible to the manga's scenes. Yet... don't help me overlook the rotoscoping.

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I'm usually all over stories like this, but the badness of the artwork just makes it difficult to take the show seriously. The music and direction and the dialogue all suggest I'm supposed to be feeling one thing, but all I can see is potato face.

WillSauger said:

The story is unique and interesting if you can get over the awkwardness of it all. And the manga's character designs are great. But, I just don't see how the art direction is doing it all justice.

Now, granted, there is some interesting work in the directing, and they're sticking as close as possible to the manga's scenes. Yet... don't help me overlook the rotoscoping.

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See, I don't have to get over the awkwardness; I actually like the animation, in a way. It's certainly not pretty, but there's something fascinating in the jerkiness of the movements and the zooming in and out of details. It's hard to put my finger on it. But I'm fine with the animation itself. It's not just the story. I might actually like it better with traditional animation and manga designs, but since I like what we have, too, it's hard for me to speak in hypotheticals.

It's certainly a minority opinion, and I always sound strange when I try to explain (this thread has an example somewhere around two months ago). I don't know why it works on me, when it works on hardly anyone, but it does. That much I know. (I wasn't even bored during the never-ending walking scene... I don't know why.)

If we're talking about the big three, my preference is Naruto: Shippuden, excluding the fillers.

I loved Bleach up until after they rescued Rukia in the beginning. Then it started to suck for me.

One Piece I used to like the manga in the beginning, but the anime turned me away from it when I started watching. Also not a big fan of the art.

Overall though I think they are a poor depiction of anime as a whole, but good for people that already know what anime really is. I can't really get into those super long shounen series' anymore though, I prefer something 11-13 eps, or anime that tops ~26 ep.

Dawnstorm said:

See, I don't have to get over the awkwardness; I actually like the animation, in a way. It's certainly not pretty, but there's something fascinating in the jerkiness of the movements and the zooming in and out of details. It's hard to put my finger on it. But I'm fine with the animation itself. It's not just the story. I might actually like it better with traditional animation and manga designs, but since I like what we have, too, it's hard for me to speak in hypotheticals.

It's certainly a minority opinion, and I always sound strange when I try to explain (this thread has an example somewhere around two months ago). I don't know why it works on me, when it works on hardly anyone, but it does. That much I know. (I wasn't even bored during the never-ending walking scene... I don't know why.)

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I'm with you on the rotoscoping. If this anime was "pretty," I'd honestly find it even more disturbing than it already is. The realism of the rotoscoping was actually a wise choice, IMO. It makes the nastier scenes just as revolting as they should be. If Nakamura or Saeki were depicted as traditionally "pretty," I'd probably be puking in a trashcan. Eugh. Not that the anime doesn't already have me nauseous...I'm praying it ends before it gets to a certain event from the manga. I could barely handle reading it, not sure whether I could actually watch it...

Never got into the Big Three. Then again, not a shonen fan Never have been. Has anyone seen the previews for the upcoming season?

Of the big three, I like Bleach the most and do still watch new episodes of it. But I'm not a particularly big fan. I just find the others to be weaker. Particularly when it comes to main characters.

anne_tedeton said:

I'm with you on the rotoscoping. If this anime was "pretty," I'd honestly find it even more disturbing than it already is. The realism of the rotoscoping was actually a wise choice, IMO. It makes the nastier scenes just as revolting as they should be. If Nakamura or Saeki were depicted as traditionally "pretty," I'd probably be puking in a trashcan. Eugh. Not that the anime doesn't already have me nauseous...I'm praying it ends before it gets to a certain event from the manga. I could barely handle reading it, not sure whether I could actually watch it...

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Haven't read the manga, so I can't talk about it as an adaption at all. The anime (as it is) is very uncomfortable to watch. The drawn out timing and nervous movements, for example... It's just coherent with the content.

Has anyone seen the previews for the upcoming season?

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There's a third season for Genshiken and The World God Only Knows, as well as the second season of the *monogatari series and Tamayura.

There's the adaption of It's not my fault I'm not popular - Silver Link, Shin Oonuma, and series composition by the guy who did season 2 of Working (which is the better one, IMO). This could work... or not.

Then there's Uchouten Kazoku, a Kyouto Youkai show by PA Works (with original character designs from Kumeta, who did Zetsubou Sensei). Could be fun.

The one I'm the most curious about: Kamisama no Inai Nichiyobi, a Madhouse show about "Gravekeepers" in a world where humans are neither born nor die.

And finally there's Inu to Hasami wa Tsukaiyou, which can be brilliant or a disaster, or anything in between, but the trailer looks fine. Guy saves girl but dies, gets reborn as a dachshound, moves in with girl and gets tormented... with scissors. I'm really unsure what to think of this.

There's other stuff, but that's what stands out to me.

I've always enjoyed the original 1979 Mobile Suit Gundam.
If only Sunrise would get to work on the anime adaption of Origin, sounds like it could be as good as Space Battleship Yamato 2199!

anne_tedeton said:

I'm with you on the rotoscoping. If this anime was "pretty," I'd honestly find it even more disturbing than it already is. The realism of the rotoscoping was actually a wise choice, IMO. It makes the nastier scenes just as revolting as they should be. If Nakamura or Saeki were depicted as traditionally "pretty," I'd probably be puking in a trashcan. Eugh.

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Aku no hana is very interesting, in my opinion, and rather gripping. The characters are butt ugly, but I wouldn't have them any other way. At the beginning, I was afraid that the scope would be to small to match The Flowers of Evil, but recent events have proved me at least half wrong. Nakamura is a great and fun character, and the other two main characters are doing fine too.

At the moment I feel a bit of claustrophobia. The town feels cut off from the rest of the world, since they have failed to leave it so far.

The ending song is great.

Dawnstorm said:

And finally there's Inu to Hasami wa Tsukaiyou, which can be brilliant or a disaster, or anything in between, but the trailer looks fine. Guy saves girl but dies, gets reborn as a dachshound, moves in with girl and gets tormented... with scissors. I'm really unsure what to think of this.

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This is the culmination of 2-3 seasons of weird hair fetish shows. Maybe more. I lost count after two seasons of hair fetish shows. A dachshound and scissors may not seem to be related, but it makes perfect sense to me. I'm guessing we've moved from haircutting to dog grooming. It'll only get weirder from here.

The Madhouse show sounds interesting. I'm hoping Summer/Fall will have some interesting fare...this season surprised me. Three shows I actually wanted to watch? Score! That hasn't happened since 2008 :/

And yeah, back to Aku no Hana...I actually kind of hope there won't be a season 2 D:

Well there's Nisemonogatari and Bakemonogatari, so wouldn't another one be a third season technically?

Haven't looked at this upcoming season unfortunately.

Starting Oreimo 2 now and rewatching Speed Grapher.
Still watching Devil Survivor 2 which is still interesting.

Camilla Delvalle said:

At the beginning, I was afraid that the scope would be to small to match The Flowers of Evil, but recent events have proved me at least half wrong.

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Heh, the flowers are only starting to bloom now. (I love the eye-flower design. So creepy.) From what anne says, it's about to get worse (though there are only two episodes left).

The ending song is great.

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Love it, too. Openings are nice, too.

anne_tedeton said:

This is the culmination of 2-3 seasons of weird hair fetish shows. Maybe more. I lost count after two seasons of hair fetish shows. A dachshound and scissors may not seem to be related, but it makes perfect sense to me. I'm guessing we've moved from haircutting to dog grooming. It'll only get weirder from here.

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Not sure about that; the preview doesn't exactly suggest... grooming. Also, the art doesn't seem to go much into hair on the dog, so...

And I have to repeat, I absolutely love the Crime Edge.

The Madhouse show sounds interesting. I'm hoping Summer/Fall will have some interesting fare...this season surprised me. Three shows I actually wanted to watch? Score! That hasn't happened since 2008 :/

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Aku no Hana. What are the other two? (I'm curious, since I tend to watch a lot of shows; my favourites this season are: Crime Edge, Aku no Hana, Yuyushiki, Namiyuchigawa no Muromi san and Mushibugyou.)

And yeah, back to Aku no Hana...I actually kind of hope there won't be a season 2 D:

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I really, really, really doubt they're going to do another season. They even put X/13 in the opening. Sounds pretty final to me.

kyocrisis said:

Well there's Nisemonogatari and Bakemonogatari, so wouldn't another one be a third season technically?

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Yes, but they're calling it the second season. Perhaps because Nisemonogatari isn't really a *monogatari series? It's a... fake (drumroll for the pun).

Starting Oreimo 2 now and rewatching Speed Grapher.

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Never seen Speed Gapher. Oreimo2 isn't quite up to the first season (or the "true end OVA"), but it's still quite entertaining.

Still watching Devil Survivor 2 which is still interesting.

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At this point I keep watching because it feels silly to quit so close to the end. It feels like a parade of potential to me; the anime wants me to play the game instead (but I can't without buying the hendheld in question; which one I forgot.)

kyocrisis said:

... and rewatching Speed Grapher.

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Another good series. Side note: I got my DVD set autographed by the entire English cast (minus Monica Rial, since I've never been to a convention where she was a guest of honor) over the course of a few conventions. And I really need to re-watch it as well.

Dawnstorm said:

Not sure about that; the preview doesn't exactly suggest... grooming. Also, the art doesn't seem to go much into hair on the dog, so...

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Perhaps summer 2013 won't destroy my brain after all

Aku no Hana. What are the other two? (I'm curious, since I tend to watch a lot of shows; my favourites this season are: Crime Edge, Aku no Hana, Yuyushiki, Namiyuchigawa no Muromi san and Mushibugyou.)

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A mixed bag for me. Aku no Hana, Shingeki no Kyojin (that opening never fails to make me laugh so hard I cry), and Suisei no Gargantia.

Dawnstorm said:

Haven't read the manga, so I can't talk about it as an adaption at all. The anime (as it is) is very uncomfortable to watch. The drawn out timing and nervous movements, for example... It's just coherent with the content.

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It's annoying is what it is. With stories like this, I want to get caught up and identify with the characters and feel like a teenager again. But with this style, I just want to slap them and tell them to get over themselves.

I know that's probably the authorial intent, and it's supposed to be an indictment of Kasuga's and Nakamura's self-important chuuni antics, but it just doesn't work when it's like that from the beginning. I never got the chance to buy into the self-indulgent edgy teenage delusions that the story hinges on.

Have you been able to identify with the main characters? I just can't this time. The overdone rotoscopic realism makes it too difficult for me. I just find them annoying. Too much 3DPD.

There's the adaption of It's not my fault I'm not popular

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All of /a/ has been waiting for this forever.

I'm ready.

kyocrisis said:

Well there's Nisemonogatari and Bakemonogatari, so wouldn't another one be a third season technically?

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Dawnstorm said:

Yes, but they're calling it the second season. Perhaps because Nisemonogatari isn't really a *monogatari series? It's a... fake (drumroll for the pun).

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Nisemonogatari (along with Nekomonogatari (Kuro) and Kizumonogatari) aren't officially part of the "main" Monogatari series. Both Kizumonogatari and Nekomonogatari (Kuro) are considered prequels, and Nisemonogatari is a side-story. It's called the second season of Bakemonogatari because it adapts the second saga in the Monogatari novels. And that was a lot of italics.

Hmm... I don't recall us having much discussion on Nekomonogatari (Kuro) when it came out. What did ya'll think of it?

Aku no Hana. What are the other two? (I'm curious, since I tend to watch a lot of shows; my favourites this season are: Crime Edge, Aku no Hana, Yuyushiki, Namiyuchigawa no Muromi san and Mushibugyou.)

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Week-to-week, I'd have to say I look forward to Ore no Imouto and Railgun S the most.

Henneko, Hataraku Maou-sama, and Gargantia have also been quite good.

I want to like Shingeki no Kyoujin more, but the pacing has been awful.

I wonder what Crime Edge's budget was. I want to buy them more colors.