General anime discussion thread

Dawnstorm

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Suisei no Gargantia. Best character is in the picture.


Has anyone here seen Munto?

There are two OAVs, which I haven't seen, and a nine-episode series, which I have. It was, as Alexys says, unmemorable. Neither bad nor good.
 

Dawnstorm

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Was that a compliment or a backhanded insult?

In a way, both. Character is not a strength of this show, but Chamber (the AI inhabiting this mecha) is generally fun to watch. The show itself is quite entertaining, but nothing special. The best thing about the show, I think is the setting. They have interesting concepts, too, but they don't really do anything interesting with them. Personally, I liked the first four episodes the best.
 

kuwisdelu

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In a way, both. Character is not a strength of this show, but Chamber (the AI inhabiting this mecha) is generally fun to watch. The show itself is quite entertaining, but nothing special. The best thing about the show, I think is the setting. They have interesting concepts, too, but they don't really do anything interesting with them. Personally, I liked the first four episodes the best.

I know some people found the ending underwhelming, but it really brought it around for me. I think it was a pretty solid show overall. Besides, can't argue with this:

amy.jpg


...

In other news, I can't wait for the Ore no Imouto OVAs. HNNNNNNNNNG
 

kyocrisis

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Just watched the entirety of "The Devil is a Part-Timer."

Good show, 1st ep is hilarious, the rest of the series maintains a healthy dose of humor and some good action.

For anyone wondering, it's a show where Satan and his minions are overthrown and forced to go to Earth. They know nothing of Earth and Satan gets a part time job at MgRonald's to pay for the bills.
 

Kyra Wright

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The third Berserk movie has been released in Japan, and there are a few (not so great) fan subs of it. I am so happy in my pants right now.

Just watched the entirety of "The Devil is a Part-Timer."

Good show, 1st ep is hilarious, the rest of the series maintains a healthy dose of humor and some good action.

For anyone wondering, it's a show where Satan and his minions are overthrown and forced to go to Earth. They know nothing of Earth and Satan gets a part time job at MgRonald's to pay for the bills.

This sounds interesting. I'll have to check it out.

Also, a belated thank you to everyone who gave suggestions for shorter series. I ended up watching Another in one day, and really liked it.
 

kyocrisis

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The third Berserk movie has been released in Japan, and there are a few (not so great) fan subs of it. I am so happy in my pants right now.



This sounds interesting. I'll have to check it out.

Also, a belated thank you to everyone who gave suggestions for shorter series. I ended up watching Another in one day, and really liked it.

Another is just so good! One of my favorite series'.

And yeah it's interesting. Not amazing but funny enough and certainly an interesting premise.
 

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hey, anime lovers!
couldn't handle reading all the 87 pages, just wanna drop my 2 cents, in case nobody mentioned this before:
Monster, anime(not just anime, but a true masterpiece!) based on manga by Naoki Urasawa, is going to be turned into tv series by HBO.
 

kyocrisis

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hey, anime lovers!
couldn't handle reading all the 87 pages, just wanna drop my 2 cents, in case nobody mentioned this before:
Monster, anime(not just anime, but a true masterpiece!) based on manga by Naoki Urasawa, is going to be turned into tv series by HBO.

Oh yeah I heard about that.
Should be pretty good hopefully
 

childeroland

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Enjoyed Red Data Girl, though it turns over-plotty in its second half and seems to end a little abruptly.
 

Dawnstorm

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Enjoyed Red Data Girl, though it turns over-plotty in its second half and seems to end a little abruptly.

Thats what I keep hearing. Need to actually get into it though, just started the first ep

People who read the novel(s?) say they didn't animate the finale. There's speculation that they wrap things up in an extra OVA (as the material would fit exactly one episode, considering the pacing).

Most people think the show would have been better as a two-cour (~24 episodes), and for once I agree with the majority opinion. Still pretty good; especially the gorgeous animation and soundtrack.

***
kyocrisis said:
Good show, 1st ep is hilarious, the rest of the series maintains a healthy dose of humor and some good action.

And yeah it's interesting. Not amazing but funny enough and certainly an interesting premise.
We do on occasion agree on a show, don't we?

***

As for first episodes this season:

Inu to Hasami wa Tsukaiyou: My favourite so far. Dogs and scissors are in the title, but at heart it's a story about books. I didn't expect that.

Kami sama no Inai Nichiyobi: Intriguing concept. I like the colours and soundtrack. I'm interested, but not yet engrossed. Wait and see.

Tamayura - More agressive: Well, it certainly couldn't be less agressive... As for the episode: it's Tamayura: Watch too much at once and die of sugar shock; but once a week it'll put a smile onto your face (if you're susceptible to that brand of sentimentality).

Free!: More entertaining than I thought it would be. It's about boys swimming - torsos and water, as they say. The biggest danger is boredom, but if I won't get bored, I'll probably like it better than the last two KyoAni shows (Chuunibyou and Tamako Market).

***

And I really need to watch Monster one of these days. It's just that there are so many episodes...
 

Kyra Wright

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hey, anime lovers!
couldn't handle reading all the 87 pages, just wanna drop my 2 cents, in case nobody mentioned this before:
Monster, anime(not just anime, but a true masterpiece!) based on manga by Naoki Urasawa, is going to be turned into tv series by HBO.
Live action or animated (wait, do they make animated shows? I've never had HBO, so I don't know)? Monster has been on my to-read list for years.
 

kyocrisis

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Ha, I guess so Dawn.

Again, on Monster, I liked the manga better than the anime. If you haven't read/watched it yet I'd suggest starting there.
 

vintage

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Live action or animated (wait, do they make animated shows? I've never had HBO, so I don't know)? Monster has been on my to-read list for years.
monster already has anime. No, they are going to make american tv series out of that, which is going to be shown on HBO channel(the one that has Game of thrones, True blood, Breaking bad etc)

Dawnstorm, when i started watching Monster i did it out of boredom and the episodes' number was why i postponed the anime, but after few episodes i kept thinking why the hell i waited for so long to watch it. and once you finish it you will regret you cannot erase your memory to watch it once again :D

kyocrisis, yeah, i should, but the whole story is so bright in my memory that i leave the manga for later :)
 

Dawnstorm

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Again, on Monster, I liked the manga better than the anime. If you haven't read/watched it yet I'd suggest starting there.

I never thought of that, since I generally don't usually read online, and it's not easily available in shops. Thanks for the tip.

Dawnstorm, when i started watching Monster i did it out of boredom and the episodes' number was why i postponed the anime, but after few episodes i kept thinking why the hell i waited for so long to watch it. and once you finish it you will regret you cannot erase your memory to watch it once again :D

I heard lots of good things from people with very different tastes.

It's interesting, I have all these interesting anime on the backburner (e.g. Texhnolyze, Saikano, Kino no Tabi...), and what are the last older anime I watched? Lamune and Disgaea. Heh. I think the undemanding stuff is just easier to pick up; you're not losing much if you're not in the right mood.
 

kyocrisis

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I never thought of that, since I generally don't usually read online, and it's not easily available in shops. Thanks for the tip.



I heard lots of good things from people with very different tastes.

It's interesting, I have all these interesting anime on the backburner (e.g. Texhnolyze, Saikano, Kino no Tabi...), and what are the last older anime I watched? Lamune and Disgaea. Heh. I think the undemanding stuff is just easier to pick up; you're not losing much if you're not in the right mood.

Ah, I was lucky enough to read the physical version of Monster a long time ago. They had it at my library :3

The anime is still good though!

As far as Technolyze, that was a pretty good anime as well, though very slow to get into. If you haven't seen it yet, I think the first episode has like no dialogue in the entire thing.
 

Dawnstorm

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As far as Technolyze, that was a pretty good anime as well, though very slow to get into. If you haven't seen it yet, I think the first episode has like no dialogue in the entire thing.

Texhnolyze is near the top of my list currently, precisely because it's slow. I like it when they take their time, provided the have the atmosphere to support it (and comments suggest Texhnolyze does). I don't mind lack of dialogue either (for example, I thought Ergo Proxy was at its most tedious when they talking philosophy; but the slow, drawn out, silent scenes were great).

***

As for this season:

As expected, Uchoten Kazoku is great. If it keeps up the first episode's quality, it might even upstage True Tears as my favourite PA Works show.

Genei Wo Kakeru Taiyou is surprisingly good, too. It's a magical girl show. The main character's jealous cousin reads Camus' The Stanger (in French). The show might not be much nicer than that novel.

Also, I didn't expect much from Danganronpa, as I'm a bit tired of survival games, but this one is surprisingly surreal and stylish. Directed by Kishi and written by Uezu, the series has more in common with Jinrui wa Suitai Shimashita than with their other game adaptions (Persona 4, Devil Survivor 2). I'm going to like it, I think.

Also, the Monogatari Series is back to form, it seems.

A surprisingly good Summer season. I didn't expect to enjoy so many shows this season.
 

kyocrisis

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Texhnolyze is near the top of my list currently, precisely because it's slow. I like it when they take their time, provided the have the atmosphere to support it (and comments suggest Texhnolyze does). I don't mind lack of dialogue either (for example, I thought Ergo Proxy was at its most tedious when they talking philosophy; but the slow, drawn out, silent scenes were great).

***

As for this season:

As expected, Uchoten Kazoku is great. If it keeps up the first episode's quality, it might even upstage True Tears as my favourite PA Works show.

Genei Wo Kakeru Taiyou is surprisingly good, too. It's a magical girl show. The main character's jealous cousin reads Camus' The Stanger (in French). The show might not be much nicer than that novel.

Also, I didn't expect much from Danganronpa, as I'm a bit tired of survival games, but this one is surprisingly surreal and stylish. Directed by Kishi and written by Uezu, the series has more in common with Jinrui wa Suitai Shimashita than with their other game adaptions (Persona 4, Devil Survivor 2). I'm going to like it, I think.

Also, the Monogatari Series is back to form, it seems.

A surprisingly good Summer season. I didn't expect to enjoy so many shows this season.

OMG I know what you mean about the philosophy talk. I hate that in any anime.

Yeah, I don't mind slow either. I did think the first ep was interesting, but a little bit too slow for me there, a bit of a turn-off, but it gets better.
I will have to check out Danganronpa.
 

EMaree

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I'm not saying people should die off screen, but when they get a chance to portray the horror, most of the time they go too far for me. Not too far as in "I can't take it,", but too far as in "this is accidently funny". For me, it just doesn't push the tension (with some exceptions, such as the above mentioned scene). It's not the what, it's the how. Slow motion blood is the most obvious thing. People handing over severed arms and then freaking out like that? I could take that as characterisation, except that was a bit player, and that sort of freak-out is the default (from which they do on occasion deviate). After a while it gets funny, and then tedious. It undermines the dark and brooding feeling that's inherent in the concept; they don't trust the concept. They trying hard to make something look horrific that's obviously horrific in the first place. That's just how it seems to me. (I could say more, but I'm trying not to produce spoilers.)

It's not a bad show, and it is sometimes effective. But I just can't get into it the way others seem to. (I'd enjoy the show more, if I could; that would be good, wouldn't it?)

Just finished watching Attack on Titan up to episode 13 and the (pointless clipshow) 13.5. I completely agree with Dawnstorm about the pacing being rocky.

I like dark 'n edgy telly, but if you compare this show to other successfull dark shows -- eg on the anime side Madoka, on the live action side Game of Thrones -- I find it's missing any lighter moments*. We don't get any time to bond with the characters outside of battle, to let our guards down, so the violence doesn't hit as hard. Eventually I just get desensitized to it and find dramatic moments amusing.

(*The cadet training episode is the notable exception, that was a nice break of pace.)

It really improved with the later episodes, though. As the show moved on to a battle-ready cast instead of a bunch of civilians, the gore level dropped, and I genuinely managed to get invested in the fate of the cadets. They've done a good job of making each of the cadets distinct, flawed characters as well.

Also Levi is a boss and I can't wait to see more of his fabulous self.
And Mikasa should be the main character.

Also the Dog'n'Scissors show is great. I forgot that it's a story about writing books. I thought that was just for flavour, but it seems to run deeper... The show's odder than I thought it would be. Not sure where this is going (have a few ideas), but it's definitely a keeper. :D

Dog'n'Scissors is about writing books? I had no idea, I'm gonna have to check it out. :D



I tried watching Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet (ffffff I hate that title). It's really pretty, and I really like the way we're getting to see what happens when people forget that the skinny pretty boy is a born-and-bred killing machine with PTSD and a heavily armed mech.

Really not diggin' the belly-dancing sexualised kids, tho, (*looks guiltily up at said belly-dancing kid a few posts up* Erm, no offence Kuwi :p) and that odd "Calm Day" episode where they devoted a whole scene to "Eating food is something to be guilty about! You might get fat! But you only need to worry about this if your female, dudes go ahead and pig out."

I stopped watching halfway through episode 7 and don't really feel like picking it up again anytime soon.
 
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Dawnstorm

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Dog'n'Scissors is about writing books? I had no idea, I'm gonna have to check it out. :D

It's a silly fan-service comedy. But, surprisingly, writing (and reading, and escapism, and book obsession) is about as relevant to the plot as in Read or Die. It's just... odder.

Books are certainly more important to the plot and themes, here, than in Library War. (And it wasn't a fluke; episode 2 wove the theme in a bit more [and also more absurdly]).

I certainly didn't expect that.

Really not diggin' the belly-dancing sexualised kids, tho, (*looks guiltily up at said belly-dancing kid a few posts up* Erm, no offence Kuwi :p) so I stopped watching halfway through episode 7 and don't really feel like picking it up again anytime soon.

Nothing on that level will ever happen again, if that's what worries you. Episodes 5 & 6 are the definite low point of the show, for me. That said, if you never pick it up again, you're losing... nothing. (Amy's not much of a character and never will be, though. That's part of what makes the fanservice so groanworthy in this show. To balance that, all you get is cliché [her two friends are worse, but not by much].)

I don't think Gargantia is very good with character. For me, the star of the show is the setting. (I wish I could remember who said this on his blog; quoting from memory: "For every rusty ship there's an equally shiny girl." I almost fell off my chair, reading this.)
 

kyocrisis

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Just finished watching Attack on Titan up to episode 13 and the (pointless clipshow) 13.5. I completely agree with Dawnstorm about the pacing being rocky.

I like dark 'n edgy telly, but if you compare this show to other successfull dark shows -- eg on the anime side Madoka, on the live action side Game of Thrones -- I find it's missing any lighter moments*. We don't get any time to bond with the characters outside of battle, to let our guards down, so the violence doesn't hit as hard. Eventually I just get desensitized to it and find dramatic moments amusing.

(*The cadet training episode is the notable exception, that was a nice break of pace.)

It really improved with the later episodes, though. As the show moved on to a battle-ready cast instead of a bunch of civilians, the gore level dropped, and I genuinely managed to get invested in the fate of the cadets. They've done a good job of making each of the cadets distinct, flawed characters as well.

Also Levi is a boss and I can't wait to see more of his fabulous self.
And Mikasa should be the main character.

Meh, they have the training bit for a few eps and they also show the history of how Eren and Mikasa met. After that, there hasn't really been time for them to just "hang out," as they're in the middle of a titan invasion on Trost. Since it ends with ep 13, I'm hoping we will see a bit of a calm point now.

If we don't, then I agree, pacing is a little off.
But for now I'll have to disagree :)
 

EMaree

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Just realised I hadn't publicly declared my love for Free! Iwatobi Swim Club.

This anime is 99.9% homoerotic subtext and I am loving every moment of it.
 

kyocrisis

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Just realised I hadn't publicly declared my love for Free! Iwatobi Swim Club.

This anime is 99.9% homoerotic subtext and I am loving every moment of it.

I'm hearing it's really good.

But people's description of it doesn't make me want to watch it at all.