General anime discussion thread

Alexys

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I'm not much into mecha, and not even a Kajiura soundtrack can make me watch SAO (I did try the first episode).

Even the soundtrack borrows heavily from that of the first SAO, so it isn't worth watching for that either. The show isn't terrible, but it is sort of blah (and loses something by mostly discarding all the characters from the first series other than Kirito, IMNSHO).

It's not that I hate Zankyou no Terror, and I can definitely see people liking it. My personal experience with this show, though, was the following: initially, I was interested in the show, but I didn't like anyone and was sort-of bored. Now it's a lot more entertaining, but my interest has waned.

To each their own, I suppose. I have a bit of a Thing for protagonists like Nine (damaged brainy types), so my judgement can't exactly be considered objective.

The production values are excellent, though. It's the one thing I can rely on with Watanabe. And I agree that the opening and ending music is great. The ending might be my favourite theme music this year.

Spotted in the credits: Composer: Yoko Kanno (Cowboy Bebop, Escaflowne, Aquarion, Wolf's Rain, GiTS:SAC, Sakamichi no Apollon/Kids on the Slope, and many, many others). Also, the third composer on my list of might-make-me-watch-a-mediocre-show people. So that explains that. ;)
 
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phantasy

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Just finished re-watching Trigun after probably ten years since last seeing it. It was really, really good, hardly any filler and I feel I learned a lot in storytelling. Definitely a different show now seeing it as an adult. It's a pity so few animes are like this anymore, with a really original concept and without annoying fan service or a plunked in romance. Always a fan of the tragic, lovable hero too. Kind of wish there had been an episode after it, showing how things ended up, but oh well. Sometimes stories like that are best left to the imagination.

Next on my 90s anime re-watches: Cowboy Bebop.
 

Alexys

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Very few anime series were ever like that, alas. After a few years, the cream rises to the top. There's a lot of bad anime from the 80s and 90s that people have mostly forgotten about now.

Trigun, though, is a bit of an oddity. The creative team that put the anime together effectively strip-mined the original manga (Trigun Maximum was still running at the time), wrote their own ending, and did a good job of it, when the usual practice was (and is) just to leave the thing with no ending at all.
 

phantasy

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Very few anime series were ever like that, alas. After a few years, the cream rises to the top. There's a lot of bad anime from the 80s and 90s that people have mostly forgotten about now.

Trigun, though, is a bit of an oddity. The creative team that put the anime together effectively strip-mined the original manga (Trigun Maximum was still running at the time), wrote their own ending, and did a good job of it, when the usual practice was (and is) just to leave the thing with no ending at all.

It seems like hardly any recent animes are this good though. Honestly I feel like you can pick some great animes from the 90s and hardly any afterwards. The only thing that's caught my eye in recent years is Attack on Titan. Obviously people have varied tastes, but I'm not seeing anything intriguing. Unless someone would like to suggest a few?

So does the Trigun manga have an alternative ending or none at all? Did you watch the movie btw? If so, was it any good?
 
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Dawnstorm

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Spotted in the credits: Composer: Yoko Kanno (Cowboy Bebop, Escaflowne, Aquarion, Wolf's Rain, GiTS:SAC, Sakamichi no Apollon/Kids on the Slope, and many, many others). Also, the third composer on my list of might-make-me-watch-a-mediocre-show people. So that explains that. ;)

Like Watanabe, Kanno is hit and miss with me. But she does an excellent job with Terror. :)

***

I've just finished the first season of Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle.

First: Kajiura at her best.

Second: Should be entertaining enough if you're new to Clamp, too, but... I didn't know anything about the show, really, before I started watching it. I know CLAMP like their crossovers, but this show is populated (almost?) entirely with alternate versions of characters from other shows. The protagonists are alternates from Card Captor Sakura, the support cast is XXX Holic, I spotted a lot of X characters, some Chobits.... There are some characters whose origins I don't know. And oddly, it works out alright.

Third: Bee Train. I miss the studio. They've done nothing since the excellent Hyougemono (which I need to finish some time; I quit because the fansubs were too slow - they're done now.) What's up with them? Bankrupt? Hiatus? I heard nothing.

***

It seems like hardly any recent animes are this good though. Honestly I feel like you can pick some great animes from the 90s and hardly any afterwards. The only thing that's caught my eye in recent years is Attack on Titan. Obviously people have varied tastes, but I'm not seeing anything intriguing. Unless someone would like to suggest a few?

Attack on Titan was decently entertaining, but it's still your avarage shounen fighter. (I preferred the simultaneously running Mushibugyou, which hardly anyone seemed to have watched. Some fanservice, though.)

I don't really know what to recommend, since I've seen neither Tenchi Muyo nor Trigun (though I've seen an epiode or two of both). But I can always find good new anime to watch. There are always a few that stand out for me each year. This year's a bit worse than the recent ones, but I'm still fine.

Favourites:

2011:

Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica (Magical Girl Show)
Steins;Gate (Time Travel SF)
Usagi Drop (Single Parent)
Houro Musuko (Transgender kids figure out their identity)

2012:

Nazo no Kanojo X (Stylish romance)
Joshiraku (gag comedy)
Shin Sekai Yori (Dystopia)
Shirokuma Café (Polar bear runs a café; other animals drop in)

2013:

Uchouten Kazuko (Tanuki in Kyouto)
Kyousougiga (Impossible to describe; fantasy on LSD)
Dansai Bunri no Crime Edge (connects horror and romance via sexual fethishes)
White Album 2 (Love triange done right)
 

kuwisdelu

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It seems like hardly any recent animes are this good though. Honestly I feel like you can pick some great animes from the 90s and hardly any afterwards. The only thing that's caught my eye in recent years is Attack on Titan. Obviously people have varied tastes, but I'm not seeing anything intriguing. Unless someone would like to suggest a few?

"I wrote my graduation thesis at Kyoto University on Miyazaki's Princess Mononoke and the movie version of Anno's Neon Genesis Evangelion. These were epoch-making films. I don't think anyone in our generation will make an anime that moves the industry, Japan, and the world as these two did. . . I don't know what post-Eva anime is, but it's insulting to these masters if we don't try to make it. It's also irresponsible not to try and make work that resonates with our times. But no matter how you look at it, what can be done in anime has been. Genres, forms of expression, themes, characters, it's all been exhausted. So what can we do? Only copy, and add our own little bits along the way." --Yamakan

Of course, this is the dude that goes on to make shit like Fractale and Wake up, Girls! so take it with a grain of salt.

But still. What is post-Eva anime? Is it Madoka? Madoka's been called "the Evangelion of anime", after all.
 

Shadow Dragon

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For really good recent anime, aside from what Dawnstorm mentioned, there's Watamote, Kill La Kill, and Space Dandy (this one is a bit more polarizing than the others, a love it or hate it kind of anime).
 

kuwisdelu

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My choices that no one's mentioned would be Star Driver, Mawaru Penguindrum, and Sora no Woto.

If we're going further back than what we around here consider "recent", there's even more great stuff back in the earlier 2000s. Heck, Satoshi Kon was making anime into the 2000s, so you've also got Paprika and Paranoia Agent.

And stuff like Bakemonogatari may not be very highbrow, but it's certainly a masterpiece of some kind.
 

phantasy

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Thanks for the suggestions! I'll check them out. Btw, I prefer fantasy or sci fi.

Didn't like Kill la Kill where I left off, it's pretty but not very interesting or creative. Paprika was all right, kind of dropped off at the end for me.
 

kuwisdelu

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Is anyone else ever amazed by the ridiculous amount of Shingeki no Kyoujin and Tiger & Bunny slash?

I mean, I know they're popular shows among fujoshi and Shingeki no Kyoujin is hot now even in the West, but I didn't think Tiger & Bunny was that big, and it still gets an incredibly steady stream of yaoi doujinshi.

...like, they have more than Free!, which I find pretty astounding, since Free! is explicitly fujoshi bait.

Seriously, a search on sadpanda for "anal" and like half the hits are SoK or T&B, even without filtering for yaoi.
 
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maxmordon

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A friend of mine recommended me to Steins;Gate and Bakemonogatari, but I'm unsure which one to start out first.
 

Dawnstorm

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...which I find pretty astounding, since Free! is explicitly fujoshi bait.

This might actually be a problem. It's like putting a carrot into an obvious trap and placing it next to a carrot field. As long as I watched, the characters were pretty one-note and had little chemistry. I may be underestimating Fee!. I do know it has its fans. Out of interest, how does Samurai Flamenco fare?

A friend of mine recommended me to Steins;Gate and Bakemonogatari, but I'm unsure which one to start out first.

Steins;Gate, after an initial hook, starts out slowly like a slice of life show, makes you care about the characters, then pulls the carpet from under your feet, and gives an emotional tour de force and a rather suspenseful plot.

Bakemonogatari is divided into arcs, one for each girl. There's a rise and fall as the plots unwind (they're interconnected, but not - so far - under a master plot). The show's very stylish and self-aware, and the focus is on fanservice and banter.

If you're in the mood for a straightforward story, go for Steins;Gate. If you're in the mood for something more free-flowing and stylish go for Bakemonogatari. (Steins;Gate has style, too, and Bakemonogatari has its share of story, but I feel that's where the focus lies with these shows.)
 

kuwisdelu

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A friend of mine recommended me to Steins;Gate and Bakemonogatari, but I'm unsure which one to start out first.

You watch Steins;Gate for a sci-fi time travel story that starts slice-of-life and turns grimdark.

You watch Bakemonogatari for humorous banter and character interaction mixed with magical metaphor.

What do you feel like?
 

Dawnstorm

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Shadow Dragon

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I wonder how much it will have in common with the Haruhi we know. Also I wonder who's going to do it. I doubt it'll be KyoAni. Doesn't seem to fit in their current business plans.
I'd love to see Silver Link take a crack at it. They're the ones that made Watamote, Fate/kaleid liner Prisma Illya, Strike the Blood,and Chitose Get You.
 

maxmordon

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You watch Steins;Gate for a sci-fi time travel story that starts slice-of-life and turns grimdark.

You watch Bakemonogatari for humorous banter and character interaction mixed with magical metaphor.

What do you feel like?

I'm always in the mood for grimdark SF, except when I'm not. :D

Thank you, guys!
 

Alexys

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(Way behind on lots of stuff at the moment, thanks to migraines plus falling down half a flight of stairs. No serious damage done, but $DEITY, I hurt.)

Like Watanabe, Kanno is hit and miss with me. But she does an excellent job with Terror. :)

Her music tends to be less pleasant to listen to out-of-context than Kajiura's, but I find she tends to have one or two tracks per soundtrack that I really, really like.

I've just finished the first season of Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle.

First: Kajiura at her best.

Yes, I think that was the first soundtrack in which she really hit her stride--Noir and .hack//sign were more variable (although I still like the former and love the latter).

Second: Should be entertaining enough if you're new to Clamp, too, but... I didn't know anything about the show, really, before I started watching it. I know CLAMP like their crossovers, but this show is populated (almost?) entirely with alternate versions of characters from other shows. The protagonists are alternates from Card Captor Sakura, the support cast is XXX Holic, I spotted a lot of X characters, some Chobits.... There are some characters whose origins I don't know. And oddly, it works out alright.

Characters from RG Veda show up a lot, too, and I'm pretty sure I remember the crew from Legal Drug. Can't remember whether anyone from Wish or Clover was in there, though.

I nearly didn't continue with the series beyond the first couple of episodes because one plot element really bothered me (Syaoran didn't have the right to bargain away Sakura's memories of him or anyone else--they're her memories, not his, regardless of who was in them. Yuuko's total lack of ethics in setting that price still bothers me. Badly.) Overall, I'm glad I did, since I enjoyed it, but I still want to take Yuuko and shake her.

Third: Bee Train. I miss the studio. They've done nothing since the excellent Hyougemono (which I need to finish some time; I quit because the fansubs were too slow - they're done now.) What's up with them? Bankrupt? Hiatus? I heard nothing.

I found their webpage (via their Wikipedia entry), and the last news entry was dated two years ago. Wikipedia claims they did some minor work on Dusk Maiden of Amnesia, but since then, no sign.
 

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KyoAni has a a business plan?

Yep. In this case, and this is pure speculation: we're not making Haruhi because Kadokawa will have too much control and/or get too much cash. (For the last few years, they only really did their own franchises.)

I'd love to see Silver Link take a crack at it. They're the ones that made Watamote, Fate/kaleid liner Prisma Illya, Strike the Blood,and Chitose Get You.

Silver Link would be a good choice, I think. Have they worked together with Kadokawa in the past. (A quick googling suggests Silver Link is involved with upcoming Strike Witches OVAs, but I'm not sure if that's confirmed.)

(Way behind on lots of stuff at the moment, thanks to migraines plus falling down half a flight of stairs. No serious damage done, but $DEITY, I hurt.)

Ah, no. I hope you get better soon.

Her music tends to be less pleasant to listen to out-of-context than Kajiura's, but I find she tends to have one or two tracks per soundtrack that I really, really like.

For me, the more jazzy she gets, the less I like the tracks. (Of course, in Sakimichi no Appollon that was the point, and I really like some of the songs.) It's mostly a question of style and taste.

Yes, I think that was the first soundtrack in which she really hit her stride--Noir and .hack//sign were more variable (although I still like the former and love the latter).

Noir is actually still my favourite of her soundtracks, followd by Madoka and Kara no Kyoukai.

Characters from RG Veda show up a lot, too, and I'm pretty sure I remember the crew from Legal Drug. Can't remember whether anyone from Wish or Clover was in there, though.

I know neither of those anime/manga, so that would explain why I don't get it. I haven't seen all that much CLAMP, to be honest.

I nearly didn't continue with the series beyond the first couple of episodes because one plot element really bothered me (Syaoran didn't have the right to bargain away Sakura's memories of him or anyone else--they're her memories, not his, regardless of who was in them. Yuuko's total lack of ethics in setting that price still bothers me. Badly.) Overall, I'm glad I did, since I enjoyed it, but I still want to take Yuuko and shake her.

Hm, I haven't seen XXXHolic, so I don't know. But I got the impression that there's a limit to what kind of price she can choose. She definitely comes across as a bit sadistic, though. I really can't make her out. Have to watch XXXHolic sometime.

I found their webpage (via their Wikipedia entry), and the last news entry was dated two years ago. Wikipedia claims they did some minor work on Dusk Maiden of Amnesia, but since then, no sign.

Yes, they seem to have just disappeared and nobody seems to care.
 

kuwisdelu

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Her music tends to be less pleasant to listen to out-of-context than Kajiura's, but I find she tends to have one or two tracks per soundtrack that I really, really like.

Two words: Macross Frontier.

As for soundtracks that are insta-watches from me?

Anything with ryō/supercell/EGOIST.
 

Alexys

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For me, the more jazzy she gets, the less I like the tracks. (Of course, in Sakimichi no Appollon that was the point, and I really like some of the songs.) It's mostly a question of style and taste.

I admit to also liking Kanno's non-jazzy soundtracks better (Escaflowne and Wolf's Rain both fit that mode).

Noir is actually still my favourite of her soundtracks, followd by Madoka and Kara no Kyoukai.

Both very good soundtracks. I'd also rate Fate/Zero highly, and the Xenosaga III OST. Noir isn't bad, but I find it less consistent in feel than her later works, and some of the tracks just don't work for me. Certainly it's better than the Sword Art Online OST, or Madlax, or even Pandora Hearts (although I'm prone to getting earwormed by every time you kissed me).

I know neither of those anime/manga, so that would explain why I don't get it. I haven't seen all that much CLAMP, to be honest.

Actually, I'm kind of boycotting their work (including anime based on it) until they finish X, or at least Legal Drug (although I understand that they've restarted that one now, under a different title, so there is hope).

RGVeda was their first major manga, way back when--the only anime for it is a couple of OAVs that don't cover the entire story. Tonewise, it's more X than Card Captor Sakura, if you know what I mean. Wish, Legal Drug, and Clover are all rather brief manga (3-4 tankoubon). If any anime exists for them, I've never seen it.

Hm, I haven't seen XXXHolic, so I don't know. But I got the impression that there's a limit to what kind of price she can choose. She definitely comes across as a bit sadistic, though. I really can't make her out. Have to watch XXXHolic sometime.

What I have a problem with in this case, I think, is that Yuuko deprives Sakura of agency. I would have no problem if she'd told Syaoran that the price for what he wanted was his memories of Sakura, but Sakura is given no opportunity to make a decision. In most of what little other xxxHolic material I've read or watched, Yuuko is more like D in Petshop of Horrors--she sets people up to fail, but she does it to their faces, not through a deal made with someone else while they're out cold on the ground.