The General Anime Thread...

[ZGBox]

Should I watch Kill La Kill, I've played demo of the recent PS4 game and really got interested in the characters.

YES.
The anime is awesome, stylish and Ryuko a is badass, I mean, you can't go wrong with that.

 

[Lain]

Alrighty, just finished Lupin the 3rd: The Woman Called Fujiko Mine... quite good. Basically still just Lupin, albeit slightly less episodic.... but the focus on Fujiko brings extra style and sexiness with it, which I can certainly appreciate. It's also a bit more explicitly dark/seedy, which is kinda refreshing compared to the more cartoonish nature of typical Lupin.

I wasn't supposed to complete it until tomorrow according to my schedule, but uh... I might've slightly increased my pace a couple days ago, from 10 episodes per day to 13...

So yeah I'm also 17 episodes deep into both Carole & Tuesday and Legend of the Galactic Heroes, and I'm loving both. The bigger picture for C&T is starting to come into focus, so I'm excited to see how that plays out. And LotGH is basically just a deliciously epic Kubrick smoothie with a side of Star Wars, it's pretty fantastic.

Finished off the first season of Chihayafuru.

Chihaya's goals are so simply laid out that its struggle and end are more than likely predictable. With that many seasons to go through, watching for the grind to Queen ranking may be unsurprising if you've watched any other sports show with a simple protagonist looking no where else other than to be the best.

I'm thinking that how Taichi's world plays out through the later seasons is what will keep me watching this. With Karuta not being a real passion (yet), the signs that he's invested in the sport for the sake of his love interest, as well as a controlling mother to deal with...

Spoiler

I think Taichi's going to quit Karuta at some point and move on with his life, after he finally gives up on Chihaya since she only has eyes for Arata. My ideal ending.

Or maybe Taichi and Chihaya end up together because of the amount of time spent together that Arata's presence and energy just can no longer trump.I think I'd be okay with that too.

I should give Chihayafuru another shot since certain AniTubers heap lavish praise on the series, and it's popular enough to get multiple seasons and apparently movies as well... but yeah, simple is definitely the impression I got when I started watching the first season a while back.

Even the game itself was rather simple-seeming. I quickly became concerned about how they'd be able to make the game compelling for an entire series, and in the handful of episodes I watched, the answer seemed to be... they wouldn't be able to make it interesting, at least not for me. Most sports anime mix character drama with technical in-game drama, and Chihayafuru seemed like it would have to rely almost entirely on the former, with the latter consisting almost exclusively of particularly dull card slapping montages. But maybe if I go into it with that in mind, perhaps I'll be able to enjoy it for what it is.

 

[AOS-]

I should give Chihayafuru another shot since certain AniTubers heap lavish praise on the series, and it's popular enough to get multiple seasons and apparently movies as well... but yeah, simple is definitely the impression I got when I started watching the first season a while back.

Even the game itself was rather simple-seeming. I quickly became concerned about how they'd be able to make the game compelling for an entire series, and in the handful of episodes I watched, the answer seemed to be... they wouldn't be able to make it interesting, at least not for me. Most sports anime mix character drama with technical in-game drama, and Chihayafuru seemed like it would have to rely almost entirely on the former, with the latter consisting almost exclusively of particularly dull card slapping montages. But maybe if I go into it with that in mind, perhaps I'll be able to enjoy it for what it is.

True. The character-specific advantages I've noticed still boil down to some degree of mindset or mentality during the game. When they have that realization or dramatic moment, often depicted by a "spark" or flashback monologue, suddenly they're back in the game and killing it. A lot of games play out like this, and I'm glad they've spread out the technical stuff throughout later matches. As with a solo 1v1 game, there just isn't as much variety of entertainment you can bring to the table unlike a team sport like you brought up.

There was technical stuff coming down to how soon you make out the first syllable spoken, strategizing your card placement, your posture, the clothes you wear, blocking to make up for your lack of speed, and option selecting. I'm totally generalizing, but I get guys tend to favour more technical content, and as such I feel Chihayafuru is more targeted toward a female audience based on the art style. Maybe it being less technical than other sports shows is intentional.

 

[Lain]

Yeah I'd say it's probably intentional... I just had different expecations, since I wasn't aware of how simple the game was before jumping into it. I guess I wanted it to be another Hikaru no Go, which it just very much wasn't. I think if I gave the show another shot knowing what the game is and what it isn't, I might like it... though I suppose that'll depend on how everything else holds up.

In any case, now that I've increased my anime bandwidth to 13 15 episodes per day, I think I will give it another chance.

Spoiler: Updated July Plans

Also, if I'm somehow able to maintain this pace through August, I think my plans for that month might include the Monogatari series and JoJo...

Anywho, updates on what I'm watching...

Finished Carole & Tuesday, and it was fantastic. Probably Watanabe's best work since Samurai Champloo, or perhaps even Bebop... I'd have to rewatch Champloo and Kids on the Slope before making any concrete declarations though.

36 episodes into Legend of the Galactic Heroes, and it continues to be excellent. For as long as the show is, it moves at a surprisingly brisk pace sometimes... or at the very least never feels like it's dragging its feet. Also I frequently find myself in awe at how relevant the show is in the modern era, though I guess it shouldn't be surprising since the show rightfully insists that its subject matter is relevant in any era... but still it's remarkable at how insightful the show often is when tackling it. So yeah basically, I'm probably gonna become one of those LotGH bible-thumping anime elitists.

16 episodes into Dr. Stone... this show's a blast. Certainly a bit dumb at times, but as a shounen anime that's to be expected. And the fact that the show is essentially one big middle finger to anti-science mindsets is rather delicious.

11 episodes into Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans, and it's alright. The main cast is quite likeable, but so far the antagonists are rather dull. Still, despite my fears of how watching it alongside the likes of something like Legend of the Galactic Heroes might affect my enjoyment of it, I'm liking it well enough... I just need to keep in mind that Gundam skews more shounen, despite what the focus on political drama and tragedies of war might suggest.

And... I've officially begun my rewatch of Steins;Gate, though I'm only one episode in so far. I've decided that, instead of rushing through it, I'll take my time with it and only watch one episode per day. I also checked out the Mad Scientist scene on YT beforehand to help decide between dub or sub, and while the original is undeniably funnier, the dub's take on the scene wasn't bad either. So, for the sake of getting a different take, I've opted for the dub this time around.

 

[Silver_Wolf]

Well I just signed up for Crunchyroll through my PSN account to start watching anime on my PlayStation console since Rent-a-Girlfriend starts airing in Japan this week and it's one of the shows that they are offering through their subscription service.

I kinda miss the old days of when I would go to the shop find the odd surprise anime on the cheap and end up enjoying it but I guess everything is slowly gearing towards online plus they also have Full Metal Panic! Invisible Victory! which I really do want to see to finish off Full Metal Panic!

Now I just have to find the time to start watching but that should be straightforward!

 

[Lain]

Huh, wasn't aware there was another Full Metal Panic season. I'm not a huge FMP fan, but Fumoffu and TSR were pretty good so I suppose I ought to check Invisible Victory out sometime.

Anyway, updates:

Finished Death Parade and it was pretty great. I've yet to watch Death Billiards though, so I'll need to sneak that in at some point... preferably ASAP. I might've flown a little too close to the sun with my 15 episodes per day target though... I've decided to scale it back down to 13/14-ish per day. And sadly I've decided to drop Iron-Blooded Orphans, as well as my Steins;Gate rewatch.

Also finished Dr. Stone since my previous post, and it was great too... very much looking forward to the next season. I seldom watch anime as they air, but I might be making some exceptions in 2021.

Started Space Dandy, or more accurately restarted since I began watching it years ago but never finished. And yeah, wow, why did I not finish this? It's fantastic so far.

Lastly, I'm officially past the halfway point of LotGH. I've heard rumblings that it supposedly slips a bit in quality towards the end, but so far it's still as magnificent as ever. And even if it does eventually falter, it's not really the kind of story that's highly contingent upon the ending... So yeah, I'm far enough to where I feel confident in saying that it lives up to the hype.

 

[Silver_Wolf]

Huh, wasn't aware there was another Full Metal Panic season. I'm not a huge FMP fan, but Fumoffu and TSR were pretty good so I suppose I ought to check Invisible Victory out sometime.

Yeah! Invisible Victory kinda sneaked into the anime schedules from nowhere since I was convinced Second Raid was as far as we'd get.

Thursday night after work is when I plan to start watching some anime on my PlayStation again and I may pull a weekend session as I'm n the mood for re watching some old ADV DVD's I have of Dirty Pair Flash and The Slayers series as I have the full collection and watched first three seasons but again never checked out the ending and I don't want Lina to end up sending a Dragon Slave my way!

 

[AOS-]

Every romance ending:

 

[Michaeru]

Just going to put this out here, but I still haven't found an anime that quite interests me as well as Houseki no Kuni to this day.

Definitely a good watch with it's unique premise and interesting main character that gets to experience a lot of change over the series (and definitely throughout the manga). Couple that with a rather surreal setting and it feels like a breath of fresh air.

Very pretty to look at with nice storyboards and cinematography, too (especially during a certain fight scene where most of that fight was done in one continuous shot!). Just wish I could find more anime like that, though. I am a sucker for well animated/pretty stuff.

 

[AOS-]

Sucker for well animated stuff

(in the distance) BEASTARS......

 

[Silver_Wolf]

Well picked up two series from the PlayStation store summer sale.

Ben-To was the first at 65% off the price, know absolutely nothing but love the art style shown on the artwork/screen images.

The other was picking up four seasons of Fairy Tail at 55% off, it's a show I've always wanted to get but every time I've gone to shows/shops they never had the first season in stock so that's my holiday plans pretty much decided for 2 weeks time!

Really tempted to get all the seasons of Sailor Moon on my US account since they've never been released in full over here in the UK but I will have to do some saving up!

 

[Lain]

Watched Shimoneta which was kinda mediocre, but uh... it sent me spiraling down a rabbit hole that caused me to lose my way for the past week or so. I wouldn't exactly say I'm a porn addict specifically, but my general data hoarding tendencies can be problematic in that regard.

Ahem, anyway...

Finally snapping out of it somewhat and getting back to anime. Gonna scale back my ambitions further since I'm also starting to get a vidyagame itch again, but I do plan to at least finish LotGH and Space Dandy by the end of July then maintain a 4+ episodes per day average henceforth.

 

[AOS-]

Gleipnir. It was alright. Another classic example of "Just read the manga instead".

Still slowly working through Haikyuu!!, and should get back into Chihayafuru 2

Ben-To

WOW what a throwback. Haven't heard that forgettable series name in so long.

Watched Shimoneta which was kinda mediocre, but uh...

I wasn't aware its full name was "A Boring World Where the Concept of Dirty Jokes Doesn't Exist officially". I recall how much @dice1998 splooged all his nectar each time the topic arised.

 

[Silver_Wolf]

Gleipnir. It was alright. Another classic example of "Just read the manga instead".

Still slowly working through Haikyuu!!, and should get back into Chihayafuru 2

WOW what a throwback. Haven't heard that forgettable series name in so long.

Yes I know it's been a forgotten series, probably why it's such a big price off at the moment but fighting over food is something I'd kinda expect them to produce an anime about so I considering it retails for £40 over here I'd say I got it at a good price even if I only watch it once!

 

[dice1998]

I wasn't aware its full name was "A Boring World Where the Concept of Dirty Jokes Doesn't Exist officially". I recall how much @dice1998 splooged all his nectar each time the topic arised.

Heh.

Anna is my dream wife*.

*no she's not. she's cray

 

[AOS-]

Dude. God of High School is action packed, and based off a martial arts manhwa.

From what I can see looesly, they don't follow the manhwa panel for panel, so it condenses a lot of the more mundane events and jumps straight into the tournament.

Only 3 episodes in, and it is still tight!

 

[C-ZETA]

Dude. God of High School is action packed, and based off a martial arts manhwa.

I've seen a lot of this around, largely on account of it featuring my favourite seiyuu. Is it worth following?

Hell, can I follow it? I'm as strapped for time as ever, but what I do know is Railgun T is back and that makes me happier than you can ever imagine. Last episode was everything I love about it. Some of the hugest laughs I've ever had followed by genuine intrigue. Glad to have it back.

 

[DK]

Why am I getting Digimon vibes off that MC?

 

[Lain]

Finished Space Dandy. I'm not sure where I'd rank it among Watanabe's other works, but it was pretty damn great. Comes together surprisingly well in the finale despite the hyper-episodic nature of the show.

 

[AOS-]

^ I see LOTGH is as godlike as people claim seeing as how you've updated your visual presence.

As someone who dropped Space Dandy because I was tired of how it seemed like Space Dandy didn't really have a story or overall objective, would you still recommend it? I enjoyed the ride with Champloo because of this Sunflower-smelling samurai, but I don't recall if Dandy had something similar. It seemed like he took life as it came to him.

I've seen a lot of this around, largely on account of it featuring my favourite seiyuu. Is it worth following?

Well if you like fighting, then yes. Unsure how this will shape up story wise. The premise is quite straightforward: win the tournament, get your wish granted. Everyone enters for their own reasons. So referencing the pic, the Digimon dude, the tall short-haired guy and the sword girl are all buddies before they enter the tourney. You can only imagine what happens you find yourself up against your friend, because you begin asking who is more deserving to win and who benefits more out of being victorious.

The short-haired dude seems to have the biggest ambition even though his reasoning for joining is nothing out of the ordinary- money to cover the hospital fees of his best friend who either became deathly ill or seriously injured.

 

[Lain]

^ I see LOTGH is as godlike as people claim seeing as how you've updated your visual presence.

As someone who dropped Space Dandy because I was tired of how it seemed like Space Dandy didn't really have a story or overall objective, would you still recommend it? I enjoyed the ride with Champloo because of this Sunflower-smelling samurai, but I don't recall if Dandy had something similar. It seemed like he took life as it came to him.

I dropped Space Dandy back then for similar reasons, but I think if you drop any expectations for a plot-based throughline or continuity, it's easier to get onboard with what the show is going for. Space Dandy is episodic all the way through, but there's a method to the madness... I would say it has an objective, even if it isn't explicitly embedded into an ongoing plot. So yeah, I'd recommend giving it another try.

And yeah, LOTGH lived up to its reputation for me.

 

[AOS-]

@dice1998. Well? Oregairu 3 is out and about. Have you been watching?

I'm loving every episode so far.

 

[dice1998]

@dice1998. Well? Oregairu 3 is out and about. Have you been watching?

I'm loving every episode so far.

I'm going to be honest, I have not. I need to catch up on the 8-man saga...

 

[Jawehawk]

Years ago, someone here recommended that I watch Spice and Wolf, and I declined on account of believing all anime featuring humans with animal traits to be weird fetish BS. I must now take back such claims and admit that not only is Spice and Wolf a great show with stellar world building, but also one of the better romances ever conceived. The conflicts that arise have a natural feel to them, and I just found myself rooting for two very endearing people. The European historical setting was engaging, although it is a shame that they did not dive deeper into the mythology regarding Holo and her brethren. The sub plots of the second season definitely felt better executed than in the first, with the first half of the second being absolutely brilliant. Wish we had more mature romance instead of all the teen stuff. And so, I wish to extend a belated thank you to whoever it was that recommended me the show. Now where's season three?

Obligatory picture included.

I also watched Yahari Ore no Seishun Love Come wa Machigatteiru a few months back, and while I was not a fan of the show, it did have some interesting ideas, and with season three now airing I feel inclined to pick it up again. I hope the new season backs away from the semi harem tendencies of season 2, and that someone finally talks back to Yukino's A-hole sister. Also less mid-life crisis for our teen characters please.

 

[C-ZETA]

It's the best girl's birthday today.



(That's a thread, by the way, if you want to know what she's all about.)

In other, less important news, the Love Live Nijigasaki anime starts 3rd October. I'd happily follow it, if only I could find time in the day for each episode.

 

[AOS-]

Years ago, someone here recommended that I watch Spice and Wolf, and I declined on account of believing all anime featuring humans with animal traits to be weird fetish BS. I must now take back such claims and admit that not only is Spice and Wolf a great show with stellar world building, but also one of the better romances ever conceived. The conflicts that arise have a natural feel to them, and I just found myself rooting for two very endearing people. The European historical setting was engaging, although it is a shame that they did not dive deeper into the mythology regarding Holo and her brethren. The sub plots of the second season definitely felt better executed than in the first, which the first half of the second being absolutely brilliant. Wish we had more mature romance instead of all the teen stuff. And so, I wish to extend a belated thank you to whoever it was that recommended me the show. Now where's season three?

I hope that person was me. I agree with you that this show felt more grounded in real life struggle and keeps out the overly romanticized plot. I find that OP1 and OP2 paint such a beautiful mood to the show's attitude and aspiring end.

I can't recall how S&W2 ended, but did it deliver an open-ended epilogue?

I also watched Yahari Ore no Seishun Love Come wa Machigatteiru a few months back, and while I was not a fan of the show, it did have some interesting ideas, and with season three now airing I feel inclined to pick it up again. I hope the new season backs away from the semi harem tendencies of season 2, and that someone finally talks back to Yukino's A-hole sister. Also less mid-life crisis for our teen characters please.

Season 3 delivers what it aims at really well. I haven't finished it yet, but I kind of got spoiled on how it's going to end with the reddit memes.

And Haruno's an awesome character, don't know what you're talking about.

Dude. God of High School is action packed, and based off a martial arts manhwa.

From what I can see looesly, they don't follow the manhwa panel for panel, so it condenses a lot of the more mundane events and jumps straight into the tournament.

Only 3 episodes in, and it is still tight!

Okay I finished this show just now. Mehhhh. If you a nut for OTT action and plot armor, you'll love it. I went into this show expecting a mild exaggeration on real martial arts, but we got left with faster-paced DBZ. I heard this show skipped a lot of manhwa content, so perhaps it's worth checking that out so that it doesn't feel like they just make up all the stuff at the end.

 

[Jawehawk]

I hope that person was me. I agree with you that this show felt more grounded in real life struggle and keeps out the overly romanticized plot. I find that OP1 and OP2 paint such a beautiful mood to the show's attitude and aspiring end.

I can't recall how S&W2 ended, but did it deliver an open-ended epilogue?

It's conclusive enough to be a series finale while being open enough to allow for another season. They're still nowhere near their destination, but they did at least end up together. It's just such a joy seeing them together that a third season. Another thing I really liked about the show was that the world did not revolve around the main characters. They simply exist in it, and sometimes they play a small part in the larger scheme of things. other times, such as the final act, they are practically bystanders to what is going on, which I thought was a nice touch of realism. Fully agreed with the opening songs. Had to acquire them both for my music device.

Season 3 delivers what it aims at really well. I haven't finished it yet, but I kind of got spoiled on how it's going to end with the reddit memes.

And Haruno's an awesome character, don't know what you're talking about.

Spoiler: Overall spoilers

I did not like the third season at all. I found it to be a drama without drama and a romance without romance. A lot of talking with very little actually being said. Also, the harem theme of nearly every girl, including the damn teacher, wanting to be with Hikkigaya made no sense to me. The final pairing with Yukino****a makes sense, but feels rather weak given that she is sparsely present throughout the season. Additionally, it was painfully obvious that they did not know what to do with the established side characters, and so they simply include them from time to time solely for comedy sketches.

I suppose having an actual conclusion to the show is better than what season two left us with, but I really found the season to be dry. No agency, little humor and even less of what made season one so interesting.

Edit: And a final point. Is it just me, or is the animation for the third season off? Or rather, the animation is fine with the exception of the characters often being too stiff, but the angles chosen makes it look bad.

 

[AOS-]

Interesting take. I think I was already way too emotionally invested in their relationships to catch all of that.

Spoiler

Kinda get you on the harem thing, but maybe Hachiman has the appropriate charm to not be completely disliked by the secondary girls.

Not being a love interest doesn't mean they can't be friendly. They've all known each other for the timeline duration of 3 seasons, so some degree of his relationship with each female character should've developed to some degree.

The whole sensei falling on top of Hachiman though. That I felt was done in service to those who ship those two . Remember when Hachiman openly stated he wished he were closer to Hiratsuka in age definitely created some spark with her, as inappropriate as it may sound. Those two keeping their mentor/student relationship is perfect as is.

 

[Jawehawk]

Spoiler: SNAFU showy thingy

When asked to choose between the two, Hachiman should have simply stated that he chose Iroha, followed by her cheering from outside the room because of course she was out there listening in. Nothing escapes her! Yuigahama and Yukino would've looked baffled, Iroha's offer of a way out of the situation would have been used, and everyone would be equally happy (miserable). Ultimate troll ending.

Poor Yuigahama. I still have no idea why she has been all about that Hachiman since Season one though...

 

[C-ZETA]

Love Live back!



If I can find a moment, I really might follow the Nijigasaki anime. I quite like a few of its characters and/or seiyuus.