Anime General Thread

[Cassandra]

*has 1001 anime to watch and 100 started*
*has no time for anime*
*watches Love Stage!! again just because why not*

[BetaB17]

So umm, what with Black Clover seeming to be a flop this season and a massive disappointment, I ended up trying my luck with another new anime last week. And well.. Damn, I almost missed this one too >_< Recovery of an MMO Junkie

May first just say, had I watched this.. I don't know.. 10? 8? Maybe even 6? However many years ago, I probably wouldn't have appreciated this. It genuinely seems like a show targeted for working adults >_> I mean hell, the protagonist is literally a 30 year old woman who ran away from her corporate life to hide away and embrace this MMO/internet community (which, frankly, is acting as her coping mechanism and indirectly supplements her IRL social skills) I mean, gshdhw! Is this not a show plenty of us here can relate? "Pff, who wants to be a responsible adult? No excuse me while I give myself away from the world"

And lets not forget the main selling point for the show, and why I originally was going to pass it over.. It's a game/internet geek variant to a romance. And ya, sure, plenty romance shojos are basically trash(and never get to the point) but here.. So far it's been tackling relationship-building, various internet-commons(i.e like the mutual courtesy of animosity), and even god damn lootboxes(yes, you heard me right)

Just, idk, I didn't expect I would like this show, but it's really got me good. Sort just like Sweetness & Lightning, it's relatable enough but entertaining on it's own basis. The fact that its light hearted and cute doesn't bother me the slightest ^_^ (Tho its no where near as light hearted and cute as Girls' Last Tour can get, seriously)

[Thuro Pendragon]

I'm currently making my way through Blood+ and Witchblade.

Blood+ can be a bit slow (something a lot of fifty ep. shows seem to suffer from), but I enjoy it. It's refreshingly different from most of the anime I've seen. Plus it has an American composer, and the music production is overseen by Hans Zimmer, so that's cool.

Witchblade is an interesting experience. Never read the comics, but I do know a bit about them after getting interested after watching the American TV show. In terms of faithfulness to the source, it gets a flat zero. Moving past that though, it's a show that can stand on it's in terms of story. It tells one of the most heartwarming stories of family I've seen in anime (though I haven't seen any of the good family shows like Tokyo Godfathers or Wolf Children yet, so that statement doesn't carry much weight behind it). However, the other half of the show is trying to be some kind of ecchi/action show, and it just failed in that regards to me. The action is brief and stilted, and the fanservice is cringey.
The music is largely forgettable, but it does have some nice pieces that mix in a kind choir with Spanish guitar, an atmospheric and catchy tune that offsets the more mundane music it has a lot of the time. Plus, it's available on youtube from funimation. I can't complain that much about a show that you don't have to pay to see.

[BetaB17]

Blood+, if I'm not mistaken, is the one with the high school chick, "vampires", a god damn katana, and some dude who's really bad at handshakes? Yea, that show can get very slow in it's pacing. Never was that big of a fan of it.

Really, the slow and dull moments just make me want to turn my brain off, and ya know what? In some shows, ya, that's fine. Just some mindless stupid violence or maybe a calm n relaxing show... But out of dull boredom? Ya, I'm sorry but that's never a good thing

If I wanted action n drama, there are plenty of shows to fill that need >_> Gore? I could hop on over to Blood C just around the corner. This shoe isn't really bad, I wouldn't go that far, but it certainly doesn't stand out either. I guess really, it's just average. Perfect for when you just need a break from the other shows. I would say it could have been perfect as a show to watch inbetween transitioning from one really great show n waiting to binge the next.. But that long episode count really ruins that idea.
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Btw, Tokyo Godfathers, oh.. It's so [&@%!] good as a classic. Really, nothing else like that

[BetaB17]

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[BetaB17]

Btw Kerr, I finally saw A Silent Voice, and I also completely disobeyed your advice about reading the manga first. But m8.. That film tho.. So good.. Too good. Really a shame it ended where it did(Tho if I actually listened to Kerr, I may not have ran into this problem)

Seriously tho.. The feels, the moments, just.. It's hard to say, some parts or elements really pop out for me where as all too much I couldn't help but adore it thru n thru

Spoiler:

The dynamic between the mother and the guy? <3. Oh, it really shines at times. Her outburst over breakfast? Oh the love(She also reminds me a bit of my own mother, in a sort of clumsy way ) also that lil kid, the niece.. Too precious. Way too precious

Also the sudden personality shift, turning the once loud and rowdy boy into a sheltered introvert always looking down. I enjoyed that bit, especially with how they displayed bullying(and negligence*) in, well, not just early life but life in general

Also, might I say, I was very much surprised going into this. I expected a touchy touchy redemption/karmic reaction with plenty of somber and bright emotions.. Which yes, I got that, but I didn't expect the prevalence of suicide.. Not once, but twice. Which really caught me off guard the 2nd time As I'm sure it did for alot of folks


*FYI, [&@%!] that teacher. Like, does he even care? About, well, anything? <_< No, no he does not

Funny thing tho, since in many ways this does carry a romantic story.. And yall know I can be a sucker for such things.. I gotta say, I really liked the balancing amounts of how often I went "Kiss her dammit" vs "Slap her dammit!!" lucky regarding two different characters (Seriously, that one girl was absolute [&@%!]. Just slap her already)

[MARS]

Who is the best gem in HnK and why is it Cinnabar.

[BetaB17]

Damn, Steven Universe never looked so good

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(Smug Phos is best Phos m8)

[Cassandra]

I’m going through and reading reviews of the FMA live action (I don’t know when I’m gonna be able to watch the actual movie), and it doesn’t look too good, guys. It doesn’t look too good.

[BetaB17]

So I feel now I can really start and talk about this anime this season, Juni Taisen >_> a show I almost slipped over at the start of the season but there was alot of hype over it's promise and I dare say, it certainly lived up to that potential ^_^

By far, it has to be my favorite tournament anime, neh, quiet possibly my favorite anime to watch week by week. No binge, no, the wait only adds to my anticipation for whats next to follow, in a show that really can go anywhere and lacks any semblance of a protagonists

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Which really, let's start there! A major fault with many tournament or high-stakes anime is that with the protagonist, you know they're going to win, sort of comes with the turf of hogging up the spotlight, hence all the plot armor or cliche lucky match ups But here? No no no no, nobody is safe, nobody is guaranteed a win or plot armor. All you really have is hope that your favorite contestant doesn't die.. Or if they do, they last long enough to make an impact ^_^

Really tho, I love the approach they did with the lack of a protagonist and the wide cast of characters. You would think it would be a problem, how on earth could everybody get a chance to develop or earn the spotlight? But it's simple.. Aside from switching views and perspectives at-present.. Per each episode, randomly one of the contest will also get a chance to showcase their origin or even motives, just enough to spread around that love ^_^ and the timing of it all is perfect too

Sure sure, some characters dont get too much time, just enough to get the jist of who they are, and maybe they won't even live long enough to matter. Others? Get just that perfect amount where you feel for them, you start rooting for them and it really hits hard to see them go down >__<

Oh, and how I love being proved wrong on who will win and how things will flow. And as the show neared the end.. Oh, it just kept getting better and better.

And the fights and animation arent half bad either, but that's no surprise really One thing for sure tho, that OP and ED, damn good.. And clever too.

Also, last bit, [&@%!] that rabbit. Seriously, [&@%!] him Creepy lil mother [&@%!]...

But ya, totally worth a watch if you like action-focused anime, and a prime example on how to do a tournament done right. Certainly one of the very top released this season, even amongst a number of strong contenders(ex: Ancient Magus)

Also, like, damn.. Those final episodes tho.. <3

[BetaB17]

Aaaaarrrg!!!!! Why must I feel the feels!!!! Dammit!!!!!

Kino's Journey, man.. [&@%!] knows what to do when to do. Gah! So good(And heartbreaking at times) I can't imagine how it would be if it wasn't so episodic.. Can you imagine.. Watching things play out for so many episodes only to see it all crumble to ruin in an instant *HunterXHunter's Chimera ant arc is looming just over the corner*

[Cassandra]

I'll finally be starting FMA as soon as my best friend gets back from England! Yayayay!

Also, one of my friends told me yesterday that Tokyo Ghoul is getting a third season. I guess that's another reason why I should get around to watching season 2.

Also, I rewatched a few episodes of Samurai Champloo today, and GOSH I LOVE IT SO MUCH. ^-^ I got one of my friends into it, too.

Writing this makes me realize just how many anime-watching friends I have...

[BetaB17]

I thought season 3 of Tokyo Ghoul was already released? Less I'm just thinking of an OVA

Also, finally, Overlord season 2 is out ^_^ just gotta wait for crunchy roll to pick it up again

Edit: In fact, Overlord is just pure awesome for what its worth. So I'm really looking forward to how they carry this out without the need for all this introduction

[Cassandra]

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[BetaB17]

Ah yes, the secret 3rd of the protagonist. First we had black haired wimp, that white and gloomy, now this. Give it time, and I'm sure he'll have more transformations than a DBZ character.

Btw, none of this is news to me, and I frankly thought that already was released last year. Oh well. Goes to show how big of a fan I am of that anime

[BetaB17]

So I ended up rewatching parts of Kobayashi's Dragon Maid >_> and dammit, I totally forgot how much I loved this lil development between Fafnir and his new human friend. I mean, gosh, how often can you see a bitter goth/emo curse-dragon in disguise give off so many feels with so little emotion. I mean, I remember precisely this is why I live this show ^_^ for sweet moments like this

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Edit: And while I'm at it, just more feels good moments :3. It's honestly a good anime to help brighten up my day sometimes

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Tho part of me really does just wanna keep this hidden gem all to myself ^_^

[BetaB17]

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In case any of y'all have been in a coma for the past year

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Edit: So Pop Team Epic is [&@%!] weird...

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But them quality memes and gifs tho... Can't wait<3

[Cassandra]

I just watched the FMA live-action, and wew, that was a thing. I said all those months ago that even if it was sucky, at least Ed would be cute. And gosh darn it, I was right. The casting and art direction were good for the most part. The characters were slightly bland and the plot was straight-up screwy, but oh well. 3/10 quality-wise, 7/10 entertainment-wise. Not that I ever plan on watching it again, but for a one-time watch with a friend, it was a good time.

The ending was totally sketch, though. Did not approve. This is what you get when you try to fit 20+ hours of content into just over two hours, I suppose.

[Unionhack]

I'm knee deep in Pop Team Epic and never wanna get out

[BetaB17]

Union, drag me down with yoylu, let us get stuck in this swamp together <3

[Kerr]

So have any of you watched Devilman Crybaby? Because oh boy, it's pretty good. The animation is fantastic, it's very reminiscent of the music video for Fantasy by DyE. It avoids realism and it really allows for the body horror to be really inhuman and disturbing. Also the electronic soundtrack is wonderful, those sweet pulsating beats.

It's ten episodes, each episode about 30 minutes and works really well in the length. There's a turn the plot takes about halfway through that I didn't expect but really loved.

I don't have any experience with the franchise, manga or OVAs. But I really enjoyed it, would recommend. And that OP.

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[BetaB17]

No I havent but I have seen the originals

[Kerr]

Well, it's a definite recommendation. I also finally started the Ghost in the Shell manga. It's really good. That 90s manga look is wonderful. The version I'm reading (2017 Right-to-Left Hardback) has a tonne of endnotes in it too, talking about technology and the author's thoughts behind what happens, etc. I genuinely enjoy all the geopolitics stuff and really love how it presents The Major in a more personal and not just professional manner. So we get to see her boyfriend, her friends, she's not as stoic as she usually is in SAC. Not that she is always cold and stoic in SAC, she's not. And her friends and her relationship with Kuze are both pretty important to her. But getting to explore that more isn't a bad thing. Also it's amazing to see just how much dialog is transferred from the Manga to the 95 film and SAC verbatim.

1.0 is down, 1.5 and 2.0 still to go. Not expecting them to be as good, but hopefully I like them.

[BetaB17]

Massive hype!! Cant wait ^-^

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[Rook]

Popping in to tell you losers to watch the AOTS/possible AOTY, now that it just finished airing:

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