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Post by Sargai on Jun 8, 2015 20:22:40 GMT -5
Welcome one and all to the only thread that I will post in for the duration of my stay because all I do is watch anime. Well, I already read books every now and then, but you know... To get us started, I would like to point you toward my MAL and would very much like you to point us toward yours if you use My Anime List. I know at least one of you do because I introduced you to the site and have you on my friends list. To continue that start, would anyone like some recommendations or would you like to recommend something? I'll be back later to start spamming this thread with the crap I watch. Do post. |
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Post by Sargai on Jun 9, 2015 23:31:19 GMT -5
Most of you know by now that I mostly watch newer anime and follow the new series simulcasts each season. I'm still doing that, but I am getting kind of tired of what I have been watching and have started looking for something different. Something old. Most of my attention is directed to romance and slice of life anime and you can throw some mystery, drama, and comedy in to fill in the blanks. I ignore action for the most part because it rarely offers what I am looking for in a story.
I've decided to rectify this somewhat by searching for anime action series from the mid-nineties to the early oughts, with a focus on the nineties. The reason I am looking for this is because I really like cel animation and the styles of this time. It seems like the closer you get to the eighties, the rounder character design becomes and that really doesn't do much for me. I've gone with action because I want to watch more action series and because I feel that they stand a better chance of having a decent budget.
Now, I asked Reddit to give me some recommendations for action anime during this time and ended up with a bunch of crap because they don't know how to read. I'm kind of running on my own unless someone wanders in over there and actually pays attention to what I am looking for instead of throwing a bunch of generic crap my way that I already have listed on my anime list.
That said, this is what I have going on now:
Gunbuster - I didn't plan to watch this, but there is a rewatch going down over on r/anime. It is only six episodes and I was planning on watching older anime anyway, so why not? Remember what I said about character design being a bit too round? *waves hand in this series' direction* I watched the first two episodes this evening. The first was utterly ridiculous, what with its giant mecha doing cardio and gymnastics, but the second moves into more serious and interesting (given the inclusion of time dilation while traveling the speed of light) territory.
Trigun - Do I need to say anything? Well, yeah, kind of. I have started this series several times over the years but never got all that far into it because of its sillier moments in the first episode. I'll be giving it a fairer shot this time around.
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Post by ShadowOfSouls on Jul 5, 2015 19:34:20 GMT -5
Just finished watched the second season of Knights of Sidonia. I liked it but damn is it moving into an odd direction. Any news on if it got a third season?
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Post by Sargai on Jul 5, 2015 22:05:08 GMT -5
Just finished watched the second season of Knights of Sidonia. I liked it but damn is it moving into an odd direction. Any news on if it got a third season? No, not yet. I've put in a minimal amount of effort looking into it and... - The second season was announced before Netflix released the series last year. This doesn't really mean anything, but if they are planning to go with a similar schedule (both seasons were aired in Spring and released in full on Netflix in July) then I expect the announcement to land soon.
- Polygon Pictures, the production studio for the anime, are adapting the Ajin manga into a trilogy of films, which may prevent them from working on Sidonia for a while.
- There have been mentions of there being both enough and not enough material to continue adapting the series... I can't seem to get a straight answer here. If this is the case, the series may be delayed until there is enough material to adapt.
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Post by Sargai on Jul 6, 2015 21:57:29 GMT -5
Some thoughts on the first episodes of the new series this season: Gangsta.The gist so far: A couple of mercs in a crooked town are paid to deal with the undesirable sorts looking to butt into established territory. Reminds me of: A less serious Black Lagoon with musical direction by someone trying halfheartedly to replicate the jazz and hip-hop styling found throughout Shinichiro Watanabe's work. I thought it was: Good. The animation looks good, the music is decent, and I have to give the anime some nonsense kudos for having likable adult main characters. I have to take points away because the action was boring, so boring that one quick scene toward the end was more exciting than any of the fighting scenes earlier on. Random observation: This is going to be the "edgy" anime of the season and it is going to draw some ire because of it. In the first episode we already have a healthy dose of domestic violence and prostitution on top of the corrupt, crapsack town and a murderous pair of main characters. I see it being one of the most dropped series of the season because of this. Ranpo Kitan: Game of Laplace The gist so far: A feminine psychopath wakes up at school to find his dismembered teacher on display before him. The bloody hacksaw in his hand suggests he did the deed, but he has no memory of the night before. Strangely, this makes him happy and he seeks to solve the mystery when he isn't being held on accusations of murder. Reminds me of: Nothing. People are comparing it to the Persona series, but I haven't seen any anime that I could compare it to. I thought it was: Not stellar. That said, there is a ton of potential here and it is currently sitting as my top pick for anime of the season. How it unfolds determines how long it will stay there. I do have some bias because I love the mystery genre, but that love is also why I see so much potential in it. Random observation: A lot of people aren't going to pick up this series because the main character is too much of a "trap" and many others will drop it because he has so far been presented as the disconnected sort taking this horrible murder he may or may not have done in stride. I personally think that both will have their roles to play in the story (they would if I were writing it), but that won't matter for the people who have already made up their minds. Classroom CrisisThe gist so far: Brilliant students attending a corporate school on Mars design, build, and pilot the next generation of space ship in a probably plausible future where everyone is staggeringly incompetent. Reminds me of: The US government. I thought it was: Heh. Hahahaha. In all seriousness though, this was pretty mediocre. It isn't bad and it can be kind of funny at times, but unless it improves or gets some stunning reviews, I won't be continuing on past episode three. It scored some points for drawing the spaceship instead of doing a 3D model. Random observation: There was a guy towards the beginning who, when filled in on the scenario driving the plot for this episode, said something along the lines of, "How did this ever happen in the first place? If only we had just honored their contracts in the beginning, this never would have happened!" Considering the events of episode, I want this guy to return at the beginning of each episode as a running gag. I've got more. Will continue later. |
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Post by Sargai on Jul 7, 2015 20:09:56 GMT -5
Continuing on. Aoharu x KikanjuuThe gist so far: A masculine woman with short temper and love for fighting rushes headlong into a fight for his friend's honor and ends up forced into a survival games team. Reminds me of: Ouran High School Host Club. I thought it was: OK. This isn't an ambitious series. It is a ridiculous and funny and the fight animation was pretty good, but it isn't a great show and no one is going to cheer it on as the anime of the season. It is meant to be fluffy entertainment and it does that well. Random observation: The main character is a "reverse trap", which makes for two main characters that don't fall into gender norms this season. Gatchaman Crowds Insight adds another "trap" into the mix, as well as two androgynous characters, though I am not yet certain whether any of them can be considered main. I have some concern for this since this series started airing, especially the note that this might be a trend. I'm not going to go into my thoughts about why people might have an issue it, but I will say that I welcome this trend with open arms. It isn't my fetish, I just want more characters that don't strictly adhere to gender norms. Gate: Jieitai Kanochi nite, Kaku TatakaeriThe gist so far: Forces from a fantasy world invade modern-day Japan through a gate and get their asses stomped by technology. An otaku military officer has a very bad day. Reminds me of: Something I wrote a decade ago. I thought it was: Pretty generic. Meh. Random observation: It is based on a popular manga, so it will succeed even if it continues to straddle the fence of mediocrity for the rest of the series. Rokka no YuushaThe gist so far: Yadda yadda yadda demon god yadda yadda yadda brave warriors yadda yadda yadda strongest man in the world yadda yadda yadda tournament yadda yadda yadda clever rogue trickery set amid a mixed technology Aztec setting yad--wait, what? Reminds me of: The most cliched of the fantasy genre in most media. Superficially. I thought it was: Pretty good. As of the first episode, the story is about as cliched as it gets, but it hints at bigger and better things. The main character is a tricky bastard who uses clever traps and tricks to defeat superior opponents and the fight scenes that result are actually quite good. The pacing is pretty good and most of the exposition was delivered in a hackish one-off story telling moment, which sucked but kept it out of the rest of the episode. Subtlety is not this anime's strong suit. Random observation: Already declared anime of the season by many after just one episode, which makes me want it to fail. That would be bad, mind you, as I also like it... if not as much as others. Also, can we get more non-traditional cultures like this? |
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Post by Sargai on Jul 11, 2015 21:22:01 GMT -5
And another batch: Akagami no Shirayuki-himeThe gist so far: A young apothecary is chosen to be the latest concubine of Prince Raji, a covetous pig of a man and all-around scum bag who wants her for her rare red hair. Instead of giving in and going willingly, she cuts her hair, skips town, and eventually finds herself in a shoujo anime. Reminds me of: Snow White? I'm not up on my Disney titles. That's the one with the apple right? Well, whatever, it is right there in the name. Akatsuki no Yona, if only because it is also a shoujo anime starring a red-haired girl on the run. I thought it was: Good. Honestly, it was a bit lackluster. The art is sure pretty and the story is fine enough, but the story hasn't hooked me. I'm sure it will get there, but the pacing will likely be slow with this one since it will be two cour. Random observation: What's with all the red-haired women in fantasy shoujo? I'd understand it a bit better if it was a thing across the genre, but that's just not the case. In any case, if the pacing stays slow (and it should, honestly, since this is two cour and allows for breathing room and development) then it will probably see a bunch of people dropping it. Good production and a good story just isn't good enough for some people. This is pretty much what happened with Akatsuki no Yona--hopefully it got enough people buying it in Japan that we'll get a second season. Chaos Dragon: Sekiryuu SenekiThe gist so far: A little boy, lost prince of a broken kingdom, pledges his loyalty to his country's dragon deity for the power to change his world. Death and destruction result. Reminds me of: You know how in many shounen anime there comes a time when the main character's companions must sacrifice themselves so that he might power up and best the big bad evil? Like that, only it isn't so much "sacrificing themselves" as it is "being murdered by the protagonist". I thought it was: A mess. The animation isn't great. The narrative feels disjointed and lacks any sense of flow. The characters are shallow. The story is trite. I kind of want to see more. Random observation: I said that Gangsta is going to be the edgy show of the season, but I spoke too soon. The drugs, cursing, murder, and sexual bits of that might push it into that direction, but you really can't be a story that requires the main character, a child, to murder his friends to power up. Non Non Biyori RepeatThe gist so far: Cute girls doing cute things. Reminds me of: Non Non Biyori I thought it was: Meh. I loved Non Non Biyori and was happy to hear that it was getting a new series. Only, I wasn't aware that the new series takes place in between episodes from the last season. I'm aware that slice of life isn't really known for story progression, but I was looking forward to seeing the series continue and not fill in the blanks. Kind of turns me off it, to be honest. Random observation: People are still going to love it, even if it looks backward instead of forward. |
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