General Anime Discussion: Area 11

[tensai_oni]

Regarding design "improvements", I liked the first TV version most. At least as far as the image provided goes. The blinged up fence is too distracting for something that's supposed to be just a background, and there is beauty in minimalism too.

For the same reason I preferred when Mami's apartment was eerily empty as opposed to full of cushions and plushies.

[Terraoblivion]

Not just that, the blinged up fence looks way too gothic for a building which has a general aesthetic centered on glass, limited amounts of opaque material and colors that wouldn't look out of place in an Apple design. Also, it looks goofy in its own right, regardless of the context. There was no reason to add blood to the Elsa Maria scene either or to change Mami's apartment in ways that go directly against other characterization.

More positively, rewatching the show today confirmed that it does indeed hold up and keep being awesome. I also like the thoughtful, expressionistic use of SHAFT weirdness, it adds a lot to the emotions of various scenes. However, what is also interesting is how what you notice change with rewatching. The scene I was tearing up the most over this time around was the bar scene in episode 11, for example, and I never noticed as many details in Homura's expressions before.

[HandofShadows]

New info on Ghost in the Shell: Arise.

http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news...tails-outlined

Seems, it's going to be a prequal and will cover the Major's early days. Have a short vid on teh link as well. As a prequal I feel a little better.

[Tengu_temp]

Kinda sad to see that the old voice cast is not returning. On the other hand, Maaya Sakamoto as the Major makes me feel good, because I like her voice a lot.

[sentaku]

So after seeing Jesuotaku anime derby about the winter lineup I decided to check out Kotoura-san and I have to say that it based on the first two episodes that I saw I found it surprisingly enjoyable.

Plot

Spoiler

Show

from anime news network
Haruka, a girl who suffers during her childhood due to her ability to read people's mind, is starting her high-school life in a new school. When she transferred in, she feels that her life will be the same as ever, but then she meets Manabe, a guy who always think about erotic things, and a club consisting of people who don't afraid of her ability. With Manabe and her clubmates around, her gloomy life slowly start to bloom and enjoyable.

[Sith_Happens]

New info on Ghost in the Shell: Arise.

http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news...tails-outlined

Seems, it's going to be a prequal and will cover the Major's early days. Have a short vid on teh link as well. As a prequal I feel a little better.

Wait, I'm confused, did the Major just make facial expressions that weren't ones of anger?

[MLai]

Wait, I'm confused, did the Major just make facial expressions that weren't ones of anger?

The Major had... facial expressions?
*Quickly checks*
...
I got rickrolled.

[Matthias2207]

So after seeing Jesuotaku anime derby about the winter lineup I decided to check out Kotoura-san and I have to say that it based on the first two episodes that I saw I found it surprisingly enjoyable.

Plot

Spoiler

Show

from anime news network
Haruka, a girl who suffers during her childhood due to her ability to read people's mind, is starting her high-school life in a new school. When she transferred in, she feels that her life will be the same as ever, but then she meets Manabe, a guy who always think about erotic things, and a club consisting of people who don't afraid of her ability. With Manabe and her clubmates around, her gloomy life slowly start to bloom and enjoyable.

Looks nice. *add to long list of series to watch*

[Felyndiira]

This thread has fallen quite far down the list .

Has anyone else been a bit disappointed with Maoyuu Maou Yuusha? The series was billed to be a spiritual successor to Spice and Wolf, so I admittedly came into it with some pretty huge expectations. Still, the show started okay, but is now exploring...the hero's harem; on top of that, aside from the demon king being an awesome inventor and all, all of its characters are falling pretty flat with nowhere near the complexity of Lawrence or Holo. It's almost as if the show throws some macroeconomics at you and just expects that to carry the show the entire way.

I also have no idea why I'm enjoying Problem Children. It's one of those shows I'm supposed to dislike, and yet it's oddly entertaining in its own sort of way. There's something about the main character being a Gary Stu that is oddly appealing. Also, Leticia.

Chihayafuru's second season is still awesome, of course.

[Prime32]

Has anyone else been a bit disappointed with Maoyuu Maou Yuusha? The series was billed to be a spiritual successor to Spice and Wolf, so I admittedly came into it with some pretty huge expectations. Still, the show started okay, but is now exploring...the hero's harem; on top of that, aside from the demon king being an awesome inventor and all, all of its characters are falling pretty flat with nowhere near the complexity of Lawrence or Holo. It's almost as if the show throws some macroeconomics at you and just expects that to carry the show the entire way.

Manga version is far superior (the "'Hero, be mine' 'I refuse!'" one; dunno about the unofficial adaptations). The anime does have good voice acting though, and it'll overtake the manga soon.

I also have no idea why I'm enjoying Problem Children. It's one of those shows I'm supposed to dislike, and yet it's oddly entertaining in its own sort of way. There's something about the main character being a Gary Stu that is oddly appealing.

Yeah, fun series. Izayoi's definitely a Gary Stu, but he doesn't steal the focus (the group's plans basically use him like a tactical nuke), and I hear the other characters catch up with him over time.

Also it has Kuroko Shirai ogling Reisen Udongein Inaba.

[Kato]

I'm kind of way behind on most recent stuff... I'm keeping up with Boku wa's second season and the Fairy Tail anime, that's it. But I've finally gotten around to finishing FMA: Brotherhood and picked up SAO, though I'm not sure how I feel about that one yet...
But I'm up to discussing anything I'm half-knowledgeable about. Or recommendations on anything fun to watch right now.

[Closet_Skeleton]

SAO's problem is that its based off a novel series that isn't really a novel series, but a two part novel/duology, its sequel duology and a side story collection. By mixing in the side stories in chronological order it somehow manages to do the opposite of what nonplot, filler and side-story episodes are supposed to do.

Normally when a series does non-plot stories, this acts as character development (unless its pointless filler that never get mentioned again, but even then it can help you get to know the characters) and explores the characters in situations outside of the plot.

The problem with SAO is that the main character fails to develop at all in these side stories because his character development was plotted under the assumption that there was only the main plot. The side stories written later were supposed to be read later as well and assume you already know the hero and focus on characters who only appear in that side story. When the side stories end and the show gets back on with adapting the original duology there's a massive apparent quality spike because suddenly the series is actually paying attention to its main character.

The effect is that after the first two episodes SAO becomes incredibly boring because of how lame its main character is without the development that comes later.

[Prime32]

Let me put it this way: I enjoy both Sword Art Online and Accel World for their settings (technically the same setting, 25 years apart)... but only AW for its characters.

Haru is short, fat, and has terrible self-esteem, but he's a really nice guy who wins by never giving up. Kirito is basically a Japanese Drizzt, who is so awesome at everything that he defeats world champions at games he's never played before on his first try.

(I don't actively dislike Kirito, he's just kind of flat)

[Kato]

Well, for some reason - can't say why - I went into it expecting something more light hearted. I knew it was about a virtual world and there's something else about the plot I think I picked up somewhere unless I got that wrong as well.
But I was kind of not expecting a "Play or Die" scenario. But I still got up to episode 12 and I really can't answer why.

It's not that there is anything really terrible about it... but it's just not really good either. The characters aren't terrible but for the most part pretty flat. The rules of the game seem somehow weird if you can make another player accept a duel if s/he's asleep... Or how suddenly players feel pain when in the first episode they said there was no pain in the game. Or how they just said after like two years or more there are still people hanging around in the starting town.
I mean, I get how they want to put these normal people in life or death situations and show how they react I just... I don't think they do a good job. I'm not sure if it is because of the side stories or in general.

There are some nice things... I actually liked the mystery/crime arc they did. And I was really happy when I realized Klein's seiyu was the same as Wild Tiger's in Tiger&Bunny. But now... I think apart from sheer boredom the one thing I'm curious about is if they really die or just got trolled by the programmer. And that's something I could probably figure out in two minutes via google. But I'll wait a bit more.

[Sith_Happens]

And now for something completely different:

Spoiler

Show

[Prime32]

Random thought, re: mecha anime (particularly Gundam).

Legs are useless in space. Funnels are useless in an atmosphere. Why has no one ever built a mech with legs made out of funnels?

[Somewhere]

Would the funnels have the strength for walking around with the weight of the rest of the mech in atmosphere though? Like, I imagine that funnels have to be relatively low in mass so that the energy requirements to propel them about wouldn't be so high. Otherwise you'll probably have to make bigger onboard reactors... and/or do something about the recharge rack on the torso.

[Mercenary Pen]

Random thought, re: mecha anime (particularly Gundam).

Legs are useless in space. Funnels are useless in an atmosphere. Why has no one ever built a mech with legs made out of funnels?

Would the funnels have the strength for walking around with the weight of the rest of the mech in atmosphere though? Like, I imagine that funnels have to be relatively low in mass so that the energy requirements to propel them about wouldn't be so high. Otherwise you'll probably have to make bigger onboard reactors... and/or do something about the recharge rack on the torso.

I'd agree with the likelihood of not having enough ability to hold weight if the legs are made entirely of funnels/bits, but I could certainly see legbinder storage systems in place of/alongside the more common wingbinders- and you just undock your funnels and bits in the hangar prior to an atmospheric deployment to stop them getting in the way of leg mobility.

[tensai_oni]

Has anyone else been a bit disappointed with Maoyuu Maou Yuusha?

Like Prime said - read the manga. Seriously. It's so much better.

Legs are useless in space. Funnels are useless in an atmosphere. Why has no one ever built a mech with legs made out of funnels?

[Prime32]

It doesn't count if your everything is made out of funnels.

What about something like this?

That's 4 funnels forming the lower legs and feet, 6 more held on the waist Duraxyll-style, and potentially more on the upper body. The upper legs retract a little into the body when the funnels are released.

[Mercenary Pen]

Those funnels seem a bit big to me compared with the ones I'm more used to seeing (either that or the suit they're designed for is really tiny), considering that the Kshatriya, itself not a massive mobile suit (by comparison with machines like the Quin Mantha/Queen Mansa/whatever its name is supposed to be) has six funnels in each wing binder...

Funnels that large had better have the firepower to match their size or they become nothing more than targets... Besides, with smaller funnels you can potentially turn them into turrets for atmospheric combat- it just means a more complicated housing for each funnel...

[Felyndiira]

Like Prime said - read the manga. Seriously. It's so much better.

I understand. I'm just commenting that the anime wasn't as up-to-par as expected. (Also, I need to find the correct manga).

---

In an attempt to catch some of the older anime legends that I still haven't watched, I'm going to make an attempt within the next four weeks to watch all 160+ episodes of Legends of Galactic Heroes.

Just hoping that I can manage it. I did marathon Rose of Versailles in the past, so I just need to do that three times .

[Tengu_temp]

See you in 2 years!

[Mercenary Pen]

See you in 2 years!

Hey, it doesn't take that long to marathon Legend of the Galactic Heroes (after all, I managed it in under three weeks)

[Tengu_temp]

It was a humorous joke. /Persona 3

[Mercenary Pen]

It was a humorous joke. /Persona 3

Okay, I stand corrected then...

[danzibr]

Random question:

if they were to redo Bleach like Dragonball Kai where they had no filler and didn't drag things out and stopped at the same place how long do you think it'd be? I'm guessing ~200 episodes (for no real reason).

Edit: whoops meant to be in the Bleach thread. Oh well, here is ok too.

[Deepbluediver]

Random question:

if they were to redo Bleach like Dragonball Kai where they had no filler and didn't drag things out and stopped at the same place how long do you think it'd be? I'm guessing ~200 episodes (for no real reason).

Did Bleach end? I though it was still ongoing.

Also, this depends on exactly what you count as filler and what is simply the same plot being repeated ad nausem.

Personally, I prefer the manga, which (I think) cuts out a lot of that.

[Mercenary Pen]

Did Bleach end? I though it was still ongoing.

Also, this depends on exactly what you count as filler and what is simply the same plot being repeated ad nausem.

Personally, I prefer the manga, which (I think) cuts out a lot of that.

The anime ended at 366 episodes, with the manga in its final arc (which may be adapted into movie format when done)

[mallorean_thug]

Well, we're only two-three weeks out from the spring season of anime airing, so its time to research new shows and GET HYPE. By this point there's PVs for everything that's going to air, airdates for about half of them, and simulcast/fansub announcements for none of them.

Nobody has made a chart that is both informative and complete, so I'll just link my normal set of resources:
http://www.fansubwiki.com/
http://psgels.net/2013/02/17/spring-season-preview-7/
http://thecartdriver.com/spring-2013...season-preview

And what I'll be picking up:

GET HYPE tier:
Attack on Titan: An award winning manga adapted by a spin off studio of Production IG directed by Tetsuro Araki (Death Note, Kurozuka, Highschool of the Dead, Guilty Crown) . Seriously just watch the PV and then try to seriously say you won't at least watch this for the action choreography.
Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet: Gen Urobuchi strikes again, with more anime original and more Production IG, now with mechs. Given how much I'm enjoying Psychopass, this is a gimme.
Flowers of Evil: Another great manga as source material, with another great director (Mushishi, Detroit Metal city). Also despite the description you'll read in some places, not a rom com at all. Hopefully it won't get censored too badly.

Mite b cool tier:
Red Data Girl: Based on an actual book, not one of the "Light" variety. I gave Shin Sekai Yori a try on that alone, and its turned out to be a pretty good decision. And while PA Works hasn't ever made anything I've really loved, they also haven't ever made anything I've really hated either.

Valverave the Liberator Sunrise does an anime original mech show, with the director who did Red Garden, and one of the writers from Code Geass. It will either be entertaining and great or entertaining and a train wreck. Should be fun either way.

You have an episode to convince me you're good tier:
Arata Kangatari: Premise=Wut
Dansai Bunri no Crime Edge: Premise = More Wut
Devil Survivor 2 The Animation: Burned by P4 anime, no expectations, but could be good