General Anime/Manga Discussion 14: Second Cour

[Sith_Happens]

Spoiler: Nisemonogatari Episode 8

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Spoiler: Then Again...

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[DoctorFaust]

Nisemonogatari is very much a low point for the series for various reasons.

It gives each arc too many episodes, which drags down the pacing.

While it had much more consistent animation than Bake ( which is a pretty easy feat given that Bake had two episodes air completely unfinished and aired the last arc almost 9 months later as ONAs), the highs aren't nearly as good, and the direction overall is the least interesting in the series (later stuff tends to split the difference and end up a little closer to Bake's style).

While it doesn't really have /more/ skeevy scenes than Bake, they stand out more and feel more egregious, both because the two main girls are Arararagi's sisters, and because having skeevy scenes for other characters felt like fanservice cameos.

And then the stuff it has to say just isn't quite as interesting as other arcs.

Kaiki's scenes, Hitagi's scenes, and Shinobu getting introduced all save it somewhat, and there's some later arcs that are just as weak, but yeah, it's a slog.

EDIT: The sheer over the top nature of the toothbrush scene made it work for me. Nadeko Snake was much much creepier, and some of Arararagi's stuff with Mayoi is just as bad.

I agree about the pacing, and about the amount of fanservice being less, but I really didn't notice much fanservice in the scenes with the other girls except Kanbaru, but that's because, well, she's Kanbaru, and possibly one or two scenes with Hanekawa that I don't really remember well.

Kaiki's scenes do bring something interesting philosophically to the table, Gahara is, well, Gahara, and Shinobu is fun to watch, especially when anything involving donuts happens. Her laugh is really annoying, though.

As for the toothbrush scene, it seemed far less over-the-top than the stuff with Mayoi, considering it seemed like it was being played completely straight whereas the stuff with Hachikuji was very much over the top and (I seem to recall) stated to be not serious on either parties part, and more or less intended to get reactions out of the other. Don't disagree about some of Nadeko.

Spoiler: Then Again...

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I am totally stealing this, just to let you know.

EDIT: And now Araragi has pinned down and groped his smaller little sister after stripping her. I get the in-universe explanation of why Araragi did it, but really, did they have to do it in such a fanservice-y way? Especially the groping part.

[ex cathedra]

i think that the toothbrush scene is superbly well-crafted comedy, but i can relate to the sensation of being too disturbed by something to enjoy it, so you do you.

tsuhiki's arc was fine at 4 episodes of length, but karen bee being 7 of the season's 11 episodes was a little egregious. nise was a high point in terms of music and OP quality, though.

[Mx.Silver]

Well, might as well throw in my list of '(Reasonably) Good Stuff I have Watched Since I Last Made This Sort of List'

Michiko & Hatcin

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I found out about this through a real life friend, who more or less opened a conversation with: "Have you watched Michiko and Hatchin? Go and watch Michiko & Hatchin.'
Having seen it, I fully understand the enthusiasm.

The first thing that strikes you about the series are the visuals. Not just the general art design and animation quality (which are both distinctly high calibre) but in the direction. There is a clear eye for detail throughout the series, and is capable for some very strong and subtle visual story-telling throughout. There are scenes which say more than entire conversation without a single line of dialogue
Subtlety seems an odd quality to highlight about a series which opens with someone gunning down a helicopter with a machine gun in the first episode and features multiple high-speed car chases, gun fights and, at one point, a sword duel (complete with swinging across a room from a hanging banner) yet when taking the series as a whole it cannot be overlooked. The way the characters gradually reveal themselves, their personalities and their insecurities; as much through actions as through words is exemplary.
One might expect the series' mixture of understated character and larger than life action and adventure to be a weakness, but if anything that contrast is one of the show's main strengths. A contrast reflected and embodied by Michiko's confidence in getting her happily-ever-after storybook ending the grim, unromantic realities of life in the endemically corrupt, crime-ridden, fictionalised Latin American country, the titular characters journey through.

As I said earlier upthread, if you haven't seen this series yet (and statistically you probably haven't) give it a shot if you ever get the opportunity.

Now and Then, Here and There

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This is a series I should probably have found sooner than I did, as it turns out to be something of the critical darling. A status that I would say it entirely deserves, as it is both very good at what it does, and what it does is likely to lose a fair amount of the more general audience once they realise what that is. Which is unfortunate, because its subject matter is something that could definitely stand to be confronted more directly than it often is.

Now and Then, Here and There, does not say "War is hell." It gives you a nice window seat, makes sure you're refreshed and then slowly drives you through the inferno, making sure to give you a good long view of each layer as it goes.
While in the end it never quite reaches the level of bleak hopelessness it otherwise could have (and, it could be argued, perhaps should have) in its presentation of the self-perpetuating cycle of violence and pain, it is undeniably effective. Especially considering it does this without straying into 'gore porn' nor sacrificing character for melodramatic attempts at pathos.

It is not an easy watch, nor a comfortable one, but it is worthwhile.

Phantom: Requiem for the Phantom

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This one is a bit of a mixed bag. I debated whether to put it in here at all, but it didn't feel right ignoring it, so here we are.

Visually slick (saving for the odd habit of throwing in shots which are upside down for now earthly discernable reason) with a soundtrack to match (including a near-perfect opening theme) which both complement its dark, stylised story, though a bit too obviously adapted from a visual novel for it's own good. Nonetheless, it manages to present an intriguing take on the 'badass super-assassin' premise; one which attempts to but a bullet through the head of the idea that this sort of character would be particularly 'badass'.
For all their murderous prowess, the titular Phantoms are utterly broken psychologically, hollow shells of people that. Fearless only because they lack the emotional strength to even consider they have any control over their existences at all - a fact that their handlers, too taken with the idea of having unstoppable living weapons at their disposal, are utterly blind towards.

The result is an interesting, if flawed, 12 episode story.
Which would be perfectly fine, except Requiem for the Phantom is 26 episodes long.

Over the remaining 14 episodes the series gradually goes downhill. Earlier themes and concepts are backed away from or less effectively rehashed, while attempts to have its cake and eat it too in regards to the killing machine cast, especially in the third act, eventually culminate in a protracted fight sequence so self-indulgently ridiculous it makes the rest of the series look positively grounded. Why yes, this is a Bee Train series, why do you ask?

Still, when the series works there's enough meat to it to be worth a look. Just a shame about what happened to the earlier potential.

Planetes

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There is more than a touch of the soap opera about Planetes. From the somewhat on the nose dialogue to the melodramatically heightened emotions that suffuse even the fairly minor character confrontations.
The inevitable-because-this-is-an-Ichiro-Okouchi-series diversions into the subject of terrorism, which do not exactly fit seamlessly into a workplace drama, do little to alleviate this. Nor do the various other 'Very High Stakes' interjections, most of which seem to be recovered from far more quickly than the presentation might suggest; again, something of a soap opera trait.

Yet despite this, there is a clear charm to Planetes. Like its protagonists, while it may not be particularly clever its heart is in the right place and it carries itself with such earnestness that you can't help but let yourself be dragged along. Its sheer enthusiasm for its subject, its unbridled exuberance for space development and exploration, is downright infectious, as exemplified by its opening which I would defy anyone to try and sit through without feeling any twinges of excitement.

While it's not something I can myself going back to, I can't say I regretted the time I spent with it.

Series I forgot to include on the previous list:


Bartender

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I don't drink alcohol. As such I have limited experience of being in bars, and no real knowledge at all about the drinks in question.
Bartender is a series that spends a very considerable amount of time going into the mixing and history of drinks (even giving actual cocktail recipes at the end of each episode), is set almost entirely within a bar and affords the job of bartending a level of significance usually reserved in fiction for ancient orders of wizards.
In other words: not something that would generally fall within my wheelhouse. And yet, here it is.

To its credit, it understands how to tell the story of each episode's signature drink, both as a story in itself and as a complement to the story of whichever character is taking centre-stage in that episode. Meaning that would would otherwise be infodumps become part of the narrative in their own right

Bartender's main trick though is in the presentation. There's a curiously intimate quality to the series, one that feels like small-scale theatre as much as it does an animation series. Characters freely soliloquise and narrate, the members of its cast not featured in the episode's plot acting as a greek chorus to its events. The end result is a conversational, low-key, almost friendly atmosphere; not unlike that of the bar in which much of the series is set.
It's a style of approach that I honestly can't recall having seen anywhere else, and it's enough to elevate the series to a position of interest, even if the overall stories themselves are not particularly ground-breaking.

Gilgamesh

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There is really no way of ignoring this: Gilgamesh is an ugly looking series. While its character designs aren't bad, even if they are somewhat unconventional, its animation budget was next to nothing. There are animation sequences where it is quite apparent that it's simply jumping between key frames, with no in-between work.
It's this fact more than anything, even the somewhat awkward finale, that kept it off the list last time around. It's also a bit of a hindrance in what is ostensibly a supernatural action series and as a consequence it spends considerably more time on scenes of characters talking to each other. There is one mitigating factor to this: Gilgamesh is very good at scenes of characters talking to each other.

Part of this is because, while its overall animation is poor, its actual cinematography is not. It knows what needs to be animated and why, even if it lacks the funds to fully pull this off.
The rest of this is account of the script work. While the overal plot has a fair few problems, its scene and character writing hold-up rather better. Tonally it's dark, its cast range from the flawed to the uncomfortably flawed to the downright unpleasant, yet despite this - and a few steps into fairly unwholesome territory - it avoids feeling forced. That it can keep as many of its quite large cast as realised as it does speaks its competence, as does its ability to lay groundwork for, foreshadow and then deliver on information in a way that is clear to the audience while still feeling natural to the narrative's flow.

Competence may seem like a faint thing to praise, but given the amount of series I've seen that don't manage to achieve it, it shouldn't be overlooked. Which is not to say Gilgamesh a writing masterpiece; the plotting leaves something to be desired, more so in the second half, and it ends-up juggling a few too many characters to really deliver on all of them. As for the previously mentioned ending, it's both somewhat abrupt and doesn't gel with the preceding episodes even if you are familiar enough with the epic of gilgamesh to appreciate what it's going for.

Still, it's an interesting enough series that if it weren't for the considerable weakness in the visual department I'd feel okay with recommending it. Unfortunately, that visual weakness is a lot to have to look past.

Not actually series:


Saint Oniisan

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Saint Oniisan or Saint Young Men is a fairly relaxed but, nonetheless amusing, slice-of-life esque comedy, released in the form of an OVA and film. It centres on two young male co-workers who decide to take a holiday to Japan, a country to which neither of them have been before. The comedy stems from their general misadventures as they try to keep their cantankerous landlady happy, learn the true meaning of Christmas and generally act like massive tourists, all the while trying not to let anyone discover that they're Buddha and Jesus.

All in all, it's a pleasantly quirky high-concept comedy, that gets a good bit of mileage from its central conceit.

The Tale of Princess Kaguya

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The Tale of Princess Kaguya is the best film to come out of Studio Ghibli in years. It is genuinely a thing of beauty, heartfelt, poignant and a testament to just how good hand-drawn animation can look. If it does turn out to be the last 'pure Ghibli' film I can't think of a more fitting last bow to the studio.

Next time: the Bad List returns, which I'm sure won't contain anything even slightly controversial. Yep, definitely nothing contentious whatsoever.

[DoctorFaust]

nise was a high point in terms of music and OP quality, though.

Totally with you there. Marshmallow Justice, Platinum Disco, and whatever the ED by ClariS is called were damn good songs, even by the standards of normal songs and not anime OPs and EDs.

And continuing my Monogatari adventures, I have decided on a new name for Nekomonogatari: Black. "Goddamnit, Araragi: The Series". Because that's what I found myself saying just about every five minutes. I mean, honestly, just about every single things he does in Kuro is just about the worst that he could have possibly taken.

Spoiler: Nekomono

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From going to his little little sister for advice on love, asking his giant little sister about love while she was topless, not ignoring his promise to Hanekawa and just going straight to the police about the abuse, training Shinobu with donuts, ****ing sniffing Hanekawa's desk, all the way up until he decided that getting himself killed by Hanekawa was the best way to relieve her stress.

Dumbass.

Saint Oniisan

Fun fact: there is actually a print from this series on display at the British Museum.

[JCarter426]

As for the toothbrush scene, it seemed far less over-the-top than the stuff with Mayoi, considering it seemed like it was being played completely straight whereas the stuff with Hachikuji was very much over the top and (I seem to recall) stated to be not serious on either parties part, and more or less intended to get reactions out of the other.

I agree, except with one amendment: toothbrush scene wasn't any less over the top; the difference was that both parties were serious about it, while as you say the Araragi/Hachikuji interactions were anything but serious.

But if anything, I'd say the toothbrush scene makes everything else less creepy, because it made me realize the whole family is messed up; it's not just Araragi. And that's funnier.

Although, I must confess to the below as well:

Spoiler: Nisemonogatari Episode 8

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Spoiler: Then Again...

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Spoiler: Nekomono

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From going to his little little sister for advice on love, asking his giant little sister about love while she was topless

Well, firstly, remember it's Tsukihi we're talking about. When else is he supposed to ask her?

But really, it's not all that strange that he'd go to his sister for advice; at this point, his sisters are the only people he knows other than his parents that have ever dated anyone.

not ignoring his promise to Hanekawa and just going straight to the police about the abuse

Frankly, I can't blame him for this when it's a thing I've seen happen in reality.

[DoctorFaust]

Spoiler: Nekomono

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Well, firstly, remember it's Tsukihi we're talking about. When else is he supposed to ask her?

But really, it's not all that strange that he'd go to his sister for advice; at this point, his sisters are the only people he knows other than his parents that have ever dated anyone.


Frankly, I can't blame him for this when it's a thing I've seen happen in reality.

Spoiler: Nekomono

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Well, considering she had just tried to stab him in the head with a crowbar in an attempt to be a yandere, maybe why did she thought that stabbing someone in the head with a crowbar was an appropriate punishment for waking up later? Really, it was less that he did and more the situations in which he did.

And I know, but that doesn't make me any less angry about it. And sad. Sangry? Angrad?

[mallorean_thug]

Next time: the Bad List returns, which I'm sure won't contain anything even slightly controversial. Yep, definitely nothing contentious whatsoever.

I'm definitely more curious about what you put on your "Bad list" after you put Phantom: Requiem for a Phantom on your good list.

[Mx.Silver]

I'm definitely more curious about what you put on your "Bad list" after you put Phantom: Requiem for a Phantom on your good list.

Phantom's an odd one, I'll admit. Certainly one that makes me glad I stopped bothering assigning numerical scores to things
A lot of why it's there is because its first act has a strong thematic through-line to it (which as I think has been established before is something that I value a lot). It also does give its audience some credit, and doesn't bother pretending any of its main cast of criminal syndicate members are 'the good guys'. That it pulls off a character like Claudia McCunnen reasonably well also gets it a few points.
Even the second act, while being fairly underwhelming, still has a few points of interest (unlike the third act, which is pretty much just bad from start to finish). Admittedly a fair bit of that is due to some of it's narrative missteps being the sort of decisions that would probably have made sense in a videogame but don't handle the transition very well - a topic I find interesting from a cross-media narrative analysis standpoint, but point remains.

Fundamentally though, it's there because it's got things in it that work well enough that they can still sustain a conversation several months after having seen it.


I do still expect it to be brought up a lot in the context of 'You put that on the good list but this on the bad?!' though (although maybe not, as going by its MAL page it seems to have been reasonably well received).

At least, I would if there was going to be anything on the 'bad' list that people here would take issue with. Which I'm sure couldn't possibly be the case.

Yeah...

[Morph Bark]

Well, I can't speak for anyone else, but the eyes were what got me interested. Specifically, the glorious, glorious Yandere eyes.

Well at least now I know to avoid that series. Thanks!

Well, might as well throw in my list of '(Reasonably) Good Stuff I have Watched Since I Last Made This Sort of List'

Michiko & Hatcin

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I found out about this through a real life friend, who more or less opened a conversation with: "Have you watched Michiko and Hatchin? Go and watch Michiko & Hatchin.'
Having seen it, I fully understand the enthusiasm.

The first thing that strikes you about the series are the visuals. Not just the general art design and animation quality (which are both distinctly high calibre) but in the direction. There is a clear eye for detail throughout the series, and is capable for some very strong and subtle visual story-telling throughout. There are scenes which say more than entire conversation without a single line of dialogue
Subtlety seems an odd quality to highlight about a series which opens with someone gunning down a helicopter with a machine gun in the first episode and features multiple high-speed car chases, gun fights and, at one point, a sword duel (complete with swinging across a room from a hanging banner) yet when taking the series as a whole it cannot be overlooked. The way the characters gradually reveal themselves, their personalities and their insecurities; as much through actions as through words is exemplary.
One might expect the series' mixture of understated character and larger than life action and adventure to be a weakness, but if anything that contrast is one of the show's main strengths. A contrast reflected and embodied by Michiko's confidence in getting her happily-ever-after storybook ending the grim, unromantic realities of life in the endemically corrupt, crime-ridden, fictionalised Latin American country, the titular characters journey through.

As I said earlier upthread, if you haven't seen this series yet (and statistically you probably haven't) give it a shot if you ever get the opportunity.

Can confirm that Michiko & Hatchin is a great series, even having only caught a few episodes of it here and there.

Nice to know that about Planetes, too, I'll give it a watch.

[DoctorFaust]

Well at least now I know to avoid that series. Thanks!

Can I ask if it's the art style, the yandere-ness, or something else that turns you off of it? Because according to the people I've spoken to that have read the manga, no one's actually a yandere.

[mallorean_thug]

Boku Dake ga Inai Machi/ ERASED has the best first episode of the season so far by quite a bit. I would recommend people give it a shot.

Everything else has been pretty meh so far, but I'll probably give Prince of Stride, Haruchika, Active Raid, and ~maybe Phantom World another episode, but the first episodes didn't make me terribly hopeful or excited about any of them (and would rank them in about that order). Prince of Stride slightly under-performed my expectations, but was still colorful and fun. Haruchika over-performed my expectations because they were kind of low, the male lead is actually interesting, and the female lead is kind of cute. Active Raid basically met my expectations, but they were rather low. I'm fine with the not serious atmosphere, but the CG didn't impress me, and I'm already bored with all the archetypes on display. And Phantom World's opening was better than Kyoukai no Kanata's, but it (expectedly) had 1000% more LN bull**** than I want in my animes.

[Fri]

Can I ask if it's the art style, the yandere-ness, or something else that turns you off of it? Because according to the people I've spoken to that have read the manga, no one's actually a yandere.

It's actually one of the manga that I most follow this day (if that makes any sense.)

It's about an eccentric sweets-obsessed girl trying to convince a guy to inherit his father's sweet shop, because he's apparently actually a genius in sweets. But he just want to be a mangaka.

What you can expect: Ridiculous "sweets is serious business" stuffs, references to japanese sweets that I guess most westerners won't be familiar with, over the top reaction-based comedy. Also, cute girl with crazy eyes with gothic frilly dresses I guess.

[Sallera]

Well, well. Some high-quality stuff among the season's chaff; I've been cherry-picking, but three out of five's still not bad. Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu had a very impressive first episode; I wasn't entirely sure what to expect out of it, but there's certainly no way in which it could be said to be a disappointment. The VAs, especially, are quite obviously having a ton of fun with this one, even outside the rakugo scenes, and the direction and visuals are both solid. Boku Dake ga Inai Machi looks quite neat as well; interesting characters, and the central mystery seems to have potential. Haruchika I suspect will succeed or fail on the strength of its characterization, but so far it's doing a good job of keeping me engaged.

Dagashi Kashi (what with the talk, I figured I'd at least look) wavered on the line between enjoyable and merely watchable throughout most of the episode, but for a straight comedy that's honestly better than I expected from a first episode. Probably won't keep me for the whole season, but I'll at least give it another chance. And Phantom World didn't even manage to hold my interest for a whole episode. Toss.

[Morph Bark]

Can I ask if it's the art style, the yandere-ness, or something else that turns you off of it? Because according to the people I've spoken to that have read the manga, no one's actually a yandere.

The yandere-ness. No anime that I've seen with a yandere as a main or secondary character has ever really appealed to me, simply because a lot of them are just bad.

[DoctorFaust]

The yandere-ness. No anime that I've seen with a yandere as a main or secondary character has ever really appealed to me, simply because a lot of them are just bad.

Well, if the show continues as it was in episode one, you probably don't need to worry about it. It's schtick basically seems to be that everybody except the MC believes they're in Shoukugeki no Souma, not a comedy, and there wasn't a yandere in sight.

However, speaking of yanderes...

Spoiler: Monogatari Second Season

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RED ALERT RED ALERT THIS IS NOT A DRILL. Goddamnit, Sengoku! How do you go that goddamn crazy after less than a day of godhood? Seriously, I don't think that even whats-her-face in Mirai Nikki became a Yandere as fast as you did.

[JCarter426]

Aniplex has released the list of US screenings of Kizumonogatari Part 1.

Unfortunately there's nothing near me on this one... and I don't think I feel up for a trip to New York.

[mallorean_thug]

I'm fortunate enough to have an artsy theatre locally that always shows that kind of stuff, so I'll definitely be going. I've heard very good things about it, from people that have already gotten to see it.

[ex cathedra]

I'm 230 miles out of the closest showing: Kansas City, MI. It's not out of the question, but it's unlikely I'll make it. The showtimes are pretty rough for me, but I'll mention it to a friend and consider it if he's down. I'm excited to see it either way.

[Rodin]

Just finished Noragami Aragoto. Overall found it pretty excellent, and a big improvement over the first season thanks to a lot of the characters having matured.

I did, however, feel a bit lost on one particular plot point in the penultimate episode:

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When Hiyori is trying to call Yato back from the Underworld, she at first refuses to try any other name because Yato is his name. This is reinforced by how happy he was to have a shrine with his name on it, and the very fact that the shrine works indicates that this is correct.

She then thinks back to the shrine and pulls "Yaboku" out of thin air, which turns out to be his real name.

So...how did she know that? The only thing I've been able to come up with is that it's an alternate reading of the characters that make up his name, which would allow the shrine to be technically correct and give Hiyori the hint she needs to guess it.

Is there something I'm missing, or is it as simple as that?

Also, after that cliffhanger they better give us a third season.

[Lethologica]

Just finished Noragami Aragoto. Overall found it pretty excellent, and a big improvement over the first season thanks to a lot of the characters having matured.

I did, however, feel a bit lost on one particular plot point in the penultimate episode:

Spoiler

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When Hiyori is trying to call Yato back from the Underworld, she at first refuses to try any other name because Yato is his name. This is reinforced by how happy he was to have a shrine with his name on it, and the very fact that the shrine works indicates that this is correct.

She then thinks back to the shrine and pulls "Yaboku" out of thin air, which turns out to be his real name.

So...how did she know that? The only thing I've been able to come up with is that it's an alternate reading of the characters that make up his name, which would allow the shrine to be technically correct and give Hiyori the hint she needs to guess it.

Is there something I'm missing, or is it as simple as that?

Also, after that cliffhanger they better give us a third season.

Spoiler

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Yato = 夜ト
Yaboku = 夜卜

In addition, since the second character in 'Yato' is katakana, it's easy to see how that would not be the 'true' version of his name.

[Spacewolf]

Yea I just finished watching that myself, thought the last episode was excellent.

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Who would have thought you could feel so sorry for a Psychopath and an "Immortal" god

[Fri]

Dagashi Kashi is sillier than I remember

Also, I think it might got more blatant references than the manga, but that's also might just me misremembering the manga.

[Ibrinar]

About the second Noragami season

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I found it a bit weird that they decided to add some scene where they destroy the super spell from a bunch of gods. (And it overshadows Bishamon and Kazuma. Sure you can hit the lighning dragon. Yato can cut the imba spell.) Does the manga later show them as that powerful and with such a range? (I'm not up to date with the manga.) Otherwise it might be a bit weird for anime viewers if there is ever a third series.

Though I can understand why they gave yato a role in the fight in the anime version.

[Fri]

So.. grimgar is really nice.

The artstyle can either be considered beautiful or jarring, depending on your taste.

The fights are.... really visceral, though not gory. Seriously, this underline what I said to my friends, that if I'm transported to a fantasy universe and have to be an adventurer, I'd be an archer (or crossbowman), because that way I wouldn't have monster blood spraying all over me.

The characters are also nice.

There's potential that it can be too maudlin, but it remains to be seen.

[HMS Invincible]

There's two dungeons and dragons esque anime this season, one comedy, and this one. I like them both add they complement each other well.

I'd be the mage or priest as you get all the benefits of the Archer but you know exactly how tough you are in combat. Plus the utility of magic can't resist.

[Fri]

Oh, by dnd comedy I assume you mean Kono Subarashii Sekai ni Shukufuku wo? I read the manga actually, and really like it. I actually personally like it more than Dating in Dungeon, though I know that despite the skeezy sounding premise it's actually pretty good and have rather good production.

I'd be the mage or priest as you get all the benefits of the Archer but you know exactly how tough you are in combat. Plus the utility of magic can't resist.

The problem is, it depends on the rule of the land whether everyone can be mage/priest or not, while I assume with enough training everyone can be archer/crossbowman

[Duck999]

Spoiler: Durarara X2 Ketsu

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So many sides of the conflict. I'd try to draw it out, but that would never end well. We've got:
3 Saikas facing off
Izaya vs the world
Chikage vs Yellow Scarves
Blue Squares purging the dollars
Celt's group doing... stuff
Russian mafia (toned down a little now)
Shizuo (in prison though)
The Yakuza
And more!

[endoperez]

All of Grimgar's stills are pretty, but it's barely animated. So many of the scenes are just panning over stills. It's got good writing and scenes and characterisation though. Also the fact that they animate bouncing breasts but not talking people seems silly.

This other fantasy anime with the goddess, Aqua, though... Ugh. Some decent ideas but nothing to actually carry it . :(

[Mx.Silver]

Spoiler: Durarara X2 Ketsu

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So many sides of the conflict. I'd try to draw it out, but that would never end well. We've got:
3 Saikas facing off
Izaya vs the world
Chikage vs Yellow Scarves
Blue Squares purging the dollars
Celt's group doing... stuff
Russian mafia (toned down a little now)
Shizuo (in prison though)
The Yakuza
And more!

Yep, sounds about right.
I really need to catch-up on Durarararara again. Unfortunately I'm still juggling a couple of other series, so it's been a bit difficult, although I did recently finish that thing I was forcing myself through despite it not being very good so hopefully I'll have a bit more time for it in the near future.