General Anime/Manga Discussion 14: Second Cour

[t209]

http://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-new...b-in-the-works
Well, I think there goes "Ed vs. Edd" (both VA voiced Kira and Athrun respectively) and "racist Rarity/Soma Perries" (Tabitha St. Germain voiced Flay).

[Doorhandle]

Just started watching JoJo again, and you know what i'd love to see? An edited version with all the stands made invisible, so we could see it from the perspective of a non-stand user.

I mean, the Anubis!Polnareff vs Jotaro battle would be hilarious! You'd see a french guy repeatedly missing the world's burliest schoolkid with a sword before they're suddenly being thrown into a building!

[BiblioRook]

So I recently found out how to download videos off youtube and since I've been trying to put togeather a collection of some of my old favorite openings and endings from anime as well of new ones that I haven't seen before but enjoyed as I stumbled upon them. In the interest of refreshing my memory (a lot slips through the cracks in 10+ years) or finding something new I was wondering what people's favorite openings and endings generally are.

Currently if I had to pick a single favorite I would have to give it to Konosoba, it's practically an episode in itself condensed into a minute and a half.



Unrelated. My brother is more then a little obsessed with the game Go, to the point where it pushes away any and all other interests. Not to long ago though he was moderately a fan of anime but specifically a fan of the anime Bleach. Given his current interest in Go it was hard to see what his thoughts on Hikaru no Go were. His response? It was 'too short'. (For those that aren't aware, Hikaru no Go is 75 episodes long...)

[Lethologica]

You can always inform him that there is an extra arc of Hikaru no Go material in the manga. IDK if I liked it, but it's there.

On favorite OPs, Serial Experiments Lain's is definitely one of mine. It basically contains Lain's fundamental character arc in 90 seconds of condensed, symbolic storytelling, but there's no way a first-time viewer would be spoiled by it. And the music is great.

[BiblioRook]

Actually that wasn't 'too short' as in 'I wish it was longer', he apparently thought it was unusually short for an anime series because he assumed that anime's the length of Bleach were the norm.

[tensai_oni]

Let it be known that when it comes to fiction, I can be pretty forgiving. I have tolerance for weaker episodes and I am willing to give the benefit of the doubt, that missteps are just that, missteps, and not proof that a show that I saw as great is suddenly now garbage.

I mean, I gave Build Fighters TRY 17 episodes before deciding, yeah, this is bad.

That being said:

Latest three episodes of Re;Creators are a perfect example of how to ruin a good (great, even! Possibly anime of the season until a certain point) show and turn it into worthless crap.

[Rysto]

Sounds like I dropped it at the right time then. (Actually, that's totally a lie. Dropping it after 2.5 episodes, like I originally did before you lot convinced me to give it a second chance, would have been the right time)

[tensai_oni]

That's the problem, if the series was bad from the start, that wouldn't be so horrible. But the first ~16 episodes were legit good. Shame about the rest.

[Fri]

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news...spring/.121248

I'm dead. This was my ghost typing this. I'm dead.

[Pendulous]

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news...spring/.121248

I'm dead. This was my ghost typing this. I'm dead.

I don't read manga, but that sounds amusing.

Right now, I'm not watching anything, but waiting for new episodes of New Game and My Hero Academia each week. Even though I have tons in my queue. Just can't muster the motivation. Last thing I finished was Railgun S, which was ok. Tsuredure Children is...ok, but I'm not really caring when new episodes come out. My Girlfriend is a Gal might be the most appalling thing to have been created for TV.

[Rysto]

Meanwhile, I've been having more fun watching seasonal anime this summer than I have in a while. Made in Abyss and Princess Principal are both great. Gamers! is way better than I ever would have expected from a romcom (and Funimation has done a fantastic job with the English dub). New Game+! has upped its game significantly in its second season, and I'm enjoying Tsuredure Children a lot.

[BiblioRook]

My internet has been so bad lately that I've been desperate for things I can watch offline, I've mostly turned to anime for that. Sort of been focusing on long series such as Fairy Tail, Beelzebub, and Gintama. Gotta say with Gintama, while I never not known about it, it's always came off to me to be something of a very low-key hit. I mean it clearly much be popular (you don't get to nearly 400 episodes for nothing) but it's a series I never really hear talked about. Like, at all.

For those that don't know what Gintama is, think Rurouni Kenshin only with the serious bits removed and the weirdness dialed up to 11 I think. Oh, and aliens are involved.

[Fri]

My internet has been so bad lately that I've been desperate for things I can watch offline, I've mostly turned to anime for that. Sort of been focusing on long series such as Fairy Tail, Beelzebub, and Gintama. Gotta say with Gintama, while I never not known about it, it's always came off to me to be something of a very low-key hit. I mean it clearly much be popular (you don't get to nearly 400 episodes for nothing) but it's a series I never really hear talked about. Like, at all.

For those that don't know what Gintama is, think Rurouni Kenshin only with the serious bits removed and the weirdness dialed up to 11 I think. Oh, and aliens are involved.

I'd dare to say that Gintama is actually one of the most popular running anime/manga in japan that's not straight up Shonen Fightan. I mean, it's the kind of thing where people default to when thinking about the VA, in the line of "this guy who voice character X is the VA of Gin" and the characters keep appearing in "favourite character" polls with other classics in between whatever character from the current season anime.

I really want to get to it, but the number of episodes always intimidates me

[BWR]

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news...spring/.121248

I'm dead. This was my ghost typing this. I'm dead.

Neat. I like this one.

[DoctorFaust]

Here's something else that might kill Fri. If the stuff I'm reading is to be believed, Harmony Gold has lost the license to SDF Macross.

[Spamotron]

Here's something else that might kill Fri. If the stuff I'm reading is to be believed, Harmony Gold has lost the license to SDF Macross.

The version I heard is that while Harmony Gold currently still has the rights a definite date for them to expire has finally been set. Specifically March 14, 2021

This video is what I was linked to.

[DoctorFaust]

Yeah, now that I've actually seen an article that appears to have been done by lawyers and not Macross fans, that is what it looks like.



This is significantly less good news.

[Fri]

Yeah, now that I've actually seen an article that appears to have been done by lawyers and not Macross fans, that is what it looks like.



This is significantly less good news.

Well in 2021 most likely we're all won't be dead from apocalyptic nuclear hellfire yet. Maybe.

[BWR]

Of the last season I ended up finishing Princess Principal, Aho Girl, Tzuredure Children and I'm working on Jigoku Shoujo. I like the show but I find it hard to stomach the misery in an episode without giving it time to settle before the next one. PP was, if you could get over the nigh-superhumanly skilled young girls, a good show in pretty much every respect. Good art, good animation, decent characters, and interesting plot. I would have liked to see more of the world they lived in and more politics and actual spy stuff, but I was entertained all the way. I wouldn't mind seeing more, but I'm not holding my breath. TC was just fun and sweet all the way, and AG was good for crass stupid fun stuff. If I'd been less busy I might have finished Action Heroine Cheer Fruits, but at this point I don't really feel the need to do so.

This season has a couple of good ones. First off, Mahoutsukai no Yome. A story about a damaged young girl and her slowly finding joy and comfort in life. With magic and fairies and skull-faced father figures.
Boku no kanojo ga majimesugiru sho-bitch is basically Seitokai Yakuindomo with an actual romantic relationship, so if you like slightly dirty jokes you'll probably like this one.

It also has a couple weird ones.
Houseki no kuni androgynous crystal people fight weird invaders from the moon. Not sure what to think yet. Maybe it will be worth watching. Maybe it will end up being crap.
Imouto sae ireba ii LN writer who really likes little sisters. Likes them so much it's either disgusting or just weirdly pathetic, depending on your disposition. It's probably trying to be the Eromanga sensei of this season but does not give a good first impression. It's times like these I wonder why I don't look more carefully at titles or descriptions before clicking things.

Apart from that there doesn't seem to be much of anything interesting, but based on experience I'll try something else and end up finishing it, or even greatly enjoying it So, new season, possibly new pleasant surprises.

[Rysto]

Princess Principal was really good, but I was a bit disappointed about how episodic it was. The first two episodes had me expected a longer-form plot with a lot of twists and turns and betrayals, which we didn't really get. Still, I really enjoyed it.

Gamers! was a lot better than I would have expected. At it's core it's a fairly standard romantic comedy whose humour revolves around the characters misunderstanding each other. What made it work for me, rather than it just being Generic Romantic Comedy #1492, is that whenever it looked like it would start getting stale and predictable, the status quo gets completely upended in a hilarious way that takes the story in an entirely new direction.

Made in Abyss was fantastic. The only real blemish is that it's an adaptation of an unfinished manga, so the overarching story is incomplete. But what we did get was so well done I don't regret watching this. One thing to beware: this show absolutely earns its rating. If you're squeamish, stay far around from this one. The characters are cute but don't be fooled; this show pulls no punches.

New Game+ really wound up surprising me. The first season was mostly a pretty standing cute girls show with light comedy and plenty of fanservice. The second season upped its game considerably by adding realistic workplace drama and conflict. It's not Shirobako-level stuff, but it was a welcome change of pace and got me to reevaluate my view of the series as a whole for the better.

Tsuredure Children was fun. It was a series of romantic shorts following a fairly large cast. There were some characters and individual scenes that I didn't like very much, but even most of the characters that I disliked wound up having parts in scenes that I did. This is another adaptation so not all of the character arcs got finished off, unfortunately.

[Pendulous]

I'm still absolutely in love with New Game. Between it and My Hero Academia, gonna be disappointed when the new season starts without them.

That said, I watched the first season of Love Live Sunshine, just in time for season 2 to start. And I'm watching through K-On as well, so I'm definitely getting my fill of cute girl anime.

Looking forward to the new season, despite everyone just...hating, all the hell over it. Once Funimation's schedule starts, gonna try to keep up with Black Clover, Urahara, Konohana Titan, and Recovering MMO Addict. Meanwhile, Chrono Crusade, Yu Yu Hakusho, Clannad, and Blood Blockade Battlefront also in my queue.

[tensai_oni]

Re;Creators didn't fully destroy, but somewhat eroded my faith in original anime series.

Princess Principal restored it. A fair tradeoff, I guess.

[lord_khaine]

New chapter of One Punch Man out, the story continues to be surprisingly good as the fight unfolds.

[Rynjin]

Decided to pick a random new anime this season. Inuyashiki seemed neat.

Hoo boy.

I feel like it'd be better without the cringeworthy Berserk 2016 quality CGI animation and the BEYOND cheesy OP but even without that I think it'd still be kinda corny. The basic premise sounded interesting but the execution is just so...bland. It has a very specific feel to it that i can't quite place my finger on. It reminds me of a much older anime.

EDIT: BLASSREITER. Something about it feels the same. Man I haven't thought about that anime in a while. Similar issues, I think is what reminds me. Bad CGI that tries to make things look cool and important but just ends up feeling super lame. Also involves humanoid robots. Sort of. Kind of.

[BWR]

Tried a few more.

Konohana kitan is a cutesy supernatural slice-of-life with minor fanservice. Pretty, but nothing particularly original. Still, the gf and I will watch this unless the quality takes a serious hit.

Urahara seems like more girl-centered, less fanservicey version of Akiba Strip: three cute girls get technological/magical powers to fight off aliens coming to steal our culture. I'll give it another episode or so, probably.

Animegatari School show centered on an anime club. Seems to be nothing but fan references to real life works (under different names, of course). I doubt I'll bother finishing this one.

Kujira no kora sajou ni utau. Floating island cities in a sea of sand, mysterious world history, mysterious girls you find on a passing island and minor magic. Maybe it will lead somewhere.

[Delusion]

Can someone recommend me an anime? My favorites are Madoka, Kill la kill, Princess Principal. Other ones I mostly liked were Yuki Yuna is a hero and Konosuba. The manga I liked most are Claymore and Full Metal Alchemist.

So something along those lines. I am not picky about length though 12-24 episodes seems to be a sweet spot.

[endoperez]

Can someone recommend me an anime? My favorites are Madoka, Kill la kill, Princess Principal. Other ones I mostly liked were Yuki Yuna is a hero and Konosuba. The manga I liked most are Claymore and Full Metal Alchemist.

So something along those lines. I am not picky about length though 12-24 episodes seems to be a sweet spot.

So something fun, that might have a bit of drama and/or tragedy on it, or an adventure/similar show with drama, not afraid of heavy themes, and seemingly a preference to fantasy stuff?

You could consider Katanagatari.
The premise of ridiculous characters on an adventure is a bit reminicent of Konosuba, even if the group only has 2 people in it. However, as it goes on you learn about their long-term goals and their pasts, which adds a bit more weight and drama, even a touch of tragedy to the series. 12 episodes, and an interesting art style. It's, hmm, let's say martial arts / low-magic fantasy.

If you really enjoyed Konosuba and would like more fantasy parodies, Overlord might be worth checking out. The protagonist played a game as a max level evil skeletal lich mage, but he and his entourage of min-maxed minions enter a fantasy world that the lich could probably conquer on his own. He proceeds to be a paranoid, over-thinking and over-planning dude who's not half as good at all this evil mastermind stuff as his minions think he is, but when it comes to magic, well, Megumin from Konosuba is the only more epic magician I've seen so far in anime.

Cowboy Bebop is a scifi romp carried by the characters and the style. Again, mostly light-hearted, although the theme of the episodes does vary a bit, and sometimes the theme of the week is horror, or tragedy, or sacrifice. More often than not the theme is something lighter, though, such as "space shuttles are cool" or "find the dog!".

Ghost in the Shell is a cyberpunk scifi show about police / special forces doing their thing. The main cast are mostly good, in a world of mostly gray. It doesn't go full dystopia, but it talks about good and bad aspects of cybernetic brains, including move those brains between bodies or into a cybernetic body, brain uploading, brain hacking, AI versus human intelligence, and whether a soul or spirit ('ghost') exists and whether it's diminished if the brain ('shell') transforms from a biological into a cybernetic one. Good storytelling, interesting ideas, and it's mostly well executed.
There's some anime movies, and a series titled "Stand Alone Compex" (SAC), 2nd season titled "Stand Alone Complex - 2nd Gig", and a conclusion in the animated film "Stand Alone Complex - Solid State Society". Each are individual arcs with the overall story arc focusing on a specific investigation. There are OVAs that include 'Laughing Man' and "Individua Eleven" in their titles, they're shorter adaptations of SAC and SAC 2nd Gig. These are all one continuity, slightly different from the manga.
Ghost in the Shell: Arise is a prequel more in line with the manga world, despite being a prequel and not an actual adaptation.

Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash is a story of a very low-level party's struggle in a very low-fantasy world. I think the biggest, baddest monster they ever see in the first season is a big kobold. It's slow, thoughtful, and to be frank kinda cheaply animated - there are lots of slow, panning shots over a static background, with a voice over it. I still enjoyed it quite a bit, but even though it's set in a fantasy world and has the fantasy checklist, it doesn't feel like a fantasy story.

[Delusion]

So something fun, that might have a bit of drama and/or tragedy on it, or an adventure/similar show with drama, not afraid of heavy themes, and seemingly a preference to fantasy stuff?

Pretty much. Though on the humor front I have noticed that much of the humor in various anime just makes me cringe while the rest leaves me giggling like a maniac. Konosuba and Kill la Kill were mostly latter though about half the jokes related to Darkness in Konosube and some of the most overtly sexual jokes in Kill la Kill were former. One of the biggest things I like in the three I mentioned as my favourites are the larger than life emotions and the characters not giving up despite the difficulties and tragedies involved.

You could consider Katanagatari.
The premise of ridiculous characters on an adventure is a bit reminicent of Konosuba, even if the group only has 2 people in it. However, as it goes on you learn about their long-term goals and their pasts, which adds a bit more weight and drama, even a touch of tragedy to the series. 12 episodes, and an interesting art style. It's, hmm, let's say martial arts / low-magic fantasy.

If you really enjoyed Konosuba and would like more fantasy parodies, Overlord might be worth checking out. The protagonist played a game as a max level evil skeletal lich mage, but he and his entourage of min-maxed minions enter a fantasy world that the lich could probably conquer on his own. He proceeds to be a paranoid, over-thinking and over-planning dude who's not half as good at all this evil mastermind stuff as his minions think he is, but when it comes to magic, well, Megumin from Konosuba is the only more epic magician I've seen so far in anime.

Cowboy Bebop is a scifi romp carried by the characters and the style. Again, mostly light-hearted, although the theme of the episodes does vary a bit, and sometimes the theme of the week is horror, or tragedy, or sacrifice. More often than not the theme is something lighter, though, such as "space shuttles are cool" or "find the dog!".

Ghost in the Shell is a cyberpunk scifi show about police / special forces doing their thing. The main cast are mostly good, in a world of mostly gray. It doesn't go full dystopia, but it talks about good and bad aspects of cybernetic brains, including move those brains between bodies or into a cybernetic body, brain uploading, brain hacking, AI versus human intelligence, and whether a soul or spirit ('ghost') exists and whether it's diminished if the brain ('shell') transforms from a biological into a cybernetic one. Good storytelling, interesting ideas, and it's mostly well executed.
There's some anime movies, and a series titled "Stand Alone Compex" (SAC), 2nd season titled "Stand Alone Complex - 2nd Gig", and a conclusion in the animated film "Stand Alone Complex - Solid State Society". Each are individual arcs with the overall story arc focusing on a specific investigation. There are OVAs that include 'Laughing Man' and "Individua Eleven" in their titles, they're shorter adaptations of SAC and SAC 2nd Gig. These are all one continuity, slightly different from the manga.
Ghost in the Shell: Arise is a prequel more in line with the manga world, despite being a prequel and not an actual adaptation.

Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash is a story of a very low-level party's struggle in a very low-fantasy world. I think the biggest, baddest monster they ever see in the first season is a big kobold. It's slow, thoughtful, and to be frank kinda cheaply animated - there are lots of slow, panning shots over a static background, with a voice over it. I still enjoyed it quite a bit, but even though it's set in a fantasy world and has the fantasy checklist, it doesn't feel like a fantasy story.

Thanks I'll check some of those out after the exams next week when I have more time :)

[Fri]

Grimgar and Konosuba are a GM trying to pitch the exact same campaign premise to two different groups, but one group turned it into comedy shenanigans and the other group turned it into maudlin serious drama. They even got aired in the same season.

[Rysto]

Can someone recommend me an anime? My favorites are Madoka, Kill la kill, Princess Principal. Other ones I mostly liked were Yuki Yuna is a hero and Konosuba. The manga I liked most are Claymore and Full Metal Alchemist.

Give School Live! a shot. But go in completely blind. Don't google it, don't read the summary on Crunchyroll, don't do anything. Just watch the first episode. The entire first episode, mind you. It's not until the very end of the episode that the full plot is revealed. My sister, who really liked Madoka, PrinPrin, Yuki Yuna and Konosuba thought that it was too cutesy for her half-way through episode 1 of School Live! but by the end of it was loving it and immediately asked that we do the next episode.