What was the recent Anime you watched?

[Akazora 293]

Akagami no Shirayukihime

This one's cute. The main couple's moving at a snail's pace half the time but it's still pretty damn cute

 

Also Lupin III 2015

I heard the opening is essentially gibberish but I still really like it...

RIP in peace this thread.

[machine 52]

RIP in peace this thread.

 

Well, posting those here isn't incorrect

I just don't remember that thread exists half of the time and other than one or two sentences, I don't really have anything to say that would add to any discussion that might be taking place.

[Akazora 293]

Well, posting those here isn't incorrect

I just don't remember that thread exists half of the time and other than one or two sentences, I don't really have anything to say that would add to any discussion that might be taking place.

[machine 52]

 

i beg to differ 

 

[Akazora 293]

Somehow find the time to watch my first completed show in nearly two months.

 

Seikimatsu Occult Gakuin

Better known as, or more easily known as, Occult Academy, this hodgepodge mixture of random stuff totaled to thirteen episodes and honestly wasn't very good.  The premise is pretty cheesy: in the future the world has been taken over by aliens and some guy is sent back to the past to prevent the Mayan 2012 prophecy from happening by destroying the Nostradamus Key.  In all fairness, this is a premise that might have worked if done right, but it wasn't.  The characters were pretty typical and predictable, and those that didn't align with any major tropes were flat and cringey.  The humor is poorly done and undermines the seriousness of the situation and the filler was definitely not needed in a thirteen episode anime.  If it was an attempt at character development, it was a shoddy one.  Because the comedy was so poor, I didn't know when to take the anime seriously and as a result many of the dramatic and emotional moments fell flat, not that they would have been that much better without the humor.  The plot is full of holes, as is to be expected of your standard apocalyptic/time-travel story.  Some story points were pretty interesting, but the lack of cohesiveness and thought put into stringing together a narrative that made sense ruined the standalone "okay" moments.  The music was decent at least, the art was fine, and the animation occasionally displayed relatively impressive levels of sakuga.  I wouldn't recommend Occult Academy, but if you decide to watch it then expect to be turn off your brain and be bored for a good portion of it.

[machine 52]

I watched Top wo Narae! Gunbuster

....I don't know what I was expecting exactly, but I didn't like this. I can get how for its time, it was really good, but it didn't do anything for me. I wasn't put off by the old art style or animation or even the mechs (I quite like the few other mecha things I've seen) or anything... I just... for the praise the OVA gets, I was expecting something more. I like character driven plots, ones where I care more about the well thought out and well executed characters than I do the actual story at hand, and none of the characters here were particularly likable.

That aside and speaking of characters though, it is very obvious that Noriko was the basis for Shinji from NGE. I didn't really like NGE but I sorta liked Shinji so I thought I'd like her but... no, , ,, , , I mean she got more tolerable towards the end but even so, she still felt really amateurish in comparison to the other two girls until the end of the last ep 

I'm just disappointed I suppose

[Akazora 293]

The Dog of Flanders (movie)

 

This movie is a simple one.  It's a simple tale, adapted from an 1872 novel of the same name by Marie Louise de la Ramée, of the loyalty between a boy and his dog.  It's so simple in fact, one might brush it off as childish.  However, this is far from a movie to take lightly.  It's greatest strength lies in its simplicity.  It's accessible enough for children, but poignant enough for adults.  It is a story of simple happiness, simple sadness, simple triumphs, and simple losses.  It is a tale of the powerful and the powerless, and it is one that, despite being nearly a century and a half old, resonates in the hearts of people to this day.  It it truly a timeless tale, and this 1997 adaption does it justice.  The art is fairly good given the movie is as old as I am, and the character designs are clearly European.  I watched the Japanese dub, but I'll be checking out the English dub in the future.  The music is atmospheric and really helps with setting the scenes.  Speaking of which, the atmosphere of this movie is fantastic.  It's soft, easy on the eyes, and even a bit nostalgic.  I haven't even been to Belgium (let alone 19th century Belgium) but the portrayal of the rustic town of Hoboken and city of Antwerp give off warm feelings generally associated with childhood memories.  The passage of time and change of the seasons are also executed amazingly in this movie.  I absolutely loved this movie and recommend it anyone looking for a heartfelt and emotionally stirring film that has unfortunately fallen into obscurity.  It has single handedly motivated me to visit Antwerp, Belgium, specifically the Cathedral of Our Lady.  It has also gotten me interested in Peter Paul Rubens' paintings.  The ideal time to watch this movie would be during Christmas.  While not a specifically holiday-themed movie, the message and story are perfect to experience on a cold winter's night, snuggled up in blankets with a warm cup of hot chocolate in hand.  

[Shinan-Kudogawa 26]

The Dog of Flanders (movie)

 

This movie is a simple one.  It's a simple tale, adapted from an 1872 novel of the same name by Marie Louise de la Ramée, of the loyalty between a boy and his dog.  It's so simple in fact, one might brush it off as childish.  However, this is far from a movie to take lightly.  It's greatest strength lies in its simplicity.  It's accessible enough for children, but poignant enough for adults.  It is a story of simple happiness, simple sadness, simple triumphs, and simple losses.  It is a tale of the powerful and the powerless, and it is one that, despite being nearly a century and a half old, resonates in the hearts of people to this day.  It it truly a timeless tale, and this 1997 adaption does it justice.  The art is fairly good given the movie is as old as I am, and the character designs are clearly European.  I watched the Japanese dub, but I'll be checking out the English dub in the future.  The music is atmospheric and really helps with setting the scenes.  Speaking of which, the atmosphere of this movie is fantastic.  It's soft, easy on the eyes, and even a bit nostalgic.  I haven't even been to Belgium (let alone 19th century Belgium) but the portrayal of the rustic town of Hoboken and city of Antwerp give off warm feelings generally associated with childhood memories.  The passage of time and change of the seasons are also executed amazingly in this movie.  I absolutely loved this movie and recommend it anyone looking for a heartfelt and emotionally stirring film that has unfortunately fallen into obscurity.  It has single handedly motivated me to visit Antwerp, Belgium, specifically the Cathedral of Our Lady.  It has also gotten me interested in Peter Paul Rubens' paintings.  The ideal time to watch this movie would be during Christmas.  While not a specifically holiday-themed movie, the message and story are perfect to experience on a cold winter's night, snuggled up in blankets with a warm cup of hot chocolate in hand.

There's an anime based on the story, as well as a live action movie..

[Akazora 293]

There's an anime based on the story, as well as a live action movie..

Yes, I'm aware of that.  That's why I specified it was the movie anime and not one of two series right in the title.  And it's not just "a" live action movie; there are at least seven different versions.

[machine 52]

I watched the first episode of the original Gundam. I tried to watch Gundam Wing, but it felt just really ridiculous at times and the anime just jumped right on into the story, which isn't always a bad thing. But when you give no explanation nor really introduce any characters and use a bunch of terms that aren't clearly defined, it's not a great thing. As said, I've only seen one ep so far, but I liked it so much more than the 9 ep's of Gundam Wing I watched. I'm hoping the following episodes will be just as, if not more enjoyable. I'm also hoping that once I have a bit of a better grip on the Gundam franchise, I'll be able to try to watch Gundam Wing again at some point since I would still like to see it.

[Shinan-Kudogawa 26]

Yes, I'm aware of that.  That's why I specified it was the movie anime and not one of two series right in the title.  And it's not just "a" live action movie; there are at least seven different versions.

True, and you know why?? because it is one of the best stories out there

[Moon Kid 16]

DC

[Akazora 293]

Watched a bunch of gag anime recently in order to have something to half pay attention to while I grinded up my Pokemons' levels.

 

Tesagure! Bukatsumono

 

This was a slow paced CGI parody slice of life anime, and unfortunately it wasn't as good as I expected it to be.  The opening caught my attention, but the show itself was pretty bland.  The CGI is rather unattractive, though being a parody that might have been the point.  Part of each episode, the seiyuus break out into a script-less, adlibed discussions, which feel and sound a lot like podcasts.  So if you're in the mood for something as oddly specific as a CGI animated Japanese women podcast on anime tropes, then you might find value in this show.  Otherwise, you'd best spend your time elsewhere.

 

Bokusatsu Tenshi Dokuro-chan 

 

Picked this up on a whim after seeing a brutal gif.  Note to self: never pick up an anime on a whim for a reason as shallow as that.  I should have known from the premise that this would just be an anime who tried to make you laugh by having a cute girl beat the literal life out of a boy, only to revive him and kill him again.  I never understood the inherent attraction of having a cute person/thing troll the main character and always get her/his/its way for the sake of comedy.  It's just the same unfunny, cheap, and overdone joke repeated under different circumstances.  It's not even like I sympathize with the MC (he's just a cookie-cutter anime main character after all), I just really dislike seeing a girl do things like this.  Hakase from Nichijou kinda had an excuse, but Dokuro from this anime really gets on my nerves.  Don't watch this until you have a sick sense of humor and/or are a extreme masochist.

 

Oruchuban Ebichu 

 

Goddamn... this anime has the same problems as the one mentioned above.  Just my luck to watch two gag anime in a row that both tick me off in the same way.  At least in Ebichu's case, there were some legitimately chuckle-worthy moments when they decide not to make the punchline the hamster trolling her owner only to be beaten into a bloody splat on the wall.  This anime is pretty old, and gets away with showing a lot of sex and making a lot of sex jokes without censorship.  It's not sensual sex, so if you're thinking of watching this to get turned on (totally judging you, btw) you're going to be wasting your time.  It's a lot like Yondemasu yo Azazel-san in that sense.  There's also no plot and is completely episodic, so unlike the two anime above it never makes a bad attempt at trying to give you feels, which is respectable.  All in all, I still wouldn't recommend this anime.

[Moon Kid 16]

pokemon

[machine 52]

Diamond no Ace second season ep 34: I watched Oofuri--I had a feeling this would happened. "Are you hurt anywhere?" "Everywhere, heh." yOU can't play that off as a comic relief moment, the kid just got freaking rammed by a player that's probably got 30 lbs - 50 lbs on him

you can't do that

especially not when they're going into extra innings

you can't just do that

 

 

Mobile Suit Gundam: I'm officially more than halfway through and therefore now feel qualified enough to have some semblance of an opinion. Characters are starting to be developed more which is good. Bright's probably my favorite, partially because he's slapped both Kai and Amuro when they were being selfish/sexist/generally irritating. Sayla's also neat. Char hasn't been around much at all since ep 12 or so, so I don't really have much of an opinion of him at the moment since the most I saw of him was in the beginning episodes. I'm assuming that'll change soon though. The plot's really formulaic, it bothered me a lot at first, but I've gotten used to it. I do wish the White Base would lose at least once though. It should've happened multiple times already, but it hasn't and it's starting to irritate me slightly. The opening's really grown on me since I started Gundam. It's more or less a little saddening that even the characters who have died are still shown in the opening. I know I've seen an anime or two that has edited out characters in the opening/ending once they've died and I wish they would've done that here. Maybe that's thinking a little too advanced for an anime from 1979 though, especially considering how certain cliches and character troupes weren't even around back then. It also bothers me a little bit just how plastic the gundam and other gun- weaponry look. The bright red, white, yellow, and blue combination is very toy-ish. Sometimes it can take away from the experience a tad because it looks so out of place for the setting. (Like if we're in a battlefield, a large robot is already farfetched, but a very flashy, giant robot is even more so. I don't want camouflage mechs, but at least in the few other mecha things I've seen, a lot of the mechs had darker colors and at least looked somewhat intimidating. Meanwhile the gundam and gun-'s occasionally just look like giant toys. The Zeon mechs don't look as childish, but the Federation's, for the most part, really, really do at times.) My main complaint at the moment though, is that since it's gotten a little more plot heavy in recent episodes, I'm starting to dislike that the episode previews comes before the ending theme. I liked that at first, but the show has now spoiled itself three or four times because of it and just... why would you spoil character deaths? I just don't see any benefit to doing that, it ruins the surprise and lessens the reaction from the viewer :c 

TL;DR: 's pretty good. I've heard great things about Zeta and the War in Pocket OVA so at the very least, I will be sticking with Gundam's UC timeline through those. I started MSG with the intention (and hopes) of getting really into the entire (or at least most of it) franchise though, so hopefully this is just the very, very beginning

[Moon Kid 16]

magic kaito

[machine 52]

I finished Gundam, and started Zeta. I went from such a high note and surprisingly nice finale to just.. angst. Immature, impulsive, brash angst. It's the worst kind of angst, because at this point in time, I don't have any other knowledge of this character and for all I know, he might just be like this all the time and never change. I don't mind and even sort like angst when these characteristics signify character development, but what a horrible first impression did this protag leave. I didn't particularly like Amuro, but he at least he wasn't irritating from the start. If this protag doesn't get more tolerable this is gonna be a rough 50 episodes...

 

Zeta's protag, Kamille, seems more tragic than Amuro. I'm 5 ep's in and his mom was killed in front of him, and his dad's been just very... crappy. Kamille's parents are both very successful in a professional sense, but the mom was incredibly unhappy, the dad has a mistress, and their child's just... he's not... this has obviously affected him negatively to say the least. I like tragic characters, but I've never seen a tragic character done this way before. Most/all I've seen are usually very quiet, polite, trying to mask everything, and just generally try to fade into the background and not cause any trouble. Meanwhile, Kamille's constantly doing something he probably shouldn't be doing. He's punched so many people and inconvenienced many others yet he's still trucking. I've heard good things about him though, so I hope he'll change soon. I do want to like him, especially since I wasn't particularly fond of Amuro, but he's hard to tolerate at the moment. I think that change might have already started though, because in the first ep, right when he heard the one military guy mentioned how 'Kamille''s typically a girl's name and he was flying over to punch him, he was using "ore", but now that he's surrounded by people who he likes and feels more respected by, he's using "boku" I really hope this means, the side he's now currently with will have a positive impact on him and change him for the better. Or rather, that he'll allow himself to be influenced by this new group of people for the better. Being that he's now going to be in a constant military environment and thrust into battle frequently, his odds of turning out great aren't too high, but I hope his angst dies out soon because of it. When Amuro was being angsty and irritating, he was put back into place fairly quickly, so I'm hoping something similar will happen here too. Something tells me a couple slaps across the face and stern talking-to's won't make too much of an impact on Kamille though....

[Akazora 293]

Working!!! Lord of the Takanashi

(my thoughts on the series as a whole)

So, the series that is Working has finally come to an end.  It's been quite the ride, starting off with a first season that was rather bland and boring and building up toward a 50-minute long series finale that was everything I had hoped it would be and more.  There's nothing too special about Working on the surface, but it's something that grows on you with time.  Unlike most slice of life anime, there is an actual conclusion to the show.  Characters bond, settle their differences, become friends, and fall in love.  Watching Working was like starting your first day of school surrounded an odd-ball cast of your to-be friends.  At first you think them weird and are unsure whether or not you'll get along, but by graduation time you're thinking back fondly on all the shenanigans you got yourselves into with those crazy groups of kids.  Working was an adorable ride, and one of my favorite slice of life as well as romance shows.  It takes time to warm up to, but it's worth it in the end.

[Moon Kid 16]

dragon ball z

[Akazora 293]

Azumanga Daioh

(light spoilers ahead kinda?)

 

I watched this anime expecting something similar to Nichijou but was left with something more akin to Working.  While the similarities to Nichijou are obvious at first glance, those parallels are only surface deep.  Azumanga Daioh, at its core, remains more of a slice of life with some comedy on the side, as opposed to Nichijou which is a comedy before it is slice of life.  Azumanga Daioh follows the lives of a group of girl friends as they go through the tumultuous experience that is high school.  They all have their quirks and everything you'd expect to be covered in a slice of life anime is addressed: school trips, sports festivals, cultural festivals, summer breaks, winter breaks, test taking, school lunches, college applications, and finally graduation.  Unlike most slice of life shows, and heck most anime in general, Azumanga Daioh actually has a conclusion.  You grow up with the characters when they enter as freshman and see them off to college after three years of shenanigans.  The anime was laid-back and relaxing, though sometimes it straddled boring.  Unfortunately, it wasn't very funny which was a bit of a disappointment, but in turn it was a lot cuter than I expected it to be.  The cast of characters was pretty enjoyable, witch my personal favorite being Sakaki (the famous Osaka was alright; I like Osakan accents more because of her at least).  The soundtrack of the anime was a bit shallow, but for a slice of life show it didn't really matter.  The art was nice and the animation was occasionally very good.  I was especially impressed by the conclusion, which was simple, predictable, but heartfelt nonetheless.  All in all, Azumanga Daioh was rather average and I would only recommend it if you're a dedicated slice of life fan who hasn't seen this show yet and has 26 episodes worth of time to spare.

[Moon Kid 16]

pokemon

[machine 52]

Ie Naki Ko

 

I wanted to take a break from Gundam and I was deciding between this and Oniisama E. Oniisama E seems like it's going to give me Kaze to Ki no Uta vibes, so I went with this one since it's unlike anything I've previously seen. It's from 1977, has 51 episodes, is rated G, is based off 1878 novel Sans Famille, and it's just... sad. There's not really any other way to put it. The art style and animation is very charming and quaint, but dear lord in terms of what's happened, this is terrible. So Remi's an 8year old living with his mother in small village nestled between some mountains in central France in the 1870s (or around there). His father, Jerome, whom he's never met, works in Pairs, and sends them money a few times a year. One day, Remi and his mother receive word that the father's been injured and that his employer refused to pay any of the medical bills. After many months of scraping together what they have, the father tries to win a lawsuit against the company, and unsurprisingly loses. Disabled, bitter, and without much more than a dollar to his name, he returns to his wife, and much to his displeasure, Remi too. Remi overhears Jerome and his mother talking when they think he's asleep, and he finds out he is not his mother's biological child and was brought home after being found on a doorstep (presumably a hospital's or orphanage's doorstep) in Paris by Jerome. Despite this, Jerome now views Remi as nothing but a mouth that he cannot afford to feed and subsequently treats him very coldly except for one or two instances. After many unsuccessful attempts by the mother to persuade her husband to accept Remi, Jerome later goes behind her back and sells Remi to a traveling entertainer for 40 francs (I did the conversion and that'd be about $115 in today's USD). The story then follows Remi as he now travels with his new owner, guardian, parent, or whatever you want to call the man that bought him. 

I'm not that far along yet, but judging from what I have seen and from the short reviews I've read, this show involves a lot of things not going right for Remi and Vitalis, the traveling entertainer, and is incredibly bleak for a children's show. Remi's the epitome of innocence in the first few episodes, and it seems like this anime's going to end with the kid just completely and utterly messed up. I love character development, especially for tragic characters, but he's so little. Every time the camera zooms out and shows Remi walking beside Vitalis and you can see just how much physically smaller than him he is, it just kills me a little bit because this does not seem like one of those stories that's kind to its characters.

I don't know if "excited" would be the best word to use, but I'm looking forward to continuing on with Ie Naki Ko. It doesn't seem like the sort of thing you'd want to watch a ton of in a short period of time due to just how heavy it has been and has the potential to be, but it seems promising nonetheless. I hope it'll live up to the expectations the first few episodes have set. 

watching this not too long after finishing Gundam 0080 War in the Pocket was probably not that great of an idea now that I think about it

[Heliotropic 139]

Just saw the first episode of "Boku dake ga Inai Machi (ERASED)" and I have to say I'm rather intrigued. Definitely looking forward to the next one. Crunchyroll just started simulcasting it today, and I'm glad I picked something up as it was starting or I'd probably never get into it.

[Akazora 293]

Just saw the first episode of "Boku dake ga Inai Machi (ERASED)" and I have to say I'm rather intrigued. Definitely looking forward to the next one. Crunchyroll just started simulcasting it today, and I'm glad I picked something up as it was starting or I'd probably never get into it.

W-Why didn't you post in this thread??

 

That little nitpick aside, I agree.  Forget OPM, Boku dake ga Inai Machi has saved anime.

[Heliotropic 139]

W-Why didn't you post in this thread??

 

That little nitpick aside, I agree.  Forget OPM, Boku dake ga Inai Machi has saved anime.

 

Dunno, I suppose it's the first thread I flocked to, I suppose I'll use that one in the future