The State of Anime Today

[RobinStarwing]

So recently we got stupid at the Xbox forums for World of Tanks seeing as PS4 is getting Girls Und Panzer stuff and people want it on Xbox too (http://forum-console.worldoftanks.com/index.php?/topic/106688-xbox-want-girls-und-panzer-skins-take-our-wg-lol/#topmost). This has led me to wonder...what is the current state of anime today compared to when we started to watch it? What is it's current state in how it and it's fans are perceived by those outside of it.

My take as an Anime fan is this...there has been a slow march towards blandness/sameness in Anime. Way too many Harems and the studios seemingly trying to one-up each other with their offerings in some way shape or form. But this is based on someone who has been a fan since the DiC Sailor Moon Dub (earlier if you want to count Voltron).

So NPF...your take on this?

[phil_]

What is it's current state in how it and it's fans are perceived by those outside of it.I wouldn't know, not being on the outside and not having any perception of those outside. Nerdy hobbies have become so connected to mainstream culture that there's really not a dividing line anymore. I say this pretending that mainstream culture even exists anymore in this world of infinite on-demand entertainment choices on the TV and internuggets. I'm not sure if the previous zeitgeist of culture being the stuff on TV was a better culture, but it probably wasn't. I didn't participate in that culture much either, so again, I don't know.
My take as an Anime fan is this...there has been a slow march towards blandness/sameness in Anime. Way too many Harems and the studios seemingly trying to one-up each other with their offerings in some way shape or form.Then don't watch stupid crap you won't enjoy. More anime is being made now than ever before. Even if I cut out not just "I won't like this" but also "I might not like this," I still end up with more than a dozen new shows every three months, plus watching old stuff. To take what is probably a cliched example, let's cut out every show in the Fall season set in high school, because who wants to watch yet another high school show, amirite? (I still watch high school shows if I think I'll enjoy them; Euphonium was great). Out of fifty new series, FIFTY, actually half of them have even a slight connection to any school (counting magic and middle schools as well). That's still twenty-five series that escape that filter. So even the most arbitrary filter still leaves more to watch every four months than Japan used to get in a year and America used to get in half a decade. And you can (almost) get it all for free, legally if you're so inclined.

So, to sum up, the anime's pretty good right now if we can be annoyed about getting GuP skins on one platform and not another. Looking forward to the movie. I am a hermit who cannot speak for the social consequences of watching anime while being a member of society.

[Tev]

The wife and I picked up a Crunchyroll account a few months ago and I've been getting to sample the newer generation of anime. Overall it's not that different from where we started in the 90's. If anything, things have gotten more interesting as the shows have gotten more niche. As examples:

Food Wars: This anime is born of every cooking competition that my wife and I already love to watch on TV with the added anime spin of overdramatizing all of it and wrapping it up in a high school anime package. The content is pretty relatable to us, but is also very exciting.

Is it Okay to Pick up Girls in a Dungeon?: My wife found this one very sweet, and since we're both RPG gamers and just came off of devouring Sword Art Online, this anime resonated well with us and had a fun and light hearted quality to it.

Cute High Earth Defense Club Love!: This is pretty much ironic popcorn entertainment for us. It's formulaic as shit, but no worse that any random episode of Sailor Moon was, with the added bonus of the main characters being guys who mostly want nothing to do with being forced into being "magical girls" while at the same time having fun with the absurdity of the situation by calling out how rediculous it is and even just making up random attack names on the fly. It's a sort of subversion of the magical girl genre that we can get behind.

Kamgami no Asobi: This is straight up a reverse harem. Girl gets kidnapped by Zeus and dropped into a divine high school surrounded by hot young gods who, for some silly reason of another, end up loving her to death. The wife eats this stuff up because the gods are hot. It's about what you'd expect from any other harem anime but tailored to the female gaze. It is good to see the industry tailoring to females more now with stuff like this.

The Fruit of Grisaia: Another subversion of the harem genre. This time everyone in the show seems to be aware that they are supposed to be in a harem anime and are trying their level best to avoid that plot train like the plague. Also it's really dark. Everyone has psychological issues and people get burried alive by the people they trust while their cat dies in a traffic accident.

AMNESIA: This entry is strictly here to discuss how the art has gotten better over the years. This show is gorgeous in every way. The character designs and outfits are amazing.

Anyway, there are way more shows to comment on than I have time for right now, but my point is this: things are getting better, not worse. There is so much diversity out there right now that I am frequently amazed at the new and novel things that get made, even if much of it isn't really for me. The stuff that is for me however has been top notch.

[Gregness]

Food Wars: This anime is born of every cooking competition that my wife and I already love to watch on TV with the added anime spin of overdramatizing all of it and wrapping it up in a high school anime package. The content is pretty relatable to us, but is also very exciting.


I checked this out on a whim 'cause I've been getting into cooking myself recently (i.e. over the last few years) and I haven't regretted it even a little. Well, except maybe when I had to explain to some friends of mine that it wasn't just a food fetish anime (and these guys are anime watchers, mind).


Is it Okay to Pick up Girls in a Dungeon?: My wife found this one very sweet, and since we're both RPG gamers and just came off of devouring Sword Art Online, this anime resonated well with us and had a fun and light hearted quality to it.


Have you seen Log Horizon?

Edit:

...To take what is probably a cliched example, let's cut out every show in the Fall season set in high school, because who wants to watch yet another high school show, amirite? (I still watch high school shows if I think I'll enjoy them; Euphonium was great)...

I know this was mostly just as an example, but if School-live (Gakkou Gurashi) ran afoul of that filter, you really should give it another shot. Watch all of the first episode, and you'll know whether you want to stick with it.

[phil_]

Gakkou Gurashi might be my favorite show I'm currently watching. It ticks a lot of boxes that normally don't get ticked at the same time. Kind of like Garupan which started this thread, except completely different. It's also a much more competent zombie story than High school of the Dead was, in that it rides the literary aspects of good zombie stories (struggling against hopelessness, ambiguity, isolation, etc.) rather than just sticking the aesthetics of a zombie movie onto an action cartoon. Please no one read that if you plan on watching School Live but haven't yet.

[shiney]

Overlord!

[Gregness]

Overlord!

About all I know about that one is it's another 'trapped in an MMO' thing. How is it?

[Grandmaster_Skweeb]

Take my endorsement for what it's worth since tastes vary from person to person but I typically can't stand most anime and would rather read a manga any day. With that said, Overlord! is very much worth watching.

Sure the trapped in an mmo thing isn't anything new but what I like about it is it doesn't try to make it seem like a novel concept that hasn't been done before. That and there hasn't been any really fuckin' annoying characters thus far, so it's got that going for it.

[shiney]

The shortest way I would explain it, piggybacking on Skweeb's biz there, is it's a trapped in MMO game where instead the guy trapped is the Boss, and also kind of the bad guy in a way (but not really). And hilarity ensues.

[phil_]

Bit of a sharp veer in subject, but I keep reading things online that make me feel like I missed out on some kind of possibly life affirming experience by not watching the Love Live! movie. I'm not sure what that speaks to the state of more. Anime movies (of the non-Ghibli variety) are still a big event when they get an US release, but no longer so much of an aberration that I'd have had to drive more than an hour to watch it. I totally could have gone. So that's definitely a state of anime thing. But then that's also a state-of-phil_, "What am I doing with my life?" thing. So yeah, torn.

[BB]

I keep reading things online that make me feel like I missed out on some kind of possibly life affirming experience by not watching the Love Live! movie.

Yeah same. Except as a Britlander there's no way I can watch it because they forgot Europe exists (although we are used to that). Hoping it'll still be being shown in december since I'll be in the States then. I've managed to avoid all spoilers since it was first shown in Japan, I'm quite proud!

[phil_]

Hoping it'll still be being shown in december since I'll be in the States then.Pretty sure it was limited to one weekend in all but maybe Los Angeles. Even normal movies don't tend to stay in theaters for more than a month or two at most. Something like LotR might hang around in really big, twenty screen theaters for a season, and second run theaters exist, but I think you're stuck with me in watching the Bluray and wondering what could have been.

It does suck that they forgot Europe exists, though. I think Africa got shafted too. Let's just look at the website: 2015/09/03
“LOVE LIVE! THE SCHOOL IDOL MOVIE” RELEASE INFORMATION – UPDATED!

The information of “Love Live! The School Idol Movie” has been updated!
<Scheduled Regions and Countries>

...

UK
Handler: Anime Limited
Cities: Edinburgh
Date (Screening Event): October 18, 2015

Are you a bad enough dude, BB?

[BB]

I... I mean, I don't know... an englishman in Scotland? Historically that's never gone well.

Also train fares are prohibitively expensive for journeys long enough to justify train travel.

The (fleeting) hope is that some small cinema will pick it up while I'm in the US, or perhaps Crunchyroll will have it by then.

[phil_]

Also train fares are prohibitively expensive for journeys long enough to justify train travel.A plane ticket would cost me over $1,000. Think of the comparative expense. Think of the SIF codes. Think of taking pictures and posting them here.

Also I voted for CJ (http://t.co/D5eod9ecT5) (#58). Other people should do that.

[Overcast]

Been enjoying Your Lie in April even if I know where it is going. It is rather beautiful and is doing for me for classical compisition what Kids on the Slope did for Jazz. Reminding me I like it more than I let on.

[BB]

Also I voted for CJ (http://t.co/D5eod9ecT5) (#58). Other people should do that.

You're right! Other people should vote for CJ (http://artvsart.net/vote.php) (Painting 58)!

Art Vs Art is a contest where you vote for CJ (http://artvsart.net/vote.php) (painting 58) and the losing painting (the one that isn't painting 58 (http://artvsart.net/vote.php)) gets destroyed in alarmingly violent ways! The crowd-pleaser is the chainsaw but there's also such delights as being ripped to pieces by a man in a gorrilla suit and a fire-breather immolates it!

There's a lot of paintings that aren't painting 58 by CJ (http://artvsart.net/vote.php) so you get to pick three votes total (that's two, plus the one for CJ (http://artvsart.net/vote.php)) and the loser spins the Wheel Of Death!

As a special promotion, people who vote for CJ (http://artvsart.net/vote.php) (painting 58) get a free public tweet by me announcing to the world a reason I think they are cool! (A reason besides the fact they voted for CJ (http://artvsart.net/vote.php) because everyone knows that makes them cool already!)

Also, Scotland is too far away (http://artvsart.net/vote.php), honestly. And I don't think we'll get SIF codes! A lot of places didn't do them even in (http://artvsart.net/vote.php) the US :( (http://artvsart.net/vote.php)

[BB]

Paragraph 8 here (http://blog.alltheanime.com/world-premiere-of-gundam-the-origin-ii-set-for-london-in-october/) basically confirms Love Live Movie is coming to London.

One month before I fly so I can't afford to go!

But it's fine since I've been forbidden to watch it anyway. "I didn't watch it without you so you can't watch it without me!"

[phil_]

What is the mobile suit on that poster supposed to be? A Gogg? A really mellow Z'gok? Or did they decide to ignore the already wonderful Zaku-1 to make some new prototype Zaku?

[Karrrrrrrrrrrresche]

This has been one of the most varied and "Original" anime seasons in a while for me. Overlord turns the "Stuck in the MMO" genre on its head, himouto umaru-chan offers a lot of fun twists on cliche character archetypes and has fresh humor compared to a lot of the comedy I see out of anime. Durararararararararraa and Gatchaman, both continuing seasons for shows that uphold a standard of excellence and distancing themselves from their genres entirely.

There were two harem anime that got popularized this season: GATE and the monster girl one. GATE put a good effort into trying something new by adding politics and military action into the mix, but it shot itself in the foot with imperialist and JSDF wank. It has an interesting world and some interesting characters, but the author has an agenda to push.

Didn't watch the monster girl anime.

[Tev]

The monster girl anime got traction after being a really popular manga. My wife recognized it when we saw an ad for it but thought to was a bit to ecchi for us to enjoy.

[Flarecobra]

Yeah... That it was Tev.

[Overcast]

Flare is simply enjoying seeing more Lamia representation in the media.

[Flarecobra]

At least in a manner that suggests that they're more then just random wandering fleshy sacks of EXP for "The Hero" to slay.

[Gregness]

I finished watching Fate/stay night (the new one) the other day, and Unlimited Budget Works is apt. I knew of the Fate franchise before this, but it was just through cultural osmosis from the rest of the anime scene. Gotta say, though the budget obviously led to some really gorgeous visuals, the actual fight choreography was... I dunno, lacking in some areas? I guess stuff like Avatar has spoiled me in that respect. None of it was actually bad mind you, it's that it was only above average when the visuals were so damn smooth and gorgeously animated.

Really liked it overall, but I may have to watch it again in a few weeks 'cause I kind of binged it when I should have been doing homework so it kind of takes some of the luster off. Maybe I'll revise my opinion some then.

Edit: Also, I've started in on Symphogear and the mood whiplash is real. It's like, slice of life shit one minute and girls bleeding from their eyeballs the next.

[Kyanbu The Legend]

It seems we just lost another great studio.
http://kotaku.com/the-anime-studio-that-made-samurai-champloo-and-gangsta-1733966301?utm_campaign=Socialflow_Kotaku_Facebook&utm_source=Kotaku_Facebook&utm_medium=Socialflow



Well, that’s disappointing.

Manglobe (マングローブ), the anime studio behind such hits as Samurai Champloo, The World God Only Knows series, and this past season’s hit, GANGSTA. is kaput.

According to a report from animeanime.biz, Manglobe had started procedures for bankruptcy on the 29th after being in a state of insolvency for some time.

Apparently this was not common knowledge when the news broke yesterday evening, much to the surprise and chagrin of many contractors involved who had no idea their livelihood had just gone tits up.

An animator, Toshio Kobayashi, aka SNIPES, tweeted last night, “[Urgent] Please give me work.” Followed by the tweet, “[Breaking news] I’m unemployed.”





Hideo Komori, the director of the Hayate no Gotoku! movie tweeted, “My salary hasn’t been wired?...”



Manglobe has had a reputation for high quality anime that express individual creators’ uniqueness.

At the time of bankruptcy, the studio was working on the anime movie Genocidal Organ, the second in a series of highly anticipated anime movies based on the works of the late novelist Keikaku Itoh. Production of the movie will likely be taken over by a different company.

Genocidal Organ was scheduled for release on November 13th, but with the current situation it’s likely that the release date will be delayed.

Manglobe was founded in 2002 and took off with a bang with its first series, Samurai Champloo.

It will be missed.



They will be dearly missed.

[Jesus]

http://40.media.tumblr.com/7c0954999bbc4cdbea4613fa68194a99/tumblr_nv7a5tJt1g1utpxboo1_400.jpg

I liked Umaru Chan

[Aerozord]

One Punch Man snime aired (free and legal version here) (http://www.hulu.com/watch/851641#i0,p0,d0) and only thing that left me abit disappointed was the little girl wasn't wearing a shirt that said "School Child"

[Gregness]

One Punch Man snime aired (free and legal version here) (http://www.hulu.com/watch/851641#i0,p0,d0) and only thing that left me abit disappointed was the little girl wasn't wearing a shirt that said "School Child"

Yeah, I wasn't sure what to expect going into that one, but it was pretty funny.

The opening was pretty boss.

Also, there's a new Gundam series playing this season, and the first episode was very promising. (http://www.daisuki.net/anime/watch/MOBILESUITGUNDAMIRONBLOODEDORPHANS/Ipd)

[Tev]

Anyone got any thoughts on Nobunaga the Fool (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=15712)? It's a mecha anime that I just ran across and I'm rather enjoying it. It's got a sort of "East meets West" vibe except each culture has its own planet and just about every notable historical figure is crammed into the story some way or another. The character designs and mecha are pretty impressive.

[phil_]

I remember what went down in Nobunaga the Fool, and the second half was pretty good, but I think the only reason I watched it was for Sugita and Miyano's voices. The mechs are definitely cool. You have to be on board for Jeanne d'Arc boobs to get through it, too. Not that she was a terrible heroine, just Himiko was better, and Ichihime was the best despite being married around as a political tool.

[Nique]

i just watched 'grave of the fireflies' for the first time.

somebody hold me.

[Tev]

Oh you poor dear....were you not warned?

[Gregness]

The way I understand it, even if you're warned it's not really enough.

I should really get around to watching it some day.

[Fenris]

http://40.media.tumblr.com/7c0954999bbc4cdbea4613fa68194a99/tumblr_nv7a5tJt1g1utpxboo1_400.jpg

I liked Umaru Chan

http://i.imgur.com/0PEdCl6.png

[Overcast]

I'll admit to liking Umaru as well while we're on the topic.

[phil_]

I'll admit to liking Sylphynford and her ridiculous puffy skirts.

[Fenris]

Every character except for Umaru was pretty much ok, but holy shit Umaru herself annoyed me.

[Gregness]

The second episode of One Punch Man had me tearing up today from laughing so hard, and Iron-Blooded Orphans looks to not be pulling any punches with its subject matter.

[BB]

Any of you folks watched the new series of Mushi-shi?

Mushi-shi sure does... it certainly is a... it definitely exists. I like it, but I couldn't possibly explain why.

[Aerozord]

re-watching the first episode of One Punch Man, my only issue with the animation is at several points it felt too rubbery. That works with some series but it really takes away the weight of Saitama's punches. The gore wasn't there for shock value, it was to stress the brutality of even a single attack, which was contrasted by his casual indifference, thus humor. It doesn't kill it and they avoid it when it matters most but it does lessen it to a degree.

Also shame for missing that joke in episode two

"There is no emotions when I fight. Its like swatting an insect." cue mosquito scene

[Gregness]

... it was to stress the brutality of even a single attack...

Special move: Multiple Consecutive Punches.

[Grandmaster_Skweeb]

re-watching the first episode of One Punch Man, my only issue with the animation is at several points it felt too rubbery. That works with some series but it really takes away the weight of Saitama's punches.

Eh, I figure it is as much a stylization choice as it is a nod to ONE's onepunch man's webtoon before Yusuke Murata picked it up for redrawing as a manga.

[shiney]

I've been watching Ore Monogatari lately and it is absolutely killing me with sweetness. I can't even.

[phil_]

Ore MonogatariI love how, despite Takeo being Earth's mightiest hero, the way he dresses outside of school (crappy t-shirts and board shorts) and how he slouches make him come off very strongly as still some first-year high school kid.

Rinko could have used some more characterization than "sweets" and "Takeo kakkoii," but I guess she had her moments with her friends, plus the first and last arcs are largely about her feelings.

[shiney]

It's just unacceptable levels of saccharine adorbs.

[phil_]

You're all watching One-Punch Man, right? I know this is the stuff most of you like.

[Gregness]

You're all watching One-Punch Man, right? I know this is the stuff most of you like.

I totally want to be a saikyou hero (https://streamable.com/eoha)

[RobinStarwing]

This thread is still alive? O_O Anyways, you guys bring up some good points.

As for me...I'm eagerly awaiting Girls Und Panzer der Film...

Oqk8Eg1A0RI

[Gregness]

Okay, follow-up to my mention of Symphogear a while back: I caught up to the end of season three, so I'm now current and I hope they end up going for a season 4.

To be sure, this is not a show you watch for the clever and thought-provoking narrative, but god damn if this isn't the hype-est shit. (https://streamable.com/c0ic)

Some context for the scene. The titular Symphogears are basically magic armor fueled by the power of J-pop. This clip is from the first ~5 minutes of season 3's episode 1 (don't worry, there's not much in the way of spoilers), and the cast is trying to stop a shuttle carrying some plot tokens from crashing.

[BB]

...So Symphogear isn't that anime about a school band?

[RobinStarwing]

...So Symphogear isn't that anime about a school band?

In the same way Nanoha is "Magical Girl x Gundam" and Nanoha Vivid is "Magical Girl x Dragonball"...Symphogear is "Magical Girl x Macross"

[Gregness]

...So Symphogear isn't that anime about a school band?

Maybe you're thinking of K-On? (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K-On!)

[RobinStarwing]

Maybe you're thinking of K-On? (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K-On!)

Or Angel Beats.

[BB]

It was Euphonium!

[phil_]

You should watch Euphonium. Then watch the sequel with me when that airs in a year or so.

Is anyone else watching the new Utawarerumono? It's kinda sad that they replaced the frank, bloody violence and constantly present death of the first series (it's a war story) with cute girls and boys doing cute things. Of course I still enjoy it, being a fan of the genre, but it feels like a bait-and-switch. I have no problem with the near elimination of the previous show's numerous >8-sylable Ainu terms which I remember non of even having just re-watched the series.

[BB]

You should watch Euphonium. Then watch the sequel with me when that airs in a year or so.

I'm pretty sure it's on the list... or I can add it to the list without consulting my watching partner since it's in my googledocs, which is the same thing. Consider it done!

[Aerozord]

This One Punch man has atleast made me confident they will be able to handle the fights well

This thread is still alive? O_O Anyways, you guys bring up some good points.

As for me...I'm eagerly awaiting Girls Und Panzer der Film...

Oqk8Eg1A0RI

Girls Und Panzer is that anime I got with the intent of mocking it in a "so bad its good" kind of way and was shocked to learn its just simply good

[RobinStarwing]

Girls Und Panzer is that anime I got with the intent of mocking it in a "so bad its good" kind of way and was shocked to learn its just simply good

There was so many ways they could of messed this anime up but they did not and I am glad for it. :D

[BB]

I've been watching Ore Monogatari lately and it is absolutely killing me with sweetness. I can't even.

Finished episode 2, can confirm, anime equivalent of eating sugar

[Aerozord]

There was so many ways they could of messed this anime up but they did not and I am glad for it. :D

and cant beat quotes like
"they use live ammunition, but its always with safety in mind."

[RobinStarwing]

and cant beat quotes like
"they use live ammunition, but its always with safety in mind."

Well there is apparently a Carbon-Nanofiber Spall Liner inside the tanks to take the AP hits.

Also, checked out Arpeggio of Blue Steel...

zwENz04T7h4

[Aerozord]

I kind of like how one punch man occasionally uses the old crappy webcomic version of Tornado

[Overcast]

http://i.imgur.com/53eButy.jpg

[Aerozord]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v135/aerozord/12342878_1051801921530604_148629288395332235_n_zps hsuhondl.jpg

[Gregness]

http://i.imgur.com/HcZKfTo.png

[BB]

The Love Live movie is out on DVD and Bluray and inexplicably has english subtitles on the disc despite no western release!

[phil_]

Plan to watch it tomorrow as a celebration of almost certainly having a job again. I will cry.

Edit: Only cried a little.

[Kyanbu The Legend]

Greg, that right there is one of the greatest gifts we've ever gotten from One-Punch man.

[Tev]

Food Wars picked up a second season. My wife is in bliss.

[Aerozord]

Food Wars picked up a second season. My wife is in bliss.

one thing I have to ask, in the anime do they keep the fan service equal opportunity?

[Tev]

one thing I have to ask, in the anime do they keep the fan service equal opportunity?It's almost a perfect 50/50 split. In the first episode it's almost an even fan service split between guys and girls. The standard "mostly naked" character in the show is a guy. If someone is eating food, expect a clothes bursting (but tasteful*) food-gasm, no matter the gender.

*That was a food pun.

[Aerozord]

So guys One Punch Man finale, nothing too impressive am I right?

[phil_]

The first half of the episode was rather pretty. There were some nice details in the animation while Saitama decided, "Yep, this is definitely the moon," like pinching his nose and tossing the rock. Second half might've been a bit too dark, but then again we got stuff like Saitama accidentally ripping Genos' arm off, so maybe not.

[Aerozord]

Yea I really liked how they showed his thought process instead of an internal monologue.

I kind of want to overdub it with Strong Bad going "Looks like I'm gonna have to jump."

[Fenris]

So guys One Punch Man finale, nothing too impressive am I right?

I thought it was a solid adaptation of the manga. OPM or Food Wars is AOTY for me, definitely.

[Gregness]

I thought it was a solid adaptation of the manga. OPM or Food Wars is AOTY for me, definitely.

I would have been so bummed if Food Wars didn't get a second season.

Shimoneta and Gakkou Gurashi were both phenomenal as well.

I'm also loving Iron Blooded Orphans.

What else... I Can't Understand What My Husband Is Saying had its second cour, but it's a short so I dunno if most people count it as in the running for AOTY.

I think that's about all for the serious AOTY contenders I watched, though I watched more than that. Did any of you watch Chivalry of a Failed Knight (Rakudai Kishi no Cavalry)?

[Aerozord]

I think that's about all for the serious AOTY contenders I watched, though I watched more than that. Did any of you watch Chivalry of a Failed Knight (Rakudai Kishi no Cavalry)?

No but it was showing up in my recommended list. Is it good?

[Gregness]

No but it was showing up in my recommended list. Is it good?

I really enjoyed it, but objectively I guess it's a solid 7 or 8.

The thing about Cavalry, is that its setup sounds like generic as fuck high school battle-harem #546, but what makes it tick is in the execution.

Like, okay, the first episode shows our male lead getting to MAGIC HIGH SCHOOL and having the obligatory 'I walked in on you while you were changing' anime bullshit because the school assigned him a female roommate. This female roommate is a high-powered magic user from 'another kingdom' who's come to japan as part of an exchange program, and she gets pissed at the lead and she challenges him to a duel in front of the whole school. She's expecting to humiliate him, because he's ranked as the worst student in the school, but of course, our MC wins.

Sounds like half the shit that's aired this year, right? Well, in response to walking in on the female lead, instead of freaking out, he tries to defuse the situation by taking his own clothes off so it'd be even. And he wins the duel not because he's some naturally overpowered prodigy, but because his awful home life caused him to throw himself into his martial arts so that while he's one of the worst at using his magic, he's also one of the only students with actual battle skills. And despite teasing a harem, the two leads actually admit their mutual interest and start dating in like episode 3 or 4. Basically every character who seems like 'oh, they're the token bro-con/gay/tsundere/whatever' turn out to have some real depth to them.

The music is generally pretty boss, too:

QQT87UgNbvc

[Solid Snake]

I just played the Steins;Gate VN, then watched the Steins;Gate anime, then watched the OVA and the movie, and now I want to play it all over again.

...Sorry, all other animes ever. You all had a good run. You've been defeated.

[BB]

So we finally got back to Ore Monogatari and watched episodes 3 and 4 and Takeo and Yamato are an item now (should I... should I spoiler that) and I'm left wondering how the heck it's going to manage another 20 episodes? It's cute as heck but it can't pull out 20 episodes of fluff, my teeth will fall out. I think Madoka has ruined me, I'm expecting some awful tragedy to happen. Suna doesn't die, right?

Oh man, he does, doesn't he? He dies protecting the lovebirds from something and his last words are spent expressing his happiness that he could give his life ensuring they could stay together and then the emotional fallout from that changes their relationship forever and--

Nah ok it's probably 99% fluff. I'm fine with this!

[phil_]

It's 24 episodes of Takeo and Yamada being adorable at each other. There are other characters, they do other things.

Maybe you could balance it out with something bitter and hateful? Narutaru is worth a read if you're up for some tragedy and violence ending pointlessly (the anime is ok, but ends at the beginning of the story). Or Koe no Katachi if you want something more grounded and a bit less purely nihilistic. … Ah, what's something with an anime worth watching that's intentionally bleak? I've heard sad things about Saikano, but haven't watched it myself. Google seems to think Shin Sekai Yori is a relevant result for "bleak anime," and I'd say its occasional violence and moments where you can put on your thinking cap if you want to would make it an excellent pairing with the pure lightheartedness of Ore Monogatari. Yeah, go with Shin Sekai Yori, it has cats.

[BB]

So! We knew Love Live was getting a dub. What we didn't know was that it was being broadcast on TV today, because they only gave us about 12 hours notice of it. It was on Mnet America, which no one I know has access to apparently (and they don't have an online service for us Brits either). Curious and frustrated!

[Gregness]

Symphogear's fourth season just got the green light. (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2016-02-27/symphogear-anime-gets-sequel/.99157)

As long as they keep on suplexing space shuttles to rockin' soundtracks, they can keep making this shit forever as far as I care.

[RobinStarwing]

Symphogear's fourth season just got the green light. (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2016-02-27/symphogear-anime-gets-sequel/.99157)

As long as they keep on suplexing space shuttles to rockin' soundtracks, they can keep making this shit forever as far as I care.

Symphogear...

Magical Girl x Macross :smug:

[Solid Snake]

I love you all, because THERE IS GOING TO BE A PHOENIX WRIGHT ACE ATTORNEY ANIME


6wINxs769CE

[Tev]

What is this?

HYrVKLBhitE

[phil_]

That would be gay ice-skating horse idols, Tev.

Best Mike could figure going on the website is that it's a promo for a TV anime (with no release window, staff, or sponsors) to promote a cellphone card game by Cygames (which doesn't exist yet). Personally, I'm satisfied with the cartoon we already have, but would probably watch this strange thing if it really does air.

Speaking of things that will air, My Hero Academia's first episode airs soon. It's based on one of them Weekly Shonen Jump comics, but I actually look forward to reading it every week (as opposed to Bleach, where my feelings are of resignation). The anime probably won't capture a lot of what I like (because TV isn't drawn in panels on pages), but I think the story and characters will make good TV. Try to watch it.

Oh, and more Jojo starts this week. If you thought Stardust Crusaders had too much brawling and not enough goofing off with punch ghosts, you'll like this better.

[Kyanbu The Legend]

I see, Was wondering what this was after bumping into a meme on FB.

[Fenris]

The Ace Attorney anime is made simultaneously much better and much worse by associating all the characters primarily with that Nuklear Wright thing we did 7 years ago or whatever.

POS, you're such a villain!

[Sithdarth]

I started watching the Ace Attorney anime out of curiosity. Having absolutely no experience with the game at all I still somehow find it equal parts hilarious and engaging. Even if I had no idea the game existed it would still be very clear there was a pretty strong underlying game theme. The first episode pretty much screamed tutorial. The only thing missing was the prompts telling you which buttons to push.

[Tev]

Seems like the studio behind Legend of Kora is making something amazing.

cNj9D6amefA

“Big Fish & Begonia (http://www.catsuka.com/news/2016-04-19/big-fish-et-begonia-was-da-hai-long-metrage-d-animation-chinois-enfin-termine)” animated feature film by B&T Studios and Studio Mir (Legend of Korra) will be released this summer in China.

[RobinStarwing]

So...I watched a video today from Gaijin Goomba...

p_nurDfEq9M

He brings up some fairly good points. We have to be willing to stand up and sometimes not let a fandom drag out favorite series down. :)

[mauve]

Seems like the studio behind Legend of Kora is making something amazing.

cNj9D6amefA

Gorgeous. I'm a sucker for nice animation, and I hope this gets released in the US in one form or another-- I'd love to see what this is about. I'm not incredibly familiar with Chinese folktales or classic stories other than things like Journey to the West and Romance of the Three Kingdoms, but I'm definitely getting that kind of fairytale vibe from this. It also reminds me a bit of Spirited Away and Ponyo.

[RobinStarwing]

And on Crunchyroll is High School Fleet...go watch it people!

[Solid Snake]

Just cranked out the ten episodes of Konosuba today.
It's hysterical. Well worth it if you're looking for an anime to watch that's basically the Seinfeld for JRPGs (a bunch of selfish, lazy protagonists with screwed up motivations bumbling around a fantasy world.)

[phil_]

Yes, that is my favorite genre, Snake. See avatar.

[Fenris]

Boku no Hero Academia is fantastic and the manga is also fantastic. I can't remember the last time a story arc has resolved as satisfactorily as the one I just finished reading.

[Gregness]

I almost dropped Sakamoto Desu ga? after the first few episodes after enjoying the first one immensely. It seemed like they had the one pretty good gag, but not much else to hold it up. I started enjoying the show again after realizing that Sakamoto is basically a Sidereal Exalt trolling everyone.

[Aerozord]

Boku no Hero Academia is fantastic and the manga is also fantastic. I can't remember the last time a story arc has resolved as satisfactorily as the one I just finished reading.

minor spoiler (because its what doesn't happen) also only shonen series I've seen where the tournament is the one thing they DO finish

[RobinStarwing]

The series finale of High School Fleet in just a few words...

Rules of Anime #36: When the anime's theme song starts to play at the climax of the story...you KNOW awesome is about to start happening.

[Gregness]

You guys got your eyes on anything particular for next season? I'm pretty psyched for the second season of Food Wars (even if it is super lame that it's just 13 episodes), I'll be checking out the Tales of Zestiria anime, Berserk 'cause a friend of mine loves it, and following the second half of Re:Zero.

Also, supposedly Persona 5 will have an OVA come out at some point, and Under the Dog is finally scheduled to come out.

[phil_]

I am contractually obligated to look forward to and enjoy Love Live Sunshine, so there's that. And Amanchu is getting an anime, so I'll watch that because Aria is great (even if I haven't finished it after, like, three years).

[BB]

Oh yes doki doki Sunshine

I hope it is good and also doesn't suck

The audio dramas indicate they've got the same slice-of-life chemistry the original girls had, but the main character is kind of an ass and a looooot of the stuff is just a copy-paste. I also don't think they're established enough to be able to get away with the drama-drama stuff- I hope it's a more mellow affair this time. I'm interested, and I want it to do well, but I'm cautious.

Worldwide simultaneous streaming though! That's pretty rad!

EDIT: baw reading this post back it feels so much more negative than I intended

[Gregness]

Oh, also Mob Psycho 100 because it's by the same author as One Punch Man, so I'll at least check out the first few episodes.

[pochercoaster]

I lost my shit when I heard that they're making a new Berserk anime, 'cause it's picking up where the original anime/the movies left off. Like, my body is not ready.

If you haven't already you should watch the Berserk movies or the original anime to catch up. (Note that the first ep of the original anime is kinda dumb but it gets better.) Also note that the end of the third movie is basically torture porn and it could be awkward to watch with other people XD

Also, everyone should watch Lovely Muco. It's amazing. (Also tonally about as far away from Berserk as you could possibly be.) It's good to watch when you need something light-hearted.

Edit: WAIT WHAT Berserk is tomorrow on crunchyroll OMFG

[MasterOfMagic]

I don't believe you.

[Aerozord]

Also note that the end of the third movie is basically torture porn and it could be awkward to watch with other people XD


Saw it in manga form, NEVER AGAIN

[MuMu]

I was left without Internet last night so I resorted to watch some movies that were on my backlog:

• Rakuen Tsuihou: Expelled From Paradise (http://myanimelist.net/anime/13391/Rakuen_Tsuihou__Expelled_from_Paradise) wasn't anything special but mad pretty, kinda like one of those anime games in the PS4

• Colorful (http://myanimelist.net/anime/8142/Colorful_Movie) was pretty emotional, and I greatly enjoy stories about afterlife and second chances

[phil_]

I hope it is good and also doesn't suck
The CG in the Aquarium video was a big step ahead of any in the franchise before, so at very least we should get some pretty dancing. As far as sameness, there's enough going on with the girls that's different, and even the similar characters aren't that similar. Mari seems like a very different gaijin character than Eli, even if they're both tall, blonde, hafus. Mari's way more outwardly goofy, whereas Eli's dorky enthusiasm is more of her hidden side.

[MasterOfMagic]

Holy shit its real how did I not hear about Berserk continuing until literally the day before.

talk about a rock holy fuck beans

[Arcanum]

Holy shit its real how did I not hear about Berserk continuing until literally the day before.

talk about a rock holy fuck beans

They're also making a Berserk musou game (dynasty warriors style game).

[phil_]

Not phone posting now, so time to be like Hell yeah I'm watching Berserk! I'm not sure how much they can get away with on TV vs. what's in the comics, but I'm psyched to see, like, Lost Children arc and the crazy priest dude smashing heads with a bible. I'm sure they won't get to the Rakshasa and stuff, but, man, this is just something I never thought would happen. And I thought there was already a musou Berserk game for PS1 or 2 or something.

I'll probably watch Mob Psycho, too, because ONE.

Also, _mike wants to watch New Game for reasons I don't understand, so that's on the menu.

[RobinStarwing]

So who saw the season finale for Sailor Moon Crystal Season III Infinity Arc?

Sailor Saturn...that is all you need to know.

[BB]

The CG in the Aquarium video was a big step ahead of any in the franchise before, so at very least we should get some pretty dancing. As far as sameness, there's enough going on with the girls that's different, and even the similar characters aren't that similar. Mari seems like a very different gaijin character than Eli, even if they're both tall, blonde, hafus. Mari's way more outwardly goofy, whereas Eli's dorky enthusiasm is more of her hidden side.

Oh yeah nah lemme clarify, I don't have an issue with any of the girls except possibly Ruby might be a little generic but she just needs time. I mean, "our school is closing, hey this other school has idols, we should do that too, but Student Prez says NO!!!!" is identical and I worry it's not doing enough to set itself apart as its own thing. It needs to firmly establish an identity of its own rather than always being Love Live 1.5. The more removed from mu's the better (at least until the inevitable joint-concert that will hopefully not even be thought about until a few years have passed).

Along those lines, the emotional whammy at the end of the mu's anime was only possible thanks to the girls being long-established and the project coming to a close in real life. Sunshine certainly can't have anything along those lines- they can't graduate one year into it, they're just getting started!

[phil_]

So Berserk was metal. Kinda doing its own thing and skipping stuff, but the first episode hit the important beats of Puck, dead child, skeleton army, so I'm still excited to see where it goes from here. I know other places on the interbutts are not happy about the CG, but that's dumb because it looked really good. It's commendable that they're trying to reproduce Miura's art in a TV anime and succeeding as well as they are.

I also finally watched Kono Suba per Snake's suggestion. More boobs than I was expecting, but it did a good job of hitting the same old issekai notes in an way that was funny to me and inconvenient/horrible for the "hero." I like that his broken Luck stat (because issekai heroes have to have something like that) was definitely not good luck, but "the most unlikely thing to happen will happen, for good or ill, largely ill," and it stayed that way to the very end. Waiting warmly for the second season.

[BB]

Sunshine

Well I'm not allowed to watch it until tomorrow because my fiancée has to go to stupid work and we couldn't figure out how to watch it in time, but initial impressions among fans seem generally positive, with some surprises in the mix. Will update with my own thoughts once the stars align just right that I can watch it, but it seems my fears are mostly allayed.

[phil_]

It's good, man. It is Love Live and it is good. Various forms of public transportation, lots of very good CG dancing (and some bad CG dancing from the first season). It doesn't pretend to be the real world and introduces our dramatis personae rather bluntly, but that's Love Live and, as I said, it is good.

[BB]

Okay, yeah. I liked it. I worry, I worry because I'm english and worrying is our national pastime, but I liked it. We both did. Yohane is everything.

Something odd, though, is that the word µ's wasn't spoken once. It was always "those guys" or similar. It's not like they're trying to be subtle about the references, so I wonder why that was.

[phil_]

Something odd, though, is that the word µ's wasn't spoken once. It was always "those guys" or similar. It's not like they're trying to be subtle about the references, so I wonder why that was.Oh no, µ's have become zombies and thus fall under the "don't say zombie" rule. At least this twist should discourage the people who insist that Sunshine is a carbon copy of the first season, once the living dead start emerging from the sea. It should make for a unique insert song.

[BB]

Dia being not only a closet fan, but an actual gatekeeper, sold me. She's fave.

[phil_]

Can't watch it until Monday since the wi-it's down and no one works on the weekend. Got Amanchu before being cut off; seeing Aria face faults actually be animated is novel and exciting.

[Solid Snake]

So after finally playing through two of the three routes in the visual novel Fate / Stay Night, which was pretty good but by no means great, I decided to try a couple episodes of the Fate / Zero anime.

Fate / Zero is ssssooooo good. The animation, the music, the characters, the adorbs yuri ship I immediately announce I'm the captain of, it's just, sssssooooo good.

[phil_]

Got to watch Sunshine today. It continues to be very silly, even with the sad bits.

Fate/Zero is neat, Kiritsugu is very fun to watch and a broken human being, I look forward to your reaction to the ending, Snake.

[Tev]

Season two of Food Wars is off to a very strong start. While I'm not as keen on the new intro music, the show itself has been pretty great so far.

[Sithdarth]

Re: Zero continues to be both super cheerful and amazingly dark at the same time. At the end of the last episode I kind of just sat in stunned silence for awhile.

[phil_]

So, what kind of show is Re: Zero? I see that it's yet another issekai story, but stunned silence sounds like they're doing something worth watching beyond "Ordinary Japanese boy suddenly has broken power in fantasy land + girls."

[Solid Snake]

Got to watch Sunshine today. It continues to be very silly, even with the sad bits.

Fate/Zero is neat, Kiritsugu is very fun to watch and a broken human being, I look forward to your reaction to the ending, Snake.

Well, having played through the Fate / Stay Night VN, don't I already know how it's going to end?
...Wait, wait. Don't spoil it for me. Maybe there's a twiiiiiist.

Toshaka Rin is the bestest of the best and my newest Waifu, so I can't wait for the Unlimited Blade Works adaptation which I'm watching next.
As for Fate / Zero, Irisviel and Saber are so adorbz together, that better be a canon ship, she's so much better for her than Shirou could ever be.

Overall, I like Zero's cast a lot more than Stay Night's; having Masters actually try to accomplish shit independently of their Servants is a real plus here. However, there is a glaring deficiency of Rin's beautiful tsundere quips. Where is your wonderful wit, Rin?

Zero's Lancer is somehow an even better take on the noble Irish Lancer than Stay Night's was, I'm rooting for him even though his Master is shitty. Iksander is awesome and I want to be his lackey. It's sad to reflect upon how Waver is destined to die through his unwitting participation. =(

[Sithdarth]

So, what kind of show is Re: Zero? I see that it's yet another issekai story, but stunned silence sounds like they're doing something worth watching beyond "Ordinary Japanese boy suddenly has broken power in fantasy land + girls."

So to start I guess I should say that on a surface level everything is usually happy and cheerful but there is always some serious emotional undertones (though the start was a bit slow). There is a political intrigue thing going on about the succession to the throne but also a mass murdering cult and discrimination against one of the main characters due to appearance. There is also a lot of emotional character building moments both solo and between characters. The protagonist is very aware of his role and is occasionally pretty meta about the whole thing (and I'm a sucker for meta).

The protagonists power is in a sense overpowered but with serious drawbacks and while it gives him the opportunity to win he still has to rely heavily on strategy and reasoning. I've largely been unable to accurately predict what's going to happen next (except for the times where they poke fun at the genre but that's kind of the point when they do that) which is really nice. So far the series as been an emotional rollercoaster ride with ups and downs everywhere.

I recommend giving it a shot. It might take a few episodes to distinguish itself from the baseline of its genre but it accelerates pretty exponentially.

[Gregness]

Re: Zero continues to be both super cheerful and amazingly dark at the same time. At the end of the last episode I kind of just sat in stunned silence for awhile.

Oh, holy shit yes. I mean, when Rem started dragging her broken almost-corpse to Subaru all I could think was a disbelieving 'Jesus Christ'.

So to start I guess I should say that on a surface level everything is usually happy and cheerful but there is always some serious emotional undertones (though the start was a bit slow). There is a political intrigue thing going on about the succession to the throne but also a mass murdering cult and discrimination against one of the main characters due to appearance. There is also a lot of emotional character building moments both solo and between characters. The protagonist is very aware of his role and is occasionally pretty meta about the whole thing (and I'm a sucker for meta).

The protagonists power is in a sense overpowered but with serious drawbacks and while it gives him the opportunity to win he still has to rely heavily on strategy and reasoning. I've largely been unable to accurately predict what's going to happen next (except for the times where they poke fun at the genre but that's kind of the point when they do that) which is really nice. So far the series as been an emotional rollercoaster ride with ups and downs everywhere.

I recommend giving it a shot. It might take a few episodes to distinguish itself from the baseline of its genre but it accelerates pretty exponentially.

If I can add something to this that hopefully isn't too spoilery, the last few episodes have been a pretty fucking brutal evisceration of the otaku self-insert MC you usually get in these shows.

[Sithdarth]

Oh, holy shit yes. I mean, when Rem started dragging her broken almost-corpse to Subaru all I could think was a disbelieving 'Jesus Christ'.


My first thought was creepy crazy priest dude was like being extra creepy but then she set him free and the reality was even more insane than what I'd imagined. For some reason what really slayed my was the special credits segment and I have no idea why. I guess it was just the cumulative impact of the rest of the episode.

If I can add something to this that hopefully isn't too spoilery, the last few episodes have been a pretty fucking brutal evisceration of the otaku self-insert MC you usually get in these shows.

I totally should have said that. I hope I did a decent job of describing how amazing this show is without giving too much away. I'm not sure I've ever had any form of entertainment invoke this much emotion from me.

[Aerozord]

Toshaka Rin is the bestest of the best and my newest Waifu, so I can't wait for the Unlimited Blade Works adaptation which I'm watching next.
As for Fate / Zero, Irisviel and Saber are so adorbz together, that better be a canon ship, she's so much better for her than Shirou could ever be.

Remember in the VN we learn Saber, unlike the others, retains continuity each time she is summoned. She recalls the events of the previous war and is aware of the chronology of events. Meaning it cant really be a canon ship since there would be some indication in the original game and her interactions with Shirou imply this wasn't the case.

[Solid Snake]

Remember in the VN we learn Saber, unlike the others, retains continuity each time she is summoned. She recalls the events of the previous war and is aware of the chronology of events. Meaning it cant really be a canon ship since there would be some indication in the original game and her interactions with Shirou imply this wasn't the case.

Her interaction with Shirou in the Fate Route might imply it, sure. Not really sure if you could say the same about the other two routes. Furthermore; (A) Bisexual people exist, (B) Polyamorous people exist, (C) Her history with a wife in her prior life, her awful, skipworthy first H-scene in the Fate route and the alternate ending of Unlimited Blade Works collectively strongly suggests Saber is both bisexual and not monogamous, and (D) Even if all that wasn't true, Saber could totally have fallen for Irisviel and just decided to accept that time had passed, she was gone and Saber needed to move on, as many people do, after they lose the people they loved. Saber neglecting to mention Irisviel to Shirou and possibly falling for Shirou herself doesn't automatically negate the chance she and Irisviel were lovers, or even that she loved Irisviel more than she would ever have feelings for anyone else.

But there are also broader continuity problems between the VN and Fate / Zero in general, as it's clear the creators of the VN way back when didn't have any conceptualization of a prequel anime being a thing. For example, in multiple routes, Saber doesn't recognize Ilyasviel despite Ilyasviel resembling Irisveil, their backstories clearly matching (and Ilyasviel shares bits and pieces about her history in the Fate route with the group), and introducing herself with her real, full name -- which Saber would recognize as she witnesses her interactions with Kiritsugu and comments on the father / daughter pair to Irisviel. Saber should've had a very different reaction to meeting Ilyasviel in the VN, but the VN was written long before the prequel anime, so she doesn't.

Granted, I haven't finished the anime, so maybe Fate / Zero actually has an answer to the seeming paradox. In the interim I consider the relationship plausible even if it ain't remotely canon because the hordes of fanart I've found for it strongly imply that I wasn't the only one watching the anime who decided those two were made for each other. (And at any rate, they're a far better match together than Kiritsugu is for either.)

EDIT: All this chatter about Saber is silly, though, because objectively speaking Rin is still the best, no one can compare to Rin.

[Steel Shadow]

To be fair, the Fate/Zero was written by someone else, who tried to be clever acting within the exact words of the details Saber and others gave of the 4th word while changing their actual meaning from what it seemed they were implying. Sometimes this worked. Sometimes it didn't. In the case of Illya, I think they just give an excuse of 'Well it had been like a decade, she didn't think they could be the same person'. Not really great, but there it is.

I don't think it's really all that fair to take what Stay Night says about Zero as an indication of anything, honestly. I don't think the idea of Iri had even been thought up at the time. Despite being a prequel, sometimes it feels like the two are almost in separate continuities.

[Solid Snake]

Sometimes this worked. Sometimes it didn't. In the case of Illya, I think they just give an excuse of 'Well it had been like a decade, she didn't think they could be the same person'. Not really great, but there it is.

I'm more inclined to believe your 'separate continuities' theory, as it's silly to imagine that Saber couldn't put two and two together, particularly as Iyla looks almost exactly like a decade-older version of her younger self in Zero, and there isn't much of a time gap between Grail Wars from Saber's subjective perspective.

At any rate, I view Fate / Zero as more instructive as to letting Stay Night fans get into Kiritsugu's mind and compare and contrast what he really believed and how he actually acted from how Shirou remembers him. It's more kind of a "This is who Kiritsugu really was" kind of story, as opposed to a "This is how the Fourth Grail War really went down" kind of story, if that makes sense. I can't really view it as a literal predecessor to Stay Night's Fate route and still believe that Saber, with all her nobility and human decency, would knowingly attempt to convince Shirou to condemn Irisviel's and Kiritsugu's daughter to death after her Servant had been defeated and she was no longer a threat.

On the flip side, Stay Night's Unlimited Blade Works route still connects nicely to Zero without nearly as many inconsistencies, which might explain why ufotable ran with that parallel universe and not Fate as their followup. (I haven't played through Heaven's Feel yet, so I have no valid opinion there.)

[Aerozord]

Her interaction with Shirou in the Fate Route might imply it, sure. Not really sure if you could say the same about the other two routes. Furthermore; (A) Bisexual people exist, (B) Polyamorous people exist, (C) Her history with a wife in her prior life, her awful, skipworthy first H-scene in the Fate route and the alternate ending of Unlimited Blade Works collectively strongly suggests Saber is both bisexual and not monogamous, and (D) Even if all that wasn't true, Saber could totally have fallen for Irisviel and just decided to accept that time had passed, she was gone and Saber needed to move on, as many people do, after they lose the people they loved. Saber neglecting to mention Irisviel to Shirou and possibly falling for Shirou herself doesn't automatically negate the chance she and Irisviel were lovers, or even that she loved Irisviel more than she would ever have feelings for anyone else.

Just to be clear, I wasn't talking about her sexual orientation, but her feelings towards Shirou. Because you say she moved on, but remember Saber has continuity but that also means to Saber she died like a week ago. Alt continuity might be different but then its not really a canon OTP regardless, or atleast not one that would overwrite her with Shirou.

On that tangent if you really want some continuity mind screwing check out Fate/Hollow. There is absolutely no way this fits into any of the storyarcs. For one thing most of the characters you are talking to are supposed to be dead in one time line or another.
I haven't played through Heaven's Feel yet, so I have no valid opinion there.

I haven't finished it but, oh boy if you hated Shinji before

[Solid Snake]

I haven't finished it but, oh boy if you hated Shinji before

I'll actually probably never even start the VN version of Heaven's Feel because of all the awful-sounding content in there. At least the anime movies next year will likely present a tamer version of events, so I'll watch that instead -- the Unlimited Blade anime was so faithful to (censored versions of) the VN content that I feel ufotable can be trusted on that count. Of course, it's also hard to motivate myself for another go-round the VN when Rin's by far my favorite character and I just had the pleasure of enjoying her Route. Can't say I feel any similar attachment to Sakura, only pity.

As for Shinji, I actually think he's my biggest problem with the two Routes of the VN I've played so far. Shirou's entire premise is that he's a do-gooder who envisions himself as a superhero...and then Shinji acts like a misogynistic jackass and even openly gloats about abusing Sakura and Shirou's just like "Shinji sure is a hard guy to befriend! I will have to work even harder to maintain our crazy-ass friendship!!!"

...No, Shirou, you should've called the Cops on that fucker years ago. Sakura's a battered victim, of course she's going to downplay it and try to rationalize Shinji's behavior to you, it's your responsibility to look through that shit, beat the guy to a living pulp, and stop pretending any facade of friendship exists.

Like, it shouldn't have taken the revelation that Shinji was a Master to convince Shirou that jackass needed a nice new suite in hell to burn in

[Steel Shadow]

On that tangent if you really want some continuity mind screwing check out Fate/Hollow. There is absolutely no way this fits into any of the storyarcs. For one thing most of the characters you are talking to are supposed to be dead in one time line or another.


To be fair, Hollow justifies itself a bit (Rin fucked up) and then... But that's spoilers, probably. Still, it makes for a fun setting.

I'll actually probably never even start the VN version of Heaven's Feel because of all the awful-sounding content in there. At least the anime movies next year will likely present a tamer version of events, so I'll watch that instead -- the Unlimited Blade anime was so faithful to (censored versions of) the VN content that I feel ufotable can be trusted on that count. Of course, it's also hard to motivate myself for another go-round the VN when Rin's by far my favorite character and I just had the pleasure of enjoying her Route. Can't say I feel any similar attachment to Sakura, only pity.

As for Shinji, I actually think he's my biggest problem with the two Routes of the VN I've played so far. Shirou's entire premise is that he's a do-gooder who envisions himself as a superhero...and then Shinji acts like a misogynistic jackass and even openly gloats about abusing Sakura and Shirou's just like "Shinji sure is a hard guy to befriend! I will have to work even harder to maintain our crazy-ass friendship!!!"

...No, Shirou, you should've called the Cops on that fucker years ago. Sakura's a battered victim, of course she's going to downplay it and try to rationalize Shinji's behavior to you, it's your responsibility to look through that shit, beat the guy to a living pulp, and stop pretending any facade of friendship exists.

Like, it shouldn't have taken the revelation that Shinji was a Master to convince Shirou that jackass needed a nice new suite in hell to burn in

Heaven's Feel is... Yeah, I can understand not wanting to play that. I view it as part of the whole story though. Like, the Tiger Dojo describes it as the B side to Fate and UBW's A side, I think. The first two routes show you the characters, show you what makes them strong and how they can develop and grow stronger into their full potentials.

Heaven's Feel is all about ripping those characters apart. Undermining everything that makes them tick, and turning every strength into weakness. It's not my favorite route, and I'm quite happy to never play it again, and to skip on the movie series.

In slight defense of Shirou (not much, because yeah, you're right, the boy is a blind idiot) he did beat the crap out of Shinji. He just doesn't play it up much because that's not Shirou. I think all he says about it is "We were good friends. One day Shinji hit Sakura. So I hit Shinji. He hasn't been around much since then." or something along those lines. But even if he hospitalized the fucker, it definitely wasn't enough - even if there's no way he could realize how bad the actual problem was ('cus Jesus).

[Aerozord]

Part of Shinji and Shirou's relationship is also a Japanese thing. You do not meddle in family affairs. This attitude is changing but at the time it was made it was still heavily ingrained into their culture. The thing that upset me most about Fate route was that he lived, and one of my favorite things about UBW is thats the one where he gets the most horrible death. Spoiler, he does die in Heaven's Feel but its a quick death and he doesn't deserve it.

I'm not saying its worth it, but Heaven's Feel has two upsides in my opinion. First, its the only one where Shirou stops being so freakin self sacrificing. He learns to value his life and to be abit selfish and care about what he wants.

The other is we get alot more about Rider, her personality, thought processes. Which is nice, really made me appreciate a character that was otherwise just a fairly silent antagonist.

[Solid Snake]

The thing that upset me most about Fate route was that he lived, and one of my favorite things about UBW is thats the one where he gets the most horrible death.

Uh, I think you reversed that: Ilyasviel kills off Shinji in the Fate route with Berserker after he loses Rider, while Rin makes the incredibly ill-advised decision to save Shinji's ass in UBW. It's honestly just about the only thing in UBW that I really dislike about the route, the fact that it's the only route where Shinji is spared.
(Maybe the UBW anime ends differently than the VN? I'm basing this all on the VN outcomes as the only anime I've been watching so far is Zero.)

[Aerozord]

I might just have it backwards, its been YEARS since I last saw/played it.

[phil_]

I enjoyed the self-aware parts of this week's LL Sunshine very much. Namely, You being inexplicably popular before they've even done anything, and Dia acting as the voice of the internet's collective shouting of "You're just copying μ's! Everyone's only here because they're being nice!" Didn't think they'd bring that up at all (since it's true), so I'm not disappointed that they side-stepped addressing it (because the show speaks for itself on being something new).

Berserk is still metal. Looks like it's going to towards following the comic in the fourth episode.

I'm really enjoying Regalia. It is unashamedly, "Here are some killer sweet giant robots who are also girls fighting with magic and hellfire. This is cool and you know it is." I wonder when the robot fights are going to stop being so animated. I also wonder why a high school aged girl is a national Press Secretary.

[Fenris]

I'm deliberately stalling after watching 11 episodes of Re:Zero just to avoid being sad more.

[Sithdarth]

I'm deliberately stalling after watching 11 episodes of Re:Zero just to avoid being sad more.

Oh man did you try and binge watch Re:Zero? You definitely need a break and as a warning it totally just keeps escalating.

[Fenris]

Oh man did you try and binge watch Re:Zero? You definitely need a break and as a warning it totally just keeps escalating.

I found a good spot to stop for a while and basically I'm waiting for the r/anime thread to indicate that the tone of the episode is lighter before I jump back in so I know I'll have a safe place to stop again.

[Gregness]

I found a good spot to stop for a while and basically I'm waiting for the r/anime thread to indicate that the tone of the episode is lighter before I jump back in so I know I'll have a safe place to stop again.

The tone of this most recent episode was lighter, but I don't think it's quite light yet.

[Sithdarth]

The tone of this most recent episode was lighter, but I don't think it's quite light yet.

Given the emotional gut punches of the previous two episodes it pretty much had to be. Though on an absolute scale it's still somewhere near the higher tension episodes of the earlier parts of the season. Which honestly tells you a lot about the quality of the story. Also, I'm generally annoyed by incessant cliffhangers but somehow this show manages to do it in a way that doesn't really bug me as much.

[Aerozord]

Its not really recent, or anime, but I just binged the whole series and kind of need to say a thing or two.

So I got through all of RWBY and the more I think about it the more I notice all the issues with the end of Season 3, and I dont mean the sudden tonal shift. Which I'm not huge on that kind of thing but it was hardly unexpected they pulled the same thing with Red vs Blue and was far better paced. No I mean I just started noticing plot holes and contrivances and characters just acting kind of dumb.

[Steel Shadow]

RWBY is an odd creation. I'm going to give it another series to see if it can keep me hooked after... Well, that, but I'm still fond of it flaws accepted. I'm curious though, which plot holes are bothering you?

[Overcast]

Breaking from the State of Anime today, I'll be entering into my first ever viewing of original EVA this weekend on the urging of my boyfriend. Wish me luck.

[Aerozord]

RWBY is an odd creation. I'm going to give it another series to see if it can keep me hooked after... Well, that, but I'm still fond of it flaws accepted. I'm curious though, which plot holes are bothering you?

Just focusing on plot holes specifically, well ones that come to mind sure I'll remember more later because as I said I keep finding them so some aren't as fresh on my mind

1. why were the paladin mechs affected by the virus when it was specifically noted their purpose was to have a pilot inside?

2. Why did Emerald and Cinder say they went back with Mercury when Emerald needed to still be there for the illusion thing? Not like anyone would find it odd if she stayed behind

3. Speaking of, they just told Mercury to lay low and we immediately see him walking around for absolutely no reason. More over the scene accomplishes absolutely nothing, why is it even there?

4. This isn't about the ending but one that left me scratching my head. When Mercury spotted Crow he said he used a scythe but during the entire time he was there his weapon never took the form of a scythe.

5. What the hell is the deal with Cinder's power? We saw how strong the maiden was and while powerful it wasn't so absurdly so so why was Cinder suddenly godly when she had it especially considering the maiden must have had it alot longer and thus better understood how to use it.

[Steel Shadow]

Yeah, those are all pretty valid bugs. In some ways the last series was really impressive and made me want to see more! In others, it was a let down and I'm kind of losing interest. RWBY Chibi is pretty fun though.

[Aerozord]

Yeah, those are all pretty valid bugs. In some ways the last series was really impressive and made me want to see more! In others, it was a let down and I'm kind of losing interest. RWBY Chibi is pretty fun though.

Its a fun little distraction.

I think part of the hiccups was the death of the creator, allow me to elaborate. From what I understand he had a tendency to grab onto things he personally liked and integrate it. But he managed to keep things consistent enough that it wasn't glaringly obvious. With him gone they probably cared more about setting things up moving forward. Alot of the deaths felt more like clearing out anyone that didn't have a long term place in the story.

My issue is it felt alot like it got dark for the sake of being dark. I don't feel like it added much but it took away alot. Its like in Death Note when L died. Ok you are showing things are serious, villain (ok in that the protagonist) won but you also kind of removed the most interesting aspects of the story soooo...

[Steel Shadow]

Yeah, that's pretty much my biggest problem. Same issue I had with Death Note exactly, actually, good point. Like, things looked like they could get so interesting, stuff I don't think I'd ever seen before in a good show could have happened. Some really interesting plots, and then... Vwip. Nope. Cut off. Right in the exact same cliche way that you'd see in any hundred action shows you'd care to name. Kind of scuppered what I liked best about RWBY.

That said, I don't think it was just 'clearing things out'. There's plenty of evidence that stuff was planned out exactly the way it happened from the very beginning. I just don't think it was a very good plan.

[Aerozord]

That said, I don't think it was just 'clearing things out'. There's plenty of evidence that stuff was planned out exactly the way it happened from the very beginning. I just don't think it was a very good plan.

I know somethings weren't planned to start and they are the biggest example of my issues. Those I will detail now
Roman was not supposed to last past season one but he was so well liked by the creator and writers they kept him in, kinda like how Sokka wasn't supposed to be important. You can see evidence of this early on since his gang instantly evaporates. Its not shocking at all he died, there was nothing planned for him. I have an issue with how he died more than anything. Anti-climatic and just weak.

Neo is another example, last minute add on to the series so again probably not much planned for her. Though she might still be around I doubt she'll be integral tot he plot. These two are a good example of what was lost. Partly for being the most enjoyable antagonists, but we also got indication these two had some degree of affection for each other despite them being a sadist and a self serving psychopath. It would have been like a Joker/Harley Quinn things but an actual relationship instead of an abusive one people mistake for romance.

Similarly Jaun and Pyrrha was actually something I was invested in. It was a nice gender flipping of the usual outcaste girl talented guy trope. It was nice to see their mutual growth. Now she was meant to die, but it was supposed to be alot sooner. Which probably explains why the grim/dark seemed to come all at once and also why she suddenly became so downright suicidal.

Sure their deaths were planned just I think they were more concerned with killing them off than the how and why of it.

[phil_]

Bananya is too stupid even for me. I'm gonna watch Re: Zero instead. I'll let you know what I think when I catch up.

Overcast, are you watching the whole series all at once or what?

[Steel Shadow]

Aero:

First point, yep, though I can see why things happened the way they did. It fit quite perfectly with the way the world was supposed to work, to my feelings, but it's a perfectly legit thing to be annoyed about. Honestly, such an anti-climactic end... I can't see a better ending for his character. It fit him. He was always pretty small time, wrapped up in very big time things that he couldn't control. Being done in by his own disaster is just... Yeah, that's how it should happen.

Second point, well, that's mostly assumption. We'll find out, I suspect. The relationship though, yeah, I mean we only really saw them together very briefly, but holy crap. They were a titan-killing team. I do hope Neo returns, she's pretty popular.

Third point! I've seen enough anime that that dynamic wasn't really new to me, but I was pretty invested in them. But... Sooner, no. This was always where Pyrrha was supposed to die. The big change, so far as I can work out, was that originally it was supposed to be Jaune getting in the way that got her killed (Which is pretty much the only way they could have made her death more cliche, so I'm not exactly sad they changed it).

There was an issue where the seasons contained less than they planned, like how season 2 and 3 were probably supposed to be together, but production issues meant they had to be separate. Which, if anything, just means they had more time to develop what was coming.

As for her getting suicidal... Well, looking at how she was spending the last half of Volume 3... It's hard to see her acting any other way.

I think we agree on the base problem though. They stuck to the original plan too rigidly and couldn't change away from it when it sort of... didn't work with how stuff was developing. But then again, maybe they were happy with how things turned out. I think it was a waste, but... The show was probably always meant to go in this direction. Which is a shame - not the dark stuff, I eat that up, but character death is just... there's very few right ways to do it, and they didn't manage any of them here. It's a real shame.

[Overcast]

No, we're taking it weekend by weekend. Two episodes a day on Fridays and/or Sundays.

[BB]

Finally caught up with Sunshine and man, the similarities are very confusing. You'd think the show would try to distance itself from the original as much as possible, but it's doing the opposite and actually drawing those comparisons itself. Dia liking Eli, Ruby's favourite being Hanayo, Maru's entire arc is directly paralleled to Rin's, even down to the rooftop being their practice place. I'm half expecting Nico to appear aboard Arsenal Live and say the whole thing was a set-up to create the ultimate idol-group.

Also slightly disappointed that we didn't get to see Dia go ballistic about the idol group being approved and Ruby joining it.

[phil_]

They even wear the same outfits to practice. It's insane. For Hanamaru's episode, _mike and I were kinda hoping that something from the promotional materials would show up, where her family runs a Buddhist temple, but Maru sings in the local Christian choir because she thought they didn't sound as good as they should. That's totally different from anything else in LL, and is almost enough to carry a show on its own, but nothing (probably because it's just too much to fit into an ensemble show). Not even a "I already have somewhere to sing, just without the gymnastics."

That said, I still liked the episode a lot, and at least Maru's uncertainty comes from a very different place than Rin's. And the sister stuff was new and cute and sad.

Also, been catching up on Re Zero, and it's really neat how episode 4 manages to end on a cliffhanger without letting the audience know what cliff we've begun to hang from. And Subaru is growing on me as a protagonist. And Emilia's mom game is strong. I can't wait for awful things to start happening and staying happened.

[Sithdarth]

Also, been catching up on Re Zero, and it's really neat how episode 4 manages to end on a cliffhanger without letting the audience know what cliff we've begun to hang from. And Subaru is growing on me as a protagonist. And Emilia's mom game is strong. I can't wait for awful things to start happening and staying happened.

So seems like you've finished the supet-light prologue section. As a warning shit is about to get very real. Also expect pretty good cliffhangers just about all the time.

In other Re Zero news apparently even the writers and voice actors needed a break because they made a bunch of comedic shorts that are actually a nice break from the absolute mercilessness of Re Zero proper.

[pochercoaster]

Who else is watching Mob Psycho 100? I'm enjoying it quite a bit. Also, the art style of it is unique and refreshing and has a lot of personality. I could probably watch it just for the superb animation.

The last two episodes of Berserk felt a lot more coherent than the first three. As someone who hasn't read the manga (yet) I feel like I can finally follow what's happening.

I tried to watch Re:Zero and was bored to tears and utterly unmoved by the characters in it halfway through the first episode. It just seemed like an incredibly generic teenage boy fantasy. :/

[Sithdarth]

I tried to watch Re:Zero and was bored to tears and utterly unmoved by the characters in it halfway through the first episode. It just seemed like an incredibly generic teenage boy fantasy. :/

From what I hear it is a fairly faithful adaptation of a light novel which means the pacing is pretty slow for awhile. If you don't have the patience for the slow pacing you'll probably not really enjoy it. It does get better but it will also unapologetically rip out your heart and stomp on it. So if you're also adverse to shows that just make you feel really sad (even in a good way) you might want to skip it as well. The only other thing I can say is that the entire premise seems to be the deconstruction of the genre and it's tropes. Which combined with the slow pacing means a considerable amount of time is spent setting things up to get deconstructed.

Also Mob Pyshco is pretty great but I expected as much from the creator of One Punch Man.

[pochercoaster]

From what I hear it is a fairly faithful adaptation of a light novel which means the pacing is pretty slow for awhile. If you don't have the patience for the slow pacing you'll probably not really enjoy it. It does get better but it will also unapologetically rip out your heart and stomp on it. So if you're also adverse to shows that just make you feel really sad (even in a good way) you might want to skip it as well. The only other thing I can say is that the entire premise seems to be the deconstruction of the genre and it's tropes. Which combined with the slow pacing means a considerable amount of time is spent setting things up to get deconstructed.

Also Mob Pyshco is pretty great but I expected as much from the creator of One Punch Man.

That makes sense, because any time I've tried to watch something adapted from a light novel (like Slayers) I couldn't really care for it.

My favourite shows are sad ones, but I don't want to invest in ones with that kind of pacing, I guess. Unless they are really really amazing towards the end. Like, they stand out among their own genre amazing.

[Gregness]

That makes sense, because any time I've tried to watch something adapted from a light novel (like Slayers) I couldn't really care for it.

My favourite shows are sad ones, but I don't want to invest in ones with that kind of pacing, I guess. Unless they are really really amazing towards the end. Like, they stand out among their own genre amazing.

Did you ever watch Steins;Gate? It's kind of similar in the way it slow-rolls a lot of its drama.

[pochercoaster]

No, but I've been meaning to get around to it.

[Solid Snake]

Steins;Gate is a phenomenal take on a tragic version of a time-traveling story. Kurisu is one of my favorite characters and Okabe's great, too, though be forewarned you have to kind of slog through some immature hijinks with him before you really understand why he acts the way he acts around his friends.

I'd strongly recommend you watch it Poch if only because I'm intrigued with how the anime might hold up (1) for people who don't play the visual novel first and (2) for women audiences, because as great as the story is it definitely has a few awkward moments with its women characters and it's clearly written for a predominantly male audience who's supposed to identify with Okabe and who's supposed to laugh alongside him and his friend Daru when they behave in ways that skirt the boundaries of human decency. Like, it's never outright brazenly misogynistic (and given how terrible anime for boys can be with its brazen misogyny, I actually give Steins;Gate some credit there) but there were moments I was able to forgive because of the combination of my privilege blinders and that general sensibility of "99% of the plot and the characterizations are just so damn good I'll just pretend the last five seconds didn't happen there", and I imagine you'll hold it more accountable.

On a related note I'm also curious as to what women critics would think of Okabe, because he's almost a universally beloved character among the predominantly male anime critics out there but...he's definitely not entirely normal in the head? Like, it's easy as a guy to want to believe in the timeless beauty of his budding romance, but I wonder if a woman watching Steins;Gate would have a similar reaction of strained disbelief as a guy watching Twilight.

[phil_]

The last two episodes of Berserk felt a lot more coherent than the first three. As someone who hasn't read the manga (yet) I feel like I can finally follow what's happening.

I wanted to watch the latest episode to be sure, but work and butts (the butts are work) have prevented me until now. The first three episodes were taking things from the first volume and things from after the part that has been animated twice (but not directly after, we skipped stuff) and blending it into its own thing. Four and five have been a proper adaptation of the Tower of God arc without skipping around, so they get to lean on Miura's story telling, finally. This is the part I've read most, so I guess it's my favorite. It's got all the violence and blasphemy you could hope for, though the monster killing from the OP (which has already happened) won't (for the most part) be repeated until later.

And then it's moe moe kyun family adventures, which are also good, but very different and which won't be animated until aliens demand an animated account of the extinct human manga culture.

[BB]

This week's Love Live, I finally felt it again- that undefinable feeling the original series/SIF gave me right back at the start, when I started enjoying it more than I expected to. It just all felt right this week, like a true continuation of the series rather than the Similar Product it had been feeling like before. I don't know how to explain it, but it hit all the right notes. I'm so, so glad Yoshiko isn't as one-note as she's seemed to be, too.

Also:

https://66.media.tumblr.com/cd08cc50993c7533eb6392286f0cd557/tumblr_ob503txD371snosjno1_540.gif

[Gregness]

...but there were moments I was able to forgive because of the combination of my privilege blinders and that general sensibility of "99% of the plot and the characterizations are just so damn good I'll just pretend the last five seconds didn't happen there", and I imagine you'll hold it more accountable.
...


Man, it's okay to just like something even if it isn't perfect. ;p

Also, goddamn, you need to bring a hankie to this episode of Re:ZERO.

Also, also, any of you watching the Tales of Zestiria anime? I've been liking it so far, and from what I've heard people say they've improved the pacing immensely from the game (I haven't played it).

[pochercoaster]

Well, two episodes of Steins;Gate in and nothing satisfying has really happened yet. I'll give it a few more episodes to see if it goes anywhere, though. For now I don't really get the hype.

If anime has taught me anything, it's that you need a fuckload of gears, analog clocks, and hourglasses to time travel.

Edit: so from what I've googled the show starts to get good at ep 12. UGH. I hope I get into it before then because otherwise I think I'd rather do something else.

Time travel themed anime/media that I've enjoyed had much stronger characters. Hopefully the characters in steins gate get more likable because otherwise why would I care about a time travel plot.

[Solid Snake]

Gregness: I actually really enjoy social-justice themed critiques of works I enjoy, so it's not so much about me feeling uncomfortable with liking Steins;Gate (I'll love the show even if Poch claims it's the most offensive thing she's ever watched, I assure you) and more about learning from where Steins;Gate and other shows I enjoyed like it have failed so that, when I write my own novel someday, I'll avoid similar mistakes and ensure broad accessibility to my work.

Poch: I can't really sell you on waddling through eleven episodes of mediocrity to get to the great stuff, but personally, I felt Steins;Gate got great a lot sooner than Episode Twelve. (What you've read, though, is a pretty broad consensus among approximately half of Steins;Gate's fandom. Half its fanbase pretty much loves everything, and the other half pinpoints Episode Twelve as when it gets really good. Personally, I started liking Steins;Gate around the equivalent of Episode Four or Five as I played through the VN.)

So, the first episode of Steins;Gate in the anime (and the prologue in the VN) isn't supposed to make any sense whatsoever until you rewatch it after finishing the series. I'll concede that is an awkward tactic to employ.

Before Episode 12 it's basically masquerading as a slice-of-life comedy. Upon reaching Episode 12 it transforms into something else entirely. The value you get from the experience depends largely upon enjoying how the show sets you up to expect X, then slams you with Y.

Also, while the Dubs version of Steins;Gate actually isn't half bad, I'd strongly recommend the Subs over it because Okabe, Suzuha's and Kurisu's Japanese VAs are all amazing. That being said, I prefer Mayuri and Daru's dubbed voices, so it's a mixed bag all around.

EDIT: Rereading the episode list, Poch, I'd recommend giving it to the end of Episode Five if you can. The revelation at the end of that episode (and into the beginning of Episode Six, I think?) regarding certain unethical experiments was around the point in time I got hooked on it. Before that revelation, things are a bit more boring. I wouldn't give up too quickly on the characters, though. I think Episode Two includes a lot of Moeka and she's the weak link. Suzuha, who I think you really get to know later, is phenomenal, and the Okabe-Kurisu dynamic is much more interesting than Okabe-Mayuri interactions.

[pochercoaster]

I always watch subs (oddly, I prefer even having closed captions for shows in english because I have shitty listening skills, idk). Okay, I'll give it a shot for a few more eps since that's not a big commitment. Suzuha did seem cool too, from what little I saw.

[phil_]

I've gotten to the part where Re: Zero stops being teenage boy wish fulfillment and becomes teenage boy wish snatching out of his hands, throwing it to the ground, stomping on it, then yelling "Why are you such a useless piece of shit, teenage boy?" So that's fun.

And I think this episode of LL did a good job of just letting the character's personalities bounce off each other, with the plot (Yoshiko GET) being a background thing to facilitate them hanging out. It was a relaxed episode. A musical scene with the current six members would make me happy.

[Sithdarth]

I've gotten to the part where Re: Zero stops being teenage boy wish fulfillment and becomes teenage boy wish snatching out of his hands, throwing it to the ground, stomping on it, then yelling "Why are you such a useless piece of shit, teenage boy?" So that's fun.


In a while the show is going to pick it up off the ground dust it off and pretend to hand it back only to snatch it back at the last second set it on fire and laugh maniacally as it burns.

[phil_]

I kinda see some unlikely scenarios where that happens. I'm sure one of those will come true, because "Defeat the unknown enemy shaman" is just way too neat and tidy a solution.

[Gregness]

Holy shit, I forgot the last time Re:ZERO actually had a breather episode.

The show's definitely earned it since it seems like Subaru's done the impossible and actually learned something from his loops, but it makes me nervous for how much suffering that let them bank up for next week. :(

[phil_]

I'm almost caught up, and Subaru can't take back the stupid, conceited things he did between loops. Unless he can, magic and all. He shouldn't, though. A protagonist struggling against his stupid pride is interesting.

[Fenris]

Holy shit, I forgot the last time Re:ZERO actually had a breather episode.

Oh my god, is it safe for another binge?

---------- Post added at 09:03 AM ---------- Previous post was at 03:43 AM ----------

Episode 18 of Re:ZERO was possibly the greatest episode of dialogue ever written. I have never been so thoroughly engaged in a wholly realistic conversation before.

I also have to comment that the that the first 18 episodes were pretty much entirely set-up for the real adventure, already in progress.

[Gregness]

Episode 18 of Re:ZERO was possibly the greatest episode of dialogue ever written. I have never been so thoroughly engaged in a wholly realistic conversation before.


A fascinating sidenote for me about that whole conversation for me was a conversation I found in the episode comment thread on Reddit. I don't speak Japanese myself, but from the discussion here (https://www.reddit.com/r/anime/comments/4vi2mg/spoilers_rezero_kara_hajimeru_isekai_seikatsu/d5ylqm7) there are apparently three common ways to say you like someone, with increasingly heavy emotional implications. Subaru used (https://www.reddit.com/r/anime/comments/4vi2mg/spoilers_rezero_kara_hajimeru_isekai_seikatsu/d5yyk2i) the one equating to something like a crush, where Rem used the one reserved for your soul mate.

[Solid Snake]

It sounds like Re:Zero is the next big thing this year for anime? Can someone give me the brief spoiler-free synopsis of what it's about?

[Fenris]

It sounds like Re:Zero is the next big thing this year for anime? Can someone give me the brief spoiler-free synopsis of what it's about?

Steins;Gate in a fantasy world instead of a sci-fi one, plus some suffering.

[Solid Snake]

Steins;Gate

SOLD, nothing more needs to be said.

[phil_]

There are rude meidos. There is a lack of proper fairies. Very bad things happen.

[Gregness]

There are rude meidos. There is a lack of proper fairies. Very bad things happen.

uAWVsnChHhY

[Fenris]

uAWVsnChHhY

man I wish I spoke Japanese.

[Sithdarth]

Man there has been way too much not soul destroying suffering going on for far too long in Re Zero right now. I know the other shoe has to drop eventually and it's going to be big. I can't even begin to theorize what it will look like but I know it will be massive and possibly destroy my sanity.

[Fenris]

If you haven't ever seen Haikyuu!! (http://www.crunchyroll.com/haikyu) you are doing yourself a major disservice. This might be my favorite anime of all time. Don't be turned off that it's a "sports" anime if you're not into sports. The character development is possibly the greatest of all time, and it oscillates between being amazingly hilarious and incredibly action-packed to deliver some of the greatest television I've ever seen.

[Gregness]

If you haven't ever seen Haikyuu!! (http://www.crunchyroll.com/haikyu) you are doing yourself a major disservice. This might be my favorite anime of all time. Don't be turned off that it's a "sports" anime if you're not into sports. The character development is possibly the greatest of all time, and it oscillates between being amazingly hilarious and incredibly action-packed to deliver some of the greatest television I've ever seen.

I've had it in my queue for a while, but other stuff keeps jumping in front of it.

By the way, your avatar shows excellent taste. :D

[phil_]

I finally got to watch last week's Love Live.A musical scene with the current six members would make me happy.Oh, hey, would you look at that, it happened and it did make me happy. I dig the giant bows. And the six current Aqours continue to be fun to watch hang out, though I feel like a space for the third years to fit in is getting harder and harder to find.

[BB]

Watched this week's episode with apprehension, since it involved a trip to Tokyo and that means if there was ever a time for cameos, it's now.

Well, you can see Fumiko in the background of one shot, but other than that nothing. I def expected a Nozomi when they got to the shrine though.

Anyway, we have our rival group now, Two Evil Nicos, and they seem to be a lot more unpleasant than ARISE were.

[Tev]

Anyone else see "Konosuba (http://www.crunchyroll.com/konosuba-gods-blessing-on-this-wonderful-world)"? My wife found it last night and since it only had like 10 episodes, we powered through it relatively quickly. It reminds me of "Is it wrong to try to pick up girls in a dungeon? (http://www.crunchyroll.com/is-it-wrong-to-try-to-pick-up-girls-in-a-dungeon)" but with maybe a more cohesive story and about 20-30% more fan service.

All in all it wasn't terrible for what it was and I hear that the second season launches in January.

[Fenris]

Anyone else see "Konosuba (http://www.crunchyroll.com/konosuba-gods-blessing-on-this-wonderful-world)"? My wife found it last night and since it only had like 10 episodes, we powered through it relatively quickly. It reminds me of "Is it wrong to try to pick up girls in a dungeon? (http://www.crunchyroll.com/is-it-wrong-to-try-to-pick-up-girls-in-a-dungeon)" but with maybe a more cohesive story and about 20-30% more fan service.

All in all it wasn't terrible for what it was and I hear that the second season launches in January.

Konosuba was a brilliant satire of SAO and harems in general and I am looking forward to more. The OVA is pretty fantastic, as well.

[Aerozord]

SO guys I know this will sound crazy but please understand I mostly skim this thread. But for the longest time I thought RE: Zero was an anime based on Resident Evil and everyone was just shortening it

[phil_]

Snake told us all to watch Konosuba 100 posts ago (how time flies). I'm also looking forward to the next season. Megumin is love.

Would Resident Evil Zero work as an anime? I'm of the opinion it would. It wouldn't be as good as RE: Zero Hajimaru etc. etc. though.

[BB]

Petition to rename it Love Live: Saint Snow. That song was beast.

Kanan was even in this one! Had a line and everything.

[Gregness]

There's a guy in the anime subreddit that keeps giving these little japanese food culture/history posts in the Shokugeki no Soma discussion threads, and as someone with only a cursory understanding of Japanese history, it is fascinating. (https://www.reddit.com/r/anime/comments/4yp5s0/spoilers_shokugeki_no_souma_ni_no_sara_episode_8/d6pdmei)

Anyway, I dunno how spoilery this is for RE:Zero, but the last two episodes have been a hell of a payoff for the ~10 episodes of varying levels of despair we've had.

Also, I just noticed today that Tales of Zestiria is getting a broadcast dub on Funimation, and it's pretty good so far.

[phil_]

Self Control was great, both the song and as an animation. It was less spectacular than the usual LL dance scene with the camera flying around and crazy stuff in the background, but actual traditionally animated dancing is a fine trade off. It was worth blowing the whole episode's budget on that minute long scene.

[Sithdarth]

The latest episode of Re:Zero was so amazing. The positivity has been building for awhile now but the ending of this episode was something else. It was super positive but so emotional I came really close to crying.

[Fenris]

The latest episode of Re:Zero was so amazing. The positivity has been building for awhile now but the ending of this episode was something else. It was super positive but so emotional I came really close to crying.

According to the r/anime subreddit they removed a pretty significant cliffhanger. Hopefully it was successful enough for a S2 in the future.

[phil_]

Something completely different because I haven't watched the last RE: Zero. Anybody watching Kono Bijutsubu ni wa Mondai ga Aru? Of course not, I'm only watching it because 40mP wrote a vocaloid song about it years ago and had tamanezumi illustrate the video. That song was an insert song this week: the whole song. It was unexpected. On a whole, still kind of a weak show with only one episode left.

[shiney]

I've been geeking on too much anime lately.

Re:Zero has been a lot of fun.
The new Berserk.
Started up Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash recently, it's fun but a little fanservicey?
Mob Psycho 100
JOOOOJOOOOOOOOOO
Alderamin on the Sky
GATE
Sakamoto Desu Ga
Another
etc...the list goes on...I am loving animation lately. A little sick of extended discussions about boob size and harem anime though.

[Tev]

As a quick aside: anyone else catch episode one (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHxZpk_hvJA) and episode two (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yeX5GzN03AU) of Pokemon Generations?

I want more tactical S.W.A.T. applications of pokemon now.....

[phil_]

How is Alderamin, shiney? My coworker's wife said I should watch it, but she described the first episode starting like the hero's taking a nap, and these two guys are playing chess, and then one of them loses and he's like "Argh, how'd I lose?" and lazy hero is like "you lost twelve moves ago when you blah blah blah." I just can't stand the protagonist who's super smart and talented but he's lazy so he's just like you BS, and showing that through chess of all cliches doesn't give me much hope that the author went (or is capable of going) anywhere interesting with the character.

This is why anime fans meeting as anime fans is like fight dogs meeting at the dog park. I smiled and nodded, but inside I was like "baaaaaaaarf." However, I know you guys, so that's all out in the open. How does this show not suck with an opening like that?

[BB]

I think that's because it's such a wide medium. I like anime is like saying I like books or I like films, there's a lot of compatibility factors to think about.

[shiney]

It gets more interesting to be honest, he is kind of a know-it-all but the interactions between characters are good and he's not a shithead about it. He's essentially a scientist in a world of religion where science is rather heretical and while he does tend to win a lot in confrontations and encounters he doesn't just auto-win.

I think it's worth a look at least. Based on what you said, the first part of the first episode would probably annoy you, but the dynamic of the warring countries, tactics used, and development of the interpersonal relationships is something I found enjoyable.

[Gregness]

I've been geeking on too much anime lately.

Re:Zero has been a lot of fun.
The new Berserk.
Started up Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash recently, it's fun but a little fanservicey?
Mob Psycho 100
JOOOOJOOOOOOOOOO
Alderamin on the Sky
GATE
Sakamoto Desu Ga
Another
etc...the list goes on...I am loving animation lately. A little sick of extended discussions about boob size and harem anime though.

I actually loved the hell out of Grimgar. If you're talking about the camera angles, then yeah it's a little fanservicey, but if you're talking about the onsen thing, that actually becomes plot relevant later.

[phil_]

Grimgar is the best cartoon about dealing with loss that I can think of. I hear that the books also cover the adventures of Party Rolling Face, and think the anime is better for ignoring them in favor of Party Sucks at Murder.

[shiney]

I'll keep at it then. The extended conversation about people's breast sizes and the sneaking into the bath part was jarring and frustrated me. It felt unnecessary.

[Tev]

Just in case people glossed over it:

This is a Magnemite hacking a security door for his S.W.A.T. team....
http://66.media.tumblr.com/0fd68ee6f679d00abca8ad231249c080/tumblr_odlvuvsxzQ1rduh3zo1_500.gif

And this is an Arcanine and his team saying "screw that!" and making a door of their own....

http://66.media.tumblr.com/9b182a5c7aca95f63d4332e6e8aa0542/tumblr_odukvdWSSa1rmx9uzo1_1280.jpg

EDIT: Also......

http://67.media.tumblr.com/dac8033cb66c824c1b4f2d377d62725b/tumblr_odg7v76f6n1rxenr3o1_500.gif

[Aerozord]

Wait, what the heck has a pokemon swat team?

[Malek]

It's from a series of short animations on the official pokemon youtube channel. (episode 2 specifically)
episode 1 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHxZpk_hvJA)
episode 2 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yeX5GzN03AU)
episode 3 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktskEn5q7gg)

[Ryong]

So Mob Psycho 100 is done for now. Last episode was a bit weird.

...But One Punch Man will have another season, to fill people's needs for more One.

[shiney]

Mob Psycho 100 was a lot of fun.

I'm watching 91 days now. There's a dark story.

[pochercoaster]

I like how the ending of Mob Psycho 100 was Reigen basically just telling the people from Claw to stop acting like spoiled children and it worked. I really hope there's a second season though because I want to see Mob's personality develop from facing interpersonal challenges.

Berserk started off pretty shitty but got a lot better. The animation is still weird at parts but I can't complain because MOTHERFUCKING BERSERK ANIME post golden age arc is what I've been waiting for, and my husband tells me it's adhering pretty closely to the manga after the first 3 shitty episodes. So far I've been highly entertained. Skull-whorls of fate-knight is the best. (As is Puck, Isidoro, and Luca. Even though they can't all be the best but whatever.)

[shiney]

Reigen is kind of my jam. I loved that show and am eagerly awaiting season 2. I'm sure there will be one.

Berserk was good but I have to say the last episode was a little bit more chaotic than I'm used to! It was a big pile of "what the fuck?" and not like the usual "WHAT THE FUUUUCK." but more confusing. Maybe I need to watch it again.

I want to plug Re:Zero again. Like if you guys haven't watched it, then rectify that situation.

[Tev]

We still need to see....I think the last two episodes of Re:Zero. We'll get that wrapped up sometime this week.

[Gregness]

Man, I checked out the first episode of Izetta: the Last Witch, and it's been a long time since I saw a first episode that good. This show is set in World War II with the serial numbers filed off, to the point that some of the name changes were a little too... on the nose, I guess (think Germania, Brittania, etc.)? But that's a very, very small nitpick.

Unrelated to that, I was having a discussion with a couple friends of mine the other day about this gif (https://gfycat.com/WhimsicalBronzeGerenuk) from Tales of Zestiria, the X from this past season. I got to thinking about how tasteless that kind of thing usually is, but it kind of works for me in this case because the lady is wearing pants, yet she seems to react almost on reflex, and the disconnect there worked for me as a gag. How do you guys see it? More tasteless anime bullshit, or legitimately funny?

[phil_]

Izetta's first episode was so good because it was a full story. Not sure what the point of continuing is, since it'll probably just be a process of spelling out everything the first episode was better off for only implying. We'll see.

The gif makes black hat look like an immature idiot, which is often the purpose of skirt flipping gags. So mild success? I don't know if I've ever found a skirt flipping gag funny.

[Solid Snake]

I want to plug Re:Zero again. Like if you guys haven't watched it, then rectify that situation.

If I start watching it, can we do that awesome NPF chat thing we used to do where we'd meet up once a week or so and crank out a few episodes together? That was fun.

Also I miss you guys

[Gregness]

If I start watching it, can we do that awesome NPF chat thing we used to do where we'd meet up once a week or so and crank out a few episodes together? That was fun.

Also I miss you guys

There will be pairs of us! PAIRS!!

[Aerozord]

Got a crunchyroll free trial. First thing I did was binge Mob Psycho 100, which I really liked. I already told my friend if they do a group Mob Psycho cosplay I call Reigen so I can throw salt at people. The thing I really like is he's a con man, but legitimately a good person. He cares alot about Mob and other people and despite deceiving people his advice is completely solid. From what I've been told he's alot like Constantine. Able to just bluff his way through vastly more powerful people.

Also less "gag" focused than I guessed. There was that one scene, you know the one, where I just went WHOA, That got real dark real fast! I do also see why people find it a good "Exalted" anime. Complete with limit break. Anyways, great character development, cant wait for more

Not sure what to work on next. Considering going through Digimon tri but honestly considering waiting for the dub if for nothing other than nostalgia. Suggestions? Keep in mind talking specifically things on crunchyroll to take advantage of this while I have it.

[MuMu]

CrunchyBr is somewhat limited but here are the shows I plan to watch soon:

https://i.imgur.com/qGJdE9b.png

edit: All of those are either finished or have a full season done, as I don't enjoy waiting one week for new episodes, so binge away.

[shiney]

Bungou Stray Dogs was good. Finished that one up Saturday. Second season is imminent.

[Karrrrrrrrrrrresche]

Yo.
Watch thunderbolt fantasy.

[phil_]

Thunderbolt Fantasy is the coolest Taiwanese puppet show I've ever seen. It's one of those shows where wondering "What's this guy's deal, what's that guy planning?" is part of the appeal, but it doesn't fall apart after showing its secrets as these shows often do. Also there's puppet gore, lots of it.

[Tev]

The most distilled form of fanservice anime in the known universe had its pilot episode drop last week. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keijo!!!!!!!!)

The series is set in an alternate reality where a new, women-only, gambling sport known as "keijo", quickly becomes a fad in Japan since its introduction in the dawn of the 21st century. Keijo matches are held atop floating platforms in large water-filled stadiums where bikini-clad players fight to incapacitate their opponents or push them out to the water, but they can only hit each other using their breasts or buttocks.

Nozomi Kaminashi is a gifted gymnast who decides to give up her dream of competing in the Olympics and become a keijo player instead, aiming for the high earnings offered there, in order to get herself and her younger siblings out of poverty. As she enters the world of keijo, Nozomi soon makes new friends and rivals, while learning that the way to fame and fortune in this new, uncommon sport will have more challenges than she ever imagined.

[Karrrrrrrrrrrresche]

Thunderbolt Fantasy is the coolest Taiwanese puppet show I've ever seen. It's one of those shows where wondering "What's this guy's deal, what's that guy planning?" is part of the appeal, but it doesn't fall apart after showing its secrets as these shows often do. Also there's puppet gore, lots of it.

I feel compelled to mention that it is in fact the worst Taiwanese puppet show I have ever seen.

[Tev]

I want to issue a correction. My wife and I gave Keijo!!!! a spin last night and while the premise behind it is cringingly fan-servicey, the show itself was actually rather enjoyable to watch. I mean, yes, teenage girls are ramming their butts and boobs into one another in some form of water-based Sumo/MMA amusement sport. But the characters are not terrible, the interpersonal relationships are looking to go interesting places, and the fights themselves are pretty engaging if you can look past the fact that one girl is pinpoint knocking people out by slamming her ass into their chins at alarming speeds.

[RobinStarwing]

ALL ABOARD THE HYPE TANK!


c991IDTFr0g

[Krylo]

I'm just going to leave this here: http://www.animefeminist.com/ I've only taken a cursory look at it (mostly as very little has interested me anime wise lately, not even enough to check reviews), so I can't be sure of how great it is/isn't, but it seemed to have pretty good reviews from what I did look at.

And I feel it might be something people here might appreciate its particular brand of reviewing (I.E. with a critical eye for how much stupid fan service you'll have to put up with and whether it's over all worth it).

[pochercoaster]

Thanks for the link, Krylo.

So I'm watching Soul Eater for the first time. Yes, I'm way behind the times. Anyways, something that bothers me in the show is that thus far (I'm on ep 35) they don't acknowledge the possibility that some witches may not be bad people, or that perhaps they're bad because, I dunno, they get HUNTED? And it's acceptable enough that Tsubaki suggested killing a child witch to Black Star because it would be convenient.

So far only Medusa and Arachne seem evil. Eruka and her witch gang were just chilling and trying to lay low. It seems really shitty to just hunt witches indiscriminately.

Like at least with the people with kishin eggs, they're doing some bad shit and that was probably their choice. But witches are born witches, it's not their choice!

[phil_]

It's hard to say much without spoilers. The anime doesn't even get the story started, so you'll only get as much implication that maybe with hunting isn't cool as you've already got: there are witches who seem to be alright people.

As far as the comic beyond the anime ending, there's never an organized protest movement on the injustice of hunting witches, it just becomes a non-issue for reasons. So yeah, it's a theme that just doesn't get explored beyond "There are good witches and evil humans."

[Kim]

Flip Flappers and Yuri on Ice are the anime of the season to watch.

Flip Flappers only failing is its fucking terrible robot character but its pretty gay and one episode has both a PreCure homage and a Mad Max homage as well as a dominatrix with a harem of women.

Yuri on Ice has so much fucking homosexual tension and manservice its a fujoshi's dream come true. The only failing is the subs have translated "koibito" as girlfriend when it isn't being used in a gendered way and the official dub is going to do the same apparently. Yurio is a fucking cute anime twink and I wanna bully him.

[Tev]

Added Yuri on Ice to my Crunchyroll que. Is it only 6 episodes long or is that all that's out so far?

[Kim]

That's all that's out so far.

[phil_]

You really should put Flip Flappers on there, too. I'm not sure where it's going, but it has felt special since the first episode.

[Kim]

My hope for Flip Flappers, even tho I know better, is for the girls to kiss.

[shiney]

I saw an adorable gif of Flip Flappers today that caused me to want to watch it, and then I see here that it sounds adorable and so, I want to watch it.

[Gregness]

I'm mostly just watching Izetta: The Last Witch and season 2 of Iron Blooded Orphans this season. IBO continues to be awesome, and Izetta is, for the most part, pretty damn great as well, but there's some disappointing use of fanservice.

Now, I can certainly appreciate fanservice when it's appropriate. I watched High School DxD, I watched Monster Musume, the couple episodes of Keijo that I've seen have been alright, but goddammit anime, the middle of a war drama where one girl is trying to save her people and another girl is flying around on a rifle like a broomstick throwing tanks around doesn't exactly seem like the place for ass shots.

[phil_]

It is adorable and terrifying. Also, any girl-kissing will be non-consensual and villainous. This is just the way of the world. Just enjoy the pretty colors and casual nudity.

Edit: Agreed on Izetta. Fine needs to send her publicist to sensitivity training or get out the hose. edit: Like, it's so annoying because the show doesn't need it when the magic fighting looks as cool as it does and the premise is as interesting as it is.

[Kim]

It is adorable and terrifying. Also, any girl-kissing will be non-consensual and villainous. This is just the way of the world. Just enjoy the pretty colors and casual nudity.

;-; its bad that the last anime i saw that had consensual kissing between girls was fucking valkyrie drive

[Gregness]

;-; its bad that the last anime i saw that had consensual kissing between girls was fucking valkyrie drive

There's two more seasons of Symphogear coming at some point, so maybe you'll get your fix there eventually. ::V:

[Tev]

My wife and I started up Magical Girl Raising Project (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magical_Girl_Raising_Project) last night. I'm beginning to think that even cursory knowledge of Madoka Magica (as I've not actually watched it beyond random gif sets) has spoiled me on this genre. Early into the first episode I was sure something fishy was up, and by the end of the twenty minutes I was positive that this show would end in a pastel laced blood bath. Episode two did not disappoint. The show is only five episodes deep on Cruchyroll so far, but we watched them all and are really interested in learning to what end this whole project is for.

[phil_]

The first shot is a pile of bloody dead girls in silly outfits. It wasn't trying to hide what kind if show it is. Which I like, the willingness it demonstrates in sharing its secrets is refreshing.

[Kim]

I thought about watching but knowing about La Pucelle it's probably a show I should stay away from for my own emotional well-being.

[Tev]

The first shot is a pile of bloody dead girls in silly outfits. It wasn't trying to hide what kind if show it is. Which I like, the willingness it demonstrates in sharing its secrets is refreshing.Yeah, but the thing my wife read to me about it made it sound like the intro bit might have been part of the video game...and then it cuts to the main character playing a much more sanitized version of said video game on her smartphone. I just figured that the intro bit was kind of a "this is how it would look if it were really happening, but it's not..." similar to how when all the girls are in the chat room, the show cuts between them actually being there and them sitting back and looking at cutesy versions of their avatars with text bubbles.

[phil_]

My response to both of you is, "oh, that's understandable."

[MuMu]

I've read some manga lately so I might as well post here.

All You Need Is Kill (https://myanimelist.net/manga/62887/All_You_Need_Is_Kill)

http://i.imgur.com/yb9OLUz.png

Aliens called "Mimics" have invaded Earth and are kicking our asses. Keiji Kirya of the United Defence Force is killed in his first combat and wakes the day before as if nothing happened. After that he begins plotting his survival, abusing his infinite time to gather equipment, train and plan.

Even if you watched the Edge of Tomorrow adaptation, they're different enough that I'd reccomend giving this a try.

Sumire 16-Sai (https://myanimelist.net/manga/5820/Sumire%E2%99%A116-sai)

A highschool girl who is decided to motivate and uplift her fellow classmates spirits, always lending a helping hand no matter what the subject is.

She is also a puppet being controlled by an old man.
http://i.imgur.com/N0tE3xo.png

I know. It's weird. But it's also very good, funny and a lot of times it's genuinely heartwarming. If you can get past the bizarre setting, it's a very fun, lighthearted story.

[shiney]

I recently got the Re-Zero: Starting Life in Another World manga vol 1 and 2 and light novel vol 1. I'll let you guys know how they are too.

[pochercoaster]

@phil: Ah, k.

Man does soul eater suddenly hit a slump 2/3 of the way through. Forced large conflicts are boring and don't make sense with the rest of the story. Arachne's a boring character. She doesn't have any affect or personality; Medusa is way better (and seems to be returning to the plot.)

Like this series started off really strong and toally plummeted. I hope it recovers itself.