T3h Animes: stuff I've watched

[tacticslion]

So! Recently on Crunchy Roll, and the first time I've had an easy time getting it to work. No, I don't know why, and I'm really sick, so...

- Madoka Magica: I finally watched this to see what all the fuss is about. And... it was good. Very good. Second most difficult and harsh Magical Girl genre thing I've ever been through, but the shock-value was relatively tame, as I went in knowing it was there and all the shock-value and uber-depression for the Magical Girl genre was already stolen by Sailor Nothing (see the bottom of every Krylo post ever, if you're curious: it's... really good, but exceedingly harsh). It was a solid examination of the genre, it's flaws, and potentially depressing elements, while still, in the very end, being ultimately uplifting and hopeful, despite it's own dark premise and bitter moments throughout.

- Occult Academy: a kind of surprisingly funny show about a girl searching for her father's murderer, and a time-traveler seeking to change the future. The final battle/moments had me absolutely certain that either the Tick was coming, or I was watching his origins. The love quadrangle angle was... strange, to say the least, as the male lead (though he wasn't the protagonist) held no definable qualities to make me think that he'd be such a desired commodity. That said, at least one of the attractions was explained at the end, and one could be sort of explained by the... impression... he made upon arrival. Still, it felt a little "male gaze"-y to me. That said, it was a fun ride, that didn't go where you expected, and had fun times throughout, and I generally liked the characters, despite the surprisingly slapstick violence.

- Kill la Kill: the finest piece of nonsense I've ever been privileged to watch. (I am, in fact, planning on watching Guerren Lagan soon enough, however, so that will likely displace it based on my understanding, but haven't gotten to it yet.) It... it... it's kind of poetic in the way it just... doesn't... care. I mean, it embraces the nonsense to a ridiculous degree. Another story ostensibly about a girl finding out who murdered her father (weird that I ran across two of those so close together?), it's filled with ludicrous (and highly-acknowledge) fan-service... but I enjoyed it nonetheless, and that daggum hero theme became incredibly effective by the end. Dang it. "Where the fanservice is plot, and style is the substance" indeed, internet. Indeed.

- Ozuma: it was... okay. It certainly had all the elements for a great and engaging story, and the art was exceedingly impressive: every character was thoroughly unique, and well animated. Additionally, the entire thing was tightly plotted with several "reveals" (though I saw a couple coming a mile away). But... I didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I should be enjoying it. I found myself bored or distracted during the show, and didn't really get as invested as I thought I should. Because it was predictable? Maybe. Still, if you're up to it, give it a try.

- The Princess and the Pilot: excellent. It's a slower film (movie, not series), that follows a young pilot mercenary who is part of a country with a deeply ingrained caste system who is of low birth. His country and another are both at war with a third... who is kind of winning. Due to his extreme skill, despite his detractors, he is given the enviable position of flying a princess across the ocean (and through enemy lines) to bring her safely to her prince in another country. It hits every cliche you'd expect, but it had me loving the characters and their interaction the whole way, so much so that I didn't really care. Well written, well animated, simply lovely. Looks a lot like Studio Ghibli production, though I don't believe it was.

- I Can't Understand What My Husband is Saying: it's... well, it's purposefully excessively silly, but also really touching in it's own way. The plot is a slice-of-life about a perverted nerd without a job and his newly married (much more "normal") wife. By the end, you can buy that they ended up together, why, and how, and why she chose to marry him even though she shares no direct interests, and he's rather weird. They deal with really, really weird family (many of whom disapprove), and normal life troubles as well, and run into problems understanding where they other is coming from often enough. And the thing is: they make the marriage work, and it's really beautiful. Good series, exceedingly sweet, despite it's supposedly absurd premise. Relies a lot on Japanese culture and understanding, however, to get many of the jokes or implications (which often flew over my head until I read comments). In 13 episodes of three minutes each, it's a total of 39 minutes, and it's... nice.

... aaaaand that's about it.

What about you all? Anything interesting?

EDIT: changed tags!

[greed]

I've been watch Jojo's Bizarre Adventure lately and recommend that to.... well everyone. I'm waiting for Durarara s2 to get licenced here as the first season was rad as hell.


That's about it on the anime front for me. Though I also just finished Korra s3.

Edit: Oh wait on the manga side I've been following and loving the hell out of The Truth is I'm.../Truthism/Jitsu wa watashi wa. It's about a honest guy who's comically bad at lying finding out his crush is a vampire. On the surface it seems like it'll be another dumb supernatural harem comedy.

It's not. It's a pure comedy. And really fucking funny. It's just stupid absurdist humour all the way down and it's still getting better as of chapter 60. It's also getting an anime this year whihc I'm hoping is done well but am not too excited for as a lot of what makes it good is the artist's skill with facial expressions which may not transfer well.

So yeah read that.

[Bard The 5th LW]

Been watching Samurai Champloo over weekends. Its really cool. After thats done Im probably going to hit up Cowboy Bebop.

[The Artist Formerly Known as Hawk]

Just waiting for each new episode of Log Horizon each week now. TBH this season hasn't been quite as good since they changed animation studios, but that's still ok because the first season was fucking awesome.

[Tev]

My wife and I caught the first episode of Black Rock Shooter last weekend. We're not sure what to make of it yet. It seems interesting enough, but sort of disjointed in a way I can appreciate, but she doesn't find as enjoyable.

[Grandmaster_Skweeb]

Watched Red Line the other night. Felt like I melted down a unicorn high on LSD and shot it straight into my eyes.

11/10 would watch again.

[Aldurin]

Durararax2 has potential, but the show has been dampened by the introduction of Izaya's younger twin sisters (mainly incest and the fact that it's another case in media where the bisexual characters are absolutely bonkers). On the other hand, the rest of the cast expansion is interesting so far, and Celty is still one of the most surprisingly adorable characters ever.

[Kyanbu The Legend]

Aldnoah.Zero season 2 is turning out to be pretty good. A few issues here and there and Inaho is still a tad bit op especially after getting his bionic eye during the time skip between Seasons 1 and 2. But pretty good non the less. Really loving the dog fights and both sides feel a bit more evenly matched now ever since the battles moved into Space. Making each battle more interesting.

[mauve]

Originally Posted by Bard The 5th LW

Been watching Samurai Champloo over weekends. Its really cool. After thats done Im probably going to hit up Cowboy Bebop.

Ah, excellent! Two of my favorites-- classics, as well. I loved the art style on both of them.

The last anime I watched (a year or so ago; I haven't really been into anime lately) was House of Five Leaves, which was animated by the same studio as Bebop and Champloo. The art style includes visible elements of both Manglobe and the original manga's styles (which I read after watching the series), which means it has Champloo's beautiful colors and the manga's super expressive eyes. Everyone looks drained or soulless, like the world has beaten them down and left them half dead, leaving them to stumble through the wreckage of their lives. And that's pretty much the characters in a nutshell. The single-season series was enjoyable and the characters really grow on you, but don't go in expecting action or adventure. Even though the story is about a samurai and a gang of kidnappers, the story revolves almost exclusively around the relationships between the characters rather than combat or elaborate heists.

[tacticslion]

Both Samurai Champloo and Cowboy Bebop are entirely worthy anime to watch, especially 'Bebop, which is amazing.

EDIT: taaaaaaaaags