What anime are you watching?

[blkmage]

REC is a very short romantic comedy about a voice actress and a salaryman. It was okay if you're up for something short and aren't looking for something remarkable or innovative.

[Wyntre Rose]

Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann eps 1-9

Whoa.

[TheSubtleDoctor]

Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann eps 1-9

Whoa.

*Fist pump*

I am so happy that so many of my MAL friends are watching the show right after me! Those were my thoughts exactly, Rose. Episode 8...oh man. 11 will be pivotal as well. Ah heck, who am I kidding, from this point forward they just build on each others' awesomeness.

[the_wolfs_howl]

Saint Tail episode 13 - C'mon, Asuka Jr. ...figure it out already DX

And I've now watched Claymore up to episode 11 Love this anime! So exciting, great animation, and even surprises. I really like the relationship between Raki and Clare, as well as the flashbacked relationship between Clare and Teresa (who is twice as awesome as she would be otherwise because she's voiced by Romi Paku, who sounds just like herself yet so different from what I'm used to!). And now that the main plotline seems to be laid out now that it's almost halfway done, the tension is building higher and higher!

[Wyntre Rose]

Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann 10 + 11.

11 will be pivotal as well.

Sheesh, you weren't kidding!

[spoiler] And dang it, Kamina gets more and more likeable even post mortem. lol. Well, it is Kamina, after all. I should be used to him exceeding my expectations by now. ]

I do believe I've been converted.

[TheSubtleDoctor]

I do believe I've been converted.

Yatta!
---
Updates on some of the not-currently-airing shows I've been watching

Monster - It's just... Yup.

X - This one is a mixed bag for me, probably b/c I have been tainted by the horrible Rintaro movie version. X is a good show, but it is flawed. I enjoy the characters, though there might be too many. I really like the story, though a couple of things just seem arbitrary. Some of the directorial choices were also a bit odd. I just pray so hard that the ending to the TV series is different from the film's.

Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex - I only have access to the Eng. dub. I think this might be hindering my enjoyment of the show just a bit. I absolutely love the characters and am intrigued by the Laughing Man storyline. The procedural-heavy cops show element is also quite interesting to me, as I haven't seen any of these kinds of show in anime form. Again, I do feel the story (both for the stand alone eps and the "big plot" complex eps) would be tighter and flow better if I had the subbed version. Also, this is friggan Ghost in the Shell...I want more obtuse philosophical pondering!

[blkmage]

Obtuse philosophy is almost certainly the work of Mamoru Oshii, so I guess go watch The Sky Crawlers.

[TheSubtleDoctor]

Obtuse philosophy is almost certainly the work of Mamoru Oshii, so I guess go watch The Sky Crawlers.

Yes, and I was given to understand that it was also present in GitS:SAC. Maybe it doesn't come through in the dub, or maybe I'm not far enough along, or maybe there's more in 2nd GIG...I just expected more and sooner.

[blkmage]

SAC isn't directed by Oshii though.

[TheSubtleDoctor]

SAC isn't directed by Oshii though.

I know. Reviews for SAC have stated that the TV series stays true to the flavor of the film insofar as the philosophy goes. There's supposed to be less of it than Oshii would indulge in, but it's supposed to be a big part of the show nonetheless (again from reviews I have heard). Besides, even if the ppl that made SAC wanted to stray really far from Oshii's take on the manga, it's not beyond the kin of other anime directors to philosophize.

[blkmage]

oh okay

[Atria35]

2nd Gig has a lot more philosophy in it than SAC, IMO. SAC had a lot more action, but 2nd Gig seemed that, while it had action, the action it did have wasn't as long, or as strong, and mixed in a lot more philosophy with it.

[MightiMidget]

Yatta!Monster - It's just... Yup.

*fist pump!*

Yay Hulu got more D.Gray-Man!

D.Gray-Man 39-41 -- so sad...but well done. enjoying this more and more

Ookami-san to Shichinin no Nakamatachi ep. 3 -- That was the most shamelessly shallow thing I think I have ever seen. xD It was so shallow it was almost refreshing in it's total lack of trying to justify its shallowness....

[Lilac#18]

[color="Plum"]Just finished watching Naruto Shippuden episode 169 a little while ago.[/color]

[Yukio Masachita]

I'm watching the anime of Claymore.
Having just watched it up to episode 17 or so, that
Riful is gonna be stuck in my head for a while.

I have a weakness for girls with long hair and one piece dresses.

Also, I'm addicted to the Yu-Gi-Oh Abridged series.

[eternalprincess]

Currently Watching/Recently Watched:

Tsubasa: Tokyo Revelations: [REWATCH] Eps. 1,2,3 (aka, completed in one sitting =P )
Kaleido Star: Ep. 30
Black Cat: Ep. 3
Eve no Jikan: Ep. 1
S-CRY-ed: Ep. 24

[Atria35]

Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann eps 7-17- I'm going to try and marathon the rest of this tonight because I have a huge pile of library book I need to read- and are due soon! But so far, I like this a lot more than I thought I would. It's pretty darn good. I like how it goes over-the-top with everything. Because they don't hold back on anything, it works! I can't believe how much happened in only 15 episodes, too- I seriously can't imagine how they top it!

[ich1990]

Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann ep. 2-3

Each episode has been about 35% better than the one before it, so if I extrapolate that out over the course of the series, by episode 5 I will have released any lingering doubts and just decided to enjoy it. By episode 15 it will be one of the better shows I have seen. By episode 27 it should rip a hole in the universe. I look forward to it.

Higurashi No Naku Koro Ni Kai ep. 2-5

Well, more weird stuff. A few questions answered a few more created. I appreciated the fact that it went for suspense rather than gleeful carnage, for this arc at least.

Giant Robo ep. 1-7

Awesome, of course. I am not usually very big on mecha, but this one had a wonderfully well thought out plot, plenty of flashbacks and twists, and a great sense of scale. The characters were generally rock solid as well. Literally.

EDIT: Forgot to mention the fantastic score! It was a beautiful blend of classical and opera that added all kinds of class to the show.

I watched the original dub, which added great accents to the French guy and to Franken van Fulgar. The accents, fake though they may be, added so much flavor to the characters that I would have a hard time listening to them any other way. On the other hand, Daisaku, the main kid who is kind of important, had a most annoying voice. The subs seemed a lot better in this regard. So, I guess it is kind of a wash.

When I re-watch it will be in subs, so I will be better able to compare at a later juncture. Either way, 10/10 series.

[Cloud500]

An undamaged Giant Robo DVD came today, so I'm looking forward to watching that tonight.

And I should probably look in to sitting down and finally watching the rest of Gurren Lagann. I watched one episode and just never got around to seeing the rest.

[MightiMidget]

Just watched Pale Cocoon and am somewhere between "Pretty!" "Cool!" and "I'm depressed now." I think I am closer to "really cool, but a bit depressing." It was well-done, though a /little/ confusing. I will definitely be rewatching it at some point.

[GeneD]

Watched various episodes of the following at a con this weekend:
Requiem from the Darkness: Hundred Stories
Highschool of the Dead
Baka to Test to Shōkanjū
Mutsu Enmei Ryuu Gaiden: Shura No Tok

[blkmage]

Black Rock Shooter is very well produced and animated. Unless they're planning to make more of this, the connection between the real world and characters and the BRS world and characters is pretty flimsy. I mean, the connection is really obvious, but at the same time, it's like it's two completely different shows. It basically flips between sad girls in school and BLAAAAAAACK ROOOOOOOOOOOCK SHUUUUUTAAAAAA fighting. Also a distinct lack of the actual song, which has been relegated to a few pieces of piano BGM.

A lot of the criticisms are basically the same as those of CENCOROLL. I mean, for a fifty minute OVA based on a song based on a picture, it's pretty decent, so I'm just nitpicking, really.

Also, she really likes stars, and I can't unhear Asumi Kana's TAKANASHI-SAN.

[Sheol777]

Watched various episodes of the following at a con this weekend:
Requiem from the Darkness: Hundred Stories

Ooo! How was this? It's in my Netflix queue.

[KeybladeWarrior]

Recently have watched
Samurai Champloo episodes 1-10
Brighter than the Dawning Blue episode 6
Axis Power Hetalia eps. 49-52 on Funimation

[ClosetOtaku]

Just finished "Clannad" and "Clannad After Story". The former was funny and good; the latter was an emotional roller coaster and much better.

[GeneD]

Ooo! How was this? It's in my Netflix queue.

We only saw the first two episodes, so my assessment is limited. Nevertheless, I found pretty interesting, although it can be quite creepy; of course this can be expected from a horror anime. I'm not sure how episodic the series is, but it seemed like it could pull this type of style off well.

Another interesting thing is that the animation style also seems to be quite old fashioned, even though it apparently aired in 2003. It does add a surreal feel to the show, which works well with the horror/mystery themes. Bit of fanservice and the violence can also be a bit disturbing; involving children in both eps I saw.

I haven't seen a lot of similar series, so I don't really have anything to compare it to, but I'd definitely check out the rest of the series if I can.

[blkmage]

So, the latest of the Ghibli megawatch is Ocean Waves. I enjoyed it quite a bit. It's sort of in the same vein as Whisper of the Heart, in that it's a more realistic setting and story. Unfortunately, I think it's too short. A lot of the development could have used a bit more time, from the characters themselves to the relationships they were developing.

[TheSubtleDoctor]

Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex - Complete

Sci-fi crime drama, sufficiently cerebral, punctuated by excellent action sequences, lined with tantalizing philosophic questions, fully realizing a fictional world with a specific vision of the future, also featuring relate-able characters you care about/want to succeed and a fantastic, Kano-composed musical score...yup thats GitS:SAC. The second half was just superb (allaying my fears that it was all cops no Kant), especially the last six episodes (epic!). A sort of unique thing about this series: at the end, I wanted more, rather than being relieved that the thing was over, which occurs even with series I like. The second season has a lot to live up to.

[Mr. Hat'n'Clogs]

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood episodes 59-64

I stopped keeping up with Brotherhood this summer because I had other things I wanted to do besides spend 2+ hours trying to get a Funi video to play the whole episode. This was so awesome, I'm wondering if it was a mistake.

Basically, as Ich said, the beginning is what they needed to do, go read the manga, and they should have done one more Ishb(v? I dunno anymore)al episode, and for all you people who've only seen the anime, you need to check out volume 15, though I still recommend the manga wholeheartedly as the greatest there is. I haven't read 20th Century Boys, so there's a possibility it's the second, but for now, it's the best that I know of. Also, if you've seen both animes but haven't read the manga, definitely check out volume 15 so you can see awesome Basque Gran instead of the annoying anime one.

[Nozomi]

Working on Ranma 1/2, my first long series (100+ eps.), Outlaw Star, and Hetalia Axis Powers right now. The latter two titles and Season 2 of the former will wrap up tomorrow, and then its onto R1/2 Season 3, Gurren Lagann, and Hetalia World Series.

Odd combos, I'm sure... but at least it gives me some variety!