What anime are you watching?

[AnimeGirl]

Watched episodes 3-7 of Sacred Seven. Ooh, I'm just loving this more and more!!!

FictionJunction song + adorable lead couple (it seems) + Miyu Irino + lots of action = epic win! Oh, and the plot's pretty good, too! Seems a little cheesy when you think about it, but in my opinion, that's why it's awesome! ^.^

[Maokun]

Of course when I get hooked on Dennou Coil, I realize that the library doesn't have the second half -_-

[Smileloviene]

Have you seen Haibane Renmei yet?

Hm... no? What's that? Does it have an English name I might know it by instead?

[Neane]

Hm... no? What's that? Does it have an English name I might know it by instead?

Charcoal Feather Federation

[Atria35]

Hm... no? What's that? Does it have an English name I might know it by instead?

Haibane Renmei is marketed as Haibane Renmei, so probably not. That's what's on the dvds that it comes in, at least.

[Mei-Mei]

Just finished watching Maid-sama... or something. I can't remember the entire Japanese name XD. Anyways, it was pretty good... sorta weird... but definitely gave me a laugh.

[the_wolfs_howl]

D.Gray-man episodes 35-36

FMA: Brotherhood episodes 12-20

Samurai X: Trust and Betrayal - I forgot how gorgeous this OVA is!

[Agloval]

One thing I neglected to mention about Fist of the North Star is how it has a great opening song (which I was aware of, because you can't spend that long around anime fans before someone will bring it up) and an equally great ending song (which was a complete surprise to me).

I've watched the first volume of Utawarerumono (anime I'm vaguely interested in being-legally-available-in-my-country shock!), which surprised me by being unbad. Traditional predictors of badness, like the presence of multiple fantasy races distinguished by different kinds of ear, have broken down.

On the other hand the fighting is animated rather boringly, I assume because it had a TV budget and a TV production schedule.

[MightiMidget]

I went "yay! the internet is working nicely!" last night and watched:

Another episode 4 -- eee. I love this show ever so much. It hits just the right tone of creepy and not-slasher-flick for me. (Not to say it doesn't have its gory moments.)

Black Rock Shooter episode 1-2 -- I'm not quite sure what I think of this yet. I think the "other world" (I believe there's a term for it I'm missing) is quite cool, but for the most part I dislike the artwork. It feels rushed and sloppy in comparison to the OVA. Though I have an inkling I shouldn't be comparing, since the series is longer...but still... Does anyone know if this is streaming legally somewhere?

Guilty Crown episodes 14-15 -- Hahaha...wow. I was enjoying this on a strictly mocking level, but they just pulled one of my least favorite plot points. It may be a chore to finish.

[Neane]

Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann [spoiler] Sucked. [/spoiler]

[TheSubtleDoctor]

As someone who thinks that TTGL is one of the five best robot shows ever made, I am going to ask for justification of that opinion. Not a fan of the super robots? I remember you alluding earlier to the fact that you didn't care for Go Nagai. That might explain some of it.

[Atria35]

Finally finished Thermae Romae. It was a trippy and hilarious ride through ancient Rome and an homage to a time-honored aspect of Japanese culture.

Also- I woud also like your reasons about not liking TTGL, Neane. I dislike most Giant Robot, but adored TTGL.

[Crossfire]

Friend keeps suggesting that I should watch TTGL, however I stopped after the second episode. I don't know why, but I just couldn't watch it. *shrug*


Watching Moretsu Pirates now.

[Maokun]

One more demanding [s]blood[/s] explanation for TTGL's hate!

[Mei-Mei]

Code Geass.

[eightluvver888]

Watching:
Blassreiter
Hetalia: World Series
Still on TMoHS
.hack//SIGN
Boogiepop Phantom
Rewatching:
Black Cat
Ouran HSHC
GetBackers
ALL AT THE SAME TIME! It's amazing that I get anything done.

[AnimeGirl]

Watched NGE Episode 1. Ah, it's all coming back to me! Years ago we had rented a tape with some mech anime on it, and for years I wanted to find it again. All this time it was NGE XD!!! I forgot how many episodes were on the tape, though, and that's all I ever saw of it. Now I can probably finish it...eventually....

[Maokun]

DOOOOOOOO IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT

[Atria35]

DOOOOOOOO IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT

I have a feeling we're going to be seeing that picture a lot

Eps 15-16 of NGE. Episode 15 ended on one heckuva note! I'm flabberghasted and my mind is blown and this brings up a whole lot of questions I want answered. That they can start 16 out back on the slice-of-life note that they do... I don't even know where to begin with how frustrating that is! At least so far I'm seeing no drop in the animation quaity that I've heard warnings about.

[TheSubtleDoctor]

Star Driver: Takuto of the Radiance
[SIZE="2"]
When what you want to do and what you ought to do are the same: you can hear the voice of the world.[/SIZE]
-----
So, there's this guy, Takuya Igarashi. He creates magical girl shows. He directed at least some episodes of pretty much every iteration of Sailor Moon; he directed all of Ojamajo, and, perhaps most notably, he worked on Revolutionary Girl Utena. And, there's this other guy, Yoji Enokido, who wrote a lot of Sailor Moon and RG Utena. These two dudes got together and decided to make a mecha show, and the result is Star Driver.

I kind of hated Star Driver at first. Not only did I go into the series with expectations of something...something SD was not....but the first five episodes (1) led me to believe that certain plot devices would never be explained, (2) led me to believe that school life was going to play a major role in the series and (3) episode five was the weakest episode in the series and has a very face palm-inducing ending.

So, I put it away for a few months thinking that I'd finish it out of obligation to robots. Then I [s]read[/s] skimmed an interesting blogpost (spoiler-laden!) about the series that made me want to revisit it, and the second time around my experience couldn't have been more different.

I loved this show. SD oozes flash, style and panache from every pore. If it is going to try something, it is going to try it with all the glitz and glamor it can muster. Generally, the execution is done well: combat sparkles, characters and costumes pop, mecha designs impress, and mood drapes over the shoulders of everything. This is not to say that SD is style only, just that its style is prominent.

The show is written quite cleverly, taking a very structured approach to its initial episodes (see magical girl and other mecha) and eventually branching out to alter its format with things like the play-within-a-play (which, of course, relates to the main story). We've got an engaging trio of leads, two of whom you could legitimately argue are the main character. In fact, the relationships between those three, and all the characters really, are what make this show palatable to people who normally don't dig robot shows. There exists a tension between the two male leads that really drives the show, for me. Apart from the eventual revelation of secrets and who will end up with who, the unpredictability of the the multi-faceted relationship between Takuto and Sugata kept me wrapped up in each episode. Speaking of Takuto, he is a really refreshing male lead. It's not just that he's "not Shinji" but that his positivity and jocular personality are infectious, both for the characters in the show and for the viewer. He manages to have these sort of upbeat characteristics and not be stupid: a triumph.

As far as the about-ness of SD, it's kind of a tough one. It is certainly commenting on love, growing up and moving on from failure; however, I think that there is more going on thematically. I'm just not exactly sure what yet. However, I don't believe this is a show that is fundamentally about bishounen fighting, though that is its vehicle of expression.

Flaws? There are a couple of nagging issues as far as unexplained events go. Combat, though pretty and generally exciting, kind of proves inconsequential about 4/5 of the time. The ending itself is nowhere near as satisfying as I wanted it to be. For the record, the things that bugged me about my initial viewing were cleared up on the second go round: the plot points were explained gradually, there isn't really a school life component to this show (it is all a cover, and not just in name only like Full Metal Panic) and episode five was the exception rather than the norm.

Modern mecha for non-mecha fans.

[ABlipinTime]

back to Last Exile 2

[AnimeGirl]

DOOOOOOOO IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT

I am planning to, actually, as I think it'd make an EXCELLENT addition to my review library ^.^

[bushi-kun]

Watched episode 246 of Gintama. Good fight scenes, hilarious ending (no one stays serious for long, as usual). ^_^

I watched the first few episodes of that show tonight and I have to say I am a fan. Its going to take me a year to get caught up though D:

I also watched a few episodes of Gakuen Alice, which also seems to be a promising addition to my must watch list lol

[Atria35]

I also watched a few episodes of Gakuen Alice, which also seems to be a promising addition to my must watch list lol

Better as a manga. Just sayin'. (utter Gakuen Alice manga fangirl)

NGE ep 17. Stuff happened. But I really like the direction this is going, surprisingly.

[AnimeGirl]

NGE ep 17. Stuff happened. But I really like the direction this is going, surprisingly.

Will you have a full review of this series on Paper Chimes? *hopeful look*

[Maokun]

Star Driver: Takuto of the Radiance

I notice you haven't yet watched Code Geass, but they way you talk about the dynamic between the main characters of this series, makes me think that you may enjoy Geass. It is not, I believe, such an irredeemable failure as some people around here think, and I'd like to hear your thoughts on it.

NGE ep 17. Stuff happened. But I really like the direction this is going, surprisingly.

Oh 17? Things start getting... interesting from the next episode. *grins*

[bushi-kun]

I haven’t even watched all of them myself! Well, I’ve watched a good deal of them, but it’s one of those shows where you can skip episodes if you want and not miss a whole lot. No strict order is followed, and they rarely refer to past events unless necessary. There is an overarching plot – the Amanto in Japan and all that jazz – but it’s not heavily focused on all the time except when relevant.

I’m happy to find another fan here! Send me a PM if you want recommendations for good arcs - if you’re willing to skip ahead (I usually check Wikipedia for episode summaries to see if I want to watch or not) and feel like you’ve got a good grasp of the main characters. =) Some of the best moments/quotes/fights and funniest situations take place after the first season. In my opinion, anyway!
[/i].

Awesome thank you. Ya I though it would be like other animes (bleach), where if you miss one episode the whole series doesn't make sense anymore haha

[Maokun]

Awesome thank you. Ya I though it would be like other animes (bleach), where if you miss one episode the whole series doesn't make sense anymore haha

Haha, not unlike to Gintama (in fact, an even better example) Bleach has entire arcs that can totally be skipped with no consequence. Anything after the Aizen arc, for example will matter very little now that the manga entered its last arc, I wager.

Anyway, I finished the first half of Dennou Coil. The series touches several interesting points in the possibilities and risks associated with a whole city-encompassing augmented reality. It creates a believable and detailed pseudo-fantastic world with a fascinating fauna, captivating mechanics and thrilling mysteries. My only complain is that such a premise is the background for what ultimately is a kid-adventures story.

Now, I have no problem with that genre, and this is a particularly good specimen, with great characters and surprising developments. Furthermore, I understand that there is a commentary, half-hidden in there on how the fantasy worlds that usually made the stage of this kind of stories may be replaced with technology-assisted real-world-based ones in the future.

And yet... I'd have loved to see this premise used for a more cerebral and adult show; one that has time to stop and considerate the relationship of humanity with perception-altering technologies and the transformation of the concept of "real" and how such transformation change people themselves. More Kaiba, less The Goonies.

[Atria35]

Will you have a full review of this series on Paper Chimes? *hopeful look*

Everything I watch gets a full review on Paper Chimes.

[Mr. Hat'n'Clogs]

[quote="Maokun (post: 1533273)"]And yet... I'd have loved to see this premise used for a more cerebral and adult show]I've actually made it about a fourth of the way through the show, and because I am loving the heck out of it(it is basically guaranteed a spot in my top five), I take some issue with this. Having recently seen the first half of Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, I can say for sure that I'm tired of this notion that in order to be better, a show has to be "cerebral" and dark, and that for a work to be mature, it has to have all the fun sapped out of it, because fun is what little children have. SAC is a whole lot less fun than Dennou Coil, but I find myself infinitely more interested in the story/world/characters of Dennou Coil. So far the director has done a masterful job of making the characters and setting of Dennou Coil incredibly interesting, to the point where I'm asking myself questions about characters, the nature of it, etc., all without having to lay up a pretentious wall of dialogue about THE NATURE OF MAN and etc. To be honest, I rarely try to guess a mystery before the show reveals it, partly because I'm bad at it, but also because I typically just wait for the show to reveal it. I'd also guess that the show, like Kaiba, is going to explore more and hit a more serious tone in the second half. Also, one thing I absolutely love about Dennou Coil is the implication that most adults don't use glasses because they don't know about this technology these darn kids are using.

I also mad that you can buy it and I can't.