What anime are you watching?

[TheMewster]

I actually quit watching Azumanga Daioh because I'm trying to overcome swearing and Tomo's potty mouth wasn't helping much.

Right now I'm debating on whether to watch Erin, Chance Pop Session, or... I think it's called You and Me...? I think You and Me is winning right now but Chance Pop Session could make a comeback. Heck, I may watch all three.

[Mr. Hat'n'Clogs]

FMA:B May have the most satisfactory and inspiring ending of any anime ever. I'm pretty sure those closing words will remain with me forever.

I'm wondering whether there's a point to read the manga now? Is there important information or events that weren't show in Brotherhood?

The best version of the opening is still definitely the manga's, which Brotherhood rushed through and the original had some dumb stuff added in, the Ishbal War flashback was really condensed for the anime and there's a lot of really good stuff for that, and there's a couple other small thing(no ridiculous mustache on Mustang for the last chapter), but if you really don't want to ever experience that story ever again, then I guess you don't need to read the manga.

[Atria35]

I actually quit watching Azumanga Daioh because I'm trying to overcome swearing and Tomo's potty mouth wasn't helping much.

Right now I'm debating on whether to watch Erin, Chance Pop Session, or... I think it's called You and Me...? I think You and Me is winning right now but Chance Pop Session could make a comeback. Heck, I may watch all three.

Erin is fantastic. I think the other one you can't name is Myself;Yourself.

[Neane]

I'm wondering whether there's a point to read the manga now? Is there important information or events that weren't show in Brotherhood?

No, you are okay.

[FllMtl Novelist]

I, ah, keep forgetting to post. >.>;

Since my last post in here, I've finished Star Driver, which I loved. I liked the art, fights, and most characters and lulz. I liked the symbolism I spotted and I liked that the line between the "real world" and elsewhere was usually pretty clear. Also, I have learned that shouting out attacks is truly awesome. I wish there'd been a little more to the ending, but I guess it's alright. I will miss my time with Takuto, Sugata, that soundtrack, and "APPRIVOISER!". :<

Yesterday I watched Hotarubi no Mori e, which was lovely and sad and made me wonder why on earth I haven't seen the latest season of Natsume.
[spoiler]When he gives her a kiss through the mask, and those few seconds she gets to hug him...! ;____;[/spoiler]

Right now I'm chugging along through the first season of Fate/Zero, which has gotten really great. Rider and Waver are easily my favorite characters.

On the lofty Toonami I'm watching Deadman Wonderland (bleh), Casshern Sins (not bad), FMA: Brotherhood (Olivier how could I forget how awesome you are), and Ghost in the Shell: SAC 2nd GIG. I missed a couple episodes somewhere in that last one, so I'll have to hit Wiki to try to fill in the blanks since I hate missing out on any of the cool action going on.

In glorious and current subs-land, I've been keeping up with Tsuritama, Kids on the Slope, and Hyouka. I love 'em all, and I'll try to post in their threads if/when I come up with something reasonably intelligent to say. >_>;

[Vii]

Star Driver 1
- Ginga Bishonen? I've heard him called the Galactic Pretty Boy other places and I'm thinking I prefer that name. I can live with Ginga Bishonen, though.
- All the character's seem a bit...stiff, somehow. *shrugs shoulders*
- Five bucks says blondie girl ends up with galactic pretty boy. =3
- Mamoru Miyano

Right now I'm debating on whether to watch Erin, Chance Pop Session, or... I think it's called You and Me...? I think You and Me is winning right now but Chance Pop Session could make a comeback. Heck, I may watch all three.

Erin is fantastic. I think the other one you can't name is Myself]

I think it's probably Kimi to Boku. It's translated as You and Me on Crunchyroll.

[AngelicTotoro]

Up to date for Sakamichi no Apollon and Eureka Seven Ao.
Watching Kare Kano episodes 1 - 6.
I think this may end up becoming one of my favorites, the romance is excellent, the characters and relationships are unique, the voice acting is great and the humor is awesome!
And I think I'm in love with Arima. *0* I just love him and Yukino together~ Seriously great shoujo right there.

9/10 so far.

[Juliannesan]

Star Driver 1
- Ginga Bishonen? I've heard him called the Galactic Pretty Boy other places and I'm thinking I prefer that name. I can live with Ginga Bishonen, though.
- All the character's seem a bit...stiff, somehow. *shrugs shoulders*
- Five bucks says blondie girl ends up with galactic pretty boy. =3
- Mamoru Miyano


I think it's probably Kimi to Boku. It's translated as You and Me on Crunchyroll.

Yep. You & Me, and there's also You & Me 2. Just finished that one.
It was decent. Very realistic in terms of relationships and things, but I found it pretty mediocre.

[TheMewster]

Just started Web Ghosts PiPoPa on Crunchyroll last night. So far it's pretty good.

[Atria35]

Kids on the Slope 10-11- I'm all caught up for the final episode! So tense!

[rocklobster]

I started Last Exile: Fam the Silver Wing on Friday.

[Neane]

Just finished the Keiichi Hara movie Colorful , based on a novel by Mori Eto. It was about a dead person's soul who sort of got a "second chance" and came back as a middle school kid that just got revived from an attempted suicide. And now this foreign soul had to try to cope and try to sort out this kid's screwed up life. It was quite enjoyable to watch.


Also, Watching the first episode of Shin Getter Robo here, **** this is awesome.
I wish my childhood had Getter Robo.
It has two things I like: Gore (yes Gore, dis is gory o_o.) and robots.

[AngelicTotoro]

Watched Kare Kano 7 - 8.
Seriously, that last episode secured my deep love for Arima. ^o~
The way he realized he was in love with her? I blushed right along with him, that was so wonderful! I freaking love this show!
(This has got to be one of the most original shoujos I've ever seen. So sad that the last three episodes have no animation! D: )

For now 10/10 enjoyment level!!!

@rocklobster; don't watch it! It'll ruin Last Exile for you! It's terrible, stupid, moe-crud! D8

[rocklobster]

I'm watching it for review purposes, angelic totoro. I already like Last Exile (in fact I own it).

[TheSubtleDoctor]

MD Geist 2: Death Force
[SIZE="6"]->[/SIZE] [SIZE="6"]->[/SIZE]

.hack Quantum

This OAV was my first .hack from beginning to end. Unfortunately, there was nothing particularly memorable at all about this show. It hasn't yet been a week since I've finished this, and I am struggling to remember what the characters, both in-game and out-of-game, look like. There was a talking kitty, now that I think about it, though.

I have a rough idea of what the story was because every .hack seems to have had a similar premise (correct me if I'm wrong here) that sees in-game shenanigans inflicting disease/trauma/coma on the out-of-game, real lives of players. While this is a neat concept, I was pretty bored by the execution of it here. Again, I couldn't emotionally or intellectually latch onto anything to get invested in the show. The polished animation was definitely the strongest point for this OAV.

I guess die-hards will dig it, but I am not a believer yet.

Le Chevalier d'Eon

For those of you who enjoy the 00s work of Production IG, such as Moribito, Ghost in the Shell SAC and Eden of the East, Le Chevalier fits in pretty well with that company, even if it isn't quite as flashy production-wise. What we have here is a plot-driven (rather than character-driven, like most anime IMO) piece of historical fiction that knows its own limits.

Like lots of good historical fiction, Le Chevalier's broad plot outline is one that accurately reflects history; however, it's the stuff in between the bullet points that the writers can play with. Let's say there is a conspiracy to depose King X. Ultimately, this conspiracy was foiled. History informs us of all this, but, what this show does is say, "We know the conspiracy failed, but how did it fail? Well, the King has secret agents that uncovered the plot and beat the conspirators in a magic fight." While this example may come off sounding somewhat silly and Sengoku Basara-ish, it doesn't play that way. Le Chevalier is a pretty serious show for the most part, and, all things considered, comes off as more believable than most historical anime (EDIT: after Mao's reminder, the credibility of this statement seems a tad stretched).

Set in pre-revolution France (and eventually expanding to most of Europe), Le Chevalier is chiefly a political mystery. This mystery starts out pretty small, the investigation of one person's death, but, like the setting, broadens in scope such that its resolution entails the destiny of Europe. The protagonists do lots of their work in the shadows, behind the scenes, while various monarchs posture in public and deny knowledge of their actions. We've got the aforementioned conspiracies, secret societies, multiple political factions, etc. I mentioned that the show knows its limits. What I mean by this is that it could have gotten carried away by the scope of its setting and mysteries and attempted to pull off something far beyond its powers. Instead, Le Chevalier gives us a bold, impactful ending that manages to stay true to the spirit of the anime up to that point (read: no metaphysical/allegorical non-sense, but also no indecisive consequence-less ending).

The production values are good but not great. Dueling animation is mostly good, and the music is fine. The character animation takes a dip near the middle of the series, but it's not lol-worthy or anything. Now, some of the Cg backgrounds are, in fact, lol-worthy. Surprisingly, though, there is some decent CG mixed into the show as well. So, yeah, this is a series carried by its plot rather than flash. That's not to say it looks bad or is ugly; it's just that, for an IG show especially, it isn't going to knock your socks off in terms of production values.

For anyone interested in that time period, historical anime in general, or a dark-ish, plot-driven mystery, Le Chevalier worth a shot.

There are content issues with both MD Geist and Le Chevalier. The former offends on pretty much every level, while the latter has a bit o' blood, some nudity, and heaps of occult-esque magics (characters recite the Psalms from the Bible to perform magic and I can see this making people uncomfortable).

[Neane]

.hack Quantum

This OAV was my first .hack from beginning to end. Unfortunately, there was nothing particularly memorable at all about this show. It hasn't yet been a week since I've finished this, and I am struggling to remember what the characters, both in-game and out-of-game, look like. There was a talking kitty, now that I think about it, though.

I have a rough idea of what the story was because every .hack seems to have had a similar premise (correct me if I'm wrong here) that sees in-game shenanigans inflicting disease/trauma/coma on the out-of-game, real lives of players. While this is a neat concept, I was pretty bored by the execution of it here. Again, I couldn't emotionally or intellectually latch onto anything to get invested in the show. The polished animation was definitely the strongest point for this OAV.

I guess die-hards will dig it, but I am not a believer yet.

When I was a kid, the first .hack series (.hack//sign) was my favorite show back when Toonami was on.
I think I should re-watch it, it has been 10 years since I last saw it.
Also.

[Smileloviene]

When I was a kid, the first .hack series (.hack//sign) was my favorite show back when Toonami was on.
I think I should re-watch it, it has been 10 years since I last saw it.
Also.

OHHH! That graph has caught my interest I watch .hack//sign a while back and the ending confused me, but i could never find a sequel... so is .hack//liminality what i should watch to fix that?



Just watch the Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya last night methinks i will now watch the series so i understand the characters more

[Maokun]

For anyone interested in that time period, historical anime in general, or a dark-ish, plot-driven mystery, Le Chevalier worth a shot.

There are content issues with both MD Geist and Le Chevalier. The former offends on pretty much every level, while the latter has a bit o' blood, some nudity, and heaps of occult-esque magics (characters recite the Psalms from the Bible to perform magic and I can see this making people uncomfortable).

Hey Doc, I believe you should mention the, er, "twist" to LCdE. It was one of the things that made me drop the show (I was already rather bored,) though not because I found it offensive, but because I thought it was harebrained, unnecessary and gratuitous. I rolled my eyes so hard that it actually hurt. This coming from someone who believes that Ranma 1/2 is a high form of entertainment.

[Crossfire]

Okay, I lied. I decided to watch the 08th MS Team instead, and wow... I actually cried a little at the end. SEED won't even be able to compare after watching this...

[TheSubtleDoctor]

Hey Doc, I believe you should mention the, er, "twist" to LCdE. It was one of the things that made me drop the show (I was already rather bored,) though not because I found it offensive, but because I thought it was harebrained, unnecessary and gratuitous. I rolled my eyes so hard that it actually hurt. This coming from someone who believes that Ranma 1/2 is a high form of entertainment.

Oh, right, the bit in which two souls, the main character and his sister, share the same body. It didn't strike me as strange, especially after seeing Birdy the Mighty: Decode, but I suppose it could be considered a bit weird. It's anime, what're you gonna do, right?

As far as being bored, I did neglect to mention that some people believe that the show gets slow after the opening arc, but I do not share this sentiment. Then again, I did not find Legend of the Galactic Heroes slow in the least, so...

Okay, I lied. I decided to watch the 08th MS Team instead, and wow... I actually cried a little at the end. SEED won't even be able to compare after watching this...

The more Gundam you watch, the further Seed will slide down your list, my friend.

[Crossfire]

Yeah, I noticed... I think I'm going to stick with my Universal Century theme and watch Stardust Memory and/or Char's Counterattack next.

[ABlipinTime]

I'm watching it for review purposes, angelic totoro. I already like Last Exile (in fact I own it).

That's funny. I've watched already and expected to provide a review myself, which I did for a blog and then never synthesized for our site. But if you want to go ahead and do that, have fun. It'll be fresher in your memory than mine.

And as by your recommendation, I've continued watching Serial Experiments Lain.

[TheSubtleDoctor]

Yeah, I noticed... I think I'm going to stick with my Universal Century theme and watch Stardust Memory and/or Char's Counterattack next.

These probably won't make a lot of sense if you see them before you see the original series (go with the compilation movies instead of the entire TV series) and Zeta Gundam. Char's Counterattack takes place after Zeta, and, while Stardust Memory is a prequel to Zeta, it actually means a lot more if you see Zeta first (Your reaction will be more like, "Oh THAT'S where X came from!" rather than "OK, here's X. Why is that important?").

If you knew all of that already, then I do apologize =).

If you don't feel like watching the first two UC shows, then I'd say 0080 War in the Pocket is the best bet. You really don't need a ton of context apart from what the film provides (there's a war b/w Fed and Colonies), and it is actually one of the absolute best iterations of the franchise.

[Mouse2010]

Finally finished Puella Magi Madoka Magica. Wow.

I admit, I had been wondering . . .

[spoiler] why it was taking so long for Madoka to just make the contract already and become a magical girl. Now it makes much more sense. It wasn't really about her being a magical girl: it was about her wish and how it would transform the whole system. [/spoiler]

I'm pretty sure I'll be watching this one again with my husband: he looked over my shoulder while I was finishing the series and commented that it looked interesting. Yeah, no kidding!

When I get a chance, I'm going to read over the thread on this show from last year.

[Crossfire]

These probably won't make a lot of sense if you see them before you see the original series (go with the compilation movies instead of the entire TV series) and Zeta Gundam. Char's Counterattack takes place after Zeta, and, while Stardust Memory is a prequel to Zeta, it actually means a lot more if you see Zeta first (Your reaction will be more like, "Oh THAT'S where X came from!" rather than "OK, here's X. Why is that important?").

If you knew all of that already, then I do apologize =).

If you don't feel like watching the first two UC shows, then I'd say 0080 War in the Pocket is the best bet. You really don't need a ton of context apart from what the film provides (there's a war b/w Fed and Colonies), and it is actually one of the absolute best iterations of the franchise.

I haven't seen MSG, Zeta, or ZZ in its entirety, so I'll definitely check out that compilation. Thanks for the help!

[Atria35]

Caught up on Fate/Zero and Kids on the Slope, and watched a few more episodes of Zetman.

[TheSubtleDoctor]

I haven't seen MSG, Zeta, or ZZ in its entirety, so I'll definitely check out that compilation. Thanks for the help!

No problem! Always willing to help out Gundam fans.

The compilation movies for First Gundam are fairly cheap. You can get them at Amazon or Rightstuf for 25-30 dollars. The TV series in its entirety is streaming on both Youtube and Crunchyroll, but I don't think that's the best way to take in that series. Go with the movies if you can.

The Zeta Gundam TV series is streaming subbed on Crunchyroll and dubbed on Youtube. Unlike First Gundam, the TV series is a much better way to experience the story of Zeta than the compilation movies. The story is so dense that any cuts really detract from the experience. Zeta Gundam one of my all time favorite anime, so I'll be excited to hear your thoughts on it.

[bakura91]

Gurren Lagan, Black Butler, Saint Seiya and Steel Jeeg(old robot show)

[Maokun]

Oh, right, the bit in which two souls, the main character and his sister, share the same body. It didn't strike me as strange, especially after seeing Birdy the Mighty: Decode, but I suppose it could be considered a bit weird. It's anime, what're you gonna do, right?

Actually, I believe this is what rubs me the wrong way, you know? The twist is so gratuitous, so utterly unnecessary that it seems tacked on just because someone went "hey, anime is wacky, right? Time to turn that zaniness knob till it pops!" Worse, it is the awkwardly employed to provide elements of levity -that were actually not very funny nor interesting- to a story that could better be served without them. Both Birdy and Ranma used the gender swapping as the focus of character development and a storytelling device. In LCdE, is just unwarranted fanservice.

Gurren Lagan, Black Butler, Saint Seiya and Steel Jeeg(old robot show)

I'll be kind of interested in hearing your thoughts on Saint Seiya. It's rather uncommon for someone to tackle such an old series nowadays.

[KhakiBlueSocks]

Watched Kare Kano 7 - 8.
Seriously, that last episode secured my deep love for Arima. ^o~
The way he realized he was in love with her? I blushed right along with him, that was so wonderful! I freaking love this show!
(This has got to be one of the most original shoujos I've ever seen. So sad that the last three episodes have no animation! D: )

[font="Trebuchet MS"][SIZE="4"][color="RoyalBlue"]"His and Her Circumstances" is a very enjoyable show...but those dawg-gone "recap" moments can really take you out the show. I timed the length of each recap moment in the series, and it came up to fifty-seven minutes & thirty-one seconds worth of recaps and flashbacks--that's about two episodes worth. That's two episodes that could've been used for something more creative! While I do understand the show was running ahead of the original manga, and that there were some issues...

:bang::bang:

Okay, calm down Socks...

I expressed my feelings about this particular show in a review on my blog. Check it out to get the full effect...[/color][/SIZE][/font]