What anime are you watching?

[SilverToast]

Hetalia- I finally finished all 100 episodes which includes axis powers and world series. Best comedy in my opinion. Why they no have Latin America Hetalia.

Sgt. Frog- It is a pretty funny and entertaining show with gundam references and other anime references. Halfway through.

Gundam 0079- It is about time I started this one. It is pretty good so far and I'm halfway through. Although it bothers me that Amuro doesn't act like a soldier and lets every enemy live only to kill later.

Hellsing Ultimate- Just starting it after finishing Hellsing.

Summer is the season for anime!

[MangaRocks!]

Tsuritama, ep. 11.

(As always, thoughts on it in the dedicated thread! )

[the_wolfs_howl]

Monster episodes 47-53

I finished the first season of Tsubasa Chronicle, and am now on episode 3 of the second season. Finally some new material! I was getting sick and tired of Outo.

I also rewatched Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away, and saw The Cat Returns for the first time. I really liked it! It captured my imagination, and the Baron is just...awesome He's like...Professor Layton...only a cat

[Davidizer13]

Gundam 0079- It is about time I started this one. It is pretty good so far and I'm halfway through. Although it bothers me that Amuro doesn't act like a soldier and lets every enemy live only to kill later.

Yeah, um, way to miss the point of the entire [s]series[/s] franchise.

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.

Seconding this one; I watched 0080 last week, and it was brilliant, definitely the best Gundam I've seen so far. It's a great heist movie wrapped in a big, dramatic war movie, wrapped in anime robot packaging.

[Neane]

Gundam 0079- It is about time I started this one. It is pretty good so far and I'm halfway through. Although it bothers me that Amuro doesn't act like a soldier and lets every enemy live only to kill later.

Something tells me that you would like Armored Trooper Votoms.

[Nozomi]

Wow, it's been over a year since I last checked in on this thread. I really should use this site more often. Eheh.

Lets see... my last post said that I had just finished Fruits Basket and Escaflowne.

Currently Watching:

Pilot Candidate
Gundam ZZ

Series completed after that (in alphabetical order):

Area 88 (GRADE: EXCELLENT)
Coyote Ragtime Show (GRADE: GOOD)
Eureka 7 (GRADE: GOOD)
Fairy Tail (ongoing, and I need to catch up from about January '12 onward)
FLAG (GRADE: EXCELLENT)
Gankutsuou (GRADE: GOOD)
Golden Boy (GRADE: FAIR)
Gundam Franchise
-0083:Stardust Memory (GRADE: FAIR)
-Zeta (GRADE:EXCELLENT)
Mahou Sensei Negima! (GRADE: GOOD)
Neon Genesis Evangelion (GRADE: N/A)
Samurai Champloo (GRADE: GOOD)
Yukikaze (GRADE: GOOD)

Episode Count: 1,906

Yeah, that's about the size of it. ^^ hehe...

[Crossfire]

I'm on episode 10 of Zeta Gundam. Thought the first episode was a bit iffy, but it sure picked up fast. I dare say Char is becoming my favourite character in the UC timeline.

[TheSubtleDoctor]

It's a great heist movie wrapped in a big, dramatic war movie, wrapped in anime robot packaging.

It's funny that you consider the heist aspect the core of what the film is about. How do you see the ending as servicing this? I personally saw 0080 as the crystallization of the essence of every Gundam series: Sure, you may have an idealization of war, with heroes and villains, as something grand. And sure, these robots are cool. But, the reality is this: war is hell.

[Agloval]

I personally saw 0080 as the crystallization of the essence of every Gundam series: Sure, you may have an idealization of war, with heroes and villains, as something grand. And sure, these robots are cool. But, the reality is this: war is hell.

Really? The franchise as a whole seems to me to be a lot less single-note than that, and 0080 seems to me to be less of a crystalisation than a repudiation. Initially most iterations suggest that war is horrible but necessary (imagine what would happen if the Titans won...). Then, with Wing or possibly before, the shows start suggesting that war is horrible and unnecessary. But they're still all in favour of violence, it just has to be directed right, usually directed at ending a war. 0080 is the only title I can think of which suggests that even that kind of violence might be unnecessary and counterproductive.

[TheSubtleDoctor]

Really? The franchise as a whole seems to me to be a lot less single-note than that, and 0080 seems to me to be less of a crystalisation than a repudiation. Initially most iterations suggest that war is horrible but necessary (imagine what would happen if the Titans won...). Then, with Wing or possibly before, the shows start suggesting that war is horrible and unnecessary. But they're still all in favour of violence, it just has to be directed right, usually directed at ending a war. 0080 is the only title I can think of which suggests that even that kind of violence might be unnecessary and counterproductive.

Hmm, that is an interesting, and certainly more nuanced, view. You're likely on the money, though wasn't the Titans' formation the result of war? If this is true, then one could argue that, though the Titans are evil, that particular ideological conflict, as such, was ultimately avoidable and unnecessary. I have memories of a similar sentiment being the message of 08th MS Team: people have more value/worth than ideologies. Now, I think your point is quite valid when it comes to Ghiren.

BTW, so much Gundam talk in this thread! It makes me very happy.

[Mouse2010]

Subtledoctor, will it also make you happy if I admit that I started watching the original SDF Macross? Unfortunately, I'm watching the dub, since that's what's legally streaming on Hulu. (I cannot STAND the fact that Minmay's voice actress pronounces "Hikaru" differently than everyone else on the show.) I'm enjoying it, although I did kind of want to punch Hikaru when he explained that girls were supposed to cook and look cute. Let's hope he develops into less of a misogynist over the course of the series. I'm only up to episode 11, so there's still time!

[Agloval]

You're likely on the money, though wasn't the Titans' formation the result of war? If this is true, then one could argue that, though the Titans are evil, that particular ideological conflict, as such, was ultimately avoidable and unnecessary.

Mmm, yeah -- I suppose if the shift of populations from Earth to space and the initial treatment of the colonies had been better-handled outright war might have been avoided in 0079 too. Maybe 'necessary' suggests a kind of inevitability which is inaccurate. But I think the first tranch of Gundam series always start by putting everyone in a place where prosecuting the war they have in front of them is a better choice than trying to shoot some sense into both sides ala SEED.

Regarding the Titans particularly, when Zeta was made there was no 0083 to explain that the Titans themselves arose from the hangover of the One Year War; the show just began with dudes dressed in black rolling around gassing colonies, suggesting that Camille might be a girl's name and generally being villainous. I guess one of the odd things about Zeta is that when Neo Zeon turns up there's suddenly a second force around with pretty scary ideas about the future of the Earth Sphere, so things get even worse...

[Xeno]

Since I've starting watching Gundam X on fridays with a couple friends it's seemed to have flicked my anime switch back into the "on" position. Currently re-watching Mai-HiME, have Mai Otome plus it's sequel and prequel lined up for after this, along with Macross Frontier with friends when GX is done. Will be getting around to watching Patlabor TV at some point as well.

[Nozomi]

Currently Watching:

Genshiken
Gundam ZZ

Series completed:

Pilot Candidate (GRADE: FAIR)

Episode Count: 1,918

Heh, how appropriate. I start watching a series about attending conventions, the day before I attend Anime Expo. Buuut with this being my 5th straight year of attending, it's not like I need to watch this for pointers. Lol.

[SilverToast]

Yeah, um, way to miss the point of the entire [s]series[/s] franchise.

I understand what you mean. I like the gundam franchise even though I haven't seen most of the series only very few that were available on T.V at the time such as wing & g-gundam. I haven't missed the point that war is terrible & only must be done to protect the way of life of peoples. Other themes can be debated too just like any other story but that is 1 theme I understand from the series.
Please don't misunderstand but I meant to say that it bothered me that Amuro would miss a chance to eliminate an enemy when it was necessary. I understand that it was because he was only a young teen civilian turned into a soldier against his will. I actually like him as a character.

Something tells me that you would like Armored Trooper Votoms.

I will give it a try. Thanks Neane!

[TheSubtleDoctor]

Subtledoctor, will it also make you happy if I admit that I started watching the original SDF Macross?

Unfortunately, I'm watching the dub,

since that's what's legally streaming on Hulu. (I cannot STAND the fact that Minmay's voice actress pronounces "Hikaru" differently than everyone else on the show.) I'm enjoying it, although I did kind of want to punch Hikaru when he explained that girls were supposed to cook and look cute. Let's hope he develops into less of a misogynist over the course of the series. I'm only up to episode 11, so there's still time!

Though my adoration of SDFM is well-known, I cannot speak to the quality of the English dub experience. I do hope you like it a lot, regardless. Macross has something for almost everyone, so most people find something that they can enjoy.

[Davidizer13]

It's funny that you consider the heist aspect the core of what the film is about. How do you see the ending as servicing this? I personally saw 0080 as the crystallization of the essence of every Gundam series: Sure, you may have an idealization of war, with heroes and villains, as something grand. And sure, these robots are cool. But, the reality is this: war is hell.

I meant that the heist film plot was the driving force of the show, initially. Strip away the war backdrop and the mobile suits, and what you have is a heist movie plot: a crack team of go-getters make a Foolproof Plan to get a valuable thing, put it into action and find that the Foolproof Plan wasn't so foolproof, and everything goes downhill from there. Granted, you'd have a much, much less interesting story if you did that to 0080, but it's a plot that's been done before successfully, many times.

But in the end, the Foolproof Plan goes away]is[/I] the center of the show. Turnabout is fair play and all that.

...This whole thing sounded better in my head.

Please don't misunderstand but I meant to say that it bothered me that Amuro would miss a chance to eliminate an enemy when it was necessary. I understand that it was because he was only a young teen civilian turned into a soldier against his will. I actually like him as a character.

Ah, gotcha. Rest assured, he does get better on that front, but it's a hard-fought, tragic thing, which is the whole point of the exercise. (Also, keep at it! The series really gets good once the White Base finally gets back into space: the plot tightens up, the intensity goes up a few notches, etc.)

[bakura91]

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.[/QUOTE]

Ive allways been into Tv,Movies, music from the 80s (an 70s too) and Anime as well. My introduction to Saint Seiya was when Its on Cartoon Network (butchered, edited and poorly dubbed) as Knights of the Zodiac, then I found the ADV uncut Dvds which had a WAAY better dub as well. The Uncuts only went up to like episode 40 or so I think and its more than 100 eps long. But since its been really popular in Latin America they actually got the whole show uncut so Ive been watching it in Spanish since episode 40 and I can pick up like every other sentence or so and I look at the english fan wikis and stuff if something isnt clear. Its a fun colorful shonen show, It has one of my favorite soundtracks. Its a shame there wasn't some way for it to stay on Cartoon Network even in the butchered form because its one of those boy shoes that have LOTs of cool action figures that they could have sold, thats probably why Dic thought it would be easy to adapt. I honestly wonder if Dic actaully saw an episode before picking it up because its aimed at like kids and teens and was in shonen jump in Japan but it is WAAAY to violent for American TV (like blood, limbs being puched off and the villains allways get killed etc.)

[Neane]

I am sad that there is a lack of Fate/Zero talk on this forum. The Second Season had a better pace and twists than the first season, with a satisfying ending and good character development. It was surely worth its time and I enjoyed it.

[Maokun]

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.

Ive allways been into Tv,Movies, music from the 80s (an 70s too) and Anime as well. My introduction to Saint Seiya was when Its on Cartoon Network (butchered, edited and poorly dubbed) as Knights of the Zodiac, then I found the ADV uncut Dvds which had a WAAY better dub as well. The Uncuts only went up to like episode 40 or so I think and its more than 100 eps long. But since its been really popular in Latin America they actually got the whole show uncut so Ive been watching it in Spanish since episode 40 and I can pick up like every other sentence or so and I look at the english fan wikis and stuff if something isnt clear. Its a fun colorful shonen show, It has one of my favorite soundtracks. Its a shame there wasn't some way for it to stay on Cartoon Network even in the butchered form because its one of those boy shoes that have LOTs of cool action figures that they could have sold, thats probably why Dic thought it would be easy to adapt. I honestly wonder if Dic actaully saw an episode before picking it up because its aimed at like kids and teens and was in shonen jump in Japan but it is WAAAY to violent for American TV (like blood, limbs being puched off and the villains allways get killed etc.)[/QUOTE]

Ah, yeah. I'm from South America so that's why I'm knowledgeable in the topic: it was a huge phenomenon there. Even the big department stores that probably hadn't even heard of the term "anime" sold the imported action figures with actual armor that you could take apart. Fun times.

Anyway, we did get the uncut version but it had an atrocious translation job. Some sentences here and there were plainly incoherent. Best thing, though, was the custom made opening song, a marching anthem that really pumped you up. I mean, the original japanese opening is cool and all, but dude http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5VA7hgIwQ4. The only bad thing is the huge spoilers in the segments they used for the animation.

[Neane]

FINALLY finished Super Dimension Fortress Macross. The execution was awesomely top-notch and the animation was great (for its time), but I have to say that the thing that shined the most were the characters and the way the plot advanced. It was able to switch between the subjects of romance, warfare, and comedy with great ease. I loved it.
The story, music, characters, and directing make this anime a timeless classic that will forever shine as a product of excellence.

[SilverToast]

[quote="Davidizer13 (post: 1573640)
Ah, gotcha. Rest assured, he does get better on that front, but it's a hard-fought, tragic thing, which is the whole point of the exercise. (Also, keep at it! The series really gets good once the White Base finally gets back into space: the plot tightens up, the intensity goes up a few notches, etc.)[/QUOTE"]

Sorry. I took what you said earlier the wrong way ironically. ha(I'm too serious at times) I just finished Gundam 0079 and it really did get better when the white base went to space. The ending was insane. Newtypes, newtypes everywhere.

Finished season 1 of Sgt. Frog.

I just started Gundam 00 and Galaxy Express 999.

I'm still on Hellsing Ultimate.

[Kaori]

Tokyo Godfathers: three homeless persons find an abandoned baby, take care of it for a few days, and try to return it to its real parents. This movie was really different from Satoshi Kon's other films in that aside from one very short dream sequence it stays firmly grounded in reality and in chronological order. None of his other films has such linear and conventional storytelling. Another difference is that the soundtrack was not by Hirasawa Susumu. In no way do those things make it a bad film, though; it is pretty decent and, uh, touching, I guess? It's also interesting that despite the negative way that the Christian preacher at the very beginning is portrayed, it's quite possible to interpret the film as being inherently theistic because of the way that the whole premise is bound up in a string of incredible coincidences (and in the way those coincidences are explained). Also: I am so glad that this DVD happened to have English subtitles. Without them, I would not have understood the majority of the dialogue due to the characters' super-corrupted slang; it was just too far removed from standard Japanese.

星を追う子ども (Children who Chase Lost Voices from Deep Below). I would make fun of the fact that the English title is so much longer and wordier than the Japanese title, but actually it is quite apt. Coincidentally, just like Tokyo Fathers is different from Satoshi Kon's other works, this film is different from Makoto Shinkai's other films. Really, really different. For one thing, it’s a fantasy and has a heavy dose of mythological elements that are woven into it as an integral part of the premise and world-building. It also is much stronger in the action/adventure department than any of his previous films. Its flavor is strongly reminiscent of Miyazaki films, and in terms of the elements that were included, it seems like kind of a mix of Miyazaki, Bridge to Terabithia, Fullmetal Alchemist, and Makoto Shinkai. In particular, I would say that the Miyazaki influence is pronounced enough that the film can be accused of being derivative in a few places, which is one of a few complaints that I have with it. In terms of animation, it even looks like a Miyazaki/Shinkai blend. However, it is also very Shinkai in the way that it is very much about loss. Despite the livelier feel (fantasy/action/adventure rather than drama), the edge of that loss cuts even deeper than in his previous films. Overall, I would say it is very good, about on part with 5 cm/s. The vibrant fantasy world and the richness of the mythology woven into the movie add a great sense of depth, and in particular the effect of that mythology is that it touches a chord somewhere deep inside the viewer, making the movie feel as if everything is infused with meaning. I think possibly the best thing about it is the way that it takes elements from so many different mythologies, but it blends them together successfully and smoothly incorporates them into the plot. Definitely recommended.

With this, excluding some short works, stuff not yet released, and Paranoia Agent, I have now seen both every movie directed by Satoshi Kon and by Makoto Shinkai.

[Neane]

Watched Dracula: Sovereign of the Damned .

What, none of you have seen this anime? What the heck is wrong with you?

A short list of what you've been missing from your life by not watching this anime:

- Dracula stealing Satan's bride from bunch of dumb satanists with 80s monotone voices and a leader whose outfit jumped out from cover of some cheesy garage-band metal album
- not because of getting some blood mind you, this Dracula is after sweet booty.
- GREATEST LOVE STORY EVER TOLD between old Count and the bride who turns out to be the sweetest most loving woman on planet earth (despite being a member of human sacrificing dark cult out of boredom and existential ennui lol)
- wheelchair sword fighting
- holy water drinking super Scoopy Doo
- brilliantly useless rag-tag protagonist team who don't actually do anything during the movie apart from constant talking and being buttholes generally
- bringing kung-fu to vampire fight instead of crosses or garlic
- Count as a happy family man
- Baby killing (Because everyone loves baby killing...right?)
- God resurrecting said baby in order to have it kill babby's dad Dracula
- said baby instantly growing up into Blonde Ãœbermensch vampire hunter dressed up in goofy 70s SF outfit
- also: said Blonde Ãœbermensch vampire hunter shoots beams from his eyes



- Satan himself wrecking everything up because why the heck not. With very lenient schedule though because really, what's the hurry when you have all eternity
- Dracula assaults a couple to steal cash (for dinner) from them like a random hoodlum
- Vampires and....uhhh, vampires that are like zombies with fangs?
- Dracula comes off as the most sympathetic villain ever because actual protags are bunch of idiots and the film can't decide if he is supposed to be a sympathetic character or not
- awful animation and art so bad every now and then they mess up basic rules of perspective definetly unintentionally. Which is pretty hysterical
- classic 80s Harmony Gold dub quality
- so much insane and insane plotting and holes in logic I can't go over all of them so instead here's a gif of Dracula rippin' apart some sweet burger in downtown NYC:

and no, he never takes off that cape. Talk about dedication for style



And I have to say that this is the best worst anime movie ever made.
Watch this with friends!

[SierraLea]

I just saw the last episode of OHSHC in the english dub for the first time. I couldn't help be squeal when [spoiler] he screamed her name after jumping off the balcony[/spoiler]. It's Ed's voice from FMA!

[wildpurplechild]

Finished Madoka Magica: What an amazing ending!
Watched eps 5 and 6 of Black Rock Shooter: I'm two eps away from the ending!

[Vii]

Wolf's Rain 1-7: It's cool. The vibe it gives off is familiar somehow. Probably from some movie I saw but can't remember. Or just that it's an older Studio Bones work that reminds of the first FMA series.
The animation is excellent (Studio Bones, etc etc). The story is intruiging. The music is spectacular (It's by Yoko Kanno, of course it's awesome).
Props go the English dub, too. It's extremely good.

Ginban Kaleidoscope 1-3: An ice skater gets inhabited by the soul of a Canadian. Ah, anime, your premises always sound absurd.
But the anime itself is meh. The animation is not the best. The story...I'm only three episodes in, I can't really say anything. The music...meh.
I don't know if I'll continue it. It's kind of being overshadowed by Wolf's Rain.

Hyouka 11: I knew it! [spoiler] I had this idea last episode that Houtarou was just being used and that Hongou wasn't actually sick, and I was right! [/spoiler]
Maybe I do like mysteries after all...

[Maokun]

Dangit Neane, stop tempting me with those laughable steaming piles when I barely have time to watch the actual good stuff!

[Sapphire225]

Finished watching dearly departed Satoshi Kon's movie, Perfect Blue. How trippy...

[Neane]

Dangit Neane, stop tempting me with those laughable steaming piles when I barely have time to watch the actual good stuff!

I like watching bad anime, it makes me like the good ones even more. Speaking of which: Watched Odin: Starlight Mutiny. It's not quite the worst anime ever (as it is sometimes advertised), but it is a profoundly silly, probably stupidly-overhyped-at-its-time big budget failure, much like Rintaro's Harmageddon. However, the movie pulls the most bafflingly amazing transition to end credits I have ever seen. I won't even attempt to describe it, you have to see it for yourself. But that is not the worst anime ever due to the fact that I watched a much more terrible anime:



It truly is awful. I watched it due to the fact that it is supposed to be a prequel to the old Macross Show, wish I never saw it. Bird People are not Macross.

I am getting more into Macross, does anyone know some sort of order in which to watch it in? Because otherwise, I am going to watch Marcross Frontier next.