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What are you watching right now? Why? (please read 1st post)


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CrowLia



Joined: 24 Feb 2012
Posts: 5500
Location: Mexico
PostPosted: Fri Sep 27, 2013 1:09 am Reply with quote
I should've probably done the same. I watched all 26 episodes and never managed to care about any of the characters, if any, I really wanted them all to die (esp. the crazy bitch with the ferret and the crazy bitch who kept going "MY BOYFRIEND WILL PROTECT ME WHEEE WHEEE"). I'm so glad I have Jojo around, I watched three episodes yesterday and I already feel renovated. Jojo is so awesome.
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OldCharlieStoletheHandle



Joined: 12 Dec 2009
Posts: 1288
Location: Mastic Beach, NY
PostPosted: Fri Sep 27, 2013 2:44 am Reply with quote
I just finished the first Fullmetal Alchemist series. The TV show started out very strong, then seemed to dip a bit in the middle, then finished strong. There were a few minor flaws here and there (mostly the occasional bit of misplaced attempts at humor during very dramatic moments) but I rated the TV show as "excellent".

The movie The Conqueror of Shamballa was also very good, although not quite up to the quality of the TV show. The biggest problem was the way it tried to shoehorn all the characters from the TV show into the story. In the TV show, with 51 episodes there was time to give every character their due; in the movie they could have done without some of the minor characters. I still rated the movie as "very good".

The so-called Perfect OVA Collection, on the other hand, was mostly a waste of time, especially the so-called "interactive" adventure. There really is no "interactive" element to it, all it does is have the characters talk to the viewer from time to time. It adds nothing to the franchise. The "Chibi Cast Party" at least was amusing. If I were rating the OVAs separately I would rate the "Chibi Cast Party" as "good" and the rest as "so-so" so overall I rated the collection as "decent".
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CarnivalCorpse



Joined: 12 Sep 2013
Posts: 25
Location: England
PostPosted: Sat Sep 28, 2013 4:18 am Reply with quote
I recently finished Soul Eater and rated it as very good, I really enjoyed the storyline, the animation and grew to care for the characters, will get a rewatch in the future no doubt.

I have just started watching Ghost Hunt because I am a horror fan and have always been interested in stuff like supernatural powers, the occult etc. I finished episode 11 last night and am enjoying right now, I like how its done in files and whilst I ain't really creeped out by the arcs, they are keeping me intrigued and making me want the characters to solve the mystery ASAP. So far i'd rate as good.
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Pacal II



Joined: 21 Jun 2013
Posts: 49
PostPosted: Sat Sep 28, 2013 10:14 am Reply with quote
Currently I'm watching Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei. I've started watching it, because for some time it's been on my "list" of yet unwatched animes. I chose it because recently I've been watching much more heavier titles like Darker Than Black or Paranoia Agent. So I figured out it would be nice to see a comedy for a change. I must say that I'm enjoying the show quite a bit, it's like if Azumanga Daioh and Pulp Fiction had a baby Very Happy.

[EDIT: Use the Edit button instead of double-posting. -TK]
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Blood-
Bargain Hunter



Joined: 07 Mar 2009
Posts: 23669
PostPosted: Sat Sep 28, 2013 8:05 pm Reply with quote
So I just finished watching Umineko: When They Cry. Keep in mind, I somehow managed to know absolutely nothing about the anime before I watched. I am unfamiliar with the source material it is based on.

...


So, if you've also seen Umineko to completion and didn't know much about it going in, then you know EXACTLY how I feel right now.
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Gewürtztraminer



Joined: 14 Nov 2007
Posts: 1028
Location: Texas - Its like whole other country.
PostPosted: Sun Sep 29, 2013 12:10 pm Reply with quote
Blood- wrote:
So I just finished watching Umineko: When They Cry. Keep in mind, I somehow managed to know absolutely nothing about the anime before I watched. I am unfamiliar with the source material it is based on.

...


So, if you've also seen Umineko to completion and didn't know much about it going in, then you know EXACTLY how I feel right now.


Yes, I am there. Backstory: I have only seen the US released first 26 of Higurashi, but have bought and played through the entire Higurashi visual novel.
The first 26 were a pretty decent adaptation, until the omission of a CRUCIAL epilogue to the last arc presented. Totally changes the tone. (not to mention there are ton more arcs that tell you what the ef is going on).

Bought Umineko because its NISA and I buy all their stuff.
It feels like there was a ton left out, but honestly, this story might work better in VN format. I have not played Umineko, but it almost feels like there are about 4 arcs left to wrap everything up.

Higurashi's first season worked extremely well IMO, despite the omission in the end. I recommend the VN for those with many hours of their lives to devote to an interesting story.... those suckers are LONG.
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Blood-
Bargain Hunter



Joined: 07 Mar 2009
Posts: 23669
PostPosted: Sun Sep 29, 2013 12:27 pm Reply with quote
I'm a big fan of Higurashi the anime - I have never read any of the VNs.

I did enjoy Umineko even though ... well, like I say, anyone has seen it knows what the "even though" means. One strand of it really impacted me emotionally: spoiler[Maria's throughline of being the daughter of a shitbag mother.] I know a lot of viewers didn't like her character because of her vocal affectations, but I found her entire story heart-breaking.
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Gewürtztraminer



Joined: 14 Nov 2007
Posts: 1028
Location: Texas - Its like whole other country.
PostPosted: Sun Sep 29, 2013 12:36 pm Reply with quote
And thats where I "think" (I could be wrong) motivation/reason would be filled in with one of the missing arcs. Higurashi in VN format did a really good job of eventually explaining the "why" of every question you had.

If Mangagamer brings over Umineko, I will be on board, despite the cost.what there was of the anime made me interested.

I was really shocked at how effective the Hirgurashi VNs were at telling the story despite substandard art, no choices etc...
They were worth the price.
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Melanchthon



Joined: 02 Oct 2010
Posts: 550
Location: Northwest from Here
PostPosted: Mon Sep 30, 2013 6:57 am Reply with quote
Mamotte Shugogetten

A generic and wholly forgettable SAG (Sudden Appearance of Girlfriend) show. 'Pure-hearted' kid Tasuke accidentally summons Chinese moon spirit Shaorin (who, like so many other SAG heroines, is quiet, demure, and utterly submissive), hijinks occur, they fall in love, they are separated, kid wins girl back with the power of his love, the same massed produced formula. The show was made in the forefront of the digital animation revolution, and it shows. It appears to be animated with a eight-bit color palette, with everything in bright primary colors, and the animation itself looks like a cheap Flash production. The first few episodes are kind of cute, but the show quickly goes off the rails with the introduction of a new spirit character Ruuan. She is introduced to provide a romantic rival for Shaorin, but fails miserably in that attempt, and the show rapidly degenerates into absurd slapstick at the expense of any real romantic plot action. Perhaps the writers realized this, since latter in the show Ruuan is pushed aside almost entirely for a new romantic rival, a cute kouhei that manages to exploit the differences between a spirit and a human to make quite the run at upsetting this OTP.

The thing that interested me about this show is it's very existence. Why was this made? Who was the target audience? The show is very juvenile in art and plot, and I can't imagine any seinen audience enjoying it, while the chaste romantic plot and lack of ecchi makes me hard to believe that the shounen crowd would have jumped on it. The show is so generic and boring the only reason why anyone would watch is because they have the hots for Shaorin--that's it! This is moe! Actually, I'd call this proto-moe, since it has elements of both moeblob and moe romance, but doesn't really follow the baseline moe patterns that are developed later on. Moe did not spring full fledged, like Athena, from the minds of Kyoto Animation, no, it was a evolutionary process, and MS is a transitional fossil for it. MS was produced in '98, right before the cusp of the 'moe era', and it was probably a moe following that pushed it into production.

They also pushed an OVA sequel into production as well. This sequel is even worse than the original, if that can be believed. The art was cleaned up a little and most of the childish things set aside, and a much more seinen atmosphere introduced. At this point the show has become a full-fledged moe romance -- Tasuke has his spine surgically removed and is reduced to the standard 'tabla rasa' male lead, and the show is complete focused on the rather sad state of the relationship between Shaorin and him. Unlike its cheerful predecessor, the OVAs are dreary, filled with teen angst, as the characters mope around, getting all depressed about their feelings and their chronic inability to express them. Like a dog, the show also returns to its own vomit, casing aside the human rival that worked so well and introducing a new spirit that again is unable to preform in the rival role and merely wastes airtime. And in the end, unlike most shows of similar vein, there is no big emotional cathartic release--instead of a confession of love and a kiss, the show ends with the characters in the same old sad state, with no resolution in sight. I guess they were trying for another sequel, but it never came about. To return to the evolution metaphor, the show was probably out competed by the better moe stories that were starting to propagate now, and went extinct.

And speaking of things I'm glad died, a short rant about how much the old days sucked. Kids today don't know how good they've got it, with Crunchy giving profession translations on almost everything. Digging into the turn of the millennium shows, a lot have only really bad fan translations as an option for viewing. The OVAs for MS have a particularly odious one. These guys had that tendency to leave a bunch of Japanese words left untranslated, then fill up the screen with an explanation of why there was no good English translation. One of these untranslatable words was 'Hai'. Yes, the Japanese word for 'Yes' is filled with nuances the Western mind can not truly comprehend. Idiots. And yes, while translation is hard work, I might have a little more respect for these guys if they didn't mistranslate 'daikon' as a carrot.

In other news, I have a bizarre cosmic coincidence with Galaxy Express 999. I started watching that show in the Bahrain International Airport, and it looks like I will finish watching it while in the Bahrain International Airport. Yes, I foolish volunteered to head over to the Middle East again, and I didn't plan things out really well, since I'm missing the start of the Postseason and the start of the Fall Anime season, which could drive a man insane (not to mention the whole almost-war-with-Syria and the government shutdown). Fortunately, I'm already completely bonkers, so we don't need to worry about that. I've packed my phone with GE999 and some Jormungand, since I found it delightfully hipster ironic to watch a show about traveling international weapon salesmen while on travel for a international weapon selling company. Also packed in some movies, Urusei Yatsura: Beautiful Dreamer, Run Melos, and Apfelland, as well as some Minami-ke. And I plan to play some tricks with my remote server to see if I can't grab some of the new season, although internet service, and therefore X11 tunnels, are poor, I have to rely on command line interfaces a lot. Note to ANN admins, if you see some moron accessing the site with a Lynx browser in the next week, yeah, that's me. I've also stocked the server with good stuff to replenish my supply if it gets low: From the New World, Someday's Dreamers, and something called Landlock. Oh, and Gunslinger Girl, which I've never actually seen, oddly enough. Don't know why, since it's Lolis with Guns, and you'd think that be right up my alley.
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DuskyPredator



Joined: 10 Mar 2009
Posts: 15433
Location: Brisbane, Australia
PostPosted: Thu Oct 03, 2013 8:43 am Reply with quote
I watched the first 2 specials of Pokémon: The Origin Specials. I had not really been following the anime for some time, but I was happy to watch this in original Japanese with subs, thanks to it being more of a homage to the games than the actual anime. I loved that I could recognise many of the lines being from Red and Green/Blue, and Red actually felt like how one would when playing it. Of course I spoiler[tried to capture another trainer's Pokémon] just like Red did.

Also lately have started the anime Mai HiME, so far up to episode 5, had a couple of interesting laughs up to now. I partially started this series from a recommendation and to do with the music composer Yuki Kajiura who has done some great work in series like .hack, Madoka and Sword Art Online.
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zawa113



Joined: 19 Jan 2008
Posts: 7357
PostPosted: Fri Oct 04, 2013 12:34 am Reply with quote
I mostly just wanted to test out how Netflix on the 3DS XL works (for the record, it's pretty bad looking.... I wouldn't use it for Netflix purposes on a regular basis ever, use a console and TV for that), but I also wanted to see how My Bride is a Mermaid is, so I watched the first ep. Pretty good, since it's a SAVE title, I'll check it out. The humor is maybe my style from the looks of it, and it's not a harem of idiots, so it's not hitting any bad marks, so yeah, glad it's SAVE.
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Errinundra
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Joined: 14 Jun 2008
Posts: 6516
Location: Melbourne, Oz
PostPosted: Fri Oct 04, 2013 11:10 am Reply with quote
009 Re:Cyborg

I saw this at Cinema Nova in Carlton this evening as part of Madman's 2013 Reel Anime Festival.

Synopsis: All around the world skyscrapers are being destroyed: by suicide bombers; cruise missiles and even, in the case of Dubai's Burj Khalifa, a nuke. With the world approaching a state of chaos, Dr Gilmore once more gathers his cyborg team - each member with a prodigiously enhanced ability - to combat the menace. At first it seems that the shadowy US corporation Samuel Capital is behind the disasters in order to sell arms to panicked governments but, as the team investigates further, suspicion falls upon a US government eager to restore its lost pre-eminence in the world. Things are complicated by the discovery of the fossilised remains of angels which coincides with people, Cyborg 009 among them, hearing the voice of god telling them to destroy the towering monuments to human pride.


Cyborg 009 wanders through the ruins of Dubai. Yes, that's an oil tanker balanced on the top of an impaled building.

Comments: It's always fun to watch well produced anime at the cinema but I have to say that 009 Re:Cyborg was singular in how it surprised, thrilled and nonplussed me. As I presented my ticket the usher invited me to take a pair of glasses. Cripes! It's 3D! I had no idea. And what an eye-opener it turned out to be. Despite the usual slightly-too-dark 3D palette and the initially incongruous contrast between the detail of the backgrounds and the simplicity of the character designs (though 3D just the same), it really was the most eye-popping anime I've ever seen. Problem is, the linking story didn't manage to live up to the amazing action set pieces that make the film as good as it is.

It starts of with buildings toppling domino style in Shanghai - on a big screen, in 3D, and with Kenji Kamiyama's eye for perspective, it's simply breathtaking - then moves into an aerial sequence amongst the skyscrapers of a future Roppongi Hills district of Tokyo. Among the other great set pieces are a B2 attack and nuclear destruction of Dubai and a disarming of an ICBM as it flies over Europe and North America - yes, Cyborg 009 hitches rides on both a stealth bomber and an ICBM. In between these brilliant sequences are the usual Kenji Kamiyama lengthy spoken expositions and altogether too easily obtained answers to plot conundrums. But, really, everything is just an excuse for Kamiyama to strut his visual pyrotechnics and they are easily worth the admission price. To the eye candy you can add Cyborg 003. It's a nice change to see a woman, rather than a school girl, provide the fanservice in an anime. Just loved her floral stockings. She has some grown-up moves, too. Mind you, I'm with Cyborg 002 who finds it a bit rich that the team is led by 009 who is forever a 17 year old schoolboy. I suppose that 009 is stuck in a Peter Pan rut while 003 gets older and sexier as the years go by could be a sly dig at the fanbase, a la Mamoru Oshii in The Sky Crawlers. Anyway, full marks to Kamiyama keeping the over-the-top gleefully destructive tone of the two 1960s films I saw recently - Cyborg 009 and Cyborg 009 and the Monster Wars.


Cyborg 003 about to leap from a plane fully expecting to be saved by 009 who, at this moment, has no memory of her.

And non-plussed? Like the end of the Eden of the East TV series (with which it has many similarities, as it also does with Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex - Kamiyama wrote and directed all of them) 009 Re:Cyborg leaves the most central questions unanswered: what are the fossilised angels? who is the glowing, floating girl that leads people to the angels? what is the voice that urges people to commit such cataclysmic acts? how come the cyborg team finds itself reunited in a decayed Venice at the end? is god really intervening in the affairs of the world? It's a tease and it's frustrating and annoying. I can hear it bellowing from the (skyscraper) rooftops, "Sequel!" All the same, count me in.

Rating: good.

***

Tomorrow morning I'll be seeing a double bill of Ghost in the Shell: Arise and The Garden of Words. On Monday it's Evangelion 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo and next weekend A Letter to Momo (which I saw last year at the Melbourne International Film Festival). Good stuff.


Last edited by Errinundra on Thu Nov 09, 2017 12:36 am; edited 1 time in total
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Errinundra
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Joined: 14 Jun 2008
Posts: 6516
Location: Melbourne, Oz
PostPosted: Sat Oct 05, 2013 7:28 am Reply with quote
The Gardens of Words and Ghost in the Shell: Arise - Border 01: Ghost Pain double feature.

I saw these at Cinema Nova in Carlton this morning as part of Madman's 2013 Reel Anime Festival. And it really was a double feature: the second film started a few seconds after the first finished. It was quite a jarring change in tone.

The Garden of Words

Synopsis: Takao Akizuki is a serious fifteen year old boy whose dream is to handcraft shoes. On rainy days he wags school to visit Shinjuku Gyoen park where he sketches shoes and dreams. There he meets 27 year old Yukari Yukino who, similarly, is taking extended breaks from her employment without every explaining why. The two meet whenever it rains and, it being a Makoto Shinkai movie, they fall in love. When they discover their connection in the real world outside the park they realise that their love, while genuine, must remain beyond reach.

Comments: After the worthy failure that was Children Who Chase Lost Voices, Makoto Shinkai has returned to his stock in trade and directed a more characteristic tale of unrequited love. Good thing too because this is his best effort yet along those lines, giving us visuals more stunning than ever before, his first decent character designs, keeps the sentimentalism to a minimum (by his standards), and creates one of the most tender sexual moments I've ever seen in an anime - when Takao finally touches Yukino's feet so he can measure them for the shoes he plans to give her. That's a new element for Shinkai, introducing a physicality not previously apparent in his works. I only hope he continues his explorations in that direction. His approach to more carnal scenes could be fascinating.


Takao and Yukino.

Last year's Shinkai offering at Reel Anime, Children Who Chase Lost Voices, while pretty, was, visually, something of a disappointment. Both From Up On Poppy Hill and Wolf Children were at least as good. This time around I was blown away. Even the wonders of 009 Re:Cyborg couldn't put it in the shade. I particularly loved Shinkai's play of leaf against water, emphasising the intersection of different elements or worlds. (Like much of anime, Shinkai's metaphors can be unsubtle.) The artwork is so detailed that I sometimes wondered if I were actually viewing life action film. This website shows key locations and the photographs upon which they were based. Sure, the pictures are lovely but I'm left wondering precisely how creative Shinkai is being. You may even argue that Flowers of Evil is actually being more creative in its use of rotoscoping. Then again, people will give more latitude to a butterfly than a bush fly. Like them, I'll forgive him because, on the big screen, the images are so lovely it doesn't really matter.


Simply magnificent.

Another plus is that the film is only 46 minutes long. Short Shinkai is good Shinkai: he can be drearily self-indulgent at times. Not so here. The Garden of Words is poignant, to the point and never overstays its welcome. Although, when we finally learn Yukino's actual profession and how it connects to Takao, the film's lyricism is suddenly replaced by a rather more everyday prose. Give me a Japanese garden over a Japanese high school any day. Again, all is forgiven when the two lovers finally embrace. CHRIST! That must have been cathartic for Shinkai! How many hours of anime has he given us of yearning, worry, self-reflection, angst, loneliness, endless train journeys, separations and dreams before he gets his pair of would-be lovers to finally hold each other? WOOHOO! Go, Makoto!

That said, he still can't give us a decent female character. As she herself admits, Yukino is "saved" by Takao. That's right. Once again the Shinkai woman is the object of the male's protection. You know, women actually have their own agendas. In fairness I can see how, from film to film, he is developing his craft and pushing his boundaries. This is one boundary he really needs to crash through before his films can be genuinely counted as great.

Rating: very good. Shinkai's best effort to date, easily.

***

Ghost in the Shell: Arise - Border 01: Ghost Pain

Synopsis: Set before the films and TV series, Arise has Major Motoko Kusanagi working within the security branch of the Japanese military. Three days after returning from an asignment overseas her commanding officer, whom she reveres as an upright and courageous man, is murdered, revealing a hitherto unknown life of debauchery and corruption. Investigating the murder she crosses the paths of several others doing likewise: Togusa for the police; Batou for the military; Paz for the underworld; Aramaki for public security; along with various other unsavoury types including an army of mobile landmines that put a new slant on how dangerous girls of a certain school age can be. As she searches, the Major discovers that her memory isn't what it should be; that she has been in Japan for seven days, not three and that all the evidence suggests she murdered her commanding officer. The Major needs all her wits about her and all the help she can get. But we already know that some great people are doing their best behind the scenes.


The mobile landmines. There ought to be a UN convention against this sort of thing.

Comments: After the visual glories of 009 Re:Cyborg and The Garden of Words, the more subdued and limited artwork and animation of Ghost in the Shell: Arise turned out to be something of a letdown. It's not bad as such; it just got overwhelmed by what I'd seen immediately beforehand and the day before. In terms of story and action it's about on par with, say, the first season of Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex although the animation and art do fall well short of the best work in the franchise by Mamoru Oshii and Kenji Kamiyama. Where the latter preferred subdued greys, mauves, and browns, Kazuchika Kise gives us striking reds and blues.

This is most apparent in the new character design of the Major with her red leather suit and blue hair. I have to say that I like the way they have avoided the sluttish look of the first season, even if she moves in a less natural, more stilted way and her hair style gives her head a lopsided appearance. On balance I can get used to the body design but she shares a major flaw with all the characters: there is so little personality in the face and so little variation in facial expressions that I always had the impression I was watching a set of mannikins going through the motions. The same problem afflicted Last Exile: Fam, the Silver Wing compared with its predecessor. Whether it's due to a lack of budget or a creative shortcoming the effect was to disengage me from the characters. Perhaps the director wanted to draw my attention to the limitations of cyborgs. If so, it spoils the anime.


Major Motoko Kusanagi. All those years and no promotion.

Another limitation is that it is just the first episode in a four part OVA. By also predating all the other films and TV series it necessarily spends much of its time setting up the scenario. Sure, there is a stand alone (yuk! yuk!) story but it is dealt with more swiftly than it deserves. The writers aren't a match for Kenji Kamiyama who, at his best, can move at a cracking pace with plenty of u-turn plot twists. Mind you, Kamiyama has his moments of extended verbal exposition as well.

Rating: decent. There's scope for a good story to develop over the next three instalments. So far, it isn't all that notable.


Last edited by Errinundra on Thu Nov 09, 2017 12:44 am; edited 1 time in total
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Blood-
Bargain Hunter



Joined: 07 Mar 2009
Posts: 23669
PostPosted: Sat Oct 05, 2013 8:15 am Reply with quote
Good lord - those images from the Garden of Words... can't wait until I own that on BD. It's doubtful, but I would absolutely love to have an opportunity to see it on in a theatre. Come to think of it, I haven't been able to see any Shinkai in a theatre, yet.

The Reel Asian film festival is coming up in Toronto in November and the Waterloo Animation Festival the week after that. Both events are potentials for getting this, so I'll keep my fingers crossed.
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CarnivalCorpse



Joined: 12 Sep 2013
Posts: 25
Location: England
PostPosted: Sat Oct 05, 2013 12:16 pm Reply with quote
Finished watching Ghost Hunt the last two arcs (Bloodstained Labyrinth and The Cursed House) are easily my two favourite files of the series, had a good mix of tension, atmosphere and the characters whilst not fully fleshed out were interesting enough. Overall rating: Good

Started watching Fairy Tail (very late to the party I know but first 48 episodes where cheap to buy so thought I would give it a shot!) Only finished episode six but loving the series so far, wizards, fighting and typical shonen fun very rarely fail! Happy is just so adorable... Easily my favourite character at the moment.
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