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Watching Acchi Kocchi, a moderately pleasant slice of life romantic comedy. Edit: finished watching it, I rate it 6/10. Decent but not special in amy way.

I started watching Flag (2007), I have high expectations for this one.

One of the shows I have been watching that does not deserve its own discussion is 18if, and I am writing this after watching episode 5. The show has been lacklustre in a number of areas. If I had to guess the anime's point is to address a number of issues that young women experience, show it in an empathic way by the use of dream like aspects, but most of the time it does not feel like it knows what to do with its aesthetics, or even its message, that it ends up as a mess. This episode itself was BS I think in the meaning ended up being along the lines to wake up from your dreams, the dream here beingspoiler[ that a girl who had been forced into celebrity figure skating could have a normal life, so she could not fight destiny of the rink]. The main guy even kind of said it earlier that spoiler[normal life is boring and she should be happy she has a talent], he has supposed to be written as totally understanding, but this ran counter.

But this does not even overcome the really weird twist in the episode, wherespoiler[ apparently she woke up as an old woman]? What?! There was no foreshadowing to this, the dream world she finds herself in based on her mind is filled with modern aspects like laptops and modern karaoke, not something to hint she had been in a coma for 40 years. This dream world itself has reality concerning problems too, as how would she even know even know what a normal college life was like if she was forced into skating so much. And that is one of the confusing parts of this show, it is left very ambiguous if things are only surface level of what the dreamer would know, or if it is a fully functioning world. The aesthetics in this episode not helping where it would seem everyone but her and our main character were pretty much static images as if just a backdrop, which made him asking around with them just confusing.

And yet the episode tried to get around it in him saying that he is a college student so he should be able to show her around that type of life. But I thought that he had no memories of who is, that was established earlier and I have not seen it amended until he said something like this. And I think is part of an aspect that this show is pretty bad at keeping a narrative consistency. Like in one episode the mysterious girl who calls him big brother is seen on rare occasions and to the cat guy she treated as almost a rumour of being rare, and the next she is sleeping next to the main character like it is nothing and the cat guy questions her being there like it is normal maybe even spotting her when this should be the first time he has seen someone so important.

With episode 4 I could see that the answer to the problem of a spoiler[binge eating bulimic should be that she should learn a healthy way of living of generally eating what makes her happy, and be within reason, that some food will not balloon her and would be okay to eat some things occasionally]. But I don't even quite know what the message was, something about a spoiler[memory of eating curry as a kid], I am pretty sure it was not what it was supposed to be at actually confronting the problem. There was also a douchebag boyfriend that if anything she was lucky to get away from.

Or episode 3, which actually did have a rather interesting idea of playing around with perception with the story, but had some pretty big fails I think in properly telegraphing these changes in perception that it came across as kind of confusing. And I can really recall what the meaning of the story was, and that is one of the big problems, this show sucks at having some moral of the story to take away from these events.

Episode 2 might have been even worse in that it finished with the main character spoiler[becoming a murderer]. That episode was pretty gruesome, and it seemed to be kind of setting up a story with the main character that the heroine of the episode was twisting into something ugly in her search for vengeance. The main character specifically asking if he could watch had a feeling that it was being used to echo back the big psychopath of the episode, that she was being a bad guy, but in the end spoiler[she kills them and then seems to go onto a happy normal life like she is not a sociopath now]. In the narrative it was pretty clear that these guys were bad guys and perhaps was better to off them, but that is something the narrative set up, just to kind of meet this revenge fantasy plot and never face the kind of hypocrisy that was starting to leak through.

And maybe this falls through that I cannot even build a consistent personality for our hero of the show, because it feels like it changes every episode in what he is like. One episode he is getting gifts from cat professor of food (somehow), the next he is being passive aggressive by cooking purposely bad food for him. One time he is ready to dive into the problems facing a girl, the next it was like he did not want to get bothered by all the dreams, and then the next he is jumping in again.

Is anyone else watching this, and are you having an easier time?

I kinda stalled out after the 2nd episode (I keep forgetting what the show is about and so have little incentive to watch it when I have other stuff to do), and your post makes me think I should just drop it. It's one of those shows that's somewhat interesting while I'm watching it, but doesn't stick to the ribs once I'm finished with the episode.

Gina Szanboti wrote:

I kinda stalled out after the 2nd episode (I keep forgetting what the show is about and so have little incentive to watch it when I have other stuff to do), and your post makes me think I should just drop it. It's one of those shows that's somewhat interesting while I'm watching it, but doesn't stick to the ribs once I'm finished with the episode.

The entire show feels like it is trying to take the witch labyrinths from Madoka and be about different issues. Which could be fine, that was a really creative part of that series and could be used as the basis of good stories. But it becomes a problem that it feels like the dream aspects are largely window dressing, it does not really know that much how to use it creatively like how Madoka pretty much makes it a spectacle of what is running through the subconscious of the witch, or other parties in general Shaft. And perhaps forgettable because despite there being a build up for some resolution, largely it just does not land it.

I want to find others that might have seen some, otherwise it feels like I am shouting at the void while I am watching something largely meant for the female demographic, like Scared Riders Xechs ( Mad

), pretty much acting like the Grinch.

Oh, and on Tsuredure Children, yeah, I remember I think noticing that mole for a split second and thought it a strange detail. But that show has been great. I can see the Kemono Friends comparison of being something no one really expects anything, not exactly being a big project I think, but able to build off some charm and doing some things well.

Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress (Episode 1-3): So what's so special about this anime? It feels like I'm watching Attack on Titan again, but with zombies. Nothing about the characters and story felt all of that interesting. I will probably pass watching anime.

Made in Abyss: I could not get into this one. I had a hard time sitting through the first episode because I found it kinda boring.

Kakegurui (Episode 1-2): I notice that this anime is getting a lot of buzz lately. I wanted to like this anime, but it felt like a water down of Kaiji to me. Not to mention I found some of the fan service to be distracting. The show felt meh to me.

Death Parade (Episode 1-3): Wow this was really good. I saw episode 1 like a couple years ago, but I really like this anime. It was dark, serious and didn't have any of the tropes in modern anime that I can't stand. It was a show that made me on the edge of my seat. I want to watch more of this anime soon.

KonoSuba (Episode 1-2): This one was not too bad. It had some really funny jokes and the story was pretty interesting. I would consider watching it later on.

Psycho Pass (Episode 1-2): I saw bits of this anime over a year ago and never saw much of it. This one was really good and it felt like nice fresh of breath air. It is a cyberpunk anime made after the 90's and reminds me of Ghost in the Shell, A.D Police and Cyber City Oedo 808. I can't wait to watch more soon.

I recently finished WorldEnd a.k.a. SukaSuka, though I prefer the first name because of what "suka" means in a certain other language. If there is one word that I would use to describe this show, it's "inconsistent". Though the OP of the show might make you think it's a fantasy action series, it's much closer to a slow-paced slice-of-life series. While I would agree with the ANN staff that the show has pacing issues that render the middle episodes a frustrating exercise to watch, the first two and last two episodes don't suffer from this nearly as much. Fundamentally, it's a flawed adaptation of its source material; it has an expansive and interesting universe, but doesn't explore it in a particularly satisfying way. But for all the negatives about the series, it does an excellent job of portraying the romance between its two leads and has an engaging soundtrack that serves to highlight the series's strongest moments. This is especially true of the first and last episodes, which feature a very good cover of "Scarborough Fair". Overall, I would rate the series 3.5/5, the only series I have seen to get this entirely arbitrary and personally biased rating.

My Hero Academia is also a series I've been keeping up with. The 1st season was very good, and the 2nd season is even better. One of the best Shonen Action series around gets stronger every episode.

I've been trying to satisfy my itch for mecha action lately as well recently. I've previously scratched that itch with various Gundam series, to very disparate results. Gundam 0080 stands up surprisingly well, considering its age. G Gundam is surprisingly fun and entertaining, though I wouldn't call it a true Gundam series. MSG: 8th MS Team is excellent, one of the best mecha series ever. Zeta Gundam is terrible, and all of its fanboys secretly know it. Sadly, my masochistic temdancies have drawn me to that paragon of everything controversial about non-UC Gundam in Mobile Suit Gundam Wing. Chaos Gods have mercy, I hate the main characters. Heero is a sociopath, Reelena is obnoxious in the extreme, and the two of them combined steal the spotlight from other more interesting characters. Also, the Char clone in the series is so blatant I've started mentally referring to him as Char Aznable. So now I'm rooting for OZ as they attempt to stop Colonial terrorists and take over the Human Sphere, with varying degrees of success.

At this rate, I might have to jump ship over to Macross Frontier. If it's anywhere close to being as good as Macross Plus, I'm going to love it.

Last edited by horseradish on Mon May 04, 2020 8:02 pm; edited 1 time in total

I am watching 18if along with Magical Circle Guru Guru for Summer '17. I am enjoying Guru Guru, since it's amusingly charming and absurd to me. I have a fair bit to say about 18if.

@DuskyPredator
I agree with your thoughts on episode two, which feels like the most disjointed episode so far. Episode three felt spoiler[sappy and had a serious case of tonal whiplash from episode two]. I think the message was spoiler[something about enjoying what time you have left with the people you love]. *shrugs* For episode four, I think the message was indeed spoiler[ that Airi (witch) should adopt healthier attitudes toward eating and food ], but the approach was too shallow. I think episode five's message was something about spoiler[how people lost in their dreams also lose their chance to turn those dreams into a reality, so they should wake up before it's too late?] Confused

I was looking forward to this show, but am disappointed. The dream aspects do feel like window-dressing, because the show seems to advocate that people are happiest when living a normal life and having normal experiences. Koji Morimoto, the chief supervisor of the show, has an impressively dynamic, fluid visual style that has not seeped into the show at all. If I didn't look at the credits, I wouldn't know he was involved with the production. Each episode has a different director, which gave the show potential to showcase talented people like Space Dandy. However, the directors are not given the same amount of control over their episodes, which suffer under a poor, simplistic script that has yet to flesh out the recurring characters, properly explain the plot, and make me actually care about the witches. I find the dialogue unintentionally funny sometimes too. Honestly I expected too much from a mobile phone game adaptation.

18if may warrant a discussion thread, if only to figure out the logic and trajectory of the show ~~or to vent frustrations~~. I'll keep watching the show but with lower expectations. I wonder what the game's like.

horseradish wrote:

18if may warrant a discussion thread, if only to figure out the logic and trajectory of the show ~~or to vent frustrations~~.

If I have a strong reaction to next week's episode, I will probably make a thread in the anime discussion area. Since I am not alone in considerations of different parts of 18if, maybe there will be some traction of interest of what works or does not work with the show. The episodic nature kind of brings to mind a kind of obscure anime called Sengoku Collection, which I think of as a hidden gem, but that series had it is a strength of a different main character almost every episode with a distinct personality which allowed it to have strong episodic stories.

Been watching Flag, so far have watched 9 episodes of this ONA. Overall, it's a nice show with very good animation and creative direction but I was expecting a bit more given Key rated it masterpiece. I really loved episode 9 though, that was one a special experience compared to the rest of the title.

Progress Report:

I wrote a miniature essay on HeroAca's first forty-eight seconds. Speaking of, it's a very charming show so far, and I do hear Season Two is when it really grows the beard. Also, Christopher Sabat as All Might. I could listen to that voice all day. I don't have much to say. See you soon.

Amongst the anime I am watching this season is Angel's 3Piece! (Tenshi no 3P). There is no way going around it without straight up saying that this is a lolicon show, written by the same person who did Ro-Kyu-Bu, general impressions are going to label it as troubling, because lolicon stuff is generally looked at as the worst. It is so closely linked to saying someone is a paedophile for liking that stuff. Call it a guilty pleasure or whatever, but I kind of have a soft spot for this shows, for whatever reason I can actually like these shows, I consider myself a fan of Ro-Kyu-Bu, and I have been enjoying Angel's 3Piece. Part of that is I think that against impressions, they are not all predatory sexualisation of these young girls, sure there can be some uncomfortable parts, but it can also be cute, and manages to I think treat its characters with respect. The other series managed to be a half decent basketball anime, and I think that this one has been able with music and some connected drama.

Most who got through the first episode before being kind of horrified by how it finished it with a pretty creepy way, I think something about giving bodies, I don't think was fare to what else has been so far. It has seemed just as strongly been focusing on our male character growing, and in terms of romance it has really more of a focus of a girl his own age. I have actually find it more funny how it has played "oh no, I could get in trouble for a misunderstanding from being around these girls alone." I will probably give a big post when it finishes in full at the end, but so far I want to say that I am actually enjoying it, and especially with a recent episode. Just watched episode 6, and it was actually a pretty good episode of being pretty emotional, regardless of how you might pick at it. It got some tears out of me, and I quite liked it.

Been going through Key's list of top anime. Now I am watching Hanasaku no Iroha which is very nice. A realistic slice of life show which are not that numerous I might say.

Space Adventure Cobra: The Movie (1982) - I remember when I rented this movie back when Urban Vision release it on VHS in the late 90's. Seeing that it has been 18 or 19 years since I seen this movie, I decided to re-watch it on Blu-Ray. I think the movie holds up very well.

I'm a fan of Space Adventure Cobra and I seen most of the original TV show. This movie was the first time that I heard about the series back in the late 90's. Not to mention this anime is the last anime to be dubbed by Streamline Pictures in the 90's.

The animation is beautiful and feels very experimental. The movie is made in 1982 and holds up very well 35 years later. Osamu Dezaki is a fantastic director and he really give this movie a very surreal atmosphere to it. The movie has a lot of bizarre imagery and I love it. It help creates the feel of sureness of the galaxy that the movie takes place in.

The story, while seemingly simple, is still pretty good. Cobra himself is a total badass and is pretty funny too. Cobra's villain, Crystal Boy is very enjoyable and has a great voice for his dark personality. Crystal Boy is probably one of my favorite 80's anime villains for how fun his character is. The other characters in the movie are pretty enjoyable and I found myself really liking them.

The movie also has a very good soundtrack and solid Japanese voice acting. The English dub from Streamline is very good and Dan Woren did a great job on voicing Cobra.

Overall, Space Adventure Cobra: The Movie is a very good sci-fi action anime movie in my opinion. This movie is a nice way to introduced people into the world of Space Adventure Cobra. The movie is inspired by pulp sci-fi such as Buck Rogers in the 25th Century and Flash Gordon while having a surreal atmosphere. I wish we had more anime similar to Space Adventure Cobra. I give this movie a 8/10.

I just recently finished watching all of Little Witch Academia that finally came out on Netflix last week, and I gotta say, I had a lot of fun with it. I love Akko's character and that undoubtedly was a huge part in my enjoyment of it. In fact, I think the show as a whole managed to become an entry in my 30 recommended/Favorite Anime list, and I'm very grateful for Yoh Yoshinari and the folks at Studio Trigger for making that happen. With all that said and done, other than continuing the shows I've been watching for this Summer 2017 season, I don't really have a firm idea on what anime to watch right now. I think I'll just rewatch some shows I like on my Crunchyroll queue like Highschool DxD and Amagi Brilliant Park for the time being. At least until I have the feeling again to start and finish a show I haven't watched yet (I never drop any show that I start to watch), but has my interest.

Just finished Lovely Complex, rate it 9/10.

Well, when I say I "finished" it, what I mean is that I got up to and watched episode spoiler[eighteen, the climax of the series,] and then immediately bailed. Being forewarned and having looked up episode summaries, I knew what lay ahead. The final run of episodes are frankly insulting, spoiler[introducing new characters out of the blue (including a never-even-mentioned-before yandere neighbour)] simply to add some really dumb relationship drama. I hate it when shoujo artificially prolongs an otherwise completed story just because no-one wants to stop the gravy train. Anyway, do not waste your time here; watch up to and including the episode mentioned above and then get the heck out of Dodge.

But enough of the negatives. Lovely Complex is one of the best romcoms in existence, animated or live action it doesn't matter. It succeeds because of both of its leads, true, but especially because of Risa. She's one of the most lovable and true-to-life heroines you'll ever see in anime, or maybe anywhere. She isn't boxed into a nice neat stereotypical role, like cute girl or bullied girl, or sad girl in the snow afflicted by some mysterious plot-borne disease. She's witty, silly, insecure, headstrong, sensitive, brash, air-headed, excitable, fretful and snide; usually several in the same scene. She's all over the place emotionally, true, but then again, she is a teenage girl in love. Heh. And all of those emotions may be hers but she is more than the sum of them. Risa is just herself, so well-realised I couldn't help but cheer for her. She may be fictional but she comes across as someone who could be a real person. Of course, her characterisation and likeability are helped by first-rate voice work and jaw-dropping facial expressions.

While Risa is the standout character the rest of the cast are no slouches either. I thought Nobu was amazing, nailing the lovey-dovey girlfriend scenes as well as the frustrated-to-the-point-of-rage BFF physical comedy. As for co-lead Otani, he gets the short end of the stick due to his indecisiveness and staggering denseness, but don't hold that against him. He is a great character in his own right, as every bit as multi-faceted and as funny as Risa is, and if he wasn't overshadowed by her he'd stand out more (aha, requisite height joke accomplished).

So yeah; fantastic cast and likeable leads, consistently hilarious comedy from multiple sources, effective drama, fitting music (if a tad overused), and animation that is rough but is full of warmth and charm. Lovely Complex is a really strong romcom; one of the best, no doubt about that, and an easy recommend to even those who are not big fans of the genre. I even considered giving it a 10/10, but decided that it wasn't quite there. Close call though. Just avoid that final batch of worse-than-useless episodes at the end and you'll be A-OK.

On a side note, I'm also halfway through Momokuri right now and wow, the difference between the two shows is like night and day. One of them is inspired, the other insipid. (I'll leave it to you to figure out which.)

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