×
  • remind me tomorrow
  • remind me next week
  • never remind me
Subscribe to the ANN Newsletter • Wake up every Sunday to a curated list of ANN's most interesting posts of the week. read more

Forum - View topic
What are you watching right now? Why? (please read 1st post)


Goto page Previous    Next

Anime News Network Forum Index -> General -> Anime
View previous topic :: View next topic  
Author Message
Speevesx101



Joined: 28 Jan 2015
Posts: 12
Location: Virginia, USA
PostPosted: Fri Jan 30, 2015 4:22 pm Reply with quote
nbahn wrote:
Speevesx101--
Welcome to A.N.N! Cool


And thank you btw!! Very Happy
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
TsunaReborn!



Joined: 08 Sep 2012
Posts: 4713
Location: Cheltenham UK
PostPosted: Fri Jan 30, 2015 5:04 pm Reply with quote
Speevesx101 wrote:
I do need to start reading manga lol i'm getting tired of waiting for new seasons that sometimes never come.....


I find most series end in a very jarring or unfitting way like Claymore; that was the series that really got me into reading manga as I felt like there was so much more to be told even though I didn't know the manga existed. Other series like Blue Exorsist were fantastic until the last few episodes where everything was wrapped up so quickly and I didn't feel like the ending given fitted with the rest of the build.

A series that did do it right was High School of the Dead as it finished at an open ended arc, which left you to wonder "how they are doing now". I'm sure there have been plenty of other series (or genres in general) that end before the source material and do so well (I.e slice of life)... but my anime knowledge and experience is a tad on the basic side Wink
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website My Anime My Manga
Chewy89



Joined: 30 Jan 2015
Posts: 1
PostPosted: Fri Jan 30, 2015 6:06 pm Reply with quote
I'm currently bouncing between three shows.

Right this moment I'm watching Deadman Wonderland. I found it on netflix and it drew me in. I find the world pretty interesting. I mean it's a prison that acts as a carnival as well. It's got so many creative characters and has held my attention so far.

I have also been watching Sword Art Online. I've only gotten through the first two story arcs but it's amazing so far. Kirito and Asuna are meant to be! I'm curious to see GGO and UW next.

I'm also watching Naruto. He's such a little brat, but understandable. I'm only halfway through the first season, but it's really good.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
CrowLia



Joined: 24 Feb 2012
Posts: 5504
Location: Mexico
PostPosted: Sat Jan 31, 2015 1:52 am Reply with quote
Finished Tweeny Witches. The second half was a lot stronger than the first one, and it had a good bunch of great ideas, but it fell flat on execution. The conclusion was terribly anticlimactic, it was never clear what on earth happened to the villains, and when the stakes were so high (world destruction! Magic will disappear forever! We are all going to die!) for it to get solved with just a moment of sparkle was kind of mmmkay. There was too much jumping around in the last ten episodes or so, with the fairies getting caught, freed, caught, lost, freed over and over, it got really confusing. It feels like they fooled around too much in the first half and then had to rush the second one. The portrayal of the friendship between the three main girls was actually well done, especially towards the end, and it was pleasing to see how far Sheila had come (the other two didn't change much, but their bond was very well developed). Rating it Not really good.

I also started Chrno Crusade. I read the manga some years ago, it's a beautifully tragic story and I'd been wanting to see it animated for a while. I've heard the anime made some terrible changes to the story, I might reread the manga when I'm done to draw the comparisons. The first two episodes are actually weak, people play the pronoune game and the "But Chrno is actually a..." a bit too much, and although there's a lot of action, it's kind of lacking in the cool factor. Anyway, ep 2 ended with Joshua's introduction, so I hope the story gets moving soon
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message My Anime My Manga
Chiibi



Joined: 19 Dec 2011
Posts: 4828
PostPosted: Sat Jan 31, 2015 10:57 am Reply with quote
Mm, one of my absolute favorites. The manga fans seem to hate the anime....but the only part I disliked was the final arc.

It will tear your heart to pieces though. Anime cry
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
Crisha
Moderator


Joined: 21 Apr 2010
Posts: 4290
PostPosted: Sat Jan 31, 2015 5:01 pm Reply with quote
I started my own Chrono Crusade thread in the Subscriber forum last year (actually, it was the end of 2013 now that I think about it) to give my impressions. I started watching the anime about 8-9 years ago when the singles were being released and rage quit around episode 18 because I hated hated all of the changes. I wanted to give it a go again to see how my feelings have changed. I'm a lot more forgiving of things now I find, but episode 7 still sent me into a rage (I was expecting it though... I don't ever see my feelings changing about that). I've rewatched up to episode 12, but I've only recorded my thoughts up through episode 8. Kinda lost interest in writing it. It's something I do want to finish though.

CC is my #1 favorite manga, which is why I felt it was worth going to that much effort in writing about it. I think what I'll do is copy and edit my thoughts and post them in the official CC thread here (I would need to add spoiler tags for the manga specific discussions, since my thoughts are largely tied to the differences between the anime and manga... I would also need to remove some images). Maybe that will get my butt moving again to finish the damn series finally.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website My Anime My Manga
Mr. Oshawott



Joined: 12 Mar 2012
Posts: 6773
PostPosted: Sat Jan 31, 2015 9:50 pm Reply with quote
This sunset I've finishing watching Infinite Stratos. It was quite a humorous and action-packed show. I just couldn't contain my laughter of Ichika often being on the receiving end of a mishap involving any of main girls of his class. On top of that, the IS battles were pretty intense and has done well showcasing the characters' different powers of their unique IS. I found Infinite Stratos to be a fantastic watch. Anime smile
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
Chiibi



Joined: 19 Dec 2011
Posts: 4828
PostPosted: Sat Jan 31, 2015 10:28 pm Reply with quote
My (tiny) anime club started 11 Eyes. It's interesting.....the two main characters are not, but everyone else is, as well as the story so that's okay. I understand Minase Yuka gets a LOT of hate....but so far she hasn't done much to receive mine....yet. We're only on episode 06. I love the OP and ED songs. And Yukiko and her senpai....they're a much cuter couple than the main one. Anime hyper
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
DuelGundam2099



Joined: 07 Dec 2014
Posts: 533
PostPosted: Sun Feb 01, 2015 7:12 pm Reply with quote
This morning I gave the second Fullmetal Alchemist movie, The Sacred Star of Milos, a watch. For some reason I never bothered seeing this until now despite finishing Brotherhood way back in 2011. I thought it was great and it had nice twists even if the character designs looked kind of cheap. With that said I was not sure which anime series to take on next and didn't feel like giving anything a complete watch at once so I did the sensible thing and decided to watch five first episodes at a time! Razz Plus it helps cut down the backlog a tad. I'll post basic thoughts about said series:

-Buddy Complex: The first mecha anime from last year which I missed out because Valvrave fallout. Unlike the other short mecha series from last year (Dai Shogun and Daimidaler) this looks watchable even if the beginning had a weird sad beginning what with time travel shenanigans. It also appears to have a lot of mechs for a one course series, come to think of it I don't know any real robot series that are this short. Seems really generic thus far.

-Angel Links: Not counting the music AWESOME AWESOME AWESOME AWESOME I CAN'T STOP APPLAUDING WHY DID GARBAGE LIKE OUTLAW STAR GET POPULAR BUT NOT THIS? It actually looks good! And its action packed! And this first episode was surprisingly solid! And the mascot turns into a freaking sword! And the fan service is not obnoxious (yet)! You know what's sad? Yesterday I bothered looking up who did OS. Same guy that worked on Ryu Knight, Detonator Orgun, and Zegapain, the last of which is my sixth favorite anime of all time AND has my favorite anime mecha of all time. HOW. THE. HELL. Did he make something so sucky!? No matter, I am assuming this series makes up for that and so far it is very impressive! Definitely the best of the five!

-Oh! Edo Rocket: This was recommended to me at Anime Suki nearly two years ago. Its really dumb random comedy and amazingly lackluster looking backgrounds; I assume this is intentional to give a cholegraphy (spelling?) look to it, but it doesn't work. Also monsters are hunted by samurai in this for some reason when the main story is about luxury banning on the poor.... Yeah I don't get it either. Worst of the five so far.

-When They Cry: The last in a series of recommendations given to me by a friend a couple years back which I never got around to seeing for some reason and I am not taking up his hentai recommendation. Supposedly a story about a serial killer and some time loop if the discussions pertaining to when Super Heroine Chronicles was announced are any indication, instead this story seems about some teenage guy with four lolis at his small village school.... Playing solitaire and getting a sailor doll out of a junk yard. At least the ending indicates things will get serious soon.

-Fruits Basket: Why see this one? Because it managed to win the Anime Grand Prix and since I've seen most of the winners already I figured "why not?" This compares to the likes of Mobile Suit Gundam, Ideon, God Mars, Nausicaa, Castle in The Sky, Evangelion, Nadesico: Prince of Darkness, Cardcaptor Sakura, Gundam SEED and Destiny, Fullmetal Alchemist, Code Geass, and Attack on Titan? Well most of it seems like a generic school oriented slice of life anime with some tragedy. Then the episode ended and it turns out the male characters were all animals in disguise. Did NOT see that coming! I'm curious to see where this goes.

This much is certain, none of the music is that good. Sad
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
gel309



Joined: 11 Dec 2014
Posts: 25
PostPosted: Wed Feb 04, 2015 2:15 pm Reply with quote
I'm currently watching almost half of the winter 2015 lineup... but i also want to know if there are any completed series worth watching?
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Errinundra
Moderator


Joined: 14 Jun 2008
Posts: 6523
Location: Melbourne, Oz
PostPosted: Mon Feb 16, 2015 3:30 am Reply with quote
To my enormous relief I found this cached on Google. Anime smallmouth + sweatdrop Originally posted: Sat Feb 07, 2015 11:22 pm Australian Eastern Summer Time.

Sword of the Stranger

Reason for watching: Mainly because I'm a Kickstarter backer for Masahiro Ando's Under the Dog (though I'm concerned about the personnel changes that recently took place). I rate his Hanasaku Iroha as very good and Canaan as good.

Synopsis: A Chinese military squad has arrived in Northern Japan to obtain the blood of a boy that is believed will grant the emperor immortality. Among the squad is a European swordsman who, while loyal to the emperor, wants nothing more than to pit his skills against the finest Japanese samurai. The boy in question befriends a nameless ronin and cons him into to becoming his bodyguard. All the while the local Japanese lord - who has given the Chinese his consent to carry out their mission - is out to doublecross them by any means available. Inevitably the two swordsmen will confront each other in a fight to the death.

Comments: The synopsis above is about as complicated as Sword of the Stranger gets. There isn't much in the way of philosophising other than the occasional pointed visual social commentary; the characters aren't explored in any depth; and the opportunity to examine Sino-Japanese relationships isn't taken up to any significant degree. What is presented is, instead, a dingy atmosphere - with every last character compromised it could be described as samurai noir - and, especially, blood-letting samurai action.


Luo-Lang and Nanashi: no screen shot can do justice to the film's choreography.

Now, action anime ain't my thing. In particular, fighting anime leaves me unenthused. I have to admit, though, that Sword of the Stranger is one of the most entertaining anime movies around. Eliminating other story telling elements allows the film to concentrate on what it does so well: the fighting. The animation is good without being outstanding, but what shines are the choreography and the dramatic build-ups: when the film isn't promenading its stunts, it's setting itself up for the next action set piece. The result is, despite the gore, a sequence of fights that have an elan and inventiveness that I've rarely seen in anime. It's as if the animators/choreographers are revelling in the execution of their craft. For example, the Chinese have constructed a vast and elaborate altar come temple in the middle of the Japanese wilderness. Once the action arrives there it becomes a giganctic prop for the fighting. The three dimensional nature of the prop provides the means by which the swordplay gains a spacial quality not often seen elsewhere. It helps, of course, that the adversaries rarely waste time talking - the curse of shounen fights - and do what's really important: try to kill each other. The visual appeal of the battles brings to my mind Attack on Titan, which, likewise, is at its best when it sets out to awe with its own visceral action set pieces.

Sword of the Stranger does some other things passably well. It spends time developing the relationship between Kotaro, the mostly unlikeable tsundere orphan boy, and the no-name lordless samurai. Nanashi, as he gets called, is appealing: there is an innate gentleness to his character that belies the violence of his calling. Because of that quality his history, when it is revealed, is convincing. Both the Japanese and the American voice actors capture his essence well. I especially like Michael Adamthwaite's voice in the role. Kotaro's annoyances are compensated, with interest, by his marvellous dog, Tobimaru.


Great dog; annoying kid.

Both Nanashi and his major adversary, Luo-Lang, are actually European. With his red hair and pale eyes Nanashi likely has Viking genes (Irish, Scottish or Scandinavian; the Irish lilt in the music when his red hair is revealed suggests the first mentioned) while Luo-Lang's blond hair, blue eyes and accent peg him as Germanic. Add to the mix a Chinese army on Japanese soil and the scenario is ripe for some nationalistic posturing. It just doesn't happen. It's as if the foreign elements are simply added for colour. That said, all the characters, outside of the three travelling companions, are daft caricatures in the best shounen tradition. Not that it matters, as their principal role is to be sword fodder. I counted two female characters in total (if you don't count the two victims that momentarily appear in the event that leads to Nanashi abandoning his lord). They are two more Chinese warriors who happened to be drawn as women. They may as well have been men. Yes, it's a boysie show.


The unnamed ronin: unexpected gentleness amidst the violence.

I mentoned before in passing that Sword of the Stranger has a dingy atmosphere. It is set in winter - possibly in Ando's native Hokkaido - and is notable for its evocation of bitterly cold and impoverished misery. Browns and greys predominate, with more primary colours being muted. Even the copious blood lacks its expected vividness, which probably helps in downplaying what might otherwise be shocking. While the overlords pursue their meaningless dreams - vast wealth, power and immortality - the serfs fend off starvation. It's a system that brings out the treachery in everyone, except Nanashi and, surprisingly, Luo-Lang.

The music is lushly epic but too often sounds as if it has been ripped off from The Lord of the Rings. Other than being a rip-off, that's a good thing.

Rating: Good. Top-notch choreographed swordplay action more than makes up for Sword of the Stranger's shortcomings. It easily shades the film's other strengths but don't let that hold you back. It's worth seeing for what it does well.

Could Under the Dog be Hanasaku Iroha meets Sword of the Stranger? I suppose that was Canaan.

Anime smallmouth + sweatdrop


Last edited by Errinundra on Thu Nov 09, 2017 1:32 am; edited 1 time in total
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Visit poster's website My Anime My Manga
Errinundra
Moderator


Joined: 14 Jun 2008
Posts: 6523
Location: Melbourne, Oz
PostPosted: Mon Feb 16, 2015 3:44 am Reply with quote
And this. Very Happy Originally posted: Sun Feb 08, 2015 5:19 am Australian Eastern Summer Time.

Maoyu

Reason for watching: 1) it's from the same director, screen-writer and studio that gave us the incomparable Spice and Wolf; 2) it shares the fantasy and economic themes of Spice and Wolf; 3) the famous I am Human speech.

Synopsis: With the help of the Hero, the Demon King sets out to revolutionise the mediaeval world order by introducing modern economic and political theory. This, of course, meets opposition from both human and demon stakeholders but the protagonists are able to find allies, from sometimes unexpected quarters, to aid them in their mission.

Comments: Given my admiration for Spice and Wolf this was a show I was always going to watch and own. While not quite as good as its forbear it's still has many things in its favour.

First and foremost, the Demon King is a terrific character, with her boundless goodwill and ambition. You may think with that sort of praise she may be a tad earnest (which she is) but her comic side demolishes any such reservations. While her bouncy breasts and poor body image become awkward and tiresome even before the end of the first episode they are part of one of her most endearing qualities - her lack of pomposity. As arguably the most powerful creature on the planet (although the Hero demonstrates towards the end of the series - "I think I overdid it" - he would probably give her a good run for her money) she has the grace to never take herself seriously. Her inextinguishable optimism is infectious, while her constant regard for the Hero grounds her as a, dare I say it, thoroughly human character. Her ability to persuade people is her most outstanding skill, especially in the opening episode where she disarms, then re-orients, then wins the heart of the hero in one extended, comic but brilliant sequence.


My favourite image of the Demon King and the Hero comes from the cover; the artwork is by toi8.

For his part, the Hero is something of a bland disappointment, more Kujo from Gosick than Kraft Lawrence. He's a serviceable foil for the Demon King as she plies her schemes but their relationship, while sweet, is mundane as romantic comedies go. This can be traced back to the source material. Despite all the shared staff between Maoyu and Spice and Wolf, it's the difference in the source material that is most telling. Both are adapted from light novels: the newer series from author Mamare Touno and the older from Isuna Hasekura. I've had exposure to the Spice and Wolf novels and it's easy to see that the anime's most notable feature - the wonderful relationship between the two mains with all its exploration and byplay - is solidly grounded in the novels. Hasekura has a bent for intricate yet comic verbal manouvering between characters. Maoyu lacks this vibrant interplay, relying instead on more mundane interactions. It's still good but not in the Spice and Wolf class.


The Knight: a blend of chivalry, pride, skill and comic misunderstanding. I love the freckles.

Happily Maoyu has some memorable, and even unforgettable, support characters. Prime among them is the Knight whose courtly, unrequited love for the Hero follows the finest chivalric traditions except the genders are reversed. Like the Demon King she is smart, capable yet highly comical. That balance is something that Maoyu gets right time and again. There's the Young Merchant who gets an inkling as to how much economic freedom can change the world and line his pockets at the same time. As his eyes open to new possibilities he also begins to wonder if a fire dragon princess might, in fact, be just the sort of woman that would suit him. For her part she is quite the scene stopper - particularly how she belches gases and flames when inebriated. There's a female magician who had me wondering whether she was one person or three. I'm not sure that she was clear on this point herself. There's a Head Maid who kind of runs the show but remains intensely loyal to the Demon King. Although she is probably the most clichéd member of the cast she has her moments of surprise. Her tough love contributes to the unexpected development of her underlings, Big Sister Maid and Little Sister Maid who revel in their new found liberation. This leads to the former's I am Human Speech, which deserves every accolade thrown at it. The only speech which can stand alongside it is Youko Nakajima's first decree abolishing kowtowing in The Twelve Kingdoms, though that speech entirely lacks the raw emotion of Big Sister Maid's. Even if you don't want to watch Maoyu track down episode 9. It's inspirational stuff that should bring people to tears. Or are you human?


Big Sister Maid and Little Sister Maid: from serfs to unexpected revolutionary heroes.

Like Youko Nakijma's the speech extols human dignity and the centrality of freedom to that dignity. While that is all well and good, the speech is part of a broader economic argument being made by Maoyu: that individuals can best reach their potential through economic and political freedoms. Governments are corrupt and hold back the individual's potential. It's classical liberalism of limited government and laissez-faire economic policies (as understood everywhere in the world except the US). It is a highly contestable notion. It is the fundamental point of conflict between left and right politics. In our modern world greater economic freedom favours the powerful who can enhance their power even further with their freedom thus perpetuating and expanding inequality - see Thomas Piketty's Capital in the Twenty-First Century for a detailed analysis of the growth of inequality in the Western World following the triumph of neo-liberalism after the 1970s. Maoyu has chosen an easy target with the story's mediaeval economic and political setting, where the primary purpose of government is to wage war. That a government's role is the welfare of the governed is an Enlightenment Era innovation. Maoyu's argument is a bit of a straw man. Where serfs have no economic or political freedoms then the case is a no-brainer. We aren't living in a mediaeval world. We are living in a post Enlightenment age. Having got that rant out of the way, the mediaeval fantasy setting most certainly adds to the flavour of the story so, in that sense, I find it highly appealing.

One of the criticisms I have read about the anime is that it ends with the military situation unresolved. For sure, like so much anime these days, it doesn't cover all the source material and, thus, has the expected unresolved threads. Nevertheless the overarching story (beyound the romantic comedy) is economic, not military, and in that Maoyu ends on a satisfying note. The economic genie has been well and truly let out of the bottle and there is no putting it back.

Bouncy breasts aside, which aren't to my taste, the series is a visual treat. Even better is the soundtrack, in turn melodic, sweeping, ironic and chaotic. I think it's one of the best in recent in times, if perhaps a tad overproduced..

Rating: At the low end of Very Good. I'm not sure it'll keep this rating over time as it's more fun than profound. Maoyu has some great characters, engaging wit, an interesting economic argument, great visuals and music and the I am Human speech. That speech alone makes this series a must see. Over and over Maoyu tells us that persuasion is more powerful than force of arms. That has application in our supposedly post-Enlightenment age.

Anime smile + sweatdrop Anime smile + sweatdrop Anime smile + sweatdrop


Last edited by Errinundra on Thu Nov 09, 2017 1:36 am; edited 1 time in total
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Visit poster's website My Anime My Manga
Mr. Oshawott



Joined: 12 Mar 2012
Posts: 6773
PostPosted: Mon Feb 16, 2015 7:25 pm Reply with quote
Today I finished watching Angelic Layer. A short girl named Misaki Suzuhara has traversed to Tōkyō to live with a relative. It wasn't to long before she found out about a unique game in which two people battle one another with their customized dolls in the hopes of gaining experience and maybe even win the tournament that is...Angelic Layer.

I found Angelic Layer to be one of the most awesome shows that I've watched. The dolls demonstrated their incredible potential through the use of their users' thoughts and feelings. I was ecstatic of the the show's ending spoiler[in which Misaki and Hikaru won the championship after defeating her mother and her Angel Athena. They were really delighted that they reunited after being away for over seven long years].
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
thegoanna



Joined: 17 Sep 2007
Posts: 35
Location: Roxby Downs, Australia
PostPosted: Fri Feb 20, 2015 5:08 am Reply with quote
Well long time since I've been here and I've seen so much!!
sword art online, 1 -2 -3, yuyushiki, my ordinary life, girls und panzer, attack on titan, yurururi, akb0048 1-2, Appleseed alpha, Devil is a part timer, yamoto live movie, kamichu, kamisama kiss, altier escha and logi, brynhildr in the darkness, Captain Harlock - 3D Movie - has amazing graphics!, plus a couple of dozen or so more... and enjoyed them all..

I bought a copy of Bodacious Space Pirates movie from Japan... no subs, no dubs.. just plain old Japanese, didn't understand a word but loved it.. somebody please please please!! sub / dub this!!!

I've also watched the new Ghibli stuff, Up on Poppy Hill and the Wind Rises and Ronja the Robbers Daughter.. (still watching as comes available) all great stuff.

All this and so so much more... so yep been a while, so why now?

Well my copy of The Tale of Princess Kagura (The Bamboo Cutters Daughter) arrived yesterday, I watched both Japanese and English versions, simply WOW!.. 2 Hrs and 17 minutes simply disappeared for both versions..

I can see why its nominated for an Academy Award, it may not win, as their are some strong nominations this year, but absolutely deserves the nomination! I am going to watch the show just to see how it goes.. ( I never watch award shows normally!!)

This is going to be a Ghibli Classic Great, it goes close to perfection in my mind anyway, great story, as an adaption of a very old Japanese folk story, great artwork, done in a water colour style that suits the story and is simply beautiful, Actors both Japanese and English do a great job -Yes even the dub was good!, and the music is Japanese classical instruments, for most part. And its highly emotional at the end.. where did those tears come from??...

The story is discussed on Wikipedia under The Tale of Princess Kaguya. This is a spoiler article and discusses the whole story with other information and links to other versions etc. I read it before I got the movie, and to be honest, didn't worry me at all, I was still entranced by the movie. Smile

Could not help but mark it Masterpiece... Directed by Isao Takahata, who has directed several of Ghibli's features, including Fireflies, The Yamardas, Only Yesterday.. he has the skills, and did a great job here. Noting these titles are among my very favorite Ghibli movies..

If you get the chance watch it..

PS if your worried.. then note Rotten Tomatoes has it at 100% Fresh, not many shows can make that claim! cant say much more than that I suppose.

Oh and GHIBLI STILL LIVES!!! ---YESSSSSSSS!!!

See you all in another 3 years.. HA HA HA!!
Going to go watch some more anime.. Wink
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website My Anime
DuelGundam2099



Joined: 07 Dec 2014
Posts: 533
PostPosted: Sat Feb 21, 2015 1:21 pm Reply with quote
Could have sworn I posted here earlier in the week. Maybe I dreamed it. Laughing So, five anime at once, currently at their seventh episodes:

-Buddy Complex: Significant improvement since the first episode with lots of action, nice art, nothing bad or annoying, cool mechs and ships, writing that is actually kind of solid, and it gets some points in my book for having no fanservice so far. (minus documentary nonsense in episode 7) Being devoid of ecchi crap is not something you see often enough. Best aspect so far are the ships, they're actually very distinct and worth a darn.

-Angel Complex: After one stellar first episode we get.... Mostly regular but still entertaining episodes. Meh. This reminds me a lot of other space ship setting series from this time that rip off Star Trek like Nadesico or Vandread, but this one is actually likeable without having a sucky cast. True, most of the cast seems underdeveloped and some more action could be used, but I will give it the benefit of the doubt. This was the best, but unfortunately the animation has been suffering over time like OS.

-Oh! Edo Rocket: So the main girl might be one of the sky beasts the government has been after.... Eh. The jokes have been reduced since the first episode which already shows improvement on this series. Unfortunately nothing else is going for it so far, seems more like a series of events more than a plot, much like later Hammer Dracula and Frankenstein sequels. The only character worth a darn so far is Akai who has this "I am obsessed with order but I'm really nuts" thing going on for him and even then that isn't saying a lot. That raccoon bar in episode 5 was just dumb. Episode 7 didn't even fit in that well with the rest, suddenly a serial murderer is on the loose but most of the episode is about a steampunk robot? Talk about lack of focus.

-When They Cry: So eps 2, 3, and 4 slowly but properly became really dark until half the cast was killed off violently.... Then episode 5 happens and resets everything back to normal.... WHAT? I want to call this "Poor man's School Days" since it is haremy enough, but it is nowhere near as good; unfortunately this predates School Days so I can't. They might as well rename this "beta male and his bi-polar harem get in random murder hijinks". By episode 6 I could see a pattern which, if MAL descriptions are any indication, will also be done a third time from eps 9 to 12. Episode 7 also has the infamous QUALITY shot with Mion looking derpy while being angry at Kei while he's on a ladder. Ties with Edo Rocket being as "worst".

-Fruits Basket: Very average, none of the jokes really work, nobody is obnoxious, and very little happens other than "my back story is sad, but I have an upbeat attitude" from multiple character. Bleh. It is so middle ground that I wonder how this became an Anime Grand Prix champion. I am not used to slice of life anime, maybe that is it, but either way its painfully average which may end up hurting it in the long run. Ep 6 manags to show off how cringe inducing the comedy can get when forced. Oi.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Display posts from previous:   
Reply to topic    Anime News Network Forum Index -> General -> Anime All times are GMT - 5 Hours
Goto page Previous    Next
Page 838 of 1061

 


Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group