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


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Akane the Catgirl



Joined: 09 Oct 2013
Posts: 1091
Location: LA, Baby!
PostPosted: Mon Oct 02, 2017 4:08 pm Reply with quote
Progress Report:

First, I'm sorry if I haven't been doing much Akane Analyzes lately. I've been battling with my mental illnesses, and it's gotten bad enough that I've decided to take medication for it. I just don't have a lot of energy to do much writing these days. So if you've been wondering where I've been, now you know. (Also, please leave comments; nobody has.)

In the meantime, I've been watching Jojo's on Toonami and My Hero Academia on Funimation's website. They're both fun shows, and I'm glad I can watch them.
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Chiibi



Joined: 19 Dec 2011
Posts: 4828
PostPosted: Thu Oct 05, 2017 1:32 pm Reply with quote
Gina Szanboti wrote:
Just got around to watching SAO Ordinal Scale. I actually liked it a lot, even though, not surprisingly, it didn't make a lick of sense. It was still fun to watch Kirito bumble around


I love that he despises REAL MOVEMENT AND EXERCISE because relatable. Anime hyper

(omg that's right; I have to order my copy!! wow)

Edit:

Just got back from No Game No Life Zero and it was aweeeesome ♪
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louis6578



Joined: 31 Jul 2013
Posts: 1857
PostPosted: Sat Oct 07, 2017 4:03 pm Reply with quote
Gina Szanboti wrote:
Just got around to watching SAO Ordinal Scale. I actually liked it a lot, even though, not surprisingly, it didn't make a lick of sense. It was still fun to watch Kirito bumble around, and the main villains weren't face-lickingly evil which was a nice change. I was wondering why they sidelined Asuna for the final battle, but happily she was having none of that and joined in triumphantly.

Probably the biggest plot hole was why they didn't just copy the data instead of transferring it. No one would even have noticed, or cared if they did notice. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯


The plot point of Kirito being too fat is pretty amusing. I generally liked the movie more than the series, but there are two things that bothered me. One was pretty minor.

1. The cast is eating. The technology gives them all something to eat. Lisbeth is then told by this technology that she can't eat that cake or it'll bring her over her recommended calorie intake or whatever. Okay. Why give her the cake if you're just gonna say she can't eat it? :\ I know this is supposed to be a HILARIOUS moment, but that's a pretty big leap in logic for a joke.

2. Kirito seems like he'd be on board with AR more than anyone. I mean, the single most interesting thing about his character is his obsession with making real life and virtual life mix together. It's heavily implied that he's the one who made the stuff we see in Accel World. So then, why is he so against Augmented Reality? That seems to be a pretty big step up toward his goal. Well, the meta-reason is that Kirito is perfect and so he's the one who should be "right all along" about this villainous Augmented Reality being nothing but trouble. But the in-universe reasons I can think of are just simple, petty things like Kirito doesn't like to exercise (which shouldn't even be true if he's the Kendo expert that the show claims he is).

Overall, I give it a solid recommendation of 5/10. Just above what I rate the original season, but not quite as high as Mother's Rosario got the second season to, which is a 6/10.
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Mandragoras



Joined: 09 Oct 2017
Posts: 5
PostPosted: Mon Oct 09, 2017 8:14 pm Reply with quote
The tiny informal anime club I'm in did Baccano! recently, a show which I've started and stopped a truly implausible number of times, and I'm happy to learn that it really was worth it. The OVA ending is perhaps less conclusive than the TV ending (and those episodes are a biiiit slow), but in a lot of ways it feels more thematically cogent. Fun show. Uplifting, even.
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louis6578



Joined: 31 Jul 2013
Posts: 1857
PostPosted: Mon Oct 09, 2017 10:21 pm Reply with quote
Mandragoras wrote:
The tiny informal anime club I'm in did Baccano! recently, a show which I've started and stopped a truly implausible number of times, and I'm happy to learn that it really was worth it. The OVA ending is perhaps less conclusive than the TV ending (and those episodes are a biiiit slow), but in a lot of ways it feels more thematically cogent. Fun show. Uplifting, even.


A lot of people think that the OVAs were meant to set up a second season that never came. Sadly, we got Durarara through to the conclusion instead despite Baccano being the better one.
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Mandragoras



Joined: 09 Oct 2017
Posts: 5
PostPosted: Tue Oct 10, 2017 4:25 pm Reply with quote
louis6578 wrote:
A lot of people think that the OVAs were meant to set up a second season that never came. Sadly, we got Durarara through to the conclusion instead despite Baccano being the better one.

It didn't do terribly well in Japan, and if I'm not mistaken Durarara!! was only seen through to completion as a sort of passion project despite doing a fair bit better. That said, if the later novels ever do come to animation, I'll be rather happy, even if it is a tad implausible.
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killjoy_the



Joined: 30 May 2015
Posts: 2457
PostPosted: Tue Oct 10, 2017 8:36 pm Reply with quote
DRRR also has an end while Baccano's still on-going and the last 'arc' doesn't seem even close to being an end, even though it's been going for 5 volumes.

I like both anyway.

Been watching Kemonozume. Still amazed at how Yuasa can make the most unappealing of character designs work well animated.
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louis6578



Joined: 31 Jul 2013
Posts: 1857
PostPosted: Wed Oct 11, 2017 1:33 am Reply with quote
killjoy_the wrote:
DRRR also has an end while Baccano's still on-going and the last 'arc' doesn't seem even close to being an end, even though it's been going for 5 volumes.

I like both anyway.

Been watching Kemonozume. Still amazed at how Yuasa can make the most unappealing of character designs work well animated.


I've read up on some things that happen in the novels. I feel like they could've picked carefully and gotten a couple more arcs out of a season 2 in order to have a better ending. A lot of anime don't get as far as the manga, but have serviceable stopping points.
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DuskyPredator



Joined: 10 Mar 2009
Posts: 15434
Location: Brisbane, Australia
PostPosted: Wed Oct 11, 2017 4:08 am Reply with quote
Not generally going to use the thread to talk about first episodes of the new season, but thought I might talk about the reaction I had to one specific show, EVIL OR LIVE. Which actually disturbed me, not for being graphic, or the production values which are to be expected from its studio. But what has got me is how much it sounds like recounts that I have read about actual troubled teen facilities, that does not make it some silly premise, but something not to make a joke of.

http://www.cracked.com/personal-experiences-1680-5-things-i-learned-escaping-troubled-teens-facility.html
http://www.cracked.com/personal-experiences-2188-my-parents-paid-rehab-camp-to-abuse-me-5-dark-realities.html
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louis6578



Joined: 31 Jul 2013
Posts: 1857
PostPosted: Fri Oct 13, 2017 3:20 am Reply with quote
Not what I've been "watching" per say, but since this is the place to talk about our thoughts on things, I was just changing some of my rankings on my ANN anime list. I previously tried to make it a sort of "objective quality" or "how likely am I to recommend this to a stranger regardless of my own tastes." Now I am purely ranking these by how much the anime meant to me personally and how much enjoyment I got out of them. I will list the anime, previous ranking, new ranking, and briefly summarize any thoughts on why I might've changed them.

91 Days - Very Good---->Decent.

I dunno why I rated it higher to begin with. The first episode was strong and the last few episodes were great, but the majority of these were weirdly generic. What's more, it did that annoying thing where it tries to make the main character look SUPER intelligent and cunning by subtly making his opponents cocky and stupid in hopes that the audience won't notice that he's just doing what any sane person would do against these morons. Well, I did notice and I felt a little bored watching him. It's a real shame because I LOVE these cathartic revenge stories about a super cunning, charismatic rich dude overthrowing corrupt jerks who wronged him severely. It's why I rated Gankutsuou a MASTERPIECE despite its clear flaws in its climax and why I love Black Butler. But yeah, bottom line, 91 Days was an alright show, but I feel like I convinced myself that I liked it more than I really did.

Air - Not Really Good----> Decent

Originally I thought the ending brought it up a few points, but not enough to justify the rest of the show being a slog. Now, however, I'm able to better appreciate a MASTERFULLY EMOTIONAL ending topping off a weird, confused moe melodrama with only 3 characters worth remembering. If we were judging from only the final 3 episodes, this might be some 10/10 stuff here.

Akira - Decent---->Not Really Good.

Not much to say here. I just don't like the Akira movie and think it tries to cram too much into itself. Thinking back, I only rated it decent because the animation was great, but I don't care about that stuff. Just because a movie is competent in a technical area doesn't mean it made me like it more.

Another - Good--->So-So

I think the impact of how cool and over the top the deaths are started sinking in. But so did the fact that the rest of the show is boring.

Attack on Titan (both seasons) Very Good--->Good

Not much to say here. I've just raised my standards after seeing what the decade of 2010s has offered since 2013.

Bleach - Weak---->So-So

The Soul Society arc is one of the best rescue arcs ever, and even the bad arcs have a few great characters (Ulquiorra and Grimmjow come to mind). It's worth way more than just a 3/10 for all the right it does.

Bokurano - Good--->Weak

This is one of the worst adaptations of a great manga that I've ever seen. The things it changes are really stupid and degrading to the original material (a forced romance shows up halfway through the episode where one of the individuals in the relationship dies simply for dramatic effect, a sympathetic jerk with a heart of gold type character in the manga is adapted to be a PURE villain in this one who seems to just get off on the emotional trauma that people go through when they realize that death is closing in on them, and worst of all, the little touches in the earlier chapters of the manga that made it more emotionally resonate are ABSENT from the initial episodes). God damn was I generous by giving it a 7/10. I think I was just drunk off the feeling of its OP and EDs. They're incredibly good, the lyrics are beautifully sad (especially Uninstall, the show's only OP) and if you understand the lyrics or have a subtitled version that translates the songs, you might actually cry! The BGM is all terrible and generic though.

Boy and the Beast - Very Good---> Good.

No real deep reason here. I liked it, but I didn't personally attach to a lot of it like I wanted to.

Casshern Sins - Not Really Good---> So-So

There's a lot to love about this show. I just didn't see it the first time around.

Cowboy Bebop: The Movie - Excellent---> Very Good.

A lot of plot conveniences happen here that feel too good and out of place for the rest of the series.
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Gina Szanboti



Joined: 03 Aug 2008
Posts: 11306
PostPosted: Fri Oct 13, 2017 3:40 am Reply with quote
louis6578 wrote:
Cowboy Bebop: The Movie - Excellent---> Very Good.

A lot of plot conveniences happen here that feel too good and out of place for the rest of the series.

For example? I've been watching it on Adult Swim without the butchering they used to do on it, and I'm still amazed at how well it holds up after all these years. Aspect ratio aside, it looks gorgeous. The dub is great (second only to FLCL), the music couldn't be better, and just the whole ambience of it is unique.

And after all that, I just realized you were talking about the movie, so never mind. I still wanted to say all that about the series, so I'll leave it anyway. Very Happy
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louis6578



Joined: 31 Jul 2013
Posts: 1857
PostPosted: Fri Oct 13, 2017 3:48 am Reply with quote
Considering that this post was a mistake and a misread, I was going to ignore it, but one damning piece of bad taste was glaring me right in the face.

Gina Szanboti wrote:
The dub is great (second only to FLCL),


Dammit! What kind of a world do we live in!?
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Gina Szanboti



Joined: 03 Aug 2008
Posts: 11306
PostPosted: Fri Oct 13, 2017 4:47 am Reply with quote
What. I don't know if your beef is with the plot, script or you don't have ears, but every single actor in the series brought their A game to that work. There are only 4 other series I'd put in its tier as far as voice-acting. But it is a matter of taste, so I don't want to start a dub war here.
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louis6578



Joined: 31 Jul 2013
Posts: 1857
PostPosted: Fri Oct 13, 2017 5:17 am Reply with quote
Well, I was mostly joking, but I don't see how the plot of FLCL would affect my opinion of the dub.
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Gina Szanboti



Joined: 03 Aug 2008
Posts: 11306
PostPosted: Fri Oct 13, 2017 5:38 am Reply with quote
Well, if you don't like a show in the first place, most people aren't objective enough to set that completely aside and view the dub as a masterpiece, even if it were the best acting in the history of theater. Smile Also, if a script is really bad, it's hard for the actors to save it, especially in a dub. See Kingdom for a prime example. The English script is so awkward that even veteran VAs can't deliver lines that sound at all natural, while still matching lip flap, since the script does not seem to have been written with that in mind at all.
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