Topic: Manga and Anime discussion

@RR529 The thing about the last arc of the anime was that there was one more canon arc in the Manga, and while I kinda liked the general idea of it dealing with the Quincies, Ichigo's mother and so on it was so poorly executed that I can see why they didn't bother with it.

Bleach introduced and tried too follow way too many characters and honestly Kubo was pretty bad at pacing. I remember the mange occasionally taking months to get through a fight, so once we got back to another area with different characters, you had to go back and re-read several chapters from months earlier just to remember what they were doing... Still, the anime and manga gave us some cool fights and visuals. And the anime had some killer music at times. I did love that "stand up stay strong" song they played during major fights.

@KratosMD I have to say it's nice to see someone else who enjoys SAO. A lot of people jumped on the hate bandwagon after its initial popularity - and although I do understand some of the complaints people have - I really like it myself too! Next season starts this fall but you've got a ways to go before that.

I've played two of the games - Hollow Realization and Fatal Bullet. Neither game is ground breaking or anything but I really had fun with them. Keep in mind that the games follow their own canon, it is generally similar to the anime canon but there are more than enough differences that it doesn't just feel like you are following a game version of the anime. I honestly prefer the game canon because there is more content and side characters remain relevant to or at least involved with the story, rather than just joining Kirito's cheer-leading squad. lol

@Ralizah I only have a few students here in Japan who are interested in Demon Slayer. My Hero Academia seems more popular, at least among my kids. I should ask them what they think of the coward. I know his name but that's how much I dislike him.

I watched Ruroni Kenshin years ago and remember liking it, but it's been a long time. It was one of the first "not quite mainstream" anime I watched.

Looks up what's gone on. Sighs

Damn

I really liked Vic as Junpei Iroi in Persona 3. He really had him down to pat, friendly and likeable but that touch of jealousy thanks to the protagonist's better powers Plus everything involving Chidori was great too

Plus I just started watching Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood and he really puts in a good preformance there as Edward Elric too...

The Fullbring arc was disastrous on every level to me @RR529 . Just pure awful.

UK Netflix only has up to season 3 of Bleach Saving Rukia from Soul Society

... Luckily I managed to read the rest of it. Binge reading certainly makes the arcs quicker though Tite definitely has a bit of a pacing problem.

Also I heard it wasn't cancelled but Tite was actually sick/had major health concerns so that's why the ending was rushed (And also awful)

@KratosMD, I kinda slipped out of SAO after the Gun Gale arc, but I enjoyed what I've watched of it.

I've been interested in trying one of the games but decided to start with that .Hack G.U. collection first (both because .Hack seems to be the progenitor of the "MMO anime" genre, and they're Namco Bandai developed games as well), but I'm really trudging through them at a slow pace (I think I've been playing for about a month and have yet to finish the first one).

@KratosMD the games are kind of a What if story and have nothing to do with the show/manga/light novels, it basically starts with having beat the "final boss" the game didn't end like it should have and they are still trapped in there

@KratosMD You actually do play as Kirito for some of Fatal Bullet. But yes, most of the game you play as your own OC. I can understand why you don't like to shift in focus away from Kirito and Asuna, unfortunately if that is a deal breaker for you, then you might just want to quit while your ahead. While their relationship does become a core aspect of their character moving on, in both the games and anime, the focus does not remain, instead the focus shifts to different stories and issues. But Kirito and Asuna do stay together

Woot! Just won another anime figure on Toreba with today's free plays!

Any idea what you've won this time @RR529 ?

@Foxy-Goddess-Scotchy, the same type of Rei (Evangelion) figure I won the first time, but missed the delivery of.

Hopefully things go smoother this time.

Ahh well I hope it makes it's way to you successfully @RR529 !

Following on from my last post, the Rei figure I won came in recently!

hey so Netflix just dropped an anime called Ultramarine Magmell and it's actually not bad, anyone else going to give it a go?

Watched four episodes of Tokyo Ghoul today for the first time.

That certainly was something! I quite like the opening song. Hell it's a nice sequence overall if a bit on the nose symbolically at where it's possibly going. The animation as a whole is quite nice.

Kaneki...Not too much else I can say about him. His circumstances are currently the most interesting thing about him to me.

Toko is how I'd thought she'd act being all cool and distant. Seems alright though.

Tsukiyama is... Well he's EXACTLY what I imagined he'd be like as soon as he entered at the end of the third ep. A rather good performance from his voice actor. Hammy as can be and then some!

The old guy investigator seems pretty interesting too as your typical oddball.

There's certainly some over the top imagery regarding the ghoul... elation though 😅

I'm still watching though so I'm enjoying it and interested in seeing where it leads.

Does anyone think a Dark Souls fan would like Berserk? It's said to be one of Miyazaki's inspirations.

Didn't know there was a Ni no Kuni anime. Was checking Netflix for latest shows and found out that its airing on 16th of January.

Fan-made live-action Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind short film trailer.

https://collider.com/nausicaa-live-action-movie-wind-princess...

HEY any One Piece fans from the UK here, i might have some news to interest you

after a YEAR of no news Manga UK have finally said something about the lack of One Piece release

they are restarting next month with Collection 21, hopefully they will bring over the missing movies too

Netflix Just Picked Up 21 Studio Ghibli Movies, But Not In North America Or Japan

https://kotaku.com/netflix-just-picked-up-21-studio-ghibli-mo...

Out of all the movies listed, My Neighbors the Yamadas is the only one that I haven't watched, yet.

I’ve never been happier that I have UK Netflix. Great news, now I can get round to watching ones like The Wind Rises that I haven’t seen yet. Or, I could watch Grave of the Fireflies again, which I have made a point never to watch again because I just can’t cope with it.

@nessisonett Grave of the Fireflies isn't listed.

Personally, I love Ghibli's works. They've made a lot great and good movies as well as some decent ones but I don't think they've made a bad one, yet.

My favourites amongst the ones listed:
My Neighbor Totoro (1988)
Kiki’s Delivery Service (1989)
Porco Rosso (1992)
Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984)
Princess Mononoke (1997)
Spirited Away (2001)
The Tale of The Princess Kaguya (2013)
Pom Poko (1994)
Howl’s Moving Castle (2004)
Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea (2008)
From Up on Poppy Hill (2011)
The Wind Rises (2013)

If they're available in my country, I might watch some of them in English dubbing this time around since I've watched most of them in Japanese.

Just finished up Godannar (Blu-Ray)!

What it is:

• A super robot anime from the early-mid 00's with a bit of a fun, over the top vibe that seemingly pays homage to the super robot shows of an earlier era, mixed in with heavy doses of fanservice, though not without a heart of it's own.
• The story revolves around Anna & Goh Sawuwatari, newlyweds who also happen to be giant robot pilots that are at the forefront of protecting the world from an alien threat known as the Mimetic Beasts.

What I Liked:

• As an homage to the genre it takes on a fun vibe, revelling in the over the top silliness of it all. Bright colors, ham fisted melodrama, yelling out super attacks & all that jazz. It's good because it's "in" on it all if that makes sense (such as a running gag centered on a character based on the typical shonen hero who constantly does reckless things, assumed dead, only to reveal he's still alive). What really sets it apart though is that despite all the silliness, it does have a heart all it's own, even if the story itself doesn't break any new ground.
• While the concept admittedly isn't for everyone, I feel this is one of the few fanservice centric anime where the fanservice is done "right". Sure, there's women in highly improbable tight fitting jumpsuits with Senran Kagura physics everywhere you look, but even the obligatory "ladies man" character doesn't grope anyone, so it never feels uncomfortable. Plus, unlike a lot of other "fanservice" anime I've seen, it remembers to actually have a story with a sense of weight, even if it's not terribly deep.
• It's a great package as a whole, with some great special features including concept art, Japanese TV commercials (even including a few for a tie in PS2 game), and terminology encyclopedias in addition to the standard stuff like clean credits scenes and trailers for other titles.

What I Disliked:

• There is a minor subplot involving the British robot pilots, a brother and sister team, that not so subtly indicates they have incestuous feelings for each other. The only aspect of the show I was uncomfortable with.
• The HD remastering process can be a bit hit or miss. It mostly looks really good, but every once in awhile there'll be a scene or background that doesn't look touched up.
• It's from an era where English voice over could be rough, and while it does offer subtitled Japanese VO as well, if you choose to watch it in English I could see Anna's voice coming off as grating.

Content Guide:

• Sex/Nudity: (Heavy) - Nearly every female character has a Senran Kagura level endowment, with jiggle physics to match. Further, they often wear jumpsuits that are tight enough to feature visible impressions of certain areas they're covering up. Heck, even a few of the mechs have breasts (with guns in them). The one area it does hold back in slightly is explicit nudity, with modesty steam (or some other object) oftentimes covering up a character's breasts, though even then there are a few scenes where they do show nipples, though they just don't color them in (with exactly one exception in the entire series).
• Language: (Mid) - Typical PG-13 swearing, and some comparable innuendo.
• Violence: (Mild) - It's mostly robot on monster action (and the monsters usually have blue/green goo/blood if at all), but a character may have a stream of blood on their face if they're robot is badly damaged. Certain characters contract a disease that grotesquely transforms their body, though it's bloodless.

Overall it's a bit of a guilty pleasure for a mecha/giant robot fan, if not a timeless classic. That, and I'm a sucker for a series where a romantic couple must pilot a robot together to bring out it's best.