What anime are you watching?

[Mirrormask9]

I am rewatching FMA so I can watch FMA: Brotherhood.

[Mouse2010]

I've been watching more anime than I usually have time for, because watching TV is one of the few things I can do while feeding the baby. Plus, I discovered Crunchyroll's Roku channel, which means that I can watch most of the anime I want on my television instead of having to watch at the computer. Woo hoo!

So, I've been sampling first episodes of some shows. I won't bother to list all of the ones I tried and didn't continue watching. But right now I'm watching:

Toradora! I started watching this on my own, and then my husband, who kept seeing bits of it while I was watching, also got interested. So I went back and started it again with him. We've watched up through episode 5. This one I like mostly for the characters, although the humor is also good. Ryuji is just adorable.

Kids on the Slope I pretty much like everything about this. I'm not a particular fan of jazz (I like it, but don't love it), but I DO love the way music is incorporated into the show. I also really like the OP. I'm not caught up yet, though, so I don't want to read the thread for this anime.

Coyote Ragtime Show This one I own on DVD and never got around to watching. I'd call it a "popcorn" show: fun, but not great.

My husband and I also started watching Moribito again; we had kind of put that one on hold for no particularly good reason. Once we finish that, I think we'll move on to Chihayafuru, now that we can watch it on our television.

[Maokun]

NOPE because I haven't seen (or read, even) Monster

Really? This... surprises me 0_o

[impact777]

Squid Girl episodes 7+8
These were the lamest so far. -.-

[SincerelyAnomymous]

Squid Girl episodes 7+8
These were the lamest so far. -.-

Lamest? I didn't think the show could get any lamer quite honestly. It's good, but not really funny.

[impact777]

Lamest? I didn't think the show could get any lamer quite honestly. It's good, but not really funny.

I really liked it so far, but in these 2 episodes were only a few a good gags. I was pretty disappointed.

[SincerelyAnomymous]

I really liked it so far, but in these 2 episodes were only a few a good gags. I was pretty disappointed.

So does it get better after episode 1?

[the_wolfs_howl]

Also, I hate, hate, hate that little near-death vision Ed had of the "universe/reality/god" as a sentient, humanoid being (was it shown later in the original anime, or is it at all in the manga?) Not only it makes of Ed's atheism but a childish, begrudging denial but it also works as a reverse Deus Ex Machina, revealing itself as the source of both Ed's alchemical ingenuity and the inspiration to exchange his right arm for Al's soul.That little scene made much, much cheaper the whole story.

Since your other points were mostly covered by other posts, I thought I would chime in on this even though the discussion has moved on

The Truth is very important to the whole story, so you can't really get away from it, whether you like it or not. I would argue that it's not actually a god, more like a very powerful magical being, but I suppose to the Japanese perspective there's not much difference there. Still, that's extra-canonical and unprovable, so I'll shut up about that.

I would also argue that that's exactly the point of Ed's atheism from the beginning - you can tell, no matter which series you watch, that deep down Ed knows that God exists, but he's bitter and hates Him because he feels like everything that's gone wrong with his life is God's fault. I feel like that comes out more in the first series than Brotherhood, but it's present in both.

As for the Truth being a deus ex machina that cheapens the story, I'd like to point out a couple things. Yes, Ed can do clap-alchemy and learned how to do complex transmutations like soul bonding because he saw the Truth, but that doesn't take away that he's a child prodigy in his own right. After all, he picked up alchemy when was four or five (can't remember exactly what age he was in that flashback), and taught himself alchemy from the books in his father's study (when Trisha asks him if he can even understand them, he just says nonchalantly, "Yeah, sort of," as if it's not amazing he can understand it at all, let alone figure out how to transmute). And you can't tell me it was because of the Truth he hadn't even seen yet that he was able to perform human transmutation when he was eleven years old. He's miles ahead of everyone else, and if the Truth gave him a bit of a boost, it's only because he had the groundwork there to start with.

And giving up his arm for Al's soul? That's not cheapened at all. It's like if you suddenly had the Heimlech Maneuver directly implanted into your brain, and used it to save your brother's life. You might not have been able to save him before that, because you didn't know how to help someone who's choking. But you also wouldn't have saved him if you didn't love him already. What Ed did, no matter where he got the idea, is one of the greatest acts of sacrifice I've ever seen in a piece of fiction. And that gives it the greatest amount of value.



<_< Anyway, I tried out the first episode of the Monster dub, and will watch another one tonight. Not sure which I like better, and am becoming more and more convinced that the manga is the best version of the story.

[MangaRocks!]

Ergo Proxy (complete, sub): Wow.

First things first-- my impressions about ep.'s 1-14, 16-18, 20-22, and almost all of 23: I loved the (cyberpunk!) setting, the music and sound, the plot, the characters, the art and animation, the direction, the dark atmosphere, the (occasionally even startling) intensity at precisely all the right points, the way you were kept on the edge of your seat, everything!! And I loved (...well, *most* of ) all the "What the crap?!" moments during them, too.

That said, though, there did seem to be some issues with the general feel of the pacing from ep. 15 on, and it started to get a bit more experimental at that point as well-- including some stuff that was really just plain bizarre, LOL. Like ep. 15 itself, for instance: SPOILER: Highlight text to read: I mean, the entire episode being just one really weird fake (?) quiz show put on by a Proxy, which (along with a bunch of random trivia both real and fictional + a rather unnecessary plug for evolution... ) did manage to explain a lot of rather important backstory points, but it was a bit difficult to focus on and absorb those points due to the general randomness and weirdness surrounding them (though maybe, for some strange reason, that was the point...? )-- and then to top it all off the whole thing was somehow, and for some reason, being beamed back to Romdo for certain people there to see? ...Seriously??

And ep. 19, the 'Smile Land' one, was similarly bizarre (though thankfully in a different way), but at least it somehow seemed to fit the series slightly better than that game show one. And then, of course, there's that finale. It took a great deal of thought, and a search through numerous messageboards and reviews (though the analysis that many people seemed to find the *most* helpful was originally posted on a blog that now no longer exists, and while I did find some pasted copies of {some of?} its text, I'm not sure whether what I found was all of it... still, I'm grateful, since what I did find of it *was* pretty enlightening on certain details), to understand a lot of what was going on there at the end. And while the final scene SPOILER: Highlight text to read: had an undeniable epic/cool factor, it ultimately left a bit to be desired in terms of knowing what the heck is going to happen next. I mean, don't get me wrong, I had been steeling myself for either Vincent or Re-l to die or to be somehow separated by the end, so I was pleasantly surprised (and, in fact, super happy) that they both survived and were going to be together ; it's just that final line-- did that mean that he's going to kill the returning humans?? Or was he finally just accepting what he is?? (...Or both???) That's a pretty darn open ending, and I was really surprised that there wasn't at least some sort of epilogue after the credits or something.

Still, all that said, it was certainly worth the watch overall.

[impact777]

So does it get better after episode 1?

Umm... I like the first 6 episodes.
But maybe we have a different taste. ^^

[Maokun]

Since your other points were mostly covered by other posts, I thought I would chime in on this even though the discussion has moved on

The Truth is very important to the whole story, so you can't really get away from it, whether you like it or not. I would argue that it's not actually a god, more like a very powerful magical being, but I suppose to the Japanese perspective there's not much difference there. Still, that's extra-canonical and unprovable, so I'll shut up about that.

I would also argue that that's exactly the point of Ed's atheism from the beginning - you can tell, no matter which series you watch, that deep down Ed knows that God exists, but he's bitter and hates Him because he feels like everything that's gone wrong with his life is God's fault. I feel like that comes out more in the first series than Brotherhood, but it's present in both.

As for the Truth being a deus ex machina that cheapens the story, I'd like to point out a couple things. Yes, Ed can do clap-alchemy and learned how to do complex transmutations like soul bonding because he saw the Truth, but that doesn't take away that he's a child prodigy in his own right. After all, he picked up alchemy when was four or five (can't remember exactly what age he was in that flashback), and taught himself alchemy from the books in his father's study (when Trisha asks him if he can even understand them, he just says nonchalantly, "Yeah, sort of," as if it's not amazing he can understand it at all, let alone figure out how to transmute). And you can't tell me it was because of the Truth he hadn't even seen yet that he was able to perform human transmutation when he was eleven years old. He's miles ahead of everyone else, and if the Truth gave him a bit of a boost, it's only because he had the groundwork there to start with.

And giving up his arm for Al's soul? That's not cheapened at all. It's like if you suddenly had the Heimlech Maneuver directly implanted into your brain, and used it to save your brother's life. You might not have been able to save him before that, because you didn't know how to help someone who's choking. But you also wouldn't have saved him if you didn't love him already. What Ed did, no matter where he got the idea, is one of the greatest acts of sacrifice I've ever seen in a piece of fiction. And that gives it the greatest amount of value.

Thanks for taking the time to write this. [spoiler]I was not really implying that the sacrificial act of giving his arm away was not his. He clearly would have given his whole life if it meant to return his brother. It's just the disappointment of knowing that the ingenuity to do it came from a third party. Before knowing about "the Truth" it seemed as though as that in middle of incredible pain and distress he was able to push his (admittedly already prodigious) skills to unbelievable heights (not unlike to shounen heroes that surpass their physical limits when tragedy strikes.) Knowing that it was a knowledge that was freely given to him -and apparently to any who ventures the muddy waters of human transmutation- is way less impressive.[/spoiler]

However, now I reckon it's not so much poor storytelling as I initially proposed but rather, the result of unwarranted expectations on my part being dashed. If so, Brotherhood actually succeeded by revealing this side of the tale very early on, before misguided expectations could be generated.

[impact777]

Squid Girl episode 9
I hadn't thought it could get even worse. -.-

[Varshika]

Currently watching Haibane Renmei, very good thus far.

[impact777]

Gunslinger Girl: Il Teatrino episodes 1+2
I don't like it. It's so much worse than the first season.

[Mr. Hat'n'Clogs]

Hey so it turns out I watch anime, and, in fact, lately I've watched several very good ones.

Danshi Koukosei no Nichijou, or Daily Lives of High School Boys, or best known as Nichibros, is a comedy that really took me by surprise. I'd seen a couple screencaps, mostly of crossdressing(the key to good anime comedies, I'm noticing), but I'd mostly not paid attention to it as it was airing last season, but in chat blkmage suggested it as good fair for my club, which tends to go for comedy stuff anyways. It was actually surprisingly fantastic and had me lol'ing throughout most of the show. It's actually a lot like the other Nichijou comedy, where you have this huge cast of really bizarre and lovable characters who have various skits involving them in different places and situations where things quickly go out of control, or some more basic, quieter but still hilarious things. There is one incredible skit where a character spends like six minutes monolouging about whether or not to tell the girl on the train that she has a hair coming from her mole. Ultimately, I'd say I like Nichijou better but Nichibros was a very satisfying pick.

Tiger and Bunny is another one that I really regret passing up when it was coming out, because it was another very clever show with a lovable cast, especially the main character. The writing gets pretty slick at times, and it does a pretty good balance of action, comedy, and drama, and will entertain you to the end. The biggest issue it has though is that the ending isn't really up to par with the rest. The show sets up some big things that could have had pretty epic resolutions to, but they ultimately are mostly ignored in order to prolong a show that could have easily had other ways of continuing without sacrificing the narrative. It's still a ton of fun and also is good material for an anime club, if you're in charge of programming for one.

The biggest show for me, though, was Tokyo Magnitude 8.0, which is also the third anime to make me cry(after Summer Wars and LOGH). The show has a really amazing trio of characters. Mari, the main adult of the show, is basically Balsa from Moribito with some added issues of her having a family of her own that are depending on her. Mirai is a very realistic seventh grade girl, who starts out veryyyy selfish and irritating, but in a way that I at least was completely fine with, because I know exactly what it's like to be in seventh grade. Yuuki is her younger brother in elementary school, who is generally cheerful in spite of the terrifying events around him, very selfless, and very adorable. The trek home of these three very different characters is the entirety of the show, as they have to find things like water, deal with exhaustion, illness, and other woes I'm sure you can imagine would come from such a terrifying thing as a giant earthquake.

The directing in this show is nothing short of brilliant. More terrifying than the earthquake itself are scenes like Yuuki getting lost from Mari and Mirai in the middle of a very fast moving crowd. Each episode left me filled with both terror and happiness. The other really fantastic thing about the show is the way Mirai grows from a very selfish middle schooler to someone who loves her family and friends and can and will go out of her way to help people. She is definitely what the show is about, and is what makes the show what it is.

[Mr. Hat'n'Clogs]

Edit: Oops, duplicate post.

[happly]

I am reading Pandora Hearts. Pretty awesome.

[Juliannesan]

Finished Library Wars!
Wow. Soooo sweet! I can't wait for the movie now!

[Hugo Bernhardt]

Currently watching Haibane Renmei, very good thus far.

Oh, I LOVE Haibane Renmei. Watched it with a bunch of non-Anime fans who were all 'one more episode'

Just watched a few more episode of Eden of the East, but they've been mostly expository. Can't wait for the action to pick up again.

[TheSubtleDoctor]

Tonally all over the place this time...

Trigun: Badlands Rumble

Here is a little movie that delivered on all of its promise. Not to say it's the best thing ever, or even the best thing I'm talking about in this post, but the goals that the creators had seemed to have been met in the end. Badlands Rumble has everything I love (and I do mean love) about Trigun: cool, unique sci-fi meets wild west aesthetic, slick gunfights, some melodrama at the end, and heaps of nostalgia.

All the "good guys" from the TV series are back and doing their thing, just as we remember them. Vash being Vash is always a treat, and Wolfwood is an absolute show-stealer in this one. And, our loveable Bernardeli Insurance girls remain as flustered/clueless as ever. You'd think that this would cast a big shadow over the (obligatory for an anime side-story) new characters, but the debutants are actually fantastic. The main antagonist rivals pretty much anyone from the TV show in terms of awesomeness: the man has a richly detailed life philosophy about bank robbery which he takes very seriously. Whereas Legato and Knives were these twisted schemers, Gasback is much more similar to Vash himself in that he's an absolute force of nature. With a viewpoint. Vash's crush of the week also turns out to be an interesting character as well.

I know it's a decade late, but any fan of Trigun pretty much has to watch this. It's got all the highs and none of (the alleged) lows. Maybe not for newcomers, though.

Night on the Galactic Railroad

In 1922, Toshi Miyazawa tragically died of illness. Filled with sorrow, her older brother Kenji took a spontaneous trip from Hanamaki Japan to Sakhalin Russia by railway. This train ride would serve as his inspiration to begin writing his most famous novel, Night on the Galactic Railroad, two years later. Then, in 1985, Gisaburou Sugi adapted it in a film with the same name, making the key stylistic decision to make all of the main characters cats rather than people (supposedly this move was inspired by sketches from someone adapting the film into a manga). I can't picture it otherwise. The film is essentially about two cats, Giovanni and Campanella, who manage to board a train that runs on "rails" stretching across the entire universe (ergo, the Galactic Railroad) and the things they see and learn on their journey.

This movie. Though it's slow and not actiony in the least, I think everyone should watch this movie, especially everyone on this particular forum. There are a couple of reasons for this statement. The first is that this film is absolutely beautiful in every way. The backgrounds look like oil paintings. The animation flows wonderfully. The music is hauntingly ethereal, as is the tone of the film itself, but it doesn't create a "dark" atmosphere in the way people talk about anime being dark (grimdark). Though the film is quite serious, there is something about the production that is just quiet and soothing to absorb. And the visuals...some of them will remain with you long, long after you've finished watching.

The second reason I think everyone here should look into this movie is the story itself. Now, Night on the Galactic Railroad is art cinema, and, as such, there isn't really a straightforward, cut-and-dry interpretation to what it's trying to say. However, I do think that trying to figure out what is going on would be a worthwhile exercise for the Christian anime fan. This movie is very much a product of the author and his circumstances when he wrote it, so it delves deeply, though mostly indirectly, into what it means to lose someone and, importantly, what happens when someone dies. Miyazawa wonders, what is the afterlife like? Is it the same for everyone? What is heaven and how do we get there? There is upfront use of Christian symbolism (a radiant cross, singing and discussion of the hymn "Nearer, My God, To Thee"), and, unlike basically every anime that employs this tactic, NGR seems to know what they means and use them to reference the thing they are intended to reference.

This is a truly amazing movie. One of the best I've seen this year. It's slow (not a bad thing, kids), but it is rewarding.

New Getter Robo

From the sublime to the ridiculous: New Getter Robo. Go Nagai and Dynamic have yet to let me down with 00s OAVs. Here, we've got an evil looking combining robot, wielding a huge axe, versus an empire of zombies, figures of Japanese history who are (thankfully) not Oda Nobunaga, and finally "the pinnacle of all things." There's blood, zombie dismemberment, shouting of attacks, a mandatory JAM Project OP, a main pilot who not only doesn't have an existential crisis about fighting but actually relishes it, planet-altering explosions...How could I not like this?

There's more. This OAV has two of my most favorite Go Nagai plot devices. No one pulls these off quite like him. You've got your (paradox-inducing?) time travel, and you've got your technology parachronism (example: tanks in the 15th century). It's dumb. It's hilarious. It's glorious. It's the super robot genre. It's Go Nagai.

I might like Getter Robo: Armageddon a smidgen better. I think the ending is stronger, and more characters get more screen time. New Getter focuses pretty heavily on Ryoma. But, he's great, so I can't complain too much. The beginning of this one is more new person friendly than Armageddon, so that's a big plus. Interested parties should start with either this or Shin Getter Robo vs. Neo Getter Robo.

[Maokun]

Interested parties should start with either this or Shin Getter Robo vs. Neo Getter Robo.

Is not necessary (in plot elements terms) to have watched some other series before? This is one of those franchises that I'm wary to approach because the entry point seems rather hard to locate.

Also, wow, did I have the wrong idea about NotGR! Going by the title I figured it was another of Leiji Matsumoto's space operas (not that's a bad thing.)

[TheSubtleDoctor]

Is not necessary (in plot elements terms) to have watched some other series before? This is one of those franchises that I'm wary to approach because the entry point seems rather hard to locate.

As far as entry points go, the newer OAVs are designed to be just that. Having read the manga, the beginning of New Getter Robo sticks pretty close and doesn't leave anything important out. Shin vs. Neo doesn't start "in the beginning" of the story, but neither does it require any background knowledge. Armageddon, however, does require a little reading up (the wiki page would suffice).

But yeah, start with either one of the first two I mentioned. Getter Robo isn't really plot-heavy, nor is there much continuity between the OAVs. Each one is sort of a self-contained thing, though you could argue a New->Shin->Armageddon order if you wanted to.

Night on the Galactic Railroad is actually one of Matsumoto's influences for Galaxy Express =).

[rocklobster]

Watched Casshern Sins and Deadman Wonderland on Toonami reboot. TOM! I missed you so!

[MangaRocks!]

Tsuritama, ep. 7.

(And, as usual, thoughts on it in the dedicated thread. )

[Voiceiyuu]

Currently watching Fate/Zere and MyOtome. Still waiting for Funimation to dub the rest of Fairy Tail so I'm patiently waiting for that.

[the_wolfs_howl]

Night on the Galactic Railroad

Ooooh, that looks really cool! *adds to MAL* But another result came up when I searched for it - The Celestial Railroad? Do you know if that has any connection?

Anyway, I've decided to stick with the sub for Monster, and am up to episode 25 now. I've also started the dub of Tsubasa Chronicle, and am up to episode 7.

[Mr. Hat'n'Clogs]

After like a year of having downloaded it, I finally checked out Welcome to the Space Show. It was pretty fun. The visuals were amazing, I think the closest thing of comparison to them would be Redline(as far as quality goes, very different in style). People have complained about the length a lot, and it's probably a pretty valid complaint for a children's movie, but as a not-child I thought that the pacing wasn't awful, it just could've been tighter. It still is a lot of fun and I could probably show it to an older kid with no trouble. The alien characters are all pretty great, too, though the kids were a bit forgettable(but not terrible!).

Also, as an ending note, if any of you are fans of Masaaki Yuasa, he animated a part or two of this movie, and if you want to see what that man looks like with a real budget, you should watch this.

[Juliannesan]

Watched one episode of Legend of Legendary Heroes. Lol. That show... I'm sorry, I just don't think I could really get into it. It kind of reminds me of Guin Saga, which is actually... "alright" of a show, but not really my thing.

Same with Heroic Age, I just can't get into it.


I watched "The Little Norse Prince Valiant." on Netflix yesterday. That was interesting. Kind of badly animated, but you know, it was made awhile ago, so... I wasn't really expecting a lot from it.

I'm in the middle of Shugo Chara Doki! I actually don't find it too terrible. I'm thinking the last one will probably be not great, but this one isn't that different from the first series, in my opinion. But yeah.

[Kaori]

Night on the Galactic Railroad

Coincidentally, I just bought this novel, though it might be a while before I read it. Thanks for your thoughtful review; I'll have to put the anime on my to-watch list.

[Maokun]

After like a year of having downloaded it, I finally checked out Welcome to the Space Show. It was pretty fun. The visuals were amazing, I think the closest thing of comparison to them would be Redline(as far as quality goes, very different in style). People have complained about the length a lot, and it's probably a pretty valid complaint for a children's movie, but as a not-child I thought that the pacing wasn't awful, it just could've been tighter. It still is a lot of fun and I could probably show it to an older kid with no trouble. The alien characters are all pretty great, too, though the kids were a bit forgettable(but not terrible!).

Also, as an ending note, if any of you are fans of Masaaki Yuasa, he animated a part or two of this movie, and if you want to see what that man looks like with a real budget, you should watch this.

Haha, funny thing is that as soon as I read the title "Welcome to the Space Show" I thought "I bet it's some Yuasa thing."