Let's talk anime.

Theory on Log Horizon, don't tell me if I'm right or not, but
Spoiler:

Betcha that the Knights of Izumo are in control of the player's bodies back in the real world

I guessed this a few pages back!

Yeah. The entire thing about the Festival appears to be something other than what it seems. I should've guessed, I suppose, but even Shiroe got it wrong, so there's that.

karmajay wrote:
Theory on Log Horizon, don't tell me if I'm right or not, but
Spoiler:

Betcha that the Knights of Izumo are in control of the player's bodies back in the real world

I guessed this a few pages back!

Spoiler:

I don't think it's true, because I don't think Log Horizon's going to show us any of the adventurers back in the "real world". That's not what it's about, and even hinting at what's going on "out there" (if there really *is* an "out there") would distract from what they're doing. It would poison things, because it would make what's happening to them no longer be real or important compared to the "real" world--and that would dramatically change what's important.

Notice that unlike SAO (or, say, the D&D cartoon) they've never really talked about "what can we do to get back"? Rather than being about returning home and bringing back lessons learned from living a different way, this story is about them adapting and making new lives now that everything has changed. It's about how you build a society when all of the old rules are gone, but when you're not scrabbling just to survive. (Existential threats [em]exist[/em], but they're not the day-to-day like they would be in a normal disaster story.)

Hypatian wrote:
karmajay wrote:
Theory on Log Horizon, don't tell me if I'm right or not, but
Spoiler:

Betcha that the Knights of Izumo are in control of the player's bodies back in the real world

I guessed this a few pages back!

Spoiler:

I don't think it's true, because I don't think Log Horizon's going to show us any of the adventurers back in the "real world". That's not what it's about, and even hinting at what's going on "out there" (if there really *is* an "out there") would distract from what they're doing. It would poison things, because it would make what's happening to them no longer be real or important compared to the "real" world--and that would dramatically change what's important.

Notice that unlike SAO (or, say, the D&D cartoon) they've never really talked about "what can we do to get back"? Rather than being about returning home and bringing back lessons learned from living a different way, this story is about them adapting and making new lives now that everything has changed. It's about how you build a society when all of the old rules are gone, but when you're not scrabbling just to survive. (Existential threats [em]exist[/em], but they're not the day-to-day like they would be in a normal disaster story.)

Which makes any romance subplots all the more fun, though whats her name needs to find someone her own age.
edit: also I agree.

This week's Silver Spoon was great. *sniffle* So much sad and happy at the same time. I just love that ending song, too.

NEW SEASON OF DURARARARARARA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

http://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-new...

I had no idea we were getting more. So freakin excited.

casual_alcoholic wrote:

NEW SEASON OF DURARARARARARA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

http://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-new...

I had no idea we were getting more. So freakin excited.

Yaaaaaaay!

Only a couple weeks before the new season of anime is upon us! So what does everyone have their eye on for this next season?

Two visual guides and collected teasers.

Nothing is catching my eye right out of the gates. Only the returning franchises: Mushi-shi, Soul Eater Not!, and Fairy Tail.

I'll inevitably watch more, I ended up watching 8 anime new to the winter season (and two from past seasons) after only having an interest in four (one of which was pushed back to the summer season), but, like many of the past seasons, they just aren't grabbing my attention in the pre-season.

Mantid wrote:

Only a couple weeks before the new season of anime is upon us! So what does everyone have their eye on for this next season?

Two visual guides and collected teasers.

Nothing is catching my eye right out of the gates. Only the returning franchises: Mushi-shi, Soul Eater Not!, and Fairy Tail.

I'll inevitably watch more, I ended up watching 8 anime new to the winter season (and two from past seasons) after only having an interest in four (one of which was pushed back to the summer season), but, like many of the past seasons, they just aren't grabbing my attention in the pre-season.

I see they snuck an Attack on Titan OVA somewhere in the lower list, coming out April 9th.

Other than that, only what you said. Is there a place I can go watch the original season of Mushi-shi? I didn't see it on crunchyroll, but people seem to be excited about it.

I'm excited to see the new Soul Eater, I liked the first half of the last show a lot, but felt it lost all concentration in the second half.

casual_alcoholic wrote:

Is there a place I can go watch the original season of Mushi-shi?

Funimation/Hulu

casual_alcoholic wrote:

NEW SEASON OF DURARARARARARA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

http://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-new...

I had no idea we were getting more. So freakin excited.

Is the anime as good as the manga?

Looks like they are continuing Dragonball Kai with the Majin Buu saga, so I'll probably watch that.

I'll say:
Definitely: Dragonball Kai, Fairy Tail
Give them a Chance: Break Blade, Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei, Blade & Soul, Soul Eater Not, Seikoku no Dragonar

Also seem to be a few OVAs that could be interesting.

casual_alcoholic wrote:

I'm excited to see the new Soul Eater, I liked the first half of the last show a lot, but felt it lost all concentration in the second half.

Yeah... I'd say the anime went off and did it's own thing in the second half, but honestly most the changes were in the final arc when they brought to anime to a conclusion. And I felt like the manga went off on a tangent right after that arc too. So yeah.

ukickmydog wrote:

Looks like they are continuing Dragonball Kai with the Majin Buu saga, so I'll probably watch that.

I'll say:
Definitely: Dragonball Kai, Fairy Tail
Give them a Chance: Break Blade, Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei, Blade & Soul, Soul Eater Not, Seikoku no Dragonar

Also seem to be a few OVAs that could be interesting.

I'm definitely in for new Fairy Tail and Soul Eater but I see also Break Blade... Is this a new series or a continuation of the 6 movie-episodes that released a while back?

Sad to see Magi and Log Horizon go though... They will be missed.

Hmm from those the things that i'd be looking forward to based on reading their manga's are

Black Bullet (Battle Manga apocolyptic future huge creatures)
Baby Steps (Realistic tennis)
Soul Eater Not (gag/semi serious)
Mushi shi (nuff said)
... oh now this is interesting just spotted: Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei (slightly future with magic as a science)

Taharka wrote:
casual_alcoholic wrote:

NEW SEASON OF DURARARARARARA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

http://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-new...

I had no idea we were getting more. So freakin excited.

Is the anime as good as the manga?

Never read it. I think a lot of why I loved the show was the crazy plot twists, so maybe it won't be as good once all that stuff is known. Loved it at the time though.

I'm heading to Anime Boston this weekend, where they're always showing great anime in their video rooms. I'll likely come back with some recommendations.

Actually, one I got from last year which I really enjoyed (and am sorry there's not more of) is Ghost Hunt. Anyone seen it? It came out in 2006, so I'm assuming "Yes".

Pretty sure I saw some of Ghost Hunt, but I can't recall if I dropped it or finished it. It's been awhile.

I've watched some but not all of it. I liked it.

Hypatian wrote:

I've watched some but not all of it. I liked it. :)

I'd say you should finish it, but then you might be disappointed that it's over.

The instrumental theme to Hamatora is just brilliant music. It's insanely unsettling. It's an amazing bit going in and out of dissonance in a wave pattern. I can't link to a clip, but if you watch the show, you'll know what I'm talking about. Actually, the opening theme song is great too.

Also, I love that somebody made a YouTube clip of just this:

It's more funny if you've seen the rest and know what's going on.

Edit: Ahhh, the composer is Makoto Yoshimori who also did Natsume's Book of Friends and Durarara!!! Makes sense that I would like his work on Hamatora.

Anyone watched Attack on Titan? I have the opportunity to go see the English Dub premiere this weekend and I was wondering if it was any good.

Somewhere in this thread are a few posts of us discussing it (too lazy to go back and link right now), but overall it was generally well liked. It slows up a bit mid-season, but I really enjoyed it. It's definitely not a happy show though, so get ready for that. The situation that everyone in is pretty bleak, and it doesn't really let up.

Taharka wrote:

Anyone watched Attack on Titan? I have the opportunity to go see the English Dub premiere this weekend and I was wondering if it was any good.

Go back a few pages and ask if anyone wasn't watching Attack on Titan.

My review (of the sub): despair, despair, eating people, awesome fight, despair, twist!

tuffalobuffalo wrote:

The instrumental theme to Hamatora is just brilliant music. It's insanely unsettling. It's an amazing bit going in and out of dissonance in a wave pattern. I can't link to a clip, but if you watch the show, you'll know what I'm talking about.

Moral's theme? The weird dissonant theremin-y sounding one? It's super creepy.

muttonchop wrote:
tuffalobuffalo wrote:

The instrumental theme to Hamatora is just brilliant music. It's insanely unsettling. It's an amazing bit going in and out of dissonance in a wave pattern. I can't link to a clip, but if you watch the show, you'll know what I'm talking about.

Moral's theme? The weird dissonant theremin-y sounding one? It's super creepy.

Yeah, I think it must be his theme. Very creepy.

On the topic of music, the opening themes for Hamatora and Kill la Kill are both ridiculously catchy. They've been looping through my brain all week.

muttonchop wrote:

On the topic of music, the opening themes for Hamatora and Kill la Kill are both ridiculously catchy. They've been looping through my brain all week.

Side note, I'm pretty meh about Phi-Brain, and only halfway through second season, but I dig all the music!

Taharka wrote:

Anyone watched Attack on Titan? I have the opportunity to go see the English Dub premiere this weekend and I was wondering if it was any good.

Am I so jaded by watching anime in Japanese that I'm conditioned to hate hearing it in English? I saw the new English promo clips, and man did that suck the life out. I wonder if it all sounds equally cheesy in Japanese, but by reading it I imagine it sounding better. I wish I could understand why I have such a problem with it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0qyp...

casual_alcoholic wrote:

Am I so jaded by watching anime in Japanese that I'm conditioned to hate hearing it in English?

Nope. Dubs in animation and live film have always been awful and always will be.

The English dub for The Secret World of Arriety was actually pretty decent.