Let's talk anime.

The Girls made me watch Yowamushi Pedal Club. I called the main antagonist "evil Luffy", and they told me their nickname for him is The Icktapus. I finally had to start fast-forwarding every time he spoke. What a creep!

Seeing the actual trailers for God of Highschool, it makes me a little sad that nobody ever considered making The Breaker into an anime.

Watched Weathering with You which looks great. The rain game is on point. Would be great to see on a big screen. I found the movie boring though. Might have missed something but there is a b plot regarding a kid finding a gun. The kid finds another gun later on. How is this kid finding all these guns in Japan. Do people just hide guns in every little hiding place so kids can find them. Also didn't care for the ending but it is what most people would expect.

Many people compare this to Your Name. Your Name is better movie but just okay to me. They both look great.

Baron Of Hell wrote:

Might have missed something but there is a b plot regarding a kid finding a gun. The kid finds another gun later on.

It was the same gun. After fleeing with it the first time they ended up in the building with the shrine on the roof, where he tosses the gun away. Later he returns to that same building (or rather is heading back to the shrine) where he finds the gun still there.

Weathering with You was written and directed by the same guy as Your Name. In fact the main characters of Your Name both make appearances in Weathering with You.

I enjoyed Japan Sinks 2020 on Netflix.

Little late, but really enjoyed BNA on Netflix.

I assume something like that will get a season 2.

manta173 wrote:

Little late, but really enjoyed BNA on Netflix.

I assume something like that will get a season 2.

Probably not - most Trigger anime is story based so 1 or 2 seasons. This seems like it had a conclusion.

Watched MHA Hero Rising movie. Standard stuff for this anime. The ending was odd for going against what we already know about how the One for All power works. All in all it was okay nothing special. I think it is cannon though.

karmajay wrote:
manta173 wrote:

Little late, but really enjoyed BNA on Netflix.

I assume something like that will get a season 2.

Probably not - most Trigger anime is story based so 1 or 2 seasons. This seems like it had a conclusion.

Trigger anime?

Watched the first two episodes of Shachibato! President, It's Time for Battle!. The whole first episode I kept thinking it felt like a video game right down to the tutorial part, and then I found out apparently it really is based on a Japanese-market mobile game.

Anyway this seems like it could be fun if they really committed to the gimmick of a fantasy adventuring company and mined corporate business tropes for humor, but two episodes in they haven't done much with it except talk about the protagonist being the company president a lot. Also while from a Doylist standpoint I get that they're trying to establish the characters and the group dynamic, I guess, it just bugs me that every single company employee including the girl who's supposed to be the accountant goes on adventuring runs, then do nothing while the lone fighter and lone priest fight the monsters.

Will probably give it another episode or two and then abandon it if it doesn't start to pick up.

So I watched BNA (Brand New Animal), because of course I did, it's a Trigger anime and I love Trigger. I was, naturally, curious how they'd execute the "everything ends up in space conclusion" that's become a studio trope. Would it somehow miraculously fit a la Little Witch Academia or would it feel unnecessary, shoehorned, and awkward like Darling in the Franxx? The show was clearly lacking the zany nature of Kill la Kill or technically-Gainax-but-same-DNA Guren Lagann.

Spoiler:

They didn't go to space at all! What a shocking amount of restraint.

Overall I enjoyed it, though I feel like the 12 episode run was a detriment to the series. There are so many anime that don't need to be a twenty-some episode season and therefore being halved would allow them to be more efficient, but here it feels like they are able to touch on ideas without actually developing them. The plot and character development move at a steady enough pace that you get everything you need, but concepts like the terrorists, Beastmen working for humans, or other issues with the surrounding world are hardly given time to develop and breath. There's enough to suggest depth, but no depth is achieved.

Similarly, there's a lot of twists in this show, and after the first few episodes it feels like every episode has some reveal, which is often revealed to actually be something different than what you were just told last episode. While I'm no fan of filler, I feel like BNA would have done better to have more time devoted to not just character development, but setting development as well.

As for thematic concepts, I probably read into something different than most anyone else did:

Spoiler:

So I was naturally curious if there was some kind of underlying statement with the whole Beastman city and all that. I haven't looked up any interviews with the staff yet so right now it's all audience response and no actual official statement.

I think the irony is that this anime is a giant thesis statement regarding the idealistic melting pot view of America and yet is made by a somewhat homogeneous culture (which itself is a statement worth unpacking/discussing/explaining but that would be a major digression). The ultimate villain is a "pure blood" Beastman posing as a Human, where Humans are pretty darn vile towards Beastmen. The argument of the pure blood is that when Beastmen leave their homogenous animal-based communities and form a mixed group, problems arise that cause them to stress out and rage. So... in some ways it feels like the show is arguing against melting pots?

But in comes Michiru. She's got Beastman blood and human blood in her. She's able to transform into nearly any creature feature she desires. She's lived as a human and been hunted by humans as a Beastman. Her mixture blood heals the cause of the rage in Beastmen.

Which is where I again wonder if 12 episodes was enough for the series. In the earlier episodes it seems like even in Anima city there are Beastmen living in smaller homogenous communities and groups, and the notion of "Survival of the fittest" feels like it's barely touched on in the first few episodes and then swiftly cast aside for the greater plot. Regardless, by the end, and with her speech on choosing her own identity, you begin to see barriers being broken down and a more true melting pot society becoming established.

Now, I'm sure you can get other metaphorical meanings out of her little speech to Alan before the big Wolf on Wolf fight, but I think the idea is intended to be one where a mixture of culture and individualized identity is favored over, say, nationalism or some such. And I do mean a proper melting pot and mixture of culture, as I saw Alan's drug as one of assimilation when it was introduced... though, given he is actually a Pure-blood, it's more about eliminating mixture of culture... which is... sort of... the same?

I dunno if it's my analysis falling apart or the show. I need more viewings and to read interviews to figure out if my initial reading is absolute trash or not.

Regardless, though I do feel the show would have done well to have more episodes (even if it was just 18 or something and not 23 or 26), it never felt like it was moving at a blistering or accelerated pace. It's a fun show, and while I doubt it'll be toppling Kill la Kill off the "my favorite Trigger anime" throne, I definitely liked it better than Darling in the Franxx. Still haven't seen Kiznaiver or S.S.S. Gridman. Whether I'll like this more, less, or as much as Little Witch Academia I'm not sure. Still, to that end it's definitely a solid Trigger show.

Next up: Dorohedoro.

karmajay wrote:

I enjoyed Japan Sinks 2020 on Netflix.

I had read the manga a few years ago, and they did a really good job on it. I was impressed.

momgamer wrote:
karmajay wrote:

I enjoyed Japan Sinks 2020 on Netflix.

I had read the manga a few years ago, and they did a really good job on it. I was impressed.

I got through episode 2 and stopped for now at least because, MAN, that show is a downer.

tuffalobuffalo wrote:
momgamer wrote:
karmajay wrote:

I enjoyed Japan Sinks 2020 on Netflix.

I had read the manga a few years ago, and they did a really good job on it. I was impressed.

I got through episode 2 and stopped for now at least because, MAN, that show is a downer. :)

Ha, same here. The first two episodes were really good, but after that last scene I needed a break.

Just wanted to put my thoughts out on two new anime this season that have delightfully surprised me:

Deca-Dence - The first episode just built up this post apocalyptic world were the last humans live in a mobile fortress. They are divided into two groups, the Tankers, who take care of the maintenance of the fortress and personal, and the Gears, who appear to be mutants due to their wild hair and skin colors, who do the fighting against the monsters that attack. It all ended in a battle that showed off what the Gears and the fortress can do. Seemed like it might be a decent battle anime.

Then episode 2 just took it into such a bizarre unexpected place. It really makes me curious where this series goes. Episode 2's twist below, if you don't want to check it out for yourself.

Spoiler:

The Gears are player characters for... well we don't quite know yet! They seem to be robots, or maybe computer programs, that log in as the Gears just like an MMO. The reason the gears have such wild looks to them is because of player customization. The whole organization, origin, and purpose of this MMO world on top of the human world brings with it so many questions! I found it to be a truly unexpected and interesting twist! Heck, are our humans actually humans or just programs?

The Misfit of Demon King Academy / Maou Gakuin no Futekigousha - At first this just seemed to be a typical power-fantasy story with a protagonist who is so powerful and knowledgeable that any challenge is a joke to him. But it managed to be fun, so I continued with it. Going into episode 3, I was pretty disappointed that the show had suddenly, and inexplicably resolved the drama it has set up in episode 2. Episode 3 took a while to get going, but by the end, it threw the drama back into the mix and added a hefty mystery/conspiracy to the ongoing story.

Yeah I agree - ep 2 of Deca Dence is definitely a head scratcher!

muttonchop wrote:
tuffalobuffalo wrote:
momgamer wrote:
karmajay wrote:

I enjoyed Japan Sinks 2020 on Netflix.

I had read the manga a few years ago, and they did a really good job on it. I was impressed.

I got through episode 2 and stopped for now at least because, MAN, that show is a downer. :)

Ha, same here. The first two episodes were really good, but after that last scene I needed a break.

It's a rough ride all the way through. The show is what it says on the title, and that means a level of destruction usually left to apocalypse movies.

It all does end on a better note, but it's a hard road to get there.

[Misfit at Demon Academy discussion]
I've also caught up, and I'm enjoying it. I think my favorite part is the refreshing lack of some tropes like amnesia.

momgamer wrote:

[Misfit at Demon Academy discussion]
I've also caught up, and I'm enjoying it. I think my favorite part is the refreshing lack of some tropes like amnesia.

I like how Anos just wakes up immediately after dying and it's two thousand years later. He knows perfectly well who he is, what he can do, and everything up to the point that he died. But between that and reincarnating, he has absolutely no clue - it's not amnesia, but he is functionally just as clueless about contemporary demon society as we are and it's absolutely natural that it would be so.

It's also interesting that the setting is absolutely very high fantasy mythical magic. He speaks as an infant and grows to maturity in a few months (because he's really a reincarnation) and everyone is totally cool with it. It's just something that happens in demon society, apparently.

Finished Legend of the Galactic Heroes. Not your average anime. Really liked it. Most of the time, it's like a documentary with a narrator explaining characters and events (heck, that are even a few episodes that are just a narration of historical events). Still, with 110 episodes, I did get attached to some characters and felt the emotional impact in some cases.
This is definitely a product of its time with the aging animation, old technology and backwards thinking like the lack of diversity (especially women) in the democratic federation. If you can get past that, then give it a try,

So, as awkward as I found the Engrish for the American players in SAO, I find the fact that all the Korean and Chinese players only speak Japanese even more awkward...

Crunchyroll announced today A bunch of titles leaving May 1st! Just a day away!

Spoiler:

Action Heroine Cheer Fruits
AKB0048
AMNESIA
Aoharu x Machinegun
ARGEVOLLEN
BAKUON!!
Battle Girl High School
Bodacious Space Pirates
Broken Blade
Captain Earth
Celestial Method
ClassicaLoid
CROSS ANGE Rondo of Angel and Dragon
Cuticle Detective Inaba
DEVIL SURVIVOR 2 THE ANIMATION
Dog & Scissors
Dusk Maiden of Amnesia
Dynamic Chord
Engaged to the Unidentified
Fantasista Doll
Flip Flappers
Frame Arms Girl
Girlish Number
Girls Beyond the Wasteland
GLASSLIP
Gourmet Girl Graffiti
Gugure! Kokkuri-san
Hakuoki
Humanity Has Declined
Invaders of the Rokujyoma?
KINMOZA! (All Seasons)
La storia della Arcana Famiglia
Long Riders!
Magic of Stella
Magical Play
Magical Warfare
Majikoi Oh! Samurai Girls
Mashiroiro Symphony
Matoi the Sacred Slayer
MEGANEBU!
Momo Kyun Sword
momokuri
Nakaimo - My Sister is Among Them!
Natsuyuki Rendezvous
Nobunaga the Fool
Norn9
One Week Friends
Phi Brain (All Seasons)
Photo Kano
Queen's Blade Rebellion
Rail Wars!
Re-Kan!
RIN-NE (All Seasons)
Rozen Maiden
Rozen Maiden Zurückspulen
Sakura Trick
Samurai Bride
Samurai Jam-Bakumatsu Rock
SHIROBAKO
So, I Can't Play H!
Soni-Ani: SUPER SONICO THE ANIMATION
Stella Women’s Academy, High School Division Class C3
Tari Tari
The Comic Artist and His Assistants
The Dragon Dentist
The Kawai Complex Guide to Manors and Hostel Behavior
The Severing Crime Edge
Tribe Cool Crew
Tsuritama
Un-Go
Undefeated Bahamut Chronicle
Uta no Prince Sama (All Seasons)
Wakaba*Girl
Wish Upon the Pleiades
Wizard Barristers
YUYUSHIKI
Zettai Boei Leviatan

Some good ones on the list. I'm pretty bummed about the four leaving that I literally just put into my queue last week!

Edit: In crazier news:

It was announced that Genesis Climber MOSPEADA, which might be better known as Robotech: The New Generation (the 3rd gen, with the motorcycles), now has a new project in the works, called "Genesis Breaker".

August 1st, not May
I'm glad you mentioned this, though. Some anime I hadn't gotten around to finishing in there, so I'll have to find it another way.

Mantid wrote:

Edit: In crazier news:

It was announced that Genesis Climber MOSPEADA, which might be better known as Robotech: The New Generation (the 3rd gen, with the motorcycles), now has a new project in the works, called "Genesis Breaker".

Huh. I've been wondering if Japan's got some weird nostalgia thing going for itself, what with digging up older properties like Ushio & Tora, Parasyte, and Netflix's new sequels to things like Saint Seiya and Cyborg 009 (though were those always still in rotation somewhere?) and the new Space Battleship Yamato. I wonder if this is along those lines, or if some of this is, perhaps, an effort to appeal to nostalgic Western anime fans.

Woo! I finally finished all 366 episodes of Bleach. I was starting to get worried that the last story arc (The Lost Substitute Shinigami) was going to be like the Bount arc, but I was pleasantly surprised that it all tied together very nicely at the end and brought the series to a satisfactory close. I wish that they had kept making episodes though since The 10 Thousand Year Blood War arc summary I found sounded cool! Aaaannnd...

Spoiler:

...I really wanted to see Kurosaki Kazui first meet Abarai Ichika!!! >;3

ZombieCoyote wrote:

I wish that they had kept making episodes though since The 10 Thousand Year Blood War arc summary I found sounded cool!

Good news! They announced in March that BLEACH is getting a new season next year to cover that arc!

ccesarano wrote:
Mantid wrote:

Edit: In crazier news:

It was announced that Genesis Climber MOSPEADA, which might be better known as Robotech: The New Generation (the 3rd gen, with the motorcycles), now has a new project in the works, called "Genesis Breaker".

Huh. I've been wondering if Japan's got some weird nostalgia thing going for itself, what with digging up older properties like Ushio & Tora, Parasyte, and Netflix's new sequels to things like Saint Seiya and Cyborg 009 (though were those always still in rotation somewhere?) and the new Space Battleship Yamato. I wonder if this is along those lines, or if some of this is, perhaps, an effort to appeal to nostalgic Western anime fans.

Yamato and Cyborg are what I'd call second-tier evergreens. Like Gundam and Precure but more niche.

Mantid wrote:

Good news! They announced in March that BLEACH is getting a new season next year to cover that arc!

That is good news!

https://www.monstersandcritics.com/a...

ZombieCoyote you might find this video interesting.

Rent-a-Girlfriend episode 5

Spoiler:

That might have been the most meaningful masturbation scene I’ve ever seen... @.@