What Current Anime Are You Watching Version v4.0

[DuelGundam2099]

When the time comes I'll express my thoughts on Death Note (I've never seen 18 episodes of anything in a single day, what a record!) but first I have to vent from Straight Title Robot Anime because this might to be the worst anime I have ever seen. The real question is worth a 1/10? It would certainly be the first if it does! The "comedy" was completely horrendous, the music and characters were boring, and the ending was a typical "pull in all your effort and force emotions" ending. That won't work on me because fiction cannot sway my emotions. Regardless this was bottom barrel trash and I don't know whether to call it the worst or penultimate worst anime of all time. Is it worse than the original Nanoha? On one hand I loathe lolicon and furry fanservice, pedo music, lazy (and too few) monsters of the week including a vaginal mouthed tree, the mascot is a phallus with fur, and it has the worst cast in anime history; on the other hand the main villain was decent, the art style has SOME effort, and the ending was not ridiculously stupid. Whoever wins, I lose. DECISIONS DECISIONS.

Edited April 25, 2013 by DuelGundam2099

[mecha2241]

When the time comes I'll express my thoughts on Death Note (I've never seen 18 episodes of anything in a single day, what a record!) but first I have to vent from Straight Title Robot Anime because this might to be the worst anime I have ever seen. The real question is worth a 1/10? It would certainly be the first if it does! The "comedy" was completely horrendous, the music and characters were boring, and the ending was a typical "pull in all your effort and force emotions" ending. That won't work on me because fiction cannot sway my emotions. Regardless this was bottom barrel trash and I don't know whether to call it the worst or penultimate worst anime of all time. Is it worse than the original Nanoha? On one hand I loathe lolicon and furry fanservice, pedo music, lazy (and too few) monsters of the week including a vaginal mouthed tree, the mascot is a phallus with fur, and it has the worst cast in anime history; on the other hand the main villain was decent, the art style has SOME effort, and the ending was not ridiculously stupid. Whoever wins, I lose. DECISIONS DECISIONS.

This must be the greatest anime series of all time then...

[DuelGundam2099]

http://www.crunchyroll.com/straight-title-robot-anime

See for yourself if you think it is the best anime ever.

[ron5864]

Jinki Extend

So far, I am totally confused with the timeline/storyline. Looks like the writers just said, "Screw this. Let's just mess around with the viewers."

[anime52k8]

Jinki Extend

So far, I am totally confused with the timeline/storyline. Looks like the writers just said, "Screw this. Let's just mess around with the viewers."

weird anecdote; I've owned a toy of the robot from that show for years and I've never realized until now that it's actually from a particular show.

[DuelGundam2099]

I just finished Death Note, top 4 anime of all time easily, man that ending actually was done well. Oh Mikami you idiot, Light would have won if you didn't jump to conclusions so crazily. I would like to see an alternate ending of that though. I'm so glad the ending wasn't bad. The only things I didn't care for about this series were the opening and ending themes (and even then they were somewhat good) and L. Yeah, didn't care for the guy, interesting character and all, but the guy was was borderline nuts. I didn't mind it until about ep 16 where the detainment section of the story occurred, Bush allegory much? Still, it was worth the watch.

Over the weekend I also watched some anime series called Guilty Crown because everyone at Animesuki is comparing it with Valvrave. I didn't expect GC to be a real robot series, but oh well. Oh boy did I have issues with this series: Really bad music, an annoying cat girl, mostly bland protagonists, pacing varying from slow to fast too often, a somewhat mediocre first half, and BAD MECH DESIGNS. It's right down there with Code Geass, Nadesico, and Rayearth as one of the few anime with mechs I actually did not like, thaaaaaaat's pretty bad. On the other hand it did pick up in the second half, the fight scenes were really good, the villains were awesome, and the kept the fan service to a minimal minus unneeded bouncing. Despite the complaints I kind of liked it. What is really strange is that GC uses the same types of characters as Aquarion Evol did WITH THE SAME VOICE CAST. Did Kawamori create Evol by taking Guilty Crown's plot and slapped Aquarion on for market value? After seeing this it is not that farfetched. The weirdest thing is that Zessica from Evol annoyed me (to be fair most of her shipping fans are far worse and compared to many other anime characters she isn't too bad), but Ayase was probably the best character* in GC and they both shared the same voice actress. She also had the same VA of Romary from Gundam Age, another super annoying character I don't care for, but that is another story. I don't know, I just find strange irony in that.

*Not counting the GHQ of course, Daryl alone stole most of the series, the rest were icing on the cake but still good in their own right.

I also noticed that Guilty Crown's staff must have had someone with a bondage fetish or something since I noticed every other episode someone was tied up and in the first two thirds gagged too. I can't complain, they did this to cat girl, although poor Ayase got it twice. I didn't even get why the second time, was it because she might try to help a fugitive escape 'cause she like him? Regardless, any anime that makes it's annoying characters shut the hell up for a bit gets bonus points.

Edited April 29, 2013 by DuelGundam2099

[DuelGundam2099]

I just finished some 13 ep series called Miami Guns. I normally dislike ecchi comedies, but THIS. This had to have been the funniest anime I have ever seen and it was surprisingly action packed! Good characters, good pacing, good action, most of the jokes were funny as hell, the fan service did not feel forced, a good mascot, and it even had an octopus monster. The only down side was the bleh music, but with everything in consideration it was definitely worth the watch.

[renegadeleader1]

I started rewatching Rune Soldier Louie. Great little series with some pretty funny humor. It's still a little odd knowing this lighthearted series takes place in the same world as Lodoss War though.

[Major Focker]

Nope. I have not watched the TV program yet, but should have watch it because many fans praise it.

It started from April, 2011. But just before 1 month ago, the Mikupa concert held in Odaiba was no good. That was produced by 5pb. So I didn't expect the anime made by the same company. That was the reason why I didn't watch it.

at first, Steins Gate was just a curiosity after one of the Makise Kurisu PVC piqued my interest. the anime summaries/descriptions i read didn't grab me though, so i forgot about it for a while. but like you, i kept running into fan praise/recommendations.

and so i started watching. nearly dropped it after 6 episodes as it was one of the slowest starting animes in recent memory. it got a bit more engaging after that though as they started to experiment with their time machine and figuring out the "rules" to time travel. still, it was past midnight and i was ready to quit the show. but then halfway in the series, sh!t hits the fan and what i thought was a sedate anime turned into a roller coaster. i ended up finishing the series as the sun rose and skipped work. that weekend i did another marathon. i daresay it's been my top anime for some months now, completely unexpected since it's not the type of anime i usually like (eg. GitS, Psycho-Pass, Noir). so if you can, do give Steins Gate a chance.

moving on... read a couple of reviews for the Steins Gate movie and i'm now totally amped about it.still don't know though when the BD will be released or if it will have subs.from one of those reviews i picked a recommendation for another anime: Mawaru Penguindrum. it's a quirky anime but it somehow has me hooked. got a feeling it will expand my anime horizons, similar to what Steins Gate did, and Soul Eater, Darker than Black, K-On, Nodame etc. really having fun experimenting with anime recently, and finding out that what i like is not restricted to the action/scifi/mecha genre.

i've also been watching Attack on Titan. holy crap! Tochiro's right, titans are truly loathable. they trigger a lot of primal fears and the producers masterfully convey this on screen. can't wait for payback.

[Marzan]

at first, Steins Gate was just a curiosity after one of the Makise Kurisu PVC piqued my interest. the anime summaries/descriptions i read didn't grab me though, so i forgot about it for a while. but like you, i kept running into fan praise/recommendations.

and so i started watching. nearly dropped it after 6 episodes as it was one of the slowest starting animes in recent memory. it got a bit more engaging after that though as they started to experiment with their time machine and figuring out the "rules" to time travel. still, it was past midnight and i was ready to quit the show. but then halfway in the series, sh!t hits the fan and what i thought was a sedate anime turned into a roller coaster. i ended up finishing the series as the sun rose and skipped work. that weekend i did another marathon. i daresay it's been my top anime for some months now, completely unexpected since it's not the type of anime i usually like (eg. GitS, Psycho-Pass, Noir). so if you can, do give Steins Gate a chance.

moving on... read a couple of reviews for the Steins Gate movie and i'm now totally amped about it.still don't know though when the BD will be released or if it will have subs.from one of those reviews i picked a recommendation for another anime: Mawaru Penguindrum. it's a quirky anime but it somehow has me hooked. got a feeling it will expand my anime horizons, similar to what Steins Gate did, and Soul Eater, Darker than Black, K-On, Nodame etc. really having fun experimenting with anime recently, and finding out that what i like is not restricted to the action/scifi/mecha genre.

i've also been watching Attack on Titan. holy crap! Tochiro's right, titans are truly loathable. they trigger a lot of primal fears and the producers masterfully convey this on screen. can't wait for payback.

Like you I loved Steins Gate and had exactly the same experience, being slightly bored the first few episodes and then getting completely overwhelmed by the change in pace halfway through. I wonder what they're doing for the movie?

BTW, did you watch the OVA only episode? It comes with the BD's Doesn't add that much to the series but it's really funny (Okabe in the U.S speaking engrish is epic) and gives some closure to the relationship between Okabe and Cristinaaa.

[antibiotictab]

Major Focker, Marzan.

Hmm. I gotta watch it...
When I came back from Otome Road in Ikebukuro home one day, I noticed Cinema Sunshine and took these photos.
If only I have watched the TV program, I could buy the ticket and go into the theater...

Edited May 3, 2013 by antibiotictab

[Major Focker]

i so want to be in Japan right now.

good call on not watching the movie. one of the reviews i read did point out specifically that much of the movie would be lost on folks who hadn't seen the series before

Marzan, yes i watched the OVA. you're right, it's really just an epilogue, but i would argue that it actually adds a lot to the overall Steins Gate experience. that has to be one of the most satisfying endings in recent memory. and that final scene, just pure class

[johnkillingsworth]

I started rewatching Rune Soldier Louie. Great little series with some pretty funny humor. It's still a little odd knowing this lighthearted series takes place in the same world as Lodoss War though.

I thought Rune Soldier was a great comedy series. Perfectly lighthearted and goofy. Lodoss War is the complete opposite, but maybe the creator needed a little break from being so serious too.

[Major Focker]

Shingeki no Kyojin (Attack on Titan) Ep.5 : OMG

i believe that's the first time i've ever typed those 3 letters as word in any internet forum. ever.

so i guess they're taking the route of Gurren Lagann ie. frontman character dies and the real main character steps out of his shadow. i'm guessing it's Mikasa from here on.

but man, just 5 episodes in and one of the main characters already dead? i'm faring even worse trying to remember the side characters who died and what they were doing in previous episodes.

[Marzan]

Shingeki no Kyojin (Attack on Titan) Ep.5 : OMG

i believe that's the first time i've ever typed those 3 letters as word in any internet forum. ever.

so i guess they're taking the route of Gurren Lagann ie. frontman character dies and the real main character steps out of his shadow. i'm guessing it's Mikasa from here on.

but man, just 5 episodes in and one of the main characters already dead? i'm faring even worse trying to remember the side characters who died and what they were doing in previous episodes.

I know man, I was speechless when the episode ended. I refuse to believe Eren\s dead yet though. I mean the other characters have had way too little exposition (we know little about Mikasa to this point). I think somehow Eren comes back from this. It might be linked to how the Titans appear and operate. Just my guess at this point.

In any case, I'm not gonna get too attached to any characters because this story seems like it's going to have a Tominoesque death count

.

[Major Focker]

i couldn't take the suspense and resorted to reading the manga. just my luck, the latest chapter ended with an even more unbearable cliffhanger...

i have no regrets about spoiling myself though and all i'll say now is that we're in for one helluva ride. this show is certainly not for the faint-hearted, nor those with already high stress levels

[Bri]

Dunno, Shingeki no Kyojin so far reminds me a lot of Deadman Wonderland where the mystery of the setting is slowly revealed.

My guess is the injection from his father allows Eren to cheat death somehow, this doesn't feel like a quirky Gainax show. I think it will stick to the basics of a battle shonen show. Still fun though

Edited May 6, 2013 by Bri

[DuelGundam2099]

Some stuff I watched over Sunday and today in chronological order not counting the series mentioned at the bottom:

-Battle Angel: It was okay, it tried way too hard being depressing though. Interesting concept, lackluster execution. The pointless sex junk kind of hurt it a bit too.

-Battle Arena Toshinden: Lots of martial arts but not that interesting, at least it looked pretty since it was done by Masami Obari. Like above the pointless sex junk hurt it too.

-Twilight of The Dark Master: Very cool OVA with vampires and mutants with nice art style and a well done final battle. Still had pointless sex junk that also hurt it too.

-Cybernetics Guardian: Another cool OVA and with neat background music and fight scenes, real shame this one was hurt by unfulfilled sequel fuel. Saldo and Geno Cyber were works of art, 'nough said.

-Psycho Diver: Yet another cool OVA with an interesting setting and art style, but not executed that well. More pointless sex junk got in the way.

I also started watching and am half way through some short shojo series called Omishi Magical Theater: Risky/Safety. Supposedly it is a comedy and so far I am definitely not laughing, plus aside from Risky's antics it has nothing going for it and the music is bleh. On a similar note, the main character's voice actress sounds too old for the job, couldn't they get someone that at least sounded like a middle schooler?

Edited May 6, 2013 by DuelGundam2099

[johnkillingsworth]

Gunnm (aka Battle Angel Alita) is an awesome manga. One of the classic cyberpunk stories and great imagery. The anime was not at the same level, but still pretty decent (dated of course). It was one of the first anime I watched years after Robotech aired (also the Fist of the North Star movie) which got me hooked back in the early '90s. It's got all the elements - post-apocalyptic, cyborgs, violence, excessive blood, sex, and a tragic story.

[DuelGundam2099]

Yesterday I finished Risky Safety and man was this not funny or even that amusing. I had a feeling the shojo genre is junk and if this is anything like it I guess I was right. I will give it a little credit for having decent ideas in the last third.

Edited May 8, 2013 by DuelGundam2099

[Bri]

Yesterday I finished Risky Safety and man was this not funny or even that amusing. I had a feeling the shojo genre is junk and if this is anything like it I guess I was right. I will give it a little credit for having decent ideas in the last third.

Risky Safety is based on a shounen manga. Mahou Shoujo is not the same as shoujo demographic.

[DuelGundam2099]

MAL and AniDB say shojo and don't list it as magic girl.

[Vifam7]

MAL and AniDB say shojo and don't list it as magic girl.

Anime fans often get it wrong or confused. "Shoujo" generally means - for girls (ie. targeted at the female demographic). If the series orginates from a manga that runs in a male oriented manga magazine, then it's not "shoujo".

Risky/Safety manga ran in Dengeki Comic Gao which is very much male otaku oriented.

[DuelGundam2099]

............. Well, that is..... Very creepy. I wonder why those sites call it shojo then.

[Bri]

I assumed you had mixed up magical girl and shoujo since you refered to shoujo as a genre instead of a demographic. Anidb lists the anime as seinen, the manga was published in Dengenki comic goa, a shounen magazine. Mal probably listed it incorrectly.

edit: Vifam7 already mentioned it

Edited May 8, 2013 by Bri

[DuelGundam2099]

Anidb lists the anime as seinen

Wow am I stupid for over looking that.

Mal probably listed it incorrectly.

It does apparently:

http://myanimelist.net/anime/1300/Omishi_Mahou_Gekijou:_Risky/Safety

I'm starting to wonder if I've even seen a legit shojo anime, especially of the magical girl variety, because I notice that seinen series that look like they're aimed for chicks seem to suck balls.

Edited May 8, 2013 by DuelGundam2099

[Keith]

Wait a minute, DG is starting to sound familiar. is he that guy we used to make fun of for constantly posting horribly wrong info?

[DuelGundam2099]

I beg your pardon, Keith?

[anime52k8]

Wait a minute, DG is starting to sound familiar. is he that guy we used to make fun of for constantly posting horribly wrong info?

You mean Wanzerfan? Can't be, DuelGundam hasn't made any bigoted, jingoist statements that are totally irrelevant to the ongoing discussion nor does he pepper every post with needless profanity and insults.

Man, I miss Wanzerfan, he was like an endless fountain of hilarity.

Edited May 9, 2013 by anime52k8

[DuelGundam2099]

Who is Wanzefan and what does jingoist mean?

[VF-15 Banshee]

often a derogatory word meaning extreme patriotism.

[Marzan]

You mean Wanzerfan? Can't be, DuelGundam hasn't made any bigoted, jingoist statements that are totally irrelevant to the ongoing discussion nor does he pepper every post with needless profanity and insults.

Man, I miss Wanzerfan, he was like an endless fountain of hilarity.

I miss Wanzerfan too actually. Funny guy. I loved how he used to share his musical preferences with us in posts that had nothing to do with music.

Back on topic, I got Gasaraki really cheap on an impulse buy but have read some terrible reviews on it. Anyone got any opinions on it? The mecha look pretty sweet and the geopolitics in the description sound like my kind of thing.

[Bri]

I've bought the ADV discs years ago. It's quite different, combination of very realistic mechanical design, supernatural elements and a political thriller, bit of a GITS feel. Definitely benefits from marathons or watching it in chunks as the plot is rather convoluted.

I thought it was quite alright though not great as characters were a bit bland.

[DuelGundam2099]

I started watching The Devil is a Part Timer yesterday because people seem to be flipping out and can't stop talking about it. I thought I was going to get slice of life junk, but this ended up to be kind of good. The disturbing part? I am enjoying this so far much more than anything I got out of Majestic Prince of Valvrave. Speaking of those two WOW are they just not trying. MJP waited until the first quarter of the series was over before going "oh yeah, we have villain characters too!" YOU WAIT THIS LONG JUST TO GIVE US RIDICULOUS HIJINKS THAT AMOUNT TO NOTHING!? GAH! At least it is trying, Valvrave on the other hand has very little action in it and the characters are so bad I almost want to drop this series. Hell, I dare say Gundam Age has better non-Y chromosome half monkeys than this does. And that music video, FRICK, I did NOT get interested in this series for garbage like that. This is an anime from KUNIO OKAWARA FOR FRICK SAKE! HE IS LEGENDARY, HIS MECHS DESERVE BETTER THAN TRASH LIKE THIS! And don't any of you give me "well it is supposed to be stupid DG2099", BWAHAHAHAHA! No. There is a good set up for this and even if Sunrise shows in the past had their moments, they never went full on stupid like. "But DG2099 the girls are the cute!"

WRONG

They are not "cute", I have seen real "cute". Plushie toys? Cute. Tiny animals? Cute. Silly jokes? Cute? Some drawings that look like teenagers that are clearly underaged and have nothing going for them other than being sadistic cackling hags and have no reason other than to whore themselves out to standardless creeps as they endlessly steal from the plot and make this series less and less bearable when it should be using mecha action and political elements that would make this series not just good, but solid and maximize it's potential!? NOT CUTE! NOT HOT! NOT EVEN FAPPABLE! I HOPE THEY GO THE "And everyone died" ENDING THAT IS HOW BAD THIS SERIES IS GETTING! GRAAAAAA24R8Y92RHY898GRRH99FE9G!!!!!!

*cough*

Oh yeah and Gargantia, it looks pretty but man they have to make the other episodes somewhat plot relevant.

I also was not going to say this until I got half way done, but for the past couple of months I've been taking on Cardcaptor Sakura, one episode a day late at night and am at ep 31. You know, at first I actually gave this series a legit chance, because I figured that CLAMP could be competent and after seeing the series version of X I was very surprised and figured that "yes, they actually can be". I admit, at first it wasn't even bad, since there was no fan service, it had monsters of the week, both themes did grow on me, and I cannot deny that Kero is awesomely adorable and funny. Then it sunk in, I think around the point where Meilin showed up. It did not really improve. At all. It just kept taking, and taking, and taking, and taking, and kept on taking so much time with no pay off. It took a while before I realize how bland this was, how atrocious the fight scenes were handled, how insignificant the character development was, how tedious the sad excuses for jokes were, how useless the minor characters were, and how horrifically awful the story was being paced. Being inspired by Magic Knight Rayearth you say? Well the lackluster execution certainly show that! This series should have ended with episode 25 with this.

How the FRICK did A) This junk get popular and more importantly B) Why did this get Anime Grand Prix's Anime of The Year Award? WHY? Stuff like Mobile Suit Gundam, SEED, and Destiny, Ideon, Evangelion, God Mars, Nadesico: Prince of Darkness, Nausicaa, Laputa, the first Full Metal Alchemist, Nadia, and both halves of Code Geass. While I have issues with the last three on the list, I can somewhat understand WHY they'd win that, they are somewhat entertaining when they try to be. THIS?....... I............ Don't even........... Just...... Someone either really liked girly junk at the time or someone associated with the series bribed them! Just.... GAH! Before anyone asks yes I've been watching it subbed because I saw the first episode dubbed and upon comparison (because I heard how badly edited episodes were) all I am going to say is "WHY THE HELL WOULD YOU OUT FIVE MINUTES OF AN EPISODE!?" That is just plain ridonkulous.

Alright, this specific rant is over.

Edited May 10, 2013 by DuelGundam2099

[johnkillingsworth]

I miss Wanzerfan too actually. Funny guy. I loved how he used to share his musical preferences with us in posts that had nothing to do with music.

Back on topic, I got Gasaraki really cheap on an impulse buy but have read some terrible reviews on it. Anyone got any opinions on it? The mecha look pretty sweet and the geopolitics in the description sound like my kind of thing.

I liked Gasaraki, but it can be a bit slow and the characters are definitely bland. The ending is a bit out there too. The mech designs were pretty neat and I really liked the soundtrack (early 90s techno-ish). Maybe I'm just nostalgic because I watched it before turning into a jaded anime watcher and still thought every show was cool.