Anime discussion thread.

@bocam: They've definitely been stepping it up in Kud's route.

But I'd argue that the foreshadowing has been there the entire time. It's definitely been more obvious these past few weeks though.

Started watching Angel Beats. I feel like I've seen that discussed at length in this thread and I regret not hoping on that train sooner.

I have to watch that OVA, it looks insane.

Also just watched the latest Jojo, that was some trademark Giantbomb "please stand by" dubstep right there.

I'll post some more in-depth thoughts about Ookami Kodomo later, but for now I'm going to give the strongest recommendation I can possibly give it: The Girl Who Leapt Through Time has been knocked off the number one spot as Hosoda's best movie, Ookami Kodomo is fantastic.

People keep telling me that and it's been on my list for ages but it keeps slipping my mind.

@cloudenvy: wait what's that movie about?

I have doubts that anything could topple that. It's honestly my favorite anime movie (much as I love spirited away)

Ookami Kodomo is basically about motherhood and Agape

It also has bestiality.

@animasta: Essentially about a mother trying to raise werewolf siblings. As much as I love The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, Ookami Kodomo just really shows that Hosoda has learned the art of subtlety and the fact that two of the most impressive sequences in that movie have zero dialogue is awesome.

I'd love to have a longer discussion about it once some other duders have seen it.

Ignoring the animal part it is a nice story of being a parent and one that must overcome their children's problems, in this case being werewolves.

so is Ookami Kodomo out on dvd/bd in the US yet or do I have to result to other means to watch this?

Also this weeks episode of Little Busters! was really good

Other means unless you can get to the New York International Children's Film Festival on the 24th

Seiko has apparently made some JoJo's Bizarre Adventure character themed watches (specifically Part 5). I think they actually look really nice, especially Giorno's blue&gold one, they're also 42,000 yen, which is what? 400+ USD? ugh

Anyway, JoJo 22 was great but poorly animated with some off-modelness going on. But seriously, what other shounens feature the big fight between rivals happening as a fight using hammers and crossbows, while riding chariots pulled by vampire horses. Vampire horses.

Oh god I want to buy a $440 Jojo watch that will not fit my wrist.

People watching the Magi anime, have they gone into original material yet?

@bocam said:

If I would read the manga I could tell you, but I don't. Hmm, maybe I should start reading it...

Wait, no no no, bad idea. I would just spoil it for myself. But...

Fuck, I'm battling with my inner demons in here.

@bocam: @alexandersheen: Well according to anime news network, Magi is only going to be 25 episodes long so I doubt there would be any anime original material if this is info is true

There's a manga tie-in/lead-in (don't know which) released for GitS: Arise, and the first chapter has been translated. It looks pretty cool, even though Masamune Shirow is not behind this one. Then again, that also means I can sort of understand what the fuck is going on here.

Oh so they did change the art, I thought it looked off but wasn't sure if it was just me or that it was actually the case. Characters suddenly looked like usual anime characters, I know they do that too focos more on action but it wasn't that action filled.

This video is what finally got me to watch Magi, and I couldn't be happier

@babychoochoo said:

So I've heard Angel Beats is great but having watched a couple of the episodes it didn't seem interesting to me. Does it pick up later or something?

@chibithor: Yeah, it does pick up I think after episode 4. It has more highs than lows I can tell you that.

@chibithor: Pretty much what @metalsnakezerosaid. At the risk of overselling it, I cried like a little bitch throughout the last few episodes and I am not ashamed lol.

I got another crunchyroll free trial. This time it's for 30 days and I think I'm going to give Fate/Zero a shot. During my last free trial I saw Madoka, Bake/Nisemonogatari, and Bodacious Space Pirates in 15 days.

Anything else to look out for?

@babychoochoo: Did you also notice the weird plot hole Angel Beats had? It kind of ruins one of the bigger revelations of the last episode or two.

@hunter5024: If we're thinking about the same thing, I definitely agree with you there. It was definitely a "wait...dafuq?" moment lol. The writing/overall plot in the show in general wasn't perfect by any stretch of the imagination and normally I'd be losing my shit over something like that, but i dunno, I was able to put aside for once. I ended up liking the series overall.

@babychoochoo: The whole twist where the white haired girl got the main guys organs didn't really make sense considering she came to the limbo world way before him, and that made some of the emotion in the final scene come across a little flat. But like you I felt pretty positive about it overall.

@hunter5024:

It's been a while since I've watched Angel Beats, but I think I remember that it mentioned that

the main character's soul wandered about aimlessly for a while since he lost his memories. It could've been a good amount of time before he stumbled into the story's version of Limbo. Had the show been longer, I could easily see them showing Kanade being saved with the transplant, enjoying her new life, and then dying from some complication or accident some time after. Maybe that would've made the scene easier to follow.

I really didn't feel like it was a plot hole, but I definitely agree that the reveal was a little weak.

I love Junji Ito! I had no idea this existed. Gyo is not his best work.

Yeah I'm pretty sure that bit in Angel Beats is explained somewhat since I had heard the same thing as Rehtayne. It's been a while so I can't remember when it was mentioned either. Sucks that the series wasn't 26 episodes instead, would have worked a lot better if they fleshed out the other characters.

Has anyone read the supposed outline/spoilers for the new DBZ movie? I really can't tell if they're fake or not. I kind of hope they're not true as it is without a doubt the stupidest thing I have ever read. On the other hand they're so dumb it'd be hillarious to see the whole thing.

Saw it a couple of days a go. I enjoyed it a lot.

Who ready for some Devils, surviving, the number two, and gravity defying breasts?

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@metalsnakezero: Not me! Because Atlus hates everything in Europe. : ( Wishing for the day we get Atlus games even close to the same date as NA...Which will never happen.

Little fun news bit that got me excited:

I'll take all the Supercell I can get (in case you don't understand, it says they're doing the new opening for the re-airing) and attaching it to an already rad show is even better, it is sad that Noitamina is reduced to re-airing older shows though. Obligatory @equitasinvictus because he's the only other Supercell fan I talk to about their music.

YEEEAH! ♥

I totally just got The Bravery yesterday too. You can never go wrong with Supercell!

Or Yanagi Nagi, for that matter. I've been listening through a lot of her old school stuff and she's been amazing even when she started out doing covers of vocaloid songs.

Don't blame Atlus too much, their doing the best they can. I do like Supercell's opening music a lot too and I can see it working for the show. However, if it a re-airing I'm fine, got the whole show on Blu-ray / DVD from NIS America collection.

No, Atlus doesn't give a fuck about Europe.

They're really not though. Doing their best doesn't really work when they aren't doing ANYTHING at all.

@equitasinvictus: Yeah, The Bravery is a pretty great single. I do think 青空 is a bit weaker than the other two songs but that's only because She is my senior is a waaaaaaay better song than I thought it'd be.

Finally got around to watching the first couple of episodes of Bakumatsu Gijinden Roman with Monkey Punch's Lupin III character designs stuck in the Meiji era, and suddenly this song is the OP. The show is okay so far, but that opening is amazing.

This week's Medaka Box chapter is giving me some serious Zaregoto flashbacks.

@bocam: I'm just surprised to find that there are any teachers in that school. I thought it was just student prodigies doing whatever they wanted and an old principal who just dicked around with his secret lab.

If by doing their best you mean forgetting Europe exists and not wanting anything to do with it, then yes I agree.

I feel sad for people who have to rely on English translations for Magi (the manga). They're fucking terrible (at least the earlier chapters).

The teachers are from the novels (sadly not translated). Though in the novels the four of them were middle school teachers.

Hey anime thread, I'm gonna throw out a recommendation for the best manga I've read in a long time: Molester Man.

The name is pretty deceiving, yet accurate. It's the rather ill-fitting alias of the main character in the story, a story based on (supposedly) real-life events, who in a sequence of misunderstandings is suspected of stalking a girl (who the story then aptly names Miss Understanding), and it develops from there in a very charming, humorous (expect LOTS of nerdy references) and touching manner.

Presumably because it is based on a real story, it avoids cliches and instead reads like the diary of a lonely guy who tries very hard not to be. His struggles are the struggles everyone face in some way, and his triumphs, as well as his defeats, feel that much more potent because of that.

It's drawn by the same artist as Onani Master Kurosawa, where you shouldn't let the name discourage you either as it is also great (and you should read it as well).

Ok, so kind of a difficult question and maybe annoying so sorry, but I use to be pretty big into anime and haven't for say... 2, 3 years now. I've really fallen out of the loop about what's been big. So just curious if anyone can answer, but what have kind of been "the" shows to come out over that time. The ones that got the most praise and were considered the must watches of their years. Thanks for any help.

@madpierrot: Well, I can give you some recommendations, some of them might not be considered as "must watch" shows, but they are still really good:

• Daily Lives of High School Boys (Danshi Koukousei no Nichijou)
• Nisemonogatari (the second installment in the Monogatari series, takes place after Bakemonogatari)
• Hyouka
• Usagi Drop
• Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun
• Humanity Has Declined (Jinrui wa Suitai Shimashita)
• Psycho-Pass

There are a lot of other shows, but these are the ones that I can think of right now. I hope you like them.

@alexandersheen: Hey, thanks for the suggestions. Usagi Drop was one of the few I've seen the past few years. Thought that was alright. Most of those don't really seem like something I'd be into, but Psycho-Pass certainly seems like a show I'd want to check out. Glad you mentioned it.

Love to hear more suggestions from anyone and thanks again AlexanderSheen. Not really sure why I kinda stopped keeping up, but it'd be nice to have a show or two to follow and watch again.

@madpierrot: Couple others that I liked recently were

Fate/Zero

Madoka

Rainbow

Ano Hana

@madpierrot: Bodacious Space Pirates and Steins;Gate are ones that haven't been mentioned, but they are my favorites, and both fantastic if you like sci fi shit (steins;gate is time travel, bodacious is space battles and shit)

@petiew: You sir got some real nice taste.

@dochaus: The Bakumatsu OP and ED, the OP especially, are absolutely great! The show...eh.