What Are You Watching?

[Avaitor]

Ah, okay. I'll keep all of this in mind, thank you!

Which movies and OVAs are worth watching for both series? Or should I just catch all of them?

[LumRanmaYasha]

Almost all of the UY and Ranma OVAs are worth watching since most are adaptions of storylines from the manga and in general they're just more episodes of those shows, which is always welcome. To name a few highlights, the third UY OVA, "Inaba the Dreammaker" is probably my favorite storyline in the series and has some important character development for a couple of characters, while OVA 12 is probably my favorite episode of the entire show. The only UY OVA I might suggest you skip is the first one, "Ryoko's September Tea Party," which is an hour-long clip-show episode that doesn't do enough with it's framing device to be worth sitting through. In contrast, I would suggest watching the second OVA, "Memorial Album" which while also a clip-show episode, has a really unique and interesting framing device that points an analytical lens at the show, which makes the experience really worthwhile. As for MI, it only has one OVA that isn't a recap special, called "Deserted Island," which is an adaption of a chapter from the manga and pretty enjoyable, though not essential.

All of the Urusei Yatsura movies are fantastic and they're easily one of the best anime film franchises I've ever seen. Beautiful Dreamer in particular was extremely influential and universally acclaimed, and is my personal favorite Mamoru Oishii film as well as anime film in general. Lum the Forever is really weird and abstract, so it tends to be the most divisive of the films, but it's personally my second favorite of the films because I find the movie's themes, bizarre imagery and motifs, and story behind the production really fascinating. The Final Chapter adapts the manga's final arc and the definitive ending and as such should probably be the last UY thing you watch. Some people don't like Always My Darling because it has a different artstyle than the series and other movies, the movie-exclusive characters can be kind of annoying, and Ataru and Lum are really out of character in it (especially for the point in the series it takes place), but I think it's probably the funniest of the movies and a lot of the supporting characters get some great character moments in it so I like it quite a bit.

Maison Ikkoku's movie, The Final Chapter, is also well worth watching since it resolves some character arcs that weren't properly addressed in the tv series and also features the only animated appearance of Nozomu Nikaido, a recurring character in the manga who was cut out of the anime. The movie chronologically takes place in the middle of the final episode of the series, so I'd recommend watching it only after you've finished the show.

The Ranma movies are pretty standard shonen films, and while each has their moments, both movies basically have the same plot, the only differences being in which secondary characters get more to do. If I had to pick, I prefer the second film more because it has some really good animation, a more unique location, and the fights range from both funny to genuinely intense. Neither film is great, but they are still enjoyable enough to check out if you like the show.

[gunswordfist]

I am loving My Hero Academia and Izuku's ? and development. My favorite anime of this season.

[gunswordfist]

Okay, I knew Part 4 would be fucked up both on a cruel and emotional level just by seeing how Josuke can heal

Spoiler

But I didn't think something like his grandpa dying so soon would happen. Seeing Jojo lose a family member just from one mistake still has me sad. Also, seeing a lot of blood even when censored tells me we are going to see a lot more, especially if someone like Anjuro is the first freaking villain. I was also wonder to what extent Josuke could heal.

I love how this turned into a standoff and then a haunted house encounter. Plus Araki found a way to make Jotaro's time stop not just make him autowin. He can't do much if the enemy is everywhere and can't be killed. Lastly, I was wondering what the 2nd And I Must Scream moment was in Jojo since I almost had that spoiled for me on tv tropes then Josuke showed me when he fused that also into that rock.

Also, did Jotaro make fun of Kakyoin when he said he couldn't believe a water based Stand could be scary? I know he wouldn't be able to stomach hearing that

[close]

[Dr. Insomniac]

After putting it off for months, I watched all of Erased this morning. I really liked it and definitely deserves the praise, but now I can't take the ending seriously after somebody told me that

Spoiler

Yashiro spent 15 years waiting for Satoru to fill his metaphorical hole.

Having to confess each others' feelings at the rooftop does not help one bit.

[close]

[Avaitor]

I'm on episode 117 of red jacket, and I swear that Gasper looks so much like Dayon.

[Spark Of Spirit]

World Trigger's English cast has been revealed:

Brian Doe as Osamu Mikumo
Cathy Weseluck as Yuma Kuga
Caitlyn Barstow as Chika Amatori
Andrew Francis as Yuiji Jin
Marco Soriano as Replica

The anime is not the best version of World Trigger, but if it brings more attention to the manga then it's all good with me.

[LumRanmaYasha]

It's weird that they are only now announcing who the voice actors are, considering they already previewed three episodes of the dub at Anime Expo last July. At any rate, based on the dates at the end of the promo, I guess they plan to release it on Hulu and Crunchyroll between May 10th and June 30th. Considering they only commissioned a dub for the first seven episodes, my guess is that they'll only dub more if the streaming for it is successful.

The dub itself isn't likely to turn out that great, but considering the anime still helped introduce more people to the series despite it's pathetic production values, a dub of any sort can only help it's accessibility. Most of the cast sounds fitting enough, except for Jin, whose dub voice doesn't really suit his laid-back and strategical character, imo.

[VLordGTZ]

I finished watching Ajin on Netflix yesterday.  While the CG animation may turn some people off, I found to be a very entertaining series.  Since the manga is on Crunchyroll, I'll probably check it out when I have some time.

[Avaitor]

I have about 20 episodes left of red coat, already have Discotek Media's Mystery of Mamo DVD, and have the Castle of Cagliostro Blu in the mail.

I'm ready.

[gunswordfist]

I watched the Lawrence of Arabia and creepyass looking fake Lupin episodes this week. Still not past the eps Adult Swim had.

[Avaitor]

Even though it's summer now, I still haven't been able to watch much of Mason Ikkoku. If I've seen more than 2 episodes this week, I'd be surprised. I'm more than halfway past the series, though, and I'm still quite enjoying it.

I think when I'm done, I'll play catch-up with Jojo. Honestly, I haven't even got around to Part 3 yet, so I really should fix that. After I'm caught up, I'm thinking of watching The Irresponsible Captain Tylor.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

I also recommend Ushio and Tora. It'll be wrapping up pretty soon, and at 39 episodes it's not an insanely long commitment, yet it manages to pack so much great stuff into each episode.

If you like classic 90's style action shonen similar in tone to Yu Yu Hakusho combined with a great use of Japanese mythology to create an interesting lore for the series, then you may enjoy the show quite a bit.

[Avaitor]

I know, I know, trust me, it's pretty high on my list. I might put Captain Tylor on hold and get to it after I finish my JJBA catch-up.

[gunswordfist]

And Chinese mythology too, I believe.