What Are You Watching?

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

Wow.

I just finished U&T, and I'm awestruck. The final battle against Hakuman no Mono was a thing of beauty, and was perfectly expanded, just as the closure for the cast was everything you could ask for. It's official- Ushio and Tora is right up there among my favorite anime. Even if Toonami doesn't get it, I need to own this show.

I'm glad that we hooked in another fan!

It really is something special, though. Much like something along the lines of Yu Yu Hakusho or Rurouni Kenshin, on a surface level it's a typical shonen action and adventure story, but in execution it turns out to be much more than just that. Just like you, I will also be owning this series when it comes out. But I do still really hope for a Toonami release. Even if U&T is over, giving it more exposure could be a gateway to drum up more Western interest in Fujita's other works, which could in turn get those licensed over here as well.

[Spark Of Spirit]

It could also get the manga licensed, which I personally want.

Glad to hear you really liked it. It's definitely one of the best anime in years, and it's a shame that it took so long to get a proper adaption. It really deserved one much sooner, but at least we got one now. Satoshi Nishimura is one great director.

[Avaitor]

I can't get over how perfect the pacing was. The show starts off fine enough as you get into its world and character building, and see some of the earlier battles. But before less patient viewers can get bored, bombshells are increasingly dropped at a reasonable, encompassing pace.

You can't ask for a better shonen experience.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

Satsoshi Nishimura also directed Hajime no Ippo and Trigun, two of my other favorite anime series. I'm not surprised to see that he did such a good job with Ushio and Tora. He seems to excel at adapting 90's manga material.

I can't get over how perfect the pacing was. The show starts off fine enough as you get into its world and character building, and see some of the earlier battles. But before less patient viewers can get bored, bombshells are increasingly dropped at a reasonable, encompassing pace.

You can't ask for a better shonen experience.

Pretty much this.

With other great shonen anime adaptations like Haikyuu!!, Food Wars!, Yowamushi Pedal, Jo Jo's Bizarre Adventure, My Hero Academia, and of course Ushio and Tora coming out in recent years, it really is a great time to be a fan of shonen anime. And hell, in recent weeks even Dragon Ball Super has picked up its quality incredibly well with the current story-line which, if handled as well as it has been the entire way through, could prove to be the best thing to come out of the franchise since the manga ended its run a full two decades ago. I feel like this genre is making a major comeback in this particular medium, which is following suit with the comeback that it has already made as far as manga/comic books go.

[Foggle]

Sounds like I really need to watch Ushio & Tora.

[Dr. Insomniac]

For a show adapted by Toshiki Inoue, it can be cool.

[Avaitor]

Sounds like I really need to watch Ushio & Tora.

Yes.

So Pink Jacket on the whole isn't as well-written as Green or Red. It gets a little too fanservice heavy, and the stories are even less consistently tight than in the previous series. But it's still fun, and has some pretty good episodes throughout. I'm glad that I watched it, but it is the weakest of the series thus far.

Next up are the movies and specials. I know that some of these are going to be good, but I'm mostly excited to get to Fujiko Mine.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

Sounds like I really need to watch Ushio & Tora.

It probably won't resonate quite as strongly with you if you're not a huge fan of most shonen series, but even then it's still a worthwhile watch with memorable characters and a well-written story that has a distinct beginning, middle, and end, without every feeling like it's dragging on. This is probably one of the best paced shows that I've ever seen, come to think of it.

But yeah, it's definitely my favorite anime of the year, and one of my favorite anime in general now. My Hero Academia is also really great stuff, and could also become a favorite of mine after another season or two if it manages to maintain the level of quality that it had with its opening season.

[gunswordfist]

I can't get over how perfect the pacing was. The show starts off fine enough as you get into its world and character building, and see some of the earlier battles. But before less patient viewers can get bored, bombshells are increasingly dropped at a reasonable, encompassing pace.

You can't ask for a better shonen experience.

The pacing can't be praised enough. A lot happened without ever being overwhelming.

[Pharass]

Watched the The Adolescence of Utena movie for the first time and my personal opinion is that it was an interesting alternative take on the story and characters, but ultimately it pales in comparison with the original show. The car-race at the end was pretty cool though.
Worst thing about the movie was the almost complete lack of Nanami (save for a cameo in a scene which doesn't add anything to the plot at all). Either that or how utterly unimpressive the movie's version of Akio was.

Oh, and for something more recent, I also watched the first episode of Thunderbolt Fantasy which is some sort of wuxia fantasy thing, using puppets. There's only one episode out, so its too early to judge, but I found the episode entertaining and will watch more. Its by Gen Urobuchi, so it should be interesting.

[Spark Of Spirit]

The best way to know if you'll like Ushio & Tora is to ask a few simple questions.

Do you like late-80s/early-90s anime and manga? It doesn't even have to be shonen.

Do you like the best shows that made Toonami famous back in the day?

Are you sick of edgy shonen crap, pointless gore, and/or bloodless action shows? Do you want something that is better than all three?

Are you the type of fan that likes their action show well written?

If your answer is "Yes" to any of these, then Ushio & Tora is for you.

[Avaitor]

I could only find one copy of Legend of Babylon online, and I'm having difficulty streaming it. Especially right now, as it keeps freezing every few seconds. I'm only a half hour in, but I think that I'm going to put this on hold, and try The Fuma Conspiracy tomorrow.

From what I hear and what I've seen, it doesn't seem like I'm going to miss much, anyway. Although I did dig that motorcycle chase earlier into the film.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

Hey Avaitor, have you watched all of the Hosoda films yet? I think that I remember you saying that you watched Summer Wars, but have you seen The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, Wolf Children, and The Boy and the Beast? Because if not, then I highly recommend them!

The two recent Dragon Ball Z movies are also worth a watch if you ever feel like you're in the mood for something of that nature.

[Avaitor]

I've seen The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, and really liked it! I was hoping to add Wolf Children to my Netflix queue (physical, not streaming), but when I checked, it wasn't available to rent. I'll check for that and The Boy and the Beast soon, which I got a poster of when I went to a comic shop in DC back in March.

I've also been meaning to get into the recent DBZ stuff. I was thinking of doing the movies, and jumping to Super after it's done adapting them. But I'll probably get to Super when that part of the series is dubbed, since I find it difficult to get into DB subbed, since I'm so used to the dub.

[gunswordfist]

Oh right, Super doesn't debut new episodes dubbed