What Are You Watching?

[gunswordfist]

OVA 8 is complete...

So Chrollo would die if he spoke to any PT member? Dammit, looks like I haven't been paying attention. lol It's sad that Chrollo couldn't talk to Paku. Hisoka vs Chrollo is still a massive cock tease but it was more interesting here. I felt kind of bad for Hisoka. So Illumi's the Hisoka doppelganger in this version and 2011 had a robot? Interesting. I like how they seemed to take more time with Paku and Hisoka after Hisoka got done with Chrollo and the scene with the cat was touching. And yes, Paku's death scene was a lot better in this one. Nobunaga telling them to trust her was more or less the same, though.

So that's the end of Yorknew, right? I officially like 1999 more than 2011. I'll start catching up on 2011 soon, possibly today.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

I officially like 1999 more than 2011.

[gunswordfist]

  So is that the end of the arc or what, you bastard?

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

Well, what do you think? You've already seen the 2011 anime, so you know where it ends, dumb-ass.

And besides, would it really make sense for them to do an OVA series that specifically only "kind of" covers the rest of the arc? Obviously they did it to finish the entire arc, so the answer is yes, dick-for-brains.

[gunswordfist]

Thanks, old friend.

[LumRanmaYasha]

I finished Princess Jellyfish today. I would have done so yesterday, but I had to stop and do work. I was seriously into it from the moment I started it, though, and I found myself clearing 7 episodes in a row yesterday. The show packed with comic energy, from the way the characters move and react, to the flow of the direction to the wide amounts of verbal and sight humor, and hilarious fantasy bits like the "Clara" segments and Shu's dream sequences. The characters act like natural , real people despite their eccentricities and the awkwardness of the Sisterhood, and behave to their circumstances in a fashion that I, who have also been shy of others and awkward, completely related to, and felt organic to me. And the emotional component of the show is superb; exploring the doubts, inner turmoils, and griefs of the characters without ever feeling angst or melodramatic. Everything about the series, from the animation, the characters, the storyline, and the humor really appealed to me, and I'm really disappointed that not only is it so short, at 11 episodes, but it ended with so much left unresolved. Of course, the manga is still running, and I am going to get right on catching up to that to get more of this series stat, but this anime adaption was incredible and I wish they would make another season. We could always use another good Josei anime, especially one that has so much broad appeal and wit like this one. Seriously, I think everyone here should give it a shot, especially if in you're in the mood for something completely different from normal anime comedy/slice of life series. I really cannot possibly see anyone not liking it.

I have decided to finally start watching Legend of the Galactic Heroes and Galaxy Express 999. My plan is to watch an episode of each every day, which is a good pace and will wear me out less than trying to marathon through them. I won't start LOGH until tomorrow, but today I have watched the first two episodes of Galaxy Express 999 instead. This show has been on my backlog forever, but I just never got around to it somehow. Nowadays, with a series as long as this, I would have preferred to just read the manga, but I can only find the first chapter translated. But, I'm glad I finally started watching the series, and I have to say, I'm already loving it. It's being handled much more maturely with a lot heavier concepts than many contemporary series, especially shonen ones, and it's doing so flawlessly. Not to mention visually it looks great, despite being a late 70's/early 80's show. Man, how Toei has degenerated since then....I'm really digging the show so far, and those first two episodes left me excited to keep watching.

Aside from watching an episode of both 999 and LOGH (and maybe HnI) a day, I have a rigid schedule to help me clear some of my backlog. I wan't to get done with every series I'm most interested in watching before July 10th, which will mark my 10th year anniversary of when I consider myself to have "gotten into" anime. Obviously I'm very busy and have a lot of work to do, so this is a flexible schedule, but I'd be pleased if I can make it work. So, on my queue this month, I plan to go through Welcome to the NHK, Mushi-shi, and the entirety of the Fullmetal Panic! anime franchise. That's a tall order, and a lot of episodes, but if I don't watch anything else (except for Stardust Crusaders, obviously), then I think I can just barely do it. Here's hoping, because I've got a lot I want to get through before July. 

[LumRanmaYasha]

I've been on a Slayers high recently, and re-watched the movies and the OVA's. Man, as much as I love the tv series, I have to say that I love the movies and OVAs even more. There's really one simple reason why: Naga the Serpent. Lina and Naga are probably one of the best comedic duos in anime, and play off each other so well because of how different, yet similar, they are. A lot like Excel and Elgala, now that I think about it. Lina and Naga's interactions are always comic gold and I them as a duo better than Lina and Gourry (and I like the guy, but he's doesn't play off Lina anywhere near as well as Naga does). Man, I wish they made a Slayers Special tv series that chronicled all of Lina and Naga's misadventures. Slayers Special is over twice the length of regular Slayers as it is, so there's plenty of material to adapt. Unfortunately, I don't think Revolution/Evolution-R did well, so I don't know if they'd ever make any more Slayers anime. A pity, since I could never tire of seeing Lina and Naga in action.

I've also resumed watched Hajime no Ippo. Like with LOGH and GE999, I plan to watch at least one episode a day. Right now I'm on episode 25, and while Miyata losing to Mashiba was predictable, it was a well-done fight that really endeared me to Miyata's determination. I also enjoyed seeing Ippo so determined to avenge Miyata's defeat instead of getting depressed, and seeing another side to Mashiba as well. I don't care for scenes involving Ippo and Mashiba's sister, though. Awkward romantic comedy hijinks don't really do it for me much in fighting series, at least, the way Ippo is so over-the-top weird about it. I'm certainly looking forward to Ippo's fight with Mashiba, though.

I haven't been able to start the LOGH OVA series yet, but I watched the first movie and I really liked it. It did a great job establishing a huge ensemble cast and portrayed the characters on both sides very fairly without giving good or evil judgements on them, and I loved how the battles relied so heavily on well-timed strategy. Reinhard and Yang are well-characterized as dual protagonists, and I look forward to seeing them interact and oppose each other later on. I plan to watch Overture to a New World next, and then I'll start the series proper.

And Galaxy Express 999 is still entertaining and well-written. I'm impressed with the themes the series explores, and so early on. While I expect it to be mostly episodic, every episode so far has been a pleasure, and one episode a day should make for a fine viewing experience.

[VLordGTZ]

Man, I wish they made a Slayers Special tv series that chronicled all of Lina and Naga's misadventures. Slayers Special is over twice the length of regular Slayers as it is, so there's plenty of material to adapt. Unfortunately, I don't think Revolution/Evolution-R did well, so I don't know if they'd ever make any more Slayers anime. A pity, since I could never tire of seeing Lina and Naga in action.

I would kill to see an adaption of Slayers Special (I wish someone would translate those novels so I could read them  ) or the second half of the Slayers light novels.  Honestly, I think it might have been better to adapt those instead of making Revolution/Evolution-R, especially since tons of people already hated TRY just because it wasn't an adaption of the novels. (SCREW THEM!!!  TRY WAS AMAZING!!!  )

[LumRanmaYasha]

They probably didn't adapt the second half of the light novels because they don't have Amelia and Zelgadis in them. Let's face it...how many Slayers fans (especially internationally) do you think probably care more about seeing Luke and Milina animated than just having the original quartet together again? Revolution/Evolution-R also really played to people's nostalgia for the original series (as evident by how important Rezo is, bringing back Zanaffar, a bunch of gags and references, "Nama," and E-R's opening, among other things), so I think their goal was more of a nostalgic, celebratory adventure than legitimately making a conclusion to the story.

That said, they did include elements from the light novels they previously omitted, like Duclis, a Zanaffar closer to how he was in the LN than in the first anime, Zumma, Wizer, among other aspects, so there were additional "canon" elements added to those series as well that I think hardcore Slayers fans appreciated. I really should read the light novels sometime, myself, since from what I've heard over the years they and the anime are a fairly different experience.

[Inkwolf]

Taking an anime break to watch The Avengers complete Emma Peel episodes.

Lined up to watch next are Aria the Animation, a re-watch of Kino's Journey, and a bunch of odd stuff I got in Crunchyroll's 30-disc random clearance box some time ago.

[gunswordfist]

Will be starting Jojo and Magi on my 360's Crunchroll soon enough.

[LumRanmaYasha]

Fate/Zero was recently added to Netflix. I've been putting off watching it for far too long now, but with this, I have good incentive to finally start.  I'll start it up once I'm finished with Space Adventure Cobra.

[LumRanmaYasha]

So, my plan to watch one episode of HNI, GE999, and LOGH everyday failed after the first week, so I'll have to try that again next month. In the meantime, I'm half-way done with Space Adventure Cobra, and it's kicking all kinds of ass in a Lupin (red jacket)-y sort of way. I can't wait to see the new story arc that'll start up in the second-half.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

I've been continuing to watch AnJ (the first series). I finally hit some filler episodes in the mid 30's. One of them involved Joe sort of conning one of his fans who wanted to be a boxer by pretending to coach him in exchange for some extra cash. By the end Joe feels terrible about it when he finds out that the guy wasn't rich like he thought and was basically spending everything he was making because he believed Joe. Overall, not a bad filler for something that could've easily been more mundane. I think what helped it is that the humor really fit in line with something you'd find in the manga. That said, my main problem is that it doesn't fit within the context of Joe's character arc. I like to believe by this point he was past that phase in his life, and was more focused on being driven to fight Wolf, and later Rikiishi. Had a similar plot happened in the first arc of the anime, though, then it would have for in just perfectly with Joe's behavior before being sent to prison.

The second filler episode was just about Nishi overcoming his losing streak. It could've been a good supplemental story for the character, but instead it was just generic boring filler. It doesn't look like there should be too many of these filler episodes in a row, though, so we should get back to the main story-line soon enough.

Also, just like how AnJ2 adders that reporter character, this series has its own original recurring filler character in the form of some strange doctor. He doesn't really add anything to the series, but he's sort of an amusing addition, so far.

[Dr. Insomniac]

Mahouka has become my go-to show this season. Not because it's good, because it's absolutely abhorrent. It's become my new Sword Art, something to watch and see how stupid things will get in the next episode.