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What are you watching right now? Why? (please read 1st post)


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teknokrat



Joined: 14 Mar 2012
Posts: 25
PostPosted: Mon Jun 25, 2012 1:50 pm Reply with quote
Finally finished the epilogue of KnK/Garden of Sinners. Fascinating experience, but now I need to try and digest everything I just watched, and will likely need a rewatch, maybe in chronological order this time. Also made the mistake of watching a couple of them on weekdays after work; I usually try to watch more mindless stuff then as my brain needs downtime. Need to stop making that mistake especially with something like this.

Also, halfway through Heroic Age, which is a perfect after work show. Simple, cheesy, and very entertaining with great artwork (watching the BD). I also have a soft spot for any space show, good or bad.
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dandelion_rose



Joined: 12 May 2012
Posts: 657
Location: Kuala Lumpur
PostPosted: Tue Jun 26, 2012 7:24 am Reply with quote
I watched Perfect Blue for the first time. I have to say this, because Perfect Blue deserves this:

I volunteer for an organization that deals with raising awareness on violence against women. I sometimes end up talking to rape survivors. I'm always very uncertain when talking to them, because the trauma of rape is something so distant from my living experience that I simply cannot imagine it.

Perfect Blue helped me to understand what the trauma of rape is like.

I don't think it's positively anti-violence against women or completely innocent of exploiting Mima's vulnerability (which makes it even more powerful a work). I'd still caution someone watching it. But it has done more for me in helping me understand the psychological effect (and process) of rape than my reading of survivor stories or reading feminist writings.

The reason for this lies in Satoshi Kon's very subtle, but very powerful gestures that happens during the infamous simulated rape scene:

spoiler[Satoshi Kon pauses the rape scene. In the story, Mima's rape scene is supposed to be exploitation, it is supposed to look erotic. It's obviously a tense moment, but I don't think anyone watching Perfect Blue is innocent of being tempted by the rape scene's potential erotic undertones.

Rape is a common trope in pornography. Pornography works because the viewer is emotionally detached from the subject.

The simulated rape scene could have easily been pornography -- when the viewer sees cues that the rape scene is about to start, they go into a kind of mental defense mode, they start to detach themselves from the characters. Had the rape scene gone uninterrupted, the viewer could easily have watched it as if they were watching a scene from hentai, and then switch back to their 'movie-viewing' mode when the scene ended.

The rape scene is interrupted, giving the viewer just enough time to be relieved as the actor 'raping' Mima apologizes and Mima assures him that it's all right. Instead of being a 'breather', this short interruption allows the viewer to experience empathy for the characters involved in the scene. When the rape scene resumes shortly, our empathy with the characters is still present. The unnerving psychological experience is made even more pronounced when several shots are made from Mima's point of view. ]


I was very strongly disturbed by this scene. It upset me for the entire day. I think this is a good thing. I've not watched other rape scenes in film that are known to deliver strong impact (I've not seen The Accused, which was referenced), so I can't compare Perfect Blue to other shows. (But you know, when you're comparing an anime to The Accused, you know you've got really good stuff.)

My previous experience with Satoshi Kon was Tokyo Godfathers. I liked it so much on just one viewing, I listed it as one of my favourite films of all time. Perfect Blue only further affirms my belief that Satoshi Kon is absolutely brilliant. Right now, I think he is more brilliant than Hayao Miyazaki. Once I have enough money, I will purchase all of Satoshi Kon's works.

/end long post.
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Errinundra
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Joined: 14 Jun 2008
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Location: Melbourne, Oz
PostPosted: Tue Jun 26, 2012 7:38 am Reply with quote
@ dandelion_rose,

I agree with everything you say. Like you, I think it's one of the most thoughtful and wrenching treatments of rape I've ever seen on the screen.

Analysing makes it even stronger. It's a cartoon - we don't even have real bodies. The characters are acting out a rape in a television program. So we are at least twice removed from having an actual victim. (What's more, Mimi might be imagining the whole thing.) This distancing allows us to consider the issue without being compromised but because of the powerful construction of the scene by Satoshi Kon we feel the horror in all its violation.

There's a somewhat similar scene in Paprika that doesn't work quite as well because it's both more didactic (although it says all the right things) and the viewer's involvement isn't so strong.
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infiltration.cru



Joined: 28 Jan 2012
Posts: 321
PostPosted: Tue Jun 26, 2012 8:40 am Reply with quote
@dandelion: Couldn't agree more. Overall, absolutely great movie but this scene really sticks out in several ways.
One of these ways is what you just described perfectly well.
Another that I would want to add is that it so clearly shows Kon's method of blurring the line between reality and imagination. Not only is that one of his overall themes but it is also present in the very way he tells a story.
The way how Mimi, even in her function as actress, is not able to distance herself from the event and gradually forgets that it is "only an act" is shown so powerful. None of the people around her actually realize the intensity of what she went through, they might actually just be thinking that she acted incredibly well during the scene.
The whole scene also carries this subtle comment about how rape victims often are doubted due to "mental instability" and as a consequence shut themselves off to such a degree that eventually they might even begin to doubt their experience themselves.
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dandelion_rose



Joined: 12 May 2012
Posts: 657
Location: Kuala Lumpur
PostPosted: Tue Jun 26, 2012 8:55 am Reply with quote
errinundra wrote:
@ dandelion_rose,

I agree with everything you say. Like you, I think it's one of the most thoughtful and wrenching treatments of rape I've ever seen on the screen.

Analysing makes it even stronger. It's a cartoon - we don't even have real bodies. The characters are acting out a rape in a television program. So we are at least twice removed from having an actual victim. (What's more, Mimi might be imagining the whole thing.) This distancing allows us to consider the issue without being compromised but because of the powerful construction of the scene by Satoshi Kon we feel the horror in all its violation.

There's a somewhat similar scene in Paprika that doesn't work quite as well because it's both more didactic (although it says all the right things) and the viewer's involvement isn't so strong.


Thanks for your response -- it's always great to know someone shares similar (but different) opinions.

I've long been kind of so-so about Satoshi Kon. For a long time, I find that there are plenty of stuff that are critically well-received aren't my personal favourite anime. Miyazaki, for example, is hit-or-miss for me -- when he's good he's really good, but when he's bland he's bland. So the high praise given to Satoshi Kon almost universally hasn't convinced me to approach him earlier. Watching Tokyo Godfathers was mostly a coincidence of convenient circumstances, but it convinced me that I liked one of his works, not necessarily all.

It was the recent news of Dreaming Machine possibly never seeing the light of day that altered my perception of him. Maybe the news I heard about his last film not being able to get the necessary finances to complete production has given me this 'romantic artist' image of him, really boosting his image as a genius director. The two films I've seen has so far proven to match the image I have of him, and I'm very keen on his other stuff now.

infiltration.cru wrote:
The way how Mimi, even in her function as actress, is not able to distance herself from the event and gradually forgets that it is "only an act" is shown so powerful. None of the people around her actually realize the intensity of what she went through, they might actually just be thinking that she acted incredibly well during the scene.


One of the reasons why I think the scene is so powerful is because it made one particular incident I had been exposed to make a lot of sense.

Spoiler cut below for TRIGGER WARNING:

spoiler[I was hanging out with some friends and one of us started telling stories about his old school days. There was a gang of boys in his old school that did some pretty severe ragging -- tying a penis to a fan, for example, so the poor guy had to run around in circles in fear of being castrated. Once they picked on a girl, and tied her up in the pretense of raping her, although they didn't do so. The girl started screaming and the gang of boys was expelled.]

I was disturbed for a very long time after hearing that story, although I didn't know why. Watching Perfect Blue helped me make sense of why I was disturbed.

The injury of rape isn't necessarily physical. In Perfect Blue, there wasn't physical rape. The worst injury of rape is psychological, and Perfect Blue managed to invite the reader to experience that psychological horror, almost literally from Mima's view.
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Masakaki



Joined: 23 Mar 2012
Posts: 166
PostPosted: Tue Jun 26, 2012 10:00 am Reply with quote
[edit]

Last edited by Masakaki on Mon Nov 12, 2012 6:22 am; edited 9 times in total
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infiltration.cru



Joined: 28 Jan 2012
Posts: 321
PostPosted: Tue Jun 26, 2012 5:54 pm Reply with quote
dandelion_rose wrote:
infiltration.cru wrote:
The way how Mimi, even in her function as actress, is not able to distance herself from the event and gradually forgets that it is "only an act" is shown so powerful. None of the people around her actually realize the intensity of what she went through, they might actually just be thinking that she acted incredibly well during the scene.


One of the reasons why I think the scene is so powerful is because it made one particular incident I had been exposed to make a lot of sense.

Spoiler cut below for TRIGGER WARNING:

spoiler[I was hanging out with some friends and one of us started telling stories about his old school days. There was a gang of boys in his old school that did some pretty severe ragging -- tying a penis to a fan, for example, so the poor guy had to run around in circles in fear of being castrated. Once they picked on a girl, and tied her up in the pretense of raping her, although they didn't do so. The girl started screaming and the gang of boys was expelled.]

I was disturbed for a very long time after hearing that story, although I didn't know why. Watching Perfect Blue helped me make sense of why I was disturbed.

The injury of rape isn't necessarily physical. In Perfect Blue, there wasn't physical rape. The worst injury of rape is psychological, and Perfect Blue managed to invite the reader to experience that psychological horror, almost literally from Mima's view.


That's a pretty harsh story. And you're again perfectly right. The physical injuries disappear with time in most of the cases. But the psychological injuries cut way deeper. An incident like that can make a person question the possibility of something like "trust" since one experiences how easy it can be for someone else to break into one's most private of spheres and that there is almost no way to defend against that. And I think that this can almost not be portrayed better than in this specific Perfect Blue scene.
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ZoldyckxHunter



Joined: 26 Jun 2012
Posts: 9
PostPosted: Tue Jun 26, 2012 6:32 pm Reply with quote
Naruto Shippuden- I must say I really do love this anime. I know many people give it lots of heat for reasons I really do not understand but I love the characters and I love the story. One of the reasons the show appeals to me so much is because it tracks all of the supporting characters so well and doesn't really leave anyone behind.

HunterxHunter (2011) - I remember reading the preveiw for this in Shonen Jump Magazine years ago and loved it. I recently got a subscription on crunchyroll and started watching it and LOVE the characters.
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egoist



Joined: 20 Jun 2008
Posts: 7762
PostPosted: Thu Jun 28, 2012 9:05 am Reply with quote
Been re-watching a lot of shows lately. Heck, even Detective Conan. Seeing as the current fansubs of DC dropped because of Funimation, I'm a bit disappointed though. They solidified the show's subs for a good 2 years. It's pretty much on loose hands now. What a shame, because this show really requires a good fansub group because a lot of the deducting involves play with words or even numbers.

Besides my re-watches, I also caught up on some long running shows like One Piece. I also got to the sequel of Fate Zero, and I really doubt anything will top that this year.

Currently re-watching Pumpkin Scissors. I simply have a crush on this show, as this is probably my fourth of fifth re-watch. I'd say the most enchanting things about it really are the subtle life lessons which can be found here and there, but particularly the one in a latter episode regarding Orlando and Alice (mercenary/ball episode).
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moonie92



Joined: 15 Nov 2011
Posts: 167
PostPosted: Thu Jun 28, 2012 11:20 pm Reply with quote
So somethings poped up and I'm spending a week at my fathers house. Good news is all of my VHS's are over here. So I stuck one in and I had forgotten how comical the Sailor Moon dub was.

It's Sailor Moon S (the set of four episodes where Usagi and Mina find out that Haruka is spoiler[not a boy]) and yes I just used the Japanese names when referring to the English version because I don't know their names that well. I love this chunk of episodes, it's good natured humor, even if they do mess up and have Mako say that her Mom's (who's dead) is allergic to cats so she can't take a kitten. That just makes it funnier to me. The monsters take pure hearts like always, and of course everyone we run into has a pure heart. (It would have been nice to have a monster start attacking someone then stop because they weren't pure enough, but alas this is a children's show.)

But this dub is frakin terrible. Everyone sounds like an old lady, even Haruka who I thought was supposed to sound gender neutral. I don't get Luna's voice choice, why does she have that weird almost accent? It just doesn't make sense, I know she's a talking cat, but you don't need to further complicate it.

All in all a good watch that would have been way better if I had 275 dollars to buy the uncut sub DVDs.
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supercreep



Joined: 11 Dec 2011
Posts: 526
PostPosted: Thu Jun 28, 2012 11:34 pm Reply with quote
Just finished Tsuritama. In the end, things didn't really come together for me like I wanted. There were aspects that I loved, like all the dancing, for instance. I understand the friendship is important, and I believe that there are ways to convey that message while avoiding the hightetened emotions and grand declarations of, let's say, Chihayafuru. Sometimes a little subtlety can go a long way. Kids on the Slope knows how to do this; Tsuritama does not.

I enjoyed the fishing and the quirkiness, but in the end in degenerated into a shallow pool of emotion and cliche yelling. Perhaps I'm too cynical. I liked it enough to rate it very good, because it does get so many things right. This is just a pet peeve of mine.

Haino, haino, haino...
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Errinundra
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Joined: 14 Jun 2008
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Location: Melbourne, Oz
PostPosted: Sat Jun 30, 2012 8:49 am Reply with quote
It's been just over three weeks so here's my latest instalment of what I've been watching.

The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya

Until a fortnight ago I had only seen a fansubbed version of the film. (My comments after watching the sub can be read here, though you'll need to scroll down). I've long admired Crispin Freeman's work as Kyon and had been looking forward to completing my Haruhi collection on DVD. I wasn't let down. Just as well, that. With Haruhi missing for most of the film, Kyon has to carry the story pretty much on his own. It's almost as if Crispin Freeman were born for the role: his tone of voice and his dramatic acting have so etched themselves into my consciousness the American dub has become my preferred choice, even if Wendee Lee can be hit and miss as Haruhi.

The film elicits a greater emotional response than the two TV seasons. So much so that at times I felt the sort of manipulation that I had experienced with the Clannad franchise. I prefer it when Tatsuya Ishihara plays with the genre conventions, rather than wallows in them. All the same, there are some powerful moments such as the reunion in the Literature Club's room and both of Kyon's unexpected encounters with Asakura, the second of which still disturbs me after several viewings. (In my review of the sub version, I didn't understand what was happening immediately afterwards. I've got that sorted now, I think.) Easily the best moment, however, is the scene where Kyon finally meets the alternative world's Haruhi. I guess all his yearning and worrying was leading to this point. Ishihara and Kyoto Animation have the technique down pat. Who cares? I love it.


"Like a wrestler, looking for someone to fight" - Kyon

Despite the emotional rewards, the movie is less interesting than either of the two iterations of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, partly because it doesn't play around much with anime conventions the way its predecessors did and also because there's a lot less Haruhi. I see a lot of hate for Haruhi in these forums. It's understandable but I think it's missing the point. Haruhi is a comic, rather than a romantic, creation and carries some pretty sophisticated concepts on behalf of her creators. Her monstrosity is part of the joke. I'll now contradict myself and suggest that she also follows in long tradition of magical girlfriends. Actually, I'm not really contradicting myself because we all know that the franchise knows its tropes through and through. Don't we? Anyway, the film largely forsakes the gameplaying, time travel excepted, to concentrate on Kyon's emotional ride, which I largely enjoyed. The upside of the more conventional approach is that it avoids the clangers of the TV series. (Endless Eight, anyone?)

Not so enjoyable was Yuki Nagato. The shy, bookworm version irritated me no end. It's not so much the character type but how it seemed so excessively portrayed. Yet another example of a Clannadism working its way into the Haruhi world. Thankfully, there's also great handfuls of the adult Mikuru Asahina whose knowingness is a happy counterweight to the younger version's cluelessness. Kyon, for his part, is the archetypal unreliable narrator. I like the theory I've seen that it's he, not Haruhi, who is god. On one level that is absolutely true. Everything is filtered through his gaze - we only get his version of events. The Haruhi we see is the Haruhi he lets us see. In reality she's a charming young woman. Just ask Koizumi. On second thoughts, you'd be bored to tears. I'd much prefer the monster who so bewitches Kyon.

The film is also content to take its time telling the story. Generally I don't mind that until I find that I'm struggling to attend in the latter parts. Like the final movie in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, it feels like it has too many final scenes, even if they each add something important. And, having watched Bamboo Rhapsody from the second season of Melancholy since I watched the sub version, this time around I wasn't discombobulated by the time travelling. It actually makes sense, although it leaves room for yet another instalment of the tale so Kyon can set to rights one last (very crucial) detail. I particularly like the way the franchise plays with information paradoxes in time travel: ie, Kyon found out about the star shaped mole from the older Mikuru / the younger version found out from him; or, Haruhi went to North Senior High because of Kyon made it seem so enticing to her three years earlier / Kyon told her because, for him, she was already at North Senior High. Wonderful, crazy stuff.

The extras include a segment showing the filming in Sydney of the incidental music for the film. The orchestral parts were played by the Eminence Symphony Orchestra, an Australian professional orchestra that specialises in anime music. You wouldn't think a country of only 22 million could support such a thing. I went to a performance of theirs back in 2006 - I've got the program in front of me: 2 July 2006 to be precise. The special guest was Youmi Kimura who wrote and performed the songs in Spirited Away and Howl's Moving Castle. To be honest, I wasn't all that familiar at the time with the music they were playing.

Rating: very good

Legend of the Galactic Heroes season 2 (episodes 27-54)

The second season pretty well carries on from the first season, except that it does everything somewhat better. There are a few stylistic improvements from the first season but the artwork and animation remain functional at best. The season has a more coherent plot, rather than being simply a set of incidents strung together: Reinhard von Lohengramm has become leader of the Empire and now re-imagines civilisation according to his own vision. This ideal cannot include the Free Planets Alliance as they currently exist so he must conquer them and to do that he must to overcome his great rival, Yang Wen-li. It may sound cliched but it works surprisingly well, thanks to the appeal of the two men.

Lohengramm makes a great villain. He is generous, loyal and, best of all, as he puts it, he isn't interested in vengeance. That last item is very refreshing in anime. He just wants to conquer the known universe and hopes, above all else, that he can defeat Wen-li in the process. Now, that might seem stale but he does it with style and grace. There's no giggling psychopathy here. Mind you, he's so dead set serious that pricking his pomposity mightn't be a bad thing.

The course of the war between the two superpowers is exciting, especially when seen through the eyes of the Alliance who, for the entire season, are at a significant disadvantage. While the strategies adopted by the two fleets were always plausible, the tactics within the battle were sometimes confusing. Perhaps that was a deliberate ploy to create a realistic feel for the battles. (Is "realistic" an appropriate word to use when talking about a space opera?) The series ends in an unconditional surrender for one side that seemed just a tad rushed. Having said that, I was expecting a neverending stalemate so the surprise was appreciated.

Along with its visual qualities and its often one-dimensional secondary characters, another downer with the series is its simplistic political ruminations: too often the choices presented were either / or. Having worked in politics for several years, I learned that it is the art of compromise, the art of the possible. This lack of nuance parallels Lohengramm's seriousness. The heavy meal needs more irony to spice it up. Nevertheless, the series is developing its own grandeur but whether that's due to the vast array of characters and the episode count, or because of the strength of its storytelling and the appeal of the two (who finally meet for the first time in the 54th episode), I haven't decided yet.

Rating: good

***

I've also finished the second season of Fate/Zero (brief comments here; rating: very good) that I felt, last two episodes aside, got less interesting as each character bowed out of proceedings. I also watched the second and final instalment of the Kimi no Iru Machi OVA where I finally began to recognise Yasuhiro Yoshiura's directorial traits. (He's best known for Time of Eve.) Despite the reputation of its source manga the OVA is a sweet romantic comedy, climaxing ( Cool ) with a kissing scene on a railway bridge. (Rating: decent.)



Why are there so few kissing scenes in anime? Why do fans prefer panty shots? Why do we ask rhetorical questions? What's happened to Surrender Artist?

***

Finally, I've started watching Eden of the East on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's iview webcasting site. The ABC is Oz's version of the BBC, except that, rather than being paid for through TV licences (does that model still exist in Britain?), it’s mostly funded through the Federal Government’s general revenue. The picture quality is poor - not a patch on even Crunchyroll's 480p transmission - and spoils Kenji Kamiyama's exquisite artwork. But, hey, I get to watch it legally and, given that Madman, who have the Australian licence, is encouraging people to take advantage of it, the ABC is presumably paying them for the broadcast rights. ABC iview is also broadcasting Samurai Champloo, Gundam 00 and Akira.

Best of all, it's kind of neat having the Australian taxpayer pay for my hobby.


Last edited by Errinundra on Wed Nov 08, 2017 9:08 pm; edited 1 time in total
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ikemenya



Joined: 30 Jun 2012
Posts: 3
Location: Tokyo Japan
PostPosted: Sat Jun 30, 2012 12:30 pm Reply with quote
one piece because its fun!
http://daddyjohn.shop-pro.jp/?mode=f2
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Tris8



Joined: 30 Oct 2009
Posts: 2114
Location: Where the rain is.
PostPosted: Sat Jun 30, 2012 8:13 pm Reply with quote
I watched Teki wa Kaizoku: Neko no Kyōen (The Enemy is the Pirate: Banquet of Cats), and Melanchthon really wasn't kidding when he said it was undiluted 80's. I watched the UK dub, and loved Apulo's (a black cat who is a detective) voice for how hilarious it was. He sounded like Chris Tucker (black guy from Rush Hour). That voice combined with his antics of eating everything (parts of their space ship, a rocket launcher) had me laughing quite a bit. Plot-wise I had trouble following the details, but that didn't bother me too much as the general craziness was entertaining enough. Especially the last two episodes, when an entire town gets turned into cats, yet no one realizes this. They all still think they are human, even when a cat-person is standing right in front of them they don't see a cat. Even Latell (Apulo's detective partner) and Apulo's spaceship gets turned into a cat! Mayhem abounds and coherency takes a back seat to the fun of detectives dealing with crazy stuff in space.

I also watched Myself; Yourself and it was kinda meh. The first 2 eps bored me a lot; they were typical high school harem comedy style. Nanaka (lead female) especially underwhelmed me, as the first episode ends with her making her entrance and immediately slapping the main character, Sana, for not immediately recognizing her from when they were childhood friends. For the first 2 eps, Nanaka is my least favorite kind of tsundere.
After that it started to pick up a bit with the mystery of why Sana freaks out when he sees blood, and Nanaka mellows out a ton. In fact, by the end of the series she's changed sides from one of the over-the-top tsuderes to one of the few with more realistic reactions. It did a fair job with the ending, and a great job revealing who set Nanaka's house on fire years ago. I was convinced that it was spoiler[Nanaka's uncle who did it. I'm glad I was wrong though, cause I kinda liked him and that would've been too obvious.] But things move too slowly and the foreshadowing is one of its strongest and weakest elements. Enjoying this series rests largely on sympathizing with Sana and Nanaka's situations, and although their plights are objectively sad it didn't connect with me emotionally in the slightest.
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richter3456



Joined: 14 May 2011
Posts: 41
PostPosted: Sun Jul 01, 2012 12:07 am Reply with quote
Just started watching Samurai Champloo because I heard it's good. I've been meaning to watch it for a long time now but have been putting it off. But now that I've finally decided to give it a chance, it's pretty awesome so far.

I also finished watching Dusk Maiden of Amnesia and Kids on the Slope, which were both great.
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