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


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Mylene



Joined: 07 Feb 2006
Posts: 2792
Location: Indiana
PostPosted: Sun Jul 01, 2012 9:28 am Reply with quote
Over the past couple of days I finished watching Kids on the Slope and tsuritama. I ended up rating both as "good," although my first instinct was to cut Kids's rating even further after what I felt was a cloying and rushed final episode. However, I couldn't discount the quality of the first half of the series that much, and even the weaker second half had plenty of good moments. I just wish they'd made better use of the time provided. With just 12 episodes, did they really need to include the Yuriko/Jun stuff? Or even much of the Ritsuko love triangle? At least for me, it was the friendship of Sen and Kaoru that was important, and especially in the second half that was watered down with rushed little side romance plot points that did little for me.

On the other hand tsuritama didn't really attract me until about the midway point when the boys quit bickering all the time. It was silly and loud, but I could appreciate the bizarre qualities after awhile. It's sappy-happy ending was perfect for the overall tone of the show, and while I can't really see myself rewatching it, it was fun while it lasted.

Should finish up my rewatch of Princess Jellyfish today or tomorrow. I'm still loving it the second go 'round, although my husband (new viewer) isn't all that impressed. It either grabs you or it doesn't. He doesn't hate it, but he can't quite connect with Tsukimi (even though he suffered with social anxiety as a youth) and Mayaya and the land developer are so irritating to him that they regularly pull him out of the moment. It's too bad because we generally have similar tastes, but oh well. He at least rates most episodes in the "B" range.
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dtm42



Joined: 05 Feb 2008
Posts: 14084
Location: currently stalking my waifu
PostPosted: Sun Jul 01, 2012 8:09 pm Reply with quote
I just finished Acchi Kocchi. I have finally found a Moe show that I actually like. It's cute, endearing, offbeat and quirky, it doesn't take itself too serious, and the characters are all lovable. It is also very, very funny. It might not have much widespread appeal and the spoiler[central romance doesn't get resolved.] However despite those things the show is still great, and I'm going to go out on a limb and rate it as Excellent.
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Chiibi



Joined: 19 Dec 2011
Posts: 4828
PostPosted: Sun Jul 01, 2012 8:21 pm Reply with quote
I'm watching AKB0048. Because I wanted to watch a new anime (I've been watching only older stuff lately Anime hyper) and I felt outta the loop so my friends recommended this and I thought it'd be dumb judging from the premise but it's actually pretty good and I can't seem to stop. Anime hyper
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shamisen the great



Joined: 08 Jun 2010
Posts: 658
Location: Oregon, USA
PostPosted: Sun Jul 01, 2012 8:25 pm Reply with quote
I finished Shiki and other than the ending being a little abrupt I loved it. It is nice to see a vampire story with some gore.
I was less impressed with Queen's Blade season 2. The fan service was too ridiculous to be sexy and the plot felt too generic to be compelling. I did like some of the characters though. Ymir was probaly my favorite.
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rheiders



Joined: 05 Jul 2011
Posts: 1137
Location: Colorful Colorado :)
PostPosted: Sun Jul 01, 2012 10:17 pm Reply with quote
I recently finished Kids on the Slope and tsuritama. I enjoyed both immensely, and rated both as 'Excellent'.

Kids on the Slope was beautifully paced and executed. The music was perfect, and I can't stop rewatching the sessions on Youtube. It's definitely a soundtrack I would love to own one day, and it gave me a lot of great jazz artists to try out. I liked how the coloring really made the series feel like it was taking place in the '60s. I feel like I could have pinpointed the setting even without the caption at the beginning telling me the year or the various references to the music and movies coming out at the time, just by the colors and style. I also thought the character animation was nothing short of brilliant. You can really get a feel for who Kaoru, Sen, Ritsuko, and even Yurika, Matsuoka, and Jun are, just by looking at how they move. It was brilliant. I remember watching the school festival duet scene, where some students are ushering their friends to follow them into the auditorium, and thinking that I was watching live-action because the motions were so true to life. Aesthetic details aside, the drama here is really great. It all rings wonderfully true, especially the friendship between Kaoru and Sen and how their involvement in various love polygons keeps messing it up. I even liked the subplot with spoiler[Yurika and Jun], though I really wish it hadn't ended so cleanly. Weirdly enough, even though I thought Sen was by far the most likeable character, my favorite character by the end was Kaoru. I just related to him on such a deep level that I couldn't help but love him. The sequence where he talks about how spoiler[he never realized how shallow his friendships were until his friends didn't send letters after he left] really struck a chord with me, since I moved around a lot as a kid and had similar experiences. It wasn't until high school that I was able to form any lasting friendships, and it's a really emotional feeling when you realize you have friends you can count on to keep in touch with you for the first time. My only problems with the series were that I could have done with more development for the female characters (especially Ritsuko), and what felt like a somewhat rushed final episode that may have tied everything up a bit too nicely for my taste, but those are really minor nitpicks for a series as realistic and emotionally involving as this one. I'm planning on picking up the manga eventually to see how they compare. Also, Brother Jun is pretty fine. Just saying. Razz

Tsuritama was completely different, but I loved it all the same. The visuals immediately drew me in. Rather than coming across as garish, the flat panels of bright color give the series a warm and inviting feel while also subtly cluing the viewer in that this is going to be a very weird ride. Laughing I also loved the heavy reliance on clever visual metaphors and sight gags. (I loved the whole "drowning in anxiety" metaphor--very clever!) I loved Yuki as a main character. It was fun to watch him go from a shy and anxious person who makes demonic faces whenever he gets stressed out (which I thought was an interesting visual shorthand for how us shy folks can come across as a bit off-putting or stuck-up without intending to) to a quiet and thoughtful person who is able to hold his own and assert himself when he needs to. It's interesting to compare this past season's two noitaminA leads, who are actually pretty similar in some interesting ways. (Both are shy and socially anxious, both are used to moving around a lot, etc.) The character development was my favorite part of this show. I hated Natsuki when he first showed up. He seemed like nothing more than the typical whiny, stuck-up teenage boy character. But by the end of the series, he was my favorite character. It was a joy to watch him open up and learn to come to terms with his family drama. Haru seemed annoying at first (though I didn't hate him as much as a lot of people did--I thought he was delightfully quirky!), but somewhere along the line, and I don't even know when, I went from going "Ugh, Haru!" to "Aww, Haru!" without even noticing! Akira was also a lot of fun. I enjoyed watching him talk suspiciously with his duck Tapioca in the early episodes. When he joined the other three leads halfway through, I found him unlikeable. But then, he too started to open up and become a better person as he bonded with the others through fishing, and I can honestly say I was cheering pretty hard for him in the finale. Also, spoiler[COMBAT YOGA!] What is not awesome about that? The sci-fi element was a welcome dose of weirdness, and I felt that the somewhat cheesy finale fit the tone of the rest of the series perfectly. And I didn't mind it; I like a little cheese every once in a while, and I think the series earned it. Smile Overall, tsuritama was no Mononoke, but Nakamura seems to be back to making his usual weird but visually engaging shows, and I'll definitely be looking forward to his next work.

I also finished Madoka Magica, but this is already pretty long, so I'll just say that I thought the ending was near-perfect and gave the series a very rare 'Masterpiece' rating. spoiler[I'm glad it wasn't as cynical as I initially thought.]
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504NOSON2
Subscriber



Joined: 28 Jul 2008
Posts: 647
Location: Body:Santa Barbara, CA ~ Heart:New Orleans, LA
PostPosted: Sun Jul 01, 2012 10:27 pm Reply with quote
I have two more episodes of Crest of the Stars to go, but, just as a testament to how absolutely great of a show it is, I just finished ordering Banner of the Stars, its sequel. The concept of a society of genetically engineered humans was depicted quite well in the movie Gattica, which was on a list on the recent ANNcast, Revenge of the 90s. The intricate story is built around that concept, regarding the Abh (the genetically engineered humans, superior in every aspect) the aristocracy of their kingdom, and their relations with Terrans (humans who are constrained by the limits of natural selection). The real treat is the relationship between the co-leads, Jinto and Lafiel, and their pasts. The episode about spoiler[who Lafiel's biological mother was, was moving. And, discovering that it was the valiant Abh captain of the respective warship where Lafiel was being trained, only to have she and her crew die in battle shortly after, was quite emotionally affecting on me.]

Plus, the whole concept of spoiler["children of love" (i.e those who's parents were in an intimate relationship, as opposed to simply sperm donors,]and the Abh language, as well as the details about the space crafts and war, etc was so creative. I started watching because I constantly saw it being brought up in discussions and members of the site of whose opinions I hold with great respect (abunai, Key, dormcat) all rated it as Excellent, and I had seen a couple of episodes like 10 years ago on TechTV. I haven't rated it as of yet (still got 2 episodes left), but I think I'll place it a step higher than them. Cool

Also, the soundtrack is great! I've listened to this piece all yesterday and today. I've even gone to the extras feature just to hear it on my TV in surround sound.

I finished up Puella Magi Madoka Magica a little over a week ago, and basically marathon'd it, starting from episode 5. I was harsh in my early critiques of the show, and don't think they were at all warranted, at least not when applied to the series as a whole. It took me longer than others to discover the true work of art that PMMM truly is. The scientific concepts and the philosophical conundrums that follow made this show creative, but also, deeper than I'd ever expected. Madoka made one of the bravest decisions one could make; would you do it?

Awesome stuff.

Edit: Corrected a spelling boo-boo.


Last edited by 504NOSON2 on Mon Jul 02, 2012 10:01 am; edited 2 times in total
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dtm42



Joined: 05 Feb 2008
Posts: 14084
Location: currently stalking my waifu
PostPosted: Sun Jul 01, 2012 10:30 pm Reply with quote
504NOSON2 wrote:
It took me longer than others to discover the true work of art that PMMM truly is.


Well, better late than never. If only you hadn't been so colossally rude to the many people who recommended the show to you.
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infiltration.cru



Joined: 28 Jan 2012
Posts: 321
PostPosted: Mon Jul 02, 2012 1:24 am Reply with quote
504NOSON2 wrote:
I have two more episodes of Crest of the Stars to go, but, just a testament to how absolutely great of a show it is, I just finished ordering Banner of the Stars, its sequel. The concept of a society of genetically engineered humans was depicted quite well in the movie Gattica, which was on a list on the recent ANNcast, Revenge of the 90s. The intricate story built around that concept, regarding the Abh, the aristocracy of their kingdom, and their relations with Terrans (humans who are constrained by the limits of natural selection). The real treat is the relationship between the co-leads, Jinto and Lafiel, and their pasts. The episode about spoiler[who Lafiel's biological mother was moving. And, discovering that it was the valiant Abh captain of the respective warship where Lafiel was being trained, only to have she and her crew die in battle shortly after, was quite emotionally affecting on me.]

Plus, the whole concept of spoiler["children of love" (i.e those who's parents were in an intimate relationship, as opposed to simply sperm donors,]and the Abh language, as well as the details about the space crafts and war, etc was so creative. I started watching because I constantly saw it being brought up in discussions and members of the site of whose opinions I hold with great respect (abunai, Key, dormcat) all rated it as Excellent, and I had seen a couple of episodes like 10 years ago on TechTV. I haven't rated it as of yet (still got 2 episodes left), but I think I'll place it a step higher than them. Cool


nice to see a fellow banner/crest- worshipper. really great series!
i think my favorite part may be the one where spoiler[jinto is captured and lafiel gets really emotional for the first time.]
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504NOSON2
Subscriber



Joined: 28 Jul 2008
Posts: 647
Location: Body:Santa Barbara, CA ~ Heart:New Orleans, LA
PostPosted: Mon Jul 02, 2012 2:07 am Reply with quote
That's actually one of my favorite parts, too.

spoiler[The sinister smile of an Abh is more deadly than its frown.]
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supercreep



Joined: 11 Dec 2011
Posts: 526
PostPosted: Mon Jul 02, 2012 4:39 pm Reply with quote
Just started Azumanga Daioh. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but I'm finding to be close to side-splitting. A perfect show for me in the summer.

I'm also working through GITS: 2nd Gig, and it's obviously an improvement on the first series. I'm not sure why, but the individual episodes here don't seem to interrupt the flow of the plot as they did in the first series.
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Stark700



Joined: 30 Jan 2012
Posts: 11762
Location: Earth
PostPosted: Mon Jul 02, 2012 7:08 pm Reply with quote
I started watching most of the Spring series that I've not yet picked up including Aquarion Evol, Natsuiro Kiseki, Shining Hearts, Acchi Koichi, Kimi to Boku 2, Haiyore! Nyaruko-san, Tsuritama, and Bodacious Space Pirates.

So far out of those, Aquarion Evol takes the top lead despite my somewhat lack of interest in the original series. The sequel sure topped it though imo and presented a cast of characters that were quite interesting as well as the various plot, character developments, action, fan-service (hehe), and other good stuff. I'm also considering rewatching some of the episodes especially the ones involving my favorite character Jin Smile as his character development and role in the story as well as his character was quite inspiring.

Acchi Koichi, Kimi to Boku, and Haiyore! Nyaruko-san bought some great laughs but weren't considered smash hit for this season imo. I do admit that Acchi Koichi was quite cute though with those adorable cat ears Smile

Tsuritama seems to be a bit strange and presented in a way that...was uh, fresh but also unique although it's not my style so I'll just leave it at that.

Bodacious Space Pirates is probably the dark horse of the series for me. I originally put it on-hold but later decided to give it a second try. Did not regret it. Although starting off slow, it eventually picked up pace and some of the progressing episodes were interesting as well as the kickass music. And oh, an upcoming movie soon?

Quote:
Time for some piracy!


My biggest disappointment which I'm not too surprised to is Shining Hearts which uh..seemed to lack everything, and possible one of the worst series I've seen so far this year. I'm still waiting for the final episode to be subbed and pray to God that it'll eventually...be somewhat mediocre to finish off the season.

*Considering to watch Queen's Rebellion or Kuroko no Basket next although unlikely due to the increased volume of summer titles I've been watching.
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kaydub



Joined: 28 Jul 2011
Posts: 318
Location: Cincinnati, OH
PostPosted: Tue Jul 03, 2012 3:11 am Reply with quote
Currently watching Arakawa Under the Bridge and loving how offbeat and weird it is without being completely over the top. It's like Shinbo knows exactly what buttons to press to entertain me.

Also, finally finished watching K-ON!!. Even though it was essentially more of the same of the first season, I actually liked the second season more for some reason. Fuwa Fuwa indeed.
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infiltration.cru



Joined: 28 Jan 2012
Posts: 321
PostPosted: Tue Jul 03, 2012 4:23 am Reply with quote
Stark700 wrote:
*Considering to watch Queen's Rebellion or Kuroko no Basket next although unlikely due to the increased volume of summer titles I've been watching.


Definitely Kuroko no Basket. It may just be the most incredibly unreasonable and awesome show. Ever. Think of Fist of the North Star leves of tough and manly and....awesome.
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Dalvyn



Joined: 28 May 2012
Posts: 86
PostPosted: Tue Jul 03, 2012 4:38 am Reply with quote
I've recently re-watched Afro Samuria, and after watching a lot more anime since when I previously had watched it, I have to say I really do appreciate it's melding of Japanese and African American culture.

Last edited by Dalvyn on Sat Jul 07, 2012 10:50 am; edited 1 time in total
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The Third Doctor



Joined: 09 Aug 2009
Posts: 70
PostPosted: Tue Jul 03, 2012 9:25 am Reply with quote
Deadman Wonderland. Another child centered show.
Casshern Sins. I'n not that into the animation style and Casshern seems a bit younger than his previous incarnations.
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