Forum - View topicWhat are you watching right now? Why? (please read 1st post)
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Zin5ki
 Posts: 6680 Location: London, UK |
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Did the hasty introduction of a nemesis in the final episodes not strike you as somewhat forced? As commendably as the romantic entwinement of the lead couple was established, a more restrained conclusion would perhaps have been more favourable than the ultimate and contrived trial they came to face. |
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Riddley
 Posts: 536 Location: Ireland |
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I'll have a stab at this. I like giving ratings, so will keep in line with ANN scale for those.
Kokoro Connect 1-6 The Good: Character development, plot lines, comedic elements (particularly between the guys and girls), the relationship between Inaba and Taichi. Artwork is good, haven't seen shortcuts yet and the character designs are easily distinguishable. The seiyuu work in particular is amazing, especially with the personality switches. The Bad: Pacing can be a bit fast. You often feel you're missing something. Some of the plots are anti-climatic. The Heartseed character comes across as ridiculous and the characters seeming blatant acceptance of the situation seems unrealistic. Overall: Very Good I'm enjoying this series so far. I'm constantly surprised by each episode. In particular how the writers have kept up the suspense and drama while keeping it interesting and not over-doing it. I do see this series rising or falling on the merits of the writers though. Sword Art Online 1-6 The Good: The plot and background world is particularly compelling. The artwork is decent and the character designs are exactly what I imagined them looking like. The action sequences are pretty good. The Bad: The first few episodes will jolt you. You wonder why you're watching them and where the main plotline went. It begs picking up the LN and reading it just to understand what's going on. The stories often seem to fall a bit flat. No real investment in characters, though it's early on. Overall: Decent It's keeping my interest, but at this point I think it's because I gave up and began reading the LNs. I don't know how much longer it would keep my interest if I hadn't done that. Space Brothers 1-20 The Good: This anime is all about the characters and the story. I can't get enough of either. I also really enjoy the character designs and artwork. It's funky and fits the feel. I also really enjoy how they put time into each character, even ones without any lines. This is something I've really loved about A-1 titles recently. You really get invested in these guys and the constant moving of the plot from episode to episode will keep you hooked. The Bad: It's hard to fault this one. The pacing though can be slow. If you prefer fast-paced shows you may find that frustrating. Also, sometimes you can see where the studio is trying to save time or money and that can be frustrating. But those are nigglings really for me. The music doesn't really captivate me either, though I know many others enjoy it. Overall: Excellent No surprise here. There is very little this anime can do wrong for me. Depending on how they wrap things up going into season three this could be one of my favorites for the year. Eureka 7: AO 1-15 The Good: For fans, I think it fits the bill. I only recently watched the Eureka 7 series and was lucky enough to fall right into this one. The plot is compelling and keeps you coming back for more, as well as the hope of seeing cameos from previous characters. The Bad: The music, a trademark of the previous series, is lacking here. Also, as mentioned by others, the original was an avante-gard counter-culture anime but this falls into the normal, everyday shonen-style fight-to-fight kind of series. Also, the first half is excruciatingly slow. Show is on a two week hiatus which usually spells problems with production, always a worrisome thing. )Overall: Good It gets a solid Good for me. If this second half picks up and really gets into the story and throwing left-hooks at us I think it might push up to Very Good. The best parts are seeing the cameos, trying to figure out the mysteries with characters, and hoping for a glimpse of herself come back. Humanity Has Declined 1-3 The Good: I'm only just into it, but the comedy is great and the crazy, whacko stuff going on keeps me laughing but on my toes. It's a series unlike any other I can think of really and I'm enjoying the hell out of it. I really like the background artwork. It adds to the whimsical feel to the anime but can also really add to the darker side. I love that the main is a secret tsundere as well 
The Bad There is so much going on it's hard to follow. The scene and plot seems to shift to it's own tune. The design of the fairies makes no sense to me, nor does the attitudes/characteristics of them. But that might change as I get into it. Overall: Very Good I'm really enjoying this series so far, despite some of the niggles above. I've high hopes for it. Others Tari Tari 1-4 : Dropped. I just couldn't get into it. I might pick it up again after a while but where was the plot? WHAT was the plot, more like it. Hyouka 1-7 : Again, I couldn't find a plot here. But it's a shy bit more interesting than Tari Tari, so I might jump into it again once I catch up with a few others. |
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An1fr3ak
 Posts: 235 Location: Australia |
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spoiler[EL PSY CONGROO]... if you don't understand or recognise the secret code... move on please...
I want to talk about quite a few anime I have watched of late... but I just finished Steins; Gate... ... ... ... And. It. Absolutely. Blew. Me. Away... Unbelievable... Awesome... Genius... Masterpiece... Creative... Shocking... Just a few words to describe everything and more I felt as I watched the anime. I don't even know where to begin. I feel like we need to start an entirely new thread just to discuss everything I have watched over the past week. I can honestly say that I haven't watched something that has challenged and amazed me on so many levels ever. I'm so angry with myself for not watching it earlier :/... From the beginning... Episode one... It held on and wouldn't let go. I've never had to rewind and replay so many times for each section, scene or episode as many times as I did with Steins; Gate. I'm sure some people found it frustrating... but for me... it just added to the overall enjoyment and intensity of the anime. The amount of things I had to reference and cross-check and read up on made Steins; Gate all the more brilliant. I wanted to power through it in one night but I couldn't. My head hurt from absorbing so much. From looking so many things up. I had no choice but to break it up... Besides... it seems like if I didn't do things the way I did them... (to a certain extent) it's entirely possible that I would have lost out on the sheer genius that is Steins; Gate. For me, the most critical part of any anime, that really makes it stand-out overall... is the ending... I had my doubts about how they would wrap it all up... but it rose up to occasion and surpassed everything I could ever possibly imagine. HONESTLY. At the commencement of episode 23, I thought it was all going to become horrid like most other anime that had so much potential for a great ending... but BOOM. spoiler[The Mad Scientist, Hououin Kyouma] delivers... and what a delivery it was!!! Damn... I'm still at a lost for words to fully detail everything... but I know that I have just finished watching something that will undoubtedly never see an equal. Of that I'm certain. As I type I'm considering all possibilities and nothing comes to mind as of yet. All I can say is... is that the OPERATION WAS A SUCCESS 
P.S. - I'll find and kill anyone who decided to vote less then excellent on Steins; Gate (especially the 11 people that said worst ever)... But seriously... how anyone could rate it less then masterpiece level mind-boggles me :/ |
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kaydub
 Posts: 318 Location: Cincinnati, OH |
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Just finished Steins;Gate as well, and after a bit of consideration, decided it was worthy of a well-earned "masterpiece". I'd even say it's one of the most well-written things I've ever watched.
There was never a dull moment, and I don't mean that lightly. I seriously can't remember any point during watching where I felt impatient or anxious for something to happen. Even the less thrilling moments were compelling and entertaining. And the story itself was amazingly well done, especially the way it spoiler[avoided the potential major temporal paradox] at the end. As I mentioned in my last post, the cast is easily one of my favorites. There really isn't a character that I didn't find interesting in some way, and even better, there wasn't a single character that I can say I disliked. Although, spoiler[watching poor adorable Mayuri die endlessly at the hands of Moeka certainly tested that statement]. I think if I had to complain about anything, it'd be that I found the music (OP and ED included) to be rather forgettable, but that's because I was too engrossed by the rest of the show to really pay attention. Overall, I'm really glad I got around to watching it, and I'm kicking myself for not watching it sooner. |
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EmbraceMe
 Posts: 2013 Location: Growing old and jaded. |
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I watched the Martian Successor Nadesico - The Prince of Darkness movie a month or two ago but struggled to collaborate my thoughts about it. I really enjoyed the movie but felt that there was something missing from it. I put off writing a review for a while because I couldn't find the right way to express my sentiments of the show but here it is:
Beware, major spoilers of the movie lay within this review. spoiler[The Nadesico movie takes place 3 years after the series. In the time gap of the series and movie, many things have occurred such as the presumable death of both Akito and Yurika. The viewer, unless they've access to the game, has absolutely no knowledge of the events that took place in those three years. The movie doesn't mention that Ruri, who is now Captain of the Nadesico-B, was under the care of Akito and Yurika during the 3 years. Most of it is covered by the game which never had a release outside of Japan. I found the information through other reviews. Majority of the Nadesico movie is Ruri traveling with her two companions to reunite the old Nadesico crew to fight against a new threat, The Martian Successors, and solving a mystery involving the disappearance of many A-Class Boson jumpers. Everyone has grown since the time gap, especially Ruri. She has grown her hair longer and, as mentioned before, is now the caption of the Nadesico-B. It felt like more of the Nadesico series but at the same time it didn't feel the same. Ruri attempts to reunite the old cast but some are reluctant to rejoin and are tired of their past adventures. They each later join in for their own reasons. However, missing from the old cast are both Akito and Yurika. They are proven to not be dead. Yurika is actually being held captive by The Martian Successors and fused with the Ruin seen sent away at the end of the series. Akito, on the other hand, has become somewhat of a tragic hero. He is also revealed to be the "Prince of Darkness". Akito's character has changed a lot since the TV series. He is stoic, and seeks revenge against a specific group of people. He has no compunction about killing others unlike his series's self. Most of the change comes from the fact that Yurika has been abducted. I'm torn and saddened by Akito's new personality but it also makes the Nadesico franchise much better. There's the general Nadesico goofiness in the movie but now there exists a darker tone, in the form of Akito's traumatic new self, to contrast with it. The problem with the Akito related parts is that it really isn't fully explained in the movie. Akito mentions he has been experimented on and lost his taste as a result which he is bitter about - it's the worst fate for a cook, to quote something I read somewhere. This appearances in the movie felt odd. It felt as if they were put in there for the sake of having Akito in it but it worked out enough for it to be enjoyable. So, at the end of the movie, the heroes pretty much win the battle. The Martian Successors surrender and Akito gets to battle the group that experimented on him. Yurika is saved, and Akito gets his vengeance. This is where I'm really conflicted about the series. After the defeat of the main villains, Akito takes his leave and isn't reunited with the old cast. It's like he's giving his very last chances of a happy end just to wander away and become more mad than he already is. I wanted him to have a happy end after all he has suffer but he just gives that up... I felt cheated. Nevertheless, Ruri says she'll chase him down with the crew like their past adventures. I really really enjoyed the movie. It was a huge reminder of the show and was a great addition to it. Although I am conflicted by the ending, it one of those endings that made me have some deep thinking about. Ruri's comment at the end makes me yearn for another addition to show to give Akito his happy ending. If you have a chance, watch the show and movie. It has very great animation for its time and perhaps rivals some of today's animation. There's gorgeous colors and it's very pleasing to the eyes. I'm actually thinking of rewatching the movie sometime soon, too.]Rating: Very Good (My ratings are really sporadic.) I think this may be the best review I've written to date but I feel like it needs a lot work. It pales in comparison to some of the reviews others post here. |
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manicli
 Posts: 186 Location: Toronto, Canada |
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Kaleido Star, I got both seasons at a really good price and the shows pretty good though Sora in the opening is kind of annoying when she says "I gotta I gotta I gotta"
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Riddley
Posts: 536 Location: Ireland |
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I have that in my waiting queue...I tried the first few episodes but it's so kiddie I found it very hard to enjoy. |
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supercreep
 Posts: 526 |
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I just wrapped up Rahxhephon, and my feelings are pretty mixed. There were aspects that I really enjoyed, including the refreshing and believable romance. I couldn't, however, get past the Mu and their invasion of Tokyo. Evangelion was able to draw me in in such a way that by the half-way point I stopped caring about where the angels came from. That point never came in Rahxephon; I kept getting hung up on what those things were, where they came from, and why they came to Earth in the first place. The fact that the answers to any of those questions were just skimmed over left me feeling frustrated and unsatisfied. The purpose of spoiler[teaching children to become instrumentalists?] I have no idea.
On top of that, I found the ending to be a huge cop-out, though I could understand how it could be satisfying from spoiler[a romantic stand point.] There was simply too much that went unexplained, or poorly explained, such as the Babbem Foundation. I did, however, love the music! Unfortunately I could only rate it as good. |
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dtm42
Posts: 14084 Location: currently stalking my waifu |
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Oh wow, there is so much I can help you with. Here's the Cliff's Notes Version of RahXephon: Ten or so spoiler[thousand years ago The Mulian Empire was at its height on Earth, ruled from their continent but with outposts in Egypt and in the Americas. Bahbem - a Mulian - created the Xephon system (can't remember why) with him at the helm, but anyway, it fails and splits the dimension into two. One of the dimensions has the Earth we know, while the other dimension has the continent of Mu which ended up on a watery version of Earth. That's why the Mulians built floating cities, because there wasn't much land in the new world.] Anyway, Bahbem was still spoiler[on Earth, surviving by transplanting his mind into that of others (like he did with Helena von Bahbem). He managed to work out what went wrong. He also worked out that the two dimensions were collapsing back together to form the original dimension, but that when they collided it would destroy both (and everyone in them). He had to wait awhile but eventually the two dimensions came close enough that he could send through messages to the Mulians in the other dimension and warn them about the impending danger. Unfortunately, objects could not get through - yet.] Bahbem told them that two spoiler[Xephon systems would be needed to fix everything and unite the dimensions together without destroying them. Therefore, a plan was put into place. First he created the Bahbem Foundation, to prepare the Earth for the unification. Also, a second Xephon system would be built; this one would eventually be Quon's. However, it would take a long time to build it, so it wouldn't be able to be used straight away. Also, Bahbem realised that the Xephon system had originally failed partly because he was not of sufficient ability to control it. Therefore a breeding program was put into place.] Eventually the two spoiler[dimensions had come close enough that people could be sent through. The first two Mulians to cross over were Maya and Quon, through the shrine that Ayato and Quon eventually get trapped in. The two men to find them were the eventual TERRA commander Shirou Watari and his professor at the time, Shougo Rikudo (Haruka and Megumi's uncle). The Mulians got their hands on the girls and Quon was put into stasis to keep her at the right age, while Maya would be a high-ranking Mulian on Earth.] I don't know the how or the why, but spoiler[Quon's DNA was mixed with Shirou Watari's and Ayato and his twin brother Itsuki Kisaragi were born. (It's possible Shirou got Quon pregnant the old fashioned way, but I doubt it.) Anyway, it was determined that Ayato had the ability to be a tuner so Maya raised her nephew as her own son, and used mind-control to keep him placid. Meanwhile Itsuki went to a mansion along with Helena and Makoto Isshiki to train their abilities.] However, Ayato would be spoiler[too old when the eventual tuning happened, so the Mulians set up a daring plan. They would pretend to invade the Earth, which would make a great cover story as to why they set up Tokyo Jupiter. See, the real reason behind Tokyo Jupiter was to create a time field that would allow Ayato to be the right age when the tuning needed to happen. Notice how his own twin brother is in his twenties, while Ayato is still a teen? Also, Haruka dated Itsuki because he (of course) looked like Ayato.] Anyway, Ayato spoiler['escapes' Tokyo Jupiter with the help of Reika, who is the Xephon's soul. It is her role to guide him and train him to become a worthy tuner. Therefore, when the dolems attack throughout the series, it is because the Mulians are merely testing and training Ayato, not because they really are trying to take over the Earth. Battle after battle occurs and he gets more proficient at controlling the Xephon. Helena and Itsuki are tasked with monitoring his progress. Makoto is tricked by Reika into helping the Mulian fleet invade Earth, as Ayato at this stage still thinks it is a war.] Then Quon gets spoiler[her Xephon, and Ayato's Xephon matures and gains the title of "Rah". Quon is willing to let Ayato decide what the new re-united dimension will look like. After a lot of introspection, he decides that what he wants most of all is to be with Haruka and to have always have been with Haruka. Therefore, he constructs the dimension so that the Mulians never happened, and therefore the dimension never got split apart by Bahbem, and therefore he never had to be separated by Haruka. This might be a paradox, but even if it is I don't really consider it to be a stumbling block.] The coda shows that spoiler[Quon - instead of being Ayato's mother - is bizarrely now his and Haruka's daughter. It also shows how Haruka and Ayato first met at the beach. Yes, Reika was actually based on what Haruka looked like as a teenager.] Darn it, that was longer than I had intended. Oh well. Does that answer things? Or has it just made you more confused than before, LOL. |
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supercreep
Posts: 526 |
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I knew that there was someone on the board that was a huge Rahxephon fan
 . That actually did answer a number of my questions. Since I now have a firmer understanding of how things unfolded, I will have to re-asses my rating.
Thanks! |
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An1fr3ak
Posts: 235 Location: Australia |
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Did it really need consideration? And it is easily one of the most well-written things I've ever watched. I don't think they leave any loose-ends. It was simply remarkable how everything from spoiler[the beginning is tied in with the ending]. When I first saw the scene where spoiler[Christina pulls Okabe out of the lecture/presentation, then asks him what he was trying to say beforehand,] I knew that something important had been revealed without giving anything away.
It didn't really phase me, as I was either impatient to begin the new episode or just awe-struck by what I had just seen
I know what you mean. I don't know about you, but I constantly find myself in this situation as well. It's a bad habit I can't seem to shake 
That's just lazy... but I'm laughing right now. A disclaimer! Thats a good one 
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dtm42
Posts: 14084 Location: currently stalking my waifu |
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supercreep, you should wait six or twelve months and then give the show a re-watch. Trust me, you'll pick up on a lot of things the second time around that you didn't notice during your first viewing. I mean, I hardly picked up on anything my first time through the show, so I speak from personal experience.
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supercreep
Posts: 526 |
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I was thinking something like that, but honestly, if I didn't have someone helping me along I probably wouldn't have given it a second thought.
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dtm42
Posts: 14084 Location: currently stalking my waifu |
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I recommend the following timeline:
http://khantazi.org/Rec/Anime/MuTimeline.html There is a lot of guesswork and postulations in the first half of the time-line, but it should suffice to give you a general picture about what the heck is going on. As you will notice, I had a few details either wrong or mixed up. |
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Redbeard 101
Oscar the Grouch
Forums Superstar  Posts: 16935 |
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Been rather unhappy lately so I wanted some shows to take my mind off of things. Put much of the current season on hold temporarily to immerse myself in some light fluff to improve my spirits. Normally I would simply watch some comedy shows but this time I want to REALLY pile on the fluff and distract myself. So it's time for major T&A. I figure someSekirei, To Luv Ru, Kampfer, Queen's Blade, and Rosario + Vampire season 2 should do the job nicely. Brain going into pervy mush mode in 3....2....1....
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