What anime are you watching right now? Feb-Dec 2010

[Eva Yojimbo]

Also started Wolf's Rain. Meh. The music and the backgrounds & settings are kickass, but the story, dialogue, and characters are tiresome.

I really liked that series. Nothing revolutionary or "whoah, masterpiece" but I still thought it was excellent and thoroughly solid.

[Kutta]

I've just seen Gurren Lagann, in one sitting. Overall I'm satisfied and give it a 7.5 but it sure tells a lot that I was thinking along the lines of 8.5-9.0 half way through the anime. I've got the feeling that a lot of people are unbothered by the second half and the ending, well, not me. The grownup Simon episodes started out well enough and seemed to successfully handle the shift to a more serious tone, but after that a hueg amount of ridiculously over-the-top mecha fights came, with 3 DBZ worth of power-ups, and it started to get a bit dull as all outcomes were perfectly predictable, and meanwhile dialogue and characterization was kicked to the curb. And, of course,

SPOILER: Show

Kamina was killed off way too soon.

After finishing TTGL, however, I found this article which is a great amount of win in itself.

[Mr. Tines]

I found this article which is a great amount of win in itself.

The Gurren Flagann (or Gattai Jack) is somewhat old news...

The Norwegian designer, who wishes to remain anonymous

= Anonymous of Norway

[Eva Yojimbo]

I've just seen Gurren Lagann, in one sitting. Overall I'm satisfied and give it a 7.5 but it sure tells a lot that I was thinking along the lines of 8.5-9.0 half way through the anime.

Hmmm, I don't know if I should find this en or discouraging since I've quite been looking forward to it and we seem to agree on so much...

[BrikHaus]

If you give Gurren Lagann low marks for being "too over the top" then you have completely missed the point of Gurren Lagann.

[NemZ]

The adult section of GL was a definite drag on the first part. Boring political shit, charecters behaving in unrecognizable ways and a long dearth of awesomeness really left me cold. When it did finally pick up for the last few episodes everything became either extremely cheesy or was just a rehash of something from the first part.

[LiLi]

The adult section of GL was a definite drag on the first part.

SPOILER: Show

I liked the alas-way-too-short-way-over-the-top Kamina Arc much, much more than the rest... especially the Adult Section. Which is a pity, since I was actually looking forward to some sort of Tengen Toppa Captain Harlock in the making, after seeing the intro part to the first ep.

I'm sorry to say, to me Nia was no substitute filling for the gaping GIGA HOLE left by Kamina. I agree with NemZ that in the adult part some characters behaved in hardly recognizable ways... that, or there was poor development of some of them. Nia in particular seemed more of a plot device in the Adult Section than a proper character to me. As for Adult Simon, I couldn't even quite pinpoint an unitary, evolving "character" (not sure how to explain it now, NEED COFFEE!) The romance subplot felt too cheesy too (my romantic bone must have broken somewhere along the way, sorry...)

I do recognize that there were some interesting ideas thrown into the pot in the Adult Section (like, the deal with Viral), but overall, they didn't seem to be developed as much as they could have been and it felt just irrecognizable as TTGL to me. Yes, I'm complaining it wasn't over the top enough, I guess.

[Sachi]

The adult section of GL was a definite drag on the first part.

This I agree with. The rest is another story. After 21, when we see Yoko's tits again, things become fun once more.

[Xard]

First arc: 70s mecha
Second arc: 80s mecha, Tomino angsty heroes
Third arc (beginning): post-NGE mecha
Third arc (latter half): ROW ROW FIGHT DA POWAH, the glorious future of super robot anime.

What you guys are basically saying is that you don't like eva part of TTGL which is really funny when one remembers the forum we're on

For the record whole last arc (which I split in half right there) is by far my favourite one. Of course when we're speaking of anime that's as masterful and brilliant as TTGL differences between different parts aren't that big

If you give Gurren Lagann low marks for being "too over the top" then you have completely missed the point of Gurren Lagann.

This

[Eva Yojimbo]

Maybe TTGL should be the next anime I watch...

[LiLi]

First arc: 70s mecha
Second arc: 80s mecha, Tomino angsty heroes
Third arc (beginning): post-NGE mecha
Third arc (latter half): ROW ROW FIGHT DA POWAH, the glorious future of super robot anime.

Have you watched Yamato and Herlock yet, Xard?

[Xard]

Maybe TTGL should be the next anime I watch...

Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann is nearly best thing to come out from the noughties, alongside Haibane Renmei, Macross Frontier, FLCL, Inland Empire & Mulholland Drive and some other animu/film shit

First arc: 70s mecha
Second arc: 80s mecha, Tomino angsty heroes
Third arc (beginning): post-NGE mecha
Third arc (latter half): ROW ROW FIGHT DA POWAH, the glorious future of super robot anime.

Have you watched Yamato and Herlock yet, Xard?

hehehe, Herlock...

Thing is I have no way to watch any animus ('cept streaming) till I get my PC back working. Actually it's the mouse that's the problem: it's drivers were fucked up beyond recognition but since I have no idea what model that mouse is ('tis be ancient mouse) searching drivers from teh internets on this computer is next to impossible thing to do.

Annoying :(

I also don't see relevance to my post since neither of those is mecha series

[LiLi]

I also don't see relevance to my post since neither of those is mecha series

I think you'll see the relevance after you've seen them.

[Xard]

I also don't see relevance to my post since neither of those is mecha series

I think you'll see the relevance after you've seen them.

Well, even at best that's month away or something.

might as well start watching something like Kobato now that I have nothing else to watch...

[LiLi]

KOBATO

I'm planning to watch Kobato as well. I'm still stuck @ ep. 1 or so. TOO MUCH ANIMU TOO LITTLE TIME.

If you can watch streaming, how about Eve no Jikan?
You might be able to find that.

[Merridian]

I also don't see relevance to my post since neither of those is mecha series

I think you'll see the relevance after you've seen them.

Yeah, SBY and especially SPCHarlock are written all over the aesthetics of TTGL's later third. It even mirrors the "set off on voyage into space to far away location to save the human race" that SBY centered around, as well as "take on innumerable enemies en route to invade Earth after its people exiled you" that SBCH was built upon.

Anyway I’m 14 eps into Wolf’s Rain now, and it’s gotten better. Characters have actually developed beyond cheesy regurgitations of clichés and the plot has gotten pretty interesting. And the detective’s side-plot has been incorporated a bit more—it still seems like little more than a narrative move to tell the audience wtf is going on (aka the “exposition side-plot”), but there’s more going on now. And his interactions with the angry gun toting dude have been wonderfully entertaining.

SPOILER: Show

I’m rather puzzled as to the overall structure, though. I won’t gripe about it because I have no way of knowing how it all pans out, but at the moment it seems like certain elements that would normally have been resolved by now should have been but haven’t yet, while other elements that would normally be reserved for the later third of the series have already been seemingly tied-up or abandoned. I expect some of this to return with a vengeance soon, but with a series that’s been both fulfilling and dodging my expectations, it’s rather hard to tell…

[Xard]

Hmm, I was surprised that Merri didn't deliver TTGL FUCK YEAH speech

am also happy to learn Wolf's Rain is getting better :3

KOBATO

I'm planning to watch Kobato as well. I'm still stuck @ ep. 1 or so. TOO MUCH ANIMU TOO LITTLE TIME.

If you can watch streaming, how about Eve no Jikan?
You might be able to find that.

I'll see what I do. Right now Kobato intrigues me most for two very unmanly factors (and thus I won't say them)

[Eva Yojimbo]

It's been a while since I've seen Wolf's Rain but more than characters or plot the atmosphere is what really stuck with me. Maybe it's because of it having another impeccable Kanno score. But I will say there are more than one really gut-punch emotional moments in that series. I imagine Merri will recognize them when they come.

[Merridian]

Hmm, I was surprised that Merri didn't deliver TTGL FUCK YEAH speech

TTGL FUCK YEAAAAAAH ROW ROW FIGHT DA POWAH RECONSTRUCTIONISM ALL UP IN THIS BITCH

You covered it with the 70’s/80’s/90’s distinctions, so all I really felt like doing was to add a few sci-fi aspects outside of mecha that TTGL threw into the mix. I’ve also been somewhat off my game lately…

I plan on rewatching both NGE and TTGL after finishing Gundam, since it’ll be the first time for complete-rewatch of both since embarking upon this Inferno-esque journey through the old sk00l. :) I’ll probably pick up a LOT more on a second full viewing of TTGL, too. I’ve rewatched each episode of TTGL probably 2-3 times now, but not in order.

It's been a while since I've seen Wolf's Rain but more than characters or plot the atmosphere is what really stuck with me.

Oh hell yeah. The atmosphere is easily its strongest attribute at the moment, and it’s well-developed enough to remain so. I haven’t finished it yet, but so far WR reminds me of Ergo Proxy done right. :)

[chazthesilencer]

If you give Gurren Lagann low marks for being "too over the top" then you have completely missed the point of Gurren Lagann.

So, being OTT was "the point" of TTGL all along? Have the creators ever actually stated this? I'm genuinely curious.

@Topic: I've recently turned to "Orange Road".

(Orange Road) attained the somewhat dubious distinction of being the worst-selling anime title ever in the UK.

^This sentence amused me, and I've always had a soft-spot for the underdog.

7 eps in and I appear to be watching "Maison Ikkoku: The School days", except with lame humour and a ridiculously underused/useless "power" gimmick.
The 80's artwork charm is a nice antidote to the soulless, digital, moé invasion we're all used to now; though the story's pacing could do with a prod...