What anime are you watching right now? 2H15 to 1H16

[Gus Hanson]

Finally completed the Blue Gender TV series with the last two episodes. Glad to see Yuji and Marlene get their happy ending complete with bundle of joy. Although on the Earth/B-Cell angle, it felt ambiguous and left much to be desired.

Watched the first part of Digimon Adventure tri. I might piss off the old school seiyuu fans by saying this but i feel the new generation seiyuu do even more justice to the roles. Also, the new spin on the theme songs transitioned well to meet the needs of current decades.

[Seele00TextOnly]

Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko or 'Electrowave Girl and Youthful Boy' or 'Ground Control to Psychoelectric Girl' (2011) - completed

So the show sort of came around to being good after my post complaining about it. The negative aspects got toned down, the 'why are they here' characters started to have their place and be part of things. It was ultimately a decent show. Seems like it ended ahead of where it ideally would, as in maybe it just wasn't successful enough to warrant a second season. The show endeared itself to me finally and it was sad to see it go. If it had been more focused from the outset perhaps it would have been more successful, but what it is is what it is.

Amnesia (2013) - through episode 5

Everything about this show is obnoxious. The writing, the character designs that are so over the top that they stimulate unintended laughter... I'm not even sure where to begin. The show centers around a girl who has had Amnesia due to having come into contact with some floating alien elf-like guy. Every time this thing is on screen it's an unwatchable disaster. Even just hearing this characters voice grates on me. Anyway back to our lead character: she's got Amnesia and the floating alien informs her she really shouldn't let on. So she listens to him and keeps it a secret as much as possible as she tries to regain her memories. I would have named our lead by now, but the show didn't. That's right, we're within the dregs of the VN adaptations yet again, and she needs to be unnamed to be as much a self-insert as possible.

We go through a few episode of her finding out about her boyfriend and her job, and eventually her amnesia comes to a couple people's knowledge (also the alien thing disappears for some reason around here, thankfully. But it will be back.) around episode 4 or 5 however, she suddenly wakes up and it's a few days ago again. She remembers the last several days but they haven't happened yet for everyone else. And now her boyfriend is a different one of the guys, and the people at her job act differently, and it becomes painfully clear that we're being marched through all the different available paths of the VN.

On top of all this it's just so stupid and plodding in general that we've dropped the show, at least for now. I might dreg it forth now and then as sort of a self-punishment thing for us to watch, if I can get away with it. Because surely there must be some point to all this, some interesting thing at the heart of this show. right? right? haha.

Beautiful Bones: Sakurako's Investigation (2015) - episode 6

A detective crime drama centering around a woman who is obsessed with bones and death, and seems to be able to solve any crime or case. The style and manner in which these cases and her solving of them occur is a big plus for the show, as things seem to converge together naturally and interestingly. She has a tough no-nonsense attitude and a tagalong younger protagonist who I suspect in some ways reminds her of her dead brother. Some elements of the show are a bit hokey, like how the same police officer keeps getting involved with them all the time, but I would definitely recommend this show. It's ongoing and currently being simulcast on Crunchyroll.

Beyond the Boundary (2013) - episode 5

Here's a show that is just kind of a mess. It's mostly just disappointing off the heels of Love, Chunibyo and Other Delusions, a mostly charming and successful show from the same studio. (A show we should do a proper write up of soon, really, as it's pretty recent on our watch list). The pacing is bizarre, the characters usually annoying, the dub has some of the highest pitch squeal voicing for main character Mirai, and oh the world and plot almost never makes sense.

So from what I can gather, there are monsters in the world and Spirit World Warriors (always a mouthful) that fight them and exchange the jewels they drop for currency. There are also various types of half-monsters, including the other lead Akihito who is immortal and another secondary character who turns into a cat. Mirai has deep regrets over having killed someone accidentally in the past, which is interesting, but not touched on very much. She fights by making a sword out of her own blood, which makes some of the fight scenes pretty cool and calls to mind Blood+ which I enjoyed immensely. What the show does touch on very much is Akihito's absurd obsession with glasses as a fetish, which gets old immediately and is basically how the show even starts. Furthermore there's a side character who insists on trying to get his sister to fall for him, and in a creepy sort of obnoxious way, not pulled off the way that say Monogatari deftly handles the subject.

From what I understand, we haven't even begun to hit on all the weird wtf-ness this show has to offer yet, and I'm sure there'll be a followup post once we finish the series.

Hanasaku Iroha (2011) - episode 5

This show, in its execution, is a refreshing take on work and being placed in an unfamiliar setting. Ohana is thrust into her grandmother's inn by her worthless castaway mother, and rather than being welcomed as family she's put in her place at the bottom of the totem pole of employees and forced to work her way through her days after school just like the rest of them. Episodes tend to revolve around her trying to make friends or solve problems, though often she makes things worse of course or has the wrong idea. So far the show has really worked for me, and I'm enjoying it quite a bit. Recommended.

K-on (season 2) (2010) - episode 9

What can be said about K-on that hasn't already. Needless to say, essel and I hated and loathed the first season of this show, and in general we dislike the new advent of moe nonsense that this seemed to garner in the industry. It took us a long time to give season 2 a chance, and I have to admit it's better than season 1. Not by a whole bunch or anything, but enough to be watchable. Episodes no longer revolve around costume changes or eating snacks and tea. Usually it's actually something music related, which is refreshing. I still wish we would see the band practice more and write songs and stuff, as that would be fun and by this point the show certainly should have had the budget and the support from the studio to explore such avenues moreso. But alas it continues to refuse to focus on what could have been its greatest elements. The OP and ED grew on me pretty quick, though I tend to think of these performances as the band's imagination of themselves. In reality I think with how undisciplined they are and how little they practice they would sound much worse and write much simpler songs, lacking coordination to perform the big numbers.

Ultimately I'm glad we've given the show a second shot but it continues nevertheless to be disappointing. The characters themselves continue to also be a downside unfortunately, but there were no expectations there by this point. A show about a band that truly focuses on the music would be really welcome; and yes I've seen Beck and it isn't all that great.

[unz]

Music bands and anime, got me thinking of a discographer dreaming of his first disc with decent music in it while a side love story tags along - maybe takes over maybe not but it's really a dynamic between chars to get educational about music.
If this somehow reminds of spice&wolf's basics to anyone it's not, I was thinking of the Urali cd or people like Delta Sleep. Indie things. Self taught. Hard to cram in one genre. Not anime bullshit.

[Mr. Tines]

So we're a third of the way through Legendary Titan Ideon, and at this point it hasn't quite gotten into the [new planet/new alien boss/new alien mecha]-of-the-week pattern I recalled from the first viewing. I'm also rather impressed by the sound design for the series -- the electric chatter in the background when the scene is on a Buff Clan vessel (which to start with I thought was just degradation in the decade-old archival DVD), or the birdsong and other nature sounds when in the habitat dome of the Solo Ship.

And if Ideon is indeed ancestral to Evangelion, then Sheryl is clearly a proto-Ritsuko -- I caught myself thinking "waifu material" a couple of times. I guess I just have this thing about neurotic scientist girls.

[unz]

Because apparently gantz is still a thing with g-gantz coming in the future I started to watch the anime series, I'm 3 episodes in and what I get is: "You, youuuuu *pointedfinger* young adult who lives for cheap thrills failing at things and not even caring about it (loved ones or the very love interests), watch as why nobody needs you". Well OKAY, I still went through 1 hour of something beyond dull I can't call satire because it stinks worse than that. But apparently there's hope in Kei in the end because he's "badass".
I've already been through evangelion stuff with very incomplete main characters who are given a few better characters than them though.


I think I'll start Kaiba



edit- I need more masaaki yuasa.

[esselfortium]

Continuing on from Seele's post above:
Two episodes later, Hanasaku Iroha continues to be great. We just got two episodes in a row that in most other shows would've been intolerable, and which based on Past Anime Experience, we fully expected to hate. Even having some wannabe-military Fumoffu guys show up at the inn was just used as a springboard for a story about one of the inn workers we hadn't seen much of yet, rather than for the infuriating zany antics that usually come with such characters in lesser shows.

We're both surprised that we hadn't heard anything at all about this show -- I had actually just picked it by sheer chance from Crunchyroll's random button. It's good stuff! It's not as realistic a depiction of a work environment as, say, Shirobako and its great portrayal of an anime studio's stress and struggles, but it's a far cry from something like Working!!, and it's nice to have found another regular-life show that feels a bit more down-to-earth than the cutesy idealism that slice-of-life is known for.

Meanwhile, Beyond the Boundary continues to be dumb as heck. We just got an episode in which our intrepid heroes attempted to defeat a stench monster using the power of a choreographed song-and-dance number. It's kind of fun in its stupidity, but boy is it stupid.

[Mr. Tines]

We're both surprised that we hadn't heard anything at all about this show

It was mentioned in the "what are you watching?" thread at the time (Apr-Sep '11), but it didn't make enough noise to stand out.

[A.T. Fish]

We're both surprised that we hadn't heard anything at all about this show

It's not the most popular slice of life, which is a shame because it's a great one, certainly the best one I've watched. You probably know this by now but there's also a movie that was released after the series.

[Bagheera]

We're both surprised that we hadn't heard anything at all about this show --

Really? Both Xard and I went on about it at great length when we watched it (independently). It's an absolutely fantastic show, and it succeeds on every level. Highly recommended.

[esselfortium]

Really? Both Xard and I went on about it at great length when we watched it (independently). It's an absolutely fantastic show, and it succeeds on every level. Highly recommended.

Fair enough, glad to hear others liked it too.

[chazthesilencer]

Hanasaku Iroha. It's an absolutely fantastic show, and it succeeds on every level. Highly recommended.

Here, let me help you tie me up in bondage. Dumb moments such as those spoil an otherwise slightly-above-average show.

After 3 attempts I finally managed to watch episode 7 of Sakurako’s Investigation without falling asleep. Being your typical, stereotypical Brit who enjoys a good mystery here and there- I like the show, but it’s more useful to me as a cure for insomnia than a source of entertainment.

What’s up with Working!!!? When’s the ending special going to be shown? This third season may have been lacking in the laughs, but all I need is that last little bit of closure.

Komori-san Can’t Decline! Another one of those two-minute episode comedies on Crunchy that isn’t really funny, the most noteworthy thing about this one -sadly- is the main character’s appearance:



It’s not often I feel sorry for a drawing due to how ungainly and undoubtedly uncomfortable their baby-feeders must be.
It also isn’t often I have an excuse to type a sentence with three “un-” words in it.

[Ray]

It’s not often I feel sorry for a drawing due to how ungainly and undoubtedly uncomfortable their baby-feeders must be.

It's just painful to look at! Her poor spine!

[cyharding]

Continuing on from Seele's post above:
Two episodes later, Hanasaku Iroha continues to be great. We just got two episodes in a row that in most other shows would've been intolerable, and which based on Past Anime Experience, we fully expected to hate. Even having some wannabe-military Fumoffu guys show up at the inn was just used as a springboard for a story about one of the inn workers we hadn't seen much of yet, rather than for the infuriating zany antics that usually come with such characters in lesser shows.

We're both surprised that we hadn't heard anything at all about this show -- I had actually just picked it by sheer chance from Crunchyroll's random button. It's good stuff! It's not as realistic a depiction of a work environment as, say, Shirobako and its great portrayal of an anime studio's stress and struggles

That's funny because both shows were made by the same studio, PA Works. If you end up liking the series enough that you want to buy it, Rightstuf has it at a deep discount as part of their holiday sale. I'm thinking of getting it myself.

[TehDonutKing]

It’s not often I feel sorry for a drawing due to how ungainly and undoubtedly uncomfortable their baby-feeders must be.
It also isn’t often I have an excuse to type a sentence with three “un-” words in it.

I noticed her eyes first. Look like something out of a shitty "How to draw manga" book.

[Mr. Tines]

the most noteworthy thing about this one -sadly- is the main character’s appearance

Once upon a time, before the early 00's loli-boom, that used to be standard equipage for animé girls. Did you ever watch any of the series to which ADV applied their trademarked Jiggle Counter?

[Gus Hanson]

Watched the first episode of Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet on Netflix. Given that a couple of weeks ago I had finished the Blue Gender series, the notion of another show with a protagonist like Ledo supposedly going through Marlene Angel syndrome of being cold, heartless soldier who grew up during the war but opens up emotionally with the help of love interest character had me apprehensive about feeling like i'm repeating myself plotwise. Regardless, the character designs are extremely nice and the mecha is ZoE-reminiscent.

[Glor]

Watched the first episode of Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet on Netflix. Given that a couple of weeks ago I had finished the Blue Gender series, the notion of another show with a protagonist like Ledo supposedly going through Marlene Angel syndrome of being cold, heartless soldier who grew up during the war but opens up emotionally with the help of love interest character had me apprehensive about feeling like i'm repeating myself plotwise. Regardless, the character designs are extremely nice and the mecha is ZoE-reminiscent.

I gave this show a shot a while back. I hated it at episode 3, but gave it until 7 to pick things up. This could have been an amazing show if the characters weren't mindlessly empathetic to make the main character seem cold-hearted.

The following is Spoiler-ish?

As an example from later episodes, the group of survivors protag is rooming up with is being attacked by another, much larger group who are intent on murdering them and stealing everything they need to live. So, main character uses his mech to wreck this group of raiders, killing all of them. The survivors he was protecting, who were using weapons of their own to fend off/kill the raiders, are horrified that he killed people and tell him he's an awful person for defending them and making sure they didn't die. I'm also pretty sure the raiders had captured some women and it was implied that rape was about to occur. But no, Protag is the real bad guy here for stopping rape and ransacking.

That's essentially the logic behind this entire show, presenting the kind of black and white understanding of the world that a child has.

[chazthesilencer]

Did you ever watch any of the series to which ADV applied their trademarked Jiggle Counter?

I was around for the trailers that played before the menu appeared; the OP/ED karaokes; the drunken audio commentaries by the English voice cast and AD-vid notes (which was actually a good extra, Guarandoo!); but I never caught the jiggle-counter. Darn.

On topic- One Punch Man may not be particularly engaging in terms of story, but the action and humour make it pleasant, casual viewing.
I wish Warner Brothers would splurge a little and give us this kind of animation in the DCAU features.

[Ray]

ADV may get a bad rep. But they did pave the road for people like Funimation and Manga Entertainment, and never let it be said they didn't have a good time while they were doing it.

I've finally managed to get my hands on Macross 7. I'll be sure to post my thoughts about that on winter break.

[Tarnsman]

I was around for the trailers that played before the menu appeared; the OP/ED karaokes; the drunken audio commentaries by the English voice cast and AD-vid notes (which was actually a good extra, Guarandoo!); but I never caught the jiggle-counter. Darn.

Jiggle-Counter was from Burn Up eXcess.