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

[Eva 02]

^^ Blood+ is the shit.

Watched Cat Shit One thanks to Merridian (by proxy). I have mixed feelings about it, I get the cute animals mixed with combat drama. I don't get how heroic it tries to play as, the rabbit2 is not guna be such a pussy. I'm not sure if I want to continue watching, reminds me of Japanese Pixar.

[NeverKnowsBest]

I finally decided to watch Railgun. I have been putting it off since like 3 months ago. I am also thinking about re-watching Clannad with my friends because they saw an AMV of it at Otakon and they are all really interested in it now.

[Merridian]

^How are you liking Railgun so far? I started that over the weekend, currently ten episodes in. Art direction and animation quality are fantastic, and the characters didn't take long to grow on me. Impeccable voice acting helps.

@Eva 02: glad I could help :)

Aside from Railgun, I'm in the process of finishing up Azumanga Diaoh and also halfway through Space Pirate Captain Harlock: Endless Odyssey. I'll probably review the Harlock series later, but in mean time both have been great. AD's surprised me with its perfect sense of timing and well-written, if utterly plot-less, episodes.

[Oz]

Xard and I are challenging ourselves yet again by watching K-ON!!

There's also the thing about that being a duty for us Finnfags since it was revealed that Mugi's family originally comes from Finland.

[NeverKnowsBest]

^How are you liking Railgun so far? I started that over the weekend, currently ten episodes in. Art direction and animation quality are fantastic, and the characters didn't take long to grow on me. Impeccable voice acting helps.

I am honestly in love with it. I love that it's focused around Misaka. She is a very interesting character!

I am actually only on episode 5, and I already like it more than I liked Index.

[Natsuka_Chie]

I watched the whole Railgun but couldn't stand more then one episode of Index... I'll probably watch it when I have more free time and will... since I've been told that Index goes into "secondary character" mode after. I don't like her... Mikoto is so much more a good main character.

[NeverKnowsBest]

I watched the whole Railgun but couldn't stand more then one episode of Index... I'll probably watch it when I have more free time and will... since I've been told that Index goes into "secondary character" mode after. I don't like her... Mikoto is so much more a good main character.

How could you not like Index? She is effing adorable =3

She bites Touma and saves kittens!

[Eva 02]

Watched Gakuen Mokushiroku: High School Of The Dead Episode 5 last night.

This one wasn't as nicely paced as ep 4, and even though this wasn't a particularly outstanding episode, it is successful in furthering the plot into something to look forward to. Looks like the next one is gonna be the cliche hot-springs episode Anime series' are so famous for. Of course its obviously just gonna be a hot bath for everyone at Nurse's friend's house, but same concept.

I'm at episode 11 of Angel Beats! Only problem is, what's up with all new anime being dumbed down? I've noticed since I've been watching newer anime titles, they end up spelling everything out for you - leaving no room for inferred or implied thoughts on the reader. I don't mean leave everything ambiguous, but when a connection between two events or people arises, I don't need the characters to unrealistically "think out loud" and slowly come to the realization of what the viewer, intelligence prevailing, should have already known. I thought the Japs were smarter than us, why does their audience appear to require hand-holding to understand plot???? Elfen Lied didn't explain anything about the most important mysteries regarding the show, but you know Khota is going to have a group meeting to ponder why Nyuu likes to play with boobs.

[Ornette]

This one wasn't as nicely paced as ep 4, and even though this wasn't a particularly outstanding episode, it is successful in furthering the plot into something to look forward to.

Wasn't the first chunk of episode 4 like a recap?

I'm at episode 11 of Angel Beats! Only problem is, what's up with all new anime being dumbed down? I've noticed since I've been watching newer anime titles, they end up spelling everything out for you - leaving no room for inferred or implied thoughts on the reader.

You're just not watching the right shows. Just in the last few seasons there's House of Five Leaves, the xxxHolic OVAs, Durarara, Eden of the East and its movie, Blue Literature, Cencoroll, Bakemonogatari, Umineko, Mouryou no Hako, Kurozuka, EF tale of Melodies/Memories, Casshern Sins, and from 2 years ago, Kaiba. Some of them weren't as good because of how difficult they were to follow sometimes, and these are just the ones that had a solid narrative and not the wacko slice of life stuff like Trapeze or Tatami Galaxy.

A lot of it depends on source material, it would be kind of dumb if a comedy was hard to follow, thus making it not as funny.

[Radi]

Should I hide now or later?

I'm about to start NGE for the first time, then I'm going to start Kara no Kyoukai.

[Eva 02]

Wasn't the first chunk of episode 4 like a recap?

The beginning was - another aspect of anime I can do without, but then again, I'm not watching a broadcast where you would benefit from it from missing the last episode etc...

But it jumped right in for the second half and made up for it in plot devices. They also entered into the zombie survival aspect where desperate humans pose greater threats than the hordes of undead. This was something I touched on greatly for the zombie film I've written. Its something not well done in American zombie films, Land of the Dead being the most proficient.

Instead of focusing on one party searching/trapped in a stronghold, I focus more on the hysteria of first outbreak, travelling to find a fortified area, then realizing they have to go north where population is sparse and possibly unaffected. In HSotD they are still trying to exit the city, but military still has control. I'm very interested to see how they will continue this, as I have not read the manga.

In ep 5, I like how they split up with the teacher-prophet wannabe and his subsequent smirk as foreshadowing of conflict between the two groups in the future. But I bet they're gunna play it out by spelling everything out for us...

You're just not watching the right shows. Just in the last few seasons there's ... Some of them weren't as good because of how difficult they were to follow sometimes, and these are just the ones that had a solid narrative and not the wacko slice of life stuff like Trapeze or Tatami Galaxy.

A lot of it depends on source material, it would be kind of dumb if a comedy was hard to follow, thus making it not as funny.

In order to find a more perfect anime title, I tend to go where theres the most positive feedback. The only new anime's I've picked up are from explicit recommendation. I know there are titles that are exceptions to what I said, but they aren't in the top 25 most recommended!! Out of the ones you listed, which one would you recommend the highest? Remember, I prefer thriller/gory/sexy/tragedy/horror with limited silliness (or more smart/sarcastic comedic elements) and limited romance overtones.

As for the comedic source material, a lot of anime comedy is in the same vein. I can enjoy Excel Saga because I go into it expecting it to not be as serious. Nowadays if I want to find a comedy I would probably only find romantic/high school comedies. This is why I've strayed further from the newer comedic titles but that doesn't mean I don't want to see any. I'm, holding out for something recommended that has less silliness and more sarcastic or even dark humor. I really would like to find a dry comedy, since it is my favorite. I will laugh the hardest at deadpan compared to exaggerated and epic silliness. (I love Tom Goes to the Mayor)

Should I hide now or later?

I'm about to start NGE for the first time, then I'm going to start Kara no Kyoukai.

You're not going to want to watch another anime for a while after NGE. Your brain will be too sore from the mindfuck from the best visually entertaining meat ever produced in Japan.

[Mr. Tines]

In order to find a more perfect anime title, I tend to go where theres the most positive feedback. The only new anime's I've picked up are from explicit recommendation.

Either you need to learn to read between the lines of recommendations to see how tastes match up, or perhaps try MyAnimeList's matching facility to see what people who liked what you liked also rated highly (though most of us here will have skewed things by putting NGE at the top of the list). Or there's this thread -- viewtopic.php?t=1139

which one would you recommend the highest? Remember, I prefer thriller/gory/sexy/tragedy/horror with limited silliness

Of that list I'd suggest Mouryou no Hako.

[Radi]

You're not going to want to watch another anime for a while after NGE. Your brain will be too sore from the mindfuck from the best visually entertaining meat ever produced in Japan.

Oh, man. Sad-face.
Maybe I'll start on Kara no Kyoukai first, before NGE gets here...Then I'll be ready. ;)

Er...I don't know..I've been thinking about starting Texhnolyze...Which route would you go?

[BrikHaus]

Xard and I are challenging ourselves yet again by watching K-ON!!

Are you actually in contact with Xard? Because I have a highly important, top secret message for him.

[Eva 02]

Either you need to learn to read between the lines of recommendations to see how tastes match up, or perhaps try MyAnimeList's matching facility to see what people who liked what you liked also rated highly (though most of us here will have skewed things by putting NGE at the top of the list). Or there's this thread -- viewtopic.php?t=1139

Yes, yes. I'm not a complete idiot, though some of my posts may be misleading.</laem> The tendency to over analyze does make some anime's appear to be better than they are, and review or not, Its not the [in]ability to understand a review. I know what I like and what I want, and just because someone says "Deathnote reminds me of Monster" does not guarantee that you will like one because of the other. Even professional reviews can be arbitrary, so I'm not at all worried that a lack of literary interpretation as responsible.

I have yet to be able to fully utilize MAL's compare feature. I can only find the impersonal recommendations. Or I could click on someones account and see how congruent our tastes are, but thats hella ineffective. Everyone is different, some people like Barefoot Gen and not Grave of the Fireflies and vice versa, even though they both go hand in hand. Nothing beats personal and individual recommendation based on discussing tastes, and general "if you like this, you'll like this" is also inefficient. I am more oriented towards classic anime, as where a lot of people are proponents of modern anime. So that is when we intra-collaborate and you recommend something based on my expressed traits and I recommend something to the greenhorns based on their tastes.

Thanks to that thread I watched Elfen Lied, Mushishi, and HSotD, so been there done that. That thread always gets tossed around when trying to find new anime, but it loses its reliability once you've explored it and decide what you want to see and what you don't.

Of that list I'd suggest Mouryou no Hako.

Thanks, now that's what I'm, looking for. Any supporting opinions is warranted and revered.

[Ornette]

In order to find a more perfect anime title, I tend to go where theres the most positive feedback. The only new anime's I've picked up are from explicit recommendation. I know there are titles that are exceptions to what I said, but they aren't in the top 25 most recommended!! Out of the ones you listed, which one would you recommend the highest? Remember, I prefer thriller/gory/sexy/tragedy/horror with limited silliness (or more smart/sarcastic comedic elements) and limited romance overtones.

A lot of those titles are pretty good. They're just not mainstream, some don't even get subbed consistently. When it comes to shows that are currently airing, or just finished airing, sites that rank shows (like ANN for instance), don't even have enough people that have seen the show to consider it eligible to be included, because you need a minimum number of votes to be sure that you're statistically removing the outliers. Especially when it comes to shows that are more avant-garde, you're going to see a bunch of people who saw a few episodes, couldn't follow it at all, and vote a "0" or "1".

I have no idea what your tastes are. I could recommend to someone Casshern SINS, and one person would hate it because they're starting at the same colors for 24 episodes where there's not a lot of talking and people staring at each other all the time. Or someone else would call it a desolate masterpiece of atmosphere and conflict. Or I can recommend Baccano! or Durarara and people will either like the mish-mash-up of stories with wreckless abandon, or hate it because they think the writers are purposely trying to make the story confusing and hard to understand (which they are to an extent) for the sake of seeming more complicated than it actually is. Of that list, the 2 that I liked the least are Kurozuka and Umineko no Naku Koro Ni. The ones I liked the best are probably Blue Literature, EF, Bakemonogatari, and maybe Kaiba.

At the start of each season, I try to pick up at least the first and second episodes of every show. Sometimes that's hard because some shows just don't get subbed, some never get subbed. Before the season, there's a few shows that I'll probably watch regardless, so for the rest, if the first 2 episodes look interesting, I'll throw it in my pile, keeping it under 10 new shows (sometimes less if there's a lot of carry-over from the previous season). The rest, I may come back to after it's all been subbed. There's been way too many times when I'm totally caught up and the last 2 episodes don't get subbed (One Outs) or never gets subbed, ever (Mission E). Because of that restriction, the last 3 or 4 shows to round off my season most likely will be shows that are subbed by reliable groups, so that I know releases will be on-time and they won't disappear midway through the season. Because of that, sometimes I end up watching a lot of crap because they just happened to be subbed by big groups (Angel Beats).

I have yet to be able to fully utilize MAL's compare feature. I can only find the impersonal recommendations. Or I could click on someones account and see how congruent our tastes are, but thats hella ineffective.

I never go off of that rating. You can clicked on the All Shared link next to it to get a rundown about specific tastes. I use that to decide whether I should follow someone's recommendation.

[Twin Drive Sigma Aquarion]

Currently up to episode 23 in Mazinger Z. As it was from the beginning of the series it's been a very fun giant monster ride and I finally got to see the original incarnation of Damdam L2 (who reappeared in Mazinkaiser where I first saw him) and he was actually kind of neat. Still can't say for the horrid Hong Kong subs, but oh well.

As of yesterday I've started watching Heroic Age and I'm up to episode 4, a friend of mine and myself had a deal where I saw it and he watched Aquarion. I have to say, this series is pretty to look at, the characters are likable, the pacing is fast, there are very well done action scenes, the story's awesome, and Bellocross reminds me of Forte from Betterman. It's basically like Gurren Lagann plus Macross Frontier without any of the annoying parts from either with a bit of Aquarion and Betterman thrown in. Only real complaint is that I don't care for the music.

Up to episode 13 in Dunbine. The series is still kind of slow, but it managed to make up for a lot of it with the epic fighting in episode 13, this series should have more fights like that and I hope it does.

And finally I found the holy grail of super robot anime (or at least what I think is the holy grail of super robot anime), Brave Raideen! I watched the first five episodes. Wow. Like the Robot Romance Trilogy that would follow after it, this series is very actiony and very kaijuy with everything about it likable. The music feels a little too childish for my taste, but otherwise not bad. If you come across this series watch it because it might not be there the next day.

[Eva 02]

I have no idea what your tastes are...

Well sir, although you do not know my tastes personally, I would go as far to say our tastes are more similar than some other people I've discussed. You seem to have the exact same opinions, though varying in degrees, about the same titles as me. There is a lot of normal variation between us, but if you really like something or really hate it, I tend to agree. (This is discerned by reading posts in this thread & recommendation thread)

Plus, I don't know what would help any better than what I already said, for what I'm looking for in modern anime:

Looking for congruency with genres such as thriller/gory/sexy/tragedy/horror with limited silliness (or more smart/sarcastic comedic elements) and limited romance overtones.

As for the comedic source material, I'm, holding out for something recommended that has less silliness and more sarcastic or even dark humor. I really would like to find a dry comedy, since it is my favorite.

My MAL list, though it not representative of 100% of what I've seen/read, it should offer much help. All recommendations/comments will be highly appreciated!

[Merridian]

I am honestly in love with it. I love that it's focused around Misaka. She is a very interesting character!

yeah Misaka is awesome. Tsundere trope is one I'm often pretty ambivalent about unless it's done well, and Misaka's definitely a case of it "being done well".

Other thing I really dig about Railgun is its setting and art direction. It's somewhat innocuous because the setting isn't IN SPACE or something, but a lot of attention went into replicating that cityscape 'feel', for lack of a better word. The fact that it's mostly clean (so far) and full of loltechnology-bots is awesome. I like that a lot even though Railgun probably wasn't designed with scenery porn in mind.

Er...I don't know..I've been thinking about starting Texhnolyze...Which route would you go?

Texhnolyze is depressing. The Kara no Kyoukai films are badass and ridiculously well-animated. I'd go with KnK flicks and leave Tex for some later gloomy rainy day.

Are you actually in contact with Xard? Because I have a highly important, top secret message for him.

I smuggle messages to him via carrier pigeon without any problems. In fact I initially picked up Railgun because he was spazzing out about how awesome it was

[Radi]

Texhnolyze is depressing. The Kara no Kyoukai films are badass and ridiculously well-animated. I'd go with KnK flicks and leave Tex for some later gloomy rainy day.

Will do Merri.
From what I've heard, it is very depressing. Rather not watch that when I'm all high-and-mighty. Kara no Kyoukai it is. The only problem is the torrent sucks so badly. :( Oh, well, I'll get it soon.