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Anime |OT| Spring 2019 - Kappas and Stray Dogs and Fox Girls, Ara Ara~
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This. Ilulu is older than Kanna, but younger than Tohru. If I had to place their ages it would be as follows.
Kanna: 9-10
Ilulu: 14-15
Tohru: Early to mid 20's.
I can't really comment because it's not my cup of tea.
So I can confirm that I'm going to Japan this fall with my brother, his family and a few friends. Focusing one anime what are some good places for anime stuff and/or attractions? Are secondhand shops good for those who shop in one?
The first season of Sound Euphonium was quite good. (The second not so much.) Also Dragon Maid was good, except for the times when it wasn't.
My problem with KyoAni at this point is that I can't trust any of their directors except Yamada (and even she seems to do better with films vs. TV; e.g., compare Tamako Market to Tamako Love Story) and maybe Takemoto when it comes to storytelling. No one else at the studio has demonstrated that they can successfully oversee a serialized narrative.
I'm very late, I know, but I had a lot of first episodes to work through, and lots of games on my plate recently!
CONTINUING
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure:Golden Wind Vento Aureo 25
Ahh, classic JoJo goodness. After a promising start, this second half of the Notorious B.I.G. fight really delivered in a way the show hasn't reached since the fight on the train. It's always fun seeing someone discover their Stand for the first time, and the way Trish used it to escape Notorious B.I.G. with everyone else feels like a wonderful culmination of this gradual transition from damsel to protagonist in her own right. Araki's track record with female characters is spotty at best, but when he creates one that fights alongside the male characters without reservation, they tend to stand out significantly and Trish appears like she'll be following in the footsteps of Lisa Lisa and Yukako Yamagishi in that regard. I wonder in retrospect how much of Trish will end up being a template for Jolyne, but that's something to ponder after Golden Wind is over, I suppose. As for the episode itself, it was well paced and directed, and I like some of where the show is going, though I do wonder how Araki could stretch the series out for another thirteen episodes worth of content at this point. But I said the same thing at a certain point in Diamond is Unbreakable and that worked out well enough, so I doubt I have anything to worry about. It's nice to see JoJo back in top form, though. It's been a bit, but seeing the series at its best is always a good time.
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure:Golden Wind Vento Aureo 26
Well, I certainly didn't expect to get an answer quite that quickly! It's funny how, in indulging in as much JoJo as I have over the last year or so, I've managed to get a grip on some of Araki's tendencies as a writer, and can unintentionally predict when things are going to develop in the story, even if he can surprise me with how. I have to admit, the identity of "The Boss" may be one of the coolest things Araki has come up with in Golden Wind. After Kira, I'm sure the pressure to come up with an interesting villain quirk that didn't just crib off of things he'd done in the past must have been incredibly difficult, but what Araki came up with as a solution here is pretty fascinating. The idea itself is pretty great, but I think it's the execution of it that sells it. The way Doppio is written and his performance sells the concept so well it came off as transfixing for most of the episode, and the way they presented it also allowed Araki to play with time in a clever and inventive way. As fantastic of a Stand battle Notorious B.I.G. was, this is the episode that has convinced me the last third of Golden Wind has the potential to become some fantastic JoJo material. We'll get a taste of how well that might be executed on next week when the fight with Metallica takes center stage (speaking of messed-up Stands, I can't even describe how I felt my stomach churn when I understood how Metallica works). This is going to be an exciting season for Golden Wind; I can feel it!
GeGeGe no Kitaro (2018) 50 - START OF SEASON 2
New season, new arc, new Nekomusume. It's been a bit of an adjustment to see this precocious brat that Nekomusume has become at the end of last season, but it is a fresh dynamic for the show and she hasn't worn out her welcome with me yet so I think there's some potential in this new story they're going for. And it seems after last season's mostly episodic return to form we're in for a more connected story this time around ala the Backbeard Army arc. This new character they've introduced is pretty unusual for the series: a human who fights and absorbs youkai to use their powers as his own. I see plenty of fascinating material they could mine from that premise, and I imagine this will be a very action-heavy arc because of it. I'm curious how long this opening story is going to last because unlike the Backbeard Army arc, it's not especially clear what the Four Treasonous Generals are up to right now. But I'm intrigued to see where this is headed, especially in a post-Nanashi world.
GeGeGe no Kitaro (2018) 51
Turns out this introduction into this new arc was a little shorter than I anticipated, but seeing as it's unlikely Rei will have as much screen time as Agnes and there are fewer supporting villains taking major roles like they did in the Backbeard Army arc, finishing the setup in the second episode makes a fair bit of sense. The actual conflict of the episode was decent as far as the series reputation for action, but nothing particularly stellar. More important was some of the establishing story that does a lot to explain some of the weird plot threads that emerged at the end of the last cour and in the previous episode. Many lingering questions have now been answered, the timeliness of the arc has been addressed in a really interesting fashion, and I'm curious how they plan to deal with a moral quandary that has been introduced in the final few minutes of this episode. It seems like the conflicts with the main generals will be in between more episodic content like previous arcs, so we might be back to things as normal next week, but I'm intrigued as to how some relationships and plot threads might progress given there's still some unresolved sentiment left over from the first season's conclusion. All-in-all, this is an exciting time for the series, and I hope they manage to capitalize on this solid start to this cour.
Attack on Titan 50 – Season 3, Part 2, Episode 1
Oh wait, this hasn't started yet. Dammit, Wit!
PASSED
Carole & Tuesday 1
A low-key opening, but one that still shows a lot of promise for what's to come. It might not be quite the visual spectacle expected from Bones, but there's still a lot to like in regards to the finer details like the nuanced facial animation and UI designs. So far, it's more or less proceeding on a fairly standard trajectory for these kinds of shows, but since there's little in the way of drama at the moment, I couldn't help but think a bit of A Place Further Than the Universe when seeing Carole & Tuesday interacting: they share that same vibrant energy as the core cast from what I can tell so far. And while we haven't heard a great deal of the promising musical talent as of yet, the songs featured in partial or complete form so far sound great and make me excited to hear more. I doubt Carole & Tuesday will set the world alight as the show promises the heroines will do, but I'm pleased enough with these beginnings to hope that good things are ahead.
Sarazanmai 1
You know, given so many of the reactions in this thread, I was kind of shocked at just how many staples of Ikuhara shows were present in this first episode of Sarazanmai. When you strip away the presentation, the themes, and the topics of conversation, its lineage all the way back to Sailor Moon becomes clear. You have a group of "ordinary" students who happen to stumble upon a talking animal creature connected to a form of "magic" that they use to combat supernatural entities. In a nutshell, Sarazanmai is still a "magical gi- er, boys" show in vein of some of Ikuhara's previous shows, but what makes it so remarkable is both the topics it chooses to address and how it does so. In a medium where positive representation of fringe groups in society (especially ones related to gender and sexuality) is, uh, spotty at best, it's kind of refreshing how open this episode was about discussing topics like one's perceptions of masculinity without feeling preachy or condescending. While the visual language of the episode might be so stuffed with homosexual imagery to the point of bordering on parody, the topics on hand in this first episode stemmed from a place of presenting the fact that people are often more complicated than their appearances might have you believe, and that Kazuki being who he is isn't wrong or evil, even if he feels the need to hide it from everyone. That kind of positive representation of difficult subject matter is a reoccurring aspect of Ikuhara's works, and I'm glad he doesn't seem to have lost his tact despite how brief the running time of Sarazanmai is going to be. While I don't have too much more to say, I can't leave without talking about the incredible visual spectacle of this first episode! This is the most impressive thing I've seen from MAPPA (on TV) in years, and it blew away basically anything else I've watched so far this season on a technical level. But more than that, Ikuhara's unrelenting creativity to find beautiful ways to communicate theme through imagery come through just as strong as the technical qualities, leading to such dense layering of material that I definitely want to watch this episode again as I'm sure I missed things last time around. It's been a while since I watched such a strong first episode (I think the last one this strong was… Devilman: Crybaby?) and many of my fears regarding Sarazanmai have been put to rest. It's good to see the master back at work.
Why the Hell Are You Here, Sensei? 1
I am a terrible person who enjoys garbage, clearly, as I am definitely on board for more of this filth! In all honesty, ecchi comedies have been really terrible the last few years. Between shows like Hajimete no Gal, Sho-bitch, and that Demon Lord show, ecchi comedies have been something I've been actively avoiding more or less (ever since Monster Musume, really). Why the Hell Are You Here, Sensei? might be inappropriate in terms of its subject matter, certainly, and I won't argue that it won't offend people, but the "fantasy" it's indulging in seems to take a backseat this time around in favor of situational comedy which feels remarkably funny and audacious, more than your standard fair smut. It's not amazing by any means, but it is the first ecchi comedy in a long time to not make me feel like I need to take a shower afterwards out of revulsion. I guess that's where the genre is these days...
Why the Hell Are You Here, Sensei? 2
God, this series is way more direct and smuttier than even the last episode prepared me for. I'd argue this is perhaps the dirtiest show I've seen since… probably Shimoneta, actually. The thing is, unlike some of the other stuff I mentioned above, what Why the Hell Are You Here, Sensei? is missing is something more substantial connecting the smutty material together. Lewd scenarios and jokes are all well and good for some funny, if shameful, humor, but the best ecchi shows are ones that manage to make you connect with something apart from the crude humor and BD-only aspects. As it is, this series appears to struggle with making me care for anything apart from the humor other than attempting to string along a hilariously "innocent" romantic angle (at least for this first couple), but it doesn't have anything of substance to it. A lot of this I can forgive because it's a short, but the fact remains that this is quality lewd material but little else. The fact that this still makes it one of the best representatives of its genre in years is still incredibly sad.
??? - WILL PUT THROUGH THE "THREE EPISODE TEST"
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba 1
Maybe this is just a case of a rough pilot, but IDK... I'm not really feeling this one. A lot of issues have been brought up already, from the excessive narration that takes away from the scenes speaking for themselves to the somewhat inconsistent quality of the CG animation, but I think my biggest issue was a more artistic decision. Something I've always liked about Ufotable's post-processing heavy look is that it always benefited from having a high amount of contrast. Even in shows with an overall darker visual aesthetic like Fate/Zero or Touken Ranbu, the shows still look crisp because of how much the colors present seem to pop off the screen. With Kimetsu, though, it seems like they've tried to emulate a more muted aesthetic similar to the kind of painting you'd find on bamboo scrolls, and what we're left with is a show that has very little visual pizazz. Scenes constantly seem like they're washed out, very similar to my thoughts of the visual aesthetic of Golden Kamuy, and I feel that's a bad combination with Ufotable's heavily processed look. The OP at the end gave the impression they plan to address this with the special attacks of our main party taking on a very different visual aesthetic, but I don't know if that will be enough to change my opinion about the show's overall visual design. I'll keep watching for a little bit, but this was a lackluster opening.
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba 2
This was definitely an improvement on the first episode… but I still think this series needs to do more to really win me over. The trouble is that while there was nothing particularly bad about either of the chapters they adapted here, it feels like the series is struggling to make the most out of its characters or its premise as presented, and a lot of that seems to stem from the demographic of its intended audience. I understand why it would be difficult to write a version of this where Tanjiro comes across as a truly vengeful person who has no mercy for demons apart from Nezuko who he still regards as his sister, but given what happened to his family when he's presented with an opportunity to execute some justice if nothing else, he freezes with indecision. It's a character trait I feel is unbecoming of someone on this particular kind of revenge quest because it makes them feel naïve and almost cowardly, caring more about their morality even when they've already made the decision to avenge those struck down. This is why I find it strange that I'm connecting more with the mute Nezuko, who's internal struggle between her demonic and human selves and her determination to protect Tanjiro coming at the expense of easing her personal torment are particularly interesting. Her lack of anything more nuanced than her facial expression most of the time give us as the audience only a brief look into her mind, which leaves a lot of mystery about how her character could develop over time. Truth be told, though, I'm only going to give this series one more chance to win me over. The supporting cast look like they could inject a lot of flavor into the show, so I'm hoping the dynamic they add will be what I'm looking for. If not, I think I might part ways with Kimetsu no Yaiba after that, because the most interesting parts of the show are the ones I know will get the least focus.
Fruits Basket (2019) 1
While I certainly understand the production issues that some members have brought up regarding the show's lack of polish in areas like the background art and the perspective in some shots, I will admit this was a reasonably fun watch. Perhaps watching this after the disaster that was We Never Learn (more on that below) left me so shocked that I was seeing fewer issues than there are, but given my only fleeting memory of the earliest parts of the original anime which I saw years and years ago, I couldn't help but think back constantly to Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card. While that was a remake masquerading as a sequel (come on, you all know that to be true), this is a straight up remake, but the way it's been handled reminds me a lot of the team at Madhouse's approach to Clear Card. From the way they've updated the character design to the focus on highly animated expressions that feel ripped out of a mid-to-late '90s manga to the redesigns of the animal forms to be as adorably cute as possible, all of it has this surreal quality that feels steeped in the era it came from. But... that's only going to get it so far with me. Clear Card lost its charm quite quickly when it became clear it was a cynical cash grab from CLAMP to capitalize on fans nostalgia for the original series while adding nothing noteworthy of its own, and considering the plan is to adapt the entirety of Fruits Basket here, I worry this one will end up going the same exact way. But since I don't really know much more than what the first episode has laid out here regarding the premise as a whole, I'll follow it for a bit to see if it's worth my attention.
DROPPED
Ao-chan Can't Study 1
The worst thing a comedy short can do is feel like it overstays its welcome. Such is the trouble with Ao-chan Can't Study, a "perverted" comedy from Silver Link that fails to titillate or amuse. Smutty comedy abounds in anime, especially with shows dedicated around the awkwardness of sex and relationships which makes a bit more sense in more introverted society like Japan. As such, most comedy surrounding this topic is exaggerated to heighten the humor, but Ao-chan is too reserved to be interesting. In comparison to more bombastic sex comedies like Shimoneta, Ao-chan's low stakes and one-dimensional characters do nothing to motivate me to see more that what this first episode offered, and the lackluster comedy framing in most of the jokes makes them so obvious that they become dull in execution. It's bad when a twelve-minute show has me checking the clock to see how much time is left in the episode. Silver Link has made far better comedies in the past (Tanaka-kun is Always Listless, Mitsuboshi Colors, etc.), and if you want a great comedy about sex... just save yourself the trouble and watch Shimoneta (again... you have seen it, right?)
Fairy Gone 1
For a studio called Progressive Animation Works, they sure didn't live up to that name here. Perhaps the only action show I can point to with a rougher opening than One Punch Man, there's very little here that seems to reflect some of the talent on this show at all. Considering the director is responsible for both JoJo's first season and Drifters, the actual composition of the combat in this first episode felt incredibly awkward, with bizarre editing and a real lack of flow from cut to cut. Combined with the incredibly rough looking CGStands Personas Fairies that do the bulk of the fighting, and the action feels like a total wash even if there are noticeable attempts here or there to create something visually interesting. This weak action is only further hampered by a strange structure for this opening episode. I feel they went far too much into some topics with the flashback only to flash-forward "in media res" with far too little established upfront, leading to character interactions that feel jarring and revelations that come from absolutely nowhere and mean basically nothing given what we already know. For an original show, this comes across as poorly thought out and derivative as all hell, and when it comes out looking as rough as it does on top of that, I have no interest in pursuing it any further.
Fruits Basket (2019) 2
Well, that didn't take long for Fruits Basket to wear out any amount of good will I had reserved to keep watching it past the first episode. It's almost kind of shocking how quickly it settles into a groove that brings to light some impressively regressive views that feel so much more uncomfortable now than they may have when the manga first came out some twenty years ago. For starters, can we talk about the fact that Tohru takes to becoming a housewife/maid a bit too quickly? She was the weakest part of episode one in that she had very little character to her: plenty of personality to be sure, but little in the way of identifiable drive that made any of her decision-making to come across as vaguely realistic. But in this episode once the bargain for her staying has been finalized, she almost feels reduced to a human prop, and it's pretty telling the guys only start to take any notice of her once they see how good she is at keeping their man-cave of a house clean and organized. I hardly imagine (with how popular Fruits Basket was) that Tohru sharing a name for a live-in maid character from another relatively popular manga in the last few years is just a coincidence. But if the show's views on women is one thing, its hardly veiled homophobia is a lot more obvious now. Yuki's not-so-subtle dig at his family's insinuation he go to a boys' school despite the threat women pose to his human form comes off much more specifically here as an insinuation that if he doesn't learn to handle himself around women, he won't be able but help be attracted to men, an idea that clearly repulses him. It just feels uncomfortably awkward for both of these things to come up front and center in this episode, and because very little happens plot-wise, I found my mind wandering to consider them instead of paying attention to the show itself. I can't help but feel this is likely to be a reoccurring problem for me, so I think it's best to consider Fruits Basket as an influential "piece of its time" and leave it at that.
The Helpful Fox Senko-san 1
This feels like the definition of a "fine" show. There's nothing I can really point to that's an outright issue from a technical standpoint, but it lacks anything that feels notably remarkable on the animation front, which is weird to say about a Doga Kobo anime. I will say if I can criticize anything, the show might be a little too laid back. It's not quite funny enough to be a good comedy, it's not quite calm enough to a zen "feel good" show, and it's not sweet enough to be a light romance. It's just... kind of there, like a 800-year old kitsune who makes you dinner one night. That lack of any real inviting hook on top of an adequate production feels like a bit of a deal breaker, unfortunately. It's pleasant, but a bit too basic for its own good.
Hitoribocchi no Marumaru Seikatsu 1
This was very heartwarming to watch, but at the end of the pilot I didn't feel a resounding desire to jump into the next episode. It's tough because this is one of those very competently made shows with a "feel good" premise and while that usually works on me, this first episode left me feeling a little lacking for some reason. I think that anyone who wants to watch a young middle-school girl get over her crippling social anxiety in a funny and adorable looking show will have a blast with this, but I don't think I'll be among those following this one through this season.
One Punch Man (Season 2) 1
I can't muster more than that even after the messy second season of Mob Psycho 100. And considering the entire PV that came out a few weeks ago was constructed from shots taken from this episode alone... OPM's production is screwed.
Senryu Girl 1
This first episode was one of more bizarre ones I watched, because I couldn't help shake the feeling that this was presenting itself like an educational program at times. The segments in the club room where they're going over the basic rules of the poetry seemed like something you would see on a show aimed at teaching young children how to compose poems, which seems at odds with the rest of the heavily cliched material in the show outside of that. Main gimmick for the MC aside, there wasn't much to connect to here, but I suppose if you like poetry it might be cute enough as a short. Felt a bit dry and lacking a real hook for my tastes, though.
We Never Learn 1
OH MY GOD, who the hell was responsible for this show's shot composition?! I haven't been so distracted by a show's framing and flow since... Clockwork Planet, probably? There's something to be said about the excellent OP and how well it manages to illicit this feeling of a group of people coming together to study that the show proper consistently fails to recapture. And while it's certainly garish enough because of the color composition being so thoroughly bright and contrast high, it's their translation of what I can only assume were manga panels that don't flow or look good on screen that really highlights this. For example: there's a scene that takes place in the episode where one character is telling another about their dream to study astronomy because they fell in love with the stars. Not only is there no shot of the night sky they glance up at multiple times in the scene so we know what they're looking at precisely (which could've been an opportunity for a visual metaphor depending on the constellations used... you know, basic visual storytelling), the only bit of the sky you can see above the various city-scape surrounding them is mostly obscured by an enormous chain link fence that takes up a large portion of most of the background in most of the shots as they are conversing. Why is the night sky the least featured thing in a scene where two characters are talking about STARS? Even if I could overcome the sheer ineptitude of the production, the narrative seems very rote, TBH, and I'm not finding myself engaged with the plot or character traits of anyone in the cast. This is probably the easiest pass of the season for me; how did a series this popular end up with a production this poor?
CONTINUING
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure:
Ahh, classic JoJo goodness. After a promising start, this second half of the Notorious B.I.G. fight really delivered in a way the show hasn't reached since the fight on the train. It's always fun seeing someone discover their Stand for the first time, and the way Trish used it to escape Notorious B.I.G. with everyone else feels like a wonderful culmination of this gradual transition from damsel to protagonist in her own right. Araki's track record with female characters is spotty at best, but when he creates one that fights alongside the male characters without reservation, they tend to stand out significantly and Trish appears like she'll be following in the footsteps of Lisa Lisa and Yukako Yamagishi in that regard. I wonder in retrospect how much of Trish will end up being a template for Jolyne, but that's something to ponder after Golden Wind is over, I suppose. As for the episode itself, it was well paced and directed, and I like some of where the show is going, though I do wonder how Araki could stretch the series out for another thirteen episodes worth of content at this point. But I said the same thing at a certain point in Diamond is Unbreakable and that worked out well enough, so I doubt I have anything to worry about. It's nice to see JoJo back in top form, though. It's been a bit, but seeing the series at its best is always a good time.
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure:
Well, I certainly didn't expect to get an answer quite that quickly! It's funny how, in indulging in as much JoJo as I have over the last year or so, I've managed to get a grip on some of Araki's tendencies as a writer, and can unintentionally predict when things are going to develop in the story, even if he can surprise me with how. I have to admit, the identity of "The Boss" may be one of the coolest things Araki has come up with in Golden Wind. After Kira, I'm sure the pressure to come up with an interesting villain quirk that didn't just crib off of things he'd done in the past must have been incredibly difficult, but what Araki came up with as a solution here is pretty fascinating. The idea itself is pretty great, but I think it's the execution of it that sells it. The way Doppio is written and his performance sells the concept so well it came off as transfixing for most of the episode, and the way they presented it also allowed Araki to play with time in a clever and inventive way. As fantastic of a Stand battle Notorious B.I.G. was, this is the episode that has convinced me the last third of Golden Wind has the potential to become some fantastic JoJo material. We'll get a taste of how well that might be executed on next week when the fight with Metallica takes center stage (speaking of messed-up Stands, I can't even describe how I felt my stomach churn when I understood how Metallica works). This is going to be an exciting season for Golden Wind; I can feel it!
GeGeGe no Kitaro (2018) 50 - START OF SEASON 2
New season, new arc, new Nekomusume. It's been a bit of an adjustment to see this precocious brat that Nekomusume has become at the end of last season, but it is a fresh dynamic for the show and she hasn't worn out her welcome with me yet so I think there's some potential in this new story they're going for. And it seems after last season's mostly episodic return to form we're in for a more connected story this time around ala the Backbeard Army arc. This new character they've introduced is pretty unusual for the series: a human who fights and absorbs youkai to use their powers as his own. I see plenty of fascinating material they could mine from that premise, and I imagine this will be a very action-heavy arc because of it. I'm curious how long this opening story is going to last because unlike the Backbeard Army arc, it's not especially clear what the Four Treasonous Generals are up to right now. But I'm intrigued to see where this is headed, especially in a post-Nanashi world.
GeGeGe no Kitaro (2018) 51
Turns out this introduction into this new arc was a little shorter than I anticipated, but seeing as it's unlikely Rei will have as much screen time as Agnes and there are fewer supporting villains taking major roles like they did in the Backbeard Army arc, finishing the setup in the second episode makes a fair bit of sense. The actual conflict of the episode was decent as far as the series reputation for action, but nothing particularly stellar. More important was some of the establishing story that does a lot to explain some of the weird plot threads that emerged at the end of the last cour and in the previous episode. Many lingering questions have now been answered, the timeliness of the arc has been addressed in a really interesting fashion, and I'm curious how they plan to deal with a moral quandary that has been introduced in the final few minutes of this episode. It seems like the conflicts with the main generals will be in between more episodic content like previous arcs, so we might be back to things as normal next week, but I'm intrigued as to how some relationships and plot threads might progress given there's still some unresolved sentiment left over from the first season's conclusion. All-in-all, this is an exciting time for the series, and I hope they manage to capitalize on this solid start to this cour.
Oh wait, this hasn't started yet. Dammit, Wit!
PASSED
Carole & Tuesday 1
A low-key opening, but one that still shows a lot of promise for what's to come. It might not be quite the visual spectacle expected from Bones, but there's still a lot to like in regards to the finer details like the nuanced facial animation and UI designs. So far, it's more or less proceeding on a fairly standard trajectory for these kinds of shows, but since there's little in the way of drama at the moment, I couldn't help but think a bit of A Place Further Than the Universe when seeing Carole & Tuesday interacting: they share that same vibrant energy as the core cast from what I can tell so far. And while we haven't heard a great deal of the promising musical talent as of yet, the songs featured in partial or complete form so far sound great and make me excited to hear more. I doubt Carole & Tuesday will set the world alight as the show promises the heroines will do, but I'm pleased enough with these beginnings to hope that good things are ahead.
Sarazanmai 1
You know, given so many of the reactions in this thread, I was kind of shocked at just how many staples of Ikuhara shows were present in this first episode of Sarazanmai. When you strip away the presentation, the themes, and the topics of conversation, its lineage all the way back to Sailor Moon becomes clear. You have a group of "ordinary" students who happen to stumble upon a talking animal creature connected to a form of "magic" that they use to combat supernatural entities. In a nutshell, Sarazanmai is still a "magical gi- er, boys" show in vein of some of Ikuhara's previous shows, but what makes it so remarkable is both the topics it chooses to address and how it does so. In a medium where positive representation of fringe groups in society (especially ones related to gender and sexuality) is, uh, spotty at best, it's kind of refreshing how open this episode was about discussing topics like one's perceptions of masculinity without feeling preachy or condescending. While the visual language of the episode might be so stuffed with homosexual imagery to the point of bordering on parody, the topics on hand in this first episode stemmed from a place of presenting the fact that people are often more complicated than their appearances might have you believe, and that Kazuki being who he is isn't wrong or evil, even if he feels the need to hide it from everyone. That kind of positive representation of difficult subject matter is a reoccurring aspect of Ikuhara's works, and I'm glad he doesn't seem to have lost his tact despite how brief the running time of Sarazanmai is going to be. While I don't have too much more to say, I can't leave without talking about the incredible visual spectacle of this first episode! This is the most impressive thing I've seen from MAPPA (on TV) in years, and it blew away basically anything else I've watched so far this season on a technical level. But more than that, Ikuhara's unrelenting creativity to find beautiful ways to communicate theme through imagery come through just as strong as the technical qualities, leading to such dense layering of material that I definitely want to watch this episode again as I'm sure I missed things last time around. It's been a while since I watched such a strong first episode (I think the last one this strong was… Devilman: Crybaby?) and many of my fears regarding Sarazanmai have been put to rest. It's good to see the master back at work.
Why the Hell Are You Here, Sensei? 1
I am a terrible person who enjoys garbage, clearly, as I am definitely on board for more of this filth! In all honesty, ecchi comedies have been really terrible the last few years. Between shows like Hajimete no Gal, Sho-bitch, and that Demon Lord show, ecchi comedies have been something I've been actively avoiding more or less (ever since Monster Musume, really). Why the Hell Are You Here, Sensei? might be inappropriate in terms of its subject matter, certainly, and I won't argue that it won't offend people, but the "fantasy" it's indulging in seems to take a backseat this time around in favor of situational comedy which feels remarkably funny and audacious, more than your standard fair smut. It's not amazing by any means, but it is the first ecchi comedy in a long time to not make me feel like I need to take a shower afterwards out of revulsion. I guess that's where the genre is these days...
Why the Hell Are You Here, Sensei? 2
God, this series is way more direct and smuttier than even the last episode prepared me for. I'd argue this is perhaps the dirtiest show I've seen since… probably Shimoneta, actually. The thing is, unlike some of the other stuff I mentioned above, what Why the Hell Are You Here, Sensei? is missing is something more substantial connecting the smutty material together. Lewd scenarios and jokes are all well and good for some funny, if shameful, humor, but the best ecchi shows are ones that manage to make you connect with something apart from the crude humor and BD-only aspects. As it is, this series appears to struggle with making me care for anything apart from the humor other than attempting to string along a hilariously "innocent" romantic angle (at least for this first couple), but it doesn't have anything of substance to it. A lot of this I can forgive because it's a short, but the fact remains that this is quality lewd material but little else. The fact that this still makes it one of the best representatives of its genre in years is still incredibly sad.
??? - WILL PUT THROUGH THE "THREE EPISODE TEST"
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba 1
Maybe this is just a case of a rough pilot, but IDK... I'm not really feeling this one. A lot of issues have been brought up already, from the excessive narration that takes away from the scenes speaking for themselves to the somewhat inconsistent quality of the CG animation, but I think my biggest issue was a more artistic decision. Something I've always liked about Ufotable's post-processing heavy look is that it always benefited from having a high amount of contrast. Even in shows with an overall darker visual aesthetic like Fate/Zero or Touken Ranbu, the shows still look crisp because of how much the colors present seem to pop off the screen. With Kimetsu, though, it seems like they've tried to emulate a more muted aesthetic similar to the kind of painting you'd find on bamboo scrolls, and what we're left with is a show that has very little visual pizazz. Scenes constantly seem like they're washed out, very similar to my thoughts of the visual aesthetic of Golden Kamuy, and I feel that's a bad combination with Ufotable's heavily processed look. The OP at the end gave the impression they plan to address this with the special attacks of our main party taking on a very different visual aesthetic, but I don't know if that will be enough to change my opinion about the show's overall visual design. I'll keep watching for a little bit, but this was a lackluster opening.
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba 2
This was definitely an improvement on the first episode… but I still think this series needs to do more to really win me over. The trouble is that while there was nothing particularly bad about either of the chapters they adapted here, it feels like the series is struggling to make the most out of its characters or its premise as presented, and a lot of that seems to stem from the demographic of its intended audience. I understand why it would be difficult to write a version of this where Tanjiro comes across as a truly vengeful person who has no mercy for demons apart from Nezuko who he still regards as his sister, but given what happened to his family when he's presented with an opportunity to execute some justice if nothing else, he freezes with indecision. It's a character trait I feel is unbecoming of someone on this particular kind of revenge quest because it makes them feel naïve and almost cowardly, caring more about their morality even when they've already made the decision to avenge those struck down. This is why I find it strange that I'm connecting more with the mute Nezuko, who's internal struggle between her demonic and human selves and her determination to protect Tanjiro coming at the expense of easing her personal torment are particularly interesting. Her lack of anything more nuanced than her facial expression most of the time give us as the audience only a brief look into her mind, which leaves a lot of mystery about how her character could develop over time. Truth be told, though, I'm only going to give this series one more chance to win me over. The supporting cast look like they could inject a lot of flavor into the show, so I'm hoping the dynamic they add will be what I'm looking for. If not, I think I might part ways with Kimetsu no Yaiba after that, because the most interesting parts of the show are the ones I know will get the least focus.
Fruits Basket (2019) 1
While I certainly understand the production issues that some members have brought up regarding the show's lack of polish in areas like the background art and the perspective in some shots, I will admit this was a reasonably fun watch. Perhaps watching this after the disaster that was We Never Learn (more on that below) left me so shocked that I was seeing fewer issues than there are, but given my only fleeting memory of the earliest parts of the original anime which I saw years and years ago, I couldn't help but think back constantly to Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card. While that was a remake masquerading as a sequel (come on, you all know that to be true), this is a straight up remake, but the way it's been handled reminds me a lot of the team at Madhouse's approach to Clear Card. From the way they've updated the character design to the focus on highly animated expressions that feel ripped out of a mid-to-late '90s manga to the redesigns of the animal forms to be as adorably cute as possible, all of it has this surreal quality that feels steeped in the era it came from. But... that's only going to get it so far with me. Clear Card lost its charm quite quickly when it became clear it was a cynical cash grab from CLAMP to capitalize on fans nostalgia for the original series while adding nothing noteworthy of its own, and considering the plan is to adapt the entirety of Fruits Basket here, I worry this one will end up going the same exact way. But since I don't really know much more than what the first episode has laid out here regarding the premise as a whole, I'll follow it for a bit to see if it's worth my attention.
DROPPED
Ao-chan Can't Study 1
The worst thing a comedy short can do is feel like it overstays its welcome. Such is the trouble with Ao-chan Can't Study, a "perverted" comedy from Silver Link that fails to titillate or amuse. Smutty comedy abounds in anime, especially with shows dedicated around the awkwardness of sex and relationships which makes a bit more sense in more introverted society like Japan. As such, most comedy surrounding this topic is exaggerated to heighten the humor, but Ao-chan is too reserved to be interesting. In comparison to more bombastic sex comedies like Shimoneta, Ao-chan's low stakes and one-dimensional characters do nothing to motivate me to see more that what this first episode offered, and the lackluster comedy framing in most of the jokes makes them so obvious that they become dull in execution. It's bad when a twelve-minute show has me checking the clock to see how much time is left in the episode. Silver Link has made far better comedies in the past (Tanaka-kun is Always Listless, Mitsuboshi Colors, etc.), and if you want a great comedy about sex... just save yourself the trouble and watch Shimoneta (again... you have seen it, right?)
Fairy Gone 1
For a studio called Progressive Animation Works, they sure didn't live up to that name here. Perhaps the only action show I can point to with a rougher opening than One Punch Man, there's very little here that seems to reflect some of the talent on this show at all. Considering the director is responsible for both JoJo's first season and Drifters, the actual composition of the combat in this first episode felt incredibly awkward, with bizarre editing and a real lack of flow from cut to cut. Combined with the incredibly rough looking CG
Fruits Basket (2019) 2
Well, that didn't take long for Fruits Basket to wear out any amount of good will I had reserved to keep watching it past the first episode. It's almost kind of shocking how quickly it settles into a groove that brings to light some impressively regressive views that feel so much more uncomfortable now than they may have when the manga first came out some twenty years ago. For starters, can we talk about the fact that Tohru takes to becoming a housewife/maid a bit too quickly? She was the weakest part of episode one in that she had very little character to her: plenty of personality to be sure, but little in the way of identifiable drive that made any of her decision-making to come across as vaguely realistic. But in this episode once the bargain for her staying has been finalized, she almost feels reduced to a human prop, and it's pretty telling the guys only start to take any notice of her once they see how good she is at keeping their man-cave of a house clean and organized. I hardly imagine (with how popular Fruits Basket was) that Tohru sharing a name for a live-in maid character from another relatively popular manga in the last few years is just a coincidence. But if the show's views on women is one thing, its hardly veiled homophobia is a lot more obvious now. Yuki's not-so-subtle dig at his family's insinuation he go to a boys' school despite the threat women pose to his human form comes off much more specifically here as an insinuation that if he doesn't learn to handle himself around women, he won't be able but help be attracted to men, an idea that clearly repulses him. It just feels uncomfortably awkward for both of these things to come up front and center in this episode, and because very little happens plot-wise, I found my mind wandering to consider them instead of paying attention to the show itself. I can't help but feel this is likely to be a reoccurring problem for me, so I think it's best to consider Fruits Basket as an influential "piece of its time" and leave it at that.
The Helpful Fox Senko-san 1
This feels like the definition of a "fine" show. There's nothing I can really point to that's an outright issue from a technical standpoint, but it lacks anything that feels notably remarkable on the animation front, which is weird to say about a Doga Kobo anime. I will say if I can criticize anything, the show might be a little too laid back. It's not quite funny enough to be a good comedy, it's not quite calm enough to a zen "feel good" show, and it's not sweet enough to be a light romance. It's just... kind of there, like a 800-year old kitsune who makes you dinner one night. That lack of any real inviting hook on top of an adequate production feels like a bit of a deal breaker, unfortunately. It's pleasant, but a bit too basic for its own good.
Hitoribocchi no Marumaru Seikatsu 1
This was very heartwarming to watch, but at the end of the pilot I didn't feel a resounding desire to jump into the next episode. It's tough because this is one of those very competently made shows with a "feel good" premise and while that usually works on me, this first episode left me feeling a little lacking for some reason. I think that anyone who wants to watch a young middle-school girl get over her crippling social anxiety in a funny and adorable looking show will have a blast with this, but I don't think I'll be among those following this one through this season.
One Punch Man (Season 2) 1
I can't muster more than that even after the messy second season of Mob Psycho 100. And considering the entire PV that came out a few weeks ago was constructed from shots taken from this episode alone... OPM's production is screwed.
Senryu Girl 1
This first episode was one of more bizarre ones I watched, because I couldn't help shake the feeling that this was presenting itself like an educational program at times. The segments in the club room where they're going over the basic rules of the poetry seemed like something you would see on a show aimed at teaching young children how to compose poems, which seems at odds with the rest of the heavily cliched material in the show outside of that. Main gimmick for the MC aside, there wasn't much to connect to here, but I suppose if you like poetry it might be cute enough as a short. Felt a bit dry and lacking a real hook for my tastes, though.
We Never Learn 1
OH MY GOD, who the hell was responsible for this show's shot composition?! I haven't been so distracted by a show's framing and flow since... Clockwork Planet, probably? There's something to be said about the excellent OP and how well it manages to illicit this feeling of a group of people coming together to study that the show proper consistently fails to recapture. And while it's certainly garish enough because of the color composition being so thoroughly bright and contrast high, it's their translation of what I can only assume were manga panels that don't flow or look good on screen that really highlights this. For example: there's a scene that takes place in the episode where one character is telling another about their dream to study astronomy because they fell in love with the stars. Not only is there no shot of the night sky they glance up at multiple times in the scene so we know what they're looking at precisely (which could've been an opportunity for a visual metaphor depending on the constellations used... you know, basic visual storytelling), the only bit of the sky you can see above the various city-scape surrounding them is mostly obscured by an enormous chain link fence that takes up a large portion of most of the background in most of the shots as they are conversing. Why is the night sky the least featured thing in a scene where two characters are talking about STARS? Even if I could overcome the sheer ineptitude of the production, the narrative seems very rote, TBH, and I'm not finding myself engaged with the plot or character traits of anyone in the cast. This is probably the easiest pass of the season for me; how did a series this popular end up with a production this poor?
Fairy Gone Episode 2:
This is very rapidly falling into the so okay it is average pile of discard that it is unfortunate.
This is very rapidly falling into the so okay it is average pile of discard that it is unfortunate.
I think they're very comfortable adapting schlock at this point and the directors aren't comfortable or good enough to adapt subpar content into engaging shows.
According to kvin from sakugabooru, this episode was entirely done or mostly done by Lapin Track and not MAPPA.
Always wanted to give Yamato a shot, but I don't know the best version to watch. Is 2199 like a remake or something?
you start with the highly acclaimed 2199, then go to 2202 the sequel.
I should watch tri already. Already watched Adventure, 02, Tamers, and Frontier. Savers isn't available anywhere and I'm not really interested in anything after that except tri.
I don't quite agree with that. KyoAni doesn't just adapt schlock - whatever Violet Evergarden and Tsurune were, they weren't schlock - and it's not as if the studio's productions are just copy-and-pasting subpar novels. On the contrary, KyoAni productions such as Violet Evergarden make considerable changes and additions to the source material, but they often seem to have the effect of making the storytelling worse (e.g., abandoning the original episodic structure with scattered crumbs of backstory of the Evergarden novel in favor of a chronological structure centered around the character development of Violet). I don't think it's fundamentally poor source material that's to blame for the haphazard quality of most of KyoAni's work in recent years, but poor narrative instincts on the part of most of their directing team (with, again, Yamada in her film work being the major exception).
It's definitely making me want to rewatch old Digimon. Only have seen those first 4 cause they were on tv all the time as a kid.
You just made extremely bold statement just due to your taste then.
Started rewatching Claymore. This shit is still amazing even on a rewatch. I am planning on watching this until I hit the point it stopped following the manga and then reading the rest (which I haven't read before). Kind of similiar to what I did with Shigurui (but unlike Claymore I never watched the anime before hand so the anime was new to me).
Anyway, this kind of pure dark fantasy that is similiar to Berserk and have badass main character (Clare or Guts instead of wannabes like Goblin Slayer or others), it needs to comeback to modern anime. It also reminds me that Angel Densetsu (same author) should have gotten a full anime series. The ova's we got were so damn hilarious.
Anyway, this kind of pure dark fantasy that is similiar to Berserk and have badass main character (Clare or Guts instead of wannabes like Goblin Slayer or others), it needs to comeback to modern anime. It also reminds me that Angel Densetsu (same author) should have gotten a full anime series. The ova's we got were so damn hilarious.
Digimon Adventure Tri 13-17
Ahh I see, taking notes from SAO on villains. Feels incredibly dissonant and odd when the villain gets way too touchy. Like they don't even acknowledge that this dude just licked a girl's face. It's brief moments, but still weird. Besides that weirdness, really liked the twist that happened. This tickled even more nostalgia for the original series. When speaking to someone who lost their memory, yelling "WHY DON'T YOU REMEMBER ME" surprisingly doesn't work.
Ahh I see, taking notes from SAO on villains. Feels incredibly dissonant and odd when the villain gets way too touchy. Like they don't even acknowledge that this dude just licked a girl's face. It's brief moments, but still weird. Besides that weirdness, really liked the twist that happened. This tickled even more nostalgia for the original series. When speaking to someone who lost their memory, yelling "WHY DON'T YOU REMEMBER ME" surprisingly doesn't work.
Sarazanmai ep.1
Umm, how many butholes were invaded in the duration of this episode? This was certainly as nonsensicle as anticipated....
Fruits Basket ep.2
Yup, still good like the original with no major deviation from what I can remember. I'm glad the cast goes through a lot of growth as the show progresses because cat is annoying, lol
World Break: Aria of Curse for a Holy Swordsman ep.1-END
Watched this one last week while waiting for all the new shows to start and finished it up this weekend. It's a fairly by-the-numbers harem magic battle school schow, but at least the MC wasn't a weenie for once.. Also, the ending was rushed as hell as you can tell they were trting to end it before the next arc and had to condense everything to do so..
Mix ep.2
I lovd the tone amd feel of this show, but the built in excuse to ship the bro and sis were made way too obvious this episode. I mean, why... why, why, why must bro/sis' not blood related alwzys be shipped.
Yu-No ep.2
Ok, so now he can turn back time within a couple mins like a dvd with no recourse? Hmm, that won't be abused or nothing...
We Never Learn ep.2
Just keep building that harem mr. Average at everything! Not a bad episode at all, they just need to keep it lighthearted and fun.
Umm, how many butholes were invaded in the duration of this episode? This was certainly as nonsensicle as anticipated....
Fruits Basket ep.2
Yup, still good like the original with no major deviation from what I can remember. I'm glad the cast goes through a lot of growth as the show progresses because cat is annoying, lol
World Break: Aria of Curse for a Holy Swordsman ep.1-END
Watched this one last week while waiting for all the new shows to start and finished it up this weekend. It's a fairly by-the-numbers harem magic battle school schow, but at least the MC wasn't a weenie for once.. Also, the ending was rushed as hell as you can tell they were trting to end it before the next arc and had to condense everything to do so..
Mix ep.2
I lovd the tone amd feel of this show, but the built in excuse to ship the bro and sis were made way too obvious this episode. I mean, why... why, why, why must bro/sis' not blood related alwzys be shipped.
Yu-No ep.2
Ok, so now he can turn back time within a couple mins like a dvd with no recourse? Hmm, that won't be abused or nothing...
We Never Learn ep.2
Just keep building that harem mr. Average at everything! Not a bad episode at all, they just need to keep it lighthearted and fun.
Akihabara is full of stores that have a ton of anime statues and goodies. There's a store right in front of Super Potato (a famous retro game store) that has a ton of statues, figures, soundtracks and more.
Depending on what anime you're into, there are some good things to look into like the Studio Ghibli Museum (read up on how to get tickets, you have to buy a few months in advance in order to secure them), Tokyo Tower (One Piece attraction), J-world and more. Have fun, I was only there for a week and I need to go back.
Fairy Gone 02
Still trying to find which Gundam name generator the author used to name the characters.
Still trying to find which Gundam name generator the author used to name the characters.
Knights and Magic
Binging this entire show is like eating an entire bag of nearly naked popcorn. You know you'll regret it, but it's just tasty enough and lite enough that you keep shoveling handfuls of the popcorn in your mouth until you're left with and empty bag, a sick feeling, and utter disappointment in yourself.
Then, an hour later, you're craving more.
Binging this entire show is like eating an entire bag of nearly naked popcorn. You know you'll regret it, but it's just tasty enough and lite enough that you keep shoveling handfuls of the popcorn in your mouth until you're left with and empty bag, a sick feeling, and utter disappointment in yourself.
Then, an hour later, you're craving more.
Yeah, this episode just touched on them but I think the choices behind their representation are interesting as well. I'm pretty curious on what it has to say on privacy here, given how the lead guy says "you shouldn't have anything worth hiding if you're afraid to be found out" when he finds the culprit box man's secret, then he himself gets embarrassed over his secret being found out.
JP Netflix is not subbing this in English, so I'm pretty sure you'll have to hit the high seas
Oh well, Carole and Tuesday is now my most hyped show of the Autumn season
Some of those Netflix shows (e.g. Baki) randomly get English subs way before the official release. But yeah, it seems completely random, even within the same show some episode will have them right away, whereas for some others you'll have to wait weeks.
User Banned (3 Days): Advocating piracy.
The worst part of hyped shows getting Netflix'd is that I always have to encourage people to pirate it so I'm not so lonely watching it weekly lol
Is it possible for someone to make some kind of script that would inject English sub? I know someone did something similiar for JoJo and Crunchyroll to replace the stand names with their original names but I am not sure about the technicalities.
There's no way the effort needed to mask subtitles over the Netflix player is worth it compared to just getting a rip of the episode from elsewhere.
To be honest I don't see it being a big problem when Netflix has such strange releases with Anime if you at least pay a Netflix subscription. The problem for me in Germany is that so many series are on so many services...ugh.
As a huge Digimon fan, Tri was a complete let down. The movies spend most of their runtime spinning their wheels and getting nowhere, just a whole lot of effort into ramming a new cast member that no one asked for and make us care for a Digimon that is clearly extremely dangerous! The fact that all the fights are disappointing and at times they take like 10 mins to show all the evolution sequences just killed it for me. I am profoundly afraid of what the new movie is going to be after this.
Is Dororo episode 14 delayed? Is this show having severe production problems? Last weeks was delayed a week.
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