Topic: Manga and Anime discussion

Over the past week (week & a half?) I watched the first season of Maken-Ki.

It's a very standard example of the fanservicy harem show (with some really over the top fanservice), but it was goofy & lighthearted, which was the kind of vibe I was looking for.

Though I understand why it's there, some of the westernized slang naturally felt a bit off.

Dimension W (on Toonami) ended last night.

Overall, it was an interesting show & I liked it, but it never truly grabbed me, for whatever reason. (I liked it, but not enough to be eagerly anticipating the next episode)

It was only 12 episodes long, so it felt a bit rushed, and this is also the first time I've been keeping up with the current anime season in Japan (dividing my attention more than usual), so maybe those things together contributed to never being truly grabbed by it.

Still, it was interesting, so I'll probably try & give it another chance one day, to give it the attention it deserves.

Starting June 4th, Toonami is going to air Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron Blooded Orphans!

As of late I've really been getting into both the mecha & super robot genres (with the Gundam series' I've seen all being very good), so this is the most hyped I've been since they aired InuYasha: the Final Act, lol.

Over the past 3 weeks I rewatched one of my favorite anime of all time, Eureka 7 (this past week I was so engrossed I was up to 4 episodes a night, lol).

A mecha series, and probably thanks to it's 50 episode run (rather than the typical 25 or so) it takes it's time to dedicate episodes to the "slow" moments inbetween hectic situations, and while these episodes are mainly used to build the core romantic element (which I adore, BTW), they do really get you to know the cast on a more personal level, and are often quite humorous.

However, whenever they do get to the action, the aerial combat is very, very slickly animated, and what few ship to ship battles they have are strategic & energetic. I like the vibrant use of colors, and while there are definitely some dark moments, it always stays hopeful. While the world they've built has it's fair share of techno-babble, after my most recent watch I think I'm pretty confident in saying I really get it all, lol.

Over the past week I watched through Maken-Ki! season 2 (it was only 11 episodes).

I know, I know. It's a bit of a guilty pleasure, though admittedly it's over the top to the point of being akward at times (especially episode 7 with the sentient teddy bear. The less said about that one the better...).

Last week I finished up watching Eureka Seven A.O.!

As a big fan of the original, I was really invested in the story, and it had me absolutely hooked to the end. However, in the end, once all the mysteries are wrapped up, it has quite a bittersweet ending that just didn't feel right as a sequel to E7 (It really throws the perfectly happy ending of the original out the window to craft it's story).

It still may be worth a watch for fans of the original, though, just to see Eureka & Renton all grown up.

@RR529: I really didn't like Eureka 7. The romantic core annoyed me for some reason and I would have preferred it if they shifted focus to the other characters, but that's a more personal thing. I still watched every episode, but didn't take to it the way others have, which is a shame as I like to see good mecha series that are different from Gundam like Gargantia. I actually prefer Iron Blooded Orphans to Eureka so maybe that says something about my taste. Also Gundam 00 was pretty great, as is Thunderbolt.

@ShadowofSparta, shame you didn't care for Eureka 7, but different strokes for different folks & all that

Yeah, Gundam 00 was pretty good too, and I'm currently watching Iron Blooded Orphans since it's being shown on TV (I've liked what I've seen so far).

Anyhow, over the past 3 weeks or so, I watched through the Slayers.

While the animation was definitely dated (even at the detriment of my enjoyment sometimes), I actually quite liked the art style itself, and I LOVED the energy/explosion sound effects (being from the same era, it uses all the same sorts of sounds that DBZ uses, lol).

The series itself is a fantasy adventure, and I liked the humor/chemistry of the main cast, but the first 10 episodes felt really rushed (the current main antagonist switched 3 times, and was defeated, in that quick span). It wasn't until the latter 16 episodes that it felt like it was progressing at a more normal pace, and even then, the story itself was pretty generic.

It was a decent series.

I've finally watched Attack on Titan;

So good, I've watched 6 episodes straight. The real link was the voice of Edward Elric from Full metal Alchemist voicing the hero and props to whoever that voice actor is he's brilliant! It has tones of death note with the interlinking break points and tactical breakdowns similar in many ways to death notes rules and procedures, and of course FMAs similar central city themes. I also like the no nonsense approach to humanity being down the pecking order in the food chain it really gets you thinking. I also like the fact one Titan looks alot like one of the Beatles or Joe Allen who plays for Stoke City, that's pretty scary in itself!

@themcnoisy: It's this guy here

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0586003/?ref_=nv_sr_2

And not only does he do Eds voice in FMA but he's done hundreds of other Anime and Video Game characters voices. He's one of the biggest voice actors around.

Over the past couple of months (since my last post), I've watched Gravion & *Gravion Zwei (decently fun "Super Robot" series, that's a bit fanservice-y), The Sorcerer Hunters (decent fantasy adventure/comedy), and Neon Genesis Evangelion (a rewatch. It still gets as weird as heck towards the end, but it still holds up wonderfully, and I'd say still in my top 10).

Also continuing to watch Toonami on Saturday nights, and with Dragon Ball Z Kai, One Punch Man, Gundam: Iron Blooded Orphans, and Hunter X Hunter, I'd say it has the strongest lineup ever since it's revival (oh, there's also Naruro Shippuden & One Piece, which are okay I guess).

@themcnoisy: you mean Eren, Vic Mignogna (the voice of Edward Elric) doesn't voice Eren, Eren is voiced by Bryce Papenbrook

@FullbringIchigo: Really? Sounded the same to me, enunciation and everything. Oh well. Watched episode 7 this morning and there's a titan beating on other titans. Mad.

@themcnoisy: yeah they sound pretty similar at times and i just watched that episode too, how strange is that? ^_^

Been reading One-Punch Man and One Piece manga wise, recently watched Attack on Titan anime wise. One-Punch Man is amazing and I've only read the first two volumes, and One Piece is slowly declining as it goes on, and I'm really behind, now on volume 46. One Piece is still my favourite manga series, but I have noticed a noticeable decline, but nothing too big. I love the way the art style has gone (and not just the boobs, but yes, that's probably part of it), but the humour has got worse and the story gets more and more ridiculous as it progresses.

I'm sure if I'd read Dragon Ball I'd probably say that's my favourite manga series, though, because every movie I've watched and every game I've played I've loved. Just got the real stuff to go.

@Speedy67: @RR529: For me one piece is hard to really get into as an anime / manga its too big. Just like asking someone to catch up with Eastenders or Coronation street (British soap operas) starting from 2006. I much prefer shorter series with a natural conclusion.

@themcnoisy: Fair enough. Personally though I'd say Volume One of the One Piece manga is well worth a try, it being what wowed me into reading it from 2012 onwards, being at least a decade late.

It's not great but I think A.O.T's anime is pretty good. For me, the story suffers a bit with pacing issues and also can be too melodramatic at times. The animation quality could've been better during certain parts as well, but just me nitpicking. That said, I'm still looking forward to Season 2.

@themcnoisy: Some of the local cinemas here are screening One Piece Film: Gold movie but i think I'll wait for the DVD.

Also, new teasers for the Ghost in the Shell movie have been released. I was surprised to see Beat Takeshi in it! Still don't understand the casting choices but I think visually (the setting) it looks great.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZW1dBqeBKs

@WanderingBullet: Yes you are right there, I've now watched upto part 11 and I do wish the characters would stop with the self doubt monologues. The first 6 episodes were brilliantly paced, the last 5 have dragged. I'm really unsure about the special powers of a certain cast member too, Eren dieing was a real shock so its a shame this character has this special power. I'm trying not to enter spoiler territory here which is impossible.