What Anime are you watching now?

[Templarseeker]

Watching Black Bullet at the moment. The action is kinda nice and entertaining, also it got lolis on it! 

[Fred the Barber]

8 hours ago, ittaku said:

In response to this thread:

 where people were raving about Shinsekai Yori, I felt obliged to watch this through.

I can see why people were raving about it since the production quality and execution is very good. However I think there's a tendency to overrate shows (in my opinion) that are dark, horrific, nasty, unpleasant, shocking, disturbing... etc. but that just doesn't resonate with me. This show started out dark and just remained dark throughout the whole thing. There wasn't much in the way of emotional journey besides remaining dark from start to end and, I hate to say it, but it was mostly predictable, right up to the conclusion, even if the writing and execution was very good 8/10. Still rates well overall though, but not in my top 5. I certainly wouldn't want to sit through it again.

I've picked up and put down Shinsekai Yori twice now, the last time at about 10 episodes through. Like you said, the production values and the execution are excellent, and that's why I go back to it (and still want to go back to it again and finish, or at least make some progress), but the dark tone makes me have a lot of trouble keeping with it. I get easily distracted by anything a little bit brighter - clearly my mind's way of telling me that it doesn't want to be watching the show. I agree with pretty much everything you said.

[Abyssal Monkey]

5 hours ago, Fred the Barber said:

I've picked up and put down Shinsekai Yori twice now, the last time at about 10 episodes through. Like you said, the production values and the execution are excellent, and that's why I go back to it (and still want to go back to it again and finish, or at least make some progress), but the dark tone makes me have a lot of trouble keeping with it. I get easily distracted by anything a little bit brighter - clearly my mind's way of telling me that it doesn't want to be watching the show. I agree with pretty much everything you said.

The execution and plot do it for me.  It fully felt like the show thought every last detail through from start to finish, which makes sense because it was a book, but it also didn't compromise on the rest of the values as well.  That dark perspective actually comes from what I believe was HG Well's The Time Machine if I'm not mistaken(it was some notable work of that era), from which Shin Sekai Yori novel was almost a rehash of.

[ittaku]

58 minutes ago, Abyssal Monkey said:

The execution and plot do it for me.  It fully felt like the show thought every last detail through from start to finish, which makes sense because it was a book, but it also didn't compromise on the rest of the values as well.  That dark perspective actually comes from what I believe was HG Well's The Time Machine if I'm not mistaken(it was some notable work of that era), from which Shin Sekai Yori novel was almost a rehash of.

I'm not disagreeing with you at all on that. As a journey it was very well executed. My problem is... it's not the sort of journey I enjoy.

[Nosebleed]

9 minutes ago, ittaku said:

I'm not disagreeing with you at all on that. As a journey it was very well executed. My problem is... it's not the sort of journey I enjoy.

But in a way, isn't it like real life? *insert mind blown gif*

To be honest I loved the message of Shinsekai Yori even more than it's execution. It certainly is a dark tale, but the themes are so well explored that i couldn't help but be mesmerized by the end. You watch these characters grow in a sheltered environment snd then break out of their shell, discovering humanity's ugly side, and then that ending that's so bittersweet and twisted. It kinda felt like everything the show did was perfect for the message they wanted to deliver and that's probably why I loved it so much.

If you want to try another show with a similar "humanity is shit" kind of vibe, I recommend Ima soko ni iru, boku. 

Be warned though, it's basically a depression fest through and through.  The show has a very clear message, and it's all about whether or not you can stomach through it. I personally really enjoyed it and cried a few times.

[ittaku]

4 minutes ago, Nosebleed said:

If you want to try another show with a similar "humanity is shit" kind of vibe, I recommend Ima soko ni iru, boku. 

Be warned though, it's basically a depression fest through and through.  The show has a very clear message, and it's all about whether or not you can stomach through it. I personally really enjoyed it and cried a few times.

That's precisely what I don't want to experience, so thanks for the warning. Real life is bad enough, and I'm too old to experience what amounts to aggravated teenage angst all over again as though it's bringing me some kind of enlightenment any more (I felt different 30 years ago). Anime is where I go to escape these days, not to remind me of what I hate about the real world.

[Dergonu]

Just started watching Tantei Opera Milky Holmes. It's been on my list for quite a while, and I was like ... Meh, why the hell not. It seems cute

Watched 3 episodes and it's pretty decent. Funny and cute is a good way to describe it so far.

(Not gonna lie, the reason it got on my list was because of the 10 hour Kokoro, kokoro! song on youtube )

[Nosebleed]

3 minutes ago, Dergonu said:

Just started watching Tantei Opera Milky Holmes. It's been on my list for quite a while, and I was like ... Meh, why the hell not. It seems cute

Watched 3 episodes and it's pretty decent. Funny and cute is a good way to describe it so far.

(Not gonna lie, the reason it got on my list was because of the 10 hour Kokoro, kokoro! song on youtube )

Milky Holmes is memes. Just remember to not expect the characters to... well... be intelligent.

The first 2 seasons will be the most enjoyable. Season 3 sucked pretty bad. Season 4 kinda recovered from the blow a bit.

[Fred the Barber]

Finished Nisekoi. The last episode was amazing, but the lack of resolution is still annoying. I have no desire to get embroiled further in the ongoing story, so I'll hold out at least until the manga is finished, and hopefully they'll make a season 3 at that time to wrap it all up.

It's weird, though. I usually really like shows that end, satisfyingly, conclusively, tying up the knots. Don't get me wrong: there's a certain artistry to an open ending, and when it's done well it is actually the most interesting kind of ending for me, vs. a neat, complete ending. However, standard otaku content is usually not at a level that can pull that off; Haibane Renmei, in anime, and Rewrite, in VNs, are the only exceptions that come immediately to mind, but if you look in literature you can find plenty of examples. This story couldn't pull it off, but nonetheless it's got me so emotionally invested in both Chitoge and Kosaki that I don't really want to see an ending, because then one of them has to lose (or the ending has to be open, and therefore annoying; or worse, harem).

Or, wait, one more option: I think it's going to have to be a dramatic sudden death for one of the main three players. It's the only way I'll enjoy the ending. Sorry, Raku, but the plot just won't allow you to live.

[Nosebleed]

16 minutes ago, Fred the Barber said:

Finished Nisekoi. The last episode was amazing, but the lack of resolution is still annoying. I have no desire to get embroiled further in the ongoing story, so I'll hold out at least until the manga is finished, and hopefully they'll make a season 3 at that time to wrap it all up.

It's weird, though. I usually really like shows that end, satisfyingly, conclusively, tying up the knots. Don't get me wrong: there's a certain artistry to an open ending, and when it's done well it is actually the most interesting kind of ending for me, vs. a neat, complete ending. However, standard otaku content is usually not at a level that can pull that off; Haibane Renmei, in anime, and Rewrite, in VNs, are the only exceptions that come immediately to mind, but if you look in literature you can find plenty of examples. This story couldn't pull it off, but nonetheless it's got me so emotionally invested in both Chitoge and Kosaki that I don't really want to see an ending, because then one of them has to lose (or the ending has to be open, and therefore annoying; or worse, harem).

Or, wait, one more option: I think it's going to have to be a dramatic sudden death for one of the main three players. It's the only way I'll enjoy the ending. Sorry, Raku, but the plot just won't allow you to live.

Sadly season 2 of the anime leaves out everything that was good about the plot. There was a whole arc dedicated to the locket and how it functions and it gave you a ton of hints on what's to come and what you should expect.

Instead the anime was pandering so much to Chitoge fans that there was no room for anything else. Haru's arc, one of the BEST in all of Nisekoi was completely overlooked and skipped over in season 2, just to give you the bullshit open ending with Chitoge. Haru, in the manga, is the perfect compromise between Chitoge's tsundere personality and Onodera's bashfulness, and reading her arcs brought me utmost joy. Watching the anime though, all I got was disappointment and more disappointment.

Make no mistake, Chitoge will undoubtedly win in the end, and the recent manga chapters are a clear indication of that, but at least in the manga all characters had their fair share of arcs whereas in the anime it was all about Gorilla-ge after season 1, and it was a damn shame to witness.

I fear season 3 won't touch upon all the important stuff season 2 skipped over and Nisekoi will turn into a mess of filler episodes that make little to no sense.

Nisekoi is a series that grabs your attention in a very peculiar way. Hate it or love it, most people end up sticking with it just to see who will win, but right now the anime is clearly biased towards Chitoge and I fear that will impact Nisekoi's perception in the future.

Well, I may just be salty because my favorite Nisekoi girl already got rejected, but I think it's pretty common sense among fans that the 2nd anime season was a huge disservice to the series overall.

If you're expecting some really crazy twist in the resolution though, I'm afraid to inform you Nisekoi did things in a pretty generic way: rejected girls one by one, giving each of them about 2 chapters of closure.

[ittaku]

Doesn't matter for as an anime, Nisekoi standalone is still a very enjoyable experience for those of us who don't want to invest in the manga. Like FTB I'll wait till an inevitable 3rd season comes out to wrap things up, so long as it does wrap things up and there are enough spoilers scattered all over the freaking place on this forum to see that it is wrapping things up. You know who I'm looking at...

[Fred the Barber]

1 hour ago, Nosebleed said:

Sadly season 2 of the anime leaves out everything that was good about the plot. There was a whole arc dedicated to the locket and how it functions and it gave you a ton of hints on what's to come and what you should expect.

Instead the anime was pandering so much to Chitoge fans that there was no room for anything else. Haru's arc, one of the BEST in all of Nisekoi was completely overlooked and skipped over in season 2, just to give you the bullshit open ending with Chitoge. Haru, in the manga, is the perfect compromise between Chitoge's tsundere personality and Onodera's bashfulness, and reading her arcs brought me utmost joy. Watching the anime though, all I got was disappointment and more disappointment.

Make no mistake, Chitoge will undoubtedly win in the end, and the recent manga chapters are a clear indication of that, but at least in the manga all characters had their fair share of arcs whereas in the anime it was all about Gorilla-ge after season 1, and it was a damn shame to witness.

I fear season 3 won't touch upon all the important stuff season 2 skipped over and Nisekoi will turn into a mess of filler episodes that make little to no sense.

Nisekoi is a series that grabs your attention in a very peculiar way. Hate it or love it, most people end up sticking with it just to see who will win, but right now the anime is clearly biased towards Chitoge and I fear that will impact Nisekoi's perception in the future.

Well, I may just be salty because my favorite Nisekoi girl already got rejected, but I think it's pretty common sense among fans that the 2nd anime season was a huge disservice to the series overall.

If you're expecting some really crazy twist in the resolution though, I'm afraid to inform you Nisekoi did things in a pretty generic way: rejected girls one by one, giving each of them about 2 chapters of closure.

Thanks, this is an interestingly different perspective. From my perspective of just watching the anime, I find Haru more a nuisance than anything else, and Kosaki and Chitoge by far the most interesting. Kosaki has the lead most of the time, but Chitoge takes a slight edge near the end. You've definitely got me interested in starting fresh with the manga, so maybe I'll do that once it's all released. But, I really do love the Shaft treatment it's getting in the anime. While I've actually never read a manga before (back off, I've got enough otaku hobbies already; I don't need more), but I can't imagine it would be remotely near this visually appealing.

11 minutes ago, ittaku said:

FTB

I haven't been called that since college...

[ittaku]

Just now, Fred the Barber said:

I haven't been called that since college...

I got lazy

[Fred the Barber]

Just now, ittaku said:

I got lazy

I didn't dislike it.

[ittaku]

Just now, Fred the Barber said:

I didn't dislike it.

Fair enough

Oh and as for Madoka... hrm where the fuck did the spoiler tags go in the edit function. Well without spoilers, I still got a warm feeling about it.

[Fred the Barber]

9 minutes ago, ittaku said:

Fair enough

Oh and as for Madoka... hrm where the fuck did the spoiler tags go in the edit function. Well without spoilers, I still got a warm feeling about it.

That's your other thread, not this one, but I also was fretting about the lack of spoiler tags while I was posting that... the Madoka ending is both very sweet and a little bitter, for me. But I love that, and that combination is the reason Madoka is the show I recommend to people who express interest in trying out anime.

[Arcadeotic]

I'm watching Ansatsu Kyoshitsu Sason 2 at the moment.

It's pretty good, better than S1. Has so much better animation, and the character look so much better. As for the story, this half is where some serious shit is gonna go down, so I'm looking forward to it

Edited March 6, 2016 by Arcadeotic
Yup, I'm just dumb. Thanks for showing the error of my ways, Scorp

[Scorp]

1 hour ago, Arcadeotic said:

I'm watching Ansatsu Kyoshitsu Sason 2 at the moment.

It's pretty good, better than S2.

Something do not match...

[Nosebleed]

7 hours ago, ittaku said:

Doesn't matter for as an anime, Nisekoi standalone is still a very enjoyable experience for those of us who don't want to invest in the manga. Like FTB I'll wait till an inevitable 3rd season comes out to wrap things up, so long as it does wrap things up and there are enough spoilers scattered all over the freaking place on this forum to see that it is wrapping things up. You know who I'm looking at...

Correction: it's good as a standalone if you enjoy Chitoge or Kosaki.

Sadly I think Kosaki represents everything that's wrong with the world and Chitoge is meh. With the manga though I could enjoy all the characters having equal representation, but the anime didn't do the same and i had to witness great characters like Haru being absolutely mistreated. And the worst part was seeing Shaft advertise Haru everywhere and then only giving her 2 episodes.

Of course people ended up thinking Haru is a nuisance when the anime completely skipped over everything related to her, making her a background character entirely when she's supposed to be important to the plot as well as Raku abd Kosaki's relationship.

I've always defended Nisekoi's first season adaptation because of how faithful it was, mind you, but the second season is far from being great if you've eve3 bothered to check out the original story and that's kind of the problem I'm pointing at.

If season 2 had done a good job, you'd have known how the locket functions by now and you'd have gotten a full fledged Haru arc that lasted more than a couple episodes. You might think you're okay with all the open endings, but I want to reiterate how important these arcs are to the overarching plot and how skipping them over means you're essentially discarding the show's initial premises in favor of fillers, and to me that's a pretty poor attitude for a studio to have.

If season 3 revisits the arcs they skipped, maybe I'll forgive it, but as a long time Nisekoi fan, I'm still salty at the atrocity season 2 was.

[ittaku]

I enjoyed it. You can't change that fact.

[Nosebleed]

I'm not saying you shouldn't have enjoyed it, i'm jut encouraging people to check out the vastly superior manga storyline, because believe it or not I think Nisekoi deserves better than that 2nd season and it pains me whenever i see someone settling for it.

But, well, if you don't want to that's fine too.

[Arcadeotic]

Yeah, Nisekoi S1 was enjoyable SoL anime what got me into the manga, but S2 was a dissapointment.

Now that I've read Nisekoi to at least chapter 185, I must say that it's character interactions are nice indeed

I don't hate Nisekoi, rather I find it rather endearing, but I see where the hate comes from

[ittaku]

On 20/2/2016 at 3:19 PM, ittaku said:

Screening the following shows now that I haven't seen that may make it to the wife-watch list.

Natsume Yuujinchou

Seto no Hanayome

Bamboo Blade

Usagi Drop

Shirobako

Haikyuu

Mouretsu Uchuu Kaizoku

Bokura wa Minna Kawaisou

Bearing in mind that a show has to either be awesome and uplifting and mostly funny for my wife to enjoy it...

 

Watched season 1 of Natsume. It was okay but nothing special for me so I'm not watching any more seasons and not gonna bother watching it with my wife.

Seto No Hanayome was pretty good and silly funny which works for my wife so we watched that one through and she loved it.

Bamboo blade was good throughout but not that funny so I won't bother re-watching it with my wife.

Usagi Drop is cute but not awesome and it isn't funny enough so it's dropped.

Shirobako only seen one episode so far too early to tell

Haikyuu was great fun, but it's not complete so I'll wait till S2 is finished and then rewatch it with my wife.

Mouretsu pirates is okay but not really that funny so I'll finish it but won't bother with the wife watch.

Bokura was fun and at some stage will rewatch with my wife.

 

What I'm planning to watch with her next are: Nichijou, School Rumble and Azumanga Daioh before moving to some of the others I've screened.

(BTW my wife has enjoyed Nisekoi so far as well).

Screening Girls Und Panzer and Btoom next.

[LiquidShu]

What's the difference between the original Fate/Stay Night anime vs. the Unlimited Blade Works other than production values, if any? 

On a side note, on episode 10 and my golly is this show beautiful to watch. Not to mention the soundtrack is superb. What really really got me was the battles, especially when Archer and Lancer first clashed WOW. Just thinking back on the majority of fights to happen thus far I get filled with excitement. The colors and lighting, smooth af animation, the sounds of blades hitting, man-oh-man am I loving this. The overall mood feels lighter than Fate/Zero which is kinda unfortunate but not a big deal. The characters in F/S N are plenty enough to keep me entertained on the plot/character side of things. 

Rin is love, Saber is love, Rider is love, Caster tbt, Sakura is love, Fuji-neeeee makes the cake too. Hell might as well through Emiya on board too. 

[Fred the Barber]

15 hours ago, ittaku said:

Bearing in mind that a show has to either be awesome and uplifting and mostly funny for my wife to enjoy it...

 

Watched season 1 of Natsume. It was okay but nothing special for me so I'm not watching any more seasons and not gonna bother watching it with my wife.

Seto No Hanayome was pretty good and silly funny which works for my wife so we watched that one through and she loved it.

Bamboo blade was good throughout but not that funny so I won't bother re-watching it with my wife.

Usagi Drop is cute but not awesome and it isn't funny enough so it's dropped.

Shirobako only seen one episode so far too early to tell

Haikyuu was great fun, but it's not complete so I'll wait till S2 is finished and then rewatch it with my wife.

Mouretsu pirates is okay but not really that funny so I'll finish it but won't bother with the wife watch.

Bokura was fun and at some stage will rewatch with my wife.

 

What I'm planning to watch with her next are: Nichijou, School Rumble and Azumanga Daioh before moving to some of the others I've screened.

(BTW my wife has enjoyed Nisekoi so far as well).

Screening Girls Und Panzer and Btoom next.

I'm actually really sad to hear you didn't think Usagi Drop was awesome. That's a high bar to meet, certainly, but for me, it was definitely awesome. Girls Und Panzer is actually really good, but definitely do not watch the OVAs - they are mostly garbage (one was ok - the rest were unmitigated garbage). Have you watched Kokoro Connect? It's a tiny bit fanservicey for the first episode or two, and the description makes it sound much more so, but it gets good fast and it's got a very nice rhythm to it. In total contrast to Girls Und Panzer, the OVA feels like just another story arc, and is the second-best arc IMO (between one season and the OVA, it has four very distinct, well-contained story arcs).

 

I finished my rewatch of Love Live! season one. Apparently I didn't actually forget much at all, but it was so disconcerting when season two started up with both an English dub and the conclusion of an event of which I had no recollection that I felt I had no choice but to rewatch. Season one was pretty great, again, though it definitely wasn't as amazing as the first time I watched it. Now fully armed with context, I'm ready to proceed to season two; hopefully it grabs my heart the way season one did the first time I saw it.