Hydaelyn Role-Players

Robots robots robots robots. I just recently re-watched Shin Mazinger Shougeki Z-hen, as well as the Mazinkaiser miniseries/OVA. As far as actual series, Mushibugyo just ended...and so did Majestic Prince...but other than those, I'm watching Gifuu Doudou, Danball Senki Wars, and hopefully some sub groups will be picking up Gaist Crusher. (And the new Hajime no Ippo starts in two days, I'm hype as hell for that.)

Manga-wise, there was just a few I regularly keep up on. Namely, Toriko, Kingdom, and Onepunch Man. Those are my big three as far as currently running series. Toriko's still a Jump weekly, so it's out every week, Kingdom has been long running, so they translate about 8 chapters a week, which is nice, and Onepunch is like...two chapters a month, if we're lucky.

(10-04-2013, 02:24 AM)Torvhan Wrote: [ -> ]

(10-03-2013, 11:33 AM)Dogberry Wrote: [ -> ]

(10-01-2013, 04:24 PM)X Wrote: [ -> ]I gotta be honest. While I'm a pretty fabulous individual, Free! Iwatobi Swim Club makes me feel a little uncomfortable...

I watched a few episodes, but I got this unsettling feeling like there's a government van outside my house getting ready to take me away. So I stopped. I wonder if straight guys feel that way when watching every other anime ever? :b

Yes, it is.

Source: I watched an episode of Strike Witches.

Haha, I'm a pretty big fan of the cute girls doing cute things in anime group, but I must admit first time I picked up Strike Witches I dropped if before finishing the first episode (back when it started airing.) Thinking wellllll that was weird.

Hehehe, I never had any weird feeling on Strike Witches (my brain has created a compartment titled "WTF Japan?" that allows me to ignore some of the oddities per my American culture).  Instead, I watched all of Strike Witches and came away with ".....meh, nothing special. It was okay, though."

My most reason disappointment was Cat Planet Cuties. After reading comments that it was actually pretty good despite the obvious intent of fan service, I gave it a shot.  I'll agree, with slightly toning down some fan service, the first half was a solid show, but it felt like they hit the story's climax/resolution at that point and the last half was just sort of fan service filler to stretch out the show.  Seemed like they resolved the primary conflict way too early for the sake of more bouncy and nakey.  Status: I am disappoint.

Also, Sword Art Online.... $90ish dollars per blu ray and divided into 3 sets?  Aniplex, I am FURIOUSLY DISAPPOINT!  >:/

I also liked Our Home's Fox Deity.  Nice spin on the harem anime not having a real harem aspect.

Recommendation: Mawaru Penguindrum
It's really weird! But that's good too!

Hmm... Penguindrum...

I always feel like when I don't like an artsy anime or movie it's because I'm just too stupid and uncultured to 'get it' but honestly I just think Penguindrum went way too far out of its way to make the plot obscure and hard to follow. By the end I still didn't know what the heck I had just watched or why anything any of the characters did mattered. I went to talk to the guy who 'recommended' it to me about his take on it and he replied: 'I never recommended that show to you. I just said it had good theme and ending songs'. I had one or two of my other anime buddies check it out and it left all of us scratching our heads.

I mean, I'm no neanderthal... I love stuff like 5cm/s or my abovementioned Wolf Children movie, and even super-artsy stuff like Revolutionary Girl Utena is fine as long as I know what the stakes are and why people are doing stuff but...

I guess what I'm saying is Penguindrum might not be a great recommendation for people unless you like the concept of not being able to understand what you are watching in the least. If you do, it is for you.

Edit: I feel bad about raining on someone else's recommendation without putting one of my own up for scrutiny so in the same vein of really insane anime that will make you mouth the word 'what?' silently to yourself over and over I submit to you Jinrui wa Suitai Shimashita (Humanity has Declined). A story about a world where humanity has... well... declined. They're almost gone. In their place is the new ruler of the world: little fairy folks! The fairies are apparently all-powerful, with the ability to bend reality to their choosing... too bad they're too lazy and airheaded to do anything but make life crazy for everyone. Our main character is a mediator between the remaining humans and the fairies, though she seems just as confused by their actions as everyone else.

Here's the opening and a few scenes that sets the tone for the series:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qqDdy-Lxiek
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42u4ytkzAWw (note: contains a loaf of bread committing graphic suicide)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AaDy0KBCauU

I agree that by the end Penguindrum was ridiculously hard to follow. And I can't say it all makes sense to me either. But the impact it had, and the emotion of the characters was overwhelming. You care, even if you don't understand why. It made me stressed, anxious, and at times extremely uncomfortable, but being able to evoke such strong reactions is an accomplishment in itself. That's part of what makes Penguindrum awesome.

Jinrui ha Suitai Shimashita is another good, yet confusing one. I'd like to say that the strangest part was when the loaf of bread committed suicide. But as anyone who's seen it can attest to, that's not the case. Once she starts time traveling and cloning herself via banana peels, all bets are off.

 
But the king of difficult to understand anime is still Ergo Proxy. You'd have to be an art, classic lit, psychology, and philosophy major to understand that series. It just has so much going on at all times. Yet it's not a mess, it's just very tightly packed with content. It's, however, one of my favourite shows ever.
It could be considered a spin-off of the classic sci-fi book "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" so any Blade Runner fans would probably love it. I know I did.

Another series that touches on the same themes of android sentience and the moral and ethical implications for humans is the 6 episode OVA series Eve no Jikan. That one is also brilliant. It's more like a movie than a series though. I'd say watch it all in one go. In fact, they made a movie version that has added scenes, so look for that one.


If anyone wants something recommended to them, feel free to ask. I currently have exactly 300 completed anime things under my belt. I say things, because not all of them are series. Some are specials, some are movies, some ONAs.
Still, it amounts to a total of 1615 hours, or 67.3 consecutive days of anime stuff.

Also, Legend of Korra! I know a lot of people are disliking the second season so far, but I am enjoying it thoroughly!

(10-07-2013, 12:00 AM)Tobias Nightbringer Wrote: [ -> ]Also, Legend of Korra! I know a lot of people are disliking the second season so far, but I am enjoying it thoroughly!

Not anime!

and can Mako please die in a fire already

I recommend Madoka Magica... I recently finished watching and it's a good series if you're ready to go, "Wait... what... wait... WHAT? The... the hell just happened? That's... what... Okay, next episode!"

Seriously. If the series isn't infamous enough that its reputation precedes it, be warned. It's rather dark.

A series I really enjoyed was A Sunday without god. 神様のいない日曜日
Its a nice kind of segmented anime with interesting arcs in a world that I really wish had more explanation. It is about a world where god has ceased to exist and allows people to live even if they should of died.

the main character is a 'Gravekeeper' whom is supposedly supposed to bury the 'dead but living' and let them pass into heaven. Alternatively, people cant be born. There hasn't been a child born in 15 years or so.


i'd give it a 9/10. It has a Angel beats feel - but with a better premise.

(10-07-2013, 12:18 PM)Naunet Wrote: [ -> ]Not anime!

and can Mako please die in a fire already

Okay not TECHNICALLY an anime, but still regardless! And why does EVERYONE hate Mako!? xD

(10-08-2013, 01:19 AM)Tobias Nightbringer Wrote: [ -> ]

(10-07-2013, 12:18 PM)Naunet Wrote: [ -> ]Not anime!

and can Mako please die in a fire already

Okay not TECHNICALLY an anime, but still regardless! And why does EVERYONE hate Mako!? xD

I like Mako. It gives people such beautiful, vibrant eye colour.

Let's see here...

Wak-Fu!
Hare+Guu
FLCL
Big O
Tenchi Muyo, Tenchi Universe, Tenchi In Tokyo
Rurouni Kenshin
Zoids
Club to Death Angel
.hack//Liminality
Cowboy Bebop
Gigantor
Cyborg 009

(10-08-2013, 01:19 AM)Tobias Nightbringer Wrote: [ -> ]

(10-07-2013, 12:18 PM)Naunet Wrote: [ -> ]Not anime!

and can Mako please die in a fire already

Okay not TECHNICALLY an anime, but still regardless! And why does EVERYONE hate Mako!? xD

For me, it's because I find his character a boring mash-up of Zuko and Jet from The Last Airbender whose primary purpose has been to serve as a (very cliche) love interest for Korra, who he doesn't even have chemistry with. >_< I also hate that his presence has relegated Bolyn to basically a lesser Sokka role - all the comedic relief with none of the character development ever since Mako and Korra got together. Q to the Q!

(09-29-2013, 03:48 PM)Tobias Nightbringer Wrote: [ -> ]Soooooo...

Attack on Titan series (Anime) is over...probably forever. *sigh* Well it was a great run while it lasted!

Really? Cause everyone's a buzz with this whole "Second season" idea being a thing.

Ughhhh, the new season is starting, with so many delicious new series.
Gundam Build Fighters.
Unbreakable Machine Doll.
Kill la Kill.
Blazblue - Alter Memory.
Yuushibu.

Those are just the ones I'm thinking of picking up right now (In addition to the Gifuu Doudou and Danball Senki Wars I watch every week.), and there's a ton more. Oh jeeez.