Official Anime/Manga Thread

[Cola]

Its not my fault your missing out on something great.

Gurren Lagann is too overrated and we already have Megas XLR, THE SUPERIOR ROBOT SHOW and FLCL is just there to be strange so you'd probably get more from Eraserhead than anything.

 

>gurren-lagann

 

>overrated

 

 

GET OUT

 

YOU MAY HAVE A POINT AND IT MAY BE TRUE BUT I'M RELUCTANT TO ACCEPT IT BUT JUST GET OUT

Edited January 18, 2013 by Cola

[\gunther]

Looking for more comical Gainax suggestions besides P&S.

Just Gainax?

 

Otaku no Video's a safe bet. Oruchuban Ebichu is good if you don't mind really dirty humor. Never saw Hanamaru Kindergarten, but it seems cutesy if that's your shtick. 

 

Apparently, His and Her Circumstances has humor, but it's mostly a love drama, from what I've heard.

[Yoko/葉子]

Just Gainax?

 

Otaku no Video's a safe bet. Oruchuban Ebichu is good if you don't mind really dirty humor. Never saw Hanamaru Kindergarten, but it seems cutesy if that's your shtick. 

 

Apparently, His and Her Circumstances has humor, but it's mostly a love drama, from what I've heard.

Ah. I love the cute.

 

His and Her Circumstances was directed by Anno to a lot of people's surprise

[\gunther]

Apparently the ending was weird and underwhelming, so it's no shocker. 

[Lady Soniko]

So this Black Rock Shooter thing would be infinitely better without the melodramatic slice of life bullshit. Just saying.

 

It's not for everyone, but the so called "melodramatic bullshit" you are referring to is a critical plot point that you must make with the human characters to understand the psychological twist the anime throws into your gut like a cannonball in the 2 closing episodes, I admit the series has a lot of padding, but half the reason people look down on it is because they just want to see skinny fit demon girls trying to kill each other with oversized weaponry like badasses, when the entire series is based around slice of life from the start, because it's not an action flick series, but a thriller with some action.

 

Tell me about it, I got bored mostly through the first episode because of it.

 

But episode 2 paid off for it greatly yes? The spider chariot wrecking BRS's shit up, before BRS declaring she's had enough and stops fucking around while annihilating Spider's face with several thousand rounds from her Rock Gatling? 

 

BRS is a merch commercial, plain and simple. It's a fairly inoffensive and safe series that tries to pander to both the slice-of-life crowd and the cool anime babe fighting crowd. The guys behind the anime and ova even stated the real money is in merchandise, if I recall correctly.

 

I say this as someone who owns a Black Rock Shooter Figma and wishes he had a Dead Master one.

 

Correct and Incorrect, the OVA was simply a project the team mustered to try and present the fans with something for their overwhelming support from RYO's Black Rock Shooter Music video and Huke's character design, The song got grossly popular, and made it into severl Vocaloid CD album releases, which in return got HUKE hooked up with Supercell's clients and collaborators, the main one being Goodsmile Company, official manufacturers of all things Miku, who then turned one of HUKE's illustrations of Black Rock Shooter into a PVC figurine, that almost instantly sold out in Japan on release, that's when HUKE signed the contract of partnership with Goodsmile and they started making top end quality merch of the characters, because of this they formed the team "Black Rock Project" whom were the creators of the OVA, that they made for the fans, with no intention of making money from it, streamed it free in Japan on several media sites, as well as offer a free DVD with certain model magazines to promote it.

 

The OVA kinda sealed BRS' fate then and there, it was not the direction fans were expecting, but apparently this is HUKE's idea from the start, so it became a slice of life styled storyline with the otherworld filling in the blanks, but due to fucking insane character designs, BRS thrives as one of the most popular anime's in Japan, EVER, so what happens with popular series in Japan? They spawn animes, and games for the PSP, that's the route the series has taken, as die hard fan as i am, even i was left with unanswered questions and frustration from the anime with their questionable take on the series, but man do I love the merch... It's just become a cash cow series now, but i've supported HUKE from the start, when he was a nobody so this is just me supporting my favourite artist of all time.

 

I also say this as someone who owns the ENTIRETY of the Black Rock Shooter figure lines, from PVC, to Figma, Nendoroid and Even the super big Real Action Heroes release, I even went for the exclusive releases and overpriced DVD Set FOR the iBRS figma, so I really, REALLY know what I'm talking about in terms of merchandise AND the series here.  

 

I'm pretty sure Soniko can explain it when she's online.

 

I can explain in vaaaaaaaaaaaaast detail if you'd like, I can even compare OVA and the anime and why the anime bugs me so fucking much from episode 3-5 but it's up to you if you want several walls of text.

Edited January 20, 2013 by Black☆Rock Shooter

[SuperLink]

I have a bit of a lovehate relationship with BRS as a franchise.. Basically I love Dead Master and the OVA, I especially love Dead Master in the OVA. I have this really awesome Dead Master figurine that's unfortunately a bit damaged atm.

 

I didn't like the anime too much (i still liked it a lot but disappointing etc), the slice of life stuff was okaaay but very confusing with erratic pacing and very inconsistent characters.. ironically my personal fav character of the anime (Saya) also happens to be the most inconsistent of the lot! Seriously what's she smoking. Oh also the anime made me love Black Gold Saw and Strength, BGS is now my fav BRS of the lot. Meanwhile Mato and Yomi (and Dead Master by extension) really disappointed me in the anime so I don't like DM as much as I used to.

 

By the way, all the fight scenes in the anime were fucking brilliant, animated in a great animation/3d mix that made it hard to tell whether it was 3D or not most of the time, very fluid and exciting and well choreographed and just a real treat of spectacle to watch!

Edited January 20, 2013 by SuperLink

[Lady Soniko]

The closing episodes of the anime simply were just a mind fuck, and total intense battle pornography to my eyes, the fighting between Insane YUU and Insane BRS simply was a spectacle, iBRS is a fucking tank that took down Gold Saw without flinching, and no matter how much iYuu threw her around, she still gave as good as she got, I personally dislike DM and her design in the anime, also for the obvious fan pandering linking back to the OVA where BRS fought DM, but they clearly stated this was a fucking different verse from the OVA, so why did they have to throw in a nostalgic battle between DM and BRS when BRS spent the best part of 2 episodes busting her ass to free DM from Chariots obsessive grip, it was inconsistent and  hated how weak DM was depicted as in the rush job of a battle she was forced into between the slice of life segments, instead of trying to ping our nostalgia boners from the OVA, why didn't they spend more time focusing on another character's role in the series to make it flow and mesh better? This is when you realize it was simply made just for the desire of selling, rather than to please the fans.

 

It's a mixed case indeed, but that is my main pet peeve with DM in the anime.

[...]

So, I started watching Highschool Of The Dead. I like it, the animation and fight scenes are well done, and the story is OK. The thing that turns me of is the highly gratuitous amounts of fanservice. I mean, fanservice is fanservice, but I don't want boobs and panties on my face every five seconds. :I also the music is boss

[Lady Soniko]

So, I started watching Highschool Of The Dead. I like it, the animation and fight scenes are well done, and the story is OK. The thing that turns me of is the highly gratuitous amounts of fanservice. I mean, fanservice is fanservice, but I don't want boobs and panties on my face every five seconds. :I also the music is boss

 

HSotD is basically as fanservice as ecchi anime gets, I honestly think the only series that is a worse offender than it are Ikki Tousen and Seikon No Qwaser

[...]

HSotD is basically as fanservice as ecchi anime gets, I honestly think the only series that is a worse offender than it are Ikki Tousen and Seikon No Qwaser

Try telling me that when you watch To Love-Ru Darkness, Girls Bravo, or Queen's Blade :v

[SuperLink]

Agreed, I think most people didn't like the DM/BRS/Yomi/Mato interaction in the anime.. everyone expected it, but it was rushed, a bit forced.. and the battle between DM and BRS was just really disappointing compared to in the OVA, their fight became redundant like instantly too.

 

Idk I really didn't like how utterly spineless Yomi was in the anime, she was really cool and pretty in the OVA and yeah she got jealous but not.... like that............

Also Strength makes me cry man I loved Strength poor baby :'l the saddest part in the whole series for me is when Mato realised Yuu/Strength wasn't "real" and I was like NOOO... THAT'S SO MEAN.. I didn't like Yuu at all (in either the OVA or the anime) but Strength was amazing in the anime she was an amazing friend to both Mato and Saya :'3

 

I think I just gushed a bit don't mind me.

 

EDIT: Man I think Queen's Blade goes past fanservice altogether-

Edited January 20, 2013 by SuperLink

[Lady Soniko]

I honestly think Seikon No Qwaser is one step above Queen's Blade actually, and Ikki Tousen is pretty damn bad in terms of sex and horniness...

 

Well, Yuu was real, they simply swapped bodies because STRENGTH couldn't deal with the hostility of the Otherworld, whilst Yuu could due to being treated like dirt and an outcast in the human world, they swapped bodies and stuck that way, even after the confession.

 

What confused me is how BRS was some sort of hero, but through the eyes of STRENGTH, BRS was a mindless killer, seriously tarnishing my view on her as a good guy, when in reality she's more of an anti-hero, but I also think depending on how Mato is dealing with life it also effects BRS' psyche and personality, as by the end episode, iBRS was the corrupt version of Mato suffering in the real world, and when she cried out for her friends and rekindled the hope in her heart, the "True" BRS emerged in the form of herself where she continued to purge the evil and doubt from her corrupted self.

 

In reality this was Mato battling with her own emotions and overcoming the doubt in her heart and mind, so the anime didn't expand on that but I honestly think BRS has been an ace of all trades when it comes to emotion.

Edited January 20, 2013 by Black☆Rock Shooter

[...]

I honestly think Seikon No Qwaser is one step above Queen's Blade actually, and Ikki Tousen is pretty damn bad in terms of sex and horniness...

Never seen Tousen. Though, the HOTD OVA is pretty much near to a hentai as the series goes.

[Lady Soniko]

Ikki Tousen IS Hentai, with fighting.

[...]

Ikki Tousen IS Hentai, with fighting.

10/10 will most likely take a look at

[SuperLink]

I kinda liked how BRS was the main hero but also the main villain, it showed how Mato had to learn multiple times how to deal with emotion and the issues in her life, that her previous methods seemed to work but not completely, etc. Because of that I didn't mind Strength seeing BRS as a villain.. Strength just wanted to get through to Mato in her own way.

 

I know that Yuu was real and that she swapped with Strength, but I still didn't like Yuu at all. Yuu was very selfish and treated Strength like an object, I don't feel like Yuu was really redeemed either.

I understand why she acted in the way she did, but it wasn't enough to make me like her. If they wanted me to feel sorry for her I don't think she was written well enough.

[Lady Soniko]

I kinda liked how BRS was the main hero but also the main villain, it showed how Mato had to learn multiple times how to deal with emotion and the issues in her life, that her previous methods seemed to work but not completely, etc. Because of that I didn't mind Strength seeing BRS as a villain.. Strength just wanted to get through to Mato in her own way.

 

I know that Yuu was real and that she swapped with Strength, but I still didn't like Yuu at all. Yuu was very selfish and treated Strength like an object, I don't feel like Yuu was really redeemed either.

I understand why she acted in the way she did, but it wasn't enough to make me like her. If they wanted me to feel sorry for her I don't think she was written well enough.

 

Honestly, I blame the lack of Yuu solely down to the BRS & DM padding fight, they had plenty of time to extend Yuu's story and explain it better rather than make her the typical hard ass girl who hates life because no one understands her, I think Yuu decided to punish herself in order to feel needed and useful, speculation leads me to believe that once Yuu switched bodies with STRENGTH, she climbed out the pit and faced BRS and made a pact with her to become the Otherworld Grim Reaper, dragging the bodies that BRS had slain to the great other world chasm to dump, if you noticed in the Anime, BRS left STRENGTH alone in the midst of battle, so in a way Yuu became a tool to BRS, making Yuu feel needed for once, because someone actually acknowledged she was there.

 

I feel Yuu did redeem herself in some way by offering STRENGTH a chance to live a life of love and friendship, but did ultimately use STRENGTH's weakness as her plan to swap in the first place, so in the end I think they both won out.

 

The depth in Black Rock Shooter is unbelievably huge you've just got to dig for answers and realize it's not just another slice of life flick with action scenes, but an emotional struggle for supremacy and acceptance that we all come to at some point in our life, that's why I feel particularly close to Mato in this regard, because I've struggled emotionally against my own demons in life, and I literally think this is what the series is getting at.

[Kuzu]

Man, I miss all the good convos.

[Soniman]

So im liking One Piece so far, it's been a really fun watch so far with some great moments, happy and sad.

 

Im about halfway through the Alabasta Arc, and I'm really enjoying Vivi's character arc regarding her struggles with trying to save her kingdom.

 

Luffy is kind of annoying the fuck out of me though. For a captain he's a terrible leader and is constantly throwing a monkey wrench into the plans that his other more competent cremates careful lay out. He's always getting lost, always not thinking, it actually reminds me of Kamina without most of the charm or the benefit of a Simon to even him out. It's kind of that feeling I see Naruto calling himself a ninja (in the beginning), with Luffy I see a kid playing pirate with delusions of grandeur, and I guess that's part of his charm that we as the viewer/reader may enjoy seeing him evolve into the badass he aspires to be, but as of now I'm not enjoying his character to much, I just see him as a general hindrance to the rest of the crew and only serves to beat the shit out of the current big bad. My favorite character moment from him so far is when he fought for Nami's freedom, that was pretty great.

Edited January 20, 2013 by Soniman

[Solkia]

Give it another 400 episodes. He gets better.

 

Personally that loveable dumbass side of him is what got me into the show in the first place.

Edited January 20, 2013 by Underaged Hot Anime Girl

[Kuzu]

I think Luffy really starts to shine as a character in the Water 7/Enies Lobby arc where he steps up as a leader and proves his worth. His dumbass side is honestly one of the most hilarious parts of the show. But I can see how one would be tired of the archetype.

[Soniman]

I think Luffy really starts to shine as a character in the Water 7/Enies Lobby arc where he steps up as a leader and proves his worth. His dumbass side is honestly one of the most hilarious parts of the show. But I can see how one would be tired of the archetype.

 Don't get me wrong there are parts where it does get a laugh out of me, but there are other times where it comes off as kinda not needed in the more dire situations, most of the time I just want him to buckle down and get shit down (which he does when he actually starts fighting).

[Sean]

Luffy acting like a kid is the whole point of Luffy.

One Piece is a manga about characters who don't act accordingly to every serious situation. Almost every member of Luffy's crew wrecks havoc unintentionally and causes a bigger mess than they anticipated, all because they got lost in some forest or thought that one sea monster looked really tasty. What's fun about Luffy is that you don't always know what he's thinking. He's the typical shonen idiot hero, but he does not angst over his lack of strength or inability to defeat someone. In fact he even makes fun of himself for losing to a guy once. There's a lot of speculation that Luffy isn't as big of an idiot as he lets on, and he's quick to perceive things that others don't. Luffy acts childish all the time because to him, being a pirate is damn fun.

Criticizing Luffy for not being a good captain is also a moot point because none of the Straw Hats are very good pirates. Many of them detested pirates before meeting Luffy; it's clear that the only reason they're on an adventure is because of their dreams and because they look out for each other. The Straw Hats are as rag-tag as you can get - they're extremely rough around the edges as pirates, and their notoriety builds because they don't care who gets in their way.

Saying that Luffy is a hindrance to the Straw Hats couldn't be any further from the truth because he's the one who always manages to hold them together. He has the capabilities of being a good leader, but he doesn't act the part all the time because there's just no fun in that. When you think about it, Luffy is basically the team's morale, and he always goes through hell for them and others.

[Yoko/葉子]

Got my Central Park Media version of Slayers season 1, funny as Hel. Debating whether to get some more Ranma, Maison Ikkoku, Crest of the Stars or Video Girl Ai.

[Soniman]

Luffy acting like a kid is the whole point of Luffy.

One Piece is a manga about characters who don't act accordingly to every serious situation. Almost every member of Luffy's crew wrecks havoc unintentionally and causes a bigger mess than they anticipated, all because they got lost in some forest or thought that one sea monster looked really tasty. What's fun about Luffy is that you don't always know what he's thinking. He's the typical shonen idiot hero, but he does not angst over his lack of strength or inability to defeat someone. In fact he even makes fun of himself for losing to a guy once. There's a lot of speculation that Luffy isn't as big of an idiot as he lets on, and he's quick to perceive things that others don't. Luffy acts childish all the time because to him, being a pirate is damn fun.

Criticizing Luffy for not being a good captain is also a moot point because none of the Straw Hats are very good pirates. Many of them detested pirates before meeting Luffy; it's clear that the only reason they're on an adventure is because of their dreams and because they look out for each other. The Straw Hats are as rag-tag as you can get - they're extremely rough around the edges as pirates, and their notoriety builds because they don't care who gets in their way.

Saying that Luffy is a hindrance to the Straw Hats couldn't be any further from the truth because he's the one who always manages to hold them together. He has the capabilities of being a good leader, but he doesn't act the part all the time because there's just no fun in that. When you think about it, Luffy is basically the team's morale, and he always goes through hell for them and others.

 

 

You know what? I think you're right in the end, I figure that I'm just tying to treat this far more straight/cut and dry than it really is. So with the right frame of reference in mind I think I can start to enjoy Luffy's character a bit more, I think it's because I've seen so many characters like him that I kind of just got burnt out on that particular archetype. 

 

Though in this context, of just a bunch of screwballs pirates going on misadventures, it's not really that bad I suppose.  He's still not my favorite or anything, but who knows, maybe he'll grow on me.

Edited January 20, 2013 by Soniman