The Anime Thread 2 :)

[gogoyippy]

Great recommendations. Just finished watching Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood and Fist of the North Star, good watch.
Have seen the first FMA series prior, and would recommend both FMA and FMA: Brotherhood, the latter being closer to the manga but both great in their own way.

[Ulti]

Just an update on some quick thoughts of the anime I watched from last season and the ones I started this season:

Finished:

Red Data Girl: Dropped this as I couldn't stand the slow and boring plot.

Yuyushiki: The comedy factor kinda dropped out in the end but never the less it did keep me laughing throughout the series even though at some points I could not follow the jokes. Definitely worth a watch if you like funny slice of life genres - stay away if you don't as you'll find it boring.

Oreimo 2: I'm not sure why but after watching the first season of Oreimo I loved it - probably because all the characters are awesome in their own way. Kuroneko is just simply amazing in everything she does, Kirino is the typical tsundere that almost everyone falls for and Ayase was a surprisingly funny yandere character. Unfortunately the ending of Oreimo 2 was very rushed IMO and they tried to put too much into it, turning it into a complete harem. Hopefully the last 3 episodes/OVAs will fix things.

Aiura: I was expecting it to be similar to Yuyushiki but I did not expect each episode to only be 4 mins long! The opening takes a min too and ending another 30 seconds so there's not much animation. Compared to Yuyushiki it was definitely less memorable and you could tell that the budget was much lower as there were an awful lot of still frames - even when there wasn't much animation time to "fill" in the first place! Nonetheless, it was still an enjoyable watch and the characters were different from those in Yuyushiki so you don't really end up comparing the two too much.

Suisei no Gargantia: I realised sometime throughout watching it that Urobochi Gen did not actually write this anime IIRC but I still kept waiting for a dark twist in the anime. Unfortunately the plot was too predictable for me so I wasn't really looking forward to the anime but the ending was quite memorable due to the awesome AI, Chamber. I loved Chamber's "personality" (well he's an AI so it's not really a personality but I can't think of a better word due to my poor vocab) and that really was what kept me watching it the whole time. Wasn't really fond of the other characters at all and some of the blatant fan service scenes was really unneeded in an anime like this I felt.

Aku no Hana: I gradually got used to the animation but unfortunately the anime moved quite slowly IMO. However, that did not stop me from watching it as somewhere within me, I believed that it would get better and I would say some of the scenes were actually quite well done once you look past the rotoscoping. It's a shame it didn't get onto the most interesting part of the arc, I think if they ended it at the end of the arc (I know it's vague but I don't want to spoil) instead of where it ended, it would have been a much nicer watch and wouldn't have felt slow - I was expecting them to end it at the end of the arc so I was surprised that they left it on a slight cliffhanger. I can't imagine them making a second season out of the remainder of the arc; it would be far too drawn out, just like this first season. If they were to continue into the second arc then they would again have to end in the middle of the arc - not sure what they're thinking really.

Yahari Ore no Seishun Love Come wa Machigatteiru: Simply splendid. I'm sure everyone that watched this to the end enjoyed it, probably because we all relate to the main character in one way or another. The comedy in this was second to none IMO and the characters were all really well done - they developed and interacted nicely with each other even though they all had different ideals. Hopefully there'll be a second season for this as I see it still has potential and it's more than capable of continuing.

Nerawareta Gakuen: This is actually an anime film, I found it after searching for supercell's songs (It's a shame not many of the Japanese singers I listen to are on UK iTunes but they're slowing getting to UK iTunes - managed to buy a lot of EGOIST and May'n songs on there) The animation for the film was really beautiful, the song was beautiful, however, the plot was just really bad. It didn't stop me from watching the whole film though, but I felt the plot just didn't manage to get through to the audience, not to me at least. There wasn't really a "focus". If I were to try to explain it, the time warp, special powers and romance were just not done well enough and it ended up as a mishmash. It's really a shame as I tried to enjoy it but I just got really bored whilst watching it.

Ongoing:

Hunter x Hunter: The duo just keep getting stronger and stronger through their training. This current arc hasn't been too strong though, the first few arcs kept me watching and wanting to find out what happens next (even though it's rather obvious that the main chars will defeat everything as it is a shounen) but lately it's been mixed for me. I guess I had high expectations for HxH and it hasn't quite met them for the latest episodes. I still find myself laughing though at some scenes and I do want to see how they progress through the Chimera ant arc as the Chimera ant army just seems really hard to beat so it'll be an interesting watch to see how they're defeated.

Naruto Shippuuden: The fillers just ended recently so I watched an episode of the latest Naruto but it was simply disappointing. I do want to find out what happens in the story but I would probably enjoy it more from just reading it on the Wiki rather than watching the terrible anime. I guess I'm just simply too old to watch Naruto now.

Shingeki no Kyojin: Another favourite for most people. I liked the pacing at the beginning but it started to slow down and there was even a recap episode.. Not sure if it's me but I generally find recap episodes are wasted. I don't mind flashback scenes but a whole episode dedicated to recaps/flashbacks is just no fun to watch. I really like the concept of humans vs titans so I'll keep watching to see how it fares.

New:

This season is quite disappointing IMO, I'm quite surprised at the fact that it's summer but there aren't really any good anime. Maybe it's just my tastes? I'm hoping to watch something like Shinsekai Yori again, that was very suspenseful throughout the series and it kept making me want more, something that none of the anime I've watched since then have done.

Gatchaman Crowds: Don't ask why I'm watching this - even I don't know why. If I had to compare it to something, I guess I would call it power rangers JP ver., a team of Gatchaman are picked in order to fight aliens and save the world from destruction. The characters are all given their own personality and I can definitely see potential for them to develop and mesh together. I think watching 2 episodes is more than enough for me though, it's not really my preferred genre.

Watamote: An anime about an otaku girl struggling to enjoy highschool life. It's very extreme but that's what makes it quite funny. I say quite as it's not getting me to fully laugh. I'm not sure if we're meant to but it's quite hard to feel sympathy for the main character as her thoughts/morals are quite screwed up IMO. I probably will finish this though due to a lack of decent anime this season unless it gets truly boring.

Genei wo Kakeru Taiyo: Magical girls fighting evil demons to save the world, reminds me of Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica as I feel there's something dark in the story. The way some of the scenes are drawn is somewhat gruesome too when you compare it to the loli/slightly SD/chibi style of the anime. If they made all the characters less like that I think I would be watching this till the end for sure. Right now I'm considering dropping it as I'm not too fond of the animation style but I feel there's something in the story and I don't want to miss out on it. On the other hand, I'm not sure how far the plot can go in the first place as the setting is rather constricted, unlike Madoka where it was open and confusing at first but then everything fell into place.

Monogatari: You can see how much I loved the Monogatari series a few pages back after I finished off watching Bakemonogatari and Nisemonogatari. Senjougahara is just such a memorable and iconic figure of the Monogatari series that you simply can't forget. I'm sure Hanekawa has quite a lot of popularity too so the way this season opened was really nice to get viewers back into the series. I've got to applaud them for the first two episodes as it shows how fan service should be done, not simply thrown in for the sake of it. I'm looking forward to Araragi's appearance as he's really just an amazing character.

Genshiken Nidaime: I didn't expect this one - I watched the first two Genshiken animes quite a while back and from what I remember, most of the main characters had graduated so I thought it was the actual end. The new characters they've added are unique though and not something I see very often in other animes, if at all, so I will definitely be watching this. Be warned that it's turned into a rather homo anime though due to the new characters but it's what makes it new and funny.

Kamisama no Inai Nichiyoubi: When I read the plot about the world being abandoned by god and the main character being a gravekeeper, it got me interested in the plot. Being a mystery anime, I was hoping that there would be some suspense but so far it hasn't been too suspenseful. Nevertheless, the plot seems to be moving at a good pace and the story is still interesting as of episode 3. It's still too early to say where this anime will go as the plot is rather open.

Danganronpa: I love survival game animes (ala Btooom! and Mirai Nikki) and I love mysteries even more so I was very interested in this. However, from seeing the character designs it just gave off a "childish" vibe to it but I'm pretty happy with the main character as he's got a serious attitude to him. The anime itself still feels somewhat "childish" though but I will continue watching it for the mysteries. At the moment, after the first mystery, it doesn't feel too interesting though and you don't really feel the "revelation" factor from solving the murder mystery but hopefully it will get better.

Possible watches:

Choujigen Game Neptune: The Animation: I imagine this to be similar to To Love Ru but then I hear there's no male lead so I'm not sure how it would go.

Fantasista Doll: I was only interested in this anime due to the name, I'm not too big a fan of magical girl series and as I'm watching Genei to Kakeru Taiyo, I don't really want to pick up another magical girl series. However, the plot is really vague so I do want to see what it's actually about.

Makai Ouji: Devils and Realists: The plot seems quite interesting to me but the shoujo tag threw me off a bit after my experience with Amnesia. I've always liked supernatural animes though so I may give it a try if I have time.

Others:

Just some other anime that I've watched or am watching alongside the current season ones.

Zetsuen no Tempest: I really love the characters in this one. On one hand, you have Yoshino, a very calm and calculating guy who acts nice to everyone. On the other, you have the fiery yet smart Mahiro who is on a quest for revenge for his sister. Elsewhere, you have magicians in the world who can either save/maintain the world or destroy the world. Hakaze and Aika were both very well done characters too, Aika was especially interesting due to her sinister nature. I wouldn't say the plot is very amazing or suspenseful as I could guess the outcome and who the mages were but nonetheless I thoroughly enjoyed the anime every episode and I felt the plot and characters just matched perfectly. I really loved the second opening, Daisukinanoni, as it's powerful and emotional.

Anohana: Another genre that I quite like is the drama genre as you can relate back to it and so you feel a connection with the characters in the anime and it interacts more with you. Although the plot is very different, it just reminds me of Kokoro Connect due to the internal conflicts within the group of friends. I'm a third of the way in and I can feel the anime is very bittersweet already due to the foreboding buildup that it has - however this my just be a mind thing as I learnt that this was a tragedy. I can definitely feel the emotions in this one though, especially with the ending song as it has a sad tone to it.

For those that read my post, hopefully it has helped. I can feel my own limitations as I write my thoughts as I definitely don't have the skills to "review" but in the end, I just want to share my opinions on the anime I've watched, nothing more - it's simply a bonus for me if my post has helped.

[Dooms]

Gatchaman Crowds: Don't ask why I'm watching this - even I don't know why. If I had to compare it to something, I guess I would call it power rangers JP ver., a team of Gatchaman are picked in order to fight aliens and save the world from destruction. The characters are all given their own personality and I can definitely see potential for them to develop and mesh together. I think watching 2 episodes is more than enough for me though, it's not really my preferred genre.

I'll read your whole post a bit later but this caught my eye. I watched the 1st episode last week and found myself laughing, smiling and enjoying its style, the girls personality and the over the top (you summed it up nicely) power-rangerness of it all, along with the sound track.

I put on episode 2 last night and got bored within a few minutes

[Ulti]

I'll read your whole post a bit later but this caught my eye. I watched the 1st episode last week and found myself laughing, smiling and enjoying its style, the girls personality and the over the top (you summed it up nicely) power-rangerness of it all, along with the sound track.

I put on episode 2 last night and got bored within a few minutes

Yeah I think that's exactly how I felt when I watched the first episode. It was just something lighthearted to enjoy once in a while, but not something that I can stay interested with and follow.

Anohana: Another genre that I quite like is the drama genre as you can relate back to it and so you feel a connection with the characters in the anime and it interacts more with you. Although the plot is very different, it just reminds me of Kokoro Connect due to the internal conflicts within the group of friends. I'm a third of the way in and I can feel the anime is very bittersweet already due to the foreboding buildup that it has - however this my just be a mind thing as I learnt that this was a tragedy. I can definitely feel the emotions in this one though, especially with the ending song as it has a sad tone to it.

So I've just finished Anohana last night and wow, that was heartbreaking. Usually with animes that try to make you cry, you can tell that it's trying to buildup to it (Angel Beats is somewhat similar in this regard) but I didn't expect it to be so sad. Every time I listen to the ending song, I just remember the scenes from Anohana flashing through my head and it's pretty depressing. I feel I'm very lucky to have found Anohana and whilst I don't exactly go searching for tearjerkers, this is probably one of the most touching ones since Clannad. My only criticism is that I felt the plot was slightly weak due to the ending being obvious but on the other hand, I can't really mark them down for that as it doesn't try to be a mystery. It's simply an anime that pulls (very hardly so) on your heartstrings by telling you a tragic story.

It's really amazing as I've been lucky enough to not have anyone close to me die, so I don't know the actual feeling of it yet the story just tugs on your heartstrings so much due to how pure and selfless Menma is. You really feel touched by the actions from Menma as she tries and tries to fix the internal conflicts within the group and bring them back together.

I'm definitely looking forward to the Anohana film!

[Dooms]

I agree that the ending to Anohana while obvious it was coming was extremely sad. I very much enjoyed the whole series when it aired.

Didn't know they were doing a film?! awesome

[Ulti]

I agree that the ending to Anohana while obvious it was coming was extremely sad. I very much enjoyed the whole series when it aired.

Didn't know they were doing a film?! awesome

Yep I would definitely love to watch the film when it's out as it seems to be a retelling by Menma, followed by an epilogue set a year later after the events in the show which will be perfect for when I finally do get to watch it (most likely when it's released on DVD).

I've seen a few people recommend Tokyo Magnitude 8.0 from those that liked Anohana so I'll give that a try as it's also only 11 episodes.

[Dooms]

I've had Tokyo magnitude for a while and tried to get into it a few times but something just doesnt click for me

[Ulti]

Yeah I watched episode 1 last night but as I was watching it I realised I had watched it in the past before and I dropped it. I'm just not a fan of the main character but I'll give it more of a chance and try to watch a few more episodes.

[Dooms]

Just reading your long post up above looking for something new to watch as I haven't been following whats on the last few seasons while travelling and...

Monogatari: You can see how much I loved the Monogatari series a few pages back after I finished off watching Bakemonogatari and Nisemonogatari. Senjougahara is just such a memorable and iconic figure of the Monogatari series that you simply can't forget. I'm sure Hanekawa has quite a lot of popularity too so the way this season opened was really nice to get viewers back into the series. I've got to applaud them for the first two episodes as it shows how fan service should be done, not simply thrown in for the sake of it. I'm looking forward to Araragi's appearance as he's really just an amazing character.

OMG HOW DID I MISS THIS?!?!?! Bakemonogatari has to be one of (if not #1) fave anime and Nise was damn good as well... been waiting for more. Must go find it now.

Oh a random note I'm watching a great Monogatari AMV atm
http://youtu.be/lXX7dRULFaE

[OilSheikh]

List updated. Busy with my wedding planning for my wedding at the end of this month

[TooNice]

I was originally going to write a 2nd opinion of all of Ulti's post but it's a bit too much. So I'll just stick to commenting ones that left me the strongest impression (good or bad):

Shinsekai Yori: This one is a must watch IMO. The art is not my favourite but it does kind of goes with the dark story (which more than makes up the animation).

Red Data Girl: This one also bored me, and I dropped it very quick.

Aku no Hana: I am one of those who really did not like the art. The story was interesting enough for me to watch the entire season as it was aired, BUT the pace was far too slow. I may skip a second season if they make it, and follow the manga instead (though I've not bothered so far).

Shingeki no Kyojin: Plain awesomeness. I know people who aren't that much into anime getting hooked on it.

Suisei no Gargantia: Didn't hook me as much. There were at least two other mecha anime last season on top of my head (Majestic Prince and Kakumeiki Valvrave), and I found those, especially Kakumeiki Valvrave, more interesting.

Oreimo S2: I am more or less on the same page as Ulti. I really liked the first season, and they've developed the characters quite a bit this season. Kuroneko is probably my second favourite anime character ever. But I did not like the harem direction it went. Still, I may follow up with the manga.

Danganronpa: I am probably behind Ulti since I've not followed up since coming back to the UK (well, I've not followed up on recent anime since coming back other than Railgun S and Shingeki no Kyojin), but I really liked the first few episodes. Personally I don't mind the "childish" vibe to the character design. To me, this can create a contrast with darker themes (think Higurashi).

-----------------------------------------

A few anime on top of my head I've not seen mentioned on the front page:

Hataraku Maō-sama: I really liked this one. It's not going to go into anyone's list of classic, but this light hearted comedy really lightens my mood. This one is 75% comedy/10% fights/10% romance/5% drama. The Devil and Hero from another world ends up on Earth. The Devil end up working in a fast food chain and takes his job very seriously. You can tell by the plot that it's not trying to be serious, but I found it entertaining.

Devil Survivor 2: I think it's based on a (3)DS game, but it worked pretty well as an anime. Pokemon meets the survival genre x Evangelion (well, the stuff they battle reminds me a lot of the Angels), the characters fight not just for their lives but for the planet.

Kakumeiki Varuvureivu: I mentioned this earlier, but it's one of the better mecha anime I've seen this year (though the first season only just ended). It's quite dark in places and reminds me slightly of Code Geass (though not quite as epic).

To Aru Kagaku no Railgun S: I am new to the "To Aru [...]" series. "To aru majutsu no Index" (already listed hence I am not sure if you want to give this one it's own entry) focus on a laid back male protagonist and the "magical side" of the world. "Railgun" focus on a hot headed heroine by that nickname on the "science side" (with superpowers mind you). Even though Railgun S this is the fourth to be released, the events overlaps and (expand) on the very first series (first season of Index). Quite a lot of episodes went on expanding the "Sister" arc, yet I've found that they've done a very good job retelling the story. Incidentally, I am also watching the first season of Railgun (without the S) and 7 episodes in, I am not so impressed and my current impression is that you could jut skip it.

Date Alive: Yeah okay, otaku fantasy harem alert. It's not really my genre but the male protagonist has managed to be not too annoying, and the "heroines" are badass.. when they aren't fighting over the protagonist anyway.

AKB0048: The first season is more than watchable, and you don't even need to be an AKB48 fan (I am not) to find some entertainment out of it. I enjoyed it more than I have any Macross.

Muv-Luv: Total Eclipse: Not sure if I can recommend this one.. It started really really well (very dark setting). But after a while you start to notice it's roots (Visual-novel) and the action/tension died down. I semi-dropped it (may finish it but it's gone down in priority).

@prob255: If you thought that Girls und Panzer was strange, check out Upotte!! (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Upotte!!). Again designed towards anime and military (guns) Otaku, here the girls are guns.

Note to self: I may have to give "Yahari Ore no Seishun Rabu Kome wa Machigatteiru" a go. Either it did not yet air on terrestrial TV, or it did but clashed with another anime, or I just didn't give it a chance (I am not huge on slice of life anime where nothing much happens).

[Lil-Diabo]

So many anime, so little time

Awesome thread though, I come here to see what to watch next, even though I haven't finished what I'm on now lol

[TooNice]

So many anime, so little time

Tell me about it. If you were to sit at home and try to watch every anime on terrestrial channels, you'd end up with about 10 hours of anime per day (including overlaps). One needs to be selective eventually.

[Dooms]

Monogatari - Caught up on this the other day, very much enjoying it (Never had any doubt).

Railgun S - I really enjoyed Index & Railgun but for some reason I didn't jump straight into this. It seems to me to be a light and bubbly spin off but oh how wrong I was. Started last weekend and burned through all 17 episodes while at Airport / on Flight / Train and man its good. So dark and shows so much emotion from Misaka's side.

Date a Live - Pretty standard harem action but found myself watching it all when there was better things to watch so I can't complain that it kept me entertained.

Inu to Hasami wa Tsukaiyou - So stupid but I'm enjoying it

Kamisama no Inai Nichiyoubi - Loved the first 3 episodes but for some reason keep dropping episode 4 half way through.

The World God Only Knows S3 - Started last night and as its essentially more of the same I'm pretty sure I'll enjoyed the season

[nyoron]

Hey didn't expect an anime thread here.

Currently following Attack on Titan, Monogatari and RailgunS.

[Lil-Diabo]

I've just finished watching Danganronpa
Quite enjoyed it, once I got past the first few episodes
It did seem a little childish at first, but like TOONice said, there's some darkness underneath the "fluff" which I quite enjoyed.

I quite like the survival theme, the last anime I watched that was somewhat similar was Kaiji, but gave up halfway in as it just felt dragged out at times.
But thanks Ulti, I'm going to have a look at Btooom! and Mirai Nikki and see what they're like