General anime thoughts/discussion thread.

WMD said:
Dont me wrong I still enjoyed the second series but the first is just perfect!

For me the issue in the second series is that the character roster got too big so loads of the new characters get no development and are just there.
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Exactly… right now I’m watching a scene between Aoba and his burn scarred brother, and I’m like, “why should I care about any of these?” The fact that I’m posting on a forum while watching it is an indication of my interest level.
 
Re: Samurai Girls...

RadFemHedonist said:
Sorry, wildy off topic, but... I must know what you thought of this cultured series? 😛 I watched all of the first season and was very impressed by the background art but otherwise not a massive fan (I mean sure the boobs and whatnot were nice but I wish more of these shows didn't feel like they are going out of their way to insult my intelligence and be a bit creepy while they're at it.)
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Hahh, you're really putting me on the spot here, RadFem. (I like that. 😛)

As far as fanservice shows go... Honestly? I think it's genuinely got some things going for it. 😅

The art style's bold, you've got a series-opening narration given by Fumihiko Tachiki (Gendō in Evangelion), and if I thought about it I could probably still name most of the characters. VA Aoi Yūki (Madoka in Puella Magi Madoka Magica) does much with her character, Jūbei, voicing both sides of her split personality, and I'd even vote the hilariously haughty but hapless twin-tailed mallet wielder Kanetsugu as one of my all-time favourite anime characters.

On the downside, your male MC is so bland that it's textbook; the series has literally only two male characters in total (our MC and the main antagonist, because even the cookie-cutter drones that the latter has as troops are female); and... then there's the totally dubious torture-based content seen late on during a bit of back story. 😬

All in all, though, I think I could probably watch Samurai Girls even now and still get enjoyment out of it. I reckon it's got a lot more going for it than something like, say, Sekirei, another harem anime that Manga Entertainment released around the same time. The Kaze release also has a lot of extras included, like OVAs and short comedy skits.

That was a really interesting question, RadFem. You really got me thinking there. 😆👍
 
how are I.G generally for anniversary celebrations? contemplating getting the 3 Psycho-Pass soundtracks but i expect in just under 12 months time for the 10th anniversary of the series they may release some sort of boxset or expanded collection
 
In light of Millennium Actress getting a new edition, anyone else slightly amazed that Paprika isn't on the horizon in 4K yet? I feel like that with 4K (especially with HDR) would just be a complete no brainer, it's so damn vibrant. The thought occured because I Googled it and was slightly amazed it didn't already exist.
 

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Claire said:
In light of Millennium Actress getting a new edition, anyone else slightly amazed that Paprika isn't on the horizon in 4K yet? I feel like that with 4K (especially with HDR) would just be a complete no brainer, it's so damn vibrant. The thought occured because I Googled it and was slightly amazed it didn't already exist.
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Maybe Paprika was originally rendered or edited at a lower resolution than 4K. That wouldn't be unusual, especially circa 2006 when digital production was still finding its feet in Japan. While this is a live-action example, Godzilla: Final Wars (2004) was shot on digital cameras that could only manage 1080p, so that resolution must have been considered acceptable for cinemas by Japanese studios at the time.
 
I initially wrote this in the simulwatch thread, but thought it wasn't really on topic:
Neil.T said:
"these types of shows"
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Lain, Eva to an extent. I suppose sci-fiy shows with mysterious elements that want to say something about the human condition, but hide the message behind symbols and riddles.
I'm finding more and more that the anime I enjoy are the more humorous or slice of life stuff, just switch off and relax rather than having to think 🤯 Action stuff can be a switch your brain off thing, but some of the recent stuff haven't been that good, like the shows I'm watching this season I feel like I'm watching out of obligation.
Shows I actually look forward to each episode this season are a rom-com about co-workers, a historical slice of life about a disabled teenager and his betrothed, another slice of life this time about working in an aquarium, a show about painting where the MC discovers his passion and learns about various techniques (and himself) and a dumb CGDCT/sports show.
Lordhippos said:
I want a little depth to it
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Dispute saying switch your brain off, I would agree that the characters have to have something about them. In the shows I mentioned they're either fun or interesting in a more down to earth way, whereas the in the action shows they're either annoying, bland or too edgy.
 
D1tchd1gger said:
Shows I actually look forward to each episode this season are a rom-com about co-workers, a historical slice of life about a disabled teenager and his betrothed, another slice of life this time about working in an aquarium, a show about painting where the MC discovers his passion and learns about various techniques (and himself) and a dumb CGDCT/sports show.
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Can u tell me the names of all these as I might check them out :)
 
Neil.T said:
The topic took an interesting turn there. Where is it that this sense of obligation comes from? Obligation to whom?
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I think it comes from my notion that I have watch a whole show to give it a MAL score and sometimes I want to either give a show a chance to change my mind or I really want to give it a bad score 🤣
There's been a few recently that have got past the 3 episodes rule, but I've just given up on at like 7 or 8 eps. I think I have to get stricter, although to be fair some I've dropped haven't even made it to 3 episodes!

RadFemHedonist said:
Can u tell me the names of all these as I might check them out :)
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In order: My Senpai is Annoying (Funi), Taisho Otome Fairy Tale (Funi), The Aquatope on White Sand (CR), Blue Period (Netflix) and Pride of Orange (Funi).
 
It's an interesting topic and my take is as follows:

I tend to prefer quality over quantity, and not just in anime, but in basically everything in life.

Overall I prefer to watch stuff I enjoy vs feeling obligated into doing so, If I start an anime and 2-3 episodes in I'm not enjoying it, I will usually just drop it there and then rather than try to push on. Saying that I think there are some classics that are worth giving a bit more slack to, and could be watched just to see what the fuss is about.

My favourite type of show is one that requires some thinking and mystery to work things out, but I can also enjoy stuff that is easy going, and I like to mix up genres a little too so not just wanting all of one type of show all the time. I am not usually a big fan of episodic shows where there are no consequences to anything, or of shows where people act stupid all the time or have to explain every minor detail as they go.

I can definitely appreciate that sometimes though you just want to relax and watch something that kind of is "switch your brain off" material a bit, or is just more for enjoyment purposes than testing your skills of deduction. For me as long as the quality is good and I like the idea, then I am willing to give most shows a go and see how things are in the first few episodes.

My MAL scores and viewing habits will ultimately reflect my overall enjoyment of the show, which is the sum of all of the various parts from story, to art, to sound, and in the end, just what I thought of it as a whole. I prefer not to read too much into something before I watch it, so I won't go off and read lots of reviews or watch lots of trailers.
 
RadFemHedonist said:
Out of curiosity, what are some examples of shows that you consider trash, that you really enjoy? :)
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Free classes as wholesome trash in my opinion. Golden Boy is absolute trash but leans into it so hard that I kinda love it. School Days is utter trash but the ending is unbelievably gratifying.

My favourite trash series that I have seen multiple times is Rin Daughters of Mnemosyne. I acknowledge it is an unmitigated dumpster fire but god I love it.
 
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Sometimes I've watched shows through until the end even though I wasn't enjoying them very much, just because I'd spent money on the DVD and felt some kind of need to get my money's worth out of it 😅

Or there's also the (usually misguided) hope things will somehow get better. Things rarely get better (in life or in mediocre/bad anime shows).

A notable exception to this self-torture was FLCL. I couldn't even finish it. It got a similar treatment to this (video has a bad word in it):

 
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