Rate the last anime you watched out of 10

Lordhippos said:
I think just before, it's on my may revisit list though, I feel like I should at least finish it once in my lifetime! :D



Yeah the origin stuff was good, the music/OST was great too, I think it suffered a little from having too many characters doing too much at once, some of the side ones in particular aren't that interesting.

Bakugo yelling like a lunatic and being permanently angry got a little tiresome as well. Same as with Demon Slayer, on the whole it's good, but when pringle guy goes around and starts screaming it's a bit too much. I watched the Mugen Train episodes recently and enjoyed them, but damn that can take some points away for me sometimes.
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Bakugo was grating much like those two twats in Demon Slayer, as you say. In Demon Slayer's case it's even worse because it could be something that flows so well if only they abandoned their brand of "comedy".

Having characters screaming for 70% of their screentime does not constitute comedy, my lord. Either know how to make people laugh, or don't even try.

I hope the new arc tones that down or simply knows how to actually write these moments.

Demon Slayer would be an easy, solid 8 if it wasn't for those 2 annoyances. As is, it's a 7 with some very good moments and fights and I really like Tanjiro as a protagonist.
 
João Gomes said:
Bakugo was grating much like those two twats in Demon Slayer, as you say. In Demon Slayer's case it's even worse because it could be something that flows so well if only they abandoned their brand of "comedy".

Having characters screaming for 70% of their screentime does not constitute comedy, my lord. Either know how to make people laugh, or don't even try.

Demon Slayer would be an easy, solid 8 if it wasn't for those 2 annoyances.
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Yes, exactly. I was enjoying Demon Slayer for the first 6 or 7 episodes, then had to drop it because of all that screaming "comedy." I didn't even attempt to start Black Clover because of reading other's posts about the screaming in that.
 
João Gomes said:
Bakugo was grating much like those two twats in Demon Slayer, as you say. In Demon Slayer's case it's even worse because it could be something that flows so well if only they abandoned their brand of "comedy".
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100% with you there! :)

Girls with Guns said:
Yes, exactly. I was enjoying Demon Slayer for the first 6 or 7 episodes, then had to drop it because of all that screaming "comedy." I didn't even attempt to start Black Clover because of reading other's posts about the screaming in that.
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That and I've not really heard great things about the beginnings of Black Clover as well, I heard it gets better later on, not sure if the screaming improves.
 
Lordhippos said:
I'd watch 100 more of it easily with the same quality :)
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ActionFaust said:
When it comes to series like JoJo's Bizarre Adventure or Monogatari series I do find them easier to watch than the usual suspects like One Piece or Naruto. Much prefer it when a series is divided into distinct narrative parts/seasons.
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Lordhippos said:
Stuff like Monogatari is good because you tend to watch in arcs, and if you feel like it you can just pause and come back to the next arc later, the fact each arc is a different story but how it all intertwines kept it interesting.
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I'd definitely happily watch more at that quality! I'm ambivalent in hoping that maybe we do get the subsequent novels animated given how Zoku was still quality after Owari's conclusion, but yet don't want anymore just in case quality deteriorates. I completely agree that in addition to the quality, it being in short-ish arcs with self-contained stories within the larger narrative definitely made it a breeze to watch despite that episode count.

João Gomes said:
@Geriatric hedgehog you definitely need to try HunterxHunter. It is incredible and operates on a different logic than other shonens. It's really outstanding.
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Oh yeah that's the name heh. It's definitely on my list and had I not started Gintama already that would be my long-running series in the background of my other watches. Will probably try and get back into/speed up the Gintama watch to finish that first then move on to HunterxHunter.
 
Geriatric hedgehog said:
I'd definitely happily watch more at that quality! I'm ambivalent in hoping that maybe we do get the subsequent novels animated given how Zoku was still quality after Owari's conclusion, but yet don't want anymore just in case quality deteriorates. I completely agree that in addition to the quality, it being in short-ish arcs with self-contained stories within the larger narrative definitely made it a breeze to watch despite that episode count.
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I think it could end where it is and it would still be great, I heard that the current SHAFT is not quite the same SHAFT we had before due to staff changes, so I'd hope if they do adapt more they maintain the same great quality we had from them here.

It's funny because they make two shows I absolutely love, Monogatari and Madoka, but I actually don't really enjoy any other SHAFT productions all that much!
 
Lordhippos said:
It's funny because they make two shows I absolutely love, Monogatari and Madoka, but I actually don't really
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Heheh those two corkers are more than enough for them to forever be in my good books. But yeah, haven't gotten around to watching most of their comedies and other series yet, apart from March comes in like Lion. On paper I should have absolutely loved that but ended up liking it a fair bit but not loving, down to the somewhat crude character designs (likely all just down to the style of the manga) even if they fit the themes, nor the Shogi talk which got a bit dry for Mr dumdum here. I absolutely bloody loved episode 11 though, beautifully stunning emotional work there.
 
Funnily enough I was the same on March comes in like a Lion @Geriatric hedgehog :)

WMD said:
Personally I would add Negima!? Hidamari Sketch and Pani Poni Dash as top class Shaft shows. All very much at the comedy end of their spectrum but all excellent in my view.
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I don't tend to mix well with strict comedy shows, so unsure how well I'd like them myself. As always only one way to find out I suppose!
 
Mahoromatic: Automatic Maiden (season 1)
One of the earlier entries in the super-powered maid genre, this action rom-com is still pretty entertaining. It sits right in the middle of that transitional era for Gainax circa 2000 where their work was starting to take on an increasingly goofy look and tone in what would eventually become Trigger's signature style. As an early digital anime it suffers common problems from that time, such as lazy backgrounds and an oversaturated colour palette, but plenty of that Gainax charm shines through. Action scenes are decent, though it's the comedy episodes that carry this first season. It relies a bit too heavily on characters who just have one joke that they repeat ad nauseum though.

There's a more serious side to the show. Mahoro is a combat android who now serves as a maid to the son of her former commander. This is her idea of penance for having been forced to kill him, and all the while the series reminds us that Mahoro is using up her final year before she stops functioning. Meanwhile she keeps being drawn back into battles with the aliens that her secret organisation has been fighting for years, though unleashing her full power would drastically reduce her remaining lifespan. This side of the series works fine, though it doesn't always mesh well with its comedy side. It feels like two different shows bolted together at times.

The first season hovers between a 6 and 7 for me, but the comedy episodes just about tip it to the higher mark.

7/10

Mahoromatic: Something More Beautiful (season 2)
After an entertaining first season, the show goes downhill in this follow-up. Apparently two secret organisations weren't enough because suddenly there's a third, along with a second combat maid. This season has all the hallmarks of a story that has prematurely run out of ideas, and just throws a pile of new characters in to paper over the cracks. Despite covering the remaining months before Mahoro is due to stop functioning, the story loses interest in her for almost the entire season, instead shifting the focus to this new cyborg maid Minawa (whose primary trait is that she falls over a lot) and her faltering romance with a character who manages to be even more devoid of personality than the protagonist. Those characters then vanish from the story altogether for most of the final few episodes, which hastily try to course correct the focus back to Mahoro as we find out what ultimately becomes of her. It's all too rushed and so its attempts to tug at the heartstrings fall flat. All this culminates in a thoroughly miserable final episode that tries to pivot to an uplifting ending at the last minute, but without having done anything to foreshadow its final twist it feels nonsensical. I'm still not entirely sure what the hell happened at the end.

Sadly the production values take a nosedive this season too, with only a scant handful of shots in the action scenes showing any of that trademark Gainax flair. There are a few decent comedy moments scattered through the season, but that side feels tired by this point too as it continues to repeat the same beats over and over. Even though this gives a definite ending to the story, season 2 is a tedious mess for the most part.

5/10
 
Dai said:
All this culminates in a thoroughly miserable final episode
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That final episode is truly one of the most wretched things I've ever watched, and it'll likely remain that way. It'd be difficult to top; that's for sure.

A veritable series-sinking iceberg that somehow the captains of the good ship Gainax didn't manage to steer away from. Ye gods.
 
Food Wars

I can't be bothered writing much, but it was very good and it looked really nice and it kept making me feel hungry and it was kinda funny seeing people get super horny about food - 8/10
 
Aldnoah Zero

I liked this (a lot, most of the time) but not unconditionally. The protagonist is aggravating in his indifference and the fact the war effort depends almost entirely on this kid who wasn't even well set up to be a supposed strategy genius doesn't make it any better. To add insult to injury, most girls in the show want a piece of this guy because of reasons. It's annoying in the worst possible way. That the show will sometimes throw "babby's first Wikipedia article" your way in extremely unconvincing ways doesn't help its case.

With that out of the way, and knowing that Urobuchi's involvement was quite limited (to concept and the script for the first 3 episodes, if I understand correctly), it wouldn't surprise if he was the one who came up with the setup that dictates the way battles are fought.

It's kind of reminiscent of the setup he came up with for Fate Zero in which an assassin faces mages and servants with little to no help from his own and no true magic powers (time manipulation, which he uses twice in the series) and the protagonist in Thunderbolt Fantasy which has the equivalent of a nuclear-powered arsenal at his disposal but decides to fight demons and overwhelming forces with a literal stick.

It's that kind of, at first glance, handicapped situation where the protagonists should be disposed of fairly quickly but are actually the ones to control the flow of the battle. My point being that the concept, by itself, is infinitely interesting.

The first season is almost entirely great and flows well. I liked the ending even if the changes promised to the status quo never come to fruition. I'm not entirely sure on the time-line of events and how in so little time, so many people could form an empire on Mars from what was a scientific expedition but I'll look it up eventually.

The second season has some high points and the focus shifts more in the direction of Slaine which was a good thing because it's fascinating watching him go down a path he can't deviate from, for better or worse. It's got some great fights and moments, but it kind of loses itself in melodrama at points.

It's peppered throughout with some endearing mecha tropes and I spotted at least one mecha design that felt like a straight homage to Xenogears, specifically Weltall-Id.

Worth your time, if you can put up with the tropes I mentioned.

I don't know about scores, 8 for the 1st season and a light 7/enjoyable 6 for the second.

Children of the Sea

You are not ready for the OST on this thing. The Joe Hisaishi hype is extremely real. It is deeply affecting for the entire duration of the movie. That caught me off guard.

The movie itself feels very grand and conceptual with little in the way of traditional character development. I love the link established between Ocean and Cosmos and there are several shots that will stay with you.

I won't hide that there are some details that I didn't fully understand concerning a couple of characters and events, but it didn't stop me from enjoying it with what I did understand. I will re-watch this eventually, anyway.

One of the things I love about anime movies is marveling at the most mundane things that you know in real life are boring but to be depicted in animation needed an obsessive attention to detail, like staring at a can of Asahi and how lovingly it's depicted or how the light passing through a glass door reflects on a plastic bag; the textures and colors in a kitchen, the steam coming from freshly baked bread. This movie has that but also so much more; so many daring, stunning bits of animation.

If enjoy animation, watch this.

Light 8/strong 7.
 
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