Rate the last anime you watched out of 10
- Thread starter Aion
- Start date
Would definitely agree that it had a promising start, but I didn’t make it to the end of that one - so much of it seemed to involve the characters sitting in a largely featureless room and expositing at each other.
I was genuinely surprised it was the same author as Baccano et al. There’s some good ideas in it, but on the whole, it struck me as a bit phoned in compared to their other works, padding out the familiar structure with tropey character beats in an attempt to cash in on what’s currently popular. Even the gratuitous raunchy sex scene (cut from the anime) just seemed borrowed from Chainsaw Man…
I was genuinely surprised it was the same author as Baccano et al. There’s some good ideas in it, but on the whole, it struck me as a bit phoned in compared to their other works, padding out the familiar structure with tropey character beats in an attempt to cash in on what’s currently popular. Even the gratuitous raunchy sex scene (cut from the anime) just seemed borrowed from Chainsaw Man…
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Dai
Death Scythe
Bartender: Glass of God
When a manga receives multiple adaptations, there's always the fear that they will retread the same ground in a redundant way. Thankfully that's not the case here. The 2006 Bartender anime was made partway through the manga's run, but the manga was long finished by the time Glass of God went into production. This is evident in the different approaches the two adaptations take to the source material, both equally valid and interesting.
Bartender 2006 was very episodic. Each episode focused on the life of one customer, what brought them to encounter bartender Ryu's bar, the history of the drinks Ryu serves the customer, and how those specific drinks relate to (and sometimes solve) problems in the customer's life. The titular glass of god refers to Ryu's ability to understand his customers and select exactly the right drink for them at that moment. In the 2006 version, Ryu was a near infallible, Holmes-esque character who could pick up on the subtlest clues about a customer to figure out what troubled them.
Bartender: Glass of God offers a different perspective. It takes us behind the counter to focus on the bartenders themselves, their different approaches to their work, and what compels them to do the job. It follows a series-long story about a hotel owner's attempts to convince Ryu to work at his bar. Ryu, despite his reputation, comes across as less experienced than in the 2006 show. He makes mistakes at times and is haunted by mistakes he made in the past. It all builds into a story arc that fully resolves within this single cour. This pacing generally works, though Ryu's encounter with a particular customer in the final episode (the final boss, essentially) feels rushed and lacking in the tension it needed.
Aside from that, it's a solid show. Where some remakes try to one-up their predecessor, Glass of God seems to frame itself as a companion piece. The few story moments that overlap between them are handled quite differently, and on the whole the shows offer two distinct flavours that complement each other.
7/10
When a manga receives multiple adaptations, there's always the fear that they will retread the same ground in a redundant way. Thankfully that's not the case here. The 2006 Bartender anime was made partway through the manga's run, but the manga was long finished by the time Glass of God went into production. This is evident in the different approaches the two adaptations take to the source material, both equally valid and interesting.
Bartender 2006 was very episodic. Each episode focused on the life of one customer, what brought them to encounter bartender Ryu's bar, the history of the drinks Ryu serves the customer, and how those specific drinks relate to (and sometimes solve) problems in the customer's life. The titular glass of god refers to Ryu's ability to understand his customers and select exactly the right drink for them at that moment. In the 2006 version, Ryu was a near infallible, Holmes-esque character who could pick up on the subtlest clues about a customer to figure out what troubled them.
Bartender: Glass of God offers a different perspective. It takes us behind the counter to focus on the bartenders themselves, their different approaches to their work, and what compels them to do the job. It follows a series-long story about a hotel owner's attempts to convince Ryu to work at his bar. Ryu, despite his reputation, comes across as less experienced than in the 2006 show. He makes mistakes at times and is haunted by mistakes he made in the past. It all builds into a story arc that fully resolves within this single cour. This pacing generally works, though Ryu's encounter with a particular customer in the final episode (the final boss, essentially) feels rushed and lacking in the tension it needed.
Aside from that, it's a solid show. Where some remakes try to one-up their predecessor, Glass of God seems to frame itself as a companion piece. The few story moments that overlap between them are handled quite differently, and on the whole the shows offer two distinct flavours that complement each other.
7/10
adamclark83
Student Council President
Currently re-watching "Wandering Witch: The Journey of Elaina" and I'd give it a 9 out of 10. Elaina is ever so beautiful.
adamclark83
Student Council President
Hina Logic: 10/10!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thoroughly enjoyed every second of it.
Thoroughly enjoyed every second of it.
Dai
Death Scythe
Fatal Fury: Legend of the Hungry Wolf
Yikes, this sure was a fighting game anime from the 90s, and all that that implies. I struggle to think of a single element of this TV special that I wouldn't describe as inept. The opening scenes were especially nonsensical, as we see the Bogard boys (with Terry wearing a kid-sized version of the same outfit he wears for the rest of his life) witness their martial artist father's inability to fight off oncoming assassins due to a dozen scared kids suddenly mobbing him for a hug. Another martial arts mentor then tells the Bogard boys to sod off and train by themselves somewhere for ten years, then to come back so he can teach one move to one of them. One move. To one of them. Laziest master ever.
Cut to ten years later, the villain's hosting a fighting tournament because that's what fighting game villains do. Cue the Bogards having underwhelming fights against various other Fatal Fury characters, some of whom are only around long enough for one move. Meanwhile, Terry has some awkward encounters with a sad-eyed bird-in-a-gilded-cage sort of girl who drops death flags everywhere and I'm sure will be fine.
It all leads to a short, underwhelming fight against Geese (the villain, not the migratory bird, unfortunately, since that would have been more entertaining) that doesn't even last long enough for Terry to say, "Hello. My name is Terry Bogard. You killed my father. Prepare todie get punted into a fish pond."
3/10
Yikes, this sure was a fighting game anime from the 90s, and all that that implies. I struggle to think of a single element of this TV special that I wouldn't describe as inept. The opening scenes were especially nonsensical, as we see the Bogard boys (with Terry wearing a kid-sized version of the same outfit he wears for the rest of his life) witness their martial artist father's inability to fight off oncoming assassins due to a dozen scared kids suddenly mobbing him for a hug. Another martial arts mentor then tells the Bogard boys to sod off and train by themselves somewhere for ten years, then to come back so he can teach one move to one of them. One move. To one of them. Laziest master ever.
Cut to ten years later, the villain's hosting a fighting tournament because that's what fighting game villains do. Cue the Bogards having underwhelming fights against various other Fatal Fury characters, some of whom are only around long enough for one move. Meanwhile, Terry has some awkward encounters with a sad-eyed bird-in-a-gilded-cage sort of girl who drops death flags everywhere and I'm sure will be fine.
It all leads to a short, underwhelming fight against Geese (the villain, not the migratory bird, unfortunately, since that would have been more entertaining) that doesn't even last long enough for Terry to say, "Hello. My name is Terry Bogard. You killed my father. Prepare to
3/10
Geriatric hedgehog
Death Scythe
Dai
Death Scythe
Thankfully it was only 45 minutes. The other two Fatal Fury anime are a bit longer, but those have Mai Shiranui, so I'll probably watch them for reasons.I at least hope that it was short and not a long slog!
adamclark83
Student Council President
Last night, finished watching Management Of A Novice Alchemist and I have to give it a 9. There were some episodes where Lorea just seemed to be sidelined and where a possible relationship could've happened but never did.
Dai
Death Scythe
Rascal Does Not Dream of a Sister Venturing Out
What you get out of this movie will depend on what you liked about previous Rascal stories. If you're just in it for the supernatural mystery aspect, this one has very little of that. The supernatural elements defined the nature of the conflict that needed to be overcome in previous arcs. In this one, it acts more as a visual metaphor to accentuate the existing conflicts. You could take the supernatural aspect out and this story wouldn't change.
Sister Venturing Out is about Kaede's attempts to get into high school while struggling with the aftermath of events from her previous arc. If you've seen the TV series then you know that's not as simple as it sounds. Though based on a light novel released in 2018, this movie may benefit from coming out post-pandemic, when the idea of what constitutes a normal school life has been turned on its head. The characters are as endearing as ever, so if they are a large part of what you like about the series, there's plenty to enjoy here.
If Sister Venturing Out had a more conventional price tag, it would be an easy recommendation for anyone who likes the series. Unfortunately it comes with a hefty Aniplex tax. The previous arc, Dreaming Girl, is an outstanding 10/10 movie that's worth paying any price to see. That one is the culmination of everything that had been built up during the TV series and is essential viewing. As for Sister Venturing Out, it's more of an extended epilogue to Kaede's arc, and probably won't factor into future arcs that much. Considering that, it's more one for dedicated Rascal fans or people who can stomach paying $50+ for a 70-minute movie without blinking.
8/10
What you get out of this movie will depend on what you liked about previous Rascal stories. If you're just in it for the supernatural mystery aspect, this one has very little of that. The supernatural elements defined the nature of the conflict that needed to be overcome in previous arcs. In this one, it acts more as a visual metaphor to accentuate the existing conflicts. You could take the supernatural aspect out and this story wouldn't change.
Sister Venturing Out is about Kaede's attempts to get into high school while struggling with the aftermath of events from her previous arc. If you've seen the TV series then you know that's not as simple as it sounds. Though based on a light novel released in 2018, this movie may benefit from coming out post-pandemic, when the idea of what constitutes a normal school life has been turned on its head. The characters are as endearing as ever, so if they are a large part of what you like about the series, there's plenty to enjoy here.
If Sister Venturing Out had a more conventional price tag, it would be an easy recommendation for anyone who likes the series. Unfortunately it comes with a hefty Aniplex tax. The previous arc, Dreaming Girl, is an outstanding 10/10 movie that's worth paying any price to see. That one is the culmination of everything that had been built up during the TV series and is essential viewing. As for Sister Venturing Out, it's more of an extended epilogue to Kaede's arc, and probably won't factor into future arcs that much. Considering that, it's more one for dedicated Rascal fans or people who can stomach paying $50+ for a 70-minute movie without blinking.
8/10
Geriatric hedgehog
Death Scythe
I need to rewatch all of Rascal and the first movie (which I agree, is indispensable to fans of the TV series) as a refresher before this new movie. I wasn't sure if it was a second season but yeah as a movie the aniplex prices are a pain to get over.
I presume neither of the movies are easily available at reasonable prices but where would you recommend importing these from for English subs: JP, AU or US? First movie is probably OOP thanks to my holding off for a good price
and not being on the ball...
Dai
Death Scythe
AFAIK only the US release of the movies has English subs; I don't think there's been an Australian release, and the JP release is unsubbed. The only places I know of that sell US Aniplex titles are the Crunchyroll store and Robert's Anime Corner Store. I used the latter, since it didn't require a forwarding company, whereas Crunchyroll does. It does mean ordering directly from their janky-looking website though.I presume neither of the movies are easily available at reasonable prices but where would you recommend importing these from for English subs: JP, AU or US? First movie is probably OOP thanks to my holding off for a good price
Geriatric hedgehog
Death Scythe
). Now may be my chance then.
Girls with Guns
Chuunibyou
Lol, the RAC website is almost as janky as my freytheater.com website, which I still use an ancient copy of Front Page 2000 to edit it if I ever bother anymore. I haven't even updated it since 2018; I see the monthly movie showing was for the second half of the Violet Evergarden series. I basically only use the site now to host all my Purple Pile Pics™ for the anime forums.
Geriatric hedgehog
Death Scythe
Hah, I love it - never change it!
Lunar Legend Tsukihime
I can't say I really liked or disliked this show, I found it just ok. I liked the pacing of the first episodes and most of the dialogues by Arcueid. In the last episodes the pace changed quite dramatically, something like the writers went "OMG we are near the end, now we must find someway to end all this". I would prefer a more cohesive storytelling.
I can't say I really liked or disliked this show, I found it just ok. I liked the pacing of the first episodes and most of the dialogues by Arcueid. In the last episodes the pace changed quite dramatically, something like the writers went "OMG we are near the end, now we must find someway to end all this". I would prefer a more cohesive storytelling.
Dai
Death Scythe
I've heard that it deviates from the visual novel a lot. The VN is finally available officially in English, BTW.
Dai
Death Scythe
Terminator Zero
The tricky thing about developing new entries in the Terminator franchise is that they have to contain some pretty specific plot and character elements in order to be recognisable as Terminator stories. Omit the titular robot assassins or drastically alter their purpose and it wouldn't be a Terminator story. But equally, stick too closely to the established elements and you end up with something that feels derivative and pointless. It's a fine line to ride, and Terminator Zero attempts it with varying levels of success.
Your cyborg assassin for the evening is an off-the-peg T800, the premium vanilla of murderbots. The story doesn't attempt any new gimmicks with the terminator itself, but it gives a solid showing for the old classic. Meanwhile, a grizzled future soldier is sent back in time to stop it. So far, so "I <3 1984." Fortunately they're not attempting to kill/save a future military leader, so it diverges from formula there, if only a little. The thing that turns Malcolm into an assassination target isn't entirely untrodden ground for the franchise, but at least isn't something that has been done to death in the movies, so it feels relatively fresh.
Coming from Production IG, it's a lavish-looking show with lots of intense and well-animated action. The nature of the action scenes often isn't particularly imaginative though, in one instance being an almost verbatim rehash of a scene from the original movie. On the other hand, I have no complaints about the eerily understated music, which adds a lot to the tension and atmosphere.
On most fronts, Terminator Zero varies from competent to solid. The main place where it falls short is the characters. They're a generally unlikeable bunch, especially early on, which makes it difficult to care about their fate in the first half of the show. Some of them undergo some oddly abrupt personality shifts too. Malcolm's youngest child suddenly changes from selfish, naive brat to mature and contemplative after her first encounter with the terminator. Meanwhile, future soldier Eiko goes from driven to wishy-washy around the same time, and winds up getting so sidetracked that she almost falls out of the story until the climax.
The other thing playing against the characters is the dubtitles, which have the most overt case of fifteening I've seen since Manga Video's 90s heyday. It flat-out changes the personality of some characters, especially Misaki who sounds polite and demure in the Japanese dialogue, but drops F-bombs in the subtitles.
Complaints aside, the show does get stronger and more distinctive as it goes along. Some of the twists are predictable, but they do serve to make the story more interesting. Overall I'd rank it somewhere in the middle of the franchise: above the messy T3 and the derivative Dark Fate, but significantly below the first two movies and The Sarah Connor Chronicles.
7/10
The tricky thing about developing new entries in the Terminator franchise is that they have to contain some pretty specific plot and character elements in order to be recognisable as Terminator stories. Omit the titular robot assassins or drastically alter their purpose and it wouldn't be a Terminator story. But equally, stick too closely to the established elements and you end up with something that feels derivative and pointless. It's a fine line to ride, and Terminator Zero attempts it with varying levels of success.
Your cyborg assassin for the evening is an off-the-peg T800, the premium vanilla of murderbots. The story doesn't attempt any new gimmicks with the terminator itself, but it gives a solid showing for the old classic. Meanwhile, a grizzled future soldier is sent back in time to stop it. So far, so "I <3 1984." Fortunately they're not attempting to kill/save a future military leader, so it diverges from formula there, if only a little. The thing that turns Malcolm into an assassination target isn't entirely untrodden ground for the franchise, but at least isn't something that has been done to death in the movies, so it feels relatively fresh.
Coming from Production IG, it's a lavish-looking show with lots of intense and well-animated action. The nature of the action scenes often isn't particularly imaginative though, in one instance being an almost verbatim rehash of a scene from the original movie. On the other hand, I have no complaints about the eerily understated music, which adds a lot to the tension and atmosphere.
On most fronts, Terminator Zero varies from competent to solid. The main place where it falls short is the characters. They're a generally unlikeable bunch, especially early on, which makes it difficult to care about their fate in the first half of the show. Some of them undergo some oddly abrupt personality shifts too. Malcolm's youngest child suddenly changes from selfish, naive brat to mature and contemplative after her first encounter with the terminator. Meanwhile, future soldier Eiko goes from driven to wishy-washy around the same time, and winds up getting so sidetracked that she almost falls out of the story until the climax.
The other thing playing against the characters is the dubtitles, which have the most overt case of fifteening I've seen since Manga Video's 90s heyday. It flat-out changes the personality of some characters, especially Misaki who sounds polite and demure in the Japanese dialogue, but drops F-bombs in the subtitles.
Complaints aside, the show does get stronger and more distinctive as it goes along. Some of the twists are predictable, but they do serve to make the story more interesting. Overall I'd rank it somewhere in the middle of the franchise: above the messy T3 and the derivative Dark Fate, but significantly below the first two movies and The Sarah Connor Chronicles.
7/10
Dai
Death Scythe
Macross Frontier
A Macross story usually needs to juggle a few different plot elements: space opera war story, pop idol drama, and love triangles. Frontier mostly does a solid job at all three and throws in some conspiracy mystery for good measure.
As a war story, it benefits from high stakes, a dangerous new enemy, and lots of dynamic, well-directed action scenes. Considering it's from 2008, the CG for the ships, valkyrie fighters and aliens has aged well, which is more than can be said for a lot of anime CG from the 00s.
As a pop idol drama, it pits eager newbie Ranka against established star Sheryl to great effect. The dynamics of their rivalry evolves well over the course of the series, aided by both having skeletons in their closets.
As a romance, it does a good job of keeping you guessing how events will pan out, though it is here where the the show's main problem becomes apparent: the writers aren't really sure how to develop male protagonist Alto's story arc. That's most evident in a series-long subplot about his history as an actor and resulting conflict with his father, which keeps seeming like it will become pivotal, but is never really resolved in a satisfying way. Likewise, viewers may be unsatisfied with how the romance angle plays out at the end, though this felt more like a conscious story choice and does work with the overall tone of the ending.
With the exception of some rather blunt exposition in places, any issues I might have with the story are only things that come to mind in retrospect. While watching the show, the over-the-top intensity of the final episodes does a good job of painting over the cracks. Based on the sheer enjoyment of that first viewing, I was tempted to give Frontier a 9, but thinking back on it I suspect some of that was coloured by this being the first new Macross show I've seen since the 90s. It's a great series on most fronts though, so it's easily a solid 8/10.
Minor points:
While the early episodes open with a brief account of events from earlier in the Macross timeline, it does assume some familiarity with the franchise. The only things I've seen are Do You Remember Love, Plus, and Macross II and I found Frontier easy to follow, with only occasional minor references flying past me.
I loved the scenes in the shopping mall designed for both humans and the giant Zentradi. The ways the fleet's infrastructure has adapted to allow Zentradi to live at either their original size or shrunk down to human scale was a nice touch.
As of writing, the only legal way to watch this show in English is on Disney+, which unfortunately falls victim to their habit of using descriptive SDH subtitles. They're not the most distracting I've ever seen, but it takes a while to get used to them.
Klan's full-size Zentradi form has awakened a weird thirst in me that would be a field day for Freud.
A Macross story usually needs to juggle a few different plot elements: space opera war story, pop idol drama, and love triangles. Frontier mostly does a solid job at all three and throws in some conspiracy mystery for good measure.
As a war story, it benefits from high stakes, a dangerous new enemy, and lots of dynamic, well-directed action scenes. Considering it's from 2008, the CG for the ships, valkyrie fighters and aliens has aged well, which is more than can be said for a lot of anime CG from the 00s.
As a pop idol drama, it pits eager newbie Ranka against established star Sheryl to great effect. The dynamics of their rivalry evolves well over the course of the series, aided by both having skeletons in their closets.
As a romance, it does a good job of keeping you guessing how events will pan out, though it is here where the the show's main problem becomes apparent: the writers aren't really sure how to develop male protagonist Alto's story arc. That's most evident in a series-long subplot about his history as an actor and resulting conflict with his father, which keeps seeming like it will become pivotal, but is never really resolved in a satisfying way. Likewise, viewers may be unsatisfied with how the romance angle plays out at the end, though this felt more like a conscious story choice and does work with the overall tone of the ending.
With the exception of some rather blunt exposition in places, any issues I might have with the story are only things that come to mind in retrospect. While watching the show, the over-the-top intensity of the final episodes does a good job of painting over the cracks. Based on the sheer enjoyment of that first viewing, I was tempted to give Frontier a 9, but thinking back on it I suspect some of that was coloured by this being the first new Macross show I've seen since the 90s. It's a great series on most fronts though, so it's easily a solid 8/10.
Minor points:
While the early episodes open with a brief account of events from earlier in the Macross timeline, it does assume some familiarity with the franchise. The only things I've seen are Do You Remember Love, Plus, and Macross II and I found Frontier easy to follow, with only occasional minor references flying past me.
I loved the scenes in the shopping mall designed for both humans and the giant Zentradi. The ways the fleet's infrastructure has adapted to allow Zentradi to live at either their original size or shrunk down to human scale was a nice touch.
As of writing, the only legal way to watch this show in English is on Disney+, which unfortunately falls victim to their habit of using descriptive SDH subtitles. They're not the most distracting I've ever seen, but it takes a while to get used to them.
Klan's full-size Zentradi form has awakened a weird thirst in me that would be a field day for Freud.
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