Your anime viewing journal

qaiz said:
I've noticed for a while now that you've enjoyed the animation in this show, I find that interesting because I've heard it being compared to the likes of Ping Pong and other 'artsy' shows from a visual standpoint and it leads me to believe that you'd actually enjoy such shows from a visual standpoint if you gave them a chance, which is why I always find it saddening when you claim that they look ugly, you clearly have an eye and appetite for more varied works. You don't have to watch anything on anyone's behalf, but I think that you shouldn't be so steadfast either. Glad that you're enjoying it in any case, I can't wait to watch Mob Psycho 100 when its wrapped up.
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It's certainly an interesting case because whilst I think Mob is far from the norm as far as anime goes nowadays, I don't think it's so far out there like a show like Ping Pong, at least from what I've seen of it. I think it's a happy medium between something like Ping Pong and your run of the mill anime. I think the thing that turns me off Ping Pong specifically, is they lean more into a more realistic look for the character designs, which, if you know me, is kind of the opposite of what I look for.
 
91 Days - Episode 5
Amanchu - Episode 5
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure DIU - Episode 19
Love Live! Sunshine - Episode 6
Mob Psycho 100 - Episode 5
RE:Zero - Episode 19

I must admit that CR have a lot of really strong shows this season. For me personally, this has probably been the best anime season for quite a while.
I'm probably looking to pick up Orange at the very least as I've heard a lot of good things about it. I'm also a bit of a sucker for the odd Shoujo show.
 
IncendiaryLemon said:
It's certainly an interesting case because whilst I think Mob is far from the norm as far as anime goes nowadays, I don't think it's so far out there like a show like Ping Pong, at least from what I've seen of it. I think it's a happy medium between something like Ping Pong and your run of the mill anime. I think the thing that turns me off Ping Pong specifically, is they lean more into a more realistic look for the character designs, which, if you know me, is kind of the opposite of what I look for.
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Fair enough, I respect your answer. At the end of the day anime is a visual medium and so it makes perfect sense that you'd gravitate towards something that you find visually appealing. I don't mean to be rude when I say this so sorry if it comes across that way (because truth being told I too should heed this advice), but I do think people should be less rigid in their stances in the sense that I've seen people turn their noses up at an anime just because it employs CGI, rotoscoping or has a too realistic or simple an art style or because it looks too cutesy, and I don't mean that as in to say these people are 'dumb' for not liking these things but rather it saddens me that will potentially miss out on a cool experience due to preconceived notions that might not even be true. People are free to have those opinions, and truth being told I too fall victim to this, nobody is infallible.

Everyone watches anime for different reasons. For some, they just want to have fun and if they miss out on a 'masterpiece' they don't care, and why should they? They're here just to have fun and enjoy what they like and that's what matters in the end but I guess as a person whom likes shows that push the boundaries of animation, I don't want to push my tastes onto other people because I don't know people better then themselves and they know what they like but rather I wish that they could enjoy that stuff too. A lot of times it’s because, deep down I know that they'd enjoy the show. I think it just saddens me because I’ve always been interested in animation since I was young, maybe in the end it's just me being selfish. It kind of reminds me of myself I guess. I’ve often made friends only for them to tell me that at first glance they mistook my quiet nature for being stuck-up but when they got to know me they realize how funny and happy a person I was. I guess when I see people misjudging a show like Ping Pong off the cuff; it hurts me in the same way. In the end however, people are free to do so and I too misjudge both people and shows. I think that if you watched a show like Ping Pong, you'd really like it.

Sorry for the off topic ramble, I'd like to contribute to the thread but I'm too tired to watch anything right now :p I'll watch some more Utena tomorrow!
 
qaiz said:
Fair enough, I respect your answer. At the end of the day anime is a visual medium and so it makes perfect sense that you'd gravitate towards something that you find visually appealing. I don't mean to be rude when I say this so sorry if it comes across that way (because truth being told I too should heed this advice), but I do think people should be less rigid in their stances in the sense that I've seen people turn their noses up at an anime just because it employs CGI, rotoscoping or has a too realistic or simple an art style or because it looks too cutesy, and I don't mean that as in to say these people are 'dumb' for not liking these things but rather it saddens me that will potentially miss out on a cool experience due to preconceived notions that might not even be true. People are free to have those opinions, and truth being told I too fall victim to this, nobody is infallible.

Everyone watches anime for different reasons. For some, they just want to have fun and if they miss out on a 'masterpiece' they don't care, and why should they? They're here just to have fun and enjoy what they like and that's what matters in the end but I guess as a person whom likes shows that push the boundaries of animation, I don't want to push my tastes onto other people because I don't know people better then themselves and they know what they like but rather I wish that they could enjoy that stuff too. A lot of times it’s because, deep down I know that they'd enjoy the show. I think it just saddens me because I’ve always been interested in animation since I was young, maybe in the end it's just me being selfish. It kind of reminds me of myself I guess. I’ve often made friends only for them to tell me that at first glance they mistook my quiet nature for being stuck-up but when they got to know me they realize how funny and happy a person I was. I guess when I see people misjudging a show like Ping Pong off the cuff; it hurts me in the same way. In the end however, people are free to do so and I too misjudge both people and shows. I think that if you watched a show like Ping Pong, you'd really like it.

Sorry for the off topic ramble, I'd like to contribute to the thread but I'm too tired to watch anything right now :p I'll watch some more Utena tomorrow!
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I totally get how you feel, albeit towards opposite kinds of shows to the ones you like. You probably have more of an argument for wanting people to watch some of the shows you like to watch because I'm a fan of what's generally classified as 'Cute Girl' shows, and, objectively speaking, they likely don't hold quite as much merit as some shows that push the boundaries of animation, but I still feel like some people do write them off when some of those kinds of shows are my personal favourites, and I wish more people could enjoy them. Not to push what I like onto other people, I know someone like yourself probably wouldn't like them, but it does make me quite sad that people who do like those kind of shows are in short supply, even if I'll freely admit the appeal is rather niche. There's a solid chance I'll get to Ping Pong and the like at some point. I'm awfully prone to impulse purchases, after all! Also, despite our slight disagreement on Tatami Galaxy, I probably will end up begrudgingly paying the rather high price for it, because I do quite like the look of some of the art.

Rambling!
 
Saturday 6th August:
Food Wars! Shokugeki no Soma: The Second Plate (Japanese audio) - Episode 6

Sunday 7th August:
91 Days (Japanese audio) - Episodes 4-5
Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World- (Japanese audio) - Episode 19

Monday 8th August:
Mob Psycho 100 (Japanese audio) - Episode 5
Monogatari series: Second Season (Japanese audio) - Episodes 1-6

Really enjoyed Neko White, gave me a good understanding on Hanekawa's personal feelings during the situation. Was sad seeing her cry at the end of the arc ;_; but I liked her new hairstyle.
 
IncendiaryLemon said:
I totally get how you feel, albeit towards opposite kinds of shows to the ones you like. You probably have more of an argument for wanting people to watch some of the shows you like to watch because I'm a fan of what's generally classified as 'Cute Girl' shows, and, objectively speaking, they likely don't hold quite as much merit as some shows that push the boundaries of animation, but I still feel like some people do write them off when some of those kinds of shows are my personal favourites, and I wish more people could enjoy them. Not to push what I like onto other people, I know someone like yourself probably wouldn't like them, but it does make me quite sad that people who do like those kind of shows are in short supply, even if I'll freely admit the appeal is rather niche. There's a solid chance I'll get to Ping Pong and the like at some point. I'm awfully prone to impulse purchases, after all! Also, despite our slight disagreement on Tatami Galaxy, I probably will end up begrudgingly paying the rather high price for it, because I do quite like the look of some of the art.

Rambling!
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I mean, it's interesting because indeed cute girl shows aren't my forte but at the same time in actuality I'd like to think that my stance isn't a definitive as that either. I have watched shows that I'd consider cutesy such as a favorite of mine and a show that I'd hearty recommend to yourself and others here, Kare Kano (His and Her Circumstances), a show that was directed by Anno (for the first 18 episodes before having its budget cut and he walked out due to a disagreement with the mangaka because he wanted more comedy and less drama no less, the remainder was directed by Kazuya Tsurumaki, the director of FLCL). It's a cool show. Utena is a show that is considered very feminine, big eyes and flowery imagery due to its Shojo background and Macross follows the mussing of a pop idol that sings and so on. I was harsh and I do apologize at lashing out at your comment about how big the eyes are in Utena. I guess my stance is, anime generally isn't home to the most realistically proportioned characters, going onto the Wikidedia page for anime brings forth an image of a huge, unrealistic eye no less, it's the staple of anime! That doesn't mean that you have to like everything hyper stylized, I'm not a fan of the huge eyes found on the characters of Clannad for example but throwing mud at a show that is considered to be an all time classic due to the large eyes is upsetting because such viewpoints can be limiting. I also posted the screenshots for Utena because I thought you in particular would enjoy them which made me even more sad because I think you'd love Utena.

I think on the whole I actually try to be as diverse as I can, I watched Kiznaiver recently (I loved Niko's silly antics), I'm watching Rakugo right now, both came out this year but both are very different. I watch a lot of older shows and artsy ones but for example I'm planning on watching Maison Ikkoku and Urusei Yatsura, (seriously, watch both of these openings!) both of which I am SUPER excited to watch and are both what I consider to be super cute (the originals in fact, Urusei Yatsura set many of the tropes that we see and take for granted in anime today and is parodied far and wide, for example the Kill la Kill ED, see if you can spot it :p).

It's impossible to answer I guess. In the end we both could improve and be more inclusive, the beauty of anime is its diversity so it would be a shame to limit oneself :)
 
Mob Psycho 100 ep5

Well, that just moved the show up a notch in my estimation. It felt like a bit of a do-over for the reveal in episode 3 (why wasn't that one like this?), but I'll not complain - all I wanted was for them to take their riffing on Akira to its logical conclusion.

Also, I suppose it's probably a lift from the manga, but that shot of the hairs on Teru's head becoming tiny versions of Mob is now my favourite moment of anything this season.
 
I have to admit, while I enjoy 'cute girl' shows, I've never understood a certain sector of anime fandom that seems to *only* watch cute girl shows and pretty much nothing else. While I can appreciate one of these shows being done well, there seems to be some mindset where something like Is The Order A Rabbit is treated like the greatest thing since sliced bread, as if it's like the epitome of fine art.

I suppose it's just interesting to me, because for me - the way I consume anime is wanting to consume *everything* - ie. the best of what the medium has to offer across all genres, so while I can understand people having different tastes, I've never reall understood the 'cute girls only' thing, as it seems like such an isolated thing, compared to how most people get into anime via Shonen, sci-fi etc...
 
qaiz said:
I mean, it's interesting because indeed cute girl shows aren't my forte but at the same time in actuality I'd like to think that my stance isn't a definitive as that either. I have watched shows that I'd consider cutesy such as a favorite of mine and a show that I'd hearty recommend to yourself and others here, Kare Kano (His and Her Circumstances), a show that was directed by Anno (for the first 18 episodes before having its budget cut and he walked out due to a disagreement with the mangaka because he wanted more comedy and less drama no less, the remainder was directed by Kazuya Tsurumaki, the director of FLCL). It's a cool show. Utena is a show that is considered very feminine, big eyes and flowery imagery due to its Shojo background and Macross follows the mussing of a pop idol that sings and so on. I was harsh and I do apologize at lashing out at your comment about how big the eyes are in Utena. I guess my stance is, anime generally isn't home to the most realistically proportioned characters, going onto the Wikidedia page for anime brings forth an image of a huge, unrealistic eye no less, it's the staple of anime! That doesn't mean that you have to like everything hyper stylized, I'm not a fan of the huge eyes found on the characters of Clannad for example but throwing mud at a show that is considered to be an all time classic due to the large eyes is upsetting because such viewpoints can be limiting. I also posted the screenshots for Utena because I thought you in particular would enjoy them which made me even more sad because I think you'd love Utena.

I think on the whole I actually try to be as diverse as I can, I watched Kiznaiver recently (I loved Niko's silly antics), I'm watching Rakugo right now, both came out this year but both are very different. I watch a lot of older shows and artsy ones but for example I'm planning on watching Maison Ikkoku and Urusei Yatsura, (seriously, watch both of these openings!) both of which I am SUPER excited to watch and are both what I consider to be super cute (the originals in fact, Urusei Yatsura set many of the tropes that we see and take for granted in anime today and is parodied far and wide, for example the Kill la Kill ED, see if you can spot it :p).

It's impossible to answer I guess. In the end we both could improve and be more inclusive, the beauty of anime is its diversity so it would be a shame to limit oneself :)
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I'll certainly look into some of those shows, broadening my horizons can't be a bad thing, even if I try them and end up disliking them. Saying that, I'm not sure how easy to get the shows will be due to their age, as I imagine the majority of them aren't streaming legally and some of them might be out of print or just otherwise unavailable. His and Her Circumstances does pique my interest just due to the involvement of Anno (I really like Eva, and I still have Nadia and Gunbuster on my shelf waiting to be watched at some point!) and it being animated by Gainax, a studio has made a ton of shows I love such as Evangelion, Gurren Lagann and FlCl. Obviously, I imagine it's a lot different to those, but it will be interesting to see what they do on a show a little different from their norm.

Lutga said:
I have to admit, while I enjoy 'cute girl' shows, I've never understood a certain sector of anime fandom that seems to *only* watch cute girl shows and pretty much nothing else. While I can appreciate one of these shows being done well, there seems to be some mindset where something like Is The Order A Rabbit is treated like the greatest thing since sliced bread, as if it's like the epitome of fine art.

I suppose it's just interesting to me, because for me - the way I consume anime is wanting to consume *everything* - ie. the best of what the medium has to offer across all genres, so while I can understand people having different tastes, I've never reall understood the 'cute girls only' thing, as it seems like such an isolated thing, compared to how most people get into anime via Shonen, sci-fi etc...
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It's weird to me too. Not even just the sticking to cute girl thing, but sticking to a single genre as a whole. If I didn't switch it up with every series I watched and only watched Slice of Life or Shounen or Comedy, etc, I'd probably get bored out of my mind.
 
Re:Zero - Episode 19 - Not much to say on this one, pretty much a set up episode but what it's setting up could be really cool, looking forward to seeing it go down next week.

Mob Psycho 100 - Episode 5 - Great stuff, got a good few laughs from me and once again the animation/art style really does it for me. I feel I'm saying the exact same thing about this show every week lol.
 
Amanchu ep 5. I want to use that blackboard picture as wallpaper on my computer.

Alderamin on the Sky ep 5. Some exposition on Ikta and Yatori's friendship, which happens to be the strongest element of this story and serves as a strong core on which to build the rest of the series.

Berserk s2 ep 6. Berserk really is weird.

Handa-kun ep 5. That episode would be very controversial in the west. Clearly the author feels that feminism is going too far.

Hybrid x Heart Magias Academy Ataraxia ep 5. Now they have a holodeck, purely for pornographical activities. Why am I not surprised?

The Highschool Life of a Fudanshi ep 5.
 
Monster Musume-Episodes 11 and 12 (Complete)

Despite being a little dubious going in, I ended up liking Monster Musume quite a lot. I'm not normally one for ecchi type shows, at least not when they put the fan service above all else, but despite the large helping of titillation, it also works well as a comedy show, providing a heap of laughs throughout. I will say that a lot of the comedy does come from sex related humour, but there is also a lot of comedy from the general antics of a regular guy living with a bunch of monster girls. It also took me by surprise by actually touching on themes of segregation and discrimination, which was nice to see. I'd certainly give it my recommendation, if you don't mind some lewdness in your anime that is.

Hidamari Sketch Hoshimittsu-Episodes 9-11

Episode 9: I wasn't expecting an episode set before Yuno and Miyako joined Hidamari Apartments, so that was quite a surprise. I hope we see more of the old crew, I really like Misato.

Episode 10: Yuno dropping her keys in the toilet and then accidentally flushing is the most Yuno thing.

Episode 11: I genuinely think that might be my favourite episode of Hidamari Sketch. Yuno using a computer for the first time was both hilarious and adorable.
 
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IncendiaryLemon said:
I totally get how you feel, albeit towards opposite kinds of shows to the ones you like. You probably have more of an argument for wanting people to watch some of the shows you like to watch because I'm a fan of what's generally classified as 'Cute Girl' shows, and, objectively speaking, they likely don't hold quite as much merit as some shows that push the boundaries of animation, but I still feel like some people do write them off when some of those kinds of shows are my personal favourites, and I wish more people could enjoy them. Not to push what I like onto other people, I know someone like yourself probably wouldn't like them, but it does make me quite sad that people who do like those kind of shows are in short supply, even if I'll freely admit the appeal is rather niche.
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If we're talking about shows that are particularly creative with art and animation, I'd certainly list Hidamari Sketch among those and it'd qualify as a "cute girl" show. I'd imagine that people with an interest in various forms of art would probably get something extra out of the show that most viewers wouldn't but it's also done in a way that doesn't exclude anyone and could even generate an interest in other forms of art. It may not consistently show off with flashy animation but there's some surprisingly good stuff in there, if you're watching for it. The show doesn't limit itself to just one style, though it's also not so varied as to be a constantly changing collision of styles, I think it keeps a fairly effective balance to make for an effective show that can be enjoyed in a few different ways.

Non Non Biyori has some excellent shot framing and backgrounds, with some quite powerful visual storytelling. It may mostly tell quite small and down to earth stories but I generally consider that kind of thing to be no less important than the major world changing stuff. We may have to deal with the big issues at times but we deal with little aspects of life every day.

It's possible to make inaccurate assumptions about any show by reducing it to some basic descriptor, though I do think that shows assigned the "cute girls doing cute things" label tend to suffer from this more than most. I suppose there's a certain stigma associated with admitting that you like cute, low conflict and/or small scale stories. Then there are the threats of other assumptions about the exact nature of the enjoyment one gets from such shows and what that might mean for a person's character, it's unfortunate that such pressures can still be such a major influence on people.

Possibly relating back to the "is all anime equal" thread, I try to give every show the same opportunity to show it's depth and value to me without regard for what it's assigned genre, category or other label may be. I think that a "cute girls doing cute things" show can be just as important and artistically worthwhile as any of the shows currently regarded as classics (Azumanga Daioh possibly already being one of those).

I can certainly understand the frustration of seeing people write off groups of shows based on assumptions and/or information from questionable sources. At the end of the day, there's no objective measure of quality for a show and the best way to find out if you'll enjoy something is to try it yourself. While trying everything isn't really possible, it doesn't hurt to at least get accurate information from trusted sources rather than relying on hearsay and speculation.

Lutga said:
I have to admit, while I enjoy 'cute girl' shows, I've never understood a certain sector of anime fandom that seems to *only* watch cute girl shows and pretty much nothing else. While I can appreciate one of these shows being done well, there seems to be some mindset where something like Is The Order A Rabbit is treated like the greatest thing since sliced bread, as if it's like the epitome of fine art.

I suppose it's just interesting to me, because for me - the way I consume anime is wanting to consume *everything* - ie. the best of what the medium has to offer across all genres, so while I can understand people having different tastes, I've never reall understood the 'cute girls only' thing, as it seems like such an isolated thing, compared to how most people get into anime via Shonen, sci-fi etc...
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I think, if you spend significant time on any hobby you tend to pick up on details and differences that aren't immediately apparent to those who don't share your hobby. I'd say something similar applies to watching particular types of shows, there are little details and differences (sometimes even major ones) that you can appreciate more by focussing on a particular group of shows. If someone tried to tell me that Kinmoza and Non Non Biyori are basically the same show, they could expect quite a rant/rambling trying to explain why they're completely wrong.

Personally, I'm also in favour of watching a variety of shows and genres (though I can't say I don't have preferences), but I can understand why people might enjoy taking a specific focus and going into deeper examination of a particular group.
 
Finished Haikyu Season 1 a few days back. My first sports anime and I absolutely loved it. Matches had me on teh edge of my seat at times, and the show had great humor as well, and even poked fun of itself at times Like when the adult team played them, and then suggested that Highschoolers were really cool with the way they stopped in the match to give heart felt pleas to their team mates :D
 
britguy said:
Finished Haikyu Season 1 a few days back. My first sports anime and I absolutely loved it. Matches had me on teh edge of my seat at times, and the show had great humor as well, and even poked fun of itself at times Like when the adult team played them, and then suggested that Highschoolers were really cool with the way they stopped in the match to give heart felt pleas to their team mates :D
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It's great to hear more people getting into Haikyu as their first sport anime, it's how I started too! The humour was really good but what got me was how close all the members were and the great feeling of sportsmanship going on. :)

I'd be interested in knowing what you think of Season 2, because any problems I do have got sorted for that season.
 
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