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FullMetal Alchemist (complete). Well, that got really surreal at the end. In fact that ending was so far from the Brotherhood version that it was like I was watching a completely unrelated anime. I have to applaud the ambition that went into that story though, the writers certainly went big with it. Oh, and seeing Riza and Roy so happy together at the end made me go *squeee* internally (in a very manly way, of course :oops: ).
 
Randomly started watching Alps Story: My Annette (which seems sufficiently retro and literary to be something @qaiz probably reviewed at some point, I'll have a look later - If you haven't done so qaiz, you'd probably enjoy it).

Kids having to live through tough times seems to be an accidental theme of my viewing lately, as I just finished French animation The Long, Long Holiday (Les grandes, Grandes Vacances - on Netflix, well worth a watch) and the two share a few common themes - Children being left without parents, being cared for by elderly relatives, friendships that form, ones which turn sour and how and if they're repaired, and the relationships of children and adults within a small community. Presumably no collaborators are going to be shot at the end of Alps Story but I'm half expecting something tragic to happen given all the unhappy accidents that seem to be conspiring to stop people being happy.

I'll probably write a bit more on this after a few more episodes, but I have to say I'm really liking it so far. Family drama makes a bit of a change from a lot of the anime I've watched of late, and the characters seem well rounded and believable.

IncendiaryLemon said:
Strawberry Marshmallow-Episodes 7-9

I can't help but feel they push Miu too far in the direction of annoying and unlikable. Sure, she gets a lot of the best gags, but at some point you have to wonder why Chika and the others even hang around with her.
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You will not say bad things about Mi-chan again. Glad to hear you enjoyed the show overall though - You mentioned it reminded you of something, I feel like SM is like a more anarchic Yotsuba. I forget which came first but iirc Azuma and Barasui know each other and did a short collab where they (and Yotsuba and Miu) meet. It's news to me the OVAs are available on disc, might have to look into that. I have the old US Geneon singles and box with all the goodies, that calendar is probably usable again now.
 
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Eromanga Sensei (complete)
Something a bit lighter after Black Lagoon and Genocidal Organ. It was quite funny in places and the characters are likable enough.

Sagiri seems to be pretty much the polar opposite of Kirino (OreImo being from the same author), which is a good thing as she could be quite annoying a lot of the time. But I feel as if Sagiri hasn't really grown as a character much, even Kirino made new friends and softened a little whilst doing lots of different stuff.

And what an odd last show, episode 11 would have worked better with
the publication of their book. I also liked the nod to OreImo :)
 
BanzaiJedi said:
FullMetal Alchemist (complete). Well, that got really surreal at the end. In fact that ending was so far from the Brotherhood version that it was like I was watching a completely unrelated anime. I have to applaud the ambition that went into that story though, the writers certainly went big with it. Oh, and seeing Riza and Roy so happy together at the end made me go *squeee* internally (in a very manly way, of course :oops: ).
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Havent watched fma or fmab but i thought they were near the same? Brotherhood updated graphics ant tweeks etc?
 
Dave1988 said:
Havent watched fma or fmab but i thought they were near the same? Brotherhood updated graphics ant tweeks etc?
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Not quite. The 2004 series started production before the manga finished up, and as they didn't want to pull a Naruto and just make stuff until new manga came out, they decided from a certain point to go fully anime original, leading to the shows having similar beginnings but becoming vastly different around a third of the way through. Brotherhood was made to be a proper adaptation that adheres to the plot of the manga and was created after the manga finished publishing.
 
Tower of Druaga: The Sword of Uruk-Episodes 9-12 (Complete)

This honestly didn't really need a second cour, they'd have been better off just wrapping everything up at the end of Season 1. It's not bad, but by the last 4 episodes my interest was significantly diminished, to the point where I was half watching, half on my phone.

Made in Abyss-Episode 3

Is it just me or is Riko crazy? Although Nat was a bit mean for saying so, he has a point, she is essentially throwing her life away on the teeny-tiniest of hopes, which is especially bad given she's like eleven. I am curious to see where it goes from here to say the least.

AKB0048: Next Stage-Episodes 1-4

Starting to appreciate Mimori a bit more now. She was kind of just there in Season 1 but she's had a couple of really nice scenes in the first few episodes of Season 2 to really make her stand out.

Dragon Ball-Episodes 1-3

Jesus, Bulma is way too willing to flash herself to get dragon balls.
 
Dragon Ball-Episodes 1-3

Jesus, Bulma is way too willing to flash herself to get dragon balls.[/QUOTE]

Funny i thought that after watchin the first few the other week :)
 
Eden of the East (English dub) - Episodes 1-4

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Ghost in the Shell: Arise 1 & 2
I remember this being announced and thinking the character design for the Major was terrible and then I never thought about it again, until they showed up on Netflix, so went in completely blind.

Seems like the origin story of how the Major and team came together. I liked 1s murder mystery plot, better than 2s cyber terrorism plot. I still don't really like the Majors character design though, but I do hope that Netflix put up the remaining episodes soon as these 2 piqued my interest.

One thing that bugged from 1 though was the part about her ghost being rescued from an unborn child, unless that was part of her false memories. The picture of her as a child changed when she used the Logicoma, so maybe? It would have been pretty damn expensive to have to keep changing bodys as she 'grew up'.
 
IncendiaryLemon said:
The Master of Martial Hearts-Episodes 1-5 (Complete)

I bought this show because I knew it wasn't going to be the trashiest thing ever, and it handily met my every expectation. Objectively, it is terrible, with a paper thin story line that only serves as justification to strip its cast, a totally bland ensemble of unmemorable characters, subpar animation that looked crap even back in 2008 and even fan service that fails to deliver, with the boobs themselves looking pretty terrible and definitely acting in ways that boobs should not. Despite all that though, I couldn't hate it. Not really. It was so unabashed and unashamed of what it was trying to be, that I just couldn't bring myself to dislike it. It aimed low and hit its target dead on, and you can't really dislike something that's not even trying to be good in the first place. I was never bored at any point, and at a scant 5 episodes, it didn't really overstay its welcome. Oh, and then there's the ending. It was awful, but in a trainwreck you can't look away from kind of way. Not only is it weirdly convoluted and nonsensical, it's also a massively dark and downright mean spirited ending that I can't help appreciate on a 'holy **** I can't even believe they did this' level. The ending itself is so bad it actually comes around to being good again in just how absurd and ridiculous it is in it's attempts at being 'edgy'. Honestly, this is an awful show, but I still kind of enjoyed it, in a weird way. If you have ~2 hours to kill and fancy literally the trashiest and most unrepentantly dumb anime ever, then you could probably do worse.
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Yes!! I'd been waiting to read your thoughts on this, Lemon. :D

My favourite parts are:
  • the scene where Aya has just come out of the bath/shower and walks over to the mirror nude. The sound effects have her clomping across the wooden floor as if she's wearing shoes. Hilariously cack-handed!
  • the scene of Aya's mother washing dishes in the kitchen. It's a bit problem-ridden: evidently no-one did a separate character design for that scene, so her sleeves are still down rather than being, you know, rolled up or something? o_O Also, the tap is left running the entire time. What? The plug is in the sink, so wouldn't it, like, flow over? :rolleyes: Lastly, ALL THE DISHES ARE IN THE SINK AT ONCE, and she 'washes' them by seemingly just sloshing and clinking them around in the water. :mad: Holy crap, who animated that cut? I'm guessing it was a guy, since men (as a general rule) apparently do not venture into the kitchen in Japan.
Anyone else notice that in episode 1, after Aya rescues What's-his-face from What's-her-face (it's been years since I saw this), Aya just b*ggers off and leaves him there unconscious? In the park. AT NIGHT. What the blazes?! The three seiyuu who take part in the video commentary included on Manga's DVD also point this out.

And the ending is indeed f**king terrible. It's a marvel.
 
Neil.T said:
Anyone else notice that in episode 1, after Aya rescues What's-his-face from What's-her-face (it's been years since I saw this), Aya just b*ggers off and leaves him there unconscious? In the park. AT NIGHT. What the blazes?! The three seiyuu who take part in the video commentary included on Manga's DVD also point this out.
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Heh, I didn't think about it, but you're right, she totally does just leave him up against the lamp post, unconscious.
 
IncendiaryLemon said:
Heh, I didn't think about it, but you're right, she totally does just leave him up against the lamp post, unconscious.
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The three seiyuu in the video commentary try to come up with a possible reason for Aya's course of action. They suggest it's because her clothes are all tattered and torn and that she doesn't want What's-his-face to see her in such an embarrassing state of undress.

WORLD EXCLUSIVE!!! Click the spoiler tag below to learn the actual reason for that unexpected turn of events:
Sh*t writing.
 
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