Your viewing journal

Aion said:
As for Rai: I assumed he'd appear at the end, leading one of the factions or something. The anime intentionally made it look like he'd returned in episode 6. It would've been fairly awesome if the series ended with a twin vs. twin battle. (Thanks for spoiling, btw!)
Click to expand...

I feel part guilty for not putting a better progress warning before the spoiler tag and partly as though I've saved you from the anticlimactic let down you'd have felt when it didn't happen (I've been there and it drove me nuts). I can't tell if the series deliberately missing every opportunity to expand on its story instead of doggedly telling the one it wanted to was a good thing, since it kept me interested to the last second, or a bad thing for being frustrating. Strangely despite its shortcomings I felt it was one of the more enjoyable series I'd seen in a long time and I did follow up and buy the manga. I'm sure the creepily beautiful character designs had nothing to do with my decision.

Can't really argue on the male-female dynamics on the whole; the concept of them respecting the feral women was rather difficult to believe when they're supposed to be wicked criminals. Focusing on the greater good by protecting the rarer women didn't fit their portrayals as savages. I understood how the women acted (mostly) but the men being super-respectful in turn to enable it was a stretch.

R
 
Urusei Yatsura 1-8 (rewatch)

Ah, this brings back a lot of memories. It's been a long while since I watched episodes from this early in the series, but they've lost none of their charm. In truth, though, these episodes are far from the best the series has to offer, quickly rushing through character introductions as the staff found their feet and Mamoru Oshii looked to take Takahashi's simple sitcom and turn it into something much more ambitious. Great stuff.
 
Started Kannagi, watching the first four episodes. Cute :3

Also another episode of Saki, and carried on with Rune soldier after a long pause. Mainly want to get Rune soldier off my "watching list" on MAL/AP.
 
Madox-01. A bit of a generic school kid / college kid get hold of a military mech type show. Where it is a bit different is that he is not out to save the world or fight crime. He is trying to get to see his (ex)girlfriend before she leave the country. The trouble starts when he finds he is stuck in the Madox and the army want it back, sending a variety of people after him including the tank commander beaten by the Madox in trials, who wants nothing more than to destroy the Madox in revenge. It is not one of the best shows in the world but it has some tidy action and at around an hour it is not too long.

Stratos 4. The show focuses mainly on the girl pilots of the meteorite sweepers charged with destroying the larger parts of the meteors, asteroids and comets that are left to fall to Earth after the comet blasters have done their thing in space. All these guys are required after the solar system moved into an area of increased asteroid and comet activity threatening the Earth. The characters are pretty standard including the girl frightened at first to do her job and the washed up older pilot who is now a trainer. It has its moments of fan service and hot spring scene as would be expected in this kind of show, but nothing is too over the top. One does however wonder if the seating position in the jets is practical. Overall it's worth the watch and the bits with Alice/Admiral the cat are at times laugh out loud funny.
 
Kara no Kyoukai - Movie 6 - What a great series. The quality of the animation, the story and not to mention the soundtrack are absolutely perfect. If no one has checked out Kara no Kyoukai - Garden of Sinners series..well...you don't know what you are missing! :p

They might be long (5 out of the 6 are an hour whilst the 5th movie would be 2hrs) but it definately draws your attention in till the end.

Anyway, one more movie to go and thats that, so hopefully it will be licensed over on this side of the world soon
 
Serei no Moributo - 1-2

Seems okay so far. Nothing too special though, sadly. I wont hold a real opinion till about episode 10 though so, I have hope for improvements!
 
Bakemonogatari ep 1-5

More people should be watching this. The latest Shinbo-directed series from Shaft (Zetsubou Sensei, Maria Holic, etc) is a sort of comedy-horror-drama that centres around a high school student who, having once been briefly turned into a vampire, attempts to help a series of young women with similarly supernatural ailments.

Don't let the word 'vampire' in there fool you, the series is actually far more like a halucenogen-fuelled version of Mushi-shi than any bloodsucking genre effort you may be thinking of. I'd say it's a must for any fans of Zetsubou sensei and its wry humour, but even if you didn't like that one, it's still worth checking out. For all the outright weirdness on offer, there is actually quite a thoughtful, poignant little story going on in there somewhere.
 
Paradise Kiss: 1-4

I like it. It hasn't been overly girly or gay, and the focus has been on characterization. The fashion stuff is just the setup for drama; it isn't vital and I've pretty much ignored it. A normal, aimless girl finds something to work towards and falls in love, learning that life is more than just books and exams - a basic, everyday story that, so far, has been executed very well, with the fast pacing preventing it from being dull.

Some of the goings on have struck me as awkward, though - as if some scenes are missing from my DVD. Within days of Yukari joining Para Kiss, George gets jealous when he sees Yukari with another guy, ignoring her. Yukari is, for reasons unknown, not freaked out by this attitude, and even rewards him with a kiss.

George has been a bit odd in general. I mean, would you attack your date when you bring her to your home, telling her that you hate chicks who blame everyone other than themselves? He even pushed her to the ground and felt her breast. The guy is a dick, and a weird one at that...yet he's liked for his bad attitude.

Another part that seemed off was when Yukari, without warning, brought Miwako's old crush to see her. Why would you get involved with a relationship of someone you don't know like that? She even knew Miwako is seeing Arashi and tried to keep him away.

Either there are a few chapters that weren't animated or the story lacks flow, it having been sped up and skipping some character development.

...But, overall, ignoring my issues with a few plot points, it's an excellent series. It looks fantastic, the art being eye-catching and Madhouse doing an excellent job in general. And I prefer the dub to the JP track, mainly because it seems the first time JP VA of Yukari was picked for he role simply because she's a model in real life.
 
Fullmetal Alchemist 26-40
Just three discs remaining and it's still great. So why the hell am I instead watching...

...Grenadier 1-2
Yaaaaawn. Pretty standard shounen action fare thus far. Had I not bought the DVDs I wouldn't watch any more, but I'm going to force myself through the first disc and hope that something interesting happens. The odds do not look promising.

The most (well, only) entertaining aspect has been the main character's tits. They're ludicrously huge and reluctant to ahere to the laws of gravity. Somehow they retain their melon-like roundness even when she's not wearing any clothes! It's just a hunch but my theory is that both the creator and target audience are not overly familiar with the female body... or maybe I'm giving it too much thought ^_^;
 
I have watched the first couple of discs of Samurai Champloo. Now I am wondering why I have not bothered picking this up before. The story has been a little slow at times, but the action and comedy have made up for that so far.
 
Serial Experiments Lain 4
One of the weirdest yet,although some interesting developments at the end will make further episodes more interesting.

Mobile Suit Gundam:The 08th MS Team complete series
I decided to pick this op on a whim due to a strange craving for U.C Gundam I had recently.From the first episode,I could tell I was in for something different from what I was used to from SEED,particularly due to the extremely "zoomed in" focus of the series,where instead of large scale army vs army battles we get small scall duals and conflicts that still hold enough excitement.The characters in the series are also quite likeable,as they each have their own unique personallities and ambitions that sometimes clash, which adds to the realism.The mobile suit designs are still typical Gundam but look way more practical than some other designs,as if they were actually designed with durability in mind.Overall,the plot was good and compelling with the exception of episode 12, which is set a few years after the events of episode 11,but the final scene makes it worth a watch to conclude the series.Reccomended for any fan of Gundam and FMP!^_^
 
Strolled through the first seven episodes of Full Metal Alchemist last night. I think i'm one of the few that hasn't seen it or that isn't watching Brotherhood. Really enjoying it so far though, can see why it seems so popular.
 
Finished Serial Experiments Lain yesterday, very strange anime, and leaves you thinking in confusion between episodes.
Definitely worth a watch, (although I doubt too many people haven't seen it yet.

Also watched the first few episodes of Air Gear, nice for some simple entertainment as a counter to Lain.
 
Gundam Zeta: 1-2

Not great. Just like how Gundam Wing has the most forced and distant from reality male-female relationship in existence, Gundam Zeta has the most retarded motivations for a lead character in the history of bad main characters.

A member of the evil, people oppressing group says the name of the lead sounds like a girls. The main character hears this. He then charges at the anti-people group, punching the guy who insulted his manhood, and gets locked up. Then, when locked up, he punches the adult questioning him for no reason... when he's about to be released. He follows that by doing what any other poor excuse for a plot device would in a Gundam title; he steals a newly created Gundam and escapes.

Every Gundam series seems to have the exact same premise: a group comes to spy on/steal a new Gundam, a boy ends up piloting one of the new Gundams. It's ******* boring. And when executed as badly as in the case of Zeta, it makes me wonder why I'm even bothering.

I may be proven wrong if I put time into it but going on the amateurish start, Zeta is a complete waste of time and over-rated to the extreme by guys who get a hard-on when they see a robot. Unless Gundam 00, a newer and hopefully more polished in terms of characterization (like SEED) offering, impresses me, I'm done with Gundam.

Blue Gender: 1-9 (re-watched)

My memories of when I watched up to 15 in the past tell me that Blue Gender is great for the first half and horrible when it starts to move away from two people trying to survive when hunted by bugs in a post-apocalyptic setting, ending up going up its own arse and forgetting what made the series great to watch. And, going on how much I've enjoyed re-watching 1-9, I think my memories are accurate... otherwise, I wouldn't have put it on-hold.

A 'What the ****!? Where am I? WHY ARE THERE KILLER BUGS!?' start? Check. Lots of deaths, including a Berserk level slaughtering episode? Check. A very good, if a little forced at times relationship building between Yuji and Marlene? Check.

It ticks all the right boxes required for a story about bugs killing people... but then, after a great start, it goes up its own arse, with Yuji and Marlene separated, the post-apocalyptic setting replaced with a space station and the usual anime genetics/save the world rubbish. Part of me doesn't want to push on, knowing it becomes **** soon, but I need to finish it at some point...

I think the short but sweet (/jealous) THEM anime review sums the series up perfectly. I'd give it 3/5 myself, but apart from that the reviewer is spot on.
 
Back
Top